Liverpool F.c.

[rixalex]

Not sure who anzhi are?

To give them their full title, FC Anzhi Makhachkala, doing a "Man City" in Russia... a rich man's play thing, now managed by Hiddink, they signed Roberto Carlos and Eto a year or so back.

I know who the real Anzhi are. I just wondered if it was some strange Scouse slang for another team. I guess he means Chelsea, due to the Russian connection.

I guess he actually means Anzhi, seeing as they are playing Anzi next week.

[rixalex]

And doing a Man City, Rix? That means winning something, which Anzhi havent managed yet!!

Not completely true mate. They've won the First Division title twice.

[nev]

And doing a Man City, Rix? That means winning something, which Anzhi havent managed yet!!

Not completely true mate. They've won the First Division title twice.

Ha same as city had before they bought there 3rd

[JacknDanny]

And doing a Man City, Rix? That means winning something, which Anzhi havent managed yet!!

Not completely true mate. They've won the First Division title twice.

Not since they got bought by the money guy in 2011.

[JacknDanny]

Not sure who anzhi are?

To give them their full title, FC Anzhi Makhachkala, doing a "Man City" in Russia... a rich man's play thing, now managed by Hiddink, they signed Roberto Carlos and Eto a year or so back.

I know who the real Anzhi are. I just wondered if it was some strange Scouse slang for another team. I guess he means Chelsea, due to the Russian connection.

I guess he actually means Anzhi, seeing as they are playing Anzi next week.

. OK!! Thought he was talking League games!!

[JacknDanny]

And doing a Man City, Rix? That means winning something, which Anzhi havent managed yet!!

Not completely true mate. They've won the First Division title twice.

Ha same as city had before they bought there 3rd

[Devil]

Worth a read...

by Tony Barrett

One evening in the summer of 2005, Robert Kraft retired to his bed having made a monumental decision – he was going to buy Liverpool Football Club. Talks with David Moores, the then Liverpool chairman, had gone better than he had expected and when the owner of the New England Patriots brought an end to what appeared to be a significant day his final thoughts were dominated by Anfield and the Premier League.

The following morning, though, Kraft awoke with a start. Something felt wrong. Here he was in Brookline, Massachusetts, planning to take control of a 'sports franchise' which was based more than 3,000 miles away. The business magnate picked up the phone and immediately called Moores. He could not conclude the deal, he said. As far as Kraft was concerned, the limitations of being an absentee owner were such a concern that he feared being unable to do justice to both Liverpool and himself if he proceeded.

Fast forward to the present day and Liverpool are conspiring to make that decision seem particularly wise. Under American ownership – this time in the guise of Fenway Sports Group – the Merseyside club seem only to list from one crisis to another, with some being more serious than others, as their Stateside proprietors seem unable or unwilling to find a way of bridging the geographical divide.

Over the last week, a new farce has surrounded them, one which has caused deep and unnecessary embarrassment to a club which used to pride itself on doing things the right way; in their terms “the Liverpool Way”. It is a shambles which, in fairness, would not have been possible in a previous era but it was also one which was wholly avoidable in the present one.

Everyone knows about it by now as it has been played out in both mainstream and social media. But for anyone who has avoided the online madhouse that is Twitter or steered clear of newspapers for a few days then the basics are that Jen Chang, Liverpool’s communications director, has been accused of threatening a supporter by the name of Sean Cummins who had been operating a spoof Twitter account under the pseudonym of Duncan Jenkins.

Without going into detail, Chang denies the allegations and unless hard evidence is produced by Cummins it is hard to imagine how the shocking claims made against the FSG appointment will be upheld. But what is probably beyond dispute is that by tracking down and trying to stop the activities of a fan who was doing little more than tweet titbits of team and transfer news, Chang was guilty of the kind of naivety which has characterised Liverpool on far too many occasions since FSG took over the club two years ago.

The street smart route – one which would have been followed in the days when the late Kevin Dooley and more recently Richard Green provided legal counsel – would have been to look into 'Jenkins's' tweets and then to accept that there are some things that go beyond the reach even of Liverpool Football Club. Basically, there are some fights that are worth fighting and some that are best avoided and a spoof Twitter account giving out information that was freely available in other areas of cyberspace, not to mention in the free world, definitely fell into the latter category.

The country’s biggest football clubs have decisions of this type to make on an increasingly regular basis. The difference between the Liverpool of today and the one which Kraft considered buying is that it seems to make the wrong moves more often than the right ones.

A young manager making his first tentative steps in a difficult job? Make him the subject of a fly-on-the-wall TV documentary. A top player accused of racially abusing a fellow professional? Don’t give him a QC. A desperate need to sign a forward? Allow deadline day to pass as confusion reigns.

It is one bad move after another and each failing has, to a greater or lesser extent, undermined the stature and reputation of a club which is in danger of becoming a bigger parody than the Twitter account which drove it to distraction. That all of these situations have occurred since FSG took ownership suggests that such cock-ups are not a coincidence and that there is a deep fault line running through the club.

Arguably the most plausible solution is inexperience. John W Henry, Liverpool’s principal owner, confessed upon purchase that he had much to learn about his new asset and also football in general. He has strived to overcome this by studying football with a zeal bordering on obsession and resorted to a reliance on statistics in an attempt to make up for his lack of natural feel for the game, but he has still managed to make a series of decisions which he has later regretted and which have helped usher Liverpool into their current malaise.

Such inexperience would perhaps not be the debilitating problem that it is if it wasn’t for the fact that it is replicated throughout the club. Ian Ayre is Liverpool’s longest serving director but has only been at Anfield since 2007. Natalie Wignall, their legal counsel, dates back only to the time when Christian Purslow was in situ. Chang became director of communications last summer. Changes to their medical staff were made even more recently than that. In their pomp, Liverpool’s board of directors hardly changed from one decade to the next, now it is populated by newcomers, most of whom reside in the USA.

It is against this backdrop that Brendan Rodgers, himself relatively inexperienced at the highest level, must attempt to revive Liverpool’s flagging fortunes. At 39 years old, he is Liverpool’s youngest manager since Kenny Dalglish stepped into Joe Fagan’s shoes at the age of just 34 in 1985. Unlike Dalglish, though, Rodgers is not blessed with a time-served board. If he wants to speak to his chairman he has to either call or email Tom Werner in Los Angeles, Dalglish merely had to knock on the door of John Smith’s office. He is also unable to call on the wise counsel of a Peter Robinson never mind a Bob Paisley.

Liverpool do not boast such figures anymore, they are a brand new club in almost every conceivable way. The radical changes that have been made at Anfield over the past two years may eventually pay off. Mistakes that are being made now may come to be looked back on as important lessons learned in the fullness of time. But the worrying thing from Liverpool’s point of view is that so many of their most recent problems have been self-inflicted and unnecessary. Rodgers needed a forward, he didn’t get one; he could have done without a fly-on-the-wall documentary holding him up to

scrutiny, but he got one; Luis Suarez needed a QC, he didn’t get one; Chang didn’t need to pursue a tweeter but he did anyway.

How FSG puts such failings right isn’t clear. They could sack some more employees and replace them with new appointments but that option has already been pursued with vigour and without any indications up to this point that it is ready to pay off. They could appoint a so-called football man with experience and street smarts but they appeared to throw the baby out with the bath water on that front when Dalglish’s ties with the club were severed last summer. They could appoint a respected former player or even an outsider to act as a buffer between Rodgers and the board, only the manager has already made it clear that he would not approve of the creation of such a position.

There are no easy answers to Liverpool’s problems and the added complications caused by geographical distance, time difference and physical detachment are making it even more difficult for FSG to come up with the necessary solutions. It was such a scenario that helped prompt Robert Kraft’s change of heart and FSG’s ongoing struggles at Anfield are making its fellow American’s U-turn look like the kind of smart move that their club currently seems incapable of making.

[StevieH]

brutally honest from barrett that.

[carmine]

The more i think of it, if the chavs hadn't come in with that stupid offer for Torres i doubt whether Henry would have invested any money at all in buying players.

I am not the brightest i'll admit but i've seen through Henry and Werner for well over a year. They are simply bleeding the brand whilst trimming the club for a sell and a quick few bucks.

I'd also be interested to know how many matches they've attended in the last couple of years or infact how many times they've even been to Liverpool?

[StevieH]

there has been money spent but there's also been a hell of a lot recouped. and there's been around 25million GBP a year slashed off the wage bill. i know they're not sugar daddies or billionaires but i don't feel that shows too much commitment to success to be honest.

and as you say, i think it's a handful of times they've actually been to anfield. henry was probably over more days in total before they bought the club than he has been since they bought it. absentee landlords.

[rixalex]

I am not the brightest i'll admit

Saved and stored for future reposting when necessary. Cheers mate.

[carmine]

I am not the brightest i'll admit

Saved and stored for future reposting when necessary. Cheers mate.

But i am right up there with the brightest!

[sharecropper]

Re the article - Can someone explain to me what difference employing a QC would have made in Suarez's case?

And do they mean the club should have paid for one, or Suarez should have hired one. Are they suggesting that Suarez wasn't properly legally represented at the disciplinary hearings he went to? I bet he was.

[BangrakBob]

Re the article - Can someone explain to me what difference employing a QC would have made in Suarez's case?

And do they mean the club should have paid for one, or Suarez should have hired one. Are they suggesting that Suarez wasn't properly legally represented at the disciplinary hearings he went to? I bet he was.

They could have hired Kavanagh and it wouldn't have made a bit of difference, money saved, well done John W Bush....erm sorry Henry

[StevieH]

Re the article - Can someone explain to me what difference employing a QC would have made in Suarez's case?

And do they mean the club should have paid for one, or Suarez should have hired one. Are they suggesting that Suarez wasn't properly legally represented at the disciplinary hearings he went to? I bet he was.

his defence was shambolic and was just picked apart really. the club should have paid for one and hired an expert to prepare a proper case. i think they didn't because it wasn't an actual court trial like terry's and was just the FA kangaroo nonsense. what representation he had was late and amateur. it was certainly the club's fault, not suarez's.

[nev]

Just been reading Brendan Rodgers Wilkpedia page, did not know he had to retire at 20 due to a gentice knee condition.

Also his managerial career games 165 for w 68 d 37 l 60 win % 41.21.

With LFC, w 6 d 4 l 4 win % 42.86 so he is doing better at liverpool than his career average.

Even if he does try to play good football he looks a very average manager to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan_Rodgers#Watford

[maccastime]

Just been reading Brendan Rodgers Wilkpedia page, did not know he had to retire at 20 due to a gentice knee condition.

Also his managerial career games 165 for w 68 d 37 l 60 win % 41.21.

With LFC, w 6 d 4 l 4 win % 42.86 so he is doing better at liverpool than his career average.

Even if he does try to play good football he looks a very average manager to me.

http://en.wikipedia....Rodgers#Watford

A win at Anfailed,about time.But lets not get carried away,a few hard games next up.We should be belting some of these teams especially at home,but we are not? i just wish for one season...that we would start well with a few wins,but it just never happens.I am in Australia at the moment for a short while,and i am sure some of the local football played here in the Hyundai A League would easily match it with My Liverpool,they continually find the back of the net??????

[StevieH]

Just been reading Brendan Rodgers Wilkpedia page, did not know he had to retire at 20 due to a gentice knee condition.

Also his managerial career games 165 for w 68 d 37 l 60 win % 41.21.

With LFC, w 6 d 4 l 4 win % 42.86 so he is doing better at liverpool than his career average.

Even if he does try to play good football he looks a very average manager to me.

http://en.wikipedia....Rodgers#Watford

A win at Anfailed,about time.But lets not get carried away,a few hard games next up.We should be belting some of these teams especially at home,but we are not? i just wish for one season...that we would start well with a few wins,but it just never happens.I am in Australia at the moment for a short while,and i am sure some of the local football played here in the Hyundai A League would easily match it with My Liverpool,they continually find the back of the net??????

come again?

three points is three points and the result was more important than the performance against reading. delighted to sterling though, he's beginning to look the real deal him. and only seventeen.

[carmine]

Just been reading Brendan Rodgers Wilkpedia page, did not know he had to retire at 20 due to a gentice knee condition.

Also his managerial career games 165 for w 68 d 37 l 60 win % 41.21.

With LFC, w 6 d 4 l 4 win % 42.86 so he is doing better at liverpool than his career average.

Even if he does try to play good football he looks a very average manager to me.

http://en.wikipedia....Rodgers#Watford

A win at Anfailed,about time.But lets not get carried away,a few hard games next up.We should be belting some of these teams especially at home,but we are not? i just wish for one season...that we would start well with a few wins,but it just never happens.I am in Australia at the moment for a short while,and i am sure some of the local football played here in the Hyundai A League would easily match it with My Liverpool,they continually find the back of the net??????

And there was i complaining on our thread about some so called Spurs supporters not getting behind the team.

You just scrapped out three much needed points. How its done isn't important.

[BangrakBob]

I am in Australia at the moment for a short while

Edited October 21, 2012 by BangrakBob

[rixalex]

A win at Anfailed,

Love it.

Saved and stored for future reposting when necessary.

Been a good week for new material. Thanks to all those responsible.

[StevieH]

A win at Anfailed,

Love it.

Saved and stored for future reposting when necessary.

Been a good week for new material. Thanks to all those responsible.

you've never heard that one before? older than 'neverton' that one.

i was just surprised to read what appears to be a liverpool supporter using it.

[rixalex]

A win at Anfailed,

Love it.

Saved and stored for future reposting when necessary.

Been a good week for new material. Thanks to all those responsible.

you've never heard that one before? older than 'neverton' that one.

i was just surprised to read what appears to be a liverpool supporter using it.

Heard it before just not from the mouth of one of your own. Weird.

I'm happy bashing my own players when i feel it is justified... but bashing my own club?.... nah, don't get that. Doesn't sound like you do either...

[StevieH]

Heard it before just not from the mouth of one of your own. Weird.

I'm happy bashing my own players when i feel it is justified... but bashing my own club?.... nah, don't get that. Doesn't sound like you do either...

it's bizarre. i don't know the lad who posted it but am going to stick my neck out and guess that he's never been to see liverpool play at home.

i remember seeing a lad at anfield get strips torn off him and be lucky to escape a shoeing for calling benitez the fat spanish waiter. no, i simply do not get it in any way.

[rixalex]

delighted to sterling though, he's beginning to look the real deal him. and only seventeen.

Showed a great deal of skill and composure to finish in the way he did, and at only seventeen, that is pretty special, but i'm always worried for the future with these young'uns. You just don't know how they are going to develop, both physically and mentality. In a way, i'd actually be more excited about a player getting into the first team and looking that good, were they more like 23. At least you can be pretty confident of what is to come from them. Still, of course no guarantees with any player and i am in no way saying that 17 year olds with Sterling's skill getting their chance is a bad thing. Far from it.

[StevieH]

delighted to sterling though, he's beginning to look the real deal him. and only seventeen.

Showed a great deal of skill and composure to finish in the way he did, and at only seventeen, that is pretty special, but i'm always worried for the future with these young'uns. You just don't know how they are going to develop, both physically and mentality. In a way, i'd actually be more excited about a player getting into the first team and looking that good, were they more like 23. At least you can be pretty confident of what is to come from them. Still, of course no guarantees with any player and i am in no way saying that 17 year olds with Sterling's skill getting their chance is a bad thing. Far from it.

i've always actually preferred getting them into the first team a early as you can to be honest - if they're good enough they're old enough and all that. last ones we really lobbed in who were that good were owen and gerrard probably and they benefitted from it.

no guarantees of course but if they're that talented they're better off playing with better players and against better opposition than they are going on loan to league one or stagnating in the reserve.

[rixalex]

delighted to sterling though, he's beginning to look the real deal him. and only seventeen.

Showed a great deal of skill and composure to finish in the way he did, and at only seventeen, that is pretty special, but i'm always worried for the future with these young'uns. You just don't know how they are going to develop, both physically and mentality. In a way, i'd actually be more excited about a player getting into the first team and looking that good, were they more like 23. At least you can be pretty confident of what is to come from them. Still, of course no guarantees with any player and i am in no way saying that 17 year olds with Sterling's skill getting their chance is a bad thing. Far from it.

i've always actually preferred getting them into the first team a early as you can to be honest - if they're good enough they're old enough and all that. last ones we really lobbed in who were that good were owen and gerrard probably and they benefitted from it.

no guarantees of course but if they're that talented they're better off playing with better players and against better opposition than they are going on loan to league one or stagnating in the reserve.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not arguing they shouldn't be thrown in. I was just talking about levels of excitement. I used to get most excited the younger they were, imagining all the years of service they would be able to give, and all the time they had to get even better. I'm a bit more circumspect these days, as percentage wise, i think the younger they are, the more chance there is of things not working out quite as one had dreamt, for one reason or another.

Still, i admit, i am giving the glass half empty side of the argument to this.

[Chicog]

I am in Australia at the moment for a short while

Get yourself down to newcastle and watch Emile Heskey. The fact that he's that far away from Anfield should improve your mood.

[BangrakBob]

I am in Australia at the moment for a short while

Get yourself down to newcastle and watch Emile Heskey. The fact that he's that far away from Anfield should improve your mood.

I miss quoted and my network went down so I couldn't edit. I was surprised at the Aus League teams being able to challenge Liverpool comment, not the lad being in Australia.

Your psychic powers are a little off, I was delighted with 3 points and a clean sheet yesterday, still am now.

[sharecropper]

Beleaguered Brendan must have been pissing himself laughing at that woeful Everton effort against QPR tonight.