Houllier lashes out over O'Neill speculation
Monday, 15 December 2003 11:14Under fire Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has hit out at speculation linking Celtic boss Martin O'Neill to Anfield.
Houllier is under increasing pressure following Liverpool's home defeat by Southampton on Saturday and their continuing poor form. However, the Frenchman still believes that he can turn things around and has blamed the Reds' current injury crisis on an alarming slump which has seen them drop to ninth place and ruled them out of a Premiership challenge.
Michael Owen, Harry Kewell, Steve Finnan, Stephane Henchoz, Milan Baros and Jamie Carragher are all clogging up the Anfield treatment room and Houllier said: "We have six first-team players out and it is difficult. We were missing a lot of important players but we still should have won the game and, so far, we are only three points away from the Champions League."
The Frenchman then slammed journalists over the O'Neill speculation and fumed: "Instead of putting Martin O'Neill back in the picture, perhaps you can explain that this is why we are struggling. My focus is on my team, not on what is said and written."
"The chairman said something earlier in the week which is merely what I have been saying all along, and yet it was made to sound like if we don't finish fourth I'll get the sack. So what? Not a problem. All I'm working on long term is for the club and the people here, and it's difficult at the moment."
While Houllier may feel that finishing fourth will be enough to guarantee his job for the next season, many Liverpool fans are unhappy with the current situation and believe that the a team who has won the league 18 times should be mounting a consistent challenge for the Premiership.
Filed by Rob Wright
