3 Jun 2008

Steven Gerrard displays his lack of class once again

Steven Gerrard’s graceless and deliberately public attempt to tap-up Gareth Barry has once again highlighted his complete lack of class and professionalism.

In an over the top public eulogy designed specifically to appeal to Barry’s ego, put pressure on Aston Villa and indirect pressure Liverpool’s board, Gerrard disregarded all standards of professional courtesy and went for straight for the jugular with his attempt to ‘persuade’ Aston Villa’s captain to join Liverpool.

Gerrard fawned: "I want Gareth Barry to become a Liverpool player. I am desperate for us to sign him. He's a good player. I want Liverpool to be as strong as possible and Gareth Barry will certainly make us stronger. You talk about improving the team, the starting XI and the squad, and Gareth will certainly help Liverpool to become a better team".

Liverpool’s captain then backpedalled into irony, of which he was clearly unaware:

"We can't be disrespectful to Villa. He is still their player and we will see what happens. Naturally, they are going to try and keep hold of him, and rightly so because he is one of their star men. He has been a fantastic servant for them over many years”.

‘We can’t be disrespectful’? What planet is Gerrard on? His comments are nothing but disrespectful. When it’s obvious Aston Villa are fighting to keep hold on to their ‘star man’ and club captain, Gerrard has no business trying to exert pressure in this way. It really does betray a lack of class on the part of a man who is supposed to represent everything good about Liverpool FC.

The ultimate irony is that a few years ago, Chelsea were trying to snatch Gerrard away, and Liverpool fans spat bile and venom at anyone who even dared to encourage Gerrard to leave. Now Liverpool are doing the same thing as Chelsea – i.e. trying to snatch away the captain of a rival club – and suddenly it’s okay!

And quelle surprise, the very same fans that were foaming at the mouth over Chelsea’s attempts to prise Gerrard away are now apathetic over his one-man mission to ‘persuade’ Gareth Barry to come to Anfield.

Pure hypocrisy of the highest order.

If Gerrard had just made an off-the-cuff comment in response to a spontaneous question then I wouldn’t have a problem, but that is not what happened; Gerrard’s statement was calculated and manipulative, as the following comments illustrate:

“I am sure Gareth will find it hard to leave Villa. He has been fantastic for them but, in football, sometimes opportunities come along where you can better your career. I think Gareth is 27 now and he needs to play Champions League football. In my opinion, he needs that now”.

Gerrard plays on the fact that age is against Barry and time is running out for him to play at the highest level. The chances of Villa getting into the CL are slim at best, so Gerrard has picked the one thing that he knows will get to Barry on a psychological level.

Gerrard also makes it sound like Liverpool’s interest is a once in a lifetime opportunity that should not be missed. This of course is true (!), but he should not be saying all this in public. Indeed, Gerrard makes light of the fact that he ‘knows all about’ Barry and that off the pitch, they are ‘good friends’.

If they are such good friends, why couldn’t Gerrard tell him all this face to face? This is not just about Gerrard making a personal plea to his mate, there is more at play here, and once again, Gerrard is up to his old tricks, namely trying to exert indirect pressure on the club.

Reading between the lines, he is using his inflated status to force the club to sign Gareth Barry. Just look at the language he uses: He is ‘desperate’ for Liverpool to sign Barry. He ‘wants’ Barry at the club.He’s ‘good friends’ with Barry.

His whole statement is a blatant warning to board: 'Sign Gareth Barry now. Why? Because I said so'.

Anyone who has followed the Steven Gerrard’s career for the last 10 years knows that he has regularly made public comments in an attempt to indirectly influence the club. Anyone who fails to acknowledge this is in serious denial.

There was no need for Gerrard to make his ‘I love Gareth Barry’ statement and in my view it is inexcusable. Of course, people will accuse me of being over the top, but the apathy and shrug the shoulders acceptance of Gerrard’s comments just highlights the incredible hypocrisy of Liverpool fans.

Liverpool fans would be raging till the cows come home if, say, Deco at Barcelona said the following: ‘I am sure Steven will find it hard to leave Liverpool. He has been fantastic for them but, in football, sometimes opportunities come along where you can better your career. I think Steven is 28 now and he needs to play at the highest level. In my opinion, he needs that now”.

Whether Gerrard intended it or not his comments represent a fundamental and tasteless lack of respect for Aston Villa. It’s a classic case of big-club arrogance: Gerrard sees Liverpool as the bigger club so he thinks it’s okay to belittle Villa. After all, they’re a smaller club with no chance of Champions League football, so why should he bother according them the proper respect?

This is a viable interpretation of Gerrard’s comments, and even if there is truth in what he says, he shouldn’t be saying it in public. Rafa Benitez also showed Villa a lack of respect when he tried to publicly make a monkey out of Martin ‘O Neill a few weeks ago, also over Gareth Barry.

Quite simply, I don’t want players and managers associated with Liverpool to behave like this. Benitez’s spat with Martin O Neill was embarrassing in itself, and Benitez was clearly in the wrong. Gerrard’s comments are equally embarrassing, yet entirely predictable give his history.

Anyone reading this and asking themselves the question ‘what’s the big deal’ really needs to ask themselves one question: What do you really want? A club where things are done with class, dignity and respect for traditions built up over decades...or a club of unprincipled egotists with no respect for anyone and where underhanded tactics are the norm.

In other words, a club like Chelsea.

The funny thing is, when Chelsea were chasing Gerrard, no one at Stamford Bridge stooped to make a fawning and manipulative public statement designed purelyh to exert pressure and turn Gerrard's head.

No Chelsea player went to the press and said 'Steven needs to be winning trophies, so it's time for him to come here'.

It seems that even for a soulless corporate zombie like Chelsea, some things are beyond the realms of decency!

In fact, I challenge anyone to show me one instance – just one – in the history of the premiership where a player from any team has made a statement even remotely similar to Steven Gerrard’s insipid plea.

You won’t find anything like it because such statements are tantamount to tapping-up and are rightly anathema in the world of football.

But not for Steven Gerrard, apparently.

But I don’t blame him. Stupid is as stupid does. I blame Liverpool fans for continually deifying him and becoming an enabling force for his constant ill-advised comments.

The fact is, no matter what Gerrard says and does, the sycophantic and hypocritical fan-base who think he walks on water will always decree that it’s okay, whilst criticizing the *exact same things* in other players.

But who cares, right? It’s only Aston Villa.


21 comments:

  1. look here buddy.. why dont u spend more time worrying about your team than wasting your time as to whats happenning at liverpool football club?

    am sure u got better things to do that making stupid critics about to who has been saying what..

    ReplyDelete
  2. And here are the words of an angry bitter Villa fan who has already accepted the fact that their talisman is about to leave them for bigger and better.

    I dont know if its just me but when footballers start playing football it is done with the ultimate goal of winning trophies. Barry has been with Villa for about 10 seasons and all he has to show for it is the Intertoto Cup. And with all his years of dedication to the club you must agree he deserves more and should be set free for the opportunity to achieve his childhood dreams. And who are Villa to crush them.

    ReplyDelete
  3. If Gareth Barry wants to leave, then let him leave. He doesn't need Steven Gerrard pleading his case in the press.

    Gerrard's comments were unprofessional and disrespectful. Anyone who can't see that really needs to get their head out of the sand.

    As I said in the article, when Chelsea were trying to snatch Gerrard away, fans were up in arms. Gerrard (and Liverpool) are doing the *exact same thing* yet the same fans dismiss it as nothing!

    And if it was another player tapping up Gerrard like this, then Liverpool fans would be hurling abuse like there was no tomorrow.

    The hypocrisy annoys me, but what irritates me the most is that is somehow perceived to be okay for Liverpool to behave in this manner.

    Again, I pose the challenge: Find me ONE instance in the history of the premiership where a player has tapped up another player in public to the extent that Gerrard has.

    It's never happened before BECAUSE IT'S WRONG! Now, it's suddely okay. So what next? Where does it end?

    ReplyDelete
  4. From jamie ward

    I found your site for the first
    time tonight and ive spent the last few hours reading thru some of your posts.

    I dont agree with a great amount of what you have been saying,although i respect the fact you try and offer a difrent more realistic view you stil tend to give the impression of only highlighting negatives and ignoring positives but if your advertising your site as ''critical realism'' to not give a proper balanced opinion isnt really providing realism,surely?

    Ive always admired what gerrard is capable of but have been realistic in noticing his flaws as well and wont ever pretend he dosnt dive or sometimes wanders a little too much or give the impression he is bigger than the team,at times.

    Since reading some of your articles,this one in particuler you have pointed out a few things i never stopped to realise when it comes to gerrard.

    The barry statement,as soon as i heard it i immediatly knew he made a bad mistake in an obvious ungentlemanly attempt at unsettling the player.

    I have also noticed with gerrard,in my opinion, a certain air of arogance when talking about some issues,but that is strictly my own interpretation.

    Some of your reasons for attacking gerrard can be a little over the top and unnessacery but some points you make are spot on.

    I agree his mentality isnt always the most positive and his scrupples are sometimes very offkey.

    Ive just started researching for an article on the positive and negative progression of rafa and liverpool and ive been searching for supporters with an opinion that isnt rose-tinted,so im glad i found this site.

    Im not saying i agree with the majority of what you say and i look forward to replying to some of them,but i want to be made aware of a broader pont of view outside of my own to help write with a little more balance.

    I think its good to highlight some realistic negatives but at the same time you cant also choose to ignore the majority of positves and not give them the same amount of coverage as the negatives.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Check out this bbc article titled "Lampard lures Gerrard"

    And what hypocrisy are you talking about Liverpool is currently having Torres be tapped up even though we have told Chelsea he is not for sale.

    Unlike Liverpool, Villa has never said Barry is not for sale

    ReplyDelete
  6. woops the link to the article is http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/england/3822115.stm

    ReplyDelete
  7. feel free to wrap your lips around a large knob, friend. gerrard is obviously desperate for a title challenge, and as a player is more than correct in his public pining for class signings.

    this is one of the dumbest things i've ever read.

    ReplyDelete
  8. like jamie ward, i've rad a few of your articlles and tend to agree somewhat somewhere, but i have to say that 80% or more is over the top criticism without doing a reality check yourself.

    just this article for example. you jump at gerard and mentioned somewhere in the article "If Gerrard had just made an off-the-cuff comment in response to a spontaneous question then I wouldn’t have a problem, but that is not what happened; Gerrard’s statement was calculated and manipulative".

    ok, i'm not entirely sure when gerard was quoted as saying this, and under what circumstances. but unless you are certain he made these comments without being asked, i dont think you can say with such venom that he wasnt asked about barrry's situation.

    what i read (and i think likely to be the same with you) are articles of gerard making these statements. when and where he was asked, i've not seen any indications.

    like you, i was initially quite surprised he made these points, but i did wonder what were the questions he was asked. he couldnt have asked for a press conference himself and sprouted these, so i'm sure some questions were raised, maybe even 2-3 questions.

    i think some constructive criticism is fair, and if true and well constructed, actualy is a way forward. but i find most of your articles have too much vitrol, and that makes you jump to conclusions too eagerly.

    ReplyDelete
  9. 1) I cant believe that there is even a site that spends its time being critical to a club never mind the glorious LFC!!!

    2) You obviously support Man Utd, Chelski or you are possibly even Neil Warnock himself!!(Plonker)

    3) What do you do to unwind pal? I can only think that no matter what you say on these blogs you must get frustrated with the unrivaled love of this club, no matter what the knocks it makes us stronger!!

    4) Liverpool have been too nice over the years with this sort of thing whilst the likes of Manure and Chelski have got away with murder (Manure are now even getting away with having a go at the head of the referees Keith Hackett) What next?

    Fact is despite all the millions & millions of pounds that the "top two" have spent Liverpool over the past 3 seasons Liverpool are getting closer and people like yourself can see it coming and can't accept it!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey mate, were you dropped or bounced on your head when you were a baby? Did your mum not love you enough? Oh let me guess, your mum had to tie a piece of meat around your neck so the family dog would play with you. It's all good mate but you're still an idiot! Get over it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is not so much a pro Liverpool site--more an anti-Gerrard site!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Some amusing comments I must say, and ShaunRed, you're wrong: I was dropped on my head repeatedly not just once...

    Jamie Ward

    I can see why people would say this site is full of negatives, but people need to understand where I'm coming from. I'm as much of a fan as anyone else BUT I hate the the corporate whore-house that is modern football and I hate the fact that the traditions and philosophy that LFC is built upon are being slowly eroded.

    The fact that fans thinks it's okay for Gerrard to tap up another player in public is indicative of the declining standards among the fanbase. Where does it end?

    As an analogy, what if your best mate sent your girlfriend a love-letter saying 'Jamie's a fantastic guy but you've been with him long enough - you need to leave him and jump into bed with me because you're missing out on everything life has to offer. You belong with me where you'll have more opportunities and more money. So leave him and come live with me'. Would you be happy with that?!

    That is analgous to what Gerrard has done, yet it's seemingly okay because the Gerrard fan-club have deified him so much that no matter what he says and does, it's okay.

    Taken in isolation, gerrard's Barry comments are not that damaging; however, in the context of years of ill-advised comments, his comments just serve to highlight his role in the gradual erosion of decency and respect at Anfield.

    Again, I raise the issue - if some other play had said the same things about Gerrard then you would not be so sanguine about things. Fans would be foaming at the mouth, and it's this type of hypocrisy that irritates me.

    Liverpool players should not be brazenly and publicly tapping up rival players. End of story. An acceptance of such behaviour is just another nail in the coffin of everything the club supposedly stands for.

    And as you rightly point out in your comment, Gerrard's comments were 'ungentlemanly' and will just serve to unsettle Gareth Barry.

    So why are people apologising for Gerrard?! Just because he plays for Liverpool and is a Liverpudlian doesn't put him on some higher plain where he has the right to do whatever he wants.

    I totally accept that my views can be perceived to over the top, however, I am under no obligation to provide a balanced point of view. I make no apology for the fact that I have a biased POV because this site is all about opinion and perception.

    I write plenty of positive stuff about the team and individual players, but unfortunately, Liverpool FC is becoming a victim of the destructive influence and artifice of the modern game, which is something I just can't stomach.

    The slide into commercial hell and the destruction of Liverpool's enduring legacy may ultimately be an inevetable by-product of the shallow society in which we live, but that doesn't mean we have to just sit there and accept it.

    If you want balance, you're better off visiting the BBC or some other generic online sports section ;-)

    Brad

    I read the BBC article - thanks for the link. I see where you're coming from but you cannot seriously compare Lampard's ONE LINE COMMENT with Gerrard's massive statement. Lampard just says what anyone would when asked a direct question like 'Do you think Steven Gerrard would be a good addition to the Chelsea squad'.

    Gerrard's comments are tantamount to tapping up a player. If Rafa had come out and said the same things as Gerrard he would have been hit with an FA charge. So why is it okay for Gerrard to do it?

    Bok Mun

    The Gerrard story was initially broken by the Press Association. Gerrard was asked about the possibility of Barry's transfer and all his comments flowed from that.

    It doesn't matter if he was asked the question - he could have just said 'Barry is a good player and any club would be glad to have him'. If he was a really mature about it, he could have just said 'Barry is a Villa player so I don't think it's fair to discuss it'.

    Gerrard did the complete opposite! 'I'm desperate for Barry to join! Villa are never going to be in CL so I don't know why he stays there to be honest. Plusd, he's getting on a bit so this could be the last chance he has to get a crack at Champions League football. Plus, he's my mate and I want him at Anfield. He's been great for Villa, but the time has come for him to come a proper team'. Of course, I'm paraphrasing, but that's the gist.

    Is this acceptable behaviour from the Captain of Liverpool FC?

    In my opinion, no.

    anonymous

    Is this an anti-Gerrard site? No. If Gerrard didn't make stupid public comments *repeatedly*, I wouldn't write about them.

    I treat every player the same, regardless of status. If one of the players says or does something I perceive to be contrary to what LFC stands for, I will say so.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I see your point of view, Jamie. You support the old way of doing things. But we can't go on doing things as they were done 30 years ago and expect success now. The most we can hope for is a club that does what is necessary to find success in the modern age, but still retains an important part of its essential philosophy (the collective spirit, the fans, the belief).

    If you can't accept that, then you might as well go and support Everton or Tranmere Rovers: these teams still do things in the old way--but they don't win anything either!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I agree that things have to change and LFC have to move with times. If this means updating the ground and facilities and maximising worldwide commercial potential etc then I have no problem with that.

    What I have a problem with is self-absorbed arrogance seeping into LFC, which is best symbolised by Steven Gerrard, who thinks he can say and do whatever he pleases.

    I refute the contention that just because modern football is a cash-obsessed, unprincipled corporate whore-house, players' behaviour must inevitably follow suit.

    It is perfectly possible in this day and age for a footballer to conduct themselves in a dignified, gentlemanly manner. There are numerous examples of this in the modern game, and the most shining example of this at Liverpool is Sami Hyypia.

    Steven Gerrard is the antithesis of this, and it's just accepted because he's perceived as some kind of god.

    I want Gerrard to be like Sami Hyypia; to be like Dalglish, Rushie, Barnes et al.

    Instead, he continually drags Liverpool's name through the mud with his stupid public comments, whether it is about 'Foreigner's taking over the premiership', England being more important than Liverpool, Wayne Rooney 'destroying' Liverpool or tapping up Gareth Barry in public.

    There are literally dozens of examples, many of which I've highlighted in the past, and in my view, this is not the behaviour of someone who is supposed to be captain of Liverpool FC.

    The excuse that 'this is the way the modern game is so deal with it' is the mother of all cop-outs.

    Liverpool fans should be demanding more from their captain, not turning a blind eye to behaviour that will end up damaging the long-term reputation and standing of the club.

    Before Gerrard came along, players would have been roundly lambasted for some of the crap he comes out with. Now, because the fanbase are such sycophants and a major enabling force, ill-advised, embarrassing and disrespectful comments have been legitimised and accepted as the norm.

    So Gerrard blatantly taps up and unsettles the captain of another club in public. Big deal! It's Stevie - he can do what he likes!

    Wrong. This attitude has to change. Being captain of Liverpool is supposed to mean something. The captain is supposed to be the embodiment of everything great about Liverpool FC. As such, the person lucky enough to hold that coveted position has to behave in a manner that respects LFC's history and legacy.

    Can anyone honestly say that Gerrard is doing this? Is he a good ambassador for Liverpool FC?! Does he embody the spirit and values of the club?

    NO. And being a good player is not enough. It takes more than that to be a good captain, and Gerrard just doesn't have it.

    If you had to go to Court and prove Gerrard was a good captain and good ambassador, you wouldn't have a case! The opposition lawyer would tear your case to shreds highlighting all the things I've been highlighting over the years.

    Now, if you had to prove that the likes of Hughes, Smith, Dalglish, Hyypia, Souness, Rushies et al were good ambassadors, it would be an open and shut case. No contest.

    In my oft repeated view, Gerrard is not fit to captain Liverpool FC. He may be an excellent player, but that is not a reason to disregard his repeated transgressions.

    The times change but basic standards of decency and common sense always remain the same.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Your analogy is unnessacery because ive already agreed that gerrards wrong in doing what he done.

    Your wrong to assume i would be less sanguine if someone would do it to gerrard as im not bothered if players/managers want to come out publically beg/plead/demand/admire immensly
    one of our players and attempt to unsettle them.

    If they want to go im not bothered because i would prefer players to want to play for liverpool.

    Same if i was a villa fan and read what gerrard had said.I wouldnt have been that bothered...i would be gutted if he left,but at the end of the day i have no right to assume a player should stay with the club for the sake of the fans or what he owes the club.

    If he wants to move on to what he percieves to be bigger and better then i thank them for all they have done and accept it.

    I was exactly the same when gerrard was supposed to be definatly moving to chelsea,it was sad to see a great player leave but if he wants to then thats up to him,no bitterness from me.

    I completly understand your entire point in regaurds to this thread and ive read loads today about stuff ive missed when it comes to gerrard and even though ive always known gerrard dives or his air of arrogance ive never REALLY listened properly to anything i read or heard in the media and never looked to deeply in to it until now.

    You have raised some very good and interesting points ive never considered before,not because i worship gerrard because i certainly dont do that,but just because ive only recently started looking deeper in to football in regaurds to off field practices.

    I think alot of gerrards comments could be percieved either negativly or positivly depending on how you want to interpret it but there are one or two things that maybe he shouldnt have said.

    I hate the blind faith some supporters show and find it pathetic to defend something/someone that clearly contridicts what they are defending.

    You have definatly opened my eyes to some points of view on gerrard i never considered before which i thank you for.

    Im not saying you have to provide balance to your arguments its just your website says 'critical realism' and providing a one sided argument dosnt percieve realism to me

    and if your quest is to highlight gerrards/rafas/anybodys negatives and convince people of this and your way of thinking then providing an article that dosnt apear to attack a player so harshly and negativly,deserved or not,might help your cause.

    What im trying to say,in my opinion,is i see what your trying to acheive but its just the way you go about it that instantly chases other people away when your aim is surely to teach them/get your point across.

    I think a more reserved,subltle way of writing what you feel and having an article that provides balance,arguments for both sides of the coin would aid your cause a little better.

    Please dont think im trying to stifle your freedom of speech,its just i think you will get your point across much more effectivly.

    I hope im making some sense and you understand what im trying to say.

    Unfortunatly your never gonna convince them supporters who feel the best way to argue their case is to call u a manc or a chelsea fan,highly childish in my opinion.

    But you may have people on the fence who might be turned off by the very negative feel from your writing,which if intended or not,thats definatly the feeling the majority of people get.

    To be honest your site has predominantly negative issues peppered with admiration for the odd peice.

    And in looking for balance i need to read sites like this which are at the complete oppisite end of the scale to the sites you recomend i visit.

    I will send you a copy of my article when i finish it if you like,I would just like to state im not a blinkered supporter of my club and speak from personal opinion as apposed to media hype so it will be full of truth and hopefully a balanced argument :-)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Jamie certainly has a point when he says the majority of articles on this site are negative. In fact, the information on the left hand navigation bar emphasises just how negative most articles are. Just criticism after criticism. Certainly nothing about Rafa's achievements in taking Liverpool to the pinnacle of Europe again; merely lamentations about how Rafa was stupid not to play Crouch, make mind games with Drogba, etc. To be honest, I often don't recognise Benitez when you talk about him Jaimie because you make him sound like a complete dunderhead. What about writing an article pointing out just why he's such a good European coach?

    As for Gerrard, well, he's merely stating his opinion. He'd like to have Barry at Anfield and so would I. Remember, he's the Captain and expected to state his opinions on occasion. I feel this is fairly innocent compared to Chelsea's devious attempt to lure Torres away from Liverpool for 50 million pounds. That was all based on innuendo and trying to see if the divide between the American owers could be exploited. Why don't you write about that?

    Finally, Jaimie, you keep interpreting yourself as the guardian of old time Liverpool values, but what do you think Dalglish, Shankly, and Paisley would think of your continuously negative and public posting about Liverpool and Gerrard? You know as well as I do that they would not want you to post all this negative material even if they agreed with you. That is the real spirit of old time Liverpool: don't criticise your own people publicly!

    ReplyDelete
  17. John

    It's all a matter of perception - you call it negativity, I call it realism. I think it's fair to say that the deification and lionisation of footballers is at an all time high; indeed, gushing, sycophantic, exaggerated, hyperbolic praise for footballers is the norm these days. So if blind faith and exaggerated praise is acceptable, then why is extreme critical analysis not acceptable?

    I merely offer the opposing view - an antidote to the sickening ego massage that is so rife nowadays. The points I make have validity, but people just can't hack the truth. If I was writing nothing but positive articles about how fantastic everyone is and how every Liverpool player is world class and can do no wrong, then I'm sure I'd be flavour of the month!

    Why should I write an article praising Rafa's achievements in Europe? As I mentioned above, players and managers get enough fawning, bootlicking praise as it is. They're quite happy to lap up the acclaim, but they should also be ready to be held accountable for their mistakes.

    As for the Torres situation - it was just pie in the sky and not worth writing about. There was no devious behaviour and no public statements designed to unsettle the player. The possibility of Torres leaving for Chelsea was zero anyway, so what's the point writing about it? Besides, I'm not interested in how other teams conduct themselves - I'm only concerned with Liverpool.

    I never used to be this critical of Liverpool, but in my view, the club's traditions and legacy have been eroding gradually over the last 10 years.

    In any event, as I always say, I'm not trying to change minds. I don't profess to have more legitimate view than anyone else. There are thousands of fans out there with equally valid views. I write for myself, not to change peoples' opinions, and if people have a problem with my approach then that's fine - that's their right.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You are a good writer Jaimie. Surely, it must be frustrating for you to continually pitch negative articles to people who really don't want to read them anyway? Why not just give up on Liverpool and accept that football has changed so much in the last 30 years that you really don't want to have anything to do with it anymore? Then you will be able to use your talents in a more constructive way.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm not concerned about whether people read my articles or not so frustration is not an issue. If people want to read them, they will. if they don't, they won't.

    It is true to an extent that I'm sick of modern day Liverpool FC, but that doesn't mean things won't change. And things will change.

    Sooner or later, the club will get another Manager who embodies what Liverpool is truly all about; someone who won't tolerate the antics of the likes of Steven Gerrard; someone who has a passionate belief in old school Liverpool values; someone who believes the status and prestige of the club is more important than rampaging egos.

    Rafael Benitez is definitely not that man for a variety of reasons, but I have no doubt that it will happen. If I could take anyone right now, it would be Martin O Neill.

    In fact, if it was down to me, I would get rid of Rafa tomorrow and appoint O'Neill. He is a Liverpool legend in waiting and is possessed of exactly the type of character Liverpool need.

    NB. This doesn't mean I'm against Rafa or I want him out. He is a clearly a superb Manager, he just lacks the personal qualities I want in a Liverpool Manager.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Jaimie, the moment Liverpool's ownership passed outside the hands of a local, the possibility of returning to the system where a man of only moderate fame might be appointed and given time to build a team, disappeared. The new owners, like the new fans, demand instant success and if Rafa was to go, the likelihood is that another high profile European coach would be appointed. For your dream to have a chance of being realised, the Spirit of Shankly group would need to succeed in their wish to make the fans owners of the club--and I doubt that's going to happen.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Being the computer illiterate nutjob that I am, I posted my comments on this issue on the "write for this site" page. If anybody's interested (and I don't necessarily - note spelling - expect that they will be) you can find them there.
    TA

    ReplyDelete