seriously i tink some players would be sadden by Houllier's departure, Le Boss is a firm supporter of those who abide in him...He never takes them off or puts them on the bench unless they r injured(i mean major injury here)..Henceforth the feeling of lost amongst players like Hamman, Owen, Gerard & Hyypia

Owen saddened by Houllier axing
Trevor Huggins

SANTA MARGHERITA DI PULA, Italy, May 25 (Reuters) - England striker Michael Owen said he felt sick on hearing that Gerard Houllier had been sacked as manager of his club Liverpool. 'I don't really want to say whether it is right or wrong but you always get that sad feeling, that sick feeling in your stomach when you see someone you know going through a bad experience,' Owen told reporters at England's Euro 2004 training camp on Tuesday. 'I have seen (former England manager) Glenn Hoddle get sacked, having to go up on the telly, and the same with (Kevin) Keegan, you get a sick feeling but life goes on.' Owen said Houllier, who was fired by the premier league club on Monday, had contributed enormously to his development as a player. 'He (Houllier) joined Liverpool after the 1998 World Cup so most of my career has been under him,' the striker said. 'He's seen me grow as a player, he's worked on different things and I would like to think I am a better all-round player as a result.' Owen defended the Frenchman's tactics, which were often described as excessively negative. 'He tried to go more offensive in the last year and was quoted himself as saying we would be more aggressive,' Owen said. 'Some of the teams he started were very attack minded, a lot of games this year with a back four and only Didi Hamann sitting in midfield. Some occasions it worked, some it didn't.' Owen said the identity of Liverpool's new manager would not affect his future at the club, with contract negotiations still ongoing. 'The manager had nothing to do with my contract situation,' Owen said. 'I am not sure when my future will be sorted. We have met on two occasions so far and there are more in the pipeline but these things take a while these days. 'I won't do a Bosman, I wouldn't do that to the club,' Owen added. 'I am not trying to strangle every last penny out of everyone. 'I just want to be playing in a top team. We got to second in the league a few years ago. It obviously needs improvement because we are fourth and 30 points behind Arsenal. It's a massive gap. 'The chairman is saying it may take a while to appoint a new manager so I will just sit tight. I can't put a percentage chance on me signing a new contract.'

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