Former France coach Gerard Houllier was named the new manager of English Premier League side Aston Villa on Wednesday, the club announced.
The 63-year-old, who coached Liverpool between 1998 and 2004, has been working as National Coaching Director at the French Football Federation (FFF) since leaving his last top club, French side Lyon, in 2007.
However, he had been given permission to step down from that position earlier on Wednesday by interim FFF president Fernand Duchaussoy, who also said he would be signing a two year contract.
PHOTO: EPA
He takes over from caretaker Kevin MacDonald, who had been in charge since Martin O’Neill surprisingly left on Aug. 9 just days before the start of the season.
Club chief executive Paul Faulkner said Houllier — whose last club coaching role saw him land two French titles with Lyon — “understands the ethos of our Club and shares our core values.”
Houllier, who stepped down as France coach when they failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals by losing their final two matches at home, will be formally presented to the media today, with his first game in charge away to Stoke on Monday.
“Two of the key qualities which we identified as being of crucial importance in our search for the new manager were experience of managing in the Premier League and a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad,” Faulkner said. “Gerard Houllier comfortably satisfies these criteria.”
Houllier told French radio station RTL that he had been itching to get back to the day to day business of coaching.
“I had a great desire to get back on to the pitch, but I had not received an offer as interesting as the Aston Villa one,” said Houllier, who denied that he had been advised to move on by the FFF because of the fiasco at the World Cup finals in June.
“Since I left Lyon [in 2007], I have of course received several propositions, but that of Aston Villa is probably the best offer I have received to now in terms of the atmosphere, the conviction and on the human front as well.”
“There is a good feeling between the president of the club [Randy Lerner] and his secretary-general [Faulkner]. That resembles the one I experienced at Liverpool,” he said.
Houllier guided Liverpool to the FA Cup, League Cup and UEFA Cup Treble in 2001, but lost the faith of the fans and was deeply unpopular when he left by mutual consent in 2004. He is said to want his former Liverpool No. 2 Phil Thompson to aid him, but the players are said to be keen for the popular McDonald to fill that role.
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Revelations of positive doping tests for nearly two dozen Chinese swimmers that went unpunished sparked an intense flurry of accusations and legal threats between the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the head of the US drug-fighting organization, who has long been one of WADA’s fiercest critics. WADA on Saturday said it was turning to legal counsel to address a statement released by US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Travis Tygart, who said WADA and anti-doping authorities in China swept positive tests “under the carpet by failing to fairly and evenly follow the global rules that apply to everyone else in the world.” The
Taiwanese judoka Yang Yung-wei on Saturday won silver in the men’s under-60kg category at the Asian Judo Championships in Hong Kong. Nicknamed the “judo heartthrob” in Taiwan, the Olympic silver-medalist missed out on his first Asian Championships gold when he lost to Japanese judoka Taiki Nakamura in the finals. Yang defeated three opponents on Saturday to reach the final after receiving a bye through the round of 32. He first topped Laotian Soukphaxay Sithisane in the round of 16 with two seoi nage (over-the-shoulder throws), then ousted Indian Vijay Kumar Yadav in the quarter-finals with his signature ude hishigi sankaku gatame (triangular armlock). He
Rafael Nadal on Wednesday said the upcoming French Open would be the moment to “give everything and die” on the court after his comeback from injury in Barcelona was curtailed by Alex de Minaur. The 22-time Grand Slam title winner, back playing this week after three months on the sidelines, battled well, but eventually crumbled 7-5, 6-1 against the world No. 11 from Australia in the second round. Nadal, 37, who missed virtually all of last season, is hoping to compete at the French Open next month where he is the record 14-time champion. The Spaniard said the clash with De Minaur was