Djimi Traore believes he was not given a fair chance by Gerard Houllier.
Liverpool defender Djimi Traore has revealed that the French players at Anfield felt ostracized during Gerard Houllier's spell at the helm.Whilst appreciating the work Houllier did on Merseyside, Traore believes the French contingent at the club were not given a fair crack of the whip.
Traore was very much on the periphery during Houllier's tenure but the arrival of Rafa Benitez has revitalised his career at Anfield.
The big stopper continued to reveal that had Houllier stayed in charge then he would have been forced to leave.
''Houllier did a lot of work - he built a great training centre,'' Traore told L'Equipe.
''He was much appreciated by the Englishmen and I can see why.
''But a lot of the French players didn't have a chance to play and express themselves.
''We had to work twice as hard to play. So, I have a mixed view on Houllier.
''Today I proved that it is not down to him that I was there - I deserve to play for Reds.
''Personally, in the end, I didn't trust him anymore. I was upset.
''So many times I knocked on his door saying I wanted to leave the club.
''It was frustrating because I didn't play. And nothing changed.
''If he would have stayed then I would not be at Liverpool anymore. We, the Frenchmen, were frustrated because we saw how it worked at Arsenal.''
