Villa, Villa, Villa

[Craig_H]

Christ...

Ok, under normal circumstances, PL clubs are generally far better off financially than their european equivalents.

And people accuse me of arguing for the sake of it

[CJ]

well i am not arguing for the sake of it

just saying right now the prem isnt as attractive to manage in as it was. I also said that it may well be again in the future.

the context though was that in relation to houllier taking the job because of the prems strenght doesnt apply at the moment becuase it isnt that strong at the moment.

[Craig_H]

And neither do i, when i express a contrary viewpoint - sometimes, as radical as it sounds, someone just DOES disagree

I still think it's in a stronger position financially, than most other euro leagues.

Try asking spanish clubs who have to work with an independent tv deal and arent Madrid or Barca, if they'd fancy the £50m+ that teams like Villa & Stoke get, paid to them annually, as part of the tv package.

Or, for that matter, any club in europe who isnt Barca or Madrid.

[CJ]

I still think it's in a stronger position financially, than most other euro leagues.

Try asking spanish clubs who have to work with an independent tv deal and arent Madrid or Barca, if they'd fancy the £50m+ that teams like Villa & Stoke get, paid to them annually, as part of the tv package.

Or, for that matter, any club in europe who isnt Barca or Madrid.

but most of our clubs pay it in wages and fees. because they get in lots of income doesnt make them strong. in fact it has perversly weekended them because many are run poorly. i suppose the counter is bayern who seem to be the current standard bearers of a well run club well till they arent etc etc.

it will be interesting to see how it develops in the epl as some clubs dont have many places to grow. Ourselves and the scum can still grow a fair amount some of it easily some of it difficultly

the other thing is the perception of a league the movement of big names from the epl to la liga has also to a certain extent weakend the epl. Also until city need to buy some top top quality for us to be seen as the strongest leauge again

its all cyclical anyway i suppose

however i do think that right now which is when houllier has taken the villa job the league isnt the strongest in europe.

[Craig_H]

Fair enough marsh. Bit of a sweeping statement about english clubs being 'run poorly', i'd direct you to investigate debt levels among clubs in spain before reaching that conclusion. Our problem clubs are mainly in debt due to LBOs and owners who have a shockingly poor idea of what they are doing. Spain's are generally ****ed largelly due to what you described english clubs as being. Eg, badly run.

When you take into account the tv revenues, the attendance levels and gate receipts and other factors, along with looking into things with some depth, i think you'd have to conclude that the PL clubs, while not being in as good a shape financially as they once were, are still doing better than the majority of their continental rivals.

Interesting debate. I'm off to bed for now though.

[Fernandinho]

http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/englan...onsibility-for

Aston Villa's Gerard Houllier Claims Responsibility For Liverpool's 2005 Champions League Win
Current Villa boss regrets not winning the league title while on Merseyside...
By Adithya Ananth

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has sensationally claimed that he is partially responsible for Liverpool's Champions League triumph in 2005.

In what is widely considered as one of the most memorable games of football, the Reds fought their way back from a 3-0 deficit against Milan at half time to score thrice and push the game into extra time before eventually winning on penalties.

The match also saw then manager Rafael Benitez use a tactical masterstroke by bringing on Dietmar Hamann to shackle the opposition midfield that had seemingly overrun the Merseysiders prior to the break.

The Spaniard is also known to have given an inspirational team-talk during the interval that spurred his side on a victory - one that was their fifth European success, which meant that they finally got to claim a UEFA badge of honour owing to the victory in Istanbul.

Now Houllier, who had left the club just one year earlier following a difficult period as the manager of Liverpool, believes he built the team that won the trophy for the club.

"When the team won in Istanbul I went into the changing room afterwards and it was very emotional for me," he said, according to The Mirror.

"I was sitting in the corner, all shy, but virtually every player came up to me, gave me a hug and said, ‘This is your team, this is our team’.

"It was funny because until then I hadn’t even noticed that, apart from two players, I had signed and worked with every player in that team."

Houllier also insists that he remains proud of all that he accomplished during his six-year spell at Anfield, during which time he guided the club to a UEFA Cup, a UEFA Super Cup, one FA Cup, two League Cups and one FA Community Shield.

But the Frenchman insists that he still regrets not winning the Premier League with the club, which is an honour that the Reds last won 20 years ago.

"In my time we finished fourth, third, second, fifth and then fourth," he said. "My one regret is not to win the Premier League but if you say you have to win silverware and that is mission one - then we did that.

"If you say you have to leave a legacy, in terms of culture and style of management I did that too. The chairman told me I had put the club into the 21st century.

"And if you say your other mission is to make progress with the players, I did that too. Michael Owen won the Ballon d’Or when I was Liverpool manager."

Gotta love him.

[destinydude]

What an embarrassment that interview is. Esp that bit about it being "his team". There's no my team/your team in football. A team is what a manager makes of it. Rafa turned things around and won us the UCL and f*cked us off toward the end of his tenure here.

Houllier has nothing to do with the UCL win. He was so poor tactically it was unbelievable

[wiw]

Jesus Christ, he couldn't have won the CL with 'his team' if his life depended on it

[Craig_H]

Poor deluded Houllier. It's embarrassing.

You COULD have won the CL Gerard, but for some inexplicable reason, you decided to substitute Hamann

I almost hope Villa do well, so that Martin O'Neil can take the credit for it.

[Lee]

Can see him making a bid for Owen in January.

[Shaggy]

Is that interview a rehash of the recent one or yet another outburst of embarrassing delusion?

[spanky]

I thought that in carra's book he mentions how all the players were suprised when he came into the dressing room?

I just wish he'd just shut up as i'll be grateful to him for the treble trophy year but not for the horrendous football he submitted us too. Hate when former managers get petty like this.

[Bender]

This is cringeworthy stuff Houllier is coming out with

[lickedlollipop]

Can see him making a bid for Owen in January.

and Diao ()

[Icon]

http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/englan...onsibility-for

Gotta love him.

Isn't that rather old?

Seem to remember rolling my eyes and laughing at it some time ago...