Roy Evans says Liverpool can win Premier League this season

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HugoEkitikeN01

HugoEkitikeN01

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May 31, 2011
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<peacedove>Can Liverpool do it.?
Former manager Roy Evans believes Liverpool are serious contenders to win the Premier League this season.

The Reds have not won a top-flight title for 21 years, with rivals Manchester United lifting the Premier League 12 times during that period.

The two sides meet on Saturday - and Liverpool can close the gap on leaders United to three points with a win.

Evans, Anfield boss between 1994 and 1998, insisted: "We could do it this year, never write Liverpool off."

Evans, 63, played, coached and managed at Liverpool during an illustrious 33-year spell which saw the Reds enjoy unprecedented success. They won 12 league titles, four European Cups, five FA Cups, five League Cups and the Uefa Cup twice.

But the run of league titles ended in 1990 with manager Kenny Dalglish at the helm.

Liverpool parade summer signings
The Scot is back at Anfield after a 20-year absence and his second spell as manager has been backed financially by American owner John W Henry, who celebrates a year in charge on Saturday.

Dalglish has spent £115m, bringing in Luis Suarez, Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson and Sebastian Coates.

Evans believes that depth of investment and Dalglish's know-how makes Liverpool realistic title contenders.

He said: "You have got to believe you can win it. There's no point being in it if you don't think you can win it, certainly at Liverpool's level - that's where you've got to be.

"You've got to have in your mind that, if you went on a bit of a run, you have got a chance.

"We've got to keep progressing. We could do it this year, never write Liverpool off.

LIVERPOOL v MAN UTD FACTSContinue reading the main story
•Ryan Giggs has played in 41 matches between the sides - more than anybody else
•The last direct transfer between the clubs was in 1964 when Phil Chisnall moved from United to Anfield
•Liverpool have won 38 league games at Anfield compared to Man Utd's 22. Eighteen have been drawn.
"There's still plenty of football to go. Liverpool play Manchester United on Saturday at Anfield and, if we beat them, it will set them back a little bit and give us lots of confidence.

"Liverpool are going the right way, they are going forward - and I think it's been a fantastic year under John Henry."

Liverpool have beaten Manchester United in their last three Premier League meetings at Anfield, the latest being a 3-1 victory under Dalglish.

But United have won six of their opening seven league games this season and, along with rivals Manchester City, seem to be the team to beat.

Henry, who paid £300m for Liverpool, has set a top-four finish as a minimum target for Dalglish - and Evans believes that is realistic.
He added: "Manchester United look strong and Manchester City are progressing but a few of the others seem to have dropped away.
"Arsenal don't seem to be what they were and Tottenham are just starting to find their feet after a slow start. If we can get ourselves in that top four where we should be, that will be great progress."








http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15234874.stm
 
No doubt the Mancs would have jumped on this at some point so I thought we could put the record straight on how we all feel about his comments first...

He said: "You have got to believe you can win it. There's no point being in it if you don't think you can win it, certainly at Liverpool's level - that's where you've got to be.

"You've got to have in your mind that, if you went on a bit of a run, you have got a chance.

"We've got to keep progressing. We could do it this year, never write Liverpool off.

"There's still plenty of football to go. Liverpool play Manchester United on Saturday at Anfield and, if we beat them, it will set them back a little bit and give us lots of confidence.

"Liverpool are going the right way, they are going forward - and I think it's been a fantastic year under John Henry."
Click to expand...

I think he's a bit naive, although when you think about it - if we beat Utd then we will be 3 points behind them, and at such an early point in the season that isn't bad. Especially as you consider we haven't really hit a good run of form yet.

All in all, this year won't be our year - but I hope it's going to be a successful year.
 
Lets get one things straight, He is not saying that ''This is our year''. However what he is saying is right, he's telling the players to aim as high as they possibly can, if they achieve 4th well before the season end, then aim for 3rd, if they have that nailed, aim for 2nd, if they are within touching distance of 1st before the seasons end push for it.

Its all about ambition, and is a far cry from what Roy Hodgson said last December that he didn't expect Liverpool to be higher than 9th at the half-way point, anything else is unrealistic.

That is both unrealistic and defeatist. Nobody worthy of being a Liverpool manager has come out with such drivel. Even Souness didn't. Souness was guilty of trying too hard. This clown didn't try hard enough. In 2004, When Rafa Benitez took the job and he was told to ''qualify for the champions league'', although he didn't, he did something better than that, he achieved much more than that, he won the champions league.

John Henry is saying one thing to dampen the fans expectations, but he will be more than delighted if Liverpool go above what he calls ''the minimum required''. Personally I think we're possibly 2 years short of being champions, and I reckon Kenny and the owners feel the same way. However as long as there is progression, Kenny will be backed by the owners, the more Kenny and the squad progresses, the more he will be given the tools to succeeed.

Don't think that this summers spending is the end. Its far from it, its just the beginning. There may not be as many players signed in the coming seasons but there will be a significant investment in players.
 
well i actually think he's just pandering to his audience and when his comments inevitably get out of that arean and into the more general publich they can be picked apart.

A fluff piece pre match... nothing more. Its fine to say you have to be in it to win it but if you aked him in private he'd say utd are favorites for the league this year.
 
I think Evan's is right in what he says! utd are the favourites to win but that doesn't mean we can't win. If i wasn't optimistic that we could win something and were happy with mediocrity then we wouldn't be a big club.

This is not to say if we don't win the PL then we have failed, as our main target this year is CL qualification, however we shouldn't count our selves out so early on in the season. If we are still within 3-6 points of the top the otherside of christmas then we should attempt to push on and make a real title challenge. If we don't make it then fine, but we have to give it everything we've got, I don't know about you but I'm not to bothered about winning a cup(although would be nice) it's the title I want most of all.
 
I think we can, but it will mean we really have to hit top form and stay consistent all season and hope both Manchester clubs & Chelsea have blips. I think the strength in depth they all have is much greater than ours and it will make the difference around Christmas/New Year when the games come thick and fast.

If we are still within say 6 points after the New Year then why not. However, I think we all agree that anywhere in the top 4 this season will be a good year though, especially if we can win the FA Cup as well.
 
To be honest and this isn't a anti Man United comment. Their ''strength in depth'' isn't all that great. Look at how they struggle when they are missing one or two key players? They have been unbeaten for one reason and one reason only, they haven't been pressed. Nobody has really got in and about them and hustled and bullied them, apart from Stoke, whom they failed to beat.

Are they a very good side? No question yes. Are they invincible? Not a chance in hell. If Liverpool can perform as well as they did in March against them tomorrow, we may see a similar result. Ferguson has said in todays papers they must put up more of a fight than they have recently at Anfield.

I still reckon due to the fact they lack a central midfielder that can tackle,they may be outfought. If Lucas and Gerrard get the bit between their teeth and get stuck into them, there will only be one winner and it will be the team in red.
 
i wish people in position to make comment in the press and tv would tone it down cos if we do lose all this fluff will be grist to the mill as it were.

I just want the game to start and talking stop at this point.
 
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