Houllier said: "We went through a rapid period of progress - 7th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd - and people thought the final step to the title would be easy. The criticism comes mainly on stupid phone-ins from fans who don't go to games. But I'm concerned it can destroy some of my players' confidence and the morale of real fans."
Houllier believes that both Emile Heskey and Vladimir Smicer are hit particularly hard by the criticism.
"This season Emile hasn't been firing - yet, but I know he will. I had a long chat with him earlier today . Emile's a player who needs to know you believe in him. You need to push him to do things because he's such a nice guy and a very unselfish player. It's a confidence thing. Emile's probably one of the players who is most affected by the criticism.
"Vladimir Smicer is another player who needs to believe more in his ability. He has so much talent. Because they are nice, some players prefer to help the other players to score."
