Gérard, Gérard Houllier

Article by Karl Coppack @TheCenciThere were frowns in July 1998 when the club announced that the Liverpool manager wasn’t going to be dismissed as many predicted. The role was about to be augmented. Roy Evans was to be given a stay of execution and Gerard Houllier would be joining him in the dugout.I say ‘frowns’ because many saw the decision as cowardly and smacking of sentiment. I loved Roy but the club had got away from him. The Spice Boys tag, perhaps unfair, was proving difficult to shake and greater discipline was required. That wasn’t always a reflection on Roy as he could be forthright when he needed to be, but the old formulas no longer worked, and he’d taken the club as far as he could. A fair distance in fact, given the shambles of the squad he’d inherited.Houllier had been linked with us for months and his credentials were impeccable. Not only had he managed France, but he was their Technical Director in 1998 when they won the World Cup. On top of that he loved the city and had spent time in the city as a teaching assistant at Alsop Comp in the late 60s. It was during that spell that he went to our game against Dundalk and saw the men in red hammer the Irish side 10-0.“What impressed me first of all was the atmosphere inside the stadium. We were on the Kop, and it was fantastic to see the unconditioned support of the fans. I was also impressed by the energy which was shown in the game, and the stamina of the players. I think 15 minutes before the end of the match the score was 8-0 and still Liverpool went looking for goals. In fact, the score at half-time was 5-0. In France, if you are 5-0 up at half-time the game is over in the sense that you don’t bother trying to increase your score. It’s not like that in England.”From that day he wanted to be a manager and the club he wanted to manage Liverpool.There may have been some raised eyebrows to the idea of joint managers, but there were few bad words to be said about Gerard’s appointment. He already had a reputation as a disciplinarian and that was exactly what Liverpool needed. Someone who could change the culture from lads-around-town to ruthless professionals with eyes on silverware.In later years he would publicly lambast David Ginola for crossing the ball instead of keeping it at the corner flag the final moments of France’s last World Cup qualifier. Bulgaria broke away and Emil Kostadinov fired in a beauty. France were eliminated. He may have gone over the top when he said: ‘He sent an Exocet missile through the heart of French football and committed a crime against the team,’ but I like any manager who tells their players to stop pissing about.He set about the first team with great gusto and it wasn’t long before he was binning the captain, Paul Ince. A brave but necessary step once he realised that the former Utd player was more reputation than goods and from then on, he revolutionised the club. Diets improved, the drinking culture eradicated, and youth was given its head. His mate Arsene Wenger had already done the same at Highbury and it led the Gunners to instant success.

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Gerard had to wait a couple of years before he could boast the same, but when it arrived it came three times.2001 will always be spoken of with a smile. Reaching three finals was one thing but winning them was something else. People frown at the League Cup nowadays, but that victory of Birmingham City in Cardiff was so important. It was our first trophy for six years and renewed our faith after years of false dawns and near misses.What’s more he had the gravitas to attract big names. The signing of Marcus Babbel made us sit up and pay attention. Then came Jari Litmanen. Big European names. We were finally a name to be reckoned with again and though the League eluded him, we were at least in the conversation again.He was never the same after his emergency surgery following the discovery of an aortic dissection. He returned after just five months when a year would have been advisable, but he couldn’t stay away from Melwood. Sadly, another League Cup aside in 2003, he never built on his earlier success. He looked noticeably frail in his later Liverpool years and his judgement was never what it was.Firstly, there was the signing of Diouf and the perplexing refusal to keep Anelka at the end of the 2002 season. The football became a casualty too. Gone were the days of gung-ho attacking and in came an era of turgid football which usually resulted in draws or squeaky wins. He told pundits ‘You take the performance, I’ll take the win’ whenever his side’s entertainment value was criticised. It was around that time that a mate of mine would talk of our upcoming game as ‘this week’s inevitable 1-1 draw’ with ‘Liverpool equalising first.’ Had we gone a goal down it was seldom likely that we’d come back to win.It’s usually sad to see a Liverpool manager be sacked/leave by mutual consent/resign, but if anything, his departure in May 2004 was an act of mercy. He clearly wasn’t well and his insistence that his side was about to ‘turn a corner’ was short-sighted to say the least. His final act was to deliver the Champions League place which resulted in Istanbul the following season.Both Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher still name him as the manager who had the most influence on his career and that’s good enough for me. We owe him a huge debt for turning around a club that had flattered to deceive far too often. He made going to the game fun again and there was real hope for the first time in years. His influence is still felt today.Our thoughts and gratitude are with his family and friends.Rest in power, Gerard. One of us.Article by Karl Coppack @TheCenci