Gerard Houllier profile

Houllier's heroes won three cups last season

Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier was taken to hospital on Saturday after suffering chest pains during Liverpool's game against Leeds.

BBC Sport Online looks at his Liverpool career.

Gerard Houllier assumed sole control of Liverpool when his partnership with Roy Evans ended in November 1998.

Since then, he has transformed Anfield's fortunes, bringing three trophies to the club last season alone.

With Evans gone, the Frenchman quickly set about changing the Liverpool team.

In the summer of 1999 he bought six players, including defenders Sami Hyypia and Stephane Henchoz, who have become one of the best central defensive partnerships in Europe.

Houllier's squad strengthening saw him shell out £32.5m during 2000 - a move which paid off in a big way when the Reds landed their amazing cup treble last season.

Houllier's association with Anfield stems back to the late 60s, when he was a teacher in Liverpool.

Houllier had a brief spell in charge of France

He even stood on the famous Kop to watch the Merseyside club defeat Dundalk 10-0 in the European Fairs Cup in 1969.

His career then took him back to France, where, as a 26-year-old, he became player-coach at Le Touquet.

Houllier then became youth coach at Arras before being appointed head coach of Noeux Les Mines, a team he guided into the French Second Division courtesy of two consecutive promotions.

His success continued when he took over at Lens. He helped the club to promotion as well as earning them qualification for the Uefa Cup.

He secured the French title for Paris St Germain in 1986 before entering the realms of international management.

Houllier's profile rose again when he became technical director of the French team as well as assistant to national team coach Michel Platini.

He was eventually promoted to national team manager only for his reign to end when France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

Continuing as technical director, Houllier masterminded France's European under-18 championship success in 1996, before playing a key role in France's 1998 World Cup victory.

Houllier is an articulate, intelligent man and has the appearance and demeanour of a teacher, which he once was.

Yet beneath this calm exterior is a passionate manager who is not afraid to be tough when necessary.

He dumped Christian Ziege out of his squad after the German international criticised his manager.

And he recently refused to play Robbie Fowler until he apologised for a training ground spat with assistant manager Phil Thompson.