12 Apr 2012

Is *this* the reason Comolli was axed by LFC? Lawro thinks so. Fair?

Earlier today, Liverpool announced the departure of Director of Football Damien Comolli. In its statement, the club stopped short of offering a specific reason, but Comolli claimed it was due to 'family reasons', which seems a little dubious, especially coming just two days before the FA Cup semi-final. Whether he was sacked, or left before being pushed, Liverpool legend Mark Lawrenson believes Comolli may have paid the price for something that was ultimately beyond his control.

Speaking to the BBC, Lawro argued:

"I'm not really sure whether he has paid the price for Liverpool's poor form; only the football club and Kenny Dalglish can answer that.

"From the outside, Comolli was involved in all those deals involving Henderson, Downing, Carroll and Adam, and they have been, at best, average for Liverpool this year. So, yes, it may well be the case [that he's paying the price for LFC's poor form]"


Soon after the Comolli announcement, Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish admitted that he was responsible for all transfers over the last 18 months:

"Everyone who has come into the club since Damien has been here was of my choice. Once I made the choice who I wanted, Damien went away and did a fantastic job of bringing them in".

I don't think Comolli was sacked because of LFC's poor performance on the field; Dalglish was/is responsible for choosing/training/motivating/preparing the players, so the buck obviously stops with him. In what way can Comolli credibly be blamed for the worst league run in 60 years?

Liverpool grossly overpaid for some average players during Comolli's tenure but it's not as if he acted alone; FSG presumably have to sign off on transfers, and they have a choice whether to sanction such huge fees.

It's possible that Dalglish just couldn't work effectively with a Director of Football, and if that were the case, I wouldn't blame him. Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger wouldn't tolerate it, and I'm sure Rafa Benitez would've raised hell at the mere mention of the idea (!).

I personally believe, however, that the opposite may be true - Dalglish and Comolli probably had a great working relationship, and in their infinite delusion, they possibly believed they'd done a fantastic job in the transfer market (!) Indeed, their public statements on the issue would seem to back this up.

For example, Dalglish recently offered the following preposterous assessment of his summer signings:

"These players have done fantastically well and if anyone is going to come in they will have to be a hell of a player to do better than what this group has done. These boys are in pole position and they are sitting there comfortable; not one of them can be disappointed with what they have contributed this season"

Comolli echoed Dalglish's view with his similarly dubious assessment::

"I would really struggle to say we need something because I think we have such a complete squad at the moment"

If Roy Hodgson had made statements like these about his signings, there would've been blood on the streets.

Thankfully, FSG ignored these absurd delusions and saw the alarming reality that most fans (of sound mind) accept, specifically the abject failure of Dalglish and Comolli to implement a successful transfer strategy.

The irony here is that it took outsiders with no real knowledge of English football to see through the propaganda being peddled by two vastly experienced football men.

Tom Werner's statement on the Comolli issue was also very interesting. He said:

"The Club needs to move forward and we now have a huge game on Saturday. It is important that everyone joins us in supporting the manager and gets behind Kenny and the team and focuses on a strong finish to the season."

He makes a point of urging everyone to 'support the manager', which suggests that he's aware that Fans are dissatisfied with Dalglish's performance this season. Additionally, Werner's reference to a 'strong finish' to the season seems to be an implicit warning to Dalglish himself: finish the season strongly our you're next on the chopping block.

Last week, I posted an article showing how John Henry can be ruthless with failing managers:

Red Sox Collapse: Why Dalglish could soon be sacked by FSG

Today's events just reinforce my belief that Dalglish will be gone sooner rather than later.

Jaimie Kanwar


186 comments:

  1. The first important decision by our Principal Owner John W. Henry and Chairman Thomas Werner.  I am smelling are more such important decisions to follow!  This shows their pure determination to get things finally right and transform the fortunes of our beloved club!

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  2. Choose players ---> Comolli + KK
    Negotiate and agree fees ---> Comolli
    Sign the cheques ---> owners

    The team is still in the midst of transformation, and the players are still trying to gel. Guess where it all went wrong? The over-inflated prices of course! Comolli has to go, no questions about that. 

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  3. Or the space is being made for Kenny to move upstairs and everyone's beloved Rafa to make a reappearance!

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  4. 2 news today one good and one bad, the good is obviously that the french has gone, and the bad one just heard howard webb is the ref on saturday, I think the game is almost lost now!!

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  5. Well surely all concerned at the club had some idea of the budget they were working with and how much these players could possibly cost as well as the limit. If not, KK might as well have put forward names like Sneijder, Rooney, Higuain, Ronaldo, Messi, etc.

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  6. Interesting point of view Jamie...

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  7. Kenny cannot come out and say that he didn't want the players in the first place ... think about it.  

    He NEVER slates players in public, and how de-motivating would it be before the semi final for him to say he didn't want them in the first place.  

    We'll know the truth at the end of the season.  If Kenny stays on as manager then it's pretty obvious Commoli had a lot of say in the transfers.  

    Personally, I think the league table is a little false right now as we have squandered so many points through bad finishing (and bad luck).  With average finishing we'd be 10-12 points better off.  With good finishing we'd be 19 points to the good.  

    As for the brand of football, for the first time in 20 years we're regularly playing attractive stuff.  Not every week, but certainly most, and for the main part we've battered teams at home, including Man City, Arsenal, ManU and more, just didn't get the rewards.  

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  8. Liverpool-kopsucks2:00 pm, April 12, 2012

    coming only 2 days before a semi final I would say family reasons are a perfectly viable reason. In fact more so than your suggestion.

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  9. You sure he was the one that negotiated the transfer fees? I always thought Comoli was just a scout with an over the top job title.

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  10. Everyone? Only a handful perhaps.

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  11. I thought Wenger was quite a big fan of David Dein, non? Or did Dein have a different role to Comolli? As i thought he was heavily involved in the transfer side. The man was key in bringing Bergkamp and this was before Wenger I think. The likes of Ljungberg and Henry were quite disappointed with his departure. Transfers side though, he wasn't perfect that is for sure with certain question marks such as getting Arsenal to play CL at Wembley (a wider pitch than Highbury, which had a impact on on Arsenal's style), selling shares to Usmanov, his son getting wealthy of Arsenal-related transfers (Cesc for example), etc. 


    I think with Dein gone, Wenger has had to more than just manage, he has had to run almost the whole show. Some Arsenal fans might argue that this isn't a good thing.

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  12. The first important decision by our Principal Owner John W. Henry and Chairman Thomas Werner.  I am smelling are more such important decisions to follow!  This shows their pure determination to get things finally right and transform the fortunes of our beloved club!

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  13. Of course the owners and KK knows about the fees that Comolli agreed to. But to put all the blame on KK's feet is to say that the director of football (everything minus team management) did not do his job. And that is not fair to Comolli. No?

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  14. I'm not putting ALL the blame on KK's feet, I am putting some of it there and merely disagreeing with those trying to absolve KK's failings in the transfer market and those that imply that KK basically didn't have a clue about possible expenditure needed to sign those players.

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  15. somebody is on way too

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  16. The user before me makes an interesting point. Usually in football upper manangement fires/releases individuals at what they would see as the right time. If they wanted to fire Comolli they would've waited after the FA Cup semi and use a loss to justify his firing. I could only think that "family reasons" or gross disrespect toward to owners on a specific issue/s are the reasons for his departure

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  17. robster4. How right you are. The beautiful football is there for every anti KD LFC fan to see minus the results. Frustration because lack of results. KD will get the right players to do it. Now he is in control. Comolli had the reigns on scouting and recruitment. KD is being diplomatic and taking the blame for DC as he has been the whole season for the flop signings. There is still hope yet.

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  18. I think KK asked for british players and comolli brought the best of the rest.  Its a shame comolli has gone as he was responsible for bringing in bale, berbatov, huddlestone and modric to the premiership!!

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  19. You know better managers than him? Would have loved to see the likes of Ferguson and mourinho play under the clowns we used to have as owners!

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  20. David Dein was not a DoF. He was on the board of executives, possibly even a director.

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  21. Ah ok but still had a big role in transfers and taking the heat off Wenger, non. Basically was a 'DoF' in a lot of ways, me thinks from the outside looking in.

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  22. We can only speculate for now. But the facts are the following:
    (i) JH specifically wanted the club to buy British talent, young if preferable;
    (ii) in CHAD, let's face it, many of us, not only Commoli, did see some talent, certainly before they joined LFC;
    (iii) And so, Commoli, along with KK, signed these 4 British players.

    Is it Commoli's fault that CHAD did not deliver ? I don't think so. These 4 players have to shoulder some responsibilty for our shoddy performance this year.

    And so does KK, as Manager, and especially if he maintains that he, and not Commoli, is responsible for identifying players.

    So why did Commoli leave then ? Quite possibly due to family reasons, additionally given the timing.

    Or, as a scapegoat. JH will not want a riot on his hands by getting rid of KK so early in his second stint. I think KK will remain for at least one more season.

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  23. So Comolli sacked. FSG show they are ready to make decisions.

    But does anyone seriously think that Kenny will now be in charge of the coming summer transfers?  Or a new Director of Football will be appointed?

    Clearing decks for the new manager, it is. And I think FSG already know who it will be.

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  24. Is it possible that Comolli actually threw in the towel himself??  Maybe he was fed-up copping all the blame for what Dalglish acknowledges were his choices. Maybe he just felt he doesn't need this cr*p in his life. I really don't think FSG would shoot themselves in the foot by firing key personnel at this particular juncture.  If indeed they did, then I don't hold out hope for KD staying beyond the end of the season.

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  25. Joannegreenhough052:32 pm, April 12, 2012

    another negative report by the manc fan JAIMIE KANWAR who blocks me for saying the truth.lol

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  26. KD is slyly tryimg to point the blame at Commolli by saying he told him the players he wanted then Commolli went away and came back with them gift wrapped.I dont believe Dalglish wouldnt have had any input in the value of the players before they payed up,your not telling me he couldnt have said look dont pay £35m for an injured Carroll its too much wait til the summer then get someone for half the price better.Well done John Henry one down 3 to go,then all LFCs fans dreams are about to come true in the summer with the reyrn of Rafa.Get in there.

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  27. Please, I implore you, come up with some new material! This 'manc in disguise' malarkey is such a cliche now, yet people say it with glee like they're the first to ever think of it!

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  28. Good point, Dean. It's definitely a possibility.

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  29. which ever way u look at it he(camoli) is gone,the under performing signings regardless of who wanted them was his responsibility ( director of football responsible for finding potential in young players and buying them for a relatively cheap price and selling for a profit in the future  

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  30. which obviously has gone wrong because the signings were not cheap and has yet to work out

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  31. Many people are against the idea of bringing back Rafa but I can't see any better candidate who is available and might be ready to come to Liverpool.
    Anyone else can ? 

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  32. Spot on! It's the valuations that we have paid rather than the players themselves, that's pi$sed everyone off big time. Henderson, I really do think will end up being a top player for us. But at the time of purchase, massively overpriced, same for Carroll & Downing. Had we bought Carroll at say 10mill MAX, he would have been allowed the time to flourish but because of the price we bought him for, we expect instant success.

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  33. but yet he got fired from spurs as well didn,t he

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  34.  While I would love to see Rafa back, I still believe in Kenny to get it right. Don't make the same mistakes that the anti Rafa's made, in letting him go after 1 backward season. Allow Kenny the 1 season to get as back on track. If he can't, then I'm sure he'll go of his own accord. Fergie had 4 backward season's in the 7 years running up to his first title win. PERSPECTIVE!!

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  35. the guys speaking the truth

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  36. Then you think they,ll bring him back and split the club all over

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  37. haha ha if hes so good why is he out of work

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  38. Well he can hardly say they were crap now can he, especially since we can't sign anyone to replace them

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  39. Today's news strongly hints at the way being cleared for Optimus Benitez's returning to reclaim the Liverpool Matrix of Leadership.

    If anyone senior in the FSG hierarchy reads this (even by chance) please...just make it happen.

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  40. Still trying to figure you out Kanwar. You disliked Rafa; you LOVED Roy; you really really hate Kenny. Are you a member of the press in disguise ?

    One thing I do side with you on is that you disagree with the Rafa maniacs wanting him back. The man's a legend for Istanbul and the FA Cup win but he lost the plot at the end and deserved to go in my opinion. Calling for his return is lunacy.

    Regarding Camolli, I never saw the point of him being there if he didn't have 100% responsibility for the transfers. Despite what Kenny said (loyalty again), I think he did and that's why he's on his way.

    Win or lose on Saturday, I still think Kenny's the man for the job and most fellow Scousers, I'm sure, agree.

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  41. Hes out of work because the top jobs are very few.Rafa is favourite for the Real Madrid job,Fav for the LFC job and in the top few favourites to be next manager of every top job that will come up.Put it this way if the Real Madrid job comes up Rafa is favourite I wonder if the King will get an interview,now that is something to laugh about.hahahaha

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  42. I don't know why people think the director of football model doesn't work in england. At man utd, the scouting department draws up a list of players who meet the clubs criteria, the head scout brings the list to ferguson. Ferguson has a look at them, picks one, and David Gill does the negotiations. 

    At liverpool the scouting department draws up a list of players that meet the clubs criteria, Comolli brings them to Kenny Dalglish. he looks at them, and picks one, then Comolli does the negotiations. It just means that the head of scouting does the negotiations as well. The manager is still picking the players.  The only difference between the two set ups is that man utd's list is a lot better than the liverpool one. 

    So in effect, Comolli is being fired because his list included some terrible players that king kenny unfortunately selected. 

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  43. Chi Bai lu, my Puki Emak tells me that Comolli paid his price as what Lawro suggested.

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  44. I did not 'love' Hodgson; I stated countless times in various articles that he was not the long-term answer. I defended him against disgracful treatment from the fanbase, Just as I would any LFC manager.

    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: Is *this* the reason Comolli was axed by LFC? Lawro thinks so. Fair? | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  45. Hope you're right - I'm not anymore

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  46. Get the Rafa, the man who destroyed the Treble winning Inter Milan? You kidding right? I'll take Hogson anytime.

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  47. KD will be shunted in to DC's job and a new man appointed in KD's place. When ? Who ? As Johnny Mathis said 'No One knows'

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  48. I don't understand why Rafa is even considered in the first place. He had more than enough time to prove himself in Liverpool and when he doesn't he was excused for it cos he does not have the right players. Point taken cos he did not have the support of the owners. So he moves to a club with players who had achieved the 3 major trophies and he runs it to the ground. And after that he is still regarded as the best candidate to manage a team with mediocre players? That doesn't make sense at all. If his managerial abilities is purely judge by that one night at Istanbul then I guess the fans calling

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  49. Sorry Mate but how exactly did Benitez destroy Inter Milan , By selling 1 player and Keeping the same squad that Jose had. Simple , it's the same as AVB at Chelsea , the players didn't like Benitez and got him the bullet after 5 months and I'll remind you , in his short time there , he won a trophy 

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  50.   Is this the Liverpool way? Get i right first time or your out? Seems like the Chelsea way to me and it's working for them isn't it?
      Is discussing who's to blame for signing who for how much money for months on end going to fix anything? Is Kenny coming out and saying i signed Carroll sorry he's crap going to help the lad? Think about it for a bit.  The way Liverpool have dominated most teams this season tells me not alot needs fixing. I'm sure if Kenny was blessed with hindsight like alot in this forum he wouldn't have signed a couple of the players he has.  Who's ever got it right first time? I'm sure he's aware of what needs fixing and he'll fix it.  Kenny's record speaks for itself and he needs 1 more season to adjust the side.  If he fails 2nd time, get someone else. With Blackburn he went from 2nd division to 4th in the league to champions in his 3rd season. He signed Alan Shearer. He knows what he's doing.  Surely you all aren't serious about bringing Rafa back? Please NO

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  51. Going off-base there as I didn't say in that post that KK needed to go with Comolli.

    Anyhoo, to be fair, one didn't need hindsight as to how baffling it is spend £35m on Carroll.

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  52. jamie, please block this moron. the first six words he's saying was " your mom's pus*y,you motherf**cker" in chinese & malay. block this ignorant bast**rd. i'm from Malaysia & sick and tired of this clown. you're not funny ashfah. you're just a sucker & disgrace

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  53. I LOVE RAFA BENITEZ, KENNY'S BONY ASS CAN GTFO OUT OF RAFA'S CHAIR

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  54. Easier to get rid of DC first and then KK after if things get worse til end of season. Getting Rafa in or a similar singularly minded manager would be difficult with DC in place so getting rid now makes sense.

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  55. THOSE SCUM WOULD HAVE RAN AWAY AND QUIT

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  56. 1,2,3; RAFA BENITEZ

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  57. No need to speculate.  Read the interview with Tom Werner at the LFC site and it will be clear that Comolli was let go due to a combination of differing views and poor results in League play that only served to exacerbate the need for a change.  Doing this now allows them to find a replacement sooner rather than later.

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  58. If fsg don't get Rafa back this summer when he is ready and available, it will be an great opportunity missed. Because at the start of next season Rafa will be at a top club. And if that club is not LFC then we won't see Rafa at liverpool for a long time. I truly believe that he will be back at LFC in the future, because he will be successful where ever he goes next, and then when he is successful elsewhere we will all want him then.

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  59. So it wasn't for 'family reasons', a messy situation gets even messier.

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  60. i don't think mr.henry et al really need a scapegoat ?, they are well within their rights to sack whoever based on performance in their given job.

    they don't come across as the clandestine type (scapegoats etc).

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  61. yes; i don't think manc's are capable of double-bluffing ?

    everton fan maybe ?

    (joke)

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  62. Remember KK words on signing these players. They are for the future and not for just one season. I agree they have not come up to expectations this season but time will tell if they come good or not,at least another season should be given. This year we purchased a lot of new first 11 players, nearly all the middfield and front are new. To many in my opinion to expect to gel emediatly. I feel now we should be only looking at possible two new players in each transfer period, Top quality in the region of 30m up eg world class. This year has been about building a squad up, So lets not sell lets now increase the quality with two world class players in the next transfeer period, whilest still increasing the youth.

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  63. That is the one good thing about doing this as quickly as possible, to give the new DoF or whatever he is the chance to bed down and plan for the summer. Would have been nice to do it not before Wembley game but it is what it is and the right thing not to wait till summer.

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  64. inter milan were injury PLAGUED at the time, rafa was given no money to replenish the squad (despite moratti giving loads to previous managers AND probably promising benitez some (rafa probably wouldn't have taken the job otherwise).

    look at inter's current progress in seria a / europe

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  65. You don't get to be the top ranking team in europe by winning the champions league alone it is over a number of years 5 I think.

    You can't come second in the league and expect to take that one step further be by making a profit in the transfer market, which LFC did two summers in a row.

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  66. Theycallmemrburt4:57 pm, April 12, 2012

    I truly believe that Kenny already knows his summer fate.  It would explain an awful lot.  When FSG appointed Commoli and Dalglish they were described as "major gambles".  A year on and I believe we have cut our losses which is definitely to the credit of the owners. 

    Ironically the same way nearly all fans waited in anticipation for confirmation of Dalglish's appointment we could all now be waiting for official confirmation on his exit. 

    The league cup and FA cup do not pay the bills anymore, they probably don't even cover young Raheems wages.  Football is a business and FSG have just made a business decision.  Top four was the target but we are closer to the bottom four. 

    I also hope FSG have learnt NEVER to let the fans hearts rule their decisions.  A lot of our fans have basically given Kenny free reign to destroy LFC in whatever manner he chose simply because of his legendary status....shame on you!!

    If the fans call for RAFA, FSG should look the other way sharpish.  A great tactician that he is, we don't need another manager who immediately makes fans reach for the rose tinted specs.


    It will be over soon......WE are the resistance......

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  67. Dr Peter Brukner Head of Sports Medicine and Sports Science has left his post as well. High lighted earlier in the season the players are fit energy wise but lack speed and movement don't look light on their feet when we attack.

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  68.  Sure; if you have very big hands.

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  69. Well I hope he does it in time before we are relegated which at current form is a strong possibility next seasaon!

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  70. I would like to get a view of the teams salary spending per week. Only then can we see that the signing fee Liverpool paid was too much. The owners themselves wanted a shake up on wages, maybe we bought crap players, so we can pay them less in wages, saving money in the long run. Funny how Suarez became our best player, and is negotiating a new deal, no doubt he is raising his wages. 

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  71. its interesting he has gone and the words werner used, he siad comoli was not the right person to take the clubs football strategy forward.

    plus that dalgilsh position would not be changed and they were happy with the manager,

    i think we dont know who really choose the players, but werners statement suggest it was comolli. In baseball they have GM who picks the players and the manager does game tactics.

    that was comolis role, the fact KK has said thye were his choices means nothing , KK best and worst piots are his loyalty, he would protect anyone to his detriment, he should do a wenger and say he didnt see hear or say anything,

    this also means though that expect some players in in the summer, :)

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  72. The americans have made this decision 2 days before the semifinal letting the fans know in advance whats going to happen at the end of the season.Commolli is not wanted anymore,he was part of a partnership that has failed.The other half of the partnership will oversee this mess until the end of the season,then unless you only have a few brain cells everyone knows KD will be out.No sentiment no statue just a case of leave and dont come back youve caused enough damage.The americans will look at Rafas reign and be drooling in anticipation of bringing him home to line the americans pockets with his success,just like he lined the last yanks pockets,god bless Rafa

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  73. Im interested in who this great manager is who you think is better than dalglish, who would you have and please dont say mourihno as he is to expensive and needs a huge wage bill.

    we spent 100 mil and sold 60 mil worth of players, chealsea have spent 950 million and man city 400 million so far. man u are 750 million in debt.

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  74. £3 million for winning the FA Cup TV rights sold to 96 countries audience of 500 million sure it isn't worth winning?
    Was the resistance responsible for Comolli leaving? Who has infiltrated the Liverpool board?

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  75. rafa will be a top club, why do you say this, i liked rafa but he did go a bit mad at the end due to the pressure. There are no top clubs after him at all ? he is under rated.

    i hope dalglish is given another year with gerrard and suarez for whole season and wider goal we have hit woodwork so many times this year. if he doesnt perform then , it will be goodbye but its to realy right now. patience is needed like man u gave fergie.

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  76. welll said chris  couldnt agree more time for common sense 

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  77. Whilst I used to like Rafa in his earlier days with us.. I also believe that he took all the credits with Houllier's team. But what did he pass on to Hogson? A team taken apart because "he did not get anymore funds from the owners". And guess why Inter Milan decided that enough is enough? Because Rafa kept asking for money.. and they have seen what he did to LFC.

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  78. David Dien would be the man we need! Stadium development, players brought(nearly all the players brought DD was involved) and is well in with the FA!

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  79. Spot on! Rafa took the glory but it was a team built by Houllier. I wish to see KK succeed for as many years as possible. But if he were to be replaced.. Houllier would be the man.. no Rafa.. please no Rafa.

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  80. More likely FSG has read about Rafa's "achievements" at Inter Milan, and are fearful of a man asking for money all the time.

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  81. Didn't you start a hate-KK campaign? And all your hate posts criticizing LFC? What do you actually like about the club that you count yourself a fan? Just curious.

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  82. houllier had a cr@p team, think about it how many players would you really like to play for LFC for more than a season? Hyppia, henchoz, hamann, apart form that carra stevie and who else? getting Garcia and Alonso improved that team immensely that was the reason why we went that far and won champions league oh and dudek. The Players benefited from the change of tactics and manager that's all, saying that rafa winning CPL with houllier's team is a joke. He implemented the tactics made the right substitutes he and stevie are the architects tbh

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  83. what i don't understand is why Dalglish plays those players all the time?? he believes in them he seems to delighted with them, so he must have wanted them , he wasn't blindly following comolli

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  84. Comolli leaving is a precursor to a new manager joining that, similar to any other club, will not want to work with a "Director of Football". This suggests that "negotiations" are ongoing with said manager, and that this action signals FSG's intent to bring him in.

    KK will be either dismissed or moved into another role, away from 1st team responsibilities, e.g. ambassadorial. As the new manager will not want any influence/interference into the running of team affairs.

    If a new manager comes in then I suspect that they will want to bring their own people, so expect Clarke, Lee, etc to be moved on.

    Candidates (and Rafa will not be among them, as league success is key for FSG) with proven Premiership ability:

    Ancelloti
    Mourinho
    Van Gaal

     

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  85.  I thought it should the best for the KK and Comolli to go together. It's quite incredible for folks to think that KK is not responsible for paying ridiculous high fees for those at best mediocre British players. 35 mil pounds for AC, a half-season premiership young Brit player, will remain a laughing stock in the football world for a long time to come.

    KK and Comolli defenders please do not form that rocket-science equation by saying AC + Suarez = 6 mil pounds net spending. Torres bought 25 mils sold 50 mils is excellent business but 35 mils for AC is a total, complete failure and disastrous deal. Reasons given such as they are players for the future is crap as prospect players are never in that price bracket. 7 mils for Adebayor and 3 mils for Van Persie are considered prices for prospect players.

    For tactical aspect of our games, it remains a myth for me why are Maxi, Bellamy and youngsters always dropped to make way for those very expensive but constantly under-performing new signings. Player selection is based tactically or politically? Anyway, there are simply too many heart-aching home games to watch this season. Is it plain "unlucky" or is it the ineptness of players and manager in our team, throwing 30 shots at opponents but failure to win matches.

    At the end of the day, the league table does not lie, we are 33 points off the top and 13 points off 4th place. It is either we are tactically off or the players playing are simply not good enough. Let's hope FSG can send those top people responsible packing. Now 1 is already off, another should get ready... 

     

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  86. hahahahahahahaha houllier hahahahahahahaha, seriously check your head

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  87. *Belief is of the essence. Let's not give up hope. Win, Lose or Draw part n parcel of the game.*
    *But outside forces like AF* cronies will always undermine us. We must fight corruption in football.*
    *Football players and MANAGERS should be banned from owning race horses. this can influence refs, officials, even rival team managers with tips for big winnings. stakes are high in horse racing. Ban AF* from management or get him to sell his horses. 20 years of corruption and manipulation has to stop.*
    *
    *
    **AF- Axel Folly.
    *

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  88. ....yes but at the end of the day, the crapling and sweet F.A. cup will be a sugar pill for the bitter season .. SHOULD (big ask) we win the fa also.

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  89. I personally believe this is a start of KD downfall. Comolli exit would definitely would bring negative impact (mentally/player moral) to his signings, specially Carroll, Henderson, Downing. If I remember correctly Suarez, Enrique were an acquisition of DC. Whereas Adam, Henderson, Downing, Carroll were a signing of KD. If DC is to be replaced by someone soon, then I think this strategy would not fit for Rafa because he had mentioned numerous time that he wants full control in transfer activity. Today KD publicly admitted that all signings were him the one. Probably KD have already know that he is next in the chop list. I personally think that Rafa has unfinished business and he has to come back. He spent 6-7years with LFC, but it was nothing like what are going thru now (worst run in history) In 7 years, we were superior in CL, how many finals... unbelievable. I wish for Rafa return but I dont think that would happen...

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  90. no, remember the trouble he went to to try and shave suarez's price down, flying to holland (pissing off de boer in the process), also on lfc tv he seemed to be the one meeting and greeting and showing the new players around melwood etc.

    ...although, you have to wonder what he did (how great the workload was) away from transfer windows, "scouting" ...and? for i assume a healthy pay packet? ...game of champ manager anyone ?

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  91. Real madrid, man city, chelsie, tottenham one of these teams if not lfc.
    He didn't go mad as you put it, it was just he felt like he was fighting a loosing battle with the owners. Come on which other top club in the world make a profit in two consecutive transfer windows and still intend to fight for honours.

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  92. sorry I have had many rows with JK he is defo a red and ardent supporter he just does it from a different point of view.  

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  93. ANYONE next season will be A LOT more successful, be it kenny or whoever, for the simple reason lucas (fingers crossed), will be back!!!

    i can not emphasise this point ENOUGH

    kenny; with a fully fit lucas, i mean squad, will do indefinitely better.

    midfield has been shocking;

    poor supply to the 1(GRRRR)/2 strikers; i feel sorry for caroll.

    i wish you well lucas !!!

    (i don't mean lucas playing all "al la" alonso straight through to caroll, just bossing midfield so gerrard (or whoever(?)) can get forward, be more creative (safe in the knowledge lucas is behind them) and help out our attack).

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  94. on transfer price:

    ...it's torres' fault really

    apart from downing, i dunno WTF whoever was thinking with that one !!

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  95. You must see that money will be required this summer to
    develop the team. It is a shame though that so much of it was frivolously wasted last summer on
    players that would historically not be deemed fit for LFC. Imagine what Optimus Benitez would have done with the funds afforded last summer. Perhaps a few duds here and there but some superb players would have been acquired too.

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  96. It looks like "some people really can't see a priest on a mountain of sugar"! 

    Oh but I forgot that this site is more concerned with rubbishing Rafa at all costs, despite all the evidence to the contrary.Should rename this site to Liverpool-Kop-imbecile-group.com.

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  97. and he brought bentley, jenas, gilberto, woodgate, taarabt, zokora, corluka, hutton, dos santos, pavlyuchenko and gomes to spurs too and where are all those flop shows now?

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  98. You Know a lot about Arsenal .......... I wonder ???

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  99. IT MUST BE THAT THEY WANT TO APPOINT ANDRE VILLAS BOAS AS THE NEW MANAGER!!

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  100. Theycallmemrburt7:02 pm, April 12, 2012

    We haven't bought a decent winger in 10+ years.  Fergie has proved that wide men and effective strikers win titles.  We need a manager who will follow this simple blue print.  All I ask is that we return to the days of guile, flair and genuine quality.  The rest will inevitably take care of itself.  IF Kenny believed that Downing and Henderson were the answer to his prayers in these crucial areas then he gets a vote of no confidence. 

    When Kenny was 1st appointed manager my immediate post was which Kenny will we get?  the one who signed Rush, Beardsley and Barnes or the Kenny who signed Speedie, Carter, Guivarch and Andreas Anderson...we got the latter.   Kenny's change in football philosophy and inability to sign midfielders who produce match winning moments is baffling.

    I have no desire to see another defensive coach enter the anfield gates.  That rules out Mourinho and Rafa.  I would go with Frank Rijkaard.  He continued the modern day revolution at Barcelona.  He'd bring in genuine quality and expansive football which is all I'm looking for and as I said earlier the rest will take care of itself.

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  101. Van Gaal? or you meant Hiddink?

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  102. KD deserves time and maybe Comolli's influence as a director of football was just not working.  None of us really knew what he did or what influence he had, but if you ask Martin Jol (perhaps FSG did!) he'd tell you!

    Aside from that, FSG are known to admire Rafa's work ethic he installs in teams.  He was unable to do this at Inter as the aging squad he inherited had done no gym work for three years under Maureen.  Typical Maureen - he is not a builder, he's a motivator and when that doesn't work, he bitches and moans about favours being dished out by referees.

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  103. Theycallmemrburt7:23 pm, April 12, 2012

    Kenny had an objective of 4th, he failed horribly. Right or wrong?  If Kenny were to have missed out on 4th by the skin of his teeth then maybe I would have been more forgiving....but he hasn't.  He has failed miserably and in the course signed a team that is capable of winning Soccer AMs cross bar challenge for the next 4 years...so well done to him.

    'The resistance' is anyone who believes the current management setup is failing horribly, so yes FSG have taken taken a stance based on this very same philosophy.

    It's not a question of 'who' that has infiltrated the Liverpool board, but is a question of 'what'.  Answer: A brain.  For the past 20 years a brain has not been allowed within 20 yards of Liverpool boardroom, hence some of the worst managers, chief executives and player signings Liverpool have ever made. 

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  104. Theycallmemrburt7:33 pm, April 12, 2012

    I can't trust a manager who still plays Carragher and Gerrard in Central midfield because of their status, and what they have done for the club in the past.

    Indirectly what he is saying is "I (Kenny) can do badly but deserve to keep the role of manager because of my status."  It has a damaging knock on effect.

    If the cups come...great, but it shouldn't paper over the craters.

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  105. Just how some people can still come and say it was just Comolli's fault is beyond belief. If he didn't want those players he had a choice either to resign and come out and tell the fans or he didn't have to play them for most of the games. When i heard him say it will take a hell of a player to improve this team I couldn't believe what was coming out of his mouth. I'm really really happy that the owners can c like most of the fans what a crap season we having and also they ready to take action.

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  106. Werner said "we have a strategy we need implemented and we felt Damien was probably not the right person to implement that strategy."

    Dalglish said "Damian went away and did a fantastic job of bringing them in."

    Doesn't take too much of a leap to interpret these comments as the following

    - Comolli got the sack for not implementing the required transfer strategy
    - Kenny agreed to the transfer targets, but did not deal in the financials

    Did Brukner get the sack for sanctioning the Carroll's medical?

    Kenny will be given the chance to prove himself

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  107. Plus if it wasn't for rafa's madness, the cowboys would still be at Liverpool :D. 

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  108. The brain still has faith in Dalglish in turning it around! 
    To many coming and goings is why the club is still having trouble Owners,Chief Executives,Managers,Coaches,Back room Staff, Director of Sports and of cause Players have all come and gone in the last 5 years!
    The club needs to find some stability and I don't think a change of manger would help now with so many players being brought in by KD he has to find away to getting them to be consistent and hopefully this season is a good learning curve for them and where the club should be and what is expected from them.

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  109. Spot on. Could it be that kenny only sanctioned British based players! Trying to re create Blackburn ! Carrol the new shearer and all that? Could it be that he was prevented from doing his job?
    Ah the kenny apologists .

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  110. Happen to follow inter scores /games. My brother is a fan.... As it happens , rafa told them to renew the team.which was his job describtion. At the same time get results. In a nutshell get rid of some of the long serving players! Same as avb. These guys won't give up without a fight, hence the manager gets it. Another 4 managers have failed as well after rafa. The academy coach is now in charge ( same job describtion, add new talent), and they are definitely out of top 4 . You are seeing similarities with Chelsea.
    Inter are now the old ac Milan. New players are needed . Younger players I mean. And because they were not replaced gradually, too many need changing at the same time!
    Rafa's words came to bite them in the bum

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  111. His first choice was Young who chose manure. I still believe that Downing will come good next season...every club he's been too he takes a while to settle then finds true form. We also went for Jones who also chose manure! So his first choices are in the right ballpark, but the attraction isn't as healthy as it once was. This is a rebuilding process from the disintegration from the previous owners greed...so there is no quick fix. However I am pleased to see that there are moments of guile and flair, but we do need an extra injection of quality to finish teams off. Anyway just my opinion...but I do think we should stick with the boards decisions because the media and other outside forces are so ready to put us down at every opportunity. 

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  112. I must admit to being quite surprise re Commolli's departure, i wasn't expecting any changes till the summer, not sure what to think really, leaves a few questiions hanging in the air...

    Little bit worrying tbh, because i always had the impression that of the 2 of them Commolli was the one with the better eye...

    Im wondering where this will leave us when it comes to summer signings etc.

    Definitely puts the pressure on Dalglsih now, he's already admitted to choosing the players, so from here on in any further slips up and the spotlight will be fairly and squarely on him.

    I agree that the wording of Werners statement shows some intent as to what is now required....

    What i find annoying is that it is not clear if he left of his own back or not....if he didn't then it could be viewed that a new manager might have been lined up....but if he did and FSG were not expecting it, then it leaves me feeling quite uneasy as to how we are going to move forward....and in what direction...

    Pretty much a doomed appointment at the Club IMO esp with KD there.

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  113. Septimus_severus8:41 pm, April 12, 2012

    Interesting 

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  114. it all makes me laugh, comolli was a big big fan of STATS!!
    some people would be lost without them eh
    stats sometimes they dont mean anything, comolli is a prime example

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  115. They had to do it soon as possible, instea of waiting till summer, because it gives the potential replacement/s the time to gauge the situation properly (although there aren't many club league games left in the European leagues as the league season draws to a close next month, in relation to getting some personal scouting done......unless he is a stats/Moneyball man! ;)) before the transfer window. 

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  116. He said the scouts weren't impressed with Enrique but because of stats, he decided to bring in Enrique. Been one of our better signings and good value. 

    Before you get excited, I agree that scouting is probably the best and primary way of gauging whether a player is good enough. Rather crazy to be stats-focused when it comes to looking at prospective players. Weird really, as John Henry has used stats-focused staff in baseball. 

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  117. It seems they are making way for Rafa!! Rafa wud never accept the job with a director of football.

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  118. Give Rafa full control and 50 million net for 3 seasons.
    Result = champions. FACT

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  119. Maybe KD for Director of Football and new manager under him

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  120. where has my post gone ..... you must have friends in high places

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  121. Ill let you into a secret.
    When Chelsea came in for Torres, LFC said the price would be 15 Million plus Carroll.
    Chelsea approached Newcastle asking for Carroll on LFC's behalf, Newcastle replied £35 Million.
    Hence Torres went for £50 million.
    If Newcastle had wanted £20 million, Torres would've gone for £35 million.......
    Obviously Newcastle were made aware of the situation hence the £35 million price tag.....It didn't matter what Carroll's price was as it was always going to be £15 million more than we received for Torres......
    So saying we overspent on Carroll is complete rubbish, all we were ever going to do was make £15 Million.
    As Chelsea were desperate the deal went through......
    This really is the truth and you can believe it or not, But the info came to me from an ex Lfc player who's very good friends with  J and H Redknapp.......As you know Harry bid for Carroll but was blown out of a deal for Carroll in the last week of the window,and now you know why chaps....FACT.

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  122. Ah... NO! very short memory.

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  123. I rather believe that KD will revert to his more "backroom" role and Mourinho will come in as manager. I would imagine the rest of the Premier league would absolutely hate him in that role...Great! He would be just the one to rub some of the "holier than thou" attitude they were becoming stuck with. Bring him on!

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  124. If you attend Specsavers they can supply you with a set of glasses that are not so tinted.

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  125. I wish  Rafa to ocme back to Liverpool but I heard from a good source that if Daglish move upstairs ot Comoli 's job(which is very likely) Liverpool will get a young manager to that post so I see Rafa 's retunr for time being very unlikely...

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  126. In all honesty Rafa and Dalglish do not come close to the late great Shanks or Paisley... And it is that type of management that LFC sorely misses. Dalglish was no is a club legend but could you really trust him with another big budget if it were your money...think about it we could end up with a team of over priced 2nd raters..!!
    I personally think Dalglish time is up which explain why there were no signings in January and the persistent usage of players that can't cut it, almost as If Dalglish is trying to justify his signings.
    Though I hate the thought of seasonal sackings which is far too frequent these days, I believe Dalglish should go but if he were yo stay I would back him 100% because that is what fans do...don't they!!

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  127. Recently comoli and dalglish had to give their review of the season to fenway and both publicly said they would find it hard to improve the squad. Dalglish had to say that for team unity, but comolli must be delusional if he thinks that. Fenway knew he would buy more rubbish this summer. I also think if dalglish doesn't win the fa cup, he will be gone also.

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  128. you'd think so, but obviously not the majority who follow this site.

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  129. 'Everyone'? Not me. But I do think he'll come back all right. And he'll make an arse of himself too.

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  130. Agreed, and lets hope it's not at Liverpool

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  131. Attractive stuff? Attractive stuff? Attractive stuff? What stuff are you taking, my friend?

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  132. kd upstairs?...........................maybe..............................................rafa return?............no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  133. They didn't seem to agree with you in Milan.

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  134. do you watch the games Badger?

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  135. david dein to come in? now that would b a great signing,watch this space. im glad the owners are taking action, it shows they want the best and to be the best. commoli wasn't the right man, his record hasn't been great anywhere.

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  136. Like your thinking Chris,
    So much needed to be fixed when KK took over. I think he has stabilised things. The team do play some brilliant football at times but have failed on occasions to close the game down when required. We are improving as a club in terms of overall focus. And therefore I agree that 'not a lot' needs fixing. 
    Comolli's biggest mistake IMO was going for Andy Carroll at that price on the strength of one really good season at Newcastle. However am I alone in my opinion that AC has improved somewhat in recent weeks?
    Suarez has been awesome and continues to shine, we should be very grateful to Comolli for that trade.
    FSG took a long time to decide whether or not to take us on. They looked at every facet of the 'business' and spent a long time looking at the Arsenal model. That coupled with the acknowledgement of the success autonomy (which is enjoyed by Wenger and Ferguffson) brings perhaps suggests they are happy to give KK their full support - for the time being.
    Given their close association to the Arsenal 'set-up' I wouldn't be too surprised to see Mr Dein featuring somewhere, sometime, somehow soon.
    YNWA
    Reg.

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  137. There was obviously a sale on brackets at B&Q this week ..

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  138. Allthingsconsidered2:27 am, April 13, 2012

    i like your name

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  139. Youreabighypocrite2:34 am, April 13, 2012

    what?! how DARE you ?, WE all have still been backing rafa benitez and he was sacked years ago!

    call yourself a supporter ? pfffffffffffffffffffffffft

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  140. Yes i am a real supporter, through thick and thin. I supported Rafa and Roy when they were in charge. Because that is what real supporters do.

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  141. Is it working for Chelsea well lets see they have played more CL than us in the last 4-5 years they have won more tittles than us in the last 20 years so i would say yeah it might be working for them i don't know you would have to ask RA. Yes we do have a better youth policy but a lot of good that will do if KK is to stubborn to give them a chance to play, they will leave if treated badly.

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  142. So why is it that the fans, the supporters and the spenders at the club do not know who is in charge of buying the players, surely LFC can say at the start of the season on their website he is in charge of negotiating a price and he is in charge of who is playing and who is actually signed, just so there is no deception at the club and people don't get let go as an escape goat.

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  143. So all of the above is Kenny's fault because he hasn't fixed all this in 1 year? We were right up battling for a top 4 spot until the Arsenal QPR games which we should not have lost. That sometimes happens in football, but hey lets sell the farm and start over again, that'll fix it. 
     Yes i agree we have gone bad since but you can't say we haven't had injury problems. Kenny has a proven record of success, give him a chance.

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  144. I want Kenny Dalglish to stay at least till December. If not Rafa, then I would say - Joachim "Jogi" Low

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  145. can you not read? kenny said he chose the players

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  146. first time in 20 years attractive football ?

    3-5-2 under roy evans ?

    08/09 - top scorers in the league .... 4 - 0 madrid , 4 - 1 utd ????

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  147. Theory can't be accepted in the wider context of the general cull (i.e. Bruckner and Achterberg's dismissals).

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  148. Stop bringing up Hodgson all the time. He was terrible. Nobody liked him. He got sacked.

    Something tells me you wont be satisfied until everyone hounds Kenny out of the club so you can moan about that too.

    Then you'll have the next manager to pick on.

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  149. did he win trophies with inter in 6months he was there?

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  150. so why did houlliers team, under houllier... never do well in the champions league.

    and why did rafa, with houlliers team do well in the CL

    Answer is Rafa

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  151. Kenny bashes keep going on about us defending Kenny. You all keep defending Rafa with he had injuries at Inter and won a trophy. Why can't you accept similar excuses for Kenny? He's had injuries and he's won a trophy possibly 2. We're back in Europe, not CL but it's progress. Get behind your team FFS. Kenny will tinker with what he or whoever have brought and results will improve. 

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  152. to be fair has anyone thought that FSG probably see commolli as a version of baseballs General Mananger?? in baseball he is the one normally getting the sack where the coach stays? dont know wether this is the cae or not. if it is then the GM in baseball signs all the players and does the deals irrespective of who is coach. I wonder if that is what has happened. but if the signings where KD fualt then surely he should of gone also? cruyff looks like he is coming in, will he start to act like a baseball GM and sign players? not to sure if having two super egos like cruyff and dalglish may work but you have gotta welcome the person who invented total football!!

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  153. would you like gerrard to score another hatrick against everton on saturday???

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  154. Can you not understand diplomacy. If KD was responsible for transfers he would have been Axed.
    Not Comolli.

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  155. Also read this carefully who is accountable for the transfers.
    http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2012/04/13/liverpool-fc-analysis-damien-comolli-paid-price-for-lack-of-value-in-

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  156. Commolli did bring in Coates who has the talent to be the world's best in the future, its the British signings that have failed which are Kenny's doing, so its bit unfair on Commolli but as he was responsible for negotiating deals then he did bad job of it as Liverpool have paid inflated prices for most of the signings. So Commolli did deserve the sack but Kenny is equally responsible and maybe more and he deserves it too.

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  157. Paying 35 million for a championship player with "potential" is still ridiculous no matter how u look at it. Lets stop making excuses. That has to be the shittiest piece of business ever done in the history of football and everybody knows this. Credit to Alan pardrew and shame on Kenny and Damien for being that stupid...

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  158. Spot on hellohello.....rags was indeed promised funds to replenish the squad that jm worked til breaking point!..... Yet wasn't given any. See the pattern forming here?? Valencia, Liverpool and inter..... Shoestring or zero budget! If my memory serves me right he actually won two cups with inter not the 1 that someone mentioned earlier. I for one would have him back at Anfield in a heartbeat, provided he is backed unlike before....... Otherwise he'll have to juggle again (but probably still improve us)

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  159. I posted this on here months ago, it didn't get read by the majority who don't want to know.
    I'm glad I'm not the only one who posted this!

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  160. Do you think Man City were calling it the 'crapling' when we played them in the semis?
    You lot need to get a grip or get some help. Liverpool have won a trophy for the first time since 2006. Yes, I know it's not 'rated' by some but have a look back at the pictures from the defeated Arsenal players and tell them that 'it's only a mickey mouse trophy'.
    Liverpool WILL win the league again and sometime soon but all you lot are going to do is complain that we didn't win it with enough points, conceded too many goals etc, etc.

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  161. So, according to your 'brain' Liverpool haven't won anything for the last 20 years?

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  162. We saw Fergie's widemen getting taught how to play football by Barcelona in last season's CL final. They don't play with out & out wingers, they attack in waves and pass the ball around so much in the opponent's half to tear their formation down then dink a pass forward to one of 3 speedy strikers.

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  163. Downing's 'stats' at Villa showed that he was better than Young for crossing the ball for headers - perfect ammo for Carroll, you would have thought!
    A poacher, someone who can score with a scrappy half chance is all that we've been missing, I saw glimpses of one the other night, he was in the right place at the right time and banged in 2 goals a few minutes apart - Maxi, just like he did last year towards the tail end of the season. I feel that if we had only bought Suarez and kept Torres & Meirelies we would have been in a better league position and that includes Enrique & Bellamy. The team was purring last season, we were almost playing 'total football' and saw the best example of this at Fulham.
    I think it was a case of too much, too soon with regard to money and signings.

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  164. Alonso was a Rafa signing, some people just don't get it.
    Robbie Fowler said in his book that, after finishing 2nd with Roy Evans and almost being the finished article, Houllier came in with a '5 year plan'. This confused the whole dressing room and put the club backwards, not forwards. Rafa won in Istanbul thanks to an amazing half time team talk and a bit of magic from Hamman & the rest of the team. It was nothing to do with Houllier, get over it!

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  165. Mark whitelaw and frouboc.....u aren't alone! Any true Liverpool fan knows that provided we made 15 million on Torres, we could pay any amount for Carroll (whether it was 10 million or 100 million)..... So in actual fact it was good business because we got two strikers a the similar price to an under performing Torres. OK Carroll isn't really doing himself too many favours at the moment but should he come good people might change their view!

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  166. It is just unbelievable that, these pro KD (blind) supporters, that in their eyes KD can do no wrong. He just came out and admitted that, it was 'HE' that signed all these average players, has he not?. It seems to to sound minded fans that, if KD pi**ed on them, they'll probably swear that,,,,,,,,it was RAINING, at the time!.

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  167. With winning 2 throphy's in six month's?, with half the team injured?, and no players brought in?. If you think, that's bad, than KD should have gone six month's ago!.

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  168. if KK goes upstairs, which i think would be a good move, (mind you im still happy if he stays where he is...), i think the owners need to make a real strong push for Pep Guardiola, or Jose Mourinho, or some one in that calibre that knows how to get the best out of players and make a winning team... as much as i like rafa and thought he was great, i didnt like his defensive structured approach to playing the game.  we need to play our pass n move game more than anything else...

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  169. To be fair, Downing has hardly been at a long list of clubs to prove that theory of 'takes a while to settle then finds true form'.

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  170. Well this Barca happen to the one of the best teams of all time and at least the best team since Arrigo's Milan. So that is very high standards you are trying to aspire to there, take it a notch or two down, non?

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  171. Me too. Rafa was good at first but lost it in the end and was rightfully sacked. Same thing with houiller. What we need now is a young new manager with modern strategies who will make us play some attractive attacking football. We cant go back to the past. We should move forward...

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  172. Correct me if I am wrong but wasn't the Torress fee agreed on the basis that Chelsea had to pay LFC the amount that Newcastle demanded for Carroll plus £15million hence the £50m price??  If that is the case then surely the £35m price tag is an unfair argument to use against anybody (other than for Chelsea who ended up paying £50m for Torres to flop for a season and a half)???

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  173. At the end of the day, Carroll cost us £35m, regardless of how people try to spin it. Nothing unfair about it. 

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  174. '
    404 Error Message: Page Not Found '

    that is what that link says, thanks.

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  175. Football under Evans was great to watch. 

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  176. Carroll cost us £35m, regardless of however you try to desperately spin it. 

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  177. He cost £35m, end of.

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  178. Theycallmemrburt4:06 pm, April 13, 2012

    Yes that is exactly what I'm saying......sighs...

    Liverpool have been mismanaged for 20 years.  From Moores through to Hicks and Gillet, from Souness through to Kenny, and from Rick Parry through to Purslow.  We have been shocking.  Our ability to identify what is required to compete since the formation of the premier league has been substandard.  Fergie has built 3-4 successful league sides by sticking to a successful blueprint and most importantly moving players on when he feels they are past it or starting to have a negative effect on the TEAM. 

    Our blueprint since Houllier came in was to eliminate flair altogether and every Manager since him has gone with a safety first policy which has resulted with us not being able to break down smaller teams.  We have always been able to compete against the bigger sides because they caome out to play but we have no consistent answer to teams who set out their stall to defend the 18 yard box.

    I could go on and on but I'll leave it at that............

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  179. Theycallmemrburt4:14 pm, April 13, 2012

    yes that would be great and give us his recent three year quota of two-three good games in a season.  After Gerrard's 1st season partnership with Torres he has been poor for three years.  Some fans however only like to see the good that the great one does.  we have won two of 13 games since Gerrard came back from injury.  Can Gerrard only get up for big matches and cup games?

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  180. Theycallmemrburt4:24 pm, April 13, 2012

    I'm not sure about that.  Continuity is only a good thing if the person you are continuing with demonstrates has an undeniable potential or is demonstrating that he isn't far away from getting it right.  ALL of our signings bar Bellamy and Enrique have been poor.  I include Suarez in this because his job as a striker is to replicate his Ajax scoring feats.  He has been shocking in front of goal and I can see no reason why this will change. He is a fantastic player with little end product.

    FSG's stance with Commoli has given me hope.  We have for too long given former managers and chief executives far too much support and time when they never for one second warranted it.

    J75j I feel that Kenny will never be able to identify the players capable of building a successful side.  If he was given a squad full of young exciting talent he'd be ideal for the job but when he is given scope to bring in players of his own choosing he falls short.  Kenny likes cardboard players, what we need is flair.

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  181. Theycallmemrburt4:50 pm, April 13, 2012

    We could have signed all of these players for peanuts but chose not to take the risk:

    Frei, Ruiz, Duff, Ben arfa, Tarabbt, (Pacheco. why let him go?) Hoilet, petrov, Nzogbia, sessengnon, Larsen

    All would have cost less and have a fair amount of flair.  But we were looking at players like Chris Brunt.

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  182. I mentioned I thought the club should have gone Dutch a few weeks ago in 98 and 04 with Louis Van Gaal and now he his being talked about so I will be happy if KD did go and was replaced by Van Gaal!!! I know it contradicts what I have put!  Attacking football knows the Ajax academy and will haved worked with 
    Rodolfo Borrell at Barcelona and will understand the coaching structure Borrell will be using seeing that Barcelona's academy is based on the Ajax way and could be the stepping stone Liverpool can use like Barcelona did.

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  183. Jumping on the pathetic media band wagon that Sterling Unhappy, not given a chance!Blah Blah, bullshit, KK will blood the youngsters through, when they are good and ready, he has been working at Melwood past 3 years, with his experience he knows best

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  184. It been a nightmare season.At the start i would of settled for any piece of silverware..but still figured on pushing hard for 4th.I was not deluded enough to think we could win the league!

    But we won the carling cup and for a minute glossed over what can only be described as a shocking season.However if you cast your mind back to the two teams that contested the same cup last season.One got relagated and the other had a simular bad run.as what we're going thru at the minute.And are now sitting in third!

    There's something in that...

    Anyways,we all new something was not right at the club.All the lads could not of been chokers..ahem.We've missed lucas to no end.And a decent number 9.Why get rid of Ngoo(spelling)If carrol no better?
    Why has Maxi been overlooked time and again..i know he's getting on abit but there's a genuine goal threat from him?

    What i find interesting is that when Torres played his face..the form of the team was more or less what it is now..Kenny came in and eveyone wanted to play for him..the young lads coming thru everyone.
    We moved up the league but digger said.We're still short don't get it twisted.

    Can the same be said now?Idk..look i've been a fan for more years than i care to remember.I remember the good old days,and what i've seen of late pales to then.Where's the Ynwa cry when things are tough?Do we only sing it on euro nights now por when we're winning..lol.

    Kenny said it best when he came in.We're all in it together,the team the fans everyone.Stick together.He adopted that but all the media and his critics saw was,luis t-shirts and poor judgement.

    I'll probably get some stick for this..but i'm not knocking my TEAM.Just looking in from outside without me rose tinted on..YNWA.Lets beat the bitters eh? 

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  185. Theycallmemrburt7:59 pm, April 14, 2012

    agree 100%.  Rijkaard, Van Gaal, Hiddink.  I think these names would provide us with a revolution in our footballing philosophy.

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  186. Like it, perfect sense!

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