Revealed: Why Randy Lerner thinks Gerard Houllier is the man to safeguard Villa's long-term future

By James Nursey

Published 08:30 09/09/10

• 

Let's face it, Aston Villa's hierarchy gave caretaker Kevin MacDonald every chance to replace Martin O'Neill permanently.

I think the players wanted MacDonald, the club wanted to appoint MacDonald and MacDonald himself eventually finally publicly admitted he wanted the position.

So for the Scot not to have got the post, something must have gone badly wrong in his five games in charge.

And of course it did, against both Newcastle and Rapid Vienna in the second leg.

The 6-0 hammering at Newcastle in the Premier League and a botched Europa League play-off defeat to Vienna made it impossible for MacDonald to get the job.

A large part of owner Randy Lerner's attraction to promoting reserve team manager MacDonald was to help bring through the club's promising youngsters he has nurtured.

English kids like Marc Albrighton and Ciaran Clark look to have big futures in the top-flight and will blossom given the chance.

That could save US businessman Lerner millions in the transfer market as he simultaneously seeks to cut Villa's £70million wage bill.

With the exception of Gabriel Agbonlahor, fast-tracking the club's talented trainees into the first team was lacking under the previous managerial regime.

It is an area Villa must improve on and US businessman Lerner is also keen to start attracting better talent into Villa's academy from around the world.

Step forward Gerard Houllier whose contacts in the global game and particularly France will undoubtedly be called upon in the very near future.

Houllier can now be expected to set-up a global network of scouts to ensure Villa finally attract some of the best potential international prospects around.

When Villa discovered Dwight Yorke in 1989 it was more by luck than judgement as they were on a tour of the West Indies at the time.

But now if Houllier performs his scouting mission successfully, Villa can expect to reap the rewards long after he has left Villa Park.

Former Lens and Paris St-Germain manager Houllier also has an extremely impressive CV from his spells in club management which will appeal to Lerner in the short-term.

And it is not hard to imagine why Lerner was so impressed with the urbane Frenchman at interview as he beat Alan Curbishley and Sven Goran Eriksson to the post.

Houllier won the UEFA Cup (2000-01), the UEFA Super Cup (2001), The FA Cup (2000-01) and the League Cup (2000-01, 2002-03) during his spell in charge at Liverpool from 1998-2004.

Those six years at Anfield gave Houllier all the Premier League experience Lerner stipulated as a job requirement for taking over from O'Neill.

And he has since also won the French title twice with Lyon so even his fiercest critic must acknowledge he is a capable manager.

With Houllier at the helm, Lerner, whose relationship with O'Neill clearly deteriorated, can look forward to regular insightful dialogue with his manager at Villa once more.

Houllier will be happy to share his knowledge of the game with Lerner and should pass on enough tips for MacDonald to eventually succeed him to provide Villa with vital continuity if the Scot sticks around.

Houllier is also widely perceived to be an excellent coach who will be expected to put on better, more imaginative training sessions to stimulate and develop the players.

I believe Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner have identified this as an area of the first team which can definitely be improved upon.

But Houllier's recruitment from the French Federation, where he was technical director, has still raised eyebrows and understandably so.

Because if Houllier was so good a manager then why has he not worked in the managerial profession for three years since leaving Lyon.

It is also six years since Houllier was last in the Premier League and the game has not stood still.

Without doubt appointing a 63-year-old is also a gamble given his previous health problems following major heart surgery in 2001.

His relationship with Roy Evans as joint-manager at Anfield famously did not last long either before Houllier assumed full control so his rapport with MacDonald will be interesting with the Scot likely to stay on at the club in some capacity.

Houllier has a tough act to follow after Villa's three successive sixth-place Premier League finishes under O'Neill plus two trips to Wembley last season.

But ultimately O'Neill never delivered what Lerner craved and expected after investing £100m in the team - namely Champions League football or a trophy.

Houllier has now accepted that huge challenge but perhaps at this stage of his career, providing his health holds up, the Frenchman feels he has nothing to lose.

Bon chance Monsieur Houllier!

Fancy winning £3,000 for FREE this month? Play Mirror Football Streak for your chance to win cash prizes! Start predicting now!