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Well it’s been awhile but I make no apologies for that because I’ve just been having too good a time to allow the depressive goings on at Liverpool to spoil my mood. At the end of May last year I was made redundant but after a frustrating year of countless wild goose chases I’ve finally managed to secure another position, and it’s a damn good one. So I’m as happy as a priest at an altar boy convention, my missus is happy, my goldfish Billy Bob Kenny Torres the third is happy and the share price of Stella Artois has suddenly started to go through the roof!
Off the pitch things are as messy as ever but congratulations once again to the Spirit of Shankly guys for yet another successful demonstration. I hear their 4th of July Independence Day rally had a massive turnout that will no doubt keep the heat on our American owners. I would also like to say a big thank you to our old friend Leo, aka Fat Scouser, for all of his time and effort he has spent rallying the troops here at Kopblog and to the many visitors to this site who have joined and supported the Spirit of Shankly supporters union, largely thanks to his efforts, but more of that in a later blog.
For now, in light of recent developments and as my mood is good and my bet on Germany to win the World Cup is looking pretty good right now, I want to focus on the football side of things. I was hoping we would get a bit of good news on the playing side of things and I believe we’ve finally got that with the news that Roy Hodgson has been appointed as the new Liverpool manager. Don’t get me wrong, Hodgson was actually my third choice but I’m pretty pleased we’ve got him all the same.
My first choice would have been to give Rafa at least one more season to turn things around but obviously that is no longer possible. There has been a lot of speculation a few conspiracy theories put forth as the reasons behind his departure but for once I would tend to lean towards the official explanation of mutual consent. I don’t really give a crap about the possible reasons of the bunch of muppets we have in our boardroom but looking at things from the Rafa Benitez side of things, I think the guy was worn down by the goings-on at the club and had become fed up, and who could blame him?
From day one he had the media on his back and they never gave him a break. Besides that, he was at a club that expected him to achieve champagne results with a lemonade transfer budget and also had to contend with an increasing minority of loud-mouthed “supporters” largely consisting of media clones too stupid to think for themselves.
A couple of months before the end of last season he was still sounding fairly positive and looking to the future as he echoed the sentiments of Torres and Gerrard in saying we would need to make 4 or 5 quality additions to the squad over the summer. After that he seemed to get a bit quiet and most particularly after he had his first meetings with Martin (I’m the chairman when things are going well but not really the chairman when they aren’t) Broughton.
My guess is that those meetings told him he was going to have to continue with the penny-pinching wheeling and dealing in the transfer market as was the case in the previous several seasons, and would of course be the one left carrying the can when things didn’t work out. So all of that and the fact that his appointment at Inter Melon seemed to be sorted out so quickly would seem to indicate that he had, had enough and while I was sorry to see him go, I can’t blame him for leaving.
As I said in a previous blog, with Rafa gone my second choice would have been King Kenny to take his place. Now I readily accept that this was an opinion that I reached with my heart rather than my head, but in my defence I would say that we football fans often allow our heart to rules our heads. I was aware of all of the arguments that were against Kenny returning as our manager and to be honest I even agreed with some of them but he is my all-time ultimate hero and the thoughts of him returning to our dug out and perhaps even leading us back to some of the glory we enjoyed when he was last in charge, rang louder in my head then the alarm bells.
So with Rafa and Kenny out of the picture you’ve got to look at the other realistic candidates for the position and for me Roy Hodgson was the one who was head and shoulders above all of the others. It’s always a gamble when you appoint a new manager but you’ve got to try to load the odds in your favour as much as you can and that’s why I think Hodgson was by far the best choice.
He is hugely experienced throughout Europe and knows all about what’s needed in the Premier League. He is well used to working with a smaller budget, is by all accounts a very good man-manager and the fact that he speaks 6 or 7 languages can only be a good thing. I think each of the other candidates would have been much more of a gamble and at the very least Hodgson is a much safer pair of hands.
I also believe that unlike most of the other candidates we heard mentioned, he doesn’t view coming to Liverpool as merely a big pay packet or a CV enhancing ego trip, I think he sees it as a big opportunity to perhaps round off his career and while it remains to seen if he will be successful at Anfield, I am certain that he will do his very best and give it everything he’s got and I don’t think we could ask for more than that.
Those were pretty much my thoughts when I heard he’d been appointed as our new boss but since then I must say that I have been impressed with what we’ve heard from him in his various media interviews. I’m glad he didn’t come in claiming to be a secret lifelong Reds fan, making half-baked promises or any other such bullshit, instead he has spoken calmly and clearly, and has sounded every bit the wily old fox I hoped he would be.
I was also particularly impressed by the ringing endorsement he received from former Red, Danny, the manc killer, Murphy who is as straight a talker as Jamie Carragher and his words mean a lot as far as I’m concerned. As I said in previous blogs, I think Hodgson is a decent bloke and I have a lot of respect for him. So overall I think we’ve got a good man in charge but whether he is a good enough to manage us through perhaps the darkest chapter in our history, remains to be seen.
He’s got a massive job on his hands. Benny Onion has already left to join the chavs of all people, which I thought was a big disappointment, and no doubt one or two others will also be on their way, but no doubt we’ll see a few new faces before too long.
The new gaffer will really have to hit the ground running because our first competitive game of the new season is coming up fast with the first leg of our Europa Cup qualifier on the 29th of July and the anti-Liverpool virus in the Premier League’s fixtures computer has once again kicked in and has us kicking off our new league campaign against Arsenal and this is quickly followed by a trip to Middle-Eastlands to face Manc City. So no pressure there Roy!
I know our club is facing into the abyss right now and perhaps sometimes I sound like that guy playing the violin while the Titanic is sinking, but I am first and foremost a football supporter and in that regard I must admit that Hodgson has got me curious and I’m looking forward to seeing what moves he makes in the weeks ahead. At this point I’m not sure if we’re at the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning but I guess we’re sure as hell going to find out.
So I’ve got a new job, we’ve got a new manager and will no doubt soon have a few new players, all I need now is a new owner to come in and my life will be complete!
Keep the Faith
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 #1 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
Nice one Gerry. I told the lad’s about the new job and that you was to blame for the price of Stella. Made up for you mate. I think we’re all feeling the pinch at the minute, and in this time of nothing but shite news, it’s nice to hear something going right for us.
Just don’t batter the Stella on a Sunday night. And them midweek Europa games are going to be very tempting an all.
Thanks for the mention. I’ve got some more good news, but I’ll leave that for awhile. Let the blog run for a bit first…
And in all truth, here’s my thoughts on Mr Hodgson…
I didn’t want him. I still don’t like him being our boss. But that’s only because of the circumstances that got him the job. Under any other situation, I would have been more than happy with him. And, as the new manager of LFC, he will get my total support.
Well, no. That’s a lie. It won’t be total, because I will not be going to another game until H&G and the snakes in our boardroom are gone. And I will stick to that.
But as for Roy himself… I agree. He’s a decent man. He has the sort of integrity I want in a Liverpool manager. There are doubts I have on several things, but for now all I can really say is…
Welcome aboard Roy. I hope you do us and yourself proud.
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 #2 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 2:25 pm
Oh and just a quickie cos I know a few lads want to buy this…
http://www.viga.co.uk/lsu
How come we can sell them for that, and H&G will charge you double?
Oh well, as I said, I’ll let the blog run it’s course before kicking off. There’s a comment in the last blog that some of you might want to see though.
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 #3 |
Sam Wanjere
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 2:42 pm
Hi Gerry. It’s been too long. I’d also thought Germany were good for the money but I’m rooting for one of Holland (FOR Kuyt only) or Spain.
I wanted Pellegrini instead of Hodge, but I will give my support as long as two things happen: 1) He doesn’t play the part of poodle to the Poisoned Square of our “owners” Coleslaw or Brought On; and, 2) He doesn’t coze up to SAF.
Was real proud of what SOS is doing, including yesterday’s rally whose pictures I continue to see. My respect for Aldo grows.
The eternal optimist in me believes we might surprise selves this coming season and for whatever reason I can’t wait.
Just a shout to fellow Reds to keep the faith and wish classy Rafa the best at Inter.
YN(Ever)WA(Ever)!
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 #4 |
Sam Wanjere
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 2:49 pm
Oh, Sir Benny of the Onion’s move to CFC has lost him uncountable points from this fan. Thanks for loyalty!
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 #5 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 3:56 pm
Welcome back Gerry. Congrats on the new job as well. Apparently (according to Fianna Fail!) were finally out of recession but as per usual Biffo and his cronies are talking a load of bollox. Anyway dont get me started on that or i’ll be off on a rant.
Great blog and I can only agree with you about Roy. I think he’s conducted himself, so far, with absolute dignity. I was extremely impressed with the way he handled the press conference with Bought-Man.
One of my biggest concerns though is the continued use of the phrase “steady the ship” by all and sundry at the club. I know what it means in my terms but what does it mean in the club’s terms. Well when i say the club i mean the board. My biggest fear is he’s been brought in to be a yes man and the board are banking that he wont kick up a stink no matter what shit he gets when it comes to finance/transfers.
It will be very interesting to see over the coming weeks whether he has the reported 12 million to spend plus money raised from any players sold. i.e. benny the rat onion… thats apparently 6.5 mill so according to my skewed mathematics makes nearly 20 mill. But i’ll believe that when i see it.
He has my full backing, but at the same time I wont be putting a penny into the club until the tumours are gone.
Lets hope the campaign keeps gaining momentum. Congrats to everyone who attended and had a hand in organising the Independance Day rally. Was keeping an eye on it all day yesterday via various websites and it looked a great day out.
The new kit looks fantastic and its amazing what people can achieve when they have a common goal and put their minds together. I’ve ordered myself one and urge everyone to do the same instead of buying the official kit. Keep up the good work lads, and keep the faith everyone.
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 #6 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 6:22 pm
Super stuff Gerry is missed your humour.Listen pal thats fantastic news about the job and goldfish!
Anyway i wanted Rafa to stay too Gerry but whats done is done so its Roy we have.Like you i thought Kenny could have done as good a job but i`m thinking the tumours didn`t want to entertain Kenny for the job because he could talk certain players into staying,you know the same certain players they plan on selling in their asset stripping process before they sell the club ala wheetabix.
Anyway i`m just back from Liverpool myself.There was a decent turn out for it.
Karen Gill,Bill Shanklys grandaughter,spoke very well and from the heart.I could help thinking what the great man would say now if he were alive.Everyone broke into the “shankly” song to the tune of amazing grace,bills favourite song when she came on stage.
Various local groups played music,including Fattys mate,Terry O` Shea,the man behind the “Sons of Anfield” tune.John Aldridge spoke,also did Howie Gale.
John Bishop provided a bit of comedy.He was a laugh.Neil Fitzmaurice another comedian and actor was the MC which he did with excellent humour.
Other people spoke from SOS with the speech from James Mc Kenna perticularly impressive.He expained the role of SOS from its humble beginning in the Sandon in january 2008 to today.
People from the world of politics spoke too.So a great day was had by all.
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 #7 |
Aitch
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 6:40 pm
Well, I’d call that, “one bloody triumphant return”!!
Congrats on the job and all that.
For me the most important line of the blog is the closing statement… “all I need now is a new owner to come in and my life will be complete!”
I agree my first choice would have been Rafa staying (any success Roy does have will be very much rooted in the work Rafa has done over the last 6 years)
my 2nd choice would have been Pellegrino, with Roy in 3rd.
I can see the appeal of Kenny… and I can’t say I’d have been unhappy if he’d got the gig, but I think we’re better off if he stays at LFC and works some magic backstage… (if he’s to be a more active link between youth and first team and be involved in player recruitment then surely we have a ready made future manager who is familiar with all our assets?)
But Hodge it is and Hodge is shall be, so come Roy, do us proud!
I just think he’s already doing the job in a straightjacket, so any enthusiasm I may have had for such an appointment is tempered by the reality of the situation… and that situation is…
… it almost doesn’t matter who manages us right now… since G&H are still at the helm and we have puppets at executive level.
I hope Roy does have 12 million at his disposal…
… but I don’t believe he does.
I hope he gets to keep money from player sales…
… but I don’t believe he will.
Where did the 12 million come from???
Seriously… I haven’t forgotten the financials from just 2 months ago…
…have all of you?
We were in debt to far larger amounts than were being reported (than are still being reported) and were in danger of not “…meeting the fixture requirement for the 2010/11 season…” or some such thing.
Rafa was reportedly told there would be no money.
…We paid him 6-7 million…
…we paid Fulham 2-3…
… how much is Jovanovic costing us… (coz frees aren’t exactly frees)
…if contracts are to continue coming out of the transfer budget… then how much of it went into Roy’s deal?
12 million plus player sales my arse!!!!!!
… but maybe I’ll be proved wrong and all will be well come August 14?
Anyway… nice to have you back Ged… don’t let your new life get in the way of a good blog!
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 #8 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 6:50 pm
Nice one FS just ordered on there now.They look great i take it they`re all in the black are they?
I`ll spread the word also.
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 #9 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 7:04 pm
Sick I couldn’t get up there Timmy. Would have sunk a pint or 8 with you. I really should have went, but oh well, too late to start moaning about that now.
That sort of rings a bell…
but anyway, yep. The shirts are black. It was put to a vote. I voted red. But you know these young fashionistas and how they love their black… apparently it’s the new red.
Just a quick word on the shirts…
There was quite a few people involved, getting to be a reality from an idea took quite a bit of work. But the driving force behind it was a young fella called John. What a smashing lad he is.
Throughout all this, his father was lying on his death bed in hospital and has since passed away. But that kid would not stop. And I know things got very hard for him and his family. But there was just no stopping the kid. He was the one who got it done, and the one who deserves the big up for this…
And stories like that are the reason why we must keep up this fight.
My Alfie was only born in November. I can’t begin to tell you how much I love him. But I can’t even buy him his first LFC shirt, except for this thanks to John and the other lads who made it possible. But there’ll be no substitute for the club, so fuck that. I won’t stop either until there gone either or there might be nothing left for our Alf.
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 #10 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Congrats on your new job, Gerry. Hope this one survives the next Depression, which is like, 70 years later.
Anyway, I’m surprised you’re still feeling upbeat about Roy. There’s now quite some heated discussion over in Paul Tomkins’ blog about the pros and cons of Roy, and I confess to being one of those that view Roy’s appointment with some reservation.
He’s a nice guy, and perhaps it is this nice guy attitude that Dumb and Dumber sees as easy to manipulate into a yes-man. Roy would need to prove to me that he’s not going to be their mere puppet.
Another thing that riles me is the media is singing Roy’s praises at Rafa’s expense. Wonder if these muppets will still be around to back Roy when his honeymoon period is over?
Make no mistake, as long as the Pricks are in charge, Roy will just be as undermined as Rafa. At least the xenophobic press can’t whack Roy as some foreigner who knows fuck-all.
Oh, and as for the World Cup, I’ve been supporting Germany for as long as I can remember. In fact, I must confess, I followed them before I followed Liverpool (it was the days before blanket TV coverage of live football week in week out).
This World Cup has been the happiest I’ve ever been watching Germany. They’ve successfully shed off that efficient and ruthless defensive team, and turned into an efficient attacking force – In fact, they’re not unlike Rafa’s Liverpool when they thrashed Real Madrid and the Scum (before being undermined and dismantled by the pricks in America).
And maybe them not having any Liverpool players in it means I can support them without any reservation about who gets hurt or not, though I’d still be pleased if a Liverpool player like Torres (if he’s still with us) or Kuyt scores against them.
Speaking of Kuyt, he has got to be the man of the match against Brazil. Funny he’s part of what that cunt Stan Collywags described as the “worst Liverpool side” ever. And this coming from a sore loser who can’t even turn up for regular training with Liverpool.
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 #11 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 7:15 pm
The Blacks fine FS.In fact i think its appropriate in the circumstances if you know what i mean.Also it will make people who see you wear it take notice and they might ask questions on it.If it were red it could easily be mistaken for an official jersey.Soit good work and black a good decision IMO.
No need for you of all people to worry about not making it.Everyone that knows you know you were there in spirt and i don`t say that lightly.You`ve done enough work as it is.
Anyway here`s a litle vid of yeaterday.I pop into it a couple of times.I`m the fat lad in the red shirt holding the can of carlberg with the balding head at the back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbBWbxany28&feature=player_embedded
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 #12 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 7:33 pm
Nice one Timmy you handsome bastard you.
Fat, balding and holding a can of Carlsberg… that describes just about every other person in Liverpool, especially the women.
As for the shirt, well that was what won the day… the young lads said Black cos it was like being in mourning. So I suppose they had their point but I’m just an old traditionalist and a bit of a commie anyway.
As for the march mate. I just wanted to be there. I wanted to see all me mates and won’t be going to the match until the others are gone. So that was me chance. But oh well, there’s always the “We’ve Fucked Them Off” do when we get shut.
But all me old mates were there. Terry who done the Sons Of Anfield is a great lad. And I know Karen Gill’s dad, Vic. Lovely fella has some great stories about Shanks, mind you being his son in law, and also being on Liverpool’s books but fucking it up, they aren’t all nice.
But anyway, glad you made it and had a good time. It’s a fair aul place the Pool. I’m sorry I ever left it, and I’d go back tomorrow. But it’s the kids and the grandkids. I’d go mental if I didn’t see them all the time. Maybe in me dotage I can go back, but for now, I’m stuck here and it could be worse. It’s not a bad gaff, but it’s so bloody far from everything. Oh well, we all have our burdens. And I couldn’t cope without this…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lsh2BYYx49M
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 #13 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 7:42 pm
Got a written reply form the premier league in the post this morning.
Dear Mr McCarthy,
Thank you for your recent letter.
We understand the support and strength you have for Liverpool Football Club.
We understand that fans wish to ask questons of their club,via the appropriate channels,and we encourage dialogue between clubs and their supporters.Liverpool football club,like all clubs in the Premier league,is an independent body that is subject to and bound by the competition Rules.Our role is to apply the Premier League Rule Book on behalf of the clubs and we cannot act outside those rules.
There are several Rules aimed at ensuring good governance of Premier League clubs and they are of course also subject to company law.We cannot however make decisions about day to day running of our member clubs.They all have their own directors,management teams,lawyers,accountants and many other staff with that responsibility,and who they employ to fill these positions is entirely their decision.In terms of club ownership we provide a framework that includes rules governing who can invest in Premier League clubs and,introduced for the 2010/11 season,a requirement for clubs to prove that they are sustainable by submitting future financail information showing they can meet their liabilities for the year ahead.
The Premier League`s view is that the regulatory process is a continuing one and,as new challenges emerge,the nature and extent of our Rule Book is under constant review.These matters are regularly discussed by the Premier League Board and,having been discussed at a recent club meeting;it is likely that additional rules regarding club ownership and club finances will be introduced for the 2010/11 season.Further clarification on this will be available on Premierleague.com at the start of the season.
We hope that this goes some way to explaining our role at the Premier League and how we monitor the financial management of the clubs that play in our competition.
We regognise that football has a significant cultural and social resonance,and we are well aware of the level of responsibility that comes with it.Our regulatory standards are high,and we recognise the need to push for further improvements as circumstances change.We believe that the work we are doing will continue to have a positive impact on our competition.
We thank you for taking the time to share your opinions.We appreciate and understand the passion which you feel for your club and will pass on a copy of your letter and our reply to Liverpool Football Club.
Youys sincerely,
Rachel Pallant.
Supporter Relations executive.
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 #14 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 7:48 pm
Ha new son of Anfield i take it thats little Alfie!
Just thinking now maybe i should have waited for the blog to go on before i posted that reply.Sorry about that there Gerry.
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 #15 |
Gerry
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 8:06 pm
Nice one Timmy, at least you got a response and thanks for posting it.
Kinny, I know there are reservations about Hodgson but let’s give the guy a chance and we’ll soon find out what he’s about. In the absense of Rafa, I think a steady pair of hands is just what we need right now and I actually think the guy might do quite well for us but we’ll soon see.
I haven’t bought a replica shirt for myself since the 80′s but I’m definitely having one of those black ones, they are absolute class.
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 #16 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 8:07 pm
Yeah. That’s the Alfie fella. Little cracker he is. And I don’t think Gerry would be bothered about that. In fact, I’m sure he’d want to see it.
It’s the standard reply they are sending. And it’s up to yourself mate, but I know you by now, so I know you’ll want to do what everyone else is doing…
Writing back, politely thanking them for taking the time to answer, but firmly pointing out that this is their business and they should be doing something about it.
I could easily have templates knocked up for this by some right clever bastards. But the thing is mate, an original heart felt letter from a committed fan holds far more weight.
It’s like this really…. me bird asks me to do the garden or wash the car. It take no notice. She does it again. I go the alehouse or something. She does it again. I uhhm and ahhh for a bit and come up with a few excuses. She gets on me case again, I end up doing the car, the garden and probably a bit of painting or something to get some peace.
It’s called nagging. It’s horrible. It’s a pain in the arse. It does all our heads in. But you know what…
It works.
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 #17 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 8:09 pm
Missed that while writing. Nice one Gerry I knew you’d like that an fuck it you lads are good as gold so I’m going to tell you the next step…
We’re sorting out a full page advert in The Times.
It’s going to be based on Stephen Hester’s recent comments on the owners being allowed to take on too much debt. Sort of thanking him for at least addmiting it but asking him what he intends to do about it…
Fuck the press. They won’t put us in their shitty rags, so we’ll do it ourselves.
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 #18 |
Aitch
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 8:13 pm
Lads I think its VITAL that we don’t tar Roy Hodgson with the same brush as G&H, CP and MB.
… not yet anyway.
Maybe he’s not a Great Manager?
Maybe he’s not a World Class Manager?
But Maybe, just Maybe, he’s a pretty decent manager and helming Liverpool FC will be the chance he’s waited for to gain such status.
After all, short stint at Inter aside, he’s never really managed a club of this stature before.
Its important we keep our eyes on the bouncing ball here folks… coz MB, CP G&H will do their very best to get you looking at the right hand, while the left hand does the nefarious deed.
And yes, there is a very good chance that Roy’s appointment is just that… a public right hand… while behind the scenes the left hand is doing all sorts of nefarious deeds.
But that isn’t necessarily Roy’s fault.
We are all very conflicted at teh moment….
…and I guess all I’m saying is let’s be sure to give Roy our backing until such times as HE actually does something to warrant us not doing so…
… and not hold him responsible for the actions of the board/owners (after all… that is in large measure exactly what happened to Rafa!)
Let’s remember that a philosophical discussion about his merits as LFC manager…
…is a different discussion, or should be…
…to a discussion of the job he is now doing…
… and more importantly/significantly, under the ownership/directorship he is now doing said job.
Judge Roy by HIS actions… not by Broughton’s, Purslow’s or H&G’s.
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 #19 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
I`ll get right on it i won`t be fobbed off that easily!
I agree Aitch,Roy didn`t cause these problems.We judge him on his ability as a manager.I see some people see him as “one of them” and refuse to back him.Well i asked the question if Kenny took the job would they label him “one of them”.
Don`t think they would.They`d see him as the “saviour who came in to settle a sinking ship.
Thats what roys job is to do so we should let him get on with it even though he`ll be held back from taking us forward by H&G.
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 #20 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 8:42 pm
Don’t worry Gerry, I’ll be giving Roy a chance at least.
FS, speaking of protest T-shirts, my local fanclub has already printed T-shirts with the caption:
YOU’RE KILLING OUR LIVERPOOL FC – NO YANKS!
And I’m already in possession of one.
Perhaps if you are interested, I might try getting in contact with the guy who’s had a hand in the manufacture of these T-shirts and see if you two would fancy working together?
I’m not sure of the details, but I think he’s got some connections with people from the textile factories in China to get these merchandise made.
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 #21 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 9:00 pm
Cheers Kinny but that’s all taken care of now. The lads found a manufacturer who was honestly in to all this. He’s a proper Red, and so they’ve managed to keep the costs down. The only profits are going to split betweeen SOS and HJC. So, it’s all sorted but thanks for the offer.
As for Roy, I think anyone blaming him for any of this or saying he’s a puppet is bang out of order.
Like I said, due to the circumstances, I’m not happy he’s here, but I wouldn’t dream of blaming him for anything that’s happened beforehand and I can’t see anything he’s done wrong.
Even if Torres and Gerrard go, it’s not really his fault. And up until now, he’s made all the right noises… keep our best players, owners must sell up soon as possible, etc.
So I think he deserves a fair crack of the whip and he’ll get my backing until that opinion changes. And the only way I’ll change that opinion is if he ever is seen to be compliant in the dismantelling of the club that H&G are set upon.
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 #22 |
Aitch
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 9:01 pm
Hey FS… for the Times ad, you guys might consider trying to use that “Good Days Hunting” picture.
I came across it in the “phtoshoped pics” thread over on RAWK.
Its a pic of G&H holding their LFC scarf on a shoreline with the Liver Buildings int he background and a huge dead and bleeding Liver Bird on the sand in front of them, with the caption…
“A Good Days Hunting, George?”
“Yes Tom, A Good Days Hunting Indeed.”
Not sure who owns the rights to the original pic, but I’m sure the lad that did the photoshop work would have no problem with you using it.
Just a thought…
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 #23 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 5, 2010 @ 9:44 pm
There’d be no problem with using anything mate. They’re all good lads, who are trying to do the right thing. The finished ad isn’t sorted completely. It’s probably going to be just an open letter to Hester, with some questions and hard facts, and an appeal to all Reds to join the fight. I really shouldn’t have said anything about the it, but fuck it. It’s alright, and I wanted to let all you lads know that there are things getting sorted in the background.
In fact, there’s a lot of good people doing good things that don’t get seen. We’re just the foot soldiers. But don’t underestimate what you’re doing. It the footsoldiers who win the battle, not the generals.
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 #24 |
Sousake
Posted on July 6, 2010 @ 12:32 am
I have to be honest, the appointment of Roy Hodgson doesn’t exactly fill me with joy. If anything, it seems like a bit of an easy, media-driven choice. Particularly as he didn’t cost anything. Like others, my first choice was Rafa to stay on followed by Manuel Pellegrini as a second call. But truth be told I wasn’t hugely impressed with the names being thrown around and I guess Roy was the best of a bad bunch.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll back him 100% until he gives me decent reason not too but I just feel our club is worthy of someone with a bit more of a record, so to speak. Hogdson seems like a decent bloke but his career is hardly anything to shout about, especially compared to the man we’ve let go (or forced out, more accuratly).
I suppose I was just hoping for a genuinly exciting name to appear and throw their hat in the ring. However its difficult to see anyone like that you’d want in at the minute, especially when you’re gonna have those two yankee parasites and their minions making you work with both hands tied behind your back.
Still, it could’ve been worse. We could’ve got Mark Hughes!
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 #25 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 6, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
Just watched Holland V Uruguay. Our Derek’s having some world cup. Made up for the lad. He deserves it.
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 #26 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 6, 2010 @ 9:58 pm
Delighted for him FS if all our players had his attitude we wouldn`t go far wrong.
Can`t say i`d want them to win it although i wouldn`t begrudge Derek his medal i`ve fifty on spain at 5/1 so i`m sure our Derek would understand with everyone feeling the pinch!!
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 #27 |
Aitch
Posted on July 6, 2010 @ 11:25 pm
Can someone explain to me the point of the poll on the TIA mainpage, asking what position needs strengthening the most…
… when the two most OBVIOUS choices…
A. Owners
and
B. Director
…are not provided as choices?
As long as we don’t sort those two “positions” out then the rest is pretty fuckin redundant!
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 #28 |
Aitch
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 1:30 am
Since FS seems to have dropped the ball on this one and not posted it yet…
… I thought since we have a pretty International contingent in here, I’d get you all on it.
SOS has put up a great page on their site.
Here’s the skinny…
You got to http://www.spiritofshankly.com/gallery-15.html
…you print out the “Tom & George Not Welcome Anywhere” sign…
… you find an easily identifiable landmark unique to your part of the world…
… and you take a photo of you, a friend, a family member… or just the sign… in front of that landmark…
… you send them the photo…
… they post it on the site to show how Internationally despised G&H are.
They’ve got a handful of good ones so far…
(my fave is the Abo bloke holding the sign… fuckin Classic!)
I’m gonna try to get out and up to the Hollywood sign and Disneyland this week.
I’ve got me mate up in San Francisco on the Golden Gate Bridge and Alacatraz.
I’ve got mates in Brazil and Portugal on it also.
So wherever you are… get on it.
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 #29 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 8:39 am
Morning lads, fuck I never thought of that Aitch. This is the perfect place to get people on that campaign.
To be honest, it’s robbed from the Bluenoses. But it’s a right giggle and is effective in raising awareness. The Evertonians have a thing where they write Kopites are Gobshites in the local lingo and get a snap by that countries landmark… bitter bastards, eh.
But yeah. This is a great idea for in here. There’s not really much to update on the struggle front. Sadly these things move slowly, but things are getting done.
There’s some sort of posh do today, Standard Chartered and Purslow will be there. They’ll be holding a Q&A session. SOS are intending to ask some rather pertinant and embarrasing questions, but I have a feeling this will go tits up.
I can see Purslow just swerving them or them getting thrown out. But either way, it could be a bit embarrasing for the little web-footed fucker.
Feeling a bit guilty here lads. I know I commandered the blog for a wee while. But like I said, all the info’s out now. I’ll put up the occasional bit of info or link to keep the lads who are interested informed. But other than that, I’ll leave you all in peace, even Digger and BM, to talk about the footy and that.
And you might have noticed, there’s been quite a few developments, even a new manager on that front. Plenty to discuss, I’d have thought.
Oh well, later lads.
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 #30 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 10:23 am
Kuyt’s having a great WC. I’ve seen some great touches, and some good skill from him that went missing last season.
My folks go over to the UK every year & bring back the latest LFC top. They asked me if I wanted one this year. I told them to save their dough, especially since the Rand is 12 to the pound. I might get my hands on one of the SoS shirts though. Look great.
Timmy re 11: So that is summer in Liverpool eh? I think I’ll stay down this end of the world thanks.
Did you see how quick the press latched onto a story/interview by Torres’ agent? Turning it into ‘Torres is leaving Liverpool’ bullshit. And then a day later his agent puts them (the wankbucket press)straight, saying he said no sich thing. Oh, and Abromovich is flying to SA to try & persuade Torres to join the Chavs. The fucker has had his boat docked in Cape Town for the duration of the WC. Anything for a story – the twisted, no-good motherfuckers. Even the broadsheets are spewing out kak these days.
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 #31 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 10:23 am
Aitch, you’re a week late. I’ve already submitted my photo to them.
Quite amazed at all the exotic locations these people come from, this should hopefully silence those doubts that SOS is nothing but a xenophobic anti-OOT organization if they can involve more of the global fanbase into the action.
http://tomkinstimes.com/2010/07/the-long-and-winding-road-supporter-ownership/
I hear SOS and ShareLiverpool have decided to launch a Credit Union scheme, though at the moment it’s only limited to Merseyside due to legislation. Only when they can figure out how to include the global fanbase on this will this start to work.
As for the World Cup, the WC Final will feature at least another Liverpool player in Dirk Kuyt since Dietmar Hamann represented Germany in 2002.
Depending on today’s result between Germany and Spain, each finalist will feature at least 1 player from Liverpool (Kuyt and Torres) and 2 more on the benches (Babel and Pepe). Meaning 2 of them will win the WC since 1966.
In this WC finals, we have 13 Liverpool players
For the Round of 16, there remains 10 players (Agger (Denmark), Kyrgiakos (Greece), and Jovanovich (Serbia) out on Group Stage)
Quarter Finals – 6 players left (Skrtel (Slovakia), Gerrard, Johnson and Carragher (England) out)
Semi Finals up to 3rd/4th place and Final – 4 players remaining (players mentioned above minus Masch and Maxi Rodriguez (Argentina) out)
So much for that cunt Stan Collywag proclaiming this Liverpool side to be the “worst Liverpool side ever”.
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 #32 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 12:43 pm
Kinny as in any organisation you get a few hot heads. It’s true of SOS. Some of them are xenophobic and, well, quite plainly put, nutters.
But that’s just the odd individual. Make no mistake, the union itself is all inclusive, any one is welcome and local groups are already being set up. The London branch has it’s first meeting this weekend I think and there are other branches being created abroad.
The London branch is already working on a march through the financial district in the city, culminating with a demo/protest outside RBS headquarters and a petition is being worked on to hand over to the bank and some politicians.
This struggle is all of ours, and the only way we can win it is by all pulling together and all doing whatever we can.
As for the press… fuck em. They’ve always been the same. We have a few friends in there, Rory Smith, Tony Evans, Brian Reade, Dion Fanning, etc. And that’ll do for me. Bollacks to the rest of them.
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 #33 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 1:25 pm
Well nice to here from you, congrats on the new position, hope all goes well.
.
Plenty of discussion over Roy, as far as I’m concerned, regardless of whether he’s good or great, he seems to be another in the long line of decent people managing LFC.
.
However I guess I shouldn’t say I like the man this early into his LFC career, that would only put the get rid of him pressure on early.
,
He seems the type of person who just goes about his business without much fuss, and to be honest I haven’t heard a peep from dumb and dumber since the Rafa thing, not sure I heard them during the Rafa thing, so that’s the way it used to be.
.
Hopefully Roy might be able to entice a few in or use a few we have, either way good luck Roy, all the best.
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 #34 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 3:01 pm
There’s a difference though Gaz… the silence is not calming. In fact, it’s deafening and very worrying.
It’s the lies mate…
Spade in the ground in 60 days.
I never said that, he did.
No debt on the club.
Good financial health, better than any other big club.
No money spent now, but a big summer.
Investment by Easter.
Rafa’s signed a 5 year contract, his job is safe.
And there just a few of the top of my head. We can all think of many more, all usually issued after something had or hadn’t happened. All designed to keep us mugs quiet and beleiving everything is okay.
Well, I stopped listening way back when Snoogy Doogy was about to sign for Roffa. But we’ve got just over a week to see what the last load brings…
Big announcement on buyers in mid July so reckoned Mr Boughtman. Apparently that’s now been moved back to August, just as the transfer window closes funnily enough.
Personally, I can already see through it, why it’s timed for them, and the even bigger lie that’s being formulated by leading it with that particular lie.
But I agree with you a 1000% on Mr Hodgson. He does indeed seem a decent honest man. And until he gives me reason to believe other wise, that’s how I’ll think of him. And like I’ve also said, unless it’s glaringly clear that he’s condoning it in any way, even if we go into free-fall I won’t blame him for it.
But, like you said, we’ve got to hope for the best. And I hope all the players really take to the man, stay at the club, and start playing like we all know they can.
Do I think that’s what will happen?
Well, sadly on that, all I can say is the usual… we’ll see.
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 #35 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
Surprise, surprise…
Purslow cancelled the do with Standard Chartered.
Apparently he heard SOS would be present and that was that. But he can’t hide…
If you would like to ask Standard Chartered why they or Mr Purslow cancelled the event, feel free…
Standard Chartered
Tim Baxter
Head of Corporate Communications
Telephone: + 44 (0) 207 885 5573
Email: [email protected]
Address: 1 Basinghall Avenue, London, EC2V 5DD
For electronic contact https://forms.online.standardchartered.com/public_website/group/contact_us/en/
People are resending the questions that we had for Purslow. I’ll put them up in here in a moment.
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 #36 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 9:57 pm
To repeat my point in #31
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_squads
12 Liverpool players represented in this World Cup, only Barca has more represented. 13 if you include Jovanovich.
Out at Group Stage: Agger, Kyrgiakos and Jovanovich
Out at Round of 16: Gerrard, Carragher, Johnson and Skrtel
Out at Quarter Finals: Mascherano, Maxi Rodriguez
None out at Semi Finals
And now, we have up to FOUR Liverpool players (Kuyt, Torres, Babel and Pepe) that might feature in a World Cup final (realistically just two, as Babel is injured and Pepe rarely used).
And at least TWO will win a World Cup medal.
With the exception of Gerrard and Carra, ALL WERE BOUGHT BY RAFA.
So to all you cunts (especially you, Collywags) that proclaimed Rafa has left behind the “Worst Liverpool Side Ever”, this FACT has given you two words as an answer to that:
FUCK YOU!
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 #37 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 10:03 pm
fucked off
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 #38 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 7, 2010 @ 10:37 pm
Oh no, Lurgan, please don’t take the wrong idea, I certainly wasn’t telling you to fuck off.
(Don’t think you’ve ever said what that cunt Collywags has said. )
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 #40 |
dougle
Posted on July 8, 2010 @ 12:03 am
Hi Groovers,
Congrads Gerry ! The only man in Ireland to actually get a job this year. Good Kopblog karma that.
A right interesting post that Kinny. Boy oh boy has poor old Roy landed himself a job or what. Follow that.
Good luck to the gent. Seriously.
I have never less looked forward to a season to come as far as the team is concerned.
Who knows, it might be a blessing for Roy. I don’t think there are huge expectations the likes of which we had got used to under the guidance of you-know-who.
He might slip a good one in ? He’ll have to to have any vague chance of hanging on to any of our A-listers.
Of course that is assuming our “Great Leaders” don’t manufacture a way to flog them off. Under the new regime expect lots of promises form our “Great Leaders” and then “Senior Sources” will explain just why ____________ left despite being offered ____________ and really the clubs “Great Leaders” are not to blame for the player in questions’ lack of loyalty/unscrupulous agent/greed/whatever.
Yep Roy’s gonna have to have the season of his life because the Rafa project is gonna be unravelled before you can spell unravelled. IMHO.
The one thing is … personally I don’t think Roy is there for the cheque. He is not stupid and neither are a growing number of activists and armchair supporters out there.
This may yet surprise our “Great Leaders”.
Rafa brought (nearly) all of this out in the open. Perhaps Roy (gagged as he probably is) doesn’t have to ? Perhaps the momentum generated by RAFA / SOS / Gerry,FS, Aitch and lots of other imaginative and dedicated supporters and others has created the awareness and interest and activity whereby we can really call their bluff. Maybe some good will come out of the slow disintegration and destruction of what we all loved.
Anyway I finally got out from under the new wave of nappies and posted off a fistfull of letters to the FA, RBS, etc etc.. It felt good to do something. I’ve ordered the “Standards Corrupted” shirt and you know as much as I’m frankly not interested in the team right now I’m very interested in the fight for the club.
Finally I’m happy too say that we had a bouncing beauty of a new baby boy here at home 2 weeks ago and that is pure magic.
He’s gonna be a red, hope they’ll be around.
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 #41 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 8, 2010 @ 9:47 am
Congrats Dougle! I have my 2nd boy due on Wednesday. He is going to inherit all his brother’s (Liam’s) Liverpool kit, from bib, to babygrow, to t-shirt etc. Luck little fucker. Just glad they haven’t/won’t have to live through this period of our club i.e. G&H and Purslow.
Are these Standard Corrupted shirts selling at stores? My folks are in B’hamshire at the moment & would really like for them to bring me one back home. Otherwise, where/how can I order one (prices etc)?
Cheers!
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 #42 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 8, 2010 @ 11:13 am
Big congratulations Dougle. That’s brilliant. And to you Rafalution mate.
If you want to get the new Kop bloggers the alternative kit, I’ll dig up the link. You can pre-order it now. The lad’s are just waiting on delivery before they can start distribution. I put the link in the last comments. Dead busy this morning. Just popped in to say this…
Purslow has no had a mural of Rafa and the lads lifting the European Cup taken down and removed from Melwood….
Strange for a life long red, eh.
The little fucker isn’t happy to force out the best man we’ve had since Paisley. He know wants to write him out of our history.
There’s an email and address in my last post if you’ve had enough of these bastards. I’m dead busy spreading the word while I’m on me own in the house. All the click, click, clicking is doing people’s heads in. So, I’ll have to crack on.
But yeah Kinny… not only are they determind to re-write the man’s legacy, they are trying to write him out of our history.
Where’s the Rafa bashers now?
I should leave it out… but it’s not petty vengance. These idiots helped cause all this shit, and I’m still fuckin livid about that.
Vindictive… yeah. So what? I took years of abuse and sniping off these people while I tried to get them to see sense. Well, they won. They got their way. And I’ll never ever forgive them.
Dougle/Rafalution, I can’t even buy me Grandson his first kit but I’m going to do all I can to see there’s a club left for him.
What a bloody mess, eh.
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 #43 |
Aitch
Posted on July 8, 2010 @ 6:28 pm
That’s pretty outrageous!
…and on the day that his swan-song gift to us (Milan Jovanovic) signs for 3 years!
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 #45 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 8, 2010 @ 9:52 pm
Well, I’m not fucked off with you Kinny, not yet, but I could call you Kenny. I know that you LOVE that.
It’s the whole state of affairs at LFC that is fucking me off. What’s new you say?
I understand the call to arms for Roy from Gerry but no matter what Roy does, he, and LFC will be well and truly screwed over by the shire of shite that we call the present LFC board.
I just hope that Roy stands up to these fuckers but we shall see. The proof will be in the pudding though. Me personally, I would have preferred to have Rafa there but I guess that most people knew where my loyalties lay i.e. with the only fucker who was sticking up for us!
I know that I sound like a broken record but, like FS, I have stated again and again that this would happen.
I feel that I must state that I am not a FS puppet. He is his own man and a very decent one at that. I do not have to go further.
I do admit that I have used some of his info but at the same time I have used my own small brain to do a few searches on the internet and see what’s REALLY going on.
If you do this, it’s as plain as the nose on your face what is going on here. For example, with a bit of research, G&H have taken a Kop Holdings loan and then loaned put it onto LFC to pay, with a higher interest rate for LFC. How kind they are. Talk about getting fucked up the arse?
All LFC fans should do a bit of research and spread the word. This is the only chance that we have.
G&H AND THEIR HENCHMEN ARE HERE TO FUCK US FOR EVERY DIME THAT WE HAVE. FULL STOP! THEY WILL ONLY LEAVE US WHEN WE ARE SPENT! WHY A 800M PRICE TAG?
Maybe it is because I grew up in Norn Iron that I take everything with a pinch of salt, but please people, I implore you to do a bit of donkey work and investigate what these baordroom fuckers are doing.
It only takes short amount of time and the answers are there for everyone. Get off your fat/ slim/ smelly fucking asses and do it, otherwise LFC, as we know it, may no longer exist.
FFS, it’s like Well’s 1984 all over again. The ministry of Peace was the army. Rafa was the root of all evil. Just watch out for the LFC thought police.
Purslow is a cunning fucker, no doubt. So lets keep up the fight against this tyranny and we can win it together.
This is the end of the party political broadcast – again.
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 #46 |
dougle
Posted on July 8, 2010 @ 10:16 pm
Good luck with the new baby Rafalution.
We’ve just inherited some second hand baby clothes from a friend of Mrs Dougle. Guess what she turned to me with in her hands ? A manure baby grow! She got a great kick out of that. So will I as I mop up the floor woth it.
Kind of a poignant moment yesterday. The Mrs asked me what was going on (in Liverpool world). We have a new manager I explained. “How weird is that” she says. “Ever since I’ve known you Benitez has been the manager of Liverpool. For me they are same”.
How about that. She’s seen me screaming at a 12″ black & white snowstrom screen. (Chavs – Europe), leaping up and down howling while ripping off my shirt (3-2 vs Arsenal – Europe), rushing into her even more bemused (non-football loving, european) parents waving my fist (Chavs again – Europe)… as they sat there the weekend before she gave birth to our first child… wondering, yet again, if she had made the right decision… This and many more lectures, rants, raves and moans she has put up with with the central character(s) being LFC and Rafa.
What are we gonna talk about !!!
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 #47 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 7:43 am
Well, I’ve cheered/sobered up a bit and wanted to say, congrats Gerry on the new job. I was hoping that it would be as manager of LFC but I guess we went for the cheap option again
Also congrats to Dougle (Is your wife French?) and Rafalution on the new arrivals. It sort of put things into perspective.
Dougle, your post made me laugh because my wife (French) and her parents (non-football), have witnessed the same thing on my behalf and I am sure they have wondered, what the fuck is my daughter doing with this clampet – BTW I still have the scar from the friction burn on my knees (no jokes) from that arse match.
Usually after the 2nd kid they think that you’re a decent bloke though!
Good times and memories indeed and I thank Rafa for that.
But that was then and this is now. Good luck Roy but you’ll need a shed load of it.
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 #48 |
DJGAZZA
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 8:14 am
At Timmy #11 Great vid that Tim, I was stood about 10 yards to your right with my Bluenose mate. We didn’t stay for the whole thing because I could see my mate was getting out of his comfort zone LOL
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 #49 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 8:48 am
Just reading Dougle’s drama with the missus. My wife does not do sport – she is from a ballet/dance background. But she has seen my mood & state of depression from last season, and (God Bless her) she now regularly asks me on the latest re LFC & Rafa. I always don a LFC top on the weekends, when we head out to the shops, cafe’s etc. She has taken in the commeraderie of LFC fans – when you walk through the shop & another bloke with a Reds top on gives you the thumbs up or a knowing smile. She has (after 12 years or so) got to know what LFC is all about, and she is even hurting at the mess that these 2 Wanks have put us in. Enough of the family…
I was having a beer with my brother last night – also a Rafatolah. At the end of the night (& half a dozen beers later), we sort of came to the conclusion that ‘thank fuck we at leat have a decent person managing the club’. The jury is still out on Roy – and like all of you, I say let’s give him a chance – but for me, a very NB fact is that he is NOT a Fat Sam, a Mr. Ferguson. He is NOT a prick. This might seem like small consolation, but imagine having a manager you don’t really want, and who is a total prick as well, managing your side? It is bad enough having them in the boardroom, but to have a chop representing your team from the dugout as well?
Thank God for small mercies.
And good luck Roy, do your best mate, for this unique & wonderful club.
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 #50 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 11:52 am
Alright lads just popping in for a second i`m off on the piss for the weekend starting with a pals wedding today and ending sunday with a trip to thurles to follow the rebels in the munster hurling final.
Dougle and rafalution congrats on the babys and all the best for the future.
Dougle the only time she`ll talk to ya no boy is when your getting the elbow into the back at 3.30 in the morning….”get up its your turn for the feed”.
DJGAZZZA at least your bluenose mate turned up says a lot about the scousers in general.
Finally i got two more replys from the british government and rbs.Usual “nothing to do with the day to day decisions” shite.
I`ll get to the replys monday or tuesday depending on my physical condition
All the best guys.
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 #51 |
Sambo
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
something i’ve taken from germany’s world cup successes is the beauty of 2 holding midfielders as an attacking formation. yeah, i know they’re a counter-attacking side, but it was the best shape in the competition, scored the most goals, and destroyed england, argentina and australia.
i wasn’t always a critic of rafa’s formation, but i was a critic of the players he put in those positions. in here last season every man and his dog were having a go at rafa’s negative tactics by adopting this system, and those who defended him generally said that lucas wasn’t a holding midfielder (which he clearly was).
i stayed out of that debate, preferring instead to debate how gerrard and aquaman could be better utilised within it. but having watched the world cup, i’m definitely in the pro-rafa-formation camp. the problem was that lucas and masch didn’t have a good enough range of passing to allow us to break quickly. alonso, of course, did and that’s why we missed him so much. i for one hold him mainly responsible for the discrepancy between the 08/09 and the 09/10 performances. yeah, there were loads of other factors like the injured torres and the shit gerrard, but basically we looked rubbish because we couldn’t spray the ball forward with the same accuracy and incision and therefore couldn’t spring attacks.
look at germany. they had a solid block of 2+4 behind the ball when england attacked, and then, when they gained possession, lauched the ball wide and suddenly had 3+1 attacking the england back line. it worked the same against the argies. teams with only one holding midfielder over-committed players in attack and then couldn’t handle them on the break. luckily for spain, they had the benefit of watching those games and immediately dropped torres to adopt a 4-2-3-1 of their own to counter it.
rafa was definitely onto something with that formation and anyone who said it was negative, didn’t understand the dynamics of attacking football which can spring from 2 deep-lying midfielders.
with xabi and masch we were able to do what rafa wanted. with lucas and masch, we weren’t. simple as that. during last season anyone who criticised lucas was shot down and told to watch the games properly because he was our best player. fuck that. look and busquets and alonso. look at khedira and schweinsteiger. if you’re going to play with 2 holding midfielders, they need to be able to do that, i.e find wide men with precision and immediacy. slice open defences through the middle. hold on to the ball and not shit yourself when someone challenges you.
i know what you’re thinking. rafa had no money so what the fuck was he supposed to do? well, either change the formation from the stoke of genius he’d had when he bought alonso, or move gerrard back to do that job (which a few of us in here have been campaigning for since the start of last season.
what’s the point of this rant? 4-2-3-1 is the way forward. it’s not only the most solid defensive formation, but it also produced the most goals at a world cup since the brazil team of 1970 (most big wins anyway). if roy can make aqua, torres, babel, jovanovic and kuyt work up front with masch and gerrard BEHIND them, we can still have a shot at this league.
ridiculous? yeah probably. masch will probably be at inter, gerrard at real, and torres at chelsea. and there’s no back up so if any of them get injured we’re fucked. but if roy is allowed to spend that money, knows his shit in the european market, and buys players of a similar ilk, we might even make the top 4 because we’ve got the best keeper in the world, 2 of the best young centre backs in europe, and a world class attacking full back. that ain’t bad.
4-2-3-1
YNWA
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 #52 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
Sambo, you are pretty much correct. I for one, defended Lucas to the hilt – and I still will because he gets unnecessary flak, even from our own fans. He won loads of accolades as a youngster playing in Brazil…as an attacking midfielder! This is his favoured position. Even though his heading & shooting abilities would seem to refute this fact.
Anyway, you comment ‘ hold on to the ball and not shit yourself when someone challenges you’ hits the nail on the head. Ingerlund were guilty of that in the WC, and Liverpool were last season as well. Look at Iniesta, Xavi, Alono, Schweinsteiger amongst others. Calm on the ball, BUT they always have a release i.e. someone else in a position to knock the ball to. And Alonso’s passing at the WC has been great – reminds me of the previous season when we finished 2nd. Can Gerrard perform this role? He should be able to, but does he want to? He prefers the role behind Torres, but he is close to 31 and maybe the ‘Alonso slot’ would be better & more successful for the team.
Let’s wait & see who we have available next season, and what formation Roy wants to play.
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 #53 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 12:59 pm
Makes a lot of sense Sambo. For 4-2-3-1 to work the 2 holding midfield players need to be able to pass the ball and dictate a tempo of a game. Sweinsteiger and Khadiera can both pass it well. The former is very good and intelligent on the ball. Alonso and Busquests are both very good on the ball and can pass and dictate the tempo. Brazil played with this formation also. Neither of their sitting midfield players were mobile enough in my opinion though. Gilberto too slow and passing range not good enough. Holland also play the formation but their midfield is similar to Brazil. Not mobile enough in my opinion and I don’t think they will get near Spain in the final.
Masch and Lucas as the 2 in the 4-2-3-1 doesn’t work for me. Not enough range of passing, neither can dictate the tempo of a game.
Good wide players are needed to make the system work also. Rather than playing fullbacks either side of the 3. Of course the centre forward position is key. He has to be able to run the channels, hold up the ball, and score goals. 2 attacking fullbacks required. As our squad is now this would be my team starting the first game of the season:
Reina
Johnson, Carra, Agger, Insua
Gerrard, Masch
Kuyt, Aquilani, Babel
Torres
Our left side is weak. Ahh well, that’s what happens with a books balancing/debt servicing philosophy.
Who knows what formation or team Hodgson will start with. I’m not really lookingforward to the season with much glee.
Watching both Gareth Barry and Xabi Alonso play recently it makes Rafa’s decision to consider replacing Alonso with Barry a ridiculous one.
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 #54 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 1:25 pm
Ahh hindsight LB it’s a wonderful thing. Recently yes 3 seasons ago no. alonso had a couple of shockers. Barry was more mobile which sort of agrees with Sambos theory and he had more of a goal threat. Now before you all jump down my throat, I am and was a big alonso fan. I think Rafa would have loved to have added Barry to the squad as opposed to replacing alonso with Barry but I think with the constraints he had he had to choose and decided on Barry for the aforementioned reasons.
LB: Jovanovic can play on the left.
PS: don’t forget the injuries which necesitated Lucas playing more games than anticipated last season.
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 #55 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 1:39 pm
all very logical lads. but i think its fairly nailed on roy will play a 442 for almost all our games its his preferred formation but really does it make that much difference spain are in the final because they have the best team and holland are in it because they dont know how to lose. we had no one in the whole team bar the ever injured aqua who could pass the ball or receive the ball at pace much like england technically inferior players all over the park.
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 #56 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 4:24 pm
for the Dutch, German and Spain formation to work you have to have a mobile and passing able middle two – so that kinda rules out both Masch and Lucas. But when I see Holland I see De Jong and Van Bommell – two wrecking balls similar to LFC last season. However the big difference between us last year and those three national teams – is that the Dutch, Spanish and Germans have pace on the right and left flanks – something we sorely lacked last season
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 #57 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
yep, it’s amazing how many teams are playing with this defensive 4-2-3-1 formation and scoring buckets of goals.
With hindsight I underestimated the loss of Alsono and the impact on the team playing this system. Ah well you live and learn.
I hope RH sticks with this system as we have the personnel, assuming everyone stays, to pull it off. I fear that he will go to a 4-4-2 but I guess that the proof will be in the pudding.
BTW, did you know that Schweinsteiger translated to English is ‘Pig Fucker’. He must have had some crack at school
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 #58 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
I have said it a million times… Rafa Benitez, a man ahead of his time.
Shankly was the same, pass and move – simple and beautiful.
Shankly learned to play this way in the pits. On their short breaks the miners used to play football on top of the slag heaps. Sick of chasing the ball down the slag, and bringing it back up to start the game again, so wasting minutes of their precious break away from the pit face, they knocked boards into the slag and played the ball on the floor….
Bingo. Pass and move was born.
Every now and again football changes. Think of the beautiful Dutch total football. It was a joy to watch and unstopable when in full flow.
Look at what Rafa has been slatted for since arriving in England… Rotation, Zonal Marking and 2 holding midfielders… all slagged by pundits, reporters and “Dinosaur” coaches as Rafa called them, but now all common practice by the top teams and coaches.
Sadly too late to save Rafa. And so it’s on to Roy. Well, I’ve said me piece on him. I like him as a man. I wish him, and so LFC, all the best, and I think he’s a decent fella who will do a decent job…. but inovator, European Cup winner, taking us on into the future of football.
Sorry lads. It’s just not going to happen. But I don’t want to be pessimistic and I hope an old time manager might just take us back to the old time basics of the boot room… pass and move, the old Liverpool grove and stop us from just being Hick’s vision… you know the script, brand loyalty and so on.
The Dutch have pace on the flanks Arthur… Dirk got new boots or something?
Only problem with our middle two… a season too early for Lucas.
Having said that, I hope Roy let’s Aquilani loose, shows him some vids of Terry Mc and says go and do that lad.
Can’t be arsed with all the other stuff right now, but things are happening chaps. I’ll update you next time. Just felt like talking some footy.
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 #59 |
Aitch
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 5:55 pm
Some of you love your revisionist history don’t you.
Last week, I watched a rebroadcast of two games…
Our opener against Spurs and the first Chav match.
In both games, Lucas was spraying passes about like Alonso (well okay that’s an exaggeration coz few can do it like Alonso… god I miss him) and players were getting on the end of them.
Even though we lost both games, we were attacking in numbers when we moved forward… and actually got caught on the break for the goals.
In both games, we pretty much had full strength teams… and the injury list hadn’t truly set in yet.
As the season progressed and injuries piled up, those forward passes were still being made… but the ball was being lost and players stopped marauding forward, and holding back to protect what was becoming an increasingly make-shift back 4.
As for pulling Steven Gerrard back into a midfield role… well its a no brainer philosophically… I even began campaigning for it myself the moment we lost Xabi… but half-a-dozen games in it became obvious it was a bad idea… and if we’d done that last season in the form SG was in… we’d have finished a helluva lot lower than 7th.
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 #60 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 6:11 pm
Lucas is a fine footballer. The lad had to much to carry too early. That’s all.
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 #61 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 6:54 pm
HA HA “Schweinsteiger” what the hell did his forefathers do for a living!!
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 #62 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 7:00 pm
Mascherano’s passing was made to look very ordinary when Argentina played Germany. The German holding midfield players could pass the ball. Every time they pressed Masch he either had to pass it backwards or he gave the ball away. Lucas suffered a similar fate in many matches last season. When really pressed by the opposition you could sense the “oh shit” he was thinking to himself and he’d pass it back quickly or over dwell on it or at times give away a throw in.
Rafa definitely pioneered this formation in England. It was a masterstroke. Alonso though was absolutely key to it. Remember the stats that would come up towards the end of a CL match? Alonso always ran more meters than anyone else. So work rate as well as intercepting possession to go with the wonderful passing range both long and short. Even though I knew Alonso was a key player for us I certainly underestimated his impact on how we play as a side. Our best performance in 20 years has to be the Real Madrid slaughter at Anfield.
4-4-2 is definitely a dinosaur formation. My favourite is Barca’s 4-3-3 and Chelsea’s 2004-2005 4-3-3. One holding midfield player with 2 good ball players either side who can get around the pitch. Pace/Skill/goal threat in the wide positions. Elite centre forward. 2 pacey/intelligent up and down fullbacks.
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 #63 |
Aitch
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 8:39 pm
Hmmmm?
Yet stats that showed the very same kind of running and passing for Lucas are ignored coz it doesn’t fit the accepted “he just wasn’t up to it” tag.
One is a philosophical discussion.
The other is what happened last season.
Just like the “Gerrard should have played midfield” debate.
As for formations… well football is a pretty simple game, made all the more complicated by pundits who played it yet seem to have so little understanding of it.
For sure, a 4-4-2 is getting harder to play… but I’d hardly suggest its a dinosaur.
Its a case of horses for courses, in any season. You play top 4 teams… top half teams… bottom half teams…
…you play World Class Teams for sure, but also 3rd rate champions from much poorer leagues, in both the CL and Europa…
…and you play Championship and lower division teams in the FA and Carling Cups.
And you need to mix it up not only based on the opposition, but also on the players you have available, their particular skillsets and strengths and their form.
I think Rafa was working towards an eventual situation that would allow us to fluidly switch from 4-2-3-1, to a 3-2-3-2 type of situation.
We saw him do it sporadically, and then more than a few times in 08/09 but then things went pear shaped and we just didn’t have the fit personnel last season.
guinness… I think they were the original designers of the flugelhorn, weren’t they?
… or perhaps it was lederhosen? I forget.
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 #64 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 8:48 pm
Here you go…
http://www.savelfc.org/wordpress/
One lad sorted it all out, worked his nacks off. And some good lads contributed, but it’s still getting built. Looks good though, and hopefully it will work.
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 #65 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 9:12 pm
You know what, maybe Rafa knew that Alonso was key player for his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation and that is why he held out for a ridiculous asking price from RM but they came up with it.
Nothing to back that up though and I am probably talking shite and it wouldn’t be the first time.
BTW, where are the CBC? I thought that they would be here in there droves. I guess that they decided to support Chel$ski.
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 #66 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 10:40 pm
Aitch the stats alone won’t convince anyone that Lucas or Alonso is a class midfield player in a particular role. The overall performance is what convinces and the stats just support the opinion really. For example if I told you Xavi had the best pass completion and covered the most distance in La Liga and the world cup you might think to yourself “ahh what a player eh”. If I told you Robbie Savage had similar stats it, alone, probably wouldn’t change your opinion of him too much.
Alonso was 22 when we signed him in 2004. Lucas is 23 now. Maybe my standards of how a starting midfield player should perform is too high.
By the way Gerrard was garbage last season in every position. I’d hope we see a return to his former self next season though, which is why I’d be tempted to start him in the middle next season.
I reckon if Lucas is our best performing midfield player next season (as he arguably was last season) we’ll have a similar season to last year – a poor one.
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 #67 |
JamesM
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 11:01 pm
Given that he’s one of the few new things we have to talk about, can any of you give us some insight as to what we should expect from Jovanovic next season? What kind of player is he? Strengths? Weaknesses?
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 #68 |
Aitch
Posted on July 9, 2010 @ 11:22 pm
Well that was sort of my point LB.
…and anyway…Nothing… would convince some people that Lucas is a good player
A lot of people were spouting off in here last season… all season long… about how Lucas was crap and not good enough and wouldn’t walk into any other team, and how we should have played SG in midifeld in his place….
…yet week after week, Lucas did the business in midfield while far senior (and arguably technically superior players) simply melted and wilted around him, failing to control the ball, turning over posession, or getting caught in possession, or simply miscontrolling it out for an opposition throw-in.
In spite of all that, Lucas kept tackling and playing the ball forward… yes that’s right forward, as well as the too-oft ill-reported sideways… and when it came right back down his throat, he did what was necessary to win the ball back.
Look, the previous season(s), his performances were such that, those opinions (except for the “he is shite one”) were to some measure hard to argue.
The opinion that should he not have been played in midfield last season however, is just completely wrong. (its like comparing SG last seaosn to any of his previous seasons.)
When comparing his performances over the 09/10 season to his midfield competition, the lad simply outplayed better players for the duration… whether his bashers want to admit it or not. That is as Rafa will now be saying in Italian “the Facts, no?”
As for comparing the lad to Xabi Alonso… well the majority of midfield players in the world pale by comparison, so its hardly fair on poor Lucas is it.
And as you say, I’d also hope to see SG return to his former self next season… problem is.. he’ll be doing it in fuckin Madrid!
Ah well, we’ll have Danny Murphy to root for, again!
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 #69 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 6:35 am
Interesting debate over Lucas, I think the reason Lucas cops so much shit is because he is Brasilian and everyone expects Brasilian midfielders to be Kaka’s, Zico’s etc.
.
Lucas had a good solid season but lads I think thats the type of player he is solid, not special, solid and dependable.
.
If we’re debating the downfall of last season, his name should only be mentioned in the forced to use the guy so much category, because it was the SG’s who were far from convincing.
.
Mash may play with his heart and soul but his passing is second rate. Did anyone see the passing in the German game, he was awful. Did anyone notice his defence in the German game, very lazy I thought.
.
Lucas is a good player and his character is second to none. Lets hope the poor lad shines evern brighter this season.
.
SG is the one who needs to get of his arse.
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 #71 |
sachem
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 9:02 am
I joined the SOS about a month ago when FS came in here and urged people to join. Can’t really tell why I didn’t join before that. Perhaps I lazily assumed there was no point since I live in Sweden and am not formally connected to the local things going on in the city of Liverpool and so on.
Well, I’m glad I finally joined and I have now also joined the recently established local branch of Sweden. There are some really good people, some of whom years back even paved the way for my current understanding of the history of the club by, for instance, familiarizing Swedish supporters with the story of Bill Shankly and the core values the club is still (though some might doubt it) based on.
Liverpool (along with the Man Utd) are by far the two most popular English football clubs in Sweden, but I have previously been surprised by how few Swedish reds are aware of what’s really going on around LFC. A lot of people undeniably base their opinions on what is reported in the media, and we all know (or most of us, at least) the problems that entail.
Therefore I’m slightly surprised a Swedish branch of the SOS was the first international local branch to be set up, but I’m also delighted to be part of it of course.
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 #72 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 9:45 am
Congrats Dougle, SOAK and good luck Rafalution. My missus is due our first this thursday myself. At this stage we just want the thing out! Its starting to drag in. Talk about a baby boom. Well definitely one here in Ireland. One positive side to recession hey… gives us more time to do “other things”. That Coombe is some baby making factory.
Some good points made there by sambo and LB. Playing 2 holding midfielders is a good formation if you have the players. i.e. good passing mobile midfielders and pacey full backs to provide width and get forward quick enough to support attacks.
I recently heard Johnny Giles and the panel discuss this very thing on RTE. And Giles had a pretty good point for once. Why are holding midfielders just able/expected to hold? Why shouldnt they be expected to be able to pass the ball forward. He said before Makelele there was no such thing as a “holding” midfielder. Midfielders were expected to be able to do everything. I can see his point. Your paying these guys 100k a week and were not expecting them to be able to see and make a pass forward? For fucks sake its called “football”. We’ve been brainwashed by the sly sports generation that every team needs a holding midfielder. Unfortunately there’s too much emphasis these days on the physical side of things. How many defenders these days do you know who actually cant pass the ball? The majority of them. Its kick and lump forward with them and it gets right on my tits.
As for our 2 “holding” midfielders last season. Well Lucas was probably our best outfield player. I think people need to give the kid a break. In my eyes last season there were a lot of games that Masch just continuously gave the ball away because he can only make 5 yard sideways and backwards passes. He’s a crab! A lot of passes that went forward from him didnt find its target. I think in some way this contributed to Stevie’s shite form. Thats not me making excuses for him because he was shite anyway last year. If your playing in the hole then you need somebody to find you with a clever pass from midfield. And your not going to get that from Lucas & Masch. I think that was the argument last year about playing these 2 together. Well that was the argument from the clever people. The fuckin morons calling for Rafa’s head just moaned about it being defensive and couldnt see it wasnt defensive we just didnt have the right players for it.
For me, i’m really looking forward to seeing Aqua this year. He can pass the ball, he can shoot, he has good awareness, and at times he had some great link up play with stevie and nando last year. I think he can really make a difference in the right formation with the right players around him. Here’s hoping.
Nice to talk a bit of football hey.
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 #73 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 10:29 am
Right little baby factory this place. We should start talking about nappy changing and that. Made up for all you lads, there’s nothing better.
As for the state of the club, SOS and the footy… it’s the same thing really – ignorance.
One quick look shows what H&G are and what they will do. People just ignore it, hope it all just goes away or someone else will sort it for them.
The footy… for the most part they listen to the media and fall in line – even some of them who can see it’s nonsense. They’d rather just listen to the “Expert analysis” than trust the evidence of their own eyes.
One look at Rafa’s Valencia and what he’d tried to do at Anfield should have been enough. But no. They had to agree with Hansen and Grey and conclude this was the worst ever Liverpool side/squad and it played shit football… even though 13 of that shit squad went to SA and all the succesful teams played a version of what we played.
We can blame it on Lucas or Kuyt not being quick enough for that formation to work. There’s really no merit to that. We can’t just go out and buy the best all round central midfielder and the fastest winger available. But if you look at the ones that got away, and the constant upgrading on what we had, it’s completely obvious what Rafa wanted, and despite all the hinderances, was working towards.
But now, we’ve got an old fashioned English manager, who will probably take us back to an old English 442. The media will be happy. They will tell us what a disgraceful shocking side Rafa left behind and what a wonderful job Roy is doing by keeping us in touch of Villa, Spurs and Everton.
And there should at least be the honeymoon period. That’s one thing stats does prove… new manager, upturn in results.
It usually lasts about 6 games on average. But if you look at our first 6 fixtures poor old Roy mightn’t even get that.
I’ll bet me bottom lip on something he won’t get… the 14 million that we have taken in on sales since the last window and this one. Yep. Add up the money we’ve made since Dossena/Vroniin left right through to Yossi and we’ve made at least 14 million on sales.
This is the future – bankers and wankers running the club into the ground, while poor old Roy tries to steady the sinking ship.
I hope no one thinks that’s harsh or disrespectful of Mr Hodgson. I’ve made it plain what I think of him, but I haven’t said this…
There’s a little part of me that believes, despite everything that’s against him, if Roy gets it right and gets these bastards playing, we could still be alright. We might win the UEFA or the FA and we might even force our way back into the top 4. And if we force the other bastards out in the mean time, we might just come out of this strengthened by it all.
It’s a terrible shame that we had to lose one of the world’s best managers for this to happen, but if Rafa’s dismissal is the catalyst that really sparked the revolution and led to their downfall, then it would be worth it and it would be Rafa’s biggest achievment in football.
It’s just like the old saying…
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
And I honestly think that is the best we can do right now.
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 #74 |
dougle
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 10:38 am
Wow,
Membership of this blogsite should come with dummies and condoms, cover all options like !
Thursday’s gonna be a big day Artful, enjoy. Congrads SOAK.
Well maybe as the footie is off season and we’re all fairly underwhelmed anyway we should have a (Gran)Daddy and kid blog Gerry ? Apologies to any female readers (are there any ?).
Spot on Lurgan – the present Mrs Dougle is indeed a french speaker and right again, once the second one comes they kind of throw their lot in with you eh !!
On an overall point, and it is good to talk footie again, what do people feel about the EPL and the standard of football that we watch ? I think the hype is gonna be very hard to keep up after the abject failure of the english together with and complete lack of intelligence and mental fortitude shown. One more hole in the overcrowded listing ship I reckon.
I think there is gonna be a lot of general football fans once more looking towards Spain and now Germany ,for the football (and evenmorso the organisation lack of cost and experience of watching football played by fan-owned clubs in Germany). It isn’t just the Likes of H&G and their cohorts that have to be eradicated from the game here but also Sky and even the EPL itself for me.
Gonna be a very interesting year indeed. How are they gonna cover up the empty terraces on the box. In fact it’s another benefit of boycotting (Liverpool) games.
Ah yes. There’s nothing like the smell of revolt!
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 #75 |
dougle
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 10:43 am
Snap FS !
One other thing that I may add to the tirade is the standard of punditry. Shi*e.. Well hey are all in bed together aren’t they.
Rude awakening is a comin’ round the corner.
Gotta go now ,,,, babies !!
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 #76 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 12:32 pm
congrats on all the sprogs lads i reckon match of the day was boycotted for a large chunk of last season leaving a lot of reds with nothing to do on saturday night;-)
anyway on the state of british and irish football this is where the new rules on local players might actually help the english national team apparently only 40% of the players in the league are english compared to 75+% in spain and germany instaed of giving the local lads a chance players are bought from all over the place to plug any gaps call me what you like but i would have much rather see spearing kelly and dearby given starts ahead of lucas deagan veronin and the other cut price players we have recruited. otherwise whats the point in having academy at all? these islands are well able to produce class players if they are given a chance to play.
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 #77 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 1:40 pm
Where?
That’s jingoistic xenophobic nonsense. If the likes of Jay Spearing was better than Lucas he would be playing in the first team.
We aren’t producing players and haven’t got teams full of local lads for a multitude of reasons. Look at the Celtic team that won the European Cup. Every player in that side was born within 30 miles of Celtic Park. Now?
The fact is, the Premier, and therefore it’s product which is sold all round the world through Sky, is only the spectacle it is because of all the foriegners in the league.
Yes of course, there’s great home grown players. They all play for the top sides. Just naming a Liverpool 11 with no foriegners in is hard. Playing a Liverpool 11 with no foriegners and we’d soon be playing in the Championship.
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 #78 |
dougle
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
Guinness – Cheers mate -
I’m not so sure about these islands producing players of quality these days. I think it comes down to coaching and vision. Foe the life of me I cannot understand why coaches in these islands don’t go abroad to Spain/Holland/France/ wherever and learn about academies etc. Rafa had got the Barca academy man in for us last season …. too late eh ! (Is he still with us ?).
I don’t see much in the way of “intelligent” footballers appearing here. I agree it’s more difficult when the premiership is a form of rugby a lot of the time (see Sam Allerdyce/Mick Mc Carthy/even David Moyes …etc etc..) but Arsenal can compete here and play ball, I’m pretty sure Barca could and they have a crop of home grown “intelligent” footballers of no great stature e,g Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Messi, Puyol, how big are these guys ? It shows you what you can do if you open your mind and develop a style of ball playing that encourages mental, spacial, skill, pacing and concentration qualities as against the pace and power 2 dimensional version of Football-Rugby we have here.
Nope, for me it’s down to the blinkered vision and survive at all costs mentality of the EPL. Which is itself fueled by major money “Sky Product”… The sooner it crashes the better.
That’s a good reason for being happy that Holland and Spain got to the final, Germany and even Uraguay would also have been ok. So would Japan, South Korea and Chile have been good for the game. Why ? Because they all have something other than Pace/Size and Power. IMHO of course.
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 #79 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 3:27 pm
i agree dougle but we all know of gifted lads who have gone to big clubs and just dont get a chance it just seems the clubs have no vision of what they want. FS its not xenophobic to want homegrown players not just at liverpool but at all the clubs in the league surly a side with 5-6 british/irish lads and the best of the rest would be ideal. theres a hell of a lot of very average foreign players in the league and there just has to be lads in the acedemys around britan that can do the job just as well no?
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 #80 |
SonOfAKhan
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 3:56 pm
Thank you for the wishes and congrats to fellow (grand)fathers/mothers too. For my little one, I wish for her to don a new kit in the near future, right after the boycott ends.
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 #81 |
Aitch
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 6:23 pm
I think the EPL is gonna be in for a rude awakening very soon.
This World Cup is gonna bring a lot of interest to both the Spanish League and the German League.
In the German League you have an organization that is very well (and to some extent, even rigidly) structured financially.
They already have a self-imposed home grown player quota.
They’ve had a Nationally reaching youth development program in place for a long time… cleverly structured to develop late-teens, as well as youth… the first crop of which we’ve seen at this WC… and it would appear they have more to come.
There will be plenty of places in the Bundesliga that Big Money Boys can flood into and make a profit on… but one of them WILL NOT be owning the clubs (particularly in the way that happened in the UK.)
I think Spain will become the “next big thing” and we’ll start to see many of our big “foreign” names leave for Spain.
A lot will depend on the ability of the less glamorous clubs to attract those names.
But all it takes is television coverage and a bit of money… as we saw in the UK, with “big name foreign” players signing for Wigan and Middlesborough and Portsmouth.
And of course they have the tax structure to attract them also.
A player can take a pay cut on a move to Spain… and make more money! (same with Germany!)
The Premier League is like the Housing Market. Unrealistic values, placed on low rent properties, that weren’t actually worth that much.
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 #82 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 10:08 pm
#79: Obviously no or they would be in the teams.
I agree to the extent that it would be better to have decent home grown players. But where are they?
After that abysmal showing at the WC the media here went mental. First of all it was the usual throw them all out and give the kids a go.
When a few people started to point out there is no kids, the saber rattling started… kick out johnny foriegner and get Tommy Atkins in.
Again, I’ve got no problem with getting Tommy in, but where are they?
And I tell you something, it’s only going to get worse. Premier clubs and individual players, such as Bellamy, are now opening academies all over the world especially in the more deprieved countries.
Hard to knock that. The kids lucky enough to go to the academies at least get a decent living and education while they are there. But, let’s face it, there’s no one who thinks for one second that these clubs are doing it for altruistic reasons. The top class kids will be over here and filling slots at the academies before they’re in their teens…. it’s already happening.
Talking of young players, it appears Insua, our only established left back is pretty close to moving to Fiorentina. When asked about this, Hodgson replied, I don’t know anything about it. I like the lad as a player and a person. But I’ll have to talk to the club about it.
I hope while he’s talking to Mr Purslow and Broughton, as it seems they are deciding what players we will and won’t have, I hope he asks them what team he’s got to put out, and now that it looks like both Yossi and Insua will be gone, who exactly is going to play on the left?
So, there you have it… one footballing man in the hierarchy and he’s in charge of exactly what?
Oh well, Guinness Drinker, it looks like you might get your wish sooner than you thought… as there might not be anyone other than home bred youngsters to pick from soon.
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 #83 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 10, 2010 @ 11:48 pm
What’s there to worry about FS? Everything is fine.
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 #84 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 11, 2010 @ 9:52 am
In all truth Lurgie mate, GD has a point and it is worrying. The answers wrong though, just throwing in local kids won’t make them better, but it is worrying that none are coming through.
It’s been going on for years though, just look at Scotland. I remember having this conversation with a Jock mate about 10 to 15 years ago. So, it’s nothing new, but it just keeps getting worse.
When I look in the street, I barely see lads kicking a ball about. There’s pitches by me, I take me dog down there. They’re only used on a Sunday. You hardly ever see lads just having a kick about. Where are they all?
When I was a kid, back in the days of coal powered goal posts, there was really nothing else to do. So, from when you ran out into the streer of a morning to when you got roared to come in of a night, it was football. And a decent ball was rarer than hen’s teeth.
This produced all the great players of the past, not academies. But even fellas like Gerrard and Carragher, the older pros today, also learnt that way, and all the imported lads did too.
And that’s the key, getting kids playing again. They’d rather be Messi on the computer nowadays than a be him chasing a ball around the street.
Like I said, look at the Celtic team who won the European Cup, they were all born, grew up and lived within 30 mile of the ground. And that really was a belting team, good as anything anywhere. Now, there’s not 1 player in the whole of Scotland good enough to get in that side.
Think of all the great footballers and footballing people to come out of Scotland. Bill Shankly, Matt Busby, Jock Stein where all born within something like a 10 mile radius. But where’s the next one. Once Slur Tramp falls off his perch, I reckon that’s it, done and dusted.
Why? Well, you have to have a look at what’s happening…
Alco Pops, Cider, Fried MarsBars/Pizza and that, Pot, 24 hour telly, a million channels of pure shite to choose from, computers, computer games, and so on and so on.
Now how you combat all that, I don’t know. I’d say get decent pitches on all the estates with decent lights were kids can play every night. Can’t play footy in a street full of traffic. In my day one car a week would come by, the debt/rent collector’s and that was it.
But 1, there’s no money to build these pitches, 2, school’s are actually selling playing fields off to developers, 3, the general state of society. Put decent pitches in with lights, they’ll soon be infested by the naughty brigade.
So that’s the key… getting kids playing again.
But how you do that is beyond me.
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 #85 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 11, 2010 @ 10:36 am
Here you go boys…
A bit of nice light reading for you here. I’ve just been doing me usual Sunday morning trawl through the sites and papers. I came across this. There’s also a report in the Business/Financial part of the Sunday Times. It’s the same thing. But here’s the point, we aren’t talking the Sunday Sun. We aren’t even talking the Sports pages. This is all from a good reliable source. So, here you go. Hope it starts your Sunday in a nice positive mood. It did for me….
http://www.footballeconomy.com/content/ … ool-owners
Whatever the new management team at Liverpool can achieve to restore the club’s fortunes is going to be constrained both financially and in terms of stability as long as the ownership question is not resolved. The general view is that Tom Hicks and George Gillett have set too high an asking price, given that any new owner would be expected to fund a new stadium in Stanley Park. Indeed, that is essential if the club is to progress.
Now it appears that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is owed about £350m by Kop Holdings, is losing patience with the lack of progress towards a sale. Apparently, it would be possible for RBS to call in a large amount of the money owed in October. The move would trigger a default on the debt by the club and control would pass to the bank, just as has happened in the past week with AS Roma in Italy.
RBS, which is currently publicly owned, has no more wish than UniCredit in Italy to own a major football club. But it seems that it would be prepared to consider taking charge temporarily of the sale process to get a result.
My reading of the situation would be that RBS may be dropping hints to Martin Broughton that it wants the process of finding a new owner speeded up so that there is an outcome by the end of the summer. It wants to continue its relationship with Liverpool which has been quite lucrative given the interest payments involved (£40m last year, but not all to RBS). I do not think it would press matters to a default, but at least if there is renewed pressure to resolve the ownership issue, that is good news for long-suffering Liverpool fans.
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 #86 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 11, 2010 @ 11:17 pm
Congratulations to Torres and Pepe winning their World Cup medals. Sympathies to Kuyt and Babel.
Torres played a big part in that decisive Iniesta goal, though a few minutes later he had to pull his hamstring just near the end of the match. He looked alright and managed to climb up the steps to collect his medal, and was seen smiling with Pepe and Xabi, so hopefully he’ll be recovering sooner rather than months later.
Looking at the bright side, at least it’ll mean Chavski and Man Shitty will get off Torres’ back for now for this summer, as they wouldn’t be interested in injured stuff. That would be enough time for Torres to take a long break during this summer and get his mind in order on where he wants to be.
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 #87 |
Kiwi_Mark_LFC
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 1:14 am
I’d be quite happy if RBS called in the loan…and then sold the club to someone willing to invest and take it forward for a reasonable sum…and if they could screw over Hicks and Gillett in the process all the better…
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 #88 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 8:57 am
That’s the hope Mark… force the sale, even force administration if needs be and make them fuckers walk with nothing. We’ll recover. Brand loyalty will see to that.
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 #89 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 10:11 am
The RBS won’t pull the loans while LFC is paying 40 million a year in interest, they’ll just hang around waiting for the UK taxpayer to come along and bail them out.
.
I’ve been reading up on the Corinthians, and guess what, Corinthians went to the wall but Hicks made a profit. Fuck no wonder I’m no good a business, I’m honest. Moores I still blame YOU, regardless of your little paper exercise. You still haven’t actually apologised, how is your 80 million.
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 #90 |
Kiwi_Mark_LFC
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 11:31 am
Gaz – thats where I hope FS’s campaign comes to the fore though…otherwise youre right – they’re just as greedy as them Yank bastards…
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 #92 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 12:55 pm
No Gaz. RBS are going to jump mate, you wait and see. I can’t say too much, but it’s on the cards. They’ll pull the rug soon.
Sadly, though, you’re right… them pair of bastards will still make money out of it. Sickening to the stomach, but nothing we can do about that.
It’s the story of the world mate… rich cunts making money at us poor cunts expense. Rich getting richer, poor getting poorer and all that.
Don’t want to go on a mad rant about that, so….
as for Moores, well yeah. The man’s a bloody idiot. But he was duped, just like most of us. There was no malice on his part, and, well, I’m sworn to secrecy again on something. Bloody hate all that lads. I’m not trying to look like some big in the know. I’d love to just lay me cards on the table, and I’m saying more than I should here, but…
keep your eyes on old Davey. I’ve been reliably informed, that he’s about to put a few things right and good. He’s a tit, and I’ll never forgive him for putting us through all this…
Were the fuck could we have been now, with the right owners and Rafa?
But anyway… Stupidity isn’t an alibi in my book. But he’s not a villian. He’s actually hurt more than most of us, and all I can say is, from what I’ve been told, he’s going to do his best to put things right. Tithead? Yeah. Of course. Always will be. But fair play to him if he rights some of the wrongs.
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 #93 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 1:40 pm
We all agree that Moores was a tit, but more out of stupidity and a wee bit of greed. But you can’t deny that he loves Liverpool FC & I’m sure he is hurting…real bad. Just like the rest of us. So I don’t know where he would fit in FS, but if he has a bit of dosh lying around…is that it? Surely not 500mill plus though?
Now you have us all guessing & surmising.
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 #94 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 1:50 pm
Maybe Moores is thinking about taking some sort of legal action. Cant see what premise he could build a case on though. I’m sure he has enough money to employ a reputable solicitor though!
Was just doing my regular lunchtime scroll through the internet papers and was reading the Echo comments under some LFC related story. Christ almighty some of the brain dead twats that are supporting our club. Not to mention despicable. One twat actually called Rafa a heartless cnut? Talk about a lack of respect. Its complete and utter treachery of the highest kind. It fucking depresses me how someone like that can be associated with our club. I actually couldnt reply to it i was that angry. and i knew the words would have came out all over the shop. Scum.
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 #95 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 2:45 pm
Isn’t it fuckin sad Artful mate. As for Moores, sorry lads I’ve already said more than I should have. But I said what I meant… the man is a div, he’s a patsy in all this. And yes, no doubt he did get a little chubby when he saw an extra 8 mill in he’s bung. But if he puts it right?
Well, yeah. I can forgive and even sort of forget, but only if he does the right thing.
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 #96 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 3:37 pm
come on moores sort it out son. loving that picture of nando with the world cup and the pool scarf. class.
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 #97 |
Aitch
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 6:05 pm
Anyone read the BennyOnion article?
No doubt that’ll bring some of the twats back out of their hiding places to wag fingers at us.
Already sold are: Benny, San Jose, (total 8mill)
In talks for a move are: Insua(Fiorentina), Lucas(Palermo), El Zhar(TBD)
offered to Real Madrid are: Stevie (for 60mill)
(all despite Christian Purslow’s assurance that “no discussions will take place on possible player sales until a new manager has arrived.”)
and rumored incoming …. Paul Scharner???
… oh dear!
or as Higgins would say…
“Oh… my… god!”
(oh and yeah… by and large… the people who comment in the Echo are more brain-dead than BM)
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 #98 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 9:01 pm
Here’s what the Onion said, maybe:
-0-
Midfielder Yossi Benayoun has accused former Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez of trying to “break” him in an explosive indictment of life at Anfield under the Spaniard.
The Israeli, who left the Merseyside club to join Premier League champions Chelsea earlier this month, said Benitez deliberately destroyed his confidence and showed him a lack of respect.
“Everyone asks me why I left Liverpool,” Benayoun said. “There is only one reason – Rafa Benitez. He never treated me with the respect I deserved. If I played well, I never felt he gave me credit.
“When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game. And when the fans wanted me to play, Benitez told me he couldn’t understand why… He tried to destroy my confidence. You can’t treat a player like this and expect him to be happy. I felt so unhappy but, out of respect to the club, I never spoke out. The players and the people at the top of the club knew how I felt.”
-0-
Was it me or was Benitez not sacked before this deal went through.
I am sorry but he is coming across as a spoilt brat there. Again, if the quotes are true.
‘Never gave me credit’, ‘never gave me the respect I deserved’. I think that he may have a high opinion of himself. It’s water under bridge but it still grates!
BTW, I got a response from RBS and the EPL. The EPL one is the same as TT’s. Will post the response from RBS once I get this OCR thingy working on my scanner.
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 #100 |
Aitch
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 10:22 pm
What is interesting Lurgan is that the Onion article was posted on the Echo website this morning…
…but it isn’t now?
What’s up with that?
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 #101 |
Aitch
Posted on July 12, 2010 @ 10:33 pm
So… vastly differing reports between the article taken down from the Echo site, part of which Purg put in #98, and that one form thejc.com in #99 then…
haha… rubber stamped by Roy Hodgson… like he had a fuckin choice.
Compare that to what he’s just been quoted in the Echo as saying in regards the proposed Insua deal…
Really sounds like someone who’s making the decisions doesn’t he?
“the club” …err… you mean Purslow and Broughton, under the direction of G&H then.
Nice deal you’ve worked for yourself there Roy!
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 #102 |
Arman23
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 5:37 am
Poor Benny Onion, sob sob. The manager didn’t love me and tuck me into bed at night and read me a bed time story. Ohhhhhh, you poor thing. You got to admire him though, 70K a week to sit on a bench for 90 mins a week is great if you can get it.
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 #103 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 7:15 am
Sadly lads, you only have to look at the source of the story… Bascombe in the Sunday Sun.
They’re both about the biggest Rafa haters on the planet.
As for Yossi, it’s a shame that he saw fit to stab the man who made his career. If it wasn’t for Rafa he’d still be a bit part player at West Ham. And I’ve got a link somewhere where he admits that himself and goes on an on about how great a manager Rafa is and how much he loves him. Shame a few quid, and a move to Chelsea was enough to cause this, but I bet the man who sacked Rafa and sold Yossi to his own favoured club is quite happy with all this?
I must look like one of them mad conspiracy theory fellas. I sometimes feel like one. And I can’t believe half the shite I see or even say meself at times, but here’s the thing….
Since Purslow tried to quiten us with his lawyers more and more of this nonsense keeps appearing.
I’d like to say these are just the last throes of the regime. But I can’t say that for certain. What I can say though is…
Since sacking Rafa Purslow has only once spoke to us fans. That was a threat through his lawyers. And in the last few days since then, he has ducked meeting with us. He has had a mural of Rafa and Istanbull taken down from Melwood and he’s practically sold our left flank without the current manager knowing and has reinstated a left winger who the former manager tried to sell for battering our left back and yes… for speaking to Bascombe and the Sunday Sun.
Funny old game football, eh.
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 #104 |
Sambo
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 12:12 pm
this’ll piss a few of you off but here goes…
i agree with yossi. he deserved better.
FS, he wasn’t a ‘bit-part’ player at west ham, he was their best player, and i for one was fucking delighted when we signed him. does anyone remember when torres said something along the lines of “we need more players like yossi”. look, i’m not a ‘rafa-basher’. i’ve always commented on the man both ways, loving some of the things he does, and getting frustrated by others. i once posted in here my top 5 reasons why he frustrates me and one of them was the fact that players didn’t seem to be rewarded for good performances. i also once posted in here about how much i loved yossi’s attitute: never sulking, always coming off the bench firing, looking utterly determined, desperate for the team to win, and most importantly scoring vital goals on a regular basis. ancelotti said “i like his behaviour on the pitch”, and so do i. he was a man who didn’t need motivating. he looked genuinely gutted when the team failed, and he did everything in his power to ensure that it didn’t happen.
he fought for his place in the starting 11 and finally won it through grit, hard work, determination and great performances.
rafa made a great signing there. rafa played him in good positions and got the best out of him tactically. rafa IS a quality tactical manager. fact. but if he managed to alienate players in this way then there’s a problem. fungus-son also alienates players so maybe it’s just part and parcel of being a great manager, but i don’t know if it has to be that way. when fungus-son lost heinze, van nistelrooy, stam, beckham, and others, i reckon that shows he’s a bit of a cunt (which we all know). when our manager loses players, who i want to keep, because of personality clashes, i’ve got to think that shrewder man-management could’ve got past those issues.
please don’t regard this post as a rafa-hater coming out of the woodwork to ‘wag his finger’. i love rafa’s tactical nouse as much as the rest of you. but if yossi felt unappreciated then he was right to leave because i certainly appreciated him, and i’d have let him know… but then who the fuck am i? nobody.
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 #105 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 12:19 pm
I see old Slur Alex moaning about not having enough quality players for the start of the EPL season, due to the WC, well how many players did he have in the finals. From my count we had 4 and he had 1, and that lad happened to be the referee. So he should be back and firing on all cylinders by the start of the comp.
.
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 #106 |
rome77
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 1:14 pm
If Yossi didn’t like the fact the motivation comes from his paypacket then he can f*ck off the backstabbing judas.
If it was Rafa fault why did he go after Rafa left and how much did him and boughtman get out of the missing 4 mill from Rafa’s valuation of 10 mill.
He’s been used as a pawn and money is the motivation for his role in all this.
But what it really comes down to is been willing to fight for a place with Babel and Riera all of whom have sulked with Rafa.
Riera can count himself lucky i ain’t Pacheco’s dad because he wouldn’t be playing football again after i’d jumped on his head a few times. The only place in Liverpool he’d be staying would be the hospital.
Hows that for man-management.
Babel’s absence from the Dutch team might just be the motivation he needs to kick start his career at Liverpool so i’m hoping for a good season from him.
YNWA
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 #107 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 1:37 pm
Nothing wrong with saying that Sambo. That’s what the blog’s here for… we all have opinions.
I’ve only ever kicked off on a couple of people, and that was for being, to my mind anyway, completely out of order. Discussing things and slagging off are to completely different issues.
As for Yossi, I think it’s a crying shame that he should take such a swipe. It’s not on. But there’s reasons behind it… he’s joining Chelsea. He was sold to them by Broughton, their fan who’d just sacked the fella he’s slagging against most of our wishes. He was also sold without the present manager’s knowledge or blessing. He was talking to Bascombe in the News of the World – both the journalist and paper hate Rafa and have an agenda. And I could go on, but the point is…
you really shouldn’t take this at face value.
If Rafa Benitez was such a twat, then all I can do is point you towards articles/interviews like the one that Benayoun gave saying how much he loved Rafa and what a loverly fella he is.
As for the best player at West Ham, well, all I can say is Mascherano… another one Rafa saved from mediocrity, and if you want a real summation of Rafa, I think you don’t have to look far beyond his comments.
So yeah mate, you’re perfectly entitled to question things. I agree with some of what you said… Rafa was not infallible and he had his weaknessess as a manager, but to take this pile of bile from Yossi and use it to judge our ex-manager is not on really.
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 #108 |
rome77
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 3:46 pm
FS Was it Insua or Pacheco who Riera hit ?
Anyway i found something you might like
http://inacityliving.piczo.com/?g=27070738&cr=7
PS Did anyone else think Holland played like Blackburn because Dirk said the same thing as Fat Sam when complaining about too many yellow cards, which of course they’re right because 3 of them should of been Red.
YNWA
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 #109 |
JackHill
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 4:43 pm
Sambo, I liked Benny too as was delighted when he came.His outburst against Rafa was not his normal style and I have to think that money or the Russian Mafia were at the back of it IMHO.
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 #110 |
Aitch
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 5:33 pm
So here is the Big “Hindsight” question I think we need to be stoping and asking ourselves right now…
…and yeah, as FS admitted earlier, I understand the bit of a “conspiracy theory” feel in it…
…but I still think its a valid question to ask, given all the shit that’s been going on and what we are learning now… re: All the confirmed examples of Purslow and Broughton saying one thing and then doing another…
and that question is…
How much of this backroom nonsense was going on at Melwood and Anfield last season?
… and can go some way to explaining the poor form throughout the squad?
We have confirmed examples of Rafa being promised money and then not given it.
Promised money from a player sale for a replacement and not given it.
But seeing what’s gone on, just in the last 2-3 months…
…I have to wonder if these two have been at the players, (whispering in ears) and doing their bit of divide and conquer, playing both ends against the middle?
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 #111 |
roarin-red
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 6:06 pm
Alright chaps just popped in to give my best wishes to our new manager. ive not had much time or access to the sight so have to settle for what i can get. I was fuming when we got hodgson, just thought we’d landed the perfect “yes man” but now the dust has settled i’ll get right behind him and hope he can drive us forward.
To be honest expectations are well and truly low for the season,but maybe thats a good thing.
Well done to all are liverpool representatives in the world cup lets hope it gives them a great push for the season.
ps i think it was kinny R but whoever put that club players listing together take a bow i got plenty of millage outta that one.
see ya’s for the start of the season.
YNWA
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 #112 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 7:42 pm
Rome mate it was Pacheco. And he never just give the kid a dig, he battered him. Proper battered him. So that was that, and that was when he started slinging the shite.
If Rafa had have stayed we’d be now looking at Arda Turan on our left flank. Now… well fuck knows. Yossi has gone and Insua is apparently going. So, it’s Babel and Quagmire…. oh dear.
As for Purslow and Broughton, well you don’t have to dig too deep, Aitch. They’ve both leaked it through the media that Gerrard and Torres should leave…
Purslow done it through his mouthpiece Maddocks. Broughton done it through some bird at Sky.
It’s a total mess mate, and we need to drive them all out of the club, not just H&G. On the good news front, SOS are going to get to Purslow. He ducked them last time, but they contacted me for them questions that we had for Purslow and they intend to put them to him in the next few days. It will be nice to see him squirm if nothing else.
So things are moving. Sadly in that world things move very slowly, but a blind man on a fast horse can see things are coming to a head now. And all I can really say is… hopefully, we can all get back to the football soon.
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 #113 |
Aitch
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 8:03 pm
Yeah FS, I know that… that’s the stuff we know from the last 2 months. I’m not talking about that.
That is the stuff that makes me wonder about the previous 12 months at Anfield and Melwood?
I’m speculating on the last 12 months… last season… the player’s “patchy” form… coming off a spectacular season to run a very close 2nd… then (all injuries aside… and I don’t mean to discount that… as you know, I hold the injuries as the primary reason for last season, but…) the almost complete capitulation in some games, by “senior” players.
There are those that seek/insist on blaming Rafa for his “poor man-management” …but, what if…
…what if…
…these players were being unsettled throughout the course of the season?
There are plenty of ways to do that.
I’m jokingly thinking about the comedy baseball movie “Major League” where the owner wanted to move the team, but they had to finish last in order for her to do that, so instead of flying to away games, in a private jet, she put them on an drafty old DC3, then put them on a rickety bus. She got rid of the stars and brought in no-names and fuck-ups, she took away their whirlpool saunas, etc, etc.
Like I said… funny movie… and I don’t reckon it was that over the top, coz we’d have probably heard more by now… but it wouldn’t have needed to be that overt. I reckon its very easy to “unsettle” players nowadays…
(most of them are spoiled brats as opposed to “men” if you know what I mean?)
And I am starting to wonder if there are some parallels in what we saw last season on the pitch… and the obvious behavoir of the boardroom now… to me, makes that speculation not seem to be a particularly far-fetched question?
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 #114 |
Aitch
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 8:11 pm
Actually… come to think of it… that movie might have a greater prallel than I initially thought.
…Remember the UEFA Cup Semi-Final Away game?
…Long, overland, 2-day trek to get there?
…yet we are a port city!
…and our opponents were a port city!
Surely we could have gotten hold of a decent size, cross-channel ferry-type ship for a similar price to what we paid for that little land jaunt? (train, hotel, motor coach?)
A sea voyage wouldn’t have taken any longer and would have allowed the players to walk around and stretch their legs.
Maybe even have proper full-bed cabins?
Shit.. a boat that size would have facilitated proper team training excercises for fucks sake.
At least fitness training, with jogs around the deck and such.
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 #115 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 8:33 pm
It’s hard to say Aitch. And if I did, all I could really give you is speculation and rumour. And, unless it’s just my opinion, I do try to stick to facts. Over the years I’m sure I must have gave out some bum steers in here, but for the most part, I think I’ve always stuck to fact when talking to you lads.
What I can say for fact is this, because I know the lads and know it was true…
At a game last season, Purslow happened to walk past these three lads I know. On of them said to him… “When are you going to get shut of them yanks, Chris?”
“Soon, soon” he said.
And on of the lad’s who happened to be a Rafa hater said…
“Well, get them to take that fuckin Benitez with them.”
To which wee Cecil said…
“I’m working on it. I’m working on it.”
Now that was early on in the season. Nobody really took any notice but obviously it was one of the few times the fella has ever told the truth.
As for him working to get the yanks out… well, that’s a load of old tom tit right away.
He has no intention of doing any such thing. He’s Tom Jr’s best mate for a kick off. But I have heard rumours of who he intends to get out of the club… it’s not pleasant. But it’s also not confirmed so I won’t spread it. But yeah, it reads like something out of that movie.
So, like I said earlier, hopefully things are moving behind the scenes, and RBS will make it’s move soon and put an end to this whole farce or we could be in extremely deep cack.
Sad times. But I’m not panic mongering or giving false hope. I’m just doing me best to tell the little I know and can.
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 #116 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 8:44 pm
Oh and Rome mate #108. I know that site. Funny enough I was just talking about one of the pubs on there the other day, The Tatlock.
You know Karen Gill, Shankly’s grandaugher? Well, I know her dad, Vic. A lovely lovely man, proper gentleman. Well, just out the blue someone mentioned this pub in Liverpool… effin Nellie’s.
It was actually called the Tatlock. But it was known by all hands as Effin Nellie’s. That was for the landladie’s use of the language. She could knock dockers out mate. One hard, hard, old woman… only turns out it was me mate’s aunty.
You’d have to know them to see the funny side. Vic wouldn’t say boo to a goose. Nelly would eat them live feathers an all.
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 #117 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 13, 2010 @ 11:56 pm
FS, that may well be the truth about Christian Purse Strings, but in the end history will remember Rafa as a person who walked out with a big fat paycheck.
.
Last year while the team was running about serving up absolute dross, Mr B continued on with his spiel about, we must keep working hard, working at training.
.
Well when I most wanted Rafa to keep working hard, working for the team, he left and got a better job.
.
Now I’m not going to begrudge him the opportunity to improve his position but he left my team in turmoil. I would hazard a guess the team was left in a worst position than when Houllier left.
.
I have held back from this, trying to keep him in the Saint Rafa persona, but I’m still shitty he left. He didn’t apply the ethos he expects from others when leaving.
.
Likewise I hope he does well where he is, and I would always clap him onto the ground, but now he’s gone and Roy is the man.
.
Roy is left with no CL, a desperately depleted team, low moral and countless players for sale. Now he’s going to need to be a saint to sort that out.
.
Maybe just maybe Rafa had something to do with his demise, I personally think he lost the team early last season and thinks went from bad to worse.
.
Ah well blame it on the Yanks, Purse Strings, Bought Man, RBS, British Government, Tax Payer, Agents, WC who fucking knows.
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 #118 |
rome77
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 1:23 am
Gaz
“I would hazard a guess the team was left in a worst position than when Houllier left.”
What do you base that on ?
And think as the big fat paycheck as redundancy from extra profit the club made while he was here after all its run as a business now, not a football club
CL qualification money alone more than paid for his transfers
World wide marketing took off after Istanbul and put the club on a financial footing to compete with the best,all those shirt sales ultimately led to contracts like the one we have now with SC
And the fact liverpool can pay off all that interest is proof of that.
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 #119 |
rome77
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 1:53 am
FS
I thought it was Pacheco apparently its on CCTV and he gave him a beating,
you wouldn’t see him starting on Ninja or Carra but like the bully he is, he starts on a teenager,one of his own countrymen, whose future with the Spanish squad is much brighter than his ever will.
Probably got him dropped from the Spain WC squad aswell so thats cost him a nice medal
@116 I thought you’d go straight to the pubs page. : )
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 #120 |
axchoice
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 3:06 am
Gaz@117,
I’m amazed you’re blaming Rafa for all the things that have gone wrong.
1) “I personally think he lost the team early last season and thinks went from bad to worse”. Early last season, we lost to Spurs after 2 unfortunate incidents: Carra’s suicide tackle on Skrtel and the non penalty that Voronin should’ve got (funny you guys don’t cry over unfair decisions like this unlike over England’s). Don’t forget that we then went on a massive scoring spree (the best scoring start for many years) before more injuries set in a brought out the bad form that we all know about last season. Please don’t belittle the effect of our massive injuries!!!!
2) “Roy is left with no CL, a desperately depleted team, low moral and countless players for sale. Now he’s going to need to be a saint to sort that out. Maybe just maybe Rafa had something to do with his demise,”
No CL? I think the reasons have been debated over and over again. The only time when we’ve been relatively injury free last season was between the start of the new year and the Benfica game. I’m still amazed nobody thinks that injuries that led to Masch playing right back, Agger left back for the last few league games have no bearing on our faltering end to the season.
Desperately depleted team? If you have 13 players going to the World Cup (more than any premier league team including Man U, Arsenal and Chelsea), I wonder where’s your sense of logic and reasoning. You can say injury ravaged team, or for our circumstances now, “desperately DEPLETING team”, judging by the actions of the assets strippers.
3) “I would hazard a guess the team was left in a worst position than when Houllier left”. Your guess is certainly based on fiction provided by the press. Let me state again. We have more players that went to the World Cup than any premier league team, 2 of them now World Cup winners. Moreover, Torres, Reina, Babel, Johnson , Masch, Skrtel, Agger (that’s 7 players) are all young and on the correct side of 20, unlike the relatively old players Houllier had left behind (Hyppia, Didi, Smicer, Henchoz spring to mind).
4) “Well when I most wanted Rafa to keep working hard, working for the team, he left and got a better job. Now I’m not going to begrudge him the opportunity to improve his position but he left my team in turmoil.”
You mean you can’t see Rafa had been working very hard? What about the wheeling and dealing in transfers, e.g. the persistent fight with the LFC board to get the ‘very expensive’ Krygiakos at 2.5m? What about the work done to extend and offer more favourable contracts for Torres, Gerard, (yes, and even) Alonso, Reina and other key players? If you think negotiating with the players and their agents is a walk in the park, then I have to first welcome you to planet Earth, before explaining to you about the amount of time, effort and resources needed to perform negotiations.
Rafa’s been linked a certain club called Real Madrid for a few seasons if you care to remember, a job that a certain Mr Mourhino has craved for and got recently. Rafa has not gone to to Real, considered as the most successful club in football with their 9 European Cups. Instead, he has chosen to fight for LFC but was eventually kicked out by the LFC board with the backing of FANS LIKE YOU.
Most people would’ve left the club as early as 2 seasons back, with the extremely difficult working conditions created by the LFC board, press and FANS LIKE YOU.
5) I’m still equally amazed that when Stevie G scores so many goals after Rafa has changed his game since he took over, people are saying it is due to Stevie G’s extreme talent. But when Stevie G has a bad season like the last one, it’s all Rafa’s fault for not playing him in “his rightful position in the centre of midfield”.
And I like the irony that football pundits are now singing praises to the 4-2-3-1 formation so successful in the World Cup with some even suggesting that 4-4-2 is outdated. These are the same people who’ve been criticising Rafa for deploying such tactics and hailing the infallible 4-4-2.
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 #121 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 3:14 am
Strictly as I stated on position and moral, with more people looking to jump ship. I am not blaming Rafa for anything other than leaving when we most needed him. So before anyone throw a dummy spit, he left and I’m pissed off because I didn’t think he was a quitter.
.
And lads that’s it. Oh an Axe fans like me, nice thanks very much for actually coming out and stating I wanted Rafa to stay and fight like cat and dog. Fans like me F000.
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 #122 |
axchoice
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 3:23 am
Gaz,
Remember that Inter was willing to compensate LFC to get Rafa.
Haven’t you considered that it was the LFC board that chose to sack Rafa and compensate him instead? Remember the timing. Rafa was on a holiday and then the sacking news was leaked to the media a few days prior to the incident.
Incidentally, the LFC board had just recently released a statement (or lie) that Rafa’s job was safe. This IMO is a cover up action to absolve themselves for their heinous act of stabbing Rafa behind his back while he is away.
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 #123 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 3:53 am
gaz, for you to insinuate that Rafa is not the fighter he is and bottled it is absolute nonsense. Anyone with half a brain can figure out HE WAS FORCED OUT AGAINST HIS WILL.
Now we have the dismantling of Rafa’s squad, not just the big guns like Gerrard, Torres and Masch, but now Lucas and Insua. And who are we linked to replace those with? Beattie and Scharner.
You think Rafa would allow that? Precisely. That’s why he was removed.
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 #124 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 4:03 am
Well at least I opened up some debate, alas though it appears I’m on the wrong side of the debate due to stating how I feel. As was written, Rafa was removed because of fans like me. Kinny if Rafa wanted to stay they would have had to pay him a motza, he didn’t want to lose out on the Inter job so most likely bowed out gracefully. Good luck to him but that doesn’t stop me feeling let down by all parties, board, manager and others. However now I’m just looking forward to supporting Roy as I did with Rafa. Axe I guess that means he’ll be out by christmas.
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 #125 |
axchoice
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 4:35 am
Gaz,
I can’t stop you from thinking Rafa’s not a fighter and has given up on LFC.
But Kinny and many others like myself have concluded that Rafa’s been fighting the board together with the press for a few years, judging from his activities and press releases.
If we don’t agree on this, I think we should stop it here. To each his own opinion.
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 #126 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 5:20 am
So now your changing your tact by claiming you can’t stop me thinking Rafa gave up, I thought I was one of the reason Rafa got turfed fans like me with a board like we have.
.
I went to the last home game of the season Axe and I watched Rafa walk the entire ground waving. I came in here the next day and wrote, lads I think Rafa is going, yesterday he waved the entire crowd goodbye. Now you can go back and check that. I thought then he was going but hoped I was wrong. Well I wasn’t, and as for your comment on Inter ready to compensate LFC, are you serious or are you just reading media speculation, because Axe you and I both know if they were prepared to pay, they would have. (Not us).
.
I feel you should retract your comment about me as a fan, as for the rest well what you think is fine by me.
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 #127 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 7:06 am
Gaz mate, Rafa didn’t quit. He didn’t walk away. In fact, he still hasn’t… he hasn’t sold his house, and Montse and the kids are still living there. They have settled and became a real part of the community.
As for what happened last season, well there’s a rot in the club. Eventually it dragged everything down. You speak of Rafa’s resigned look at the end of the season. What you draw from it is just your own opinion. Valid and entitled but still opinion. Have a look at everyone who was on that pitch… no one was cock a hoop. All you were seeing was relief that it was all over and worry about what was ahead.
The other lads have covered just about everything, but I’ll add this because I know if for fact…
Before going on holiday, Rafa had forced a meeting with Broughton. Remember how long that took to get going? But anyway, when he finally forced a show down with Broughton, he insisted on a few things – mainly no transfers in or out without his say so – and he blew the whistle on Purslow.
Apparently he handed in one of his famous lists with all his grieviances about Purslow on there. At this stage Inter were still willing to buy out his contract, but Rafa refused to leave. But here’s where he made his biggest mistake… he believed he was untouchable. He thought he had enough power to see it through and be there when the board had all long gone, and to still have his team around him…. wrong. Dead wrong.
Like I said in an earlier post, Purslow was already working on pushing Rafa out the door. Rafa going on holiday gave him the perfect opportunity.
One thing we do know for fact is, Inter were willing to buy out his contract. That’s not media speculation. That’s undisputable fact.
So, you have to ask yourself a few questions….
Why would a company, a company that’s broke, force out the most successful manager they’d had in the last 20 years?
Surely any business in the world, when sacking a manager, is looking to improve upon what they have?
And it’s admirable that you want to support our new boss as much as you’ve supported others that held the post. I agree. I’m right behind Mr Hodgson. I wish him all the success in the world. But I’m sorry… he is not an improvement on Benitez in any shape form or manner.
That is also undeniable fact. You only have to compare the men’s track record. Please don’t tell me about Fulham’s cup run last season. If you look at the overall picture, Mr Hodgson managed to keep a mid table team, mid table.
Since arriving in the job, he’s had Benayoun leave. Insua is probably next out.
This is particularilly worrying in many ways. Take no notice of what Yossi said to Bascombe at the NOTW. That has to be taken for what it is… a hatchet job ran by a gutter rag of a newspaper, that Rafa had sued and won. Then you have to consider Broughton his Chelsea connections, the size of the transfer fee (undisclosed my arse) and all the implications. Something had to be done there to stop any worrying questions from the fans and the governing bodies.
Now we’re hearing very worrying stories about other players. What makes you think Mr Hodgson will have any say in these matters?
Broughton’s promise is up tomorrow. Where are all these investors? Hicks big summer is half gone? Where’s the transfer money? We’ve made 14 million on sales since the last window.
But RBS are going to be looking for a lot more than that very very shortly.
How will the hierarchy raise this money? Well, last season they paid down the debt using the money from players sales.
Does anyone really think that will be any different this time round?
Well, I do funny enough. I think without Rafa it could be far far worse and there’s very little to nothing that Mr Hodgson can do to stop it.
As for a depleted squad/team, I don’t quite understand how you can say that. We now have a world class spine to our team, the equal of anyone’s. This summer should have seen Rafa finishing it off… adding the likes of Turan and all the final quality.
You only have to look at the value of Ged and Rafa’s squads to know the difference mate.
But this is how team building is done. I begged and pleaded for patientce in here. I’ve seen it all before from Shankly through to Ferguson… stability is the key. But finding the right man to do the job, and then giving him the time and money to complete his mission, is how great footballing dynasties are built.
And no disrespect to Mr Hodgson, but at his age and in his situation, that won’t be the case at Anfield. The best I can hope for is the asset stripping to pay the debt, doesn’t hamstring him too seriously and leaves him some sort of squad to work with.
I tried and tried and tried to warn people. They accused me of panic mongering simply because I was a Rafatollah. Well you know something Gaz, at my age, with my past history with the club, I think that is far more insulting than some of our newer fans being accused of being the catalyst that allowed this all to happen.
Don’t take that wrong. I’m not saying you are one of them. But if you truly believe all that you said in your last few posts, you have got this one seriously wrong.
Rafa fought long and hard for us, even those of us who repaid him with treachery. Yes. I’m sure when it all settled, it came as a bit of a relief. You can see the toll it was taking on the man. But to think he just said fuck it, I quit… nah, you’re barking up the wrong tree there mate.
And as for the pay off he recieved… it wasn’t even half of what he could have demanded, and he’s been giving that money away like it’s some sort of blood money that he doesn’t want staining his hands.
We know of 3 things he’s done with it… the 96, the money to keep a charitable breast cancer centre operating for at least 12 months and an undisclosed amount of money to the Reece Jones charity… money grubbing is not something that can be levelled at Rafa. In fact, we don’t know how much of that pay off that he’s given away. We only know of those 3 kind actions because the people who got the money disclosed it. At which point Rafa asked them to please stop. So who knows, he could have given it all away for all we know.
No Rafa had his faults mate, just like any other human being. But cowardice was certainly not one of them. The man is a born fighter. And I’ll be honest, but you already know it anyway… I love the man. He’s a fantastic bloke. I miss him already. I will always regret and rue what happened to him. I will always have nothing but contempt for our “support” who made this all possible. But I wouldn’t have him back. That ship has sailed now.
What we need to do now is focus on the future. Sadly the short term looks very dangerous. But there isn’t even any point in looking at the long term…. if they aren’t stopped there mightn’t be one as we know it. And I’m sorry but Mr Hodgson isn’t going to be able to put that right, or be the man who is going to take us into a brave new era.
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 #128 |
axchoice
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 7:31 am
FS,
Thanks for your comments above on how Gaz has been sidetracked.
Gaz,
The main thing I’ve wanted to say, that Rafa hasn’t thrown in the towel and leave our dear club in the lurch.
To suggest that Rafa is just as guilty as the owners for our current plight as in the last paragraph of #117 is simply putting yourself in the same bracket as the fans who’ve helped to force Rafa out in my opinion. I’ll retract what I’ve said about you as a fan if I’ve interpreted it wrongly.
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 #129 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 9:15 am
“he didn’t want to lose out on the Inter job so most likely bowed out gracefully.”
” lads I think Rafa is going, yesterday he waved the entire crowd goodbye. ”
No offense, gaz, but that’s completely insulting to Rafa’s character.
You said you THINK he waved the crowd goodbye. That’s about it, you THINK. What if he genuinely wanted to fight on, but had no guarantees that he’ll ever see the fans again? It works both ways, mate.
You’re STILL trying to justify that Rafa walked out on us rather than the owners forced him out.
With or without the Inter job (or the Juve and Real job before that) being vacant, the owners had already made up their minds about ousting Rafa, as we now all know.
The Inter job being suddenly available coupled with Rafa’s holiday beginning, as FS has noted, gave them the perfect excuse.
Inter counted themselves lucky that they now have a top-class manager suddenly becoming available FOR FREE rather than having to pay the club anything for his services.
For all intents and purposes, I see this as similar to a blatant coup d’etat against a popular though controversial leader being ousted while out on a state visit or something.
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 #130 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 9:30 am
Axe you should interpret it the way it’s written, an astute reader would notice Rafa’s name was never mentioned. If his name is there on your end please feel free to delete it, as it is not on mine.
.
Kinny I agree about your coup comment, but that still doesn’t stop me from feeling let down by him leaving. He only just signed a new contract, can’t say he’s the only person who couldn’t see the lies. I wanted him to dig his heels in and go on gardening leave or whatever until they paid him out fully or they publically sacked him.
.
Unfortunately I guess I’ll die by the sword on this one but thats life. What has this club come to when I person can’t speak about his feelings, oh I know a corporate one, one in which the followers keep the questioners at bay.
.
Anyway enough said, it sparked some comments, which is good, sadly though lads I think I’m giving myself a self imposed ban, so farewell all.
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 #131 |
axchoice
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 9:45 am
Sigh….
Here we go again about supposed freedom of speech.
When will they ever learn?
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 #132 |
sachem
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 9:49 am
We’re still debating Rafa and perhaps we ought to. Some day – I don’t know when – most people will probably realize Rafa was our best manager since Shankly. Sure, he made mistakes, but not nearly as many or severe as was claimed in the media for years and years and still is (Bascombe). Everything taken into consideration he would probably – I say probably – have won us a least one league title by this time had he been properly backed financially.
Some might say it’s pointless to make these hypothetical arguments now that he’s gone, but I think it’s important both to remember what Rafa did achieve at LFC and what he could have achieved with an actual transfer budget the last couple of years and some qualified people calling the shots (as opposed to people denying transfers of Dani Alves and the like).
As for Rafa taking the easy way out as Gaz claims above, well that’s not supported by any reports I’ve read. All of the evidence (FS and others have pointed them out numerous times) leads to the conclusion that Rafa was forced out of the club by Christian Purslow. It is claimed by many that “the club needed a change”, but the truth is probably that Purslow didn’t want Rafa interfering with whatever he’s doing. It’s all probably related to the contract Rafa signed in the spring of 2009 (after a long time of negotiations, mind you). The amount of authority that contract entailed was more than Purslow wanted. With Hodgson, it’s most likely an entirely different story.
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 #133 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 10:45 am
Oh Gaz behave. You sparked a debate, nobody agreed with you. That’s all. It’s not some big personal attack on you. I understand that you feel let down that Rafa didn’t stay, but that wasn’t an option.
He was forced out. He told us that. He told us how much he wanted to stay. He tried to stay. He fought them until the end. He lost. But he even hopes to come back one day, hence the “I’ll be back” statement, and him not selling his house. But there was no way he could stay. It was done and he had no choice but to go.
It was an ides of March type sneaky assination, disgustinglly carried out by utter cowards and snakes in private and then trough their agents in the media. There was no way he could have carried on in that situation.
But don’t make the mistake of thinking he just said “Fuck it” and skipped merrily off to Inter. He’d already knocked that job back and stated he wanted to stay at Liverpool. But in simple terms the job had became untenable.
Now the immeadiate problem is why did they force him out and what’s going to happen now he’s gone?
Well, like I said, you normally fire someone in an attempt to get someone better in. Some people will argue that we did, but a look at the two men’s records puts an end to that argument.
So, then you have to look at the other possible reasons for this. Well, all I can say is what I said before, up to now we’ve raked in 14 million on player sales. Not a penny has been offered to Roy. In fact, it now seems players are being shunted out without him even being briefed on it. That’s fact, from Hodgson’s own addmission.
I honestly don’t go in for scare mongering for no reason. So we can only judge on who has actually gone so far. But we all know there’s more to follow… up to now, it’s looking like Insua, Lucas, Nemeth and worse of all, Masch, will be gone at the very least.
Some of the kids have already been sold, Duran and I can’t spell his name, the young Bulgarian goalkeeper. And that’s just the tip of it, if I wanted to panic monger, I’d go on to Gerrard, Torres and co. But what I will say is, instead of Rafa being here fighting to bring in the likes of Turan, we’re now being linked with shite like Beattie.
But as I said, this isn’t about causing panic. There’s no need for that. The reality is more than frightening enough.
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 #134 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 1:37 pm
“Kinny I agree about your coup comment, but that still doesn’t stop me from feeling let down by him leaving. He only just signed a new contract, can’t say he’s the only person who couldn’t see the lies. I wanted him to dig his heels in and go on gardening leave or whatever until they paid him out fully or they publically sacked him.”
Gaz, which part of “RAFA WAS FORCED OUT” do you not understand? Let me put it this way, HE HAS NO OTHER CHOICE, WHETHER HE WANTED TO STAY OR NOT.
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 #135 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 2:02 pm
People not just you Gaz may feel let down by Rafa leaving. But to suggest he was not a fighter is madness. That has all he’s been doing since the cancers took over. Its been well documented the hours and the time he put in at Melwood. He was and still is absolutely fanatical about football.
Of more interest to me is the supposed rumours of dressing room unrest last year. Was it just the media spouting their usual vile shite? There may have been something to it. Since Rafa has left there have been hardly any statements from the players about the situation. Why hasnt Carra or Stevie said anything about Rafa leaving? I realise at this stage, with Hodgson all ready in charge it might be perceived as disrespect to him, but not a squeak outta the pair of them during the hunt for a new manager. Very strange indeed.
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 #136 |
Aitch
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 5:24 pm
Gaz, to some extent, I sorta understand where you’re coming from… I just think maybe you didn’t illiterate it very well.
Rafa’s position was completely untenable. The board’s actions turned his position into a “lame duck” position.
I suspect… and I don’t have any evidence to prove this… but it goes along the lines of what FS has said… that he would have stayed and fought it out… but doing so would have dragged the club further and further down into a quagmire… and he did the honorable thing and fell on his sword… FOR US.
Was I massively disappointed that he “gave up the fight”?
Did I feel slightly “let down”?
Yes of course… I think anyone who could see what the man was trying to accomplish… what he’d had to deal with…. not just for the last couple of years, but since the day he arrived in Liverpool and Parry set about breaking promises that had been made to him…
… if you are a fully paid up member of the Gag on Rafa’s Tackle Brigade, then you must be feeling at least a little of that disappointment…
I think even FS would admit to a slight sense of that… but to phrase it as a betrayal… and suggest it was done for money… well I think that’s where you went wrong, mate.
I’m more and more disappointed that Rafa left us with each growing day…
… that might seem like it doesn’t make sense…
…but we have yet to see how badly damaged we are by this whole mess… there are still plenty of days for “them” to sell Masch and buy Scharner, sell Torres and buy Beattie, sell … you get the idea…
…but I think Rafa fought for the cause, until he realized that to continue to fight on…
…would actually damage the cause.
But make no mistake… he was forced out… NOT by mutual consent…
… oh, and his big payday, as FS just described, went back into the community…
…you know, as opposed to the Grand Gaymans!
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 #137 |
Aitch
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 5:26 pm
artful…
I also think that player silence is quite deafening.
I wonder if they know they all need to keep their heads below the parapets, or they’ll be playing in Turkey, or Iceland next season?
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 #138 |
Aitch
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 6:43 pm
…and the squad departing for pre-season games is…
Liverpool squad for Swiss training camp:
Diego Cavalieri, Peter Gulacsi
Emiliano Insua, Daniel Ayala, Stephen Darby, Martin Kelly, Philipp Degen, Sotirios Kyrgiakos (not arriving until July 15)
Alberto Aquilani, Albert Riera, Lucas Leiva, Jay Spearing,
David Ngog, Milan Jovanovic (travelling direct from Serbia)
…and…
Steven Irwin, Nathan Eccleston, Martin Hansen, David Amoo, Lauri Dalla Valle, Thomas Ince, Jonjo Shelvey, Victor Palsson.
To Quote Major League…
“Who are these fuckin guys?”
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 #139 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 7:15 pm
Except for a few, the young lads are all really good talented kids. But you watch them all start to get cleared out.
That will be H&G and B&P’s next tactic…
raise enough money from sales to pay the next installment on the interest but not pay down any debt.
They can do that by clearing out the kids, and maybe Masch along with them. And then there’s always the interest they earn from the loans they made to the club through Kop Football.
Our only immeadiate hope is that RBS have had enough of these stalling scams and force a sale – as they legally can – or pull the loans and force us into administration.
Which too me, is honestly preferable to lining H&G’s coffers.
As for Rafa. Nah. I do understand what Gaz is saying, but it smacks of tantrum. There was no more Rafa could have done. Him staying there would have hurt the club even more as it would have been out and out open warfare inside the club. The players and staff would have really split into factions then and the club would have been bollacksed. He knew that, so he reluctantly walked.
I don’t blame him for that. I honestly hope working in Inter is a delight after putting up with all that shite. And I wish him nothing but the best and sincerely thank him for all he done.
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 #140 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 9:53 pm
James Beattie? Fucking hell.
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 #141 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 10:34 pm
Rafa is not a figther is equivalent to saying that the pope was not a catholic!
Come on Gaz, surely you don’t believe that?
Great post FS in #133.
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 #142 |
Aitch
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 10:34 pm
Fuckin hell is right LB.
And FS, don’t get me wrong… your 2nd to last paragraph in 139 is more or less what I was getting at.
And I don’t blame him for leaving… frankly, I’m surprised he stayed as long as he did, and a lesser man would have walked long ago. (I doubt Rafa has the kind of deal he would really like at Inter, in terms of control.)
What I meant by saying that “my disappointment grows” is simply all the bullshit we are dealing with now, with the off loading of playing staff. We’ve lost our allie on the inside, and we have yet to understand how badly that will efffect us in the short, medium and long term.
Its interesting how commenters in online news articles trot out the old “no one is bigger than the club” chestnut…
…without realizing that “the club” in this instance, is a bunch of money grubbing cunts with our best interests far far away from theirs… and a blueprint to gang rape us into obscurity!
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 #143 |
Aitch
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 10:43 pm
Its dismaying looking at the names we are being “associated” with so far this summer.
Paul Scharner, James Beattie, Hangeland,
and returns for Danny Murphy, Djibril Cisse(?)
the only decent name I’ve heard so far is Arda Turan, and like Jovanovic, Rafa’s been trying to bring him to LFC for almost 18 months now… and I can’t see Hodgson getting 10 million without a senior/significant player sale.
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 #144 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 11:42 pm
There’s some mad rumours flying around about transfers….
We’ve been linked to the worst and the best. We’re not losing anymore players – They’re all bailing out…
I won’t believe any of it until it’s confirmed and undisputable.
I do understand what you mean Aitch. I think I made me feelings on the whole debacle plain. And I’m really in no mood for I told you so’s, but this is now fast becoming the scenario that some just wouldn’t accept or be warned about.
I’m not even talking about in here, the blog. I mean out in the outside world. There was a section of people who, no matter how much they were warned, we’re just hell bent on bringing us to this situation.
I don’t know why, but all the warnings just passed over their heads. No matter how many times it was explained – It’s not just Rafa’s job at stake. It’s the future of the club – it was ignored and the next gripe, 2 holding mids, no man managment, was brought out again and again and again.
And worse, they completely kidded themselves that all would be well if only that fat spanish waiter would fuck off. I know some actually celebrated. Haven’t seen much of them lately though.
Well, it’s done. There’s no turning the clock back now. But I just hope we aren’t soon thinking of this as the good old days. What a bloody mess.
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 #145 |
dougle
Posted on July 14, 2010 @ 11:51 pm
Hiya fellow babymakers,
Just got the standard EPL reply to my letter but nothing else to the dozen or more other ones.
FS 127 and others …. I hope someone is putting these in the scrapbook mate.
Anyway I come here in a brief interlude from domestics. Torres injury. I have not heard anyone discussing this as to what affects it might have on our season and squad to be.
Funnily enough I think it might keep him here at Anfield for the season. I now doubt Broughton’s Boys at the Bridge will be buying him without he proving himself fit and able again. Let’s not forget he’s had a lot of injuries this last 2 seasons. I reckon the big clubs in the EPL (as in spenders, as in Citeh and Chavski) will wait.
Consequently Stevie G may also stay on this season as his “class” buddy will be here.
Consequently this may also encourage some of the others … Mascher amongst them, to give it one more year ?
Call it clutching at straws ?
In the normal course of things I’d happily see Stevie (of last year, and there is no great sign he’ll be any diferent this year) move on. Both for ‘Pool and himself it would be / could be, a good move. Likewise Mascher, if he’s had enough and wants to do as his agent is touting then fair enough. If you don’t want to be here then … you know where to go.
However these are not normal times and of course we know that whatever monies are generated by the sale of 2 of our “stars” will not be going to Roy H to re-invest. One way or another it will end up in the yanks pockets. So it makes the whole business of speculating and guessing and theorising, which I love to do, a complete and utter waste of time.
Which, when you expand the theory, in turn makes the whole tenure of Roy H just a joke. Unless he’s signed on to manage whatever mish-mash he’s left with at the end of EACH and EVERY transfer window. It does not make sense to me. He will have no authority and stature with the big players because everyone knows he is not in charge because he can’t sack them, he has no stick really.
As has been expounded here and in other sites I reckon we’re headed to a situation where H&G will piece by piece dismantle the Rafa squad. Sell for what they can get and buy cheap and cut the wages seriously to boot. 7th or 17th it does not matter to them.
But of course the club is being sold tomorrow (actually today eh !). That’s what the rumours say. Shucks, ignore what I’ve written. Just sleep-deprived raving.
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 #146 |
Aitch
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 12:08 am
They’re still out there FS… and still spouting the same old drivel.
Pretty much every inline Echo and Post article, has these dickheads still commenting below them, blaming Rafa for everything and now even excusing the Yanks and predicting a good season (I was stunned when I read that) now that Roy is at the helm to “steady the ship”.
They just don’t understand.
And as you say dougle, I think we’d all like to be chin-wagging about the forthcoming season and our prospects, but how do you do that in our current predicament?
All we can do is chat about the highly dubious speculation… and where does that really get us.
Some Wanker commented on the Echo-site this morning that “if we can get a good pre-season under our belt, we can set down a marker for starting the season well.”
He obviously didn’t see the names on the squad list for pre-season.
Don’t get me wrong, I think its great that the kids will get a runout… and it’ll do Ayala, Kelly, Darby and Ngog the world of good.
I just fear they are all in the shop window right now and we have no idea who’ll actually be facing Arsenal on 14 August.
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 #147 |
JamesM
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 1:27 am
Dougle is right, we all know where any proceeds from sales will go. What if Roy was able to organise an American style trade of players? Yes this presumes he has some level of authority over transfer policy but if, as reported, Mascher does want to leave are there any scenarios you guys would deem acceptable “trade value” for him or any of our other players?
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 #148 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 5:17 am
What we’re seeing is the wholesale De-Rafa-ization of the club here.
Not even the De-Houllier-ization when Rafa first took over was that extreme, Rafa kept the best of Houllier’s stuff, like Hyypia and Finnan and Warnock, and only gradually slowly phased them out in favour of his own purchases over many years.
I’ve mentioned this before, I wouldn’t be too bothered if the big egos choose to go elsewhere, as it’ll show where their true loyalties lie. But I’d be mightily pissed if the shameless cunts sold off the bulk of players that form the basic backbone of Rafa’s squad.
Fuck it.
I shall wait till September 1st to see what they’ll turn this team into. I might even have to consider boycotting this Yankerpool altogether, I refuse to waste my time watching a potentially title-winning side get turned into a mere cash-generating circus. I might as well go watch American Idol for that. This isn’t what I signed up to support for 15 years.
Rest assured folks, I’ll come back the moment Dumb and Dumber signed their names on the Piss Off Forever contract.
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 #149 |
dougle
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 9:27 am
Ah James 147, the joy of speculation ! If only.
Personally, “Under normal Circumstances”, as I said above, I would not mind Mascher leaving if he wants to go. Motivation is very important at any level (I guess)and I think it makes a critical difference. So go if you want.
I have no clue as to who or what Roy would want in his place as I have no clue as to who he sees in his team and what he expects them to produce. I suspect he doesn’t know himself actually.
Does Roy want a “team for now”, does he have a plan for the future ? What his take on the academy ? Where does he see the club going ? All of these factors could influence a manager in his choice of player. We (at least I) simply don’t know.
There is an obvious point to be made about the difference when Rafa took over, you all know where he stood.
But, what’s gonna happen to the money?
Is Roy being consulted?
Does he want Mascher/Gerrard/Torres/Lucas/Benny/Insua/Nameth/…. down to the ressies who are being sold off to go?
Or should we just cut to the chase and name Purslow as our new manager and imagine the team he envisiges?
As Kinny says maybe we should wait until Sept 1st to see what we have left. Not that I ever log ontu G&HLFC site but has Roy said anything at all ? This is a genuine question.
By the way Kinny mate, hang about. Theis view needs airing and we need people to put their perspective out there.
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 #150 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 9:59 am
Morning Chaps
Sorry I haven’t commented lately, I’ve been reading but I haven’t had the energy or will to write anything.
I just cannot see any silver lining in this cloud.
I am gutted.
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 #151 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 10:29 am
I reckon Torres will sit down with Hodgson and ask what the plans are going forward. After he is told that we will be buying shite he’ll want out. He might not leave this summer but I believe mentally he will want out and will eventually go next summer the latest.
By my very simple maths we’ll need around £40m to pay the interest charge. No CL this season so this will have to come from sales. There is £14m towards that kitty. After we sell Masch we’ll probably have enough to pay off the £40m. RBS will be happy for another year. Then Roy might get whatever revenue we generate from further sales.
I’m afraid I can’t back Roy Hodgson. It looks to me as if he is part of the Purslow/Broughtman/H&G brigade. A yes man that will keep quiet and give us all the clichéd sound bites as we flog our players left right and centre. Someone who will sugar coat the carnage as it crashes down around our ears. Someone who is happy to manage a high profile club but who has no ambition to actually restore it to glory. The appointment just has a care taker feel to it and as such I just cannot respect it.
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 #152 |
sachem
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 11:05 am
One thing I’m been thinking about in the last couple of days (aside from the more important issues concerning the club) is the case of Albert Riera. If Rafa would have been allowed to stay, I’m sure Albert would already be long gone. Roy seems willing to give the man another chance to prove himself, presumably only because of a lack of wingers in the squad and more importantly a lack of money.
Personally I’m sick and tired of Riera and the choices he’s made in the past proves what kind of person he his and I just wouldn’t like to see the likes of him in a Liverpool shirt. Has he even apologized for the things he said to the press? In any case, it will take a lot for me to deem him worthy of wearing the red shirt again, but I certainly would never participate in any booing of our own players. It makes you wonder though, how will he be treated by the Kop and other sections of the crowd in our home games should he stay?
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 #153 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 11:28 am
Morning lads, some really good comments on here. And it’s good to see. I agree with most of what’s being said, even from one extreme to another.
Although I could never stop wanting the club to do well, I understand Kinny’s point of view… I refuse to support H&GFC too. That’s why I’m refusing to go to another game or buy any over priced official tat until they are gone.
But I can’t turn me back on the team… So in my book, it’s hope for the best but prepare for the worst.
As for the team, the players, the manager and all our hopes…
Well, all I can say is don’t get them too high or they’re bound to be dashed.
As with Kinny, I see LB’s point and mostly agree with it…
Hodgson has definetely not been brought in so as to take LFC onto a brave new era. I think he arrive with the hope of maybe even doing that somehow, with one of football’s giants… a last chance to really prove himself at the very top.
Sadly, though he’s been duped. They hired him as a respected elder statesman, to keep the fans and the media quiet. Knowing full well, the very same lot of them who screamed for Rafa’s head for finishing seventh will now just instantly forget that and gratefully accept any results Roy can have.
I’d love to rip into that and them, but that’s not the point now.
What’s in the future…
Well, everyday it becomes clearer what they are up to. LB has more or less summed it up there… pay off the interest, hang on to the club, cash in as best they can by asset stripping and sell the shell… remember it’s still a very famous shell with great prospects in the right hands. So, I think that’s the way they see of maximising any profits they can take.
Dougle’s said it. Aitch has said. In fact, for once I think we’re all sort of reading off the same page… whatever the means and tactics they employ, the only intentions of the owners are to maximise profit to themselves. They don’t care about anything else. They don’t care how they do this. Whether it’s getting the ridiculous price they are demanding or slowly draining the club – they don’t care. They’ll do anything it takes to ensure they walk away with as much money as they possibly can.
Well, that’s were we come in. Sadly we can’t stop them from making some sort of money. Although there is a theory that we can… get RBS to pull the plug on the loans, control us themselves until a buyer is found, and sell the club at rock bottom price to good intentioned people so they could use money that hasn’t been used in the purchase to invest in the stadium and the team.
Again, I hope that’s right, but I’m not preparing for that. Work is going on behind the scenes lad. Purslow’s in for a little shock over the next couple of days. I can’t say too much, but I can promise you that much. And there’s plenty of other things afoot… the pressure is being kept on and the intentions are to keep notching it up.
I don’t know how much attention you’ve paid to this Save Liverpool effort. But, well here’s my two cents…
Of course I’m a member of SOS. I keep in close contact with the board and I do work along with them. But lately, I’ve been doing much more with the Save Liverpool people. They also work along with SOS, there is no conflict of interest. In fact, all the actions that have taken place recently, the march/rally, the record, the alternative kit, and the letters/email/question campaigns, have been started by people in Save Liverpool but gladly handed over to SOS.
Save Liverpool is much like this blog. It’s just a gang of people from all over the place, who love the club and are loosely bonded together by a wish to see it do well. It’s not an organisation as such. It’s got no leadership, no fees, no members, nothing that makes it an organisation. It’s just a movement… the aims are too educate the fools amongst our support and to put as much pressure on any relevant people as possible.
In a nutshell, it’s a gang of good lads, who for no personal glory or profit, are doing their best to help the club in it’s time of need. And between them, SOS and all the comitted individuals, like your goodselves, we can win this.
I hope that extreme view – we’ll get them out and they’ll go at a loss – is right. But I tend to think, we will win it this way…
We will force the bank into renaging on the loans. They can do this legally. Or we will put that much pressure on Vince Cable (ie, the government, or the governing bodies (Premiership, FA, UEFA, FIFA) or even Standard Chartered, that one of them will eventually crack and force the RBS into recalling the debt. Then when H&G can’t meet it, RBS will sell the club from under them.
It’s not going to happen overnight. But as I said, even when there’s a lull going on in what we can do personally, there’s things going on in the background collectivelly. There’ll be a visible effort in the next couple of days, and depending on the outcome of that, it might be time to fire up the printers and get emailing again.
Pain in the arse. But it’s all we can do. And it’s not that big of a bother, and, you can stand on this… it’s having results.
So, don’t get too down about it all. This is not lost yet, far from it. Mark me words lads, I promise you, between us all, we’ll have them yet.
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 #154 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 11:31 am
Sachem, Albert hasn’t gone for one simple reason… there’s been no offers. He’ll go as soon as there is. And in all honesty, I don’t think Hodgson will have much say in the matter one way or another. You can see that from his comments on Insua.
As for the fans and Albie, we’ll I don’t think he was rated that highly by most of them anyway, and I think the bit of respect that he did have died when he shit on the club through the media.
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 #155 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 12:47 pm
That’s the part that amuses me in a sick kind of way. If we finish 8th I don’t think Roy will get too much blame no matter who is sold or purchased. If Rafa finished 8th next season…. Do I even need to finish the point?
Only one reason they didn’t give Kenny the job and that’s because he would have exposed their asses as soon as he realised the shit that is going on.
Whoever doesn’t smell the bullshit by now is either a fucking moron or an ignorant cunt. Take your pick.
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 #156 |
Kiwi_Mark_LFC
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 1:16 pm
LB – I’d say they are fucking moronic ignorant cunts!
Either that or traitors
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 #157 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 1:17 pm
Nail on head LB. I would have picked Kenny just so he could keep his beady eye on these four shysters, not even from a football point-of-view.
Once they bypassed him, the could have got the fucking Dalai Lama as manager for all I could have cared.
Football is now secondary for LFC and all supporters should be doing everything that they can to get rid of this cancer.
Sorry to go on and on and on about this but it is the only way we can limit the damage that they are doing on this once, yes past tense, great club.
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 #158 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 2:02 pm
The thing is lads, for most people football is just a bit of a hobby. They call themselves supporters, but it’s just a bit of fun, an aside to the real and far more important things in their lives…
Which in all truth, is what it should be. But that’s not an excuse for being exactly what you’ve just called them.
And what makes it worse, is the ignorant are the ones that usually make the most noise. Let’s face it, for the last few years while they’ve been calling all the phone ins, spouting shite on the radio, telly and papers, we’ve mainly sat here shaking our heads in disbelief and not worrying about them too much.
That’s why I said, they gave the owners and the board the leeway they needed to implament these plans of theirs. Some seem to think that’s unfair. But Broughton and Purslow have both addmitted as much, and Hicks made it plain from the start…. brand loyalty and all that.
So, when we got a home draw against West Ham, their screaming that Lucas was shit and it was Rafa’s fault “for playing two holding midfielders” was actually making all this possible even though we went to the top of the league with that result.
That’s why the likes of Lucas and Insua will be shuttled off and no one will make much of a fuss as they are replaced with inferior cheaper players, instead of maybe being upgraded as Rafa had always done or allowed more time to develop to their full potential.
I meant to comment on this earlier, it just slipped me mind. I always get distracted when I read the other comments. But anyway…
Like Aitch said, some of them are still at it. The silly bastards still don’t realise the damage they are doing. But there’s also a much more sinister side of this…
Although I always considered this blog home, it’s the first site I came across. In the last few months I’ve been bouncing all round the net, posting all the anti-owner stuff.
It’s amazing really and hard to believe, but there’s no doubt in my mind…
The owners and the board have been conducting their own media blitz. They’ve got plants all over the place, telling us how everything is okay and in good hands. And how great things will now be that the stubborn, fat Spanish one has gone.
Sounds ridiculous that. But it’s straight up. And don’t put nothing beyond these evil fuckers, but the really sad thing about it is…
There’s still plenty of people who not only fall for this, but actively back it. Sad but there you go.
That’s actually what Save Liverpool grew out of and how it was sort of formed. One lad, a cracking kid, was so frustrated by the morons that he started a thread on a site, just hoping to educate some of the daft bastards on that site.
Sadly, I don’t think it got through to many of them, but the idea was born and the movement just kept growing and growing. He’s been a great help to me on the letters and email front, and it’s going from strength to strength. Hopefully, we’ll finally get through to enough of them to shake the rest out of their apathy.
But it’s not easy. I was listening to Talk Shite this morning. It’s hilarious really. All in the same sentence, presenters and callers, were…
Blaming the foriegner Cappello for England’s terrible showing.
Blaming the “English” game, saying we needed to take direction from the continent… stop playing typical English football and introduce “continental” inovation, styles of play, such as 4231, (you know 2 holding midfielders and a second striker in the hole) and things like a winter break.
Then almost in the same breath, you got…
Liverpool will be alright now they’ve got a good old fashioned English manager.
Liverpool will be alright because they’ve got shut of that uppity Spaniard.
Liverpool will probably only finish mid-table but that’s okay and it can’t be blamed on Roy…
Apparently the Rafa left a crap squad theory is still alive and well, despite 4 of them having WC final medals.
The hypocrisy and stupidity is truly unbelievable. But it’s lapped up by the vast majority.
Okay people like us who talk football and think about it, probably far too much, know exactly what Talk Shite is… exactly that, people/morons talking shite. But it’s the biggest national daily football forum. It has great influence on what people think. And they are queing up in droves to get on there and agree with the knobs that come out with this shite…
So, sadly, we aren’t just fighting the owners and the boar. We are having to fight our own Lemming fans and the kunts that fill their heads full of very damaging shite.
Not an easy task.
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 #159 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 2:04 pm
Could you imagine if King Kenny had got the job. Unbelievable to see him in the dugout again. Would have brought tears to my eyes I tell ye. It would have galvanised the club, the players and the supporters to a large extent. And that is the antithesis to what BOUGHTman, PurSLEW and the cancers want. They want us divided and bickering amongst ourselves so they can pick the bare bones out of our club from under our noses. Whilst we saunter through the days arguing about were best to play Beattie and Scharner.
I’ll say it again and i’ll keep saying it till i’m blue in the face. Who the fuck is, and what remit and footballing experience does BOUGHTman have to enable him to tell a living club legend like King Kenny that he was not going to be even considered a candidate for the job. Who the fuck does this prick think he is?
Even with King Kenny being out of the game 10 years surely he was as good a candidate, if not better, as Hodgson. Anyway, I mean that in no way to be disrespectful to Roy.
Going over old ground, I know. Just brings my blood to the boil when I think of it.
Anyway, onwards and upwards according to FS. Thanks for the update. Looking forward to getting stuck into another e-mail/letter campaign. Feels good to be able to do something to help the campaign.
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 #160 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
Believe or not FS I used to listen to Talk Shite years ago. I also used to visit that Football365 website. I had to stop doing it, because i swear to god i was gonna take a heart attack with the frustration of listening and reading to the absolute shite and drivel that spewed out of them.
I actually thought i was in the minority (which i was) and that i was the only one that talked sense. There were that many idiots and un-intelligent morons. My hands would be shaking as i was typing responses to some of the twats. I’d also be punching my desk in work listening to that talk shite shit. Just gave it up, because it wasnt worth the stress. Came across great blogs like this. Were the majority of people have a footballing brain.
The thing is your dead right FS. Some people treat football as just a hobby. They walk around wearing the shirt. They listen to talk shite. The read the fucking back pages of the rags. They ingest this shit with their greedy little minds and then they go onto forums like 365 and regurgitate the same old crap.
I’m sorry but football is not a hobby to me and plenty of others in this forum. Football/LFC is a passion. Almost a religion. We fucking love our club. We know our club inside out. Its history, traditions and the Liverpool Way. Dont know you guys here much at all but i do know that from reading the comments you seem the same as myself.
And thats what the problem is these days. With our club, and many others. Too many part-time fans who are jumping on the bandwagon because its fashionable to be football supporter.
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 #161 |
Aitch
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 6:32 pm
This is what sparks many of the arguments in here artful.
Its so easy to assume everyone in here is the same.
I was born and bred and am an “older” bloke.
I moved away from Liverpool many years ago and while I try to get back often, I more often than not, follow the reds from afar.
That takes effort.
Like buying into a satellite, then buying not 1, but 2 “sports pack” channel subscriptions, so I don’t miss a single Reds game.
Like getting up at 4am to watch the early Scum/LFC, or LFC/Everton match-ups.
Like spending far too much of my time on this bloody internet thingy.
(I work from home, and the sheer number and length of my posts as evidence to the contrary, I do actually do some work… but it never fails… if and when my wife does decide to walk into my office to ask me something… you can bet she does so just at the precise moment I’ve decided to stop what I was doing, and pull up Kopblog and have a look what you fuckers are jabbering on about on here… talk about BUSTED! It’d be funny if I didn’t then have to spend so much time convincing her I do actually get some work done.)
Anyway, my point is this, some of you follow LFC with the same passion I do, and from the same background I do (and yes I understand fully that background is not necessary for that passion… which is why I stated it as two seperate things… hell my poor nephew follows the LA Lakers more religiously than LFC… breaks my fuckin heart, that!)
But it does mean that comments get made by people who haven’t researched this site and its users, let alone researched “their opinion” (you know, the opinion they are entitled to, no matter how outrageously misguided,) to verify whether or not they are talking out their arse!
I’m not suggesting they should just shut the fuck up (well, that’s a lie I am… better to say nothing and be thought a fool, than say something daft and prove the point,) but if you want to run with the big dogs, you best get yourself up to speed, and expect to get nipped occasionally in the process.
Following Liverpool Football Club is NOT a part time thing. It’s a lifelong passion.
The sheer number of times, just in the last 6 months, that I’ve heard the phrase “no one is bigger/more important than the club” …or talk about “The Liverpool Way” …being used in a context so completely and utterly at odds with what those phrases mean, what they really, actually mean, is staggering.
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 #162 |
Aitch
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
…oh and I meant to add…
…in reading the comments in online articles…
… many of these people are still talking as though G&H, Broughtman and Purslow are “clowns” …or “incompetent” …or “morons”
… the term “cowboys” in some circles, has come to mean “idiots who don’t know what they are doing”
… and that’s very dangerous for US… because these fuckers know exactly what they are doing…
… they’ve done it before… and made lots, and lots of money in the process.
… many of these people are still talking as though G&H, Broughtman and Purslow have the same wants and desires for LFC as the fans.
They DO NOT! They are businessman and they want what’s good for business, and a business in debt can make you just as much money, as a solvent business … and more importantly…
… it has NOTHIING to do with what happens on the field…
I keep hearing things like…
… “the club is worth more with Torres and Gerrard”… NO… it isn’t.
… “the club is worth more as a top 4 club”… NO… it isn’t.
These things are counted as assets and counted into any projected earnings, but they do not directly affect the sale price of the club.
Ask yourself this…we’ve supposedly turned down two offers in the region of 350million… given the worldwide fan base, will those same buyers reduce their offer price if Torres and Gerrard are sold?
G&H are playing for time here. They will sell assets, bank the money, and eventually sell the club at a small profit. (having made the bulk of their money under the cover of night over the last 2 years)
As long as RBS are making their daily VIG, they will continue to allow G&H to operate under the status quo… their only edict is to receive their interest payments on time…. That’s it…
They don’t care whose running things, they don’t care whose sold, or bought.
They don’t care if we get knocked out of the CL, the Europa, the FA Cup, the Carling Cup.
They don’t care if we lose 1-3 to the Arse, 0-2 to the Chavs, or beat Scum 4-1…
…RBS only cares that they are making their money daily, and can eventually recoup their initial loan.
… and they will… coz even if we sold Reina, Agger, Skrtel, Carra, Masch, Aqua, Stevie, and Torres… someone would still pay 350 mill for Liverpool Football Club.
As FS has continually warned… the only way we can affect what happens, is to put RBS in a position where it is more trouble than it is worth to keep collecting that daily 100k…
…if that is done sooner… we might be able to limit the damage…
… and that is what this is all about now folks… limiting the damage…
… but, if its done later… well…?
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 #163 |
Aitch
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 7:22 pm
…and another thing… …said the fuckin blog hog…
Let’s be careful about how we treat Roy Hodgson.
The man was offered the Liverpool Football Club Manager’s job…
… shit if someone had made you that offer, even knowing all we know about the club’s situation, you’d have asked “how much do I have to pay you for the privilege?”
I don’t doubt he took the job for all the right reasons.
I don’t doubt that promises were made to him… promises “they” had no intention of keeping.
He may have even suspected this, but you can’t really blame him for taking the job anyway…
… it’s the best fuckin job in football… even under “this lot”!
You can bet that Roy hoped he could believe Purslow when he said “no players will be sold without your consultation” and that Purslow made that statement with a straight face, as his phone beeped and he read the text message… “Yossi deal done. 6mill. With 2 mill off the books for G&H. and 500k each off the books for you and MB.”
… then smiled as he shook hands with Roy and MB presented him to the press.
I don’t think Roy will be a “yes man”
… certainly not in the context that is being used…
… I just don’t think he was given any player in-out control in his contract…
… I reckon he’s taken the job realizing it’ll be (as said above) more of a caretaker role
…and he’s probably hoping the club sale happens, sooner (as he was no doubt led to believe) rather than later, and he can maintain the club’s on field/league position through the process and then keep the gig under the new bosses.
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 #165 |
Aitch
Posted on July 15, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
Real Madrid in shock transfer swoop for Octopus???
…well maybe not Real, but the City of Madrid
Madrid zoo bids to buy Octopus Oracle from Germany
From Associated Press
July 15, 2010 2:37 PM EDT
MADRID (AP) — The Madrid Zoo said Thursday that it has made an offer to buy Paul, the octopus who became a pop culture sensation by correctly predicting the outcome of as many World Cup matches as he has legs – all seven of Germany’s games plus the Spain-Netherlands final.
The zoo said it made the offer after receiving hundreds of requests from Spaniards for Paul’s transfer from a German aquarium after Spain won the World Cup on Sunday.
Zoo spokeswoman Amparo Fernandez said an unspecified amount of cash was offered for the purchase of Paul, now a hero in Spain, which went wild after it won its first World Cup ever.
“We hope that within the next few days we will be able to confirm news that the admirable Paul will be part of the club of the most loved and charismatic animals of the Madrid Zoo,” said a statement from the zoo.
Paul’s owner – the Sea Life aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany – declined immediate comment and requested that a reporter send questions by e-mail.
The intuitive invertebrate was retired this week from predicting football game outcomes, and Madrid Zoo officials promised he wouldn’t be used again for similar duties.
The Madrid Zoo also offered to exchange animals with the German aquarium in return for Paul or beat any other offers, and promised he would “receive the utmost attention, a reflection of the great affection that all Spaniards profess for him since he predicted that the Spanish squad would win the World Cup.”
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 #166 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 12:21 am
As I’ve said before, I hate linking other sites in here. I think it’s a bit disrespectful, but I know Gerry’s fully behind this. And like I promised, I won’t keep cluttering up the comments page with all these announcements. So…
http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=260637.0
Please have a look in there and help out where you can. Don’t worry it’s nothing hard, as Gerry’s Blog priest said to his favourite nun.
It’s as easy as this… I said in an earlier post, SOS have been promised they will get these questions answered by Purslow on LFCtv. Sound.
But think about it Purslow is also the Managing Director of the tv channel and the website. So we can imagine what’s going to happen there. So, we’ve started a blitz to back it up.
See what you think. Please have a go, it doesn’t take a minute.
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 #167 |
axchoice
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 3:17 am
FS,
I just sent the emails, and have asked my LFC supporting friend to do so.
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 #168 |
Sam82
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 8:30 am
Re #166, done and sent emails to the list.
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 #169 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 9:03 am
Beattie & Scharner? Sounds like the type of players Souness would have/did buy during his tenure.
So glad we don’t get Talk Shite down here.
Riera should leave for his own good. Take a pay cut Albert lad. You won’t enjoy running out at Anfield after the shit you spew.
Keep up the good work FS & others. I’m still keeping the faith – these fuckers will be out of here sometime (with the help of the supporters), and I hope that Purslow follows them as well.
Gotta run & change some diapers.
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 #170 |
Arman23
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 1:16 pm
I think Roy has landed a dream job where he has nothing to lose. If Liverpool do well then he is a genius and it was right for Rafa to get sacked. If he fails badly then it is still Rafa’s fault because that’s the team that Rafa left behind. I’ve heard some people say that Rafa purposefully dismantled the team because he knew he was going to get sacked. And that’s from our own supporters who obviously cannot think for themselves.
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 #171 |
rome77
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 2:22 pm
Aitch had a look at that link with Claire Rourke had to laugh
“The players and Rafa met up with a local kids charity”
More lies from the media ¦ )
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 #172 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 4:56 pm
been away a music conference all week (don’t ask! ) and had no access to web and very little mobile coverage too. Anyway not much happening in my absence apart from:
a) Spain beating the Thugs and winning the World Cup – TAKE THAT!!! TWO HOLDING MIDFIELD PLAYERS!!!
b) I got my Please Go Away letter from RBS – they’ll be getting a follow up from me but not so sure what good it’ll actually do
and finally c) I see that LB has given into the misery and doesn’t seem able to back Roy ?? Come on LB – things are shitty but lets just see what happens for a least a few games into the season??
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 #173 |
Aitch
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 5:26 pm
…err… Arthur, you did watch the part where Spain fielded both Xavi AND Xabi in almost every game the played, right?
Has anyone read the article about Roy meeting with Nando?
Cordial meeting, but short… talked football… assured him he was looking forward to working with him… stated that he is not for sale… then clarified that “we do not want” to sell him…
… which all sounds great and is exactly what we all want to hear, short of Nando actually saying “I’m going nowhere”…
… but then the bomb drop…
… “I left the meeting to come here (Swiss Camp) but left him to continue talks with Christian Purslow.”
… now I’m just guessing, but I reckon that conversation went something like this…
“Yes, yes, we definitely want you to stay. As far as we’re concerned you are not for sale….”
…door closes…
“Now then, do you have a club preference, coz we’re looking to get somewhere in the region of 60 to 70 million for you.”
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 #174 |
Aitch
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 5:34 pm
rome… a slip of the tongue from Claire Roarke?
…sounds like a fantasy that?
(I do wish she’d get a new hairdresser though!)
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 #175 |
Aitch
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 5:46 pm
oh and Arthur “what good it’ll actually do”?
I know it seems like we’re banging our heads against the wall, but they are counting on us all thinking “you can’t fight city hall”… but we can!
The campaign isn’t about making them realize the error of their ways, suddenly growing a heart and taking pity on us poor LFC fans.
The world … and particularly the banking world… isn’t run by captains of industry, its run by bean-counters.
This campaign has a cost to them.
Having their executive inboxes cluttered up with emails, means someone taking the time to sift through them. This process causes a slower response to important emails!
That has a cost.
Paying one of their IT lads to create a filter to weed such emails out, has a time/cost.
RBS are well happy to collect their daily 100k VIG, but at some point, this campaign will have a cost that subtracts from that amount…
…add to that the cost of a negative PR campaign…
…and there’ll be a breeaking point, at which profit is offset by cost…
…at which point they’ll want to cut and run…
…either forcing a sale, or calling in the loan.
That’s the target.
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 #176 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 6:12 pm
Yeah Aitch – i just read that interview there with Roy.
Very worrying. He only had a short time to talk with Nando then left Purslow in there to talk with him. That is extremely worrying. We know that slime ball has previous. I bet that scumbag was whispering sweet nothings in his ear about 50 and 70 mill from the chavs and man city respectively. There are going to be an interesting and stressful few weeks for LFC fans. Losing Nando of all players would be a major blow. Especially if we dont see any of the money. Which is likely.
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 #177 |
Aitch
Posted on July 16, 2010 @ 7:31 pm
The only thing we have going in our favour artful Nando’s price tag, which will put the majority of clubs off him… More importantly the Euro clubs… and his age.
Unlike SG, he can afford to give LFC time.
He seems like the kind of lad that makes his decisions for the right reasons… hence his coming to us in the first place… so him jumping to Citeh or the Chavs, seems an unlikely scenario… (if he has much say in it.)
… but he (like Rafa and the rest of us) has been lied to by the board for 3 years now, regarding “quality players to improve the squad”
.. and when he sees his mates in the Spain squad winning medals… and he’s on plane rides to Armenia for a qualifying Europa League match… well… it can play on a lad’s mind.
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 #178 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 1:19 am
Ah Aitch, Xavi is an offensive player in every sense of the word, great passer yes, holding midfield player, no. Xabi is a playmaker, in my eyes Busquets was their only “holding midfielder ” and by that I mean a player who breaks up play, ala De Jong and Van Bommel. And yep it was a not so veiled comparison to our usual formation last year Aitch! Not really sure how you argue with me, but you always do so I shouldn’t be surprised!
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 #179 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 1:45 am
Alonso and Masch was regarding as 2 holding midfield players by most people. Myself included. Alonso is a deep lying player. Not many assists or shots on goal but directs the tempo of a game. I would call Alonso and Busquets 2 holding midfield players.
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 #180 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 9:20 am
yea alonso can break up play but more importantly he can create from deep which we cannot now that hes gone.
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 #181 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 10:25 am
None of it will matter when we have no players left.
Don’t you get it…
Roy’s been packed off to Switzerland with the players he’ll be working with. Now Purslow and Broughton will get to “negotiate” with the senior pros…
Mascherano won’t even answer any messages.
Roy has toed the party line, or even told the truth as far as he is concerned… “We don’t want to sell any of our players.”
Now Purslow and Broughton get to have their say in private…
We already know the difference between them two situations.
In public…
Purslow: I’ll have big investment in by Easter and Rafa’s job is safe. We are planning a big summer. We’ll know by July the 15th. And the club should be sold at the end of August – convieniently just after the transfer window shuts.
In private…
Well, we’ve already seen what Rafa’s job is safe meant. We’ve already heard Boughton’s plans drunkenly spewed out to some Sky News bint he was chatting up at Chelsea’s end of season do…
“Liverpool are fucked. It will take at least 3 years to sort this mess out. Our best players might aswell just leave.”
The 15th of July has been and gone. No new bids have been announced – meaning we don’t have anyone who wants to buy the club right now, never mind the end of August. Yossi has gone to Chelsea, thanks to Mr Boughton, and dutifully toed the party line by stabbing Rafa in the back… The manager who made this all possible for him. The manager who Yossi was “in love with” only a few months before. And yes. That is a direct qoute of what he said.
Now Boughton and Purslow are left to find the money they should be bringing in through investment and new ownership…. Well, seeing none of that is forthcoming, I wonder how they plan to raise the money owed to RBS and KOP FOOTBALL – H&G’s company in the Cayman Islands. They won’t wait to be paid. So, it’s got to come in from somewhere… Mmm, I wonder how that sort of dosh can be raised?
But not to worry. Roy’s in charge now. He’s got the players. Spearing is better than Lucas and he should be able to fill in for Masch aswell. So, no problem there then.
Sorry lads… but wake up.
442,4231, the only way any of that will make any difference to us right now…
if we’ve got them on a lottery ticket and they come in.
And yes Arthur. We’re getting results… you’ve just got one personally. That round of letters and emails led to Stephen Hester addmitting the yanks were allowed to borrow too much money.
Now we need to push him to the next step – recalling the loans or selling the club from under them. And this latest round of emails has already had a result towards that goal… a rather big one at that an all.
I can’t divulge it just yet. You’ll just have to believe me, or you can always believe the alternative…
Oh well, I hope you really enjoy your big summer.
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 #182 |
Sambo
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 10:39 am
i’d certainly call alonso and busquets 2 holding midfielders, especially when torres was dropped for pedro(a direct response to the astonishingly successful and goal-laiden german system) and the other 3 were all operating behind villa. for me the world cup has ushered in the age of the 4-2-3-1 and we’ll be seeing it everywhere now (i know it’s already been pretty evident, not least at lfc).
alonso was definitely a holding player for us, just one with other skills. he sat so deep that the centre halves or pepe just rolled the ball to him a few yards away and let him set up play like a quarterback.
i know what you mean arthur about spain’s victory being a triumph for skill and technique over defense-minded durge, but the systems played by germany, spain and holland were basically the same. just the style, tempo, tactics and skill-levels differed. that’ll be the players, not the system.
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 #183 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 12:17 pm
Ok some might call Alonso a holding player but I still prefer to call him a playmaker but Aitch mentioned a midfield of xavi and xabi as “holding” and sorry for being pedantic but that isn’t the case
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 #184 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 12:30 pm
Brazil have been playing with 2 holding midfield players from 1994. I remember Mauro Silva and Dunga in the middle. 2 flying fullbacks in Jorginho and Leonardo. They have played with that philosophy religiously every since.
Van Bommel and De jong are both destroyers where Busquets and Alonso and also kaniera and sweinsteiger do their job while playing good football – big difference.
FS, I think most in here are pretty wide awake now. We will have Sharner and Spearing holding. Lol.
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 #185 |
Sambo
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 12:38 pm
yeah arthur, xavi isn’t a holding player, he’s part of the attacking platform behind villa, so it isn’t pedantic to point that out.
i reckon it’s important to remember the range of styles that are still available to a manager with that system. whereas germany used it to ‘spring’ attacks by outnumbering opponents when defending and then catching them short at the back with fast incisive service to the ‘front 4′, spain used it as a way of utterly controlling possession and tempo with a wealth of options to pass to; forward, back, left, or right when on the ball. 1-0 was always going to be enough for spain. 4 goals were always on the cards for germany with the way they attacked at pace.
i know none of this matters because we won’t have any players left to utilise any kind of effective system, but rest assured i worry about that when i’m not chatting about formations.
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 #186 |
Sambo
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
something i can’t help wondering is… what instructions did rafa actually give lucas and masch? don’t worry, i’m not having a go at any of those 3 gentlemen. i just wonder what the plan was during some of those drab draws and defeats last season. was it to maintain possession and patience and sneak a goal, or was it to get the ball wide fast and outflank ‘em, or was it… something else?
i think the thing that frustrated a lot of LFC fans about the system was that there wasn’t the same clear strategy that underpinned the spanish, dutch and german systems. in a lot of games last season, we looked aimless in midfield and attack. the system was often blamed, but in retrospect, i don’t think the system was the problem. so what was? maybe they were only given 2 shredded wheat each due to cutbacks, maybe they all hated each other. who knows.
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 #187 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 1:17 pm
Yeah. I know LB. Just pointing out the obvious really. No harm in talking some footy.
How’s this for irony though…
What Rafa was slatted for has finally sunk in, and is now being touted by the media and football in general as the way forward… not that they’d ever admit that of course.
And now we’re going back to an old traditional manager who’ll probably be playing 442 while others follow the 4231.
To top it off, Rafa was trying his best to get away from that system. He was aiming at playing 41311… that was the idea behind Aquilani.
I agree about Brazil when Dunga done the destroying. But it was Sacchi’s great AC Milan that really formed Rafa’s thinking on tactics, formations, etc.
Have a look at them, especially the European Cup Final, 198?, against Bucharest. Rafa always raved about that team being the best he’d ever seen, not necessarily the players, although they had some crackers, but as the unbeatable team.
He modelled Valencia on them, and spent his time at Liverpool trying to build us into that sort of team/squad.
It does rely on attacking fullbacks and wingers that work hard tracking back. And I’ll bet my bottom lip that is what you will see at Inter.
Mourhino won the European Cup by getting them to play a 4231, in Rafa’s style, but you watch Rafa flip that on it’s head and go back to that AC Milan/Valencia style. He’s got the personel there to do it. And you can bet, if Inter stump up the dosh, Mascherano will be the one true holding midfielder in the system.
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 #188 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 1:36 pm
Here you go, Rafa’s idea of near perfect football…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=II5oepJwl9I
It’s what he was building at Valencia, until they bought him a lamp instead of a coffee table. It was what he was building at Liverpool until they bought him off.
I hope the fella gets the chance at Inter to complete his vision, and makes his knockers look like the idiots they are. He deserves that at the very least, after all he’s had to put up with.
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 #189 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
Just seen Roy’s press conference in Switzerland…
Oh Dear.
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 #190 |
Aitch
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 5:20 pm
Arthur… if Xavi is an offensive player in every sense of the word… why is it that he was so often the deeper positioned player of the two, with Alonso further up the field?
I don’t argue that on paper he is an offensive player… but he sat deep an aweful lot… and sitting deep is what a holding midfielder does.
And while Xabi, playmaker or not, often gets forward for Spain, he does sit deep a lot.
Its not a question of your label… it’s a question of what you do during the 90 minutes.
When Xabi played for us, he often dropped deep to collect the ball… but that doesn’t make him a holding players.
See this is the problem.
Anytime the names Masch and Lucas were seen on a team sheet, the baby went out with the spilled milk and people started ranting about “2 holding midfielders”.
It didn’t matter that in the first half dozen games last season, Lucas did not sit deep and play as a holding midfielder, and was often so far upfield he got nosebleeds. It only mattered that calling him a “holding midfielder” fit an already established agenda.
Hell… there was actually one game last season (I can’t remember off the top of my head right now which) where SG and Lucas actually switched position for about 15 minutes. It caused havoc and we created 6 chances, one of which was a clear shout at a penalty when Lucas was brought down in the box and one of which was Lucas breaking through and just missing getting his toe on a through ball in the box.
I remember thinking at the time… why don’t we do that more often? It’s the kind of thing opponents don’t see coming and haven’t prepared for.
And sambo… this is also the problem with much of the criticism Rafa got last season…
…People banging on about how he played defensive, with 2 holding midfielders.
Be honest… its not as if Rafa sat on the bench with his arms folded, satisfied grin stretching across his face, as though all was going according to plan.
The man was constantly on his feet directing players into the right position, telling them to get forward, directing them to get closer to their man, telling them what space to move into.
Yes he often made positive statements after a game… but you don’t honestly think he was happy with what he was seeing do you??
The same players that couldn’t string 3 passes together last season… played Scum and Real Madrid off the park the previous one… that had nothing to do with formation… it had all to do with form.
Mascherano is a holding midfielder… Didi Hamman was a holding midfielder. Both will occasionally get forward and twat a 30yarder into row Z, but by and large, the very way they ply their trade for 90 minutes defines them as such.
Other players are not… but circumstances force them to play deeper than they would normally want to.
While I’ll admit the following often depends on who my midfield partner is…
As a midfielder, if I have competent forwards or wide-men, then I’ll ping them a long ball and make a direct b-line for the top of the D, hoping to get the ball back. (an attacking midfielder)
If I have less than competent forwards or wide-men, I’ll still ping them that ball, but I’m cautious about how far forward I’ll get in support, simply coz the likelihood is that the ball is coming right back at my defenders. (a defensive midfielder)
What you saw at the World Cup, was not just 4-2-3-1 being used on the strength of the 2 holding midfielders… but it being used on that in combination with… the strength of the forwards and wide-men in play… the abilities of the right back and left back, both on the ball and in terms of getting forward and getting back into position.
Any system fails when the players being utilized fail to implement it competently.
LFC finished 2nd with a record points haul playing the same system and with the same players as when they finished 7th.
In one instance the players implemented the system well, in one they didn’t.
And anyway… the whole point… the entire point of playing “2 defensive midfielders”… from a football philosophy point of view… is not to defend… its to push both the left back and right back forward… overlapping in attack… so contrary to this popular misinterpretation, it is not a defensive approach to the game!
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 #191 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 6:02 pm
Its not really important but the formation I interpreted Spain playing once they benched Torres was the following:
Casillas
Ramos, Pique, Puyol, Capdevilla
Busquets, Alonso
Pedro, Xavi, Iniesta
Villa
Xavi was mostly ahead of Busquets and Alonso but of course players are not restricted to stand in one zone for 90 mins. What I like about the Spanish is that all of the above could float all over the field quite comfortably and all took very good care of the ball.
I was very impressed with Busquets (22 years old) and Pedro (22 years old) throughout last season and the world cup. They are further proof of what a proper youth academy, with top class coaching and consistent philosophy can do for you.
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 #193 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 7:46 pm
#192… that link is to the club’s official site. It’s now the bloody propoganda channel and should be treated as such…
Did nobody see Hodgson’t comments?
I did try to tell you in post 189. I hoped someone else had seen it and would comment.
But to keep you all up to date, when asked about transfers, Hodgson replied…
“if you want to talk about transfers, you will have to talk to Purslow… I’m only here to coach the team!”
Sound familair?
And where are the Rafa bashers…
Where is Digger and BM, I like to ask them what they think of, Purslow, the new boss that they helped install?
Fuckin idiots. And I’d advise you all to stay out of that LFCtv shite an all, or you’ll end up getting as brainwashed as them daft pricks.
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 #194 |
Aitch
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 7:54 pm
Propaganda it might very well be FS, but the one thing you can count on is when they’ve stated a player’s sold… that player is sold. (and the money has already been wire-transfered to the Caymans.)
I thought it was weird that he wasn’t in the announced 18 to face Al Hilal this morning.
Did you see a video of the PC, FS, or just an article?
Do you have a link?
I looked for it but couldn’t find it.
And yes LB… its pretty much ALL about the payers you have, how they’re set out, and how they perform. (including how they adapt as the game unfolds.)
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 #195 |
Aitch
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 7:58 pm
If you could buy a 23 year old, who’d recently played for his country and only just missed out on getting into that country’s World Cup Squad…
… and you could get him for 4-5 million…
…would you?
Then why the fuck are we selling him … when he is our ONLY left back???
That is an absolute STEAL, for a Young International Left Back!
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 #196 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 8:14 pm
Aitch you would get more truth watching Kim Jung Iltv.
And do you realise, every time you click on the official site you are earning money for the owners?
Oh yes. The clicks go towards totting up revenues. But if anyone wants to watch Christian Purslow’s propoganda channel then that’s up to them.
As far as I know, Insua was in the team and was suddenly told he had to do one to Italy to discuss terms.
Oh well, at least Gerrard and Torres aren’t for sale and are still at home having talks with Purslow.
As for steals… Rafa bought Insua before he’d kicked a ball for Boca Juniors. So maybe Roy’s extensive scouting system can find us a lad for about 10bob on Hackney Marshes playing Sunday League.
That’s over 20 million in transfers racked in now. George Gillette was there in Switzerland. I wonder how much is left after he takes his expenses.
Sorry Aitch no link. It was on Sly Sports News though, so maybe you will be able to find it on there.
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 #197 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 8:15 pm
PS… I bet they are fighting in the Arsenal camp over who gets to play right wing against… erm, err, who?
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 #198 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 8:29 pm
Oh and lads…
http://www.savelfc.org/.
Join up, and spread the word.
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 #199 |
Aitch
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 9:37 pm
For the record FS, I cancelled my e-season ticket subscription a long, long time ago (GOD I miss Stevie Hunter!) and these are the times I got most use out of it… when early seaosn stuff wasn’t being televised… oh well
…And… I hardly ever click on LFC.tv…
I’ve only done it sparingly recently, coz there’s so much drivel out there in regards players being sold and bought, that like it or not, the “official site” is the definitive word on who’s been sold once the deal is done…
…otherwise we’re left to accepting what’s being written by twats that work for the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror, Daily Gobshite DOH (that’d be the News of the World in case you were nsure.)
But I’ll tell you what FS… you might be onto something.
Kim Jong Ill… got a few bob and would surely pass a “fit and proper” test far better than G&H… no?
Here’s another little interesting comment from Roy though…. (and NOT from the “official” site)
But it’s not just the suggestions that the club have been instigating transfer talks without his input and before his arrival, he also couldn’t make his displeasure any clearer about tonight’s opening pre-season fixture:
“I don’t know if I am looking forward to it because I would have liked my first game as Liverpool manager to have been in charge of what people would regard as a Liverpool team. There will be a lot of players playing tonight who are being thrust into first team action far, far too early. The average age of the team is about 20 and we’re playing the champions of Saudi Arabia, a team that does well in the AFC Champions League.”
“When choosing the level of opposition you should really choose a level which is suitable for the sort of team that you can put out. We don’t have enough senior first team players here to put out that type of team, and also it has come fairly early in our preparations.”
After a season that was plagued by injury amongst all the other problems, the last thing Liverpool need this season is more of the same, but Hodgson suggests this match poses exactly that kind of risk:
“We are working very hard physically and I have to be careful that in these games we don’t lose players before the start of the season.”
… oh dear…?
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 #200 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 9:50 pm
Make no mistake, Insua was removed by virtual of his being perceived as a “Rafa favourite” due to his frequent appearance in the team sheets when Rafa was here.
De-Rafa-ization is upon us. Best we can do is take up RAWK’s suggestion and step up the pressure on RBS to stop bloody extending the loan ASAP.
To all those anti-Rafa cunts that were constantly saying Insua needs to go:
Well I hope you’re all bloody happy that we’re now seriously lacking in the right-back department. Don’t go crying to us when results start sliding down even more than before, because whomever replaces him cannot be branded as a “failure signing by Rafa” as you have constantly used as a convenient excuse these past few years.
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 #201 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 9:52 pm
Aitch… He also said, I hope we don’t get beat too badly.
The rest of the premier league must be laughing their bollacks off.
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 #202 |
rome77
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 10:35 pm
Well Roys luck is in, the game got called off.
I’m really pissed off that Insua has been sold but i’m more pissed off with one of my neighbours, someone who i’ve got tickets for in the past and give them lifts to Anfield amongst other favours has only gone out and bought himself a new “official” shirt.
This is after i told him about the Standards Corrupted shirts on the viga site.
Now i haven’t spoke with him yet as i was driving when i saw him and as the road rage kicked in, i felt like kicking his head in.
He annoyed me last season with his SKY washed comments, but this is the last straw and when i do see him again i’m going to be falling out with him.
And if he ever has the nerve to ask me for tickets again i will be kicking his head in ¦ (
…oh dear …
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 #203 |
dougle
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 11:35 pm
LB – 191 – Bravo your last paragraph. It is absolutely the key to present and future success. We had it years gone by. Pass & move, keep it simple and give a man options. Allied to a consistent high workrate and self-belief it was the basis for 20 years of our(never to be repeated ?) success.
So who is now implementing and creating the blueprint for future generations of players fashioned the new “Liverpool Way” ?
Until last month it was the man who built the Barca academy. One measley year he got. I assume he’s gone. I looked at the list, yesterday, of coaches etc. El Senor was nowhere to be found.
But hey !! Let’s get brits with heart eh. Fuck me pink.
As for Insua. Well twirl the barrel and slip another bullet in the chamber Cecil.
To paraphrase FS above “Roy is already ducking and trying to find cover”… Purslow is de-facto the manager now. He (hires ?) and fires, sells and no doubt buys (that should be a laugh). But I’m holding my spite and laughter for September 1st when we know who’ll be in the squad. It’s gonna be a hoot this season.
Frankly I just don’t know if I have the heart to support what I feel is coming down the line as a team. I know I should but .. we’ll see. I like Hodgeson actually but I cannot stand anything touched by the weasels running our club. Puts me in an odd position. My gut feeling is that football/players/manager/wins/loses/blame/acclaim game, the whole lot, is really just a smokescreen while the Thieves do the Burgling.
In the meantime it’s e-mails and letters and get on with the real job for now.
All in all tonight’s result was as good as Roy oould have wished for. I don’t know if it was good luck or bad luck but I suspect the former.
Soapbox Extra:
Guys, I know for that for many of you, particularly the newer, rarer posters or just good old-fashioned lurkers, this must be really not what you are used to. Is it a drag reading about the campaign to get rid of the board, Purslow and Boughtman all the time?
I bet you are really looking forward to the start of the new season so we can get back to the way it was ?????
Well actually “now” could be far more interesting and important then the coming footie.
What’s possible here is for all of us to take a real stake in the club and it’s future. You can do something and you can make a difference.
Check out FS 198 and get active.
We can take this clubs future and make it the way we want.
Shankly created a revolution by harnessing the players and the supporters and giving them all a vision.
Right now there is no vision and no unity coming from the top down (it is an embarressment frankly),so it has to come from the bottom up. We can help make the template for a future Liverpool. It won’t happen overnight but it’s a fight worth fighting.
When this shower of vampires have been chased off the carcass guess what … there is going to be a doting old Billionaire waiting to take over the club and lavish his money on a new stadium, new players and Rafa/Maureen/Guus/whover we want … eh no, not really.
There is gonna be another version of G&HLFC but what will be different is that there are now organised, creative, passionate, battle-hardened groups of supporters ready to let them know the freebies are over. The more militant and coherent we are the more they will have to actually take us seriously. There will have to be consultation with supporters and the views and ambitions and vision of supporters will have to be accommodated.
I am sure none of us (bar a few older heads) saw all of this coming. Bit there is opportunity even in the blackest of circumstances. How many of you thought you’d be members of a Supporters Union today ? How many of you thought you’d be writing letters to the FA/RBS etc now. I’m loving this personally. The bloated rotting decadence that is the FA/SKY/EPL/Football Miiionaire/TalkShite Culture was really making me sick but now I feel like I’m part of something with heart and some spirit. It’s time to give now not just sit back on my irish backside and criticize.
For anybody who is lurking, watching but doing nothing. DO SOMETHING NOW. Get involved and be a part of this.
Thumbs up to those of us who are making it happen.
See FS 198 – be brave !
Off the soap box now.
Cheers
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 #204 |
Aitch
Posted on July 17, 2010 @ 11:37 pm
ooh…ooh… fight… fight… fight!
You should have just run the prick over… Merseyside Police would have likely put it down as Justifiable Vehicular Euthenasia, and let you off with a warning not to do it again “unless there’s at least two or more of them!”
And yeah FS… Roy did say “I hope we don’t get beat too badly.”
… but he was saying it in response to a question about the opening fixture against Arsenal…
The rest of the premier league is indeed laughing their bollacks off.
Most loudly, down the East Lancs Rd, where Fungus tipped a jar the day Rafa was ousted, with a hearty “thank fuck for that, they almost got back on their perch” and he and his minions of darkness haven’t stopped laughing since.
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 #205 |
sachem
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 12:00 am
Great. We just sold a very promising left back. Not many of them out there. Really looking forward to seeing him rising to stardom in Serie A, while we have to make do with some wooden leg fella. Who on earth will be playing that position this season, Dagger? What a waste. There is absolutely no logic to this now that Aurelio is no longer with us either. Unless we have to sell in order to pay off some debt…
I usually don’t go into the official site anymore, but I dropped in there now because the Insúa deal pissed me off. There’s article there titled “Roy on Joe Cole link” in which he more or less says we won’t be signing him. And that’s a player well past his best (thanks to all those injuries, I presume). It isn’t even concerning one of the interesting “links”.
Mr. Broughton better come up with some news about the sale soon or else… nothing.
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 #206 |
spinkage
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 7:50 am
FS, i rarely visit the official site. I personally thought that back then in June, when Rafa left, the announcement was disrespectful to him. And I just can’t stand the idiotic comments written below several articles.
But as Aitch said, we can verified valid ongoing players rumour of our players going out there.
As long as I visit Kopblog, I don’t worry about getting brain washed. In fact, recently I started my own Indonesian LFC blog (which I hope can be a reference for Indonesian supporters, which some of them quoting and debating LFC’s matter based on a media portal translation from the s*n)
Admittedly, due my job, I can’t update it as much as I want to
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 #207 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 8:51 am
Don’t worry about Insua going and other players being sold off to line RBS’ and the four fuckers’ pockets. You cannot say that you were not warned.
Anyway this is all just symptoms of the bigger problem – the five fuckers. We need to speask out and make our voices heard. Arthur, the ‘I’m not sure what difference it will make’ is not the attitude we need here now mate.
Spinkage, I would suggest, if you can, set aisde 15 minutes every day to update you Indonesian blog and ensure that everyone understands what is going on at LFC and help us get these tyrants out of the club before there is nothing left but a shell. Try and get them to take a stance against the current incumbents. We have millions of supporters spread all over the world and it will only take a small percentage of us to wake-up and see what’s happening to force their hands.
Dougle made a good point about this being a good opportunity for us to get our club back in the hands of the supporters and everyone should heed this message.
Rome, give him a kick in the nuts for me. I hope he got Insua’s name on the back of it. Twat!
Away to send those mails off and then finish moving house – I am fucking wrecked.
Talk to you later lads.
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 #208 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 11:10 am
Dougle, the academy director Jose Segura is still at the club.
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 #209 |
Arman23
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 12:08 pm
The rage is building in me with every sale. How the fuck can you sell Insua!!?? I would understand if he was worth 20mil but its only 4-5 mill, hardly enough to cover any of the interest payments or debt or even as pocket change for the two ass-clowns. Fuck this, just fuck it. For 30 years I’ve supported this club and I’m really not sure if I can do it for a 31st. The Liverpool is being flushed down the fuckin toilet.
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 #210 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 12:19 pm
The money taken from the sales of Benayoun and Insua will just about cover the cost of sacking Rafa and hiring Roy.
The rest of the money taken in from all transfers from the last window, pays about 1 months interest.
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 #211 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 12:43 pm
Arman, this is the most important time to support LFC but not necessarily in a footballing sense.
We all need to stand up and be counted to get rid of these parasites and get our club back. Fire out the mails/emails and let’s show them what it means to be a part of the LFC family.
So strap yourself in for a 31st year of supporting LFC and make sure like-minded folk do the same thing. Spread the word! This is how we will get our club back. Resistance and fighting are the key words of today.
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 #212 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 3:14 pm
Re post 193:
“And where are the Rafa bashers…
Where is Digger and BM, I like to ask them what they think of, Purslow, the new boss that they helped install?
Fuckin idiots.”
Ridiculous comment and symptomatic of how this forum has gone
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 #213 |
rome77
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 4:11 pm
Aitch
Trouble is its not Merseyside Police i’m worried about, its W.Yorkshire Police and they like to shoot people.
Arthur
Whats ridiculous about it ? its a valid question or do you just object to the “F*ckin idiots” part.
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 #214 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
that and the part where Digger and BM are accused of somehow installing Purslow and the new manager….
Like I said..ridiculous
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 #215 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
How is it ridiculous Arthur?
Maybe I should remind you of what Mr Boughton said when asked why he sacked Rafa?
Or maybe we should discuss who the actual manager is?
Cause it’s certainly not Hodgson running the show.
Now if you want to criticise something I’ve said, that’s fair enough. But don’t expect not to be challenged on it…
You yourself called for Rafa’s head often enough.
When you all used to do, I would warn of the outcome and be ignored or slatted for it.
I’d ask who you would prefer as a manager, it was the usual suspects… Mourhino, Hiddink, etc.
And you were all warned that the best we could expect is someone like Roy… well, you got your way.
And now I’d like to ask some of these people how they feel about our new manager and the outcome of their witch hunt.
I think that’s extremely fair. Unfortunately, where ever you look you can’t find many of these people.
And I’d say if anything about this particular conversation is ridiculous… it’s them. They were warned. They ignored it. In fact, they stepped up the assaults. They had no alternative. They had no idea of the damage they were doing, and even less about the possible outcome. They didn’t care. They ploughed on regardless with no worry about the outcome and no respect for anyone who tried to show them the dangers of what they were doing. In fact, even worse… they then saw it as a mission to prove themselves right above and beyond everyone else’s opinion. In fact, they got to the point where their opinion being proved right was far more important than what was happening to the club…. and that, my friend, is ridiculous.
And yes. I’d still like to quiz them. But, unless Mr Hodgson performs some sort of miracle and his coaching somehow overcomes Purlsow’s management, then I doubt we’ll be seeing very much of them about.
There again, apparently it’s now acceptable for Mr Hodgson to finish mid-table. So, who knows, maybe if we finish 6th next season they will all come back to tell us how right they were and what an improvement there’s been since he took over.
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 #216 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 5:23 pm
FS:
I questioned Rafas tactics but I never called for his head
I feel like Im banging my head against a wall here but fans in here had NO INFLUENCE at all on Rafa being sacked and Roy being appointed
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 #217 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
That is ridiculous Arthur. They had every influence on this. Not the few in here, granted. But it was the Digger’s and BM’s of our “support” that helped the media create the atmoshphere which gave the hierarchy the bullets to fire… Broughton has already stated that.
And the fact is… when people tried to warn these people that it wasn’t just about Rafa, and that there was far more to it than one man’s job, they ploughed on regardless.
You can argue it until you are blue in the face, you’ll still be wrong. You can get as angry as you like at my comments on them, you’ll still be wrong… and like I’ve said a million times – I will never forgive them for this treachery and pure foolishness.
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 #218 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 8:18 pm
I think you’re wrong FS. I know that might seen as treason in here but that’s the glory of free speech. You fail to see that us fans have little or no power in corporate matters. Admirable as our letters are to banks and The Premier League are, unless fans stop going to games (which we all know wont happen) or people start taking their money out of RBS, I feel our fortunes wont change until our owners leave. They know they’re not wanted, do they care? not one bit. They’ll sell when they’re good and ready. And us, the fans will have had as much influence on their leaving as we did when our current owners decided to get rid of Benitez….very very little.
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 #219 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 8:24 pm
AGP, how did the ‘supporters’ have no effect on getting Rafa sacked, when Boughtman himself said that this is why he was booted out.
Anyway, let’s not waste our energy in these meaningless internal arguements and let’s focus our energy on the real enemy.
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 #220 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 8:30 pm
From the heart AGP you can go and fuck yourself.
You call yourself an Irishm
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 #221 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 9:04 pm
oops, 2nd go.
From the heart AGP, you can go and fuck yourself.
How can you call yourself an Irishman when at the first obstacle you throw in the towel.
Resistance is our forte and you’re a sad representative of our island, ignoring all that has went before, acting as if nothing ever happened and ignoring the facts.
You’re a bloody disgrace and, as FS has said, where are the Rafa bashers now? Where are the CBC now?
They’ve got what they wanted, whether they wanted it or not. Wishing for Mourinho when everyone else knew that he wouldn’t touch us with a barge poll.
In the end it doesn’t matter a toss and the CBC will now go and support barcelona, or whoever is the flavour of the day. Maybe it’s a team that plays 4-2-3-1 system?
If you cannot see that we paid a lot of money to get shot of one of the best managers in the planet, then I will never know what is going on in your head.
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 #222 |
dougle
Posted on July 18, 2010 @ 9:44 pm
Cheers – that’s actually good news LB. Let’s hope he stays. Talk later. Nappies and nursery rhyme time!
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 #223 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 12:40 am
Well ladies and gents if anyone wonders why people like Digger no longer comments in this forum, all one needs to do is see comment # 221.
So I can go “fuck myself” can I Lurgan? Very coherent and educated response to my previous comment. “Call myself an Irishman…” ah yeah…I’m from Dublin so ..i think that means I’m Irish…hmmm I’ll get back to you on that one though…
“Resistance is our forte and you’re a sad representative of our island” – is it 1916 all over again?
Truly sad but not wholly surprising considering that this forum has become radicalised by the likes of FS and his disciples.
Well I’m not gonna go away – I’ll stick with supporting LFC and Roy and try and counter some of the frankly stupid pots in here.
For the record (and I seem to have to repeat myself myself over and over again) I NEVER CALLED FOR RAFA’S HEAD. Yes I questioned his absurd tactics last year and i disagreed with how he dealt with many of the player issues that arose (Alonso , Keane et al). But I also stated, in here, that I felt we should stick with Rafa for one more year given the precarious finacial sitiuation we find ourselves in. So FS, I would appreciate if you would cease from making these falsehoods about what I did or didn’t say.
Oh and Lurgan, I’m sure if someone had to told you to go “fuck yourself” you’d no doubt be jumping up and down, screaming that the poster be banned by Gerry. Well I’m above that – it’s just a shame that you can’t seem to be able to argue a footballing point without resorting to personal attacks. Sad
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 #224 |
rome77
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 12:42 am
Just watched some film on Brian Clough and noticed quite a few parallel’s with him and Rafa and he seemed to look up to Shanks but not the likes of Don Revie ( Fat Sam ) or Ferguson (Whiskybreath)
But one area Clough had the advantage over Rafa was Peter Taylor, for the good cop/bad cop routine.
Rafa had Sammy Lee which is a bit like bad cop/worst cop. ¦ )
Anyway if he’d of got into the England job and ultimately the FA English football/Coaching would of changed for the better and eventually it would of paid dividends.
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 #225 |
rome77
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 1:36 am
Arthur
One thing that i find absurd is the phrase “his absurd tactics” i got to ask WTF do you know about tactics are you a UEFA coach or something ?
The term “absurd” in it self is up there with “crazy” its loaded with personal bias and it contributes to the character assassination by the media thus helping the 4 snakes.
So while you may not of said sack Rafa you did contribute in a tiny way.
PS
Lurgan i see your getting wound up too so just remember
“Deep breath count to 10 exhale”
YNWA
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 #227 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 9:00 am
Arthur – I don’t think FS means that Digger & BM were on the selection panel that gave Rafa the boot and Roy the job. Are you being too literal on purpose just to prove your point? Now as for banging the head against the wall – one more time – All the dissenting voices allowed the board to feel they could get rid of Rafa and they did.
Are you really sure fans have no influence? Is that what you’re saying? Do the media have any influence? I think that is “absurd” if that’s the case.
Now again more banging the head against the wall – It isn’t a case of whether Rafa was the best man for the job perse all things being equal and having the choice of any coach in the world with a transfer budget of £30 million per season.
The point is what was best for the club with H&G in charge? Well i find it hard to play devils advocate and say Rafa going was best. I cannot for the life of me fathom how rafa going could in any way shape or form benefit the club.
Hiddink might be a better coach than Rafa.
Moarinho might be a better coach than Rafa
Blah Blah Blah.
However who wanted to build someting that would last at the club?
Moarinho is after personal glory – he go’s where the next big job takes him. That’s fine but if you want to get back on your f#*8ing perch? I want someone who wants to be there long term.
Anyway it’s all academic. This season will be a disaster in football terms but it might be the season we get our club back but only if we fight.
Arthur – They picked on the wrong city mate. If it can be done by any fans…it can be done by LFC fans.
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 #228 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 9:13 am
AGP, I was out of order and hereby apologise to you. I broke the golden rule of posting after having a few beers.
Sorry about that and I hope that there was no (permanent) harm done.
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 #229 |
ldhawan
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 9:23 am
I like most Liverpool fans am a Benitez supporter. Hell I supported Spain in the world cup! Not to take any sides though, wht Broughtman said about letting Rafa go for the fans and the other jazz he said was in my opinion complete bullshit. It would be easy to say that whatever they did, they did because of the fans and the media and the interest of the club. He very well couldn’t come out and say they got rid of Rafa because the owners didn’t want him around opposing them now could he?
Although fans have an influence in club decisions, I’d like to think that most of the fans were still in Rafa’s corner as we could hear during matches. There will always be a minority of fans of any club not happy with the manager for whatever reason and the club latched onto those fans as an excuse which is ridiculous so instead of blaming the few fans who would never be on Rafa’s side no matter what but are still on Liverpool’s side, we should perhaps focus our blame on the owners and caretakers. Glad to see the likes of FS and co doing that and more, but us fighting amongst ourselves now that the damage is already done is pointless.
My humble opinion.
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 #230 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 10:12 am
Hey Lurgan
Of course no harm done – if I had known that beer was involved I would have been less upset
Anyway I hope I’m wrong about our (the fans ) lack of influence in the bigger scheme of things. Perhaps I’m just a bit cynical-minded
I have sent my letters, I have joined ShareLiverpool and would be willing to plump up real cash if this scheme was ever to get off the ground, so I’d like to think I’m doing my own little bit – I suppose just not all that convinced it will do much in the end
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 #231 |
McrRed
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 10:27 am
There’s one little comment you made Arthur which needs picking apart a bit.
“One of FS’s disciples…”
FS had the misfortune of playing Cassandra in a time when few people could see what was coming…or like some of us, could see it but hoped it would go away. Foolish, yes, I know.
What’s been clear since the “I’m just the coach” press conference is that Rafa was fighting most of his battles in the boardroom and corridors.
What’s been clear since January (some would say MUCH earlier) is that this club is being strangled by leveraged debt.
So, what to do?
Nothing?
Or do what we can?
Like you say boycotting matches would work within a month. But ain’t gonna happen.
Writing to journos is worthy but will have little direct effect.
Writing to RBS (and to some extent your MP) is the best strategy as long as enough people do it…do you know how many people complaining it takes to get a programme or advert pulled off telly? About 23…
FS has been instrumental in helping all of us do the best we can by making suggestions, providing email/contact addresses and keeping us in the know with regard to some of the behind-the-scenes goings on.
For this, FS (and every other person joining the fight) I salute you!
But, FS is not the Messiah…he’s a very naughty boy!
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 #232 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 11:10 am
Alright Lads,
So the soap opera goes on and our players are been sold off like hot cakes and Cecil is running the show.
With Insua gone to fiorentina,Benny,who btw lost any respect i had for him when he chose to toe Bascombes party line and stick the knife into Rafa(whats the point now) and Riera reportedly on his way to Olympiakos our entire left flank has been swiped out.
Easily 20 million has been brought in this year in transfer fees since january.
9 million has been wasted on replacing a world class manager with a decent manager,but no way an improvement.
Roy as i said before,has his work cut out.Its already started,his entire left flank is gone.Did roy have a say in any of it?
Well.. “if you want to talk about transfers, you will have to talk to Purslow… I’m only here to coach the team!”
Sounds like something Rafa said not so long ago.
These players are been sold,not nailed on first teamers but on the perifery and normally would play 40-50 games a season.The panic button hasn`t been pressed yet,not by the like of us,we know the score,but the fairy land suporters who feel its “not that bad”.
Torres isn`t sold,neither is SG.Hell Masch is still here but three important squad players are gone fron what is already a thin squad.Ok Riera is maybe an exception,he probably blabbed his way out of the club but the asset stripping is truly under way and there`s nobody there to stop them.Rafa has gone,and agree with his tactics,substitutions etc or not he was the only shield we had against this all happening.
So directly or indirectly the fans who went on “your on ska spotes” or talkshite,606 or even today fm on saturdays in ireland along with the forums,calling for Rafa`s head,HAVE contributed to this downfall.
Whats worrying me the most about this whole debacle is the ignorance of the situation from those who claim to be reds.I`ve tried explaining to people but you just know its going in one ear and out the other cos all you get is “roy will steady the ship” crap.
I`m pulling my hair out at this stage.You can lead a horse to water but you can`t make him drink it.
Thats their perogitive,but god help me,if they ever try to slag off the club,players or manager or claim audulation when we win a big game i`ll put them firmly back in their place.
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 #233 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 1:28 pm
Messiah… no thanks. Very naughty boy… well, yeah. I hold my hands up to that. But as for the name slinging lads, we should knock that on the head.
I’m sure Arthur’s having a wry little chuckle to himself over that, but the truth is… The only times I’ve really kicked of on anyone was when they deserved it and when I could see I was fighting a losing battle, I gave in and moved on because I really didn’t want to bring the blog down to that level.
And there’s no point in going over and over old ground but the fact is… a good few people in here, not just me, could see that the situation was far more serious than one man losing his job.
They could see what was coming and they desperately tried to warn people what might happen… this was put down to scaremongering, and the Rafa basher’s used all the usual old cliches to make our warnings look silly…
WE ARE LFC! Someone will jump at the chance to manage us. NOBODY IS BIGGER THAN THE CLUB, etc, etc.
All very nice soundbites but little to do with reality…
1: a top manager was never going to touch us while we was in this state.
2: H&G never intended to hire a top manager that might actually fight them for funds and so on.
3: They always wanted Rafa out because he would and did fight them every inch of the way.
4: The type of fans we are talking about did help create the atmosphere that gave Boughton and Purslow the opportunity and nerve to sack Rafa.
All that to me is undeniable fact. But it’s also in the past, so what about the future…
Well, not once have I ever tried to fool anybody that this would be easy. Not once have I tried to kid people into believing a few protests from us – in one form or another – would be enough to bring down this regime… I wouldn’t patronise anyone in that way.
What I have always insisted is this is a fight with many fronts, and it’s a combination of them all that will eventually topple this gang of sharks.
I stand by that.
And so, I announce the things in here that blog members can do. Not much point coming in here and asking you all to attend a rally in Liverpool City Centre. But, the email and letter campaigns, the alternative kit, etc, well, these are things that you can do no matter your location… and they are working. And I always keep you lads updated, and thank you for your efforts.
And you know what… everyone of you, yes including you Arthur, can give yourselves a big pat on the back. No matter how little, or how much, you have done, it all adds up. It’s like a gang of dogs bringing down a lion. One charging head on, will get eat alive… loads of them snapping at the lion’s heels – a different matter all together.
So that’s what we have to do… keep piling straw after straw on the camel’s back and eventually one will snap it.
And we have had results that anyone can see… make no mistake, when Stephen Hester admitted RBS had loaned the yanks too much money, that was a massive shift in tack by the RBS. And why did he do that and admit it… he said, it was fan pressure from an email and letter campaign.
So, don’t belittle your own efforts or the affect they are having.
In fact, there’s a little something going on behind the scenes right now, that will hopefully chip away at them that little bit more.
Oh well, we’ll see.
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 #234 |
JackHill
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 1:54 pm
So Joe Cole has just signed for the Reds!
Don’t know what the fee was but I’m glad after all the gloom and doom.
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 #235 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 1:57 pm
Sorry I’m still not having this nonsense we are in trouble.
We are LFC
Any top manager would give his right arm to manage us
No one is bigger than the club
Rafa was negative/boring/foreign whatever…
We are lucky to have Roy…he will steady the ship.
I’ll be happy if we finish in the top 10.
Before lurgankop nearly has a heart attack I am being ironic. You never know I don’t want Rome 77 sending the boys round.
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 #236 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:01 pm
Very surprised at the Cole signing. Didnt think we were going to get anyone of that quality after being linked with shite like Beattie, Scharner and Konchesky.
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 #237 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:13 pm
Very very surprised and very happy with Joe Cole signing – if he can stay fit we have a real player on our hands
Just shows we still have a bit of clout in the transfer market
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 #238 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:16 pm
Jole Cole has signed?
We’re going to win the league, We’re going to win the league and now you’re going to believe us and now you’re going to believe us and now you’re going to believe us…we’re going to win the league!!
Hopefully Jole Cole owner of the biggest backside in football is over his injury problems because he is a good footballer.
Steve and Sam they’ve got big fat heads!
Joe Cole he’s got a big fat bum!
We just need two left backs now.
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 #239 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:17 pm
still being ironic!
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 #240 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
I wonder had anyone told Roy that Cole just signed! Great signing and quality player. Dont let this signing distract us from the fact that Purslow is still a dirty little snake in the grass.
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 #241 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:27 pm
Well ironic about the winning the league bit not being ironic over joe cole’s big fat bum or the we still need two left backs comment.
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 #242 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:37 pm
Fantastic signing.Joe`s a fantastic player.
Looking at Sly sports at the moment and Cecil must be rubbing his hands.This was a shrood move and as FS said these parisites know exactly waht they are doing.People are e-mailing in now saying they can`t wait for season to start,everyone will stay,joe will bring us back where we belong.
The board have did this to take the heat off themselves.They still haven`t invested money in the transfer kitty.Yes Joe will command big wages but we`ve just taken Benny,Aurellio and insua off the wage bill.We must not let this,despite it being a good signing for the team,distract us from our goal of ridding Tom and George & co.
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 #243 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:39 pm
Well let’s face it, he was well within our current price range. Good player though, if he stays fit, which is a big if.
KDLL, thanks for the clarification on the irony part. The blood pressure was starting to mount there.
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 #244 |
artful_dodger74
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 2:53 pm
Or are they just serving us a couple of nice slices of meat before plonking a nice dollop of shite on our sandwich. That dollop being the sale of Nando and Stevie. Apologies for the metaphor – but you can tell what i had for lunch!
While its great to enjoy a bit of good news for once surrounding the club we still have to put this into perspective. BennyOnion out for approx 5 mill and Cole in on a free. Subject to a signing on fee and some healthy wages. So where is the Benny money going? And what about nearly 20 mill raised from other player sales from this tranfer window and the last.
Purslow thinks he’s some clever c*nt i tells ye. Butter us up with a nice free agent hoping we forget about were the rest of the money is. Dont think so Cecil.
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 #245 |
Aitch
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 4:51 pm
Every Magician has a beautiful assistant in a sparkly sequined swimsuit…
Her purpose is to misdirect your attention so you don’t see “the trick”.
For those of you now imagining Joe Cole in a sparkly sequined swimsuit… I apologize!
Despite having been deployed as a winger recently… Joe’s preferred position is central, in the hole.
Joe Cole’s own words: “I wanted to move somewhere, where I could play a more central role.
So is this a move to pursuade SG to stay…
… or are we unveiling SG’s replacement?
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 #246 |
Aitch
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 5:02 pm
And for what its worth… I more often than not disagree with most of Arthur G’s opinions… but please don’t label him a CBC and lump him in with that lot.
He’s right about one thing… he wasn’t in the group that was calling for Rafa’s head.
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 #247 |
Aitch
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
And while you were looking at Cole….
…another promising youngster for the future slips out the back door in the dead of night…
Jose Mourinho has swooped to sign 17-year-old Argentine Juan Lescano from Liverpool after the young striker failed to secure a work permit to stay in England.
The Academy prospect, who had yet to play any first team football for the Reds, has signed a four year deal at the Santiago Bernabeu and will now look to follow in the footsteps of Raul by forcing his way into the first team while still a teenager.
Speaking about the move to Spain, Lescano paid tribute to compatriots Javier Mascherano and Emiliano Insua stating:
“At Liverpool people like (Javier) Mascherano and (Emiliano) Insua helped me a lot, but after the legal problems this is a big opportunity for me.
Lescano is the second Argentine to move to Real this summer after the Spanish giants sealed a deal for Benfica winger Angel di Maria. The prospects of the duo being joined by national hero Diego Milito appear to have been hit with Inter Milan refusing to do business for the highly-rated striker.
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 #248 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 6:30 pm
fantastic signing some good news for a change! if we can hold on to stevie and nando and add some quality to the left hand side and a decent stiker with the money for masher we can deal with any side in the league.
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 #249 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 6:37 pm
Alright lads, not pissing on the parade. But we’ve got stop and look at this. I know. I know. But that’s how it is now, and I see most of you have been thinking about it anyway. So…
Wages, as we all know, now come out of the transfer kitty. But do they go back in when the player leaves?
I can’t work it out. I’m not sure if anyone can, but it has to be taken into account…
Since the last transfer window, we’ve got quite a few off the wage bill and brought in over 20 million on sales from the same players.
And meself I’d have said smoke and mirrors, but, like Aitch said, Joe is the magician’s glamorous assistant, taking everyone’s eyes off the ball.
That’s not a sleight on Joe Cole. He’s always wanted to play for Liverpool. He’s said that on many occasions going back to the beginning of his career.
It was the Kop that done it. He said he always wanted to play in front of them. He might be in for a bit of a shock when he gets there and three quarters of them don’t even know how to sing YNWA. But, that’s a different story.
Mind you, it’s not really as the dismantling has been taking the kop in for a couple of seasons now. But anyway, it looks like no one in here is being fooled. Sadly, though the majority will. Oh well, as far as I’m concerned, Joe Cole Nat King Cole, Old King Cole, makes no difference to me… the fight goes on.
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 #250 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 7:11 pm
So maybe this is the start of the big spending spree that was promised by Hicks at the start of the year.
Maybe I have been wrong about him all along?
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 #251 |
Aitch
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 7:28 pm
That’s exactly what my two mates have just accused me of… “pissing on the parade” coz I’m not dancing in the streets at the Joe Cole singing.
“Don’t you rate Cole higher than Benny” I was asked.
Well in point of fact I do… don’t get me wrong… I liked Benny… A LOT… but I think Cole has more to his all-round game.
“Don’t you think he’ll link up well with SG and Nando?” I was asked.
Well yeah… that’s if he does for more than 20 games this season (if at all, accepting either may or may not even still be here, but let’s say for the sake of argument they both stay) … with those 3… we now have the MOST injury prone attack in the Prem.
And there are 45 days left to asset strip.
As for getting in “some quality to the left hand side and a decent stiker with the money for masher” … do you honestly think Purslow will spend ANY of the money for such a deal.
We have 2 new players at Anfield… and yes, both are exciting names… but please “think” will you lads?
Jovanovic was a deal done by Rafa.
Cole was a Rafa target, the deal may have well been wrapped up by Purslow, but it was certainly initiated by Rafa.
And both… cost nothing up front!
(in terms of money to their clubs… signing on bonuses are never counted into the mix.)
Yet there are a number of articles reporting: “Liverpool snap up Cole in 17 million deal”
His contract might well be worth 17 mill over 4 years… but don’t be fooled…
…this was a Bosman… not a 17 million deal.
As for wages and the transfer kitty… yeah I reckon that’s how this deal was done FS.
Cole will be on 90k per week.
Probably what we were paying Benny and Insua combined
So this is basically FREE PR.
Commenters over on the Echo website are pissing themselves in anticipation of the season with this signing.
Roy making a statement of intent, etc., etc.
Sad really!
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 #252 |
Beeksteroo
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 8:08 pm
So the medical staff advise none of our world cup players should be played in our upcoming Europa league matches. Methinks this is just so that they won’t be cup-tied when the clearance sale of the century takes place in August.
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 #253 |
McrRed
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 8:27 pm
Fuckin’ ‘ell Beekster…that’s cynical!
But very clever…
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 #254 |
McrRed
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 8:31 pm
Pleased about Cole signing, but can still see it for what it is…
…the only transfers we can afford for the last year are frees.
Frees always carry a threat of injury or players bang out of form which is why they’ve not been handed juicy contracts to begin with. “The most injury-prone atack in the Prem.”
Think of picture of H&G with dead liverbird on the beach and it about sums up our current transfer market clout.
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 #255 |
McrRed
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 8:53 pm
So why was the Al-Hilal match cancelled?
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 #256 |
axchoice
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 11:02 pm
Guys,
I’m not excited by Joe Cole’s signings as eloquently put by Aitch. Given the unpredictability of football, we may even knick a win against Arse in the opening game, and then the anti Rafa fans will go bonkers and hail Mr Hodgson. One part of me wants it to happen, but it’ll make our fight against the snakes all the harder.
It makes it very difficult to support the club now. Sigh…
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 #257 |
dougle
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 11:05 pm
McrRed – Rain.
Joe Cole = at least one less goal against us every season. Halleluyah ! Always wanted to play for us, cool.
Grand. Let’s see where we stand come Sept 1st, and then every other transfer window as long as those parasites continue to feed off of us.
Remember Liverpool had a relatively small debt when they took over. The Club is a money making business that has been put into leveraged debt and crippled by them.
Joe Cole and Jova, 2 big signings ? Freebies.
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 #258 |
dougle
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 11:10 pm
Ax and all of us … lets have the footie debates etc when the time comes around. No problem. It’s ok.
I don’t see any great change vis a viz the real issue here. The “Injuns” will be fooled by bangles, beads and mirrors.
Those of us who have learn’t over the last while and have acted upon it and attempted to educate others and subvert the Sky/TalkShite agenda, well there is no going back.
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 #259 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 11:51 pm
Lads – you’re right not to get carried away – in fact why would ANYONE get carried away about signing one (potentially Darren Anderton’s new heir apparent)player??? But we have to all sit back and at least acknowledge that it is a a brief glimmer of sunshine, a brief respite from the storm. Yes we still want the owners out, of course we do..and as soon as possible. But amidst the struggle – we’d still all like to see LFC and Roy do as well as we possibly can. Cole, if he stays fit, is an exciting prospect
I for one believe that if we can keep Gerrard and Torres (clearly a huge big IF) and we sign a decent enough left back we may have an OK season – i.e. possibly challenge for a 4th place spot. You never know what effect Roy may have on the place and certain fringe players like Babel may finally come good. We have to be positive as well as militant!
Obviously, we lose Torres and Gerrard and it all goes to shit and I think we’ll struggle badly. But I have a hunch, they’ll stay
Mascherano is a good as gone in my eyes. It’s a shame – but he’s been messing around, looking for a move for the last two seasons now so I suppose he’s better away from Anfield at this stage.
Oh and thanks Aitch for kinda sticking up for me
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 #260 |
Aitch
Posted on July 19, 2010 @ 11:52 pm
While everyone was looking in the direction of Joe Cole… here’s another little piece of news released today…
(yes the announcement that the tickets would go up had already been made, by percentage rate… but today the actual prices for those tickets were released)
Here are the new prices for match tickets to Anfield.
Category A games for The Kop have increased from £37 to £43, the rest of the ground from £39 to £45.
Disabled and visually impaired fans will see their Anfield Road prices increased from £29.50 to £34.
The price of an Adult/Child ticket has risen to £67.50
Another ticket price increase is likely from January when VAT in the UK rises from 17.5% to 20%.
Liverpool have also introduced a Category C for some of the games against smaller Premier League sides and these will also cost more than last seasons prices.
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 #261 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:03 am
No worries Arthur…
I think most arguments these days are gonna stem from the two sides of the idea that you just stated.
You and some others are predicating your opinions on you “have a hunch” that SG and Torres “will stay”
whereas many of us “have a hunch” they’ll be pushed out (perhaps even against their will) for the payday.
I mean seriously… you were typing that Joe Cole’s acquisition was “a brief glimmer of sunshine, a brief respite from the storm.”
…at the exact time I was typing the info about the ticket price raise.
There is no repite from the storm as long as
…Purslow has the keys to the safe (containing player’s contracts).
…Broughton is “working tirelessly” to effect a sale “sooner rather than later”
…and G&H still hold the deed.
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 #262 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:33 am
Well lads I’m back, I think that was long enough, anyway happy with the J Cole signing, at least he’s someone, someone else wants.
.
Been thinking about the comments of which fans caused which part. Well I have a left field version, here it goes.
.
While at Anfield watching the last home game of the year, I mentioned, I though Rafa was leaving by his full perimetre march and waving exercise.
.
Believe me it was very emotional, after a drab season, players looking out of sorts and finishing the season with a lets get on holidays whimper. The commanded and got a standing ovation from all, not some but all 40,000 people at the ground.
.
If he had indeed decided to leave then this was the type of situation which the board could not have, a man with total adoration and support. I believe this was that start of the collapse of Rafa as the board new he had people power.
.
Not one person was clapping while he walked the entire field, this is why I think Rafa was chopped (Kinny I know he was pushed, I still don’t like it.).
.
The axis of evil at our club couldn’t have a saviour in its midst and subsequently did the Roman Emporer back door deal, however in this one he went back to Italy instead of heaven.
.
Listening to Broughton state fans were some of the reason may be partially true, but it could be the adoring fans, those 9 out of 10 who support him. Broughton was just using the fans so he wasn’t seen as the cunt he is, now he’s part of the axis of evil.
.
This was a corporate decision made by a board who were looking after themselves, NO ONE ELSE, Rafa had power.
.
Well go after this one lads. Ps. Arthur, you had some good points, I actually came back in just to comment, as a layman supporter, I do what I can, but unless we boycott games which Arthur said, then really it won’t make a difference to G, H and the axis boys. Afterall they just rose the prices for admission another 10% or so, if they were worried or hurting they would be reducing the price.
.
Long winded and full of shit but anyway worth a discussion. excuse any spelling mistakes as I type whole lines before the writing comes up, can’t be bothered going back and correcting it.
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 #263 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:37 am
The above line should read “Not one person stopped clapping while he walked the entire field.” Oops.
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 #264 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:39 am
Ah shit sorry lads a paragraph dropped off the blog, that being, I use the appointment of Mr Hodgson as my evidence of what the board wanted, as LB said, a YES man, a man who doesn’t rock the boat, keeps things quiet, and puts up with shite. Rafa didn’t want to, or shouldn’t of had to.
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 #265 |
axchoice
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 2:09 am
Gaz/ Arthur,
Just a few things to say:
1) Tom Hicks Jnr was sacked from the LFC board because his abusive email reply met with strong opposition from fans.
2) Rafa was not sacked the first time round after news of negotiations between the snakes & Klinnsman was surfaced, mainly because of the large show of support from fans to Rafa.
Rafa had his contract extended after our most successful season 2 seasons ago. Since the snakes had wanted him to go as early as when they had stepped into the LFC board, why did they extend his contract then? The only reason I can think of is his popularity with fans then of leading us to our best ever Premiership result.
I’d say the snakes do care how the fans think. They’re happy as long as the fans’ attentions are diverted away from their real objective of asset stripping the club.
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 #266 |
axchoice
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 2:13 am
To add to my earlier note, we fans are the only people that can help save the club, unless we’re willing to see our dear club sucked dry to death and into possible oblivion…
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 #267 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 2:31 am
Oh great, Joe Cole has joined.
So…
Besides Pepe, who’ll he be teaming up with come September 1st?
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 #268 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 2:44 am
Is anyone having problems with viruses connecting to kopblog, I keep getting norton blocking files every time I log on, anyone else having this happen.
.
Kinny, I think he’ll be playing with Jovanovic, Shelvey and maybe Risse if they can get him back.
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 #269 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 2:48 am
Ax, I think you’ll find all those things you mentioned were overturned because Rafa had aligned himself with Hicks, during Hicks’ personal vendetta/spat against Gillet. Since they no longer need Rafa on either side, he became expendable. I don’t know if either has any say at the moment, as all is quiet on their front, now its left to the ones who may still be here looking for jobs should a sale go through.
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 #270 |
axchoice
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 4:05 am
gaz,
Look at point 2 in my post #265. Both of them wanted to replace Rafa then. It was from Hicks statement that they wanted Klinnsman as ‘insurance policy’. Was Rafa ‘aligned to Hicks’ then? What are you overturning?
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 #271 |
axchoice
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 4:07 am
regards to 1) in post #265, has Rafa’s ‘alignment’ with Hicks resulted in his son’s removal from the LFC board?
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 #272 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 4:07 am
gaz, you think G&H have no say in what’s going on?
Everything being done by Broughton and Purslow is being done at their behest.
G&H renegotiated Rafa’s contract for one simple reason, they pretty much had to. (and it suited their agenda to oust Parry, who despite his contributing to our demise, did in actual fact stand in the way of them doing the things they’ve been doing for the last few months)
If they’d ousted him last summer… coming off a 2nd place finish with a record points haul (achieving that points haul with the exact same “tactics” as this miserable cunt of a season I might add) there’d have been a serious outcry.
If they hadn’t renegotiated his contract, it would have raised some red flags…
…so they did what they had to and he negotiated them into what he wanted from a position of strength.
But as more and more people lost their nut over poor results (which were a result of an unheard of series of injuries and poor form… and not “bizarre tactics and player selections”) the anti-rafas grew louder and as a result the fanbase started to split …
…and people who don’t know any better climbed on board the dickhead crowd and created a public anti-Rafa sentiment loud enough to give them the opportunity to what they’d wanted to do all along… fire the mexican gardener!
(They’re from Texas you see… Fat Spanish Waiters are Mexican Gardeners in Texas…)
Firing Rafa was a simple power play… one G&H had been trying to effect since they arrived and plunged us into debt.
They tried… realized it was gonna create more problems than it was worth and held off.
Then they got snookered into giving him more power…
…but knew in reality it was a no-lose situation for them…
…give him more power and he succeeds and they take the credit…
…give him more power and he fails and they get what they wanted all along…
…a fanbase backlash (fanned by the media, in which you can bet G&H played no small part.)
What is happening now is ALL by design.
The only way their plan fails, is if we raise enough stink to cause someone (like RBS) to rethink their part in it and upset the apple cart. Then, just maybe we get out of this alive.
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 #273 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 6:31 am
Aitch, they still most definitely have a say but now the difference is they both want out, although at their terms. Ax, Hicks made it clear he was fully backing Rafa against Gillet after the Klinnsman affair, Hicks seemed firmly in Rafa’s corner while he was bitching with Gillet. Remember the fireside chat, that was all about supporting Rarfar and the club. Anyway I’ll back off on the rest. Aitch, I still can’t figure out why they gave him such a lengthy and strong contract, alas though, as I’ve said and yourself, at times I don’t know why he stayed.
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 #274 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 10:45 am
Looking at the comments, the best I can say is, like all the other shite going on at the club because of H&G, there’s a precedent for all this…
Maybe one of more knowledgable fans on American Sports can fill in all the blanks, because, there’s that much shite that revolves around that pair, I can only remember the bigger details…
At one of Hick’s sports franchises, there was a very popular and succesful coach. Apparently in America, they are just that – coaches. But this fella stood up to Hicks and wouldn’t toe the line. The fans loved him all the more for it.
Hicks sacked the fella. There was uproar, Hicks bought a top player for the team, so a lot of them calmed down, but then he set about dismantling the rest of the team/squad.
But right now, there’s no point in trying to tell people any of this. The propoganda machine is in full swing…
Talk Shite has been full of it all morning… An Ingurlish boy wiv an Ingurlish manager – good times ahead for the Reds.
Don’t be fooled by this smoke and mirrors is all I can say.
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 #275 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 11:10 am
Fs, I think the lads name ironically was Rodrigez, he came in on some massive deal, something above 200+ million over 5 years, I think he only lasted two.
.
Look I think we all know its smoke and mirrors but it feels good to actually sign someone, and especially someone who other teams want.
.
I know we appear to be going all English, is this because of the new rules or just something else. JC seems happy with the signing of JC. Lots of JC’s there.
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 #276 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 11:39 am
No, Gaz. I’m not accusing anyone in here of being conned by this. I’m giving the general picture. And sadly, the smoke and mirrors have worked. That’s all I’m saying.
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 #277 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 11:40 am
Not sure I want Phil Thompson and Jamie Carra going overboard about the Joe Cole signing. Don’t get me wrong all things being equal I’d normally be made up up at a signing of this quality especially on a free but this isn’t all things being equal.
Jamie Carragher saying the board need a pat on the back. Tommo saying this is bringing back the feel good factor.
FS – who was the only player against Rafa? I seem to remember you saying that a few blogs ago. Or is classified?
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 #278 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:00 pm
Ok lads here is some good news from our Captain, http://ht.ly/2dQd3, have a look at this, he’s here for good.
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 #279 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
FS – I think the Cole deal has to be taken into context of whether Gerrard and Torres leave or stay. If they leave, I think your argument has some merit – however if they stay and we bring in a decent left back (with Jovanovic already in place) I think we can be mildly optimistic.
I understand your scepticism FS – but I don’t think we can say for sure that there is going to be a firesale. So I think we’ll have to be patient and see how the next few weeks pan out
so in the end the Cole transfer may just be that: a good transfer – no strings, no smoke and mirrors
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 #280 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:12 pm
Wow talk about timing!!! – that’s fucking great news Gaz – almost as good (and as important) as the Cole signing yesterday
Well with Gerrard commiting his future to us, that really only leaves El Nino to follow suit. Obviously I’d like Mascherano to do the same but if he wants to leave – I think we should take the money and hopefully we’re able to use some of it
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 #281 |
somnath07in
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
Probably the best news in months. We are able to bring two very good players in Cole and Jovanovic. I think Torres will stay too. He loves the club.Like Gerrard he is passionate about Liverpool FC and money is not everything for him. His commitment for the future will be a big boost.
Owners are bad as hell. Rafa is gone. We needed some good news. Probably this is the beginning.
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 #282 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:01 pm
Arthur, what the fuck are you talking about… only joking mate
I think that the main difference in our point of views is that you’re being optimistic and giving G&H et al the benefit of the doubt, until you see what happens.
On the other hand, I see them as the devil’s love-spawn who give us a sweetener before they start raping and pillaging the club again.
OK even if Torres et al stay for this season what makes you sure that he will be here next season when the next set of interest bills lands on G&H’s desk. This story has been played out several times in different parts of the world with the same actors. So what makes you so sure that it won’t happen again to us?
BTW, I see we have another new signing.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8836152.stm
‘Holding back the years’ indeed.
|
 #283 |
axchoice
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:02 pm
Gaz,
This is the last on the issue of Hicks’ alliance with Rafa.
Please read this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/2288918/Hicks-Klinsmann-was-insurance-policy.html
Both of them had wanted to get rid of Rafa, and they didn’t, probably due to the uproar caused by the fans. Yes, Hicks sided Rafa AFTER the event to fight Gillette, so your politics theory doesn’t hold water for this incident.
So why did H&G offer Rafa a good contract later? You had no idea, but you refused to consider the possibility that they are trying their best to appease the fans while they continue to suck the club dry. It’s the same reason why they’re only too glad to later fire Rafa after many fans turned on against him last season.
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 #284 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:08 pm
Nice PR by Purslow and Boughtman I must say. English manager to give us the right sound bites, popular English player who all the media thinks is the English Zidane.
I don’t mean to piss on your chips lads but I can’t help thinking to myself the following questions. If Joe Cole is such a good player why was he released by Chelsea at 28 years of age? When was the last time the player actually strung some good performances together?
Chelsea tell a 28 year old Joe Cole his services are no longer required and then spend £6m on a 30 year old Benayoun. I don’t think Ancelotti is an idiot so can someone give me another reason as to why Chelsea would do this? My very cynical assumption is that Joe Cole is a crock and well passed it. I guess we’ll see.
|
 #285 |
axchoice
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:18 pm
LB,
I agree with you on the Joe Cole & Benayoun assessment, that Ancelotti isn’t stupid enough to pay 6m to exchange a 28 year old English Zidane for a relatively unknown 30 year old Israeli.
I think Torres will stay another season since he’s got a good relationship with our fans. We won’t know what will happen next season.
We’re fighting against clever snakes who know how to churn out good PR pieces to appease fans while they continue to suck life out of our beloved LFC.
Does anyone have the odds of an extension of dateline to sell the club from the present 1 Sep 2010 to 1 Feb 2011?
|
 #286 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:23 pm
Well LB – that might be the case – but we couldn’t really do much about Benayoun – he expressed his desire to leave so I always think it’s best to let these unhappy players go
Cole is a risk but let’s just wait and see – however, he’s certainly no Zidane in my eyes
Lurgan: I see your point but you seem to forget, I want these scum suckers out as much as you do. But look at events at Man Utd – they too have terrible debt inducing owners which the fans all loath…but it hasn’t stopped them from still be able to challenge for trophies – what I’m saying is we may still be able to have a decent season DESPITE our shitty owners…sure time will tell
|
 #287 |
Terry Pearce
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:28 pm
Roy Hodgson looks like Eric Bristow.
|
 #288 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:35 pm
Nice input there TP !
|
 #289 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 1:41 pm
Arthur, I know that you have done your bit in the fight against our incumbents and I applaud you for that. I also know you want shot of them as much as any decent LFC supporter does.
However, the bit I don’t get, is when you say:
-o-
I understand your scepticism FS – but I don’t think we can say for sure that there is going to be a firesale. So I think we’ll have to be patient and see how the next few weeks pan out.
-o-
What I’m saying is that going by their past records we shouldn’t need to wait a few weeks to see what happens. They will fuck us over in the short, medium and long term, unless we get shot of them by whatever means. Not having a go Arthur, just stating my view on things.
Regarding manure, the Glazers were pumping money in left right and centre at the start of their reign. It will be interesting to see how good Ferguson is now that he has had his purse-strings tightened. Will they be challengers this time around. I am not so sure but I guess we will have to wait and see.
|
 #290 |
dougle
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 2:09 pm
Gaz – interesting bird’s eye view from the last game of the season – Rafa’s last game – and dire it was too. All the more poignant and impresssive that he got such an ovation form the crowd.
While I would be on the “idiot supporters helped Rafa get fired” side of the argument I’m also realistic about the media manipiulation to create the “rafa has last the dressing room – will never bring the league title to Anfield – is tactically naive – too defensive – is a fat spanish waiter – doesn’t understand the average Liverpool supporter – etc etc etc” -
Being loved by many at Anfield and being ridiculed (and I remember FS very clearly stating that he could not see a way back for Rafa once the ridicule element started) and lambasted by others driven by the Talk Shite/ Sky need for blood are in many ways reason and opportunity for the parasites.
But they were going to find a way anyway. Rafa was in the way. He had to go.
“Good news” about Gerrard ? He better bloody well show up this season both as player and captain. Last season he was cack, for whatever reason he just didn’t show up at all (IMHO).
Let’s see. I always thought that Gerrard needs “an arm around the shoulder” kind of manager. I wonder. I certainly would not want Stevie (and his buddy’s) running the dressing room.
So it’s there for you Stevie boy… now show us you want it.
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 #291 |
axchoice
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 2:26 pm
Lurgan,
Agree with you #289 regarding Manure.
The only times since 2005 that Manure couldn’t win the league are: 2005-2006, 2006-2007 when Chelski outspent them and took away many of their targets, and 2009-2010 when Fergie had no money to splurge on new recruits despite getting 80m from Ronaldo’s sale.
It’d be interesting to see how they’d fare if the transfer drought continues.
|
 #292 |
rome77
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 3:15 pm
axchoice The Prem as always been “bought” by the teams that spend the most.
@252 Beeksteroo I thought the same but put it down to paranoia.
Why would Rafa along with a lot of the players get such a long contract extensions ?
Is it because you get better transfer fee’s / compensation when they leave,
speculate to accumulate.
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 #293 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 4:12 pm
On the face of it,as a deal,signing Joe Cole at 28 however his previous form has been,is a great deal for the team.
However we must not take our eye off the ball here.There`s a bigger picture.We all know what it is.
This isn`t a “staement of intent” as some fans around the place like to put it.Because for it to be a statement of intent,would mean we intend to go out and aquire more players of that quality.Unfortunately there isn`t anymore players of joe`s quality on a bosman.
We haven`t 25-30 million to spend on another marquee player.Roy will probably get 8-10 for a left full and a striker.Thats even if mash leaves for 25 million.
I think we can assume at this point that mash has played his last game in a red shirt.
So lets look at what Cecil has brought in since january.
Andrea Dossena Napoli £4,700,00
Andriy Voronin Dinamo Moscow £1,800,000
Nikolay Mihaylov FC Twente £1,500,000
Mikel San José Domíngue Athletic Bilbao £2,600,000
Yossi Benayoun Chelsea £6,000,000
Figures courtesy of lfchistory.net
That totals 16.6 millon since january.
Not taking Insua into account here which has gone for a reported 4.5 million.
Thats 21 million.
Now we`ve Riera,again close to a 4 million deal with Olympiakos.
That will be 25 million.
I haven`t got a wage bill on me but all the combined wages those who have left since january and those soon to leave,also adding Aurellio and David Martin to that list,what would be their combined weekly wage?
Well i`m thinking it would be more htan enought to cover the wages of Joe and Milan.
So there we go,20 mill in already,soon to be 25 with a very big possibility of another 25 (mash) along with them off the wage bill,that could be 50 million into the coffers.
So thats 40 for interest and 10 for Woy!
Thats my financial report
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 #294 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 4:30 pm
Glad you turned up LB. I knew quite well what you was going to say. I would have said it myself, but thought it best to wait for you because it couldn’t be misconstrued as me “panic mongering.”
The propoganda machine has been in full swing all day… Ingurlund’s most creative player, under a good old fashioned no nonsense, arm around your shoulder type Ingurlish manager. If that stupid Wop Copoutello had only used Ingurlund’s most creative player since Sir Stanley, bless he’s wooly socks, Maffews, we’d ave won der World Cup.
And now obviously it’s going to be a top four challenge for Liverpool again because there’ll be none of that foriegn fancy dan, rotation, zonal marking and tictacs.
Good ol’ Roy will put proper players in their proper positions and play a proper Ingurlish 442.
I’d say the propoganda, double standards and hypocrisy are mind boggling, but I’m well past that stage by now.
Sadly, as confirmed by some of the comments in here, a large proportion of “fans” are falling for this.
And, even though this will be laughed at by some, Talk Shite was full of “Red Scousers” this morning all glowing about Woy, Joe Cole and yes… even Purslow. If that wasn’t a set up, I’m a fuckin fat spanish waiter.
Sadly, this has had the desired effect. And I have to accept that that’s just how it is nowadays. But I remember a time when nobody would have fell for any of this shite and the yanks would have been booted out long ago. Try even mentioning it now though…
You’re at best, pissing on the chips. At worst running a vendetta against decent people doing their best in a trying time… and I don’t mean Woy or Joe.
I sometimes ask meself what I’m trying to save, because in all honesty, this is not the club I fell in love with and the people following it are not the people I would have walked to the ends of the earth with just to see Liverpool play.
The whole fuckin game is rotten to the core. The club is being plundered and destroyed by people who couldn’t give a fuck. The Band is playing as the ice berg looms, but instead of running for the life boats, the paying customers are standing there clapping as they play the last waltz.
And I’d turn me back and just walk away as the whole shebang sinks to the bottom, but I can’t.
Sad times, indeed.
|
 #295 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 5:04 pm
A work colleague of mine, Arsenal fan. Had a copy of the Sun on his desk and was reading it during his lunch. He called me over and said “It’s rare that Bosman signing gets so much publicity isn’t it?” and showed me the 3 page spread in the Sun. They have a fantastic photo of King Kenny in his 1984 strip the photo is almost the length of the newspaper and next to him they have a photo of Joe Cole in his red England strip. “KING KENNY v KING COLE” was the headline with a list of their player honours. It gave me a right chuckle.
On t he following page there was another headline TREVOR BROOKING SAYS ENGLAND TEA TO SUFFER FOR 8 YEARS and here’s why….. 79 TRANSFERS and only ONE ENGLISH.
That made me chuckle as well. Never mind England were just as shite in the 80s and 90s when there were hardly any foreign players in England. Never mind Germany have 150 specialist coaches for youngsters compared to our 20. (Spain have over 200 apparently). No, we are shite because of the foreigners.
Sorry for reading the Sun guys, I promise when I get home I will get the Optrex out and give the eyes a thorough bathe before having a long hot shower. I feel dirty you see.
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 #296 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 5:12 pm
Thats england team not tea. We do a good cuppa.
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 #297 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
Okay so here goes…
I suppose it needs to be stated, coz I guess it can’t be taken for granted…that all those of us on the “doom-n-gloom train” understand and realize that if things “stay as they are” … if the current squad is the squad we have on Sept 1… then yes of course we have a chance to make a good punt back into the top 4.
Hell… come to that, we’ve got as good a chance as anyone at challenging for the title…
… because… as I have postulated time and time again…
… the squad that finished 7th last year was far, far better than a 7th placed squad…
…in fact… one or two names aside…
… it was the same squad, playing the same tactics, with the same team selections, and the same substitution decisions, as previously finished 2nd with a record points haul!
We still have the best keeper in the Prem.
We can still pick a back four from Johnson, Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kyrgiakos, with youngsters Ayala, Kelly and Darby.
We can still select a midfield from Cole Kuyt, Maxi, Lucas, SG, Masch, Aqua, and even Jovanovic…
… with Riera and Babel still on the books, and a few impressive looking kids waiting in the wings.
We still Torres, Ngog isn’t half as bad as some would have you believe, we have enough midfielders at the moment that Jovanovic and Kuyt can play up front or in the hole, as can Cole.
…and we’ve got lads like Eccleston, Pacheco and a few others, who granted might still be a season or two away from a real contribution, but have gained enough experience that they can chip in here and there.
But all of that is premised on the idea… if things now… stay as they are… until Sept 1.
…and that is the real problem… coz I wouldn’t bet 1 quid on that, let alone LFC’s future.
So far, Purslow and Broughton have proved themselves experts at one thing…
…saying one thing… then doing another! (in some cases the exact opposite of what they said.)
So how can we relax and enjoy the acquisition of Joe Cole for even one second… when the cost could be something we don’t recover from.
Every housewife that has ever been beaten senseless by an abusive husband will tell the cops that he loves her. Its called co-dependance.
G&H, Puslow, and Broughton have all abused us… they’ve slapped us in the face repeatedly…
… what are YOU gonna tell the cops?
… oh and before anyone goes getting too excited…Stevie G. has not stated “he’s staying” or committed his future to the club…
… what he said (when asked about Joe Cole, not his own future) was…
“I’m looking forward to playing with him in a red shirt.”
…sounds good and all… but is not definitive in any way shape or form.
You can “look forward to shagging the new bird at work” all you like…
…it don’t mean you’ll be shagging her anytime soon!
|
 #298 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 5:17 pm
England were even worse in the seventees LB.
NOW GO AND WASH YOUR EYES OUT WITH SOAP AND WATER
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 #299 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 5:20 pm
Aitch maybe that red shirt could be the Ingerlund away strip.
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 #300 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
You’ve cracked it timmy…
…when he signs for Madrid, he’ll simply say
“I was misquoted. What I said was, I look forward to playing with him in a red shirt. I was talking, in general, about when I have played with him for England, not future tense playing with him at Liverpool. Waiter, another sangria please.”
|
 #301 |
elbmw
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 6:09 pm
Alright lads. I haven’t posted in a looooong time but I been giving this possibility a lot of thought recently and wanted to see what everyone thought…
Is it possible that the club has already found a buyer and the sale process is already underway, hence why boughtman was brought in “to oversee the sales process”?
Were all assuming that he’s been brought in to sell the club but can it be that the buyer’s already found and they’re going through all the negotiations with boughtman acting on behalf of the “borrowners”?
Needless to say that any such goings on would not be made public, possibly at the insistence of the new owners.
Reading between the lines I also see the signing of cole as part of the deal. After all, the “borrowers” wouldn’t cough up that much dough in wages on a 28 year old surely.
Again reading between the lines, the sale of benny onion indicates to me that the new owners may be of Arab origin and don’t want to have an Israeli on their books? Not saying they’re racist but it could be politicly tricky for them back home so that insist that he’s sold before they take over so as to avoid any political fallout? Imagine the headlines…Arab owners fire Israeli!
Gerrard staying. He knows about the sale and the possibility of riches at the club and wants to be part of it?
Rafa leaving. They wanted to get rid of him because they would not want a man who will stand up to them and maybe felt that Rafa had/wanted too much power and could make life difficult for them like he did with the “borrowners”.
Roy Hodgson. He was Fulhams manager who are owned by… yep, Al-Fayed. Another reason why I believe that they are Arabs. Maybe they see Roy as a man who can work they way they want him to.
God I’m such a cynic!!!!!
Anyways. wadda ya think?
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 #303 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 7:45 pm
Brilliant. Now if only we can sign Bodicea, Richard the Lionheart, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher…
|
 #304 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 8:06 pm
I’m clean now.
|
 #305 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 8:10 pm
… …Wilson is yet another Rafa target. This deal has been in the works for 12 months…
We almost signed him in January. Rafa had a deal negotiated and the kid wanted to come to us, but Rangers started playing silly buggers and upped the price from 2 million to 3 million…
…and “they” wouldn’t give Rafa the money… (and remember that in January we brought in over 6 million from the sales of Vorronin and Dossena…)
… now at the time, the reason for refused funds was said to be because he was yet another Center Back… and we already had Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Kyrgiakos and Ayala on the books.
But yeah… he’s a very promising CENTER BACK… so a good acquisition…. but not a left back… and not a “Roy Hodgson singing”…
… but aren’t they trying their best to spin it as such???
|
 #306 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 8:12 pm
my dislexic typing is getting worse… obviously I menat signing… not singing… though I hear Roy likes to do a bit of the old Dean Marin turn on the Kareoke
|
 #307 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 8:12 pm
LB, I have to confess, from time to time, I take the odd peek at the Sun meself….
It’s good to know what the brainwashers are at.
Do you realise, Talk Shite was started by Kelvin McKenzie?
Try telling any of it to the man in the street, their eyes glaze over and you know it’s a waste of time.
I honestly despair at times.
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 #308 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 8:13 pm
oh for fucks sake.
menat?
and Dean Marin?
I give up…
|
 #309 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 8:15 pm
Good stuff Aitch, that is indeed true. Wilson was a Rafa target.
But I wonder how long Purslow will get from Rafa’s data base before we start signing players from what Boughton has heard on the radio?
|
 #311 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 9:19 pm
WOW… what a load of self-aggrandizing bullshit.
I respected Ged, even when I thought he’d “lost the plot”, but that just makes me sad for him.
“After Rafa Benitez left this summer, one of the players sent me a message,” Houllier tells me. “He said, Boss, he hasn’t beaten you.’”
Houllier refuses to name the player concerned…
I’d like to know what back-stabbing, traitorous little cunt he’s talking about… (JC makes the point in his autobiog that he always called Ged “boss”?)
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 #312 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 9:32 pm
Wouldn’t surprise me if Houllier made it all up.
|
 #313 |
theredman
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 9:39 pm
Fs,
have i upset you in some way, i just came across a little bit of news concerning transfers and get a bit of sarcasm off you.
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 #314 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 10:55 pm
Aitch, this is what he said, Gerrard said of Cole: “It is a great signing for us. I know Joe well through the England set-up and have seen first hand just how good a player he is.
“He has proved his ability over many years in the Premier League – sometimes against us – so it will be fantastic to play alongside him in a red shirt for Liverpool.”
.
Seems you left of one word, Liverpool.
|
 #315 |
Aitch
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 11:16 pm
fair enough gaz,
but I have a decent command of the Enlgish language and I still don’t see anything in that statement that definitively says.
“I’m a Liverpool player, I’m not interested in a move away. I’m not going anywhere.”
I understand why he didn’t want to make a statement about his club future prior to now…
…I get the whole “just concentrating on the world cup” line…
…even if I don’t agree with it…
…but the World Cup is over… has been for a week or so now…
…so what’s the fuckin hold up in positively and definitively stating you’re staying put???
He can be “looking forward to playing with Joe Cole” all he likes, but his agent could still be negotiating a price with Jose Maurinho…
|
 #316 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 20, 2010 @ 11:29 pm
Aitch, I never said anything about your English skills, but I would think what was said was he was happy staying. Yes I know he hasn’t actually come out and said anything, but I do remember him saying just before the world cup, something about being a Liverpool player and not going anywhere else. Somewhere not sure where.
..
Although to be honest I haven’t heard much from our Captain or Carra in relation to anything at the club, Rafa, Owners, axis of evil, sale, you name it. The only thing I can recall was Carra coming out with if you don’t want to be here LEAVE call at the end of last season.
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 #317 |
rome77
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 12:48 am
So lads Rangers selling their players to pay the banks,to us who owe them even more ?
Isnt that what Roma did with Aquilani to pay off some of their debts ?
At least when Rangers and Roma are stripped down to the bare bones they’ll have the appearance related payments to fall back on. So for their sakes lets hope we dont go tits up. ¦ )
It feels like the banks are buying debts and dumping them on LFC while G&H are preparing a insurance scam.
Or is that just scare mongering
YNWA
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 #318 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 4:00 am
No need to get too worked up, LB, Paul Tomkins duly put that bitter Frenchman in his place in no time at all.
http://tomkinstimes.com/2010/07/houllier-vs-benitez-who-%E2%80%9Cwon%E2%80%9D/
And I’ll just copy and paste what my thoughts are in that thread:
How many players were Houllier signings in the 2002 World Cup, the last WC when he was in charge of Liverpool?
SIX: Dudek (Poland), Xavier (Portugal), Hamann (Germany), Heskey (England), Diouf and Diao (Senegal) – With the latter two actually lauded for their acquisition before the WC before turning out they were complete and utter disgraceful failures (Judas Owen was academy trained and not counted)
Of the six, only Hamann made it to the final, but as runners-up. Poland and Portugal were out in the Group Stage (both dumped by co-hosts Korea, led by the charismatic Guus Hiddink), Senegal and England were out at the Quarter Finals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_FIFA_World_Cup_squads
How many players were Rafa signings in the 2010 World Cup, the last WC just before he was in charge of Liverpool?
ELEVEN: Mascherano and Rodriguez (Argentina), Kyrgiakos (Greece), Johnson (England), Kuyt and Babel (Netherlands), Agger (Denmark), Skrtel (Slovakia), Torres and Reina (Spain), Jovanovich (Serbia).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_squads (level with Barcelona and Chelsea on number of players represented in WC)
(Gerrard and Carragher academy trained. Jovanovich effectively signed by Rafa)
And this excludes ex-Rafa signings like: Alonso and Arbeloa (Spain), Crouch (England) and Mark Gonzalez (Chile). Include these and you will have FIFTEEN.
Of the eleven, 8 made it to the Second Round, 7 to the Quarter Finals, and 4 all the way to the Final itself, producing TWO World Cup winners and TWO WC Runners-ups.
(Include the ex-Rafa signings, it’ll be 12/15 to R2, 10/15 to QF and 6/15 in the Final, with FOUR World Cup winners and TWO WC Runners-ups)
In contrast, there were only FOUR ex-Houllier signings: Cisse and Anelka (France), Heskey (England), Kewell (Australia). Only Heskey made it past the Group Stage and exited at the Quarter Finals.
So you tell me, Monsieur Houllier, who’s the better manager here?
|
 #319 |
Kinny Riddle
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 4:02 am
(Damn, it’s always like that. Everytime a post has tonnes of html links, it gets held back. So I’m just gonna re-paste this but with the “h” removed from http. )
No need to get too worked up, LB. Paul Tomkins has duly put that bitter Frenchman in his place
ttp://tomkinstimes.com/2010/07/houllier-vs-benitez-who-%E2%80%9Cwon%E2%80%9D/
I’m just gonna copy & paste my thoughts in that thread:
How many players were Houllier signings in the 2002 World Cup, the last WC when he was in charge of Liverpool?
SIX: Dudek (Poland), Xavier (Portugal), Hamann (Germany), Heskey (England), Diouf and Diao (Senegal) – With the latter two actually lauded for their acquisition before the WC before turning out they were complete and utter disgraceful failures (Judas Owen was academy trained and not counted)
Of the six, only Hamann made it to the final, but as runners-up. Poland and Portugal were out in the Group Stage (both dumped by co-hosts Korea, led by the charismatic Guus Hiddink), Senegal and England were out at the Quarter Finals.
ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002_FIFA_World_Cup_squads
How many players were Rafa signings in the 2010 World Cup, the last WC just before he was in charge of Liverpool?
ELEVEN: Mascherano and Rodriguez (Argentina), Kyrgiakos (Greece), Johnson (England), Kuyt and Babel (Netherlands), Agger (Denmark), Skrtel (Slovakia), Torres and Reina (Spain), Jovanovich (Serbia).
ttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_FIFA_World_Cup_squads (level with Barcelona and Chelsea on number of players represented in WC)
(Gerrard and Carragher academy trained. Jovanovich effectively signed by Rafa)
And this excludes ex-Rafa signings like: Alonso and Arbeloa (Spain), Crouch (England) and Mark Gonzalez (Chile). Include these and you will have FIFTEEN.
Of the eleven, 8 made it to the Second Round, 7 to the Quarter Finals, and 4 all the way to the Final itself, producing TWO World Cup winners and TWO WC Runners-ups.
(Include the ex-Rafa signings, it’ll be 12/15 to R2, 10/15 to QF and 6/15 in the Final, with FOUR World Cup winners and TWO WC Runners-ups)
In contrast, there were only FOUR ex-Houllier signings: Cisse and Anelka (France), Heskey (England), Kewell (Australia). Only Heskey made it past the Group Stage and exited at the Quarter Finals.
So you tell me, Monsieur Houllier, who’s the better manager here?
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 #320 |
Aitch
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 4:41 am
Well gaz….
in re: the Cole signing, Carra did say this…
“A lot of clubs wanted to sign him but it is a real coup that he has chosen to come here and you have got to give the manager, and the board a pat on the back for convincing him to come here.”
Give the board a pat on the back! Really Jamie?
I hope his fuckin Dad kicks him in the fuckin nuts the next time he sees him after saying something like that.
It was a pretty tough job convincing him. All they had to do was offer him more money per week than anyone else was willing to pay him!
Pat the board on the back…. yeah if I happen to be holding a hatchet, maybe!
As for “you have to give it to the manager” … I like Roy, I really do, but he knew fuck all about this deal and had even less to do with it.
I just wonder if Carra and SG have been “put in their place” and told to tow the line after reasing their recent comments.
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 #321 |
axchoice
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 6:09 am
I had stuck to Houllier all the way including the season in which the team (then top of the table) went on relegation form after losing to Boro and eventually finished without qualifying for Champions League. It was only in his final season that I realised he could not bring the club further and agreed with the club for sacking him.
I’m saddened by his comments. My respect for him as a person is gone now, just like Souness, Whelan, etc.
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 #322 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 7:17 am
I always liked Houllier and no doubt he still loves Liverpool, not sure what this piece is supposed to do, obviously support Hodgson I guess.
.
However if he gets a message still calling him boss, that doesn’t leave many players and possibly 1 trainer, that parts not good. Very suprised he released that. Thats a big fuck up Oops, anyway it’s coming from the media so it could be all a pile of bullshit.
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 #323 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 8:56 am
I read that Houllier article while I was sat on the bog LB. Guess what I did with it when I finished? Yep I used it to do what it was fit for.
I don’t know why Houllier has an axe to grind with Benitez but it’s at best very petty.
I suppose Johnson could play left back at the moment with Kelly filling in at right back. Or a complete novice Malinga could play left back.
Houllier wasted millions on Cherou(the new Zidane) Diouf and Diao(the new Viera) oh dear!
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 #324 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 9:12 am
Aitch – I think you’re being a bit overly cynical here. For all intents and purposes Gerrard is staying for this season at least. I think even you know that!
I know you don’t …but it seems as if you’d almost be happy if Gerrard left so you could go “Look, it’s all going to shit, Stevie’s left. now next Torres will leave…”
Like I said, I know you have LFC’s best interests at heart but I think you should acknowledge some good news when it comes our way…it’s been in short supply as of late!
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 #325 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 10:01 am
Red mate, I wasn’t having a pop at you. I wasn’t having a pop at anyone in here. I was letting out how I feel because I was a bit drunk.
Well, now I’m a wee bit hungover and I still feel the same…
Fucking Joe Cole has been held up by the ringmaster and the majority of our fans are clapping away like dutiful seals being thrown a fish.
It’s amazing, years and years of shit, months and months spent trying to educate people and get them to act.
Purslow grabs a cast-off, holds him up for all to see, and viola…
Everything’s just hunky dory again at the LFC franchise.
And here’s the rub, if, and it’s a huge if, but if Joe Cole finally solves our left flank problem and we get any sort of results… there won’t be a fucking word of complaint.
A top 4 finish will be hailed as a bigger achievment than winning number 5 with Houlier’s pile of shit and the re-writing of history will be complete.
H&G will raise enough money to pay off the next round of interest and that will be that… not a fuckin murmur from anyone as they continue to rape and pillage our house.
And I tell you what, you think the Rafa bashers have disappeared, have they fuck.
They are all sat out there, watching this unfold, just bidding their time, just like they did when we got a result waiting for the next bad one.
But this time the tables have been turned, and I tell you, any sort of results from the first five fixtures and they will pounce like fuck…
Crowing and telling us how they were right all along and being ever so self important because Woy’s Weds have done the bizzo, while the club is ripped apart from the inside out.
I really do dispair at times.
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 #326 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 10:13 am
There have been comments by Liverpool fans on some sites, after the Cole signing & Gerrard’s intent on staying at Anfield. ‘We now have an English backbone, and let’s fight like Englishmen’…’Good to have an English heartbeat in the side…’ etc etc. No disrespect to you guys, and of course Liverpool is an English side & all, but…fucking idjuts! Twisting the dagger in Rafas back, bunch of wankers. Who have been our best performers the past few seasons (besides Gerrard)? Englishmen? I like Cole. I always shat myself when he came on for Chel$kie against Liverpool, but now that we have him, Hodgson, JC & Gerrard, we are going to shit on all the other sides? Wake up you tossers.
LB, I was also wondering re the Chavs buying Yossi & getting rid of Cole. It can’t be financial – Yossi would be getting about 75k a week, Cole on 90k. But Cole is saying that there were ‘political’ reasons for him wanting to leave the Chavs. Sounds like he was not getting on with someone at the club – not Carlo, he is quick to say. Maybe that fuckwit JT has been banging his girlfriend or sister on the side?
Anyway, despite all the doom & gloom and the snakes still running the club…I am looking forward-ish to the new season. Jovanovic certainly had a decent WC. He looked quite good, as did Dirk. Hopefully our captain’s form was down to him thinking of the WC. With that out of the way, maybe he (& others) will start performing & putting his club first?
And it seems Nando’s injury is not too serious. With that new guru Aussie doc at Anfield, hopefully he can stay fit for 80% of the season.
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 #327 |
rome77
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 1:55 pm
FS I see what you mean about those “supporters” waiting to pounce if we beat Arsenal and get off to a good start.
But wait untill we get a draw or a loss to Wigan,Stoke they’ll soon revert to type its in their nature.
And guess what the same people who defended Rafa will end up arguing on Roys behalf it’s in their nature.
Its just a matter of time.
YNWA
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 #328 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 4:39 pm
Rome77:
If we keep Torres (and possibly even Mascherano) I’d be absolutely amazed if we lose and draw nearly as many as we did last season
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 #329 |
theredman
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 4:40 pm
No sweat FS,
have’nt been in for a while been a bit poorly so could’nt be arsed commenting,
in all fairness buddy i am looking forward to the new season with a bit of hope and optimism as lets be honest without hope you’ve got nothing absolute zilch,
i did’nt know Wilson was a Rafa target but have since learned from news now liverpool that he was, and he was Scotland’s young player of the year last season so he cant be all that bad (can he, Kewell springs to mind, but as i say mate looking towards next season with i think as Aitch pointed out not really a bad side, also be nice to watch a game and not have to listen to that fuckin din them vuvuzelas make.
YNWA.
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 #330 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
JOE COLE believes he has joined “the biggest club in the country” after penning a four-year deal with Liverpool.
The 28-year-old former Chelsea midfielder admits he can’t wait to get started after passing his medical and being given the No 10 shirt at Anfield.
“The last 48 hours have been crazy,” Cole said. “I set myself a deadline to make a decision and when I made it I sent a text to Christian Purslow and Steven Gerrard and then turned my phone off.
“I know I have made the right decision and I am looking forward to the challenge. This is a challenge for me. I have played in London all my life. I could have stayed at Chelsea because the fans loved me and I won things, but I wanted to challenge myself and when I knew Liverpool were interested it was a no-brainer because they are the biggest club in the country.
“This is a massive club. I tried to take everything out of the equation, take the financial and location side out and just thought in football terms.
“I thought about the semi-final of the Champions League in 2005 when I ran onto the field and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I was thinking about playing in that atmosphere every week and that swung it for me.”
Cole revealed he was impressed by new manager Roy Hodgson’s vision for the future.
“I had a chat with the gaffer about football and was impressed with him,” he said.
“The club has had Spanish and French managers over the years and I think it’s a breath of fresh air to get an Englishman in.
“The club finished seventh last year, which wasn’t good enough, and he explained where the club wants to go.
“I jumped on board because with the players we have here and the players we are looking to bring in, it’s definitely going in the right direction.
“We have talked about positions in the team and types of formations he wants to play and I just want to be part of the team. I want to go out there and to run and fight for the lads and the fans.
“That’s what I’ll always do and Roy is the man who can make sure we are a nice unit as a team.
“It’s all about us and being together as a team and having the spirit which can take you a long way. If you add that to the quality players we’ve got here we can go a long way.
“I have sat in on the first-team meeting and Roy is very thorough. He’s very much about a team effort and he told the lads it’s about effort and desire.
“We have to put that in to get results and we have to be together as a team. I think Roy is the man to bring us together tactically. It’s going to be a very long season and there will be spells when things go wrong, but it’s about how quickly you get out of them.
“If you start separating or relying too much on Stevie or Fernando then we can be in trouble, so we have to stay together, fight for each other and we can have a good season.” Cole admits he’s relishing the chance to run out at Anfield with the No 10 on the back of his shirt.
“That’s the thing I am looking forward to,” he added. “You talk to Liverpool players and talk about the European nights. I experienced it as an opponent and it was immense. To go out there and play in that atmosphere every week will be phenomenal.
“I’m proud to wear the No.10 shirt. I’d have been proud to wear any Liverpool shirt, to be honest. When I was growing up we were just coming out of the era when Liverpool were winning titles on a regular basis, but I know all about it and I’ll be proud to wear the shirt. It’ll be strange to pull on the red shirt for a change but I’m looking forward to it and looking forward to being given time to settle in. I just want to help the team to do things.”
Cole also welcomed the news of skipper Steven Gerrard reaffirming his commitment to the Reds.
He said: “That was the best bit of news I could have had. I know Stevie, he is Liverpool through and through and I know from playing with and against him for the last 10 years what a quality player he is.
“I know how much this club means to him. I think players can play for other clubs but with Liverpool you have to live and breathe it. It’s that kind of a place. I am excited by the challenge. I am moving my family and everyone is excited and booking their weekends up here. I am going to make it work.
“I am used to playing with world class players. I am excited about playing with Fernando and obviously I know Stevie, Carra and Jonno from the England set-up.
“Pepe Reina, Aquilani – there are a lot of big name players here but I will need time to settle down and relax into the club.
“I can guarantee the fans I will be giving 100 per cent every game. I am proud to be playing for this club and will give my all in every training session and every game to help the club be successful and put some pots in the trophy cabinet.”
Cole believes he can add the creativity Liverpool lacked last season.
“I’d like to make a lot of chances for Fernando and the front boys. I don’t want to say I’ll do this and that, I’ll just say the fans will have a player who is going to give his all,” he added.
“From what I hear, that’s all the people want. I want to be a success here and I’ll do everything I can for the team to make it work.
“I’ve had a tough two seasons with injury and one of the factors in my decision was coming to a club where I’d be able to string 90 minutes together.
“Your body needs to get used to the sharpness of doing it week in, week out. I’ve had a difficult couple of years but I’m coming here as an experienced player who is still fresh and excited about it.
“We’ve just had a young baby girl, but I’m 28 now and I have a good family around me. I know people will make me feel welcome and the response I have had has been amazing. I just want to get involved. When you move to a new club it’s important to immerse yourself into everything about it and that’s what I’ll be looking to do. I know the fans are great with the players and I will fight to try and win trophies for this club.”
Cole added: “I’ve always got on well with Scousers. I actually roomed with a Scouser for a year at Lilleshall – Ian Armstrong who went on to move to Liverpool, so I know I’ll have to take a few weeks to understand the accents – I don’t know how the Spaniards have coped with it.
“I have always enjoyed good banter with them. I remember on an England trip when I walked into the players’ bar after a game and Carra’s family were there singing the Minder song because my dad’s name is George Cole. I do like the Scouse wit.
“Over the last couple of years I’ve been warming up a lot down the touchline at Anfield and the stick does make me chuckle. I love it and hopefully they will be saying nice things about me now. “I’ll be there eating a bit of Scouse and I like the Beatles as well, so I can’t go too far wrong.
“It’s a dream come true. I’ve only been here for 48 hours and my head is still in the clouds. It has all happened so quickly. I always knew this was a massive club but until you sign you don’t realise. I have people on my phone who I didn’t even know were Liverpool fans. It seems everyone I bump into is a Liverpool fan – it’s a huge club.”
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 #331 |
Aitch
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 8:18 pm
Jeezus… did someone give Cole a playbook?
Did he get a GCSE in Advanced Marketing while no one was looking?
Talk about hot-buttons and ticking every talking point
—–
Arthur, (323) behave yourself lad.
If defendeing YOUR reputation, when I have nothing personally to gain from it….
…and my post at #297 isn’t enough to tell you I’m not an “I told you so” wanker, then I don’t know what else I can do for you lad.
My hope for this season is that everyone plays out of their skin and we win the Prem at a cantor, along with a cup or maybe two.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… be it Rafa at the helm or Roy…. we have the players to do it…
but there are 44 days left in the transfer window… during which some serious damage can still be done… and Roy has little power to do anything about it
Okay, so maybe it won’t… but that remains to be seen!
Once that window closes, then we know what we’re dealing with for the season (until January anyway) and we can then at least seperate what’s going on, on the pitch, from what’s going on in the boardroom (not that the two are ever really completely seperate and there is always a knock-on effect,) but at least we as fans can then discuss football and players from week to week.
And I can guarantee you something else… I’ll be defending Roy to the hilt against all the knobheads who come rushing back in here when it transpires that Roy loses or draws his first few games.
As for your post in #327… will that amazement be mostly because SG, Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Babel, Riera, Aquilani, Aurelio… to name but a few… won’t be in the infirmary nursing injuries…
… or just coz Nando will single handedly win those games…. apparently with the help of a defnsive midfielder????
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 #332 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 9:23 pm
The propoganda machine is in full swing 24/7. And it’s working. Have a look around the web, media outlets, papers, tv, radio. They are all pumping out stuff the Stassi would have been proud of, and here’s the problem…
They are lapping it up.
Go have a look in a few fan forums. Try saying something that isn’t all gung ho.
It’s appalling. I’m honestly shocked at what has became of our support. Fucking lemmings.
And here’s the real problem…
like everyone else, I want LFC/Roy/Joe/all the players to succeed.
But if that happens, we are dead in the water…
the yanks will raise enough dough to pay off the interest and that will be that, we’ll be saddled with them until the next lot is due.
And next to no one gives a fuck.
Think back a few weeks to Rafa getting the heave ho. That was about as angry as they got…
One free signing, and that’s all out the window.
NGog is now being offered for 6 million. Degan is up for sale. I think Lucas will be next – the fans wouldn’t complain. Add Masch to that, and that’s more than enough to pay off the interest.
No complaint will be heard, and I’ll go as far as to say this…
Judging by all the reactions, if Torres was to be sold, there wouldn’t be much complaint.
Roy would be wheeled out to make all the right noises, and that would be that, the forums and air waves would be full of it…
“He’s a crock. It’s a good bit of business by the club.”
I listened to Talk Shite the other night, just to hear what’s going on. You couldn’t make it up…
Ray Parlour was going on about how Roy might play a 4231 formation and how well that could suit Liverpool and the players we’ve got.
They were queing up to agree with him, and they went on and on about how great that would be for LFC, especially after how it worked in the World Cup…
I’d bet my bottom lip, that these same people were calling up all last season complaining about the Fat Spanish Waiter playing 2 holding midfielders.
As I said, you couldn’t make it up.
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 #333 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 21, 2010 @ 9:26 pm
PS… Mark Lawrenson is in the papers saying Torres should be sold.
Get ready for more of the same as little Cecil brushes off his copy of How to fool all of the people all the of the time. And he’s media mates go to town on it.
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 #334 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 12:29 am
Fs, I think it’s more the case of he’s someone who we could most likely make some serious cash, in a perfect world no one would sell Torres.
.
As for people having a temporary look on the bright side, well at the moment things do appear warm and fuzzy, which is good going into a new season.
.
On the sales, Benny Onion has been pushing his own cart for two seasons, and mentioned Rafa had heard enough. Riera wont be missed, the Greek lad was always a stop gap measure, Insua just wasn’t good enough in my opinion (thats all but he was young and still could have been valued). Degen was never anything really and the selling of players like El Zhar, Plessis ect is strictly because their not good enough.
.
The only seriously worrying one is Mash, and lets face it, he has been hanging of contract talks for about 18 months, he’s been letting his mouth piece parade him around like a 10 dollar hooker. So therefore is he really that committed anyway, so logic tells you sell while you can otherwise you lose both ways. If he stays he’ll be half arsed, if he goes we may be able to cover his position.
.
Lets be brutally honest with the Mash situation, his performances last year were OK bordering on reasonable, his determination is top draw, his passing is second rate. He looked fantastic when he had Xabi spraying ball from one place to another, however take that out of his game and Mash was found wanting. Obviously Rafa was hoping Aqualani would provide that spraying/passing portion of Mashs game but he was unavailable until Christmas.
.
Mash is being slightly disrespectful of our glorious club, so a parting of the ways seem on the cards.
.
I know we still have plenty of the transfer window open but thinks are looking better than most of us thought 3 weeks ago.
.
Ps stop listening to Talkshite and don’t peruse the @un.
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 #335 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 9:29 am
I haven’t read a paper properly for ages. I stopped listening to talk sport about a year ago.
I just couldn’t stand it anymore, I couldn’t take the nonsense, the hypocrisy and the complete lack of knowledge by so called experts. I would listen and feel like going mental, it was too dangerous driving and listening.
Our squad is thin, really thin. We are reduced to freebies all who Rafa had already sourced.
We have no left back. Insua is a young lad still learning his trade. Ideally he would be learning his trade from someone like Aurelio.
Gaz – You are right selling the last of the deadwood and Monster would probably be enough to pay off the interst and not cause too much damage. However what happens when the next installment is due? Who do we sell then?
At the moment we can still put out a decent team thanks to Rafa err apart from the left back position.
Reina
Kelly Agger Carra Johnson
Kuyt Gerrard Lucas Aquilani Cole
Nando
We’re in trouble if nando goes.
I hope Roy pulls off a miracle i really do and I think if Joe Cole does stay fit he will be a good player for us. He seems like a good Proffesional.
I don’t see the mancs winning the title, they haven’t strengthened…yet! Hopefully this season will see off taggart.
FS: As regards our support it’s symptomatic of the modern world. When I was a kid if I fell over or got hurt playing footy my bro would tell me to get up and say something like “you big girl’s blouse, stop crying! Kenny Dalglish wouldn’t cry. Now all the footballers roll around on the foor. As the saying goes “fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me” Shame on all our supporters who are still being fooled!!!
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 #336 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 10:24 am
Gaz, KDLL, you’ve got me wrong. Give me a bit more credit than that eh.
I’m not some aul senile duffer just yet. I only trawl things looking at what the general support is being fed and lapping up.
I need to know that. It’s hard enough getting people to act when things are looking bad. Imagine trying to get something going now.
I swear, you wouldn’t believe how bad the propoganda machine has taken them in.
A few decent results in the early fixtures and we are dead in the water. H&G will make the next payment and not a peep will be heard.
And I could go on, but I can’t be arsed. If you need to know how bad it is… take a look out there. But be warned, it could cause severe mental problems.
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 #337 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 11:38 am
FS: Not sure where I’m not giving you credit. My comment was meant to agree entirely with what you are saying. I know how bad it is out there. I still turn on talk sport every so often as I forget the crap they churn out and then I have to turn it off as my blood pressures shoots right up.
No disrepect intended but I grew up being educated by awl arses like yerself. You remind me of me da, my bro is ten years older than me and I was educated by him as well. He lives in Wigan now and it’s me educating him. I love me bro but I was disheartned to hear him say he thought we’d do alright this season and that Rafa made some big mistakes, gambling on Aquilani etc it broke me heart to have to tell him get a grip bro Rafa was having to gamble, Do we really think Rafa wanted to shop in the bargain basement? he then said Purselow was alright but the yanks were the problem.
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 #338 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 11:43 am
sorry if my comment is a bit disjointed, i’m writing it while at work in between dealing with phone calls and the robots who work around me.
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 #339 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 2:46 pm
KDLL… when I say give me credit, I just mean don’t think I’m stupid enough to listen to all the propoganda and stand there seething. I’m well past that mate.
I like to know what bullets the enemy are firing, and if, I think, it’s important enough I’ll comment on it.
That’s all I did. I was just letting you all know the PR/Propoganda machine is in full swing and people are falling over themselves to lap it all up.
You have to remember KDLL, most of the lad’s in here don’t get chance to hear all that shit. And after the help they’ve gave, I think it’s only right they know what we are up against.
And in all truth, it’s a monster.
Go have a look out there and see. Or maybe not… it isn’t nice viewing.
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 #340 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 4:58 pm
Sorry FS you’ve lost me: it seems you dont want to have “a few good early results ” or we’ll be “dead in the water ” huh? So you want us to lose say the first two or three games? And…. What then? H&G will definitely leave? Surely we should wish the team as much success as we can get and but still resist the owners. It just seems to me you want bad results but perhaps i’ve read you wrong
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 #341 |
Aitch
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 6:08 pm
Arthur… that’s not what FS is saying at all.
Up until 2 weeks ago, more and more people were coming around to the cause. Understanding that last seaosn wasn’t about Rafa. Understanding that the last 2-3 seasons hasn’t been about Rafa, but about the owners and their systematic withdrawal of financial might from the club.
The way in which Rafa was dismissed was disgusting. Love him or hate him, it just was.
But now, we’ve brought in Joe Cole and Jovanovic and Wilson… and even Shelvy has been added to that list and all of a sudden fans are getting all excited over the idea that Hodgson is “showing intent”.
3 of those players were Rafa’s deals… started and well progresses and in at least one case done and dusted, before Roy got here, and the 4th was always a target…. and none of them were signed by Roy… by his own admission.
Fans campaigning against the owners, just might have forced RBS to rethink their support of G&H… but if the fanbase starts to roll around like puppies having their tummies rubbed, then there’s nothing to stop them collecting their 100k per day until December… and then extending the loan again.
Remember that this loan was due to be paid in January. In January they told us that they had extended that loan for 6 months… that’s where this mythical July 17 when “something would happen” came from…..when in actual fact it had been extended to December… and the reason they did it was simple… they make 100,000 pounds per day as long as we continue to hold that loan.
There’s a growing feel good factor now. New signings of a decent quality… so far no one serious sold… and what is looking like a decently strong squad, with a decent manager. There’s plenty to be happy about…
…BUT…
… there’s still 40+ days left in the transfer window… so I’d suggest not relaxing just yet.
If the sense is, that the anti-owner campaign is losing steam and petering out… then RBS will continue to support G&H… continue to extend the loan… continue to collect their daily VIG… and G&H will continue to slowly filter funds from the club to the Caymans…
… 5-6 mill for Benny the Onion and 5 mill for Insua… and none of it spent so far…
… 4.5 mill (and rising) for Riera… but where will it go? Back into the squad… or off to the sun washed vaults of the Caribbean?
Nobody wants LFC to lose their first couple of games.
but rest assured if we win… the feel good factor will go into full swing and Roy will be our savoir and all will be rosey in the kingdom…
…and G&H will rub their hands together and laugh hysterically at our gullability as we pay for their lifestyle.
Check out #260 again. Those ticket prices… not the new ones, but the starting price before the new price hike… those are 4.6% higher thant hey were at the start fo last season!
Yes, you read that right… ticket prices were hiked by 4.6% midway through last season… with another 2.5% rise due in January.
We cannot take our eyes of the ball for one minute lads. I want Liverpool to win the Prem next season… but rest assured it will NOT be a good thing for the club… if the Yanks are still holding the deeds.
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 #342 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 6:13 pm
You have indeed read me wrong Arthur.
Where did I say that I want LFC to fail?
Never in my life have I ever wanted anything but Liverpool to win every game they play in.
I’ll give you the courtesy of thinking that you are just missing my point. So here it is as plain as I can make it…
The arrival of Joe Cole and the PR/propoganda machine that has revolved around it has had the desired effect…
Lots of fans have turned away from the ownership problem.
I have been getting slaughtered all day long by people making out I’m saying things I’m not.
It’s not fun you know…
Fighting and doing all you can, just to be accused of all sorts of shite.
The fact is, years of hard work by SOS, and months of hard graft by lots of individuals has been wiped out by one single stroke of PR.
As I said in an earlier post, there is precedents for this. It’s an old Hicks trick. And it’s working.
Now the problem is, that if LFC start to perform the way we know they can and get some results in the first five fixtures, it will be almost impossible to get the support to focus on the problems that still exist. Meaning….
H&G will be left in peace to do whatever the fuck they want.
So, in all truth, thinking about it, in the long term, it probably is for the best if we fail and fail badly.
Do I want that, do I fuck.
For all my hatred of the owners, I still have the sort of brand loyalty that Hicks is counting on. But there’s nothing I can do about that.
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 #343 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 6:22 pm
Catch fuckin’ twenty-two, a rock and a hard place, devil and the deep blue sea etc.
You’re right FS and for the first time in my life I hope that we are stuffed every fuckin match this season, if it means getting rid of these four fucks and we get back to something like normality.
We can come back stronger if they go this year but if they hang around for another 5 years or so, it doesn’t bear thinking about.
The way I see it is short-term loss for long-term gain rather than short-term gain for long-term loss.
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 #344 |
Aitch
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 6:53 pm
Yeah but Lurgan… getting stuffed every match WON’T lead to us getting rid of G&H
The feel good factor is coz we just brought in Jovanovic, Joe Cole, and younsters Danny Wilson and Jonjo Shelvey
Its because we’ve gotten rid of players that weren’t good enough in Insua and Riera
…but here’s the other side of the catch 22… and the nature of half our fanbase these days…
We get stuffed every game, and it’ll be because…
Cole was a crock anyway and we should never have gone for him
Jovanovic isn’t up to the hustle and bustle of the Prem
Danny Wilson was promising but he’s not good enough
Jonjo Shelvey, if he was any good Arsene Wenger would have bought him
Stevie’s past it and we should have took the money from Madrid when we could
Carra’s past his sell by date
We let the best young Argentine International left-back go for next to nothing and replaced him with an inferior player (assumption since we haven’t replaced him yet, but with the rumor being Konchesky, you get my drift)
We should have kept Riera coz at least he gave us natural width (even though he rarely put in a cross that went to a red shirt)
And despite those last two gripes, it’ll be rounded off with…
Rafa left us in a worse state than Houllier…
this is also part of the rock-n-a-hard-place
The CBC have disappeared, but just watch them return with how shite Hodgson is if we don’t win our first 5 games.
Never, never understanding we are where we are because G&H failed to properly invest in quality… real quality players when we were in a strong position, and could build on something.
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 #345 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 7:49 pm
Ok FS – I hear where ure coming from – it truly is a catch 22. But I completely disagree with Lurgan – losing all our matches wouldn’t get rid of H&G – and we could spiral into the abyss. so my view – oppose H&G at every turn but continue to cheer the team on
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 #346 |
Aitch
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 8:15 pm
And that in itself is all part of the Catch 22 Arthur.
Coz supporting the team… unfortunately… supports G&H’s business.
This is the thing of it Arthur, and I know it probably seems like its you versus everyone else in here sometimes…
… but we do have to keep our eye on the ball here…
… its one thing to think “Jovanovic, Cole, good acquisitions. Strenghten the team” and “Wilson and Shelvey, good acquisitions. Stregthen the squad”… and even “Hodgson, good manager, good choice” …
… but those thoughts should always be tempered with the knowledge that we are in perilous, perilous times right now, with the Captain having been made to walk the plank, essentially a “puppet Captain” (no disrespect in any way aimed at Hodgson, its just the situation he walke dinto) presented to us, to keep us swabbing the decks, tightening the mainsail and doing whatever it is sailors do to the yardarm? ? … and Pirates actually working the helm of the ship!
I know for sure that I hate always being the one that posts what is perceived as essentially “negative” information in here all the time… so I’m confident FS probably feels the same way… but these are the cards we’ve been dealt, when people post a comment that is oblivious to the recent historical fact of the LFC situation.
Imagine if Rafa had kept his position.
We’d still have acquired Jovanovic, Wilson and Shelvey… and more than likely Cole.
We’d have kept Insua (and maybe he’s not “the best” but he’s not a make-shift left-back) and still be targeting another left back.
And we’d be likely working a deal for Arda Turan.
Rafa would have final say on all ins-n-outs, so nobody could be sold simply for cash sake…
…and because of that, I’d be feeling far more positive.
Now you could argue that maybe SG and Carra would be unhappy about that … but then again, we don’t know that for sure, as much of their disenchantment last season was at the results, same as the rest of us, so maybe not?
All of the incoming players are good acquisitions… but we aren’t splashing the cash… they’ve cost a total of less than 5 million… about what rafa was spending the last 2 windows… and we’ve brought in twice that so far… again about what Rafa was bringing in (since more will go and that figure will rise.)
So receive “all gifts” with your eyes open… is the mantra of the day… unfortunately for every day in the foreseeable future.
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 #347 |
dougle
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
Hi guys,
Just a little comment. I know (or at least I imagine) how the whole “back to our english roots with a cute manager” routine is being played out in the english media.
It may well be very discouraging FS as you trawl around. But how did you think it was going to go ? The mob move with the prevailing tide. I think that the work you and others have been doing, The “consciousness raising” has worked, because people (like myself) won’t stop. This is not going to end when the 4 farts have effed off. I really think it has set the foundations of a new kop community.
I know you’ll probably say there won’t be anything left to support when these feckers have stripped us. We’ll see.
Don’t doubt the effects mate.
You even have Arthur hearing you now !
Naw guys, arm yourselves with the facts and win, lose or draw give anyone “lucky” enough to be sitting close to you and earful. Simple. Keep it up.
I cannot, for genetic reasons, cheers against the Redmen. It’s just that I’m not massively bothered one way or the other, particularly right now. Anytime I’m out at a match it’s the Standards Corrupted shirt will get aired. That’s my stance.
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 #348 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 11:53 pm
Lurgan, you hope we get stuffed every week so we can get back to normality, what normality is that, no league title in 20 seasons, well my friend we’re already there.
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 #349 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 22, 2010 @ 11:57 pm
Ah prick of a thing dropped out, I’ll continue, I want the Yanks out so this club can gain the fit and proper owners, who have the ambition this club deserves. Not the lot we’ve had since the EPL started, don’t tell me asset stripping is something new in this club, where’s all the cash since the EPL began. Yanks out, really, really rich people in. Ah fuck it someone who cares about the club then.
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 #350 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 8:06 am
Aitch 340: Spot on! I can’t wait for the season to start. I’m pretty excited about the prospect of seeing Cole & Jovanovic play in the red shirt. I’m looking forward to seeing Torres backed up by (a settled & EPL-wise) Maxi & Aquilani.
However, we cannot – and must not – lose focus here. We still have the 2 cancerous cnuts owning the club, and we still have the snakes Purslow & Broughton running things. We (with the help of FS & others at SoS, SaveLiverpool etc) have to remain focused – despite the excitement of the upcoming season.
My folks asked me if they should bring me back the new Standard Chartered top from their visit to the UK. ‘Fuck no!’ was my reply. I have put my name on the waiting list for the Standards Corrupted one…not sure when I’ll get it, as demand seems to far outweigh supply. Just goes to show…
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 #351 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 8:12 am
Arthur, Gaz, I love the way you cherry pick bits of my post and then turn the tables.
So I’ll repeat it:
-o-
You’re right FS and for the first time in my life I hope that we are stuffed every fuckin match this season, if it means getting rid of these four fucks and we get back to something like normality.
-o-
It’s a conditional statement. Maybe not the best conditional statement of all time but one at that.
What I meant was if someone was to give me a deal whereby liverpool were to get stuffed 10 nil every match but this would mean the four fucks would go, then that is a deal I would take.
I did not say that getting stuffed would ensure that the four fucks would leave.
Gaz, for me ‘normality’ is the board being there to support the manager and not rape the fucking club and (real) LFC supporters at every turn.
Usually to see what happens in the future all you have to do is look to the past.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Tom-Hicks-and-Corinthians&id=1151895
So in short I will keep supporting the team but I will spend most of my working time trying to get rid of the four fucks.
Also, I am not sure what you mean by ‘don’t tell me asset stripping is something new in this club’.
Since when before H&G has a Liverpool board not supported the manager with transfer funds on a yearly basis. Are you accusing Moores of asset stripping? What data do you have to support this?
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 #352 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 8:20 am
Aitch, #343, you see at the top of my previous post, the point I was trying to get across.
The real point is we need to wake-up as many LFC supporters to see the real problem here. As FS has said a few good results and all the sheep will be towing the party line again.
Bah, I need to go to work.
Talk to y’all later – walks away to find his stetson.
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 #353 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 9:23 am
Lurgan I don’t pick holes or cherries from your posts, in fact I can’t remember the last time I even replied to one of your posts. However once again it seems that unless you have a post combined with a university type bibliography, then you cant comment.
.
Ok so lets think back when Rafa arrived, I seem to remember he wanted the Brasilian attacking fullback, however what was his comment wanted a table got a lamp, that I do believe was before G&H, I also believe Morgan mentioned are board was cooking the books long before G&H. So therefore I make a bold statement that all was not well long before they arrived. However since they have arrived, they have been openly ruthless, something the others hid behind doors.
.
Now I’m not for one moment wanting them to stay, I want them gone today, forgotten tomorrow. Alas though if we want to move into tomorrow we must learn the lessons of the past.
.
Many people in here claim Rafa passed on a better team to Hodgson than Houllier passed to Rafa, if thats the case then who supplied the money, someone, so if we’re to believe this is the worst time for out beloved club, what were the rest doing.
.
We still have a very reasonable and strong team, we just need a board and a responsible owner/s. However the problem we have is mismanagement over an extended period has placed us behind the 8 ball. We needed a new stadium in 1980, not 2010.
.
Sorry Lurgan I did not want to offend you in any way.
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 #354 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 10:13 am
Lads if being optimistic about the forthcoming footy season makes you a moron well 99.9999% of fans are just that no? whether you support gretna or grimbsy from the top of the game to the very bottom thats what keeps us coming back every year thats the beauty of the game the slate is wiped clean “this is gonna be our year”now the facts are for 99.9999% of clubs its not gonna be the year its gonna be a roller coaster of highs and lows of kicking the cat and hugging the dog.
SO yea i want the owners out i’ve done my little bits to help the cause, i want responsible owners in but when it comes to the ball im glad the players and most of the fans are optimistic im glad joe cole has signed im glad stevie has stayed and looks happy again and i’ll be over the moon if nando does the same. if that happens do i think we have a chance? of course i do, will it actually happen more then likely not but for now ignorance is bliss.
hold yer head up high.
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 #355 |
Sambo
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 12:00 pm
good news about SoS and shareliverpoolfc. got no idea as to the functionality or practicality of fan-ownership, but it’s a romantic ideal and it’d be amazing for the club if it came to fruition.
the way i see this whole catch 22 is simple (a lot more simple than the original one anyway!). you can’t decide how to feel during a football match. it’s not your decision.
i remember when i was a youngster growing up in cornwall (a county with no league teams), i suddenly felt like a right gold-digger having supported liverpool all my life simply because they were the best team in the world. i decided to stop supporting lfc and start supporting plymouth argyle (across the tamar in devon). that charade lasted long enough to buy a ‘pilgims’ mug and go to ‘home park’ a couple of times. but the truth was, i didn’t give a fuck about the tossing pilgrims. you can’t choose these things. i was always secretly living and dying by liverpool’s results.
same with the world cup. i’ve got absolutely no idea why i wanted germany to beat spain. i’ve always detested german football. there were spanish supporters wearing lfc shirts. i should’ve been supporting spain obviously (as i’m sure you all were), but i wasn’t. it wasn’t a decision. it just happened.
i live in nz now. i should support the all blacks. but i don’t. don’t know why but sometimes i prefer it when they lose… and i’ve got 2 nz-born kids. weird.
long-winded point this, but i’m just saying… fuck the owners, but what’s the point in pretending. we’re all going to be up for it come the start of the season. it’ll be in the blood, along with the stella.
i realise that the point some of you are making is about the damaging effects that the good results will have on ignorant supporters, but these things are beyond our control. like gerry, i feel like the trumpet player on the titanic (nice analogy ged – new blog would be appreciated though!). things are turning to shit all around us but i love this club. i love the start of a new season. and i love the unconscious state of wanting your club to win above all else.
c’mon you reds!!!!
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 #356 |
axchoice
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 12:45 pm
Gaz,
Regarding the paragraph:
“Ok so lets think back when Rafa arrived, I seem to remember he wanted the Brasilian attacking fullback, however what was his comment wanted a table got a lamp, that I do believe was before G&H, I also believe Morgan mentioned are board was cooking the books long before G&H. So therefore I make a bold statement that all was not well long before they arrived. However since they have arrived, they have been openly ruthless, something the others hid behind doors.”
1) The comment on the table and lampshade was actually said by Rafa when he was manager of Valencia, not at Liverpool.
2) About the Morgan statement that something was cooking, I’m not sure if it’s the truth. Anyone can shed some light?
We’ve heard statements against Rafa from “experts” that include journalist, Collymore, Lawrenson, all who are not in direct contact with personnel running the club. And most of these statements are not true, with an agenda behind to smack Rafa.
BTW, it’s well known that Morgan didn’t have a good relationship with Moores. So what he said about Moores should be taken with a pinch of salt.
3) So to make your “bold statement” based on (1) that is factually not true, and (2) which we do not know is true is somewhat unconvincing.
Another paragraph below:
“Many people in here claim Rafa passed on a better team to Hodgson than Houllier passed to Rafa, if thats the case then who supplied the money, someone, so if we’re to believe this is the worst time for out beloved club, what were the rest doing.”
The money was only given during the first season when the 2 snakes owned the club.
Since 2 transfer windows ago, our net spending had been negative.
The transfer money mainly came from (a) Champions League revenue (semi, quarter finals etc), and (b) our relatively high Premiership positions bar the last season. And in the process of wheeling and dealing, Rafa had upgraded key players in key positions, Crouch -> Torres, Sissoko -> Mascherano, Dudek -> Reina for example.
You just need to look at the average of World Cup Internationals like Reina, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Mascherano, Torres, (even) Babbel (whom I hope Hodgson can bring his best out) to see the strength of the team. And even Aquilani is young, and again someone I hope Hodgson can bring his best.
Add to that the experience of Gerrard, Kuyt, Maxi and Carragher, and we actually have a very good team. Just not enough depth in quality.
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 #357 |
JackHill
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 1:14 pm
Hey Sambo,you are weird,but your heart is in the right place
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 #358 |
Aitch
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 5:34 pm
Jeezus gaz, please immediately type a post laughing about how people have completely misinterpreted your post and don’t get the concept of irony! Please?
You cannot seriously be comparing G&H’s tenure with Moores?
I’m gonna type that again…
You just simply… cannot…. seriously be comparing G&H’s tenure with Moores?
I had always assumed you wanted people to take your posts seriously… but …
…look… every big businessman figures out a way to filter money from their business into their back pocket.
They’re businessmen for fucks sake… that means by very definition, that they are as far from sainthood as mortal man can get.
Hell… even small businessman do it.
I’m self employed and I know a bunch of other self employed people… and none of them declare their true, actual income.
But there’s a big fuckin difference between that (back-pocketing some income) and not investing what you need to invest in your business, to make your business grow.
Moores invested his own money into the club.
Moores provided investment every year he owned the club.
Not once did a manager under Moores ownership have to sell, in order to buy.
Maybe Moores investement wasn’t always as much as we would have wanted?
Maybe he fucked up, beyond all historically recorded fuck-ups… ever… when he opted to sell the club… but his decision to sell (regardless of what profit he made) was made becase he knew he couldn’t invest more, and that was what was required.?
But do not for one second compare Moores to what G&H have done since the day they arrived.
G&H have not invested a single American Dime, or English Penny, not a Euro, Yen, Peso, or Drachma, into this club since the day they took over… but they’ve taken lots out.
£270 million loan, refinanced to £350 million. £100 million needing to be paid off on that loan to reduce it to £270 (bad math there, yet still so few question it) which was actually procured from an as yet undisclosed source via Kop Holdings in the Caymans.
£50 million (to an American Architectural firm on which Hicks jnr… yes he of the infamous “fuck off” emails… is a board member) for stadium designs
£350 million offer to buy the club… refused
£400 million offer… refused
£450 million offer… refused
£800 million price tag stapled to the Shankly Gates
We don’t even know the extent to which they’ve asset stripped the club’s finances, because the club is owned by a company in the Cayman Islands… Kop Holdings…
…which is merely a shell company anyway, and is in turn owned by yet another company… Kop Cayman…
…also registered in the Cayman Islands.
Such companies are not only tax exempt… but largely beyond the laws of England.
… which may go some way to explaining why (in addition to their own self interest of making £100,000 per day on our troubles) RBS has been so reluctant to put any real pressure on G&H…
…and certainly goes most of the way to explaining why the Premier League hasn’t even considered stepping in… because under such a registration… G&H could walk away and it’d be a tough legal battle to get any recourse against what is essentially a “protected foreign” company.
I’m sorry but for even suggesting that G&H are no worse than Moores… you should be taken out at dawn… stood up against the Shankly Gates … and shot for treason. (and I mean that in a good way )
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 #359 |
Aitch
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 5:50 pm
As much as we know about these loans and refinancing deals… that G&H and RBS have undertaken… there is still so much we don’t know…
…because while they are required to be transparent to a degree, they also have rights to privacy… so not everything gets scrutinized.
but here’s a little insight into a deal we do know a lot about now… which goes some way to understanding/explaining…. how these “captains of industry” fuckers operate…
Lehman Brothers was one of the BIG operators in the recent gloabal financial scandal/crises (whatever you want to call it)
Lehman had leveraged itself into a heap of dodgy unsecured loans to the tune of $500 Billion Dollars… yes, that’s Billion… with big B.
This was on their books and they were facing an audit by the SEC, Securities and Exchange Commission.
So here’s what they did…
They created a shell company.
That company wrote them a check for $500 Billion Dollars.
That check got deposited into Lehman’s account and thereby balanced the books.
When audited, they were flush.
Their books showed that they had sold off $500 Billion in loans to another company, and those books showed that Lehman held $0… thats ZERO people… $0 Dollars of unsecured loans.
The SEC signed them off… and the next day…
…I kid you fucking NOT…. the VERY next day…
….Lehman cancelled the $500 Billion Dollar check from the shell company…
… loading back onto the books their $500 Billion Dollars worth of unsecured debt…
…and folded the shell company… which had existed for exactly 51 days.
The SEC knows what they did. The FBI and Treasury Dept. knows exactly who was involved in it.
Yet… Not one Lehman executive has been indicted for fraud!
These are the type of people that now own LFC.
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 #360 |
Aitch
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 6:01 pm
As of Friday 23/07/2010
Here are the net spend figures for the Premier League, so far…
http://www.sportingpreview.com/premnews/09100467.php
Just a little wet-fish, slap-of-realism to the face, for all those orgasming over Joe Cole and how that one purchase now makes us “contenders”
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 #361 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 9:42 pm
Intersting table Aitch,and if anyone thinks our position in that table is going to change much imo their sadly mistaken.
Riera is on his way to olympiakos for 3.3m raising to 5m if they win the league so that brings our income in transfers to 25m since january.We`ve also got the masch situation.I`m not sure who`s favourite to sign him weather it be Barca or Inter i think he`ll command a fee of around 25m so that would be fifty.
I know the masch deal hasn`t come yet but the way things look now,i`d be surprised if he was playing for us in september.
That brings me to Gaz point about the previous owners.Unfair for Moores` tenure to be compered to this bunch of leaches we have now.In Moores time we no way near being the richest club around,even before Abramovic came and raised the bar but Moores always gave his manager his tranfer kitty every summer.It might have only been 20m or so but any sales,well most of it went to the kitty.So that 50m we`ve brought in plus the 20m in the kitty would have made 70.The manager would get around fifty of that to buy players with the remainder to cover wages and whatnot.
The thing is,whatever mistake Moores made,the most monumental of all mistakes selling to the yanks,he always had the best interest of the club at heart.He wanted the club to move forward and challenge for top honours.This is why he sold the club on,so somebody else could take it to the next level.He couldn`t afford to take us to the next step.This is the irony in the whole situation.He sold to the yanks because he believed they had the financial power to move us forward.
The owners now don`t give a bollacks about the team.Hicks himself said as such.They want to succeed of the pitch,Brand loyalty and all that.They`re only here for one reason,to squeez the living daylights out of our club.
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 #362 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 10:28 pm
Of course it was said tongue in cheek, but the point I’m making is how fucking bad must the management system been for all those years, if in the worst time for LFC we have a better team. And lads we do, so if being positive is anti LFC, stand me at the gate and fucking shoot me.
.
Ps 1 fact, Moores supplied the money for Kuyt on the proviso he received it back in full on sale, which he did. Nice fucking guy. How sad has this blog become when someones happy to see LFC slotted 10 shite week in week is considered main stream, while someone who’s complaining about gross mismanagement over countless years is a heretic. (Go figure, tongue in cheek again).
.
Rafa wanted Alves and the club wouldn’t spring another million (fact).
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 #363 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 23, 2010 @ 10:47 pm
Gaz,
There`s nothing wrong with being optimistic.It`s just some feelmyself included,like the issue with the board is distracting them from the footy.
I`d love to be able to come in discuss tactics,transfers and whatnot but this bloody mess we`re in won`t let me do that.
I`ll support the team,absolutely but i cannot rest and watch in peace as long as they`re there.It will be always niggling away at me though.For every high i`ll get with a ninty-two minute winner i`ll be brought back to earth with this.
With the boycott i`ll not be making any trips over for games.
I don`t like doing that,i want to go and support the reds but its something i have to do,my own little bit,in this fight.
Guys who have all summer long fought to put pressure on the banks,politicions,the FA and Premier leauge and have spent countless hours and money to getting awareness out there feel some of the work has been undone by the latest PR move.
People are out there saying “its a new beginning” and the ownership situation will “sort itself out,sooner or later”.
Its this kind of crap and ignorance that drives me mad.Sadly there`s too many that don`t care.
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 #364 |
Sambo
Posted on July 24, 2010 @ 12:52 am
cheers jack #356. i think i’m just bitter about other teams (not lfc/england) getting too successful. spanish football is annoyingly good at the moment. they need chopping down! (except torres and pepe!)
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 #365 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 24, 2010 @ 3:36 am
Timmy, that’s correct there sir, but we can’t be something we’re not, and what we are is supporters of this wonderful team.
.
I personally stand in awe of people such as FS, he is doing a mountain of work, sadly though until we boycott games, its just letters and faxes. Its brand loyal numpties like myself and others who get shafted by these professional asset stripping mongs.
.
However the one commodity they need most is bums on seats, they wouldn’t even contemplate a larger stadium if they didn’t see the value of bums on seats.
.
Game day is their big money spinner, it stimulates the local economy. It stimulates their bank accounts, it keeps RBS exec’s in refinancing bonus’, it allows members of parliment free champers in corportate boxes, it get votes when bailing out banks.
.
Bums on seats is the true money spinner, and until we’re prepared to boycott games then they wont give a shit. I would even make a bold prediction that if we lost every game this season we would still fill Anfield on a weekly basis.
.
However my optimistic side thinks we’re still a top 4 team, with a great heart and spine, last year was a blip, thats all. In fact as bad as last year was we still made another European semi-final.
.
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 #366 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 24, 2010 @ 9:13 am
No offence taken Gaz but stop misquoting me (#361), tongue in cheek or not.
Back to the grind.
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 #367 |
dougle
Posted on July 24, 2010 @ 11:11 am
Hey Gaz -
It’s not just defined by bums on seats. I agree that it is very important but there are many things going on and many things to be both proud and hopeful about. For example -
Share Liverpool and SOS have joined forces and these are the general aims;
Using the strengths and attributes of both Spirit Of Shankly and ShareLiverpoolFC, along with the supporters who back them, we will:
* Continue to develop the model of supporter ownership
· Work to secure the funds necessary to acquire supporter ownership of the club, through direct share purchases and the Spirit Of Shankly Credit Union
· Oversee the launch of the share issue to raise these funds
· Promote the issue of supporter ownership through high quality, consistent communications.
· Represent 50,000 (and rising) Liverpool fans on this issue, providing a unified voice that cannot be disregarded.
Now this is somethng to examine. I assume you are a member of SOS so when I say we, I include you, and all of the others reading this. WE have come a long way Gaz.
Sturmfuhrer FS blasted across the netwaves and continues to do so. It is about getting rid of these parasites and their ilk. It is about now.
It is also about becoming coherent and wised up and educated as to what you can do – no matter where you are. We all have LFC supporting mates who maybe are not as gemmed up as we are (you too mate !) This is going to go a long time after these muppets have gone. This club is going to be in the hands of the real supporters. It will happen. You have a role as we all do. If you want to.
Everything has an affect This is really what I came on to say. You might think letters and e-mails and petitions and websites and alternative kits and Rally’s and demo’s and wit and humour and embarressing and the owners and press articles and boycotts etc etc don’t make a difference but they do.
Key in “Dunnes Stores Strike Mandela” to google and see what comes up. When people have motivation above money and the determination to keep going then anything is possible.
I think it’s interesting to watch youself and Lurgan going at it here. As with most of us in here it would seem to me that you have more in common then not, there is one difference tho’.. IMHO Lurgan and e.g Timmy (362) as well as loads of others hav effectively crossed the rubicon now. The game is now much bigger and lasts 24/7. LFC on the field is a bittersweet diversion right now.
Sorry for being long-winded and apologies for speaking in anyone’s name.
Venceremos !
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 #368 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 24, 2010 @ 9:16 pm
No probs Dougle use my name any time you want once it don`t get me in trouble
Gaz,#364
All the protest work does have an effect.Your missing the point of the letters,emails etc.Its not aimed at the board directly.We are attempting to put pressure on the banks,politicians,FA and premier league.These are people that can do something about it.Weather they will Gaz,is another thing but we must keep at them.It is having an effect,just look at the head man of RBS Hesters` recent comments admitting loaning too much to G&H
I know you`ve sent letters and that too Gaz but the “its pointless” attitude is one of the biggest problems we have in this whole campaign.That attitude is what is holding us back from making a bigger impact.Strength in numbers is what we need.
There`s far too many with their heads buried in the sand far too many.
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 #369 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 24, 2010 @ 10:56 pm
The problem I have is, I have sent the letters, emails, etc, but the one defining, headline gouging moment we have as supporters is game day.
.
What would be more of an impact than an empty Anfield.
.
While we’re sending all these emails, ect to people or organisations, which lads are already corrupted, their standards are corrupted lads.
.
We’re throwing are hats in the ring with people who are part of the problem, thats how I feel. The yanks would be pissing laughing in their wallets.
.
In this world of PR works everyone, the visual advert that an empty Anfield would project would be something to behold. Alas though it won’t happen so I’m just talking shit and hoping for the best.
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 #370 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 24, 2010 @ 11:34 pm
Reports over here claiming Aqualani has been sent home from the pre-season tour, anyone got anything on that.
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 #371 |
Aitch
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 12:54 am
He picked up a knock in the game on Wednesday, gaz.
He got twatted pretty good, but played on, though he reportedly had some bruising and swelling to his knee.
Hodgson has said its nothing serious. And they’re all on the way home anyway… the camp is finished and its prep for the Europa away leg now….so its a bit of a non story.
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 #372 |
Aitch
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 12:57 am
What is of far greater concern is Hodsgon’s “I have no idea what’s going on with Torres, you need to ask Purslow, who I can’t get hold of, maybe you’ll have better luck, coz he holidaying in Spain and I haven’t heard from him in 2 days” comment when asked about the continuing Torres transfer speculation.
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 #373 |
Aitch
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 12:59 am
… and if Purslow is holidaying in Spain…
…then who the fuck was working the Riera to Olympiakos transfer???
It wasn’t Roy… he was in Austria “concentrating on coaching his team” and such.
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 #374 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 1:42 am
Thanks Aitch, so you think he will be Ok for Thursday, do you think we might see some other the other lads from the first team.
.
Not sure what to make of the Torres story but, then again Hodgson did say he had only briefly spoken to Cole, then next day he’s signed, so who knows. Is it normal for a Mr Purse Strings type to go on holidays around now, and why isn’t it in the Cayman Islands.
.
We could always hang on the thought, he’s locked down in contract talks with a major star, or having a coffee with Torres. Ps when is Torres and Mash back, anyone know.
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 #375 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 10:22 am
i think the problem with getting more involved in the campaign is that most of the people banging the drum the loudest are rafatollas now im not having a go im just giving my two cents here and i know that the protests have being going on for a few years but it really did step up two or three gears after rafa was sacked and the fact is an awful lot of people felt his time was up so they are viewing this from arms length.
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 #376 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 10:24 am
All I can say is… H&G and P&B would love to see all the infighting. They’ve got what they want.
Sad sad times.
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 #377 |
Aitch
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 6:56 pm
But this is exactly the thing I’ve been saying for over 16 months now… guinness.
Supporting Rafa was not about supporting Rafa.
It was about supporting the club… the aims of the fans in supporting the club… against those that were making judgements solely on results… without understanding all the knock-on stuff.
Like making the statement, that suggesting last season was about injuries, was merely “making excuses”.
What those in the Anti-Rafa camp seemed largely unable to fathom, was that the majority of support for Rafa, was NOT about support for the man… not about support for the man’s tactics, or substitution decisisons… but about support for what he was trying to do.
It was about support for his plan… that plan being…
…the revamping of the entire organization from schoolboy Academy recruitment, right through to the first team…
… restablishing an organization that was still doing business “the Liverpool Way” of the 80s, 2 full decades after it had been proven that way was no longer working…
.. about essentially, dragging us (kicking and screaming) into a 21st Century Liverpool Way…
…one that held to our core ideals, while modernizing, so we could start competing at the top again…
… that’s a long term plan… it takes time and patience..
…and its about far, far more than results in one season…
Look what has happened so far this summer.
OUT – Bennayoun, Riera, Insua and 3 or 4 kids.
If Rafa had stayed, we don’t know if he would have kept the kids, but Benny and Riera would have been gone anyway… and I suspect he’d have kept Insua.
IN – Shelvey, Jovanovic, Wilson, Cole
The first 3 were all deals arranged by Rafa, and the 4th was a Rafa target.
We can argue back and forth all we want about Rafa, but what it comes right down to is this…
If Rafa had stayed, we’d have moved the same players, bar Insua, bought the same players, and had a manager with veto power on any player transfers.
What we have now, is the same player transfers, but a manager who not only has no veto power over transfers, but isn’t even involved in them.
The hope is… and this is also what the campaign is about… that something can be done to pusuade G&H to sell SOONER, rather than LATER.
They will sell. They have to.
Their business model is unsustainable… and is in fact designed to hold an asset for a period of time… not indefinitely… during which you strip it of as much profit as you can, then sell on.
But the point is…
…sooner means less damage to the club… damage from which we can recover once they are gone…
…later means more damage to the club… potentially Leeds-like damage from which it takes decades (if ever) to recover.
What we needed this summer was not a change of manager… but a change at ownership, board and executive level.
Roy Hodgson… once this season starts… will be judged on what happens on the field.
But he’ll be managing under even more restrictions than Rafa was… since his contract has no control over player movement… and in fact no control beyond coaching the 1st Team Squad and probably having some say in the reserves.
…And ironically… it’ll be the “Rafa-Out Brigade” that has the knives out for Roy…
…and the so-called “Rafatollahs” arguing Roy’s corner once things kick-off.
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 #378 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 7:53 pm
And ironically… it’ll be the “Rafa-Out Brigade” that has the knives out for Roy…
…and the so-called “Rafatollahs” arguing Roy’s corner once things kick-off.
-o-
NAIL ON HEAD
-o-
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 #380 |
Aitch
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 8:04 pm
gaz, I do not understand what the fuck is going on with the squad right now.
Something is definitely a bit off in my opinion.
By 25 June… Kyrgiakos and Agger were eliminated… meaning their return date was 16 July.
By 27 June… Carra, SG, Johnson and Skrtel were eliminated… meaning their return date was 18 July
By 3 July… Masch and Maxi were eliminated… meaning their return date was 24 July
By 11 July… Kuyt, Babel, Pepe & Torres finished the competition… giveing them a return date of 2 Aug
We are being told that the medical team has advised Roy NOT to play the WC players… but really…
… they were all fit enough to be selected for their countries…
…did the World Cup tax them that much…
…does 3 weeks vacation really fuck your fitness?
For my money… These guys should all be fit and ready to play on Thursday.
I have a vague recollection that between the ages of 20 and 28… I Worked 40+ hours per week, went to school full-time, trained twice a week and played on a Sunday… I never pulled a hammy and I never suffered from fatigue?
But maybe my memory isn’t what it used to be and I’m actually remembering times gone by with rose-tinted fondness and I actually did fatigue myself?
(…but I don’t fuckin think so! …coz I still had enough energy to be shagging every bird I could get my hand on in those days, so….)
Agger, Carra, SG, Johnson and Skrtel will have had 3 weeks training by the time the 2nd leg rolls around on 5 Aug… if they’re not ready for that… heaven help us when we face Arsenal on opening day a week later???
As for money men and their vacations… I remember Coco often going on vacation during the summer transfer window. Boggles the mind really. He was vacationing at a gold resort during the whole SG to Chelsea debaucle remember?
I can’t think of a single business that would sanction a vacation for the most crucial member of financial negotiations during a limited financial negotiations window!
But there is something odd about the whole thing this summer.
Despite Hodgson’s very public statements to the effect he’s got fuck all to do with the transfer process… The Press are still printing stories daily about Hodgson’s targets and Hodgson doing this deal and that.
And all the while … the deals we are doing, (have done up to now) are largely, the deals Rafa had in place before he left.
We’re being told Senior players aren’t fit enough to play in 2 games that would essentially cup-tie them and effect their sale price?
We are being told the Manager wants to know if the Europa League is important to the club?
(WTF? its a cup… you make money off progressing in it… you get good press if you progress… and a fuckin shitstorm of bad press if you don’t.)
(AND… this very manager got the job off the back of an impressive run in this very competition last year!!!)
We’ve got senior players that need to be tied to the club, or sold and replaced… and Not one left back…
… but the Managing Director is on vacation in Spain with
…only 4 days, followed by an additional 7 days to go to a pair of major competition qualifiers…
… only 20 days to the opening game of the new Prem Campaign…
… and only 38 days left in which to do business?
… something is rotten in the State of Denmark…
…and it ain’t Agger’s moldy shower shoes!
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 #381 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 10:12 pm
Aitch i was just about to bring up the arguement about the world cup players maybe being somewhat mentally tired rather than physically,taking into concideration our opposition on thursday we could afford to give them another week off.I hadn`t realised the league starts in 3 weeks so i`ll agree most should be ready to make some contribution.
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 #382 |
dougle
Posted on July 25, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
Hi Groovers,
Heroic dad that I am I volunteered to sit with the older kid as she took a nap yesterday afternoon and (coincidentally !!) the Liverpool vs Kaisers was on the internet box. It was interesting to watch (just the first half – then kid woke up). Anyway the point is we had a left back who has no left foot and it was through this channel that Kaisers scored and constantly looked dangerous.
We have no left back gang – none.
Agger we need in the centre for me.
We have sold a young cheap improving Argentinian. Who are we gonna buy ? He’s (they are ) gonna be over -30 and a stop gap for the season (or 2). Also he’ll be english.
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 #383 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 12:06 am
Aitch:
I think you have watched too many episodes of the X Files! I, for one, don’t mind if we don’t play our WC players in the first two legs of the Europa Cup – keep them fresh and ready for the start of the league. For me we need to focus 100% on the league and perhaps see how we get on in the F.A. Cup. We should absolutely do a “Wenger” on the Carling Cup and early rounds of the Europa
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 #384 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 12:34 am
I don’t know what the drama is all about, yes I’m no sports science type, but if the players who played in the WC are having a three week break, compared to the lads who have been back training for 3 weeks after being on holidays for 10.
.
Surely the WC players must be fitter by my calculations. They have only been out of the game for 3 weeks.
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 #385 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 10:23 am
“Roy Hodgson… once this season starts… will be judged on what happens on the field”
thats the nail on the head….JUST LIKE EVERY OTHER MANAGER IN THE WORLD.
lads stop thinking every one who wanted rafa gone is some clueless numpty who doesn’t know whats going on at board level get over yourselves will ya. yea there is plenty of them but there is also quiet a few intelligent people who believe his time was up the more you lot keep banging on about how thick the rest of us are the less people will want to get involved in the more important objective of getting rid of the yanks you say its not about rafa and bang on about him for the rest of the reply.
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 #386 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 10:39 am
# 384 Well said Guinness!
So many posts recently saying “oh once things start going bad for Roy – the usual suspects will start shouting for him to be sacked etc etc”
Roy will be judged on what his teams do on the pitch. The reason a few on here (myself included) were critical of Rafa last season was that ON MANY occasions – he had full XI’s out – and yet we still played lifeless, negative football. (I’ll give examples if people want it) It seemed to all intents and purposes he had lost the support of a number of key players and that deeply concerned me. However, I was willing to give him one more season – but my deep down gut feeling was Rafa had gone as far as he could, given the current situation and we would only go further in reverse.
In my eyes – too many people in here were looking at the ownership issue (HUGE as it was and still is) and neglecting the performances and tactics that we were witnessing week in – week out. The bottom line was (again in my opinion) despite our injury woes, we should have finished higher than 7th and certainly should have played much better than we did throughout the season.
If Roy is able to keep Torres and REGULARLY field a close to best XI but we’re still seeing bad results and performances, I think every fan has the right to question his ability. However, I hope and feel confident he will be able to get this squad playing a lot better than we saw in 09/10 but only time will tell.
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 #387 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 11:50 am
But there’s a fatal flaw in that lads….
While all the shite is going on in the background, you can’t really judge anything by what’s going on on the pitch.
I know what you’re saying, but we can’t really seperate things like that.
There’s a huge storm cloud hanging over the club and it affects absolutely everything.
Okay, there’s been a couple of good things happen. I don’t agree that they’re good. But it’s given people hope and they seem to think that’s a good thing. Well, okay let’s have a look at it…
Roy, well, he’s not the worse we could have done, but I’m not happy with him. And that’s due to all the cirumstances that brought him here. None of that is his fault, and he’s making all the right noises up to now. But you can’t ignore why or how he ended up here.
Any business with ambition only sacks a worker to bring in a better worker. Sorry, but that’s not what we’ve done.
Cole, well, there’s people going proper bonkers over this and treating the signing as the second coming and are expecting them sort of miracles.
I think they are in for a huge disapointment.
The player Rafa wanted and arranged is Turan. We’ve got Cole instead. And again you have to look at that from an ambition objective…
A young and up and coming player, that seems destined to be a star, or an aging player, that has lost most of the pace he ever had because he’s suffered 2 career wrecking injuries. But at the age of 28, near 29, is given a 4 contract at 90k a week… nearly double what he’d been offered elsewhere.
Sorry, but whichever way you look at this, it doesn’t add up to me… So, even forgetting all the circumstances surrounding this transfer, it still makes no sense from purely business and ambition terms.
And that’s 2 things a lot of people are made up about. When you start looking a bit deeper beyond the “good news,” it gets far far worse.
Insua, gone in a rather shitty manner. His best mate, Mascherano, refusing to answer calls and texts, making come get me noises to Rafa. Torres refusing to talk to the club anymore. No left back at all. Knocking on 30 million taken in on transfers, with more likely, not a penny of it invested in the team. Stunning, deafening silence, from the 4 men in the background – all who love the spotlight and spouting off, especially when they want to con us into believing everything is alright.
And I could go on and on and on, but we all know the bad. The only thing that seperates us is the belief of how bad things are. And I know there’s a few people who think I go over the top, but in return I think they’re being very naive. And we’re probably stuck there.
To be honest, I’ve been hearing some rumours that would cheer us all up. But I haven’t put in any rumour good or bad. So, I don’t think I should start now.
To me nothing’s changed…
I hope for the best, but prepare for the worse.
Meaning, I hope Roy can keep us on an even keel. I think it’s highly unfair to expect anymore from him.
I hope Joe Cole reproduces his early Chelsea form, but again, I think it’s unfair to expect that. He’s not the player he was.
I hope Roy get’s some money and can get in a Left Back, hopefully 2. But I don’t blame him for us losing the only one we had, and I won’t blame him if he can only afford a cheap stop gap.
I hope Masch and Torres stay. But I won’t blame Roy if they don’t.
And I could go on and on in that vein too. But bottom line is….
There’s a huge cloud hanging over our club, and, until it’s gone, nothing can be judged in the normal way or just on football terms on the pitch.
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 #388 |
McrRed
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 11:54 am
Arthur,
everyone was critical of Rafa at times last season – even Rafa!
But when we won the team was a good one…and when we lost Rafa was negative (he has to be negative, he played two holding midfielders didn’t he?)
Take it for granted the board are doing an asset-stripping destruction job on the club.
What I question is the players. If they don’t want to play for the manager (whether that’s Rafa, Roy or fuckin Graeme Souness) they should still be playing their hearts out for the fans who pay their enormous salaries…
If you have information where Rafa gave instructions to players and they said “Boss, I don’t understand”* and he still sent them out then I can understand anyone blaming the manager in those sorts of circumstances.
But do you honestly think Rafa sent them out with instructions to pass the ball to the opposition? Or not get back and defend when we needed to? Or twat the ball out to the corner flag?
*please don’t count Babel
|
 #389 |
McrRed
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 12:06 pm
A while ago someone posted some thing to the effect that they were privvy to a conversation with Rafa about one of the Reserves/Academy players. Rafa rated them very highly and thought they would imminently be ready to introduce to the first team. And it wasn’t an obvious choice eg Pacheco.
Since Rafa’s gone and his opinion no longer counts, does anyone know who it was? (FS? London?)
It’s been bugging me ever since….
It shows how hard it is to get consistency at the top level. As an example, it was interesting to see the deterioration in Ayala’s performance from one game to the other last week – MoM in one and stunk in the other (I know he’s young and will learn the game in time).
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 #390 |
sachem
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 1:20 pm
McrRed
Do you mean the one Rafa singled out as a great prospect when he met with Paul Tomkins last year? In that case, PT revealed last month the player Rafa was referring to in that instance was Victor Palsson.
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 #391 |
corklfc
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 2:40 pm
The whole Rafa v Roy debate is a waste of time, and the “lets wait until the results are good or bad before we judge Roy” is the same.
Like others I would lve to be discussing all things football but it’s completly irrelavant right now.
It obvious at this stage we will be making a profit in this transfer window, that is the acid test of the state of the club right now. If we had qualified for the CL I would be certain it would be no different.
What really struck me with the “ggod” news of Joe Cole signing was the Ex-pros being so positive (Rush/McAteer/Thompson) and why wouldn’t they. the media gigs would be lost if they didn’t toe the line.
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 #392 |
Aitch
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 5:50 pm
The reason we “bang on about how thick” the rest of you are guinness, is because you insist on taking one sentence… “Roy Hodgson… once this season starts… will be judged on what happens on the field”… and ignoring the rest of the idea.
That idea being… what happens on the field is NOT isolated from what happens at the club as a whole.
Its NOT about Rafa vs. Roy!
Maurihno was judged by results on the field at Chelsea… but are we really going to ignore the insane war-chest he was provided, to not only stock the first 11 with stars, but also stock the squad… and then… just buy fuckers so no one else could buy them?
And granted, maybe he didn’t do that at Inter… but he started with a sttled team, full of stars… as he has at Real.
People seem to love conveniently ignoring that while Fungus may well have built his initial 90′s squad around kids developed from within the club…
…they also surrounded those kids as they were themselves becoming stars… with top-dollar, top-name, big money signings… then once on top of the pile, continued to spend like a drunken sailor to insure they stayed there…
… only slipping as those kids aged and the Chavs bought themselves into the same stratosphere.
Roy Hodgson will be judged on what happens on the field… and THAT is grossly unfair… just as it was for his predecessor… because what happens on the green grass of Anfield… has already been handicapped for 2 full seasons now by what has been happening off it.
What the fuck is so difficult about agreeing to that?
And Arthur, once again, here we go with the old “lost the dressing room” chestnut.
I’m not gonna suggest that some players weren’t happy with the situation.
At least half of them are spoiled brats… bitching to the media about how their teammates “aren’t good enough” and we need to be “buying better players” … but I’d like to suggest that some of their goals are the result of passes laid onto them by those “inferior, not good enough for Liverpool” players and maybe they should just shut the fuck up and play football.
For instance… Insua… was deemed “not good enough” and we needed a “better left back” … yet Insua had the best goal-assist rate of any left back in the Prem last season.
But okay… I get where they are coming from.
I think they should shut up about it and stop slapping some of their teammates in the face with a wet fish, (coz that’s not the way to get the best out of them) but I get it.
Not everyone can be a star.
But you’re suggesting that results on the pitch were a case of players not wanting to play for their boss.
In that case… do your really think the right person got fired?
Coz what you are saying is that those unhappy players played poorly… deliberately.
I know you didn’t actually say that.
But I’m sorry lad… that is what you are saying.
Rafa was responsible for World Class players suddenly being incapable of playing to “Very Good” level, let alone World Class…
…and unless he “stole their mojo” like Doctor Evil, what that means is that they were unhappy with his methods and deliberately switched off.
That is what you are suggesting.
Look I’ve played for my fair share of coaches I disliked. I’ve been benched for inferior players.
What I did when I got on the field, was… not sulk.
I’ve never once stepped onto a field and played poorly because of it.
If you love your coach you give everything for him.
If you hate him you put everything into it to show him he’s wrong…
If you’re indifferent… you shouldn’t be wearing the shirt.
hell… I’ve completely reorganized a team on the field, as play unfolded, coz I thought my coaches tactics were fucked.
I flew into every tackle as though it was a tackle on that fucker. I played my arse off to either set up a goal or score one myself… coz that’s how you shove it up his nose when he’s “lost you” … and show him he’s wrong… not by switching off.
Last Season, the players weren’t all individually playing well, but losing tactically as a team.
This whole “lost the dressing room” idea that explains why so many players performed so poorly last season… means they played poorly deliberately.
Yet you think the decision to keep those same players, but let a World Class coach to go, was right?
And yes…. you’re right Rafa is gone and that’s that…. but don’t think for one minute Roy has walked in and made everything better.
He’s still hamstrung… that is why “the Rafa case” matters now. Coz its gonna be the same for Roy.
I’m not “banging on about Rafa”
I’m banging on about how the current Ownership, board and organization management hamstrung a World Class manager… and how they are doing the same to our new Manager.
What is so fuckin hard about that to understand?
|
 #393 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 7:30 pm
Well, it looks like all you lads are in need of a bit of good news. I hate doing this, because none of it is confirmed yet. But it looks like we’re going to have our own civil war over all this, and this little nugget comes from a very trusted source.
Now please don’t go overboard. I’m not even taking any notice meself yet. I’m holding judgement until something becomes clearer, and I suggest you all do the same, but…
From what I’ve heard, the owners and the board have all mysteriously been jetting about – Switzerland, London and Cairo.
Now that much I know is confirmed. What the fuck they’ve been up to – I don’t know and neither does the lad who told me. He says there’s been rumoured meeting with middle east consortiums, but that’s all it is…. rumour.
So, anyway, don’t be going over board and building your hopes up too much. If there’s anything to it, it will show soon enough. But until then, I take the same position…
The club is bollacksed. And until the mess in the boardroom gets sorted out, everything else is secondary and it’s impossible to judge anything with not taking all this into account.
No that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t or can’t talk football. At the end of the day, that’s all any of us want to do, but there’s a fucking big elephant in the room lads and there’s no ignoring it.
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 #394 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 8:16 pm
I hope your right FS I have been trawling the forums in the hope of hearing good news.
The rumours and so called ITK’s are driving me crazy and the delusional attempts to pretend nothing is wrong have made me madder than a man waking up with a hangover and a fat woman.
However I would like to put one rumour to rest for good, “most knowledgable fans in the world” my arse
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 #395 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
so Aitch there is no way, at all, that Rafa’s time might have been up? That he was unable to rouse his players any more?
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 #396 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 26, 2010 @ 11:52 pm
Aitch i did read all your post as i always do an enjoy reading them but my point was that the protests are not getting as many involved because it IS a roy v rafa thing you keep proving it yourself. I have heard all the reasons why rafa was hamstrung by the board and i understand it but mate any team with the players we have that finishes 7th has done so for more then just whats going on at boardroom level you say yourself that players will play for themselves regardless of the manager (they should but dont) can we then blame the board for their performances? the fact is if enough of them have had enough of him its over either he goes or the players do.
Im getting off topic here i dont want to go over all this again i was sick of it all last season and im sick of it now. roll on the new season whup-di-do-da.
FS throw us a frikin bone here mate.
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 #397 |
Aitch
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 12:24 am
Well Arthuer, I wasn’t gonna go there, because we end up discussing the minutia of the theory… when the theory itself is flawed.
But you asked, so…
Was there a possibility Rafa’s time was up? Of course that is a possibility.
I’d say it was a very minor one though.
What is often not asked, nor admitted to by those on the other side of the coin, Arthur is…
…whether or not the people who insist his time was up, would admit there is a possibility it wasn’t.
And yes I’m well aware you were willing to give him another year… though why you would be willing to do so, if you felt so strongly that his time was up, is something I don’t understand.
It was either time or it wasn’t. You can’t have it both ways.
When Houllier went, his time was up… in fact he truly had lost the plot. He very, very often sat in the dugout, staring blankly at the field as though he wasn’t even sure where he was, let alone what was going on. His time was up 12 months before we let him go.
That’s a different argument, and shouldn’t really have anything to do with Rafa, except to say…
The same cannot be said about Rafa. It just can’t.
You point to bizarre formations…
…not taking into account those formations were not played by choice, but by necessity, due to the insane number of 1st teamers in the infirmary.
You point to bizarre tactics…
…but our tactics last season weren’t vastly different to our tactics the previous year when we finished 2nd…
You suggest Rafa’s approach to games/opposition was “too cautious” and our formations “too defensive”…
…when again, virtually the same players, scored more goals and racked up more points than any other 2nd place team in the history of the Prem.
You point to these 3 things…
…as though we didn’t play essentially the same formations, with the same tactics, and finish 2nd, win the F.A. Cup, win the Champions League…
…and comprehensively beat teams as well thought of as Scum, Real Madrid, and Barcelona… and I repeat… using the same fuckin players, tactics, approach, and substitution decisions.
You suggest Rafa had a full strenth first XI “on many occasions” …even putting it in bold… but that simply isn’t true.
The facts are…
a) it wasn’t on many occasions, and
b) it wasn’t a full strength first XI when half of them are hobbling round.
Last season was NOT about Rafa’s on-field management.
You can argue that it was, all you want… but it simply wasn’t…
…and my making that statement doesn’t make me a Rafatollah!
We should have strengthened in the summer.
We didn’t… not enough anyway.
20 million would have added Arda Turan and at least 1 other top player to the roster… that money was never provided…. but it isn’t even that simple….
It wasn’t like the owners simply withheld funds.
They “provided funds” in that they had stated Rafa could use any acquired funds from tranfers… then when we got 30 million for Alonso, pulled that money.
A fact, oh so conveniently forgotten by those who blame Rafa for not bringing in another striker…
… ignoring that in the case of Arda Turan…
…we still tried to wheel and deal, even after the Alonso funds were pulled… and we’d have got him if Babel would have been willing to go the other way.
Granted… We’ll never know if having Turan would have made a difference… but you can’t ignore, at least, the idea that he’d have probably made a fuckin bigger one than Babel?
And all that… ignores the fact… funds weren’t provided to strengthen in the January window preceding that, nor in the summer preceding that.
None of that is about Rafa… its about the financials.
Last season’s man-of-the-match in far too many matches, was Lucas.
Kyrgiakos played more minutes last season than Sami Hyppia in the previous season… and no disrespect to the man, but it sure as shit wasn’t because he’s a better player than Sami!
The right back spot was started by the following players: Johnson, Darby, Kelly, Skrtel, Carra, Deggen, and Mascherano…
…that’s …. started (!!!) a game in the right back slot!
At left back we had: Insua, Aurellio, Johnson, Carra, Agger, and I think even Dossena got a quick shift before he was shunted.
(don’t even get me started on the number of central defensive pairings)
That should tell you everything you need to know about the strength of the “first XI” we fielded “on many occasions”.
People are very fond of saying “if we’d been just a bit more adventurous, we wouldn’t have finished 7th.”
What they don’t concede though, is that many of the points we dropped were a result of getting caught on the break.
So yeah…maybe if we’d have been a bit more adventurous we wouldn’t have finished 7th…
…we might very well have finished 12th …or worse!
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 #398 |
axchoice
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 12:26 am
Arthur/Guinessdrinker,
We really had a very bad injury last season. The only period when we could field a fit 11 on the pitch was after the New Year to around the time after we knocked Benfica out.
Since then, we had Torres out, followed by others that resulted in having Mascherano play at right back, Agger at left back for our last few Premiership games. I believe we’d probably have finished higher if we take away just the injuries at the tail end of the season.
If Roy can keep Torres and get him fit this season, we’d probably do well. Arthur, why don’t you apply the same logic last season? If Torres had been fit all season, I’m quite sure we’d have finished top 4. Just look at the effect of Rooney for Man U last season.
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 #399 |
Aitch
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 1:17 am
guinness… I did not say “players play for themselves”
That is not what I said at all… read it again, lad.
What I said, is…
A… if you are playing for a manager who doesn’t like you…
…you should play out of your skin to prove him wrong.
I see so little evidence of that from the likes of Babel, or Riera.
…and…
B… if you are playing for a manager who has you doing things you don’t like…
… when you get on the field… its up to you how you play… you’ve got 90 minutes to … at the very least… ocassionally ignore his directives and make a darting run, or forward pass.
… again, I see so little evidence of that happening… particlarly… if your premise is true, from SG and Carra last season.
I started to write a personal anecdote, which I deleted because I felt it sidetracked what I was getting at, but here goes.
I was personally invited to play for a coach at Uni once. He saw me in a kick-about and recruited me…
…and I mean recruited me hard. “I could build a team around you.” “You can be my Captain and run things on-field.” ..blah, blah.
Now that didn’t turn my head… it was in the States and I took it as normal Yank bravado.
But what never made any sense, was when I got there… he constantly undermined me on the field and belittled me in front of my teammates, and the guy knew jack-shit about football. (I didn’t know it at the time, but he was a gymnastics coach.) but by that time, I was commited to the school term, and had paid for classes (including footy) and books and such, so I was stuck with it.
Midway through the season we played the league leaders… a bunch of lads that could really play footy… he started his entire 2nd string… of which I was by that time one… and set us up defensively, conserving his “stars” for a crucial cup game 3 days later.
Now this was a guy who had truly “lost the dressing room” even some of his faves, who regularly started didn’t like him.
Within 5 minutes of starting the game, I’d completely reorganized everyone, and we set about nullifying their attack for 30 minutes, then caught them on the break, when I intercepted a cross in the box, ran 15 yards with the ball, then set our lighting-pace forward off and running with a 30 yard ball.
1-0 on 35 minuntes.
At which point…
…the fucker promptly subbed me off.
My replacement started to direct people to play differently… everyone got confused who was marking who, and all was lost.
We were 1-2 down at half time and (the league had unlimited subs) the starting 11 were all on the bench before we were 15 mintes into the 2nd half. We lost 1-5
Boring story I know… I only trot it out for this one simple reason.
I never saw SG or Carra, or anyone else do what I did in that first half… not once, last season.
So if Rafa had lost the dressing room, why is it that World Class players didn’t at least occasionally “have a go” at doing what they know they can do, even if it is against the Managers instructions.
You think his tactics are stupid anyway, so what have you got to lose?
But it never happened…that I could see… not for 5 minutes, let alone 30 minutes, in any single game last season.
It is not about Roy vs Rafa.
Its about recognizing the circumstance in which we entered the season…
realizing the circumstances we found ourselves in once it started …
…and asking …..where is the fuckin responsibility in the players for last season?
But ask youself this…. If for the sake of argument…. Rafa had lost the dressing room…
…why were Pepe and Lucas (2 players that would seemingly be in his corner, rather than not) the only players to “stand up and be counted” performance-wise?
I just think that doesn’t add up.
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 #400 |
Aitch
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 1:23 am
…er… okay, that was unfair…
…there were a few others who stepped up to the call…
…like Kyrgiakos for instance
…and even Benny who did alright most of the time… and he’d be in the lost camp right?
…but you get my drift.
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 #401 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 1:43 am
Aitch, there you go, obviously both SG and Carra saw what happened to you, making a decision without the managers knowledge or agreement, and bobs your uncle, won’t happen to us.
.
Some players stood up last season but overall it was a flat performance all round.
.
Fs the rumour running over here is its not a Middle East consortium but a business from Singapore. At the moment I can’t recall the name.
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 #402 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 8:26 am
Aitch, I hope you twatted that coach at the end of the season?
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 #403 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 9:20 am
Gaz, I’m doing the best to steer away from any rumour. I just seen people going over the same old ground, and thought it might be good to put in something we can all be sort of happy about.
I trust the lad who told me about these meetings. He’s an old friend. He’s got very close contacts inside the club, people who make appointments and bookings.
If he tells me that all hands were in a meeting, I have no reason to doubt him. I trust him all the more because he’s not the sort to start rumour, and that’s why he stopped there and only told me that… because other than that, he knows no more for fact.
Promising?
Well, you have to judge that for yourself and like I said, I’m not going to get excited about anything just yet.
I’ve been stung too many times in the last 20 years.
Yes, not just the 3 plus, that H&G have been here. For the last 20 years at the beginning of each season, I’ve felt like a kid on Christmas eve, only to end up disapointed again. There have been some notable exceptations – mainly given to me by Rafa. But it’s always been the same really, dead high hopes of winning it, only to be dashed, funnily enough, as early as Christmas.
But there’s the difference…
This season I go into it with no expectations at all. And I don’t think anyone else does either. Roy certainly doesn’t. He’s already made it plain that we shouldn’t be worried about kicking off our European campaign, with no left back and a team of reserves…
Frankly he doesn’t think we are strong enough to challenge in the Europa league and stay competitive in our own league.
Our media agrees with him wholeheartedly and a large section of our fans also think that’s okay. In fact, some will be happy if he avoids relegation, some will happy with a Euro league place finish – even though it seems we shouldn’t bother challenging this season when we are actually in it – and the majority defintely have no hopes of winning anything, and so put no pressure on him.
Funny enough, a lot of these people who screamed, We Are LFC! Only a challenge for the title is good enough.
So we sacked the man who’s got us closest to that in 20 years and lowered all our expectations by hiring a journey man manager. And that’s no insult to Mr Hodges. It’s just the truth. He is a journeyman.
And I’m not retreading old ground for sake of argument. I’m highliting a few things that I always try to get people to realise…
LFC is a club with no ambition anymore. We do not exist to win trophies. We do not exist to make the people happy.
We exist to make some people money.
That is the big storm cloud I keep going on about. It hangs over the club and affects absolutely everything about us.
Granted, there’s debatble points about why a squad like ours had such a dysmal season last time out…
Did Rafa lose too many of the players?
Was it injuries and beach balls and all the other horrible events that done for us?
We could talk that for another 10 seasons and never agree.
But I think there’s one mighty truth that no one can deny…
Things are so bad at the top, that it is soaking down through the club affecting every single one of us, from the manager, down through the players, into the kop, around the ground and out into the street, probably stretching all the way to some loan fan in the Artic listening on a short wave radio.
It put such an air of defeat and desperation over all of us, that no one from the fans, to the players to the manager could shake it off or snap out of it.
So clearly something had to go…
Sadly, it was the last thing that we could afford to lose that had to give way.
The constant sniping from inside and outside helped see to that.
Everyday, 24/7 the media constantly hammered the message home… Liverpool are fucked. It’s Rafa’s fault. He must go.
Our fans helped knock the message further in. Now they say they never. Now they say they didn’t even listen to the media. How they avoided every single media outlet is beyond me, but there was no avoiding the calls of fans like them…
Insisting it was bad performances like at Wolves that did it. But now we are talking about it not really being worth beating Robotnick of Macedonia because we have to reserve our crap squad’s energy for battles at the likes of Mollyniuex. And that’s okay with the vast majority of them now.
Ironic?
Not at all.
It was all so sadly predictable that some of us could see it after Athens and pleaded for patientce.
I suppose there’s the irony in it…
We have been brought down to this level, and a lot of us seem to have suddenly found some patientce.
Yet, the squad, despite the sales by Purslow, isn’t that different from what Rafa left and some of the signings are what Rafa would have made. We still had the most players of all Premier clubs at the World Cup. But apparently, they are now so disenchanted and dismayed that nothing much is expected of them, such as not even turning up for the start of our European campaign.
And round and round and round this will all go, in ever decreasing circles, until the real problems are removed from the club.
It will be interesting to see how LFC and Inter do this year.
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 #404 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 9:33 am
Well FS its certainly good to here you cheering people up, no doubt about that post, probably stopped millions from committing suicide.
.
Anyway since you mentioned rumours, here’s two from the weekend, the first claims both Hicks and Gillet were in London having a meeting with Barcap. The second was Hicks has had a serious heart attack and is on deaths door, fuck is it too much to want for the second.
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 #405 |
corklfc
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 10:08 am
Looks like Mash is gone, if he goes that will the bones of 40m taken in this transfer window todate, 4m has being spent on jon jo and wilson.
How will Roy manage to spend all that money!!!!
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 #406 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 10:13 am
Naughty.
But you know what… Old Tom keeling over wouldn’t even help us, as I reckon he’s son’s even worse. A greedy fat horrible bastard, born with a silver spoon, who looks down on everyone except other greedy fat bastards like his best mate, Purslow.
As for the meetings, I’d say, knowing me mate, it’s completely believable that something took place. What the reason for it was…
Who knows.
I’m sure they have to have regular updates and discuss the situation. So whou knows, it could just be one of them fat chewing sessions.
My hope on that… Hester and Barcap have firmly laid cards on the table. Insisted this has to be brought to a swift conclusion. Hester is still showing signs of having enough. I think he’s the weakest link in all this, but ironically the strongest and our best ally.
I reckon the rest of them are thick skinned bastards who couldn’t give a toss. But I reckon, if we keep the pressure on him, he will crack. And he’s the key really. He holds enough power to put a rocket up all of them. We just have to keep badgering him into doing something.
I haven’t given up. It was just a waste of time for the past week or so. People took their eyes off the ball because of Cole.
But it’s all starting again…
Masch is back at Anfield and has demanded a transfer. We have our first game proper on Thursday. We’re a bloody shambles, despite Roy’s ship balancing act. It’s only a matter of time before people start getting pissed off again.
It’s such a bloody shame that we can’t keep focused. Believe it or not, despite a few tiffs, it hasn’t been too bad in here. Believe me, it’s been a horror story round the rest of the net and even out in the street. When Liverpudlians turned into Lemmings is beyond me, but, sadly, a huge load of us have. I suppose it’s human nature to grasp any good news when you’ve had 12 months of shite. But the last week or so has opened my eyes. Well, no. It’s just confirmed what I knew for a long time… are fan base is not what it was. That will no doubt annoy a few people, but it’s true.
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 #407 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 10:16 am
Aye, missed that writing Corky. But not too worry. Apparently Lucas is going soon too. So, that should please a lot of people who think all our woes was down to a crap holding pair in the middle.
And Roy did say it himself the other day… Spearing can do that job?
Last bit of sarcasm…
My brother, the silverback, bluenose, is a painter. But then, so was Michelangelo.
Happy days, eh.
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 #408 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 10:59 am
So it seems that Masch wants to go back and play again for that despicable, arrogant, poor man manager, that is Benitez.
Who would have thought it. Eh?
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 #409 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 11:00 am
Liverpudlians turning into Lemmings? That’s about right. The comments on some blogs, Sly etc. ”Good riddance to Masch, let him join Benitez & his 2 holding midfield formation”, and ”let’s sell Masch & Roy can buy a new left back & another top striker”.
FFS, do you really think Roy will be able to spend the money from Monster’s sale, you Lemmings?
There is even one retard stating that it wasn’t Rafa who bought Masch from oblivion at WH, it was Liverpool. Oh, so when Rafa makes a brilliant signing, it’s LFC. When he made a crap signing, it was his fault? Fucking retards.
On a lighter note: I don’t mean to take away from the seriousness of the moment/situation – so to speak – but are we going to create that EPL Fanatasy League thingy again?
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 #410 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 11:27 am
Masch is one of the players that has always backed Rafa.
There’s no denying that Rafa split the camp in that regard. The paper’s lied and a huge section of our support fell for it – agreeing that he’d “lost the dressing” room. But that wasn’t true…
Some liked him. Some didn’t. Some couldn’t give a shite. He was just another boss.
And you know what, that’s true of all managers. Some won’t like Roy. Some will. And some others will just see him as another boss.
The papers/media invent all this man manager, loved by all bollacks. It sells papers.
Ferguson, Wenger, even good ol’ appy Arry and Fat Sham… none of them have all their players on their side.
Even Shankly wasn’t universally loved. In fact some players didn’t like him one bit. And, let’s face it, it’s a million times harder to keep all these spoilt brats happy nowadays.
The one thing you can say about all this…
Rafa made better players of them all.
And they might have had snide digs against him in unhappier times, Riera, Benayoun, but at one point or another they all admitted Rafa had made them better players.
Babel being the only real exception. And the sad thing is, if the lad would have, or even could have, buckled down and done what Rafa wanted and expected, he’d probably be a far better player by now an all.
Anyway, we might be better off playing fantasy football. Because this is starting to look like a nightmare. I hope to fuck I am wrong. And in truth, there’s a little bit of me that still clings on to the usual pre-season hope. But let’s face it, it’s not looking good.
Bollacks to it. I’m off to work. I haven’t even got any on today, but I’m going to go and mess around with a few things and keep busy. If I stay home with nothing to do but sit on this internet melarkey all day, I’ll probably end up suicidal.
Later.
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 #411 |
corklfc
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 11:28 am
Here in Cork there are a shit of manc supporters, who really enjoyed the way our season went last season, and were all “Rafa has to go”
I tried explaining to a few of them the finanial state of the club/owners etc etc, they were having none of it.
my answer was to them was, I know we are fucked, and now accept we would not be challenging for the league eapecially which the current owners are still around, but watch out, the mancs are as in deep shite as we are, so worry about your own house.
No way were they having it, they were the biggest club in the world, the red knights were coming up with 1.5b all was rosey… and get this, the only reason the money from the ronaldo transfer wasn’t spend was because Fungus said there was no players worth the money!!
two weeks ago I said the same lads, I suppose David Villa must be shit player if fungas didn’t sign him, the penny is finally starting to drop there too.
It is in our DNA to be positive, otherwise one would not get through life with all the shite that goes on around us, but some time you have to step back and look at the real picture, and our painting is being butchered by FS’s brother!!
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 #412 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 11:48 am
FS My heart sinks when I read the forums,I just find it so hard to believe how many of our support are taken in by it all.
Torres is being slated in post after post for not setting up a press conference and commiting himself to the club, and now the articles are starting to appear in the press about how he is disloyal, or he should leave for “his own sake” and that cunt Lawro is leading the charge.
This is how low our fanbase has sunk, that we attack a man who has shown nothing but loyalty to the club, has been a model proffesional, not one word from his agent about leaving, not one word from him about leaving and yet all of a sudden he is a traitor.
And out comes that old cliche “no one is bigger than the club” well if things carry on the way they are going Torres will be worth more than the club.
Oh heres another one “weve lost good players in the past, the club will go on” when we lost good players in the past we had money to replace them, not now.
How about this gem, Ive seen in one form or another on various comments threads or forums.
Sell Torres for 60/70 million whatever and let woy rebuild the team, yes they are so gormless that they believe he will get the money
One of the reasons in the past that I had love for this club is I respected our supporters, I thought we were better than our rivals, now i just don’t know any more.
One free transfer and suddenly we are going to challenge for honours again, but not in Europe apparently because we can’t afford to risk our wafer thin squad.
Sorry if this is disjointed but i am just angry, and I fear for us this season,we are days away from opening our campaign we have no left back half of our team seems to be out the door and even the man who came into steady the ship is beginning to realise what a major mistake he has made.
No preseason friendlies of note, our first team hasn’t kicked a ball and we open against Arsenal, I hope I’m wrong but frankly I think were are in for a nightmare of a season and no I’m sorry Joe Cole isn’t going to save us.
I hope to god that this press conference isn’t more bullshit, I hope to god something is on the horizon Because i think this season is going to be worse than the last.
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 #413 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 11:52 am
Rant over(for now at least I’m going to bed)
Hope I wake up to something poitive
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 #414 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 12:31 pm
Lads the Singapore rumour is a group called Temasek Holdings, they are an investment group for the Singapore Government. I looked them up and lo and behold they became the largest shareholder in Standard Charter Bank on the 28th of March, this year. they paid 4 billion for their share.
.
Just thought this might be worth reading.
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 #415 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 1:04 pm
well aitch you may have summed up one of the reasons we were so shite last year zero leaders on the pitch no one willing to take control why is that though? why were full international players unwilling to take control of a situation? was it because thy are clueless in their jobs or was it because the manager needs to control every little detail of the game that the team cannot act like men in a bind a figure their own way out?
i know for a fact this was how the old liverpool sides coped when the chips were down “youse are big n bold enough to get yourself s into this mess now youse go out and fix it” thats the proof of a class side not a bunch of robots who cant think for themselves.
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 #416 |
sachem
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 1:15 pm
How many times have we gone over the misery of last season in here? It was painful and it was surprising that so many of our players seemed to underperform in so many games. A number of theories have been put forth to explain it all, many of them either based on the claim or denial of the claim that Rafa “lost the dressing room”. Personally I think explanations of that sort are too simplistic to explain it all. The team underperformed because of a great number of different reasons. That’s how football work. But that’s not compatible with the media narrative, so instead to much is usually attributed to a few scapegoats, a few easy targets of criticism.
Some of the many reasons we were so much worse last season than the season before has to do with a major lack of investment in the squad. Few deny this, but many fail to see all of its implications in modern football, or perhaps choose to deny them because of some agenda. Like I said, there are a number of other reasons we finished 7th last season, but the fundamental problems are there for all to see and at the moment it would seem Roy Hodgson will have to try and do his job with his hands tied, just as Rafa did for years.
One thing Paul Tomkins has tried to explain on his website, but that is rarely mentioned anywhere else, is the fact that based on squad value and wage budget, we didn’t under-perform as much last season as many people believe. It would seem logical to base the valuation of last season on the preceding season, but it really isn’t that simple. I don’t know how he did it, but after Robbie Keane returned to Spurs in January 2009 Rafa managed to make a significant number of our players perform above their true level. He didn’t really have the tools needed to make his team get that close to winning the title. He would have had them at that time had he got the proper financial backing in preceding transfer windows, but he didn’t. We were however on a high at the end of the season 2008/2009 and the only way to maintain that level would have been to strengthen the squad during the subsequent summer. Instead, against Rafa’s will of course, we were weakened, and this I think is one of the main reasons we went directly from a period of over-performance to one of under-performance.
But it’s all history now and I truly hope Roy can somehow manage to turn it around again. No matter what happens, I remain convinced a change of manager was not what the club needed and won’t in itself solve any problems.
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 #417 |
rome77
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 3:23 pm
FACT
The OWNERS lost the dressing room last season when they turned a club that existed to win trophy’s, into a club that existed to pay their debts.
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 #418 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 4:29 pm
2 really good posts them…
A load of sense, and it all in a nutshell.
I’ve had Sky News on, watching the latest offering from the Ministry of Truth.
I wish all you lads could have seen it. What a load of tosh. A proper travesty to see what this club has become.
There’s kindly old uncle Roy, surrounded by all “his new signings.”
It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.
Roy doing his best to put a brave face on everything. Joe doing his best to be “excited.” The other 2 just looking a bit bewildered.
And even Sly reporters trying to put an upbeat slant on it all.
That for me, was the most sickening of it all. I’ve watched how the press have treated LFC for decades, hatred, fear, jealousy and a mix of all 3. So, it’s sad to see them now patting us on the head and tossing us a bone like some old vicious once hated attack dog, being put out to enjoy it’s well earned retirement in the sun. They even got all excited about Roy saying Nando wants to stay. In fact, they even led into the story saying Cole excited at thought of new victorious LFC era… he said no such thing.
But even Albert Riera has been in the Gaurdian today, telling LFC fans too look forward to the new future.
None of it masks the fact that Mascherano has demanded to move. Even Roy’s spin about contracts can’t hide it. And Maxi is the latest to look like he’s going… now linked to a move back to Espanyol.
Sad times.
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 #419 |
SonOfAKhan
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 4:50 pm
Good day to all
I made a mistake of trawling the net for a short while and it made me feel worse when I saw how there are still many fans burying their heads in the sand. Maybe they are the ‘smart’ fans to ignore the gloom and to avoid the heartache felt by many others. Maybe it is just ignorance and I envy their their bliss.
Never have I ever not look forward to a new season until now, while mulling over the money I pay through my nose for the sports channels subscriptions which is mainly for the Liverpool games.
Sad times indeed.
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 #420 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 6:32 pm
Lads: Rafa in , Rafa out. Shit owners, no shit owners: Mascherano was leaving regardless. FACT! The amount of doom merchantery going on in here is stifling.
1) WE ALL WANT THE AMERICAN OWNERS OUT
2) THEY (AND PURSLOW AND BROUGHTON) WERE THE ROOT CAUSE OF RAFA BENITEZ LEAVING.
FS – what do you propose us to do now? Wallowing in self pity and wishing LFC fans were like they were in the old days ain’t gonna achieve anything. I don’t think anyone in this forum has had the wool pulled over their eyes. We know we’ll find it hard to achieve our grand ambitions as long as H&G are in control
But pouring scorn all over today’s press conference is self defeating.
If there is nothing tangible that we can do at this stage – I say we support the team and Roy. And hopefully the Americans will go sooner rather than later.
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 #421 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 7:36 pm
Yay. Well said Arthur. Happiness, the new doom and gloom.
Even the most enthusiastic music lover on the Titanic found it hard to enjoy the band as the ice berg loomed….
But fuck that. Sing lad’s sing.
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 #422 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 8:16 pm
Sarcasm doesnt suit ya FS
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 #423 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 8:36 pm
So Arthur, Mascher was leaving regardless, FACT, as you say.
So, although this is by no means fact, why would he want to leave LFC then?
Usually there are three likely reasons.
1. Money: Not likely since he would have got a decent pay raise if he had stayed at LFC and the EPL is still he highest paid league.
2. Family: His wife (I believe) is still living in Argentina, so you would think that he would be fishing for a move back there and not be linked with a move to elsewhere in Europe.
3. The Manager: So if he had a beef with Rafa, why is it most likely he will sync up again with him at Inter.
So I will come out with my out FACT. Masch would have been here if Rafa would have stayed.
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 #424 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 8:57 pm
lurgan he wanted to go last year you know that.
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 #425 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 9:43 pm
Well we will have to agree to disagree Lurgan, but as Guinness said, Mascherano wanted to leave last season when Rafa WAS IN CHARGE. He didnt have a beef with Rafa, just with living in England it seems.
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 #426 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 10:03 pm
Guinness, that was last year. Arthur said that it was a FACT that he was leaving this year regardless.
As far as I am aware, Rafa, the poor man manager that he is, had a quiet word with him and he was considering signing a contract extension, with a hefty pay rise to boot.
My argument is as feasible as Arthur’s because we will never know for sure what would really have transpired. Now that is a fact!
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 #427 |
sachem
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 10:49 pm
It’s true Mascherano has been heading out for a year now. He was tempted by Barcelona last summer, with his agent presumably sniffing the cash and trying to create some kind of deal. Rafa would have none of it and after playing below his level for months at the beginning of last season Masch finally pulled himself together and back to his old self. A couple of months before the end of last season Mascherano was quoted in the press as being unhappy at Liverpool. This was, as I understood it at the time, all down to his family. He himself was perfectly happy playing for Liverpool and, in front of all, playing under Rafa Benítez. These are, as far as I know, facts.
It does not logically follow out of these facts that Mascherano would be leaving regardless of what happened to Rafa. It’s not corroborated but mere speculation and therefore not a fact at all. It may be more or less likely, but that’s not the point. I would actually say it’s just as likely Mascherano considered Rafa’s staying or leaving the determining factor in his own decision to stay or leave. The fact that he was gutted when Rafa was forced out speaks in favor of this. The fact that he has expressed a willingness to play for Rafa at Inter instead of going to Barcelona also speaks for this. My conclusion: it is not a fact that Mascherano would leave even if Rafa was still the manager of LFC.
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 #428 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 11:17 pm
Yes Arthur,Masch wanted to leave last year.But saying he`s going weather we had shit owners or not is really a mute point.If we had steady owners,yes maybe Masch would want to leave anyway but the squad would be much stronger by now,more able to take the hit and i`m confident we`d at least have been in the CL this season if not have won the PL by now.
The thing is Masch leaving now imo leaves a gaping hole in our squad.Ok maybe if we had to pick one out of SG,Torres and Masch to go we`d probably choose Masch.Saying that,he`ll be a big loss to our squad and the money we get for him should bring us to 50 million brought in for player sales since January.
How much of that 50 million will Roy get?
How much of that 50 million HAS Roy got?
My guess is he`ll get 10 million and the other 40 will go to RBS.
Roy will have to make do with that.Get an average left back and maybe another midfielder to `replce` Masch.
Won`t get much for that.
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 #429 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 27, 2010 @ 11:40 pm
Lads, lets get over Mash, he’s going, he wants out this season, yes this season, he’s told the club so lets get over it.
.
He also wanted out last season, but he wanted to go to Barca, suprisingly not with Rafa.
.
If someone here can post a difinitive source who can verify Mash was going to sign a new contract with LFC, then good luck. Facts are Mashers contract was running down and is now getting to the must sell or must sign stage.
.
Sad to see the lad go but as Carra said, if you don’t want to be here go somewhere else. Love that comment.
.
I see Insua is still available as his sale hasn’t gone through.
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 #430 |
Aitch
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 12:26 am
Here’s a comment I love…
“If you don’t want to play footy at a standard higher than Sunday League Pub Football, ragardless of who your manager is and how much “faith” you may or may not have in him…. go somewhere else”
Maybe that’s a comment Carra should have said.
… and Maybe he should have said it to Stevie at the England Training Camp in South Africa?
And so we argue about whether Masch would have gone or stayed…
and argue about whether it matters, and whether or not we should “get over it” …
… and some of us still type things like “the other 40 will go to RBS” …
… when we know damn well where that 40 million is going…
… and its not RBS! coz their head office isn’t in the Caymans!
(sorry timmy, you were on a bit of a roll there, but then you momentarily strayed from the path of righteousness! )
… Yes RBS are riding our coattails, feeding off the financial scraps of 100k per day… but when we land 25-30 million for Masch, or 6 million for Bennyoun, or 5 for Insua, or the odd million here and there for young lads, there is only one place the bulk of that money will be going.
So here’s what I “suggest we do now” as opposed to “wallowing in our own misery”…
…keep our eyes on the ball…
coz today’s latest rumor has us replacing a promising 21 year old Argentine International left back…
…with a 31 year old right back (Luke Young from Villa) who hasn’t been able to get into the Villa side….
…for 2.7 million?
So the logic there is….
sell a young left back for 5 mill, coz he gets caught out for pace…. and replace him with…
a) an old guy (…erm… pace?)
b) who isn’t a natural left-back …and
c) for half that price….
Kinda makes you wonder where the whole 5 million went doesn’t it.
Oh and the logic would also be that Insua isn’t good enough for Liverpool Football Club…
… but … err… Luke Young Is???????????????????
Oh Dear!
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 #431 |
Aitch
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 12:32 am
I think you guys are arguing the wrong point….
Its certainly possible Rafa might have convinced Masch to stay… He convinced Arbeloa to give him another year…
…but I think its far more likely that he would have still gone.
The difference now is …
a) The decision would have been between Rafa and Masch… not Purslow and Masch
b) Rafa’s renewed contract insured that he would have had all 25 million to reinvest… or Masch goes nowhere!
Roy doesn’t have that.
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 #432 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 12:43 am
Aitch, sorry to disagree with you but regardless of Rafa’s contract, it would be likely he’d only see as much as Roy once any sale went through.
.
Unfortunately Rafa’s contract didn’t seem to stop the pilfering, in fact if it did then you have just changed the entire position on Rafa. He would have got shit all and we all know that.
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 #433 |
Aitch
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 3:34 am
You can disagree with me all you want…. But you cannot say that for sure gaz.
This would have been the first window where such a theory was tested.
I see where you are coming from, in that G&H’d have likely found a way to circumvent Rafa, as that is what the evidence shows… that is “their thing” …
..in fact they did… in the most blatant circumvention they could find…. by firing the fucker!
But that was the ONLY way around the primary clause they gave him… which was veto on all player transfers… including all the kids that are reportedly being shipped out under the radar.
(Players who would all qualify in seasons to come under the new ruling as “home grown”)
Rafa had negotiated his contract prior to January, and granted he didn’t utilize the funds raised from sales to buy a player in that window… but you forget the “player contract extentions also come out of the transfer budget” part of the fine print they sneaked in on him after the fact… so what he did, was tie a lot of players to long term contracts. (god knows who’d be in the classifieds now, if he hadn’t?)
But you’re missing the point.
Negotiations are now down to Purslow… whose perogative is not to “improving the squad” for us…
…whereas that WAS Rafa’s primary perogative.
You can’t deny that Rafa would at the very least, not have sanctioned the move, under such circumstances, and at least tried to make Masch stay.
Unlike Roy, who has no say in any of the transfers.
And again… that’s NOT a Rafa vs Roy argument.
Its a Douchebags in Control argument!
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 #434 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:20 am
So Aitch we should “keep our eyes on the ball”… what does that actually mean?
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 #435 |
corklfc
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 9:08 am
There is alot pointless argument about Mash going or staying/Rafa’s fauly or not his fault.
Go back this time 12 Months ago – what would most peolpe in here say was the target for the 09/10 season?
For me, it was to go one better than the previous season even allowing for Xabi’s departure and also get to the latter stages of the CL.
At this stage with Roy in charge with the squad he is lightly to be left with (mash/insua out – a couple of moderate replacments in – What at this stage is the realistic target for this season?
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 #436 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 9:39 am
Well I would wait until the close of the transfer window Cork, before we can talk about realistic targets.
But assuming we keep Torres, sign one (maybe two left backs) and don’t lose anyone else (other than Masch) I’d say we should be aiming for 4/5/6th?. Hopefully we’ll have less injuries this season too.
Anyone taking an interest in what’s happening elsewhere? Chelsea only signing Benayoun, Arsenal one centre back and Utd only bringing in that Mexican lad. Even Spurs have been quiet. So that only leaves City as the sole “big spenders” this pre-season.
Any of those teams could win the league this year – but don’t think it’ll be Utd
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 #437 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 10:14 am
Aitch 429 point taken ! Wherever the dosh is going one thing we can agree on its certainly NOT going to the kitty.
Reports now are that Maxi is on the way out.Lads despte the `good news` of Joe Cole and SG and Torres staying,the board have been selling the,how should i put it,the `less popular payers` to raise their dosh.
They`re very crafty in the way they`re dong things.Slipping these players out for money,nevermind what they`re knocking off the wage bill.
Nobody noticing,or nobody bothering to notice.
Whatever we think of Riera,insua ,Aurellio,benayoun,maxi etc we`d be in a far better off shape had we kept some of them and signed a few.
Where will we be by the time september the 1st comes around?
Yes,we might have a decent first eleven but our bench could read..
Spearing,kelly,darby,Dalle Valle,Pacheco.
Our squad needs to be stronger than that to compete.
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 #438 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 11:26 am
Reira is gone, Insua is still here, Benny Onion was told to find another team, and Maxi is still currently only a rumour, all in all not to much collateral damage.
.
The young ones Darby, Kelly and Pacheco were all debated as should be given time in the first squad, Last year that was. So lets get a bit positive even if its just until the lemmings have had time to jump.
.
No one else is buying anyone except City, and thats only 20 strikers and 1 midfielder.
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 #439 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 11:30 am
Actually Arthur, I wasn’t even being sarcastic. Well, not that much.
And here’s some definite fact…
An awful lot of our support are now climbing onto the Don’t Worry Be Happy bandwagon.
Sorry if it annoys you, but I just can’t do that.
Where they/you see Joe Cole, I see a 4 year contract for a 29 year old who’s definetely not the player he was, that works out at about 18 million quid, but saved the owners spending any actual money right now, and allowed them to sneak through a 10% ticket price increase on the same day.
And where people like yourself want to be optimistic and choose to see a much needed man manager of great experience…
I see a journey man out of his depth. No doubt he’s a decent man. No doubt he will do his best. But will his best get us 2 Euro finals an FA Cup and our biggest ever points tally in the Premiership?
No. And neither should we expect that. I have made it plain that I don’t. In fairness, just like yourself, I don’t think many people expect much from him. Funny how the same people’s expectations got his predeccessor the sack though.
I mentioned what I saw from Roy yesterday. It was the perfect picture of a man who has been conned, but can’t do anything about it. So, is putting a brave face on it all, standing there smiling, making the right noises for the masses, as his/our squad is being pulled apart and he’s absolutely powerless to do anything about it.
But what is he supposed to say at press conferences. The truth…
“My players are being sold without my say. I’m not being given any money to find replacements. In fact, the only replacements being brought in, are not my targets. They are being bought without me being consulted. Actually, they are my predecessors targets. And ironically enough, they are being brought in by a man who knows nothing about football but sacked my predecessor. To top it off, he’s ignoring the other better quality targets, but more costly players, such as Arda Turan and is bringing me these fellas on the cheap. But then, I haven’t even been given a budget. So don’t blame me.”
God bless the fella. He is actually doing the little he can to tip us the wink, but how can he tell the truth. Of course he has to quieten the masses.
And, as much as it annoys you, and as much as I can’t turn back the clok…
That, to me, is the saddest thing about it all…
where I once stood with men who would have invaded the ground and rioted in the streets over all this, I now see a flock of people who don’t even know the words to our anthem but choose to ignore all this because they “Just want to support the team.”
Sorry, but buying £500 match packages off Thomas Cooke, and dropping another couple of hundred quid in the club shop, isn’t supporting the team or club…
It’s supporting H&G and their families, and their next plans to rip off some poor bastard, as they will undoubtedly get away with all this and move on to the next target.
But when they’ve taken all they can from us and moved on to the next mug, which they enevitablly will, so will all the Thomas Cooke match package merchants…
It will be us left, trying to stay afloat amongst the wreckage of our once great club.
In fact, it won’t even be me. I only get to Anfield 5 times a year tops. But my mates, and all the other people who go the match, week in week out, in other words, the true supporters who pay for all this, are the poor bastards who will be left to count the cost. The price increase will probably cost me 40 quid a season. So I could probably just ignore it, but I can’t. So, please don’t expect me to just sing along with the band as the ice berg looms.
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 #440 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 11:40 am
Chin up FS, we are all hurting with you mate. Chin up big guy.
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 #441 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 11:51 am
There ya go again FS – dipping your toes in the warm mild waters of nostalgia while bemoaning the youth of today – “what’s the world coming to”, I can almost hear you cry.
But yet you offer nothing concrete, nothing tangible. And you know why? Because unfortunately you’re as helpless as the rest of those who call themselves Liverpool fans. Our club was sold to the wrong people – we had no say over that then just as we have no say as to when or who or how the club is re-sold again!
So apart from what us on the forum have already done – have you anything constructive to offer FS as opposed to pining after Rafa and the good old days (pre Sky Sports)? If people wanna sign out while the Yanks are in charge – fine, grand, so be it. But let the others who want to see what Roy and and his squad do in peace and quit preaching at us as if we’re in Kindergarten. We know the deal – but we’ll still support our team
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 #442 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 1:00 pm
Arthur, I don’t want to speak on FS’ behalf, but is he not the one who correctly detailed the sequence of events that have been painted out in painful detail in the last two years or so.
Recently, if I remember correctly, FS stated, like a few others in here, that the removal of RB was the last obstacle between the full-on pillaging of the club that would result in nothing remainging but a shell that, probably, will never recover, if the four fuckers are not ousted tout de suite.
So if FS has been right to date, why do you think that he would be wrong with his last forecast? Or maybe you agree with him but you prefer to support the team.
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 #443 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 1:47 pm
But Arthur…
I beg to differ. In fact, I say there you go again.
It’s ironic really that you’re “Support the team” posts have been more doom laden than any of mine.
In fact, the support the team posts are so damaging, that I even resorted to making some hopeful posts about meetings, that could give people some hope. Even though, I stopped short of giving out rumours in order to cheer people up. Because, all we can really say is the facts. The rest is just opinion whatever side of the fence the opinion comes from. And the fact is…
If you look at our situation under these owners, it’s all been done before at other organisations they’ve owned.
That is not opinion, that is fact. Realistic, undeniable fact.
And you’re darn tooting, I miss the old days and bemoan what’s going on and what’s becoming of us. If we could go back to them days, it would have been all so different. Okay. We couldn’t have stopped the sale. But the sell on would have already been possibly forced by now. And, the fact is, most of my posts concentrate on that one thing… the sell on by H&G. In other words, the solution to our woes.
And I’m far from helpless in that regard. But to have any real effect, me and lots more like me, need the support of the people that just want to support the team. Sadly though, they tend to think that supporting the team means cheering on Roy and Joe, when in all reality what you are now cheering for is H&G united.
But having said that, show me one post I have ever made that isn’t in support of the team, the club, the players and manager?
For LFC, and everyone involved barring the hierachy, all I want is success. That’s what the last 3 years of preaching, screaming and protesting have been about. But the fact remains, until the current hierarchy are ousted, the club cannot succeed. And we can’t get them out until the people who just want to support the team, support us.
Shoot the messenger all you like. Get annoyed at the message as much as you want. And oppose it by saying, I know all this as much as you want. That changes nothing.
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 #444 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 2:08 pm
But FS – you seem to fail to understand that I too, desperately want the owners out. I know that we’ll not win the league (or probably come close again) while we’re under their stewardship. And surely you can see that a lot of members on this forum me included) followed your lead and joined SOS, sent letters, bought the t-shirts. I think it’s fair to say WE ALL DESPISE H&G and we all know that they and their minions (Broughton and Cecil) are the root of all our problems.
And I apologise FS – perhaps I was being a tad harsh on you – your stubborn aggression against our owners is very admirable and I’d love some of it to bear fruit. But as I unfortunately feared, we seem to be just helplessly waiting until finally our “owners” decide to sell and finally fuck off!
The crux of my recent posts is that all this negativity is self-defeating. Like, even if we still had Rafa, we’d be in much the same situation – i.e. no transfer funds and almost certainly losing Mascherano. What might be different this year though, is the team might (and I stress might) play differently/better under Roy than they did under the previous manager. It could happen – no one has a crystal ball. It seems FS, you don’t rate Roy – and perhaps you’ll be proven right. Only time will tell.
The past has happened – moaning about the why’s and wherefores will not change a thing. We all have to:
1) Oppose H&G as best as we can (support SOS/ShareLiverpool, refuse to buy the official jersey etc, send letters to RBS etc)
2) Support Roy and the team – and perhaps we might have something decent to shout about during this dark but hopefully soon to be ending period in our history
If there is anything else that us LFC fans can do that I have somehow missed…I’d love to hear it!
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 #445 |
corklfc
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 2:17 pm
Everyone still and will be supporting the team, there is no question of that, even if we end up playing the mancs with a team of reserves.
In the space of 12 Months or expections have gone from finishing 1st to finishing 5th, what will or expections be the following season, but we will all still be supporting the team
The last couple of seasons we had to sell before we could buy, now we just have to sell!!
How can we ignore all these shitty circumstances.
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 #446 |
somnath07in
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
I am just banking on the players. They dont play for owners. They play for the club. They play because they are passionate and no player wants to loose.
Last season most of them didnt perform upto their level. This season they will improve. I dont know whether Roy/Rafa is better.All i want is the player to give their 100%.
Joe Cole is a big gamble but if he remains fit, it will be gr8 for the team. Jovanovic is a good signing and so is Wilson.
Will be interesting to see how the Mascherano money is used(If at all it is used).
Personally i feel the appointment of Roy has stopped the anti Liverpool media movement which was hard to live with. Rafa was not spared and all sorts of nonsense used to be published. As a player, i would not like to read anti Liverpool articles everyday in the newspaper. Hopefully that will stop.
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 #447 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 3:48 pm
Arthur, I don’t know where to start to be honest, but I’ll say this…
I know you’ve took all the steps. I’ve aknowledged that a lot of times. And I know you want them out. If you was arguing to the contrary, I’d just ignore you…
And believe it or not, there is some who still do argue on the side of H&G. And that’s exactly what I do… ignore them.
But you are missing the point…
1: It’s not negativity… It’s realism.
2: It’s not self defeating… It’s the only thing that will defeat them.
I agree as far as this…
There’s no point at all in having a go at H&G or P&B. They will just carry on regardless, no matter what.
But if we keep piling pressure on RBS, especially Stephen Hester, Vince Cable and Richard Scudamore we can force the people who can over-ride H&G to do something.
And we was having some success there. We are not helpless…
Think back just a few weeks ago. Stephen Hester not only admitted that H&G had been given too much money and too much leeway. He also admitted the only reason he was saying that was because of the recent bombardment that had from LFC supporters.
That might seem like small potatoes in these circumstances, but it was actually a huge result.
And had we kept that sort of pressure on, fuck only knows what would have happened.
But, in comes Joe Cole, and that’s that…
Another chance lost.
It was nothing to do with Rafa. It still has nothing to do with Rafa. Think back to when he was sacked…
I slagged off a few people. They deserved it. They haven’t showed their faces since. But once I’d got it off my chest, I told you lads why I was back. And, fair play to you all, you all done what you could. I’ve never said any different, and I’ve always thanked all of you for it.
Sadly though, once Cole arrived they came back out the woodwork with a vengance. I took some merciless personal gyp off people who haven’t done a fucking thing to help our club when it needs us most. Don’t get that wrong…
I’m a big lad. I can defend myself, and being called names by fellas who are sat behind the safety of a keyboard miles away, means nothing to me.
But what happened is, all the good work we’d done over near 3 years was wiped out in seconds. It still hasn’t recovered. In fact, it’s still pretty much dead in the water.
Other sites actually closed down all protest threads and banned the protestors for “being nasty to the people who just wanted to talk football.”
And that is a direct qoute.
But as far as I’m concerened, it doesn’t matter what Roy, Joe, Nando or Stevie do. We could win the league this season, and, as happy as I’d be about that, it wouldn’t change nothing.
I hate to be dramatic, but it’s a good analogy…
A cancer victim has the odd good day as they head towards the inevitable.
Their family and friends, relish those times. They support them through the good and the bad. In fact, in their sadness to avoid the inevitable, they ignore the bad and just support them while hoping for the good.
It’s noble and it’s human, but it change’s nothing. The end is inevitable.
Well, it’s not for us and that’s why I hate to use it as an analogy. We can recover from this, but we need people to stop just hoping for the good. We need them to kick and rant and go on fighting.
And once all the dust settles from this feel-good shite, I will do exactly that.
How?
Right now, in all honesty, I don’t even know.
The people who just want to talk football and support the team have derailed us so badly, there maybe no way back. They’ve taken our platform away, and continue to attack us… mindboggling, but true.
In fact, I’m going to tell you a little tale…
A certain fella on a certain site, constantly shot away at anyone and everyone who didn’t just talk football and support the team.
He said he was not just an SOS member but an SOS activist in North Wales. Once he came into a campaigning thread, just the once. It was a thread having a go at Purslow. He ranted on about how bad it was of us “Nobodies” to have a go at Purslow because he was never a target of SOS.
I pointed out to him, that SOS had been after Purslow for months and we’d worked with them on it… even providing the questions they posed when they tried to corner him.
Still he went on, and you know what the upshot was…
The thread containing all the information on Purslow was shut, as was a lot of other campaiging threads.
Now don’t get defensive Arthur. I’m not putting you in that bracket. But I am getting fed up trying to explain to you how damaging this all is. I shouldn’t speak for anyone else, but…
We all want to support the team. We all want them to succeed. We are all want to just talk footy. And we all certainly can’t wait for the day the owners are gone.
But they haven’t. And like I’ve tried to say a million times…
It’s okay to talk footy and support the team, but the fact is there is a big huge cloud hanging over the club. It affects everything. Nothing can be judged without taking it into account. And until it is gone, this club cannot succeed.
Having said that, of course every bloody post in here doesn’t have to be about that. Believe it or not, that would be enough to put even me off.
In fact, as for Roy…
I’ve said it before, I think he’s done everything right so far and he can’t be blamed for any of this. Do I dislike the man or not rate him?
No. That’s unfair to suggest. I just make the point that he’s not a step up from what we had. He’s already being undermined in the job, despite trying to do and say all the right things. And nevermind all my opinions, that in it’s self tells you the mind set of the owners.
Last point, I looked at what Gaz said. Apparently, Insua’s wage demands are too much. So the club has 3 choices…
1: Lower the price to offset the wages.
2: Find another buyer.
3: Keep him.
And if it turns out to be 3, I’d like to give Roy the credit for that. That’s only fair in my book, especially considering he didn’t want to sell him and made that known despite knowing that that would piss the board right off.
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 #448 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 4:10 pm
You’d argue the colour shite FS !! I mean that as a compliment
Ok well I think this “damaging feel good factor” is not just cos of Joe Cole – it’s also because Gerrard is staying (something that probably wouldn’t have happened had Rafa stayed) and also that El Nino looks like staying too.
You don’t seem to think H&G have any intention of selling do ya?
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 #449 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 4:12 pm
Controversial rant coming up so be warned….
I don’t care what you lot say about supporting Roy. Fuck Roy. He’s spineless. I like a manager to keep it real and tell the fans the truth. As far as I am concerned Roy Hodgson has been brought in as a puppet for the board. What gave Roy away is when he said he only spoke to Torres briefly and then left him with Broughton. Hold on a minute. You are a football manager at a new club, your best player is not convinced where his future lies, and you have a brief chat and fuck off to leave with him with the managing director who knows fuck all about football!? Can you imagine Wenger having a brief chat with Fabregas and then fucking off to leave him to have the full discussion with a board member? Or Ferguson having a brief chat with Rooney and leaving him to have a proper talk with the MD?
So forget the cliché bollacks about supporting Roy. He has no balls and is merely a caretaker coach. He’ll keep his trap shut while the pillaging takes place in the back ground. This guy reminds me of a wife that takes no notice when she knows her husband is abusing the child. That might sound harsh but it is the way I feel at the moment. The club is being fucked without Vaseline and we have this guy giving us sound bites. I will respect and support Roy when he shows he has a pair of testicles and proves he is not a PR puppet. At the moment you can almost see the strings dangling in every press conference. It’s like watching Thunderbirds.
Now if you fine gentlemen can give me examples of Roy showing some balls since he took the job I’ll hold my hands up and apologies.
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 #450 |
corklfc
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 4:23 pm
I suppose he showed his balls when he havded them over to Broughton!!
Normally when a new manager joins a club, thats when he can set his own demands re control transfer policy etc.
It looks the otherway around in our case alright.
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 #451 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 4:44 pm
Firstly: No Arthur. I don’t think they have any intention of selling unless they can get the full amount Hicks is demanding.
Which, when you tack on the debt, and nevermind the need for a new stadium, is over a billion quid.
I’ve got an old, tail lift, box van I need for work. It really is a bit of a heap and it annoys the shit out of my neighbours when it’s parked in the street. I could put it up for sale, to keep the wife and neighbours happy. But if I asked for 10 grand, I doubt I’d ever get it.
Another reason to not believe the sale…
Barcap, and Purslow, both made it plain that 2 “perfect fit” prospective owners had put in very acceptable bids.
Both were knocked back.
Who knocked them back?
Well, it’s supposed to be Broughton selling the club. In fact, that’s all he was brought in to do, and even over the say of H&G if he seen fit.
So, why was it Purslow, who was only brought in to find outside investment, that leaked that through the media?
And why was it Barcap who announced it, when it is RBS, who supposedly appointed Broughton, that should have the final say?
It’s all smoke and mirrors mate.
As for what has Hodgson done…
Well, one of the first things he said was, “The club needs new investment. It can’t move on until that happens.”
A clear dig at H&G.
I suppose you could be cynical and think H&G even allowed that to placate a few people, but that’s a bit harsh on Roy.
Also, I like the way he let us know that Purslow was selling the players, not him. And I don’t think there’s anyway, that could have been sanctioned by the club.
So, I’m prepared to give the lad the benefit of the doubt.
But as I have always said, his appointment and how he is being treated by the owners/board, show exactly what they think of him…
And in honesty, as much I don’t like addmitting it, I don’t think their opinion of him would differ much from LB’s.
But as always…
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
Hopefully tomorrow night will ring a few alarm bells and people will realise we need to get back after RBS. But I doubt it, and no…
That doesn’t mean I want us to get beat.
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 #452 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 4:47 pm
PS…
I just had a chat with someone very knowledgable on the debt and interest.
Apparently it’s now £117,000 a day, and the compound interest is growing like a fucker.
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 #453 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 4:55 pm
Oh and just to cheer you up LB…
I know we’ve just lost Insua, Aurellio, and Dossena from the left back slot.
But cheer up, apparently we’ve just signed Luke Young Villa’s reserve right back.
Can’t take it away from Roy. That’s some going considering he’s in Macedonia.
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 #454 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:08 pm
Corky, that’s my point. It’s as if Roy was just happy with LFC on his CV. He must have been like a dog with tongue hanging out, enthusiastically wagging it’s tail in that interview. Not one demand whatsoever. Fucking journeyman.
Arthur, the feel good factor is a PR stunt that is working. We have not yet sold a big name but we have signed a popular player. Our 2 best players are likely to remain at the club. This is all met with very pleasant reactions from the media. Most fans desperate for good news allow this feel good factor to totally fool them. Our squad has not improved in fact it is most likely to go backwards. Take last seasons’ squad, get rid of Aurellio, Insua, Benayoun, Riera, San Jose and Macherano. Replace that with Luke Young, Joe Cole, Danny Wilson and Jovanovic. Is this cartwheel inducing? Not for me it isn’t. Our squad is slowly but surely declining in quality, it is being done in front of our very eyes yet people talk about a feel good factor. It’s like the Emperor’s new clothes. Joe Cole is the invisible outfit.
FS, I read it slightly differently with Roy.
When he said the club can’t go forward until H&G sell up. Well I remember Purslow making similar noises when questioned by SOS several months ago and not too long ago Boughtman was saying similar. Seems Roy has just jumped on that train.
Letting us all know that its Purslow selling the players and not him. Well isn’t he admitting that he has no say at all and as he isn’t complaining, it seems he is ok with it. “You wanna sell Insua even though we have no left back at the football club? No worries”. “Torres leaving for £70m and I can bring back Heskey as replacement? Okey dokey”.
That last one was a joke.
Oh and look at this stat:
Joe Cole last 2 seasons – 57 appearances. 5 goals.
Benayoun in same period – 79 appearances 17 goals.
Feel good factor
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 #455 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:18 pm
Luke Young… not to be confused with Ashley Young lads.
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 #456 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:23 pm
LB mate, when I answered, I knew exactly what you were saying, and I take me hat off to you for it.
I think you’re saying what most of us fear, but, for one reason or another, don’t even want to think it nevermind say it.
Joe Cole and Luke Young as our left flank… that’s confidence inducing for the season, eh.
But to be fair to Roy, I think he asked Purslow to get Young from Villa, meaning Ashley. And wee Christian is now waiting for Roy to get home all excited, just bursting to tell him not only did he get the fella but he got him at a real snip.
All I’m hoping is he didn’t offer him a 4 year contract to clinch it.
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 #457 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:25 pm
454… fucker, you beat me to it.
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 #458 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:32 pm
So we`ve signed a right back for the left back position even though we haven`t any senior natural left back at the club?
This is what H&G have reduced us to lads,buying a player who is surplus to requirements at Aston Villa.
You`ve benn warned lads,you`ve been warned.
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 #459 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:32 pm
Sorry that should have read,you we`re warned.
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 #460 |
Aitch
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
Not only have we replaced a left back, with a right back…
… we’ve replaced a promising young left back, with an aging right back.
…at a profit of 2.3 million pounds (wire transfer complete!)
The reasoning behind this move…
… Insua was too slow and got caught out for pace…
but… 31 year old Luke Young is gonna match Valencia, Nazri and Anelka stride for stride???
… eye… ball… bouncing…. “where’d it go…….”
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 #461 |
Aitch
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:52 pm
oh… and LB…
#448…
Post of the Summer Transfer Window candidate, there mate!
Nothing for a day or two and then you just Nuke the Whole Fuckin Blog! Sweet!
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 #462 |
Aitch
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:57 pm
oh… and …
Last season there was a mighty clamor from some sections, for Rafa to drop Ngog and play Dani Pacheco.
Now… it is being reported… Pacheco is being whored back to Spain.
…and this is yet another player who will qualify as “home grown” because …(sarcasm alert!)… Rafa didn’t develop youth!
But as someone suggested… maybe we can get Heskey back, and he’s English so its a wash!
… eye… ball… bouncing… “where’d it go…….””
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 #463 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 5:58 pm
Whoa. Whoa. Hold on chaps…
It’s not even confirmed yet. I only put it up as a bit of a piss take.
Having said that, I think it will go through and, if it does, well, let’s face it, it’s not exactly confidence instilling for the coming season.
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 #464 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 6:09 pm
Where`s me boots??
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 #465 |
Aitch
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 6:10 pm
FS… time to get the SOS lads organizing another march on Anfield.
What’s needed is another Klinssman era march.
Lots of lads holding banners demanding that our players not be sold.
Name them specifically…. Not just Torres and SG, but kids like Insua and Pacheco
Get the message across “stop selling home grown quota players” and such.
We need to derail the poz-PR shift… and it needs to be done in THIS news cycle!
Tomorrows result is gonna be huge.
If we win… with a half-youth team… then the fight is not just down on the carpet, but headed for a 10 count…
…if we lose the game… there is a real opportunity there, to take advantage of some dissappointment!
But either way, some momentum needs to be generated.
The movement needs to be publicly thrust back out there… it needs a face …
letters for all they’ve done, are faceless… and no disrespect intended FS… and the rest of you don’t use that statement as an excuse to give up the ghost on that side of the campaign… its important it needs to be done…
… but we need more to grab the baton back…
… we needs a Thousand plus faces protesting what is going on.
There are 33 days left in the transfer window… how about a march every 7 days?
THAT is what could be done!
If I wasn’t 6k miles away I’d try to organize it myself.
Oh and I’m sorry Arthur, but SG has not said he is staying. He has said “I’m looking forward to playin in a red shirt with Joe Cole.” which is a statement in the right direction, but not definitive.
If Purslow is offering him to real Madrid… and a deal is struck, SG won’t have lied. He can say he was looking forward to it, but the club sold him against his will… while he sips Sangria in the Villa he’s renting off Steve McMannaman!
And Torres hasn’t said he’s staying. The headlines can scream that all they want. Hodgson has said Torres is staying. But then again… Hodgson said two days earlier that Torres had a “beef with the club” and he didn’t know what was going on.
33 days… tick-tock….
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 #466 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 6:47 pm
why are we paying a 21 year old too much money?
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 #467 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 7:13 pm
We’re just biding our time Aitch. As I said before demos and such are okay when the time is right, but any out and out attack on H&G P&B is just wasting our time right now.
They don’t give a fuck, hence the utter contempt of the silence we’ve been treated with since Rafa was forced to walk the plank.
There’s still things going on in the background, and, I forgot to say this…
The attack has been moved into Hick’s backyard. Flyers are being spread round the media and so on and there’s plans for billboards, like the SOS ones in Liverpool, but off the highway in Dallas near to his other franchises.
As for what we can do now, well, it’s funny you mention tomorrow’s game, I’m waiting for that, and then, whatever the outcome, I think it’s time to start applying pressure on Hester again.
He’s our best bet right now.
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 #468 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 7:15 pm
Aitch:
STEVEN
GERRARD
IS
STAYING
I will eat my computer live on You Tube if he goes this season
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 #469 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 7:16 pm
PS… I meant the flyers and literature are being distributed in Dallas. There’s a group of LFC fans there. They have gone under the name of The LFC Rangers, and they are already doing some things and making plans for some actions to make life a little less comfy for Uncle Tom in his own backyard.
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 #470 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 7:20 pm
As for your comment LB about Roy: I think you’re way, way off the mark and I really hope you’re proven wrong
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 #471 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 7:40 pm
Arthur, trust me, I hope you’re proven right and I’m proved wrong.
I think Gerrard and Torres will stay this season simply because no club is aggressively chasing them at the moment. If a Barca or a Chelsea came in hell for leather for Torres between now and Aug 31st I’d be worried. Gerrard is 30 so demand is no where near as high for him as it was in 2005 and 2006.
Our prized assets in terms of potential revenue are Mascherano and Torres. I believe one will leave next month and the other next year.
The PR gurus at the club are far too clever to flog all big name players at once. Much more clever to sell off the ‘deadwood’ and Mascherano and replace them with fuck all. Fans and media won’t be outraged with that. Then next year make it look like the club has done everything in its power to keep Torres but sell him anyway.
Far fetched?
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 #472 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:00 pm
Not far-fetched at all LB. If only I could have thought of that vaseline line first!
Cracking post though and summed up everything I’ve been wanting to say. Maybe gang-rape will be my next analogy.
Anyhew, I agree 100% that these the four fuckers are far too smart to start with the mega names.
Ship out the youngsters and get a few shillings and save on the wage bill. Get rid of some of the more undesired first teamers who were causing some division between the LFC supporters.
I could see a bid coming in for Kuyt meself from Inter and I have no doubts that it would be accepted. I know that it’s all heresay but what the fuck, a lot of things are being passed as facts nowadays.
BTW, how many youngsters have been recruited over the summer?
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 #473 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
Thats exactly what i`ve been try to say LB.Selling off the deadwood will not cause any fan rebellion.As i said before they are very crafty in the way they`re doing things.Slipping out players for fee`s that won`t exactly make the headlines.
I bet most LFC don`t even realise we`ve already brought in near enought to 25 million.Thats around the figure we`d have got for Gerrard had he been sold.The thing is the money will not be re-invested and there`s a lot of people believe any of that money or incoming money from the sale of Masch will be pumped back in for a 20million plus player because “Broughtan said so”.
Jesus wept.
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 #474 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:01 pm
Not far fetched no LB – but if we’re still in this mess come next season (i.e. no sale of the club) I think no one will blame Torres for leaving
I’m still hopeful that the club will be sold in the next few months
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 #475 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:04 pm
LB
I have to say that in the past we have had disagreements, some of them have left me feeling downhearted and occasionally insulted but I sadly have to say that I am in complete agreement with you.
Post 448# is spot on, a puppet indeed.
Arthur H&G have no intention of selling the club, they intend to bleed it dry and then fuck off with their Cayman islands account intact, they have no concern about sending us into administration or bankcruptcy and our only hope is to convince the banks that the game they are playing is a dangerous one that they may lose if they continue in this way.
This is what FS has been trying to do with his letter writing campaign and I want to say thank you for your efforts,and I have written the letters although I am not optimistic but I live in hope.
In reference to the coming season, I have never felt like this before, I have always looked forward to every season and I have always had high hopes even when the team didn’t seem good enough, even during the Sounness years I was optimistic, but this year I dont even know if I want us to win games.
Any success that we have this year will just aid the borrowers in their ultimate goal, so how can I enjoy games knowing that good results will just hurt us.
I’m sorry to borrow the cancer analogy but many years ago my Gran had cancer of the spine, a vibrant funny and loving woman who we all wished would live as long as possible, but as the cancer took hold she lost her facultys and the women who I loved became a shell of who she was previously and towards the end my feelings became just a wish to end mine and her pain and I began to think that the sooner it was over the better it would be for all of us.
I’m afraid my feeling is that the club has reached that stage and although i will continue to fight in whatever small way I can there is a part of me that wishes the patient would just die, at least then we could begin again.
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 #476 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:09 pm
Not sure Lurgan all i`ve heard is the lad from QPR,Sterling and there`s talk of a lad from Ipswich.
Not sure if you could stick Wilson and John-jo into that category.
One good thing on the youth set up is we`ve Kenny overseeing the operation.He could sell the club to any young man and i`m sure would have the upmost respect from any parent anywhere.
I think kenny had a big say in convincing the lad Sterling to sign ahead of Arsenal man city and spurs.
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 #477 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:53 pm
Fantasy Football league?
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 #478 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:54 pm
Where`s Donal?
Have you set one up 5 year?
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 #479 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 8:57 pm
No sorry Timmy I’m not sure I know how, but I really enjoyed it last year, just wondered if anybody was setting one up.
I know how to set up a team but not a league
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 #480 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 9:56 pm
I`ll give it a go there.
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 #481 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 10:09 pm
Alright guys lets get this on for the craic.
I`ve started a KopBlog league on here http://fantasy.premierleague.com/
Go in and sign up same as last year and then click `join private league` and enter this code.
353783-134603
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 #482 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
One thing I have to point out lads…
Like I said earlier back in this blog, if you look at H&G’s past you always find the clues.
Hicks has done all this before…
sacked a well respected and succesful, but uppity coach who challenged him. When the fans went in up in arms, he brought in a big star name, but slyly syphoned off everything else while the fans were distracted by the “star.”
It’s a pretty see through ploy, and meself I really don’t get the fuss over Cole anyway. But it was enough to have the desired affect on some players as well as a huge section of the fans.
Now they will really be hoping that Roy can play his part in the plan. That’s not to say, he’s involved. I simply mean, they hope good old dependable and likeable Roy can keep steady the ship while they get on with their real plans…
to get as much money from our club as possible.
People get confused here. They seem to think we have to keep a good squad and decent results for H&G to maximise their money. Not at all.
Hicks leaked the plan within weeks of his arrival…
On field success, brand loyalty and all that.
Yet 3 years on, and all the duplicity, and people are still clinging to the hope that we will remain in contention while riding it all out.
I hope for that meself, but when I look back at H&G’s history, their track record here, and what’s going on right now, I know it’s exactly that…
Blind hope.
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 #484 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 11:18 pm
Well whatever is going on off the pitch Fatty,the on the pitch stuff i just can`t get up for.Of course i hope the lads win every game but as you put it there`s a cloud over Anfield that won`t go until H&G go.
We`re all sick to the teeth with the situation.People have put every available second they have into the fight against them.
We`d all love to sit and talk footy in here and with our pals but whenever i for one try to do that it always comes back to one issue..
Tom and George.
You see everything that has happened on the pitch,with the squad,manager change,whatever has been effected in some way by the decisions of H&G.
Sometimes i feel like a broken record continually having to refer to the situation but we can`t ignore it.Signing Joe Cole won`t hide it,bringing in roy and his fresh ideas won`t fix it.
We have to soldier on.Letters and emails.Some think theyre a waste of time,some don`t.We have to do something,can`t stand idoly by and watch them tear the club to shreads and say…
“Everything will be ok,the clubs for sale”
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 #485 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 28, 2010 @ 11:46 pm
No Timmy, that’s not going to happen. But take a look out there right now…
We’re on a hiding to nothing. So best keep the powder dry and attack when we aren’t sure to get beat. Don’t worry, we’re only talking days.
Anyway, I’m off to bed now but thought I’d just show you lads this…
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11677_6283948,00.html
Normally, I wouldn’t look in there but someone sent it to me. Seems like kindly uncle Roy is losing his rag because the press aren’t being as cuddly wuddly as he’s used to.
And last thing for the night, what I know of the Young deal…
We made a bid. Young wanted time to “Muse it over.” And as if it’s not bad enough that a shite player like that “muses over” joining LFC. O’Neil told him he was free to stay here and talk to us, but Young jumped on the plan with Villa while he done a bit of musing. Apparently O’Neil wasn’t too pleased about it, as Young is surplus to his requirments and on a hefty wage. So O’Neil leaked the story to the press, but Young still insisted on going with Villa. And as far as I’m informed, Young would rather sit on the bench at Villa, and earn more than he would when playing in our first team.
Oh dear,
Night, night.
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 #486 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 12:53 am
Well FS he won’t be the first and only footballer to do that, will he. Anyway what I came in the say, to the lads living over this side of the globe. Setanta Australia are showing the game live from 4.30am tomorrow.
.
Should be interesting.
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 #487 |
Aitch
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 3:32 am
Arthur please share the no doubt interesting details of your personal conversation with Steven Gerrard, during which he apparently told you in no uncertain terms, most emphatically, decidedly and unequivocally that he was staying at LFC.
Please do, I’m sure we all want to hear it.
And if you can be as accurate as possible when quoting him, that would be great too.
Otherwise, please don’t show yourself the ass, by stating a FACT, that you have no evidence to support.
It is entirely likely he will stay.
What it is NOT, at this point, is indisputable fact, in the manner you’ve chosen to state above!
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 #488 |
pshenava
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 4:22 am
I have translated some words from one of our regional language in India. It goes like this “You can wake a person who is sleeping but you cannot wake a person who is pretending that he is sleeping”. I wonder with so much of data, reasoning, evidence that FS, Aitch, and co (no disgrace to others for just putting you all in co all of you are doing a fine job – my laziness) it makes me wonder if the words I mentioned above are true and it could be just a waste of time explaining. However this is still a forum where there is so much sanity. Do you wonder FS, Aitch that there could be folks from Purslow and Boughtman visiting / or part of these blogs and spread misinformation or just collect information and devising their strategies? Web is good it works both ways though.
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 #489 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:21 am
Thanks for setting that up Timmy, I’m in , I will set up a team over the weekend.
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 #490 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 8:31 am
Bit of humour Aitch, to counter-act your pedantry
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 #491 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 8:43 am
Just reiterating what FS said about Luke Young: There were a couple of clubs after him (yes, strange as it may sound), but they deemend his wage demands too high. So is he prepared to take a pay cut to join Liverpool? Or is he prepared to sit on the bench at Villa & earn more money. If it is the latter, well, we wouldn’t want a money-grabbing bastard anyway. If it was the first i.e. take a pay cut – then we are in shit anyway, because he is not good enough.
What the fuck are we being linked with him anyway?
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 #492 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 10:14 am
Think that’s bad, the French press are linking us with Stilian Petrov as a replacement for Mascher.
We’ll be dads feckin’ army in no time!
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 #493 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 10:14 am
Does anyone think Gerry should have some guest writers to get a few new Posts up. I know the lad is busy with his new job, but one new topic a month ain’t great
Just an idea
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 #494 |
McrRed
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 10:31 am
You volunteering Arthur?
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 #495 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 11:05 am
Please no…..
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 #496 |
KENNY DALGLISH LFC LEGEND
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 11:08 am
Alright chaps. Nice debate/banter going on in here.
LB – I agree and disagree with you over Roy. I think he’s a decent man and and a decent coach. But you are spot on in that he’s a puppet. No doubt about that. He’s over the moon to get a chance at a big club. If he can keep this team together minus Monster I think he thinks he can do a half decent job. It’s next season we are really going to see the chickens come home to roost. All the deadwood and our one expendable asset will have been sold which will have brought in enough money to cover the interest payments with maybe £5-10 million being given back to Roy for “investment” back into the team. What happens next year when we need another £40 million?
Our window of opportunity to get rid of these bloodsuckers is precisely 1 year. We need to get rid of them before the year is up. If we can I think we have a good chance of getting back on track. So all efforts have to be channelled into this year. After that I think we are finished for at least 10 seasons if the club is still in the hands of the Americans.
Joe Cole while not being the messiah is the best we’ve had on the left flank for years providing he can stay fit! Big if. I like those stats LB on Cole and Benny.
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 #497 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 12:07 pm
First thing I’d do as new editor of KopBlog is ban TimmyTorres
that was joke by the way – for all you oh so sensitive souls in here
and no I wasn’t volunteering – I mean Gerry didn’t always write on his own for this blog – it just seems he doesn’t quite have the time anymore and I think the Blog is suffering because of it
Perhaps Timmy – you could ?
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 #498 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 12:19 pm
I`m here all week
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 #499 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 12:20 pm
Hodgson:
“We will be trying to win but I’m far from confident that will be the case,” said Hodgson. “That said, I will be disappointed if the team doesn’t perform. In the friendly games against Grasshopper and Kaiserslautern, I thought we performed very admirably.
“But it’s not a training exercise, it’s a knockout game in Europe. But the team we put out tomorrow I am confident will not let the club down.”
Hodgson added: “We were never close to using the English players because they have only been training for four days. It would have been complete folly to try to play 90 minutes football in an important competition in difficult conditions with players who have been training for just four days.
“We have pressed one or two players into service who have been back earlier than that.
“But in an ideal world we wouldn’t use any of the players that played in the World Cup but quite frankly we are not in a strong enough position to do that.”
Mindful of the anticipated problems of the tie, Hodgson intimated at the weekend that Liverpool’s board had to decide on whether the Europa League placed in their list of priorities for the forthcoming campaign.
And when asked if such talks had taken place, the manager replied cryptically: “All we ever seem to do at this club is have discussions, so I’m pretty sure those discussions have taken place.”
Is that the first signs of Roy showing some balls? “All we ever seem to do at this club is have discussions”. Sounds similar to Rafa after the 2007 CL final.
|
 #500 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 12:23 pm
What’s the price on Roy quitting before end of season? Far fetched?
|
 #501 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 12:28 pm
Absolutely not LB.Maybe Roy has realised who he`s dealing with here.A bunch of liars who give out empty promises time after time.
Now where`s me boots..
|
 #502 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 12:50 pm
Read that last night LB but it will take a few actions, not words, on RH’s behalf before I truly believe that he is not the puppet that I think he is.
It’s a good sign though and let’s hope to fuck that Purselow has underestimated him.
Spot on KDLL. I also reckon we have a year to shift the four fuckers before we have reached a tipping point.
|
 #503 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 1:14 pm
I guess if Roy did become cheesed off due to lack of funds, broken promises – it would be a huge shot in the arm in the campaign to get rid of the Yanks..
a lot will depend on the first few games I suppose..
that said I wont be cheering against us
|
 #504 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 1:19 pm
But do you notice how Roy is getting in all the excuses for tonight’s game up front? I mean, he repeats himself a couple of times, and is saying we shouldn’t expect to win? Imagine Rafa saying that – wether he had to do without Carra, Stevie, Nando and Monster. He would get ridiculed by the press and by (some) of the ‘fans’.
For what it’s worth, fully agree that Roy has come across – or rather seems like – a puppet of the evil rulers. But I neary fell over when I read that comment “that’s all we ever seem to do at this club – discussions”.
Good an ya Roy, nice dig (if it is indeed one).
KDLL: If, and a big IF, we get in new owners by the end of the season, for sure we could keep the club up there & challenging for the title. FS mentioned the rumours re the disccussions with the ME or Singapore people – I know, ONLY rumours – but (pray God), if we could get a buyer within the next 4 or 5 months, who know? Maybe keep hold of Nando for next season, maybe get in a couple of players of pure class.
If only….sigh!
|
 #505 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 1:23 pm
Sorry, must add: “…IF, we get in new owners by the end of the season, for sure we could keep the club up there & challenging for the title”.
I meant to add in seasons to come, not this season (of course)
|
 #506 |
corklfc
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 1:55 pm
Arthur, the dogs on the street know there is a lack of funds and what promises have been broken?
It’s no secret there was a world cup on earlier this Month, it was also no secret we had a Europa fixure for the 29th July.
I think Roy was putting on a bit of an act yesterday
As far as I am concerned Roy knew exactly what he was getting himself into, I feel he is doing his best to say the right things and keep everyone sweet as the moment.
What I find amazing is the amount of players we are managing to sell bearing in mind a little over a year ago we were a TWO man team!!
|
 #507 |
SonOfAKhan
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 2:02 pm
Sounds like a downgrading to me
|
 #508 |
axchoice
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 2:45 pm
The World Cup is just an excuse, friends. If any star player is involved in the Europa qualifier, it’d bring down his transfer fee after being cup tied.
Interestingly, Insua and Benayoun are both relatively fresh since both didn’t go to the World Cup.
|
 #509 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 4:47 pm
Axchoice = Paranoia
|
 #510 |
Aitch
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 5:41 pm
So let me see if I’m completely understanding the situation.
Not having Johnson, Carra, Skrtel, Agger, Gerrard, Cole, Masch, Maxi, Kuyt and Torres
… means you have little hope of beating a 3rd rate (no disrespect intended, its footy so anything can happen on the day) Macedonian Team
… and that is fair enough, and righteous expectation…
(How’s that for pedantic… muthafuckaaaaaaaaa )
…but…
Not having Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Aurelio, Gerrard, Riera & Kelly, Darby, Aqualani, unavailable for the majority of the season, plus a few others like Carra and Masch, unavailable occasionally through injury and viruses, AND when you did have any of them available they struggled to find fitness/form…
… means you should be able to finish higher than 7th in the most grueling league int he world.
See thats where all the disagreement comes from…
we are just operating with a fundamentally different set of criteria for what constitutes realistic expectations for our club.
|
 #511 |
Aitch
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 5:46 pm
And while we aren’t ready to face Rabotnicki…
Scum, the Chavs, Arsenal, Spurs, Citeh and even Villa, have all played 3-4 pre-season games (at the very least, holding their own) against the likes of Juventus, Inter, Porto, Sporting Lisbon… and such.
And the opener against Arsenal is just 17 days away!
How’s that for Paranoia?
|
 #512 |
Aitch
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 5:50 pm
Actually I find myself in a rather strange predicament…
…in that I agree with Arthur (god, I feel ill just typing that ) about a possible “guest blogger” for Ged.
Come on Ged, work is just work, mate.
Blogging us lot is your life’s passion.
Get the lead out! (or you know, the fingertips, as would be the modern equiv.)
|
 #513 |
rafamuffin
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 6:56 pm
Are we sure they are not clearing the way for johnson to move on with the signing of young.He will have less chance of getting in the liverpool team than the villa team plus he would be earning less.Why would we spend what little money we have on a washed up 31 year old unless he would be our ist choice right back
|
 #514 |
rafamuffin
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:07 pm
Plus surely Kelly or Darby could fill in as a reserve right back.
I could understand if we had money and were pushing for the title.
But we are skint.I dont think Young will add anything to our squad.
When he was at his peak he was not good enough for liverpool now he is in his twilight years why would we waste 2 million on him.
Something dodgy is going on
|
 #515 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:10 pm
I heard Aurellio is back training with the reds with a `pay as you play` deal on the table.
Anyone shed any light on this??
|
 #516 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:12 pm
Rafamuffin,
I think the luke young deal is off.He decided to say at Villa.
|
 #517 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:40 pm
TT, I hear he got injured trying to take the deal off the table – strained his back!
In other words, I have no idea.
|
 #518 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:50 pm
we’re going to win the league, we’re going to win the league and now you better believe us etc etc
|
 #519 |
rafamuffin
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:56 pm
Next we will be trying to sign Shadrach Dingle off emmerdale
|
 #520 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:57 pm
1 up,snoogy doogy,or i mean,Ngog..
|
 #521 |
rafamuffin
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 7:58 pm
Or Jimmy Greaves as cover for Torres
|
 #522 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 10:16 pm
Just watched that Robotnick game on a stream. I would have went to that and stayed over for the Gladbach game. I love them matches in mad places that you’d never go to if it wasn’t for the footy. And Gladbach, well, that would have been a great craic.
The two clubs still have great links from the 70′s, and the fans have a great party lined up. A game between them and then a big piss up. I’ve got a great story from Gladbachin the early 70′s. I’ll tell it some time…
scabby drunks bar, scabby drunken loon germans, dead funny fight between 2 lesbians stripped to the waist, caked in tattoos, barman wading into them with a cosh, aul drunk fella pulling a knife on us, us legging it, getting passed by German bizzy cars going there, sirens wailing, blue lights going and hearing gunshots as we ran like fuck…
dead funny.
I know me reminiscing annoys a few, (Arthur) but funny enough that’s what hit me watching that game…
I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Well, tell a lie. I felt this is all wrong, when I looked at Woy in he’s LFC shirt pitchside. And I felt completely pissed off with what’s happening to us and football in general.
Who’s them twats on Setanta Ireland, the commentator and the 2 talking heads in the studio?
I always try to tell meself these lads get some unfair stick. Of course they won’t know the ins and outs of a club like it’s supporters. Ask me a load of questions about most teams and I wouldn’t be able to come up with much more. But fuckinell, that was bad…
Constant stabbing Rafa all fucking night and going on about good old dependable Roy.
FFS, he’s managed more clubs than LFC have had managers. That dawned on me today that. He’s had more fucking clubs than we’ve had managers in all our history!
Dependable…
Fuckinell, what shit these bastards talk.
Here’s a cracker…
“That’s two for Ngog under Roy. He only scored 5 for Rafa all last season.”
Oh dear. But anyway, fuck all that old tom tit.
Me point was, for the first time I can remember in me life I felt nothing watching LFC.
I don’t give a fuck who this annoys…
I went into Anfield for the first time in 1965. I was 8.
3 years later, I bunked the train to Leicester for me first away game. Yep. 11 years old, not a penny in me pocket, snuck on the train, and went to Leicester with me mate. Fuckin mental.
I bunked trains, boats and planes all over Europe for that club. I hitched hiked up and down the country without a penny in me pocket, going to shite places like Barnsley and Walsall on a freezing cold, pissing down rain night. Got stuck in the ends of the earth, starving, skint, freezing, soaked through. I got legged and battered in the 70′s. I could go on, me point is…
It meant everything.
It meant nothing tonight.
I get pulled up for spouting off about the Liverpool Way. Doesn’t bother me. There was one, and it was good.
We had no right to become a monster of European Football. The city is no bigger than the likes of Bristol and Sheffield. But we did it. And not only did we do it The Liverpool Way, we done it because of the Liverpool Way…
The holy trinity.
Shanks was the frontman, but we had great men in the back like Smith and Robinson and we were the troops.
Don’t tell me about football changing. I’m not a fuckin idiot. I’m telling you that we done it our way. It was different. It made us what we were. And while that shite is in the back, we will never get back there and I don’t think I will ever feel the same about the club until they are gone.
In Rafa, I truly thought we’d found our Spanish Shankly…
He came and saw a half sleeping giant. He saw in it and us, the place to do his life’s work .
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 #523 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 10:20 pm
#521: Got cut off there for some reason. I was going to say more, but I’ll leave it at that except for this…
Don’t tell me about football changing. We need to go back. No. Not to Rafa. Not to Moores. Not even to Shanks and Smith and Robinson. Just back to the philosphies and the ways that made us great.
Sadly, I don’t think it ever will though.
Time moves on, but it’s not always progress.
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 #524 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 10:23 pm
Fucking sickening commentry tonight,i turned it off early in the second half.
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 #525 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 10:39 pm
FS,we had a discussion about this earlier on in the blog.The way we felt about the coming season.On my own side i`m finding it hard to get up for it for reasons we all know now.
Listen mate,you can`t help the way you feel right now.It dosen`t make you any more or any less a red.
I see guys are boycotting the match totally.”not a penny more to them” they say.Thats their stance,i understand that,in fact i`m taking that route myself.I respect it.
On the other hand others will go the match”have to support the reds”.Well i can understand and respect that view also.
At the moment it feels like,to me anyway,like the LFC i grew up supporting has been taken away.Everything that made following the reds special is no longer there.
The Liverpool way,the values on which the modern LFC,Shanklys liverpool were built are been taken away with each passing day.
Shanks used to say “the directors are only there to sign the cheques”.
Thats what it was like.Football men take care of the football and directors make money available for plyers.
Now we have cecil,a banker taking the day to day decisions on who goes and who comes in,with Roy having little or no input into the deals.
Fucking unbelievable…
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 #526 |
dougle
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 11:14 pm
One technical point from tonight’s game. Lucas played (and played very well as far as I could see), anyway the point is is that he now cannot play for another club in europe ( I think for the whole season) this year. This means, I would think, at least he is staying. Same with Aquaman, Skrtyl and (surprisingly) Kyriakos. Perhaps Roy pulled a fast one on the Purseman and played someone they had lined up to sell (“behind his back”)?
Good analysis KD 495 – maybe the money is in (with Masher gone) this year.
I didn’t see too much tonight with the usual kid stuff but once again Kelly struck me as a kind of Carra for this decade. A bit taller and faster and maybe even a bit more of a footballer. I think we have a player on our hands here.
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 #527 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 29, 2010 @ 11:20 pm
Well I’m gonna talk about football – which seems like a strange thing to do in here
Thought it was a decent performance against a clearly inferior side. Great to see spearing, Kelly, Amoo and the likes get a decent run out. More of the same in the second leg.
It seems FS you have signed out of following LFC under our current owners – they may eventually leave but those oh so valued footballing principles of yours I’m afraid are a thing of the past.
Just think of it – lets say our Yank owners finally sell up – who is gonna come in and replace them? Saudi’s? Chinese? Russians? They’ll probably invest more more money and we’ll hopefully start challenging for major owners. Our they gonna start heading down the socialist road of Shankly and his ilk of yesteryear? Not a chance. We’re no longer a family run club, we’re a global marketing entity. I’m not saying that’s a good or bad thing. That’s just the way it is these days
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 #528 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:15 am
I don’t actually know if the Liverpool way is dead or dying, I think we’ve become a club of such expence, that the only option is we are someones play thing.
.
We can’t compete and be run as a business, we’re to expensive for that, so we’ve become someone who needs a sugar daddy type investment.
.
I don’t even think we’re the most supported team on Mersyside, we are the most Mersyside team supported world wide, not sure about the actual city.
.
I thought it was a great result and all should be applauded. So it didn’t have the hype of a Man U derby and so it shouldn’t this early in the season.
.
How many times have you seen any team get off the carpet with a negative attitude. FS I know your broken but so am I, and all the others but its still our club and will be long after the cancerous agents go.
.
All clubs and football goes in cycles FS and you know that, Its highly likely your grandchild will follow what ever team is winning throughout the informative years. Therefore in 10 years time your grandchild could possibly become the 40,000th Chelsea Fan.
.
Alas though then their time will end and so on. LFC is going through a blib and thats what makes history, they will rise and fall and rise again.
.
FFS our club song is about a storm, and holding your head up high. Our history is littered with tragedy and mayhem, and our trophy cabinet is full of against all odds displays. Chin up big guy. I would never want to here my Captain say, I don’t have any interest in the game.
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 #529 |
Aitch
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:37 am
…especially after having watched him play that way for an entire season, gaz!
|
 #530 |
sachem
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 2:57 am
Arthur, when you say you’re gonna talk football, is that a fact? I was just wondering since it would seem you ended up talking economy and marketing instead.
I’m sorry to disappoint you mate, but “the way it is these days” clearly isn’t working. Aitch especially has tried to explain it all numerous times and with numerous examples in here, but if you don’t trust in him (I wouldn’t know why) then just look at what happened to the world economy a few years ago and ask yourself what caused it and how it can be related to the way economy works in football.
In front of all, ask yourself why our American owners have been able to suck Liverpool Football Club dry without breaking any laws? I can bearly imagine what Shanks would say had he lived to see this happening to his beloved club, but anyone can see the system isn’t working when things like this can happen to one of the greatest football clubs in existence.
UEFA and Michel Platini seem to have realized things have gone out control economy-wise in football, and therefore aimed to introduce new rules that will prohibit exactly the kind of thing Tom and George have been doing to LFC. Any new owners, no matter how rich they are, will not be able to spend like crazy like to owners of Man City for instance. In the future football clubs will have to be run properly. This might well limit our future success on the pitch (then again it might not have if Rafa was still around to realize his long-term plans) but if that’s what is required to save football, then so be it. We really can’t be much worse off than we are at the moment.
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 #531 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 3:20 am
Arthur,
Skrtel’s Slovakia went as far as England’s Gerrard in the World Cup, and yet he played last night. Where’s the consistency in Roy’s statement that he needs to rest World Cup players? Are you trying to tell me Skrtel is more important than Gerrard to be included in the first team and that’s why he played and Gerrard didn’t?
You remind me of the proverbial frog in a slow burner. The only difference is that your ass isn’t burnt, but LFC’s.
|
 #532 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 8:08 am
I have no idea what you’re on about Ax….I’m a frog..in a slow burner…and that makes you…what exactly???
Ah I’m assuming Roy figured (and correctly so) that playing Gerrard (one of LFC’s most influential and important players , when at his best) would be a risk not worth taking. Skrtel hasn’t played all that much football in the last few months so no harm in him giving him a run out.
This is not exactly rocket science Ax
|
 #533 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 8:44 am
There’s a frog that’s placed on a slow burner. He felt a little hot and thought that everything’s bearable. Then the heat turn up a little but the frog thought that it’d get cooler soon, and the heat is still bearable. The heat just turned up little by little, until it finally fried the frog.
It’d probably be too late by the time you realise how much damage the snakes have done to LFC
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 #534 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 9:10 am
But Ax – you or I can’t switch off the slow burner.
I’m well aware of the damage being done by our current owners – but it seems you and others don’t want me (or people like me) to even consider the thought of still actually following and possibly getting excited by matters on the pitch.
As I have said numerous times, I am supporting the whole push to remove H&G – I can actually do no more. So giving me frog-esque analogies is sorta pointless and condescending. I am 100% aware of our situation – I just chose to still support the team throughout this tough time
|
 #535 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 9:39 am
Arthur,
It’s good that you’re supporting the team.
But you believe that the snakes are selling soon, even after they’ve continuously lied to us (spade in 60 days, major investments in the next few months after Purslow’s appointment, extension of datelines for selling the club, etc). What would you do if they claim to extend the dateline for sale of club to 1 Feb 2011? That they will honour their word again?
You can call me paranoid, but it is this (in my view blatantly naive) belief in their words/promises that led me to the frog analogy.
I agree with LB on Roy. He’s just a puppet that is happy to include having managed LFC in his CV.
|
 #536 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 9:51 am
Ax – I never said I believed the owners would sell soon, but that I hoped they will sell sooner, rather than later.
I think Roy should be judged by his performances on and off the field – of which so far he is done admirably. But let’s give the man some time to put in place his own style and personality before labeling him a puppet.
The tone is so negative in this forum of late – I don’t know what you guys think – but it’s quite over-bearing at times. I registered for Tomkin’s site and comment in there appears a lot more..two sided shall we say…
|
 #537 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 10:08 am
Arthur I would love to put a positive spin on it but the reality is that we are fucked if we don’t get rid of the four fuckers before the start of next season.
When you look at it this way maybe you can understand why a lot of the lads in here are ‘so’ negative.
|
 #538 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 10:12 am
Arthur,
#473
“I’m still hopeful that the club will be sold in the next few months”
That’s where I think you’ve believed the crap the snakes have sprouted.
Now that I see what you just said, I’d give you the benefit of doubt and apologise for branding you
|
 #539 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 10:17 am
Lads we’ve had these owners since ’07 so we were fucked since then but we are still here, so yep lets keep up the pressure and pray that the club is sold to someone who gives a shit because lets face it we could be sold to an even bigger bunch of wankers.
on the pitch i think the young guns did us proud not an easy task and they came through unscathed ngog seems to have beefed up a bit and that lad amoo is fucking lightning quick was impressed with him. hoping pacheco doesnt go out on loan seeing as the young guns are getting a run. nice to see da la valle (probably spelt wrong) getting a few mins too.
|
 #540 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 10:19 am
Like what Lurgan just said, it’s extremely hard to be positive about anything regarding LFC.
BTW, Roy & the team’s only achievement is having beaten an unknown team in Europe so far.
His signings? Nothing to make me excited so far. But there’s much more to worry about, given that most of our star players are still not cup tied.
|
 #541 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 10:27 am
Ax I can understand your pessimism – but I genuinely don’t think Gerrard, Torres, Johnson, Kuyt, Reina, Carragher are going anywhere this season.
Mascherano (if he does leave) will be a loss – but maybe, just maybe we can use some of his impending transfer fee and bring in a decent left back or striker?
|
 #542 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 10:42 am
I agree Arthur…
it is depressing.
Roy should be given a chance.
Things changed a long time ago.
The tone is very negative.
I disagree…
more can be done to shift them.
I haven’t give up on supporting LFC.
They have given up on me and everyone like me.
In fact, they are doing their upmost best to get rid of people like me. In fact, they are doing all they can to get rid of all local support.
I’m a lot of things. But one thing I’m not is daft. Loyal, sentimental, a bit mad, yeah. I’ll have all that. But stupid… no mate. Not one bit.
Obviously some pennyless lad from Croxteh, or Toxteth or Huyton isn’t going to walk into Anfield, buy it and start turning it back into what it once was.
Sadly, two fellas from Dallas have been allowed to do that already. And they are systematically destroying the little we had left of our own club.
Souness was the last person to do that. The man is an ego on legs. I know that for fact. I have a great story about him an all. But that’s not the point. The thing is, he was the last person to deliberately set about destroying the Liverpool way. He thought his was better. So out went the last team that won the title. In came his players. Out went the boot room philosphy. In came his.
We all know the results.
But this is not just about doing away with the boot room and pass and move. This is about deliberately turning us into what Gaz describes…
A part of the global entertainment industry, not a football club.
How long before Karoake on the Kop?
How long before free plastic flags and scarves?
Not long at this rate.
Timmy, I’m one of them fellas who has said enough’s enough, not a penny more. I have been spouting on about not going again or buying anything again until they are gone.
You know what, last Sunday, I couldn’t help meself. The bug bit. I can’t give up on supporting something I love and that has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I can’t just forget a life times worth of memories. Being in Rome in 1977 means nearly as much as watching my first daughter being born. How can you just wipe that out?
I can’t.
So, last Sunday, I just couldn’t help meself. Like most other people, I’m not making the sort of money I have in the last few years. I’m not struggling. We still have everything we need. But just jumping on a plane and going to the likes of Macedonia means sacrificing other things.
That’s nothing new. I’ve done that all me life and I couldn’t help it on Sunday. Out came the credit card, and into the cheap flight sites. The plan was to go there, stay over, go to Germany, watch the Gladbach game.
Thank fuck, the cheapest flight I could find was near 400 quid. There’s no way, I could justify that. If I could have, I’d have been waking up there now, feeling hungover and a fucking traitor.
Please Arthur, don’t tell me about not supporting my club as if I’m being disloyal. This is not about supporting a global brand. This is about the wilfull systematic destruction of everything LFC stood for as a club.
We have just robbed Fulham’s manager because it suited the media…
Broughton’s words not mine.
Fulham, owned by an Egyptian, have just installed Welshman Mark Hughes. Lots can be said about that. My point is, the people of Fulham still feel welcome. They can still support their team with pride. They can still attend matches knowing full well that the club is doing all it can to make Fulham the best club it can be.
That can no longer be said, of LFC. We are now a club that is being run for no other reason than to benefit it’s hierarchy. And that is not negative, nor depressing, nor realistic, nor anything else you’d care to label it.
It’s heartbreaking. It’s a fucking travesty. And no matter how hard Roy tries to stop it, or how many fans try to stay up beat and just concentrate on football, it’s the truth.
Sorry to piss on your cornflakes but if you expect me to just talk football, you’re going to be more disapointed. Because, it’s not just a game of football or even a football club to me. And I’m not trying to be dramatic, or pretending to be Mr. Uber Fan. I’m just telling you how it is….
This is no longer LFC the football club. It’s H&G United the money making pyramid scheme.
Sorry lads. Just had to say it as I see it.
|
 #543 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 10:50 am
Arthur,
What’s the odds of
(1) Masch leaving near the end of the transfer window so that the snakes can conveniently not bring in replacements?
(2) Torres leaving in one of January 2011 or summer 2011?
As FS has said, I’m extremely sad at the plight of my beloved LFC, a money spinning machine for the snakes up there. There’s no football left to talk about, just a brand name loaded with soon to be gone stars
|
 #544 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 11:18 am
Arthur, I hope you don’t think I’m picking on you. I’m not.
I made it plain, time and again, I wouldn’t bother talking to you if that was the case.
I hope when the season gets underway, I will start to get the old tingle. But I’m just telling you the truth…
Watching that was horrible last night.
The commentators played a huge part. It was bloody disgraceful…
Going on and on about the shit team Benitez had left behind.
Then in the next breath raving about Roy’s kids and what a great job he’d done without 10 first team players.
Straight up mate, I’m not daft. I’m not some museum piece. I know football won’t turn back into black and white. That doesn’t mean I can ignore what’s happening to it and all that went before.
That just reminded me of something…
one of the greatest flags I ever saw on the Kop was in the early 70′s…
FOR THOSE OF YOU WATCHING IN BLACK AND WHITE…
LIVERPOOL FC ARE THE ONES WITH THE BALL.
It was a piss take of a famous David Coleman comment when he said on the telly…
For those of you watching in black and white,
Liverpool are the ones in red.
Silly, but that’s sort of what it all meant…
Great craic.
And honestly, this would be sorted now if we all still had it together. No. Not just locals. I mean the Kop, as one, before, after and during every match just turning on the owners non stop.
That’s what would have happened. They’d have took them offers by now and gone. But while we have “SOS activists” saying “Purlow’s okay,” we have no chance.
Divide and conquer has won. The magician’s sleight of hand is working, too many of us are all too willing to be duped.
No. Not you. Or for that matter, anyone else in here. But that’s what’s happening, just like Tom knew it would.
Oh well, I’m off. Not ruining mine or anyone’s elses day again with all that stuff. Fuck it, we all still have a life to live. But there’s a big part of mine being ripped out, and I can’t just ignore that.
HAte sounding so dramatic, but I’m not going to just lie about it.
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 #545 |
Rafalution
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 11:23 am
Fuck me, doom & gloom all round!
I can see where you are coming from, Aitch & FS. You, along with others, are finding it extremely difficult to support a club you have loved all your lives. And this is all down to the tow rags running the club…
But, surely you owe it to the legacies of the previous managers & players, to Rafa, to continue supporting this institution called Liverpool Football Club? Fuck these owners, screw the xenophobic press. Surely, during these dark times, your support for the club is needed more than ever? I am not talking about spending money on merchandise, or going to the games which (directly) puts money into the coffers of the Wanks? I am talking about still being proud of the club, the players, cheering the side on of a weekend? Surely you cannot give all this up, just because there is a cancer that is eating the club from within?
I have totally supported your comments & actions against the pricks, but I cannot support the idea of not getting behind the team & the new manager (gutted as I still am, about Rafa leaving) this season, and seasons to come – regardless of who the owners are?
How can you guys ‘stop’ supporting a club that you fell in love with 40+ years ago (well, FS anyway)? It’s like divorcing your wife of 30 years. It doesn’t/can’t happen.
If I am misreading your intentions, I apologise. But it seems that the 2 fuckheads & their puppet(s) are ruining your life – and to let that happen, well, they would have won.
Sorry if I come accross all melodramatic, but why should they stop us from (still) loving our club, from trying to enjoy the forthcoming season? It doesn’t mean we should stop the fight to cure this cancer, but surely we can still talk footy & all other things Liverpool FC?
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 #546 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 11:32 am
But FS – how is this situation going to change??? I’m not sure different owners will cure all that ails you. In fact, I think you’re in mourning for a way of life, a way of football that is sadly gone.
Yes I know UEFA are attempting to reign in the fantastical, nonsensical cash spending that we have seen in the past (City, Chelsea). I know they’re hoping to encourage teams to produce more home grown local talent and perhaps one day they’ll introduce a full working “fit and proper” test to make sure what happened at LFC, Utd, Portsmouth, West Ham etc, doesn’t happen again.
But in my view clubs like Liverpool, Utd, Arsenal – have become bigger (in financial and marketing terms) than they ever were in the 1970′s and 1980′s – your heyday I dare to suggest FS.
We all know money is the root of all evil – and once football got a taste of it – the people who run clubs and own clubs will not want to stop taking a bite out of that apple. We will hopefully see tighter regulations in place regarding club ownership but some things will never change now that money has taken hold:
1) we’ll never see a true European Cup again – for winners of their leagues only. We’ll be stuck with the Sony/ Heineken / “Insert sponsors name here” blouted Champions League that usually leaves most fans having to wait till March before they actually see a decent game.
2) Clubs like Liverpool, Utd, Chelsea will continue to whore their image all over the world – to try and gain “increased market share” in places like Asia, USA and Africa. These type of ventures aren’t part of clubs like Fulham or even Everton remits I would suggest. This is what clubs with global support like Liverpool HAVE TO DO these days.
3) One day, in the hopefully not too distant future, LFC will get new owners. This could range from a Hank Scorpio type meglo-maniac to a shady Chinese consortium. But all in all I think we’d all accept a friendly Sheik who has more money than sense! Either way, the era of being run like a family club is over. Gone – forever. Yes we can hope that the new owners invest in the team and the wider community that the team resides in (hopefully this will HAVE TO BE THE CASE) but the bottom line for the owners will be financial success – they’ll run it like a business – a global business.
Again – I’m not saying I agree with this – I’m just saying how I believe how football will go / has gone already. Take a look at NFL or MBA clubs in the States. Franchises they’re called – horrible word isn’t it? But they’re financial giants – with merchandising and marketing campaigns all over the globe. Clubs like Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Manchester Utd and of course LFC are all hoping to achieve this level of cross- continental success. But when you aim for that kinda of material gain – you lose something – your soul.
You either accept football has gone down this road or you can cry for the past.
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 #547 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 11:37 am
i’ve got to stick a word in for arthur here, partly because i agree with almost everything he says, but mainly because i want to cut to the chase of all this.
as i’ve said before, you can’t choose how to feel during a football match. fs, if you felt absolutely nothing during the game then fair enough. it’s not a choice. you felt nothing. i felt something, simply because i love the club, not necessarily the players, not necessarily the team, and certainly not the board, but THE CLUB. that includes the brotherhood of all the other lfc fans across the world. all the staff at the club fighting to keep the team successful against all odds. the young players in the team who need a confidence-boosting performance that might set them up as first team players (remember when young stevie g was given his chance? the next one could happen any game now!). i don’t want them to be shit. i want the kids to be amazing and shut everyone up! i can’t turn that off.
i’m not patronising you fatty, i know you love the club more than me (in terms of your actions of support, and your scouse birth-right at least). i’m just agreeing with arthur that even if mcdonalds owned the team and they were all playing in clown-shoes, i’d be fighting the board WHILE supporting the team because i don’t know any other way to feel. i can’t dislike the club i love because of 2 snakes. it’s like telling me that hot is cold. i’m aware the sensations are remarkably similar but i can’t confuse them for anymore than a second.
remember, apart from anything else, the future success of this club also depends on the ‘global brand’ that is liverpool. this is a side-issue and not related to my previous point, but it’s equally important. we need to maintain a high profile, or we WILL become sheffield wednesday. now that is a FACT (as everyone in here loves using that needless and generally subjective word).
think of chelski, fs. they, like fulham, supported their mediocre club regardless of the wealth behind them. as soon as the coin rolled in they soon changed their tune, and fulham would do the same in the blink of an eye. it’s modern football.
as for the game, i only saw shite-quality highlights on the superweb, but let me just say… fantastic cross by kelly and great finish by ngog. i can’t help but enjoy young lfc players doing that. what else is there in the game to enjoy?
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 #548 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 11:41 am
Btw – I know you’re not picking on me FS
Good post Rafa # 544
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 #549 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 11:49 am
Thanks for that bit of support Sambo
Perhaps FS you would prefer if we were run with a less global view in mind. And that is completely understandable. I’m not sure it will happen – unless the club goes into complete meltdown.
I suppose at least then – the club would belong to the fans again – but the days of ruling England and Europe would be over, forever. Unfortunately, if we are to survive in the modern footballing landscape we will need large(huge some might say) investment.
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 #550 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:05 pm
Arthur, I don’t want to speak for FS but I think it fundamentally boils down to something he said a few posts back. “Liverpool no longer exist to win trophies or make the people happy. It exists to make some people money”. It is this that represents the doom and gloom mate and why people are finding it difficult to be upbeat and talk football.
Even in the modern world with owners of football clubs coming from all over the world how many clubs are owned by people whose sole purpose is to bleed it dry? I can think of no other football club in our predicament. Half of our debt, that we actually pay interest on is going to our parent company in the Cayman Islands that is owned by our owners!! Think about that for a minute. Re read and think about that some more.
Man City are owned by rich Arabs who are pouring money in to make them successful. Their mandate right or wrong is to get success on the pitch and make the people happy. Whether or not it is good for the game, maybe ticket prices will sky rocket and the club might rip off the fans with other schemes. At the end of the day the people will be happy if they are winning things and watching world class players every week in their team colours. There is no crippling debt.
Aston Villa is owned by an American. He gives the manager as much money as he can to improve the squad. There is no debt.
Spurs – no debt. Ticket prices at London clubs are scandalous, merchandise a rip off. But again the owners are doing their best to ensure success on the pitch.
Arsenal – in debt but everyone knows why. They recently built a huge stadium. Hence the debt was used to give the club a huge asset. The money hasn’t disappeared it has been put back into the club.
Chelsea – in huge debt but is an interest free loan to the owner. The owner’s mandate? To make Chelsea the best club in Europe. As a result Chav fans are happy and the club are winning trophies.
Man Utd – in huge debt with high interest. Similar situation to Liverpool but I doubt half of their debt is going directly to their owners pockets.
What H&G actually Hicks in particular has done to other sports franchises and Corinthians in the past does not fill likes of FS with optimism that they will sell the club in a few months. Hicks allowed his baseball team to go into Bankruptcy even they there were offers on the table to by the club. The bankruptcy allowed him to keep a lot more money because it meant the club would not have to pay all of its debt. However the bankruptcy means the club is fucked. Does Hicks care? Hell no. When he left Corinthians they were up shit creek as well. The guy has already compared us to a breakfast cereal. He is in the leveraged buyout business and LFC are being leveraged mate. His past actions indicate we will not be sold until we can no long make our owners any money. At that stage we are screwed. That is the point. That is why there is doom and gloom. That’s is why some of us shake our heads in dismay when the signing of Joe Cole has people believing we’re gonna be alright after all.
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 #551 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:20 pm
Another thing that probably pisses off the likes of FS is that ‘back in the day’ Liverpool supporters would not be so fucking dumb as to allow this to happen. A packed out Anfield in the 70s would make it absolutely clear what they felt of the ownership. The unified bad publicity to the likes of RBS might have been so immense that they would have called in the loan in a heartbeat. But these days people are more concerned with holding midfield players and dodgy substitutions.
The club no longer exists to win trophies or make the people happy. It exists to make some people money.
If you want to brush this under the carpet and remain upbeat then you must not support a team for the reasons I do. I cannot support something that is a fraud. That is what LFC has become. A fraud.
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 #552 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:33 pm
it’s only a fraud now. next year it might not be, in which case, i’ll keep supporting them because if we lose every game, we’re nothing. and might never be again.
fuck it. do what you like. i’m supporting my club for my own reasons. i’m FULLY aware of what the owners are doing but the club is bigger than than them.
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 #553 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
Sambo, what is “The Club”?
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 #554 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:48 pm
“the club” is the brotherhood of every liverpool supporter in the world. the texas homeboys who are shitting in hick’s backyard, the cornish ‘scousers’ who exist within a swarm of chavs and scum, the malasians, kiwis, thai… and god knows who else that gives a shit. the club is bigger than this current predicament. i’m supporting “the club” as a philosophy, history, and future. not as the fraud it is right now.
LB, i’ve got a lot of respect for you and the sense you talk. if you don’t feel like getting excited when the boys run out against the arse, then don’t. it’s up to how you feel. personally, i’ll be buzzing like a fridge. i can’t help it.
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 #555 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:53 pm
Well said, LB, especially about LFC becoming a fraud. And a good comparison with the other English clubs.
Arthur/Sambo,
The snakes’ sole business is to siphon as much money as possible from the club. They aren’t building a brand, if that’s what you naively believe.
They’re sucking LFC dry by leveraging its already established worldwide popularity (i.e. its already established brand), preying on its fans around the globe.
When you’ve got a venom that starts infecting the foot but is spreading dangerously to the whole body, thereby threatening your life, a wiser move would be to amputate that foot.
For “It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell”
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 #556 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
Sambo, the respect is mutual. And I agree with what you say “the club” is, however the brotherhood you speak about, I am struggling to feel these days. All you have to do is read the comments after an article in the Echo to get my point. It seems the idiots and traitors outnumber the fans like yourself. The history I will always cherish. The philosophy… I did cherish it until very recently but it seems as if it is being destroyed. The future is difficult to look forward to.
When the lads run out against Arsenal the old excitement will probably come back and of course I will want us to win but I am afraid deep down it won’t be the same until I know that our true philosophy has been restored.
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 #557 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 12:59 pm
i feel really sorry for arthur for constantly being accused of being ‘naive’ when he’s clearly nothing of the sort. i always read the posts in here but i rarely comment because no one (except a few) bothers to read or take in what other people are saying, hence the fact that this blog always goes round in circles.
ax – if you think arthur and i believe the owners are ‘building a brand’ then there’s no point even typing this because you probably won’t read it properly anyway. maybe it’s time to stop coming up with metaphors and actually listen to what people are saying.
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 #558 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:07 pm
LB. it’s true the idiots are there in massive numbers.
but i don’t care what they think.
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 #559 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:17 pm
I have a lot of respect for what Arthur writes as well. I think that he is in a similar place to where I was maybe a year ago. That the owners are awful but surely they will fuck off soon and we will then move forward. I used to read some of the FS doom and gloom posts and think “Nah surely aint as bad as all that”. Well the chickens are coming home to roost big time and the realisation has hit me like a 1980s Mike Tyson left hook. That realisation being: H&G will only sell when either (a) they are forced to do so due to RBS wanting their money back or (b) LFC have no money left to bleed.
Remember Arthur, they already turned down a £500m offer from DIC over a year or so ago. What does that tell you?
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 #560 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:27 pm
Sambo,
If you think the club is bigger than the snakes, think again.
I’ve nothing against looking on the bright side, but pretending the problems will go away in due time, e.g. the club will change hands soon, isn’t what I believe is the right approach to problem solving.
As I’ve said to Arthur, let’s wait and see if the deadline to sell the club will be postponed again.
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 #561 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:41 pm
some points in here since I had my lunch
Well I suppose I was originally saying in my long winded post a while back is that i feel that FS and his ilk have become disillusioned with football in general.
I have to believe that H&G will sell eventually – if I lose that – well maybe I’ll be where you are LB right now!
Off to wedding now – when i come back i want the club sold, ground built and Elvis resurrected
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 #562 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:45 pm
Arhur the Elvis resurrection is the more likely
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 #563 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:47 pm
ax. the club IS bigger than the snakes.
i agree affirmative action needs to be taken rather than simply waiting for things to change. FS and his mates have done us all proud in their diligence (even though i don’t always agree with his views).
lets agree to make a distiction.
Point A
the owners are bleeding the club dry, don’t give a shit about anything except making money, and won’t move on ‘out of the goodness of their hearts’, but only when the money stops rolling in. they need to be stopped, even if it means losing games.
Point B
we all love the club. we can’t help but want them to win regardless or anything else. the future of the club depends largely on retaining a high profile in asia (amongst other places) and remaining in the general consciousness of the football world as a club of success and tradition.
these 2 sets of points are at odds but equally true for all of us (i’m assuming). so what’s the point in arguing them anymore?
we all hate the board, but whether we hope the team wins or loses as a result depends entirely on the individual. there. done.
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 #564 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 1:50 pm
…but no more talk of naivety please
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 #565 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 2:11 pm
Sambo,
Agreed with your Point A only.
Fulfilling Point B is extremely difficult given our situation. As you already have known, money is a major factor on whether a club succeeds on the field and beyond. We have very unique owners when compared to some other English clubs as mentioned by LB in #549.
By simply believing that the club is bigger than the snakes and continuing to be swayed by their PR moves, other fans may be saying “let’s not become another Liverpool” in future, in addition to another Leeds or Portsmouth.
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 #566 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
“swayed by their pr moves”??????
oh forget it. i’m going to bed. what’s the point
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 #567 |
axchoice
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 2:34 pm
Yeah. You talk about ‘global brand’ and I’ve been talking about the snakes being capable of utterly destroying that very brand you’re talking about. You just think the club’s brand is so big that they can’t topple. That’s what we don’t agree on.
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 #568 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 3:39 pm
Football has changed ten fold off the pitch from the `good oul days`.That goes without saying.If we were old enough to remember anything before the `86 cup final maybe we`d feel the same as the oldies in here.
I fell in love with Kennys Liverpool.Thats as far back as i go.Although i know of the top of my head,a fair bit about the entire history of LFC.The club was always different to any other in britain or the world in its ways.
Work hard,appreciate what you have and you won`t go wrong.When you win be humble.When you lose,be gracious.
When Liverpool used to clinch the title back in the day Ronnie Moran would let the players enjoy the moment and then bring them back down to earth very quickly.
“Now go home and throw your medal into the drawer and report back on (insert date here).
The job was done time to move on.
Everybody wondered what made Shanks,Bobs,joe`s and Kennys teams so great.What was the formula?
There was no real secret.Correct attitude,cocentration,and do the simple thing.Pass the ball and make yourself available imediately.
They we`re values that made the club great.The supporters on the KOP got worldwide acclaim for being whitty to opponents as well as intimidating.
They always backed their team even through the Shankly barren years.In fact before that when in the second division the club had regular attendence of 50,000.So the support didn`t just come with success,it was always there.
Nowadays footy is completely different.Its a society change in general.Its all want,want,want nowadays.
Commercialisation is the order of the day.Maximise profit even if it costs the man on the street from affording to go the game.Its all about brand and promoting the club worldwide.
In a way thats understandable,the game is a wash with money now so LFC has to move with the times in that regard.
The club can do the commercial thing still and let the footy to the players,manager and supporters.
I think even the oldies realise this has to happen whats annoying people nowadays is the directors on the board now believe they are football experts and are sticking their nose in day to day business whaich they have no right.They want to buy the players without the managers input.They want to sell players without the managers say so.
Look at Arsenal.Now thats a club thats run properly.Yes it got into debt but their stadium is paying for it.The board get behind the manager.Ok they don`t throw money at him but they know that Wenger knows best.Wenger even had an input in the design of the Emirates stadium.He runs the club from top to bottom on the football side of things and the board let him get on with the job and they concentrate on the commercial side of things.
Thats all people are looking for.I don`t want a sugar daddy.I want an owner/board who will let the manager manage,back him reasonably well and provide a new stadium to boot.
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 #569 |
rome77
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 4:20 pm
1st September 2009 was the day that Mike Tyson left hook landed and i knew the club was f*cked. And like LB i kind of staggered through last season with the hope that we’d be saved by the bell ringing in new owners. But what we got was a Tyson right uppercut.
So how will the next round go ?
Unless new owners are willing to meet their “valuation” they’ll behave like any other parasite and slowly bleed the host until bankruptcy is inevitable
Fan ownership is the only way we can restore any of the core philosophy’s but the march down the Leeds Way will probably have to happen before we can afford it.
When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.
John F. Kennedy
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 #570 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 5:15 pm
I think my emotion sometimes clouds the issue. I can’t help that, but I’m going to try and just state a few facts.
In fact, come to think of it, LB has done it for me.
Me and that lad used to have some right ding dongs, but he now gets exactly what I mean…
This club no exists for one single reason. If it had a mission statement it would read…
Make as much money as possible for H&G.
That’s it. That’s all there is to it.
Ironically, a good few of you lads like to remind me of how it is now.
Do you think I’ve been in a coma, since 1990?
I know how it is.
I think the problem is a lot of you don’t know how it was.
Here’s a heads up…
There’s always been loads of money in football. All that’s changed is the distribution of it.
Quick history lesson…
Liverpool FC only exist because of a fight over money and we never had the money of the likes of Man U or Arsenal.
We won despite of that.
I’ve got things to do right now, so I can’t go on. Relief for some, I’m sure.
But one quick word, Sambo to question my support of “the club” is insulting and way of the mark. And I have to say this, and I mean just that…
I have to say this. It’s not an insult. It’s not a dig. It’s nothing but exactly what it is says…
To believe that you are supporting LFC is naive.
Why some people can’t understand is beyond me, but the fact is, as far as top class football clubs go… to the best of my knowledge, we are the only one in the world that are operated by it’s owners for no other reason but to squeeze every single penny they can out of it no matter what that takes.
I’ve got to dash now, but I wish people would stop thinking this discussion is negative. Think about, and you might just realise…
It’s actually the complete opposite.
PS: To further Arthur’s comments on the blog…
I can’t speak for Gerry, but ever consider the blog is so irregular because our bold leader doesn’t quite have the enthuiasm of old.
Maybe that’s not the case. But sadly, being treated like a mug punter does have that affect on supporters.
PS: Rome 77, if I had more time my point would have been about how we always won despite being up against bigger enemies, and how we could again without the need of a sugar daddy.
I’ll get back to you on it.
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 #571 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 7:02 pm
The ironic thing is that, IMHO, we could have already won the league if Moores would have stayed in charge of the club.
With 20 odd million each year for Rafa, plus what he pulled in from transfers and CL cup runs, we would have been running the mancs and chel$ki close, as a minimum.
All Moores/Coco were lacking was a bit of gumption/knowhow/balls. There is no reason why we couldn’t have built a stadium and funded it with the gate receipts, just like the Arse.
I wish I could have bought those 20-20 hindsight goggles a few years ago – Away to buke now!
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 #572 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 7:25 pm
Rome to be realistic i think its too big a job to get fans to own the club.There`s definately a possibility of a stake in the club in the future though,which would be great.
And Rome nobody gets up from a Tyson uppercut so there`s no next round
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 #573 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 8:07 pm
Also, I don’t agree with the argument ‘if LFC remains on the global radar, the continued exposure that it will give will ultimately be beneficial for the club’.
Look at the LFC 2009 annual report. Only 5.2m out of 184.7m was attributed to the ‘Rest of the World’ income. Up from 1.7m out of 161.8 in 2008. Still peanuts whatever way you cut it.
So, for me, this whole globalisation of LFC brand by G&H is fuckin’ pure tripe. So what else is new I hear’s you ask!
They are gang-raping us over and over again. Bring out the gimp!
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 #574 |
Aitch
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 8:51 pm
Wow… some crackin posts today lads, and much to talk about.
Warning… War & Peace Alert!
What seems to be coming more clear, is that again, there is a fundamental difference in what certain people think of when you say something to them… and that means we’re not even starting form the same point, when having a discussion.
One of the things I find very interesting (and I suggested this as a potential summer blog topic a few months back) is the idea of The Liverpool Way…
…and that while that should mean the same thing to all LFC fans… it seems to me it just simply doesn’t.
I’d go so far as to suggest some people have no fuckin idea what it actually means… but thats another stroy.
I’ve done an awful lot of traveling in my life. It started in my late teens when my family moved to America. Football, or soccer, was the red-headed, bastard step-child of sports in America. But in spite of that, when I told people I was from Liverpool… you’d be surprised how many people knew the city because of the success of the footy team.
(One of the wonderful things about being a scouser, is that no matter where you travel, when people ask you where you are from, it is instantly recognized… for one of two reasons… The Beatles obviously and the other being LFC.)
It used to be you’d only occasionally see a footy shirt. You’d occasionally see some Mexican club shirts in the Southwest… But aside from that, when you did, it was either a Juve, Inter, Barca, or Real shirt… or a Liverpool shirt. You could travel the world and you’d surely see a Liverpool shirt.
In 1976 I went to Aden… I was kickin a footy about by myself, in front of my sister’s house, a bloke invited me to kick about with the local team, and when I got there, sure enough, two of the lads were wearing LFC shirts.
So marketing isn’t something new. The idea of a Global Brand is nothing new to footy.
And sadly, one of the things that prevented us from truly taking that and running with it (in the way that Scum would so successfully in the 90s) was the very thing we prize most… The Liverpool Way.
There’s irony for you…
One of the things that contributed to our success…
…held us back… at a crucial time when money coming into the game doubled, tripled, quadrupled.
And that is so sad, because global marketing isn’t automatically anathema to The Liverpool Way.
You can be a family run club and a global brand.
You can prize that home-town wit/humor/singing and still incorporate a Worldwide fanbase.
These are not ideas that are diametrically opposed… it is all in the implementation of those ideas.
I was in Tanzania in 2005… middle of fuckin nowhere… and there’s some little Masai sheepherder wearing an LFC shirt!
Sadly, this isn’t as big a deal as my 1976 story, coz you see Scum, Arsenal and particularly Chav shirts everywhere now.
This summer Liverpool went to a Swiss training camp, (as they did last summer,) Everton went on a tour of the U.S.A.
In fact Scum, Chelsea, Arsenal, Spurs, Citeh and Villa all went on overseas tours, raising their International profile, as did some clubs below us.
As FS mentioned above….The Liverpool Way was dead and buried by Sounness.
Evans was an attempt to return to it, but his reign was largely hampered by the advent of player power and a spread in footabll wealth.
Much of what Houllier did at the club was an attempt to return to that philosophy… but unfortunately, in my opinion… he tried to return us to The Liverpool Way of the 60s/70s/80s…
… and that was a way of doing business, that while it had a solid core philosophy, didn’t largely work in this new football world of the high-flying Premier League.
Enter Rafa, whose attempts were to return to a New Liverpool Way.
The core Liverpool Way of old, but revamped and reinvigorated for a new millenium.
How unfortunate we sold to G&H, coz I bet he’d have worked a charm under DIC (did that sound wrong or is it just me?)
And I really feel, based on the content of some people’s posts that they just don’t understand that…
…and moreover, that they haven’t even really considered or thought about that!
The primary reason we aren’t owned by DIC … is NOT that G&H offered more money…
…but that during the final negotiations it was discovered that DIC had a 7year exit strategy.
Had this not been included in the final paperwork, it would have been signed before George returned with Tom and a higher offer.
But this clause in the business plan held up final negotiations, just enough for the vultures to pounce.
The fact that G&H also had a 7 year exit strategy wasn’t looked into… simply coz they were smart enough to leave it out of their proposal.
And you only have to look at the majority of statements made in here (by a more knowledgable fanbase than you’ll find “out there”) to know that most fans don’t know that, and think it was all about money!
We’ll never know if we’d have been better off under a 7 year-and-out DIC… but given what we KNOW G&H have done… I think its safe to say we would.
Unless you really know the history of club through these years… you might not understand what I’m getting at.
You might not still, coz I haven’t detailed it, but I mean the stuff that was revealed after the fact…
…players we’d tried to buy… players that would/should have come to Liverpool, (Sheringham) but ended going somewhere else, coz someone balked at the price and contributed to thier success instead of ours…
…Combined with big money moves we did make, that were total flops (Collymore, Diouf) that insured we were then tentative in the market next time and missed out on someone because of that reluctance.
Throughout all that… there were 2 constants.
1. Owners that ran the business well.
Regardelss of the paragraph I’ve just typed… regardless of mistakes they made that didn’t take us forward… what they did, was not make the fatal mistakes that Leeds made (and you can bet they were at some point tempted to) and kept us a top team.
We all love to have a bloody good moan about having gone from Champions to Also-rans…
…but I’ll tell you what…
…that’s far fuckin better than falling into mid-table mediocrity, or worse.
As much as we like to poke fun at our Blue neighbors, its worth remembering that Everton were right with us in the 80s…
…then fought relegation for a decade…
…avoiding it on the final day of the season… twice!
The mighty can fall…
…and thay can fall a mighty fuckin long way….
…we’ve finished ourtside the top 4 a half-dozen times in 20-odd years!
Unfortunately… the current owners do not run the business well.
They do not run the business in a way that makes sense to your average man-on-the-street.
They are not concerned with where Liverpool finish.
If they finish high up the table great… but if not, it doesn’t affect their bottom line.
LFC makes money. It just does.
It has a global fanbase and is guaranteed global television money.
(and Lurg, those figures are misleading in that they don’t acount for overseas folk ordering direct from the LFC site, which is counted as a domestic transaction… and all the money the club makes when OOTs fork over their dosh for tickets and food and merchandise at the ground, and in the City… be under no illusion the international fanbase is and to an ever increasing extent always has been crucial.)
All that will cover operational costs… and then some.
A top 4 finish might provide a little more income…. but a mid-table LFC still provides enough profit for them to skim and siphon off to the Caymans.
G&H slapped an 800 million valuation on the club NOT because they think someone will offer it…
…NOT because they are deluded into thinking that is what its worth….
…but because they know if they slapped a 500 million valuation on it…
…someone might table an offer. (someone already did!)
Their game-plan is simple….
a) Buy the club with someone elses money…
B) Siphon money off…
C) Hold on for as long a ride as we can…
D) Siphoning off as much as we can… then
E) When the well runs dry, Get out of Dodge any which way.
Liverpool Football Club as an organization resembles no other LFC that has existed in the history of the club.
And by the design of their business model, the team is less and less representative of what LFC stands for.
We no longer exist to compete at the top!
(that doesn’t mean we can’t. At this moment… Roy still has a strong competitive squad… as things stand now! But with 32 days left in the transfer window, the sword of Damocles hangs over us… ignore it at your peril.)
2. The other constant… is the Brotherhood to which Sambo referred.
I commend Sambo for thinking that way. I truly do.
As I said, I’ve traveled the World and there are lads in the States, in Africa, in various Euro countries who are Reds today because, the poor bastards had to “listen to my testimony”
… like some Jesuit Monk, Born Again Christian, or Mormon on a mission, I’ve convinced them to see the light, and turned them to the one true God that is Liverpool Football Club.
Liverpool is my Religion and Anfield is my Church.
And now, so too is theirs.
There is a lad in Tanzania who was a Chav fan, until he spent 3 weeks driving me around the Serengeti, now he follows the Reds.
So yes… we have a brotherhood!
It does exist!
… and to some extent it exists as Sambo described…
…but just as, with great power comes great responsibility, so too does great success, come with all sorts of bandwagon jumping nobheads!
I understand why you feel the way you do about the Brotherhood of Liverpool fans…
…it really does exist…
…I commend you all for your allegiance to the one true God of mankind…
… and I wouldn’t call any of you naieve for believing in it…
…but sadly, I think some allow the wonder of that Brotherhood… and it is wonderful…. to cloud their judgement of it.
We have been infiltrated by a very large portion of people who know not of what you speak.
Not one iota!
And I’m sorry Sambo, but if the last 16 months has taught you nothing about how un-Liverpool-Way-like, how utterly un-brotherly, some of our fanbase is/can be, then all I can say is you’re holding too tight to an outmoded ideal.
I think you’ll all find, that once the tranfer window slams shut, we’ll pretty much all return to talking footy.
Only then will we know what playing staff Roy has to deal with between 1 Sept and January.
Only than can we truly discuss whether Roy can do a job.
And we’ll already have one or two games under our belt to get a feel for it.
But there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip…
… and 32 days in which to do irrepairable damage to the Team, the Squad, The Academy, The Organization as whole…
…and yes, even the Brotherhood!
I the meantime… as much as I might think LB’s description was a tad harsh… the simple fact is Roy is a caretaker manager.
When you read an article that states “Hodgson targets X for 12 million move to Anfield”
…you know its bullshit… simply because by his own admission ROY is “targeting” no one.
He can say he likes this player or that player all he wants….
…but Purslow is the one deciding whose fate lies at Anfield and whose lies elsewhere…
…until 1 Sept…
…only then is it… over to you Roy.
…phew…
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 #575 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
Mega-post Aitch and I mean that in content not just length.
Thanks for the heads-up on how they account for the ROW. I will need to do a bit more research before getting back to you on this one.
To be honest, continuing the boxing theme, I feel a bit punch-drunk here. Too many blows to the head in a short space of time.
I hope/expect in the short term that my head clears and we are all fighting these four fuckers on all fronts from here on in.
But we can beat these fuckers against all the odds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APFKGR-Kv8Y
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 #576 |
Sambo
Posted on July 30, 2010 @ 11:26 pm
great points aitch, and i agree completely.
for me, when a team wins or loses, my mind always turns to the celebrating/mourning fans. i can’t help it. i got a pang of envy after the world cup final at the thought of all those delirious spaniards. i get a wave of pure joy when the scum lose and i picture all those twats with their heads in their hands. and obviously when lfc win i picture all the people around the world celebrating with me.
like i said to LB earlier, i know there are a load of idiots out there sullying our good name, but i honestly don’t care what they think. i only picture the true supporters like the ones who were singing their lungs out 3-0 down in istanbul.
fatty, i wasn’t ‘questioning your support of the club’. come on mate, everyone in here knows what you’re about as a true supporter in every sense of the word. i just listed some reasons why i still want the team to win despite everything that’s going on off the pitch.
as i said, i can’t choose how i feel during a game, and neither can you.
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 #577 |
Aitch
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 2:15 am
Sambo its fine that you “don’t care what they think” ….its your right to do so.
I’d dare say its a sentiment I can relate to… I know FS has expressed the same in the past, as have others.
The problem is though… it isn’t that easy.
Its okay to “not care about what they think” when the club is in safe hands…
… but while it isn’t, “not caring what they think” allows Broughton to… by his own admission… force Rafa to quit expressly because of what they think.
I think this is where the divide occurs really, between what I (and maybe even FS) are saying and where Arthur is coming from.
Arthur has repeatedly stated “there’s nothing we can do about it” …but there is.
Educating the people who don’t know, for one.
Not simply accepting some mad statement from a nobhead without correcting them, for another.
Being fully aware of the situation, instead of only partly… and therefore disseminating incorrect information.
… and allowing an information campaign to be labeled as “being negative” or being “all doom-n-gloom”
And the best evidence yet… G&H positioning to replace Rafa with Klinssman…
… then deciding not to BECAUSE of what WE thought, and made publicly clear, by marching on Anfield!
… that’s why I do care what “the idiots who sully our name” think.
As part of the Brotherhood…. These arseholes represent ME!
… when Sky want a soundbyte, it not you or I they hunt down, but one of these fuckin idiots…
… when 606 accept callers, it not you or I they put through, but one of these douchebags…
… which is why, though I accept your right to not care, I think you probably should.
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 #578 |
Aitch
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 2:24 am
…oh and in regards Lurg’s “punch-drunk” metaphor…
… you’re dead right.
Even though FS and I and others lucidly type giant Encyclopedia Britannica posts from time to time ( well okay, in my case all the fuckin time!) it doesn’t mean we’re any less punch drunk by all this stuff than the rest of you.
I’ll give Arthur the benefit of the doubt from some of the things he’s said, and assume that most of his “acceptance” of our situation (and I’m primaily referring to this idea that there’s not much we can do) is just that…
… feeling a bit punch drunk…
… but again… make no mistake…
… that is exactly the effect G&H, Broughton, Purslow are going for…
… which is why I keep trying to throw buckets of water in people’s faces
I’m sorry if you think last season’s 7th place finish was down to Rafa’s tactics, substitution decisions, cautious approach…
…I truly am… but it wasn’t.
If you continue to hold to this opinion, you are holding to the idea that the World is Flat. It isn’t!
So it is no longer an opinion… it is incorrect information. Let it go.
Realize the error of your ways and Get on board for the fight to come.
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 #579 |
5yearplan
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 7:41 am
Amen Aitch
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 #580 |
Lurgankop
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 9:12 am
Aitch, that was the most Euclidean post ever on kopblog
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 #581 |
sachem
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 10:39 am
Good Lord, we are now even linked with Christian Poulsen as a potential replacement of Masch. Not sure if I’d prefer that or no replacement at all.
Please Mr. Broughton or Mr. Purslow, tell us where all the transfer money went. If we’re selling Mascherano because wants out, then fine, but the least we should expect (if any of the things Broughton has said in interviews are true) is that the club will get an equal or near equal replacement.
I know of course it might seem naive to say things like this when most of us realize Purslow and Broughton has merely been saying what we want to hear, but I do think they should somehow be held responsible for these lies. Of course, they would never admit them to be lies, but even so.
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 #582 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 11:11 am
Lads, it’s simple really. We’re all pretty much on the same page. The only difference being some lads are trying to find the silver lining, and some of us knowing there is none.
Sounds a bit condescending that. Sorry for that. It’s not meant to be. I understand the need of some optimism. I know how depressing constant dwelling on this is. I made that point a long time ago. I even talked a bit of footy, but said, we can’t really judge anything with this cloud hanging over us.
I stand by that.
There’s no harm in talking football or LFC minus G&H, P&B. It’s the thing that got us all here in the first place.
I just think we can’t ignore what’s happening to us and hope it will be alright in the end. I guarentee if we do that, we are in even bigger trouble. But by that, I don’t mean us few lads in here can solve anything. I mean as a whole, as a club.
Sambo mentions a world wide brotherhood. There are millions of us world wide. If we could get a tiny fraction of them to act, we could end this in no time.
But that’s the problem. For every match goer willing to boycott, there’s 20, 30, 40, God knows how many people itching to plonk their arses in the seat. For every one of us willing to protest in some form or another, there’s even more people that will wipe out any advances we make.
I spent months, 24/7 working on this. It wasn’t Purslow and Joe Cole that wiped it out…
It was the “lifelong LFC Supporters” that came along at the first opportunity and started to shout down “the doom mongerers.”
Our support might be at an all time high in numbers. But as for knowledge and real proper support, it’s at an all time low.
The greatest support any of us could give the club right now, is to boycott it. Completely turn our backs on it: refuse to go to matches, buy merchandise or even watch on television.
A total blanket boycott would soon have RBS, Barcap, Standard Chartered, The Premiere League, the Government, and the media, SKY especially, panicking. And they’d soon get H&G out. In fact, they’d do what they should be doing… recalling loans and forcing a sale.
As thing stand, this will just wobble on and on and on until H&G have done what they always set out to do… suck this club dry, and fuck off with as much as they can, without a second thought about the wreckage or the people they’ve left behind.
Excuse this mad analogy. It’s the best I can think of… the Vietnam War.
Dramatic, OTT, yeah. But here’s me point…
At the height of the Vietnam War millions of consciencious objectors burnt their draft cards and refused to become cannon fodder of the government that ran the country they loved.
It didn’t mean they didn’t love their country. In fact, for the majority of them, it was just the opposite. They wanted the country they loved out of an unjust war and they were not going to get sent to their deaths by fat greedy bastards who really didn’t give a fuck about much but their own ends.
What happened, the draft card burners got set upon by their own countrymen for not supporting their country. The gung ho, “I only want to support my country” gang won. It dragged on for years and years. It is still costing America to this day. But it’s not the fat cats who suffered.
I know, over the top, but it’s the same scenario. And I fear if we don’t all get together to defend what’s ours, we will be left to count the cost for the next 30 years or so and the fat cats will just be left to count our money.
That’s enough of me. I’m going to have another nice day today. But I’d urge anyone with doubts to read LB’s post 549…
That’s about the truth of it.
As for
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 #583 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 12:36 pm
some great reading in here lads really great(i dont agree with all of it but there is some great writing going on). i was thinking that Aitch, FS and a few others should get in contact with Gerry with the idea of expanding the team writing for kopblog i know in the beginning there was two people writing the blog Matt and someone else as i far as i can recall(memory is a bit hazy) not stepping on anyones toes but it seems Gerry is probably pretty busy with the new job and all that, and that we have some lads in here writing some great comments which are articles in themselves really and i reckon some of them deserve their own blog and comment section? if your about Ger what do ya think?
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 #584 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 12:49 pm
I’m not up for that meself. I reckon, it’s best we leave it as it is. New blog or not we just rabbit on anyway. And I’m sure Gerry will get the bug again once the debacle, sorry, err season, kicks off.
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 #585 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 10:56 pm
Just seen that we’ve resigned Aurellio.
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 #586 |
Aitch
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 11:38 pm
Another free signing.
So 5 million in for our starting left back…. Zero out to replace him …basically.
2 year contract… seems a bit risky, but if he can stay fit and his contract has a clause that forbids him from…
a) playing in the back yard with his kids,
b) doing anything even remotely dangerous (you know like stepping off your average curb)
and
c) makes it mandatory for him to do everything wrapped in a 5 inch thick cotton wool suit 24/7
… then it just might be another “decent bit of biz”
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 #587 |
Aitch
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 11:39 pm
Better taking the chance on Aurellio than signing Konchesky
|
 #588 |
timmytorres
Posted on July 31, 2010 @ 11:44 pm
It could be on a pay as you play deal no?
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 #589 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 9:05 am
Aurelio was always offered a pay as you play deal by Rafa. He wanted a contract. Rafa said he couldn’t be given one – contracts/wages – coming out of transfer fees.
I haven’t even seen the story yet, but it sounds like more slash and burn from the board.
But anyway, here’s the scoop…
I’ve got the address that leads directly to Stephen Hester at RBS. I’ve been waiting for it, but said nothing. Well, we have it now. Obviously, it will go through the hands of a secretary, but it will be Hester’s personal secretary, not some lackey in a mail opening room.
We had some good results from going after Hester. There was the meeting when he addmitted H&G had been loaned to much money. He stated that “Because of fan pressure,” meaning our letter campaign. And then he gave that interview with the Financial Times criticising just about everything involved in our situation.
And I have it from a very good source, that he is very concerened about every aspect of this deal and wants to rid the bank of it’s “toxic” effects.
I’m not giving false hope. He’s not exactly a rabid red that wants to drive them out, but he is on our side in a roundabout way. So, now all the dust of hope is starting to settle, I’m going to launch another round of letters to him….
Yeah. I know. It’s a pain in the arse. But, as far as I can see, this man is our best hope. We have had success through him. He is, sort of on our side. And he has the ultimate power in all this.
And if we can get anything from him, we can then use it to force the government and the premier league to do their jobs.
So, anyway, just waiting on a few bits of info and I’ll be back later. All’s not lost. We are not helpless. We can, at the very least, have our say in all this and worry the shit out of some people. In fact, we’d already done that. So we can’t let them off the hook, the great signing Aurelio or not, eh.
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 #590 |
akka
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 10:27 am
Gday lads,
Havent been on for a while. Been flat out with work and all.
Is this the biggest comment count ever? I think I typed this whole message before it even appeared.
Anyone know anywhere online where I can watch tonights friendly?
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 #592 |
sachem
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 2:27 pm
Great FS, will get right on it.
Can’t believe the bullshit I hear on Setanta from one of the pundits right now. They just keep slagging off Rafa and his signings and suggest Roy “could get more out of them”.
“The problem was Benítez, not the owners.” What a fucking genius.
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 #593 |
timmytorres
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 4:14 pm
Nice one FS.I`ll be on it first thing in the morning.I`ve to go to a cafe to print.
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 #594 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 4:28 pm
I know. It’s quite shocking isn’t it. You watch all these kids start to come through over the next season or two and Roy, or whoever is there, will get all the credit and Rafa will be completely whitewashed out of it.
Scandalous. I have no idea why, but they just will not be happy until they absolutely destroy all memory of the man.
There’s an excuse for them lads on Setanta. They are just lazy and probably had a few schnapps and nice German beers, so just trot out the usual nonsense.
The Irish lads will know better, but I think one of them was Tommy “in the onion bag” Smythe…. He’s the Father Jack of football, with a splash of Father Dougle on the side.
Anyway, just came into let you lads know I finally found out what the rumoured trip by the hierarchy was about…
George Gillette has got a bid from some ex-Syrian footballer and some “billionaire” consortium.
Don’t get excited…
It’s more smoke and mirrors.
Here’s how sneaky that little GG bastard is…
He keeps a low profile, let’s Fatso Hicks take all the flak. And in public has always maintained that he wants to sell the club. But you know the “perfect fit” buyers that keep getting denied even the chance to put in a proper bid?
Well, it’s GG that keeps fucking it up.
Apparently, there’s loads of prospective buyers looking into this. But everytime one gets serious and puts something on the table, GG trumps them by turning up with some chumps who have no chance or intentions of buying the club.
That way, he keeps derailing all progress and hangs on to the club, letting knobhead Hicks look the baddy who’s holding out.
Apparently it’s an old tactic of his. I have that from a very reliable source. It’s not rumour. But the same person has also told me that RBS/Stephen Hester is well on to this and has had enough.
It’s just one of the reasons why we are targeting Hester. If we keep on him, we can force his hand. He’s had enough anyway. That’s fact, not me just geeing you up. And, with a little luck, we might get the best result you can imagine…
H&G being forced to sell at a very minimal profit or the club being sold above their heads and say so for whatever the creditors see as fit.
It’s honestly looking quite good again. And Purslow can’t keep offering 90k a week, 4 year contracts, to derail it.
Don’t hold your breath boys, but things are moving.
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 #595 |
SonOfAKhan
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 5:41 pm
Great comments and good insights from both sides of the coin. I never miss reading any of the comments just in case.
I would say what could have been said like a million times before. The global branding of Liverpool here was initiated and kept alive by the success of the teams on the pitch from the 70s I would assume. That’s when the telly became a norm (at least one in every village over here) and the sports sections were getting more international. Add to these would be the Commonwealth factor and the English inclination (just my opinions).
This Global Brand of Liverpool was kept alive and maintained imho firstly by the successes that kept coming and then because of the loyalty to ‘one brand only’ in the general understanding of football support (loath the so-called fans that support different teams like they change underwears).
The SNAKES knew about this existing Global Brand of Liverpool, which goes without saying, hence they did not buy a team from Malaysia for instance.
Why the doom and the gloom? It is because of the FACT that the club is being gang raped, not any club but a club that fans have learnt to love throughout the years and have a sense of belonging to it, remains as ‘our’ club even if it is a thousand miles away and the pilgrimage has not yet been taken. That to me is something fans just cannot just ignore and sweep under the carpet while pretending everything is either okay or will be okay soon/nest month/next season/next year/one day.
Doom and gloom because the future looks bleak. From what we have seen so far, the SNAKES do not care about the success on the pitch as long as they get what they want from the leeching. I personally would like to see the locals storm the bastilles in whatever ways possible to get rid of the SNAKES once and for all. But more doom and gloom because even if the locals were to boycott the games, the Global Brand of Liverpool from supporters who just want to take the pilgrimage (I have a fellow blogger here who is already planning a trip with others next season)would probably ensure the stadium is filled up together with the opponents fans. Fans who will somehow ensure the SNAKES continue to exist in our lives.
And what if this continues until the loyal fans all cease to exist (sorry for this one) and since we will only be a mediocre team in the league, there will be less and less new supporters worldwide until the club is no longer attractive and then noone would be interested in buying it? What if there IS really nothing we could do to get rid of the SNAKES because the law is actually working in their favour and we are stuck with them until they decide? How’s that for a very dramatic doom and gloom.
I am just angry and sadly do not enjoy the football because the club I love is being screwed and I don’t see any silver lining or light at the end of the tunnel. What I feel is the SNAKES will continue to plunder and pillage as long as they are allowed to (I am sure those f’ing c’nts are laughing their arse off every minute thinking how good it feels while they are taking turns to ram us up) and will only leave when they do not anything out of a very healthy milking cow. Hell, I can actually feel the pain of those teats now.
I feel so bloody sick now.
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 #596 |
Aitch
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 7:32 pm
WARNING… War and Peace: Volume 2
Firstly … we’ll be continuing to discuss things here, but don’t let that mean you overlook FS # 588 & 590 posts.
There’s a fight to be picked… please make sure you pick it!
I’ve read a few things recently about this sale thing.
Too much of what I read was speculation so I didn’t really comment too much in here, since few of the articles had any real “evidence” or quoted actual sources…
…so they become a bit like these “Inter to swoop for Masch, Torres and Kuyt for 90 million” articles!
These articles suggested that 3 times this summer, there have been firm offers for the club.
These offers were in the region of 350 million (amounts vary but some of that will be down to journos doing conversions between Pounds/Euros/Dollars)
These offers were being “seriously considered” by Barclays and RBS…
…But anytime a new bidder comes in… everything has to be put on hold… while that offer is investigated. (sort of like what Gillette did to DIC… remember?)
So rally round FS’s campaign lads. Its vital to our survival!
Secondly…
Aurelio has been offered a 2year contract, not a pay as you play deal. Official site (and I’m sorry FS, I know I’m not supposed to go there) announced it late yesterday.
All things considered, it’s probably not a bad piece of “business”.
I reckon it indicates that whoever Rafa might have identified as his replacement, we don’t have the money for, so we’ve re-signed F.A. on a “free”
… and another bit of good P.R. really, in that, in-spite of his injuries, he’s a relatively popular player with the fans… so more feel-good factor
No doubt, when fit, he can be a crackin’ little player. So let’s hope he stays fit.
The other related bit of news…
…Insua declared himself available for the Borussia friendly because he was “undecided” about his proposed move to Italy…
…but more importantly Hodgson immediately included him in the traveling Squad (leaving Kelly, Agger, Skrtel and Soto behind?)
…AND started him at left-back!
Now this next part is just me speculating…
…but I wonder if Roy had a word with the lad and said… look Emy son, I like you, I don’t want to sell you, and will play you if you stay, so demand high wages to skuttle the deal… I’d love it if it transpires that Roy had that kind of Balls!
Whatever the reality… it certainly is an interesting development… one we should keep our eye on.
Which brings me to SOAK’s post…
Nice one SOAKy lad! …Some good points… I’d like to take it a step further though…
Liverpool has always been a Global Brand… (well, certainly since the 70s anyway, which I would suggest was the beginning of the “modern era” of football, with the advent of television)
We were very fortunate in that we gained some high-profile success in the 70’s, successes (even if it was just the finals in some places) that were televised to various parts of the world.
And remember, that the timing there was perfect.
During the 60’s, the City of Liverpool became known throughout the world, not just because of the Beatles, though they were certainly the flagship, but because of a whole host of bands with that Mersey Beat Sound!
If Everton had enjoyed our success, they wouldn’t have had anything like the “instant name recognition” that is at the very heart of the “global branding” concept.
LFC were able to take advantage of that!
Think about it… which word do Manchester United play on? Manchester… or… United?
And make no mistake, LFC did take advantage of it to a small extent… but just never to the extent that they could have, should have, or that other teams of the time did…
(the Milans, and Real, and a few German teams, even Benfica did a better job than us in some parts of the World)
…and of course to the extent that the Scum juggernaut would in the 90s…
…while we languished in the comfort of the warm-and-cozy, family-run Liverpool Way!
There was a definite lack of forward thinking at LFC in the 90’s.
I think, that in the same way that fans just took it for granted we’d always be the Top Dog, so too did the LFC hierarchy?
Just my personal thought.
We took things for granted as fans… and I believe, from certain things I’ve read about the club’s dealings… that so too did the club.
We had a blueprint for the way you did things.
It always worked. Worked a charm…
…and in the face of a changing world, we were reluctant to change… until it was too late and then we were always chasing the game instead of leading it.
But just to be clear, you don’t necessarily need that.
Fulham have just come off a lovely run in the Europa League… a run that has raised their profile in the game… and built on that by doing an overseas tour in pre-season…
As a mid-table club, they’ve raised their “brand profile” far greater than say, Birmingham, Stoke, Bolton… no-disrespect intended, but the other mid-table clubs of their level…
Sound ownership… well run… well marketed.
And now, I’d suggest they can put themselves more on a par with Aston Villa… who you would consider to be a much bigger club, run and marketed well (though now they’ve lost Roy, the question will be, can Mark Hughes help them build on that?)… But I digress… just a thought to ponder…
So fast forward to today…
Any prospective buyer will have to pay (for the sake of argument) a minimum of 350 million for the club.
At a time when it has dropped out of the Top 4 (and unlike 05, will have a harder fight to get back in)
At a time when it is not in the CL. (both high profile and lucrative)
At a time when the fan-base is split (though this will largely right itself upon sale to the right people?)
At a time when a new and very costly stadium needs to be built.
Interestingly, while Tomkins does a fantastic job of indexing player values (providing for a “what’s that worth in today’s dollars” measure) I’ve never seen the club’s value indexed.
G&H bought the club for 270 million … then refinanced it to 350 million.
The club was not “worth” 350…
…they didn’t “get a great deal” on a 350 club for 270…
…the club was valued at 270 million and that’s what they paid.
They arbitrarily re-valued it at 350 million with the refinance (and the banks went along with it on “projected value… But that projected value was based largely on a stadium being built…)
… I somehow doubt that the club… even with all its assets in place … is actually worth 350 million… but maybe I’m wrong?
My point is this… any New Owner is not getting a good deal… not buying a club for less than its worth.
That owner will not be walking into the same LFC that G&H walked into…
…A “guaranteed” Top 4 club…
…A reasonably priced club…
…A well-run club…
…A club with an untapped source of marketing wealth…
… A club with an established and stable coaching staff…
They’ll be walking into a club that needs…
…A financial restructuring… (perhaps as radically as from top to bottom?)
… A club that is not well run…
… A club will have to balance the books before they can instantly start making money from it…
… A club that will need almost immediate on-field success to get it moving back in the right direction as an enterprise…
… A club that still needs a new/bigger… increasingly more expensive… stadium…
When new owners walk in… they’ve got an aweful lot of work on their hands to get us to the point we were at when Moores sold us…
…let alone start taking us “back to where we belong”
So doom-n-gloom, the sky is falling and all is lost.
Its NOT about that.
Of course there is a silver lining…
Eventually we will be sold…
…will it be this summer… in December… next summer… a year after that???
We will be sold, eventually, because G&H’s business model is NOT to own a club indefinitely.
Their business model is to acquire an entity, wring as much money out of it as possible and then move onto the next grazing field.
It’s the Locust Model of doing Business.
But how big will that silver lining be?
Will we still be a team capable of competing in/with the “Top 4”/”Top 6” clubs?
Will we be a mid-table team, struggling to compete with Fulham, Birmingham, Aston Villa for that coveted 7th spot?
Will we be perennial relegation dogfighters?
Or will we take the big hit and become Leeds?
Leeds used to be a big Prem Rival… now Leeds are “oh yeah, I remember them.”
Will that silver lining be a handkerchief or the warm silver blanket of Brotherhood that comforts ever world-wide Liverpool fan?
The answer to that question lies in that sentence above…
Eventually we will be sold… will it be this summer… in December… next summer… a year after that???
It’s a simple case (and has been since G&H took over) of Damage Limitation.
That is where we are right now.
Damage Limitation.
If you are optimistic right now…
You are glad the ship hasn’t sunk after hitting the iceberg and congratulating White Star for “signing a crackin little string quartet” and coming good on their marketing promise to build “an unsinkable ship”
If you are pessimistic right now…
You are watching the bow drop ever so slightly toward the waterline, counting heads on board, looking at the number of lifeboats… and doing the math!
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 #597 |
Aitch
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 7:40 pm
Fuck Me… I need to get a life!
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 #598 |
McrRed
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 10:50 pm
Fucking brilliant!
Didn’t the Titanic sail out of Liverpool?
That was Rafa’s fault…
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 #599 |
McrRed
Posted on August 1, 2010 @ 10:54 pm
Just to reiterate:
(Apologies, Ged, for the off-site links but this is important). If your blood’s boiling, follow fatty’s threads on 588 & 590…and get writing…
I can feel it in my corns…a change is a-comin’
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 #600 |
Aitch
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 1:52 am
I dunno if the Titanic was Rafa’s fault McrRed… some probably believe so…
… but you raise an interesting point…
Hmmm…. Rafa vs. Capt. Smith
Capt. Smith was told by the owners to steam full speed to NYC to make a deadline.
…So he sailed a slightly further south tracking course than normal…
(cautious approach)
Capt. Smith was warned about the icebergs, but the owners insisted on full speed…
… So he posted extra lookouts…
(defensive tactics)
When the ship sank, it was Smith’s fault and not the owners…
Smith went down with the ship, Ismay jumped in a lifeboat … leaving women and children to drown.
(this summer – Rafa was forced out and the Owners flew 1st Class to Switzerland and the Middle East to court suitors.)
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 #601 |
Aitch
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 1:53 am
So let me see if I’m understanding the recent history of Liverpool Football Club….
First we wanted DIC… (yikes)
… then we welcomed 2 Cowboys… (who are gang-raping us? DOH!)
… now we’re looking at being well Huang? (urgh!)
When did our club become so GAY????
okay, that last one was a bit groan… like I said, I need to get a fuck in life!
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 #602 |
Aitch
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 1:55 am
Ged… 600 really?
For fucks sake lad?????
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 #603 |
Redneck
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 6:37 am
that’s it. time to file a missing person report on gerry ormonde.
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 #604 |
SonOfAKhan
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 7:18 am
Great posts. I wouldn’t mind if it reaches 1000 if gravatar.com could load the avatars faster on my crappy internet connections (Rafa’s fault, of course).
I have been working with under 18s for 20 years now and still counting. It used to be so easy to explain our club’s predicaments ie: stupid ref’s fault (maybe now with Rafa out we would at last get some benefits from the ref — silver lining?), one or two scapegoats on the field, lack of funds without CL, etc. But nowadays, it is so complicated that when the kids asked things like “What’s wrong with Liverpool, Sir?”, I struggle to answer and just point to Kopblog.
Now, it would be easier if those asking were LFC fans and surely they would trawl the net for answers themselves, but their numbers have been dwindling for the past decade. It is a rare sight among the kids who come in an LFC jersey nowadays. If I see any stickers on a car, the driver would definitely be someone who is as old as I am. And the small kids in a jersey imo have fans like us as parents.
The Mancs and Chelsea’s successes in the recent past contributed to this of course. After Istanbul, we became a popular choice for a while and Rafa hands in the resurrection were very much welcomed. But alas…
My contention is if we go downhill, the number of supporters in the long run would surely go down too. And with the other leagues like the La Liga and the Bundesliga which have been getting more and more exposure in the recent years on the cable and internet, I am afraid our club would be equated with the likes of Fulham et al. Some might argue that the worldwide fans are not needed, but the money generated from merchandise alone would encourage success on the pitch, and one day when the cowboys were to leave, we would need this worldwide fans. Just look at the mancs after a decade of success on the pitch. We still entice fans with players like Torres, but what if he and his likes never get to don our jersey one day? That’s as bleak as it gets for me.
The loyal fans will remain loyal, even if we do not win anything as long as the team is giving their all. The majority will not even mind if we have another long barren spell. But the glory hunters would not, and as a Global Brand we will lose that quite quickly. One decade of mediocrity would be enough I feel.
Do the SNAKES care about all this? About what happens to the club in the long run? Let’s say in 2020? When the team is somewhere in the middle of the table and the TV doesn’t even show any live telecast of us playing, hence depriving us loyal fans our normal living rights? Feels more like a cigarette butt, drain all the tobacco and chuck the butt in the dustbin afterwards. No questions asked where the butt goes eventually.
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 #605 |
Rafalution
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 7:35 am
Just a thought – and maybe I’m being cinical or have read too many Tom Clancy novels – but new owners would want to bring in their own guys i.e. Purslow would get the chop? Would it be in Purslow’s interests to have a quick sale? I mean, he would be on a nice package, wouldn’t he?
FS, I’m sure there were rumours about this ex-Syrian footballer about 3 months ago? Fuck, anyone would be better than what we have now.
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 #606 |
Rafalution
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 7:54 am
Aitch, LB, Keith – or any of you blokes with financial nouse & savvy, can you maybe explain things to the rest of us re the sale of the club?
It seems the fella Huang has approached RBS direct i.e. leaving out Broughton & H&G. Are RBS (the holders of the loan to G&H) allowed to sell this loan to another entity? And if so, would that entity (Huang) officially become the new owner of Liverpool FC? Do you know what I mean? Do RBS have the power to say “Mr. Huang has taken over the loan to G&H, and are now the owners of LFC”?
Please explain to the ignoramuses like me…?
Ta!
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 #607 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 8:35 am
#605: Can’t stop now. I’ve got to get to work. I’ll be back later with what I know, plus me little eye at RBS is looking into a few things today. I’ll let you all know what I find out when I can.
But I will say this, especially to the UK/Irish based lads…
http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=259237.new#new
Have a look at that, and have a go. I’ve been getting some really good news the last couple of days. And I honestly believe we can help finish this all off now if we get at them.
Later, hopefully with good news.
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 #609 |
sachem
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 11:09 am
It appears something is finally happening and the yanks are being put under pressure at the moment. If the reports are true, whether the club will be sold to Huang depends entirely on RBS right now. If they choose to ignore the stalling done by Gillette and force the sale through, then the SOS, FS and everyone of us contributing in these mail campaigns could hold our heads high and feel we’ve actually helped in getting rid of the yanks.
If that happens (considering what Tom & George have done previously I’m not holding my breath) then the next question is who this guy Huang really is. He’s obviously a bright and gifted business man with access to huge amounts of dough, but there’s a lot more than that to consider. Martin Broughton has been talking about the demands put on buyers before accepting their offers. These involve everything from debt clearing to stadium development and transfer money.
What is not included in the demands, as far as I know, is how any new owner would treat the history, core values and traditions of the club. This is as important to me as financial and sporting progress. I think a lot of supporters would agree with that. Could perhaps the SOS try and arrange some kind of meeting with Huang (or any other new owner) to clear these things out?
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 #610 |
Rafalution
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 11:38 am
The original ‘rumour’ came from the Times (Tony Barrett & Tony Evans) who have some credibility. At the moment I suppose we still have to treat it as a rumour, but…
But Gillett is said to have told RBS that he is in negotiations with the Syrian businessman and former international football Yahya Kirdi. According to the terms of the bank’s loan to Liverpool, they are obliged to listen to any bids that come through the American co-owners. Sources suggest the offer is unlikely to come to anything, and is being used in an attempt to prise more money from Huang.
Huang’s current offer for the club would see Hicks and Gillett fail to make any profit from the club, which they bought for £218.9m in February 2007. They expect to get £600m for the club now.
Typical fucking snakes are trying to scupper the ‘deal’, as it would (obviously) not be in their benefit if Huang deals direct with RBS. Assholes.
Sachem, I seem to recall that G&H told all the fans ‘we value what this club stands for, and it’s history…blah blah blah’. The way I see it, any ‘new’ regime could not possible be worse than the current one. We can but hope & prey that the guy has morals, virtues,…and will come to understand The Liverpool Way & the untouchable club and fans that he would be ‘purchasing’.
Supposing this is all true, it would be a feather in his (Huang’s) cap if he granted an audience with SoS or any other LFC fan group.
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 #611 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 1:35 pm
607: I haven’t looked at the Telegraph link yet, but I’ll tell you this…
No matter who’s wrote it, it’s come from Rory Smith. He’s been on our side since the get go, as have Tony Evans and Tony Barrett.
608: One bridge at a time mate. Let’s fuck these 2 off first and then see where we go from there.
609: It’s not a rumour. Have a look at the post I made yesterday. It’s on. They are trying to broker a deal to buy the loan. They have gone straight above H&G and Boughtman.
That’s why it’s so important that we force Hester’s hand now while the iron’s hot. That doesn’t mean we force the sale to Huang or anyone else. Proper due dillegence and all that. But we can get Hester to fuck H&G right up. So, please….
UK/Irish based lads in here take a look inside the RAWK link above and send the questions and cover note.
I know it’s a pain, but this is coming to a head now. We have to strike while the iron’s hot.
As for the rest of the lads all over the world, just hang fire. We might be going on an email blitz again very soon. I’ll keep you up dated, and, hopefully we won’t need it, but, no doubt, I’ll be bothering you for help again soon.
But tell the truth…
Feels good to do something doesn’t it?
And when it’s all done and dusted, I’ll buy you all a big fat freezing cold pint of cyber beer. I’m good like that.
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 #612 |
Gerry
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 3:28 pm
Mines a Stella, fella! It’s way past time for a new blog I reckon.
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 #613 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 5:03 pm
BBC Sport ‘understands’ that Liverpool have received 6 bids and will ‘decide’ next week.
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 #614 |
McrRed
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 5:05 pm
Gerry, you’re alive!!!
To all those who took part in the last campaign – know that whatever comes of Kenny’s bid (due diligence etc) RBS are entertaining it because of all your efforts…
for the first time in a long time my fingers are crossed and i don’t feel like an idiot…the thought of H&G missing out on a shed-load of leveraged profit really is too good. This could help end leveraged buy-outs as a strategy for ‘running’ football clubs.
Hester, hold your nerve lad!
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 #615 |
McrRed
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 5:07 pm
yeah LB but five of those are smoke & mirrors…
watch the ball; the hand is quicker than the eye…WATCH THE BALL!!!…
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 #616 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 5:47 pm
Alright Chaps, been mad busy on this all day. I’ve been onto me RBS man, and here’s what he told me about the Huang bid and a few other things…
Now it’s out in the open, RBS have gone all quiet internally.
Which my man reckons means this is a very serious deal and is now being conducted behind closed doors….
Loose lips sink ships, shutting up shop, lips sealed and all that melarkey.
He also reckons that’s because of the unusual approach to RBS and the possibility of the owners screaming foul.
But he knew for certain that a formal bid was made on Friday (not today as reported) and was made to BarCap with RBS copied in.
And here’s a good bit…
Apparently, that little bastard GG’s and his fake Sheikh have been given very little time (he guessed 7 days but stressed it was a guess) to come up with substance rather than bullshit.
RBS patience is now apparently paper-thin. And they are getting ready to pull the plug on The Borrowers.
But he reckons Hester has really had enough and is on the edge – so don’t forget to get the questions and cover note in to him and try to push him over it.
He then went on about the banking melarkey. In all honesty, it mainly went over my head…
I’m just an aul scally Kopite.
But apparently the big driver in all of this is the banks’ GBM – Global Banking & Markets.
They want to capture the Asia and Far East region, and they see Huang and the organisations he fronts as very useful for conering the market…
I don’t know what the fuck he was on about really. But it seems to be a case of you scratch my back we’ll scratch yours.
In a nutshell, he said it’s looking like the endgame is near.
So, I hope that’s all excellent news. But, if you are not a million miles away, please get the letter in….
A stamp, a cover note and a quick print out of the questions…
Not a lot really, especially now that we know this time it really could push them over the edge.
I’m not going to get to carried away just yet, but…
Happy days lads, happy days.
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 #617 |
McrRed
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 6:07 pm
Aitch: been reading through the RAWK threads (by Fatty and Don Vito) any chance of a precis about what the fuck all of this financial shit means???
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 #618 |
Aitch
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 6:16 pm
I dunno mate but my translation of the phrase …
“They want to capture the Asia and Far East region, and they see Huang and the organisations he fronts as very useful for conering the market…”
… comes out far too much like “frying pan into the fire” if that’s their reason for entertaining the bid.
Great if that’s just a nice little side-salad that comes with the deal…
…not so great if that’s what’s driving the discussions.
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 #619 |
Aitch
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 6:52 pm
Hard to really talk about “the financials” in such vague terms McrRed.
I’m about as far from an economist as you can get really, but having said that, there are things that “make sense” and things that don’t, things that “add up” and things that don’t.
At the end of that Rory Smith Times article in #607, he lists a timeline of the Yanks ownership. It states that they “bought for £435” in February 2007.
Now that is just WRONG!
The loan initial loan was for £270million though it has been reported that the actual sale price was in fact, only £218.9m … of which £40 million was debt.
(Christ … how that can’t make everyone ILL and understand the real situation of the last 18 months at LFC, is beyond me… if £40 million was debt then the club… the assets… was actually valued at roughly £181 million… how’s that for math?)
Where… where… I repeat where… did the £50 million go?
It will be interesting to see this/these, bids/deals develop, coz there’s definitely some discrepancy in what is known in public….
RBS now only holds a £270 million loan on the club…
…after the £350 million loan was “paid down” to that figure a few months ago, when the owners “put their own money in to pay it down”…
….which we now KNOW they did not, but actually did that deal through some sort of 3rd party loan from the Caymans…
… that £90 is still gonna have to be repaid also… it wasn’t a “cash” influx, but money derived from an undisclosed source.
Why that is important, is because these articles would have you believe that RBS can force an acceptance of the bid from Huang (or another party) … against the will of G&H and excluding Broughton and BarCap. (…which I would doubt they’d be able to do… but like I said, I’m not a banker?)
Now don’t get me wrong… keep fighting the fight… continue carrying out FS directives… we’ve got to make it happen… whatever happens.
Its just that we really have to give some extra thought to what we’re being fed in these article, through this process.
We all want to just welcome pretty much any new owner and have a fuckin big “Adios Amigos” party for the Yanks… but it would be worth thinking about the old adage “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice …errr… don’t get fooled again.” (still think Bush got that one wrong, but not sure J )
RBS as the loan holder absolutely has the right to call in the loan, as and when they see fit …
… but the RBS loan is no longer £350, but £270 million…
(so again, keep an eye on the magician and not the assistant in the bunny outfit, coz the ball is bouncing hard now… the debt is still at least £350 and some suggest as high as £435million!)
… like I said, I’m neither an economist nor a banker, but I’m not entirely sure that “calling in the loan” directly equates to being able to “force the sale” … since someone, somewhere owns the other part of that £350 million valuation?
… they can direct events towards a sale…they can influence the process greatly, since they own 2/3rds of the club… but there’s a lot more to these deals than ever meets the eye…
… and whatever happens G&H will make money… they already have… from things I’ve read, it is insinuated they’ve taken anywhere from £100 to £300 million out of the club in 3 years… in some instances in chunks of £20-£40 million at a time…
…in any sale, they are just looking for some extra gravy!
My head is also spinning from those numbers…
… shit, I just lost the ball…. Where the fuck did that slippery little fucker go?
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 #620 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 7:20 pm
Aitch…
I’m translating there. As I said in me post, I spoke to the fella. He filled me in, but lots of it went over my head and I just tried to nutshell it for you lads.
Essentially, this is it…
Huang came in over the head of everyone…
H&G, RBS, Broughton, Purslow, et al.
He went straight to Barcap. And the deal seems to be, he’ll buy all the debt and then force the other pair out. There’s lots of ways of doing this. The nicest one I’ve seen suggested by some people in the know…
He’ll lay money on the table towards the new stadium. They match it, or take what’s offered and fuck off.
It’s too much to even pray for, but imagine it…
George, the sly silent deal buster, and Tom, “I’ll make money from this than any other deal I’ve ever done,” Hicks – fucking off home with not a penny.
Yes. You are correct. They’ve been skimming for 3 years. Do you know them photo shopped pictures of the pie in the sky stadium have cost us over 50 million quid up to now?
Then there’s the money syphoned off through Kop Football and little matters of things like a million quid each expenses each time they went the match.
So, yeah. Of course the carpet bagging bastards have already robbed a few bob. And of course, there has to be lots and lots of due dilligence done if this offer is to go through. But nevermind us, RBS will not be jumping from the fat to the fire that’s for sure. So, I’ll trust the Bread Heads to sort all that out, and still know I’m getting goossed anyway.
But let’s face it…
Nothing can be worse than what we’ve got right now. And I, for one, will just be made up to see the back of them and I’ll cross the next bridge when we come to it.
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 #621 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 7:24 pm
PS, on the down side…
Tony Evans, the Sports editor of the Times, fat bastard, rabid Scouse red, an all round good lad has stated as fact, if no new investment comes in before the end of the transfer window – he is off.
He also stated as fact, that Huang has said, if RBS don’t accept the offer before the end of the transfer window – he is pulling it.
So, yes Aitch – we should all remain wary and worried. But I stick by what I said…
Happy days…
Anything, that is honourable and up front, is preferable to this shit we have now.
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 #622 |
timmytorres
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 7:31 pm
There seems to be quite bit of confusion about today.Thanks FS for putting it all in a nutshell.
Hopefully its a step in the right direction and it looks like our efforts haven`t been in vain.
Nothings done yet,so i`m refraining from opening the bubbbly.I`m not too bothered if this is done before the transfer window or not once its done properly.
The media are spinning this like he wants to buy the club yesterday so he could give roy 100 million to spend before the transfer window closes.
Bollox to that,just make sure the club is sold to reliable owners who have the clubs interests at heart.
Again,there`s nothing done yet its just hope and pray time now,and lads get that letter off to Hester,we need you now more than ever.
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 #623 |
timmytorres
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 7:33 pm
Why is Evans saying that FS?
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 #624 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 2, 2010 @ 8:39 pm
Seems that’s the truth of it mate…
Torres has said, sell up or I’m off.
I hate to say this, but fuck it, here’s Fatty the name dropper…
I am in contact with Tony Evans. I had a text off him today, telling me he was on Talk Shite today. I exchanged a few words with him, but not about that. It was Hester/RBS stuff. Just a couple of texts. I don’t know the lad or nothing, just exchanged a few words from time to time through all this.
What I can tell you is…
he is proper. He’s one of us. So, all we can really do is take his word on it.
On top of that, he was fuming. You could hear it in his voice. I thought he was about to lose the plot and go on one. Seems the presenters did an all cos they didn’t half cut him off sharpish.
But, and now this is just me lads, reading between the lines, but from all I know, it seems to me like this is it…
1 bid on the table and it will be withdrawn if the yanks or banks fuck about.
So, I suppose all we can do for now, is hope for the best.
One thing I do know for sure…
RBS will not be burnt again but they don’t want to lose us as a client. So, hopefully all the nooks and crannies will be well looked into this time and they’ll pull the plug if there’s any sign of a skeleton lurking in the cupboard.
Who knows.
Me head’s mashed. I’m off for now.
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 #625 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 12:54 am
so i go away for a weekend and one of my three wishes might, just might be coming true…the Elvis one can wait….
FS – i clicked that link – but I couldnt find any information on the new letter – where do I send this new one to?
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 #626 |
Rafalution
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 8:54 am
Guys, this letter campaign to Hester & RBS is more important now than ever before.
Now that Broughton & the Wanks are privy to Huang’s ‘secret’ offering to RBS (or BarCap), they will definitely try & scupper the deal. If Huang has his way, the Wanks would walk away with nothing (other than what they have already fleeced the club for), Broughton would receive no commission (I’m guessing he is on a commission-type deal to sell the club?), and Purslow would (maybe) get the sack?
So we HAVE to put more pressure on RBS. Only they stand in the way of Broughton choosing one of the other 5 (or 6?) bidders, that would ultimately suit G&H, and not us, the fans?
Maybe I’m wrong, maybe one of these other bidders (if they exist) would be right for the club. But I for one, like the idea that Huang went over their heads, and that he is promising the stadium & a transfer budget.
Who knows, but the main thing is: let’s write those letters, and get these 2 fuckers out of our club.
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 #629 |
corklfc
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 10:59 am
My guess, the majority of the “facts and figures” re purchase price take over etc is bullshit, the only thing that is true is the club is on the market, we are not 100% sure who has the final call on such a deal.
either the banks have taken over and are calling the shots or it the owners, it can’t be a bit of both.
The yanks come remind me of alot of the builders/developers we had here in Ireland over the last 10-15 years.
Develope a property, rent it, and on the equity on that development get a loan to kick start the next one and so on and so on.
All of a sudden the economy crashes you have a shit load of debt and all of a sudden the value of you assets have dropped 50%
A number of builders here who were worth 500m+ are now effectivly bankrupt
H&G would do well to walk away from LFC with no debts behind them
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 #630 |
Rafalution
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 11:33 am
Corky: Hence my question at 606. Are the banks (BarCap or RBS) allowed to deal direct with a buyer, and can they (effectively) sell the club to Huang by selling him the loan, and leave out the board (Broughton) altogether?
AnLin: Again, that’s why we have to keep up the pressure on RBS….if indeed they are allowed to pull the plug. Coz you are right, Broughton would never ‘choose’ Huang’s bid. There is no profit in it for G&H.
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 #631 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 11:33 am
Arthur mate, I don’t want to clog the blog up any more than necessary. Just have a look at the last few pages of that thread. Look for my posts…
You’ll see Hester’s private address inside RBS along with the 12 questions posted in a few places, and there’s some good examples of cover notes.
It’s dead easy mate.
As for what’s going on, I know no more than yesterday and that wasn’t a lot then.
How genuine are the other bids, I haven’t a clue really. But some people in the know, and some people I respect, seem to think they’re all bollacks.
The consensus amongst the lad’s in the know seems to be…
Huang is the only bid in town, it’s take it or leave it and it’s take it sharpish or leave it an all.
As for jumping out of the fat into the fire, well, I suppose that’s always been a risk. Lots of knowledgable respected people seem to think there’ll be no problem over dough with Huang though. But all I can say about that is me personal opinion really…
It can’t get any worse. So, let’s get the owners out asap and worry about that later.
In fact, it’s about time RBS, Barcap and Broughton, done what they are paid for and sorted all that out.
I can only speak for meself, and all I’ve ever done is tried to get rid of the current owners. I don’t have the information, nor the ways or means, to pick new owners.
In truth, I’ve never been comfortable with all this foriegn investment. Ideally, I’d like us, the supporters, to own the club. I have never believed there is a world full of rabid red billionaires who just want to spend on us with no return on their money.
And the thought of ending up in the hands of a Shinawatra has always bothered me. I really don’t want someone spending billions on football while people in their own country suffer.
And do I think this Kenny Huang fella has no motive but to return LFC to the top – do I fuck. But then I don’t think anyone does believe that. However, the fact is, most footy fans wouldn’t give a fuck if Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden owned their club just as long as they spent billions on it.
Uleterior motives…
Well, like I said in me last post, it seems both RBS and Huang (and whoever’s behind all this) want to capture the Asian Market. You have to remember, that despite not winning a title in 20 years we are still massive globally, and we are still one of the main “brands” in Asia.
So no doubt, there’s going to be some exploitation somewhere along the line. But, as I said before, one bridge at a time. And first things first…
The yanks have to go.
I think we can all agree on that. After that…?
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 #632 |
redrebel
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 2:13 pm
Great news from Torres today (on the official site).
This shows me more than ever that a takeover is imminent. I don’t think he would commit if a deal was not being done.
As FS says nobody is talking about the new potential Chinese owners but for the time being who cares. Nobody could be worse than the yanks!!
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 #633 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 3:13 pm
I just read the report regarding Torres on the BBC website. The comment that they decided to put on their main page was “Roy should take great credit for this!”.
Good old Roy.
Hopefully Torres knows something we don’t yet know. The sale is going through? Or maybe (and more likely) Torres’ agent phone has been rather quiet since the World Cup final so he has now come out and pledged his allegiance.
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 #634 |
redway
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 5:11 pm
Great news concerning Torres.In my opinion Roy has to be given some credit here.
My esteem for Roy will grew even further if he could convince Gerry to come out of retirement and write a new blog.This blog is getting a bit old.I know he said that he will give up if Roy is appointed as our next manager.
He is no Rafa but nevertheless he has been doing it quite nicely till now.
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 #635 |
corklfc
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 5:31 pm
redway, you must have missed LB’s comments on Roy from last Week.
I’s say Gerry is all excited with Dublin getting to the All-Ireland semi final against Cork in 3 Weeks, but we will ensure his mind will only be focused on LFC after that!!
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 #636 |
Fat Scouser
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 5:35 pm
Ah LB, you old cynic you. Of course, it was all down to Woy. He’s a good man manager don’t chayaknow.
Oh and could have just a wee bit to do with Torres not wanting to play for any other English club and no other European ones have been in for him. Only Real would have the money anyway, and there’s more chance of Gerrard signing for Everton than Nando doing that.
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 #637 |
timmytorres
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 7:02 pm
Amen to that Corky!
Good news Torres has decided to put the speculation to bed.
Who will the tabloids write about now?
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 #638 |
guinnessdrinker
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 7:30 pm
nice one nando.
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 #639 |
theredman
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 7:36 pm
Fs or anybody,
any truth that Broughton has informed the premier league to a possible change of ownership (Telegraph).
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 #640 |
Aitch
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 8:03 pm
“Spade in the Ground in 60 Days”
then
“Rafa will still be manager next season”
then at #612
“It’s way past time for a new blog I reckon.”
…and here we are at post # 640…
Anyone else see a trend here???? Maybe its a virus?
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 #641 |
Aitch
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 8:04 pm
Soz Ged, couldn’t resist
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 #642 |
Gerry
Posted on August 3, 2010 @ 11:25 pm
No probs Aitch, beer, sleep and work keep getting in the way of my blogging.
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