Liverpool FC Forum

[jonnymac1979]

I looked at a post by Greenred in another topic about Benitez.

He is just a spanish bloke who nobody wanted as Liverpool manager until the last week.

It got me thinking.  After reading this board for the last few months, it seems clear that only a few of us follow Spanish football (myself not included, i'll watch it when it's on, but I don't follow it).

The point I am trying to make is that only through the last week with people speculating about Benitez is that we have heard of him.  Nobody quoted him when Houllier was still in the job as a replacement.  Everybody was quoting O'Neill, Capello, the usual suspects etc.......but not Benitez.

To me he was an unknown quantity until last week.

It reminds me of when Houllier joined.  I couldn't believe we were appointing some French nobody to be joint manager with Liverpool's own Roy Evans.

Who had heard of Houllier before he joined us?  Think back, I know it was six years ago!!!!

[Stan Laurel]

No, I remember what I've said about Houllier, when I heard the first time when Houllier got the job to work with Roy Evans, I said "Gerard who?', so my old man wasn't very happy when he heard that news about Houllier got the job at Anfield because Houllier failed France to qualify for the World Cup 94.

[azriahmad]

Yes, heard of him but heard of him as a failed France coach whose team lost to Bulgaria in the World Cup play-offs for the '94 berth, after leading on aggregate (if I am not mistaken).

They only needed to avoid defeat but somehow let in 2 goals in quick succession and Houllier publicly blamed Ginola for losing possession and letting Bulgarian run at the French goal and scored from that ensiung chance.

I heard that Houllier was very highly regarded as a "technical coach" and was responsible for the excellent Claifontaine academy in France but never actually witnessed his team play. Perhaps this compliment to Houllier is akin to the compliment to Teddy Sheringham being an "intelligent" striker (I don't really know what that means and what kind of value this kind of compliment is supposed to have carried).

I have seen Benitez's Valencia play and have read about his exploits and achievements. His Valencia is miles ahead of Houllier's Liverpool in terms of organisation and effective passing, the cornerstone of Liverpool's great teams of the 70s and 80s.

[anfieldadorer]

No. But I managed myself searching every info on him at the day one he was in charge and thought a technical director of France Football couldn't let us down. I was happy thinking i was right after we had collected the 5 trophies.

[Boocity]

Yes, I remember seeing his face when he was in charge of France and I think they got knocked out of the world cup qualifiers by Israel. It was'nt his fault then either

[azriahmad]

Was the French opposition Israel? Then it was worse... how can any French team lose to Israel?

[jonnymac1979]

The first I heard about Houllier joining us was on Radio City news.  I had neither heard nor read any speculation we were to have a joint managerial partnership.  It was like a bolt out of the blue for me when he joined us.

[Stan Laurel]

Was the French opposition Israel? Then it was worse... how can any French team lose to Israel?

I thought it was Bulgaria, they beat France, Eric Cantona blamed Ginola for that and Ginola blamed Houllier for that too!!!
Houllier lost his temper with both of them in the changing room after that match!!!

[jonnymac1979]

Yeah, it was Bulgaria.  Ginola had the ball in the corner flag near Bulgarias goal.  A minute to go, he lost the ball, Bulgaria went up and scored.

John Barnes 1989 anyone......?

[stmichael]

i had heard of houllier when he came to liverpool but had no real idea about his managerial credentials. the whole joint manager debacle at the start was a joke and was never going to work. evans had done his time and it was time for a complete change.

[ckay]

Heard of him but only in passing. Wasn't he involved with the technical side of things for France at Euro 96 and world cup 98?

[azriahmad]

Yes, he was the driving force behind the setting up of the famed Clairfontaine youth football academy which produced Theiry Henry, Davis Trazeguet and a few others I forgot already.

Make no mistake, Houllier is a great administrator as proven by his work at Clairfontaine. He is just a lousy man-manager and a worse tactician. Look at how one-dimensional Liverpool's play was under him. Liverpool's players of the recent seasons are not as motivated or play with much pride and severely lack confidence, especially when they fall behind.

Let's hope that the new manager can turn things around.

[Boocity]

I think Israel came into it somewhere, if it was Bulgaria who beat them I think it meant that Israel qualified ahead of France. But I might just be brain dead and imagined it

[ckay]

I know that Ginola never played international football again!!!!

[Stan Laurel]

Yes, he was the driving force behind the setting up of the famed Clairfontaine youth football academy which produced Theiry Henry, Davis Trazeguet and a few others I forgot already.

GH could have sign both of them to Liverpool!!!!