Captain

[skyebo]

I went to see Fowler doing his talk with Mcateer. And he loved Roy Evans as manager and one story stood out. Last game in pre season was always Norway and it was tradition the lads all hit a certain nightclub. But Houllier got wind of it and said on the bus back to the hotel any one thinking of going out after the game will be fined a weeks wages.
The players said fuck him who does he think he is,so all got dressed and headed down to the lobby as planned and there was Houllier waiting on them. He waited until all had come down then read them the riot act. Just as they were about to go back to their rooms the hotel lift pinged ,the doors opened and there was Roy Evans standing suited and booked ready for the night out !!
And says "right lads let's go "
Houllier was fucking raging as everyone burst out laughing �� ��

Haha.

[teesred]

On trophies you could say Houllier did ok, but how lucky were we in 2001. A golden own goal to win UEFA cup, a 2nd division team takes us to penalties in the league cup, and got battered for 80 minutes in the "Owen" cup final. He did give Gerrard his debut, but whoever was manager at that time would have done the same. No-one was stopping him from becoming the player he did.

We may have had a bit of luck in the finals but you could say Rafa had some luck in the 2 finals he won. That's football.
It wasnt just giving him his debut it was how he managed him. Would Gerrard have been the same under Roy Evans in that spiceboy team? Surrounded by all those plonkers who lacked the commitment to be top players?
Very doubtful.

[teesred]

I went to see Fowler doing his talk with Mcateer. And he loved Roy Evans as manager and one story stood out. Last game in pre season was always Norway and it was tradition the lads all hit a certain nightclub. But Houllier got wind of it and said on the bus back to the hotel any one thinking of going out after the game will be fined a weeks wages.
The players said fuck him who does he think he is,so all got dressed and headed down to the lobby as planned and there was Houllier waiting on them. He waited until all had come down then read them the riot act. Just as they were about to go back to their rooms the hotel lift pinged ,the doors opened and there was Roy Evans standing suited and booked ready for the night out !!
And says "right lads let's go "
Houllier was fucking raging as everyone burst out laughing 😆 😂

He loved him because he got away with what he wanted. I read a story once (cant remember who's book it was in) and they were in training one day and Evan's gave them instructions and walked away. Fowler pinged a ball at his head, he turned around and said "who did that?" Fowler just said "me". Evans walked off and didnt do a thing whilst the others laughed at him.
That Utd squad must have pissed themselves at LFC during that time. The football was good towatch but as fans we were kidding ourselves that we were going somewhere.
Houllier must have been gobsmacked at the lack of respect in that squad and he soon nipped it in the bud, shipped out the whoppers and the club was back on track.
That's why he deserves much more credit than what hes given in my opinion.

[Balinkay]

Gerrard has always spoken very highly of Houllier.

[skyebo]

We may have had a bit of luck in the finals but you could say Rafa had some luck in the 2 finals he won. That's football.
It wasnt just giving him his debut it was how he managed him. Would Gerrard have been the same under Roy Evans in that spiceboy team? Surrounded by all those plonkers who lacked the commitment to be top players?
Very doubtful.

How do you know the commitment was lacking ? Back then, players from all clubs liked to go out drinking. They knew what they had to do on matchdays. They never came close to winning the title under Evans, but they never finished outside the top 4 either. And we only managed one season of challenging for the title under Houllier out of the six that he was here, the same as under Benitez. I don't know what your problem is with Evans. He should have got the job when Dalglish resigned, they always promoted from within, so why change things. Souness had been away from the club 7 years when they give him the job. I can't blame him for waiting 30 years to get the title, but he was responsible for starting the rot. And Evans wasn't a soft touch, he sent Ruddock home one year when he returned for pre-season training because he was overweight.

[ianlfc]

Gerrard has always spoken very highly of Houllier.

Well it was his squad who won the Champions league 😆

[ianlfc]

He loved him because he got away with what he wanted. I read a story once (cant remember who's book it was in) and they were in training one day and Evan's gave them instructions and walked away. Fowler pinged a ball at his head, he turned around and said "who did that?" Fowler just said "me". Evans walked off and didnt do a thing whilst the others laughed at him.
That Utd squad must have pissed themselves at LFC during that time. The football was good towatch but as fans we were kidding ourselves that we were going somewhere.
Houllier must have been gobsmacked at the lack of respect in that squad and he soon nipped it in the bud, shipped out the whoppers and the club was back on track.
That's why he deserves much more credit than what hes given in my opinion.

I have to agree , we were like a 18-30 lads holiday at times.

[skyebo]

I have to agree , we were like a 18-30 lads holiday at times.

So were the other clubs, and it didn't stop us winning titles in the 70s and 80s. It's easy to blame the drink when you are not winning, but those titles proved that you can still go out and still be good enough when it matters. The reason we stopped winning titles is because we weren't good enough to.

[skyebo]

Well it was his squad who won the Champions league ��

That was a minor miracle too.

[Steveo]

So were the other clubs, and it didn't stop us winning titles in the 70s and 80s. It's easy to blame the drink when you are not winning, but those titles proved that you can still go out and still be good enough when it matters. The reason we stopped winning titles is because we weren't good enough to.

It was much more of a level playing field pre 90’s and the birth of the premier league. That was the issue. Evans was as hands off - and more so - than managers in the years preceding - while the elite were starting to control diet and well on top of player behaviour. LFC was a party and Fowler was all over it.

Shankly, Paisley, Fagan and Kenny were all men you wouldn’t cross - Evans was a pushover. Lovely fella but not Liverpool FC management material - at least not by that time. Houllier inherited a holiday camp - he did well and was a pro.