Gerard Houllier says Villa's Ambition attracted him to the job
Aston Villa’s new manager Gerard Houllier has said that it was the ambition of Aston Villa that attracted him to the job.
Houllier has put pen to paper on a 3 year deal at Villa Park, he added that he is feeling 100% fit and healthy after encountering some heart problems in the past.
The former Liverpool manager would not be able to take full charge of the club till a fortnight. He has not yet decided on a date to leave the job at French Football Federation.
Houllier said that the job in the French Football Federation was a pretty secure one, but it was the ambition of Villa that lured him into coming to the club.
The new manager would not be able to take charge of his team against Stoke City in the next Premier League match, as he has some unfinished business to take care of at FFF. Kevin Macdonald the caretaker manager would be guiding the team in their next match.
The French manager is expected to be managing the team against Bolton at Villa Park on September 18th. Houllier may also be with the team in the midweek match in Carling cup against Blackburn. Kevin Macdonald meanwhile would go back to his old job of being the boss of Reserve team at Aston Villa.
Houllier said that he was disappointed that Macdonald rejected the option of working as his assistant coach for the first team. Gerard said that Macdonald is a man who knows the team very well, and has done a decent job since Martin O’Neil left. He added that it would have been a great help to get him accustomed to the team in the early days at the club. Houllier said that he is working on finding a suitable man for the post of his assistant manager. He reiterated that Macdonald would have been a great option and the formula of joint management does not work best but he respects the decision by Macdonald.
Houllier did bring some success to Liverpool during his time at Anfield. 2001 was his most memorable year when he guided the reds to UEFA cup, Carling cup and FA cup Glory.
Aston Villa won 2 of their first 3 league games this season, which is a good foundation for the new manager to build from.
Houllier said that he has come with a lot of plans for the club, and is looking forward to guiding the team to at least champions’ league spot this season. He said that there are number of great players in the team and he is very excited to work with them. The manager went on to say that the facilities and the training ground at Villa Park are really good, and the vision for future at the club is very optimistic.
The former Liverpool manager is well aware of the enthusiasm of English fans, he said that when he was at Liverpool he got so much love and admiration from the Mersey side supporters and expects nothing less from the Villa fans.
Aston Villa started last season with a target of finishing 4th in the league, and for most of the season under Martin O’Neil the team did look on course. However some unwanted results hampered their progress and Tottenham beat them to the finishing line. Houllier said that he would make sure that the mistakes made by the team last year are not repeated this season, and would try to make sure the squad is rotated efficiently to last the whole season.
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