Phil Thompson key to new Villa boss
Villa hope to bring Gerard Houllier's appointment as manager forward to tomorrow with the Frenchman wanting Phil Thompson as his assistant.
Villa hope to bring Gerard Houllier's appointment as manager forward to tomorrow with the Frenchman wanting Phil Thompson as his assistant.
The former Liverpool boss will meet French Football Federation officials tomorrow, when he will inform them he plans to leave his role as technical director to come to Villa.
If all goes to plan, the claret and blues aim to confirm Houllier as Martin O'Neill's replacement the same day, with the 63-year-old officially unveiled at a press conference on Thursday.
FFF president Fernando Duchaussoy admitted they are keen to keep hold of Houllier, but they will not stand in his way.
Duchaussoy said: "I will meet Wednesday to take stock of the situation with Houllier, I'll ask him.
"I would like to continue working with him."
Villa had initially hoped to make the announcement yesterday or today - it was then put back to Thursday - but it has been delayed by complications over the roles for Houllier's backroom staff.
The Frenchman is eager to renew his partnership with Thompson, who was his trusted assistant at Anfield and took charge of first-team affairs when Houllier underwent heart surgery in 2001.
Thompson, now a TV pundit, is reportedly already in the process of cutting his ties with Sky Sports, in preparation for his new job.
But his arrival would complicate the role earmarked for current caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald, who was also interviewed for the managerial vacancy.
Villa are keen for MacDonald to play a prominent part on the training ground, but it is unclear whether such a role would appeal to the Scot after he applied to be the manager.
Whoever is in charge for next Monday's trip to Stoke could welcome back midfielder Steve Sidwell after a successful run-out in the reserves yesterday, helping Villa to a 4-0 win over Blackpool at Bodymoor Heath.
He said: "It was tiring, but it was nice to be out there - it has been a frustrating few weeks. The first one back is the hardest thing and games are what you need.
"I'll just knuckle down in training now."
