Liverpool backing Houllier

Liverpool intend to stand by Gerard Houllier despite the growing clamour among fans and shareholders for a change of manager at Anfield in the wake of elimination from the FA Cup at Portsmouth.

The defeat at Fratton Park on Sunday, a nadir in a deeply disappointing campaign, prompted a frenzy of criticism yesterday but Houllier has received private assurances that support among the club's board - headed by the chairman David Moores and the chief executive Rick Parry - remains unswerving.

That timely vote of confidence will ensure that their manager of six years remains at the helm next season should Liverpool still salvage Champions League qualification.

Yet it is likely the Frenchman will be granted more time even if his side miss out on fourth place and are forced again to suffer the consolation of the UEFA Cup.

Whether the manager would consider his own future should Liverpool's remaining 13 Premiership games not yield a top-four finish remains to be seen, though there was defiance yesterday in response to the criticism he had expected after the meek surrender on the south coast.

"We will keep fighting on," insisted Houllier. "It is not just about me; it is the team, the staff, everybody. We just have to keep working and we will, don't worry about that."

The remaining fixtures include visits to Arsenal and Manchester United, and a potentially decisive last-day game at home to Newcastle.

While disaffection continues to grow in the stands, Houllier will be grateful for the personal show of support from his employers after the public backing delivered by the chairman and chief executive at last month's a.g.m.

"We share everyone's disappointment, but we've got to focus on Champions League qualification, which is an absolute priority," said Parry yesterday, painfully aware his club sank to sixth place behind Newcastle and Charlton while they slipped out of the cup.

"No one will disguise the fact that losing at Portsmouth was anything but a massive blow. We had high hopes of doing well in the FA Cup and thought we had a good chance of going all the way. Now we've got to get focused again quickly. The reality is there are potentially some brilliant ties to look forward to in the UEFA Cup if we can progress."

That competition resumes on Thursday when Levski Sofia visit Anfield.

Houllier, who arrived at Anfield in 1998, has 15 months to run on his contract, with the board having already begun work on securing their manager's transfer targets to arrive for next term. The France striker Djibril Cisse is expected to complete a club-record £14.1 million move from Auxerre in the summer, with the player specifically keen to work with his compatriot on Merseyside.

The potential pairing of Cisse and Michael Owen next season provides further incentive for the manager to stay, with Houllier and Parry confident the England striker will still commit his long-term future to the club.

Yet Houllier's most daunting task will be to revive his own reputation among the fans. With only two wins from the last eight games, the disillusionment is increasingly vocal. Boos rang out at Anfield after the fifth-round stalemate with Portsmouth.

A poll carried out on one Liverpool newspaper website yesterday revealed just under 48 per cent of voters thought Houllier should be sacked, with a further 28 per cent urging him to resign.

Mark Lawrenson, the former Republic of Ireland international midfielder, who played 241 games for Liverpool between 1981 and 1988, yesterday told Garry Richardson on BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The Liverpool job is a very, very good one. Whoever takes over eventually will get fantastic backing from board, lots of money to spend, and a great home crowd . . . Martin O'Neill makes average players into good players, good players into very good players and very good into word-class ones. I think he is just the right person at the moment. Look around and I'd say he would be tailor-made for the job, with the situation Liverpool are in."