the first 2 obviously. The last one may happen, buts its not a forgone conclusion. Liverpool fans need to realise exactly how far the fell from the top. Its a long way back up, Everton, Villa, Spurs and others have been trying for years.
Maybe. ._. In all seriousness, Chelsea and arsenal look like they may be replaced soon, cracks there. Tottenham are still hit and miss, everton start weak. Well see, but just as an example, if you look at Newcastle after they were relegated, they were supposed to have trouble making it back to top flight football, but they were promoted with, I believe, the most points ever in second tier league. A little different, but you see what I'm saying.
I just think it will be harder than some Liverpool fans seem to think. Som are seriously going to be disappointed come May if they have to high expectations. getting 5th would be progress but would the fans be happy? Going off some murmurings the answer is not all would be.
It's not as hard as you make out. If we can maintain the form we had last year since Kenny came in, then he should be easy enough to be honest.
I see what you're saying, and to be honest it tends to happen every season. People said Chelsea looked weak in 08/09 then they won the double the following season. Likewise there were obvious cracks at Utd for most of this season but we still won the title at a canter and reached the CL final. Predictions based on what the team looks like on paper are usually pretty inaccurate imo. It's gonna be pretty interesting cos for the first time there are going to be five clubs at the top spending £100m plus on wages plus Spurs spending around £70 million. The money talks, but it isn't talking as clearly as it was back when there were only four clubs spending big bucks on wages. Ultimately, much like last season, I think it's going to come down to which manager gets the best out of their players and which players can stay in form the longest rather than which players are "better" in the eternal top six dick measuring contest... Surely maintaining that form over an entire season is the definition of difficult? It's rare that a team goes through the entire season without a few dips in form, and it'll be how Dalglish and Liverpool manage those that will define your season, much like for everyone else. Will you push on like Utd tend to do, or fold like Arsenal? Place your bets please...
No it is exactly as hard as I think. It took a while for anyone to break the top 4 and when they did Liverpool won the CL anyway. It took another 5 years for Spurs to do it. Ita may take 5 more for Liverpool. Considerer the number of teams challenging has increased and that will make it even harder. I have said before and I think Liverpool fans should take this on board. You choose a really bad time to drop out of the top 4.
Swarbs. Spot on. Its not necessarily about whom spends the most money.I believe in good management and motivation.I reckon Kenny can adopt a similar approach to geeing up his players to the one Ferguson adopts. I have said all along that good management is more important than having 25 superstars.If you have players with good characters and are willing to roll up their sleeves and put their egos aside for the good of the team then,you will be successful. I have on occasions been dismissive of Man Uniteds central midfield and classified them as being mediocre.However there may be a reason why Ferguson likes them,they have no heirs and graces and egos.They role their sleeves up and are consistently consistent. Man United are better managed than City and thats why they won the league even though City have better players,its the club that has the better team that is the one that succeeds.As a wise man once said ''There is no I in team''.
Ok, how come this thread has broken out in a rash of reasonableness all of a sudden while the ****'s been flying on most of the other ones?
UIR. Can you see where I am coming from? You don't necessarily have to have the best players to succeed.I think your doubting of Liverpools success is a little bit biased as Kenny adopts the same old fashioned principles Ferguson does. One of your famous comments ''Its different now to when he won the league with Blackburn in 1995''.Is it.Do the same principles and values apply now that applied then.I'm 100% sure they do.I'm 100% sure the same values that have always existed still exist. Cohesion,hunger team-work and consistency added with a sprinkling of luck are the keys to success,and it has nothing to do with how much you spend on players.
The difference between LFC and Spurs/Everton is that we've been in the top for consistently in previous seasons. So it's not really a case of 'breaking in' so much as getting back in. Also, as you mention there are perhaps more teams challenging for those spots than there has been for a while, which makes it harder not only for LFC, but for the others too.
We showed last year, our worst performance in a generation, that we were capable of beating, nay humbling, some of the top teams in the Premier League, so it's not about having world class players available. As KPR rightly points out, it's down to a team ethic, players working for each other, tracking back, getting tackles in, you know actually looking as though you DO give a a **** about the result (Babel/Torres etc). This mindset MUST be applied to ALL 38 games, and not just save it up for Chelsea/United The odd slice of luck helps as well, but cannot be relied on.
I will probably get mauled for mentioning them again,but they proved you don't have to have world class players to win the premier league.Just a well managed cohesive unit. Good management speeds up success so those that are saying that it will take Liverpool five years to get into the top four are talking bollox.I'm still convinced that Kenny will lead Liverpool to the title within 3 years.
