Liverpool FC Forum

by **Leonmc0708** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:29 am

A Serious Challenge Or Another False Dawn?

It's been 18 long years since we last won the League Title. None of us need reminding of that fact, and none of us need anyone else to point out that we really need to put in a serious challenge this season, at the very least. It's our ball and chain.

A massive weight on our shoulders, and only a serious challenge this season can take that burden from around our necks. But can we actually sustain a challenge well into April and be in with a shout as we roll into May?

The League Title is the bread and butter, as Bill Shankly once said. The European Cup is the undoubted pinnacle of club football, the holy grail; but the League Title is the aim every season to cement your place as the best side in the land. It's been far too long since we've done that, and it hurts. There's no point hiding from the fact it hurts. Seeing a side like ourselves, dominant for two decades, slowly slip away into also rans, picking up only two domestic cups throughout the 90's while Man United galloped to league title after league title. We had the near misses of the 1997 season, where David James flapped at two crosses late on against Coventry, turning a 1-0 lead and table topping victory into a 2-1 defeat in the time it takes to say "Dion Dublin".

We were bottlers. The football played during the mid 90's was a joy to behold at times. The likes of McManaman, Fowler and Collymore tearing teams apart; yet we were always suspect at the back and a bag of nerves when the pressure cranked up a notch.

All promise and no end product. The FA Cup run of 1996 being a prime example and typical of that era; playing some brilliant stuff on the way to Wembley, yet freezing in the headlights of the Twin Towers and crumbling to a 1-0 defeat to the great enemy, dragging our feet back up the M1 in our tear sodden cream suits. The Spice Boys flattered to deceive once again.

Towards the end of that era, Gerard Houllier was enticed from France, tasked with taking the club in a different direction. We'd spent the entire decade clinging onto the bootroom philosophy, with Roy "too nice" Evans, the last remaining of the old guard, being asked to make way for the new revolutionary, continental Liverpool. We had to move with the modern day and play catch up.

The infamous "5 year plan" of Houllier was put into place, and we set about transforming the club from top to bottom. Training was no longer just a kick about and a laugh, it was serious. The new manager was serious, and some didn't like it. Read Robbie Fowler's autobiography for an insight. Players had to grow up fast and start to justify their inflated salaries, and justify the responsibility they had as representatives of Liverpool Football Club. Roy Evans let them get away with it, Gerard Houllier wouldn't. Some players adapted, some left, and the club began to move in a new direction.

Gerard Houllier may be remembered by some as a failure, mainly due to the way his tenure came to an end; and whilst his last two years in charge did result in a backwards step, he dragged this club into the modern era, and came a lot closer to bringing home the league title than a lot of people seem to think. As well as the historic treble of 2001, he took us to second place in the league and looking more likely than ever to bring home the bread and butter.

Finshing 5th, 4th, 3rd then 2nd in successive seasons in charge, the following season, if continuing that trend, was to be the one we reclaimed our title as Champions of England. Various circumstances and poor signings meant that never happened, and we plummeted at an alarming rate. So much so Houllier was relieved of his duties and the tangled up reigns were handed to Rafael Benitez in the summer of 2004. Yet another attempt required to overhaul the club and reinstate ourselves as the dominant force on these shores.

In his first season in charge, Benitez was left with a squad consisting of the like of Milan Baros, Igor Biscan and Vladimir Smicer performing key roles within the side. No disrespect to those players, but they are hardly world beaters. A squad consisting of Danny Murphy, Salif Diao, Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama Pongolle et al. We were far from being in a position to challenge the likes of Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal for the title. Benitez was brought into to overhaul the financial super powers of Manchester United and Chelsea on a comparitively limited budget, just as he had done in Spain with Valencia, taking on and defeating the muscle of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Did people seriously expect him to deliver the title over night?

While United and Chelsea already had top quality squads in place, needing only to go out every summer and buy a few £20m-£30m players to top up the squad, we had to go about rebuilding with free transfers and the odd £10m signings like Dirk Kuyt and Xabi Alonso. Litter that with low budget signings like Antonio Nunez to act as a stop gap, and it's easy to see why we haven't yet challenged. The manager having to play the role of a Del Boy, wheeling and dealing in the lower end of the market to make ends meet. No money for Daniel Alves, so make do with Jermaine Pennant. Even this summer, having to sell Peter Crouch, John Arne Riise and Scott Carson to finance the deal for Robbie Keane. Having to sell before he buys meant it was always going to take time to build a squad capable of challenging for the League Title.

The media love to reel off the figures of "Benitez has spent over £200m", yet fail to consider the amount he has brought back into the club to be able to spend that money. They'll mention the £20m spent on Fernando Torres (often incorrectly reporting it as £26m), but fail to mention the £19m recouped on the sales of Cisse, Bellamy and Garica to make that deal happen. He hasn't actually spent that much money. When you look at what Chelsea had to spend to take them from a 4th place side to Champions, it's chicken feed.

The media love to mention "rotation", when the statistics show that Benitez has rotated no more than Wenger, Ferguson or Mourinho and Grant. The difference being that those other managers had established squads to rotate with, we never. It is only now we're being able to rotate quality with quality. Instead of bringing in a Pellegrino to replace a Hyypia, we're able to bring in an Agger to replace a Skrtel. We can bring in Ryan Babel to replace Albert Riera. People notice rotation less when quality is being replaced with quality.

Without that rotation of players, we'd never have witnessed Istanbul. We wouldn't have reached the final in Athens. Benitez knew he never had a squad capable of winning the league. He might have had a first 11 to have a good go, but would ultimately fail, and have nothing left to give in Europe or the FA Cup. Instead, he rotated the side to achieve the maximum possible with the players at his disposal. Resting key players in league games on the run in to Istanbul while trying to maintain that lucrative 4th spot. A position we failed to achieve that season, dropping to 5th behind Everton, but bringing home the holy grail more than overshadowed that slip. His whole philosophy thus far, to me, has been about ensuring that top 4 finish every season, while being as successful as possible in the cup competitions. As case of juggling the players at his disposal to achieve the best possible finish in all competitions. A European Cup, an FA Cup, a European Cup Final and another semi final pay testament to his juggling skills, all while maintaining that all important top 4 league position.

It can be argued we should have been pushing for the league title for the past two seasons, but at what cost? I don't believe we've had the players capable of winning the league, and think the manager has been of the same mindset. Last season we were closer than we had been for a long time, with the results in and around the Klinsmann saga really costing us. The chaos behind the scenes affecting the manager and the players. Pretty much sacrificing the away game at Reading to ensure we remained in the Champions League by beating Marseille a few days later. All over the pressure placed on the manager by the clowns that now own our club.

This year I get the feeling that Benitez has belief in his players. A belief that he finally feels confident enough in the squad at his disposal to have a real go at the league. He's still making small changes to the side, a player here or there, and seems to have a different attitude in Europe as well. Ensuring we qualify as soon as possible, presumably to be able to rest players in Europe and save them for league games by qualifying from the group as early as possible. Does he eventually have enough faith in the players he's assembled to have a firm assault on the league title?

We've had many false dawns over the past decade or so. How many final pieces of the jigsaw are we going to hear about? I'm not firmly of the mindset of sitting back and seeing what comes next. Not getting too excited, not getting to downbeat. Just sit back and see what each game brings. I'll start getting excited if we're within touching distance going into April, not before. Fingers have been burnt too many times now.

Last season we finished 11 points behind Man United. They beat us home and away. Reverse those results and we'd have finished a point ahead of them; meaning against the other 18 sides in the league, we actually had a better record than the actual champions. Are we really that far behind? That statistic says no. And having already beaten United at Anfield this season, who knows what lies around the corner.

Serious Challenge? Another false dawn? I've no idea, but intend to enjoy finding out.

by **NANNY RED** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:45 am

Just finished reading that on the Echo site very good read and alot of truth in it imo

by **stmichael** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 11:49 am

It's an excellent post.

I'm not getting carried away though. Yes, we're showing great character but we've had a few false dawns and in another context, too few. There's a real danger that too much blind optimism now will mean that three or four poor performances on the spin will see the same cheerleaders slitting their wrists. The mentality of the players looks strong though at the moment and that is more integral to our success than anything. If that can be maintained and grown, who knows where it may take our season?

by **account deleted by request** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:08 pm

Good read that Leon, I think most are a little worried that it could all come crashing down around us again....... its happened too many times for us not to. A couple of injuries, a couple of bad results and a blip that turns into a bliiiiiip. I am not worried about getting pipped at the post , a great run by the mancs or Chelsea overtaking us on the final day of the season, my worry is we crash and burn without ever getting that far.

But each result gives me more confidence, each game where we show our character and determination not to let this be just another season in the league gives me hope. If we can beat Wigan and get a result at Chelsea that confidence will grow even stronger, and maybe .....just maybe we can give ourselves the chance to really believe this could be our year.

by **GOAT_2.0** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:10 pm

False dawn.

by **Sabre** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:27 pm

I love that journo, he includes all the happy clappy main points including defence of rotation, defence of Rafa, defence of the players he've brought, and the squad he has mounted.

It was interesting the defence he made of Houllier too saying he dragged the team into a new era.

by **Number 9** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 6:28 pm

Good read that..some great points and realistic overall!
A lot better than the brown matter Tompkins spouts!

by **Rush Job** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:20 pm

Yep, not alot i dont agree with there.

by **LFC2007** » Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:28 pm

BigMick will have something to say about a sentence or two in there :;):

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A serious challenge or another false dawn ? - Paul jones - times online

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