3 May 2012

LFC Legend blasts: Reds fans deserve a refund after Fulham fiasco...

Liverpool's poor performance against Fulham has invoked the ire of many ex-Reds over the last couple of days, and Steve Nicol is the latest former Liverpool player to publicly criticise the team's shambolic premier league showing on Tuesday night.

Analysing the game for ESPN, Nicol was clearly angry with the lack of effort and commitment on display. He said:

"If I paid to go to Anfield and watch this, I would've wanted a refund on the way out. That's how bad I thought it was.

"These guys looked like they had no chance of playing in a cup final. There were far too many who didn't turn up last night, and deserve a kick up the backside".


Like so many other ex-Reds, Nicol pointedly refused to criticise Kenny Dalglish, and laid the blame totally at the feet of the players, which is hardly surprising given the fact Nicol played under Dalglish for much of his Liverpool career.

Liverpool's home record this season really is atrocious:

* Only 5 out of 18 home games won.
* 30 points dropped.
* Only 20 goals scored in 18 games.
* Outscored by relegation fodder like Bolton, Blackburn and QPR.
* Worst home record in the entire Premier League era (even worse than Souness)

It's not pleasant reading. Hopefully, the club can finish with a bang and grab a resounding win in the final home game of the season.

Jaimie Kanwar


12 comments:

  1. There are minimum effort and performance standards required in every single game at this club, regardless of how little we have to play for in the league and regardless of whether we have a FA Cup final. Its a worrying thing, this mentality and attitude shown in the league. Just because we are out of the CL places race and have a FA Cup game on the horizon, doesn't mean we should treat the league like some pre-season stroll. 

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  2. 100 % IN AGREEMENT - Kenny must realise poor people have to scrape for every penny and SHANKS would have gone beserk withHenderson and company - It has been simply awful this season at Anfield with a million excuses for poor signings =look at what Newcastle bought with half the money. The only reason we do well in the cups is because the BIG clubs dont take them seriously - lets be honest with ourselves. P S We might need to look for a new captain as well - league form is so very very poor - no inspiration

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  3. Im too tired of this and I dont wanna post a comment soon as I see something about dalglish but I just cant, just wanted to say that as long as the fans keep quiet, signing dalglish dalgish at anfield this situation wont change it will be ever worse, those fans who keep backing dalglish have no idea what damages they're doing to this club, all hopes on FSG, hopefully they will sack dalglish after the swansea game, when Im about to die I will leave a message to my kids that if liverpool ever wins the league you must come and tell me where im buried, but I fear they wont be able to, maybe my grandsons could!!!

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  4. Instead of " we are so sorry statements "will the players and manager agree to forfeit their wages for thie game and then use that as part refung to the cheated fand - WILL YOU PUT THIS TO THEM ? ITS A FAIR QUESTION  - LETS SEE IF THEY ARE REALLY SORRY

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  5. i agree with you mate, Dalglish must resign before he get sacked. The whole team can't be a flop at once it means dalglish tactics failed to work.

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  6. Does anyone else think it's slightly unfair that the players are kopping all the flack? Just hear me out.

    If we stand back and look at it objectively, we're asking distinctly average players to do more than they're capable of. The Fulham game was mostly reserves so let's put that to one side at the minute.

    Stewart Downing has been around for donkey's years yet no big club has ever gone near him. The best he did was look good in an average Villa side. Andy carroll had half a decent season at Newcastle - not a great season, a half decent one.

    Henderson looked alright in a bad Sunderland team but was never a world beater. Same with Adam at Blackpool.

    The truth is that these are average players who sometimes shone at average clubs. We can't expect them to play any better than they have done because what they've shown us this season is as good as what they're capable of.

    I think most LFC fans accept that the prices for these players were way too high. if we ask ourselves, what was Downing really worth, what was Henderson really worth, what was Carroll really worth, I honestly think most would come in with a figure of between £5m and £15m at most for each.

    These aren't world-class players, despite their world class price tags. Blame Dalglish, Commoli, whoever you will for the prices.

    The bottom line is that £100 million has been badly invested. But forgetting the money, KD said that he identified these players as being good enough and the truth is they aren't.

    Dalglish sympathisers, please just look at it without rose-tinted glasses for a minute and ask yourself how HE came to the conclusion that Henderson, Adam, Downing etc are good enough, regardless of how much they cost. 

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  7. Wilson Michaelpaul1:27 pm, May 03, 2012

    According to kenny it would take " a hell of a player " to come in and replace any of his 1st XI signings  - also he believes Downing has played " a hell of a lot better " than he expected him to  - so as long as the king is happy and the court is still singing his name then I guess the peasantry have no right to ask questions  - if you do dare ask then someone will be along shortly to tell you to go and support Chelski or the Mancs.

    In short we should all be grateful that everything is going so swimmingly !

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  8. Too true mate.

    But take pleasure in the fact that KD sympathisers have to resort to telling you you're not a real supporter rather than pointing to any evidence that Dalglish has taken the club forward. When people do this, it means they haven't got a rational argument to make

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  9. I concur Dalglish has to go, both his tactics and signings are unforgiveable. In Downing's defence he has played well in the latter months, causing problems down the flanks, as for Hendo he is still young, he has to go out on loan for a season or 2 get some experience in a team where he is not seen as poor, Adam is slow and un fit, he has no right to pull on the shirt. Carroll is improving but is still not a patch on strikers who have been worthy of the red shirt, Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, Fernando Torres, etc. And i am saying this before someone comes on and says we have to sign Cavani, Hazard and Gotze, we CAN'T why would they come to us? Our best possible signings are Luuk De Jong, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Fernando Llorente, Roberto Soldado and Jan Vertonghen. Notice all these clubs are in the same talent band as we are but we have the funds to move them. If we make two of these signings we can at least start to rebuild this once great club.

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  10. Clearly there's another side to this.  Dalglish has made some very poor errors this season- worst of all in terms of his representation of the club (given that he bangs on and on about the glorious history and tradition of LFC and how we carry ourselves as a club you'd think he'd be less quick to tarnish said traditions with belligerent interviews and terrible crisis management...).

    At the same time, this is Dalglish's first full season in charge.  Are we so eager for quick glory (after decades of missing out in the league) that we'll throw him out after less than 18 months and with no obvious replacement?  Dalglish needs better advice, he needs a telling off by Fenway regarding his management of the media, and he needs to either find a way to motivate some of our poorer performers or do what he can to replace them.  But let's be clear about this- no manager will ever succeed without the backing of the fans.  We won't get any extraordinary luck, and the competition is only getting more fierce, but give Kenny a couple of seasons and maybe he can build something.  Let him make mistakes and learn from them.  He's not going to get every decision right, and maybe we haven't seen the progress we'd have liked, but what would we achieve next season by getting rid of him anyway?  Not so much a sympathiser as a pragmatist- I guess we just have different opinions about what's right for Liverpool and what's wrong with the modern game.

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  11. Those players were cobbled together and badly briefed, and a few of them put in a decent shift.  Performance related pay won't motivate players half as much as knowing they have the fans and manager behind them.  Do you think they know that at the moment?

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  12. I get your point backbench mate and I'm not one of those naive fans who expects instant success.

    That being said, a key skill of a manager - particularly in England - is buying players. One or two bad signings can be excused but out of all the money that's been spent, who can you honestly say hand-on-heart is good enough?

    My other problem with Dalglish is his inability to respond to what's happening on the pitch. Another key skill of a manager is being able to change the dynamic of a game, or at least try. How many times this season have Liverpool put in the same flat performances filled with the same errors week-in, week-out. On top of that, we keep hearing the same excuse about hitting the post etc. The posts are the same thickness for every team and they're the same distance apart for every team, so we can't use the hitting the woodwork excuse.

    I suppose it's a question of faith. The way I see it, this team needs more money spent on it and for me personally, I wouldn't trust Dalglish to choose the right players and his lack of tactical awareness this season means I'm not convinced about him mapping out the future of the club either.

    If I'm proved wrong, I and a lot of others will have to hold our hands up. But I don't think it's fair that those of us who aren't blinded by nostalgia and look at the evidence in front of us are pilloried for having the nerve to question Dalglish

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