Aston Villa target Mark Hughes to replace Gérard Houllier as manager

[mike_f]

Mark Hughes has emerged as the frontrunner to take over as Aston Villa manager as the Midlands club step up their search for a successor to Gérard Houllier. Villa are expected to confirm within the next 24 hours that Houllier's turbulent nine‑month reign in charge has come to an end by mutual consent, although there remains a possibility that the announcement will be delayed because of a wrangle over his severance package.

Houllier's role has been in doubt since he was admitted to hospital on 20 April with chest pains. He was discharged eight days later, after being diagnosed with a dissection of the descending aorta – a condition related to the 11 hours of open‑heart surgery he underwent 10 years ago – and although Houllier was determined to return to frontline management, within Villa there were grave reservations about how a 63‑year‑old with his medical history could be expected to handle the pressure.

Those concerns were articulated to Houllier over the weekend, when Randy Lerner, the Villa owner, and Paul Faulkner, the club's chief executive, came to the conclusion that it was a risky strategy to continue with the former Liverpool manager in charge. Houllier, who had two years remaining on the £2.5m‑per‑year contract he signed when he supplanted Martin O'Neill last September, seems certain to walk away with a sizeable sum from his settlement, which could take longer to resolve than Villa had initially hoped.

Those Villa supporters that had become disillusioned with life under Houllier will believe that a seven-figure pay-out is a price worth paying if the club can appoint an experienced Premier League manager capable of re‑energising a squad that badly underachieved last season. Hughes, who is in charge of Fulham, is likely to relish that task and would have been a certainty to get the Villa job before Houllier, had he not agreed to take over at Craven Cottage 12 days before O'Neill resigned.

Hughes, significantly, is yet to sign a new two-year contract at Fulham despite lengthy discussions with the club. It is also understood that his current deal has a one-month break clause, which can be activated from Wednesday and would allow him to walk away on 30 June. Fulham, however, remain bullish about their prospects of keeping Hughes, who recovered from a difficult first half of the season to secure an eighth-placed finish and qualify for the Europa League.

Steve McClaren, Martin Jol and David Moyes are the other leading contenders for the Villa job. Moyes has long been linked with Villa and would be a popular choice among the club's fans, but prising him out of Everton promises to be extremely difficult. He is particularly close with Bill Kenwright, the chairman at Goodison Park, and has two years remaining on his contract. He may also feel that Villa, despite their increased spending power, represents a sideways move.

Any approach for McClaren or Jol would be much more straightforward for Villa, given that both men are out of work. McClaren was sacked by Wolfsburg in February and has been holding out for the right job in the Premier League ever since, which is why he quickly ruled himself out of the running for the West Ham United position. Villa would tick all the boxes, although it is also easy to imagine McClaren stepping into Hughes's shoes at Craven Cottage if the Welshman is lured to the Midlands.

Jol has yet to return to management since he resigned from his post at Ajax in December. The Dutchman managed in the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, between 2004 and 2007, and featured prominently in Villa's thoughts before they turned to Houllier. He is fond of life in England and was close to returning last summer, when he was offered the chance to take over from Roy Hodgson at Fulham before deciding to stay at Ajax.

Villa's third manager in 10 months will take over a side that flirted with relegation before back-to-back victories in the final two matches lifted them to ninth place. In many ways that league position hides a multitude of sins and paints a rose-tinted picture of Houllier's time in charge at the club, which will largely be remembered for a series of public relations gaffes, poor results and constant stories of player unrest.

Houllier was arguably hindered by the timing of his arrival at the club, which followed an unsettling period during which O'Neill walked out five days before the opening Premier League match. He oversaw an improvement in Stewart Downing and can feel vindicated that the club-record signing of Darren Bent has proved to be money well spent, but those were rare bright spots in a season that many of Villa's supporters will be only too keen to forget.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/may/31/aston-villa-mark-hughes-gerard-houllier

[ImperialWhite]

 099.gif - the Guardian are normally pretty reliable.

Lot's hope they go for Jol - perhaps Jol might be considered a bigger name than Hughes.

[mike_f]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1392872/Aston-Villa-want-Fulhams-Mark-Hughes-manager.html


:dft006:

[mike_f]

http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/94002.html?CMP=OTC-RSS

[nevzter]

If it is to be, please let it happen now for the club's sake.  If so, MH's effin' around with contract negotiations while the clock ticks on Europe and transfers does Fulham no favors.  

COYW

[Bilet]

24 hours and Mark Hughes can choose whatever club he like. No release fee would have to be offered us. I think he's leaving.

[mike_f]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Aston-Villa-Fulham-news-Mark-Hughes-is-No-1-target-to-be-manager-after-Gerard-Houllier-gets-5m-payoff-article743277.html


Ugh, relegation beckons next year. Might as well just give up.

[ImperialWhite]

Well there are two caveats:

1. Only the Mirror seems to think that Hughes is option number one.
2. Gérard Houllier wants to continue working for Villa. There's a chance that Villa might stick with him if they can be convinced of his health.

We'll know tomorrow night what will happen re:Hughes' contract, but it doesn't look good, does it?

Either he's leaving it last minute to get a better salary/more spending money (Ridge, is that what you called the hockey stick effect?) or he really wants to move and would probably see Villa as a bigger job (it probably is, to be fair).

[ImperialWhite]

sh1t - the Guardian are normally pretty reliable.

Lot's hope they go for Jol - perhaps Jol might be considered a bigger name than Hughes.

Also -  

Full frontal nudity in a thread commemorating our war dead - fine.
Saying "S-h-i-t" - NOOOOOOO! Will somone PLEASE think of the children!

084.gif

[Tom]

Everyone needs to calm down and quite thinking the sky is falling. I remember just about a week about that Mark said he is enjoying it here and wants to stay. We are on the way up and Villa on the way down.

[RidgeRider]

sh1t - the Guardian are normally pretty reliable.

Lot's hope they go for Jol - perhaps Jol might be considered a bigger name than Hughes.

Also -  

Full frontal nudity in a thread commemorating our war dead - fine.
Saying "S-h-i-t" - NOOOOOOO! Will somone PLEASE think of the children!

084.gif

Jimbobob only got away with that photo cause it was Patriotic. A free pass is warranted here as well.

[TonyGilroy]

Either he's leaving it last minute to get a better salary/more spending money (Ridge, is that what you called the hockey stick effect?) or he really wants to move and would probably see Villa as a bigger job (it probably is, to be fair).

A third possibility is that there's no urgency because both sides intend to do a deal and the lawyers/agents are working on the details. Possibly people are on holiday.

I have no idea whether Hughes would want to go to Villa or if he'd be their first choice. My hunch is that he'll stay but if he goes Martin O'Neill would be a likely replacement and probably a good fit for us.

If there's to be a managerial change early June is the best time.

[b+w geezer]

I also have no idea if it will happen, but there is sufficient doubt to cause concern. A managerial change in June could just about be surmounted on the pitch. I'd be more concerned with the off-field implications. If Hughes did go, he and his mouthpieces would (in order to justify jumping ship) need to present it as negligence and lack of ambition by our club. And so it would be likely to seem not only to supporters of FFC and rivals but -- more importantly -- to current and prospective players. It would undo much of the work in recent years to build up our profile as a mid-table outfit with aspirations. And in fairness, as Hughes would say, the situation probably is a litmus test of pretty much that.

[BalDrick]

Everyone needs to calm down and quite thinking the sky is falling. I remember just about a week about that Mark said he is enjoying it here and wants to stay. We are on the way up and Villa on the way down.

Exactly Tom - all the lines he came out with after our Europa was confirmed were not the actions of a man looking to move again. The other thing about all this is, how much of a better job is the Villa gig these days? We finished 8th, that's no mean achievement.

'My hunch is that he'll stay...'

Yep mine too.

'...but if he goes Martin O'Neill would be a likely replacement and probably a good fit for us.'

I'm far from convinced MO'N would be that good a fit you know. Prone to hissy fits when he doesn't get what he wants (witness his departure from Villa) and I'm not sure his teams play football the way we like it to be played.


'If there's to be a managerial change early June is the best time.'

To coin a phrase, 'I know this much is true'!

[TonyGilroy]

I also have no idea if it will happen, but there is sufficient doubt to cause concern. A managerial change in June could just about be surmounted on the pitch. I'd be more concerned with the off-field implications. If Hughes did go, he and his mouthpieces would (in order to justify jumping ship) need to present it as negligence and lack of ambition by our club. And so it would be likely to seem not only to supporters of FFC and rivals but -- more importantly -- to current and prospective players. It would undo much of the work in recent years to build up our profile as a mid-table outfit with aspirations. And in fairness, as Hughes would say, the situation probably is a litmus test of pretty much that.

I sort of agree with that except that I doubt that Hughes would put it in anything like those terms. It would be "massive club" "too good an opportunity to turn down" "grateful to Fulham - a wonderful club" etc.

The truth though undoubtedly is that to the outside world our position as temporary over achievers would be underlined with players thinking that their ambitions deserve better.

Could be the truth of course.

[TonyGilroy]

What I think is true is that if Hughes truly isn't interested in Villa then today would be the day to make a public announcement given the press reports.

[BalDrick]

'The truth though undoubtedly is that to the outside world our position as temporary over achievers would be underlined with players thinking that their ambitions deserve better.

'Could be the truth of course.'

Well is it I wonder, the truth I mean? To have finished 7th then two years later 8th would tend to suggest not.

[TonyGilroy]

If we can't hold on to good managers though it becomes the truth. Sooner or later we'll pick one who'll fail.

O'Neill comes with pedigree, experience, profile and no history of failure. I'd be happy with him as a replacement. With a Poyet or Clark you never know how it will pan out.

[b+w geezer]

What I think is true is that if Hughes truly isn't interested in Villa then today would be the day to make a public announcement given the press reports.

I agree. However, as I understand it, from today he does not need permission to talk to Villa. If he does talk to them, then that will speak volumes, announcement or no announcement. Assuming Villa fire the starting gun today, then we are unlikely to be in the dark for long.

[BalDrick]

'Assuming Villa fire the starting gun today, then we are unlikely to be in the dark for long.'

Particularly as Villa seem to have a section of the media working as their PR office at the moment.