The meeting of Aston Villa and Manchester United sounded more like a reunion than a clash, if only for a moment. Gérard Houllier, the manager of the hosts, paused on Friday to recall how Sir Alex Ferguson had been among his hospital visitors following the Frenchman's 10 hours of heart surgery in the autumn of 2001. "It was something that warmed me," he said.
Houllier called his opposite number "a genius" and was also happy to itemise the traits that have underpinned the achievements, pointing to Ferguson's knowledge of the game, fierce work ethic, loyalty to the people around him and capacity to evolve so that he keeps pace with a changing sport. If these are the qualities that sustain a manager then the Frenchman must have been implying that he shares at least some of them.
In many cases, the admiration of Ferguson by his peers is unsettling since they seem to cast themselves as his inferiors and look ready to lose to United long before the match starts. It is an allegation that will not be levelled at Houllier. He might have been sidelined for months after his operation, but the Liverpool squad he shaped enjoyed five consecutive victories over United between December 2000 and January 2002, even if one of the wins was merely in the Community Shield.
Houllier's know-how appealed to Villa after Martin O'Neill's resignation. He took over in the latter part of September, with the caretaker manager Kevin MacDonald then leaving the club. Villa are now in experienced hands. There may even be a little trend at work. At 63, Houllier is the same age as Harry Redknapp and Roy Hodgson, his counterparts at Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool respectively, while Arsenal's Arsène Wenger is 61.
Ferguson, 68, has no need to feel isolated in the Premier League. In times when the financial strength of even prominent clubs is in doubt, the experience must be soothing to owners. Randy Lerner's stewardship of Villa has been greatly admired and there is little option but to shoulder losses for a little while yet, but the American will be hoping that Houllier can flourish while budgeting cleverly.
Such notions could imply that the new manager excels purely at obedience. In fact, Houllier seeks signings, starting with the January transfer window if worthwhile players are available. He has no intention of being placid and detached. Houllier was most recently the technical director of the French Football Federation, but while he and others could not survive after the debacle of the 2010 World Cup, the Villa manager was never likely to settle for being a grandee and pundit.
He had won the French League title in successive seasons before leaving Lyon in 2007. It had been exhausting to work under the owner, Jean-Michel Aulas, who craves the Champions League. There was no intention on Houllier's part to seek a sedentary life. He can be firm and the clashes with the injured John Carew ought to have been anticipated. The forward was on the books at Lyon, where Houllier seemed to prefer Karim Benzema and the Brazilian Fred.
The sting of his opinion has been felt at Villa and Stephen Ireland was an unused substitute at the match with Birmingham. Houllier did so precisely because he does recognise the talent of the summer acquisition and wishes to jolt it into full life. It will be vital for a club in Villa's position to squeeze every drop of worth out of its players. Their side is one of half-a-dozen on 16 points. Manchester City, in the lowest of the four Champions League slots at the moment, have five points more.
It may be impossible for teams such as Villa to close the gap and that could have been a factor in O'Neill's decision to stand down. The club was preparing to sell James Milner to Manchester City for £24m when O'Neill departed. Houllier must add to his squad and will do so, but the standard of the recruits will be open to debate.
For the moment, he seeks progress wherever he can. A very late equaliser thwarted him at Fulham last weekend. "Nine seconds," Houllier groaned of a day when the Villa fans had been chanting his name. Injuries can been more punishing still and the captain Stilian Petrov will be absent with knee trouble until the end of next month.
He could still beam at the thought of the goal from the 19-year-old Nathan Delfouneso in the midweek defeat of Blackpool – prior to that 3-2 win Villa had scored once in four League games – and the passing of Barry Bannan, 20, is relished. There was more good news as Gabriel Agbonlahor has signed a new contract. There will be immediate delight, all the same, if Houllier can display the winning knack he once had at Anfield. Villa have not won a home game against United since 1999.