Aston Villa, Gerard Houllier Part Ways

And thus ends Gerard Houllier's tenure as manager of Aston Villa. According to the Birmingham Mail, Houllier and the club have decided to part ways due to health concerns after Houllier, 63, was hospitalised with a heart complaint late in the season. It has been decided that the health problems are severe enough to merit Houllier's stepping down.

Although assistant manager Gary McAllister had been serving as the club's boss during Houllier's absence, leading Villa to wins over Arsenal and Liverpool in the process, it's generally considered unlikely for him to take over on a permanent basis. Villa will now be forced to appoint their fifth manager in the past twelve months after the resignation of Martin O'Neill, Kevin MacDonald's short tenure as interim manager, Houllier's up and down period (at one point, Villa were dangerously close to relegation from the league) and McAllister's recent spell as boss - there are suggestions that Fulham's Mark Hughes over Everton manager David Moyes could be the man to take over at Villa Park.