WHAT on earth has happened to the reds after winning the Carling Cup? Defeat after defeat after draw in the Premiership since that sunny day in February, when after a barren spell of six long years Kenny Dalglish and his troops would once again collect some much-needed silverware for the Anfield trophy cabinet.
26th February 2012 would be the day that a new history of Liverpool Football Club would once again begin, when supporters could again dream of a side capable of challenging for the holy grail of the Premier League.
Add to that Champions League football, and Liverpool fans would be intent on taking a place at the top table of a football feast, where they would with gluttony fill their stomachs.
Unfortunately the league form has like a hurricane, blown away the positive disposition that Liverpool fans found themselves in after their visit to Wembley; a colossal bump back to earth has left the red’s fans questioning everything that its giant of a club is doing.
The questions being asked of an institute that has never found itself under such scrutiny, have become incessant and incredibly antagonistic from a media that smells blood and clearly would like its pound of Scouse flesh. Add to this a generation of followers intent on a roller-coaster ride of vitriol toward its heroes on the down ride, whilst quickly fluctuating during a verse of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” on a rare occasion the roller-coaster cab is at the top of the tracks.
For those that have a sense of perspective it becomes incredibly clear that problems obviously exist, but throwing a dart and seeing where it lands will not identify those problems, and in effect will only highlight smaller issues that are unimportant and possibly exist within most football clubs and sides.
One of the greatest issues with playing for Liverpool is just that – playing for one of the world’s biggest football clubs, in front of what are generally regarded as supporters who know their footballing stuff,. They are not easily pleased, and recently know a poor player when they see one, having had many peddled as “the next best thing” over the green grass of Anfield, only to quickly realise that once again they have been fobbed off with a clearly sub-standard product.
Compare that to producing a home-grown hero who will always be given that bit of extra support, a guiding hand from the family on the Kop to its new child.
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Give them a hero of any description from any corner of the footballing globe and the support offered will be unequivocal a new leader a patriarch for the tribes, he who can do no wrong. The problems occur when a new hero comes along and its older more experienced foe is disregarded by the young of the clan.
This season has seen Liverpool supporters turn on its players, manager, coaching staff and owners; even the cat having attracted some criticism. With supporters having to defend and fight on every corner turned, having to experience ridicule and derision from opposing fans across the country, it has become increasingly more difficult to stomach, and with that they have turned upon their own, causing division within the ranks.
Silverware has never been a distraction for Liverpool, well certainly not in a negative way; it has however been a constant source of how they judge success within the corridors of Anfield. The biggest distraction is from outside the club, constant stories of player unrest , owners apparently demanding written reports from students Dalglish & Clarke which will make up for 10% of their overall mark for this semester.
After a discarded £100 million of John Henry’s money, if the papers are to be believed Dalglish and Comolli [Editor: who has since left the club] will only be entrusted with some loose change from the Anfield canteen in any other pursuits of new recruits, along with a disregarded buy British policy which is to be replaced with a similarly buy Uruguayan policy.
Distraction has many faces, as does division, the key is to not allow either to take way from what is clearly a long-term plan that the club has in place. Being critical of shoddy performances is acceptable, but joining the ranks of our very own detractors is just adding to an otherwise unhelpful debate. The foundations that the club are building may well need to be reassessed each season, with the ground being possibly the one greatest challenge that the owners face. This needs to be given priority over all other decisions, for that will ultimately decide exactly what Liverpool Football Club is being built upon.
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