Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:01 pm

just thought i would post a recent interview with chris bascombe of the liverpool echo for those who may not have read it. i apologise, it's quite long but is extremely interesting. number 14 especially.

1) As recently as Saturday's Football Echo Bascombe said that Benitez was starting in the same place as Evans and Houllier - how can he justify this?

Evans inherited a shambles of a squad which under Souness had finished as low as 7th. Houllier inherited "the spice boy" culture. Benitez inherits a squad that has underachieved but has won countless trophies and finished as high as 2nd in the league. Sounds like an anti GH agenda to me.

CB - I'll concede Roy inherited a worse team than Benitez. Houllier? You can argue the toss. In terms of points tally and personnel, Benitez takes over a club in similar need of a change. Houllier spent years telling us all what a mess the club was in and how he had to rebuild.

Why? Because it bought him more time to put it right. He came close once. So did Roy. As for the Spice Boys, the myth grows by the year. How quickly we forget the quality of football Evans' side played compared to Houllier's.

And if El-Hadji Diouf doesn't qualify as a 'Spice Boy', who does?"

2) I was wondering if you could ask Mr Bascombe why he continually feels the need to dig at Houllier now he's gone. He was doing it in the commentary for the wrexham game and even the most fervent anti-houllierites thought that banner comment unnecessary.

"It's not like there were no good times under Houllier, although maybe the banner should have read THANKS 1998-2002.

CB - If the banner had read 'Thanks 1998-2002' I wouldn't have mentioned it. That's the point. It included the last two years. I felt angry when I saw it.

I'm not going to applaud this collective back-slapping by fans who wanted him out. How come Roy Evans was slaughtered by the pro-Houllier brigade after 1998, but Houllier is said to have left a club 'dragged into the 21st century?'.

He even gets all the credit for the new training ground. He was a manager, not an architect. If it was fair game for the Houllier lobby to batter Roy five years ago, why should Houllier's failings escape analysis now?

Of course we should move on, but Houllier's management is still relevant to the state the club is in today.

The repercussions were seen when Gerrard nearly left and Owen did. How can his role in the fiasco be overlooked? Stevie said he was unhappy with the direction of the team for two years. Michael felt the same way. A damning statement on Houllier's regime.

It disturbs me that some Liverpool fans would like to consider Houllier an Anfield legend. He doesn't deserve to be remembered as such, in my view. That's just my opinion, but I think there are plenty of others who know him who'd agree."

3) I'd like to know what Chris's problems with Houllier were and why they existed.

CB - I was very pro-Houllier for a long time. At the end of the 2001 season I thanked him. I meant it. My reports were very positive when I believed in him. Some say I was too supportive.

If you search the ECHO archives you'll find plenty of material which is extremely appreciative of the man. What happened? The more I saw and heard, the more I changed my mind. But I still maintained a professional relationship with him.

I couldn't defend his team in the last two years and my match reports became more critical, as ECHO readers will know. Nothing malicious. Just the truth.

He couldn't accept any criticism, even of the mildest form, and his behaviour was increasingly erratic and intimidating towards the end.

Remember the notorious Press conference before the Newcastle game last May? Fans assumed that was a one-off, but I can assure you that was the Houllier I knew every day for two years.

In his ideal world, my Monday match reports would have been sent to Melwood before being published so that anything critical could be edited out.

Houllier treated people badly so I have no sympathy for him now. People say he changed after his illness, but that's no excuse for talking to people he considered his 'inferiors' like dog dirt.

4) Why didn't you criticise him this much when he was in charge?

CB - I don't think I held back when he was in charge. I always write honestly. It's just natural I have more freedom on the subject now because he can't stop me doing my job anymore. I don't see a problem in that, so long as anything I report is in the fans' interest. If I uncover a major story related to the Houllier era, should I ignore it because people will accuse me of 'getting personal'?

5) You said in the summer Steven Gerrard was going to Chelsea. Are you embarrassed when you get such a big story wrong?

CB - I didn't get that story wrong. Stevie was going to Chelsea. He admitted it and so did Rick Parry. He changed his mind. News develops and changes from day to day. One minute he was going, the next he wasn't. Simple.

If I'd written "Steven Gerrard has decided to go to Chelsea - unless he changes his mind in a dramatic, last minute u-turn" people would have thought I was Nostradamus.

6) Did Gerrard or his agent try to manoeuvre a move away from Anfield or was it Chelsea who came calling for him & do you think there is any danger of him joining another English club or is he settled now?

CB - Every club in Europe would like Steven Gerrard. He doesn't need anyone to attract interest. I think we should appreciate him while we can and if Liverpool aren't successful, I hope the next time he thinks about moving he won't provoke such a hostile reaction.

He's given Benitez a chance. It was the right decision and I hope it pays off for him and the club. If it doesn't, I wouldn't rule anything out.

7) How can you say that Frank Lampard's inclusion in the England team in Euro 2004 was due to a media campaign by the Southern press? He was one of the best midfielders in the League last season, only Gerrard was his equal.

CB - In the game my report was referring to, Gerrard played left midfield to allow Lampard a place in the centre. I said Lampard was a great player but not a world class one. Gerrard is world class and it was ridiculous he wasn't playing in the middle.

In my view, Eriksson is influenced by the media. I still think Lampard is overrated. Proof? He was 2nd in the Football Writer's Player of the Year awards, ahead of Gerrard. I didn't count on upsetting the Merseyside Branch of the Lampard Fanclub, but stand by my opinion.

I bet if Gerrard was playing central midfield for Chelsea now, he'd never play another England match on the left again.

8. Was Danny Murphy your snitch and that's why you're gutted he's gone?

CB - If the Liverpool reporter didn't get on with Liverpool's players he wouldn't be in the job long. I like Danny and I'm sad he's left, but I haven't criticised the club for selling him.

As for being a 'snitch' I'm not sure what the implication is. Did he tell tales on the club or his team mates? Definitely not. All journalists have sources who provide information, some off the record, some on it.

In football, it's inevitable players will come and go as time passes. If any of my competitors think I won't get decent stories because Danny's been sold I hope to seriously disappoint them. Besides, I hear Xabi Alonso's nickname at Real Sociedad was 'deep throat'...

9) Why didn't we enter the race to sign Damien Duff last summer? Did Houllier fall out with Duff's agent & is there any chance that Duff will end up at Anfield one day?

CB - Duff signed a contract at Blackburn with a get-out clause for £17m. The day he did that, Liverpool couldn't afford him. Houllier was furious, but Liverpool should have signed him for £12m when they had the chance a year earlier.

I've heard reports Duff fancies a move North, but also he's going to stay at Chelsea to see how things go for the moment. If he's still unhappy in January, you never know. But Liverpool would need to find some money to have any chance.

10) Did Heighway & Houllier fall out over the club's youth policy & was there ever a possibility that Heighway would quit?

CB -If you mentioned 'The Academy' to Houllier you got the hairdryer treatment. I think it's common knowledge the two didn't see eye-to-eye.

Houllier wanted control of every aspect of the club, including youth recruitment and development. He also wanted a bigger office than Heighway!

There was a definite rift. In the end, there was a winner. Why should Steve Heighway feel he ought to quit? He's brought through Michael Owen, Robbie Fowler, David Thompson, Dom Matteo, Steve McManaman, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher over the last ten years. That's an outstanding record by anyone's standards.

11) Why didn't Houllier sign Nicolas Anelka?

CB - In my view Anelka was never going to be signed full-time. I've always thought the Diouf deal was planned months in advance and the fact Anelka was so popular was a problem Houllier didn't foresee.

I found it very strange when one Anelka interview was criticised for being 'too positive' by one member of the coaching staff shortly before the end of the 2002 season.

Houllier felt Anelka didn't help himself. There were a lot of leaks at the time about his brothers using Liverpool to get him back to Arsenal. I'm not sure how true they were.

Considering the problems the man who replaced him caused, why was Anelka considered an enfant terrible? We'll never know how Anelka would have settled had he been offered a contract. I believe he's causing a fuss at City now. But no-one can convince me he wasn't better value than Mr Diouf.

12) How mad was Erik Meijer? Do you have any stories about him?

CB - An eccentric but very likeable guy. I remember Liverpool had a striker crisis before they played Leeds (when Leeds were good). I was told on the Friday by Houllier that Meijer would play. I saw him in the Melwood car park and asked him about the game.

"Tell the people of Liverpool I have something to say," he said to me. "There are many players up for this match, and the Big Dutchman is one of them!"

I loved the way he always referred to himself as 'the Big Dutchman'.

When I was still writing The Kop magazine, I wrote an article about Liverpool's strikeforce. I mentioned Heskey, Owen, Fowler and Camara. At the next training session he ran over to me and said "where was the Big Dutchman in your article?" We printed a comic apology in the next issue.

13) Is it true Joe Royle threw you out of Maine Road when he was City boss? If so, why?

CB - This is partly true. I was thrown out of the post-match press conference. It was one of my first games as the Liverpool reporter. Royle has a long-running feud with the ECHO because he believes he was hounded out of Everton due to some of my colleagues.

He took it out on me, even though I'd never met the man. He tried to get the ECHO banned from the Press conference at Anfield when City played Liverpool later that season. The club refused his request so Royle didn't bother to attend.

I hear he's mellowed a bit now, but we'll see what happens if Ipswich get promoted.

14) If Houllier had stayed, do you know what his transfer plans were?

CB - I can only speculate but I was told on good authority he wanted to sign Dion Dublin. No, I'm not joking.

On a less surreal note, I know he was desperate for Wright-Phillips. He was also trying to sign Tomas Rosicky and Phillipe Mexes. Once his fate was sealed, the last two were never going to happen and poor Dion's dreams of an Anfield move were dashed.

15) Did Houllier try to sell Baros?

CB - When Baros first signed he didn't impress anyone and I'd heard he was for sale. According to quotes attributed to Milan's agent and Patrice Bergues, yes, Baros was offered to Lens before he started to show any form.

Armed with this information, I once asked Houllier if this was true. He said yes and I wrote a backpage story accordingly. Houllier went ballistic, said he'd meant Baros was only offered on loan and threatened to take legal action.

A bit worried, you could say, I called Baros' agent to clarify what he'd told me. He confirmed that as far as he was concerned, Baros was for sale, not loan. Suffice to say the legal threat was never carried out.

16) What was your relationship with Phil Thompson like? You don't seem to like him much reading between the lines.

CB - I used to write Phil's column for The Kop magazine and used to get on well with him. No-one was happier at the ECHO than me when he went back to Anfield.

I don't recognise that guy from the man who I met at Melwood so often. Michael Owen describes Thompson very well in his autobiography. He's just too biased for his own good. If anyone said anything remotely critical of the team, even if it's meant in good faith, it was part of some anti-Liverpool agenda.

After five years of media bashing, I'm amazed Sky gave him his old job back.

17) Obviously you will have better relationships with certain players than others. Does that make it harder to be objective in your match reports?

CB - I hope not. I've admitted publicly in the past I'm very supportive of local players. I can't believe anyone has an issue with that. I work for the LIVERPOOL Echo.

We are a Merseyside-based paper so we're naturally proud when one of our own makes the grade. I try to be fair to everyone but I take particular pleasure when the Academy lads do well. So shoot me.

18) Do you get ****** off when the likes of Sky and Liverpoolfc.tv constantly nick your stories and interviews?

CB - I'm sure the website could argue many of their interviews have been nicked by others over the years too. With so many news organisations nowadays, stories travel quicker than ever.

The Echo is printed at 11.30am and by noon the radio stations, Sky or hundreds of websites can just repeat our backpage. It used to get on my nerves to see Sky running one of my stories and giving the credit to someone else, but as long as my editor knows who got it first, I'm not as bothered as I used to be.

You tend to find the bigger the story, the less inclined people are to nick it without giving you the credit because there's more risk involved if it's wrong.

The biggest story I've written was announcing Benitez would definitely be the new manager. It's easy to forget now, but for a week after that there were organisations, even the BBC, claiming the story was wrong.

I'd be quite happy if every story I wrote was as big as that one.

19) Do you get any stick from Evertonians when you're around town?

CB - Not really. I get more stick from Liverpool fans. I've given up reading internet message boards now, except this one and Through the Wind and Rain.

I have a phone line and e-mail in my office which anyone can contact me on, yet some would rather indulge themselves in anonymous, personal abuse on a website. Very courageous.

I've always said if people disagree with an article they're welcome to get in touch. My office number is 0151 472 2523.

I was Christmas shopping last year and within the space of an hour, one guy shouted at me for being too supportive of Houllier and another accused me of being too critical of the manager. That left me a bit dazed and confused.

20) Is it true you didnt get on with Robbie Fowler? And if so, why?

CB - Robbie's situation taught me more about the realities of the job than anything else.

Around the time Robbie was really struggling, I tried to interview him several times and got the brush off. I thought he was being arrogant, but he wasn't. He just wanted to deal with people he trusted. I'd only just started going to Melwood.

When I told the manager that Robbie refused to speak to me, let's just say I wasn't discouraged from being more critical of him. On many occasions, the first question to me on a Monday morning at Melwood was 'what have you written about Robbie's performance?'.

Looking back, I feel certain people wanted the idea of Robbie being sold to slowly enter the public consciousness. I should say I agreed with the decision to sell Robbie at the time, although in retrospect I'd rather he'd stayed than have him replaced by Mr Diouf.

I know the manager wanted him out for a long time but wanted to do it when public opinion was on his side.

I recognised this before Robbie left and he was fully aware of what was going on. With more experience, I realised I should have been backing him through the difficult period, not criticising so much.

When I felt a similar tactic was being used on other players a few years later, it made me want to defend them even more. I'll never be used in that way again.

Just before he went to Leeds, Robbie sat down and gave me one of the best interviews I've had, so I don't think he held any grudges. I know a lot of his friends and they tell me he doesn't, which I'm pleased about.

by **jymbojetset** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:13 pm

Flipping heck!

Needed a tea break half way through - tremendous read though!

Can you imagine Dion Dublin at Anfield? Wouldn't mind Rosicky or Mexes though.

Interesting points about Lampard and Eriksson also.

by **stmichael** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:15 pm

jymbojetset wrote:Can you imagine Dion Dublin at Anfield?

that's the point i meant. houllier must have lost the plot if he was keen on signing dion dublin ffs.

maybe he wanted to buy him for his "extra leg" if you know what i mean? :;):

by **jymbojetset** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:20 pm

stmichael wrote:maybe he wanted to buy him for his "extra leg" if you know what i mean?

perhaps that was his new master plan - distract the opposition defence!

by **JBG** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:21 pm

Excellent.

The Dion Dublin bit is bizare, though.

by **jonnymac1979** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 2:47 pm

That's absolutely brilliant.

I stopped buying newspapers a while back now except for the Echo on a Saturday. What source did you get this article from St Mick? Is it the Echo website?

by **madred** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 3:40 pm

Its a tougher job than what i thought but Bascombe deserves praise because he does it well. He sounds like a honest guy who believes in giving the fans accurate information. I thought the bit about Joe Royle was disgraceful also. What the f**k did he have to do with the blues. I hate that big fat headed t*t.

by **Bruno Zidane!** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:27 pm

Quality that, always read CB in the echo and must admit i am jealous of him cos he gets to write articles on the club he loves, thats what i see CB as a supporter but he gets to tell the whole of merseyside how he feels also. Basically he just writes what we write on here, sometimes he does critise the club but all he wants is the best for LFC. He writes from the heart and thats what stands out about him.

by **jim_morrison_supported_liverpool** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 4:37 pm

what struck me most about that article is what a c*** Gerard Houllier really was. waiting for public to talk about fowler before the sale etc etc. i've never thought much bad about him until now.

it gave an interesting insight into back-stage politics and highlights houllier's real side - one which i dont like.

by **Hamza** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 8:53 pm

That was a very good read thanks alot

Wat the helll would Dublin have givin to liverpool I still think we need wright phillips though seeing as he is a real danger man Mexes said he was always going to Roma so not sure on that 1.
I am glad he admited like me at the start GH was the the next shanks well thats wat we thought

i like the Mr Diouf thing though

by **Leonmc0708** » Tue Sep 07, 2004 11:05 pm

Hamza wrote:That was a very good read thanks alot

Wat the helll would Dublin have givin to liverpool I still think we need wright phillips though seeing as he is a real danger man Mexes said he was always going to Roma so not sure on that 1.
I am glad he admited like me at the start GH was the the next shanks well thats wat we thought

i like the Mr Diouf thing though

Nice one hook hands.

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