IS THERE STILL TIME FOR A SAVE OUR HOULLIER CAMPAIGN?

Last updated : 23 May 2004 By Editor

This from The Observer under the headline 'Good News for Liverpool fans - Ged looks like he'll be picking up his P45 tomorrow': Gérard Houllier's increasingly fraught six years in charge of Liverpool will end today when he meets chairman David Moores for talks.

The manager's departure will be confirmed in an official announcement tomorrow, which will describe the split as amicable. On the list of likely replacements being compiled by chief executive Rick Parry are Charlton boss Alan Curbishley, former Southampton manager Gordon Strachan, Middlesbrough's Steve McClaren and Rafael Benitez, whose Valencia side have just won a double of La Liga and the Uefa Cup,.

This from The Sunday Times: A shortlist of four candidates to replace beleaguered Gerard Houllier has been drawn up by the Liverpool board, with the former Southampton manager, Gordon Strachan, the most surprising of the contenders, writes Joe Lovejoy, football correspondent. Houllier’s fate as manager is expected to be sealed tomorrow, when the chairman, David Moores, returns after a week in Scotland.

The two frontrunners for the job at Anfield are Rafael Benitez, of Valencia, who have just won the Uefa Cup, and Charlton’s much admired Alan Curbishley, whose cut-price team rivalled Liverpool for fourth place in the Premiership for much of the season. The fourth candidate is Jose Mourinho, who is leaving Porto and having second thoughts about replacing Claudio Ranieri at Chelsea.

The People claim that Liverpool are vying with Chelsea for Porto's Jose Mourinho. However The Sunday Mirror say that Alan Curbishly is favourite.