King Kenny gets the push

[David Johnson]

Yeah, bit of a poisoned chalice. The Liverpool owners seem to have as high expectations as Abramovich and be as ruthless as him, without having the large amount of dosh that Chelsea managers, particularly in the early days, had available.

And any manager who decides to sell on Jordan Henderson, Downing and Andy Carroll is unlikely to get anything like the dosh that Liverpool forked out for the trio, at least based on this season's performances.

[Flat_Eric]

Irrespective of past achievements, no club has a divine right to be at the top and to win league titles.

Liverpool, their owners and their fans have yet to grasp that reality.

- Eric

[Jonone]

People continually mention the high expectations of the owners but having spent the money they weren't they entitled to expect that Liverpool would feature in the battle for a Champions League place ?

Such an expectation turns out to be wholly unrealistic in hindsight but at the time ie the start of season 2011/12 I would argue that it was legitimate.

[Flat_Eric]

Jonone wrote:

> People continually mention the high expectations of the owners
> but having spent the money they weren't they entitled to expect
> that Liverpool would feature in the battle for a Champions
> League place ?


No.

For all the talk of Man City or Chelsea or whoever "buying titles", just chucking money about isn't enough.

It's all about getting the right players, the right blend of players, forging a winning team and motivation. All hard to achieve in just one season. Although having said that, I suspect that the fans and indeed the owners of *most* clubs would regard winning one cup and reaching the final of another as a very successful season.

That's the problem these days though. Rich sugar-daddies come along and buy clubs, and expect immediate results and champions league places. It doesn't work like that. Even Old Pizza-Face needed almost 5 years to pick up his first piece of silverware with ManUre.

- Eric

[Arginald Valleywater]

Yet the LFC diehards still bang on about being one the biggest clubs in the world yada yada yada. Jack Nicklaus, John McEnroe etc were all respective greats a long long time ago. Mate of mine and his 18 year old son are LFC mad. His son bangs on about their past trophy haul but when you ask him "so how many league titles have they won in your lifetime?" he soon dries up!
The sad fact is they are now a middle ranking club. Newcastle and Sunderland have more through the turnstiles on a match day and Adidas dropping them was a warning they failed to heed....wonder what odds a bookie will give on LFC winning a title in the next decade?

[Flat_Eric]

Arginald, LFC have become what ManUre were in the '70s and '80s - a mid-table Cup side.

- Eric

[Arginald Valleywater]

Yes but even this afternoon one of my LFC fan mates was banging on about how shit City and United are, LFC are just 2 good signings away from usurping Barca, Madrid etc and basically talking bollox!! Sad to see but the league tables never lie.

[Bob Singleton]

Arginald Valleywater wrote:

> Yes but even this afternoon one of my LFC fan mates was banging
> on about how shit City and United are, LFC are just 2 good
> signings away from usurping Barca, Madrid etc and basically
> talking bollox!! Sad to see but the league tables never lie.


To a certain extent he was right about United... a very poor squad compared to past seasons, but a squad that nonetheless can grind out results. City are not a squad, but an expensive assembly of world class and almost world class players... maybe this Premiership success might gel them more into a team, but with people like Ballotelli and Tevez still in the dressing room, I somehow doubt it. There are many players I admire at City (even some that I covet) but there are many that I think "thank God he doesn't play for us' (equally I am just as embarrassed about some of the players we have at Chelsea)

Liverpool have been poor for many years now. The decline started when they sold Xabi Alonso (that Benitez pursued Gareth Barry beggars belief, and led to Alonso wanting to leave) and then Mascherano. "King" Kenny just made things worse by splashing huge amounts of cash on British players who just weren't good enough. And yes, don't Liverpool supporters bang on about "history"... well, they'll just have to come to terms with the fact that instead of making history, they are now consigned to history, as a club.

It's also certainly true that the league tables rarely lie. There's no such thing as a club "too good to go down" and the team at the top of the pile have got there because they've been the best, overall. City should never have let their lead slip to United, and when United were 18 points ahead, THEY should never have let that lead slip to City. Given City won on goal difference that 1-6 defeat to them at Old Trafford cost United dear.

As for teams "buying" the title, wasn't it ever thus? City have been accused of buying the title this year, as have Chelsea in the past. And what about Blackburn Rovers?

Usually those accusing them of such things are supporters of clubs who have done the same in the past (Liverpool and Man Utd are a case in point) but their "history" is used to gloss over the fact that, for example, Rio Ferdinand is still the most expensive defender ever (?29.1m rising to ?33.1 after clauses... and that was 10 years ago when ?30 odd million in any walk of life bought you a lot more than it does now). Look further back in history, and you'll find a guy called Ted McDougall. "Ted who?" I hear you ask. Well the year was 1972 and Ted was playing for Bournmouth when Man United spent ?220,000 on him... adjusting for inflation, that's about ?30m today!!! And he was a flop and United didn't win the title that year... but they tried by buying expensive (sometimes over-priced) players.

EVERY team that has won the title, has to one degree or other "bought" it. Even teams that have failed to win the title have attempted to win it by buying expensive players.

In many ways I'm saddened at "King" Kenny's departure... with him at the helm, Liverpool were only ever going to go further down the table. It just goes to show how unrealistic Liverpool fans are when on RAWK (you must look in there from time to time if you want a good laugh, by the way) they say things like only Mourinho or Guardiola will do. Such delusions from what is now a third rate Premiership club.

[Arginald Valleywater]

But they are going ahead with plans for a new stadium!! No doubt the US owners must have a few million in the wallet to pay for this...surely couldn't drop LFC deeper into debt.....

[Bob Singleton]

Arginald Valleywater wrote:

> But they are going ahead with plans for a new stadium!! No
> doubt the US owners must have a few million in the wallet to
> pay for this...surely couldn't drop LFC deeper into debt.....


But are they? All I heard was that they were still looking into the possibility of a new stadium... that's very different from actually going ahead and building one!

I'm a member of Chelsea Pitch Owners... there's been a lot of talk recently about making Stamford Bridge bigger not being a viable option (I tend to agree) but still remaining in dialogue with the council regarding expansion, and adding the club's name to the list of companies interested in redeveloping the Battersea Power Station site (seems a reasonable option). All Abramovich has done is keep as many options open as possible.

All I see at Liverpool is the same... keeping as many options open as possible (and keeping the fans on-side into the bargain). They are just as far as we are in regards to getting a new stadium.

If they buy a site and get planning permission, then I'll believe Liverpool are getting a new stadium... until then it's all just talk.