Houllier vows to battle on

GERARD HOULLIER insists he's fitter than ever and there's no chance he would accept a boardroom position at Liverpool.

Reports have suggested that he would become Director of Football at Anfield with Martin O'Neill or David O'Leary taking charge after the Reds poor recent run affected his health.

However, Houllier said: "I have never felt better than I do at the moment, even better than when I was taken ill. I enjoy my job and there's no way I'm going to go upstairs. They'll have to send me downstairs before they send me upstairs.

"When you lose six points, all of a sudden, the rumours say that you have been taken ill and that other people are coming in. Sometimes it helps the other people who are signing a new contract. All I can tell you is that I feel fine."

Liverpool have been criticised for their negative tactics as they have taken just four points from the previous ten games, but Houllier insists that it was these tactics that took them to the Premiership summit earlier in the season.

He added: "They haven't been questioning my tactics when we were top of the league. I personally don't think that when we win a game, I am the best manager and when I lose a game, I'm the worst manager. All I know is that the tactics work when you win games.

"The main criticism of our team has been a lack of width. You name me how many real, old-fashioned wingers we have in this country. Not a lot."

However, asked if he would be interested in signing a world-class winger if they became available, he stated: "At the right price, yes."

Meanwhile England striker Michael Owen could be back to boost Liverpool's Worthington Cup bid tonight.

Owen has been pencilled in to face Sheffield United in the semi-final first leg at Bramall Lane.

His return would undoubtedly give the camp a lift against the high-flying First Division side.

Owen has been forced to sit out the last two matches the FA Cup victory over Manchester City and the league defeat by Newcastle because of a hamstring problem.

Manager Gerard Houllier said yesterday: "We are hoping that Michael could be back. He has a good chance of being involved and we will probably decide after training."

Should he be available, Owen is likely to form a partnership with international team-mate Emile Heskey.

He has been sidelined with an ankle injury but came off the bench at Maine Road and suffered no reaction.

With El-Hadji Diouf, Milan Baros and Neil Mellor all pushing for places up front, Houllier has enough cover in that area.

Meanwhile Sheffield United's money-spinning march to the last four of the Worthington Cup has ensured boss Neil Warnock's rising stars will not be sold now or this summer.

The semi-final double-header with Liverpool, along with home matches in previous rounds against Leeds, Sunderland and Crystal Palace have helped swell the Blades coffers by £1.4million. United can expect such much-needed funds to comfortably top £2m should they reach the final on March 2, but for now the money they have so far raked in guarantees any transfer-seeking predators will be shown the door.

That is in contrast to their past because United have often been forced to sell in times of financial strife, most notoriously when they sold Jan-Aage Fjortoft and Brian Deane on the same January day in 1998 for a combined £1.8m.

At that stage the Blades were pushing for automatic promotion to the Premiership on the back of the duo's 20 league goals in five months, but their departures led to the club eventually slipping to sixth and losing out in the play-off semi-finals.

With Warnock's side currently pushing for at least the play-offs on this occasion, players of the calibre of Phil Jagielka and Michael Tonge the latter has long been of interest to Liverpool have been touted for big-money moves away from the Lane.