| Downing backs Houllier to succeed • Frenchman has impressive record, says midfielder• Praise for 'ultra-professional' Kevin MacDonald, tooStewart Downing believes Gérard Houllier has all the credentials to be a successful manager at Aston Villa although he has also acknowledged the work done by Kevin MacDonald, the man who was overlooked for the role and who will resume caretaker duties against Stoke City tonight.Houllier will not be present at the Britannia Stadium tonight as he is yet to come to an agreement with the French Football Federation, where in his role as technical director he has three months' notice to serve. The Frenchman is yet to meet the Villa players because of the impasse and will have to wait until 26 September to take charge of his first league game at Wolverhampton Wanderers.Downing is confident, however, that, when Houllier does finally arrive, Villa will have a top manager in place. "I've not really met him in person so I don't know how he is but, if you look at his past record as a manager, with what he did at Liverpool obviously and at Lyon, you don't generally get jobs like that if you're not very good," he said."There's no reason that I can think of why he can't do very well [here]. He's got a good squad of players to work with. It's a great club, great facilities, so everything's in place for him to do very well. I'm sure he's excited to come and work with the squad because, if he looks at it, he's got some very good players on his hands here."There is also no shortage of team spirit, according to Downing, who believes that can help Villa to compete with the likes of Manchester City."We're in a good position and we've got good games coming up which we think are winnable. We still need to improve because the other teams have strengthened quite a lot over the summer. That doesn't automatically mean they're going to win stuff and finish in those top four places. It's all about building a good team and a good team spirit and we've got it in abundance here."MacDonald's unexpected return to first-team duties comes after he failed to get the manager's job on a permanent basis and rejected the chancedeclined to become Houllier's assistant. The Scot, who took over as caretaker when Martin O'Neill resigned five days before the start of the season, will go back to his role as reserve team-manager when Houllier comes in. Downing, however, made it clear that the players have appreciated his efforts."He's done a very, very good job in the circumstances he was given with the first team. Obviously he's got a lot of respect here. He's brought a lot of young players through – a load who are still here and a load who have left. He's got a good reputation and knowing Kev, hHe'll just get on with his job whether he's dealing with the first team or whether he's going back to the reserves. He's done really well for us up to now. I think he's an ultra-professional."Aston VillaPremier LeagueStuart Jamesguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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Zimbabwe batting coach Grant Flower to make international comeback • Essex batsman has not played for his country since 2004• Thirty-nine-year-old to go on the tour of South AfricaThe Zimbabwe batting coach, Grant Flower, has said he will revive his international career at the age of 39 during the country's tour of South Africa in October.Flower, the younger brother of the England coach, Andy, said today that he will play for his country for the first time since his international career was cut short in 2004 by a dispute between Zimbabwe's players and their cricket board.Flower has played for Essex for the last six years, and said he hopes his roles as a coach and player will not create a conflict of interest.The right-handed batsman and part-time spin bowler played 67 Tests and 219 one-day internationals for Zimbabwe.Zimbabwe Cricket TeamCricketguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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