By Karl Coppack
YOU can’t not enjoy a last minute equaliser. They’re glorious things and are great in either category – the deserved and the ‘how did we get away with that.’ Sunday’s helping was nice (thanks for doing your bit, Nando) and it arrived to give us a brief fillip at the end of a pretty miserable month for Liverpool. We haven’t kicked on since our good spell. A dig-in victory over Spurs followed by a return of three points from twelve has led to a loss of both momentum and a top six finish.
Add to this the latest Suarez pantomime and the ridiculous polar opposite opinions ranging from vilification to over-protection, from deportation to ‘what actually constitutes a bite’ and the result, once again, becomes secondary. We know the game here. Go into work the next day and ask someone who the goal scorers were and there’ll be a brief ‘um’ and a chewing of a finger before answering. Ask for a view on Luis Suarez and information is much readily available. It finished 2-2 by the way.
Another leviathan sized dump lands in our laps again and statements are released, online apologies issued and the moralising takes full swing in any direction. Ian Ayre cancels his trip to Australia (Oz Harley Expo 2013), tells everyone that he’s cancelled it and tries to clear up another mess.
Meanwhile, with the waves of bile riding high in the nation’s stomach and questions asked of politicians and amusing Hannibal Lecter jpegs, Man United get on with the quiet business of securing their twentieth title. Not just won the title, of course but to do it possibly with a points record. They’ve won it at a canter and with, many believe, a pretty average side.
Jesus, they’ve won a lot of Leagues with average teams. I wish we had a few of those 85+ points sides. Hold on. I know an average side.
This isn’t going to be a revelation of a supposed United admiration or even grudging respect, my point is the opposite. For, conversely, the club should be focused on United by not being arsed about them and all that comes with their lionisation. Hear me out.
There are many reasons that United have been so successful over the last years, the obvious ones are manager longevity and a structure which is only rarely altered to ensure that the worst possible season tends to be a runners up spot. They do make bad buys but they’re hidden well. They sell at the right time too, mostly to Sunderland, to ensure that their squad is always hungry and hitting their peak at the same time. They’re well run, enjoy large crowds and are rich beyond the dreams of avarice. Apart from their debt which is seldom talked about in the press or by fans who are interested in winning things rather than spreadsheets.
There’s another reason too.
We let them.
For the simple case is that United’s dominance has been down to the utter mismanagement, back biting, paranoia and lack of focus of Liverpool FC. Okay, there are other reasons but as recently as 1991 we were level with them and, brief peaks aside, have allowed ourselves to fall away like Andy Gray’s career. A mate of mine reckons he can pinpoint the exact moment when we handed over the reins of English football. When Forest went down and the bigger clubs picked over the bones of the carcass they bought Keane, we bought Nigel Clough. Indeed.
That shift in power should burn away at the club every day, every hour and I’ve no doubt that it does to some extent but what are we actually doing about it? How do we go about knocking them off their fucking perch? Surely that’s a weekly discussion in the corridors of Anfield.
Excuses are easier to find than solutions. United get preferential treatments from refs, United have the FA in their back pocket, United tap players up and get away with it because the powers-that-be never question them. Of course they do. That’s what power’s for isn’t it? This is no longer a Corinthian game. When they need to be they are underhand, they refuse to speak to the media when their players let them down or are outraged at a media slight. They ban reporters from the grounds if they think that their words are not in the interest of the club. Ferguson runs the club as a despot. All nay-saying crushed until everyone’s on message. The result?
They win things.
They won the League this year because, following the humiliation of last season, they never believed for one second that they couldn’t take it back.
And what do we do? Nothing. We swipe away at the destructive bees of transfer deadline fuck ups, embarrassing Cup exits, give away leads, play ten year olds, sack a Director of Communications for fighting with a mythical character and don’t get a win on the board till late September.
Now, I’m not advocating the use of United as a blueprint for success. I’m just pointing out that they have a focus that we don’t. The bastards.
Don’t get me wrong. I have no love for Man United and never will do. I find them and their fans unusually reprehensible in this most odious decade of the game. Actually, scratch that. I just don’t understand their fans. How you can watch your team win a record League title and then barely mention them in their songs? Guess who got central billing. I’m not criticizing that, I just find it odd. How can Andy Carroll be a ‘Scouse bastard’ while he was standing next to Wayne Rooney? If Ferguson is the greatest manager in their history, and he is, why don’t they sing about him? Logic can go and take a powder.
‘Ah, but they’re obsessed with us’ comes the obvious answer and of course they are. We represent their one true, non-City enemy and they’re doing well and want to shove it in our faces. Good. That’s how it should be and we make damn sure we give it back when we’re given the opportunity so this isn’t a one way street. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of ‘Are you watching Manchester?’ from the Ataturk. That’s to be expected but we told the world about what we’d won, who the manager was etc. More importantly, we don’t really sing anti-United songs to Norwich or Reading.
The obsession criticism is on shaky ground at times. There were a plethora of tweets about United but surely us pointing this out is just as bad. The main gist being that I’ve tuned in, heard what they were singing and am telling the world that they’re pathetic. Why turn up to that show at all?
I get that hating Liverpool comes free with any United support and vice versa but that obsession goes both ways and let’s not pretend otherwise. True, we sing about our team while they sing about seemingly everyone else’s (I thought they were singing ‘You’re not champions any more’ to Villa last night before I realised that they meant City. Some grudge that would have been) but that’s about it.
The football is a different matter altogether and I’m tired of the ‘yeah, but’ culture of fora and Twitter when we’ve played poorly or United do well. They said this, we said that. We’re better than them because. Jesus, wake up! We’re fucking seventh in the League! Seventh! Can we not address that first please? Man United, Chelsea, Torres, Gordon Taylor, Ollie Holt, Jeff Powell, the F.A. and all the other malodorous shitehawks who are the willing targets of our barbs did not put Liverpool in seventh place. Liverpool did. The swarming ephemera surrounding Luis Suarez does not stop Daniel Agger from marking his man at corners. United fans singing ‘always the victim’ to an empty ground does not stop the manager thinking that a one armed Joe Allen can stop Ricky Lambert on his own. It’s not about any of that. It’s about Liverpool fucking up. It’s about a shift of focus from the targets in May to putting out whatever fires we’ve created in our own backyard or the sheer complacency of a mini good run.
We’re great at spiralling. From Hicks and Gillett, to Rafa’s dismissal to Hodgson to Kenny’s millions to Kenny going to the worst start in decades to Suarez to Suarez we seem to love a slump. Is there any one man who is going to put their foot on the ball and think ‘Hang on, why don’t we start doing things better?’ One of my favourite goals is Steven Gerrard’s goal against Bolton in New Year’s Day 2002. We were looking to go top and we’re making heavy weather of getting through their defence. Gerrard stood on the edge of the box looking for runners and, and you can see it in his face, thought ‘Fuck this’ and ran through the lot of them to put us one up. Who at the club is looking up and seeing that the usual every day strategy of how to get back to the top isn’t working? Who is going to stand up and say that this self-imposed Suarez shit is down to our own doing? Who is going to think that spending £150m and still having a wafer thin squad is a ridiculous position to be in? Who’s going to notice that we’re seventh and that this isn’t really progress?
Well, there’s another debate, another fight, another distraction. Pro Brendanites versus those who think John Henry is Satan’s bitch for sacking Kenny (hello). Everything comes with an agenda and by Christ I’ve got mine but once more we lose focus of the one thing that unites us – we all want Liverpool to do well. We may have different versions of what doing well actually is but we all want better than this. Personally, I never want to see a joyous lap of honour and a mosaic for fourth place. The thought of Ian Ayre gleefully throwing his cufflinks into the crowd makes me want to keck but the bottom line should never ever fade. We want to be where United are now. We want to succeed.
And that takes energy, from us as much as the players. If we leave the ground defeated I want our fans to be hoarse and our opposition to crawl off the pitch by their teeth through the sheer amount of work they’ve undergone to beat Liverpool. What I don’t want is to see the players looking at their feet by way of an apology and anodyne excuses from them and the manager that will sound empty the second it reaches the air.
So let’s forget this Suarez stuff. He’s guilty and he’s going to either serve a deserved ban or an inflated one to keep Patrick Barclay and his ilk happy. Fine. Get on with it. Fuck them. Who wants to be liked by those people? Let’s get past it and tell Sturridge that he’s leading the line from now on and he’s got some boots to fill so get working. Does haranguing and harping stop United winning the title next season? It does not. Does it pull focus from the whole raison d’être of the club? Yes. Liverpool first, dramas second.
How about becoming more obsessed about where we’re going rather than being outraged about Patrice Evra holding a toy or whatever it was supposed to be in front of a Sky camera. There’s a bigger picture, a bigger vision and it’s not going to be realised while we’re concerned that some clubs, journalists and governing bodies don’t like us. Fuck them all. They’re getting in the way so let’s do that Andy Dufrense walk through shit and come out with something worthwhile. Let’s have a proper Year Zero rather than convincing ourselves that our current strategy is working. It really isn’t. As annoying as the Suarez incident is, it isn’t the biggest shame of the weekend and that should be recognized by everyone connected to the club. Time to move on and let the other shit land where it may.
Absolutley fucking brilliant
Fantastic, well said, very much the expanded version of your twitter stream from Sunday evening. Excellent sanity.
Well in. Finally some sense on where we’re at.
Fantastic read that …agree with all of it .
Brilliant Karl, absolutely Brilliant.
I heard on the Radio this morning aside from Carragher saying he would prefer to be bitten than have his legs broken and that Suarez is trying to dictate his punishment that Brendan Rodgers is claiming that 4th place is our target for next season.
We are becoming a parody of ourselves and this ‘next year we’ll be millionaires Rodney’ will be the stick that Liverpool will be beaten with for the next 13 months. Barring a fairly significant twist of fate befalling our rivals this is a nonsensical claim.
Your article chimes perfectly with people with their feet on the ground, watching the football and sensible enough to understand the gap between where we are and the standard required to be successful.
Unfortunately – I don’t think that many of those are employed by LFC.
Ian Ayre and to a lesser degree Rodgers are like underperforming salesmen who in November still believe one big illusive sale is going to come in December and save their year. We need more than just hopeless optimism – we need a clear credible plan and people with the skills to execute it.
Nothing in Ian Ayre’s or Brendan Rodgers’ CV gives me the confidence that they are the people.
An amateur golfer CAN win the Open – but the chances are exceptionally slim. We are trying to win one of the richest prizes in elite sport with a management team with no pedigree for doing so.
I appreciate that many will say that Shanks had no pedigree either – but he is a once in a generation or even lifetime phenomena.
If we are serious about challenging for the title in the next 5 years (something I doubt we are by the way) we should staff accordingly. If we just aim to sell season tickets, tv subscriptions and shirts then we will continue to be fed hyperbole. Actually that’s not true we’ll get the hyperbole nontheless – and the commercial goals will be there nontheless. But unless some meaningful strategy is in place and the people at the club have the ability and conviction to follow it we can expect to hover between 6-8th place for the forseeable future.
This isn’t a Rodger’s out post by the way – I’m saying if our Manager / Coach is an Rookie – then underpin him with people with experience to burn. Not just a sponsorship salesman that has been overpromoted
Depressing but true.
Who would you be happy with then Johnny?? Let me guess, would his initials be RB.
Got a better idea???
Josek
“This isn’t a Rodger’s out post by the way – I’m saying if our Manager / Coach is an Rookie – then underpin him with people with experience to burn. Not just a sponsorship salesman that has been overpromoted”
Its not about Rodgers out – but if we accept his lack of CV we de-risk him by having a first class football administration around him – but we are ‘scrimping’ in both areas for me.
Suarez made his comments privately in response to the FA charge. They chose to publish them. Make of THAT what you will…
Every Liverpool fan should read this. Brilliant Karl.
Well said! Excellent article!
Spot on. Couldn’t agree more. I’ve been a season ticket holder for 30 years, and I’m prepared to wait a couple more if it means sustained success…
Fantastically put and exactly to the point. It’s a shame most won’t agree or even contemplate doing it
Even as a United fan I must say, cracking article. Blogs on here are usually pretty good to be honest but this one stands out a mile.
Fair play to the writer, great read!
Spot on Karl. Brilliant!
Great article, agreed with most of what was said here. We are living up to these bullshit caricatures that have been created for Liverpool fans. Man U’s dominance is a reality to be countered.
Top article a must read.
Shame about people calling for Rodgers head, I seem to remember a certain united manager taking time to get his team winning???
Liverpool are where they are and aiming for a top four finish next season is what we need. People will say we are Liverpool we expect more, for those people 2 words Wake Up!!!!
Personally I am more than happy to wait as long as I have to for success and I am glad the club is building from the ground up.
At the end if the day none of us know what is going on behind the doors at Anfield and we can only judge on what we see but I am sure there is a plan and focus.
YNWA
Spot on mate, if people put half as much energy into supporting the team at home as they do arguing on twitter we would be miles better off, the shame of were we are is whats causing all these distractions, but we need to put our anger into supporting the team on a match day.
THIS.JUST THIS.
Yessssss! The underlying problem highlighted extremely well. Have the people connected with the club got the stomach for the fight though? I fear not.
Sadly the quiet voice in my head is still saying “how the fuck did we get here?” followed by “where’s our fucking hunger?” Will it ever end? I hope it will, I’ll do my bit along with millions of other fans, the club needs to follow suit though.
Shankly did not build the dynasty with superstars, he built a team. That team wasn’t built on marquee signings, it was built on players who knew one another’s strengths . He was famous for saying ” The team is the same as last season”. When he bought it was to fit the system. When they didn’t they were quickly shipped out Alun Evans and Mark Hatley the two most obvious.
Paisley did likewise, Kenny probably was the most expensive gamble he ever attempted and “Boy could he play”. When the PFA awards were inaugurated in this era, did we care that a Liverpool player was not involved? Did we hell! We were too busy winning trophies!
Kenny started to buy marquee but they fitted the system for the most part, again those that did not quietly gone.
The rot set in with Souness buying with no regard for a system, wasting millions on no-ones, Evans tried and nearly succeeded, changing his system as players let him down and even being betrayed by Ince whose career he tried to return to more glory days.
Houllier, ah the man who did spend the family silver, the man who nearly killed us with hope. The man who really should have retired at Liverpool.
He changed his system post op and tried to fit his expensive flip flops in to
functioning brogues. ( Square pegs in round holes for those not understanding simile) Strangely the best manager (in my view) we never had was in charge during Houllier’s hospitalisation, Phil Thompson.
He got Annelka in and he fitted the front slot perfectly, only to replaced by diouf the next season, who couldn’t keep his place and had to be slotted on the right wing to justify his expensive transfer.
I say it was then we took our eye off the ball because Houllier was obsessed with buying the future without looking where the faults were in the first team. It did not help that his style of play became undone once we were a goal behind. He counter attacked even at 2-0 down, saving every bodies’ energies for the last ten minutes of every match.
Benitez, bought and discarded like no tomorrow, but this was forced on him by you know who.
Rodgers, is trying to find a system that works for his personnel, who knows where we would be if he had bought Sturridge earlier? but it’s a step in the right direction even if some of his buys seem strange.
However it shouldn’t matter who is top as long as it is us. United were relegated with bags of cash but no cohesion, Whisky nose is the difference of the last 25 years, and he was 90 minutes from the sack 5 years in to his reign. But his system works in the Premier League. I am not a supporter of BR but I am willing to give him as much time as he needs to find his workable system.
Great piece, Karl. Top quality…
All true -and I’d add to it. Ayre is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time…sadly, I believe Rodgers is too. No determination to win and win big however hard, however unpopular exists within the corridors of power within the club…except, perversely – perhaps – with the owners themselves – and they seem at a lack to know how to go about it in this alien game, this alien environment.
Our tendency to look at our future through the mirror of the past holds us back, as so often has our parochialism. Whether anyone would want Kenny or Rafa back in charge, no-one could deny their pedigree or the fact that they have the club and fans in the very fibre of their being…this is starkly missing in the current set up of over-promoted salesman with big ego and YTS manager with a giant portrait of himself hanging over the fireplace in his living room, his dogmatic adherence to a 180 page dossier and a fetish for always trying to buy players he has worked with before rather than those who might be better suited to the level to which we wish to return.
The worst thing of all with this set-up and in the ‘In Brendan we trust’ mantras of some fans is the seeming acceptance of mediocrity in the mindsets of those who ostensibly are supposed to want be winners.
Do I want Rodgers out? At this stage, no – do I think he will make the grade and take us where we want to be? At this stage, no. I would give him another season at the end of which I would want to see real progress – in all areas, transfers, results, cups, league and again – results. Without this, no hyperbole will permeate my sense of resolve.
Very well put
United fan here, in peace.
Thank you for letting us win all those titles. I’m sure we’d be languishing in midtable if it weren’t for your benevolence.
Fuck off you cunt,
Sounds reasonable..
sack a Director of Communications for fighting with a mythical character
possibly the greatest line I’ve ever read in any article about anything ever, and sums everything up perfectly
And let’s not forget Utd’s loyal fans roll in their successes. Maybe some people on here could take a lesson from them in actual support of their team & their manager & their club. Amazing how fans of other clubs, whom I know well, can all appreciate the job Rogers is doing & see how we are progressing & actually fear us getting a few more better players, while most of our “supporters”, want to bury their heads in the past, & continue to do it, as if somehow they were going to wake up and it was May 2005 again. It’s great having a history, until it stops you having a future.
Excellent, Karlos – agree with every word like it was written in my soul, but…
“Dufrense”? Shawshank wool.
Couldn’t agree more. Stand up and take a bow for speaking sense.
As a United fan I think this post is intelligent, insightful and well-written. It summarises the criticism I most often aim at Liverpool – that wailing and moaning about the entire footballing world essentially being rigged in United’s favour, instead of looking internally at what’s to blame, is precisely what is stopping your club from bouncing back. When Liverpool were hoovering up trophies and I was 30 years younger, we simply complained about our own team being nearly men. Liverpool fans, though, seem to believe their team is just as good as everyone else and it’s the refs, or the FA, or Ferguson, or hitting the post too often, that’s holding them back.
Also, whilst most of the digs at United are spot on (I often cringe at home to Norwich or Reading when the only noise people can be arsed making is something about scousers), I would point out that we do sing about Ferguson. There’s a song called ‘Every single one of us loves Alex Ferguson’ which often goes on for ages and ages.
If Citeh had won the title this early & this easily, then there would be talk of crisis, lack of competitiveness, & “is this really good for the English game” from every hack in the country with the FA & PL probably holding a summit to change the rules so that it wouldn’t happen again. Yet the “football establishment” rejoice at it in this country. And that’s why Man U are champions & will continue to be so even after Thatcher sorry Ferguson is gone.
After being beaten by Everton & Spurs early in the season these authorities sprung into action to ensure they rot would stop there & then. After sending off a Liverpool player for absolutely nothing the referee still needed to intervene further & give them scandalous penalty to ensure the win. Chelsea got the FA treatment a week or so later & the rot was stopped. No Crisis for Utd.
All Ferguson’s titles are tainted by the same underhand FA interventions. But with the PL sucking in Billions then who is to argue with the status quo, perhaps they are right, Utd need to finish on top every year to continue sucking in those billions.
and here ladies and gentleman is the person who didn’t read the article before posting
I sincerely hope that you are being heavily sarcastic….
Some sense at last.
And boy could he write….
Fantastic piece, Karl. I’m unable to improve on the previous comments so will simply say that.
Brilliant Karl
I’ll even let you off the promised original article title, for the line “sack a Director of Communications for fighting with a mythical character”.
I hope the latest hand-wringing episode of a 10 match ban, gives the Club and Board a kick up the arse. Do they actually know that LFC can’t rely on a superstar striker, 2 fading legends and a team of mediocrity to challenge for fourth, never mind a title?
As for Ian Ayre and boring Brenda… *sighs*
I want Rafa back. I don’t care that he’ll have us in the news every day for the wrong reasons like we are now with Luis, I don’t care that it will be boring counterattack football & i don’t even care if he gets us relegated. He’s a no man, he’ll stand up to the owners & everyone else that needs standing up to, he’ll be smart & abrupt with reporters, but I love that.
Half the people here say they loved the article but then are still pining over Rafa. Hindsight is always 20/20, but you have to admit we didn’t always play the best football with him at the helm and arguably should’ve won the title easily in 08/09. It’s easy to look back and let the good overshadow the bad.
Rodgers is young and hungry enough to take risks and learn but experienced enough to know the ins and outs of the game. At times this year we’ve played the best football in the league. If he’s given a little time and support, he’ll take us back to the top. We’re so quick to judge as Liverpool fans (I’m as guilty as the next), but we need stability and forward progress. Constantly looking backwards while pushing for yet another manager to be pulled out before his roots are set isn’t going to get us anywhere.
That said, absolutely brilliant article. I loved it.
Not a single word out of place Karl, top article.
The atmosphere for the derby could be interesting – let’s hope it’s the kick up the backside we need to go into the summer in a positive frame of mind as a club.
United are the Dynamo Berlin of the Premier League.
Brilliant read. Now, can you stand in front of our owners and tell them that, they need a rocket.
Spot on mate!
Call me backward looking, but we need a manager of Rafa’s quality + a vision and ambition from the board to match. If not him, then your Ancellotis or Pellegrinis. For God’s sake, no more Hodgsons or Rodgers…
Absolutely spot on Karl. The best response to todays comedy of errrors and all that preceded it. Thanks.
Well played sir!
Fabulous article -paste it up on the dressing room wall!
Superb piece….apart from the fact that I’m not sure if we have the management in place to take this approach
I think the owners are real winners…they have to get the mentality of the team running the club to feel the same
Ayre is an MD who howls out victim
That’s not what we want, not want we need.
]We need a leader who will not accept the position that we find ourselves in.
very enjoyable piece. I hope it gets in front of FSG
Klopp?
Great work as usual Karl. Have to give you extra credit for feeding already over-inflated ego’s, by using the line :
Another leviathan sized dump lands in our laps again.
I for one, found that rather amusing.
‘They sell at the right time too, mostly to Sunderland’…and Everton.
Karl, you belter, this wants printing out and nailing to LFC’s door. Was nodding along emphatically to ‘The swarming ephemera surrounding Luis Suarez does not stop Daniel Agger from marking his man at corners. United fans singing ‘always the victim’ to an empty ground does not stop the manager thinking that a one armed Joe Allen can stop Ricky Lambert on his own’ in particular.
Sensational Article
The reason why Liverpool hasn’t gotten back into realistic top 4 challenging shape is how we basically been 3 different teams since Rafa left.
You had to short tooling about of Hodgson, Kenny’s overhaul and now Rodgers change up. We haven’t had solid back to back seasons of consistent lineups and form.
United’s risks more so than not paid off quite handsomely. Obvious examples being Ronaldo, Berbatov and other similar purchases. I agree their squad this year wasn’t too obscenely stacked/fearsome, but still had the right amount of umph. Honestly I feel kinda bad for Chicharito being just a power sub. I feel like he can put it a bit more work and doing some amazing things. But he’s not my guy, so whatever.
I feel that Rodgers has us going in the right direction. Call me blasphemous, but I felt like Kenny was kinda too old school to really put us back to where we were. Rodgers does a much better job at getting the young guns involved and producing results. I gotta say I’m impressed how well Coutinho has adjusted, I feel like in time he can look a lot better.
I’d disagree. MU are there on merit and wealth, Chelsea bought a place at the table, as did City. Arsenal have always been there, and now the spuds have got their act together. LFC is in decline, it’s rotten from the top down to players that couldn’t care less about success, just as long as they get that massive signing on bonus and salary.
6 years ago, getting to the CL table was a lot easier. LFC till have a big brand image, unfortunately the only time it gets headlines is when one player goes a little mental. If the decline going back 4 managers continues, the brand will fade, new fans won’t replace the old, and we’ll end up like Forest or Shef Wed.
What they all said. Plus…10 percent. We’re spiralling downwards in our attempts to get our heads up our own holes.
Also, there are more united fans lurking round here than I expected to see.
ferd
Great post. Got to agree. If this is a competitive sport then winning, or a concrete plan for getting there, is our aim. If its delivering an ‘entertainment product’ then overseas TV deals and pre-season tours are our aim.
I think FSG are better than most, and Rodgers could yet be ok. But our mentality as a club needs to be focused on the performance of those 11 red men.
Sitting in the main stand watching the Baggies do the double over us this season, I didn’t feel that.
If not Rodgers, an I’ve give him a couple of years (what can 1 season tell you? ) Pelligrini would be a good shout.
Whilst I’m emphatically not an LFC fan I’ve got to say English football needs them to rise up from the doldrums (just not too far eh lads :) ). I found this a really well written article which has a lot in it I agree with. Going to book mark this site and come back from time to time – often in fact if this is the usual standard.
A magnificently penned piece. The Club and particularly Rodgers go on ad nauseam about our history. By that they mean trophies won but the part of our history they miss is the brutal way we achieved all those trophies. We fought like tigers with teams packed full of players who would give everything to win. Management which would never accept anything but total commitment, and miserable defeats in Europe were never described “near perfect performances”.
Players like St John and Souness, though gifted, would think nothing of decking Dave McKay or some Eastern Europen thug. The management were equally focused and calculating. Robinson was a master of subterfuge and no comment as he worked to acquire the players who had the character to be Liverpool players, mistakes left quickly, no questions asked.
We have to recognise that winners don’t employ a man they don’t trust and then replace him with a man who has won nothing and lacks anything else to recommend him for the job. They don’t employ and promote a man who can sell the club but not lead it.
We see us in 7th place the result of a miserable season and what are we told by LFCtv lackies like Aldo, Gillespie et al? We are making progress! We should be storming the Shankly Gates to say this isn’t good enough and we want winners in the boardroom and in the dug out. Suarez for all his faults typifies what a winner is. I doubt that the club will sign players of his absolute ability this summer, but for God’ sake sign players who will not accept defeat as events that happen and a manager who does not harp on about our history, but one who has the vision and drive to create history.
I like the Forest theory. But it’s more complicated than that. If you pick a duffer like Nigel Clough you have to keep on trying until you get a good one. That’s what the theory is really about. Ian Storey-Moore. Duffer. Gary Birtles. Duffer. Peter Davenport. Duffer. Neil Webb. Duffer. Roy Keane. Bingo!
We gave in too soon.
Wow Karl! This really needed saying. I could almost say you should be appointed LFC manager, as someone with this approach is exactly what is needed. Appoint somene to help with the actual footaball if you want but you’d be someone who’d make sure the excuse culture became a thing of the past.
That article is very good. I have to hold my hands up and admit that I too get distracted and caught up with all the ‘the world hates us’ kind of thinking.
The one small thing I didn’t really like was saying that ‘7th isn’t progress’. I know 7th isn’t progress. Certainly not from where we’ve come from over the past 5 or 6 years. 2nd to 7th is not progress. However I do believe Rodgers is making personal progress given the position he started from!
Rodgers shouldn’t be expected to take the burden of the club’s past failings. That’s not to say he shouldn’t be laden with the burden of making us successful in the future – he most certainly should! But I think he’s making steady progress. YNWA.
Truer words have never been spoken. I have bought into the philosipy, now all we need is the CLUB as a whole to buy into it. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The worm has turned…