JUST to make it clear, this article is in reply to some of the comments I got from irate fans who read my last article “Uncertainty Brings Its Own Excitement“. I would like to point out at the start that the previous article in question was penned before the Fulham game however the comments seem to have been made largely on the back of the Stoke performance and result.
The game was, of course, a big disappointment although, it’s worth remembering we’ve never won there.
Anyway, the point is, giving in to knee jerk reactions is pointless and counter-productive. We are in the first year of a process set to take at least three more before we’re back to something like where we were in 2005/6/7/8. Yes it hurts to get beaten, especially by Stoke, and inconsistency is upsetting because it raises hope only to dash it but I’ve been a fan for almost 30 years and, believe it or not, things have been worse, many times in my opinion.
We have a good young side with great potential, we have a potentially exciting, dynamic young manager admittedly with much to learn, but seemingly with the brief and desire to set about building a dynasty for the future. We aren’t in masses of debt like our friends in Manchester and we’re looking like a team trying to progress in the future rather than a side still desperate to cling on to the status quo.
Fans going off at the deep end at the owners are understandably frustrated by the summer’s apparent cock-up, amongst other relatively minor things, but realistically FSG have a right to be sensible after the colossal waste of funds during the Comolli/Dalglish era. It was FSG’s mistake to hire Comolli and in a sense now, Brendan Rodgers and us as fans are suffering for it now, but the owners did try to spend big to get back to the top four in one season and look what happened.
When it comes to transfers a big price often doesn’t guarantee quality or a tangible return, and LFC fans more than any other should know that by now. The point is you can get a bargain like Michu for £2m just as easily as you can get a donkey like Carroll for £35m; the secret is in the scouting.
Moving forward we are looking at the January transfer window. This will be the first window that Rodgers and LFC have had their new scouting team working on. The brief, undoubtedly, will have been to identify young players with the necessary attributes to fit into the style of play that Rodgers is looking to nurture at Liverpool and the kind of attitude and character that he’s looking for in a player.
The key to this window will not be the amount of money spent on fees and wages, but the ability of the scouting team to have identified players, possibly under the radar, who can come in and almost instantly improve the dynamic of the team. We’re unlikely to be signing big name players and what the club does will be with a view to strengthening progressively in the summer like Spurs have over the last four or five seasons, only we’ve only had one window to do it in so far and still need to clear out some dead wood that’s tying up the wage bill.
This fact is symptomatic of where Liverpool is as a football club. We have dropped out of the “Big Four” and we did that a long time before most of us really knew Brendan Rodgers existed. FSG, love them or loathe them, rescued the Club from administration and splashed a fortune to try and get us back up the league, including backing one of the club’s greatest legends and one of my all-time heroes Kenny Dalgish, when they clearly had reservations about doing so; that it didn’t work out isn’t their fault. I’m no apologist for foreign ownership by people who aren’t well versed in either the sport or the culture of the club, nor am I a fan of the modern trend of football clubs being run like pure businesses, but that’s where the game is and I would argue that being in our position puts us ahead of other clubs who will have to follow suit eventually – and they all will, even the biggest.
The jury is obviously still out on FSG and they will be judged by their actions in the future and the things they do for the club, but they seem a damn site better than those other cowboys.
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Barcelona and Spain have been mentioned far too much in connection with Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool and Swansea so far. It was understandable as a throw away reference to style, but it’s a very deceptive comparison too. Barcelona is the biggest club in the world and has always been up there in what is, to all intents and purposes, a two-team league. They’ve never slipped to seventh or eighth in the league and repeated that finish three years in a row. They produce the best players and can afford to buy the ones they can’t create.
Liverpool FC have been a colossus of football but the truth is that, aside from Istanbul, we haven’t won an elite trophy in over twenty years. We’ve challenged periodically over that timespan but in the last four years we’ve not only slipped out of the elite bracket, but also gone on to stagnate and consolidate a lower top half berth not least through the inability to produce our own youngsters or attract players with a winning mentality.
Rodgers has set about changing that by blooding the youngsters and giving them their head. Granted he may be guilty of overusing them at times, however they are the players upon which any foundations for a bright future at Anfield will rely and depend. Rodgers has taken stick for some of the players he’s signed however he has at least tried to bring in players with a winning mentality.
The likes of Nuri Sahin and Fabio Borini haven’t set the world alight in Red yet but they’re past exploits at other clubs would suggest that there should be a lot more to come from them, having already achieved so much at such a young age. Again, we’ll have to reserve judgement on Rodgers, six months isn’t long enough to get a full picture of where he’s guiding the club, particularly given the transition he’s attempting to make. It’s right to ask questions of the process, however it’s vitally important not to panic and risk strangling the project in its infancy; at least wait until the end of the season to make your minds up.
The team I would mention if attempting to make a comparison is Borussia Dortmund. A one-time giant of German Football who went from Champions League victory to administration and near relegation in the space of ten years. The Directors at the club set about re-organising and making the club into a successful, productive outfit by concentrating on youth, hiring a dynamic young, relatively untested head coach from little known Mainz and having faith in him to revive the club’s fortunes. That man was Juergen Klopp and the rest is history: taking over at the end of a season which had seen Dortmund finish 13th, Klopp managed them to a sixth place finish, followed by a fifth place finish, followed by successive Bundesliga titles.
Dortmund follow a strict regime in terms of wages, transfers and finance in general, in order to avoid the almost catastrophic position they found themselves in ever repeating itself; a wise move. No player earns more than £60,000 a week, they have often sold prized assets such as Shinji Kagawa and reinvested the money wisely, the emphasis is on the group dynamic and work ethic, they play a short passing, high tempo, hard pressing game and have a talented, media savvy manager. There are comparisons to LFC there, albeit we’re at an early stage in the process, but what Dortmund have shown and is that this model of progressive football, placing emphasis on youth, can win out in one of Europe’s most competitive league if given the time and the backing to flourish.
I am not gloomy about the future of LFC like a lot of you ranters are. I have my reasons for seeing the positives, not least because I’m a fan, and I don’t believe that I’m glossing over anything or being mindlessly positive, neither however am I being melodramatically negative. I suppose my point is; get a grip of yourselves!
It’s not all brilliant but these are potentially exciting times, it’s not all terrible but there are some times where you wish the ground would swallow you whole. That’s the reality of being a Liverpool fan; has been during most of my lifetime. Reality can be hard place to reach for some, but that’s where I’m standing, care to join me?
You can catch Neil on Twitter @Neil1980 and on his blog http://itsallinthegameblog.wordpress.com/
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Im in agreement with the others , there is no logic or reasoning in this piece , it is as someone said ‘wishful thinking’ .
It is ok to dream and fantasise , we all do from time to time , but ignoring the situation we are in by pretending things are wonderful is just kidding yourself . IF you cant see the situation we are in , then you dont understand football at all ,and judging by other comments thats what most think
or….if you dont understand the position we are in you believe that we are mightier than we are at this moment in time!!!
The bigger picture and the future is what we need to build for not the NOW….FSG or any investor (excluding the immensely wealthy) dont have money to pump into a football team which is run as a business!
and yet still no-one has advised of the magical manager we are going to employ to fix all our woes!!
Let’s face it folks, 20 years without winning the League is a clear indication that Liverpool are not an elite club any longer. United and Ferguson have created at least 4 teams over that period and have won the EPL 12 times-lifted a few CL’s and countless other trophies.
Hiring Rodgers confirms that Liverpool are not serious contenders, The man is a pretender–what success has he had that would suggest that he could take Liverpool back to the glory years? He talks a good game, but there is absolutely nothing in his resume that says he can make this a reality–Nothing!
You are right . Rodgers is a no-hoper , but … we are Liverpool , we might be a long way off , but we must NOT settle for average , we must strive to be back at the top .
First step , get rid of the mediocre manager with the mediocre standards .Liverpool FC is better than Brendan bloody Rodgers
Senseless and stupid article just like the last time . everyone thought the last one was insane ,this is similar
Its just biased and blinkered nonsense
‘EVERYONE’ agrees with your view point? Go the match, listen to the talk around the ground and in the pubs in the city – I think you will find that it is you, who is in the minority.
erm No . I live in Southport , I go to most games and i would say 8 out of 10 people realise it is not working and hiring Rodgers was a mistake
at least 8 out of 10 _ maybe more , its growing by the week
Maybe round Southport it is…
Not true . I dont know what pubs your going to . Nice quiet locals with a few pensioners perhaps ?
Yep, my ‘nice, quiet locals’ are the Sandon and the Arkles mate, living in the roads between the two. So you stick to listening to the whining in your locals around Southport because believe you me, you’d be quite in the minority around ours. Also, try listening to the Anfield Wrap/City Talk and watching Redmen TV – again a great voice and barometer of realistic fan feelings…not what you’re claiming the majority are feeling.
You are talking * jimmy . Ive talked to hundreds of fans throughout the city and the vast majority are sick to the teeth of this Rodgers fellow
Less of the swearing ‘lad’. You’ve talked to ‘hundreds’ and they all agree with your views? Fine. All the other respectable publications based in the city mentioned above, plus the Echo must be talking * too then eh? Get a grip. Some fans are unhappy, some fans can see that we are building progression step by step. The reality of the situation is what Neil is talking about. Stating such and supporting the team doesn’t make him, or anyone else deluded. And say what you will on the Internet, you and I both know the vast majority of fans in the city are giving the manager the benefit of doubt, and time.
Why face reality ? When in his own little world , everything is fantastic and Dodgers is the worlds best manager LOL
Sorry but the whole article is nonsense and the comparison with BD is staggeringly stupid . The writer definitely doesnt have a clue about German footie
and you can back your statement up?…
Spot on! I agree with everything! Your article puts things into the right perspective, but let me remind you that some headless chickens will never understand that…
🙂
Would you mind describe us the reality then..?
This via the best and most spot article I have read this season, whoever thinks otherwise about Neil’s views should go and support Man City or something.
Right now owners FSG and CEO are rookies in the EPL. That,i can live with!! But for them to hire a rookie manager who goes on to make rookie signings,while letting experienced players like Aquilani,Kuyt,Bellamy & Rodriguez leave,that i REALLY can’t live with!! Downing is not worth the cash Daglish used,but at least Kenny would bring in Maxi or Bellamy from the bench to clean up the mess when his bad signings had messed up!!! Now we have no experience in the whole LFC organisation.. Stevie is better off joining Eto’o in Russia or Drogba in Asia cos he definately aint worth half the 120k we push to his account every week… Hopefully Rafa can prove himself to FSG over the 7month spell at the Chavs….
Bellamy & Maxi wanted to finish their careers at home town clubs. BR didn’t have a choice. Kuyt left becos Kenny consistently overlooked him instead of Henderson. Agree with Aquillani I don’t think he was given a chance. But then again neither Milan nor Juve wanted him. Dirk was our biggest loss as he would play comfortably in any of the front 3 positions.
This is fiction and fantasy . No reality here .The article makes NO sense . What reason or proof has BR given us that his (so far unsuccessful ) methods will work ? None is the answer
Believe what you see – Not what you hope for
Same biased stuff as last time . I expect articles on a Liverpool site to be a little biased ,hell we are all a little biased . But ignoring all our problems and settling for something way below our standards is not right . Get real and stop daydreaming
Lets have rodgers gone , then we can push forward and become a force again
As a fellow writer on the site, I have been wanting to write a piece like this for ages – it’s well balanced, logical and realistic so very well done to the author. Some of the opinions below the line here are not even as well informed to be clueless, and I think the article is absolutely spot on.
We have to understand and be brave enough to appreciate the position the club is in (financially and commercially), the mistakes of previous regimes that are still being paid for, the fact that young players do not become world class players overnight and need time to develop, and above all we need to get to grips with the fact that transition and building foundations are an inevitable part of any successful footballing tradition.
We do not have a divine right to finish in the top four, sign Falcao and win the Champions League every year just because we are Liverpool Football Club. As Liverpool supporters, we have a duty to be honest and understand enough about the game to avoid knee jerk reactions and see the bigger picture.
But then, none of that matters when you can bash out comments like “Rodgers and FSG out and then we will rule the world”.
Great article, Neil. Thanks
Cheers Ross, appreciate the comment a lot mate.
No we do not have a right to be in top 4. We do have a right to expect certain standards in both the running and the management of the club . And if fans like me feel those standards are not being met then fans have a right to complain
This is not FSGs club , it is mine , yours and all the fans . We will be here long after the yanks have made their profit and bogged off . We have a right to a voice , and shouldn’t be expected to be quiet and follow blindly when they are taking us in the wrong direction
People who trust FSG are simply being naive and silly .
Well said dennis
People dont trust RA at chelsea or the Glazers at MU but they dont seem to have had issues…..
Moaning for the sake of moaning….
This season hasnt been great….far from it…..but again….i repeat….who do all you dreamers want to manager our club that are available and would even be interested in a mid table side, with no hopes of CL and minimal cash to spend?!
Some of the comments on here make me laugh. Some Liverpool fans have such short memories. We get rid of Hicks and Gillett and FSG come in at the last minute, there were no others fighting their way to the front of the queue. We were saved by them , and are gradually climbing back to some respectability. So be grateful and back the Club we all love , through the wind and rain !
respectability ? We are lower now with a weaker team than ever b4 .
H&G to FSG = Out of the frying pan and into the fire
A positive spin on a very underwhelming start, BR has had a full preseason and a pile of cash to spend yet had to rely on beating the poorest team in the league to exceed the hapless Hodgesons points total at this stage of the season… Fans are perfectly entitled on the evidence put before them to be unhappy – this managers experience is limited at this level, it’s certainly possible he ain’t up to it ?
Its MORE than possible , its very very likely
Being positive is fine , but this is a car crash we are involved in . Ignoring the dangers and perils and not trying to do anything to fix them is … pretty childish and stupid .
Ive read both articles and they simply choose to ignore all the possibilities of it not working out , just focusing on that it will work out …… in my mind that is naive , biased and downright irresponsible
I know im just repeating what many have said but this article is ‘away with the fairies’ trash . makes no sense
CHOOSE LIFE NEIL -NOT DRUGS
no this is not reality – its stupidity
Not as bad as the last piece , which was just total nonsense . This one is still more fiction than reality .
Neil, keep writing the articles…..whether people get you or not we need more positivity around our club….our support at the game tonight was ABYSMAL!!!…..3 nil up and the crowd were silent. People talk about it being ‘our’ club but if it truly is then you put your heart and soul into in when it matters….which only about 5% of the LFC fans did tonight!
negativity breeds negativity……and ill leave you to work out what the flipside of that is!!!……are stoke that good a team that they hadnt previously been beaten at home in 2012?…..Nope….their positive atmosphere helps there!!