Murphy: Death threat gave us new lease of life

Danny Murphy believes the death-threat letter that shocked Gerard Houllier has helped produce the promise of a spectacular change in Liverpool's fortunes.

As Houllier's side prepared to launch their bid for a UEFA Cup quarter-final place against Marseille at Anfield tonight, fans were putting the finishing touches to another show of faith in their under-fire French coach in the form of a mosaic spelling out the word 'allez' across the width of the Kop.

The shifting mood within Anfield, in the wake of an abusive message on the training ground wall and a death threat that is being investigated by Merseyside police, is not confined to the stands either.

Liverpool's players have stepped up a gear since FA Cup defeat at Portsmouth last month intensified the pressure on Houllier, and Murphy insists it is no coincidence.

The team responded to Houllier's personal trauma by winning both legs of their UEFA Cup third round tie with Levski Sofia in emphatic style, and injecting the same urgency into an enthralling 2-2 draw away to a spirited Leeds.

Murphy said: 'Things have crossed the line of what is acceptable in the past couple of weeks. I mean, what are people thinking of when they do the sort of stuff that has been aimed at the manager recently?