Liverpool v Leverkusen: "Nice to see you," he said, a broad smile breaking across his suntanned face as flashbulbs popped. They were the first public words heard from Gerard Houllier for nearly six months. The feeling was mutual.

Houllier was in Liverpool's trophy room yesterday, a venue that has seen a multitude of prizes in its time. But this was better than any silver pot, Houllier talking animatedly for the first time since his recovery from the burst aorta that nearly killed him last October.

He looked well, younger than 54, and spoke at length with a passion and eloquence that was at times Shanklyesque.

"My life is about football - it has been football all my life," Houllier said with a line worthy of his illustrious predecessor as he tried to explain why he is back, and at something near full tilt. "The people close to me appreciate that; they weren't going to tell me to rest. I will rest some time when I'm up there.

"When you have been through that ordeal and very near death, you don't look at things from the same perspective. I had some values before this - I'm not going to tell you what they are - but they have been reinforced.

"But I don't want to be like Jock Stein. I made a mistake after the season we had last season, because I didn't take a proper holiday. I went to the Confederations Cup and I thought I'd be able to relax, but I couldn't sleep because of the jet lag and the time difference.

"But I don't have a heart problem; I didn't have a bypass or anything, and I was craving to be back. When you care as much as I do about the club, you have to be involved. I don't play golf."

Strident words, though said with a smile, yet Houllier was not joking when he replied to a question as to whether he saw himself doing the job in 10 years.

"My wish is to be like Bobby Robson," he said to a forest of raised eyebrows. Robson, 69, still dons a tracksuit most days. "When you look at Bobby you want to play for him, when you see his enthusiasm, his passion. It's not just about tactics, it's about personality. So as long as I've got that . . ."

Houllier's brother, a doctor, may be on the telephone this morning.

Then again, Houllier said that even working from his sickbed had aided his recovery, and it was clear he was glad to be back among it all. There was an energy to him.

It will now be channelled into the team. Liverpool may have as many as 10 games left this season, should they reach the European Cup final, and he has returned at what he hopes will be a pivotal moment.

"Hopefully we are 10 games from greatness. We're still in contention to win the title and the Champions League. The vision is to win both. It is a matter of time and patience, but it will happen, I can tell you that. I believe in this squad."

He remarked that one of his tasks at this time was "to build up" his players. Such words will send them flying out to meet Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield tonight, a game which both Emile Heskey and Steven Gerrard look certain to start. He spoke of "when" rather than "if" Liverpool win this first leg.

He then thanked his surgeon, his chairman and his chief executive before turning to Liverpool's players and their fans. He called the latter Liverpool's "lifeblood" and said that he had received some 6,000 cards and messages.

Then another rallying call. "The players are my heroes and true heroism is always rewarded. They have rewritten history and are destined for greatness.

"They never cease to impress me. When you take into account the adversity they've faced, the way they have bounced back has been brilliant. I think they have reached a level on which their self-expression will make a difference. At the moment I'm just inclined to say to them: 'Free yourself, be yourself'."