mightyredone - Maybe you should make yourself clearer in what you post:- "...I long for the day when Cluseau could make a 20 million profit on a player . whats Hou's highest transfer profit ? Erm ? could it be fock all?" - mightredone. GH's highest transfer profit is £12.85million for Robbie Fowler. I see that you are STILL twisting people's words to fit in with your arguements.
Your pretty much wasting your time here oojason. This idiot only hears what he wants to hear. If you like his ideas you're a great and enlightened person and a follower of "The truth according to Redend" If you don't agree you're suffering from recto-crainal inversion and follow LIverpool blindly. The guy is a moron with some sort of quest, just put him on your ignore list.
I noticed this thread on the BS home page, and thought to myself two things: 1) Will the Liverpool media continue to harass Houllier if he doesn't a)win the league b) make the champions league? 2) Will the (hopefully) inevitable signing of Cisse of Auxerre be off if Houllier is not in charge? Personally, I think Cisse is the last piece in the puzzle for Liverpool's dreams of league glory. Just one more year (too bad it wasn't this year) and I think Liverpool fans will be happy to be patient with Houllier. Would hate to see the Liverpool media being the reason for the Cisse deal to be put off.
The Liverpool media is unfailingly supportive of Houllier. It is the national media that is stoking up the nonsense. Houllier is a massive part of any Cisse deal, yes. But is Cisse that big a catch? Many of us believe that he has failed to live up to his early promise. Remember - he has been a Liverpool target for three years now. There is little doubt that he has not progressed as much as he was expected to in those three years.
I thought Kewell was supposed to be the last piece in the puzzle? No matter. I think this whole question illustrates something I've noticed before - and I don't think I'm the only one. I remember watching 'The Premiership' or whatever it's called on Sky Sports 1 a few weeks ago - the one where they have a kind of fan forum. There was a lad there who supported Spurs and he was bemoaning his lot and saying that if they could get this player fit and that player on form and have such and such as a manager things would be vastly improved - but he then said something that I found slightly ridiculous. He said if all these things were to occur they could challenge for the title. What I think this shows is how utterly ridiculous most supporters view of reality is. With the players Spurs have available they probably should be doing better than they are - but not THAT much better. Over the past few months my loy have spent over £100M on players. A few years ago ManU spent about £60M on Ferdinand and Veron and have been spending huge amounts year after year. (That's why I get pretty fed up with some ManU supporters saying that we are trying to buy the premiership - so what... they've been doing that for a while now). Frankly the only top team who it would be fair to say have brought players from elsewhere relatively cheaply and significantly increased their value by developing them further is, (although it pains me to say it), Arsenal. Note I'm talking about a team that has been consistently at or near the top of the league at the end of the season - I'm not saying they are the only team that has developed players. It's the same sort of thing with national sides. Everyone in England looks at the players we have coming through and thinks, 'great - with this crop of developing players we should win the next WC and EC'. That's fine - as long as all the other countries aren't also developing players - but they are... Personally I'm not sure that Houllier is the best man for Liverpool if the only criteria is all-out action, attacking flair and running power, i.e. the hallmarks of the Liverpool sides of the 70's and 80's. I admit my observation is based on watching them against my lot and TV highlights which, obviously, isn't the best way to gain an accurate impression but it does seem to me that they do lack width and tend to get everyone behind the ball to such an extent that there is nobody in an advanced position to receive it when the oppositions attack breaks down but, like I said, that's just my impression. Nevertheless, Houllier HAS brought trophies to Anfield in recent years and if he and the team are going through a bit of a lean patch in terms of silverware I think he deserves, as the yanks say, to be 'cut some slack'.
yes, you're right. Sought of anyway. Houllier has brought trophies to Anfield. However, I think all the players on the team would swap those trophies in for one premiership title. We haven't won since the premiership started and it hurts. In fact, I remember when we did do the treble, Owen himself said that "I'd take the prem title over all of these championship anyday" Or something like that. (please excuse the quotation marks) I think the main problem with LIverpool, is that the image of the team has a massive pair of shoes to fill. A lot of ppl sound like the England squad. "We won in 66" Well with LFC it's, we dominated in the 70's and 80's. We seem to be holding onto the that part of history and claiming ourselves to be a top notch club. I thinkd the sooner we realize that we must start with a fresh mind-set, the better. Whenever the team does poorly, we're IMMEDIATELY compared to teams of the past and that's what's pressuring us and throwing the lads of track.
sorry I thought Kenny D signed Robbie,my mistake. My ass. I think the situation being referred to was Anelka, who Wenger bought for half a mill and sold for over 20 mill, so a PURCHASE and A SALE by the Hou which made profit? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ?
You can tell numbnuts has nothing left to say when he pursues a total non-issue like this with such determination. Why don't you just fuck off back to the playground and grunt about with your little mates, you know-nothing troll? You've got nothing of value to add here.
does he have to go now?? Another terrible blow for the pool today. There must be some serious consideration in the boardroom about the mangers position. Portsmouth now are above the pool.
There are reports here of Houllier 'pleading' to the board for more time. I think that is just tabloid tosh. IF things have got to the point where Gerard is having to plead to Rick Parry et al, he would surely be on his way. He has had unwavering support all the way along the line. It's going to take a lot more to than their current position to drive him out.
Blimey is that a concession Matt ? After seeing him on The Premiership, I have come to the conclusion that the man isn't well. He looks drawn and is barely audiable. I think Houllier has done well for Liverpool, hence why the supporters havent come out and blatantly called for his head, but I beleive he has gone as far as he can with you now. To my mind he lost it when he wasted loads of money the Summer after you finished second. six wins from the last twenty four premiership games tells it's own story. Hoddle got the sack for results similar to that.
Where'd you get that stat from? 24 games in the Premiership takes us back to the away game against Southampton in February. We won that 1-0 and have won 14 more games since. But anyway ... he has this season. The changes he wanted to make last season but failed to drive home after an encouraging start are now being implemented. It would seem. I only listened to the Pompey game on the radio, so I don't have a complete picture, but it would appear that echoes of last season were prevalent. The Leeds game at home on Saturday will be a vital indication of where he wants to go with this newly mobile team of his. If we revert to type and play like we did last season, then trouble's a-brewin'. Be silly to pretend otherwise. But he will still be given until the end of the season unless there is a truly spectacular collapse aliong the lines of that suffered last winter.
To be fair that sounds sensible. Only chnage a manager during a season if things are going spectaculary wrong. I think Liverpool are still capable of finishing fourth, which would bring you CL football. I don't see you challanging the top three now. But do you stick or twist with a new manager ? Fourth place is good enough for most but is it good enough for Liverpool ? Anything under fourth and I think the decision is made for you
You can only live in the past for so long. Liverpool has to demonstrate once and for all that it compete with the Scum and the Arse.
Hmmm. Difficult one. The problem with sacking Houllier is whom to replace him with - and how. Plus, of course, you have to ask yourself whether waiting for someone else to mould a team for 2 or 3 years before mounting a challenge is any better than just giving Houllier another pop at it. That's why this season is so important - the approach has been fundamentally altered to address our most conspicuous weakness (lack of mobility in midfield) and now we have to see if it comes off. Recent disappointments aside, there is ample evidence that it may ... both the Arsenal and Charlton games were good performances undermined by individual culpability and bad luck (Pires and Lisbie goals from 30 yards out being rather hard to legislate for). We play like that with a bit more defensive solidity (Hamann?) and we will beat most teams we come up against.
Yeah good points. I agree actually on what you say, but just imagine the extra impetus a Martin O'Neil would give the team. I just find Houllier as un-inspiring at times. It's difficult decision for the board, after all changing manager doesnt guarantee anything. Liverpool are a good side, agreed you were unlucky against Arsenal. Everyone can blame it on luck though, you can only be judged on results. I think the stat I saw was on the premiership. It wasn't six wins no, I think it was something like 12 wins from the last 34, with 14 loses. Something like that, I know it wasn't impressive though. His haul of four trophies buys him extra time and respect though. But I think the inevitable will be a departure at the end of the season
That could well be the case, yes. Depends on what he does this season. If he gets us into the Champions League, possibly picks up another Cup and does it all with the sort of football we have been seeing in recent weeks, then he will be given next season also. But that's the best-case scenario, so anything other than that is obviously going to raise questions. But if Martin O'Neill is the answer then you're not asking the right questions. I was gutted when Ferguson announced another three years at the Rags, as it delayed the day coming when O'Neill is finally handed the chance to destroy Manchester United. One of the main reasons I want Houllier to stay for the time being is that it decreases the chance of Martin O'Neill being available and thereby remaining the automatic choice of replacement. Celtic are my pet team and whilst O'Neill's accomplishments in the immediate sense of turning Celtic around have earnt him the undying gratitude of the faithful, there isn't a single proper Celtic fan who doesn't readily admit to tearing his hair out with depressing regularity when it comes to O'Neill's buys, decisions, tactics and favourtism (sound familiar ... ?). I was having a pint with a mate of mine who is a season ticket holder at Parkhead when I was up in Edinburgh recently and he was going nuts about the way O'Neill favours Neil Lennon even when he is playing like a sack of shit. He was also bemoaning the lack of quality in Celtic's play and their overall approach to the game. Again ... sound familiar? Sorry, but if Houllier is to be sacked, then we need to be doing a lot better than Martin O'Neill. Won't happen of course, they'll give him the job and that will be the end of that for at least another five years. I look forward to seeing Didier Agathe and Stanislav bloody Varga turning out for the Reds.
Who do you think Spurs should appoint ? There are still rumours that O'Neill has his eyes on the job. It's the sort of challenge he would relish and he was a Spurs nut as a kid (yeah that old chestnut again). If it stopped Souness getting the job then I would be pleased. Personally I would like to see Pleat given it till the end of the season at least
I think you should stick with Pleat too. IF there's one thing Spurs need, then it's a bit of stability. And apparently the Spurs players all want Pleat to be given a chance too. So that's an important consideration. Longer term (assuming Pleat does so-so, rather than noticeably well), I'm guessing the lure of O'Neill will be too much for the club. If he said he would take the job, they'd be on a plane to Glasgow before you could say "how does 2 mill a year sound?". But that's questionable, mainly because whilst O'neill 'is said to be' keen, nothing he has done since the vacancy arose suggests this is actually the case. Most people think he is hanging around to see what happens at Liverpool. So who else? Well, Souness is an option, although I think he likes it at Blackburn and thinks he can do things there that Spurs may not actually be able to emulate. It has to be someone with experience of English football though. A foreign coach is not what Spurs need, they need a Paul Hart or a Mickey Adams.
I'm of the opinion that results are the ultimate judgement for teams and managers. Liverpool has not had results over the last 12 months, but who is to blame? and what is the solution? First, for all those who are critical of Houllier's purchases --- there is a Dudek, Kirkland, Kewell and Le Tellec for every Biscan and Vignal. Second, injuries are a problem for any manager and we've had our fair share recently. Let's see what ManUre does if Keane (Hamman) is out, with O'Shea (Carragher) and Ferdinand (Henchoz) injured, Butt (Murphy) and Skolskar (Baros) out of the attack. Oh, and throw in an injury to Horseface (Owen). Now I'm not saying each of these players are equal, but that they have substantially the same role and influence and taken together are roughly equivalent. Would Sir A-hole be blamed if they dropped points? Finally, it is almost never a good idea to change managers in the middle of a season. Results may improve slightly, but they are just as likely to get worse in the short term. Teams that make these panic changes seldom end up with good results for the season. Now, at the end I think we all agree that a summary judgement should be made and changes should result if we don't show improvement through May.
I just had the strangest dream.... The season is young, And it doesn't look pretty. If we'd all just chip in, We could buy us Man City! McManaman, Fowler, And Anelka too, (We'll just have to make them Wear red, and not blue). And before the next season Has even begun, We'll all sing "There's Only One Kevin Keegan!" Ex-liverpool player, Now that would be fun. (Shankly signed him from Scunthorpe in '71). Our first cup in Europe, Was thanks to this man. Plus many more trophies, Count them - if you can. Perhaps I am living Too much in the past. But we need to do something, Or we'll end up in last! So all those in favor, Come join in with me. Shout "We want the guy With the nice OBE!" I know he could not Turn my England around, But as Liverpool's man, He'd be sound as a pound.