Damien Comolli is a man I have alot of time for. He is intelligent,meticulous,innovative and hard working. At 39 year`s of age he is a young man with a very impressive CV. You dont get to work at Arsenal,Spurs and Liverpool without being talented. When I came across the news that Comolli had parted way`s with LFC I was very surprised. Mind you in football these day`s the only surprise is being surprised at whatever event`s unfold in the crazy,modern-day world of football. Every Tom,Dick and Harry seem`s to have an opinion as to why FSG took the decision to sack Comolli. Their are an awful lot of assumption`s going around which I detest. As a famous philosopher once said “Assuming is the highest form of ignorance” To me assuming is nothing more than a lazy opinion.
Upon reading the news that Comolli had being dismissed I switched on Sky Sport`s News and straight away I heard “So Damien Comolli has left Liverpool,Is he being made a scapegoat?Let us know what you think send us your view`s” A scapegoat is a person who is made to bear the blame for other`s. The question is just what did FSG have to blame Comolli for?Alot of people are suggesting it is Liverpool`s record in the transfer market since Comolli has arrived that got him the axe. Kenny Dalglish came out and in public and said the player`s signed were signed by him. And even if they were signed by Comolli I dont see anything wrong with his transfer dealing`s. Call me blind,deluded or whatever you want but I really dont see very much wrong with Liverpool`s record in the transfer market since Comolli arrived. Certainly not when you compare it to other club`s.
The very best manager`s get in and around half of their signing`s right. Since Comolli jumped on board Liverpool have invested 111 million in 9 player`s,and sold 14 player`s for 78 million which leave`s a net spending of 33 million. Of the 9 signing`s made I would say 5 of them have done very well with another 2 of them showing shine`s of brillance and the other 2 having question mark`s over them. Suarez has being a sensation,Bellamy has being a very shrewd signing likewise Jose Enrique despite a rocky patch,Sebastian Coate`s has settled in very well considering he is so young and Doni in my opinion is a very good back up goalkeeper to have. That is 5 out of the 9 signing`s made which is 56%. The other 2 showing sign`s of progress are Henderson and Carroll who are getting better and better and are still so young. Their are question mark`s over Adam and Downing but one must remember these player`s are not even at Liverpool a year. If Carroll and Henderson continue to get better that would see Comolli`s success rate in the transfer market soar to 78% which would be a huge success. John Henry and Tom Werner would surely know this so I refuse to believe this is the reason Comolli was dismissed.
“He paid way over the odd`s for over-rated English player`s” is the opinion of alot of fan`s. Again I would challenge this belief. First of all you are alway`s going to pay over the odd`s for English player`s. Gerard Houllier use to alway`s say that an English player will alway`s cost 2 or 3 time`s the price of his foreign equivalent and he was spot on. The English market is very over-priced. I have alway`s argued that point. But did Liverpool overpay in the case of Adam,Downing,Henderson and Carroll?Charlie Adam cost 8. 5 million. He had a bright start but went through a really bad run of form before he got injured,But what was that run of bad form down to?Was it loss of confidence?Is he finding Liverpool too big a club for him?Or is he still settling in?Or does he just lack the ability?Either way I wouldnt write him off and even if he doesnt come good 8. 5 million is hardly alot of money to pay for a player when you consider Chelsea paid us 50 million for Fernando Torres.
Stewart Downing at 20 million maybe was over-priced. Their are some real question mark`s over him now. He is not playing well at all and when you consider he is 28 in the summer then we should be getting more out of him. Again maybe we are writing him off to soon. Liverpool is a whole new experience for him. He has never played at a club like Liverpool before. The stats he raked up at Middlesborough and Villa were very impressive. I would not say paying 20 million for Jordan Henderson was money wasted as he is still only 20 year`s of age and in my opinion improving all the time. Fair enough his decision making needs improving as does his composure and passing but he will get their. We could easily get 10 year`s out of him which amount`s to 2 million a year when you break 20 million down over 10 year`s. I would also be of the same opinion of Andy Carroll. The giant Geordie has shown alot of courage in the face of intense criticism he has came in for. He has managed to score 2 very important winner`s against Blackburn and Everton. His hater`s will alway`s find fault with him no matter what. If he play`s well but doesnt score he get`s accused of not being a goal-scorer where if he score`s he is accused of not playing well. He is the type of player who you would imagine will get better with age just like other big target men like Niall Quinn and Jan Koller. Remember what is big money today is not big money tomorrow?How much will 35 million be in 10 year`s time?
It has also being suggested that Comolli got sacked for not being able to persuade certain player`s such as Ashley Young,Phil Jones and Juan Mata to sign for Liverpool. Again this is only speculation but if this is the reason that FSG axed Comolli then I think it`s very harsh. I have alway`s argued the point that for a player to play for Liverpool he has to want to sign for Liverpool. The great Bill Shankly once said “For a player to play for Liverpool he has to be willing to go through a brick wall and come out fighting on the other side” A player that has to begged to wear the famous red shirt is certainly not good enough for me. Comolli should not have to sell Liverpool to any player and with Liverpool not competing in the champion`s league many modern day player`s would not of being interested in signing for us. It is sad but true but again a player whose heart is not in it is no good to us. As the only way we will get back to the top is by everyone pulling together giving it 100%.
Now I am not saying Damien Comolli was treated unfairly by FSG. I applaud FSG for making such a decision. They obviously have their eye on the ball and are watching everyone`s every move which is a huge positive as far as im concerned. I loved Tom Werner`s word`s “We prefer stability but when it`s time to act we act” This statement sum`s up their philosophy. They are willing to back their employee`s up to the hilt but if they feel a change is needed then they will not hesitate in acting. Maybe Comolli didnt do anything wrong maybe FSG just feel after doing their research that their is someone better out their. And if that is the case then so be it. The football club is more important than any individual. And I do trust in FSG to find the right replacement-YNWA
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