Houllier Post Game Emails This is not strictly speaking ontopic for this thread, but it's an update on the Anfield move From the Echo/Post website: "Liverpool Football Club will today be given the green light to leave its Anfield home for a new stadium in Stanley Park. A report is expected to reveal that the public of Anfield have backed an option for the club to move to the new 55,000-seater stadium. The Daily Post understands that around 58pc of residents in the Anfield and Breckfield area have indicated their support for the club building a new ground at the car park end of Stanley Park. The results of a consultation exercise with 19,000 local residents will go before the city council's executive board this morning . It is also expected to reveal strong support for a major housing demolition and regeneration programme and improvements to the area's transport system. As reported in May, a draft report was put together by Manchester-based consultants GVA Grimley on behalf of Liverpool City Council. The company examined the two options being considered by the club - to expand on the current site or build a new stadium on Stanley Park. Both options have proved controversial. If the Anfield ground was developed, houses nearby would have to be demolished, while a move to Stanley Park will infuriate environ-mentalists and many community groups. The Grimley report was put out to public consultation, the results of which will be revealed today. It was hoped more than 6,000 local people would respond - a goal it is understood has been met. Yesterday, Coun Richard Kemp, executive member for housing and community safety, said: "We have listened to what local people have said in a three-year consultation process. We have not taken everyone on board with us but we never do. I think there is a consistent majority for us now to continue. We have got to act to ensure that the deterioration of the area does not continue." "The housing work will hopefully start next summer. We recognise the legitimate rights of the community and the legitimate rights of the football club, both of which are equally important." But Anfield ward councillor Joe Kenny believes the consultation was flawed. He said: "The consultation was not independent and we knew it was designed specifically with one result in mind. There should have been an independent referendum with every resident receiving a postal vote." But one theme on which there is agreement is that the Anfield and Breckfield area is in need of regeneration. Anfield ward councillor Kiron Reid said: "I would say that the consultation about regeneration is about a lot more than Liverpool Football Club. It has always been made clear by the Government that there is no regeneration money unless there are also private partners - but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that the club is only a part of it." Breckfield ward councillor Frank Prendergast, a Labour stalwart and former council leader, agreed. He said: "I do believe the majority of people want Liverpool Football Club to stay in the area, but a smaller quantity would say expand on Stanley Park. But this is not just about Liverpool Football Club's relocation. There are so many other issues to consider including transport, housing, shopping and the environment, and there have to be job opportunities". Peter Bevington, of Anfield and Breckfield Community Steering Group, is one of those eagerly waiting for the publication of the report. He said: "I am hoping to see has been a good take-up rate so there is a good sample represented. I am also hoping that marily people are going to support the regeneration" Liverpool Football Club declined to comment last night. If the public does back the move to Stanley Park, it is thought a move in time for the 2006/7 season is most likely.
Matt, Do you think maybe we should split this off into a separate thread? I wasn't on this board when the news about the stadium was first announced, so I don't know how much it's been debated. Dave
Ummm. I dunno. We have debated this issue to quite some extent, hence my decision to just dump this update in here, rather than start a separate thread. But I can split it into a new thread if people think we've still got some mileage in the topic. Opinions, people?
I would think that as new info comes along it just gets posted in a new thread and I don't think it needs to be a sticky. As the new info comes along we debate it, the thread dies, then new info comes along and another thread is started. Just my opinion.
Shirking my duties I'm sorry. I accidentally deleted GH's e-mail from the Leeds match. If anybody has it, can they post it here. Do you still have it, LB?
Spartak Moscow v. LFC Dear Liverpool fan, It's very nice to make history by becoming the first British team to ever win here. I thought this match was a demonstration of the character that is about us at the moment. Spartak started very strong, they had nothing to lose. Even though we had chances in the first half I felt they deserved their first goal. We never let our heads go down and the second half was much better. We took the chances and showed a great professional attitude. They were a tricky team to play because they are skilful and keep the ball well. They wanted to prove something. We were a bit surprised by their physical committment but we waited for the chances to come and they came. I don't think Jerzy Dudek had a save to make in the second half, which tells you how good we played in the second half. Michael deserves special credit with his hat-trick. Remember only a month ago he was getting stick for not scoring. I rested Michael at Leeds because he had played on a very heavy pitch in Bratislava for England and had played seven games on the bounce. Michael scores important goals for Liverpool. We count on ourselves only and are not bothered about what other teams do. We dominated the Basel game at home and it was very frustrating because we had so many chances in that game which we didn't take. I said to the players that the standard had to be raised and ever since the Basel game we have been winning. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool manager
LFC v. Spurs Back to the topic at hand: Dear Liverpool fan, I am very happy with this result. We have the yellow jacket now we have got to keep it! I always tell my players to keep focused and they did against a very good Tottenham side. People may say we were fortunate to win this game but we were very unfortunate to share the points with Newcastle. In the second half, besides their goal, Tottenham only had the one chance which was a very good save by Dudek and we had one great chance with Michael. I'm pleased for Michael as he showed a lot of strength and character and took the penalty well. He is only 22 but it was not an easy penalty. There was pressure to put us 2-1 in front and he had just been fouled, but he showed his strength and character. The competition is very open and it's still early days in the Premiership. We have stepped up the pace and we will try to keep that position. The press write about us say we can't win the league, so just keep writing that. I don't know whether we can go through the season unbeaten and I don't have a lack of respect for other sides to say we will beat everyone. But I know we have resilience and spirit and that we will do our best. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
LFC v. Valencia Dear Liverpool fan, It was disappointing to lose against Valencia but this defeat does not change anything. We knew it would depend on what happened in Basel and we know we have to get something out of our game there. We are confident we can beat any team. Basel were a bit lucky when they played here so we hope to have that luck at their ground. When you lose to a good team you've got to hold your hands up and say well done. Once they took the lead I knew it would be difficult because of their quality of passing and pressing. We had four good chances and Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen could have scored, but that's football. When you play a good team you have to take your chances and if you don't you pay the price. We lacked the finishing touch, they were lucky with the goal which was deflected. We deserved an equaliser but it didn't happen. Time will teach us about flow and composure. The team is developing and learning and I can't fault their effort. We had chances, but didn't take them and lost to a very good side. The thing which disappointed me the most was our first half performance. We gave them too much respect and had no support for the strikers. Some of our players were nervous, we didn't keep hold of the ball enough especially up front and we could have done better. The first goal was very important. We contained them before that but it changed the game and affected our players, but we are young. A draw would have been a fair result but you wouldn't say their victory was undeserved. Some of their players have played in two Champions League finals and this game will help us for the future. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Dear Liverpool fan, I thought we produced some good football against West Ham and deserved to win. David James kept them in the game at times and Michael scored two very good goals. For me the team was Man of the Match as we played as a team, we were very compact and we defended well. We had some great movement up front. I was pleased with this performance, particularly on the back of a defeat by Valencia. We have great mental strength and the response was brilliant. Michael's goals were excellent, his first was a great effort in terms of individual brilliance. David James denied Michael the match ball with some great saves. I think Michael will have a tremendous season. Physically he is stronger and I was stunned by his physical commitment. He works so hard for the team, he drops back to get the ball and creates chances. Something always happens when he gets the ball. The conditions were not the best on a slippy surface but we coped very well. The unselfishness of the team impressed me. I told the players I wanted them to get forward more and they did just that. It was proved when Jamie Carragher nearly scored. I said to my players thank you and well done at the end of the match. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Houllier Post Game Emails Dear Liverpool supporter, I thought a draw would have been a fair result but we knew at some stage we would lose a game. It's done and let's show our mental strength by bouncing back. We were not as good as we could be today. We had some good spells in the game but they were too rare in my view. We had some good chances with Michael. I thought we could have had a penalty when Michael was tripped in their box. We have to admit that on the day we weren't as good as usual. I have no complaints about their goal. There was no foul, I have seen it on the television and it was a fair goal. Jerzy has saved us in many game and will do so again. He will learn from that. Middlesbrough are a very physical side but our team by our standards must produce better football than we showed today. It's early days. We've only lost one in thirteen and we've another 25 to play. I'm frustrated because we can give a lot more and we will! On Tuesday night the players will react. Regards Gerard Houllier Manager
Basel v. LFC Dear Liverpool supporter, I'm pleased with the effort and heart we showed in the second half against Basel. The players gave a great response and that pleases me. It will stand us in good stead for the future and don't forget this team is still very young. I thought we were unfortunate to be three down at the break. It was a harsh scoreline because they only had three chances and scored three goals. Their third goal could have been avoided and I think our focus went a bit after we let a goal in so early. When Michael scored I thought there was only going to be one winner. It's a shame because this could have been a great night for us. If I had any doubts about the character of my players they proved in the second half that there are none. I have mixed feelings about what has happened. We were awful in the first half and yet showed so much spirit in the second half. We have failed to qualify because of our results at Anfield, where we took four points out of nine. We will be back next year. I know it, and we shall be better next time. I feel sorry for the players and I feel sorry for the fans. I know how much it means to you all for us to be in the Champions League, but we will learn from this and come back stronger. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
LFC v. Sunderland Dear Liverpool fan, The outcome of this game against Sunderland is as frustrating as when we played Basel here. Today we had 21 shots on goal, they had none and no corners. Our passing and movement was absolutely brilliant, especially in the first half and I'm so disappointed for the players on the back of a disappointing match in Basel. They rode their luck. I'm disappointed for the fans and their keeper made some great saves. We did everything but score. We had shots, headers and I'm pleased and proud of their efforts. When people say Liverpool are boring they should look at this game today. It's reassuring that we created chances. It's when you don't create chances that there's a problem. We have players who score goals and it will come. We deserved to win today. We tried everything and did everything but score. I was pleased with the strength and mental character of the side. Their goalkeeper was man of the match and that says everything. I understand why Sunderland played like that. They need points and their defenders were heroic at times. If you look just at the results then you could say we've had a bad week, but there isn't a lot wrong with the way we are playing at the moment. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
"I Can't Believe We Lost" Dear Liverpool supporter, We should have won the game at Sunderland and I can't believe we are leaving without at least a draw. I'm astonished. We had more than enough chances to win the match. At 1-1 I thought there was only going to be one winner. Their goalkeeper made some great saves. I can't blame my players for their effort or the amount of chances they created. When you lose games like this then you either accept it and tell yourself things will change or you work harder and look for solutions. We will be looking for the solutions to our problems. The players are short of confidence at the moment and are a little bit uptight. We just don't know how we've lost this game today. But if you look at the five games we have lost you can see all of the defeats could have been avoided. It's not wrong to say we could have drawn all five games and look where we would be in the table now with five extra points. I am concerned now, of course I am. This is the worst period I have with this team but I am confident we will get through this spell. Milan could have come away with the match ball today and other players could have scored more goals. When you have so many chances away from home you have to take more of them. I repeat again, I can't believe we haven't got anything from this match and I feel so sorry for the players and for the fans. We will overcome our problems, don't worry about that. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Aston Villa v. LFC Dear Liverpool supporter, We deserved to beat Aston Villa last night and we are in a period where a win can bring a lot of confidence to the players. It is always telling when you score a winner like that right at the end because it shows you have the hunger, the desire and the fight. I enjoyed the game a lot. It doesn't matter if you concede the first goal in a cup tie, provided you have the character. We deserved the equaliser and deserved to be in front. Maybe we relaxed too much towards the end and allowed them to have too much of the ball, but away from home that is understandable. We didn't want extra time in view of what is waiting for us at the weekend and I was reassured by how we kept going for it. I thought Steven Gerrard was fantastic. It was his best all-round display of the season. He was brilliant and his energy transmitted itself to the rest of the team. The delay at the start of the game was difficult for both teams. We tried to relax in the dressing room and joke about it. It was frustrating, but security must come first. At least the game was worth waiting for - imagine a dull 0-0 draw after that! We now look forward to a certain match at the weekend. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Liverpool v Everton Dear Liverpool supporter, It was a typical derby game yesterday, not a lot of good football and very demanding full of physical commitment. There were too many fouls from my point of view but we expected that. In terms of the defending and character I was pleased with the boys. We lacked a little freshness at times with the game at Aston Villa taking its toll. Sometimes we played too many long balls and there was little football played. Steven Gerrard's tackle looks bad, I'll admit that, but I spoke to Steven and he said to me 'I didn't want to hurt anybody.' At the time the linesman was only yards away and didn't see it, the referee didn't see it and I didn't see it but you get that sort of thing in derbies. He might get a fine but there was no foul given and as I said the linesman and referee were only yards away. The player told me he didn't mean to hurt anyone and I accept that. We stopped the pattern of defeats, we kept a clean sheet and we stood up to the physical challenge, but didn't play much football. For Salif Diao and Milan Baros it was the first derby, and our derbies are not like anywhere else. It's not been a bad week for us. It plays in the mind of the players when you lose four games in a row, that's only natural. It was never going to be a 3-0 or 4-0 game and a draw isn't too bad. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas. Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
LFC v. Blackburn Dear Liverpool fan, I thought it was going to be that scrappy 1-0 I was looking for against Blackburn today, but it wasn't to be the case as Cole scored a great goal. A draw was a fair result, even though we had two great chances for Milan and Michael at the end. We missed the chances but at least it showed a willingness by the team and character to come back and try and win the game. We played some good stuff in the first half but in the second we sat back too much. We wanted to keep it at 1-0 and hold onto the win but it was just a shame. Blackburn are a good side but we let them play too much in the second half. It is frustrating but when you go through this period you get stronger. I think we turned the corner at Aston Villa when we scored four goals away from home. We got a good result against an Everton side doing well. I was pleased with the quality of the first half but the second half we lost our way today. In saying that Michael and Milan missed chances and Igor could have scored to make it 2-0. It's eight games without a win for us but in the two games against Sunderland we were unlucky and we could have won those. We are the team with the most shots on goal, our team is young and we have to be patient. I trust my players and believe in them. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Dear Liverpool supporter, I have no complaints with the result at Newcastle. I have to admit the best side on the night won the game. Newcastle adapted better to the conditions than we did and deserved to take the points. We didn't battle as well as we could have done and so I can't have any complaints. At the same time though, we only lost to a deflected goal. We had one or two chances but Newcastle's extra experience helped them. Newcastle played the direct ball better than we did. Often we took too many touches. It was like a marsh or a bog out there. I don't have any complaints about the sending off of Salif Diao either. The referee had to make the decision on both occasions. He had no choice. With ten men we gave it a go, but our lack of experience in the end cost us. Our two strikers were both just 21 years of age and they won't have experienced a game like this before. It was a shame the result went against us. I do admit it will be difficult for us to claw back the 12 points on Arsenal but I don't like to commit suicide before the season is over. Some managers may say their side won't win it, but I don't know. It is going to be hard for us now, I do admit that. I am concerned but this is a time when we will find out who our true supporters are. It can be hurtful to hear what people say about us but we have to have the mental strength and togetherness to ride this out and to stay focused. That is going to be so important for us. May I take this opportunity to wish all of you a very Happy New Year. Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Man City v. LFC Dear Liverpool fan, This was a massive win for us against a good Manchester City side. I'm very proud of the players' attitude throughout the game. We are going through a bad period but today we showed strength, solidity and mental stamina. It was an important game for the club, the boys did it for the club. This club has a tradition of success and winning trophies so we needed to start performing. We had a plan but tactics only work when you win! City had just two chances in the game. Chris made a good save from Anelka and Goater headed over the bar. We had some chances, Mellor was a threat and today's performance for us was better than when we won 3-0 here in the Premiership with Michael scoring a hat-trick. The club has been through a difficult period and I'm confident we will come good. I've read criticism. The fans have been tremendous. They have supported us, today we had over 5,000 fans here and at Aston Villa in the Worthington Cup in freezing conditions we had over 5,000 fans. How many fans in the world would do that? They want success and I knew my players would come back. I liked the team togetherness today and the effort. When there's a storm everyone has to stand together on deck. We know that, as the song says, after walking through the storm there's a golden sky. And this is why we hope we will get even stronger. We have not lost two in a row during our run because of our cup matches - good teams never do that. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Sheffield Utd v. LFC Dear Liverpool supporter, I am very disappointed to have lost. But it is only half-time. This is a competition played over two legs. In the first leg you either put yourself in a good position or you don't. We are in the middle. The second leg is at Anfield, in front of our own crowd and hopefully on a better pitch. We are looking forward to it. There were some things I didn't like out there tonight. We knew it would be a physical game but at times it was more than that. I'm just glad Chris Kirkland doesn't have a broken leg. If Chris hadn't moved his leg when the challenge came in it would have been broken. He is limping but he will be okay, fortunately. I don't want to comment any further about that challenge. You can't fault the players in terms of effort. The pitch was awful and some of our players are new to this type of game. We still have everything to play for in the second leg and we remember how we turned around a similar situation against Crystal Palace two seasons ago. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Liverpool v Aston Villa Dear Liverpool supporter, We are struggling at the moment and it is a very difficult period for everyone involved with Liverpool Football Club and the fans. We are down, the fans are down and I understand that. We are still going through the storm. Aston Villa started the second half very well and the penalty couldn't have come at a worse time for us. At times we were a bit tired but we showed a great spirit and attitude. I liked the last 20 minutes when we took the initiative and took more risks. At times we showed some good stuff but at times we were nervous and too uptight. It's good we have a week without two games for the first time since October. We are in this together and we have to stick together. I have great faith in my players and they know that. I told them they are more important to me than any cups. Villa played very well today and we had already beaten them twice this season. It's a difficult time for us but the players know I trust and believe in them. I told them after the game that they are in a trusting environment here where everyone will do whatever they can to help the lads. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
LFC v Southampton Dear Liverpool supporter, I am relieved! This win means a lot to the the fans and I dedicate this victory to them. We deserved to win this game. We played well. We played better than Southampton, played some good football, denied them time on the ball and we created some good chances. I'm very pleased and very proud of the players. We started very well and we had two chances in the first two minutes. Emile, Danny and Michael could have scored goals and we could have had two or three, but to me it's not bad to win 1-0. We showed strength, resilience and winning 1-0 away from home is special to me as it shows you are not a bad side. Emile scored the goal and did very well. He was instrumental in our victory. I said we would see the best of Emile after the New Year. Unfortunately he has had a few injuries but he showed on Saturday how well he can play. Even through this bad run, you have to put things into perspective. Out of the 11 games only two did we deserved not to win and that was Middlesbrough and Newcastle. We didn't win games at home we dominated, we had the chances but didn't take them. A goalkeeper had the best two matches of his life against us. It's been a difficult spell but we have been pleased with the football. Results haven't gone our way but we have had the support of the fans, the board and everyone who loves Liverpool Football Club. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
Delighted to be going back to Cardiff Dear Liverpool supporter, I'm so pleased for everyone at the club that we have a Cup final to look forward to in March. We like the Millennium Stadium and hopefully we can put on a good performance down there and lift the Worthington Cup for the second time in three years. It was a hard semi-final for us against Sheffield United, but we worked tremendously hard and fully deserved to go through over the two legs. I'm very pleased and proud of the players. Neil Warnock managed to wind everyone up so we had to stay composed and focused and play our own game. We could have scored more goals and finished it before full time. I was pleased with the way we approached extra-time and did well. It was a bit like our season all over though when we need to score more goals because of missing chances. There has been a campaign against Michael Owen over the last few days but he just got on with his game and stayed focused. He showed his character and quality and scored a good goal. El-Hadji Diouf scored a very important goal - he seems to like the Worthington Cup. He is gradually coming to terms with the English game and did well tonight. They put pressure on us and played well and at times in the second half we couldn't get the ball, as they had a lot of free-kicks and kept getting crosses into our box. It was tense and passionate but we kept our cool. Once we managed to get the ball on the ground we played some good football and there were some good moves. I'm not bothered who we play in the final, I'm just bothered about what we do and I am so pleased with the way the players are performing at the moment. We have done well in the last couple of games and now we have a very exciting match at Crystal Palace to look forward to before Arsenal come here in the Premiership. One final thing, I know it has been alleged by Neil Warnock that Stephane Henchoz spat at him at the final whistle. I was there and so was Phil Thompson. He spat at the ground. Neil Warnock showed a lack of respect and doesn't need to do that. He is a good manager, his team play good football and they are a good team. He hasn't shown us any respect and it's not professional. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager ----------- Note: our theory holds that these emails come much faster after a win. By my calculations, it was 8AM in Liverpool when the email was sent out, after the match ended at 10:30ish. Glad to see he's getting an early start. I'm beginning to think for losses he IS actually forced to type each e-mail individually . . .
Dear Liverpool supporter, We expected a tough match at Crystal Palace and that's exactly what we got. We knew it would be hard work and it was. We defended very well and the defence worked very hard. They rose to the occasion, which I knew they would, and credit to Palace who made it extremely difficult for us. We had to withstand a lot of pressure at times in the second half and we had some pressure of our own. The pitch didn't help our passing game but when you create chances you have to take them. Sometimes we hurried it too often in front of the box and maybe lacked a little composure, but this will come. We could have done without the replay but that's part and parcel of football. This is my first replay as Liverpool manager. We played two hours of football on Tuesday. I knew it would be a matter of mental strength and professional attitude, which we showed. I thought we earned the replay. It was a typical English cup tie and we knew we had been in a game. We are waiting to discover the extent of Chris Kirkland's injury. It's a knee injury and it just depends if it is twisted or whether he has suffered ligament damage. It wasn't anything deliberate from Adebola. I know some managers sometimes say they don't see things, but I saw this challenge and he wasn't to blame. After the game he came to me rightaway and apologised. He also asked me to pass on his apology to Chris. It's a shame for Chris because he has been doing well for us. He was very brave in keeping the ball out and it's just a pity he got injured. Hopefully it won't be too bad. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
LFC v Arsenal Dear Liverpool fan, The game against Arsenal was a great promotion for our sport. There was over 30 attempts on goal from both teams and at half time it could have been 2-2 or 3-3. They are a fantastic side - we have to acknowledge that. They played some great stuff and they had more freshness than us particularly in midfield. I was pleased and proud with the way we came back and a draw was a fair result. I know there was some controversy at the end with the corner we were awarded. It's hard to say whether it was a corner or not. Even the tv people I asked said they weren't clear. But we didn't score direct from the corner, the goal came from the opposite side when Salif crossed from the right. They were more clinical than we were and in midfield we didn't have the freshness they had. They are a terrific side and the pace of the game was incredible. Sometimes we have lacked confidence but never lacked the character. I said to the players at half time we can do better and just put the ball on the floor and try and play. Emile deserved his goal and he is definitely back to his best form now. When Emile plays like that it is not a problem playing him up front. He made the first goal and then he went on to score another vital goal for us, just as he did at Southampton. He is back to his best now and his workrate is phenomenal. He is not only a good striker, he is also a very good player for the team. This was a game we wanted to win but we have to settle for the draw. I never gave it up, even when time was running out, because I know about the character in my side and I knew the lads would keep going right until the end. We deserved our draw. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager
West Ham v LFC Hey, it's early today... Dave Dear Liverpool supporter, I feel sorry for Glenn Roeder as he came up against a very strong Liverpool side today. I know what it's like to go through a bad spell when we have gone through an indifferent period this season. I think Glenn can keep West Ham up, he has the right ingredients. We played very well today and controlled the game. I know the goals came from set pieces but they were good goals all the same. I was pleased with the team performance and our work rate and we produced some good stuff at times. If I read some papers they said I was under pressure. I don't like to make excuses because sometimes that can go against you but we did have players stuggling that played in the World Cup. I have always said that when the top players have come back which they have now, we are back in business and it's as simple as that. I rested Michael Owen today because we have a big schedule of matches and Michael has been playing a lot of games. Since he came back from injury against Sheffield United he played four games in 11 days, including one that lasted 120 minutes. I thought it was the right time to give him a rest. Our main target now is qualifying for the Champions League, it's going to be tough but that's the way it should be. When your players are back in business and performing well things can happen. Regards, Gerard Houllier Liverpool Manager