Houllier 7 days left.....?!?

Liverpool Football Club - General Discussion

Postby RedSi » Thu May 20, 2004 10:26 am

Interesting reading from today's Guardian.....

Houllier has seven days to save his job

Dominic Fifield
Thursday May 20, 2004

Gérard Houllier has seven days to convince the Liverpool board that he should remain in charge at Anfield, with the club's refusal to offer any public backing merely helping to fuel rumours of the manager's imminent dismissal.
The Frenchman should learn definitively if he has a future on Merseyside at a board meeting scheduled for next Thursday, though the club maintained a stubborn silence yesterday in response to suggestions that Houllier could be removed from the position he has held on his own since November, 1998.

That merely added to the ominous sense of intrigue, with a number of directors on Liverpool's eight-man board known to favour a change. The club's hierarchy will spend the next few days reviewing the manager's position, with Houllier aware he must convince the chairman David Moores, who remains instinctively supportive, of the viability of his future plans if he is to survive.

The chairman's 51% stake ensures he will have the final say on whether the manager is backed or sacked, regardless of the views of the other directors. Moores remains ever conscious that the 56-year-old has steered Liverpool to four major trophies and salvaged a chance of returning to the lucrative Champions League, having cited a fourth-place finish as the "minimum acceptable requirement" at the turn of the year.

Not that this appears to have guaranteed Houllier will keep his job. The Frenchman has one season to run on his £1.5m-a- year contract, with the club having long intended to review his performance this summer. Those discussions will not only give directors the chance to air their opinions - the majority of the eight men are thought to be highly critical of his performance and sceptical about the merits in retaining him - but will also see Houllier attempt to convince them that he can yet transform the club into title challengers.

He has already earmarked potential signings for next season, with negotiations ongoing over the potential £7.5m purchase of Alan Smith from Leeds and Djibril Cissé sure to join for£14m on July 1. But Houllier must also offer an insight into how the team's style of play, from their performances to training techniques, will improve next year.

The manager refused to be drawn on his future yesterday. "I have been holding meetings with staff preparing for next season," said Houllier. "I have been discussing contracts and other moves, as well as when the players will report back. So I am carrying on my work as normal and with the same dignity as normal." Yet his chances of staying will hinge on his success in persuading the board that he can muster a more coherent challenge - Liverpool finished 30 points behind Arsenal and only 27 ahead of Wolves this season - for a first championship since 1990 next term.

The directors' main doubts surround the manager's prowess in the transfer market, the memory still lingering of the £18m misspent in 2002 on El Hadji Diouf, Bruno Cheyrou and Salif Diao. That has made them wary of giving him carte blanche to spend the windfall expected either from the negotiations with the Thailand prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, or from other investment offers the club's financial advisers Hawkpoint Partners Ltd hope to attract.

The club's failure to provide any kind of backing yesterday cast further doubt on Houllier's prospects. The silence was mysterious given that there had seemed to be little friction between the Frenchman and his chairman over the weekend, when the manager was invited to attend the annual end-of-season party at Moores' Lake District property.

Yet last week's withering attack on his record by the would-be board member Steve Morgan prompted Houllier to seek his own assurances. He aired his grievances during a private meeting with the chief executive Rick Parry on Tuesday, only to come away more concerned than reassured, with Parry non-committal as to the manager's long-term future.
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Postby Boocity » Thu May 20, 2004 10:37 am

He should just go now, he is 6 years into a 5 year plan and we just managed to scrape fourth spot. I for one would not trust him with anymore transfer funds. ???
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Postby Woollyback » Thu May 20, 2004 10:39 am

We scraped fourth spot by virtue of the poor performances by the other teams challenging for 4th. We didn't win 4th spot, the others lost it.

Anyway, the day I start thinking 4th is acceptable for LFC I'm just gonna chuck my scarf in the bin, curl up and die.
b*ll*c*ks and s*i*e
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Postby Redtribe » Thu May 20, 2004 12:06 pm

I find it concearning that the press are making assumptions about whats happening!

No one has come out and said anything yet so i put it all down to media spin!
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Postby ckay » Thu May 20, 2004 12:26 pm

The story isn't in the gutter trash rags though, it's in reputable papers. There has to be something in it.
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Postby JohnBull » Thu May 20, 2004 12:54 pm

This whole thing is typical of the Board/Management set up.
The tide is turning against Houllier in a big way now that his shortcomings are becoming more obvious. True to their nature, his best buddies ,the ****** on the board ,are putting a bit of distance between them and him.
The big problem still lies in what to do next - It may well be that Foo Man Choo keeps his illearned dollars and Steve Morgan would be left as the main contender.
Houllier has made it known that  he won't be "Technical  Director" because unlike now absolutely NO ONE will listen to him, not even Phil(Watch Your Back) Thompson. MON has just accepted £200K from The Daily Record because they accused him of signing an agreement with LFC last year and he says he didn't - now that would be embarrassing.
The talk of Curbishly/Dalgliesh/McMahon etc etc is all in the air because I really don't think that they, the board, planned for this but they can see the end coming and throwing Le Frog to the wolves may give them a little longer in the limelight.
It all friggin stinks!!!
But at the end of the day Le Puff is on his way - praise the Shanks
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Postby woof woof ! » Thu May 20, 2004 1:01 pm

JohnBull wrote:MON has just accepted £200K from The Daily Record because they accused him of signing an agreement with LFC last year and he says he didn't - now that would be embarrassing.

I don't see a problem there, he didn't sign an agreement LAST year but accepts an offer THIS year.  :D
Hope it happens  :D  :D  :D
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Postby 7_Kewell » Thu May 20, 2004 3:15 pm

duno why, but when i looked at this thread the phrase 'Craig davvviddd' came to mind



proper bo! :;):
“You cannot transfer the heart and soul of Liverpool Football Club, although I am sure there are many clubs who would like to buy it.”
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Postby RedSi » Thu May 20, 2004 3:28 pm

We had high hopes on Mondaaaay
Delivered some trophies on Tuesday
We thought we'd win the Prem on Wednesday
And on Thursday and Friday and Saturday and Sunday I realised we were ****** and going nowhere fast :D
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Postby 7_Kewell » Thu May 20, 2004 3:35 pm

I had a nightmare last night that Newcastle beat us to the Champions league!  most bizaar
“You cannot transfer the heart and soul of Liverpool Football Club, although I am sure there are many clubs who would like to buy it.”
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Postby Boocity » Thu May 20, 2004 3:40 pm

Lets hope the board make a decision on GH soon, just seen this of ITV sport.

Meanwhile, the Reds have been linked with a summer move for Bernard Mendy.

The PSG fullback, who spent a season on loan at Bolton two season ago, is apparently high on Gerard Houllier's wishlist, with Steve Finnan having failed to deliver since his arrival at Anfield.

The 22-year-old has one year left on his current deal, meaning the French outfit could decide to cash in.
???
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Postby stmichael » Thu May 20, 2004 3:44 pm

more paper bullsh*t. the guy played for bolton ffs.
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Postby 7_Kewell » Thu May 20, 2004 3:50 pm

i say get Hargreves, he'd make a superb attacking right back
“You cannot transfer the heart and soul of Liverpool Football Club, although I am sure there are many clubs who would like to buy it.”
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Postby stmichael » Thu May 20, 2004 3:54 pm

we only need to sign hargreaves when hamann leaves. for me he is a natural replacement who would do his england chances a world of good by playing over here. i personally think hamann might be here for one more season before ending his career back in germany.
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Postby 7_Kewell » Thu May 20, 2004 3:56 pm

he only has 1 yr left on his contract, so could well happen, although he did say he wanted to finish his career here
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