First things first. Well done Blackpool, 100% worth their win, no complaints whatsoever, they were excellent.
Prior to the game, Ian Holloway said something to the effect of ‘what until you see us at Anfield’. He was talking about how he got his tactics wrong first half at Chelsea but attacked them more second half. Now we are nothing like Chelsea at present (they are good), but you could see what he was hinting at. Liverpool are there to be got at presently, as evidenced by Sunderland last week and West Brom the game before that. Whilst we beat West Brom, we were hanging on at the end vs 10 men. Throw in the deserved cup loss at Anfield and you can see where I am getting at.
This is a club 100% in crisis.
I am not going to kick our manager when he is down, it seems though, neither is anyone else. I have read with interest some absolutely astounding claims on this network about how it is all the ‘Fat Spanish Waiter’s’ fault. It appears that he is to blame for leaving the club in the mess it is in.
‘He only won the European cup with Houlliers’ team’. Really? So, that begs the question, why didn’t Houllier then? A manager takes a group of players and makes them perform better? What sort of abject management is that? If Roy gets this team into the top 4 (bear with me, I am making a point – it ain’t going to happen), who gets the credit? Rafa? As it was his team? Course not, so why should Houllier.
‘He is left with the mess Benitez left behind’. Classic this. So, Roy has taken an underperforming side (7th if I remember), cleared out ‘some of the dead wood’, brought in his own men and now sits comfortably in the relegation zone. Yeah, it is Benitez’s fault!
‘It is the players who are to blame, not the manager’. This is quite a change from last year isn’t it? Then it was only the manager, now it is the players! Is it fair to assume that Roy ‘has lost the dressing room’? No? Thought not.
‘Rafa played players out of position’. Our new manager wouldn’t do that. Which is why we had, at various points yesterday, Carragher at Left Back, Nik the Greek up front, Meireiles first at right mid then Right back, Kuyt on the left and my favourite, Gerrard at Centre Half while long hopeless bombs were aimed at our striker (Nik the Greek).
‘He had lost the dressing room’. Yep, the reason for all the slump around Anfield last year was because Rafa had lost the dressing room. Torres looked fed up last year. This year he looks on top of the world! What did you say? Oops.
‘He was negative’. Yep, the shackles are off now. We are playing free flowing football at present??!? One key difference between Rafa and Roy is that Rafa’s Liverpool sides pressed all over the pitch, they didn’t allow teams to play. Roy’s team doesn’t, they allow others to play. How do you think that is working out for us so far? Plus Roy would never play two holding midfielders…
Rafa Benitez was the victim of Sky Sports induced groupthink. Maybe if people looked at the evidence, rather than what they were told by Richard Keys – their opinion may change. Keys et al wanted Roy Hodgson. Hows that working out? I said at the time that the manager wasn’t the problem, nothing I have seen challenges that view. We have traded down in managerial talent and I would challenge anyone to say differently.
Supporting Liverpool at the minute is difficult, no doubt about it. The identity of our club is in jeopardy. There was always a strong link between the club and the fans, it is hard to say if that will ever be repaired.
Everton are up next, away. That is just what we need. Everton were in the bottom 3 until this weekend, the difference with them though, is that the league was lying a touch. They were better than that and will pull away with ease. We are exactly where we deserve to be, where our performances merit.
In roughly two weeks, we will learn whether Hicks and Gillette are allowed to refinance. This is more important than any game. I truly believe that removing them is the first step on the road to recovery. We don’t need sugar daddy owners, simply owners who will not bleed the club of any of it’s operating profits in order to service debt (that isn’t the clubs).
Later this week, I will be writing a piece on a ‘Liverpool fan site’ that is out there. Many of you will know who it is, it is ran by an absolute loon who deletes any comments that don’t fit his agenda. He won’t be able to delete them here.
Last word goes to Blackpool. They were outstanding and fully deserved their win. On current form, they won’t be the only side that turns us over at Anfield.
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