Liverpool FC Forum

[lakes10]

looking back now for me the years that counted for our down fall were 1992 to 2001 but did it start before that in 1991.
Kenny was still our god but could we have seen what  was coming, i think keny did, new names started to pop up at the club and started to have their input.

then come Graeme Souness

have we ever built the team back up from what he did?
yes he helped some great young kids get into the team, but he also made a few big namesleave the club, his changing roombust ups upset the club and some say he was the one to kill off the bootroom.

and once the bootroom had stared to be taken apart fom him Livepool FC would never be the same.

we have gone so long without winning the thing that was so easy for us to do.

did we just not see the other teams coming? were we too big for our boots

[dundreamin]

Souness started the rot. Roy Evans was nieve. Houllier put us back on the map. Rafa almost done it, but had a millstone round his neck ie the vermin Hodgsons  a joke a absolute joke

[bigmick]

It actually started to go "wrong" while Kenny was still the manager to be totally honest. Kenny did a great job, but towards the end he was under unbelieveable self imposed pressure and made some dodgy signings. Souness came along and made a nonsense of the job, Evans played some good stuff but despite the league being relatively weak back then, couldn't win it.

Then for the last dozen years we've had Houllier then Benitez. Both won trophies, both had good spells but both IMHO signed too many poor players and not enough good ones. Not enough Sami Hyppias and Xabi Alonso's to balance out the El Hadgi Diouffs and Ryan Babels have meant that we have been unable to bridge the gap between ourselves and the Mancs and Chelsea. When you add in Houliier ultimately losing the plot, three or four years of Hicks and Gillette coinciding with Benitez losing his focus as well, we are left with a squad which needs major reconstruction if we are to break back into the top three anytime soon. No it doesn't mean I've "changed my tune" as I still believe we are good enough to challenge for the top four, but definately if we want to be in the shake up to win it we need a major overhaul.

Now we've got Hodgson, who at best looks like more of the same and more likely looks like he's a step backwards. Even more of the same is no good to us, we need a credible manager who comes in and does a fantastic job, better than anything we've seen for many a year. We need him to be backed bigstyle by the owners. Backed big to buy, and backed big to be allowed to sell some of the dross at a huge loss.

If Liverpool foiotball club doesn't get a manager who comes in and does a Wenger, a Ferguson or a job of that nature, we are going to be perenially fighting it out to get a Europa League slot IMHO.

[Reg]

The sad thing is Mick, if we dont get the right guy we're staring at another 5 years in the wilderness.

25 years without a title.... jeez, thats terrible.

[tubby]

And to be honest with the influx of foreign investment the league has become a lot more competitive now so it's even harder to challenge. Im not sure how much NESV will fork out on making this club back on the map but it has to start with the team and it will probably cost a lot. With the fair play spending rules due to come into force soon I wonder if we will even get the chance to make that transition in 1 summer.

[metalhead]

We need a Shankly II

[dundreamin]

The days of the shankly managers are well gone, the players have to much power. Regarding the title i remember laughing my tits off when the mange went 25 years without winning it. Now we are going to go longer than that, and the mange will eventuality  get the 19th. I am not being defeatist am being REALISTIC. God this is depressing. I love LFC and am hurting very very badly

[lakes10]

oh dear hoe sad, i started this thread to try and talk about something other than roy and rafa, thats why i put the years up, it took one post to bring it into line with all the other threads lol

trying to stay on topic lol

yer when GS started to end the bootroom i feel the club started to miss the bass that had seen the club very well over the years, AT the time many stated that Shankes would have been very upset with what he was doing.
when Evans come in he did not have much to play with, a few good players but it was much the feel at the club than the missing players that hurt us most, Evans tried to rebuild the boot room but the newplayers at the club did not get it. its had been lost for ever.

[bigmick]

I think everyone, me, Reg, Ciggy, Thommo and everyone else gets too focused sometimes on the here and now and doesn't look "big picture". I've got a feeling we can't totally rely on Chelsea to keep denying the Mancs for long, when Rooney comes back look a bit like they might win it to me. Equally, they've got some good young players coming through and will splash the cash if needed in years to come. Arsenal aren't going to go away while Wenger is there, while surely Man City will get it right sooner or later. Spurs are now a long way ahead of us in terms of squad strength with only Gerrard and Torres keeping us competitive.

We need to get on the right side of transfers more often. Mereiles is a good player but would anyone swap him tomorrow for Rafael Van Der Vaart? Aquilani has his fans but can anyone seriously suggest he is in the class of Wesley Snijder? We need a manager who is going to come in and get it right a lot. In a couple of years when the board say "here's 35 mill', find us another Gerrard" he needs to get it right. If we have to sell Torres and he gets the proceeds, he needs to hit the jackpot.

I'm 44 now, and I want to see the next Liverpool manager retire with me. I'm hopeful we'll win the title again before I join Phil, but it's by no means a certainty.

[SouthCoastShankly]

I think looking backing, it was comical that the supporters (including myself) turned on Gerard Houllier for not winning the league (or coming close). In terms of league success Benitez only matched Houllier's best effort.

And now we were happy to get rid of Benitez just to guarantee CL qualification. Fickle world.

You wonder in hindsight whether Houllier should of been given more time.

[lakes10]

I think looking backing, it was comical that the supporters (including myself) turned on Gerard Houllier for not winning the league (or coming close). In terms of league success Benitez only matched Houllier's best effort.

And now we were happy to get rid of Benitez just to guarantee CL qualification. Fickle world.

You wonder in hindsight whether Houllier should of been given more time.

Houllier was asked by the club how long would it take to win the Prem, he said two more years, the club said too long,

going back befor that we should look at how someone can take a team that won it (well the old div1) two years before and make them look half of what they was.

[stmichael]

Hillsborough.

[jacdaniel]

I think looking backing, it was comical that the supporters (including myself) turned on Gerard Houllier for not winning the league (or coming close). In terms of league success Benitez only matched Houllier's best effort.

And now we were happy to get rid of Benitez just to guarantee CL qualification. Fickle world.

You wonder in hindsight whether Houllier should of been given more time.

The league wasn't so difficult back then mate.  Chelsea and City weren't rich. United and Arsenal were the only top quality teams.

[laza]

1989 was when it all went wrong, after the human horror of Hillsborough and then footballing disaster that was Mitchell Thomas goal to give Gunners the title.
Kenny's sudden departure and the failure of Souness after that we were always on backfoot.
The nineties was decade of denial for me always expecting us to get the title next season
Doesnt seem like yesterday that 4-3 classic against Newcastle with entertaining football of Evans Spice boys.
Like others in their 40s who grew up through 80s its hard to believe its so long ago we last held the Holy Grail

[neil]

Kenny ...... made some dodgy signings.

David Speedie anyone?