Houllier wants Liverpool to nail down top four spot

LIVERPOOL boss Gerard Houllier believes “the club with the human touch” can launch themselves back into the Champions League.

Houllier believes the unique atmosphere he sees as part of the Liverpool tradition will make his job easier and rewarding in the months ahead.

There is little doubt now that it is this mood at Anfield which will encourage Liverpool to offer Houllier another contract long before his current one expires in 2005, and an extension of the "continuity and stability" which will ensure he stays at the club for many more years to come.

After the Worthington Cup triumph over Manchester United, Liverpool are back to basics at home to struggling Bolton knowing they dare not waste their game in hand as they chase that lucrative fourth place in the Barclaycard Premiership.

They have not won a league game at home since November, seven matches that more than anything else have contributed to their slump from top with a seven-point lead to seventh in the table.

But Houllier feels nothing but support from the power brokers at the club who he claims have helped him through the bad times.

He says: "Clubs with continuity and stability do achieve more, and the board here always been very supportive to me and my players. We have stuck together and we can celebrate and go through difficult periods together.

"It's good to know that in the hard times the people are backing you and have faith in you because that gives you more strength to do your job."

He added: "The extraordinary atmosphere is what I feel exists between the fans and the players. After beating Manchester United the players and fans were singing together, that's something special.

"And also this is a very professional club but I'm keen to maintain a very human touch. I want people to see this as a family.

"There are always tensions and conflicts but there's an exceptional bonding between the players and the fans Despite constant speculation about his long-term future, Houllier's involvement in what he calls a "special club" will only have been strengthened by the victory in Cardiff.

He knows Bolton must be dispatched to maintain the feel-good factor, but believes there is a "long-haul" future for him at Anfield.

He said: "I wouldn't have swapped the Worthington Cup win for a guaranteed Champions League place.

"Sunday was a massive win, a truly important victory on which we can build."