Death threat will not deflect Houllier

Gerard Houllier said last night that the death threat he had received would not affect his "passion" for his job.

Speaking for the first time about the incident after his team's 6-2 aggregate win here over Levski Sofia in the Uefa Cup, the Liverpool manager said: "I did not tell anyone about it because I did not want anyone to worry. Not even Rick Parry and the chairman, David Moores, knew. But what has happened does not affect my love for the city and my affection for the team and the fans.

"Those fans, 2,000 of them [in Sofia], travelled here to support us and they were fantastic. Their voice was heard. What has happened does not affect my passion for my job."

The manager personally opened the letter but had not wanted the matter to become public knowledge, and a club spokesman said: "This is not something Gérard wanted to come out but he has been through the mill."

Liverpool revealed that Houllier opened the threatening letter at the start of February. It preceded the anti-Houllier graffiti at the club's Melwood training ground. Merseyside Police are investigating the source of the letter, and a club spokesman added: "We do not want to over-dramatise the incident, but such letters cannot be ignored."