Will 2012 be “the year” for Liverpool FC or will we be cursing Fergie sitting on his Perch

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By Savesh Chetty

21 May 2011

I write this as the referee is about to blow his whistle and bring the 2011 season to an end. I have this horrible picture of Sir Alex in my mind with him repeating the word “perch”. I have also not looked at my facebook page for the last 2 weeks to avoid reading about the victorious Man Utd team.

As a whole after introspection I think even the most positive of LFC fan would have to say that the 2011 season has been a failure. Yes there are lots of positives since the king has returned but our season’s exam has been failed. A failure as our short term goal of fourth place was not achieved nor did we even come close to staying on the perch which now belongs to Fergie. As much as we hate them we have to concede that the Man Utd team are the benchmark in terms of football in England.

But I am not despondent. I remain positive as I have for the last 20 odd years at the end of each season. I also annually wonder:

  • Will this be our season?
  • Who do we need to sign or what do we have to change to return to the perch Fergie likes talk about these days? Who would I sell?

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be” – John Wooden. What’s in the past is in the past let’s now look forward and be positive. But let’s learn from our mistakes and make the correct signings. Let me say that the king has started the change and that is clear for all to see.

Do I want 2012 to be our year? Yes more than anything. Do I think 2012 will our year? No, realistically I don’t think we will win the league in 2012. As far as finishing fourth provided we make at least 3 key signings I am confident we can do it. If the 3 key signings work we might go close for the title. I am not being a pessimist by saying we won’t win the league but history tells me when you bring in new players a period of time is required to achieve cohesion. Man City being the obvious example. They have signed the biggest names who would sign for them in the past 2 seasons. Arguably on paper Man City should win the Premier League but football is not played on toilet paper. Although some may say Mancini’s brand of football is worthy of toilet paper. Let me add after watching the champion’s league “El Classico” games Mr “Special One” Jose Mourinho’s football should be also played on toilet paper. In fact I think I have discovered a new sleeping aid, video of a match between Mancini’s team versus the Special Ones team. You will get a trial of this product in next season’s champion’s league if Madrid happens to meet City.

I don’t think many LFC fans would disagree with me when I say we need signings to strengthen the team. Man United, Chelsea City, Arsenal and even Spurs have more depth in their squads than us.

I am going to imagine that I have the 100 million Martin Tyler was saying King Kenny has to spend. Quality in my view can obtained without big cash outlay. My view is finding the players with the right attitude and attributes to address our shortcomings. I am just going to give 3 areas and give 3 suggested players for those areas. These players have been linked to us in transfer rumours. We may or may not sign them but I think if we sign we should sign players of similar style to the ones I suggest.

Most people would say the first area would be left back but for me this is not in my critical 3 areas. All 3 areas relate to offence. If there is one thing we can learn from Fergie is that offence wins you titles. He didn’t lie before the season deciding game against Chelsea when he said “we won’t play for a draw so let’s not waste time talking about draws”. My prediction is that Ferguson will also attack Barcelona in the Champions League Final. Let’s see if I am correct.

For the past 6 years I have watched Rafa Benitez play a game of patience waiting for our winning goal even against the most inferior of teams like Stoke Rugby Team. LFC was renamed Drawpool and we were sponsored by Crayola in this period.

My 3 signings are explained in 3 words “Attack” “Attack” “Attack”. This is the “change” in style and mentality that I think we need to adopt. In midfield I would go for Ashley Young (Aston Villa) and Charlie Adam (Blackpool). Proven players in the Premier League are a better bet than a foreigner coming to the Premier League for the first time in my view.

Upfront I think we need one more quality striker or an attacking midfielder. The current Liverpool squad is predominantly a legacy of Rafa Benitez’s style of play which focused on discipline and structure but not creativity. I would go for Arshavin. Poor season at Arsenal but something tells me he could be the right fit. I find him to be an extremely intelligent artist like our Saurez is on a football pitch.

We need to strengthen offensively. If the king was to phone and ask for my view this is what I would tell him. In fact let me tweet this to @kennethdalglish.

My 3 signings would not spell the end for the energizer bunny Dirk Kuyt, Marvellous Maxi, Magnificent Meireles, Lion man Lucas, and the Legend Stevie G. Remember it’s a squad game and these attacking options are what we have not had in the past to break the back of the likes of Stoke Rugby Team. However I also see roles to be played by youngsters like Spearing, Flanagan, Kelly, and Pacheco. Defensively I think the king will probably sign a left back and another central defender. However I am not sure who the right men are to serve the king in these areas are. I leave it to you my king. Skertel, Agger (when fit) ,Johnson and Carragher have been pretty solid this season

As for players I would sell I have to say Joe Cole, Ngog, Konchesky, Degen, Insua and Aquilani have been disappointing and should all be sold and banished by the king and be requested never to return to Anfield.

Let’s wait and see who we do in fact sign but I hope we focus on offence in our signings. In closing enjoy the champion’s league final neutrals. I however want to say “Come on Barcelona, knock him of his plastic perch”

All LFC fans can follow me on twitter @saveshchetty. Feel free to tweet me your views comments or email at savesh@live.co.za

 

14 Comments

  1. I understand you want attacking players, with flair, and so do I. But with that, has got to be a sense of discipline, intelligence and end product.

    Ashley Young is too inconsistent for me. He doesn’t have a good work rate and his positioning/intelligence is poor. Granted, he would be an improvement to our side, but I think we can get better than him.

    Charlie Adam can pass yes. But our philosophy is “Pass AND MOVE” He is not good off the ball. He doesn’t always make himself available for a pass like a Scholes or Xavi. Im not trying to compare them, but if you are such a strong passer as Adam is, you’ve got to do it as much as possible.

    Arshavin is too old, on too high wages. He is off form. He’s talented, but defo dont want us to sign him.

    If I could only sign 3 players, I think it would be a left back, left winger, and an attacking player who could play wide and as a striker. For example, Enrique, Mata & Muniain.

    1. This article doesn’t make much sense to me frankly for a few reasons
      1. If I had 100m, would I spend it on Young, Adam and Arshavin. Even if I had half of that, I would think KK would use it more wisely. Young I agree would be a good signing for us but the A and A don’t cut it for me.
      2. Attack wins games but you have to look at the team structure and who we have. Are we going to ask Johnson to play out of position going fwd or get young Robinson to start on LB? I think this should be the first position to address and Baines is a great option if he’s available for 10-12m. Next comes a winger, Young or if he chooses ManU, then Mata. Lastly a third striker to cover for injury or change of formation against diff teams.
      3. Agree foreign players don’t always work out or may need time to settle in but quality is quality.
      As Carra recently said abt the youngsters, good if they are local lads but more importantly is quality, I don’t care where they are from. Suarez is considered by some (incl me) as our Player of the Year. Other notable mentions that’s made a name since arriving to the league, umm Torres,
      Miereles, Ronaldo, Tevez, Alonso, Arshavin..

      Quality above all but cant be injury prone.

  2. Fantastic stuff my friend….
    I’ve never read an article this deep…
    I’ve been so long agree with the fact that inner league players is more “guaranteed” than foreigners who gamble their career in England, although we all knew that they already in the spotlight in their league, and so agreed with the players u mentioned : Young, Adam, and Arshavin, plus 1 defender like Gary Cahill and/or Leighton Baines

  3. And i can’t agree that you win the premier league by just attacking. You definitely need a solid back 4 + goalkeeper to stand a chance

  4. you r the only other person other than myself who thinks Arshavin might be a good addition. Yes he is getting on so no more than a 2/3 year contract. Arsenal don’t pay daft wages like city and Chelsea and considering Joe Cole gets 90k a week and I think you could get Arshavin for around that. But I agree with az, defence is just as important, if not more so than attack.
    We all know where LFC need to strengthen but until players are actually signed we won’t know. I am already getting bored of the speculation and the season ain’t even finished yet!
    I also think it will be a few years until we get our domestic perch back from united. However Ferguson will have to retire at some point and the Glazers are not doing them any favours. It took them years to overtake us, we can overtake them in half the time then I will view that as success.

  5. I am not actually that worried about UTD over taking us. I firmly believe their end is also coming. With giggs and scholes on their last legs and fergie, wont gone for longer than 2 to 3 seasons. TBh, its a monkey of our back in a way. We can concentrate on ourselves properly again. I agree with alex, it took them eons to overtake us, it wont take us that long to get our perch back. Signings, well all of us know who we want, and we all have our own ideas, but lets just leave it to KK, i trust him to make all the right calls with DC. I know we will defintely move forward next season, by ATLEAST getting into UCl and higher up the league, and maybe grabbing the FA CUP as well. we have to take into account the league is alot more tougher! there 6 very good teams at the top. we have to be realistic!i think thats the main thing!

  6. Okay I will make some considerations. The Stg 100 million warchest is all hypothetical! LFC will spend, but LFC will also sell!
    All this ‘loosing our perch’ talk is hilarious. It took Utd two decades to overhaul us and we had two decades time to prevent it. Now, we just have to live with it.
    DON’T BOTHER ABOUT TRANSFER SPECULATION – THE COMOLLI/DALGLISH WISHLIST IS READY – THEY JUST NEED THE NOD TO WHEEL AND DEAL FROM FSG.
    Arshavin is NOT on that list!

  7. I would seem that my 3 names and 100M has created a stir. Let me say that the 100M was said tongue and cheek as I found it funny when I heard Martin Tyler say it on tv.

    I dont think we will spend a 100M and the 3 players I picked were not intended to match the 100M.They would cost much less.

    In respect of the players I picked we may all differ on the who it should be and I can also give you another 33 names. But what the point I was trying to bring out is that we need to strenghten in midfield with attack minded players. Saurez is our artist at the moment but we need a few more players who can either make a goal with their passing,intelligence or speed. I had hoped joe cole would do well in this regard but he has been a Royal flop under both Mr Hodgson and the King.

    I do believe defence is important and we will in all likelhood strenghten with defensive signings as well. But bear one thing in mind a great defence and a 0 0 draw gives you only 1 point.We need as many 3 pointers as we can.

    I agree with the comment that the current Man United squad has ageing players. I expect them to spend big in the off season.Anyone for Sergio Aguero :) or Kaka:)? YNWA savesh

  8. It took the scum twenty one years to catch and better us they floated became a plc had to drop the football club part of their name they are now 800 million in debt.they are on their way out hopefully were coming back records are records we won all our titles when it was two points for a wining tougher. We also did most of it with a squad of at most 13 you could only have one sub. The Phoenix is rising YNWA

  9. As Kenny has rightly pointed out Quality is the key all over the pitch, because we have all witnessed the magnificent impact Suarez’s quality has had on the rest of the squad.

    I am convinced that if we can sign two or three more signings with similar quality, coupled with Gerrard back firing on all cylinders and fingers crossed Agger finally overcoming his fitness issues once and for all, then next season could be very exciting and dare I say it very competitive.

    We might not win the league but we certainly have the potential to do so…..

  10. I would love to know our stats since January (points against the top 5/6, goals scored+ goal scorers & goals conceded).

    Since KK’s return we have beaten manure at home, Chelsea away with their rent boy,City at home, drew with Arsenal away & unfortunately lost to Spurs at home ( that was a strange one !!), in a nut shell we can live with the so called top teams excluding Spurs! It is the lesser teams that put the spanner in our progress, like the rest of our supporters I too believe we need decent fast wingers, but we also need another player of Suarez’s caliber to break down packed defenses who also has pace, my personal choice would be Alexis Sanchez, (his first season would be adapting to PL football followed by mounting a serious challenge for the CL the next). I would pay 40mil for a world class player. We have many good young players coming through who would be able to step into our senior squad- To think WE were actually looking to get C.Ronaldo under GH but thought he was only good for the Coca Cola Ads!
    A lot of that money would be recouped by selling Aquaman £15m, Jove £4-5m, Poulsen £3-4mil, £Konchesky £2m, Kyriacos £1m, Cole £3mil, Insua £2mil, Ngog £3mil, Degen £3mil, totalling to almost the potential asking price for Sanchez. I know I would rather get rid of this lot & their heavy wages and have Sanchez.
    A natural decent left back is needed ( I would go for Coentrao if the deal with Bayern is not done as yet) ,I think manure are after our current target so guess where he will be going.

    Of course hopefully a fit SG will be back to his best next season but we DO NEED another architect in the middle to pull the strings, now who could that be?

    YNWA

  11. Most of Reds fan commented that we won’t win the league next season but will fight for the coveted fourth place but I beg to differ…I think most of the Reds army have forgotten what our beloved King can do..won titles for us in his first season and surprise the world by winning the title for Blackburn with many new additions…everyone can see what this legend genius has with us since came as savier for us in last five months and along the way winning againt manure, chelski, mancity, draw with arsenal but unfortunately lost only to spurs and this is achieved with the same team that going towards relegation? We also did it without our captain and the traitor and league most expansive player Andy Carrol. In football what important is the strategy and everyone can see that how we lost to WBA and see Mancity didn’t win the league with so many addition of good players..but poor strategy employed Mancini is very evident here. Why despite loosing many games this season the manure still won the league..that is the red nose shrimp knows very well what is the right strategy to apply and that is what he did! Irrespective with what other so called experts say about us, The REDS will never be the same again from lat 21 years and wait untill this time next year to see to believe it. The King has returned and He will reclaim His throne back… Cos it’s rightfully belongs to the kingdom of Reds. YNWA. Tq from ballan Malaysia.

  12. I am not going to say who we should sign or sell..there’s already too many experts here.But Ashley Young and Adam are like 2 fishes in a small pond put them in a top club where would they be?They have always been good for midtable and fighting relegation.As for Ashavin he not been able to command a starting place at Arsenal and too inconsostent.
    We need players who have influenced thier team to success!! better than the 3 defo!

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