Liverpool FC Forum

[Woollyback]

C'mon Puddlian, your league is a 2 horse race at best. Apart from Celtic & Rangers I doubt any side in Scotland would even make the English 1st div. If Rangers & Celtic joined the prem Rangers would struggle to finish top half of the table and   Celtic would probably be battling for a uefa spot with Villa, Charlton etc.

[115-1073096938]

I see nothing, absolutely nothing, in Gerard Houllier's career that would warrant the superlative monikcer of "superb".

Erm... hang on...

a cup treble... three successive promotions with a french 5th division side... winning a french league title (which is at least a competative league with more than one good team to beat) winning uefa cups and big matches, doing what he done at youth level with france, helping to prepare the french team for the 98 world cup winning side, signing good players good for cheap prices... i think thats pretty damn superb.

I count superb as exactly that. Not the best, not top class. But superb.

Like i said a while back about catorgarys of players, world class, top class, quality players, good players etc.

Ferguson, Wenger and Lippi in one catorgary, Benitez, Mourinho, Capello in another, Houllier in another.

[JBG]

You must have a funny dictionary at home Stu!

All the same, I see what you mean.

In my book Gerard Houllier is a decent manager and a decent man, but the task at Liverpool was ultimately beyond him.

He's not the idiot a lot of people made him out to be, but he's no genius either.

[115-1073096938]

Look.

He's an excellent manager. He's one of the best 20 in europe.

No question. He'd probably even get into the top 15.

Now think about how many managers there are in europe. All divisions, all leagues, competative-non competative.

I've played with decent players. Division 2 standard. I've played under a decent coach with a uefa qualification. However he wasn't great.

Decent is decent.

Superb is a long way ahead of that. A fairly good manager would be someone like Mick McCarthy imo. A good manager, Curbishley or O'Neil, an excellent one Robson and Ranieri, a superb one Houllier, the theres wenger. Then probably above him Ferguson.

If you count Houllier as only decent you set rediculously high standards mate. simple as that.

[JBG]

I do have ridiculously high standards Stu (unfortunately).....

.....it comes from being a Liverpool supporter since I was a nipper.

     

[greenred]

I do have ridiculously high standards Stu (unfortunately).....

.....it comes from being a Liverpool supporter since I was a nipper.

     

I know what you mean.I wonder sometimes if we inhabit the same planet as some of the teenage fans.We grew up expecting excellence but the kids now think fourth is a magnificent achievment.Where did it all go wrong.

[Sean]

Whoever takes over at Liverpool, I just want someone that demonstrates a real passion for the job and club, as Shanks did.  O'Neill and Mourinho would provide that and I think the fans would respond to it.

Seán

[Big Niall]

Passion means nothing to me, anyone can be passionate, GH was. Wenger doesn't run around clenching his fist but is still the best around.

The new guy should believe "1st is 1st, 2nd is nowhere" - if we finished 2nd next year it would be a step in the right direction but not something to jump and down about, GH has lowered expectations to the extent that 4th is a magnificent achievement.

The good thing about the Valentia manager is that he has won the strongest league in the world twice in three years.

I have doubts about his loyalty though, on the LFC website he says that fans are fickle so he should not be loyal to them (not in those exact words!)

[stmichael]

passion is secondary to managerial ability in my opinion. just because o'neill is passionate, it doesn't detract from the fact that i feel he is tactically naive and would get found out in the premiership.

[Big Niall]

Stu - Houllier in a different class (in a good way?) to Curbishely. Is that because we managed to pip Charlton for that magnificent 4th place?

How much money has Curbishley had to spend at Charlton compared to LFC.

Charlton have also finished in their highest ever premiership place and seem to be well established in much the same way as Leicester were under MON.

[stmichael]

Houllier is a superb manager.

sorry but i can't agree with that statement.

first of all, this cr@p about houllier putting the foundation in place for france's 1998 world cup success in merely a smokescreen to hide the fact that he failed to qualify for USA 94.

he was a very good manager for liverpool during his first three years, but having won the "5 trophies" the guy had no idea how to sustain it and move the club forward again.

"superb managers" win leagues and european cups. something houllier has never done.

fact

[WANDERER]

Good riddance to GH. No more frenchmen please. O'Neil is the man for the job. Morgan should have been accepted. How soon before the East takes over. Get lost Moores.[quote]

[anfieldadorer]

What do people see in martin o'neil?



I see him being shadowed by Liverpool.

[Owzat]

I see nothing, absolutely nothing, in Gerard Houllier's career that would warrant the superlative monikcer of "superb".

Erm... hang on...

a cup treble... three successive promotions with a french 5th division side... winning a french league title (which is at least a competative league with more than one good team to beat) winning uefa cups and big matches

Compare Houllier's trophies with those of Wenger, Ferguson or managers in Spain, Italy etc who've won the league and then compare him with all those managers who've won cups in their countries which are weaker than the FA Cup and look at how much or little they've spent in comparison and see how far down the list Houllier comes. He might have won trophies, but how many managers have had as much money or managed as big a club? You can't say someone won trophies and assume all trophies are the same, nor are all clubs the same.

You can effectively discount any manager from the comparison who a) hasn't had any money or b) who hasn't won a trophy. In England alone the comparison would be between the likes of Ranieri, Houllier, Ferguson, Robson, Wenger and managerless Tottenham. Houllier would possibly come 3rd out of about six or seven realistic contenders

[84-1083280474]

One reason which should be taken into account if O'neil got the Job, would be what contacts does he have, to bring world class players to anfield? I bet he aint got many!
I mean, at celtic, he's playing secnd-rate premiership players like chris sutton, Neil Lennon, and that fat ex-west ham player week in, week out! so i think the anfiedl job would be too good for him.
Although he can motivate people, he jumps up and down on the touch line like a chimpanzee.

thumbs down!