Roux and Houllier reunited

By Graham Berger

Sixty-four-year-old AJ Auxerre coach Guy Roux faces an old adversary and close friend in Gérard Houllier, 55, when his side face out-of-sorts Liverpool FC in the fourth round of the UEFA Cup on Thursday. The pair first crossed swords over 30 years ago when Houllier's third division side Noeux-les-Mines pushed Auxerre to the limit in a French Cup encounter. Since then, Houllier has won the Ligue 1 with Paris Saint-Germain FC, coached the French national team and led Liverpool to European glory.

Roux landmark
Roux, meanwhile, stayed at the Stade de l'Abbé Deschamps to become the first coach to preside over 1,000 league matches in France. In charge for over four decades, he led the club to the league and cup double in 1996. He retired in 2000 but not for long, returning for the 2001/02 season after successor Daniel Rolland could only guide the team to a 13th-placed finish. Houllier and Roux recuperated in each other's company after their respective heart problems in Corsica in the autumn of 2001. "Gérard is like a half-brother to me," Roux told uefa.com ahead of Thursday's tie.

uefa.com: Were you proud to take charge of your 1,000th match against En Avant Guingamp?
Guy Roux: Well, first of all, it wasn't simply my 1,000th match. It was just my 1,000th professional match as I had worked as a coach in amateur football for 14 years previously. The true figure with cup games included is more like 2,000. But yes, of course I was proud, though I have to admit I'd rather it had been my first game as that would mean I am still young.

uefa.com: How do you account for the enormous success Auxerre have enjoyed under your tutelage? GR: It has been mainly down to our youth development. We've been lucky to produce a constant flow of quality youngsters. In the past 20 years there have been four different generations of players to come through, with each staying at the club for about five years. That's what has given us the stability we require and has helped us progress at a steady rate.

uefa.com: When you took charge in 1961, did you ever imagine that you would be in the job for such a long time?
GR: No, I didn't. But I don't think it's possible to look ahead like that. In life you simply have to take the chances which come your way and make the most of them. When I was seven I said I wanted football to be part of my life forever, but I never believed it would actually be the case.

uefa.com: Who has been the most influential figure in your career?

GR:

uefa.com: At Auxerre you do so many jobs; you are the coach, the general manager, and you seem to organise everything, both on and off the pitch. How do you find the time and energy to do it all?
GR: It's my life. It's as simple as that. Priests give their lives to God; I have given mine to football.

uefa.com: What are your ambitions for the future?

GR: