Let me take you back 12 years. Its 2002, Gerard Houllier is our manager and we are about to kick off the new season following two fantastic campaigns. In the 2000-2001 season we had completed a unique domestic and Eufa cup treble and in 2001-2002 we had put in a strong battle in the title race, only to miss out to Arsenal (all be it a great Arsenal) by 7 points. The club and the fans were optimistic going in to the new season, the pundits were backing us and the bookies had us among the favourites. The start of the season was great as we held a decent unbeaten run, and it looked like we really could win the league. But after an 11 game mid season winless slump we finished the season in 5th. Not only had we failed to even match the previous season, but we'd failed to even qualify for the Champions League. It was a terrible season. Houllier survived that season, keeping his job for one more year. But that bad season didnt turn out to be a huge blip. We grabbed 4th spot and Champions League qualification but any title chance seemed long gone and Houllier departed. Now lets go back to 2009. Rafa Benitez was our manager, Gerrard and Torres were among the best players in the world and things were looking pretty awesome. Rafa had achieved some great things in his 5 years at Liverpool so far. He won the Champions League and FA Cup in his first two seasons and in the 2008-2009 season his Liverpool team narrowly missed out on the title by 5 points, finishing second behind Manchester United. We'd only lost two games that season and Gerrard and Torres scored goals galore. It was only fair that when the new season arrived we were both the bookies and pundits favourite for the title. But bookies and pundits can be wrong (Very wrong) as that season we just never got going. The whole season just rolled out with random mashes of draws, defeats and victories, with no real run of form. We'd get a solid result and think 'finally we are up and running' and loose a week later. The season ended, we were sat in 7th, the title was humiliatingly far away and the Champions League was not even close. That was it for Rafa. In fact that was it for happiness at Liverpool for a few years. But last season the positive times finally came back. With Brendan Rodgers as the boss and Sturridge and Suarez scoring for fun upfront we put up a surprise title challenge. We charged through the final third of the season, piecing together an 11 game winning run. But with 3 games to go we lost it. Defeat to Chelsea and a draw at Crystal Palace allowed Manchester City to climb above us. With both clubs winning on the final day we missed out on the title by just 2 points. It was close, but only close. The title was gone. Now we are here in the 2014-15 season and things just resembles Rafa's last season to much. A key player has left and been poorly replaced and we are weighing all our hopes on an injury prone (mostly injured) striker. We just cant string any results together. The title already feels gone and Champions qualification seems like a real up hill battle. Has missing out on the title cost us to much? Has the disappointment and shame of throwing it away crumbled our players belief? Or does missing out on the title genuinely carry a curse for us? I really hoped it would be third time lucky for us after seeing what happened to Houllier and Benitez. But it seems history really can repeat itself.
That's the difference between a winner and a pretender. Once gets to 2nd, builds on the positives, trims the weaknesses and wins the next season. The other gets to 2nd, loses confidence or gets too cocky, indulges the weaknesses and slips to mediocrity. As despicable that they may seem to a Red, Ferguson and Mourinho are like dogs with a bone when it comes to obsessive and ruthless trimming of fat.
You are correct. Though our strongest 11 were generally very good last season we could also see cracks. We could also see Gerrard and Johnson were getting the beyond the right level. Rodgers did trim some fat 9as you put it). Aspas was not given a second chance for example. Rodgers also tried to repair our defensive issues by signing Manquillo, Moreno and Lovren. But Lovren has flopped and Rodgers doesnt mind, and he keeps rotating the full backs and denting any consistency. Rodgers prioritized squad depth in the summer and apart from LB and LCB he seemed prepare to leave the first 11 as it is. But with out Suarez, and with Johnson and Gerrard againg, that 11 doesnt work. To keep progressing the first 11 needs to improve.
Rodgers had the wrong priorities. You can't build the roof before the foundations. He build for depth and for the future, while cracks, as you say, were threatening imminently. As Carragher said: Leadership is missing. In defence, Lovren was made the leader too quick. He has no defensive coach or a veteran defender by him to mentor him and correct his erratic judgement. In midfield, Gerrard should have never been seen a permanent solution at DM. Also, Henderson, Allen and Can are interchangeable in my eyes. Their leadership skills and football IQ need growth under the wing of an experienced midfield general whose name is not Steven Gerrard. Whereas, in attack, the Suarez-hole was totally mangled by the inept summer transfer business.
Lovren should never have been referred to as leader. Its obviously hurt him. He should have just been signed and put in the team. If he's the natural leader they claim he is it would show, but now he's under to much pressure. As for an experience CB beside him, he has Skrtel, who in most cases would fit the brief, but they dont balance each other. And you put it well saying you cant build a roof on cracking walls.
But Agger's fitness couldnt do it any more. I can see from watching France that Sakho is a natural leader, but he has been struggling with English which has damaged this.
I have said my peice on LFC. We are paying this year for failures in the summer and january markets LAST year. Where SAS drove us on we have a lot of luck. aspas, alberto, ilori, sahko... we got ZERO strenthening from this and where 12 months on we should've been looking a tplayers to rely on we were shovelling them out the door. This summer.... look at the nightmare scenario.... there's several again you and i would shovel out the door again. Rodgers has never got it defensively right and his singings outside of coutinho and sturridge have been woeful really. result will have to be paid for and i expect him to go once we are out of CL.
He (rogers) was the best thing since sliced bread last season fickle fans eh and most never go to games
You won't find a fan on here that thought he was the best thing since sliced bread last season. Most were still unsure regardless of the front they show on here. Although there is complaints, its not a 100% on here now either.
It's quite simple - Rodgers bought dross in the summer. The young players have delivered (with the exception of marko) but the problem lies with the experienced players that rodgers personally wanted - Lovren and Lallana. £45m for 2 players who should have come straight into the team and enhanced us. He got far too much power as a result of finishing 2nd and that is what has cost us. Take that power away from him, get a DoF in and some quality coaches.
tooo ture.. out of 5 windows only one that had good players in..... says it all. that's sackable right there.
He bought in three good players in the last window (Moreno, Mankiller and Lallana) but thats not good enough. Nor did address the obvious problems we have or replace (never going to be a direct replacement) Suarez.
Did we buy anyone last January...? I can't recall anyone arriving. Obviously it was Studge and Ford in the first season and he's not had a third January yet.
Emre Can looks like a really good buy to. I reckon our young players are mainly panel signings. Can, Markovic, Manquillo, Ilori.
