Liverpool FC Forum

[JBG]

I think we all acknowledge that Liverpool FC is in serious trouble. We have a poor team, many under performing players, a disgruntled fan base, a weak board and worst of all, a stubborn and arrogant manager who refuses to acknowledge defeat despite the glaring fact that we have had 18 months of consistently poor results that has left us as also rans both in Europe and the Premiership.

We are in crisis and things need to change fundamentally.

Maybe I don't have the answers and maybe I am wrong, but the following are my suggestions to push the club forward again:

1. Build a new stadium: we desperately need to increase the capacity at Anfield or move to Stanley Park if we are going to compete with the best. Both Newcastle and Man UTD put more bums on seats per week than us, and on a good day both Sunderland and Man City can fit more people in their stadia for home games. Also, Arsenal have a fantastic new stadium in the pipeline and Chelsea no doubt will increase theirs dramatically. Even Spurs and Everton desperately want to increase capacity.

Football in England is still booming in so far as attendances are still increasing and I strongly believe that we could at least fill 55,000 seats, perhaps even more if we are successful.

I recommend that we increase capacity to 60,000 no matter what.

Its vital to our long term future, and I personally would be prepared to sacrifice a few years heavy spending on players to help finance the stadium.

2. Replace the board. Moores is a good man who loves Liverpool, but he gets too personally involved with the managers and players, thus clouding his judgement when a decision needs to be made. We need a more ambitious and ruthless board. Modern football is a cut throat game, and Moores, Parry and co are simply not up to it.

3. Start taking our academy seriously. Five years ago we were told that the academy was one of the best in Europe, allegedly capable of rivalling Ajax.

So where are all the great young players?

They are being let go by Gerard Houllier. Houllier and Steve Heighway are rumoured to have fallen out over GH's decision to release most of the under 19 squad. Very few players have broken through from the academy in recent years, and those that have have (Steven Wright, David Thompson, Ritchie Partridge) been shown the door by GH.

Also, we need to stop buying so many young foreigners who ultimately fail. I would prefer to see a few local young lads (or at least chaps from the British Isles) getting a chance ahead of the likes of Troare, Biscan, Medjani, Vigan etc.

There's no point in having our "famed" academy if we don't at least give the graduates a chance in the first team.

4. Replace Gerard Houllier with a better manager.

I know thats stating the obvious, but there are those (particularly on the board) who still have faith in GH, despite it being as obvious as the nose on your face that he has failed.

We need a new man with fresh ideas and passion and energy for the job. However, we need to be 100% certain that we have the right man for the job, and I admit that's easier said than done.

That's my two cents: anybody else got any more constructive ideas?

[BOODIDDY]

I have no more ideas, i've been championing for this for a while now. Think big commercially and success on the pitch will follow. Well done JBG your a star! I aint queer though like Hyypia and Biscan

[redandblue]

Good ideas. Stage one is as you have highlighted......a frank recognition that we are in big trouble and that standards have fallen dramatically at the club.

I'd start with a complete clear out of the present management team........Moores, Parry, Houllier and the other Board members who have tolerated mediocrity at Anfield for so long. I'd bring in Steve Morgan and other investors who have the club at heart (Moores obviously cares for the club but he isn't the sharpest blade in the drawer).

Get the new team to appoint a high quality provem manager. Ideally O'Neill, and give him funds to buy some quality players and get rid of Houllier's dross.

I am not a huge fan of investing lots of money as a means of increasing capacity by 10,000.

[big al]

JBG
1. Stadium- Why stop at 60,000 I think liverpool should be looking to at least 75,000.  They could afford to let kids in for a quarter the price.  This would bring valuable extra revenue and also build a future fan base,liverpool is not the community club it once was so back to basics look after the kids and they'll grow upto look after you.  Celtic will soon be heading towards this figure so why should'nt Liverpool.
2. I don't think we need to replace the board the right people are currently their, problem is they can't get control from David Moores. He seems a genuine guy buy I think he relies to much on Parry. Someone here with a better knowledge of the club will remember the previous CEO.  It was'nt just a coincidence that we started to slip when he retired and Parry took over.  What most people forget is that the role of Chairman is at many times just functionary.  It would be Parry who sanctions all Houlliers purchases.  It would be his task to ensure the manager is making the right buy.  He has to ultimately make recomendations to the Chairman and to the board.  I think Abramhovic has just given us a clue how important CEO is to a club.  ISee some similarities here in Liverpool and Man U.  When Parry took over he allowed dalglish to go on a bender and sign Speedie, The New Man U CEO has allowed Fergie to bring in Walter Smith both backward steps in my opinion. CEO is the clue that holds the club togather, if he turns on GH he's finished, but Parry Brought him to Anfield.  So for me its not the board who should go But the CEO.
3. Your spot on about the academy
4. Your spot on about Houllier.
I favour Starchan and On'eill in that order.

[Scottbot]

Sounds like a good plan to me JBG. I think the new stadium is inevitable as i believe it would be very difficult to expand Anfield by any great number. I believe the board and the manager will go if the club do not achieve Champions League football. If we get 4th i am fairly convinced everything will remain the same.

[Stan Laurel]

JBG, you are spot on! Thumb up to you from me, mate!

I knew about Heighway has been fallen out with GH last week, I knew it, it was on post "Heartbroken for Liverpool Youth" last week.

[oldredeyes]

JBG
You have raised some good points and ones that ned to be addressed quickly. The club seems to be in 'no-mans land' at present with no clear strategy from the top and indecision at every level of the management structure. This lack of structure allows GH to get away with murder as he thinks he is the only one with a credible plan
The Board needs to be sorted out quickly otherwise the new stadium will never get of the ground and will disappear like GH's promises.
In this order and over the mext six months we need to:
Call a special meeting of shareholders and the management Board.
Appoint a new 'ambitious management team to run the affairs of the club.
(I understand even the Thai PM wants to buy into the club and there are many others willing to put big money into our future).
Re-structure the playing side starting with a new manager.
Lay down proposals and a starting date for the new stadium.
Allocate funds for the new manager and insist he sells the dross we have accumulated over the past five years.
Start marketing the club on a world wide basis to increase revenue.
Put some bloody fun back into supporting the team.

[columbia]

JBG
1. Stadium- Why stop at 60,000 I think liverpool should be looking to at least 75,000.  They could afford to let kids in for a quarter the price.  This would bring valuable extra revenue and also build a future fan base,liverpool is not the community club it once was so back to basics look after the kids and they'll grow upto look after you.  Celtic will soon be heading towards this figure so why should'nt Liverpool.

thats a f##king fantastic idea. They should definitely do that.

[JBG]

I think increasing the stadium capacity is essential.

At current levels we could easily get 55,000 for home matches, no problem. Also, getting school boys and kids to come to matches cheaply is hugely important. They are the games' grass roots after all.

[115-1073096938]

To be honest i doubt we'd fill it. We sold out 6 times last season.

The stadium isn't important. I wouldn't want to leave anfield. I love the place. I wouldnt swap it for the world. We generate enough cash to be successfull n e ways so i don't see the point.

[XSD]

We need to get Martin O'Neil as our manager

[115-1073096938]

Why? He's overated and wouldn't last.

[Supermarius]

I think most of us realise Oneill is the man for us...but i get a gut feelin he will end up at Old trafford

[Scottbot]

I think O'neil can virtually choose his next job - He has been linked to Liverpool, Leeds, Chelsea and now England.

[JBG]

Ah, Stu, I think you are arguing for arguements sake.

I would hate to move from Anfield, but I realise that the club needs more revenue from ticket sales if we are to move on. Newcastle generate £600,000 a game more than us, and that works out quite a lot over the season.

Its not like Italy where attendances are down (Juventus want to move to a smaller stadium), attendances are booming in England.

As someone mentioned above its vitally important that we make it cheaper for kids and families to come to home matches.

I mean, me saying this is nothing new. The club themselves have been looking at increasing capacity since the 1980s; as for ability to fill the capacity, we regularly got 55-60,000 a#ses on seats in the 1960s and there are far more fans coming from Ireland, Finland, Norway and further afield now than there were then.

Look at Dublin: its a city of over 1 million people less than 100 miles away from Merseyside. The biggest supported teams in that city are Celtic and Liverpool (more so than the Mancs). It takes a few hours to ferry over, only half an hour by plane. Its a massive un-tapped market.