Fans demand Houllier statement

LIVERPOOL supporters are calling on the board to make a statement of intent about the future of manager Gerard Houllier.

There is growing speculation that the Frenchman is on the verge of losing his job despite steering the club to fourth spot in the Premiership and into the Champions League.

The fans want to know what the situation is as Liverpool have constantly refused to react to these latest rumours.

"We would like the board to make a statement and clarify the situation," Les Lawson, secretary of the official supporters club told Sky Sports. "We are very much in the dark.

"There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding not just the manager but with the two bids (from Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and local businessman Steve Morgan) that are on the table."

Kenny Dalglish is being mooted for a possible return to Anfield, where the former manager remains a big favourite with the supporters.

Lawson said: "Kenny is the king. He is our greatest ever player. I am sure they (the fans) would love to have Kenny back in some capacity.

"As he has been out of the game for the past few years it might be asking a little bit too much of him to come back in and turn things around."

Dalglish, however, insisted that he had not been approached to take up a role at Liverpool.

According to the Liverpool Echo, Dalglish is wary of doing or saying anything which could be construed as disrespectful to Houllier and his staff.

Dalglish told the newspaper: "I have not spoken to anybody about any position at Liverpool Football Club.

"But if the club think I can help they just need to ask."

Dalglish joined Liverpool from Celtic in 1977 as the replacement for Kevin Keegan. He took over as player-manager in 1985, winning three league titles.

He then went on to manage both Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle before returning to Parkhead for a brief unsuccessful spell when he worked in tandem with former teammate John Barnes.

Meanwhile, John Barnwell, chief executive of the League Managers Association (LMA), believes Houllier should be applauded for his record.

While Barnwell said it was not the LMA's business to comment on the situation between manager and club, he launched into a spirited defence of the former manager of the French national side.

Barnwell told the Press Association: "Gerard's record is an excellent one.

"Not too long ago they (Liverpool) would have been delighted to have finished fourth.

"To say that is not acceptable for Liverpool is too easy a comment to make. You have to look at the areas of improvement and all those issues.

"In terms of what he has achieved, the position the club was in when he took over, they would appear to be in a healthy state at the moment.

"It is too easy for people to say Liverpool should finish higher. Gerard obviously hasn't finished the work he set out to do."

Barnwell, however, says he is fully aware that things can change quickly in football.

"Lots of times, today's success is tomorrow's failure," he said.

"Things that are outside of the manager's control can dictate the future. We can only hope common sense prevails."