I know SEMerc likes to refer to failed signings of crap players as 'dodging a bullet', but looks like Villa will be getting one right between the eyes:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aston_villa/8969268.stm
Oh dear! He was a disaster for Liverpool. Yes, we won some knock-out cups - famously, that sort of treble - but the amount of money he spent at Liverpool was eye-popping. If he'd have assembled a side of galacticos that went on to dominate the League, then fair enough. But he didn't. He signed players like Diouf (£10m); Heskey (£11m); Cisse (£13m), along with a whole host of other distinctly average footballers not up to the job, who cost around the £5m mark - players like Bruno Cheyrou, Anthony Le Tallec, Florent Sinama Pongolle, Igor Biscan, Djimi Traore, Salif Diao, Bernard Diomede, Jean-Michel Ferri (to name but far too many). All left Anfield for peanuts a year or two later, their careers having tanked.
Houllier spent something like £130m on players, and brought in just £48m (£11m of which was for Fowler - oh, how we loved Peter Ridsdale!). His net spend was, IIRC, worse than Benitez' - and at a time before Chavski's millions distorted the transfer market so much.
He's most recently been technical director of the French national team. Hardly something to highlight on one's CV, given recent matters.
I cannot understand Lerner's thinking. Houllier uses a scattergun approach to signing good players - buy 20 at inflated prices and he might unearth a couple of gems.
I forsee a short reign and a stormy exit.
Martin
Home: St Helens (26m asl) Work: Manchester (75m asl)
A TWO addict since 14/12/01
"How can wealth persuade poverty to use its political freedom to keep wealth in power? Here lies the whole art of Conservative politics."
Aneurin Bevan