The highs and lows of Gerard Houllier

By Mirror Football in Mirror Football Blog

Published 21:12 08/09/10

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Aston Villa have confirmed the appointment of Gerard Houllier as Martin O'Neill's replacement.

In a career that's had more ups and downs than a trampoline tester, Houllier has always been good value. Here, MirrorFootball's Richard Arrowsmith take a look at the former Liverpool manager's highs and lows...

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Before moving into football management, Houllier was a deputy headmaster. An innate talent for instructing young boys brought him success in the French Ligue where he won the championship with Paris Saint-Germain in 1986. He later became technical director for the France national team before succeeding Michel Platini as manager in 1992...

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Despite being dead certs to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, France failed to beat Bulgaria in their final game and missed the tournament. In the first entry of a catalogue of excuses, Houllier blamed shiny maned show pony, David Ginola, for the errant pass that led to Bulgaria's goal. The hair commercial star threatened to sue Houllier before deciding he wasn't 'worth it'.

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Houllier returned to his role as technical director and took some credit for France winning the World Cup in 1998, although Zinedine Zidane also had a small say in matters. Houllier's reputation as a stirrer of sleeping giants led to his appointment as joint Liverpool manager with Roy Evans in 1998. However, since it's unlikely that either man could understand a word the other was saying, Evans soon resigned leaving Houllier in sole control of the club...

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Selling himself as a Frenchman with a Scouse heart, Houllier initially endeared himself to the fans and laid out a five-year plan for success. His tenure reached its pinnacle in 2001 when Liverpool won the so-called 'Mickey Mouse Treble' of the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup. During the next season, Houllier suffered from a heart attack and spent five months away from the game before making an emotional return. Had he left soon after his time would have probably been remembered more favourably...

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Instead, Houllier's greatest legacy will be the legion of average players he ill-fitted into the club's famous shirt. While allowing players including David James, McManaman, Anelka and even God himself (Robbie Fowler) to leave, Houllier signed the likes of Djimi Traore, Titi Camara, Igor Biscan, Salif Diao and 'the next Zidane' Bruno Cheyrou.

Liverpool subsequently fell from front runners to also-rans, playing a boring brand of football that wasn't bettered by the manager's odd tactical decisions. Houllier memorably substituted Didi Hamman for Vladimir Smicer while trying prevent Bayer Leverkeusen from scoring two goals that would take them to the Champions League semi-finals - no prizes for guessing what happened.

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Another hallmark of Houllier's Anfield reign was his never ending excuses. He managed to blame poor results on injuries, referee decisions, fixture congestion, international commitments and even the weather - but strangely never himself. Supporters finally lost patience with talk of 'turning corners' and Houllier was forced down a cul-de-sack in 2004.

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He returned to management in his homeland, taking over a Lyon team who had won the French championship four times in succession. Houllier can be credited for not breaking something that didn't need fixing and winning two consecutive championships...

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However, he was brought to Lyon to improve the club's performances in Europe and, despite reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League in his first season, they failed to make a significant impact. This led to a falling out with Lyon's outspoken chairman Jean Michel Aulas and le P45 being issued in 2007.

Which way will he go next?
Over the past few years, the Frenchman has been linked with a series of management positions from South Korea to even, dare we say, England. But, with a return to club management at Villa appearing imminent we'll have to wait and see if Houllier will be on an upper or downer this time round.

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