Liverpool FC Forum

[jonnymac1979]

Also to be seen elsewhere, but a relevant topic on its own, I feel.
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Do you think if Gerard Houllier left, Thommo would, in a noble fashion, follow his manager out of the door? I'm not so sure Thommo would take the job. It saddens me talking of the manager leaving, but a change needs to happen. The players are lost of all ideas. The morale has gone, and week by week we are moving backwards, not forwards. We are not a big scalp for other teams anymore.

Personally, I feel that when we play the smaller teams, they can't wait because they know we are not as good as our reputation says we are - but hey, one day, opposition players can still boast to whoever they want to in their retirement that: "I played and scored against Liverpool, yes, THE Liverpool!!!". They will fail to tell though, i'll bet, that it was not the glorious Liverpool, but the Souness/Evans and now i'm sorry to say, the Houllier era Liverpool. Think about it. Hypothetically, if you had scored the winner at Goodison Park against Everton, you'd have a photograph of the moment laminated and framed forever - even though, for twenty or more years, the so-called Mighty Blues have been nothing other than completely dire. I know I would!!! Remember Bradford in 2000? They stopped us qualifying for the Champions League, although admittedly, we did not help ourselves those last few weeks of the season. It's happening too damn often. These are no longer freak results.

Imagine as a professional footballer, being able to tell a Grandchild one day, that you once played at Anfield against Liverpool and won. Unfortunately, there are many professionals around now who will be able to say just that.

Who knows?

I think not. I hope not. But in thirty years, kids might shrug their shoulders and say "Liverpool? Who are they", along the lines of the famous Accrington Stanley Milk TV advertisement when I was a kid. You know the one!

Our reputation has gone. We've been here before, and we rose from the depths. Three years ago - the glorious treble. Two years ago, we were just pipped by Arsenal, I can't help but think what might have been. So, so breathtakingly close. Maybe the players, or the club, ran out of steam at the climax of that season. We need to start again - to rise again.

However.

I leave you with a thought I had last night. I was watching the Premiership on Monday, and I was watching (if I remember correctly) Fulham vs Wolves, and I thought to myself, that Wolves, come the time, would beat us. The worst team in the league could mentally go into a match against us, knowing they have a chance of actually beating Liverpool, "Yes, THE Liverpool!!!", instead of being scared of how many goals were going to be drilled into their net over the next 90 minutes.

I'm telling you. Wait until we play them. You know the thought will be lingering in the back of your mind, even though you dare not entertain it.

"What if they win?"

I understand, if i'm not wrong, from growing up in the 1980's you see, that Wolves were one of the strongest, dominant teams of the 1950's.

Let's not follow suit.

[jonnymac1979]

The time has come to see if what I predicted back in October is true.  Is anyone thinking "What if they win?"

Since October we've gone from bad to worse.  I never knew it would get so bad though.

[Owzat]

We're not that far gone that we can't bridge the gap. The problem may just be too many average players or one cr@p manager but let's not get defeatist. Pessimism is one thing but defeatism is a bit extreme, we have enough money, fans and good players WE ARE NOT THAT FAR ADRIFT

[JBG]

I think Owzat is correct when he says that we are not that far adrift.

Things can change very quickly in football.

Last March, City analysts were predicting that Chelsea were so up to their necks in depth they would go the way of Leeds. There was talk of a mass clear out of their top players if they failed to qualify for the Champions League.

At the end of June they let Zola go because they couldn't afford to pay for his new contract. Two days later there wasn't a player in the world that they couldn't afford after Abramovich took over.

12 months ago people were predicting that Man UTD were finished and that Alex ferguson was going to break up his team in the summer and start afresh. However, 5 months later they got their act together and won the league.

14 months ago we were top of the league, undefeated....

Things change very quickly in football.....a new manager could turn things around in 8 month, 5 years, or maybe never at all.

We still have 4 or 5 very good players, three or four who could be good in a few years time, and there's at least 6 who are underperforming and could have their career's turned around by a new manager.

[BOODIDDY]

Things do change rapidly in football as JBG has pointed out. However, for this to happen at Liverpool a major change is needed in the removal of GH and dare i say it, at boardroom level. Moores thinks too much with his heart than his head and that's a bad thing considering he loves GH.

Thommo and Lee are certainly not the answers. Get rid of them and the old boys who are hanging on to the club, Rush included, (he was my hero).

We have money, pulling power and a nucleus of players who can take us back to the promised land, they just need the right guidance.

[Chinesegirl]

Things do change rapidly in football as JBG has pointed out. However, for this to happen at Liverpool a major change is needed in the removal of GH and dare i say it, at boardroom level. Moores thinks too much with his heart than his head and that's a bad thing considering he loves GH.

Thommo and Lee are certainly not the answers. Get rid of them and the old boys who are hanging on to the club, Rush included, (he was my hero).

We have money, pulling power and a nucleus of players who can take us back to the promised land, they just need the right guidance.

who do you want best?

[Owzat]

It's ok to look for bargains but you also have to buy and sell at the right price. manu paid £19m for Van Nistelrooy and should sell him for £60m. Why? Because Ferguson can go out and buy two quality strikers with the money and that is good business sense. If someone offers £50m for Owen I'd take it. He is a terrific player but his injuries can be a problem and we could buy two quality strikers to replace him. Let's face it £50m+ for one player is silly money, not very many players cost more than £10m and we know there are more quality players in the Premiership than there are £10m+ players.

[azriahmad]

When visiting teams play at Anfield these days, you can see that there is no fear at all in them but more of the fear in in the Liverpool team, so cautious and so worried of making mistakes that they hardly take any chances. Only when we are a goal down, then the players start to have more urgency which usually borders on desperation. Consequently, more oftern than not, passes become very clumsy, the sorry-excuse-of-a-defence starts to make schoolboy errors and people like Diouf, Heskey and Smicer will keep playing aimlessly. Too much reliance is left to Stevie G and Owen (if he is playing) that they are expected to perform miracles when planks like the trio I mentioned earlier play like headless chickens. At the end of the day, Liverpool struccle even to come to terms with a single goal.
Right now, our reputation especially at Anfield is history...

[leothelion]

Agree changes need to be made but i wouldn't make a total clear out Thommo done ok while houllier was out and he def loves the club so does rushie + sammy lee
I think its people like that we need at the club people who has the club at there best interest
The boot room worked in the past why not try again ? cant be worse

[JBG]

Again, Owzat is on the ball with what he says about Michael Owen.

It is true that Owen is our best player, but I too would sell him for funny money.

We have never got a full season from him, and he has never really got the 25 league goals that he is capable of.

The only problem is that I simply wouldn't trust Houllier to spend the money wisely.

As for returning to the bootroom, unfortunately those days are gone forever and to be objective about it, harping back to the old days does nobody any favours.

We need to stop living in the past and come up with some fresh new ideas. It can be done.