Houllier backs new Villa boss McLeish
Wednesday 22nd June 2011, 11:36AM BST.
Former Villa manager Gerard Houllier has urged the club’s fans to give his successor Alex McLeish the chance to prove he is the right man for the job.
Ex-Birmingham boss McLeish has upset sections of Villa supporters by making the move across the city to replace Houllier.
But Houllier, who was forced to quit because of health reasons three weeks ago, believes McLeish should be given the opportunity to show his credentials.
He said: “I think Gabby Agbonlahor said some comments about giving him a chance – and I agree.
“He’s football through and through and I think he’s a good signing for the club. I’ve known him a long time and he’s a nice person and a straightforward guy.
“I think Alex is strong enough. He’s got the personnel to win football matches.”
McLeish will give a fresh chance to players such as Stephen Ireland, Stephen Warnock and Habib Beye, who had little opportunity to play under Houllier.
He said: “There will be a clean slate for not only the young players but also the players already here.
“That includes those who perhaps were probably in the doldrums, those not playing at their best. Maybe we can give them a spark by coming in.
“It’s a clean slate for everybody.”
Carlos Cuellar also fell out of favour under Houllier andGlasgow Rangers are interested on bringing the defender back to Ibrox.
The Scottish giants sold the 29-year-old to Villa for £8million four years ago and he has made 104 appearances, but played just three times after the 3-1 win over Blackburn in January.
But McLeish isn’t ready to cash in on the Spaniard and will seek talks with him.
The Villa boss needs to rebuild the team with the £16million sale of Ashley Young to Manchester United imminent and is hoping to hijack Liverpool’s £9million deal for Blackpool playmaker Charlie Adam.
To read our stories in full, log in to the premium 24 website.
UK Sport
Latest Blog — A week is a long time in football
This time last week we were staring down the barrel, third from bottom with a worse record than at the same stage last year, writes Saddlers blogger Mark Jones.
Saddlers Blog
Business Awards
Book a Business Awards table
Join our celebrations of the region's best in business on Thursday March 22 - book your table now
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Express & Star and Shropshire Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases
OUR NEW APP
Get the new E&S app
Download the Express & Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
expressandstar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
