That's shocked me. That is really sad. He was a great manager and did so much for French football. Came across as a nice guy who really bought into Liverpool too.
Coincidentally I was listing to a Quickly Kevin podcast yesterday with John Robins who was doing a worst Liverpool 11 of the 90's where Houllier came up a bit. His description of Bruno Cheyrou as the new Zidane was obviously mentioned! Overall did a decent job there though and was largely responsible for the emergence of Owen and Gerrard.
Yeh he was a really nice guy. One of these guys when you spoke to him you never felt he was trying to cut the conversation short. Really sad news. I didn't think he was that old
Always seemed a really nice and genuine man and very good manager.
He had that scare in October 2001 I think at home to Leeds when he had a heart attack at half-time. He spoke movingly in his autobiography about how he felt before, during and afterwards in hospital. I wondered if he'd come back and manage but he did and won quite a few trophies for Liverpool.
Very sad. Came across as intelligent and likable. I don't think Roy Evans would necessarily agree but I suppose the pair of them were put in a position where one of them was always likely to emerge as the loser, and it was Roy (who actually I think is good egg too).
RIP Gerard, always seemed a likeable and decent chap. Several Liverpool players of his era expressing deep shock and sympathy at his passing, he seems well loved by them.