RIP Ged
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No, his aorta, again. He had surgery a week ago.
It can't be overstated how vital was his modernisation of the club. The bootroom culture was and is rightly admired, but some aspects had become so romanticised by the 90s that it was making us a laughing stock. You've probably heard the story of when, reluctantly, the staff invested in an actual phsiotherapy machine that had lights and went ping and everything, but then just stared at it quizzically for several days until someone realised that they hadn't plugged it in - that's a true story. That was how amateurish and frankly antiquated we'd become. Ged changed all of that profoundly.
The only odd thing is that the man whose first great claim to fame was his championing of academies (which is where Peter Robinson first made contact with him - they were in talks for several years before he became manager), and who, after leaving us, again became an international figure encouraging academies, never really got too involved with ours. He and Heighway didn't get on, so it was pretty much cut off from Melwood after Gerrard's elevation. Very weird.
In one sense it would be apt to honour his memory at Kirkby now, because the work that's being done is very much in his spirit, but in another sense it would just seem a bit ironic. I'm sure the club will do something, though. He's one of the greats.
The only odd thing is that the man whose first great claim to fame was his championing of academies (which is where Peter Robinson first made contact with him - they were in talks for several years before he became manager), and who, after leaving us, again became an international figure encouraging academies, never really got too involved with ours. He and Heighway didn't get on, so it was pretty much cut off from Melwood after Gerrard's elevation. Very weird.
In one sense it would be apt to honour his memory at Kirkby now, because the work that's being done is very much in his spirit, but in another sense it would just seem a bit ironic. I'm sure the club will do something, though. He's one of the greats.
Saddened by the news. Somebody said " made us more professional esp off the field"...did great things on it as well. True gent as well.
RIP Gerard Houllier
RIP Gerard Houllier
My journey as supporter for this club started with Ged as the manager. Thank you for the many good memories!
RIP
RIP
What’s wrong with this guy? Embarrassing from Alan ( not calling him Sir Alan)
JAMIE CARRAGHER14 December 2020
I was leaving Liverpool’s training ground at Melwood when Gerard Houllier summoned me.
“Jamie. Wait. I will give you a lift,” he said as I made my way towards the car park.
I had sensed the Liverpool manager was going to call me eventually. The previous Sunday I had been on the front of a tabloid newspaper after some drinking shenanigans at the club’s Christmas party.
The subsequent pep talk on the short journey to Anfield, where the team coach was waiting to take us to a Boxing Day game in Middlesbrough, was possibly the most important of my life and career.
“This has to stop,” he told me in a firm reminder about professionalism and responsibilities. “If you carry on like this, you will be finished at 26.”
Houllier had been in sole charge for just two months and was on a mission to rid Liverpool of the ‘Spice Boy’ reputation of the mid-90s.
As I listened to his advice on the perils of failing to look after myself off the pitch, the penny dropped.
He singled me out that day because he cared. He cared about me. He cared about my career. I knew if I listened and followed him, I would have his 100 per cent backing. If I didn’t, I would be out. If Houllier had not been my manager and so determined to invest his faith and time in me, I cannot say if my Liverpool career would have lasted 16 years.
My teammates will recall similar experiences. In myself, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Danny Murphy and others, Gerard saw how he could influence and mould the younger players to ensure we did not follow the wrong path and undermine our potential.
That is the Gerard I will always remember. He was more than a manager to us. He was a father figure. His attention to detail was not focused solely on what we did on the pitch. He was eager to ensure everything was as it needed to be off it.
If all this makes it sound like Gerard was some kind of friendly uncle to everyone he met, do not underestimate what he was as a manager. Amid all the tributes following his untimely death, I do not want that to get lost.
As players, we were scared of him, but we admired and loved him. No manager I played under spoke to the players, or motivated them, like Gerard.
Every pre-season he would deliver an address which lasted between an hour and 90 minutes and we were in awe, so impassioned by the end we could not wait for a season to start. One of his first talks involved him walking in and squeezing the badge on a Liverpool shirt.
“Look carefully at it. Look at the badge. Think carefully about what that badge means when you wear it. Never forget what it means to those fans you are playing for,” he said. I had goosebumps.
When Gary McAllister joined us in 2000, I will never forget his reaction after his first experience listening in. Despite all his experience, he said he had never heard a manager communicate so well to a squad.
Such meetings were not always cordial, and reputations did not matter. No matter how big the player, he never fudged an issue. If he felt someone was out of line, or had spoken out of turn in an interview, Houllier’s response was a squad meeting in which he reminded that individual of his responsibilities. He would demand an apology. It was a message to us all about what was expected when representing or speaking about the club.
Nothing got past him. He made a point of reading everything about the club, making sure he was on top of every detail. Perhaps he did that too much, especially in the end when there was more criticism, but he was meticulous about receiving information.
When he was recovering from his life-saving heart surgery in hospital, he heard I had received some stick from my own fans during an Anfield performance. He called me up to offer support and reassurance.
When he made a big decision, whether about a team selection or player transfer, he was ruthless. The exit of club captain Paul Ince was one example. Deciding Robbie Fowler, a Liverpool legend, was no longer a guaranteed starter was another. Jamie Redknapp took over the captaincy, but when he was fit there was no room in the starting line-up if Steven Gerrard and Dietmar Hamann were available.
As results started to pick-up, our belief in him as players soared.
I always say that although the highlight of my career was Istanbul under Rafa Benitez in 2005, my favourite and happiest sustained period playing for Liverpool was at the end of 2001. Over the course of 10 games between April and May, including two cup finals, we went into every game with everything on the line, winning nine to achieve our targets. To deliver like that at the business end of the season requires world-class management and performance. I won big trophies with my best friends in football, and shared it with a manager who had taken us every step of that journey over three years.
Too often, football clubs like to talk about being a ‘family’. When Gerard was in charge at Liverpool, we were. He was not a manager who simply asked how mine was. He got to know them personally. He knew the names of our wives, girlfriends and children.
My second child, Mia, was born the day before his final game in charge for Liverpool, against Newcastle in 2004. He was under immense pressure and sensed he was about to lose his job. Despite that, he changed the training schedule to coincide with me attending the birth.
After he was sacked, he still took the time to introduce Rafa to Steven Gerrard's family as they headed on the same flight to Euro 2004. How many managers would do that?
Gerard remembered everyone’s birthday and made a point of making sure it was acknowledged before every session.
“I’m still here!”, I said to him before training on the morning of my 26th. He laughed, remembering that conversation in the car.
That relationship continued long after he stopped being my manager. I last texted Gerard on November 12 as we were arranging a 20th anniversary celebration for the 2001 cup treble.
I referred to him as I always did. He was the ‘boss’. But he was more than that to me. He was my mentor and he was my friend. When we celebrate those three cups again in May, we will all mourn the absence of the man who made it possible.
I was leaving Liverpool’s training ground at Melwood when Gerard Houllier summoned me.
“Jamie. Wait. I will give you a lift,” he said as I made my way towards the car park.
I had sensed the Liverpool manager was going to call me eventually. The previous Sunday I had been on the front of a tabloid newspaper after some drinking shenanigans at the club’s Christmas party.
The subsequent pep talk on the short journey to Anfield, where the team coach was waiting to take us to a Boxing Day game in Middlesbrough, was possibly the most important of my life and career.
“This has to stop,” he told me in a firm reminder about professionalism and responsibilities. “If you carry on like this, you will be finished at 26.”
Houllier had been in sole charge for just two months and was on a mission to rid Liverpool of the ‘Spice Boy’ reputation of the mid-90s.
As I listened to his advice on the perils of failing to look after myself off the pitch, the penny dropped.
He singled me out that day because he cared. He cared about me. He cared about my career. I knew if I listened and followed him, I would have his 100 per cent backing. If I didn’t, I would be out. If Houllier had not been my manager and so determined to invest his faith and time in me, I cannot say if my Liverpool career would have lasted 16 years.
My teammates will recall similar experiences. In myself, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Danny Murphy and others, Gerard saw how he could influence and mould the younger players to ensure we did not follow the wrong path and undermine our potential.
That is the Gerard I will always remember. He was more than a manager to us. He was a father figure. His attention to detail was not focused solely on what we did on the pitch. He was eager to ensure everything was as it needed to be off it.
If all this makes it sound like Gerard was some kind of friendly uncle to everyone he met, do not underestimate what he was as a manager. Amid all the tributes following his untimely death, I do not want that to get lost.
As players, we were scared of him, but we admired and loved him. No manager I played under spoke to the players, or motivated them, like Gerard.
Every pre-season he would deliver an address which lasted between an hour and 90 minutes and we were in awe, so impassioned by the end we could not wait for a season to start. One of his first talks involved him walking in and squeezing the badge on a Liverpool shirt.
“Look carefully at it. Look at the badge. Think carefully about what that badge means when you wear it. Never forget what it means to those fans you are playing for,” he said. I had goosebumps.
When Gary McAllister joined us in 2000, I will never forget his reaction after his first experience listening in. Despite all his experience, he said he had never heard a manager communicate so well to a squad.
Such meetings were not always cordial, and reputations did not matter. No matter how big the player, he never fudged an issue. If he felt someone was out of line, or had spoken out of turn in an interview, Houllier’s response was a squad meeting in which he reminded that individual of his responsibilities. He would demand an apology. It was a message to us all about what was expected when representing or speaking about the club.
Nothing got past him. He made a point of reading everything about the club, making sure he was on top of every detail. Perhaps he did that too much, especially in the end when there was more criticism, but he was meticulous about receiving information.
When he was recovering from his life-saving heart surgery in hospital, he heard I had received some stick from my own fans during an Anfield performance. He called me up to offer support and reassurance.
When he made a big decision, whether about a team selection or player transfer, he was ruthless. The exit of club captain Paul Ince was one example. Deciding Robbie Fowler, a Liverpool legend, was no longer a guaranteed starter was another. Jamie Redknapp took over the captaincy, but when he was fit there was no room in the starting line-up if Steven Gerrard and Dietmar Hamann were available.
As results started to pick-up, our belief in him as players soared.
I always say that although the highlight of my career was Istanbul under Rafa Benitez in 2005, my favourite and happiest sustained period playing for Liverpool was at the end of 2001. Over the course of 10 games between April and May, including two cup finals, we went into every game with everything on the line, winning nine to achieve our targets. To deliver like that at the business end of the season requires world-class management and performance. I won big trophies with my best friends in football, and shared it with a manager who had taken us every step of that journey over three years.
Too often, football clubs like to talk about being a ‘family’. When Gerard was in charge at Liverpool, we were. He was not a manager who simply asked how mine was. He got to know them personally. He knew the names of our wives, girlfriends and children.
My second child, Mia, was born the day before his final game in charge for Liverpool, against Newcastle in 2004. He was under immense pressure and sensed he was about to lose his job. Despite that, he changed the training schedule to coincide with me attending the birth.
After he was sacked, he still took the time to introduce Rafa to Steven Gerrard's family as they headed on the same flight to Euro 2004. How many managers would do that?
Gerard remembered everyone’s birthday and made a point of making sure it was acknowledged before every session.
“I’m still here!”, I said to him before training on the morning of my 26th. He laughed, remembering that conversation in the car.
That relationship continued long after he stopped being my manager. I last texted Gerard on November 12 as we were arranging a 20th anniversary celebration for the 2001 cup treble.
I referred to him as I always did. He was the ‘boss’. But he was more than that to me. He was my mentor and he was my friend. When we celebrate those three cups again in May, we will all mourn the absence of the man who made it possible.
Steven Gerrard says he is finding it "really hard to come to terms" with the death of "special man" Gerard Houllier, his former Liverpool manager, aged 73.
The Rangers manager said "yesterday was a really tough day" for himself and assistant Gary McAllister.
Both played under the Frenchman while he was manager at Anfield.
"Gerard obviously played a huge part in both our careers - and also our lives," Gerrard said. "He was more than just a manager. A caring man, a loving man."
Gerrard was handed his Liverpool debut by Houllier in November 1998, five months after the former France head coach arrived at Liverpool, while McAllister was signed from Coventry City two years later.
"Throughout your career, different people look after you and shape you," Gerrard said. "I always try and take all the best bits from all the coaches and managers I worked. It's impossible for me add the charisma, the care and the love that Gerard carried.
"This is not a guy who would focus solely on football and what you gave to him in terms of the relationship player-to-manager. This was someone who, at my age, wanted to change me as a human being into an elite professional, who wanted me to be a better person, who wanted me to really understand the tactics and the game in a different way and become an even better player and build all the other stuff around the talent I had at that age. I'll never forget that."
Gerrard, whose current team lead the Scottish Premiership, would win the FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Cup, Super Cup and Charity Shield under Houllier, who he says shaped him into "a better player, a better person, a better leader".
"So I've got an awful lot to thank the man for and I'm finding it really hard to come to terms with it right now," he added.
"The news yesterday was very difficult to take. It's a huge blow. I came in yesterday morning really happy after our result at the weekend and then to receive that news was a bitter blow."
The Rangers manager said "yesterday was a really tough day" for himself and assistant Gary McAllister.
Both played under the Frenchman while he was manager at Anfield.
"Gerard obviously played a huge part in both our careers - and also our lives," Gerrard said. "He was more than just a manager. A caring man, a loving man."
Gerrard was handed his Liverpool debut by Houllier in November 1998, five months after the former France head coach arrived at Liverpool, while McAllister was signed from Coventry City two years later.
"Throughout your career, different people look after you and shape you," Gerrard said. "I always try and take all the best bits from all the coaches and managers I worked. It's impossible for me add the charisma, the care and the love that Gerard carried.
"This is not a guy who would focus solely on football and what you gave to him in terms of the relationship player-to-manager. This was someone who, at my age, wanted to change me as a human being into an elite professional, who wanted me to be a better person, who wanted me to really understand the tactics and the game in a different way and become an even better player and build all the other stuff around the talent I had at that age. I'll never forget that."
Gerrard, whose current team lead the Scottish Premiership, would win the FA Cup, League Cup, Uefa Cup, Super Cup and Charity Shield under Houllier, who he says shaped him into "a better player, a better person, a better leader".
"So I've got an awful lot to thank the man for and I'm finding it really hard to come to terms with it right now," he added.
"The news yesterday was very difficult to take. It's a huge blow. I came in yesterday morning really happy after our result at the weekend and then to receive that news was a bitter blow."
“I will always be please for your contribution on my career, Thank you Rest in Peace ”
(Houllier told Salzburg to sign him when he was at Metz)
(Houllier told Salzburg to sign him when he was at Metz)
Same. It's like Mama Mia said, I genuinely couldn't give a fuck about most peoples deaths beyond the usual platitudes, but this one hit hard. Back then I cared more for football than now, and Houllier was largely responsible for that. The glowing tributes and stories showcase what a true loss he is.
The club need to find a fitting tribute in his memory.
A love affair that went back a looong way.
Thank you, Gerard.
RIP
YNWA
Alex Ferguson:
[article]“The news has come as a total shock this morning. Gerard Houllier was still a young man at the age of 73.”
“Gerard became a really good friend during his time at Liverpool. We remained great friends after he left and he was always a great ally to have.
“He had fantastic football knowledge which he gained during his extensive and varied career.
“When we saw each other at UEFA meetings or other events, we would often enjoy a chat, he was always great company and I will miss him dearly.
“He was a true gentleman. Sad day."[/article]
[article]“The news has come as a total shock this morning. Gerard Houllier was still a young man at the age of 73.”
“Gerard became a really good friend during his time at Liverpool. We remained great friends after he left and he was always a great ally to have.
“He had fantastic football knowledge which he gained during his extensive and varied career.
“When we saw each other at UEFA meetings or other events, we would often enjoy a chat, he was always great company and I will miss him dearly.
“He was a true gentleman. Sad day."[/article]
I was thinking of how he left. It seems even more amazing now than then. No sloping off, but a press conference where he chats about how much he loves the club. Incredible. The club in those days was capable of some horrendous cackhanded gestures but that was classy.
Nice comments by Murphy, Gerrard and Carragher, and by his peers like Fergie. That says it all really about his impact on the club and how he was as a man.
I always thought it was really tragic and bittersweet how his career went at Liverpool. He instilled belief and professionalism. He gave us a platform and put us back on the map, but I still think his illness changed his mindset and hampered his progress.
Evans' spell at the club was very much the closing of a book, we'd gone through a torrid 10 years off and on the pitch and it felt like Ged dragged us into the present and started to shake the club and to try to brush off the cobwebs. We were going down a bad road off the pitch and we were signing the wrong personalities in people like Paul Ince and Neil Ruddock. Gerard opened us up to being shrewd in the transfer market, buying players for relative buttons instead of trying to make statements to match United's spending power. In came the likes of Hyypia, Hamann and Heskey, none of whom on paper had me particularly excited, but he had a tactical plan and he knew what he wanted, he knew how to make us hard to beat and he knew how to go to big sides in Europe and scrap for a result. Not that we were lacking talent, as Murphy said, but when we played better sides he had instilled a professionalism, desire and belief that could help us go the extra yard.
I see the late 90's to now as a sort of gradual shift towards getting back to where we belong. Gerard, Rafa, Kenny and Rodgers all played their part. They all had their strengths and they carried the mantle and kept us progressing in their own way. Rafa went the extra yard after Houllier, Dalglish picked up the pieces after the Gillett & Hicks debacle, Rodgers started to make us believe we could win the league again and Klopp just felt like one of the greats finally coming home. You just know he had it in him to end the drought, but none of the progress would have been possible without every manager since Evans playing their part in shifting us back towards being winners again.
And Ged gave us the kickstart we needed to wake up and gain some respect again.
I always thought it was really tragic and bittersweet how his career went at Liverpool. He instilled belief and professionalism. He gave us a platform and put us back on the map, but I still think his illness changed his mindset and hampered his progress.
Evans' spell at the club was very much the closing of a book, we'd gone through a torrid 10 years off and on the pitch and it felt like Ged dragged us into the present and started to shake the club and to try to brush off the cobwebs. We were going down a bad road off the pitch and we were signing the wrong personalities in people like Paul Ince and Neil Ruddock. Gerard opened us up to being shrewd in the transfer market, buying players for relative buttons instead of trying to make statements to match United's spending power. In came the likes of Hyypia, Hamann and Heskey, none of whom on paper had me particularly excited, but he had a tactical plan and he knew what he wanted, he knew how to make us hard to beat and he knew how to go to big sides in Europe and scrap for a result. Not that we were lacking talent, as Murphy said, but when we played better sides he had instilled a professionalism, desire and belief that could help us go the extra yard.
I see the late 90's to now as a sort of gradual shift towards getting back to where we belong. Gerard, Rafa, Kenny and Rodgers all played their part. They all had their strengths and they carried the mantle and kept us progressing in their own way. Rafa went the extra yard after Houllier, Dalglish picked up the pieces after the Gillett & Hicks debacle, Rodgers started to make us believe we could win the league again and Klopp just felt like one of the greats finally coming home. You just know he had it in him to end the drought, but none of the progress would have been possible without every manager since Evans playing their part in shifting us back towards being winners again.
And Ged gave us the kickstart we needed to wake up and gain some respect again.
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