Aston Villa confirm Gerard Houllier start date

New Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier will take charge of the team after Saturday's home match against Bolton, the Premier League club have confirmed.

Houllier was appointed as Villa's new boss last week but has been waiting for clearance from his technical director role at the French Football Federation.

Houllier's first game at the helm will be the Carling Cup match against Blackburn on 22 September.

Caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald will remain in charge against Bolton.

Houllier, 63, has signed a three-year deal with Villa but had not yet agreed a departure date with the FFF when he was unveiled to the media last week.

But that issue has been resolved and the Frenchman is now set to begin his second spell as a manager in England after a successful time with Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup and Uefa Cup Treble in 2001.

MacDonald has been in charge of the team since former boss Martin O'Neill resigned in August, taking control for the first six games of the season.

But the reserve team coach says he is now considering his options after losing out to Houllier for the manager's job.



"I put myself up for the job and once I did that I knew there might be disappointment," said MacDonald after Villa's 2-1 defeat at Stoke on Monday night.

"It took me long enough to decide and once I didn't get the job I was very disappointed.

"But the decision to go back and work with the reserves when Mr Houllier came in was totally down to me wanting to re-evaluate and see what I can - or want - to do.

"I may need to rethink what I may want to do. I may want to be a manager.

"Some people might think I will make a good manager, some people might not - but I need to know for myself.

"Maybe I've gained a bit of confidence [as a result of his managerial duties] but I can't say it's changed me in any way."

Houllier is keen to appoint former Coventry and Leeds manager Gary McAllister as his assistant after ex-Liverpool stars Phil Thompson and Dietmar Hamann as well as MacDonald turned down the opportunity.

And MacDonald admits there was never any realistic chance of him becoming Houllier's assistant once the manager's job had passed him by.

"I had always thought that when I did not get the [manager's] job that I wasn't going to do it [assistant]," he said on Monday.

"I think Mr Houllier is already in the process of getting some of his backroom staff but if I am asked to do something by the Villa manager that is what I will do because I work for Aston Villa football club, I work for Aston Villa's manager.

"He asked me on Friday if I would do those things (prepare the team for Stoke and Bolton) and I have no problem at all.

"That will still happen when I go back to the reserves. If he asks me to go out scouting I'll do some scouting, if he asks me to go and help with the first team I'll help out - until I decide what I want to do."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/9001728.stm

Great news!!!

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/15092010/58/carling-cup-villa-reveal-houllier-start-date.html


i think i`ll attend the Bolton game in a stripey t-shirt and a string of onions around my neck along with a beret on me bonce






some one will think its funny.................

some one will think its funny.................

....ok, maybe not

He really does look like Inspector Clouseau though, doesn't he?

yeah...go on then......

What a fecking shambles.Why announce the appointment of houllier when the froggy git can't start work for weeks.MacDonald has been treated shabbily, hopefully he gets a new job where he is treated to some respect.

Doesn't look like a footy manager to me, looks like a politician.



Oh phuk....

QBVILLA wrote:What a fecking shambles.Why announce the appointment of houllier when the froggy git can't start work for weeks.MacDonald has been treated shabbily, hopefully he gets a new job where he is treated to some respect.

Forkin idiot was offered a top job and he said no. There is no way he was up to managing AVFC and if he does feck off I hope he enjoys working in the lower leagues. He was asked to manage the team on a temporary basis during which time he lost 6-0 to a newly promoted team and guided us neatly out of Europe. Then he has a audacity to moan when he doesn't get offered the permanent job. un forkin believable

villainies wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:What a fecking shambles.Why announce the appointment of houllier when the froggy git can't start work for weeks.MacDonald has been treated shabbily, hopefully he gets a new job where he is treated to some respect.

Forkin idiot was offered a top job and he said no. There is no way he was up to managing AVFC and if he does feck off I hope he enjoys working in the lower leagues. He was asked to manage the team on a temporary basis during which time he lost 6-0 to a newly promoted team and guided us neatly out of Europe. Then he has a audacity to moan when he doesn't get offered the permanent job. un forkin believable

Villainies, the bloke took the club over in turmoil. Yes, he made mistakes at Newcastle, didnt see the europe games, but heard we should have pist it and was unlucky at Newcastle. If they had no intention of appointing him, why the fcek have they asked him to apply. Cant say I am thrilled at the prospect of Houllier arriving at the club, but prepared to give him a chance. All I remember is the boring football he was in charge of at the end of his reign at Liverpool

QBVILLA wrote:What a fecking shambles.Why announce the appointment of houllier when the froggy git can't start work for weeks.MacDonald has been treated shabbily, hopefully he gets a new job where he is treated to some respect.

Better off this way IMO. If they didn't announce it, that probably would've meant that they continue stringing KMac on, by making him believe that he had a realistic chance to be appointed manager the longer his caretaker duties go on - but why would they not tell KMac that he wouldn't be getting the job earlier on? Because of media pressure IMO.

villanfromluton wrote:

villainies wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:What a fecking shambles.Why announce the appointment of houllier when the froggy git can't start work for weeks.MacDonald has been treated shabbily, hopefully he gets a new job where he is treated to some respect.

Forkin idiot was offered a top job and he said no. There is no way he was up to managing AVFC and if he does feck off I hope he enjoys working in the lower leagues. He was asked to manage the team on a temporary basis during which time he lost 6-0 to a newly promoted team and guided us neatly out of Europe. Then he has a audacity to moan when he doesn't get offered the permanent job. un forkin believable

Villainies, the bloke took the club over in turmoil. Yes, he made mistakes at Newcastle, didnt see the europe games, but heard we should have pist it and was unlucky at Newcastle. If they had no intention of appointing him, why the fcek have they asked him to apply. Cant say I am thrilled at the prospect of Houllier arriving at the club, but prepared to give him a chance. All I remember is the boring football he was in charge of at the end of his reign at Liverpool

They invited the oppurtunity to apply if he wanted to. He couldn't make up his mind, took his time and when he did it looked like Villa had already had thier sights on Houllier.

He was invited to apply for the position originally, however he left it until the last day to put his name forward. When I used to have to recruit and employ someone, even though there was a last day for applications, i had normally been through all the applicants, and even spoken to some, already knowing who i thought would be suitable.

He left it to late, was offered a position of been assitant manager and turned it down, so can have his old job back if he wants it.

When he took the job as caretaker manager, he didn't even really want the job permanently, but was happy to take on the role as caretaker for as long as it took the club to recruit so he shouldn't have any issue with looking after the team during the period of waiting for Houllier to start, even though it is a bit ridiculous that's it's taken so long for it to happen.

roadoftrinity wrote:He was invited to apply for the position originally, however he left it until the last day to put his name forward. When I used to have to recruit and employ someone, even though there was a last day for applications, i had normally been through all the applicants, and even spoken to some, already knowing who i thought would be suitable.

He left it to late, was offered a position of been assitant manager and turned it down, so can have his old job back if he wants it.

When he took the job as caretaker manager, he didn't even really want the job permanently, but was happy to take on the role as caretaker for as long as it took the club to recruit so he shouldn't have any issue with looking after the team during the period of waiting for Houllier to start, even though it is a bit ridiculous that's it's taken so long for it to happen.

I thought he dithered, lets face it that's the last thing you want in someones make up as a football manager..And in any case he didn't show the real hunger for it commenting that he didn't know if it was for him, he comes across to me as a bit of a gentleman, most Football managers look like ageing thugs and adopting the obligatory red nose after hitting the bottle constantly.