A season without many highlights finally is over. With a bit of luck, we could have won the Europa League but it simply wasn’t to be our year. In my opinion there were 5 factors that lead to that disappointing campaign:
1. The owner situation. It’s no coincidence the club hasn’t won anything since the two took over. I don’t think there‘s a single Liverpool fan who thinks the Americans did a good job at Liverpool. Well, apart from Rick Parry, of course. But I don’t want to waste any more words about Hicks/Gillett as we all know about.
2. The Players. Too many key players didn’t perform to their real potential for rather longer than shorter periods. I’m sure the players expected to go into the season with a better squad than last year, especially after finishing 2nd. But after realising that no money was available, the players seemed to be affected by that, the ongoing negative headlines about the club and the witchhunt against our manager. At times there was a lack of spirit, the team looked helpless and lost all confidence that was right there a few months before. Apart from Pepe Reina all players can and need to do a lot better next season.
3. Injuries. Yes, they happen to every team. But I don’t remember a worse season in terms of injuries. And of course it hurts a lot more when the squad is as thin as ours. Injuries to Gerrard, Johnson, Agger, Aurelio, Benayoun, Aquilani and especially Torres hit Liverpool very hard as there was simply not enough cover around. Torres missing such a large part of the season was deadly to all Liverpool ambitions.
4. The Manager. Just to make this clear: I support Rafa but think he made some mistakes. He has to take his fair share of blame. Signing Aquilani was a huge gamble that didn’t pay off (yet). After his transfer all money was spent so Rafa missed out on a much needed back up striker. His transfer record is better than people give him credit for, problem is: he wasn’t too lucky in the last two summers. Also him insisting on playing certain players, no matter how bad their form, was annoying and didn’t help the team. Having said that I still want Rafael Benitez leading Liverpool into the new season.
5. The last factor is the least important factor, sure, but it made a difficult season even harder. I would call it the X-factor. Or bad luck, a lot of it. Beachballs spring to mind but I also lost count on how many clear penalties Liverpool were denied this season. I can’t really remember another season where so many decisions went against the Reds. They say everything evens out over the course of a season. Well, Liverpool definitely proved that saying wrong.
All these points played their part in Liverpools script for the 2009/2010 season. Fact is Liverpool missed out on the Champions League and face an uncertain future. City will outspend the Reds this summer and so will Spurs and others as I don’t expect Liverpool to find a new owner in time to invest big for next season. But… I take our Chairman by the word and expect both Gerrard and Torres to stay. The same goes for Mascherano. With other key players such as Reina, Carragher, Johnson, Agger and Rodriguez, Liverpool have a very good core of experienced players that will also help to develop Lucas, Insua and Ngog. And let’s see how good a fully fit Aquilani is. I certainly don’t expect Torres-like signings but striker Milan Jovanovic is a smart transfer and with a bit of money available from players sales, Rafa hopefully can add two or three more players to the squad.
If Liverpool are a bit luckier with injuries, the Reds could actually play a very good season next year. Don’t let this season fool you, this team can do much better. With no CL pressure, the Europa League might be even a blessing in disguise in terms of our league form but also because the competition could be used to give young talents such as Pacheco, Kelly, Shelvey and others more experience. And with Jack Robinson making his debut at a younger age than Michael Owen, the boy is a bright prospect for the future. As I said, I hope Rafa Benitez stays, he deserves another season for many reasons and if that happens, I’m optimistic about Liverpool striking back next season.
Yes, this club is going through dark times but not everything is doom and gloom. It’s essential though that we all stand together in times like this, players, manager, supporters – the holy trinity, just like Bill Shankly once said. This club will never walk alone and not even our two owners will change that.
And people writing Liverpool now off, might be in for a surprise next season…
Let’s comment your quotes/notes:
1. Can’t agree more. They need… impalement! But, the local liver-mates, the “Scousers”, are responsible too, mate. If I would “Scouser” living in Pool, I would torch David Moores’ house!!!!!! HOW many centuries you English need to understand, they (Americans) are NOT your “cousins”, but your NEMESIS? Since I learned Liverpool sold to americans, I “saw” this we’re living now. Am I… Nostradamus? No, certainly not. I JUST KNOW History! I know what C**TS the Americans are!
2. Of course key-players (not mention the… 90%!) didn’t play as they should. But MOST OF the “KOPites”, the “Scousers”, are “pointing”… Steven Gerrard! IS IT UNFAIR for Stevie?! WHO ALMOST gave us last season the EPL trophy? We ALMOST won it… WHO WAS? Torres? Yes, he scored many goals but.. HEY, he’s a bloody striker, that’s his damn job, that’s why we bought him in the first place! But Stevie? Stevie is playing in each game EVERY POSSIBLE POSSITION, except… goalie! Stevie is a MYTH! If this season didn’t play well, is because he’s TIRRED playing pointless!!!! Finaly, Stevie grown up, he’s not the local lad, furious and fanatic with the club and he wants A F**KING EPL title to finish his bloody carreer!!!!!!! And he knows by now, with THIS ownership and THIS coach, he’ll NEVER win the tittle, EVER!… As the rest of player? Carra is old by now; but he proved THUSAND of times how TRUE “Scouser” he is and how he BLEEDS & DIES for Liverpool. What about KUYT? Is any Liver-mate to accuse the Dutch for something? OUR ULTIMATE “WORKER”, our ULTIMATE TOOL? He gave sooooo many to us, for so many games… And what about the others? Well, with MODERATE/AVERAGE ROSTER, what the hell you people expecting???? MIRACLES? We were (once) one of the BEST clubs in the world and we became… Crystal Palace, for pity sake!
3. Of course we had an unlucky season with many injuries. Well, “luck follows the bold and mighty” as we saying in Greece. And we STOPPED beeing bold and mighty, long time ago (since 2005-2006).
4. Well, everyone knows me, he knows how STRONG ANTI-RAFA Liverpool supporter I am! I NEVER, NEVER wanted him in Liverpool! Why? Because I belong to the 10%, from the total 100% of a club’s supporters… Meaning? I KNOW the game! I played the game as semi-pro and I LOVE the game! I DON’T “JUST” supporting a banner, a colour, a club, fanaticaly and blind. Ι’m STUDING the game, because except Liverpool I LOVE the bloody FOOTBALL! And above all, I love the ENGLISH FOOTBALL – that’s why I’m supporting Liverpool AND… “3 Lions” (NOT Greek National team!!!) in Euro & World Cups!
I KNEW what Rafa would be for Liverpool… Not “Rafalustion”, but “RAF-ARMAGEDON”! I knew the man before he signed to us! The 90% of Liver-mates never heard him before! But, I knew him; I was watching Spanish league too (not supporting a club, of course, I HATE SPANIANS – as a true… “Englishman” I am!). He just won a Spanish title, a new coach – certainly not as good as Jose Mourinho (wherever Jose goes, he’s writting history) but…, Rafa was (is) EQUAL ARROGANT and SELFISH as Jose – and Rafa don’t “desearves” (yet) to be so arrogant! But, Rafa WAS BLOODY LUCKY! In his first season, he had a moderate season, a moderate Champions League season but he made it to the final, he had A DISASTER TACTICAL first half (0-3) but… he had a SUPERB STEVEN GERRARD (!!!!!!!) and him and the rest team-mates MADE the mirracle! THAT WIN, THAT TROPHY, even if I… walked back to Istanbul by foot (!!!) SO HAPPY from our glorious win, I KNEW it would be our “Pyrrhic victory” and the crytical point.
WHY? Because Rafa…: 1) Doesn’t “fitting” to English football, he doesn’t understanding it, doesn’t like it. 2) Can’t work with LOCALS and he only wants LATINOS, that’s why he “transformed” the BEST ENGLISH club to… a moderate SPANISH one! 3) His character is terrible and quarrels with almost EVERY player in his team. 4) His tactics are OLD and obsoleted (Jesus, WHO IS PLAYING “ZONE” Defence in our days????), he’s sold EVERY POSSIBLE GOOD PLAYER we had (almost the ENTIRE SQUAD of the glorious 2005-2006 days!) and replaced them WITH HIS CHOICE of… average/bellow average players like… Insua, Lucas, Ngong, El Zar and plenty more that EVEN… Leeds Utd wouldn’t take them!
5. There’s no LUCK in football, only WAR! “Luck” value is 20% important… You forgot OUR GLORIOUS, OUR MYTHICAL MANAGER’S (B. Shankly!) WORDS?… “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more serious than that!”… Or, “If you’re not sure what to do with the ball, just pop it in the net and we’ll discuss your options afterwards”!!!! FOOTBALL IS SO BLOODY SIMPLE, DAMN IT!!! It’s not Nuclear Physics!!!!
Mates… WE LOST OUR IDENTITY, with these two YANKEE C**TS and this jarhead damn Spanian (Rafa)!
WE LOST WHO WE ARE!!! We are LIVERPOOL!
THE BEST AND MOST GLORIOUS BRITISH CLUB, ONE OF THE TOP-5 OF THE WORLD! THAT’S WHAT WE WERE… and we LOST it!
What we lost? OUR “SPIRIT”! Anyone in the past, a Turk, a Greek, an Argentinian, anyone signed in Liverpool, they “TURNED” to “SCOUSER” in a month!!! Anyone was BLEED (really BLEED, not poetic term!) for the club!!!! Now, from chairman & manager to the simpliest player, we’re FULL OF BLOODY PROFESSIONAL “MERCENARIES” and they only care for their damn money and their damn PROFILE/CARREER (to earn more money!)…
We need our “SPIRIT” back! And WHO can do that mirracle? ONLY A “SPIRIT”, A “GOST” from the past, a MYTH!
I want “King-Kenny” for temporary coach/manager, to SHAKE THE DAMN BOAT!
That’s all, I wrote too much.
But even if we’re living this… “Medieval Age” in our club, WE NEVER LOOSING OURSELVES, OUR LOVE AND TEMPER!
We’re LIVERPOOL, for pity sake! NOT… Everton!
Cheers and my best wishes to all the “RED” BROTHERS!
(Let’s focus to “3 Lions” now; I’ll wait to watch Stevie, leading the English squad to the Finals!)
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bwaaaaaaahahhahahaha
Romiloa you whopper! If footballs such a simple game why are you “STUDYING” it, if it’s as simple you say!
To hate you say Spaniards is a joke, why as an englishman do you hate them? I’m English and I don’t. Hate the Spanish. Plus if you were such a true till death converted Scouser you wouldn’t give two hoots about England in the world cup, hope we get knocked out atthe first post to bring our players back fit and ready for next year!
Rafa didn’t make a gamble with aquaman he simply had the carpet pulled from under him in regards to funds so he went after aquaman, took him and then checked the kitty and it had been fleeced by the Yanks once again.
Ask Stellios for a lift over on his planes mate and go burn Moores house if you so wish you muppet! Your also implying that 90% of our fans either don’t know the game or 10% of our fanbase is stuck in Greece!