---
title: "Nearly 10 years since Gerard Houllier stepped down from Aston Villa"
canonical: "https://readastonvilla.com/2021/05/31/nearly-10-years-since-gerard-houllier-stepped-down-from-aston-villa/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Crippy Cooke"
section: "Aston Villa News"
published: "2021-05-31T08:00:00Z"
modified: "2021-05-31T08:00:00Z"
---

# Nearly 10 years since Gerard Houllier stepped down from Aston Villa

It’s been nearly ten years since Gerard Houllier stepped down as Aston Villa manager by mutual consent. The 73-year-old was struggling with ill health for months and announced on June 1 in 2011 that he wouldn’t be returning to the club ahead of the new season.

![](https://media.readastonvilla.com/readastonvilla/2021/05/20210531_000146-1024x245.jpg)

From Brian Beard’s ‘Aston Villa On This Day – History, Facts & Figures from Every Day of the Year’

It was a sad announcement because there were fears over his condition and because Villa performed well in his only campaign. They finished ninth in the [Premier League](https://www.whoscored.com/Regions/252/Tournaments/2/Seasons/2458/England-Premier-League) with 48 points from 38 games. Villa haven’t managed a higher top-flight finish since, but they did surpass the points tally under Dean Smith.

Houllier’s Villa boasted Ashley Young, Darren Bent, Stewart Downing and Gabriel Agbonlahor who scored [31 goals](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/aston-villa/leistungsdaten/verein/405/plus/0?reldata=%262010) between them. Villa were [knocked out](https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/aston-villa/spielplandatum/verein/405/plus/0?saison_id=2010&wettbewerb_id=&day=&heim_gast=&punkte=&datum_von=-&datum_bis=-) of the Europa League qualifiers by Rapid Vienna, the League Cup quarter-final by bitter rivals Birmingham City and the FA Cup fifth round by Manchester City, but there were some good moments.

The Villans were unbeaten in both head-to-heads with Chelsea while beating Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the league. They also took a point of Manchester United at home, so Houllier’s men weren’t to be underestimated.

Sadly, the 73-year-old died in 2020 after a heart operation and the football world mourned.

**[In other news, it’s been 87 years since Aston Villa appointed first full-time manager who was sacked after spending spree](https://readastonvilla.com/2021/05/30/aston-villa-appoint-first-full-time-manager-in-1934-sacked-after-spending-spree/)**