Houllier believes he has the complete backing of owner Lerne

• zocoss

  20 Mar 11, 14:01

  Aston Villa 0 Wolves 1: Jarvis gives Houllier's boo boys further ammunition 

   

  

  Making their point: Villa fans unfurled a banner before Kick-off calling for boss Gerard Houllier to be sacked

   

   

   

   

  Gerard Houllier was a target for vitriolic abuse from furious fans as Villa were dragged deep into a relegation battle - but the Frenchman came out fighting after the match, claiming he is the man to lead the club to Premier League safety.

  A thumping, first-half volley from Matt Jarvis decided a tense midlands derby and lifted Wolves' prospects of a dramatic escape from the drop while plunging Houllier's men closer to trouble.

  Angry Villa supporters, who displayed a banner at the Holte Eend which read 'Had enough - Houllier out' before the match, let the manager who has won only six of 25 matches know exactly how they felt.

   

   

   

  

  Priceless finish: Matthew Jarvis puts Wolves into the lead

   

   

  Houllier, the subject of taunts such as 'You don't know what you're doing' during an uninspired Villa performance, said: 'I've never had treatment like this before and I try not to think about it. I share the fans' frustration.

  'They are not happy with me and I am not happy with what we're doing at the moment. I thought the boys tried hard but they were nervous, not relaxed enough.

  'But I want to re-assure the fans. I do know what I'm doing and I'm convinced we have everything it takes to survive because of the quality we have.'

  On the evidence of this game Wolves, after four games without defeat, look the more likely to be playing top flight football next season, even though they stay in the bottom three.

  The visitors twice had the ball in the net before Jarvis struck, only for the efforts to be ruled out, and once ahead they rarely looked in trouble.

   

  Villa might have had a penalty when Darren Bent was tripped by Rrichard Stearman, only for referee Phil Dowd to give the kick outside the area.

  Their best first-half chance was headed wide by Jean Makoun, while Ashley Young was unlucky with a second-half piledriver against the bar.

  McCarthy said: 'It certainly wasn't a masterplan to be in the bottom three for six months and then pop out at the end but we're on a good run and we have to keep it going.'

  Does he feel sympathy for Houllier?

  'I don't like to hear any manager get that sort of hostility,' said McCarthy. 'But I'd prefer it to be him or any of the other 18 managers [in the Premier League] than me. So really I don't give a flying flute.'

• Y_Shun

  20 Mar 11, 14:53

  Good luck to Villa to survive!!!

• Y_Shun

  20 Mar 11, 15:00

  Good luck to Villa to survive!!!

• The man who was death

  20 Mar 11, 22:55

  If anyone wants evidence that not every team should play passing football, just look at aston villa.....

• Asromanista2001

  20 Mar 11, 23:51

  Houllier................super clown................

• zocoss

  22 Mar 11, 10:38

  Lerner's right-hand man urges Villa to 'kick the c**p' out of opponents in relegation scrap
  

   

  

  Safe: A Villa source insists the Frenchman won't be sacked

   

   

   

  Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner's right-hand man has urged the club's players to 'kick the c**p' out of their remaining opponents to win this season's relegation fight.

  With manager Gerard Houllier's fate likely to rest on their next three results, Lerner's sidekick, General Charles Krulak, said: 'What we need now is to quit pointing fingers and for everyone to look at the claret and blue of our kit and the badge they are wearing - and go out and kick the c**p out of the next teams we play until the end of the season!'

  

  Bad day at the office: Villa were beaten by Wolves on Saturday after Jarvis' winner

   

   

  In the wake of a fans' revolt, Houllier has been assured that his job is safe - for now. A senior club official confirmed Houllier would not be ditched, but a weekend poll by leading fans' forum Vital Villa had 81 per cent calling for the Frenchman to go.

  Villa next travel to Everton and West Ham, with a home match against Newcastle in between. And for Jonathan Fear, editor of Vital Villa, it is time to act.

  He said: 'Under Houllier we have become a club that surrenders. It is a gamble to get rid of him but it is a bigger gamble to keep him. He should go now.'

• dragg

  24 Mar 11, 09:08

  next three results?

  by then it would be too late.

   

• Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1)

  24 Mar 11, 09:41

  they lost to everton and west ham

   

  it the end

• CKeer

  24 Mar 11, 10:17

  Such a perfect squad ruin by Houllier.

  Aston Villa had a perfect blend of youth and experienced and 1 X Houllier killed the experienced (Dunne, Collins, Carew, Warnock, Friedel all had run-in with him), leaving the young ones with no leader to lead the way.

  Looking at his signings:

  Kyle Walker. A loanee, definitely one to watch in the future but as of now, he's still on Spurs book and shrewd businessman Harry will not let him go - at least not cheaply. 6 matches and 1 goal, not bad for a right back.

  Michael Bradley. On his debut, he came on as a stubstitute and was sent off. Enough said about him right?

  Stephen Ireland. No idea why he was part of the deal with Milner going the other way. Maybe he lacks the maturity to work harder?

  The signing of Robert Pires is really WTF.

  Although Darren Bent seemed to have proved his doubters wrong in the first match, the subsequent 2 goals he scored are in defeats to Villa, i.e consolation goals.

  Jean Makoun, to be honest, I thought he will be a star signing but he has yet to produce the all round ball winning, box-to-box play.

  The funny thing was, O'Neill was complaining about his paper-thin squad for the whole of last season and Houllier loaned out almost 1/3 of the squad despite making only 6 new signings!

  And best of all, of the 6 new signings, 1(Ireland) got loan out and only 1(Bent) was installed at the starting 11. How come Villa still cannot maintain their previous record of finishing top 5 every season leh?

• zocoss

  24 Mar 11, 11:30

   

  There is still a chance I guess since there are so many clubs around them on 30 to 33 points area... Villa on 33.

  In a way they were quite lucky but the jury is still out yet when they spent $18m on Bent cos when he first arrive, they got some points from his purchase, the Man City one was a big 3 points... If he didn't got them those few points, they could now be right at the bottom... But since then, Bent has gone all quiet...

  But looking at their balance fixtures, if 40 points is the magic mark, I think they can get a possible 7 points from it... Most likely from their next 3 home games...

   

   

  April

   2 Everton              (A)

   9 Newcastle        (H)

  16 West Ham       (A)

  23 Stoke                (H)

  30 West Brom      (A)

  May

   7 Wigan                (H)

  14 Arsenal            (A)

  22 Liverpool         (H)

• The man who was death

  24 Mar 11, 23:56

  Originally posted by CKeer:

  Such a perfect squad ruin by Houllier.

  Aston Villa had a perfect blend of youth and experienced and 1 X Houllier killed the experienced (Dunne, Collins, Carew, Warnock, Friedel all had run-in with him), leaving the young ones with no leader to lead the way.

  Looking at his signings:

  Kyle Walker. A loanee, definitely one to watch in the future but as of now, he's still on Spurs book and shrewd businessman Harry will not let him go - at least not cheaply. 6 matches and 1 goal, not bad for a right back.

  Michael Bradley. On his debut, he came on as a stubstitute and was sent off. Enough said about him right?

  Stephen Ireland. No idea why he was part of the deal with Milner going the other way. Maybe he lacks the maturity to work harder?

  The signing of Robert Pires is really WTF.

  Although Darren Bent seemed to have proved his doubters wrong in the first match, the subsequent 2 goals he scored are in defeats to Villa, i.e consolation goals.

  Jean Makoun, to be honest, I thought he will be a star signing but he has yet to produce the all round ball winning, box-to-box play.

  The funny thing was, O'Neill was complaining about his paper-thin squad for the whole of last season and Houllier loaned out almost 1/3 of the squad despite making only 6 new signings!

  And best of all, of the 6 new signings, 1(Ireland) got loan out and only 1(Bent) was installed at the starting 11. How come Villa still cannot maintain their previous record of finishing top 5 every season leh?

  Jean makoun was the one sent off that's why bradley was able to make his debut....

  Loaning out ireland and carew was the correct decisions, on high wages but not producing at all........no idea why bannan and delfounesou was loaned out and why bannan is always behind pires!!

  The prob with houllier is always subbing albrighton off when he's our best crosser and bringing on agbonlahor when he clearly sucks at left wing....

• zocoss

  25 Mar 11, 11:01

  Gerard Houllier's law at Aston Villa casts shadow over future of eight players
  

  EXCLUSIVE

   

  

   

   

   

   

  At least eight senior players are considering their Aston Villa futures after details emerged of Gerard Houllier’s attempts to arrest an alarming slump in the club’s fortunes.

  It is understood several senior figures are disgruntled enough to be giving serious thought to their futures, including Gabriel Agbonlahor, Stiliyan Petrov, Richard Dunne, James Collins, Brad Friedel, Ashley and Luke Young and Stephen Warnock.

  Sportsmail can reveal that, apart from banning mobile phones in the dressing room, Houllier has imposed severe financial penalties for any breach of rules and has introduced a procedure for any player wanting to contact owner Randy Lerner.

  

  Ashley Young

  

  Richard Dunne

  

  Stiliyan Petrov

   

   

  

  There is a sliding scale of fines for players who break the rules. Latecomers for training, meetings or pre-match gatherings will be fined 10 per cent of their weekly wage for a first offence, 20 per cent for a second and 30 per cent for a third.

  Any grievances will have to go through Houllier, after he stipulated that players wishing to speak to Lerner must seek his permission.
  

  The Villa boss is hoping the crackdown will reverse the drop in morale that has accompanied the team’s decline in the Barclays Premier League.

  It could backfire, though, with rumblings of discontent coming from almost the entire first-team squad.

   

  

  Gabriel Agbonlahor

  

  James Collins

  

  Brad Friedel

   

   

   

   

  Villa are hovering close to the drop zone, and despondency seems to have deepened since the new rules were introduced.

  According to sources close to the squad, there is resentment at the changes coming so late in the season, when they need to stand united to fight relegation, and at being ‘treated like schoolkids’.

  Lerner is backing Houllier but is bound to be perturbed by further signs of team spirit unravelling at the start of an eight-game run-in that ends with a trip to Arsenal and a home match with Liverpool.

  Houllier’s brief reign has been beset by problems, with just six wins from 25 Premier League games leaving Villa one point above the bottom three.

   

   

  

  

  Frozen out: Luke Young (left) and Stephen Warnock (right) have seen chances limited under Gerard Houllier

   

   

  A disheartened Ashley Young has given up hope of a Champions League place with Villa and will seek a move to a top-four club at the end of the season, as revealed in Sportsmail.

  Manchester United are leading the chase, with Liverpool and Tottenham also monitoring the situation.

  Agbonlahor and Petrov have both had spells on the bench of late, while Dunne and Collins were involved in a drink-fuelled fracas at a health spa.

  Chief executive Paul Faulkner reiterated his support for Houllier, saying: ‘Our best chance of staying up is with Gerard.’

  But the rules have done little to enhance harmony, with at least two players seeking advice on whether to follow them.
  

• zocoss

  1 Apr 11, 09:53

  Gérard Houlier believes Aston Villa have the unity to avoid relegation

  • Manager says he has confidence of owner Randy Lerner
  • Frenchman denies player revolt over alleged new rules

   

  

  The Aston Villa manager Gérard Houllier believes he has the squad's backing. Photograph: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

   

   

   

  Gérard Houllier believes that he retains the complete backing of the Aston Villa chairman, Randy Lerner, despite the club's precarious position one point above the relegation zone and mounting unrest from the supporters.

  The Villa manager was in defiant mood ahead of Saturday's game at Everton and insisted that he does not feel under any pressure. He spoke of his unwavering belief in his methods as well as his confidence that the players at his disposal have the talent and mental strength to drag the club clear of the bottom three. The Frenchman said stories of player mutiny because of alleged changes to a club rulebook were "completely untrue".

  Although there is a sense that the next two fixtures – Newcastle visit Villa Park a week on Sunday – are critical, Houllier has no doubt that Lerner is behind him. Asked whether the chairman's support was as strong ever, he replied: "I think so. In fact I'm convinced of that. I speak to Randy on a regular basis and I speak also to Paul [Faulkner, the chief executive] at least once every day, so we are very close and very tight together. We know what we are going through and we know that we need the forces of everybody. And I think the team knows that. It's important to be in a club where there is strong belief and trust in them."

  Houllier said that the key to survival is galvanising everyone connected with the club and he warned that any player not buying into that approach will be moved on. "If someone is not with us and is not giving more than 100%, he's got to leave because he won't make it," he said. "[But] I think we are all right. The spirit is good, we know where the land lies; we're not lying to ourselves, we are in relegation battle."

  Houllier has been forced to deal with a number of off-field issues during his six-month reign but he rejected suggestions that he has implemented a new code of conduct in the wake of the fracas involving Richard Dunne and James Collins a fortnight ago that has led to senior players rebelling. "That is absolutely untrue. You can even ask the players," Houllier said. "I didn't mention anything even after the incident [with Dunne and Collins].

  "Regarding the mobile phones, I spoke about this the first day I came and that was it. They're very reasonable because there is no mobile phone used in the changing room and I don't go and check. And I've never put a fine on a player who's been late. I hate fines. The second thing is that the set of rules is something that was given by the PFA [Professional Footballers' Association]. I was not even aware of that. And it was given before the Bolton game [on 5 March] because they needed to make a change because they needed the doctor's name and his mobile number."