Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier still wants to sign Arsenal midfield duo Tomas Rosicky and Denilson despite agent Pavel Paska dismissing reports.
The Frenchman wants to bring the pair to Villa Park as Gunners counterpart Arsene Wenger plans a summer clearout.
Arsenal value the players at
Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier was pleased with the effort of his players after their ‘massive’ 1-0 win against Newcastle on Sunday.
James Collins’ first-half header eased the pressure on Houllier’s side as they moved five points above the relegation zone.
“The players’ work-rate, their determination for each other was good,” Houllier told Sky Sports.
“I praise all the players because we used 13, for their effort today. You could see from the start they wanted it. It’s a massive win.”
“In fairness we knew we missed a turning point at Bolton, but this time at home we did extremely well.”
Houllier said despite reports he was unpopular among the Villa Park faithful, he was confident he had the support of chairman Randy Lerner.
“I don’t think there’s too much pressure on me because the most important thing is the support I get from the chairman and the chief executive and that was clear all through the week,” he said.
“It’s not about Gerard Houllier, it’s about the club. We are here for the club.”
The visitors had several players missing from the teamsheer, including strikers Leon Best and Shola Ameobi and suspended midfielders Cheik Tiote and Kevin Nolan.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew bemoaned the absence of the quartet afterwards, but nonetheless thought his side could have grabbed a late equaliser.
“I think we just missed the core of our team today. (We missed) some big players, and probably for Villa it was a good call because of the players missing,” Pardew said.
“Having said that it was a gallant effort. In our passing we could?ve been crisper and better, yet we still could have nicked something at the end.”
The loss means Newcastle are just seven points clear of the relegation zone. But with his side in ninth, Pardew is hopeful his side can soon cement their Premier League status.
“Everybody in the division is the same. We just need to get to those 41-42 points so we’re comfortable,” he said.
“There is plenty of games (and we have) plenty of good players, (and we) want to finish stronger than that if we can.”
Sun 10 April, 2011Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier was pleased with the effort of his players after their ‘massive’ 1-0 win against Newcastle on Sunday.
James Collins’ first-half header eased the pressure on Houllier’s side as they moved five points above the relegation zone.
“The players’ work-rate, their determination for each other was good,” Houllier told Sky Sports.
“I praise all the players because we used 13, for their effort today. You could see from the start they wanted it. It’s a massive win.”
“In fairness we knew we missed a turning point at Bolton, but this time at home we did extremely well.”
Houllier said despite reports he was unpopular among the Villa Park faithful, he was confident he had the support of chairman Randy Lerner.
“I don’t think there’s too much pressure on me because the most important thing is the support I get from the chairman and the chief executive and that was clear all through the week,” he said.
“It’s not about Gerard Houllier, it’s about the club. We are here for the club.”
The visitors had several players missing from the teamsheer, including strikers Leon Best and Shola Ameobi and suspended midfielders Cheik Tiote and Kevin Nolan.
Newcastle manager Alan Pardew bemoaned the absence of the quartet afterwards, but nonetheless thought his side could have grabbed a late equaliser.
“I think we just missed the core of our team today. (We missed) some big players, and probably for Villa it was a good call because of the players missing,” Pardew said.
“Having said that it was a gallant effort. In our passing we could?ve been crisper and better, yet we still could have nicked something at the end.”
The loss means Newcastle are just seven points clear of the relegation zone. But with his side in ninth, Pardew is hopeful his side can soon cement their Premier League status.
“Everybody in the division is the same. We just need to get to those 41-42 points so we’re comfortable,” he said.
“There is plenty of games (and we have) plenty of good players, (and we) want to finish stronger than that if we can.”
Sun 10 April, 2011Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has refused to apologise for fielding an under-strength team against Manchester City and has urged the fans to back him.
Villa fans were angered to see their side exit the FA Cup this week as they lost 3-0 to Manchester City, with the likes of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor not making the starting line-up.
It has led to renewed speculation over Houllier’s future but the Villa manager said: “I was surprised by the criticism. We did not go out with youth, in midfield we had three international players.”
“Manchester City are above us. My view is to keep everyone fresh and hungry. I don’t believe we played badly. Their squad is better than ours.”
“I’m sorry. Perhaps, I should have warned the fans before but it is not as if I was playing the youth team. There was risk, yes I took a risk but these are good players.”
“I am not doing PR. I am working for the club and the future and the first priority is the league. I know what I am doing.”
Carlos Cuellar will not be selected for Villa’s trip to Bolton due to a hamstring injury but Nathan Baker will return. Richard Dunne’s shoulder injury is expected to keep him out for three or four weeks.
James Collins has a slight chance of recovering from a calf strain and Jean Makoun completes a three-match ban.
Fri 4 March, 2011Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has refused to apologise for fielding an under-strength team against Manchester City and has urged the fans to back him.
Villa fans were angered to see their side exit the FA Cup this week as they lost 3-0 to Manchester City, with the likes of Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor not making the starting line-up.
It has led to renewed speculation over Houllier’s future but the Villa manager said: “I was surprised by the criticism. We did not go out with youth, in midfield we had three international players.”
“Manchester City are above us. My view is to keep everyone fresh and hungry. I don’t believe we played badly. Their squad is better than ours.”
“I’m sorry. Perhaps, I should have warned the fans before but it is not as if I was playing the youth team. There was risk, yes I took a risk but these are good players.”
“I am not doing PR. I am working for the club and the future and the first priority is the league. I know what I am doing.”
Carlos Cuellar will not be selected for Villa’s trip to Bolton due to a hamstring injury but Nathan Baker will return. Richard Dunne’s shoulder injury is expected to keep him out for three or four weeks.
James Collins has a slight chance of recovering from a calf strain and Jean Makoun completes a three-match ban.
Fri 4 March, 2011Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has defended making eight changes to his side before Wednesday’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City in the FA Cup.
The French manager opted to leave the likes of Marc Albrighton, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Nigel Reo-Coker and Robert Pires warming the bench at City of Manchester Stadium, effectively conceding the fifth-round tie to a near-full strength City.
Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and David Villa all found the net for the hosts, who advance to face Reading in the quarter-finals.
Houllier, who came in for criticism for his team selection after the match, felt his top players would have made little difference against City.
“I knew that you would ask that,” Houllier said when quizzed on the thinking behind his eight changes.
“We started the team with Emile Heskey and Gaby Agbonlahor and Nathan Delfouneso, who is an Under-21 international, so that attack was practically three internationals.”
“We have quality and we use it. I don’t think Ashley Young or Stewart Downing would have avoided the first goal, which was very unfortunate.”
“After being down to 1-0 it was difficult. We have to acknowledge that we were beaten by a team that is better than ours at the moment.”
“I don’t think we had a bad game. I admit that we didn’t hurt them enough (but) the score is very flattering for them.”
City boss Roberto Mancini defended Houllier against criticism, saying he would have done the same if it were not for injuries.
“Gerard has experience. He knows it is impossible to play with the same players every three days,” Mancini said.
“I don’t have seven or eight players to bring in. If I did, I would do the same.”
Mancini was particularly pleased with the efforts of Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who played up front on his own and netted City’s second goal on 25 minutes.
“I took a risk to play only Mario up front, but Mario played well and scored a fantastic goal,” Mancini said.
“I was very pleased with the overall performance. This game was very important for us.”
Thu 3 March, 2011Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has defended making eight changes to his side before Wednesday’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City in the FA Cup.
The French manager opted to leave the likes of Marc Albrighton, Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Nigel Reo-Coker and Robert Pires warming the bench at City of Manchester Stadium, effectively conceding the fifth-round tie to a near-full strength City.
Yaya Toure, Mario Balotelli and David Villa all found the net for the hosts, who advance to face Reading in the quarter-finals.
Houllier, who came in for criticism for his team selection after the match, felt his top players would have made little difference against City.
“I knew that you would ask that,” Houllier said when quizzed on the thinking behind his eight changes.
“We started the team with Emile Heskey and Gaby Agbonlahor and Nathan Delfouneso, who is an Under-21 international, so that attack was practically three internationals.”
“We have quality and we use it. I don’t think Ashley Young or Stewart Downing would have avoided the first goal, which was very unfortunate.”
“After being down to 1-0 it was difficult. We have to acknowledge that we were beaten by a team that is better than ours at the moment.”
“I don’t think we had a bad game. I admit that we didn’t hurt them enough (but) the score is very flattering for them.”
City boss Roberto Mancini defended Houllier against criticism, saying he would have done the same if it were not for injuries.
“Gerard has experience. He knows it is impossible to play with the same players every three days,” Mancini said.
“I don’t have seven or eight players to bring in. If I did, I would do the same.”
Mancini was particularly pleased with the efforts of Italian striker Mario Balotelli, who played up front on his own and netted City’s second goal on 25 minutes.
“I took a risk to play only Mario up front, but Mario played well and scored a fantastic goal,” Mancini said.
“I was very pleased with the overall performance. This game was very important for us.”
Thu 3 March, 2011Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier was proud of Darren Bent and Ashley Young after they shone for England and believes his club will be the ultimate beneficiaries.
Bent and Young scored the goals as England beat Denmark 2-1 in Copenhagen on Wednesday, with Stewart Downing also featuring for the Three Lions.
And with Houllier able to welcome back Gabriel Agbonlahor, who missed the England game due to personal reasons, for Saturday’s clash with Blackpool, he believes England’s success will benefit Villa.
“I was proud,” he said “You are always proud when players go to the national team. We had players everywhere.”
“When you are a manager, I know it sometimes brings some inconvenience because you may have injuries and may have a bit of tiredness.”
“But you are proud to have your players selected because that means they are doing well in the league and means they are well prepared and trusted.”
And Houllier says he is now ready to bury the hatchet with Blackpool boss Ian Holloway after the two managers fell out over Villa’s offer for Bloomfield Road skipper Charlie Adam.
Holloway was fuming with Villa’s offer, with Houllier suggesting that he was being attacked because he was French.
But after the Blackpool boss suggested he would make up with Houllier, the former Liverpool boss agreed to let the matter lie.
“I took on board the gracious words and it is water under the bridge,” said Houllier.
“Where he is wrong is when he said we made it (their interest in Adam) public. We never made it public on our side.”
“It came from their side but it is finished now and we have taken other players and we are happy with the squad and that’s it. Anyway, I will be happy to see him.”
Jean Makoun has been training and should return at Bloomfield Road, along with new signing Michael Bradley after the American was granted a visa. Nathan Baker is suspended.
Fri 11 February, 2011Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier was proud of Darren Bent and Ashley Young after they shone for England and believes his club will be the ultimate beneficiaries.
Bent and Young scored the goals as England beat Denmark 2-1 in Copenhagen on Wednesday, with Stewart Downing also featuring for the Three Lions.
And with Houllier able to welcome back Gabriel Agbonlahor, who missed the England game due to personal reasons, for Saturday’s clash with Blackpool, he believes England’s success will benefit Villa.
“I was proud,” he said “You are always proud when players go to the national team. We had players everywhere.”
“When you are a manager, I know it sometimes brings some inconvenience because you may have injuries and may have a bit of tiredness.”
“But you are proud to have your players selected because that means they are doing well in the league and means they are well prepared and trusted.”
And Houllier says he is now ready to bury the hatchet with Blackpool boss Ian Holloway after the two managers fell out over Villa’s offer for Bloomfield Road skipper Charlie Adam.
Holloway was fuming with Villa’s offer, with Houllier suggesting that he was being attacked because he was French.
But after the Blackpool boss suggested he would make up with Houllier, the former Liverpool boss agreed to let the matter lie.
“I took on board the gracious words and it is water under the bridge,” said Houllier.
“Where he is wrong is when he said we made it (their interest in Adam) public. We never made it public on our side.”
“It came from their side but it is finished now and we have taken other players and we are happy with the squad and that’s it. Anyway, I will be happy to see him.”
Jean Makoun has been training and should return at Bloomfield Road, along with new signing Michael Bradley after the American was granted a visa. Nathan Baker is suspended.
Fri 11 February, 2011Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has praised full-back Kyle Walker following his call up to the England squad.
Walker is currently on loan at Villa Park from Tottenham Hotspur, having spent the first half of the season at Queens Park Rangers.
And he has coped well with the transition from Championship to Premier League, catching the eye with some marauding runs from right back as well as notching two well-taken goals, against Sheffield United in the FA Cup and Fulham in Saturday’s 2-2 league match.
Walker’s form has also impressed Fabio Capello, who has rewarded the 20-year-old with a first call up to England’s senior squad.
He will now be hoping to make his England bow against Denmark at Parken on Wednesday, and Houllier sees no reason why a bright future should not await the Sheffield-born youngster.
“He can strike the ball, he can also burst forward and he can defend,” Houllier said.
“He showed some international quality because he is fast and he is quick, he can defend and he can burst through and his use of the ball is good.”
“The full-backs in modern football have a lot of the ball so they need to be good footballers.”
The Frenchman also revealed he believes there is still more to come from Walker.
“He’s not the finished article. Glen Johnson is probably ahead of him. But this is his first experience in the Premier League and he’s got to build on that,” Houllier said.
Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has pulled out of Capello’s squad for personal reasons.
Also out are Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Ben Foster and Peter Crouch. West Ham duo Robert Green and Carlton Cole have been called up.
Mon 7 February, 2011Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has praised full-back Kyle Walker following his call up to the England squad.
Walker is currently on loan at Villa Park from Tottenham Hotspur, having spent the first half of the season at Queens Park Rangers.
And he has coped well with the transition from Championship to Premier League, catching the eye with some marauding runs from right back as well as notching two well-taken goals, against Sheffield United in the FA Cup and Fulham in Saturday’s 2-2 league match.
Walker’s form has also impressed Fabio Capello, who has rewarded the 20-year-old with a first call up to England’s senior squad.
He will now be hoping to make his England bow against Denmark at Parken on Wednesday, and Houllier sees no reason why a bright future should not await the Sheffield-born youngster.
“He can strike the ball, he can also burst forward and he can defend,” Houllier said.
“He showed some international quality because he is fast and he is quick, he can defend and he can burst through and his use of the ball is good.”
“The full-backs in modern football have a lot of the ball so they need to be good footballers.”
The Frenchman also revealed he believes there is still more to come from Walker.
“He’s not the finished article. Glen Johnson is probably ahead of him. But this is his first experience in the Premier League and he’s got to build on that,” Houllier said.
Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has pulled out of Capello’s squad for personal reasons.
Also out are Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand, Ben Foster and Peter Crouch. West Ham duo Robert Green and Carlton Cole have been called up.
Mon 7 February, 2011Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has praised his ‘physically and technically superior’ side for outlasting Wigan Athletic 2-1 on Tuesday.
Gabriel Agbonlahor headed Villa into the lead five minutes after the restart of the English Premier League encounter, and Ashley Young made it 2-0 from the penalty spot 12 minutes later.
James McCarthy drew one back for Wigan in the 80th minute but Villa held on through a frenetic final 10 minutes plus stoppage time to record back-to-back wins for the first time under Houllier.
The Villa boss, who took over the position left vacant by Martin O’Neill in September, was delighted by the character shown by his side to hold on for a valuable three points at DW Stadium.
“I think we had everything,” Houllier told Sky Sports.
“They (Wigan) really made it difficult at the start. We had a couple of chances but we didn’t control the game as much as we did in the second-half.”
“I think we were physically and technically superior to them. The players today, in terms of the discipline and the effort, were tremendous.”
He added: “It’s never easy. There’s a very fine line between winning and losing.”
“I was disappointed because I wanted to see a clean sheet for the defenders. But at the same time I was happy with the way we reacted. They were composed and confident and not scared.”
“But I was very pleased with my players because, after a huge game against Manchester City (on Saturday), I thought that some of them could be flat.”
“But they worked very hard, probably as hard as they did last Saturday. Nathan Baker and (Jean) Makoun, I thought, did extremely well.”
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was deflated by the loss but could still take a number of positives from the close-run match.
“When you play at home, you are disappointed (to lose),” Martinez said.
“But, looking at the first-half that we had, we created two very good chances and sometimes that lack of composure, or good defending, will stop you from getting that first goal.”
“In the second half, in a very short period, we conceded a goal from a corner and then the second goal from a penalty is a real mountain to climb.”
“But the reaction from then on was brilliant to see; we got one goal back and it seems like, if the game had been longer, we would have got something.”
“I’ve got no problem with losing a football game when you show that desire and that effort. I think the players today performed in a great manner.”
“We never gave in and that’s very, very important.”
Wed 26 January, 2011Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has praised his ‘physically and technically superior’ side for outlasting Wigan Athletic 2-1 on Tuesday.
Gabriel Agbonlahor headed Villa into the lead five minutes after the restart of the English Premier League encounter, and Ashley Young made it 2-0 from the penalty spot 12 minutes later.
James McCarthy drew one back for Wigan in the 80th minute but Villa held on through a frenetic final 10 minutes plus stoppage time to record back-to-back wins for the first time under Houllier.
The Villa boss, who took over the position left vacant by Martin O’Neill in September, was delighted by the character shown by his side to hold on for a valuable three points at DW Stadium.
“I think we had everything,” Houllier told Sky Sports.
“They (Wigan) really made it difficult at the start. We had a couple of chances but we didn’t control the game as much as we did in the second-half.”
“I think we were physically and technically superior to them. The players today, in terms of the discipline and the effort, were tremendous.”
He added: “It’s never easy. There’s a very fine line between winning and losing.”
“I was disappointed because I wanted to see a clean sheet for the defenders. But at the same time I was happy with the way we reacted. They were composed and confident and not scared.”
“But I was very pleased with my players because, after a huge game against Manchester City (on Saturday), I thought that some of them could be flat.”
“But they worked very hard, probably as hard as they did last Saturday. Nathan Baker and (Jean) Makoun, I thought, did extremely well.”
Wigan boss Roberto Martinez was deflated by the loss but could still take a number of positives from the close-run match.
“When you play at home, you are disappointed (to lose),” Martinez said.
“But, looking at the first-half that we had, we created two very good chances and sometimes that lack of composure, or good defending, will stop you from getting that first goal.”
“In the second half, in a very short period, we conceded a goal from a corner and then the second goal from a penalty is a real mountain to climb.”
“But the reaction from then on was brilliant to see; we got one goal back and it seems like, if the game had been longer, we would have got something.”
“I’ve got no problem with losing a football game when you show that desire and that effort. I think the players today performed in a great manner.”
“We never gave in and that’s very, very important.”
Wed 26 January, 2011Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier expects his new signings to have a continued impact at the club.
Record signing Darren Bent scored on debut against Manchester City on Saturday, while Tottenham loan signing Kyle Walker also scored on his first Villa appearance against Sheffield United in the FA Cup win two weeks ago.
“The signings gave us a bit of a buzz about the place,” Houllier said.
“The first signing was Kyle Walker who couldn’t play against Man City because he had a back problem. It happened on Friday in training.”
“We thought he would be OK but he couldn’t make it. Kyle started with us at Sheffield and practically with the first movement he had he scored a goal.”
“It was Darren’s first game for us and he scored. The luck went right to the end. The spirit and heart is very important.”
Walker is available again after his back problem and striker Emile Heskey returns after completing a three-game suspension.
Houllier could introduce another new face to his squad on Tuesday, if six-million-pound Lyon signing Jean Makoun features, but with the team’s form on the rise he will have to be at the top of his game to force his way into the side.
“I said if we can stick together things can happen. If Jean Makoun plays against Wigan, he’s got pressure on his shoulders.”
One man who has not been involved in recent weeks is full-back Stephen Warnock, the 29-year-old’s former club, Liverpool, is believed to be interested in re-signing the left-back but Houllier insists that he has not received any bids for the player.
“He trained on Saturday,” said Houllier. “I’m not his agent, he’s an Aston Villa player at the moment. He’s not involved, but who knows what can happen tomorrow?”
Mon 24 January, 2011Gerard Houllier is ‘not bothered’ by what Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has to say about Aston Villa’s capture of striker Darren Bent.
Bent is set to make his debut at home to Manchester City on Saturday and Houllier insisted he had gone about the transfer the right way, despite Bruce saying otherwise on Thursday.
Houllier said: “I like Steve Bruce. I think he is a good manager. He is doing a good job. He is working for the interests of Sunderland. I am working for the interests of Aston Villa.”
“I think he was not too gracious to me but that’s life. It is not going to prevent me from sleeping, I can tell you that. If we had done something wrong, I would say ‘hands up’ but we have behaved in a very proper way.”
“If I call Steve and say ‘I want his player’ he will go vocal and go public and it will be even worse. You contact a manager when you want a player on loan sometimes. A lot of fellow managers call me if they want loans.”
“This is the life of football. It makes me laugh more than anything else. Am I bothered about what he said? I prefer not to answer that question.”
Manchester City are currently second in the Premier League table and the Frenchman thinks they have really found their stride in recent weeks.
He said: “It looks as if they are clicking now and scoring goals, getting results and competing for the title which is a huge step from last year.”
“I think Roberto Mancini is doing a great job there. I know him. We are good friends – he is a good manager, very successful.”
“He kept his head high and straight when he was under pressure.”
Bent is in line to make his debut while fellow new signing Jean Makoun will miss out as he is yet to receive an international clearance.
Ashley Young is available after suspension.
Fri 21 January, 2011Gerard Houllier is ‘not bothered’ by what Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has to say about Aston Villa’s capture of striker Darren Bent.
Bent is set to make his debut at home to Manchester City on Saturday and Houllier insisted he had gone about the transfer the right way, despite Bruce saying otherwise on Thursday.
Houllier said: “I like Steve Bruce. I think he is a good manager. He is doing a good job. He is working for the interests of Sunderland. I am working for the interests of Aston Villa.”
“I think he was not too gracious to me but that’s life. It is not going to prevent me from sleeping, I can tell you that. If we had done something wrong, I would say ‘hands up’ but we have behaved in a very proper way.”
“If I call Steve and say ‘I want his player’ he will go vocal and go public and it will be even worse. You contact a manager when you want a player on loan sometimes. A lot of fellow managers call me if they want loans.”
“This is the life of football. It makes me laugh more than anything else. Am I bothered about what he said? I prefer not to answer that question.”
Manchester City are currently second in the Premier League table and the Frenchman thinks they have really found their stride in recent weeks.
He said: “It looks as if they are clicking now and scoring goals, getting results and competing for the title which is a huge step from last year.”
“I think Roberto Mancini is doing a great job there. I know him. We are good friends – he is a good manager, very successful.”
“He kept his head high and straight when he was under pressure.”
Bent is in line to make his debut while fellow new signing Jean Makoun will miss out as he is yet to receive an international clearance.
Ashley Young is available after suspension.
Fri 21 January, 2011Gerard Houllier shook off the pressure mounting on him and insisted Aston Villa would soon be making a move up the table.
Houllier took over at Villa Park after Martin O’Neill’s sudden resignation on the eve of the season, but so far has failed to inspire the team, who lie 15th on the Premier League table.
But the Frenchman said the club would band together during this tough time and were not worried about outside opinions.
“I knew there would be pressure and there is more pressure and the feeling is not the same when you don’t win games,” said Houllier.
“The club is a unit, the chairman, the staff, medical people, everyone seems to get together.”
The return of players from injury and an improvement from the members of the squad dropped for footballing reasons should make a real difference to the team that faces Chelsea on Sunday.
“The positive thing is a lot of players are gradually coming out of injury and starting to play,” Houllier said.
“The good news is that the treatment rooms are nearly empty. Ashley Young, who we missed for the last two games, should be okay for this weekend.”
After a poor game at Liverpool and a reported training ground bust-up, Richard Dunne missed the last three games and was not in the squad for the last two.
He will be back for the Chelsea game, but fellow Irishman Stephen Ireland will have to wait for his opportunity.
Striker John Carew will also be back in a Villa shirt shortly.
“They are out of the team only on footballing reasons,” Houllier said. “They weren’t performing at times.”
“John said he needed more training to come back to his best level – he is fighting hard to come back to that level. The rest is a matter of choice, but Dunne seems better as well.”
Houllier accepts Villa are one of twelve or so teams in a relegation fight.
“It is very funny because you win two games and suddenly you are near Europe again and but you lose two and you are in the battle for relegation,” he said.
Fri 31 December, 2010Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier says star man Ashley Young will not leave in January, despite interest from Liverpool and Tottenham.
The England winger is arguably Villa’s most important player but his contract runs out at the end of the season.
That means Villa could face losing him for nothing if he does not sign a contract extension.
But Houllier insists he will not sell Young in January to ensure the club receive a fee.
“He knows that the club’s will is to keep him. I’ll keep him in until the end of his contract and to keep the club developing,” Houllier said.
“He told us very clearly that he would like to end this season and see what he’ll do and we respect that.”
“Let’s wait and see, at the moment I can tell you that we’ll assess that a bit later on. But in the meantime I don’t think he’ll leave in January. I don’t think so.”
Villa face Tottenham on Boxing Day followed by three tough games with Manchester City, Chelsea and Sunderland over the festive period.
And Houllier explained what a huge difference a couple of wins could make.
“I am fully focused on the games, starting with Tottenham,” he said.
“The most important thing is to pick up points. We have 20 points, which is not enough.”
“You could say easily, for those who have followed our games, that we could have maybe five or six points more which would put us in maybe seventh or eighth position.”
“Unfortunately we dropped points but now have to be focused on the 21 games left to play. The games will come thick and fast.”
Young is one of the players unlikely to face Tottenham on Boxing Day because of a knee injury. And his namesake, Luke Young, is also a doubt with a groin problem.
Houllier added: “We don’t know yet about Ashley. He hasn’t trained with the team yet but it’s still early. We’re playing on Sunday.”
“Luke hasn’t trained with the team either. He has a groin and hip problem but he’s been getting inside and doing some gym work.”
Thu 23 December, 2010Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier says star man Ashley Young will not leave in January, despite interest from Liverpool and Tottenham.
The England winger is arguably Villa’s most important player but his contract runs out at the end of the season.
That means Villa could face losing him for nothing if he does not sign a contract extension.
But Houllier insists he will not sell Young in January to ensure the club receive a fee.
“He knows that the club’s will is to keep him. I’ll keep him in until the end of his contract and to keep the club developing,” Houllier said.
“He told us very clearly that he would like to end this season and see what he’ll do and we respect that.”
“Let’s wait and see, at the moment I can tell you that we’ll assess that a bit later on. But in the meantime I don’t think he’ll leave in January. I don’t think so.”
Villa face Tottenham on Boxing Day followed by three tough games with Manchester City, Chelsea and Sunderland over the festive period.
And Houllier explained what a huge difference a couple of wins could make.
“I am fully focused on the games, starting with Tottenham,” he said.
“The most important thing is to pick up points. We have 20 points, which is not enough.”
“You could say easily, for those who have followed our games, that we could have maybe five or six points more which would put us in maybe seventh or eighth position.”
“Unfortunately we dropped points but now have to be focused on the 21 games left to play. The games will come thick and fast.”
Young is one of the players unlikely to face Tottenham on Boxing Day because of a knee injury. And his namesake, Luke Young, is also a doubt with a groin problem.
Houllier added: “We don’t know yet about Ashley. He hasn’t trained with the team yet but it’s still early. We’re playing on Sunday.”
“Luke hasn’t trained with the team either. He has a groin and hip problem but he’s been getting inside and doing some gym work.”
Thu 23 December, 2010
So the immediate question – will he be a success? He’s had a mixed bag of a career. He was last in the Premier League as manager of Liverpool, where he set about dismantling the Spice Boy Era, and bought a bit of success to the club (including a UEFA Cup win) before leaving the club in a bit of a mess after failing to qualify for the Champions League. Not that dissimilar from his successor then.
He did help turn Steven Gerrard into the Steven Gerrard we all know today, and he did get the best out of Michael Owen (who hasn’t really been the same player since). Although it wasn’t all roses, he also bought El Hadji Diouf instead of Nicolas Anelka. If you are going to buy one sulky foreigner, you want to make it Anelka.
They key, I think is that the Premier League is a pretty different beast than it was in 2004. Since then English Clubs have come to dominante in the Champions League (last season excepted) the status of the League has grown, the money is crazier, it is an altogether different beast. Although having some experience is better than none.
The other key is Villa. Can they be pushed farther than O’Neill took them? Over the past few seasons they have been bleeding talent (Barry, Milner etc) without ever breaking into the top four (Despite threatening a couple of times). Keeping hold of talent is going to be key, and its unlikely he’ll be able to dismantle and start again as he did at Liverpool.
He is a great coach though – he won other trophies at Liverpool, cups and super cups, as well as the League in France a couple of times. He had a torrid international spell, but as we know that’s a different beast entirely.
Also, apparently Villa think he shares the same core values as they do. Whatever the hell they are.
Its a really interesting appointment and I can’t wait to see how it pans out. His first game is against Stoke on Monday (Its on Sky of course), also make a note in your diary for the beginning of December, when he heads back to Anfield.
Category: Managerial Merry-Go-Round, Villa
Tags: Managerial Merry-Go-Round, Villa
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Comments | Add your comment matt | September 9th, 2010 at 5:13 pm 
file this one under i have no idea. he was half competent at liverpool i guess. sometimes they seemed really good and other times really boring/terrible/etc…kind of like villa under oneill. really wouldnt bet on this coming out one way or another.
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