The Frenchman’s reign, and Villa’s season in fact, has been nothing short of chaotic.
Since Martin O’Neill’s shock abandonment and James Milner’s departure, there have been two manager’s, a catalogue of injuries, players turning down contracts left right and centre, a 6-0 defeat, late goals being conceded and even Emile Heskey scoring a last minute winner.
But while much of that was not foreseen when Houllier finally took up his post on September 22nd, one thing that was a matter of time was a dispute with Jon Carew.
The Holte End fan favourite was sent to Villa by Houllier from Lyon in a swap deal, for the enigmatic at best Milan Baros, back in 2007, which suggested a clash was probable. And alas, since Houllier’s arrival, Carew has made a spluttering of appearances which have largely consisted of him trundling around the pitch holding his back; generally looking a far cry from the man who has been Villa’s top scorer for the past three seasons.
Prior to signing for Villa, Carew was renowned for his Nicolas Anelka like inability to stay at one club for an extended period of time. That being said, his recent public outburst in response to Houllier public encouragement of him to break sweat once in a while was hardly surprising and suggests unwillingness on Carew’s part to immerse himself in the Frenchman’s new fitness and hard work based regime.
Despite apparent clear the air talks this weekend, Carew’s departure looks set in stone with him requiring a new deal at the end of the season that is unlikely to be forthcoming. That will no doubt be greeted with resentment from the Villa faithful, whom have grown to adore the Norwegian for his goal scoring and enthusiastic goal celebrations, but Carew is a player who could only ever take Villa so far and Houllier is in the right here.
Martin O’Neill was a master of getting the best out of players like Carew, who flourished under a relaxed training schedule and a style of play which suited his lack of mobility. However, as seen in the two Wembley appearances and three sixth placed finishes, that was only ever going to get Villa so far.
Houllier may have ruffled a few feathers and has set about an overhaul of the side that fans may not like, but it was required if Villa were ever going to progress. Players like Carew and Stephen Ireland may not prosper in a system where hard work is as important as natural ability, but the new regime has seen a massive improvement in players like Emile Heskey and Stewart Downing who failed to prosper under O’Neill, whilst the emergence of Barry Bannan, Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton has been a breath of fresh air.
And while results are currently bad, Villa’s second half performance at Fulham was more than promising. Villa were vibrant going forward, their front six included four products of the club’s academy and two England internationals, and rather than sitting back and asking for trouble as happened on so many occasions away from home under O’Neill when holding narrow leads, they took the game to Mark Hughes’s men.
An Albrighton error aside, Vila would have come away with an impressive victory, and pundits would have been hailing Houllier’s ability to maintain a footballing philosophy despite a plethora of injuries which could have easily persuaded him to have settled for a point.
Villa didn’t. They dominated the play, had an abundance of chances, and Barry Bannan and Ciaran Clark bossed the midfield in a way which Stilian Petrov never has.
No long balls and no sloppy concession of possession in a league where you get punished. If that’s how we play without Carew then, thanks for the memories John.
