I think with the departure of Dirk comes the end of the Benitez era. As a club it felt like we never really came to terms with beginning a new chapter in the club's history after Rafa left. Hodgson never stamped his name into the team, and for all the love we have for Kenny it never felt like it was going to truly work out in my opinion. Kuyt's transfer away is symbolic of the club moving away from the past and starting afresh with a young manager, a new backroom team and a largely youthful energetic squad. This new chapter in Liverpool's history will almost certainly define what sort of team we are to become over the next 20-30 years. Whether Rodgers will nurture us into one of Europe's great superpowers or whether he will merely cement us as a team of the past is uncertain. One thing for sure is there is almost certainly a revolution at Anfield at the moment and I for one welcome it. I championed Rafa to return to the post but I now think the board made absolutely the correct decision in trying to redefine Liverpool as a club moving forward into the future, rather than one who is stuck in the past. It's now time for Liverpool to create new history rather than hiding in the shadows of our former greats. I for one am incredibly optimistic about the future of our club.
Not necesarily a bad thing. we need to move on and into a new era. Although we still have Agger, Skrtel, Reina, Johnson and Lucas from Rafa's reign. Plus Gerrard & Carragher along with a few youngsters - Spearing, Kelly, Wilson, Shelvey, etc
I did consider removing the location to avoid being called a plastic/wum/... whatever. But I've supported Liverpool my whole life and my family are all Liverpool supporters (apart from the small portion of City supporters, but we aren't all too fond of them).
Na leave it, if everyone that supported LFC who didn't live there removed themselves from this board it would get a lot quieter. Manchester no more disqualifies you than Belfast or the US. Of course if you start Saying we're doomed & Rooney is God we may have to relocate you to some swamp...
Ironic that there was talk of Rafa's goalkeeping coach coming back. And Rodgers inherits players who are used to high pressing and passing football, even though he acts like he invented it. It's certainly seemed like revolution, not evolution. My concern is not what we gain but what we lose.
Also, I haven't watched much of the LFC TV channel lately - it feels like North Korean propaganda with all these Most Exciting Games. The thing is every time I do switch over it's never a Kenny game, either player or manager. Has anybody seen one or is his standing in the club being whitewashed?
I could be wrong but, wasn't the games voted for on the website...? They run these top 100 series most summers and just add a few in here and there.
Think it's just PL games, yesterday it was at 75 or something with our 2-0 win over Newcastle last season.
rafa's era ended with robbie keane and gareth barry... that was the G&H legacy. it was they that ran up a massive debt, it was they that forced a lot of sub optimal decisions and it was they that in the end sacked him after giving him a 5 year deal and 6-10 million is a pay off. It was they who appointed hodgson madly and it was they that ran the club to the brink of administration. In the end Rafa's era was begun well then upon the signing of torres reached its height of potential and was down hill from there. FSG taking over has seen a 2 year (at least) transition with mistakes through learning made. Kuyt leaving is a natural thing that happens as players age. It merely coincides with the biggest risk taken by the club since they made kenny player manager (in footballing terms, parry and moores played russian roulette off the pitch) If rodgers flops the club may never recover, alternatively it could eb the start of a new better era... who knows? but kuyt is only very minor part of that
Why are we discussing the end of the Rafa era when as MITO says we are on the brink of one of the greatest risks that this club has ever taken? No, I'm not crying for Kenny or demanding Rafa back. I really do wish Brendan Rodgers all the best and I'm looking forward to an exciting season. However, if he repeats his Reading experience then we can forget about being a top club for a very long time. Dirk Kuyt has been one of my favourite players for a long time. He always gave you everything that he had. He never hid - even when it was going badly. That spirit will be very hard to replace. However, it was clear last season that he had lost pace and that his time with us was coming to an end. So I agree with MITO this is the natural end of a footballer's career with a top club. I'll miss him but thank him for his service and wish him and his family all the best.
By claiming it was the end of the Benitez era I was merely stating that it was getting to the point in time when the vast majority of the team is not related to Rafa in any way. Kuyt was a figurehead of the Benitez era and with his departure it feels symbolic that the club is moving away from the past and into a new future. I didn't mean it quite so literally as some of you are taking it...
Just ignore them mate they're all psychotic loons...as soon as Rafa gets mentioned they turn into werewolves seriously I can see where you're coming from although I think it will all still seem like part of the same era if Rodgers gets sacked by Xmas. I am very optimistic like yourself about where we could go from here but these things take time so I hope he gets it. I'm really not sure he'll be helped by the negativity of some sections of our support either and when the going gets tough you can bet your bottom dollar we'll still be hearing all the "bring Rafa back" bollox. Only when that sort of chat ends will I ever think we've actually moved on from that era
fair enough about him being a figure head... i'd agree... i would have seen mascherano as the end of the era, or torres....
can't say I agree 5 of the back 6 (including Lucas) is Rafa. The entire youth and reserves set up reeks of Rafa (in a good way) and we're about to start playing Rafa style (possession and pressing) football again. Can't we just say we're using the best bits his legacy but moving on to a new chapter. The way you put it sounds more like you're trying to bury him.
It's a little bit naive to claim that Benitez is the sole ambassador of high pressing attacking football. The fact that our playing philosophy may well turn into a more pressing game based on possession has really nothing to do with Benitez. The defence is still largely dominated by Benitez players, but I never said that we'd sold all the players from his reign. Just that many of the important first teamers from his set up have left us already except Reina. Agger never really had a run of games to be seen as a crucial player for us and Skrtel was still improving, he only really realised his potential last year. I'm not trying to 'bury him'. Just that under Kenny and Roy it felt like we still had a large Rafa-shaped shadow looming over the whole thing. I feel like people may actually judge Rodgers based upon his own merit rather than in comparing him to Benitez. Jesus some people on this board take things far too literally. We have a new manager, new backroom team, a largely new squad filled with youth; it seems bizarre to deny that we are starting a new chapter in the club's history.
