WHEN Liverpool’s premature Champions League departure was quickly followed by a heavy defeat to Manchester United, plenty was said and written about the Reds’ worrying slide and how to fix it, writes SAM DRURY.
I tried to stick to just thinking about it; to arranging my thoughts on what, or who, was to blame for the team’s concerning plight. However, predictably, I was drawn into writing about it too. Delving into social media in search of answers was never likely to produce conclusive results and the barrage of conflicting viewpoints that followed helped only in muddying the waters further.
Soon dragged into the endless debate on Twitter, I did my utmost to give what I believed to be my logical and reasoned thoughts in a calm manner only to have one assumption quickly, and correctly, shot down by Neil Atkinson as ‘ephemeral speculation’. After a feeble riposte trying to justify my assertion, I made a hasty retreat.
The problem in trying to get to the bottom of Liverpool’s difficulties this season — and developing a definitive opinion on what action should be taken — is that so few facts are known. We rely largely on rumour, opinion and conjecture. As such, even if you attempt to piece it all together to create the bigger picture, the chances are you will still be some way off the reality.
What we, as fans, get to see on the pitch is the outcome of all that has gone on before: training sessions, meetings and discussions to which we are not privy. The desperation of fans to know more about these things is what drives the gossip and speculation. It means that within a matter of minutes a whisper or an offhand remark is circulated far and wide until before long it is essentially regarded as fact. There is a desire to see everything as black or white when more often than not the truth lies in the grey murk in between. All talk of Brendan Rodgers, the transfer committee, ‘political’ team selections and so on must be considered with this in mind.
When looking over the issues affecting the club at present, the manager is the one constant. That is not to say that he is necessarily responsible for all that has gone wrong this season but simply that in his position he has at least a modicum of influence in most areas of the club. On the flip side it means that he also takes a certain amount of credit for the team’s recent upturn in form. Whether it should be the case that the manager has so much influence, of course, is one of the questions being asked by an increasing number of supporters.
It was Rodgers’ sparing use of the players brought in during the summer, especially during the particular disappointing run during November and early December, that brought the issue to the fore. Subsequently, a fan-led review of how Liverpool go about their transfer business began, with both the fabled transfer committee and Rodgers coming in for criticism.
Player recruitment is an important part of building a successful football club and so it is no surprise that how the Reds go about it comes under such scrutiny — particularly when things go wrong. After all, these summer signings were players that supporters hoped could, partially at least, fill the void left by Luis Suarez and mount another title challenge.
That has patently not happened and the inquest as to whether the frustrating, often infuriating, first half of the season was due to them being misused, underused, needing time to adapt or simply being the wrong players is well underway. The first two — categories which an increasing number of the summer signings seem to come under — fall squarely at the feet of the manager, and recent results show that they can, and indeed have, be rectified. If it is the final category though, who, or what, is to blame?
For many the finger of suspicion point firmly at the transfer committee. It’s the unknown, something different to what has come to be seen as the norm. The vast majority of fans have grown up in times when managers had, or at least appeared to have, absolute control. Pundits — usually former players who themselves played under autocratic managers — have reinforced the view that it is the correct way to do things. The ‘continental structure’? Well that is not to be trusted. It works in Europe but it just isn’t the way things are done in England, apparently.
Things, however, are slowly changing as a director of football or technical director figure becomes more common at clubs around the country. However, the transfer committee is seen as something different again and as such makes it an entity not to be trusted in the eyes of some supporters. However, this extract from Gary Neville’s recent Telegraph column, in which he spoke to Southampton technical director Les Reed, suggests a transfer committee is far from being unique to Liverpool:
“With so many clubs making mediocre or outright bad decisions in the transfer market, I ask Reed who calls the shots at St Mary’s. January signings, for example, would involve him, the chief scout, the head of recruitment and, of course, Koeman. “The first stage is – what do we think we need?” Reed starts out. “We audit the squad. Then Ronald might say – we need another winger, or cover at centre-back, or whatever. We then have a discussion about the type of player. The coach can then leave the recruitment department to discuss potential targets, and these would then be set out for Ronald — ‘Do they fit, what would be your preferences in order?'”
We know little for certain about Liverpool’s transfer committee but what we do know sounds very similar to the way things work at Southampton, a club that has excelled in the transfer market in the past couple of years. Indeed, while Reed oversees all football matters at the club, when it comes to transfers, the biggest difference between the systems at Liverpool and Southampton seems to be that Liverpool have given the individuals involved a collective name — making it a ‘thing’, a specific group that can be easily identified and subsequently blamed if things go wrong.
The process may not be perfect and the results so far certainly have not been, but to suggest that it is solely responsible, or even the main reason, for what occurred on the pitch between the end of August and the middle of December would seem to be a very simplistic view based on a severely limited number of facts.
That particular viewpoint, for example, ignores the abandonment of a style of play that brought Liverpool so close to that elusive nineteenth league title during the second half of last season. The idea that without Suarez and Daniel Sturridge playing in such a manner was impossible has been quashed in the past month and a half. The clinical finishing may have been lacking but the fast-paced attacking football and intensity off the ball has returned. It is no coincidence that results have improved as a result.
Equally, a lack of coaching time, while a valid point, was hardly unexpected. Of course, new players take time to adapt and become entirely familiar with how things work at a new club under a new manager but should that mean a complete change in approach until they are fully integrated? Surely that would also mean coaching players to enable them to play in a certain way and then asking them to play in an entirely different style come match day?
Does this mean that instead the manager is entirely to blame for the wrongdoings this season and the committee are blameless? Of course not. The point is that is not as clear cut as that. What is clear though is that however things are structured at the club regarding transfers, it is has not produced the results that many would have liked, or even expected, given the outlay.
We simply cannot know for certain whether compromises have been made in terms of which players have been brought in. It would perhaps explain why players have arrived only to show themselves to be entirely unsuited to the way in which Rodgers’ Liverpool wants to play. But even that remains little more than conjecture.
It makes sense that this is what could have happened, plenty of people have stated their belief that it is what has happened and indeed it could have actually happened — but without being present at specific meetings between the individuals responsible for Liverpool’s transfer dealings, we cannot be sure.
What we do know is how the team played in the last match: the personnel, the formation, the style and the result. The football.
So often the thing that we all claim to be so passionate about is ignored in favour of discussion of club politics and management structures. These things are important to the success of a club but they are nothing compared to the what goes on on the pitch every weekend for 10 months of the year. The football is what we are in this for, the end result of all that has gone before it.
There will always be speculation and undoubtedly we will all find ourselves drawn into the discussion conjecturing with the best of them.
But rather than continuously search for the unknowable truth of what goes on behind the scenes, surely we would be better off focusing on and discussing the things we can see actually see — the matters on the pitch.
The football.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe-Propaganda
Good piece- but surely the biggest issue has been a bedding in period for the younger players not the purchases themselves?
Yes they are starting to prove their value, but this period must have always been expected. We knew we needed to flesh out the squad after last year, so investing the Suarez money in 1/2 superstars would have left us again with a strong 11 but no depth.
I think investing in potential with the knowledge that we would need be set back initially was the only route. Add the Sturridge injury into the mix and I think it goes a long way to exonerating BR
Our problems this season are a direct result of losing all but one constant (skrtel) in our defence and losing Reina in a wage cull. And lets throw in Lovren who just can’t handle the pressure,
We have had Johnson constantly injured and not much use when he’s not, Enrique has also had a long term injury problem and also getting past it. Therefore we’ve had to rely on the kids brought in in the summer as long term prospects not intended to be thrown in en force at the deep end.
Then the midfield, Alan constantly injured just when it looked like he was about to be useful, Lallana who was injured before the season started, shades of a certain Italian. Markovic and Can have struggled but it’s not their fault as Rodgers up to now has had to find a way to use them.
Lastly we lost Suarez before the season started and Sturridge after a couple of games, Lambert was not expected to play the way they did he was intended to be a game changer if things weren’t going to plan. Balotelli to be blunt has been a total disappointment and Borini the less said the better.
Everything has been thrown onto a lot of young shoulders supported by Lucas and Gerrard and too many supporters expected them to emulate last seasons performances, not a chance in hell.
For me, all the problems we’ve experienced this season are down to our poor recruitment in the summer.
We were losing Suarez and Sturridge had known, documented injury problems so we NEEDED to bring in a quality goal scorer that suited our style of play. We failed miserably on that account!!
As a result the system we played with last yr, with which we continued to play early this season was not suitable. Gerrard, playing deep didn’t have enough willing runners in front of him to play those long decisive passes, the new forwards weren’t closing the opposition defence which meant the opposition could come at us with ease. Any chances we did create didn’t have anyone good enough to finish them. The lack of mobility up top was a major issue. We then had to compromise our attacking instincts in order to find a system that suited the forward we did have but that still didn’t work. We only looked back to anything near like the team last yr when we dropped our existing strikers and started playing Sterling up front who knew what was expected from last yr. He would close down the opposition, press high and was a willing runner when we were in possession meaning opposition defence was getting pulled to and fro. Unfortunately he’s not the complete finisher we needed and still we struggled to score.
We also brought in quite a few inexperienced youngsters in Can, Markovic, Moreno and Manquillo. All from other countries and different leagues so were naturally going to take time to settle. We had our own youngsters who are still finding their way too. I’m not against bringing in quality youngsters but bringing in so many in positions we needed was gonna pose problems.
I don’t think anyone’s gonna convince me Lallana was worth the £25mil. In the future he might change my mind but not at the min. That’s not to say I don’t like him, I do, he can be very good at times but hes been fairly inconsistent so far this season and that may be down to injuries too but for £25mil I kinda expect more from a player.
Sometimes I think Rodgers throws in too many new players at once into the team, especially players from foreign leagues who may need time to settle. Early this season we often played with 3 new players in the back 4 with another 2/3 new players up front. Surely that’s just asking for problems? Would it not be better easing the new players in slowly, maybe only 1/2 start a new league allowing them to find their way?!
Sturridge may or may not stay fit for the rest of the season. If he does stay fit we have a decent chance of finishing fourth but if that gamble backfires it will cost us tens of millions and I predict we will find it mighty difficult to get back into the top 4 for quite some time. The longer you are out of it the harder it is to get back in. Recruiting new players becomes increasingly difficult and retaining the best of your own can be hard too.
The scale of the inquest that some fans seem to feel is necessary following the first half of this season surprises me. Of course it’s not been good – at times it’s been woeful – but after a season which was always bound to be followed by a correcting of expectations, and a summer in which one of the best players in the world left and a half-dozen youngsters of limited experience arrived, is it any surprise that the team’s performances haven’t been wonderful for a few months?
Some of those new signings, after only a few short months, are starting to show real promise and, lo and behold, may not be the flops they were widely reported to be after only half a season after all. And what’s that? It’s taken Rodgers half a season to adjust to losing the two most prolific strikers in the country and integrate a bunch of new youngsters into the squad? Is that so unforgivable?
It seems to me that after a few difficult months, which should always have been expected to be challenging, Rodgers has once again got the team playing well, got new players starting to make valuable contributions, instilled his playing style into the new additions, and all this with Gerrard being relied upon less and Sturridge only now returning to the squad.
I always felt like an inquest was premature, and now, after our so-called ‘crisis’, a top-four berth still seems a very realistic target for the next four months. Can’t everyone just try and be a little less short-termist and have a bit more faith in the manager?
Liverpool were in a unique position in the summer. There was a lot of suspicion that Suarez would leave after his exploits the previous summer so his leaving wouldn’t have been exactly as surprise. We had just came within 90mins of winning the league playing fantastic football along the way. We had guaranteed CL football the next season and we had ALOT of money to spend in the summer. Add to all that we had a fan base that was expecting a slight step back in league position and was relatively OK with that.
However it was much more than a slight step back.
We singularly failed to bring in an adequate replacement for Suarez/back up to Sturridge and it has hurt us massively. We sit 7th in the league because of it (and we’re only there because the teams around us have been so inconsistent), we’re out of the CL because of it and we’re out of the League Cup Final because of it.
This isn’t the first time we’ve fucked up recently during transfer windows so I’m sure you can understand why fans want to know why we have done it again especially considering the positive position we were in and the ramifications of getting it wrong?
I think lovren has proved as a wastage of money also borini is also unable to prove himself.I think letting Agger go was foolishness and also I donot understand why liverpool has spend so heavily on Sakho,lovren and johnson.Please bring Agger and Lavezzi to the anfield.Also think for Zlatan.
Liverpool forever.
For everyone claiming we should have got a replacement for Suarez, I still haven’t heard many options of who that should have been. Of the players that moved clubs last window, only Sanchez would have come close to replacing Suarez, and I don’t think we can just expect to trump Arsenal whenever we feel like it. As Neil said at the start of the season, Sturridge was meant to replace Suarez, and Sterling and Coutinho replace Sturridge. All going well, we will see how that is meant to work now, and I for one am salivating.
Plus, the transfer committee did go out and by a big name in Balotelli. I’m sure if the deal had fallen through at the last minute, everyone would have been screaming how the transfer committee screwed up by not signing him. It was a gamble that didn’t pay off, but given Rodgers’ form with getting the best out of players it was not an unreasonable “calculated risk”. Someone said on here a few articles ago that they were sick of this Balotelli “doesn’t suit our style of play” nonsense, he wouldn’t suit anyone’s style of play at the moment. He has all the skills to suit our style of play, unlike someone like Carroll, he just seems to distracted or a little bit slow when it comes to understanding where he is meant to be running and and what he is meant to be doing.
Premature? Hardly. The manager had the side playing like shit and the committee wasted a massive amount of money and forgot to replace the best player in the side with someone that would allow the team to continue to play the same effective way, even though they’d be less goals.
Now FSG have skipped another signing window and probably assume Sturridge will score 30 goals and not break down again with us, let alone that tosser Hodgson.
There will be no CL next year, we’re back to Rafa’s final season, a huge squad, big comulative wages and an upper mid-table side, as we aren’t overtaking the mancs, arse, spurs and a soton that refuses to stop punching above their weight (like we did last season).
Paul. Your comments look the very definition of premature.
Nothing is settled until May. You might be proved right and we may not catch any of the teams ahead of us, but most would give us a chance of catching a couple of those teams.
Whether it was Rodgers and/or ‘the commitee’ they made a massive error in the Summer not signing a proven, pacey striker to replace Sturridge when he got injured.
I find it bizarre that Rodgers bombed Carroll out without giving him a chance then signed two target men, both worse players than Carroll.
That was Liverpool’s massive error last Summer and could yet cost us fourth if, IF Sturridge breaks down again before seasons end (God forbid)
That to me is the biggest question that needs answering. Rodgers made it very clear that Carroll was not the sort of forward he wanted, he was not mobile enough and had to go. Then he signs two forwards similar in style but inferior in quality. Complete madness and has no logic to it whatsoever. It’s not the committee that decides our style of play and decides who we need to get rid off, it’s Rodgers’ responsibility. So what happened?
Sturridge was Carroll’s replacement and I think we can all agree that was a good piece of business can’t we? Lambert was/is a decent sub/backup at 4m, Balotelli must have been a TC buy, mustn’t he?
James Pearce said something along the lines of, while Rodgers was interested in signing Bony after the Sanchez deal fell thru the committee left him with a decision between Balotelli and Eto so he gambled on Balotelli as there were only a couple days left of the window.
I think the main problem this season was sticking with players who were clearly costing us points.
It was obvious Lovren wasn’t working, Balotelli wasn’t working and there’s a good case that Johnson & Gerrard weren’t working. Real Madrid away – with the introduction of Can and Lucas – should have been a pointer to the way to go, but it wasn’t followed.
I get it – Lovren and Balotelli were expensive and/or big name signings, Gerrard is our captain, and managers seem to have problems in dealing with this for whatever reason(s). However you can’t throw away as many points as we did and expect to be in pole position for top 4 come turn of the season.
Some have likened the Gerrard situation to Robson for Man U – I think it’s closer to Ballack for Gemany circa 2010, personally…
Those of us that have likened the handling of the skipper to that of Bryan Robson were, on the whole, suggesting that Brendan follow Ferguson’s lead: a textbook example of how to manage a club legend towards the end of his career.
Good post btw.
Interesting point that! I kind of look back and think the Utd game was the start of the change but you’re probably right. Real away, (when everyone said what an embarrassment our team was) probably changed our season. As a result, the cries for Lucas to play, and without Gerrard alongside him grew louder and people wanted to see more of Can. It’s an obvious point but I hadn’t made the connection that the Madrid game was possibly the turning point.
The signings aren’t the problem: most of us were happy with the squad at the start of the season. The problems have been largely of the manager’s own making. The solution is similarly down to the manager, he just took a little too long to find it. If we finish in the top four, and I believe we’ve a real chance if Sturridge stays fit, we’ll have had a good season. It was always about consolidation this year. I started by saying the signing weren’t the problem: it was the players we didn’t sign that caused us problems. Lovren and Balotelli may yet come good, I doubt it, but they may. Can is a class act, cynical too. We need that.
Agree with this article. Fans are entitled to their opinion but judge without understanding the full picture. None of us know the full story. We not as rich as certain clubs and may have approached big name players who may have refused us. I believe in the current model of buying young and cheaper and developing players and that Rodgers is excellent at that. His summer buys were ridiculed but Can, Sakho, Markovic now seem excellent buys and will only get better. Success will come given time and if sturridge was less injured this season we would be at least 3rd now. Support and believe guys rather than jump to ridicule at the slightest errors.
As others have said, the main point is that we want to know what the hell went on behind the scenes when – if you believe the chatter – it had been clear internally since Nov 2013 that Suarez would leave.
With Sturridge’s injury record and the lack of first team strikers, it seems that LFC either assumed Sturridge wouldn’t get injured, Sterling would become a striker, or Borini would use his momentum at Sunderland to go to the next level.
Then LFC bought Plan B Lambert and right at the end of the window, after the manager categorically stated that Mario wouldn’t be recruited, we recruited Mario, a player patently unsuited to Rodgers game, as many have said.
Reus, Sanchez, Bony, Remy or someone else… we had time to get one of those deals right but we ended up with a player the manager couldn’t really use based on the potential to make a profit.
So yes I get that we shouldn’t waste our time trying to know things that we’ll never know, but I think us supporters are owed an HONEST explanation, as distinct from anything that comes from the mouth of Brendan Rodgers, who while being a promising young manager, is a total bull merchant.
Because someone isn’t doing their job properly and we paid the price this year. You can say Sanchez didn’t want to come or whatever but you can’t escape the fact that we had months to secure a replacement for Suarez and clearly the financial backing and we frittered it away. Will the person/people who got lazy or assumed too much get a free pass and make the same mistake again? How many times must this club suffer due to internal incompetence?
Let’s not let this one drop, au contraire there needs to actually be someone who will tell us how the steps to this shambles unfolded and who is brave enough to be accountable.
I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with this. We’re OWED an explanation? There’s probably a lot more consideration that football clubs should take of their fans (mainly in the areas of ticket pricing,mets.), but this demand is ludicrous.
I’ve grown up on the Liverpool Way and doing things behind closed doors. I think one of BR’s mistakes is NOT doing this enough. But demanding an explanation misses the point of this excellent article.
If you’ve been involved in any sort of management, you know that there are hundreds of variables, opinion, nuances, etc. Public explanations are not just unwise, but just about impossible to do. Where do you start? What do you include? How do you explain the dynamic processes and multi-layered issues involved?
The transformation over the last 12+ games has been remarkable, and we have the potential to redeem the season (top four finish). If BR didn’t turn it around, he would be rightly worrying for his job. (And of course, may still be if things suddenly go south). If we continue this progress, BR needs to be given the credit for it.
But if you’re waiting for an explanation, you’re dreaming, mate.
I feel everyone should read Tompkins articles on transfers, budgets, squad value, wages, turnover, FFP to get a clearer picture. The transfer policy pursued and Rogers then makes sense, (follow the Dortmund model, though not now I hope!, I think they are bottom:0)
Even to secure players such as Can, Sahko, Laz, big fees had to be paid to agents, and then as these players improve as young, plus Brendan’s coaching skills, their wages have to increase , just like with Coutinho,O,O,O! who I hope stays but all the contract means is Liverpool get whats he worth when the rich clubs come calling.
Liverpool are already under investigation regarding FFP I think, despite being in Deloite’s top ten, only club not in Champs league to be there, so owners have done well to trade on clubs name and history and increase revenue, but still 5th biggest squad value so anything above 5th place is punching above our weight, but We are Liverpool!
Real Madrid already the richest club are negotiating naming rights with Abu Dhabi, for the Benabeau, disgusting, will there soon be any major stadium not carrying a Corporations name in all sport?:(