Champions League or bust for Houllier

ANFIELD LEGEND Alan Hansen has called for the Liverpool players to dig in and secure Champions League football – or leave boss Gerard Houllier facing the axe.

Frustrated fans called for the Frenchman's departure on radio phone-in shows yesterday following their latest disappointment of an uninspiring season when the Reds were dumped out of the FA Cup by Portsmouth.

Club chief executive Rick Parry described the cup defeat as a massive blow. And he re-iterated that qualifying for the Champions League was "an absolute priority".