Houllier does not care what fans think - Fans are not important
Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2004 5:20 pmHoullier has no concerns about any of the complaints fan are making, Some plonker wrote that they want him to die of Aids. That a bit strong for me but heres what he thinks about it all
Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier insists he will not quit and still expects to be at Anfield next season.
Houllier has been fiercely criticised after the FA Cup defeat at Portsmouth.
But he told BBC Sport: "I will not walk away. I am strong and still have goals. I expect to be manager next season because we will reach our targets.
"I think we will achieve our objective of Champions League football and the board know what we have turned around and that we are on the right track."
Houllier said: "These are the two reasons why I still believe I will be here next season."
BBC Sport also understands support for Houllier remains strong inside the Anfield boardroom, with £14m already committed to the arrival of Djibril Cisse from Auxerre next summer.
Houllier said in an exclusive interview: "We are disappointed at what happened at Portsmouth but we are not down and weeping.
"We have a game coming up in the Uefa Cup against Levski Sofia and that is another competition we want to win.
Owen has suffered injury problems
"It is good to play again so quickly after a disappointment, and the Uefa Cup is a competition that has been good to us. We remember how we won it in 2001."
And he added defiantly: "I will not be walking away. One thing has to be said though, and that is that this is not about Gerard Houllier, it is about Liverpool and we are working for the club's success. This comes above everything.
"I think the team will get better every year from now on. You need broad shoulders when you get this sort of criticism, but I am still strong because you have to be. I try to take it all with humour.
"My big disappointment has been the injuries to important players. These are not excuses, they are facts.
The board know what we have turned around and that we are on the right track
Gerard Houllier
Liverpool manager
"We lost Michael Owen and Didi Hamann for three months and Jamie Carragher and Milan Baros for five months. We have also missed Harry Kewell.
"We have not had all our assets and weapons to use and this has hurt us.
"I would not have played Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama-Pongolle as much in normal circumstances, but they have proved their worth and they will have a year's more experience next season."
People talk like all our problems began under Houllier...do you not remember the dark days of Souness? Or the depressing mediocrity of Evans?
From Jon Jones
Have your say on 606
Houllier added: "Fourth place in the Premiership is a priority now, as well as progress in the Uefa Cup.
"It was such a disappointment to lose to Portsmouth because we should have won the tie at Anfield and had chances at Fratton Park.
"But the players have been very good in training and hopefully one day a team will pay for our disappointments.
"The true test of talent is how you bounce back and I think our players have shown they are ready to bounce back."
Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier insists he will not quit and still expects to be at Anfield next season.
Houllier has been fiercely criticised after the FA Cup defeat at Portsmouth.
But he told BBC Sport: "I will not walk away. I am strong and still have goals. I expect to be manager next season because we will reach our targets.
"I think we will achieve our objective of Champions League football and the board know what we have turned around and that we are on the right track."
Houllier said: "These are the two reasons why I still believe I will be here next season."
BBC Sport also understands support for Houllier remains strong inside the Anfield boardroom, with £14m already committed to the arrival of Djibril Cisse from Auxerre next summer.
Houllier said in an exclusive interview: "We are disappointed at what happened at Portsmouth but we are not down and weeping.
"We have a game coming up in the Uefa Cup against Levski Sofia and that is another competition we want to win.
Owen has suffered injury problems
"It is good to play again so quickly after a disappointment, and the Uefa Cup is a competition that has been good to us. We remember how we won it in 2001."
And he added defiantly: "I will not be walking away. One thing has to be said though, and that is that this is not about Gerard Houllier, it is about Liverpool and we are working for the club's success. This comes above everything.
"I think the team will get better every year from now on. You need broad shoulders when you get this sort of criticism, but I am still strong because you have to be. I try to take it all with humour.
"My big disappointment has been the injuries to important players. These are not excuses, they are facts.
The board know what we have turned around and that we are on the right track
Gerard Houllier
Liverpool manager
"We lost Michael Owen and Didi Hamann for three months and Jamie Carragher and Milan Baros for five months. We have also missed Harry Kewell.
"We have not had all our assets and weapons to use and this has hurt us.
"I would not have played Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama-Pongolle as much in normal circumstances, but they have proved their worth and they will have a year's more experience next season."
People talk like all our problems began under Houllier...do you not remember the dark days of Souness? Or the depressing mediocrity of Evans?
From Jon Jones
Have your say on 606
Houllier added: "Fourth place in the Premiership is a priority now, as well as progress in the Uefa Cup.
"It was such a disappointment to lose to Portsmouth because we should have won the tie at Anfield and had chances at Fratton Park.
"But the players have been very good in training and hopefully one day a team will pay for our disappointments.
"The true test of talent is how you bounce back and I think our players have shown they are ready to bounce back."