Ray Houghton is not a happy man. As a staunch supporter of Kenny Dalglish, the former Liverpool midfielder is upset at the treatment of Dalglish at the hands of Fenway Sports Group, and he's accused the club's American owners of prioritising money over trophies.
In an interview with TalkSport, a clearly irritated Houghton slammed Dalglish's 'surprising' sacking, arguing that it was the wrong decision, especially after the 'huge achievement' of guiding Liverpool to two cup finals. Houghton went on to bemoan FSG's priorities:
"These American lads don’t mess about.
"Damien Comolli’s gone, Ian Cotton’s gone and so has Kenny Dalglish. What they [FSG] want is the money, and the club has sold its soul to the Champions League.
"It's absolute nonsense. Winning trophies doesn't matter anymore; what you've got to do is finish in the top four; that's success in football these days, which I don't believe in. My advice to whoever is coming in is be careful".
Being an ex-LFC player, Houghton has the right to pass comment more than most, but with the greatest respect, he - along with Dalglish, Steve Nicol and all the other former-LFC players who believe that winning the Carling Cup was a sign of 'progress' - is living in the past.
Of course FSG want the revenue that comes from the Champions League; what football club owner with any ambition doesn't? Football has changed, and the days when winning the League Cup actually meant something are long gone.
Prioritising Champions League football is not selling the club's soul; it is ensuring the club's future, and if Liverpool ever hope to scale the heady heights of league and European success again, the incoming manager better believe and understand that Champions League qualification is the main, non-negotiable goal.
Having said that, I doubt that FSG would sack the new manager if Champions League qualification is not achieved next season. As Ian Ayre said recently:
"The important thing will be to see progress and that means different things. Everyone will want to see that we are going in the right direction and are moving up the table, achieving more, playing the right sort of football.
"As long as you believe week-to-week, month-to-month, season-to-season you are building on something then people will be given time. There is a difference between that and feeling you are not moving forward".
Under Dalglish, there was regression in the league, not progress, and finishing the season with 14 defeats, thirty-seven points off the top (and seventeen points off fourth place) starkly illustrates that.
Next season, the new manager will have to make up 17 points just to be in contention for a top four place, and as long as the club is moving in that direction, and is there or thereabouts at the end of the season, that will, I'm sure, be seen as progress.
Jaimie Kanwar
In an interview with TalkSport, a clearly irritated Houghton slammed Dalglish's 'surprising' sacking, arguing that it was the wrong decision, especially after the 'huge achievement' of guiding Liverpool to two cup finals. Houghton went on to bemoan FSG's priorities:
"These American lads don’t mess about.
"Damien Comolli’s gone, Ian Cotton’s gone and so has Kenny Dalglish. What they [FSG] want is the money, and the club has sold its soul to the Champions League.
"It's absolute nonsense. Winning trophies doesn't matter anymore; what you've got to do is finish in the top four; that's success in football these days, which I don't believe in. My advice to whoever is coming in is be careful".
Being an ex-LFC player, Houghton has the right to pass comment more than most, but with the greatest respect, he - along with Dalglish, Steve Nicol and all the other former-LFC players who believe that winning the Carling Cup was a sign of 'progress' - is living in the past.
Of course FSG want the revenue that comes from the Champions League; what football club owner with any ambition doesn't? Football has changed, and the days when winning the League Cup actually meant something are long gone.
Prioritising Champions League football is not selling the club's soul; it is ensuring the club's future, and if Liverpool ever hope to scale the heady heights of league and European success again, the incoming manager better believe and understand that Champions League qualification is the main, non-negotiable goal.
Having said that, I doubt that FSG would sack the new manager if Champions League qualification is not achieved next season. As Ian Ayre said recently:
"The important thing will be to see progress and that means different things. Everyone will want to see that we are going in the right direction and are moving up the table, achieving more, playing the right sort of football.
"As long as you believe week-to-week, month-to-month, season-to-season you are building on something then people will be given time. There is a difference between that and feeling you are not moving forward".
Under Dalglish, there was regression in the league, not progress, and finishing the season with 14 defeats, thirty-seven points off the top (and seventeen points off fourth place) starkly illustrates that.
Next season, the new manager will have to make up 17 points just to be in contention for a top four place, and as long as the club is moving in that direction, and is there or thereabouts at the end of the season, that will, I'm sure, be seen as progress.
Jaimie Kanwar
They are full of bull5hit....houghton is worst...a two faced up kennys you know what ....it was his worst nightmare that man city won the league and not his fergie ...and then Arsenal got third instead of Harrys spurs and to top it off kd got the sack....
ReplyDeleteWhat will hurt him even more is if Rafa came back...
i don't remember houghton being too vocal about rafa and houllier when they got the sack.another one of kennys mates who had their red tinted glasses on all season.at least there was aldridge,roy evans and ian st john who actually had the balls to say what they felt and not swear blind allegiance to kenny.
ReplyDeletei cannot see your sense of thinking, even u must relise no 4th next season the fans will sing, whoever is manager OUT OUT OUT. if winning is all about 4th god help the next manager in, and the owners can blame noone but themselves...i wonder if they will axe themselves, if they get it wrong? i hope so...
ReplyDeleteIt was great to see LFC win a trophy again after 6 years. But we need to establish ourselves in the CL if we are going to keep up with other big clubs, and then we can focus on fighting for all the trophies. Just as long as we don't settle for finishing 4th every year, we need to be winning trophies.
ReplyDeleteIf the team puts in a good showing in the league and challenges for the top for all season, and - for example - misses out in the final weeks, I doubt fans will be calling for the manager's head. I certainly won't be. Ian Ayre's comment says it all: as long as there is forward progress with a good style of play, the manager will get time.
ReplyDeleteIt's unrealistic to expect the new manager to make up a 17 point gap in one season; how often does that happen? Having said that, it depends on what happens in the transfer market. If big bucks are spent, then the stakes are raised, and there will (rightly) be higher expectation to finish in the top 4.
Couldn't agree more with you we Jamie clearly didn't move forward under Kenny so he had to go.We will never attract the type of players to win titles again without champions league football a top four finish is a must.
ReplyDeleteI just hope the americans back the new manager with the funds they gave Kenny because I think thats whats needed for us to be in the top 4 next season.
If Rafa was to come in now and be given those kind of funds we would easily make 4th.
Although it looks really unlikely now I hope the Americans see sense and return Rafa to us.
I think what has happened at Liverpool this last week or so highlights how the cups have lost their value. Its a warning to all managers. I wouldnt be suprised if Liverpool play the kids in all 3 cups next year until the later stages.
ReplyDeleteI don't think these ridiculous, laughable statements by Houghton even deserve a comment.
ReplyDeleteI believe:
ReplyDelete*ANY manager that guides his team to 8th place in the league when the outlined target was to finish in the top 4, deserves to be sacked.
*ANY director of football that negotiates the 100 million purchase of 4 inept players, deserves to be sacked.
*ANY media chief that fails to deal properly with a racial abuse incident, deserves to be sacked.
FSG own the club and I think they've taken the steps necessary to try and make Liverpool a force within English and European football again. Positive Steps++.
'If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing.' - Shankly
ReplyDelete"I'll admit, right away, that I am disappointed that we did not have a major trophy to show for our efforts. We were in four and we had a good side, but when you count second place as failure, then standards are becoming fantastically high. We never celebrate second place here."
- Paisley
"At Liverpool we never accept second best"
- King Kenny
No mention of 4th in this list but a trophy is a trophy is a celebration.
"At a football club, there's a holy trinity - the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques"
- Shankly
Generally I support Shankly's view, but I'll leave with David Moore's quote (no mention of 4th being good)
"We just want to bring more trophies to the club for these amazing fans. They are the best. We have got just the right man to do that in Rafa."
David Moore's made a mistake but at least he loved the club during his stewardship and he wanted trophies not 4th. End of!
75% supporters want RAFA why the hell would you sack kenny for all the manager that are same as hogdson . marteniz always fights for relagation and he is going to get us champions league. Van Gaal is one of the most hated managers in world people cant approach him sour and loner. im not kenny fan as manager but why the hell wouldyou sack him for some off the clowns they are looking at . the americans have no idea. it should be guadiola or rafa
ReplyDeleteironic that the americans want cl football and theres a manager out there who has an obsession with the cl and he wants the job......rafa!
ReplyDeleteA tin pot cup after wasting a Kings ransom.Houghton is pathetic,when he invests his money does he expect a return or is he happy just to get a parker pen and a thankyou letter.I really am beginning to think why should i bother,you have people like Lawrenson,Houghton etc making a fortune out of their drivel they spout.If Rafa doesnt get the job,im off,ill concentrate on French,Italian,Spanish,South american,and i remember going into the kop when it was £4 to get in.
ReplyDeleteIn 1986 Ron Atkinson finished 4th with man u. In 1987 fergie lead them to 11th. in 1989 they finished 11th. In 1990 they finished 13th and 6th in 1991. I bet all of man u now wish they'd sacked him eh?
ReplyDeleteyour aiming pretty low for someone who was slagging kenny off all season. 4th is nowhere top 3 a must. and its not unrealistic we have to be smart this summer on every decision. i relly hope fsg get it right. this league is weak
ReplyDeletewhere did you get that stat about 75% of fans wanting rafa back?
ReplyDeletewhat top club doesn't prioritise the champs lge nowadays? thats showbusiness!!!!
ReplyDeleteDalglish believed as many supporters believed that Liverpool FC exists to win trophies but FSG believe Liverpool FC exists to make money. They couldn't care less about trophies, days out to Wembley, attractive football or pleasing the fans all that matters is achieving top 4 status because that's where the money is. If we never win another trophy but finish 4th, 3rd or 2nd every season for the next 10 years FSG will not be bothered. It is the reason why Arsenal have never sacked Wenger despite them not winning anything in the last 7 years, because he always gets them in the top 4 and brings the money in.
ReplyDeleteIt will be pretty sad that so many players in years to come will never have a medal to show off because they played for clubs like Arsenal & Liverpool and the fans will never have cup final memories because they followed the same teams.
I love people who throw out Shankly and Paisley quotes as though that's full commentary without any need for analysis, like fundamentalists who whip out bible quotes.
ReplyDeleteSo, second place sucks. What about 8th place? What about 2nd place in a cup competition that people actually care about in a final that came against a real team? Jesus Christ, the Carling Cup. Wow.
The past is the past. Until people realize that Liverpool is going nowhere
Of course winning the Carling Cup was progress dont forget the season before we missed out on Europe and the Top 4 and no silverware ok it might not be as much progress as we all would have liked but never the less it was progress and everyone knows that you have to get used to winning silverware it has to become a habbit no club has won the prem without showing they can win something prior to it the best clubs are the ones who stick with there managers knowing that the man they chose for the job was the best man to impliment success for them United stuck with Fergie a season longer than most wanted him gone and they got the benifit same with Mancini last season they spent all that money and didnt win the prize most where saying they needed a bigger name manager to land the prize but they stuck with there choice for another year Chelsea suffered for getting rid of Jose and Arsenal were rewarded when everyone was calling for Wengers head they get there CL place hire and fire has never worked and never will
ReplyDeleteI think the internet is destroying LFC. I guarantee that no one on this site went to wembley three times this season. It's a shame, but the TV-watching public are WAY more important than the fans who go to the games and feel the pride of watching their team win or lose. Those opinions are drowned out in the myriad of Paul Merson-inspired garbage that pours out over the internet. This is ultimately what it means to have a soul-less club. Like I say, shame :-(
ReplyDeleteIf fergie had signed players like downing..Adam..Henderson..Carroll......then he would have never won the league and would have deserved the sack
ReplyDeleteI fear these Americans are pulling the wool over our eyes.
ReplyDeleteRalph Milne anyone...
ReplyDeleteDifferent era, different circumstances, and fergie didn't have £100million to spend.
ReplyDeleteEquivalent to 35m or 20m etc
ReplyDeletei quite liked my 3 trips 2 wembley . what was rafa like when he had no money 2 spend not very good me thinks, and these yanks aint givin the next manager much 30 mill ,they bought us for a pittance and everyone thinks theyve spent 110 mill when kenny got 88 mill back =22 mill spent and we are still paying part of coles and aqualinis wages thats why the books aint lookin so good i would have given kenny more time because we played some good football and never got the results gerrard being out at the start of the season didnt help he would have helped the new boys and lucas getting injured was the biggest loss ,and towards the end of the season you seen carrol showing just why kenny bought him unplayable was 1 comment and i totaly agree its a big thing leaving your home town club for big big money to a club as big as liverpool where your under the spotlite 24 7 and he is still only young but now i think he has finally got his head round it we will have gerrard fit and rearing to go lucas back (fckn get in there ) andy carrol rite up 4 it minus the post and crossbar we are looking good for whoever comes in i don care if weve got mickey mouse runnin up the wing he`ll be gettin all my support COME ON MICKEY AND COME ON THE REDS so the gardens rosey boys but still dont trust the yanks because its all about how much money they can make
ReplyDeleteFergie tried to sign Henderson and made plenty of noise about how good Adam is.
ReplyDeletebottom line is we were awful last season, one the worst i can remember.
ReplyDeletethe players kenny signed got him the sack and his negative ways.
the owners backed him, wat more could you ask for.
how about get behind the owners for a change, its there money and reality is we have to run at a profit, so top 4 is a must and a new stadium is the way forward.
we have a few good youngsters on the bench good enough for a starting 11, and with the right man in charge and money spent wisely, ie on wingers we have a good chance.
spurs are going to lose players and arsenal shouldnt be a lot better, so 4th should be more possible.
half the old players ie houghton are a bit bitter because they are stuck in the so called liverpool way. those days are gone, we need to move forward.
I am not one of the blinkered liverpool fans who saw improvment last season! the fact is that the league is your bread and butter! more revenue in the club helps build more of a fan base which increases revenue! the CL is a massive thing to be apart of now and some sections of the liverpool fans would love to see a roman abromovic or a city owner willing to spend billions getting us back towards the top of the league! not where we belong because if shankley taught us anything there is no such thing as god given! we have to work hard and "believe we are the the best, and then go out there and prove it" money does make the football world go around but if you have to rely on one person (as blackburn found to their cost) your asking for trouble! to be self sufficent in todays game is the only way forward! i idolised dalglish and still do! he played his part on more than one occasion to make this club great but he had to go! now im no expert in the world of finance, and even though i have an opinion on who should be incharge at liverpool but we have to trust these guys! we have to back the new man and we have to prove that we have some of the best fans in the world! what other alternative is there???
ReplyDeleteJust a reminder finishing 4th did nothing for tottenham.
ReplyDeleteold news re houghton.
ReplyDeleteanyway, how about van gaal as manager?
For once I agree with you. Let these so called Liverpool legends blurt out all they like. FSG should prioritize the Carlin and FA cups over CL only if these so called legends will pay for the wages of our players. Only God knows how long we can hold on our sponsors.
ReplyDeleteLet's give these owners a chance. I seriously think they know exactly what they are doing. I think some Liverpool fans are embarrassing us all by thier actions and unnecessary comments. It's sad to see how our own impatient fans are making the media have a field day mocking our beloved club. As true Liverpool fans one thing should be clear "if you are not for us, then you are against us."
One thing excites me though, " the media do not have a clue what the owners are up to." Kudos to FSG.
Get real Jamie , LFC havent been a Champions League Club for years now .
ReplyDeleteIf they can consolidate their mid table standing without slipping into a relegation battle under these cheapskate owners it will be a successful season .
Dalglsh was & remains the only man who can navigate these dangerous waters & I genuinely fear for our immediate future with those clowns hiring & firing like its going outa fashion .
We want to win the league - that's our holy grail / pipe dream
ReplyDeleteBut, the only team to have won the Premier League without spending crazy money is Arsenal - and they have fallen away terribly in last few years as Sheikh Mansour asset strips their best talent
Unless we get super lucky, with Newcastle style signings, combined with a bumper crop from the academy we will not even come close
So, our real aim has to be top four for a few years, keep spending in check, keep profile high, keep the CL money rolling in, develop new stadium - all the while hoping that FFP comes in - then maybe a league assault may happen in 4 / 5 years
Houghton was speaking from the heart. Football used to be about winning things, having medals to show the grand kids. But football has changed - as have grand kids. Stevie G's grand kids in years to come will be much more interested in his expensive trinkets than a crummy medal
It was galling to see Kenny discarded the way he was, can't imagine how he, or his friends, felt. The last remnants of the Liverpool Way died when he left. The Liverpool Way is why we all support Liverpool.
Football is now dominated by shady characters with morally questionable wealth. Everyone else is going bust trying to keep up - Bolton with 100 million debt...... Farce
Spot on
ReplyDeleteThe fans that attend games week in, week out knew that Kenny still had something to offer. A player like Chicarito would have transformed our season
The point is that fans that attend games regularly could be replaced by day trippers who will accept anything
The Liverpool Way died when Kenny was sacked. Fans in TV land and Internet land on their couches recite the media mantra about 8th place, home form, win percentages, blah blah blah
This is groupthink on a global scale, many real football fans, of opposing teams, are chuffed that Kenny is gone. They know that real Liverpool fans who realise what Kenny meant are hurting
We are a soulless club now, merely a brand name that can be turned into a revenue generating machine
That's not what our club is, we now have no identity
Would have thought KK's media cheerleader squad would have gone away quietly
ReplyDeleteNo because they, like a lot of LFC fan's believe that FSG made a hasty and unjustified decision on sacking KD!
ReplyDeleteLoL I just remembered that when Souness sold Ray it was the last straw for the Kop .
ReplyDeleteThey turned on Souness & Souey then took a heart attack !!!
But it was when he sold Ray that was the last straw & the beginning of the end for him as a LFC manager .
Ha...Dalglish and FSG agreed to a top 4 finish, and he was given a 100 million kitty, and he wasn't able to achieve that, then why should he have stayed? It's always been personal with LFC, and until they get that out of their heads this club won't move forward.
ReplyDeletejamie ye make your money through the same way as the media so fourth place will be ok by you, understand your fuck winning thing mentality.
ReplyDeletecarling cup got us europe too tho. and a celebration !
ReplyDeleteLiverpool has always existed to win trophies. I'm of the old school unlike a lot of newbies on this BLOG (not news site) who believe that winning trophies is more important than league position unless that position happens to be first. What was Shanks' quote? Bet not many know it? As for top four, I can remember when only the champions of their league qualified for the European Cup (Champions League for all you newbies) which meant that only the champions of their country could end up winning it. How often does that actually happen these days? UEFA has sold the European Cup's soul and now these American fools are doing likewise in pursuit of the top four. It's ridiculous and most true Liverpool fans would prefer trophies to finishing fourth any day!
ReplyDeleteI love also how people think it's so easy to bridge the gap to the top four in one season. Too many Football Manager boffins around these days. Real football doesn't work that way. It takes more than a season to bed the players in and improve the quality of the squad overall. All you so-called fans of Liverpool should take a look at yourselves before spouting rubbish about Kenny. And that includes the writer of this blog who is one of the most negative people I have ever witnessed writing about Liverpool Football Club.
Well done you managed to contradict yourself perfectly using the word "impatient" in that comment. Muppet!
ReplyDeleteAnd there are some so-called Liverpool fans who can't even spell Bill Shankly's name correctly. Embarrassing!
ReplyDeleteFourth place will be failure to FSG undoubtedly if an English club wins the Champions League again next season!
ReplyDeleteWhat crap are you talking?
ReplyDeleteWell said! At least some on this forum know what LFC is all about!
ReplyDeleteReally, Rafa... The most boring football we witnessed for six years and you want him back. Give your head a wobble. He was kicked out of milan after only six months. Why? because he is an incompetent megalomaniac who only feeds his own ego... We need to look forward, not bask in the past, especially with Rafa.
ReplyDeleteThat was just a big con job,he helped LFC to spend money on crap! Never take any kind of notice of what Fungusface Fergie says!
ReplyDeletePlease explain how he contradicted himself.. It is you that looks like a muppet!....
ReplyDeleteAn ex-player that is absolutely clueless about modern football. Isn't all professional football clubs in the world talk about money??? Man Utd earned more than 50 mil pounds during 2010-2011 CL. How much did LFC earn during that season? LFC is way behind Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal in terms of finances and even more so after a 3-year absence in CL. I totally cannot see how LFC can catch up with the top teams in EPL. It will be an achievement if LFC can finish within top 6 in EPL and qualify for the Europa League every season starting from the next one.
ReplyDeleteIs this the same Houghton who openly called for Rafa to go ?
ReplyDeleteThe same man that thought Hodgson should be given more time?
Houghton all last season never once said that Dalglish got his tactics,subs,formations,purchases WRONG?
Houghton,Barnes,Hansen,Lawrenson NOT ONE OF THEM CRITICISED DALGLISH LAST SEASON.
There not pundits but MATES of a Dalglish who presided over the worst League performance since 1954.
As I keep telling every Liverpool FAN these people should not be listened to.
Finally, if they were Kenny's friends, they would like my friends tell me wehn I'm making a mistake...that's what friends do.
Not gonna take any thing in particular HANSEN says seriously while he hangs on to his MOTD job.
When Gary Neville OPENLY criticised his former team-mates this season, and frankly gave a better analysis than any of the the people I just mentioned.
Then we need to stop giving credibility.
I want effective football, thats what will return us to the top,what good is it playing beautiful football but not getting results.
ReplyDeleteSo Rafa didnt suit Inter so what he would at the very least turn us back into a top 4 team and We certainly weren't playing boring football when we finished second and were steam rolling teams 3 0, 4 0.
He is by far the best manager we could get at this time especially the way the Americans are going about getting a new manager.
Its more important that we move forward and not just look forward.
I guess you're a journalist? Sorry, but FSG in giving nothing out. And Oh! maybe you should take your time to read my comment again, there's nothing contradictory with using "impatient" in that phrase.
ReplyDeleteDidn't c him crying too much when the best mngr we had in the last 20years go t the sack.He only won us the European Cup after all. Oh and the FAC and was very close to win us another European Cup as well. All that in threes years. But his last year he took the club CHL semis, finished third and than second in the league. Made LIVERPOOL FC the most feared team in Europe. All that didn't stop this ex reds being happy that he got the sack and finally being replaced with well respected ( by London press) mngr. A former Neuchatel Xamax boss. The club finally was in pair of safe hands. Even in his worst season he finished higher in the league than RH friend KD. After breaking all the records of the club for worst, still that doesn't stop people like RH bullshiting that finishing 8th in the league was a success. Thankfully majority of the fans have moved on with the times and dont exept mediocrity anymore and more importantly FSG weren't scared to make a decision for the good of the club. IMO they know exactly what they're doing. You don't become a billionaire if u don't. RH u and yr mates who still live in the past, nobody is listening.
ReplyDeleteHelloooooooo did anyone see an improvement last season? Maybe I saw a different "Liverpool," probably the one in South America. FSG remains focused on how they would like to run "their club." I bet their judgements will not be clouded by the the few people who want this club to be run based on sentiments.
ReplyDeleteGo ahead, win the Carlin cups, FA cups, and whatever cups. Soon you'll be struggling to avoiding relegation because you'll be unable to pay the wages of your players.
ReplyDeletei am from South Africa and I must have seen different games to some of the comments I have read. I think Pool played brilliantly dominating 80% of all the matches they played. We made City, United,Arsenal And Chelsea look like first devision teams. We have been just the unluckiest team in the premier league. I cant even remember how many time we hit the bar that didnt even go in. I watched a highlights package of the seasons goals and saw so many goals that hit the bar and went in for the other teams. I think we as pool Supporters are too hasty for results and misses the big picture.We're a team that are progressing and nothing changes over night.Just Anxious to see who the new coach will be. YNWA
ReplyDeleteI'm disgusted.
ReplyDeleteDIsgusted. Have You not see any progress this season? Really? Really? After hitting woodwork 32 times, an absolute record, and creating more chances than any club in the league, we've not made any progress, according to some "so called fans". After a 6th place (under Rafa), and a 7th place, a turbulent take-over sanctioned in a London Court, A manager Who won some silverware after 6 yrs of trophy's drought, he didn't gain some time to work on his project.... Reallly? Can someone help me to understand? Correct - me If I shouldwrong, but Liverpool exist to win trophies, this is what Liverpool is what about. DO You sack a manager with a trophy in the bag, only due to 4th place? In my view FSG money is over football. Sad decision. They killed the soul and heart of the Club.
ReplyDeleteat what
ReplyDeleteprogress to me is creating chances to score which we have done. The finishing will come if we're patient enough. City did not win the league after their big spending in the first year. They were patient and the trophy came.Yes I agree that we need help for Suarez and Carroll and that will come with the new coach. Chelsea won the CL with more luck than we had for the whole season and thats just in the semi's and final.
ReplyDeleteIt's not tat i hate KD, just tat the club has dropped to the lowest despite spending the most...tats not rite. When Barca lost, Pep took responsibility n resigned even though he didnt need to (he is the best..) KD, on the other hand, thought tat v r progressing n improving...sad. Owner wont bring Rafa back bcoz Henry once said Rafa was given too much power n made the wrong decision on transfer policy. The team they inherited had no depth....well, Rafa signed many many great players but some of them fell out wth him n left....Yossi, Alonso..(not to mention he got robbie keane instead of Barbatov, also the poor Aqua..) of all the unimpressive candidates, i will go wth AVB n stick with him long term....like Arsenal wth Wenger.
ReplyDeletekk had to go.i was sad to see him go though coz he loves liverpool fc.he is just not a manager he gets pained when we lose,its not a job for him,its more than that.but having said that,he had to move for results were not going his way,period.the club cant be sacrificed becoz kk is a legend.and if kk loves liverpool he would know that the owners did a good thing for his team.the owners did wrong too by firing kk b4 getting a repacement thereby throwing a big club into disarray.right now euros are coming and player prices will shoot up after euros.we needed a manager to do business now b4 the euros.i am also not happy with the auctioning of managers who are applying for the vacant jobs.why not keep it secret.which good manager can go for the interview knowing that 12 other candidates are also gonna be talked to.wat of if lfc dont want him.he would have to face his players and fans will label him a traitor.who wants this.a manager will think," if lfc are talking to 12 ppl,do they really want me" he thus will rule himself out of the running.
ReplyDeleteFergie signed a lot of bad players over the years, all managers have
ReplyDeleteDalglish spent about 40m miliion net. The difference was the Man u directors had Bobby Charlton to advise them that things take time.
ReplyDeleteDid the same with Glen Hysen......
ReplyDeleteDid that just rhyme?
I went twice. I gave the League Cup Final a miss because I never went to any of the rounds, and would have felt a fraud if I turned up just for the Final.....
ReplyDeleteEspecially when they had no idea who they would replace Dalglish with.
ReplyDeleteIf I hear FSG should have had a replacement lined up before sacking Keny I'll explode. So there are two possible scenarios that one whom holds such a view could live with, a) that Kenny could still be here while we interview candidates, or b) trying to interview a manager who could be concentrating on his job while the season still going. Now that, would be dissaray.
ReplyDeleteHe also sold the club to Hicks & Gillette which many people will never forgive him for instead of the Arabs.
ReplyDeleteShankley was a great man but gone are the days when clubs were owned by wealthy local businessmen like John Moores at Everton and Louis Edwards at Man Utd who just signed cheques.. They are now all run by ruthless foreign owners wanting instant success.
Gone are also the days when the manager was only seen by the players at 2:00 on a Saturday.
I was talking to an ex Everton player anda also manager not long ago and he told me you only saw the manager ie Harry Catterick on a Saturday if he came to watch training you knew there was some problem or other.
Same with Cloughie he never went to training.
How would Shanks have coped with the internet, Sky TV 24hr coverage, playing on Sundays and Thursdays.
The trainer or physio was an ex player with a bucket and sponge like we still have in Sunday League, there were no diets, no sports therapists, pschycologists, Fitness coaches etc etc etc.
Football has moved on whether we like it or not it is now a business not a game. Champions League is a bollocks of a name for a tournament, how can you be champions and finish 4th as Shanks said only first matters. As David Moores also said. We have to sit through 6 tedious group stage matches to reach the knock out stage when it actually becomes more interesting all for money money money thats what it is all about. That is why there is now a rift from the big 4 or 5 and the rest its all down to Champions League and Sky TV.
Back in Shanks time you could say 10 or 12 clubs all had a shout at the title, Derby County Notts Forest, Villa, not just the then elite of Liverpool, Everton, Leeds and Man Utd.
Sorry for the ramble
2nd place in a cup competition? One look at the Bayern Munich players faces will tell you what they think about coming 2nd
ReplyDeletesorry pls but can someone explain to me how u win throphies with out money,truth u need the money (look @ alonso,mash,torres,arbeloea) u think will be 8th if we still had them? who replaced them? and this guy is talking about not priritising money, this is not france or germany where the football is not competitive (ok apart from bayern), there they dont prioritize money but look @ the leagues especially france
ReplyDeleteVeron, Michael Owen, Rafael and his brother Donatello or whatever he is called, Taibi, Anderson, Kleberson, Djemba Djemba, David Bellion, Alan Smith, Diego Forlan, Obertoan, Ralph Milne
ReplyDeleteYou've said it there....OVER THE YEARS.....
ReplyDeleteFergie signed bad players over the years
Rafa signed bad players over the years
KENNY SIGNED ALL THE BAD PLAYERS IN ONE GO...IN SIX MONTHS.....downing..Adam..Carroll..Henderson..coates ...90million+
If you gave 100million pounds to the other 19 managers and made them charge of lfc last season....Guarantee you we would have finished above where we finished.
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S THE REALITY OF KD...it may be hard to accept for some people
Common Titi, KENNY was'nt that bad at all, Did you guys forget the situation he inherritid when Hodgson was fired, at least KK brought stabilization in the team and between the players, the players were basically running around like lost sheep in the games before kk came, we played some brilliant football for most of the season and results could have gonne our way if we diddnt have to play against the 12th player (woodwork 30+ times) as well, lol. On a more serious note, I honestly believe we would have done much better next seanon under KK, THAN UNDER ANY NEW MANAGER WHO NOW HAVE TO FIRST BUILD ON GETTING THE KNOW THE CLUB, THE PLAYERS AND GETTING THE PLAYERS TO ADOPT TO THE NEW MANAGERS STYLE OF PLAYING.
ReplyDeleteExactly! All the best players want to play in the CL and on top of that it brings in around 20 million whenever we make it and progress to a reasonable stage in the competiton.
ReplyDeleteEvery year we don't make it, we fall further behind unless the owners have very deep pockets.
We are also losing money by not having a stadium that can seat at least 60k. We have one of the most expensive season tickets in the league and hence were voted the 2nd from worst value for money Season Ticke Club... Shambles...
Taking a long term view I believe there will eventually be a European 'super-league' and the question must be asked whether Liverpool would be in it. At the moment the answer sadly is no, despite our illustrious history. A few years ago under Rafa we were ranked no.1 in Europe and were one of the best teams in Europe. We won in Barcelona, Madrid and reached 2 European cup finals. Our league formed improved steadily until we finished 2nd behind Utd, with only 2 defeats that season. So where has it all gone wrong? Pretty obvious to me, the selling of the club by David Moores to H&G. These guys ruined our club and sacked the best manager we had since Kenny's first time at the club. Since then we have been floundering around with some of our best players leaving and some poor replacements. The problem is we don't have time to build a team. We need CL qualification to attract players as we don't have the money to get them (as City did). Chelsea & Arsenal both had poor seasons yet still finished well ahead of us. Sure we played well against the other big teams but we were hopeless in some other games & whoever comes in has to realize that the league is everything. Cups, unfortunately, are just a bonus. LFC have missed the boat in terms of revenues and have watched other teams overtake them recently. It appears since Ian Ayre came in that this side of things has improved but sadly performances on the pitch haven't. We need a manager like Mourihno who doesn't give a damn about past glory & what former players think and who can motivate the players to give everything for the team in every game. He also needs to be tactically astute (like Rafa). Capello would be a good choice in my opinion as he has had great sucess wherever he has been. He doesn't suffer fools either and is a man of principle. I am a fan of Rafa but am not sure he should go back. Rafa has his own faults (apparently a bit cold with the players?) and may not get on too well with the current owners. Whoever gets the job will find it tough to win over everyone but I will support whoever he is.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool FC is Synonymus with Champions Leauge Football. Every time I hear that music before a game hurts.
ReplyDeleteHoughton needs he's head testing. CL is where we should and need to be!
And whether you look at the net or gross spend it still made Liverpool one of the highest spending clubs. We spent far more money than Arsenal, Spurs, Newcastle or Everton, all of whom finished higher in the table.
ReplyDeleteI ADORE YOU. SPOT ON.
ReplyDeleteCheapskate owners? Liverpool were the 4th highest spending club in the league this season, how the hell does that make the owners cheapskates?
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that a lot of Liverpool fans, after spending years criticising Chelsea for having Roman's money, expect FSG to be sugar daddies in the same way.
no, i think getting into bed with that scummy rag, the s*n, was his downfall. yes he made some terrible decisions, player wise, but he could never recover from that interview, quite rightly so too. and the fact that he was manager of the most despicable,bigot ridden club in britain, r*****s, didn't help his cause in my eyes either.
ReplyDelete£100ml? You can't be serious. Do You really believe to the figure exposed from the rubbish british press? Take a look at the bigger picture: Jonh Henry didn't spend more than £25ml as the most of transfer comes from cut wages, players's sell and commercial revenues generated by LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB, not from FSG. In add, They demanded istant success to the KING, with a strategy focused on younger players like Henderson and Carroll. Everyone Who has some knwoledge about football, He knows that when You sign younger players, building a winning platform requires time & stability, and surely more than a transfer session.
ReplyDeleteeye tink ya iz wewl rong init. nah e int da man fa uz a awl.
ReplyDeleteI'm guessing you're not talking about the Shankly quote where he describes the league as the bread and butter of Liverpool and where they want to succeed all the time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, why do you think it takes so long for players to bed in and gel together? People constantly tout this as the reason for the poor league performance, because a group of British players moved form other British teams to Liverpool. So how is it that Newcastle could bring in even more players than we did, none of whom were from British clubs so they had a big language and culture barrier to overcome, and yet gelled and hit it off right from the start of the season and at about a third the transfer cost of what we spent?
But if you just sack everyone so soon you will never build anything. Fergie would have been sacked 5 times over if they took that approach.
ReplyDeleteThe club is losing money in each for not being among the elite football club.
ReplyDeleteIf you invest 100M and you come up with just a league cup, thats quite obvious. You buy crap players like Adam and Downing. Do you think SAF is a dumb to buy Ashley Young? He quoted " Adam corners is worth 10M". So why didnt he buy the lad.
We overpaid too much for some players, even if the money came from selling other players, we should have bought some world class players.
CL is a must for LFC. We should give the owners time, let them make their plan and we must wait for the announcement of a new manager. I do not think that FSG would appoint someone with no good personality.
good one.
ReplyDeleteRafa wanted to make a youth academy where we would promote youngsters more than buying talents. It would have been a new system implemented in LFC( a la barcelonaise). The new manager would not need to buy so much players with the likes of suso, sterling, coady and adam morgan. Carling cup and fa cup should be using these youngsters partly.
ReplyDeleteOne fact, we were happy in the beginning because we were quoting that not being in the european cup was a Blessing in disguise. Yet we failed to beat to battered Chelsea team who played much more game than us. We failed to beat Fulham who played much more games than us. Yet the manager exclaimed that we were tired.
I think the players brought in were not just as good as we were expecting. Newcastle did bought some players and some were immediate success(which we needed immediate success).
Hopefully next season...
I do not see chelsea suffering: won the CL with a diminished team and won the fa cup.
ReplyDeleteMan its simple, U win carling cup, u have less income than having a place in the champions league.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember those European nights where we were regarded as the top team in Europe: we beat Juventus(Capello), Real Madrid, Barcelona (with Messi and Ronaldihno), Chelsea and some other really good teams. We were feared, when one of these teams would entered Anfield, they were shaking. They knew that even if they won by how many goals on their ground, THIS IS ANFIELD. Nowadays, its a garden, any team come and walk away.
We were already very good but the previous owners did not want to spend and poor rafa had to make drastic decisions with buying and selling players. Our best player this year are Skrtel, Suarez, Lucas, Agger and some they were bought by Rafa. Carling Cup and FA cup are important, we need to bring silverware but hey in the end the players need to have their wages!!!
He got 100M to spend thats all. Simple, nothing net or gross.
ReplyDeleteAtleast, FSG let Dalglish used that money. That time, the money involved was not as colossal as today time.
he did made the treble with home grown players. At LFC, we are scared of using youngsters. Do you think if Barcelona did not use Messi, today he would be known worldwide?
ReplyDeleteVan Gaal is very good except his attitude. Too strict but I think its a must in football. Remember SAF and Bekham, Authority before players. This is lacking in LFC where we treat players as babies.:D
ReplyDeletehmmm so now trophies are no longer important, what a fantastic thing to tell yer grand kids , "well we finished top 4 for 5 years and won nothing", I would rather win all trophies as a player an have something to at least show the kids. It's obvious for owners it is all about money, they are running a business, but from a players standpoint it has to be about trophies and medals, else whats the point in playing....The sport is about winning, not settling for 4th ffs, finishing 4th should by no means be celebrated as a victory, it is a failure. If trophies are not important then lets not even bother entering them and save our players legs for that all important 4th spot eh. I'm sorry but to me settling for 4th is a defeatist attitude. I'm sure any team would want to play at Wembley in a cup final and have a "winners" medal, I don't hear any players saying different. it is exactly this kind of attitude that undermines our cup competitions, what next, the FA Cup is a worthless distraction from finishing 4th lol, it is the oldest trophy in the history of football, not only that but as a footballer you have to play in England to get anywhere near it, please lets not make it into another so called worthless trophy. At the end of the day, as a player I would want medals and trophies, this is history making stuff, not finshing 4th year in year out with nothing to show for it except some money in the bank for the owners.
ReplyDeleteI don't under value the need for money, nor the income champions league football brings, but lets be winners, not settling for 4th in the league and being happy about that.
Liverpool showed glimpses of good football but we are too far to compete with Barcelona or Real Madrid. If you think it would take 5 years, then the other teams move 10 years ahead. When a team hears THIS IS ANFIELD, the team should take a step backward and fear this structure. THIS IS LIVERPOOL WAY. COLLECTING TROPHIES AND BEING FEARED ALL OVER EUROPE. AT THE TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN.
ReplyDeleteThey do....about a million candidates
ReplyDelete98 goals on average a season... yeah that was real boring. He was kicked out by Milan because Moratti refused to give funds to change the team of over 30 year olds. How well did they do after he left??
ReplyDeleteThe landscape of the game has changed so much since then. Even SAF has said what he did with bringing through the kids (Beckham, Nevilles, Butt, Scholes etc) at the same could not be done again as the pressures of the game have changed since then and the competitiveness of the league has changed beyong recognition.
ReplyDeleteWinning the Carling Cup got us into the UEFA League, meaning the club will earn more next year than this year, due to further television rights and European ticket sales. To say that the Carling Cup was worthless is totally disrespectful to the team, who won this competition, and King Kenny, who got us our first silverware in 6 years and ensured we'd have this extra income next season.
ReplyDeleteObviously we all would have preferred to get into the Champions League, but it's totally unfair to say the club hasn't moved forward under Dalglish.
Stop hating, start supporting!
doesn't change the fact he had £115m to go shopping with and came back with mainly dross. And it wasn't just his transfer dealings. Tactics, and personnel were just wrong for so many games, as he kept trying to justify his signings, hoping they would come good.
ReplyDeleteSo in your mind Birmingham had a good 2010-2011...
ReplyDeleteworst season since 1954 is progress??
ReplyDeleteIt's what a global brand is all about. I went to Wembley twice but I wouldn't say that made me more of a fan than others!
ReplyDeleteDont believe for one minute these Yanks are going to build a new stadium these are business men and that will cost money. I dont think they are in for the long term either to get back on their investment.
ReplyDeleteFenway Park is one of the oldest Baseball Stadiums in the USA they havent spent a dime on it.
Well played Rico , its just a shame ya use a crap screen name !
ReplyDeletespot on. Can't believe how deluded some are. By their reasoning Birmingham had a good 2010-2011. The Champions League brings the best teams to Anfield to do battle, and it is your league position that determines if you qualify for the biggest prize in club football!! So yes, I would prefer 2nd or 3rd to the Carling Cup!!
ReplyDeleteAnd the reason KK selected many of his signings were that they had PL experience and could "hit the ground running". I think it is you who doesn't understand how football works today and perhaps could do with a time machine!
ReplyDeleteHaha, could not have said it any better myself!
ReplyDeleteWorst season since the 50s -- yes loads of progress. Modern football has changed. The Carling Cup is NOT progress. Birmingham won it the year before and went down -- is that success???
ReplyDeleteBeing outplayed at home by Wigan and Fulham is not progress. It was clear quite early that despite the fact we have the greatest of respect for KK, he was tactically not the right man. 2 coaches involved who didn't exactly do well at West Ham. Poor signings, poor tactics and team selections and no plan b caused Kenny's downfall. Not luck, not FSG's impatience, but Kenny himself. 14 years out of top level management was far too big a hurdle for him to overcome.
ReplyDeleteThat doesn't change the fact he had £115m to go shopping with!!
ReplyDeleteOr how about yes, we played in the Champions league because we finished 4th and then went on to win it... sounds better to me than yes, we beat Cardiff on penalties!!
ReplyDeleteBehind any Yank you do not trust is normally another Yank who taught him to be that way.
ReplyDeleteorst season since 1954, beating Cardiff on penalties, taking a cup from previous champions - Birmingham, who went down the year before. Wigan's first win at Anfield, Fulham's first in the league, WBA's first for 30-40 odd years. Not enough progress in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteThings kept on going from bad to worse for Souey , no doubt about it , similar to how things went for Hodgson , Rafa & Kenny towards the end , they just couldnt do right for doing wrong !
ReplyDeleteThe Sun Interview printed on the Hillsborough Anniversary was a complete disaster I agree , he couldnt have offended the familys of the dead any more than if he took a big steaming piss on each & every grave ....
But like it or not Souey is LFC family & personally I dont throw every mistake a family member made up in his face everytime he is mentioned .
Souness was a fantastic player for us , bigger than Roy Keane was for Utd & Keane was Giant for Utd , easily he was as big as Gerrard is today & maybe even bigger in Europe , Souness was an outright terror .
For watever reason his spell in charge of us was doomed to failure , he was cursed from the start .
I think it was because he wasnt Kenny & its as simple as that .
I think Kenny was doomed at Newcastle for the simple reason he wasnt Keegan .
I think Kenny was doomed with us because he wasnt Rafa .
Lets not forget that outside of Kenny himself Souness was the most exciting young manager in Europe when we hired him .
He bought the best players available , he modernized the clubs philosophy’s & brought through Fowler , McManaman & Redknapp & won us the FA Cup .
Souness by his & our standards failed with us but it wasnt for lack of heart , courage , skill & determination ... it just wasnt meant to be is all & no matter wat anyone says about facts & figures Football always was & always will be like wat Greavsie always said it was ....
"A Funny Old Game"
Yea it just didnt go anyway near as well as it should have for him with us but unless you lost loved ones at Hillsborough or are in the presence of someone who has there’s really no need to shit on the man at each & every opportunity , he has apologized .
Not sure how much Channel 5 pay you for a match and how many would actually come to watch a game against the likes of Bate Borislav or Besikitas, and whether a trip to some far flung European country on a Thursday will knacker you on the Sunday game as many a team has found out.
ReplyDeleteI think they should return to the UEFA Cup format have it knockout from the beginning not let the Champions League drop outs in and play on a Tuesday or Wednesday.
4'th highest spending but had the smallest squad .
ReplyDeleteOnly a cheapskate asswipe would buy a Ferrari & then try to run it on bio diesel !
FSG are thieving cheapskate Yanks who in real terms have spent aprox only £30 million over a 2 year period !
Sunderland have spent more !
You are buying their bullshit .
Fact is they sacked Kenny coz they didnt want to fund the clubs further progression .
Why the hell else would they sack the man who won the first trophy the club has won for 6 years ?
They make as much revenue from advertisements & merchandise sales through being underachieving nearly men as they do from winning , the only difference is that winning costs major investment & to sustain & progress costs major investment .
Cheaper to pay off Dalglish than to invest the extra £200 million it would take to buy in the 5 genuine world class players it would take to make us genuine Title & Champions League Contenders .
Wheres the Stadium ?
Yank Bullshit & they have pulled the wool well & truly over your eyes !
Sack the Board !
yes you are right he had so many all at once a golden generation, but will that happen again, certainly the new generation of Utd players have few from the youth team.
ReplyDeleteRafa never trusted the youth and only since he has gone has the likes of Kelly, Spearing, Flanagan and co. been given a chance.
I cannot think of anyone of the top of my head who was English given a game in the league by Rafa from the youth set up
Billy - I would appreciate it if you didn't refer to FSG as 'yanks' - it's a derogatory term (in this context). Thanks.
ReplyDelete100 million to spend isnt as good as it sounds when you have no strikers. He lost Torres and there was no one else at the club. fsg must have known that a chunk of the money spent was for the future. As far as tactics are concerned Liverpool were the better side in the vast majority of their games this season. The problem was they didnt capitalise on it. The players have to take the blame for a lot and I dont just mean the new signings.
ReplyDeleteHe will also realise now that if you sign the wrong young players for ridiculously over the odds prices then you get the SACK
ReplyDeleteCome on LVP4EVA, Hodgson wasn't that bad at all, did you guys forget the situation he inherited when Benitez was fired?
ReplyDeleteWe should remind them to axe themselves when they get it wrong at the end of next season. But it will be difficult because they have put up their objective as hazy as "...showing progress...".
ReplyDeleteTo be frank, how much do you think Kyut, Reina, SG, JC, GJ, Agger, Maxi and Skrtel is worth before KD took over as manager, a combined total, something less than a million pounds? Therefore, KD has added 100 plus mil pounds worth of players to this existing gang of players, a grand total worth of something much more than 100 plus mil pounds. He was not required to rebuild the entire first team of LFC since we were not a newly promoted or bankrupt team. He was given 100 plus mil pounds to add new players and somehow, he screwed up big time. He bought unproven youngsters for astronomical prices that sent selling club owners laughing all the way to the bank. So we should have no dispute about his sacking.
ReplyDeleteKelly played under Rafa in the champions league...never mind...
ReplyDeleteAs for Spearing he ain't fit enough to clean the bogs at anfield
how many games has flannagen played???
Stirling and shelvey were signed by Rafa but KD wouldn't play them over the scrap like downing and Henderson.
Thats why no more KD
for me the woodwork being hit that much is down to bad finishing not bad luck.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why you Jaimie are so set on the backing of bringing a second rate manager in Martinez in. You claim that everyone needs a wider perspective on him, but the reality of the situation is everyone seems to be singing his praises because he had a good run of results towards the end of the season. What people seem to forget is Wigan lost 8 games in succession which will probably be the same if he is appointed. Before you start lecturing me on Dalglish's tenure last season, Liverpool lost 6 from 7 in the Premiership so inevitably he lost his job, not just on that fact but he lost it due to that being a main point. Martinez as you say will get more time if he can make liverpool progress next season (something I highly doubt will happen), so why wasn't Dalglish given another season? It's not as if Liverpool were playing poor football, quite the opposite in fact and to have the third best defence with the fewest amount of shots against them, tells me that Dalglish, with another season under his belt, would have got us firing up the other end of the pitch and table. The owners have not just seen the glass half empty, they totally emptied it over Dalglish's head and I for one am disgusted with how he has been treated by these so called sports fans. If Martinez is appointed Liverpool's grip on an already slippery slope might just put them into something the club may never recover from.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you just accept KD isn't all that. just by signing Charlie Adam was enough to tell u his time had passes by him 20yrs ago.
ReplyDeleteIf Charlie Adam was all that then why did none of the other 19 teams even remotely try and sign him.
Saw Kenny Dalglish on sky news yesterday going into Wenthworth with a bag over his shoulder and he looked happy ..as if the weight of the club had been lifted off him. Hope he enjoys whatever he's going to be doing and think he will be better off out of it.Thought he would've been given ten or twelve games next season to see if they came out of the blocks running though!
ReplyDeletebut we didn't did we Simplify....if's and's and but's. Your missing the whole point.
ReplyDeleteSimplify, well why don't you go an glory hunt elsewhere, either support the club an team else go an support someone else....
ReplyDeleteBut Hoq, doesn't that come down to the tactics in the final 3rd (I'm also including starting XI in tactics)?
ReplyDeleteBut Carl, that is my point entirely. The league should be the priority, in order to regain our place at Europe's top table. That way we can then attract top players again to the club, have the finance to afford them. Would I swap last season with Arsenal's season - it's a tricky one but I think I would (just the last season though).
ReplyDeleteYou raise a very interesting point. And here was me thinking they were upholding traditions when they could in fact be stingy.
ReplyDeleteI will agree that they didnt get many in the box and that baffles me. I dont think they started the season like that so maybe it was confidence. Jimmy Case made the point they didnt make CLEAR chances often enough. But the coaches cant dictate or plan everything in the final third, you have to trust the players.
ReplyDeleteIf you think it is ridiculous just from reading some of the quotes, imagine how bad it was to hear the guy ranting away live on the radio then!
ReplyDeleteI know not to expect much from TalkSport, but I really did have to switch the radio over in response to Houghton's nonsense. Utter garbage.
Who's to say the Arabs would've been any better - I haven't seen anything positive about those bidders since they missed out on the LFC gig.
ReplyDeleteMoores being practically forced to sell the club was when LFC became just another club as far as I was concerned, and I began to have a harsher outlook towards Benitez.
Those same fans will still hypocritically bleat on about Chelsea and Man City 'buying the league' though...
Hoq, that was great observation. Just wait until 44 years up without nothing and that's when people will wish they should not have sacked KK.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a rant making a lot of imprecise assumptions on Ray Houghton's part. I was sad to see Kenny going as I believe change is not a short thing, particularly the amount of players coming into the club last season. However, I believe Ray Houghton couldn't care less about Comoli and the rest going. I think FSG are putting together who they believe can make a difference and you can't fault their experience in bringing this about with the example of the Red Sox. The league form would have been the deciding factor sadly, and although i think Liverpool were extremely unlucky and i fully expected better things next season, the investment should have brought about a better result in the league which ultimately falls on the manager. How naive is Houghton, jumping on the populous bandwagon and making an unfounded statement that they're after money. As far as i see it, they've spent around 100 million and got rid of 2 supporting roles and kenny dalgleish. To keep the club going forward it needs money to compete, and so champions league is important. Liverpool finished 8th so Houghton is naive to be seem so surprised that the manager might be in danger. Houghton himself would say champions league is a priority for a progressing team like liverpool. Feigning shock and awe at the departure is i think unbelievable mock hysteria on his part...something you attribute to a melodramatic panto dame.
ReplyDeleteYes Billy ... You must Love The Yanks ... You Love the Yanks .... No Billy I am not trying to brainwash you .... You Love The Yanks !
ReplyDeleteWhy are you holding my comment so long in the filter Jamie ?
Punishing me for not Loving the Yanks are you ?
You got right to the point, mate. It's unfortunate that people (who are fortunate to be in positions of power to hire and fire) will never learn that patience pays.
ReplyDeleteTrue.
ReplyDeleteTrue Liverpool fans should merely show their disapproval by simply not going to the stadiums. Only then will FSG and co. appreciate your value to the Club. As I speak, I will not be surprised that the pro-KK LFC fans are in the que buying tickets for the next season. In that case, do you think FSG will care a hoot about your feelings, let alone your opinions?? They will only listen to you when they start seeing Anfield half-empty on matchday.
Come on you tue LFC fans!!! YNWA.
To a point I agree. But I still think if something is clearly not working then it is up to the coaches/manager to fix the situation and to best utilise their players, whilst simultaneously improving them as individuals. I really don't think it was down to luck as others have said, and think KK does ultimately have to take the blame for the league performance.
ReplyDeleteThe contradiction is coming from Which set of fans have shown impatience - the ones who are supporting the sacking of KK or the ones against such a move?? On the ground, it is obvious that the pro-KK fans are demanding FSG to be patient, so they cannot be labelled "impatient" under the circumstances - hence the contradiction.
ReplyDeleteAlso whilst he was there ..not even one player was bought by Rafa instead players were sold....by the owner
ReplyDeleteJust wait till 44 years are up without nothing to show!!! Then that's when we would wish we had not sacked KK in 2012.
ReplyDeleteFirstly on the amount of players that came in are you honestly saying that players like Jovanovich , Kyrgiakos , Poulsen , Cole & Koncheskey who delivered only Relegation trouble didnt need replacing by Downing , Coates , Henderson , Adam & Enrique who in their 1'st season at the club contributed to the 3'rd tightest defense in the League & the creation of more chances than any team outside the top two , two Cup Final appearances , Secured an instant return to European Competition & delivered the 1'st Trophy to arrive at the club in 6 years ?2'ndly Liverpool FC has taken in more money from player sales in 18 months than the combined total of every club that finished above us in the League this season , then sacked the manager who delivered that success , hardly the actions of an ambitious honest board room is it ?Ultimately we are being robbed , ripped of & lied to by smooth talking American Con Men .SACK THE BOARD !!Dalglish !Dalglish !!DALGLISH !!!
ReplyDeleteHa! It's not prioritising champs league at all! He's missing the bigger picture here.... If we make champions league group stage we have so many options:
ReplyDelete* better calibre players will be more interested in playing for lfc
* this makes playing squad stronger and more competitive
* a bigger stronger squad will perform better across the league/fa cup/carling cup and champs league
* increased revenue from the competition
* this will offset against improving squad with better players
* the champs league is viewed by millions if not billions worldwide, so commercially this exposure will attract investment from companies
* fanbase increases- merchandise sales increase etc
* all this income from higher league finishes, champs league, investment in lfc from third parties like warrior sports, standard chartered will accelerate the improvement of anfield- more match day revenue.
So in answer to ray houghton- yes the champs league is the benchmark because if we qualify every year we have the opportunity of consistently high revenue streams from the competition, from the higher league position and as a domino effect, by qualifying we can attract better players and revenue. If we qualified every year the squad gets better and our chances of winning trophies go hand in hand with this. Simple as that. Winning the carling cup of doing well in it every year doesn't get you Eden hazard, falcao, hulk, javi Martinez etc etc. players that will win you trophies. it gets us linked with average players like diame and the like- players that wont improve the team- just adds to what we already have largely in truth.
Spurs did try
ReplyDeleteJamie allow my reply to this comment through , you have held it for hours on end now .
ReplyDeleteEdit it if ya must or put it through , let me kno & I'll edit it if it will spare you any blushes ,
So can I ask then that next season if Liverpool finish outside the top four and also win no cups would you expect the manager who ever he is to be sacked, the champions league now is the holy grail and if we don't make it then will we have a new manager next year, and if this is how it is going to be then you can understand why there are not many managers willing to take the job on.
ReplyDeleteand man united to.
ReplyDeleteRumour like spurs also tried getting Carroll for 25million and couldn't afford 35million but apparently offered 35million for Aguero at same time...just daily sport rumour....like the one about Henderson too that manure tried to get him
ReplyDeleteDo you seriously believe KD even knew what he was doing.?? if he was available for a job tomorrow how many clubs would even consider him
ReplyDeleteyour a clueless idiot, kenny never had to go at all, he had one full season in charge winning a trophy and getting to a final in another! it takes more than one season to get a team challenging up there considering how far we've dropped in the last few years. not many people would have done more with the team then what kenny did this year, you sound like a glory hunting chelsea scum bag!
ReplyDeleteOnly in your mind, J....
ReplyDeleteIt's normally a shortened term for Yankee, which I don't believe is offensive, and was also the name of a newspaper for American troops during WWII. [!!!]
It's only the politically-correct brigade who now seem to think that Yank has a 'cockney-rhyming slang' connotation.
When I was a kid there was a shortened term for Pakistani, which was used in a friendly way, but now that seems to have been outlawed too, presumably because someone took umbrage.
Yet I'm still happy to be a Brit.....
Yep.
ReplyDeleteAnyone but Rafa, by the looks of it.
you are a disgrace to the lfc family.why insult me if u dont agree with me.i wont sink to your levels,i am higher than that.u cant debate maybe thats why
ReplyDeleteaye and will probably try to hoover up all of Rafa's current/ex staff, like Valero
ReplyDeleteRay Ray can say whatever he wants in suppor of his buddy but this is Liverpool. Someone once said "First id Firstnd Second is Nothing". We should not be dropping our standards for anything. We are Liverpool and we should be competing to win. Period. If we focus on winning, the financial aspect of that comes naturally and we build and remain competitive from there, henceforth. I believ that is what JH and crew are about. Winning! Is that too much to ask? No, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteSorry about that - I've deleted the post, and the person who posted it is now banned.
ReplyDeleteall the stats, databases and moneyball-like waffle in the world won't hide what the eyes (admittedly, subjective, of course) see when we watch the games, that the likes of Downing have been mediocre at best and that Enrique's form has nosedived in the latter half of the season.
ReplyDeleteYep, the likes of Koncheskey, etc, were part of relegation form under Hodgson but so too were some of the current players in a considerable period of form this season. Says something when Wigan got more league points in 2012 than we did, yet they finished a mere 7 points ahead of 18th place. Just goes to show how terrible our form has been in 2012.
Don't mind me, just spinning the opposite way you are spinning ;)
we have waited along time to be realy really challenging, personally we have a young squad in, a few yrs will be! all this about we should be bringing this that and the other through well we have bought and they will develop, cant believe the way LFC fans are getting on!! this is one if the biggest moments in our history and keeping our history we have to get behind the new manager, team and owners YNWA!
ReplyDeleteYer spinning nothing but yer own notions .
ReplyDeleteI stated facts & asked relevant questions .
As for Downing & Enrique personal Glory I would agree they can & more than likely will play to their full potential over the course of their contracts which is why I am so pleased with them in their 1'st season they have proved ultra reliable even though both have had their issues with form by their own high standards .
Even Carroll who was awful by his standards showed himself to be an excellent centre forward linking the midfield with the attack , creating & exploiting space & proving how sharp his tactical brain is with his consistent 2 touch game in the heat of battle , I'll be surprised if he doesnt have an excellent tournament for England this summer , he has an excellent big game temperament & players like that are made for international tournament finals , if Andy is on form for them he might just cary them on his back into the knock out stages .
I personally cant see how anyone can complain about Enrique I thought he was outstanding all season , I not only think he is the best LB at the club I think he is the best LB in the League & I wouldn’t swap him for anyone at this time .
I also agree Rafa's nearly men should have been held accountable & not the new signings under Hodgson or Dalglish but I do acknowledge the standard of signing made under Hodgson & Benitez was bloody awful , hence our trophy haul under them .
Would be interested to know if you boo those crap players as you call them when you go to Anfield, if you've ever been that is?
ReplyDeleteJust watching all this spinning (and doing so myself too) is making me dizzy.
ReplyDeleteAs well as when one thinks Enrique was 'outstanding ALL season', no point going any further here.
Its difficult to contradict the facts I agree & I applaud your wisdom on this matter .
ReplyDeleteIts called passion.
ReplyDeleteSpoken like a true fan of Liverpool fc.
ReplyDeleteFans like you are so plastic,you've gracefully adopted the throw away society with open arms,Now go away if thats what the club means to you,some of us enjoy a day out wembley.
ReplyDeleteThey don't want to have to provide funds though..hence the type of managers we are being linked with.
ReplyDelete