Houllier, though, was not prepared to joke about his own future. He revealed that he intends the finish the job that he started.
He said: "The rumours about me moving upstairs can be taken with a pinch of salt. I am feeling as good as I have for a long time.
"I can tell you I am more committed than ever," he added. "This is the first real setback we have had in three years, but we will emerge stronger as a result.
"Expectations have been raised during the three years in which we moved Liverpool off the front page and on to the back. Maybe we are victims of our own success.
"The fact that expectations have been raised is not a burden, it is a challenge and people who cannot handle that should go elsewhere."
