Trying to follow in the footsteps of Martin O’Neill has proved a difficult task for Gerard Houllier. O'Neill led Leicester to the superior half the Premiership and into Europe, he won the treble with Celtic, in addition to reaching the UEFA Cup final; additionally, he led Aston Villa to three consecutive sixth-place finishes, in addition to the Carling Cup final.
It is difficult to argue that O'Neill did not achieve impressive things at his previous clubs, however, when he walked out on Aston Villa-only days before the season started-he left an enormous challenge for his successor, Gerard Houllier. Before we take a look at how Houllier has coped, it is interesting to look at previous successors to Martin O’Neill. O’Neill has a gift of having the ability to obtain the best out of a particular type of player. However, he often seems unable to motivate players with a new style or mentality than his own.
We have seen this act previously. In the years after he left Celtic, few doubted that he had done a wonderful job, but worries developed that he had left them with an aging squad with big contracts that struggled to perform under a fresh manager. Leicester had similar problems with players seemingly unable to duplicate their form under O’Neill for the popular manager. Even now, we appear to be seeing the same pattern forming at Aston Villa under Gerard Houllier. Certain players, such as Richard Dunne and John Carew, have been poor this season without Martin O’Neill, as such, questions are being raised about their futures. Conversely, Houllier usually have resurrected the likes of Nigel Reo-Coker and Emile Heskey, who've gone from bench players last season to key players so far this year.
Where Will Aston Villa Finish This Season? Champions League Place Europa League Spot Mid-table Fighting Relegation Submit Vote to view result. From this evidence, we can see that attempting to follow O’Neill can often be a difficult task. Thus far, Houllier has had a median start. He has hardly got the team firing on all cylinders, but it is faraway from a poor start, as he has also been unlucky with injuries. In the short period since he took over there has been a spate of injuries, including Marc Albrighton, Luke Young, Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor.
Houllier has also been rocked by the news that captain Stiliyan Petrov will miss no less than two months. However, with this short spell, it is obvious that he's trying to change the style of football Aston Villa play. Under Martin O’Neill their game was based around quick counterattacks when possible, and more of a long-ball game in general. It's already noticeable that Houllier is encouraging the side to play with a more measured build-up by utilizing more passing of the ball to the ground. Whilst the fans like to see this approach, it can be difficult to implement it immediately. He still has O’Neill’s squad, and he will still be learning about his players. He didn't have a pre-season to work with the players to push his ideas. Therefore, this indicates natural to give him time before judging too much.
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