Gérard Houllier
OBE
Houllier in 2009
Personal information
Full name Gérard Paul Francis Houllier[1]
Date of birth (1947-09-03)3 September 1947[2]
Place of birth Thérouanne, France[2]
Date of death 14 December 2020(2020-12-14) (aged 73)
Place of death Paris, France
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1959–1968 Hucqueliers
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1968–1969 Alsop
1969–1971 Hucqueliers
1971–1980 Le Touquet
Managerial career
1973–1976 Le Touquet
1976–1982 Nœux-les-Mines
1982–1985 Lens
1985–1988 Paris Saint-Germain
1992–1993 France
1994–1996 France U18
1996–1997 France U20
1998 Liverpool (joint with Roy Evans)
1998–2004 Liverpool
2005–2007 Lyon
2010–2011 Aston Villa
Medal record
Representing  France (manager)
Men's football
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
Winner1996 France–Luxembourg
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Gérard Paul Francis Houllier OBE (French pronunciation: [ʒeʁaʁ ulje]; 3 September 1947 – 14 December 2020) was a French professional football manager and player.[3] Clubs he managed include Paris Saint-Germain, Lens and Liverpool, where he won the FA Cup, League Cup, FA Charity Shield, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2001. He then guided Lyon to two French titles, before announcing his resignation on 25 May 2007. He became manager of Aston Villa in September 2010. He also coached the France national team between 1992 and 1993. He assisted Aimé Jacquet in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, was part of UEFA's and FIFA's Technical Committee in the 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cup finals, and technical director for the French Football Federation during the 2010 finals. In June 2011, he stepped down from club coaching, leaving his managerial role at Aston Villa, following frequent hospitalisation over heart problems.

From July 2012 until his death, Houllier had been head of global football for Red Bull. He was responsible for Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg, Germany's RB Leipzig and American club New York Red Bulls, Red Bull Brasil, as well as the now dissolved Red Bull Ghana academies. He became the technical director of women's football clubs Lyon Féminin and OL Reign in November 2020.[4]

Early life

Born in Thérouanne, Houllier entered Lille University to pursue a degree in English, but in the first year his father's serious illness forced him to drop out of full-time study and start work, eventually as a school teacher, while he completed his degree part-time. As part of his degree, he elected to spend a year in 1969–1970 in the city of Liverpool as an assistant at Alsop Comprehensive School, and while there he attended his first Liverpool F.C. match on 16 September 1969, a 10–0 thrashing of Irish club Dundalk. He also played for an amateur local side, Alsop. He was an enthusiastic footballer, but never threatened the professional ranks as a player. He was deputy headmaster of the École Normale d'Arras until reaching age 26 in 1973, when he began his full-time managerial career as player-manager of Le Touquet.[5]

Managerial career

Early career and France national team

Between 1976 and 1982, Houllier was head coach of French amateur club Nœux-les-Mines.[5] Despite limited resources, the team achieved promotion during his tenure, rising to the Division 2.[6] He then moved to Lens in 1982, coaching them to promotion to the top division and qualification for the UEFA Cup, before moving to Paris Saint-Germain in 1985, where PSG won the French title the following year. In 1988, Houllier was appointed technical director and assistant to the France national team, under manager Michel Platini. Houllier became manager in 1992, but resigned in November 1993 after France failed to qualify for the 1994 FIFA World Cup finals.[7]

In the 2011 book Secrets de coachs, Houllier singled out winger David Ginola for blame in a crucial defeat to Bulgaria during the qualification campaign. Ginola filed a lawsuit against Houllier for defamation, but this was dismissed by a French court in 2012.[8] Houllier remained as technical director for the national team until 1998, a role which included the coaching of France's junior sides. In 1996, Houllier's under-18 side won the European Under-18 Championship, and several members of his youth teams, such as David Trezeguet and Thierry Henry went on to form part of France's victorious team in the 1998 FIFA World Cup.[9]

Liverpool

In July 1998, Houllier was invited to become joint team manager of Liverpool, together with Roy Evans. The arrangement did not work out and Evans resigned in November after losing to Tottenham Hotspur 3–1 at home in the League Cup on 10 November 1998. Prior to the defeat, Liverpool were eliminated from the UEFA Cup by Spanish side Celta de Vigo. The departure of Evans left Houllier in sole charge of the team.[10]

Houllier began what he described as a five-year programme to rebuild the team, and restore discipline to a squad that had been labelled widely as "Spice Boys", as well as begin a continental approach, both tactically and in terms of personnel, to the game starting in 1999.[11] That summer, Paul Ince, David James, Jason McAteer, Rob Jones, Tony Warner and Steve Harkness were all sold, while Steve McManaman left on a free transfer. Simultaneously, eight new players were signed: Sami Hyypiä, Dietmar Hamann, Stéphane Henchoz, Vladimír Šmicer, Sander Westerveld, Titi Camara, Eric Meijer and Djimi Traoré. The club's youth players such as Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard also became a cornerstone of the team. Liverpool's training facilities at Melwood were thoroughly overhauled.[11]

"When you play in a European final, you are looking for immortality. These boys have produced a game which will be remembered for a long time".

—Houllier following Liverpool's victory in the 2001 UEFA Cup Final which secured a cup treble for the club in 2001[12]

The rebuilding continued in 2000 with the signings of Markus Babbel, Nicky Barmby, Pegguy Arphexad, Grégory Vignal, Emile Heskey, Gary McAllister, Igor Bišćan and Christian Ziege, as well as the departures of David Thompson, Phil Babb, Dominic Matteo, Steve Staunton, Brad Friedel and Stig Inge Bjørnebye. The efforts yielded a result in the successful 2000–01 season, when Liverpool won a cup treble of the League Cup, the FA Cup and the UEFA Cup and finished third in the Premier League, hence qualifying for Champions League. In August 2001, Liverpool won the Charity Shield against Manchester United and UEFA Super Cup against Bayern Munich.[13]

In October 2001, after falling ill at half-time at Liverpool's Premier League match with Leeds United, Houllier was rushed to hospital for an emergency operation due to the discovery of a heart condition, an aortic dissection.[14] With the help of caretaker manager Phil Thompson, he guided Liverpool to a second-place finish in the 2001–02 FA Premier League season, at the time their best record in the Premiership. Houllier returned to active management of the club after five months, although significantly weakened by the heart condition.[15]

In the 2002—03 season, Liverpool finished in the fifth place in the Premier League, failing to qualify for the following season's UEFA Champions League after a final-day defeat to Chelsea.[16] Critics blamed Houllier's unsuccessful summer signings in 2002, namely El Hadji Diouf (Lens, £10 million),[17] Salif Diao (Sedan, £5 million)[18] and Bruno Cheyrou (Lille, £4 million),[19] and his failure to make Nicolas Anelka's loan move permanent in favour of signing the ineffective Diouf. Houllier's failure to replace creative talents such as Gary McAllister and Jari Litmanen was also criticised.[20][21] In March 2003, Liverpool defeated Manchester United 2–0 in the League Cup Final.[22] In October 2003, Houllier appointed Steven Gerrard club captain.[23] With Liverpool failing to mount a title challenge in his last two seasons despite substantial investment in players with what was perceived as negative one-dimensional tactics and unattractive football, a poor youth policy, his constant mention of "turning corners"[24] and a lack of support from fans,[25] these factors led to Houllier's departure from Liverpool on 24 May 2004.[26] Having qualified the club for the following season's Champions League, Houllier left Liverpool by mutual consent, after reluctantly agreeing to a board request that he leave the club.[27] He was replaced by Valencia coach Rafael Benítez.[28]

Lyon

On 29 May 2005, it was announced that Houllier had signed a two-year contract as manager of the champions of Ligue 1, succeeding Paul Le Guen. Lyon had just won their previous fourth successive championship and Houllier was hired to convert this domestic dominance to the European stage. Despite continuing this dominance of Ligue 1, Lyon lost to Milan in the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 Champions League while they crashed out to the inexperienced Roma in the first knockout round of the 2006–07 Champions League. Houllier also suffered a cup final defeat (Coupe de la Ligue) to Bordeaux. However, in April 2007, Houllier won his second-straight (Lyon's sixth-straight) Ligue 1 title after Toulouse's loss to Rennes. The 2006–07 season proved to be his last with the club: on 25 May 2007, he stepped down due to a fractious relationship with outspoken chairman Jean-Michel Aulas, who was frustrated at the club's inability to convert domestic dominance into European success.[29] An official statement on Lyon's website stated that Houllier asked to be released from the last season of his contract and that request was granted by the president. Houllier also said that he needed a break after experiencing two seasons with Lyon.[30]

Return to the French national team

Houllier was reappointed to the role of technical director for the French national team in September 2007, replacing interim-incumbent Jean-Pierre Morlans.[31] Despite the team's poor performance during UEFA Euro 2008, Houllier advised French Football Federation president Jean-Pierre Escalettes to keep faith with manager Raymond Domenech. This decision attracted criticism as France went on to be eliminated in the first round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[32] Escalettes resigned from his post after the tournament, but Houllier chose not to step down. In an interview with Stéphane Mandard of Le Monde, he denied responsibility for the failed campaign, stating that his responsibilities did not extend to the first team and that he was not Domenech's line manager.[33]

Aston Villa

On 8 September 2010, it was announced that English Premier League club Aston Villa had appointed Houllier as their new full-time manager, following the resignation of previous boss Martin O'Neill the month before.[34] In his first press conference at the club, it was revealed Houllier had not yet signed a contract and would not take charge of the club until a later date due to commitments with the French Football Federation.[35]

Houllier's first match in charge was the League Cup match against Blackburn Rovers on 22 September. Villa won the match 3–1, coming back from a goal down to progress to the next round of the competition.[36] It was announced on 18 September 2010 that Gary McAllister had agreed to become his assistant manager, with Gordon Cowans also taking a role in Houllier's backroom staff.[37] Two days after the Blackburn match, he signed a three-year contract.[38] However, Houllier's start at the club proved to be difficult. The side was hit with injuries to key players Gabriel Agbonlahor, Stiliyan Petrov, Nigel Reo-Coker and Emile Heskey, and managed just one win in ten Premier League matches.[39] In November 2010, Houllier signed 37-year-old former Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires on a free transfer in an attempt to aid the club during its injury crisis.[40] By January 2011, Villa had picked up just 21 points from 20 Premier League matches. The club had also been knocked out of the League Cup the previous month by local rivals Birmingham City. On 5 January, Villa were beaten 1–0 at home by Sunderland; this loss left Villa in 18th position in the league table, the first time they had been in the relegation zone since 2003.[41] During the match, a selection of the home crowd targeted Houllier with chants of "you're getting sacked in the morning" to vent their frustration at the club's poor run of form.[42] Despite this, Villa directors acted quickly to insist that Houllier's job as manager was safe.[43]

In the January transfer Window, Houllier signed Kyle Walker on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in a bid to improve Villa's struggling defence.[44] This signing was followed by the arrival of Jean Makoun from Houllier's former club Lyon,[45] before Sunderland's Darren Bent was brought to Villa Park in a deal that broke the club's transfer record.[46] Villa's January transfer window was rounded off with the loan signing of American international midfielder Michael Bradley from Borussia Mönchengladbach. In February 2011, Houllier criticised the commitment of Villa defenders Habib Beye and Stephen Warnock. The pair were forced to train with the club's reserve side and were not selected by the Frenchman, even when the club faced even more injury concerns.[47] After the defeat to Sunderland, Villa underwent a revival, winning five and drawing three of their next nine matches in the league and FA Cup, including defeating Manchester City 1–0 in a run which saw the team climb to 12th.[48][49]

However, Villa were eliminated from the FA Cup by Manchester City via a 3–0 away loss in early March. Houllier chose to rest a number of key first-team players, a move that was criticised by fans and the media alike.[50] The club's league form also failed to improve. During a team-bonding exercise at a health spa in Leicestershire, Villa defenders James Collins and Richard Dunne were involved in a confrontation with club staff. The players were each fined two weeks' wages. However, Houllier said the incident did not affect team morale.[51][52] On 19 March, Villa faced local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League at Villa Park. Prior to the match, a banner reading, "Had enough, Houllier out" was unveiled by some supporters in the stadium's Holte End stand.[53] However, this was quickly removed by the club's stewarding staff. The away side won 1–0 thanks to a goal from Matt Jarvis, claiming their first win against Aston Villa in 31 years. Towards the end of the match, the home fans once again verbally attacked Houllier with chants of "we want Houllier out" and "you don't know what you're doing", before giving a chorus of boos at the final whistle.[54]

On 20 April, Houllier was admitted to hospital after falling ill during the night. His condition was said to be stable, but he was not able to be at Aston Villa's training session the following day, and was not able to attend their match against Stoke City on 23 April, or any subsequent matches of the 2010–11 season. Gary McAllister took charge of all first team affairs in his stead.[55][56] On 1 June, Houllier stepped down as manager of Aston Villa by mutual consent.[57][58] In Houllier's only season, Villa finished ninth.[59]

Death

Houllier died on 14 December 2020, aged 73, in Paris, after a heart operation. Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard paid tribute to Houllier, saying, "He was more than just a manager" and that he shaped him into "a better player, a better person, a better leader".[60][61][62][63]

Managerial statistics

Source[64]
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record
PWDLWin %
Liverpool (with Roy Evans) 1 July 1998 12 November 1998 18 7 6 5 038.9
Liverpool 12 November 1998 24 May 2004 307 158 75 74 051.5
Lyon 2 June 2005 1 June 2007 108 69 25 14 063.9
Aston Villa 21 September 2010 1 June 2011 39 14 11 14 035.9

Honours

Houllier at Old Trafford in 2008

Manager

Nœux-les-Mines

Paris Saint-Germain

Liverpool

Lyon

France U18

Individual

Orders

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Entreprise GH Consulting à Boulogne-Billancourt (92100)" [Company GH Consulting in Boulogne-Billancourt (92100)]. Figaro Entreprises (in French). Société du Figaro. 23 December 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
    "Gerard Houllier". BFM Business (in French). Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  2. 1 2 "Houllier: Gérard Houllier: Manager". BDFutbol. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Mason, Peter (14 December 2020). "Gerard Houllier obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Kidd, Robert (24 November 2020). "Interview: The Olympique Lyon-strategy behind the purchase of a US women's team". Off the Pitch. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Gerard Houllier factfile". Aston Villa F. C. 8 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
  6. ↑ Williams, Richard (16 May 2001). "From the pits to the peaks". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  7. ↑ "Gerard Houllier profile". BBC Sport. 9 May 2001. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "David Ginola loses lawsuit against former France coach Gérard Houllier". The Guardian. 4 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  9. ↑ Williams, Richard (23 October 2011). "Football: Houllier the passionate enthusiast". The Independent. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  10. ↑ "Gérard Houllier: the man who nearly died making Liverpool great again". The Guardian. 11 February 2020. Retrieved 11 February 2020.
  11. 1 2 McNulty, Phil (20 May 2004). "Houllier defiant to the end". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 December 2020
  12. ↑ "Houllier hails brilliant Reds". BBC Sport. 17 May 2001. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  13. ↑ "Liverpool sink Bayern". BBC Sport. 24 August 2001. Archived from the original on 15 July 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2010.
  14. ↑ "Houllier's scare explained". 15 October 2001 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  15. ↑ "Gérard Houllier: the man who helped to make Liverpool great again". The Guardian. 11 February 2020.
  16. ↑ "Chelsea in Champions League". BBC Sport. 11 May 2003.
  17. ↑ Prentice, David (14 September 2015). "El Hadji Diouf was worst Liverpool FC player I played with says Steven Gerrard". North Wales Live.
  18. ↑ "Liverpool in £5m Diao deal". Evening Standard. 27 May 2002.
  19. ↑ Echo, Liverpool (16 May 2002). "Red sign Bruno". Liverpool Echo.
  20. ↑ "Graham Kelly: Houllier suffering in the shadow of Shankly and Paisley". The Independent. 23 February 2004. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  21. ↑ "Football: Houllier pays the price for failure to live up to". London Independent. Archived from the original on 9 March 2008.
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  28. ↑ "Liverpool appoint Benitez". BBC Sport. 16 June 2004.
  29. ↑ http://eurosport.yahoo.com/25052007/58/ligue-1-houllier-quits-lyon.html
  30. ↑ "Football Europe – News & Features – News Specific". Uefa.com. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 29 May 2009.
  31. ↑ "Houllier set for French technical director role". Reuters. 14 September 2007.
  32. ↑ Petrequin, Samuel (29 June 2010). "French federation boss to quit after WCup fiasco". Associated Press – via Taiwan News.
  33. ↑ Mandard, Stéphane (10 July 2010). "Gérard Houllier : "L'équipe de France était devenue paranoïaque"". Le Monde (in French).
  34. ↑ "Aston Villa appoint Gerard Houllier as new manager". BBC Sport. 8 September 2010. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
  35. ↑ "New Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier can't start work until he's cleared by the French Football Federation so Kevin MacDonald will remain in charge". MirrorFootball.co.uk. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on 14 September 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  36. ↑ Macaskill, Sandy (23 September 2010). "Aston Villa 3 Blackburn Rovers 1: match report". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  37. ↑ "Gerard Houllier's backroom team announced, Latest News, Aston Villa". Avfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  38. ↑ "Houllier finally signs Villa deal". BBC News. 24 September 2010.
  39. ↑ Hunter, Andy (6 December 2010). "Our confidence is low, admits Aston Villa's manager Gérard Houllier". The Guardian. London.
  40. ↑ "Villa complete Pires deal". Sky Sports. 18 November 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  41. ↑ "Aston Villa 0–1 Sunderland". BBC News. 5 January 2011.
  42. ↑ "Black Cats beat Villa". Uk.eurosport.yahoo.com. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  43. ↑ "Houllier safe in Villa job". Sky Sports. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  44. ↑ "Aston Villa sign Tottenham defender Kyle Walker on loan". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.
  45. ↑ Roo, Blue. "Aston Villa Snap Up Jean Il Makoun from Olympique Lyonnais". Bleacher Report.
  46. ↑ agencies, Staff and (18 January 2011). "Darren Bent completes £24m move to Aston Villa from Sunderland". The Guardian.
  47. ↑ "Gerard Houllier banishes Stephen Warnock and Habib Beye to reserves". ESPN.co.uk. 4 February 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  48. ↑ "Aston Villa football club match record: 2011". 11v11.com.
  49. ↑ "Aston Villa 4-1 Blackburn". BBC Sport. 26 February 2011.
  50. ↑ "Manchester City 3–0 Aston Villa". BBC News. 2 March 2011.
  51. ↑ "Dunne and Collins are fined by Villa". Express & Star. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  52. ↑ "Houllier – Villa still united, Aston Villa News, Fixtures, Results, Transfers". Sky Sports. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  53. ↑ "Gerard Houllier is experiencing a case of deja vu at Aston Villa". The National. 22 March 2011.
  54. ↑ "Aston Villa 0–1 Wolverhampton Wanderers". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  55. ↑ "Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier in hospital". Bbc.co.uk. 21 April 2011. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  56. ↑ Macaskill, Sandy (21 April 2011). "Aston Villa allay fears over Gerard Houllier's health after manager rushed to hospital after being taken ill". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2011.
  57. ↑ "Club statement: Gerard Houllier". Aston Villa. 1 June 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  58. ↑ "Aston Villa confirm Gérard Houllier's departure as manager". Guardian. 1 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
  59. ↑ "Aston Villa summary". Lerwill Life. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  60. ↑ "Gérard Houllier, former Liverpool and France manager, dies aged 73". The Guardian. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  61. ↑ "Ex-Liverpool boss Houllier dies aged 73". BBC Sport. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  62. ↑ Mason, Peter (14 December 2020). "Gérard Houllier obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  63. ↑ "Houllier 'a special man' - Gerrard". BBC Sport.
  64. ↑ Gerard Houllier management career statistics at Soccerbase
  65. ↑ "US Nœux-les-Mines". Stat Football Club France (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  66. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "France - G. Houllier - Profile with news, career statistics and history - Soccerway". int.soccerway.com.
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  68. ↑ "TEAM OF THE YEAR 2001". UEFA. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014.
  69. ↑ "Tributes paid as former Liverpool and Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier dies, aged 73". 14 December 2020.
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  71. ↑ Pierrend, José Luis. ""Onze Mondial" Awards". RSSSF. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
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  74. ↑ "Décret du 29 mars 2002 portant promotion et nomination" [Decree of 29 March 2002 on promotion and appointment]. Journal Officiel de la République Française (in French). 2002 (77): 5702. 31 March 2002. PREX0200003D. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
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