Liverpool FC Forum

We've been here a dozen times, false dawns fuelled by a run of good games, Rafa's team of Torres and Stevie G, Rodgers' SAS team all stuttered and faded. I get the feeling Klopp is on the edge of something though, it's in the air.

The Moneyball transfer policy has gone - Salah, VVD  we're buying players at their peak, paying for them and paying top wages. Players are preferring to come to us than other clubs suggesting footballer agents are now looking at us differently and there's growing confidence we're on the right track - club (main stand, Annie road future development), players and manager. If we keep moving forward we can take third place behind Citeh and Chelsea - an excellent result knowing the resources of those two clubs.

There are threats on the horizon.
Coutinho leaving to Barca has become a joke. The Nike ad, Liverpool not complaining and neither Barcelona nor Nike apologising shows the deal is already done. The secret is how to replace him in the cheapest and least disruptive way possible. You lads know the quality replacements better than I however we have to replace like for like to maintain momentum.

Attitude is our other threat. Mane's lack of goal celebration. I assume the club has explained the Coutinho situation to the players - does he feel let down?  Was he surprised at the backlash after his Everton shot mistake? 

To me, all the solutions are in the hands of the manager and must be implemented to maintain the momentum in the coming months. There's a saying: '“The noblest art is that of making others happy” .

Shanks understood this and pummelled it into his players - 'you play for the fans', the 'greatest honour is to represent the club, the city, the fans'. 'They play for you'.  Shank's team's job was to make the fans happy, it was self sustaining, fans boosted the team, the team boosted the fans, the whole 'club' believed and drove forward together. The field and the stands became one - I feel that the last 5 seasons the fans and the players have not been one - they ***** us off with disappointments and the fans start to drift away.

Mane's 90k a week keeps the wolf from the door but he needs to rethink why he plays football, the fact Coutinho is leaving, or that Salah is getting more attention than him at the moment is not the end of the world. Clearly the guy can't see the big picture and needs reassurance and encouragement.

Get the sports psychologist Steve Peters to package the Shankly concept and explain it to the lads and in a very short time you'd have Salah, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Robertson, Solanke, Mane, VVD, Firmino gelling better as a team and driving forward to accelerate this feel good factor and improved confidence state. Those who don't buy in would feel isolated pretty quickly.

NOW is the time to go back to Shankly basics that took us from an average team to top of the league, we have to learn from the past - it's not about wages, nor ego, nor eyeing your next transfer move... it's about achieving success together as a team, a gang of mates, it's about making Anfield rock every week, hearing the Kop of old roar again.... watch the club bring back free standing to boost the effect... the goodwill factor is there for the taking. Now is the time to extend the Annie Road. Marginal gains.

It's about making people happy: the players are high paid entertainers - they work for us, we don't work for them.

All rise.

Nice sentiments Reg, if anyone could achieve them it would be Klopp

BUT

Dressing rooms today are very different from those in Shanks' era.

Players don't even get in the bath together anymore 

It's the only way to hold the team together Woof otherwise Mane will spit his dummy out and want a move and eventually so will Salah.... They don't need the money so we have to find a way to give them what they can't get at another club.

Maybe Mane has been like this recently because his form has dipped drastically and also the way he got slated for the Everton mistake.
So he feels he needs to get back to where he was and when he consistently performs well then he will be happy with himself.

I've watched few of his interview and he seems like a very humble shy individual.

It's all speculation really...

We all know that the Annie Road end is going to be expanded in the next few years,although our capacity will then be circa 60,000. I would have preferred to move to a new stadium on Stanley park as we should have a 70,000 stadium by now. Now it will never be more than 60,000. The kop should be bigger too. I prefer the old kop and its 20k + capacity, creating a better atmosphere,like in the old days.

The signings of Salah and Keita are a step in the right direction. But we need more star quality players, not just a couple. As quality brings consistency.
I can't honestly say that Klopp can win us the league though, as you have external factors like money bags man city and their sugar daddy owners. So it will be tough.

The game is ruled by greed and money these days, not by spirit and philosophy like in the shanks days, sadly.