Gerard Houllier could not be happier for his close friend Roy Hodgson. The two men got to know each other while serving on several UEFA and FIFA technical committees, and now they also have Liverpool Football Club in common.
There have been suggestions that Hodgson might bring Houllier to Anfield following his appointment as Liverpool manager and it is clear from talking to the 63-year-old Frenchman that the bright lights of the Premier League still beckon.
Houllier is careful not to bad-mouth Liverpool over the way they got rid of him in 2004 but the incident still clearly irritates him.
After winning six trophies he felt he was building a legacy on Merseyside — one, he believes, has been destroyed by Rafael Benitez.
According to Houllier, it is now down to Hodgson to restore the Boot Room mentality that made Liverpool the force they were in the Seventies and Eighties. Bringing in English talent like Joe Cole will only be the start of what Houllier hopes is a successful revolution.
“After Rafa Benitez left this summer, one of the players sent me a message,†Houllier tells me. “He said, Boss, he hasn't beaten you.'â€
Houllier refuses to name the player concerned but relishes telling another story that emphasises the respect his old squad had for him.
It came in the aftermath of Benitez's greatest moment of glory in winning the Champions League in 2005 against AC Milan, coming back from 3-0 down at half-time to win on penalties.
Houllier takes up the story. “When I came into the changing room in Istanbul some of the players said: Boss it's your team.'
“Twelve out of 14 in Istanbul were players I had signed or developed. I left Liverpool with a team and in the Champions League. But when you finish seventh with Torres and Gerrard . . .â€
His voice tails off. Houllier does not need to spell out the very different legacy Benitez has left Hodgson.
“Before I arrived Liverpool had a Boot Room tradition,†Houllier adds. “Bill Shankly was followed by his assistant Bob Paisley, then Joe Fagan, then Kenny Dalglish, then Graeme Souness, then Roy Evans. My arrival was greeted with, Gerard who?'â€
It was Peter Robinson, then Liverpool chief executive, who broke with tradition. “Robinson came to see me in Paris in 1997. We went to a restaurant. But it was not possible for me to leave my job as technical director of the French FA one year before the World Cup.â€
But after France '98 he was able to move and, initially, he was put in joint charge with Roy Evans. “I insisted on joint management with Roy,†he says.
“I was coming from outside and thought that it was good to work together. It didn't work for many reasons. Roy was too soft, nice but weak and, when there was a decision to take he would, well, Peter Robinson will tell you, leave me with a hot potato.
“Roy would have been a fantastic number two, not a number one.â€
Although Houllier will not be drawn on this, one of the problems was the freedom Paul Ince, the captain, was given by Evans as to when he could train. When, after a year, Houllier got rid of Ince, the first call he received was from Sir Alex Ferguson. The United boss had experienced his own problems with Ince and was quick to congratulate Houllier. By then the Frenchman was in sole charge and he still believes his pioneering tenure made it easy for Benitez to follow.
“One, the pattern of getting a foreign coach was already accepted. Two, he had a Champions League-winning team. Three, the team were already in the Champions League. Four, we had built new facilities. And five, it was a different training routine, different attitude and mentality.
“I claim that we — Phil Thompson, Sammy Lee and the staff — definitely turned it round. The chairman, when I left, said: You put the club into the 21st century.'†So why did Liverpool get rid of him and the fans applaud his departure? “Because they wanted the title,†he confesses.
Houllier's best finish in the League was second — something Hodgson will have to improve upon. Keeping Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will be key but so will the signings he makes.
Houllier admits that after he had a heart problem during Liverpool's match with Leeds in October 2001, some of the transfers that followed were not good. “The recruitment the year I was ill, with El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao, were not up to standard in terms of attitude. I regret that."
There have been suggestions that Hodgson might bring Houllier to Anfield following his appointment as Liverpool manager and it is clear from talking to the 63-year-old Frenchman that the bright lights of the Premier League still beckon.
Houllier is careful not to bad-mouth Liverpool over the way they got rid of him in 2004 but the incident still clearly irritates him.
After winning six trophies he felt he was building a legacy on Merseyside — one, he believes, has been destroyed by Rafael Benitez.
According to Houllier, it is now down to Hodgson to restore the Boot Room mentality that made Liverpool the force they were in the Seventies and Eighties. Bringing in English talent like Joe Cole will only be the start of what Houllier hopes is a successful revolution.
“After Rafa Benitez left this summer, one of the players sent me a message,†Houllier tells me. “He said, Boss, he hasn't beaten you.'â€
Houllier refuses to name the player concerned but relishes telling another story that emphasises the respect his old squad had for him.
It came in the aftermath of Benitez's greatest moment of glory in winning the Champions League in 2005 against AC Milan, coming back from 3-0 down at half-time to win on penalties.
Houllier takes up the story. “When I came into the changing room in Istanbul some of the players said: Boss it's your team.'
“Twelve out of 14 in Istanbul were players I had signed or developed. I left Liverpool with a team and in the Champions League. But when you finish seventh with Torres and Gerrard . . .â€
His voice tails off. Houllier does not need to spell out the very different legacy Benitez has left Hodgson.
“Before I arrived Liverpool had a Boot Room tradition,†Houllier adds. “Bill Shankly was followed by his assistant Bob Paisley, then Joe Fagan, then Kenny Dalglish, then Graeme Souness, then Roy Evans. My arrival was greeted with, Gerard who?'â€
It was Peter Robinson, then Liverpool chief executive, who broke with tradition. “Robinson came to see me in Paris in 1997. We went to a restaurant. But it was not possible for me to leave my job as technical director of the French FA one year before the World Cup.â€
But after France '98 he was able to move and, initially, he was put in joint charge with Roy Evans. “I insisted on joint management with Roy,†he says.
“I was coming from outside and thought that it was good to work together. It didn't work for many reasons. Roy was too soft, nice but weak and, when there was a decision to take he would, well, Peter Robinson will tell you, leave me with a hot potato.
“Roy would have been a fantastic number two, not a number one.â€
Although Houllier will not be drawn on this, one of the problems was the freedom Paul Ince, the captain, was given by Evans as to when he could train. When, after a year, Houllier got rid of Ince, the first call he received was from Sir Alex Ferguson. The United boss had experienced his own problems with Ince and was quick to congratulate Houllier. By then the Frenchman was in sole charge and he still believes his pioneering tenure made it easy for Benitez to follow.
“One, the pattern of getting a foreign coach was already accepted. Two, he had a Champions League-winning team. Three, the team were already in the Champions League. Four, we had built new facilities. And five, it was a different training routine, different attitude and mentality.
“I claim that we — Phil Thompson, Sammy Lee and the staff — definitely turned it round. The chairman, when I left, said: You put the club into the 21st century.'†So why did Liverpool get rid of him and the fans applaud his departure? “Because they wanted the title,†he confesses.
Houllier's best finish in the League was second — something Hodgson will have to improve upon. Keeping Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will be key but so will the signings he makes.
Houllier admits that after he had a heart problem during Liverpool's match with Leeds in October 2001, some of the transfers that followed were not good. “The recruitment the year I was ill, with El Hadji Diouf and Salif Diao, were not up to standard in terms of attitude. I regret that."
