Houllier and Liverpool part company

[AngryPaul]

Liverpool Football Club announced today that Manager Gerard Houllier would be leaving the club with immediate effect. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/3734773.stm)

The Reds directors have ended Houllier's six-year reign even though they won a targetted Champions League place.

Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry said: "After considerable thought and discussion the Board have decided to part company with the Manager and Gerard has accepted this with typical good grace. The board decided change was necessary if we were to realistically challenge for the title next season.

We all have very fond memories of the historic treble and the other trophies won. But there were many other special occasions and I personally will never forget the reception given to Gerard after he returned from illness for the Champions League game against Roma. We had many good times together.

"Gerard changed things off the pitch too, bringing back both our pride and self-respect"

Gerard Houllier spoke also, saying: "The reason why we have parted is because of the excessive pressure on the board and myself over recent days. I can cope with the pressure but I thought it could be harmful to the players next season.

I thought it could jeopardise their performances and achievements and that is why we agreed to come to this decision. The club comes first.

I arrived here six years ago as a Liverpool supporter and I leave as an even bigger supporter"

What do Liverpool fans think of this? I could personally see it coming, but who couldnt?

The new manager faces a prospect - providing the Thai deal comes thourgh - of having £60m to build a new side.

BBC Sport: "The search for his successor will begin immediately, with Curbishley and Benitez the two leading names, although O'Neill and Jose Mourinho of Porto have also been tipped."

In the light of this I will offer an out-of-Betting Shop- bet on the new Liverpool manager. Max bets of £100, Min of £20. We have:

Rafael Benitez (Valenica) :7/4 (£100 bet returns £275)
Martin O'Neill (Celtic) : 3/1 (£100 bet returns £400)
Alan Curbishley (Charlton Athletic) : 4/1 (£100 bet returns £500)
Gordon Strachan (No current club) : 5/1 (£100 bet returns £600)
Jose Mourinho (FC Porto) : 6/1 (£100 bet returns £700)
Steve McClaren (Middlesborough) : 7/1 (£100 bet returns £800)

[jonffm]

Farewell Gerrard. A Worthy Edition to the LFC hall of fame
http://www.robbiefowler.fcpages.com/pictures/fowpics/fowler401.jpg

I want Martin O'Neil to take over. Barring Wenger, I think he's the best manager in the UK. So I'll put £50 on it ;)

[streety]

Sad to see Ged go. As previously said, he is a worthy edition to the hall of fame. I feel that he wasn't taking the club any further.

ALLEZ! ALLEZ! GERARD HOULLIER!

On the betting front. I know who my money is on. Got a bit of inside knowledge ;)
I will have 100 on Jose Mourinho.

http://members.lycos.co.uk/i8manutd/sigs/houtom.gif

[jonffm]

I only really want O'Neil or Mourinho. I think it's depending on the Champions League Final. If they win, I think he'll come to us because he would have taken Porto as far as they can go.

[SaxAPPEAL]

I am sad to see him go, he was a great man and did brilliant things for liverpool, but yes, we need to move on, and i dont think he is the right man to move with us.

And ill have 100 of these here rupies on curbishley cheers

[basstard]

Ooh, that's a shame for the club.

I don't suppose you're offering odds on a "none of the above" option, AngryPaul?:p

Just hope it's not Martin O'Neill, Celtic need him...

[Dr_nwa]

Originally posted by Streety


On the betting front. I know who my money is on. Got a bit of inside knowledge ;)
I will have 100 on Jose Mourinho.


Care to share it with us?

[Dingbat]

Originally posted by the basstard
Just hope it's Martin O'Neill, Celtic need him...

I edited your quote so that it's correct :p

I feel sorry for Houllier actually. Admittedly, the real reason they ended up in the CL qualifiers was because Newcastle threw it away, but he did get them there nonetheless.

I also noticed that Carlos Queiroz got sacked. Anyone else think that when Smith leaves at the end of the season, he'll end up back at Old Trafford?

[Shave]

he did do a lot for this club but his time has come and gone. i think the squad we have now is worse than the one that he took over with, but it's sad to see him go as he did win 3 major trophies in one season

[sack the chimp]

20 on Jose Mourinho.

[streety]

Originally posted by Work?
Care to share it with us?
It is just a bit of "talk" from people close to the club that I converse with. It will be him or the Valencia boss. Rick Parry has flown out to Spain to speak with him. Personally I think that Mourinho will come to Liverpool with Deschamps going to Chelsea. Mourinho speaks very good English and is very passionate about his football. I think that 6/1 is very generous odds.

What are the odds on Rafael Van Der Vaart being a red next season?

[dogincognito]

Originally posted by Streety
It is just a bit of "talk" from people close to the club that I converse with. It will be him or the Valencia boss. Rick Parry has flown out to Spain to speak with him. Personally I think that Mourinho will come to Liverpool with Deschamps going to Chelsea. Mourinho speaks very good English and is very passionate about his football. I think that 6/1 is very generous odds.

What are the odds on Rafael Van Der Vaart being a red next season?

VDV will be at Barca next season, he doesnt want to go anywhere else.

[streety]

Originally posted by dogincognito
VDV will be at Barca next season, he doesnt want to go anywhere else.
He was supposed to be at the Newcastle match.
I think that even if we did go in for him then there would be a frenzy of bidding for his signature.
Barcalona are his first choice as he has Catalan roots. His Grandad or something...?

Hopefully if Moureen comes then he will bring Deco with him.

[dogincognito]

maybe, i dont think hed be the best choice though. Id go for Hitzfield or Benitez.

[streety]

He is my favourite choice. Even though he does seem to be just the flavour of the month.

Benitez can't speak English and will thus find it hard to communictae with the players. The same as Ranieri did.

Hitzfeld hasn't even been named in the shortlist of possibilities. I personally think that he will be the next manager of Manure. He hasn't done a good job at Bayern this season and I wouldn't like a German in charge of Liverpool.

[dogincognito]

Why will Hitzfield go to ManU? Fergies not goin anywhere :confused: And why do you want Mourinho? Hes even more defensive than Houllier. Hitzfield has won numerous Bundesliga titles and two Champions League medals, hes also one of the most tactically astute managers in football. For me it would be him or Benitez.

[jonffm]

Liverpool's Future Rests on pre-season

Liverpool face a summer that will shape their entire future after manager Gerard Houllier was reluctantly eased out of Anfield.

Chief executive Rick Parry revealed the decision to make a change at the top hinged on one single issue - would Liverpool be serious title contenders next season?

And once the answer came up in the negative, Houllier's six-year reign was over.

But relieving Houllier of his duties may be the easy part when it comes to putting together the formula for success Parry and the Liverpool board demand.

Liverpool now have to identify the type of man who can re-ignite the glory days, and then provide the sort of financial firepower that would seriously threaten the current supremacy of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

This, we can safely assume, will be the difficult part.

Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez may fall into the flavour of the month category with the cynics, while even Alan Curbishley would admit managing Charlton is a different affair from managing Liverpool.

Whoever takes the job, we must assume from Parry's words that only the title will do because Houllier has won everything else at domestic level, with the occasional Uefa Cup thrown in.

The task is a massive one.

Arsenal are peerless and will strengthen, while it is certain the chequebook will be in regular use at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford.

Roman Abramovich will bankroll another blockbuster summer at Chelsea, with an ironic twist that Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard might be a prime target.

And ominous noises are emerging from Old Trafford that Sir Alex Ferguson will embark on a major spree to ease the pain of a season without the title.

This means Liverpool will have to run quickly simply to stand still in a Premiership where the power of the pound will be demonstrated again this summer.

The new man must not only acquire the calibre of player needed to bridge the increasing gap between Liverpool and the top three, but thin out a squad top heavy with the under-achievers who ultimately played a key role in Houllier's demise.

Liverpool legend Alan Hansen's thinking on this summer is clear - the club must get it right or risk watching the teams they hope to eclipse escape forever.

Houllier has put solid foundations in place with Liverpool's academy and the opulent Melwood training headquarters which ranks alongside any in the world.

And in Gerrard and Michael Owen, Houllier's successor will inherit two world-class talents.

The next man in charge must try to seal the deal on Owen's new contract, while at the same time making the moves that will impress Gerrard and keep him from Abramovich's clutches.

Djibril Cisse is arriving in a £14m deal from Auxerre - what will the new incumbent make of effectively being presented with the club's record signing?

How easy will it be to move on men such as El-Hadji Diouf, Salif Diao, Igor Biscan and Bruno Cheyrou?

This is why Liverpool's board, despite insisting the search for the man to follow Houllier began in earnest on Monday, will have surely formulated an indentikit of their new manager.

It is a dream job by anyone's standards - but it will need some quick impact actions to ensure it does not become the impossible one.

And they have no time to waste. Houllier's replacement will have already been earmarked in the Anfield corridors of power.


Ahhhhh jesus. They are right, the entire future of the club is resting on the next month or two. We need a high class manager, we need the thai president to invest, and we need Owen to stay. Then we can get back to the days of old and challenge for the title oncemore.

[dogincognito]

Liverpool land Benítez on his own terms

Dominic Fifield
Thursday May 27, 2004
The Guardian

Rafael Benítez will be named as Liverpool's manager next month, swapping his post with Valencia, the Spanish champions, for Merseyside.
The Spaniard has emerged as the unanimous choice of the board after the sacking of Gérard Houllier and the belated concession that they have missed out on Porto's Jose Mourinho, who might have been their first choice but is to be named as Chelsea's manager.

Liverpool are relishing the prospect of hiring one of Spain's most highly rated coaches. The chief executive Rick Parry has already had a meeting with Benítez's representatives and departed yesterday for a 10-day break in Barbados, where he will be playing in goal for the Liverpool veterans' team, confident that he will unveil the 44-year-old soon after his return.

Benítez, who speaks English, will be offered a four-year deal worth about £25,000 a week, much more than his current salary but a similar package to Houllier's. Though there are still details to be discussed and Valencia remain desperate to retain the most successful coach in their 85-year history, he is understood to be enthusiastic about moving.

His appointment is something of a coup for Liverpool. He took over at Valencia in the wake of the club's second successive Champions League final defeat in 2001 and, with limited funds, was not expected to maintain those heights. Yet in his three years he claimed two Primera Division titles and also celebrated victory in last week's Uefa Cup final against Marseille, a team who had previously beaten Liverpool.

Valencia had not won the Spanish title since 1971 yet his relationship with the club's hierarchy has become strained. He is known to be disillusioned at the lack of money to mount a more coherent challenge in the Champions League and, more significantly, he wants to be allowed to choose whom to sign and whom to sell.

Transfer policy is effectively dictated by the club's sporting director Jesús García Pitarch. "I asked for a sofa and they bought me a lamp," bemoaned the coach in pre-season upon the signing, against his wishes, of the winger Néstor Canobbio. So he admires the English structure, which he experienced at first hand while on sabbatical at Manchester United and in Italy during the late 90s.

Benítez is expected to air his grievances to the president Jaime Orti in the next 24 hours. Valencia had hoped to use it as an opportunity to offer him a new two-year contract, conscious as they are that his current deal expires in 12 months and - because it is recognised in Spain as a standard labour contract - incorporates no compensation should he hand them a fortnight's written notice.

His desire to inform the club only then of his intentions would explain comments made to the Valencia-based Radio Nou yesterday, in which he suggested he might stay. "I am in no hurry to go to Inter Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid, or any other club," he said. "I want to stay at Valencia. It's already a big club. It's clear that I'm not looking for a team."

Upon moving to Merseyside Benítez will attempt to persuade the Argentinians Roberto Ayala, a highly regarded centre-half, and the playmaker Pablo Aimar, instrumental in two Champions League victories over Liverpool in 2002, to join him in moving from Valencia. The pair's arrival would not be the prelude to a deluge of overseas signings.

Liverpool's clout in the market should be strengthened, with the proposed £64m investment package put forward by Thailand's prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra appearing to edge towards completion. According to Pongsak Ruktapongpisal, the deputy commerce minister who returned to Bangkok yesterday after three days of talks in Liverpool, the Thais will take a stake of about 30% and two seats on the board.

Careful checks are now being made on the club's finances. "I can't say that I am certain it will happen but our chance is now more than 90%," Pongsak claimed. "Everything is in agreement and it will probably take about four to eight weeks to finalise the contract."

If this is right....:eek:

[jonffm]

I counter that story with this one!

Benitez link played down

The agent of Valencia coach Rafael Benitez has again insisted that no negotiations have taken place with Liverpool about the manager's job.

It has been widely reported that Benitez is favourite to succeed Gerard Houllier at Anfield.

But Benitez's agent Manuel Garcia Quilon told BBC Sport: "Liverpool have not contacted me or the Valencia coach.

"There have been no talks, Benitez is still at Valencia and, as far as I know, he is staying there."

On Wednesday, Benitez dismissed speculation that a move to Liverpool was imminent.

The Liverpool Echo claimed that the 44-year-old would definitely be the club's next manager.

But Benitez told Valencia-based Radio Nou: "I am in no hurry to go to Inter Milan, Barcelona or Real Madrid, or any other club.

"I want to stay at Valencia. It's already a big club. It's clear that I'm not looking for a team."

Liverpool's board still appear to have made the man who this season won the Uefa Cup and Spain's La Liga for the second time in three years their unanimous first choice to take over from Houllier.

And if Liverpool pull off the coup, it is likely to persuade Michael Owen to sign the new contract currently on offer at Anfield.

Owen is a massive fan of Benitez and Valencia after they beat Liverpool home and away in the Champions League two season ago.

The England striker has revealed he will wait for a new manager to be confirmed before deciding on a new deal, but is certain to be impressed if Liverpool land Benitez.

Charlton's Alan Curbishley is believed to be the leading British front runner.

Valencia president Jaime Orti vowed to resist any approach for Benitez, who has one year left on his current contract.

"We have a very good relationship with Rafael," said Orti.

"The club are prepared to make changes to have him for more than one year."

However, it has been claimed that Benitez has a get-out clause in his contract which allows him to leave at 15 days' notice.

[dogincognito]

i have another one :D

Benitez admits Liverpool interest

Yesterday he denied it, but today Rafael Benitez is very keen on a move to Anfield

Press Association
Thursday May 27, 2004

Rafael Benitez has admitted that Liverpool have been in touch with his agent over the managerial vacancy at Anfield - and signalled his desire to succeed Gerard Houllier.
The Valencia coach, who is one of the names in the frame to succeed Houllier, yesterday moved to play down speculation linking him with Liverpool.

But Benitez, who has won the league title and the Uefa Cup this season, has admitted that Liverpool would be a great club to coach.

"Liverpool is one of those clubs that any coach always dreams about being able to manage," Benitez is quoted as saying in the Daily Star.

"I have been at Anfield several times as a rival coach and the atmosphere is wonderful. They have spoken to my agent Manuel Garcia Quilun to find out more about my situation."

And in what could be appears to be a U-turn on yesterday's statement, Benitez added: "I am happy in Valencia and I would only leave the club for a great European side and Liverpool are one of those."

I really want to believe the ones saying Benitez is going (Liverpool= My Seond team btw)

[streety]

Ahhh too many stories!!
I just hope that we make the right decision...

[dogincognito]

indeed, the best thing to do is probably ignore all the stories and just wait :eek:

[jonffm]

Jesus. Benitez, make up your damn mind already!

He would be a great manager, but I just want someone to come and get these talks over with.

Would like O'Neil more though..

[Dingbat]

Chelsea confirm Mourinho as manager (http://www.weebls-stuff.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14442)

Streety's insider knowledge was wrong, then.

[dogincognito]

Seemingly :rolleyes: It's surely going to be Benitez now anyway :eek:

[PJ]

o'neill for liverpool any one ??

[AngryPaul]

Originally posted by Peej
o'neill for liverpool any one ?? No thanks

[jonffm]

Originally posted by Dingbat
Chelsea confirm Mourinho as manager (http://www.weebls-stuff.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14442)

Streety's insider knowledge was wrong, then.

Streety really should stop getting his 'insider knowledge' from the local old folks home.

It looks like we'll be getting that Valencia manager that i can't remember the name of/can't be arsed to google.

[AngryPaul]

Originally posted by JonnyFFmaster
that Valencia manager that i can't remember the name of/can't be arsed to google. Rafael Benitez ;)

[streety]

I am glad that Benitez will be our manager. He watched us when we were the best and he wants to take us back there. Apparently he owes a lot of his managerial skills down to Paisley, Shankly and Fagan.

I was wrong about Maureen then. The "inside knowledge" that I got from someone of RAWK was false. He may have been coming and Chelsea upped their offer and he was swayed... We will never know. All I know is that a lot of people have lost money betting on Maureen.

I am off to think of a song for Benitez...