Gerard Houllier is an Arsehole

In an interview to Sky Sports last night, Gerard Houllier reminded me that he was an arsehole.

First, commenting on Tiago's booking that would keep him out of Lyon's second leg tie at Milan, he described the midfielder as 'sacrificing himself for the team'. Effectively he was condoning the player for making a cynical foul on Kaka late on in the game. He also added that Lyon had been missing Juninho Pernambucano, who he referred to as their 'star player'. Effectively this is isolating a single player as the side's 'star', insinuating that he is better than the rest.

Houllier has a history of displaying the grace of an elephant, and in my opinion is guilty of one of the worst crimes ever committed against football. As the Manager of France in 1993, Houllier's Blues needed a draw against Bulgaria to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in America. As a late sub, David Ginola found himself in a good position near the corner flag, with the score tied at 1-1. Ginola crossed the ball into the area, a Bulgarian intercepted it, drove up the field and slotted to through Emil Kosdadinov, who promptly scored the winner for Bulgaria (left), ending France's hopes of qualifying.

In the post-match press conference, rather than protecting Ginola from a media backlash, or taking any responsibility for the woeful underachievement of the national team, Houllier stated, on national television:

"David Ginola is the murderer of the team ... he sent an Exocet missile through the heart of French football ... David Ginola committed a crime against the team, I repeat, a crime against the team."

Ginola never played for France again. Even after winning the PFA and Football Writer's player of the year awards in 1997, Bernard Diomede was the preferred choice on the left wing for France under Houllier's successor Aime Jaquet.

Ergo...Houllier is an arsehole.

For the record, anyone who thinks Houllier deserves the credit for Lyon's current form is wrong. Three years ago Paul Le Guen (the new Ranger's manager) revolutionised the Lyon team, winning two Championats in a row, before deciding to leave. Houllier merely picked up the reins of a fantastic team, has barely changed it, and has managed not to fuck up.