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September 6 - Although European football action replaced English Premier League games on the weekend, the big news from England's top flight is that ex-Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier, is poised to become manager of Aston Villa.
According to news reports, 63-year-old Frenchman Houllier is expected to sign a contract this week as the replacement of former Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who suddenly left the club just five days before the start of the new season.
Houllier has had an interesting career having coached many top-tier French football clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and RC Lens and even the French national team between 1992 and 1993. He became known in England when he managed Liverpool FC from 1998 to 2004, even guiding The Reds to a coveted UEFA Cup victory in 2001.
Most recently, Houllier managed top French Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais from 2005 to 2007. In his final year with Lyon, he helped steer the club to an epic Ligue 1 victory (his second consecutive and the club's sixth consecutive).
He stepped down as manager of Olympique Lyonnais reportedly as a result of his volatile relationship with club chairman Jean-Michel Aulas, and because he claimed he needed a break after two grueling, but successful seasons with the club.
Since then he has been the technical director of the French Football Federation, but is obviously keen to get back onto the pitch. Given his impressive management record, it will be interesting to see the kind of impact he has on Aston Villa.
Supporting Houllier's appointment is Aston Villa's owner, Randy Lerner, who has said that he was seeking someone with 'previous English Premier League management experience', a job description that perfectly fits the Frenchman.
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