'Gerard who?' was the question Liverpool fans asked when an academic-looking Frenchman arrived at Anfield in the summer of 1998 to partner Roy Evans. Questions were asked early on, particularly when Gerard Houllier brought in unheard of bargain players. Could this really be the man who had masterminded France's famous victory in the World Cup and who was promising to turn Liverpool into a world beating side? Houllier decided that Anfield needed the biggest shake-up since the days of Bill Shankly. In his five years at Liverpool the Frenchman has overturned many of the old bootroom traditions, revolutionising training methods, banning alcohol, introducing new dietary codes and ridding the club of the Spice Boy image that had dogged it throughout much of the 1990s. He has sold most of the players he inherited and even had the audacity to sell Kop idol Robbie Fowler. Off the pitch, too, a sharper commercial attitude has been developed to bring Liverpool FC into the twenty-first century. In just his second full season at the club Liverpool won a unique treble. Then in February 2002 drama struck when Houllier was rushed to hospital with heart problems.
For days fans held their breath as his life hung in the balance. But five months later he returned to bask in the warmth and admiration of the Kop. He had finally been accepted by the most loyal fans in football. This is the story of that revolution and the man who has brought the glory days back to Anfield.