Profile: Gerard Houllier

Houllier is knows for his studious approach

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

The popular Frenchman has since restored the club into one of England's premier forces, even if the Premiership title has remained elusive.

An unprecedented three trophies - the FA, Worthington and Uefa Cups - in the 2001-02 season brought success back to Anfield.

But the following campaign was dominated by personal tragedy and subsequent recovery.

Houllier was taken to hospital at half-time after suffering a suspected heart attack during a Premiership match with Leeds.

He had a problem known as dissection of the aorta, which required 11 hours of emergency open-heart surgery.

Houllier brought European glory back to Anfield

Few thought he would return to football in any capacity, but a remarkable recovery saw him back at Anfield to guide his team through the latter stages of the season.

Liverpool finished the campaign without a trophy, but their second place in the Premiership lifted them above Manchester United for the first time in a decade.

They also reached the Champions League quarter-finals, despite their manager's absence for much of the European odyssey.

But last season, after leading the league by seven points in October, the Reds slumped to a fifth place finish, 19 points behind champions United.

Houllier and Wenger given OBEs

Failure to qualify for the Champions League has increased the pressure on Houllier, who rescued the campaign with a tactical triumph over United in the Worthington Cup final.

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

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, who he guided to consecutive promotions.

Houllier has to settle for the Worthington Cup last season

His success continued when he took over at Lens, helping the club to promotion and qualification for the Uefa Cup.

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

Houllier 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 in 1992 only for his reign to end when France failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

He continued as technical director and 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, but beneath the calm exterior is a passionate manager who is not afraid to make tough decisions.

He sold Christian Ziege after the German international criticised him, while Dutch goalkeeper Sander Westerveld was offloaded after a howler in a league match.

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