When Gerard Houllier brought on young Scotsman Barry Bannan instead of Stephen Ireland in the game against Fulham he showed the rest of the Aston Villa squad he won't pick players based on their reputation.
Houllier went on to cite a number of areas where Ireland needs to improve his game – he gives the ball away too easily and he doesn’t track back. It was a timely reminder to the players that the Frenchman has an entirely different footballing philosophy to Martin O'Neill.
O’Neill was a manager who insisted on playing fast, exciting football, but ultimately it wasn't good enough to break into the top four. The fact that he left the club just five days before the start of the season will have only heightened the sense of shock brought about by a sudden change of footballing thought. Granted, they had caretaker-manager Kevin MacDonald to slightly ease the transition, but there is a good reason clubs usually change managers at the end of a campaign rather than just before one starts.
Houllier is already introducing some of the key features of his tenure at Anfield to Villa Park. He is concentrating on keeping things tight at the back, getting the players to pass the ball out from the back and focussing on the players’ technical development. Sadly for him though, no one makes them Premier League tips for the top four.
He clearly has no time for individuals ploughing their own furrows rather than working as a unit, and his CV makes it hard to argue with his way of thinking - at Liverpool he won six trophies in six years, and in 2002 finished second in the Premier League with this approach. Villa would love such a return, whether they can achieve it remains to be seen.
Last night Villa secured three points and the Blackpool betting tips suggest their defeated opponents face a long, hard season.
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