A long way from the Cottage
When I wake from the current nightmare that is rapidly becoming Liverpool FCs season, I’m not sure what I will be faced with. Is it a team that will average one point per game over the course of the campaign? Is it a team that is in dire need of a tremendous shake-up? Is it a team that will not feature the names Torres, Gerrard & Carragher in the near future? I’m not entirely sure, and I’m beginning to think that our current manager has the same dilemma.
The fact that most of the debate and conversation still largely surrounds the ownership issue, the most obvious topic is somewhat over-looked – the team. Six games played in the Premier League, we have gathered a rather disturbing six points. The quick witted amongst red’s fans will say we still have twice as many points as our neighbours from across Stanley Park, but not since the mid 80’s could we say that this could be a benchmark worth looking towards.
Chelsea are already nine points ahead of us, that lot from outside Manchester have twice as many points as we do, while Arsenal & Man City are five clear. Yes, i know its only six games into the season, but im not sure how long Roy’s “bedding-in” period is going to last. He claims to have seen positive signs recently that things are moving in the right direction – a home draw against Sunderland doesn’t exactly fill me with great confidence for the challenges that undoubtedly lie ahead, nor do most fans see it as a positive sign Roy. New manager or not, I don’t think any red’s fan would have settled for six points at this stage. We are not Wigan, we are not Wolves, we are not Blackpool.
How many managers in the Premier League would like a Torres, Gerrard, Reina, Johnson, Cole, Meireles or Agger in their team?. The manager speaks of high expectations, expectations that he feels are unrealistic… message to Mr Hodgson: WE ARE LIVERPOOL FC. We are not Fulham, Mid table finishes are not in our dictionary. Yes we know a change in ownership is required, yes we know a new stadium is needed but these ‘needs’ were also present when the club finished second a couple of seasons ago.
I feel despite an ever growing wish list of desires, this group of players can achieve more. The names listed above are all international calibre players. Yes we do carry some passengers in our squad, we all know who these players are, but the senior players needs to re-double their efforts, shake off this creeping inconsistency and start to deliver for our club and its loyal fans. Has Roy the necessary motivational and man-management skills (like one Mr Martin O’Neill) required to help achieve this? Does he have the attributes to help lift what many in the media, and many football fans see as a club struggling to escape the second tier of premiership teams? I’m not sure. The nightmare may not be over yet.
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northampton was a great blessing, roy will have to go for everything now, i think we will finish 3rd 4th or 5th no lower than 6th, i think we will go a long way in europe and the fa cup. happy days are here again – the sun has got its hat on hip hip hip hooray.
Lee
My argument is that I have every right to criticise Roy because I didn’t want Rafa to go. Your criticism however carries no weight. You will find though I will do it in a respectful manner deserving of a LFC manager which is what he is at this moment.
Rafa struggling for ideas and also a better coach, make up your mind! One things for sure Inter Milan thinks Rafa’s good enough, and he’s proving it.
Alonso played 5 seasons for us 2 poor, 1 injured and 2 great the 1st (04/05) and the last (08/09) season. How do you know what Rafa was thinking? He may have felt Alonso wasn’t up for it in the seasons before 08/09. He looked for a replacement which he targeted as Barry and was unfortunate not to get him because of money constraints. The lad clearly wanted to come to us. Now you say inferior, have you seen him play recently, and is he better than Poulson? We missed out on so many players Rafa wanted because we were either to slow or had no money.
Keane was given a chance and couldn’t finish for toffees, and Rafa never dwelt on players who didn’t cut it. He minimised our loss by offloading him quickly (something he did right through his tenure i.e. Morientes).
Aquilani started to show his worth towards the end of the last season a little later than hoped for. Ask other LFC fans if he should’ve been loaned out to Juventus. What money was available to Rafa to buy a striker considering Aquilani was bought on the never never.
I’m bored with you now. You wanted Rafa gone and now you’re not happy with his replacement. What will make you happy? I doubt anything will!
@Lee
You seriously think Rafa’s little rant cost us the title? I beg you to check back through the results (including 4-1 to us against Utd) before you open your mouth.
EVERY manager has a bad season now and then, especially when you get second place and are not given money to strengthen your team to win the league. It still beggars belief that we let our most successful manager in 20 years leave the club. Rafa’s win % was 56%, much much better than anyone in the last 20 years.
2 CL finals, 86 & 82 points. FA cup & carling cup finals. Regular progression in the CL. At Valencia he won 2 la liga titles and a Uefa cup. We were spoilt effectively and we didn’t realise that Rafa did such a good job in smoking out the yanks.
Is our squad really too big, or an excuse to save money on wages?
Why has Aquilani been loaned out when we are CRYING out for some creativity in the middle.
As for Martin O’Neill….. no thanks. Ask the Villa players why they were so happy when he left. Maybe because they did no tactical work and played 5-a-side every day. So no thanks Martin.
We should have gone for Pelligrini when we had the chance.
@ DJ (again)
1. So because you were one of the deluded fans who thought the sun shined out of Rafa’s arse, you can slate Roy. Well, I did want Rafa to go and I didn’t want Roy – so I’ll slate them both.
2. Rafa did struggle for ideas but was a better coach that Roy. It just means Roy struggles even harder for ideas?! (logical really)
3. Alonso was a class player and proved that time and time again, and is far better than Barry. Barry’s a good player too but not on Alonso’s level. And, both of them are better than Poulsen – I never wanted Poulsen as he’s never looked that great a player but then again Roy knows best.
4. How was Keano given a chance. He got taken off every game and his substitution in the 2-1 loss to Spurs cost us the game. When he did score, i.e. the blinder against Arsenal and the brace against WBA – he was sold without being replaced. Selling him is one thing, not replacing him makes it even worse. Dirk Kuyt has been with us for 5 years and he still can’t trap a ball, let alone hit a barn door yet we perservere with him. Morientes was off the pace by the way, Keano was more suited to the Prem.
5. Aquilani was a ridiculous buy whichever way you spin it. End of.
6. Nothing less than a top 4 finish will make me happy. Unlike you and a few others, I won’t settle for rubbish.
@ Mike,
1. I think Rafa’s rant, some idiotic decisions and silly team selections cost us the title. There was no need for it and it only spurred United on.
2. A successful manager is not judged on win percentages, he is judged on trophies. The biggest Rafa won was with Houllier’s players and since then he has done nothing. By the way, to celebrate Rafa as the best manager we’ve had in 20 years shows how desperate you are. Hardly comparable when you consider the other managers we’ve had.
3. What he did for Valencia is all well and good but it’s what he did for Liverpool that he will be judged on. He started well, wasted money, made rants, made us look fools and got sacked because he never looked likely to bring home the title even when we came 2nd.
4. MoN is a better manager than Roy and has success to prove it. Who says the players didn’t like him? The press, i.e. the same people that slated Rafa which lot disagree with.
5. Agree with Pellegrini he was a name I forgot when I quoted them above. That excited me for a second until we went back in for Roy.