SOCCER:GERARD HOULLIER makes his competitive return to Liverpool with Aston Villa this evening, prompting the man who assisted him during a six-year spell at Anfield to call on the home fans to show more appreciation for their former manager.
Houllier was a popular figure among the fans after he took sole charge of the club in November 1998 and led them to a League Cup, FA Cup and Uefa Cup treble in 2001 and to second place in the league and to the quarter-finals of the Champions League the following season. But the unsatisfactory season that followed saw an erosion of the adoration and the arrival of Rafael Benitez in June 2004.
The Frenchman, who took charge of Villa in September, has become a near-forgotten figure at Anfield since his departure, best seen by a banner in the Kop with the phrase “Success has many fathers” alongside images of every manager who has won a trophy for Liverpool over the past 50 years, except one – Houllier.
“Gerard should be there, too,” said Phil Thompson, the former Liverpool captain who was made assistant coach by Houllier after his dual-management role with Roy Evans ended. “Gerard worked tirelessly behind the scenes, rebuilding the team and wresting power from some of the players he inherited. That was his legacy – making Liverpool more disciplined, more professional . . . it should never be forgotten he nearly gave his life for Liverpool.”
Thompson is referring to the events of October 13th, 2001, when at half-time of Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Leeds United, Houllier had to be rushed to hospital to undergo emergency heart surgery. The Frenchman’s life hung in the balance but he made a full recovery and returned in little over five months.
Jamie Carragher, who with Steven Gerrard was nurtured under Houllier’s guidance, believes the Frenchman’s achievements at Anfield deserve greater praise. “The 2001 treble is definitely under-appreciated,” he said . “It’s a better achievement than (the 2005 Champions League win in) Istanbul.”
Carragher, like Gerrard, is unavailable tonight because of injury, which will come as a relief to Houllier as he looks to guide Villa to a first win in five matches. Villa are without Ashley Young while Sotirios Kyrgiakos is likely to take Carragher’s place in central defence.
