Gerard Houllier: Gone but not forgotten

Đã từ lâu hình ảnh một ông lão phúc hậu với những nét nhăn đáng yêu trên khuôn mặt hiện đầy nỗi lo âu, được gắn liền với hình ảnh một đội bóng mang tên Liverpool. Hẳn không ai có thể quên được nụ cười của ông, nó không bộc lộ hết được cảm xúc nhưng mà người ta lại cảm thấy ấm áp.
Nhắc đến LFC thì lại thấy hiện hữu hình ảnh của ông, điều này cho thấy mối liên hệ giữa G.Houllier với LFC không thể tách rời. Nhưng biết đâu khi GH ra đi và một cái tên mới xuất hiện, rồi lại cũng gắn liền với Liverpool.. tất cả đều trôi theo quy luật cả thôi, đúng không mọi người.

PARRY: TELLING GH HE WAS OUT WAS HARD
Rick Parry has admitted telling Gerard Houllier he was leaving as Liverpool manager was the hardest thing he has ever done.
Houllier''s six year reign as Anfield boss came to an end last week when the Reds announced they had parted company with their manager, and Parry admits it was an emotional moment when he told Houllier his time at Liverpool had come to an end.

Parry said: "It was tough but I couldn''t fudge it. I just told him: ''Gerard, there is no way of dressing this up. I can''t make this sound any more palatable but this is what the board want''. It was very emotional for both of us.

"At the start of the season, he asked me: ''Will the board be under pressure if we finish fifth?'' I told him: ''Of course''. He then said: ''You will tell me early if they want to make a change?'' I promised I would let him know straightaway.

"If there was a surprise, I think Gerard felt a Champions League place was good enough for him to stay on.

"That was also the perception outside Liverpool but the board felt that would have been a cop-out - the easy decision but the wrong one.

"It is very sad but the fact we have parted company with Gerard will lift our fans. He will never come to terms with that, but sadly that is how many feel."

Parry is now excited by the future under a new Liverpool manager who will aim to take the Reds forward.

He added: "Once you move to the next chapter it has to be exciting. Whatever happens, we are not going to make a bad appointment.

"We need to be in the Champions League but the status and stature of the club is very important. A lot of young up-and-coming managers grew up when Liverpool were THE team. It is important the new manager understands the club''s tra***ion but there is a balance.

"You don''t want to overplay the ''doing things the Liverpool way'' routine. The heritage of Liverpool in the 70s and 80s was about winning, not looking back.

"Bill Shankly was an innovator. There wasn''t much before he came so we have 30 years of heritage, not 100 years of marble halls. We want to get back to the tra***ion of winning trophies.

"There are enough attractions at Anfield to tempt someone here. There will be a lot of expectation and pressure on the new manager but I''m confident this will be a bright new start for Liverpool FC."
Couldn''t talk to you all the time but miss and love always honey

PARRY: NEW BOSS COULD HELP US KEEP STAR DUO
Rick Parry has admitted Liverpool''s decision to look for a new manager could help them in their battle to keep Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard at Anfield.
Parry says there was a feeling the Reds were slipping backwards under Gerard Houllier and with Owen and Gerrard''s long term future a priority for the Reds, Parry insists the time was right to make a change.

"This decision could help us to persuade the likes of Michael and Steven to stay," he said.

"I think there was an overriding mood among supporters that we were drifting, even slipping backwards. If we are going to hang on to players like Michael and Steven then we have to be successful.

"They want to be playing in the Champions League. They don''t want to be knocked out of the competition - they want to win it. They are ambitious and how can you criticise them for that?

"Steven is committed to this club but there cannot be any room for complacency about him staying because he is fiercely ambitious, as is Michael. They will want to be assured that we are battling upwards.

"We should be title contenders and if we had more outstanding players like then then we would be in contention.

"There may be some discussion with them as far as the new manager is concerned. I don''t think a particular player will be asked to pick a name but I feel it is perfectly realistic to allow them some input.

"If whoever comes in has the senior players'' respect they''ll have a good start. If they don''t it''ll be tough."
Vậy là cuối cùng thì sau 1 tuần GH ra đi, động cơ để ban luấn luyện đã được khẳng định một lần nữa!

Post toàn bằng tiếng Anh đọc làm sao được Hoa ơi! GH đã ra đi và các CĐV dường như đã dần dần quen với sự thiếu vắng của ông trong đội hình. Một sự ra đi rất đúng lúc nhưng không đúng kiểu, hy vọng mùa giải tới chúng ta sẽ có những bàn thắng, những chiếc Cúp để gửi tặng ông...
Mọi người bây giờ chỉ suy nghĩ và bàn tán rằng ai sẽ về lãnh đạo CLB mà thôi.