Premier League 2020/21

[Hobo]

Former Liverpool and Aston Villa managed Gerrard Houllier has died

[DavidMarrio]

He was a really nice person from all accounts and he was the first Liverpool manager of my lifetime that I can recall as I would have been too young to really know much about Roy Evans time so under him was when I first started to properly get into football. 

Provided some great memories such as the treble, getting us back into the Champions League and the title challenges we had under him. 

That's not even taking into account the impact he had really in steadying the ship with us and turning us into trophy challengers and getting us out of the spice boy era, the work he did with France, I know he had a good project going with Villa. 

Genuinely gutted to hear this. 

[Hobo]

I remember, must be from 2001, interviews with him talking about his time in liverpool when he was younger. It was really clear that he loved Liverpool.

Especially when he came back to Anfield with Aston Villa

[METALMAN]

Yeah Gerard Houllier always seemed like one of the good guys, and those cup teams he put together were great fun. In terms of entertainment Istanbul is really closely rivalled by the game against Alaves in 2001.

[Hobo]

I think this may be the exact interview I was referencing

1 hour ago, metalman said:

Yeah Gerard Houllier always seemed like one of the good guys, and those cup teams he put together were great fun. In terms of entertainment Istanbul is really closely rivalled by the game against Alaves in 2001.

The best part about the Alaves game is how nobody really seemed to know it was Golden Goal extra time!

[Cymbols]

Sad news. Was a good manager for us, and a really nice guy by all accounts. Was a rough way for his time at the Villa to end, and it is pretty telling that only really this year have we reached that same level again.

[Bobfoc]

I always enjoyed watching Houllier's Liverpool team. The 2001/2002 treble-winning season was particularly entertaining. While some of his signings didn't work out, he did bring the likes of Hyypia, Riise, Dudek and Smicer to the Premier League at relatively low prices. They were some of my favourite players of that era.

I see Alan Sugar has been a cock about it, using the news to "banter" with his friend Piers Morgan.

[Naitch]

I'll echo the Houllier era and Hyypia/Dudek love, if I had to pick a favourite Liverpool player it'd be one of those two.

[DavidMarrio]

Think it says it all about how many former players of his are coming out and speaking about him as a person. I know a lot of the big name players at the time for Liverpool really enjoyed playing for him such as Gerrard, Carragher and Owen but even seeing stuff from the likes of Ashley Young who he managed, Fergie who was his rival and other football teams or just people who have met him it's all touching. 

 

[Lineker]

 

[Matt]

Fuck that, I put a tenner on Arteta to be sacked, balls to your beautiful future, I want 70 quid

[Adam]

To be fair to Edu, Arsenal's main problem at the moment is definitely that they haven't signed Messi.

[FLiam]

I can’t see Arteta getting sacked. Our problems go much deeper than just the manager anyway, we have a core of players that still need to be gotten rid of, the Xhaka’s, Mustafi’s Luiz’s et al. This is a long-term process. 

Raul Sanlehi was most definitely the worst thing to happen to the club because the recruitment from that point on was mostly criminal, we still need to get past that to be honest and we’re not there yet. We still have a terribly unbalanced squad and nothing is being fixed within a season or even two. I still think that Arteta is a good appointment long term, I just think we still have too many players in the squad that need shifting, not to say Arteta isn’t partly to blame as he’s the one’s giving most of these senior players a feeling of comfort that Wenger often got criticised for. 

He needs to start being more ruthless with his team selection and giving some of the younger players more of a chance in the first team. 

[DavidMarrio]

Some more dropped points today from City and Chelsea. 

Chelsea conceding in the 95th minute to lose 2-1 to Wolves and City conceding an own goal to draw to West Brom. 

Makes tomorrow's game more important 

[Szumi]

Talk Sport is saying that Slaven Bilic's reward for getting a draw at the Etihad is to be sacked within the next few days.

[Matt]

No, Arteta first!

[DavidMarrio]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

No, Arteta first!

Looks like you're out of pocket. Billie officially sacked with Big Sam coming in is the rumoured appointment

[Lineker]

Such is the the circle of life.

[Adam]

Allardyce! Embarrassing how these crap bottom half teams continually turn to the same gammons to "save them". Has time not yet run out for this bunch of managers who achieve basically nothing? Apparently not.

[The Lusophone]

Allardyce should've held out for the Arsenal job tbh.

13 minutes ago, Adam said:

Allardyce! Embarrassing how these crap bottom half teams continually turn to the same gammons to "save them". Has time not yet run out for this bunch of managers who achieve basically nothing? Apparently not.

Considering what happens when teams try out supposedly highly rated alternatives to these managers, like the perennially failing upwards Marco Silva, I'm not surprised Allardyce, Hughes, et al get jobs repeatedly.