1 Aug 2012

Bravo! Brendan Rodgers reverses Dalglish's most defeatist LFC policy...

At times last season, it seemed that Kenny Dalglish prioritised domestic cup competitions over performance in the Premier League, a situation that led to the club's worst league results in decades. Thankfully, new Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers only has one priority this season, and he underlined that again in an interview last night.

Speaking to the Official Liverpool FC Website, Rodgers made it crystal clear that Liverpool's priority this season would be the league. He said:

"The Europa League is a competition we'd like to do well in, and I don't want to disrespect the competition but there's no doubt the league is our priority and we want to finish as high as we possibly can".

It should go without saying that the league is always the top priority but, disappointingly, the club lost sight of that last season, with both Dalglish and Steven Gerrard arguing that cup performance was more important than finishing as high up the table as possible. For example, Dalglish said the following in March 2012:

"I think people should take an intelligence check. It's not true that you should only look at the league table. Some people will look at that but there's a bigger picture than that. There are two other competitions. Judging by league positions is also disrespectful".

In May 2012, he added:

"There is an obsession with the Premier League. But there’s satisfaction from winning a cup that you don’t get from finishing fifth or sixth in the league"

Gerrard chimed in with the following:

"As a player I don’t want to be saying I finished in the top four, four or five times. I want to look back and say I won the Carling Cup three times. Or four. Or five"

And it wasn't just Dalglish and Gerrard - no doubt convinced by Dalglish's 'Cups are best' rhetoric, several ex-Reds jumped on the bandwagon, with Ray Houghton arguing at one point that it 'didn't matter' if Liverpool finished 10th in the league as Europa Leage qualification had already been secured via the Carling Cup (!)

Last season, I argued repeatedly that this kind of defeatist mentality would have a negative impact on the team, and it did. After all, when you have the two most revered figures at the club transmitting that kind message, league underperformance will inevitably ensue.

With their 'Cups are more important!' approach, Dalglish and Gerrard arguably created subconscious doubt in the minds of the players, and dulled the team's competitive edge in the league, and this clearly had a major impact.

Thankfully, there will be no such problem under Rodgers. It's important to have clearly defined goals, and for Liverpool, this season is about one thing only: finishing as high up the league table as possible, and that's the way it should be.

Bravo, Brendan!

Jaimie Kanwar


115 comments:

  1. I think you should be made manager

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  2. Exactly! You are always judged based on your league performance!

    Love his (BR) attitude, till now he seems like a winner character. Let's hope he reflects it on the pitch as well!

    YNWA

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  3.  I hope he can lead the team to finish 5 th place at least this year so there will another chance in Europa League to earn more revenue next year and next year should be in 4 th place. Slowly we can rise back as one of the strongest team in the world.

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  4. I argued last year and will do it again we should play for all competitions 100% ...the issue with KK is that he used the cup wins as an excuse for poor league form ....we should win a trophy every year and qualify for the Champions league .. We can only do this with a squad the reason why Steerling, Carroll , Adam and Bellamy must stay along with signing Ramirez and Dempsey ...Dont start the either / or game  

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  5. True Reds Believe12:42 pm, August 01, 2012

    I do not always agree with you Jamie but on this occasion yourself and Brendan are 100% correct.
    A top team should have a squad capable of rotating and therefore competing in all competitions, but it is obvious to anybody that at the moment we don't have such a squad (or even a first 11 !!).
    For the Pool to get to that position more finance is required plus the ability to attract the top players, young players to develop and that can only be achieved by getting that elusive C.L. spot.
    This will not happen over night (as we don't have Arabic owners !) but C.L. can be achieved over the next season if given priority ?!

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  6. just want liverpool to win atleast one cup....
    and caroll has not travelled with the team....poor guy..just hope his case is resolved soon....

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  7. Unfortunatley with BR approach to only signing players who have played for Swansea we will fail in the cups and the league. Should have been Rafa!!

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  8. I'm not going to argue whether KK should have been sacked or not, but surely winning things is more important than league position to a certain point. Of course we want to be all in the Champions League but even finishing 4th this year didn't get Spurs CL. We were in 2 finals last year, that in it's self is an achievement in my book. Finishing top 3 would have been great as well, but it wasn't to be. Remember finishing 2nd is first loser

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  9. youre joking right?? Kanwar has the most negative views on Liverpool footbal club I've seen in recent history..!

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  10. Jamie is a doos guys... at the end of the day, silverware is what the trophy cabinet needs...

    no one remembers 4th or 5th or 3rd finishers... they remember great cup victories (and/or league victories) champions league is great and liverpool is greatly missed there, but don't knock cup competitions!

    It's not a defeatist attitude... it's a tangible accomplishment - we won the carling cup! almost won the FA cup... 

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  11. who besides liverpool fans remember the year we finished 2nd? the year we ALMOST did it... next year guys next year...


    well next year is really bitter without any silverware

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  12. I think you've misinterpreted them both (probably not for the first time). The most important thing is to win. Table position isn't important unless you are first. They looked at where the team was and prioritised. You do this to ensure you increase your chances of winning. Think about it....

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  13. Could not have put it better myself. Great article Jaimie it is about time we had a manager that views the league as a priority, don't get me wrong trophies are a bonus but to use it as an excuse for being poor in the league is disgraceful and the fans should be shown more respect than those petty excuses

    League is a priority anything after that is a bonus

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  14. No one remembers 4th place in 2003-4, but everyone remembers the CL victory in 2005, which would've been impossible without a 4th place finish the season before.

    Surely that's the point? It's not just about finishing high up the table in isolation; it's the reward that comes with it:

    * CL qualification
    * Massive financial revenue for the club
    * Ability to attract better players
    * Club's profile raised across the world
    * Opportunity to compete at the highest level.
    * Existing players improve as a result of playing against Europe's best players

    etc.

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  15. After the Carling cup win both said the aim was to push on in the league and forfill the goal they set out at the beginning of the season which was to finish 4th (or better). Following defeat to Arsenal it all went pear shaped and IMO there is no doubt they targetted the cups but i dont believe that was the aim when we started out. I do agree Kenny used the cups as an excuse once league formed dipped and i also agree with John Henry that one of his failings was that he couldnt motivate the players in the league once 4th had gone out the window.

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  16. liverpool are and always will be a cup winning club, just look at how many F.A , league, eufa and champions league thophies won by us, sure, we did bad in the league last year, but that was down to not taking the chances created. If Rodgers  improves our midfield and cut out the stupid goals we conceeded,  next year should be much better for us in the league.

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  17. I would rather finish second in the league than win the Carling Cup against inferior lower league opposition on penalties

    Do you really think fans will look back with pride in 20 years on that CC victory against...Cardiff City?

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  18. Am i the only one who sees this is having the same atittude as KK. The only difference being, the competition. BR should say we will compete in EVERY competition. This is far from reality. But, it sends the right message.We didnt play all that bad for all of last season. Concentration levels in front of goal were shocking and thats down to KK, the coaching staff and the players .

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  19. True Reds Believe1:05 pm, August 01, 2012

    My point exactly Jamie that I stated above !!!

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  20. Yes, just seen that. Spot on :-)

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  21. League position is always the number 1 priority. The higher you finish, the more enhanced the reputation of the club is enhanced and the more money you win. Also better calibre players will be interested, so league position goes hand in hand with improving squads and therefore a stronger squad for European cup and domestic cup comps.

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  22.  No, but people remember how long you go without any silverware at all and if that number becomes too large it becomes hard to argue that you're still a top-tier club. We'd all like the CL and EPL titles, but silverware in general is the sign of success and with a squad that couldn't compete for the title last season, I'm more than glad that there's something shiny to take away in the end.

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  23. The thing is gentlemen, these days football is governed by
    money more than ever. You can see how much the “powers that be” value the
    Carling Cup by the amount of prize money their offer to the winner. According
    to Wikipedia: “The prize money is awarded by
    the Football League. The winners of the League Cup win £100,000 and the
    runners-up win £50,000. The losing semi-finalists will each take home £25,000”
    As you can see this is why no one of the big clubs take this cup seriously as
    there no reward for it. Only positive thing is that it gives smaller clubs a
    chance to win silverware (almost never happens), blood out inexperienced young
    players and qualify for the Europa League (which by the way is - Losing
    Finalist: €2,000,000 & Winning the Final: €3,000,000). Finishing higher up
    the league, preferably top 4 will give the club more long term benefits which
    will allow the club to compete with the “inhumane” transfer market and
    challenge for the title.


     


    However, I feel that players get paid to play, each
    competition should be regarded as serious regarding how much they get paid. Interesting
    enough is that the F.A Cup although shares a low prize money offer as well is
    regarded in a better light simply because of it’s history.

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  24. I don't know if there are any more quotes flying about, but none of the above quotes attributed to Dalglish or Gerard suggest that they felt cups were more important than the league. Both are suggesting that winning is the goal, irrespective of the prize, and we know both have been winners in the past. 

    As for Brendan Rodgers, he talks a good game, and so many are singing his praises, but for me, it means nothing unless the results start rolling in. He can talk about prioritising the league as much as he wants, but if we  struggle to compete again this season, how much support will he receive this time next year if there is no top 4, no silverware and no europe?

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  25. Champions League places are only worthwhile if they're going to be used as a catalyst for further success, not as a measure of success in and of themselves. 
    Chelsea came 6th last year, but won the FA Cup and Champions League. Even if they weren't allowed back into the CL again, would that really have been a less successful season than them winning nothing and coming 3rd???

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  26. While i do agree with the above points i have tosay  not following up a 4th place finish with actually doing something in the CL is also pointless. At the end of the day it isn't about having the most money, the best players and the highest profile (for fans) it is about winning things. So to discount the League Cup is silly. I would love to be winning cups and finishing top 4 every year, but sometimes that isn't possible. Limited success is still success.

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  27.  If Cups and league position were equal in value then your argument has merit. Teams lower down the league should strive for fa and carling cup as they will rarely if ever reach top four. Liverpool is still a elite team (based on fan base etc) which means that they have to always strive to be in the champions league. They pay higher wages etc than lower teams and finishing high up the league and competing in the CL enables them to continue doing so. Winning the carling cup and finishing 8th doesn't help bring in top players to enable the club to compete at the highest level.

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  28. Chelsea finished 6th last year, their lowest league position in years. 
    Their reputation appears to be higher than ever for some reason now though... :-/

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  29. I think we should all listen to what our hardest working team member said about his time at Liverpool after Liverpool defeated Man City and progressed to the modern Wembley for the first time.

    “If you come to Liverpool you want to play finals and games like last night, and to play at Wembley is something everyone dreams of.“I have been here a while now and have played in a Champions League final and semi-final and in the Europa League semi-final and been second in the league.“Sometimes it is like that in football. You just have to make sure you give everything to reach what you want to reach - I know it is not enough to be second."Dirk Kuyt, enough said........

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  30. So if we beat Man City or Chelsea in the final, instead of knocking them out in the earlier rounds, that would have made a difference in the way winning the Carling Cup should be viewed?? :-/

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  31. It's all this focus on a top 4 place as if that is an achievement that is defeatist imo - I've seen so many fans talking about 3 year objectives, and the like, to just get back into the CL.

    It's all BS. Contrary to revisionist history, Man U have regularly had pretty weak squads, including last year when they were far inferior to Man City. But they don't start making up excuses and aiming for top 4 places like everybody else. And neither should Liverpool.

    Stop targetting average players for big money, stop promoting average players from the reserves and stop making excuses based around assumptions that are easily disproved! (i.e. players won't join without Champions League football on offer)

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  32. Rogers better not be too sniffy about the Europa or Cup competitions in general because the chance of a CL position is non existent.The squad is WEAKER than last years

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  33. So when we meet say man u in cup you'd be happy with BR playing the reserves yeah?  You go into matches to win and your best chance of doing that is with your best palyers.

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  34. Everton prooved even with a very average team
    if you stick to the game plan, you become very
    hard to beat.Even if we do not buy one more player,
    the present squad plus reserves can if they stick to
    a rigid plan finish in the top 4, if hopefully he brings
    in 2/3 more good players we can do even better.

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  35. So who comes to play for a club vying for the Carling cup every year? Can you even afford that big player from Carling cup funds? Get serious! Even Cardiff wins the Carling cup! Do you want Liverpool at that level?!!!!

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  36. Its amazing how many people want the best players around and then blame the owners for being financially motivated! How do you expect to afford them while winning Carling Cups? Then lets just settle with the Charlie Adam's who we can afford while playing in the CC. Don't expect bids for big players... Carling cup requires no qualification anyway

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  37. Jay talks sense. Our target was top 4 last year, well top 4 only got you EL, winning a the league cup also got EL but we also actually won something. Chelsea won 2 cups and had a bad year in the league and there season was a success.

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  38. How's it WEAKER! when it's basically the same team?! IMO it's abit stronger with Cole n Aqualini back plus Borini.

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  39. that is the worst idea ever in the history of all mankind

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  40. Man U and Arsenal will be playing their reserves so your assertion is bollox.

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  41. Defeatist attitude even before the season has kicked off. Support the manager and the team.

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  42. But i don't think we sacrificed the league for cups last season. Being in the CL only really matters if it gives you results

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  43. It was true to say that once we could not finish fourth and qualify for the ECL, the chance to win trophies was more important than the difference between finishing 5th and 8th. Was also a greater motivation for the players. If you want to say that you would rather have given up on the two cups and finished 5th not 8th, personally i think you've lost the plot. Seems to me you play a lot of devils advocate, writing daft stuff to get a reaction .... either that or you really are daft !

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  44. well, we have lost Kuyt, Maxi, and imminently Bellamy, Carroll, ..... not to mention that Gerrard and Carragher are another year older. So sure, until we see the replacements, we are weaker than last season .....

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  45. A winning team should have a winning mentality on all fronts, be it the league, Carling Cup, Europa Cup or whatever. Thats why we have a squad of players for the managers to rotate as deemed fit. When a team is on a winning streak, confidence flows through the entire team and such a team is difficult to beat.

    My gut feel is that Brendan will do good for LFC. He looks tough, organized, rational, brave enough to carry through his plans and has that winning mentality. But only time will tell how all these reflect on the pitch. 

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  46. No, it's still a pointless trophy but at least it would've been a worthy win on the day.

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  47. no, but it was a misleading season. chelsea were poor throughout the season. thankfully for them, they can now rebuild and have earned some money to help with that. thats football. we won the ECL in 2005 with a quite poor side too. chelseas win over barca was undeserved and freakish by any standards.

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  48. Don't you think their reputation for having bags of money has something to do with that (plus winning the CL)?

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  49. No squad without Andy Carroll can be weaker than last year (!)

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  50. so united finishing 2nd and winning nothing had a better season than Chelsea ? ridiculous. ... and winning the ECL gave Chelsea a very strong hand to attract top players and to afford them

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  51. they will look back with pride on winning away at chelsea, man city, and stoke, and yes on winning the trophy, just as if we had won the fa cup we would also remember with pride knocking out united. we didn't have the option to 'choose' to finish 2nd so its a duff point. but would rather win a trophy and finish 8th, than finish 5th with no trophy : these were the realistic possibilities ...

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  52. crazy point. so you would rather finish 5th with no trophy ?

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  53. do you think we would have finished 4th if we lost the carling cup final ??? otherwise, what exactly is your point ?
    the targets change as the season takes place, according to what realistically can be achieved. reaching two cup finals is something most clubs only dream of, and whilst we are not 'just any club' it was more than could have been expected ...

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  54. you are missing the point. the argument is not that winning cups is more important than being in the champions league. the argument is that we would rather win a trophy and finish 8th than not win a trophy and finish 5th, which was the highest we could have achieved at the time. priorities change as the season progresses.

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  55. so you think that we only finished outside the top four because we didn't prioritise it ??? lol. that was the priority. when it was beyond achieving, better to try and win 2 cups than say ok , season over and bye .....

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  56. a winning attitude is about performance and results, not soundbites

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  57. Sorry Jaimie , u will see that pool will win nothing and lge form will be hopeless. Last season will be the last time will taste success again, unless a better coach or dalglish is brought back.

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  58. more than you could have expected-lets be clear here. A season starts with everyone at zero and where you end can be accounted for, it doesnt just happen

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  59. Septimus_severus3:38 pm, August 01, 2012

    Can I have the Euro Lotto Numbers for Friday while your gazing so confidently into the future ?

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  60. 1stly top four doesnt refer to only 4th place! Chelsea won the CL which they couldnt have hadnt they been there thats why we need to qualify! Winning a CL is too far superior to winning a CC, thats obvious. Also it gets you back in the CL, so you get their priorities? Suarez wont want to be playing in the CC all his career, will he?

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  61. why is it pointless to win a trophy? I really don't understand that at all

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  62. Am I the only one who realises that these debates are only there because of the Dalglish factor? Had it been another person as manager, people would have fired him before the owners!

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  63. For god sakes!.... But it wasnt rafa.... its BR... Can we please get behind the man! and the team?
    What bollox opinion in relation to signing swansea players only!

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  64. So when Rafa gets a job with another team... can I assume you will be supporting them?

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  65. I'm not saying winning the CC is anywhere near to being as good as winning the CL, but the point I am making winning the CC and coming 8th is better than not winning the CC and coming 8th. It's a cup, we won it, lets be happy about that.

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  66. Maybe he should try winning a game!

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  67. well 12 squads last season were weaker than LFC with Carroll in it, just saying

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  68. Quite right. People may call the lesser league what they will but remember it at least keeps us in touch with European teams style and play as we attempt to climb back to the higher league.  

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  69. by the way I was very happy to win the cup... my point is its(the CC) not a good foundation to lay the success of a season on, especially if you are LFC! Look at Barcelona, they consider last season a failure yet they won a cup

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  70. You do NOT win games on having a big fan base. In the real world top class players get you there and we are sadly lacking in them at this moment.

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  71. let me help Paul. The only clubs who start there first eleven for League cup and Carling cup like Liverpool did last season are clubs who don't have anything else to play for. Last season a top four finish was out of Kenny's hands, the League cup and the Carling cup were all he had left. The other clubs who do have champions league use the League cup and Carling cup as an opportunity to give their junior players a run out . Winning these cups are not seen as a serious priority by the big clubs. Even the big man of FSG John Henry has come out and said that Kenny was doomed no matter if he had won both the  Carling Cup and League cup. 

    Like i have said in a previous post the day Arsene Wenger finishes in eight place like Liverpool did last summer is the day he is fired from his job. He has not won anything of late but has attracted higher caliber players and made a lot of money for the clubs consistently all thanks to a top four finish and the champions league participation.

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  72. The most important thing we need to see this season IMO is progress. We have gone backwards since H&G took over and great players like Alonso, Masch & Torres were sold. One thing I did notice on their recent tour was a togetherness amongst all of the players & let's hope this continues. If we are fighting for a top 4 (or higher) place then to me it means we have a good side & that would be progress from last year. If we win a cup but are mid-table then it is not progress. We played some good football & created lots of chances under KD but couldn't score. Our league season foundered when Lucas got injured. I didn't notice too many chances being created on the recent tour but I hope that comes in time. I like most things BRs has said so far &, while it is the players who get results on the pitch, do not dismiss the influence of the manager (Mourihno, SAF for example) on those players. We have a tough start in the league (as Hodgson did) & I hope the pressure from the media & the fans isn't too much after the first 6 games if we start badly. Confidence is a big thing in football & if we can get off to a decent start who knows how high we can finish?

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  73. My recollection is that after 9 games of the season gone our league position was bouncing around 6th and 7th - briefly rising to a lofty 5th for a few days at the beginning of February. With 7 games to play we were stuck at 8th and remained there until the end of the season. So, unless a decent league position was beyond our grasp after 9 games of the season, I would say that the assumption that the league was a priority is a little off the mark.

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  74. I will support Liverpool regardless, that doesn't mean i have to be happy with the current manager or playing staff. 

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  75. Theycallmemrburt4:34 pm, August 01, 2012

    fans want trophies "companies" want money.  LFC PLC and football in general has had its soul eaten out by the money men who, come to think about it, are dominating everything that has the potential to be 'milked'.  For example when money and the pharmacy industry mix excessively all of a sudden we need a vaccine or a drug for every and any symptom because it makes money.

    With regards football we either move with the times (finishing fourth) or we get left behind (portsmouth, birmingham cup winners languashing in the the lower leagues suffering economic crisis)

    In my experience once the soul leaves an entity the body will follow.  Football is, on the lower levels at least is on the verge of melt down.  Take into account that the 'financial fair play' mirrors 'free trade' on the world trading stage and football has a big problem.  It won't be long until the big clubs tell Uefa, FIFA or whoever it is that runs the show, they would "with respect like to create their own super European league as they are fed up with these financial restrictions".  BINGO breakaway MONEY SUPER EUROPEAN LEAGUE!!!  The domestic league in most countries as Scotland will discover with the loss of Rangers will suffer, creating an elite that mirrors our very own flippin society.

    Every morale and economic meltdown happens in stages.  Pornography started off with a few 'artistic' shots as the public were not morally regressed enough to accept two chickens a dog and a pensioner going at it (now its the norm lol).  All the above is happening behind the scenes whilst we the fans squabble over the scraps that are the FA and legue cup.

    To conclude LOL (I have no idea what I've just written!!) The champions league was the beginning of the end and the financial fair play rules will be the ignition of the fuse that brings about a breakaway league.  Fenway do not want to miss that gravy train.  Domestic cups will never again be important to anyone apart from fans who are honorably living in the past.

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  76. There is a difference between supporting your team and getting behind them whilst they are playing and stating your disappointment at the appointment and ability of the playing staff on a football forum. If you cant cope with opinions different to your own i suggest staying off football forums and stick to the Official LFC site.

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  77. Btw Jaimie doos means c*nt...not sure if that's okay alright with you?

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  78. fact is you should never put one competition over the other, like you should never have to raise your game against better oposition. If you have this attitude, you are never going to win anything, your attitude and will to win should be the same regardless of competition or who your opponents are. to have to raise your game or concentrate more effort on one thing suggest you already know you are weak, this ultimately means the belief you have is flawed. Belief and mentality should always be above and beyond your physical ability as if it is not you will never get to where you want to be. 

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  79. The league for me is numero uno, especially when in contention with Europa League and Carling Cup. Rather top 4 than a Carling Cup triumph, (although despite the reputation it has, its no easy feat to win Europa League considering the number of games and how seriously some of the sides in that competition take it.) So the team selection, for me, should be geared towards that. Though I would expect whatever players he puts out in any of the competitions to give it their all, unlike what happened in badminton yesterday :)

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  80. And that CL win, allegedly, was what got them Hazard, according to the Belgian (though more like they were prepared pay big money to his agent!).

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  81. I like this guy when he talks. Boy, he talks good. But am not quite impressed with the 3 games so far. Pre-season alright but it was deja vu for me. Same old same old. Good football, good possession, good passing and awful final ball. I don't question the beautiful game but if it doesn't win matches its not beautiful, at least for me. I hope am wrong, I truly hope. 

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  82. We and the scum have won the premier league for almost 20 times but how many times the man scum have won the CL? Champion of the whole EUROPE is sweeter than a local cup (in comparison,winning the PL it's like winning a carling lol)after all we're very good at that.

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  83. Common. We haven't won anything since last few years, our history might end up destroying our future. 

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  84. He can mind the bus, perhaps. Work his way up to kit-man.

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  85. rodgers is going on about the league cause if he doesnt deliver he will be out of a job just like kenny a cup doest mean much to the yanks its all about the money,they sicken me.

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  86. Exactly - WINNING stuff, showing players that they're more likely to win stuff in the near future and/or showing them the money are the factors that attract the best (most highly rated) players. 

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  87. It doesn't matter how undeserved the victory was, all that matters is that they won it. Milan were better than us when we won it. We were better than them when they won the rematch a couple of years later. 

    The money earned from the Champions League helps them to rebuild, but it is by no means a given that a club is going to splurge just because they qualify for the CL. As evidenced by our very own transfer history...

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  88. Not sure how or why you think Dalglish had a "policy" on prioritising the League over the Cup comps.   He also said hunderds of things that could indicate he wanted to finish as high as possible.... to be able to enter the biggest Cup Comp (CL).  

    Sounds like another Headline grabber story to me...

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  89. I think it's hilarious that you are talking about negativity.  I have never read a single positive article from yourself jamie.  Got to the point now where i stop reading because it's always the same old negative article!

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  90. Even the blindest of people can see that gerrard and kk were trying to polish the turd that was our season last year the "cup wins are more important than league performance" was spin and nothing more they were trying to save face anyone who thinks even for a second that dalglish or gerrard for that matter wouldn't swap getting to the carling cup and fa cup finals for the being in the league title hunt is a moron but when you are out of the title hunt AND out of the race for champions league of course you are going to concentrate more on what you can win

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  91. Jamie, how much prize money did the club receive from winning the carling cup last year? 

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  92. it takes time. don't expect things to happen overnight

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  93. Kuyt, despite his work ethic, is definately replaceable.

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  94. league position is more important. Players are attracted by playing champions league- not winning the FA or Carling Cup. Yes it's great when you win them, but the premiership and the Champions league is the pinnacle that players want.

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  95. Seems like you're reading an awful lot into statements made to the press. The idea that Dalglish was actually devaluing league wins because he talked up our cup success is naive at best. To then think that everything will now be OK because Rodgers give us the expected response is equally so. There are statements to the media, nothing more. Both managers are not orators and they say a combination of stupid and vague things all the time. I think pretty much every statement they make needs to be taken with a healthy grain of salt. These men are not going to give us genuine insights into what happens inside the football club, they're just going to tell us what we want to hear (in the case of Rodgers) or what they feel they need to say in order to defend an otherwise poor season (Dalglish). I mean honestly, when you finish 8th in the league, of course you're going to talk up those cup runs, it's the only actual success we had. To conclude from that some kind of active plan to downplay league performances is really stretching. Especially considering the strong teams we fielded in the league, right to the very last game. If Kenny was downplaying league results, why did he not field a team of youngsters for the Swansea game? The truth is that he was still fighting for every point and there is actually no real evidence to suggest otherwise. You take the comments of players and managers far far too seriously. 

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  96. Number one, it's preseason, preseason, especially for a new manager isn't about winning games, it's about testing out the players. It's experimentation. Secondly, I agree with what Dalglish says, yes the league position is important, but it's not the only thing that's important, Man Utd came second, but what did they win? Nothing. What Dalglish is saying isn't a defeatist mentality, he is saying that as well as the league being important, so are the cup competitions, especially for Liverpool who are a winning club. So, in actual fact, this is a winning mentality, saying we will be competing in all the competitions we are part of, not just the league, for Liverpool, all competitions are important. And yes, we didn't do well in the league last season, but we did make two finals, winning one of them, which is part of the Liverpool way, WINNING. Some people might call the league cup a mickey mouse cup, but it's added to our illustrious silverware collection

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  97. Finally someone who talks some sense, sustained success doesn't happen overnight, it takes a number of years, people look at Chelsea and more recently Man City with their billions of pounds and think that because of them, instant success is a given. What they don't realise is it took Chelsea at least a couple of years to win and it took Man City 3-4 years to win the league after the takeover. It will take us the same, if not more, we are now behind the 8 ball and we need time to build us back up to dominance.

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  98. i don't think LFC needs supporters like you...  

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  99. yeah right, opinions are like assholes, everybody has one...
     

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  100. Read your article Jamie, well written, agree 100%, thats a first.

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  101. No. Not everyone does.

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  102. And the quotes above, from March 2012 and then May 2012? Of course, they're at the end of the season, not the start. Further evidence that it wasn't a considered plan but more like a series of reactive and defensive statements. Kenny only talked this way in earnest when our league position was already in the bin. 

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  103. There has been a lot of talk about Liverpool disrespecting the europa league ,I believe it is the other way round.Why a club which has won the european cup 5 times and been to two other finals and won the eufa cup three times should be qualifying for this two bit competition ,it is a disgrace .It deserves all the disrespect it gets.

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  104. 200k. Just about pays Gerrard's eages for a couple of weeks.



    Sent from Samsung Galaxy Note

    -------- Original message --------
    Subject: [liverpoolkop] Re: Bravo! Brendan Rodgers reverses Dalglish's most defeatist LFC policy... | Liverpool-Kop.com

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  105. an lost a higher caliber of player,yer lets make the bosses rich but never celelabrate anything,we all want cl first,but wouldnt want to go into lfc trophy room to see a load of post,it notes sayin finished 3or4th

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  106. WINNING the cl

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  107. Although i would  have prefferd a champions league spot this season, rather than win the carling cup, but i disagree with you pointing out that Stevie G, had stressed he wanted silverware, more so than a better position in the prem? its Obvious to me that both Manager and player didn`t think the team were up to making a CL position? so the MANAGER, King Kenny, had made his mind up to go with the cups, Knowing that it was more likely we could suceed in both cup competitions than the league. Dalglish made mistakes, and he knew it, a £35m missfiring AC a none preductive SD and a unfortunate injury to our most important midfield player ( Lucas Leiva ) did not help. When we lost both Suarez, for 8 games, ( IMHO it was a complete and utter farce a disgrace on behalf of the so called FA. ) and Gerrards up and down, injury hit season, i think we all thought a cup was the best we could hope for, and Kenny got us into two finals with this very laclustre and injury plaigued  team of last season. So maybe Kenny did buy badly, and these players were very much so to blame for his demise, but it shouldn`t of all fallen on just Kennys shoulders, i know Damien, Camolli also left but im sure the Directors also played a part in the transfers? and other events that rocked the club? Anyway lets hope the players that Brenden Rodgers, brings in dont let him down, the same way KIng Kenny was. RedMan4Life.   

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  108. Well it's not Rafa, so get right over it. Just go & follow the next team he becomes manager of.. whoever that may be! LFC have to rebuild & can no longer compete in the 'big' market. The sooner so called supporters understand that the better.

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  109. You have a very blinkered attitude as to how LFC progress. You think the only way is the 'Rafa' way. I think you need to take a look back at the latter years of Rafa's reign. Not very good! We will not get back up there overnight, but you seem to think it is an automatic right.It is not.

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  110. Let me help Chip.  League cup and carling cup are the same thing.  Maybe I didn't get my point across properly, I'm not saying that it's wrong to play the reserve players but I'm sure the same people would be up in arms if we were knocked out by a closest rival because of that reason.

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  111. They will be playing their reserves in selected matches so your reply is bollox.

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  112. I'm sorry but that just doesn't make any sense.
    You can argue about the relevance of the competition all you want, but nobody can say that our victory was "unworthy" because our final opponents were from the Championship. It wasn't like we avoided the big guns all the way and had a cakewalk to get the trophy - the reason that our final opposition were weaker than normal is because we'd already knocked out the best teams in the country before we got to the final!

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  113. What clubs target any particular cup every year?? :-/ 

    The best clubs aim to WIN *every* competition that they enter, and *that* is the level that I want Liverpool to aspire towards.Just aiming to be a top 4 club so everybody can talk about how much profit the club makes every year and our rise in the Forbes rankings isn't my idea of success for LFC.

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