Houllier calls for patience at Anfield

Former Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier believes there is too much expectation at Anfield and has urged the club’s fans to be patient.

Houllier says the Reds’ faithful have an obsession with winning a Premier League title and concedes that cup victories are not enough to appease them.

“There is too much expectation at Liverpool,” Houllier told The Daily Mirror.

“They expect you to win the Champions League every year. That won’t happen.

“The obsession is the league. Rafa Benitez finished second and I finished second once, but for all the cups we won, they wanted us to win the league.”

Kenny Dalglish lifted the Carling Cup as Liverpool manager this season but has come under fire for his side’s underwhelming performance in the league.

Despite the Reds sitting in seventh place in the Premier League and all but out of contention for Champions League qualification, Houllier insists the club are headed in the right direction under Dalglish.

“They won the League Cup, the same way we did in 2001,” Houllier said. “It’s a good sign for the future. I think he’s heading in the same direction, just give him some time.

“Kenny isn’t alone – he has a whole staff with him and they trust him.

“In football, you can go from the attic to the basement very quickly, so one day he is the hero and the next day he is the zero. You have to be careful.”

Houllier pointed to David Moyes and Arsene Wenger as examples of managers who had gone through difficult spells but had benefited from the patience of their chairmen.

“Liverpool need another year to kick in,” he explained. “They have had a lot of recruitment done and a lot of problems, so give him some time.

“There was a time when David Moyes was criticised and Arsene was criticised – see where they are now. It’s a roller-coaster.”