Mid-season report : Liverpool F.C.

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Off the field the season so far has been great for Liverpool F.C., our despised former owners are gone and have been replaced by responsible ones who want bring back the glory days. In typical L.F.C. fashion it was not easy, however at the end we prevailed and Tom Hicks and George Gillett were sent packing to their little corner of the world.

The new owners (N.E.S.V.) under the leadership of John W Henry and Tom Werner have been very cautious in their approach so far, this is understandable. They have bought a club with great history and traditions in a sport that they didn’t know much about. We (Liverpool fans) maybe sometimes get a little ahead of ourselves and see what they did right after they purchased the Boston Red Sox. In Boston they fired the coach just after a few days of taking over. This hasn’t happened at Liverpool and instead they have backed Roy Hodgson and brought in Damien Camolli as Director of Football to assist Roy with the transfers.

We (The fans) would like to see the changes as soon as possible and you can’t blame us. Lack of investment by the previous owners and a sacking of Rafa Benitez has left us with an unpopular manager and a squad with quite a few average players. There are some that argue the case for Roy Hodgson to be allowed to stay until the end of the season giving him a chance to “sign his own players” in the January transfer window. Roy has already had the summer transfer window however with the exception of Raul Meireles none of his recruits have impressed. The argument is the same as the ones who backed Rafa had used, “Hicks & Gillett” didn’t give him enough money.

We are currently in 9th place on the Premier League table, with just 22 points we are closer to the bottom three than we are to the top four, our goal differential of -1 speaks volumes. It has been a horrible first half of the season and our away form has been disastrous, we have only been able to pick up 5 points on the road from a possible 27. Many of us fans agree that Roy is not the right man for the job, he never was. Our opposition hasn’t been that great either which makes it more painful that we didn’t pickup more points. Based on all our games so far I would say Blackpool were the best opposition we have faced. Of our players I would say that Lucas Leiva and David Ngog deserve some special recognition while at the other end of the spectrum I think Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen have become the symbol for everything that is wrong.

Moving forward:

Christian Poulsen, Paul Konchesky and Milan Jovanovic would be the ones that I would like to see sold in January while Ryan Babel and Joe Cole should be given until the summer to prove themselves. Top of my signing list is Eden Hazard however we really need a winger and a second world class striker to partner Torres. If Roy stays I predict a difficult rest of the season and we have to face the possibility of no European football next season.

Y.N.W.A.
-Antoine

On Twitter @empireofthekop

More Stories Christian Poulsen John W Henry NESV Paul Konchesky

16 Comments

  1. Far too generous. Hodgson is the Club’s worst manager in over 50 years, serving up cr*p football and talking deluded rubbish every time he opens his mouth. The only way the Club can move forward is to get him out now, install Kenny as a proper caretaker and get this squad of largely talented players giving it everything, and with some positive tactics.

  2. Well said Martin W. But how do we get the message across to the new owners?

    Recently he claimed that most of the players were brought in by Rafa and he is unable to stamp his mark until he can assemble his own team…well between the current LFC squad and the one he has in Fulham, I can’t see how our LFC team is any inferior than Fulham’s. This worries me man, I think when he said he wants to assemble his own team, LFC fans brace yourselves with the arrivals of more Poulsen, Konchesky type of players…

  3. What’s there to report? Putting the deficiencies into written words to be remembered just makes it all the more painful. The weather just froze the anguish by canceling our last and coming games. The good is that it gives more time for Stevie to make it back. But I guess if we had to get businesslike and professional and base comments strictly on performance and success achieved… Sorry did I say performance and success achieved? Silly me. There really isn’t any to judge by is there. Now we not only bleed and breathe RED… we also blush it too.

  4. So depressing, so, so depressing. I consult every LFC news source I can, countless times a day hoping against hope that I’ll see the magic word ‘ex’ happily snuggled between ‘Roy Hodgson’ and ‘Liverpool FC manager’. It seriously worries me that come January he’ll be allowed to buy players and worse that we’ll lose the likes of Glen Johnson. Paul Konchesky says that we’ll be better when we come round to Roy’s way of playing… Please don’t let THAT happen! And I wish Paul had a milligram of the fire that his Mum, Carol, has; I don’t agree with the language or the sentiment, but she’s standing up for her son and she has every right to do that. Paul would be much more useful to West Ham.
    All I want for Christmas is an OPTIMISTIC manager who will inspire our players and not blame everything and everyone for his own shortcomings. Go Roy, go now, for f***s sake. Please!

  5. You’ve made some good points in the article – but others not so much.

    Hodgson was announced as manager around the end of June/beginning of July if I’m not mistaken – giving him only 2 months (even less due to the World Cup) to look at the first team squad, the reserves and the academy set-up. To then go out, scout and buy players in less than the 8 weeks is not enough time – as a consequence he rushed decisions and made some terrible transfers (Konchesky and Poulsen) With H&G still in charge at that time I suspect his transfer dealings and funds would have been limited too. Don’t forget, Rafa also left us without CL football, after having gauranteed fourth spot (that press conference still gives me nightmares) so it was near impossible to attract ‘bigger’ names to the club. Rafa also left us with one striker (N’Gog is by no means a finished article yet) so when he got crocked before the World Cup and never returned to his best, so are you really surprised by our goal difference?

    On our away performaces – yes they have been very poor – only one away win so far this season. But, let’s not forget that we only won 5 away games in Rafa’s final season – perhaps a sign that the team’s decline had already begun?

    As far as the January transfer window goes, anyone who knows football knows that January is not the best time to buy players – the majority of those that do move are usually unsettled at their current club or out of form players looking for something new – so no signing is likely to be made that will transform our squad or season.

    I’m likely to get slated for stating my opinion on this anti-Roy site but disagreeing with the majority doesn’t make my opinion any less valid than those who believe getting rid of Roy will magically see us climb up the table. I’m massively frustrated at how things have panned out this season, but was it a shock? Absolutely not. Do I think things will change given time? Yes. But they have to be given time.

    I do think that Roy will go in the summer, and I’ll be happy to see a more attacking minded, versatile coach, but I also think dropping him mid-season would be of no real benefit to our overall season – it was always going to be a difficult one whoever the man in charge was.

    1. WhatHappenedToTorres, you are using a fraudulent email address when submitting these comments and causing your postings ending up in the spam bucket.
      I just had to fish it out there.

      No this is not an-anti Roy site, It is a Pro-Liverpool FC website.

  6. We need Eden Hazard, no doubt. but it isn’t realistic object. We need to get rid of Jova, Poulsen and Kochesky but also Kuyt, Ngog… Unfortunetely if we want to win something we should buy someone world class.

  7. you said your top choice to bring in would be Hazard in January, and thats a real nice choice. however, i would love the main target to be Fernando Llorente. I think he would make a great partner for Torres up front

  8. Hey Antoine I just read your conclusion cause I didn’t have much time.One question why do you think Jova should leave in January and give time for Babel to prove himself?I mean isn’t that what we have been hoping for the last couple of years.I do agree that Jova probaly isn’t Liverpool material but why give Babel a chance and not him.
    P.S. totally agree on Poulsen,Konchesky and Hazard.

  9. I have to agree with whathappenedtotorres in points rafa has really left us in the shit well before Roy toke over the reins of our great club( he’s not exactly settin the world alight at inter now) back me or sack me seems to be his favorite phrase, Christ the man took over a treble winning team from Jose how much investment does a team like that need for him to be comin out wit these statements. As for Roy he will be given the rest of the season no doubt but after that I believe he will be relieved of his duties, and I just wish Liverpool will invest in a manager who will restore some much needed pride to the club and that John Henry gives him money to overhaul or standard side. The likes of skrtel,konchisky,kuyt,babel,maxi,ngog need to be shipped out for been Shite to Old or just not cut out for Liverpool and the future that we need to restore the club back to top of the English and European game.

  10. I personally believe that Raffa had a long and lasting program for Liverpool but unfortunately he couldn’t finish what he started. 10 years was the minimum time for him to demonstrate his ultimate ability the narrow minded people who were in charge didn’t have enough fate in him, they couldn’t understand him because he is a unique manager ahead of his time passionate and a true tactician. Today we have new pro owners with a great understanding of sports industry they are employing people with experience and building the future, the only mistake which will absolutely ruin all of the good work is to continue with RH. Another 5 years with Raffa if they decide to bring him back, will shape the future of Liverpool FC for a long long time. I am not a Raffa fan or anti Roy, the Facts show everything .

  11. I think the one thing that is really clear is that this is not a sack ??? blog but a PRO-LIVERPOOL one. Whatever the statements, they are all I dare say for the better of the club no matter how impassioned or brutal they may be. And reading most of the comments, it is clear that we all want a new manager. Some willing to wait a full season and some don’t and want to nip it at the bud. So we really all agree that he is not the right one. So stop going at each other’s necks when we should be sticking together as Liverpool fans should. We’ve all got different opinions. But one thing is for sure. We want a better, fighting and more exciting Liverpool. And the only way we can have that is if we have a new gaffer whether in January or end of season. But could either already be too late. Forget about getting new players. What use will that be? The tactics will still remain. For me, good management inspires the team to work as one and be better than they are using different tools to achieve this goal. It’s not about building your team. It’s about building a team that punches above it’s level. If we have to buy they better be worth every $$$ spent. They must come in and add value. To make the team better. Look at Hiddink and what he has done through his career. No buying, just moulding. It might not work all the time but the team is always better for the experience and the fans prouder. To make the point of the team’s lack of ability even sillier is when you lay out the backbone of the team and realise what is there to change or complain about. The extras might not be good enough but even they are better than average. The youth squad just bristling with talent. I don’t think the gaffer’s had it this good and yet it’s not the squad he wants? What we lack is a MOTIVATOR TO INSPIRE GREATNESS. Liverpool was never about being Chelsea or Man City. We made do with what we had because we played above ourselves when that Liverbird went on to our chest. Players and fans alike. All together as one. That’s why for me it’s got to be Hiddink or bust. The rest might be technical, young and what ever but Hiddink is like a Liverpool manager. A team player. Inspiring like Pep to Barca. The players will die for him. That is what all managers should be judged by. So far even till the end of the season, I don’t see that happening.

  12. I’d prefer Alexis Sanchez over Hazard at the moment..the Lille guy only keeps singing Arsenal!! Sanchez though not linked..is the world’s best dribbler at his age and has exceptional pace!

  13. I’ve signed up with a real address now – didn’t know you’d have to keep fishing them out. I realise that this is a pro-LFC site and some of the more recent articles have been a bit more balanced – just thought my support of Roy would get slated by other posters but it appears it hasn’t, which is nice to see.

    I’m all for constructive criticism and I look forward to reading more posts like this and the one your writer Karl V-Grant posted a few days ago.

    YNWA

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