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GRAMérard Houllier was my partner. It was a strange relationship in some ways, but it was a great relationship that got better the longer it lasted. There was a little love for men about it. We appreciated and loved each other. It was very family oriented. He cared about everyone and everything. I am absolutely devastated.
My four children are here with me now and they have all said how kind he was to them. Whenever I came back to Liverpool and saw them at a game, I would grab their faces and kiss them on both cheeks. That’s something he always did. He would too.
It was such a big change when Gérard arrived because we had the Boot Room, then Kenny as player-coach. [Dalglish], then Graeme Souness, who knew the story, and then Roy [Evans]. We kept that bond. Then we had the unfortunate joint relationship that never gave Roy and Gérard much hope of working. For Gérard, getting the job was a great decision and a culture change. Discipline wasn’t high on the agenda before Gérard and he didn’t want to force his will on Roy when he entered. He wanted everything structured and timed, but that didn’t happen until he became the sole coach.
It was a massive culture shock for gamers who were used to it being laid back, fun, with games and five players. The team was not good enough for futsal, they needed to work and Gérard’s experience was exactly what was needed. I was literally caught with my pants down when they called me to join as their assistant. I had been training with some of the former Masters Series players and I was switching when Peter Robinson (former Liverpool CEO) called. We had just lost to Tottenham in the League Cup the night before and I had been on Radio City talking about the association not working and the coldness on the touchline reaching the field.
It was a bit of a spiel, to be honest, and I thought Peter was calling to give me a joke, but he asked me to come to a meeting. He said Roy was resigning and the press was at Anfield not to go there and go immediately to the president’s house. I went straight into my tracksuit and the entire board of directors was there. Apparently they had been talking about the need for someone who could control players and take them on and Tom Saunders had said that the person you are talking about is Phil Thompson.
My first question was, what does Gérard Houllier think? She didn’t want to go in if he didn’t approve, but she had, and she knew everything she had done for the club in the past. I don’t know why, but it just joined. We were two opposites that created a positive. He was a cheeky, aggressive and disciplined coach. So was Gérard, but he needed someone to do that side while working with the players in his own way. And it worked.
Six months later we were in a hotel for an away game at the Derby and he suddenly said to me: “I’m very happy to be working with you. I just want you to know this. “I often think about what happened at half-time against Leeds (when he was taken to the hospital with a suspected heart attack). Many years later I told Gérard that he was lucky that day and couldn’t believe that I would have said that, but it happened at halftime when the streets around Anfield were empty. Forty-five minutes later a full plot would have been emptying, the streets would have filled up and the ambulance would not have been able to get him to the hospital in time. minute counted that day.
The next day, a Sunday, we flew to Kiev. We had decided to go the day before because it was a four and a half hour drive before Tuesday’s game. I was devastated on that flight. Usually we sat together in a row of three seats with two bags of wine gum on the seat between us and ate everything. But he wasn’t there and I was sitting alone. Then I realized that I had to give a team talk. I am not short of a few words, but Gérard always gave great team talks. I always thought of them as a commentator covering a horse race because it gradually gained momentum, telling the players how good they are and never the opposition, and then ending in a crescendo of positives.
How can I do that? I spoke with the doctor and gave the players an update on the operation and after giving the talk to my team, which I like to think it went well, I went to the last page of the flip chart where I had written something like “Doing is for the boss ”or“ Think of the boss because he is thinking of you ”.
We had worked very hard in the 2000-01 season, but after beating Arsenal in the FA Cup final, Gérard said: “Nobody celebrates.” The players were allowed a glass of champagne, but no more because we had the UEFA Cup final on Wednesday.
That was a great moment. It was our first European trophy in 17 years and now a whole generation of Liverpool fans could relate to what their parents and grandparents had told them about going to Europe. We didn’t get back to the hotel until 2am and Gérard said again: “We didn’t celebrate” because we needed to qualify for the Champions League in Charlton on Saturday. I’ve since heard some guys have a drink, and I won’t mention names like Didi Hamann, but it wasn’t silly at all.
Charlton hit us in the first half and Sander Westerveld had to make four or five World Cups to keep us in the game, but once we got the fatigue out of our legs the change was incredible and we won 4-0. At the final whistle we hug each other yelling, “We did it, we did it!” We didn’t want to tempt fate by allowing him to drink alcohol in the coach before the game, but then we stopped at the nearest Sainsbury’s and the bus driver loaded up with beer and champagne. There were so many things that I thought the coach was tipping over. That was a beautiful trip home.
There was a true union and that was due to Gérard. He always insisted that everyone reach the final in Cardiff, including the younger players who had played in the early rounds. There were 26 in the traveling squad for the League Cup final against Birmingham and the same for the FA Cup. He had a great nature. It would have been the 20th anniversary of his heart operation next year and we were talking about getting together for a meal in Paris or Liverpool to celebrate the occasion. I told him that October 13 had just turned 19. Bless him. It is an important part in the history of Liverpool Football Club. Leave a great legacy.
