Welcome to my first article on not606! June,July,August 2010 Now im not speaking for everybody but i was devasted when a top gaffer like rafa was sacked and replaced with a mid table (at best), boring one dimensional, journeyman manager in Roy Hodgson.. But to my shock he started off OK, spoke well to the media, kept Torres and Gerrard and signed Joe Cole, i like many other fans was delighted with signing and herald it as the start of a new era, but then in came Konchesky, Poulsen and my heart sank LFC with championship standard players in the starting 11? nonono! The next few months were painfully bad as home defeats to Northampton, Wolves and Blackpool were seen. Possibly some of the worst performances i have EVER seen by a Liverpool team. We also had cowboys in charge of our club who took us dangerously close to the end. The less said about these 2 the better. June,July,August 2011 Im hoping that this summer is going to be a productive one with players coming in and out of the team, Kenny being able to put his stamp on the side with a proper pre-season (no world cups etc) in fact i think the only senior player who will be away is Suarez at the Copa America. Im sensing that the whole club from top to bottom is on a complete high at the moment and we should be able to kick on from our strong finish to this season. Now im not saying we'r going to win the league but perhaps a top 4 finish and the FA cup would be nice. With FSG taking over and saving our club it feels as thought the dark cloud has been lifted and the Liverbird is going to fly again. So i guess the point of this article is, how are your feelings different from last year? more optimistic? YNWA
Firstly welcome to the forum and its an interesting article. Secondly.Kenny has done what he could with the players at his disposal and with the exception of Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez he has the same squad that Roy Hodgson expected to finish the season in 9th.He was removing blame from himself.Mid-table standard managers finish just that...in mid-table.And like a number of other managers he is just that a mid-table manager. Kenny on the otherhand as we all know from previous experience is a winner and his cv is up with the best.He's the only player-manager to win the double.(He did it in his first season too),Some may suggest that he inherited a strong team,this leaves out the fact that he had to replace both full-backs and Zico and Barney were reaching the end of their careers and he also had to sign a replacement for Souness as in 1985,Liverpool didn't win anything for the first time since 1975.Not bad for a 34 year old rookie. He's also one of 4 managers to win the title with 2 different English sides,the others being Tom Watson(Liverpool and Sunderland),Herbert Chapman(Huddersfield and Arsenal) and Brian Clough(Derby and Forest). He is also one of a small few that has played for and managed the same title winning side.Some of the others are George Graham(Arsenal as a player in 1971 and as a manager in 1989 and 1991),Howard Kendall(Everton as a player in 1970 and as a manager in 1985 and 1987),and not forgetting Bob Paisley(Liverpool as a player in 1947 and as manager in 1976,1977,1979,1980,1982 and 1983) He also breathed fresh life into a stagnated squad that had run out of ideas,and has given players that were lacking in a bit of confidence fresh belief.Something didn't sit right with Hodgson as manager,there was no ring to it.It was flat.But with the King on his throne,its different.Kenny being boss is like cheese and toast,they go together perfectly.Kenny also feels after having left the last time,he has ''unfinished business''.You can sense the hunger and desire immediately.He manages like a fan,celebrates like a fan,and talks like a fan.Its going to take a bit of time...and money before he puts his print on the squad.However with the fans,the players,the owners singing from the same song-sheet,don't bet against Kenny eventually returning Liverpool to its rightful place as top dogs of English football. EDIT - Man U Suck
Welcome to the site mate! The difference between the two summers is substantial. I won't ever forget this season because of how poor we were for the first half - I'v never felt so low watching sport ever, and i'm unlikely to again. The fact we'v come through it and picked up a few wins and a legend speaks volumes for our club! I actualy thought Roy was worth a go at the start as he is English and I saw it as his big break to do something spectacular. And he did do something spectacular to be fair! Nearly sunk us; although it wasn't all his fault. Last summer I was low because our season was realy, realy poor. People forget that because of this year. I thought the board were correct in letting Rafa go, we needed a fresh start. Going into this summer I am happier, as we have the write man at the helm and the write owners- have they put a step wrong? I am just keen for us to build now. There is a lot of work to be done. We need quality players sharpish!
I think (I could be way wrong) that what Kenny does so well is to not take training so seriously. In the modern day there's a lot of emphasis on the fine science in sport and all these different tactical approaches (zoanl marking etc.) I reckon Kenny's training sessions just involve the lads zipping the ball about a bit and actually working on playing, rather than the theory of it (obviously there's a bit of fitness work and the like in the mix). As i say, i could be wrong, but all the pics on the official site seem to show them all having a bit of a laugh.
yeah ive seen them flicking each others ears, playing with fisbees n shiz. i dont just blame roy, i feel nearly all the players (lucas, stevie, carra and pepe are exceptions) seemed to lack desire, effort and passion
I was very optimistic last summer. I thought it was indeed time that Rafa moved on. He had done brilliantly for us, but it seemed players no longer wanted to perform for him, and his media handling was becoming embarrassing. I was thankful for him, but thought a change was needed. I also thought Roy was a great choice. He seemed to get the best out of some average players at Fulham, and given our squad and the lack of funds, I thought he would be the best available. I thought he could make some shrewd purchases with limited cash, and get the best out of them. I also thought his media handling would be good for the club. A well respected manager, being respectful and not drawing headlines to the club with rants or digs at other managers. However, I was proved to be very wrong with these thoughts. This summer? Again, I am optimistic. New owners, possibly large cash investments for players, KD back at the helm and some very promising performances since he's been in charge. However, I am making sure I do not get overconfident. Rebuilding the club will take time, so my expectationsfor next season are getting back in the top 4, with the league/FA cup thrown in. Replicating what City have done would be good, but with no Europa distractions and nicer football
Its good to see that i wasn't the only one who was reasonably happy with Hodgson when he was appointed, my views quickly changed on him when he started critising the fans and his ludicrous statement that he couldnt stop Torres from joining UTD. Next season im optimistic, im not shouting we'll win the league but i expect a top 4 place and a decent cup run for a change!
Hodgson shot himself in the foot every time he opened his mouth. My theory is the more intelligent person says alot by saying very little.Kenny says a lot by saying nothing.Kenny manipulates the media to perfection...He constantly keeps them guessing.They are the ones looking for head-lines..and guess what...Kenny doesn't give them anything to write about.He doesn't make bold predictions and you would never expect him to to say ''I never expected Liverpool to be higher than 9th come christmas''. You would never hear him having an ''old pals act'' with rival managers.Okay there is managers out there that he has close friendships with,and he has known for quite a while,but professionally,if they vex him they'll get a dig or a ''Kenny put-down''.He's known Ferguson since he was a teenager,and even though there is a mutual respect,there is certainly no ''old pals act''.The same applies to Harry Redknapp,someone he's known since he was 15,Kenny was a West Ham trialist in 1966.Harry took Kenny under his wing.They've had a friendship ever since.But again..when it comes to the job...Kenny wants to beat him.He's a rival. Finally,Kenny recently made an interesting point,and this should give the current players confidence.He said the new signings have to be far better than what we've got,and we've got fantastic players.We need tweaks.He also give a certain club that I am known to mention a lot but won't name this time a slight dig when he said ''Come back when you've won 5 European Cups''. Now thats how you do things.
KPR, I completely agree with you Kenny does everything in the right way and inspires confidence in everybody. Its so good to be able to see a proper Liverpool legend back in the club and doing well.
