Gerard Houllier insists he will still be Anfield manager next season - and will not walk away from the struggling Anfield outfit.
Gerard Houllier: The pressure is on (NealSimpson/Empics)
Houllier flew home to France after the disastrous FA Cup defeat at Portsmouth on Sunday, the second time in a fortnight he has sought solitude in his homeland.
The visit could easily be construed as the desire to calmly consider the future, but he was back at his desk and taking training today.
The defiant Liverpool chief insisted: '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.
'These are the two reasons why I still believe I will be here next season.'
The fact Liverpool's board have already earmarked £14million for the summer transfer of Djibril Cisse - a deal which is virtually completed - is another indication that they aim to ignore the views of some Anfield fans and former players and stick with the Frenchman.
Houllier told BBC Sport: '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 on Thursday and that is another competition we want to win.
'It is good to play again so quickly after a disappointment, and the competition is one that has been good to us. We remember how we won it in 2001.'
Houllier added: '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.'
He added: 'My big disappointment has been the injuries to important players. These are not excuses - they are facts. We lost Michael Owen and Dietmar 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.'
Houllier said: '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.'
Houllier's cause has not been helped by the fact that Liverpool have almost certainly lost Sinama-Pongolle for the next three games with an ankle injury sustained in a reserve match against Blackburn.
Liverpool have some hope that the little striker will be fit to fly out to Bulgaria on Monday for next week's second leg, but a decision will not be taken until the morning of departure.
Emile Heskey is also doubtful for Thursday's Anfield clash with a back injury while Harry Kewell may miss out with an ankle problem.
Meanwhile assistant manager Phil Thompson has demanded the players 'stop feeling sorry for themselves'.
He said: 'We are all down and obviously everyone is upset at going out of the cup. The lads have had a day off and time to reflect, and now they must respond.
'We have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and saying this always seems to happen to us. We must find out the reasons why and put them right, starting on Thursday against Sofia.
'It is difficult to say whether it is confidence up front or lack of concentration at the back. There are things we need to work on.
'We have to ignore what is being written and concentrate only on ourselves. The most important people to get it right for are the fans and this club.'
taken from source : http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=292321&cc=3436
whos he trying to kid...
Gerard Houllier: The pressure is on (NealSimpson/Empics)
Houllier flew home to France after the disastrous FA Cup defeat at Portsmouth on Sunday, the second time in a fortnight he has sought solitude in his homeland.
The visit could easily be construed as the desire to calmly consider the future, but he was back at his desk and taking training today.
The defiant Liverpool chief insisted: '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.
'These are the two reasons why I still believe I will be here next season.'
The fact Liverpool's board have already earmarked £14million for the summer transfer of Djibril Cisse - a deal which is virtually completed - is another indication that they aim to ignore the views of some Anfield fans and former players and stick with the Frenchman.
Houllier told BBC Sport: '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 on Thursday and that is another competition we want to win.
'It is good to play again so quickly after a disappointment, and the competition is one that has been good to us. We remember how we won it in 2001.'
Houllier added: '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.'
He added: 'My big disappointment has been the injuries to important players. These are not excuses - they are facts. We lost Michael Owen and Dietmar 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.'
Houllier said: '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.'
Houllier's cause has not been helped by the fact that Liverpool have almost certainly lost Sinama-Pongolle for the next three games with an ankle injury sustained in a reserve match against Blackburn.
Liverpool have some hope that the little striker will be fit to fly out to Bulgaria on Monday for next week's second leg, but a decision will not be taken until the morning of departure.
Emile Heskey is also doubtful for Thursday's Anfield clash with a back injury while Harry Kewell may miss out with an ankle problem.
Meanwhile assistant manager Phil Thompson has demanded the players 'stop feeling sorry for themselves'.
He said: 'We are all down and obviously everyone is upset at going out of the cup. The lads have had a day off and time to reflect, and now they must respond.
'We have to stop feeling sorry for ourselves and saying this always seems to happen to us. We must find out the reasons why and put them right, starting on Thursday against Sofia.
'It is difficult to say whether it is confidence up front or lack of concentration at the back. There are things we need to work on.
'We have to ignore what is being written and concentrate only on ourselves. The most important people to get it right for are the fans and this club.'
taken from source : http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=292321&cc=3436
whos he trying to kid...
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