Liverpool FC Forum

by **Coley** » Sat Dec 20, 2003 6:11 pm

If i talk to my friends (who support all sorts of other teams, mainly PNE or the scum as i live in Preston) they all seem to think that we go overboard on how much we want GH out.

Are we actually doing alright considering? A couple of wins and we'd be back up in the top 4 or 5. I sometimes think the press whip us all up in to a frenzy over this. Are we guilty of following the press? If you look at the amount of injuries we have to key players, could any other premiership team cope?

Your views please.

by **Bring Dalglish back** » Sat Dec 20, 2003 7:03 pm

I think that the media are often seen as a scapegoat in terms of building up hype around the futures of particular managers. In my perspective however, I have always felt that GH lacked that extra bit of passaz that would be required in order for him to bring the Premiership trophy back to Anfield.
The media - in particular the press, do evoke a lot of negative connotations to their audience about football managers, but I honestly believe that the Liverpool fans are intelligent enough to make their own minds up. On this basis, I think that the Liverpool supporters have determined that GH's time is up!

by **Coley** » Sat Dec 20, 2003 9:12 pm

Thanks BDB, it is also my view that it's time for a change, but i think their are a certain number of people who are influenced by different areas of the media (phone in's have a lot to answer for as well, i don't think they give a particularly balanced view either). :;):

by **supersub** » Sat Dec 20, 2003 9:38 pm

I disagree,I'm not a big phone-in fan,but I think it has definitely reflected the growing feeling amongst Liverpool fans that GH's time is coming to a close if the is not a dramatic up-turn in our fortunes.To condemn the phone-ins and letters to the Echo as not a true picture of the fans who go to the games,is a case of GH burying his head in the sand.

by **Bring Dalglish back** » Sat Dec 20, 2003 11:34 pm

The role of journalism first and foremost is to be an accountability mechanism for example, if the Prime Minister or a football manager are making bad decisions then they will question it. Most parts of the media – including newspapers or radio show phone-in’s, attempt to achieve both sides of the pendulum in terms of conveying a view about a particular matter. In spite of trying to achieve an equilibrium, some media products do have their own agendas and are quite subjective. The Echo and local radio for instance, are biased in a way that they have the best interests of the club at heart – just like we have. With regards to Gerard Houllier being under pressure it is mostly the fans, who have themselves realised it is time for him to leave therefore we as supporters have constructed this news agenda – it has not being instigated by the media. If you watched ‘Football focus’ today for example, Mark Lawrenson said that, last Saturday it was “the fans, for the first time in years, who were showing their discontent with Houllier.” As a result, ‘Football Focus’ picked up on the discontent and produced a piece about ‘Liverpool in trouble’.

by **supersub** » Sat Dec 20, 2003 11:40 pm

Yes Tommy Smith writing in the Echo is biased,thats so he can still get in for free,but Bascombe definitely does not write with bias.He tells it how it is,just like a fan.

by **azriahmad** » Sun Dec 21, 2003 12:46 am

I live in Malaysia, so I don't get to read the Echo or any access to the phone-ins. However, the more vocal Liverpool fans in Malaysia have been writing to local sports publications about how Liverpool are lacking in ambition these days and playing very poorly, just as the same as the majority of the postings here.The main conclusion seems to be to sack Houllier and replace him with some one else.
With less reasons to go overboard as these sports columns tend to give equal coverage to other premiership teams, I would say that generally, the consensus on Houllier by the Liverpool fans have been the same - sack him and repalce him to have a better chance at reviving Liverpool's fortunes.

by **supersub** » Sun Dec 21, 2003 12:53 am

consensus is get rid before it's too late.

by **leothelion** » Sun Dec 21, 2003 2:29 am

WE DONT HAVE TO LISTEN TO MEDIA TO KNOW HOW BAD WERE DOING THERE CANT BE ANY FAN WHO IS HAPPY WITH RECENT RESULTS .
YES THE PLAYERS MUST TAKE SOME OF THE BLAME BUT WHO IS PUTTING UP WITH THESE PLAYERS NOT PERFORMING WEEK AFTER WEEK
WHO IS SELLING OR GOOD PLAYERS AND KEEPING sh##e?
IT DOESNT TAKE MEDIA TO TELL US THIS

by **redandblue** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 12:08 pm

Houllier has had a very easy ride from the press, given the scale of his investments. He has been given an easy ride because he has spent huge amounts of time charming, wining and dining the bigger press names. He gets a lot of praise in the French press for his ability to keep the press pack at bay.

But the fact is that he is tactically inept, his purchases have been poor and for most of his five years in charge, Liverpool have played unattractive, negative and sterile football. Even when we won a few cups, we didn't do it in style........getting outclassed by Arsenal in the Cup final, failing to beat Birmingham City over 120 minutes, and conceding four goals to a pub team in the UEFA Cup Final.

GH is a clown of a manager. He should have gone after his illness. He could have gone with some dignity and we would now all be better off. Instead, he is taking the club backwards and we could well end the season 25 to 30 points adrift of the eventual league winners. GH has given us the worst Liverpool team in living memory. It is a disgrace that Moores doesn't have the B***s to sack him.

by **Owzat** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 2:37 pm

supersub wrote:To condemn the phone-ins and letters to the Echo as not a true picture of the fans who go to the games,is a case of GH burying his head in the sand.

It very much comes across that EVERYONE is watching a different game to Houllier!

You can get a better view of incidents and a good feel of the game on TV, perhaps it is this that Houllier is afraid of :;):

by **Wendi Richter** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 3:25 pm

Personally I think at times criticism of GH is unbalanced. Regarding his tactics, I dont think he is alone in doing stupid things. Ive seen Wenger and Ranieri do some ridiculous things at times and Ferguson too. But they have the players so often they can get away with it.

They have their failures too. For all the a#se's domestic success in Wengers reign, they have essentially failed internationally. Even this CL campaign, some insipid peformances. Chelsea, for all their spending, still lose to average sides and tend to be up and down.

But for me, its the players GH has bought. Thats his bigest fault. In 5 years you need to be able to build a quality side, its enough time. He had the money. He buggered it. He desrves all the crticism he gets for that.

by **BOODIDDY** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 7:30 pm

Houllier is tactically inept. His gems just aren't materialising, they are duff, and its not just this crop of players look at those who've been and gone without doing owt for Liverpool. Xavier, Ferri, Dundee. The one he let go for the sh##e Diouf , (Anelka).

He's never ever replaced the midfield with the creative players we lost (both Maccas and Jamie). His team is one dimensional. No pace, width, creative spark or essentially entertainment, because thats what they are there for, along with results. Only salford are entertained by the current soap opera at L4.

moores shouldn't believe a word of GH's vision for the club, he doesn't really have one. Get rid now, but he must be ruthless and get rid entirely, not this technical director sh##e. Let Thommo run it till the end of season, then bring in someone with his own team. Lee and Thommo go aswell.

Think big! Lets stop thinking of the past, (employ from within) We need to start afresh with a new dynasty, with us Champions for the capital of culture year.

by **ROBtheRED** » Mon Dec 22, 2003 8:49 pm

I agree with everyone of the comments above and i'm becoming sick to the stomach of the s##t performances i've watched this year and we're only what, 4 months into the season ? The players that Houllier has kept faith in and defended are simply not good enough to wear the shirt. Houllier has to take responsibility for this. I'm not a fan of the increasing anti-Houllier hype as most of it is media led but it has got to the stage where it is the real fans who are calling for his head and for the LFC fans to be like that something must drastically be wrong. Personally i believe unless we deteriorate even more and lose 3 or 4 in a row i think he will be given to the end of the season to deliver the goods (which normally would be a p#ss poor 4th position but this season we'd take that now!), and if he is given to the end of the season i will support him and the team. As a supporter i will never want us to lose a game just for the sake of getting the manager the sack, and at the same time i won't agree with all the decisions he's made - and at the moment the tolerance levels are being tested! i'd never thought i'd see a Liverpool team with Diao, Biscan and Traore in the back 4. But hopefully and i am using the word HOPE when the likes of Owen, Kewell, Baros, Henchoz and Carra are back we'll start climbing the table and showing some more determined performances.
At the end of the season Houllier will have had 5 seasons in sole charge and it will be evident that he has took the club as far as he can - his contract is also due to expire in the summer so i think then the major decisions will be made.

by **azriahmad** » Tue Dec 23, 2003 7:54 am

"We will never walk alone"

Well said RobtheRed. Like you, I will always support Liverpool, even withe the cr#p manager and cr#p playing style and worse still cr#p results! Once a Red, always a Red! Although I always agonise every time I see Liverpool play (because of heartless and headless players, poor passing, atrocious finishing, planks getting picked every time, etc.), I still watch the live games on telly.
My wife keeps asking me, "why do you watch them play when you always get worked up?" I sais, "because I support this team, have always supported them since '76, and curiously will always support them in the future!"
We really need a new manager next season, 4ht place finish or not at the end of this season! GH still has to go.

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