Source: Daily_Mail
Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier talks about time at Liverpool
Gerard Houllier spoke my footballlanguage. He just did it in a foreignaccent, but he was the best 'British'manager I've worked with. [LNB]Illnesscruelly deprived him of the sharpjudgment that had led to swift earlyprogress, but for three years he wasa great Liverpool manager. Mymemory isn't tainted by the lasttwo years of his reign. [LNB]Iappreciate what he did for mebefore his heart operationintervened, before the dark days.It was a tragedy for him. If he hadn'tfallen ill, he might still be Liverpoolmanager today. [LNB]He became a paleimitation of the man who had takenon the most powerful player at theclub.[LNB]- Jamie Carragher in Carra, My Autobiography[LNB] Roaring back: Houllier feels as fit now as before heart problems blunted his skills at Liverpool in 2001[LNB] Gerard Houllier agrees.Agrees that the managerwho guided Liverpool to sixtrophies, who revitalised aclub in dire need of hisFrench revolution, was a very differentanimal to the one who limpedon after the 'accident' that nearlykilled him.[LNB] Agrees his playersworked under two very differentmen in his six years at Anfield.While the original version was untouchable,in his words 'indestructible', the onewho had suffered a dissected aorta was seriouslywounded and tired. [LNB]So exhausted, infact, that his judgment became impaired.He admits for the first time, in what is hisfirst major interview as the new manager ofAston Villa, that he did make poor signings. [LNB]Guiding light: Houllier with Carragher during their days at Liverpool[LNB]Just as he admits that the reason for hisdeparture from Anfield was because hisemployers no longer 'trusted' him. [LNB]'I thinkRafa Benitez had been lined up to replaceme for some time,' he says. [LNB]But as he sits in his smart office at Villa'straining ground, wearing a broad smilehaving just welcomed Robert Pires to theclub, there is not a hint of bitterness in his voice. [LNB]Partly because the goodmemories still far outweigh thebad, because of players like Carragher,and partly because he canappreciate why Liverpool made thechange.His mistake, he concedes, wascoming back too soon. Far too soon. [LNB]It was while watching hisLiverpool team play Leeds inOctober 2001 that the accidenthappened. But after 11-and-a-halfhours of major heart surgery thatfollowed that day, he was back athis desk within five months. [LNB]'For an operation like that, Iprobably needed 11-and-a-halfmonths off,' says Houllier. [LNB]'But Icame back sooner because we wereat a critical stage of the season. Wewere trying to progress to the latterstages of the Champions League.We were in the title race. [LNB]'I spoke to Phil Thompson and Ithought, 'If I can make five percent of a difference it has to beworth it'. We still finished second inthe Premier League. But in theMarch I felt dead. I was so tired. [LNB]'Maybe if I had waited anotherfour or five months it would havebeen different. I wasn't right. Ithink some of the signings I madeweren't good, because I was tired. [LNB]'I made better signings at Lyon,that's for sure.' [LNB]'Frank Lampard said what a player needs from his boss is tough love. He's right.' He believes it was not until he wasat Lyon, guiding them to a secondsuccessive French league title, thathe completed his recovery, fiveyears after the accident. [LNB]'It tookthat long,' he says. [LNB]'Oh yeah. I didnot feel better until the second yearin Lyon. Only then did I feel normalagain, like my old self. I don't know if the illness cost me the job at Liverpool. I think theydid have an agenda. [LNB]'I think theyhad it tied up a long time before.And why? I don't think they trustedme. When you recruit players,sometimes you succeed and sometimesyou don't. [LNB]'But I don't feel bitter. I don't feelresentment. And I don't think I'veever felt like there was unfinishedbusiness in English football. That'snot why I'm here at Aston Villa now. [LNB]'I had a great time with Liverpooland when I go there they are verynice to me.' [LNB]For Villa to appreciate the managerthey have, it is worth revisitingthe first period of his tenure atAnfield and the reasons why playerslike Carragher remain suchadmirers. [LNB]In that same excellent autobiography,Carragher writes of how hewill jump to Houllier's defence ifever he hears a fan denigrating hismemory. [LNB]Even if he does highlightthe signings of El Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao and Bruno Cheyrou as evidenceof Houllier's decline.Carragher also writes of anincident that occurred duringHoullier's first year at the club. [LNB] Father-figure: Houllier hopes Pires can help nurture Villa's talented kids[LNB]Itconcerned Paul Ince, then theclub's influential skipper and someonethe Frenchman did not see as aparticularly positive influence inthe dressing room. [LNB]Liverpool had travelled to OldTrafford for an FA Cup tie and,having not won such an encounterin '67 years', they found themselvesa goal up with 20 minutes to gocourtesy of a young Michael Owen. [LNB]Until, that is, their captain andmidfield enforcer left the fieldbecause of an injury. An injury,Houllier noted, that did not stophim playing five-a-side in trainingtwo days later.In front of all the players at thetraining ground, an extraordinaryaltercation occurred. [LNB]In true SirAlex Ferguson fashion, Houllier notonly told Ince what he expected ofhis captain but informed him thatin six months he had won just fourof those five-a-side training games. [LNB]The Guv'nor: Paul Ince was allowed to leave by Houllier[LNB]Ince stood there in stunnedsilence and, as the players walkedaway, Owen turned to Carragherand said: 'We've got a managernow.' [LNB]Houllier is not terribly comfortabletalking about the incidentbut he does explain his position.'It wasn't something I did veryoften,' he says. [LNB]'But to me a captainonly leaves the team on a stretcher;if he needs to go to hospital. He'snot limping off. That day I decided I wouldn'tkeep Ince, and as soon as he leftthe players like Danny Murphy,Steven Gerrard, Owen and Carrablossomed. [LNB]'They were differentplayers. It's important, when youhave kids in the team, to have theright people around them. [LNB]'A year later I brought in GaryMcAllister.' [LNB]And he became theirEric Cantona, I suggest. [LNB]'Exactly,'he says. [LNB]'It is for the same reasonthat Alex keeps Scholes and Giggs,why I have brought Pires here. AndGary, of course, as assistantmanager. [LNB]'The players here can learnfrom Robert. From his brain.From his professionalism onand off the pitch. The fact thathe is still able to play at 37should tell my playerssomething. [LNB]'When I told Carra he neededto change, that he needed tostop drinking, I remember whatI said to him. If you love thegame, and he loves the game,you want to play for as long asyou can. [LNB]'If you keep drinkingyou will get to 25, 26 and getinjury after injury. He listenedand he is still playing today.' [LNB]I ask Houllier what Carraghermeant when he called him a'British' manager. He laughs. [LNB]'Ithink he means several things,'he says. [LNB]'Nearer to the playersthan some foreign managers.Nearer to the English culture.But at the same time, hard. [LNB] No I in team: Phil Thompson (right) stood in for Houllier after he underwent heart surgery[LNB]'Frank Lampard probablysummed it up best for me whenhe tried to explain what a playerwants from a manager. 'Toughlove'. [LNB]'I think he said it afterScolari had left Chelsea. Maybehe thought Scolari was too softon them.' [LNB]As a manager, Houllier says,he has three 'missions'. [LNB]'One isto deliver results. Liverpool hada tradition for winning silverware,so we had to do that. Thesecond is to leave a legacy. Theway you change things, improvethings. [LNB]'A captain only leaves his team on a stretcher, not limping off. So I decided Ince had to go.''And the players and theteam you leave. Here I am starting to changethings. Even small things likethe way we organise the dininghall. I have created an areawhere they can sit and watchTV. [LNB]'We have table football inthere now. It is about creatingan atmosphere. At Liverpool I made a contribution.I built the trainingground. I built a team. [LNB]'Thetraining ground took a lot outof me. So much work on top ofthe football. It probably affectedmy health. [LNB]'But in my last season, remember, Liverpool still finishedfourth. It is Rafa Benitez whowon the Champions League thefollowing season. It is his merit,but it was under me that theyqualified. [LNB]'And they cannot say Idid not leave them a team. Ithink 12 of the 14 playersinvolved in Istanbul had beenwith me and it will live with meall my life how the playersgreeted me after the game.' [LNB]So what's the third mission?'To make your players progress,'he says. [LNB]'And I think they didthat. Danny Murphy improved.Emile Heskey improved.Michael Owen won the Ballond'Or. I don't think he realisedhow big it was at the time. [LNB]'Steven Gerrard became abetter player. So did Carra.Everyone improved. You needto improve your players and improveyour team. Here I am now trying to getsome players to step up anotherlevel. [LNB]Villa young things: Barry Bannan (right) and Marc Albrighton [LNB]'It requires hard work intraining, and maybe a differentstyle and a different regime, butI believe they can do it. [LNB]'And we can bring on theyoung players, like Bannan andAlbrighton, and develop them. Ipromoted them to the firstteam because I think they aretalented, and they have seizedtheir chance. [LNB]'We still need to work withthem but their loyalty to theclub is fantastic. They have allgrown up together here.' [LNB]He will demand that they liveand work in accordance withhis code. [LNB]'I have four principles,'he says. [LNB]'Number one, respect. But respect means a lot ofthings. Respect the kit manager.Respect means you nevertell the media 'I should play'because that is a lack of respectfor your team-mates and a lackof respect for the club and themanager who picks the team. [LNB]'Respect means respect thecode that we have, in terms oftimekeeping and discipline. [LNB]'Second, be a winner, always.Train to win, work to win. Andthird, be a pro, a top pro, onand off the field.'Fourth? [LNB]'Think team first,' hesays. [LNB]'Everything is done for theteam, because together you canbe unbreakable. Alone you arenothing. [LNB]'You win as a team. Weare not here for ourselves. Weare here for the team. [LNB]'Today, in football, you findmore mercenaries. I will not tolerate that. I only want playerswho are here for the team, whowork for each other. Not allteams have it. [LNB]'Right now I amvery much enjoying watchingBlackpool because, boy, theywork for each other.' [LNB]At Villa, he has had problems,with John Carew and StephenIreland in particular. [LNB]'Carew was stupid,' he says. [LNB]'There was a press conferenceand I was full of praise for him.The way it appeared in Norway,I don't know. Maybe my wordswere twisted. But when I readthat he had spoken to the pressin Norway and said it was a lackof respect, I couldn't say anythingelse other than that hewas stupid. [LNB] New chapter: Houllier takes the reins at Aston Villa[LNB]'I brought it up with everyone in the changing room, andbecause we had it on tape weplayed the tape. And he thenunderstood and apologised. [LNB]'Regarding Steve Ireland, yes,I was not happy. But I wantedhim to react. He has some talentbut he is not totally with usat the moment. He needs tocontribute more. [LNB]'He is notready to sacrifice for the team.And it is all about the team.' [LNB]It is because of the team thatHoullier is back, working withthe team, working with players.He had a very nice life in Pariswith his wife, Isabelle, workingas the technical director for theFrench federation. [LNB]Indestructible: Gerard Houllier says he's back to form[LNB]'My mistake was not taking ateam,' he says. [LNB]'In the past Ihad taken junior teams and Ishould have done it again. Itwas a brilliant job at the federationbut I would get depressed,not being out on the pitch. [LNB]'At first, when Villa came tome, I did say no. But my wifewanted me to be happy, andonce I had spoken to the chairmanand the chief executive Ifell in love with the club. Andthe training ground is alreadyhere.' [LNB]More important than that,though, is the fact that, at 63,he feels 54 again. The guy whowon the 'five trophies' in 2001prior to his accident. [LNB]'I felt indestructible then,' hesays. [LNB]'I look after myself betternow. When I need a rest, I takeone. I listen to my body. I delegatemore. [LNB]'And I'm wiser. I usedto worry about the things thatwere being written; that werebeing said by former players.Now I think I was stupid. [LNB]'But I look at Alex (Ferguson),who is 68, and I feel good. He isright. As long as your healthallows you to continue, I thinkyou should. [LNB]'And as you getolder, and this is very important,you enjoy it more.' [LNB]He is the manager Carragherwould once again recognise.[LNB] New signing Pir? 37, sets sights on winning silverware at Aston Villa - and could feature in Blackburn game on SundayVilla confirm midfielder Delph should be back from injury in the New YearAston Villa's No 2 McAllister says young stars can learn from 'proven winner' Pires[LNB][LNB]
