Liverpool FC Forum

[azriahmad]

Guys,
Here is what Mark Lawrenson had to say on Rafael Benitez:-

The quiet man with plenty to shout about May 27 2004
May 27 2004
By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post

GIVEN that Rafael Benitez now appears to have one foot through the entrance door at Anfield, a few people may be a bit worried at Liverpool replacing one foreign coach with another.

Surely this is the time for a return to traditional British-style coaching, not to jump in with someone with no experience of the Premiership or knowledge of the club's rich traditions? Some may even consider it a case of out of the frying pan and into the fire.

I am sorry, but I have to disagree and I fully expect Benitez to allay all those fears and more within a few months of taking over.

His demeanour is quiet, but he is a fantastic manager who has done a tremendous job for Valencia in the best league in the world, bar none.

Working under financial restraints, he has taken on and beaten the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as winning in Europe by creating and moulding a top quality team who play great football.

And let's not forget how casually Valencia have brushed Liverpool aside whenever they have faced them in the past few seasons.

What's more, although Benitez is an unassuming man, his teams play in a real in your face manner. For anyone who hasn't seen much of them, Valencia have two midfielders - Ruben Baraja and David Albelda - who really go after teams, with the rest of the squad more than happy to join in with the cavalry charge.

Don't get me wrong, when they have to they can defend well with Roberto Ayala the stand-out defensive leader, but their incli-nation is not to sit back but to go after the opposition and take games by the scruff of the neck.

That aggressive approach of high pressure football lends itself to the Premiership and is completely different to the way Liverpool have played under Gerard Houllier at times.

Given the comments that have come from Michael Owen this week that he will wait and see who the manager is before signing - as well as the growing unease surrounding Steven Gerrard - the appointment of Benitez cannot help but encourage their belief that Liverpool will develop under his guidance.

And as for potential signings, this is a man with an intimate knowledge of the best players in Spanish football, with several of them likely to be available from his old club who are £70million in debt.

Pablo Aimar pulling the strings in midfield, anyone? Ayala alongside Sami Hyypia? He is sure to harness the best talent at Anfield at present and reinforce that with some top quality players.

I, for one, am looking forward to the first day of the new season to see the start of the Benitez era.

He is one of our former players who had won a few trophies under Paisley, Fagan and Dalglish. A very quick and versatile player.
He should know a few things so his opinions should be quite relevant.

[Stan Laurel]

Mark said about it is time to have British style coach. Well, they do not have any good managers around in Britain at the moment, they are not good enough to take over at Anfield.

[jonnymac1979]

Yeah, it's like a dagger in my heart when the likes of Strachan and Curbishley get mentioned as serious contenders.

I'm telling you now, if you thought it was bad under Houllier, you will have seen nothing yet if either of these two get the job.

What the hell.......let's f****** throw Glenn Hoddle into the fray and build him up as the next manager.    

For me personally, I would love Benitez or Mourinho to be our next boss.  I would take either, no particular preference, they both have too many plus points which outweigh the bad.

[115-1073096938]

hes a fruitcake who talks mosta the time.

however i agree with him here.

[Sean]

Lawrenson was a great player.  Pity injury cut it short, but I also thinks hes one of the best football pundits.  As well as being witty he always displays a deep knowledge of the game, not just of the premiership but af european football in general.  If he is looking forward to the Benitez era, that seals it for me.  Come on Benitez.....sign on the dotted line.

Seán

[big al]

What annoys me is that La Liga is said to be the best league in the world! why because sky show so much of it?  A few years ago when channel 4 showed the italian league, everyone was saying that Serie A was the best league in the world.  Are people judging leagues on the players in them, whats the criteria.  Regarding the thread Benitez is a good manager and I would be happy with him as manager although I had others higher up than him but in the end what we think is irrelevant Moores and Parry will decide and they better get it right this time.

[Boocity]

Its claimed to be the best league in the world because Spanish clubs get so far in the European competitions. You very rarely see a la liga team getrting knocked out of the CL in the early stages

[Big Niall]

Spanish clubs have done the best in CL over last 5 years, no English club has even reached a final this century.

[JBG]

Er, is Mark Lawerson not saying in that article that Benetiz will be a good thing for Liverpool?   

[Redtribe]

yes he is

[stmichael]

Spanish clubs have done the best in CL over last 5 years, no English club has even reached a final this century.

exactly. that's how you judge the strength of the respective leagues. we've had one team in the final in 20 years and even they were unbelievably lucky.

[azriahmad]

Quote (JBG)

Er, is Mark Lawerson not saying in that article that Benetiz will be a good thing for Liverpool?   

Earlier on, Mark Lawrenson just after Houllier was sacked, he wrote an article on O'Neill, and his arguements for O'Neill getting the job. he also did mention Benitez and Maurinho.

Go to the Liverpool Echo website (I forgot the http) to read the article.

[azriahmad]

Guys, I found the article by Lawrenson on 25 May 2004.

Shrewd O'Neill has right pedigree for Anfield job May 25 2004
By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post





THE king is dead at Anfield - long live the King. I listened to Gerard Houllier's departure on the radio yesterday and thought he left the club with typical dignity and also at the right time.

The longer an announcement about his future was delayed, the less time a new manager would have to plan. Now, with a situations vacant notice at Anfield, Liverpool are free to call other clubs and find the next man for the hot-seat.

I would hope the phone lines between Liverpool and Glasgow are running red hot at the moment, because I am a big Martin O'Neill fan and I believe he would make an excellent Liverpool manager.

From conversations I have had with him over the years, I also believe Martin is a Liverpool fan on the quiet, just by reading between the lines of things he has said to me.

He was always very cagey when the subject of the Liverpool manager's job came up, but again reading between the lines, if the job was available and he was asked, he'd take it like a shot.

I have spent a lot of time with Martin watching football matches and you can't help but be impressed by him - he's a super intelligent guy with a track record of success and achievement. Don't forget he got £11million for Emile Heskey at Leicester from Liverpool, and he's just been sold for £3.5m. Shrewd or what?

At every club he has worked at, Martin has improved the results for the team and the quality of the players. He also produces in-your-face teams that would run through a brick wall for their manager.

On top of that he has experience in the Premier League and of managing an enormous club in a footballing hotbed. Celtic bring in 67,000 fans every home game and have a history and tradition that is on a par with Liverpool.

O'Neill has enjoyed the success he has with the Bhoys while at the same time acknowledging that tradition and the needs of the fans.

I know some people may say he is nothing more than a long-ball merchant, but I believe you cut your cloth according to the play-ers in your squad.

At Leicester he was never going to have the team to play silky attacking foot-ball, while at Celtic, Martin has played three up front at times with Chris Sutton, Henrik Lars-son and John Hartson, as well as changing his tactics and formations regularly.





I am sure that he would realise that Liverpool have to play foot-ball in a certain way, and also have the intelligence and experience to do that, especially with the likes of Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard to call upon.

When you put him alongside the other domestic managers mentioned for the job - men like Alan Curbishley and Steve McClaren - I believe he is still head and shoulders above them.

Curbishley and McClaren are two of the bright young things, and have had success up to a point at relatively small clubs. It could be they would have success in the big leagues, but O'Neill has already managed that and has more experience than either of them.

The foreign managers that have been mentioned are also top quality. Rafa Benitez has had tremendous success in Spain with Valencia and Jose Mourinho likewise with Porto.

If an overseas manager was brought in, then I would hope Liverpool would consider Ottmar Hitzfeld, who has been one of the best coaches in the world game through a fantastic career.

Not too many managers get to take two clubs to the Champions League final, while Bayern Munich have dominated German football under his direction.

His teams have always done well in the big games and he would also come from a club with a comparative history and tradition to Liverpool.

Whoever gets the job, they face a busy first few days once they arrive at Anfield.

Their first job would be to assess the strength of the squad at their disposal and for that the impressions of Phil Thompson and Sammy Lee will be crucial as they have been at the coal face.

I would also say that signing a pacy centre-back is a priority to allow Liverpool to play higher up the pitch and push their midfield on to help Owen more.

As for the rest of the squad, everybody would start with a clean slate and have the same chance to impress as the new man brings in his own ideas, methods and tactics.

Whoever comes in I wish them well, just as I wish Gerard Houllier all the best for the future.

He is a nice guy who has done well for Liverpool, but the team has been in a downward spiral for a while now.

I believe O'Neill could get them on an upward curve again, but we will see.

Mark Lawrenson was talking to NEIL MACDONALD

Obviously he has quite a good opinion of O'Neill.

[Boocity]

My vote woulod go to Benitez, MON is a bit too much of a long ball merchant for my liking. would be interesting to see how Celtic do without Larsson.

[Sean]

Interesting to read that Lawrenson is a personal friend of MON.  Last Christmas when their was speculation about the managers job I heard Lawrenson give an interview on an Irish radio station.  He told the interviewer that all Liverpool had to do was offer Martin O'Neill the job and he'd accept.

Seán