Source: Liverpool_Echo
Phil Thompson: Why I turned down down the chance to work with Gerard Houllier at Aston VIlla
SOMETIMES in life you get presented with an opportunity that is too good to be true but, ultimately, has to be turned down.[LNB]Had circumstances been different, I would have been delighted to accept the chance to join Gerard Houllier and work with him and Patrice Bergues once again at Aston Villa.[LNB]But I had to weigh up the pros and cons and while it was both flattering to be asked, not to mention hugely enticing, I really had no other choice but to turn the offer down.[LNB]When you work with Gerard, you are signing up to 12 hour days; on top of that, you have to go to reserve games, scout players and also head off to check up on forthcoming opponents - in other words, you have to be totally committed.[LNB] Now don't get me wrong, I would love to throw myself at such a challenge again but, at the same time, I do not want to uproot my wife and my two boys; I'm not someone who could live away from them through the week.[LNB]What's more, the thought of doing a daily commute on the M6 does not appeal. We all know that stretch of road, at the best of times, can resemble a car park but to do the job properly, you really have to be living in the vicinity of the training ground.[LNB]I would have been cheating Gerard, the club and the fans and that would not have been fair; Aston Villa are a terrific club with a great history and I remember only too well being on the end of a 5-1 drubbing there in 1976.
