Gerard Houllier is professionalism personified

Bannor

he spent the weekend on the phone convincing players that he was looking to sign in the summer that Liverpool is the club for them even without him at the helm. VdV move is looking more like 100% now, initial payment is €12M.

Thank you Gerard Houllier.

Ronan|Raven

Fair play to him. His dedication to the club was never in question. However after the last two seasons he had to go and is now the situation.

jesus_thats_gre

GH and Heskey were in the exact same postion. They done the job at the start and even when they were being criticised from all directions, still worked hard for the club and remained loyal..

There was never any doubting these facts but their performances of late have gradually got worse and worse to the point where the club was going to be a in a worse position than when he joined the club.

He had to go from the managers position, shame he can't stay at Liverpool in some way.

kida

Some would call it professionalism - others would say his head his so far up his proverbial he can't actually see what his happening.

He has been a disaster for the past 2 years and if he was so professional he would have resigned 18 months ago.

super_furry

He has been treated terribly by some of these so called 'supporters' and throughout it all has acted with nothing but dignity and pride. Houllier loves the club as much as anyone else and has been done a huge disservice.

It wouldn't be so bad if there were any realistic replacements that could improve things, but there aren't.

Pigman II

Yes, I think him telling potential players that he wasn't going to be around next season was an excellent sales pitch.

p.pete

Originally posted by kida
Some would call it professionalism - others would say his head his so far up his proverbial he can't actually see what his happening.

If he's on the phone trying to convince people to still sign then it would indicate that he was very aware of his situation.

Maybe it would have been better if he left 18 months ago but he was never going to leave of his own accord, I don't hold that against him as he wanted nothing more than for Liverpool to do well and was going to do his best to achieve that. In the end he wasn't the right man to achieve this goal but he doesn't have to be the one to decide that. I admire him for his persistance.

eyerer

Originally posted by Bannor
he spent the weekend on the phone convincing players that he was looking to sign in the summer that Liverpool is the club for them even without him at the helm. VdV move is looking more like 100% now, initial payment is €12M.

Thank you Gerard Houllier.

i know you were the first person i saw report that houllier was leaving, and you were right, but i still find it very unbelievable that VdV is going to anfield

PiE

I actually feel a little bit sorry for him now that he's gone, but it was time for him to go. I wish him the best whatever he does next.

And if he did manage to land van der Vaart, it would be an unbelievable leaving present to the club!

Bannor

Originally posted by eyerer
i know you were the first person i saw report that houllier was leaving, and you were right, but i still find it very unbelievable that VdV is going to anfield

I have trouble believing it myself although I've been hoping it's true since I was told about it months ago. Euro 2004 kicks off on June 12th which is only three weeks away, I've been told that if the move is going ahead it will happen before then so it's not too long to wait.

Caesar_Bojangle

he spent the weekend on the phone convincing players that he was looking to sign in the summer that Liverpool is the club for them even without him at the helm.

He is a genuinely nice guy.

What’s van der vaart like? I know absolutely nothing about him.

Do you reckon the Cisse move will go ahead? Cisse setback

Shaque attack

Originally posted by Caesar_Bojangle
He is a genuinely nice guy.

What’s van der vaart like? I know absolutely nothing about him.

Do you reckon the Cisse move will go ahead? Cisse setback

i saw VDV a couple of times and he looks class. he has a great touch and a good eye for goal, similar in some respects to Reyes.

The Cissé move will go ahead, unless he has done something serious to his ankle, which i doubt

Originally posted by Jesus_Thats_Gre
GH and Heskey were in the exact same postion. They done the job at the start and even when they were being criticised from all directions, still worked hard for the club and remained loyal..

There was never any doubting these facts but their performances of late have gradually got worse and worse to the point where the club was going to be a in a worse position than when he joined the club.

Hit the nail on the head there

JippoKelly

I don't think Houllier's professionalism and love for the club were ever in doubt, not in my eyes anyway. He just wasn't up to the task of bringing Liverpool forward.

Space Coyote

originally posted by kida
Some would call it professionalism - others would say his head his so far up his proverbial he can't actually see what his happening.

He has been a disaster for the past 2 years and if he was so professional he would have resigned 18 months ago.

Some might find your comments harsh, but I completely agree 110%

However, what p.pete said was right, "it would have been better if he left 18 months ago but he was never going to leave of his own accord".

Moores is the one who is to blame for the club's decline during Houllier's reign. Houllier always said that he would never walk away from the club, that he and the players would fight to the death for the club. Moores should have realised the obvious 18 months ago, that Houllier had brought the club as far as he could.

Anyway, what's done is done, there will be a new dawn for the once mighty reds. Mourinho, Benitez, Capello, Phil Babb as player/manager - I'm not fussy.

And good luck to the Frenchman.

LizardKing

Just saw a few clips of the press conference last night and I have to say , houllier left with his chin held high , I don't think i've ever seen a manager after being sacked stay for a public press conference and sit along side the person he effectively gave him the boot .... Fair play to gerard and good luck in the future ... He'll probably go back to France I.M.O

kida

His behavior over the last few days showed exactly why he wasn't going to succeed. Could you imagine Fergie or Wenger behaving the same way in the same circumstances. They would have been ranting and raving and F$%ing them from a height. He wasn't ruthless enough neither did he have the required aggression to be succesful - he was too nice.

LizardKing

I think there is more than one type of manager ... Houllier , Ranieri , O'Leary fall into the Nice Guy Style of manager where they rely on the players respect and the players want to play for the manager .. Other managers like Fergie or Sounness try the hard man way by scaring the players shítless to p[lay well .... I know what type of manager i'd prefer however I do see the point where this type of manager can make the players lazy as they are never given a kick up the arsé

Bannor

Originally posted by Space Coyote
However, what p.pete said was right, "it would have been better if he left 18 months ago but he was never going to leave of his own accord".

p.pete is wrong, Gerard Houllier had twice offered a letter of resignation to the board of the club. The first time was after Liverpool crashed out of the first group stage of the Champions League. The second time was the day after the Chelsea game last season because he had failed to qualify for the Champion's League. On both occasions the board refused to accept it.

p.pete

Originally posted by Bannor
p.pete is wrong, Gerard Houllier had twice offered a letter of resignation to the board of the club. The first time was after Liverpool crashed out of the first group stage of the Champions League. The second time was the day after the Chelsea game last season because he had failed to qualify for the Champion's League. On both occasions the board refused to accept it.

Didn't know that, cheers...

Still puts the ball back into boards side of the court though. Things don't get any better when put off unfortunately:(

Space Coyote

Hmm didn't know that either. And with all the insider updates i get ye think I'd have heard that. Ah well. I sit corrected Bannor.

jonno

Is it not illegel to be tapping up players like that??

Anyway if it isn't fair played to Houllier but one thing I don't understand how the board can be thinking of spending any money without a new manager. I would certainly love to see VdV at Anfield and I can't wait for July the first and see Cisse hold up that red shirt with his name on the back. But I would be worried that the board might lose some of the potential high profile candidates if they do sign players without consulting the new manager

Raskolnikov

Van der Vaart would be a great signing for Liverpool, Cissé on the other hand is a bit iffy. For a fraction of the price you'd have a decent chance at getting Kluivert, Drogba (Marseille), etc. The way I see it, Liverpool can really strengthen the team with just a few signings. At the moment they've got Dudek in goal who's a great keeper. Hyypia and Finnan are solid preformers in the back, prehaps one more great centre-half would give them an excellent defence. Kewell (we've yet to see the best of), Gerrard and Riise are all quality midfielders. One great attacking midfielder like the unhappy Lampard would complete the midfield. Upfront, Owen is the only real quality that they've got but team him up with a creative and attacking forward like Drogba, combined the Lampard, Riise and Kewell all attacking, they'd really hammer in some goals.

Three quality players, a centre back, attacking midfielder and a striker would have Liverpool really pushing Man U and Chelsea hard.

Jivin Turkey

I dont want to see Cisse at Liverpool, and dont think he will come now that Le Boss is gone. I always thought that if Houllier got the chop that Cisse wouldnt be coming, I reckon this injury story is a smokescreen.

jonno

Originally posted by Jivin Turkey
I dont want to see Cisse at Liverpool, and dont think he will come now that Le Boss is gone. I always thought that if Houllier got the chop that Cisse wouldnt be coming, I reckon this injury story is a smokescreen.

How could it be a smokescreen if he was seen strechered off the pitch:rolleyes:

BTW in Houllier's final press conference he said this

Well, I think Liverpool have signed a great player in Djibril Cisse. He's a fantastic striker and he's signed for five years so there is plenty of time to for someone to work with him. He's been the best striker in France for the past three seasons and Rick and myself have spent a number of years making sure that this transfer happened. He's very, very quick, got a great shot and is a proven goalscorer.

So it looks like he is coming regardless which I am well happy with

Jivin Turkey

Im not saying he is not injured, Im just saying they might use it as an excuse. To spend £13m on a striker the new manager mightnt even want is a bit stupid do you not think? Cisse is hotheaded and the new manager mightnt have any time for him, plus that is £13m out of the kitty for whoever the new manager is. It seems pretty plausable to me.

smemon

houllier is a sham and should be banned for life from football. what he did to liverpool was laughable considering the initial shambles he inherited.

plus, he was sacked, he didnt want to go. i wish liverpool would stop trying to protect their historical not sacking a manager garbage. they wont admit he was a failure.

a few decent players will get 'pool back into the top 4 were they are falsely placed at present. i might be wrong but wont their next competitive game be in the champs league qualifiers? that'll be a pressure game for the new manager, crucial they win.

LizardKing

He did an awful lot more around Anfield than can been seen from the Terraces or on the Pitch , he looked at nearly every area and made changes from the ground level up. I Agree his last few seasons have been dissappointing but I think you are going over the top with "Banning him from football" ... He is an intelligent , loyal football manager who has had a bad run on the pitch over the last while and has not seen his team progress as expected or wished... Not everything can be blamed on him ... Some of his signings did not seem interested and some did not play as well as they could/should ... He'll bounce back and continue with football ......

hopefully Liverpool will not take too long to settle in for the new manager , whoever it may be ....:ninja:

Jivin Turkey

Originally posted by smemon
houllier is a sham and should be banned for life from football. what he did to liverpool was laughable considering the initial shambles he inherited.

plus, he was sacked, he didnt want to go. i wish liverpool would stop trying to protect their historical not sacking a manager garbage. they wont admit he was a failure.

How could what he did be laughable "considering the initial shambles he inherited?" Get your head out of your hole.

Houllier was a failure as regards the premiership, and I (like most Liverpools fans I assume) couldnt give a crap about the not having sacked a manager crap.

Still we won more trophys under him than we had since the 80s. Plus he totally revamped behind the scenes as regards training ground and youth academy. People go on about how Fergie was amazing because he changed how the club was run from grass roots. Houllier was doing the same, however he has been exponentially more successful than Fergie was in his first 5 years. Plus the team he inherited were a pack of wasters.

He will get the respect he reserves from Liverpool fans, and rightly so. However Im still glad he is gone because Im not sure he had the bottle to bring a championship to Anfield any time soon.