Gerard Houllier Quotations

When I was manager (of Liverpool) in England the national team coach was much more understanding.

Three years ago, Lyon were held to a (1-1) draw here,

We deserved to win this match. Even though Real Madrid had a lot of possession in the second half, we were able to conserve the score. It's a good start for us and for the fans.

This win is very important as both sides won their first match and I said that whoever won here would take a great step towards qualification,

Lyon's biggest rival is Lyon itself. We need to stay vigilant. Our ambition is to win the treble.

Objectively, with 15 points to be distributed, it's won.

Nearly every team would be affected by the loss of their main players. They have scored 70 per cent of our goals.

I wouldn't think we deserved to lose. We dominated but had a dip in maybe 15 or 20 minutes in the second half, and they took advantage of that.

I wished him good luck. He's a good manager and his English is better than I thought.

I am confident we will win the title.

I get on well with Michael and I still have contact with him and his family.

He is improving every day and I think he will be back on Boxing Day (December 26),

We've been very affected by this defeat, we've been a bit depressed but now we must win the league and the Cup.

to consider its roots and understand that it can't always have a quick fix.

He was in an off-side position and he stayed in an off-side position. It is not as if he came back from behind the defenders. It should not have been allowed. It is as simple as that. If I was the manager of the Czech Republic I would've been very disappointed.

I think that psychologically we have won the title. It was a very important victory against Nice, especially after what happened in Milan.

I think the title is won. We can become champions in front of our television sets next weekend.

Rennes have had the whole week to prepare themselves for this match. Too many things didn't work out tonight. The guys looked a bit tired.

Patrick was top of our priority list for the winter transfer window.

I won't pretend it's not a blow for us. But to win the Champions League, sometimes you have to play without your stars.

I think I have added to Lyon in terms of mental strength. I tell them when things get tough not to get annoyed and how to stay calm.

I thought it was a great game between two great teams and I thought we deserved to win.

It is extremely disappointing, we performed so well and were probably better than Milan.

We've lost two guys. But it's the kind of situation a great side must be capable to deal with.

We need to stop the feed to him first and then when he gets the ball we have the personnel to stop him playing,

You have the best 16 teams in Europe here and really they're the cream. If it hadn't been for a late winner from the Czech Republic last night no side would be on six points from two games.

We have made another step towards the qualification. This is proof that this team is growing and getting more mature.

We have good results away so far. And we proved that we don't have any problem to score even when we are not playing at home.

We did not play as fast as we wanted too in the first half. We had to concentrate and that's what we did.

We need to be much better going forward that's for sure. I'm not sure what happened. I know we can do much better offensively.

Two minutes from the end, we should have been more realistic and more efficient. We were on level terms with last year's finalist and played the better football. For the (second) goal, the ball bounced back when it could have bounced out. You can't control things like that.

You cannot say it is a mistake, it is just the luck of football.

We had a great second half, creating two or three clear chances to find the net and it's a shame it ended in a draw.

Throughout the tournament, as well as in the final against Portugal, he showed leadership quality and skill and technical ability as well as his character.

We showed them too much respect in the first 20 minutes. So a 0-0 draw is not a bad result. We were frozen with fear at the start. Something about the legend of AC Milan gets in your head.

We're very motivated to win it. We have not won the French Cup since 1973.

We are struggling to get tickets, even for the technical study group.

There's a great aspiration to get fourth place, which means every game has a lot at stake,

I've made my decision and I will let them know after the Toulouse game.

Sometimes we do not know what happens inside ourselves, but the good thing is that it seems a minor thing and he will be back training the team,

You're all making this a David v Goliath thing and you know how that story ends.

This draw can be a problem for us but for them too. They will have little choice but to score at home.

There was a lot of pressure on our shoulders before this Champions League's match. Now we'd like to take some time to relish our qualification.

There was a lot of pressure on me and on the team to win this match. I am proud to say that Lyon is once again one of the best eight teams in Europe, as it has been for three years.

About a third of the national team is made of Lyon players and I have the right to say that I disagree.

It was spectacular. It has a lot of attacking football and went from one end to another.

It was a very powerful performance from both sides.

It was a tough match. We lacked consistency during the first half but we played much better after the interval,

It will be a physical and tactical battle. (It's) the most important match of the season.

It's a bruised ligament. It doesn't look too serious but he can't play on Tuesday.

Its a good start and its a great night for the supporters and the club.

It's a defeat but I'd rather suffer a good beating like tonight's than lose four times 1-0.

It's a pity because I think we deserved to win but sometimes you win matches you really shouldn't have. We had about 34 shots on goal but that's football.

It's a record for the club and also a part of history. This has a special connotation this season because there has been a lot of pressure on the players and the staff. Here, we all win together.

Taking into account the conditions it is a good result and it puts us in a strong position for the second leg at home. There is still a job to do though.

It wasn't a great match but it's a good result. This isn't a bad way to prepare for Tuesday.

It was not only spectacular but also emotionally intense. It had all the ingredients of defensive and attacking play. It had everything.

They caught us on a day when we were missing or lacking freshness.

They were physically in a better shape than we were so I'm pleased with the draw here. We had to fight for it but I would say it's deserved.

Against Rennes we were tired and short of ideas. I expect a reaction.

I'm downcast and the players are downcast because even if we weren't at our best we had the means to go through.

I'm proud of what the players did tonight. Not only did they have a great match but they proved that they are one of the best sides in Europe.

But I don't know if they have the personnel to stop Michael Owen playing,

But I thought we dealt with that with a lot of composure at times and a lot of discipline.

He's an all-rounder as they say in England. He scores goals and he has a good mental attitude.

I can't be too disappointed because we played well, maybe better than our opponent. We created more scoring occasions than Milan but we didn't know how to take advantage. It all happened in the last few minutes. We had the win in our pocket.

I called the French coach on Wednesday and I asked him not to put Eric on his list as I don't want him to play in this match.

You can't say my team aren't winners. They've proved that by finishing fourth, third and second in the last three years.

You can't build a cathedral in a day. A look at the club's history tells you these things take time.

When I see the Bill Shankly statue, I look at the sentiment on the base. It says: 'He made the people happy’. Well now the modern Liverpool is making the fans and the city happy. And that makes me so proud.

The England manager job is not for me - I'm very happy wih what I'm doing in French football for now.

You have different levels of players. There's are Premier League, international and world-class levels. The world-class level is players at the peak of their career and there's only maybe 50 maximum in the whole world. Stevie moved from a Premier League player to an international player and then world class.

To me, the team is more important than any individual member of the squad, and the players have to realise that and accept that my priority is to pick a side with the best possible chance of winning each match.

I want to keep an English heart to the team. I believe in that. Michael Owen is that. Never think Michael is afraid of anything.

Players have responsibilities, because, whether they like it or not, they are public figures. They have to be aware that the people who come to the ground spend fortunes in relation to what they earn.

Today you play for a place in history, today you play for immortality.

We don't have any splits here. The players country is Liverpool Football Club and their language is football.

Our job is to make the fans happy. When we win, 45,000 people go home happy. When we lose, it not only affects them, it affects their cats.

It is important for the club to find a balance in a world driven by economic and political needs. This club usually does that [on leaving Liverpool]

We don't destroy our heroes today when we worshipped them yesterday.

I used to stand on the Kop when I was here in 1969. The atmosphere and passion on the pitch as well as the terraces was intoxicating and Liverpool became part of me from that day on.

Liverpool players must play like a lion, give his all. There must be determination, commitment and resolve to be a Liverpool player.

My philosophy is that the club is more important than anyone!

There are those who say maybe I should forget about football. Maybe I should forget about breathing.

And he was obviously gaining a huge advantage.

The goal changed everything because it gave Toulouse confidence. We dominated the first half but, after committing a minor error, we managed to concede the opening goal.

The game between the Czechs and the Dutch will write itself into the history of the competition,

The first goal is a bit of the same. He is in an off-side position in the six-yard box and you can see that the goalkeeper is a bit distracted.