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Liverpool: No New Stadium & A Rookie Boss - Is This The Beginning Of The End?
No longer able to compete with the big teams, finishing behind Newcastle in the Premier League, and attracting the managers of teams who were tipped for relegation at the start of last season. Are Liverpool facing the drain as a football powerhouse?
How many chances do big clubs get to cock-up? It’s a question that could be running through the minds of more than one Liverpool fan at the moment.
There was a time when Liverpool were unquestionably one of the greatest clubs in the world; masters of both the domestic and European game. But that was a long time ago. And in football there is no entitlement to ‘great-club’ status or a guaranteed place in the football elite simply because a team once reigned supreme.
A casual glance at the history of European football during the last century can throw up any number of clubs, such as Leeds, Parma or St Etienne, that were once very successful but who have been subsequently humbled.
In football there is no entitlement to ‘great-club’ status or a guaranteed place in the football elite simply because a team once reigned supreme.
And these were all teams that at some point failed to capitalise on their lofty position and instead through a mixture of bad buys, poor financial decisions and inappropriate managerial appointments found themselves tumbling downwards into a chasm of mediocrity.
Despite forgoing their position of seventies and eighties dominance, Liverpool cannot yet be said to be a mediocre club. They have had intermittent periods of success over the past twenty years, possess significant national and international support and remain commercially robust.
But there is a sense that they are in a downward trajectory. And this is not merely confined to the past three years, which have been characterised by particularly disappointing seasons. Discounting Charity Shields, since the dawn of the Premier League they have won just ten trophies, the lion’s share of which have been League Cups.
Compare this period to the twenty years preceding the inauguration of the Premier League, a time when Liverpool were rampant, collecting European trophies and league titles galore, and you get a sense of their gradual slide.
The main problem at the club is that they have made, and continue to make, mistakes in an industry where mistakes can be very costly. The last twenty years have been littered with them: the purchase of Andy Carroll, the appointments of Evans and then Houllier, the whoring themselves out to Gillett and Hicks, the purchase of Andy Carroll, the lavish budget handed to Benitez, the appointment of Hodgson, and the purchases of Downing, Henderson and Andy Carroll.
Discounting Charity Shields, since the dawn of the Premier League they have won just ten trophies, the lion’s share of which have been League Cups.
And the mistakes just keep coming. During their recent search for a manager Liverpool opted to include the likes of Jürgen Klopp, Frank de Boer and Pep Guardiola; men who were never remotely likely to join the club. The only names on the list that ever made sense were Brendan Rodgers, a manager with a less than startling pedigree, and Roberto Martinez, a manager whose experience seems to be largely in getting a club into a relegation position and then affecting a narrow escape.
Say what you want about Dalglish (pre-school haircut, pr disaster, wearer of oversized, unseasonal adidas coats) but at least he was a safe pair of hands. And so it seems an enormously reckless gamble to replace him with a manager so unproven in the domestic game.
Might it not have been a more sensible idea to have kept ‘King Kenny’ in the job while at the same time waiting for a more fitting replacement to materialise? The owners seem to have made the mistake of rushing to create a vacancy in the misguided assumption that the European managerial elite would be falling over themselves to join the club.
The purchase of Andy Carroll, the lavish budget handed to Benitez, the appointment of Hodgson, and the purchases of Downing, Henderson and Andy Carroll.
And in the next few weeks this mistake will be followed by the club’s latest howler; namely the decision to forego the building of a new stadium and instead go for the cheaper alternative of re-developing Anfield.
While Liverpool remain good at generating commercial revenue, their ability to make the most from match days has long been outstripped by rivals such as Man United, Arsenal and Chelsea. To give you an example, during 2011 United generated £122 million from match-days alone. By contrast, Liverpool’s revenue just about broke the £50 million mark or ‘One Fernando Torres’.
Gaps such as this were meant to be closed by the building of a brand-new 60,000 seater stadium on Stanley Park; a proposal that was first mooted over a decade ago and remained a stated aim until recently. Through this Liverpool envisaged that they could build in enough corporate facilities to make money in Manchester United proportions.
Say what you want about Dalglish (pre-school haircut, pr disaster, wearer of oversized, unseasonal adidas coats)
While the redevelopment of Anfield will increase capacity it won’t allow the club to start from scratch and turn their stadium into a money making cash-cow, geared towards that all important corporate crowd. It’s a decision that seems to suggest a limiting of horizons, an acceptance that Liverpool simply can’t (or won’t) compete with the ‘big boys’.
To date, the game has been kind to Liverpool. Despite successive cock-ups, they retain their place (just) in the domestic football elite. But whether this remains the case in the future is less clear. They have already ceded their once dominant position to the ‘big-three’ of United, Arsenal and Chelsea. Unless Liverpool engender a change in their financial and footballing fortunes then it’s a good bet that they will soon fall behind Man City and Spurs too; finding themselves outside the ‘elite’ for the first time since the 1960s.
Indeed, their recent search to replace ‘King Kenny’ has already revealed that the managerial labour market considers them a team on the wane. After all, had Man City, Man Utd or even Arsenal found themselves with a managerial vacancy this summer it’s plausible to assume that, like Liverpool, any short-list of potential suitors would have included the cream of the European managerial elite. But, unlike Liverpool, it’s also plausible to assume that those on the list would have been realistic targets.
To give you an example, during 2011 United generated £122 million from match-days alone. By contrast, Liverpool’s revenue just about broke the £50 million mark.
Mediocrity in the Premier League is not necessarily something to be feared. It’s not great but as a fan who has twice seen their club escape relegation on the last game of the season, I’d take mediocrity over Championship football any day of the week.
Somehow though I doubt this sentiment will comfort many Liverpool fans. They expect great things of their side, as any fan who followed a club with as rich a pedigree as Liverpool’s would. But in the modern game that pedigree counts for sh*t. It might sound unpleasant, but all that really matters is that you create as much money as possible and limit the amount of mistakes you make; two lessons that Liverpool have failed to heed.
The club hasn’t yet reached the point of no return, their own football ‘event-horizon’ if you like; but if they continue in this vain for much longer then it’s likely they could. Mediocrity awaits Liverpool with open arms, as it has done for so many other clubs that have royally f*cked-up before them.
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COMMENTS
"the lavish budget handed to Benitez" Average nett spend less than that of villa and sunderland at the time?? yeah real lavish
Of course Liverpool are a great club, any club that has won 5 european cups & 18 league titles will always be considered as great, the clubs you have named such as Leeds have had great teams but are not great clubs. I agree with some of your comments about mistakes made, but I disagree with your comments about the lavish budget that Benitiez had (do your homework) The biggest mistake made by the club (EVER) was made by Rick Parry & David Moores selling the club to Hicks & gillet when DIC had been involved for so long (look at the track record in horse racing, they are winners) had DIC taken over LFC would haver been in a new stadium by now (FACT) & Benitez would probably be still at the helm & who knows maybe a league title or 2 - Thanks Rick you complete & utter D@$*K
Ha ha. "The lavish budget handed to Benitez". That's gotta be the most uninformed thing I've ever read. Ever heard of net spend? Understand the concept? Try visiting Paul Tomkins' site to see what Rafa actually spent. No point in reading the rest of the article after that gaffe. And Rodgers is much less of a risk than Hodgson ever was. He's proven he can provide much better results and much better football than his budget would indicate. It just remains to be seen if this also works for him in a much bigger setting. Still, no more of a risk than any other appointment would be (except for Rafa). I haven't felt this good about a managerial appointment since Rafa was hired. With Kenny it was more a case of hoping it would work out and thinking with the heart. Roy was bound to be a disaster from day one. Rodgers seems like a smart and gutsy move from FSG.
Oh I see. The article was written by a bitter bluenose. No point in trying to explain facts then.
Ollie, if Rodgers is so good why was he sacked by reading? Although written by an evertonian, this article seems quite accurate and merely points out something that has been apparent to most football fans for years; that Liverpool are no longer one of the country's big clubs. I challenge any Liverpudlian to provide me with five reasons why Liverpool deserve a place in the top three of english football
Piss-poor article, very little factual content. Seems opportunistic and band-wagon riding to me. At best. Ask Fergie if he thimks LFC are a big club.
Maybe this evertonian would like to write an article on the current state of affairs at his OWN club and how well run it is. I'm sure this would make a good read
tommy wat do u mean desarvd i only see success coming to this club nex seseone no marnager was grate emidialy he was employd forgie of today starts somewhere that i can give to rodgers he wil do beter lfc fans shuld lern haw to encorage there own not talking robish look to the future
AAAAAAAAAaahahahahahahaha! Yep, there is no doubt that the last few seasons (3 to be exact) have seen a downturn in Liverpool's fortunes. The reign of Hicks & Gillette ended with them screwing the club in as many ways as possible before the bitter sale and it will take time to return to that level. But I can remember (still only 3 years ago) when we had the best midfield in the world, were finishing second in the league and were one of the most feared clubs in europe. It took Houllier, (yes Houllier!?!? who you said was a disaster) to put us back on the road to success. Anyone remember 2001 & 2002?? In the last ten years we've won more than Arsenal, been Champions of Europe, been to another Champs league final and finished 2nd in the league twice. I think there is no doubt at all that we have been, alongisde Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea one of teh four most successful english clubs of the last decade and I have no doubt at all we will be again. In fact, had we beaten Chelsea a few weeks ago that would have put us way ahead of arsenal and chelsea in trophies won for the last decade and 3 ahead overall over Man Utd. So yeah, think we can argue that at this particular moment Liverpool are not where we would all love to be but at least we actaully have the means of getting back there. Everton are never, ever going to get back to their 80s success. The only thing that will mirror the 80s for your lot is that you'll always be overshadowed by us.
'More articles about Liverpool.' Many of them by Jim Keoghan, a bluenose.
How much research did you do for this article? You really do need to get your facts right before writing again, seriously.
Well done Brendan Rogers on equalling David Moyes trophy haul at Everton in his first week.
lovable red-shites. the supporters with the thinest skin in the premiership.
Lavish budget? Obviously you have an agenda, outside of Liverpool. Rebuilding the stadium cost in excess of £300 million for 15,000 extra seats, and that is why it is a cheaper option to expand Anfield, nothing to do with mediocrity you moron. I agree, Houllier did play defensive football, but at a time when we were behind the likes of Man UTD, and the like, but it got us results; we won may cup, which all add to our history. And, as for Rafa, Liverpool were top of fifa rankings, above Barcelona, and regularly feared amongst the Europe elite; just ask any Chelsea player or fan. And speaking of Chelsea; when have you ever experienced a night like at Anfield in 2005? okay, we haven't one the league for 20 years or so, but you can't buy an atmosphere like we have at Anfield; Henry, Drogba, ask any player where they prefer to play at it's always Anfield. You only have to listen to the silence at Old Trafford and Stamford bridge on match days to know that winning the title doesn't mean everything; my nan makes more noise cooking her Sunday roast that the back of of the Stretford end does; and that is why we (Anfield) will ALWAYS be a force to be reckoned with and continue to attract top managers and players alike.
Liverpool did not defeat Chelsea, man united, or Man City in any competitions this year... did they? oh, wait
inaccurate, speculative nonsense
Are you a bitter as well then Tommy?...care to disclose which loveable moron collective you're currently embarassing on here? Liverpool generally have the best educated and most passionate fans, a proud tradition, the richest history and a future filled with promise...something all Liverpool fans will happily defend. It's not about having a thin skin it's about ridiculing the inane guff spouted by fans of other clubs who don't actually know what they're talking about. If you are an Everton fan you've come across as considerably less knowledgeable than their average fan...almost as clueless as a united or toon fan...bravo...and it's also worth pointing out that it's quite likely that everybody on this forum is now slightly less intelligent for having read the utterly pointless, inaccurate gibberish posing as a an article (and of course your illuminating 'posts' afterwards). Yours deprecatingly, Scott ps - thinnest is spelt the way I've just spelt it...happy to help...
great clubs dont get relegated,man utd were 6 years after winning euro cup.Ok we havent won the league for 20 years but we still have won trophies in between.
thanks for proving my point scott
tommy...united then is it? :D
Before I tell you what I really think of your article let me shed light of all the lies/wrong conclusions you have spewed. First of all, how you can have the audacity to perpetually call a 23 year old player with huge talent, immense potential and a bright future a failure is beyond me. He is in his first season at the club with too much expectation on his shoulders. If time had taught you anything you would have learned that it took peter Beardsley a good 6 months to play good and Lucas Lieva more than 2 years. These are players considered to be a legend and a cult hero respectively and I can enumerate many more players who have achieved the same status without setting the world alight in their first season. Brush up on this before you sit there and shamelessly claim any player at the beginning of his playing time at LFC as a failure. Secondly, as many of my co-commentors have pointed out, the notion that Rafa was inundated with wads of cash to spend on players as you have suggested is quite simply false. If you were an avid follower of LFC you would know that during all his time at LFC Rafa was working under a tight budget where he'd for the most part had to scrounge around for deals or only buy players of the highest quality only under the condition if he were to sell a player from the squad to get the money. Third, the fact that you can discuss the stadium prospects of LFC, which no one except the club's hierarchy have any substantial knowledge of, and come to the conclusion that the club will be inept in competing with the likes of ManU, without having any idea of whether or not FSG is planning on rebuilding anfield, or how much the capacity would be if they decided to rebuild it, just screams incompetence on your part and is simply quite amazing. Lastly, you seemed to have labelled Brendan Rodgers as an inferior candidate to take the job. Gee why don't we take a look at Sir Alex or David Moyes? Which piece of silverware did they attain before managing their respective clubs? None worth mentioning. And yet they are considered to be the best prem. managers of the last decade. With your analogy they shouldn't have been hired at all. Nor Bill Shankly. I don't know if you've heard of him, but he's the most successful manager of LFC who took us to the apex of British Football. Brendan Rodgers was hired because of the brand of football he established at an inferior team and the success he cultivated because of it. He has more than 20 years of coaching experience most of it working with top players in the chelsea camp. I would imagine he was hired because all of that makes him the ideal manager to take liverpool forward. That and because a bunch of educated people at LFC with years and years of football experience studied the situation intensively and felt he was the right man for the job. Tell me what do you think qualifies you to make these sorts of judgments on managers. Apart from an apparently dilettante interest in LFC and football(which is everything you need really); what makes you think you are qualified enough to know who the right manager is? It's one thing to criticize someone for under achieving, but doing so before he makes a single decision just screams bias. And any doubts I had about whether you were biased were put to rest with that childish comment you made about our previous manager. i.e. "pre-school haircut, pr disaster, wearer of oversized, unseasonal adidas coats". So as promised, let me sum it up for you and tell you what I think of your article. It is shambolic and a magnanimous disgrace. The way you use certain facts to come up with uneducated and utterly abhorrent conclusions is such a shame. It is articles like this with sprinklings of small facts followed by completely WRONG conclusions that are ruining journalism. It's a microcosm of what's wrong with the media. You mention small truthful facts to make your wayward and biased conclusions sound credible. The sad thing is, it is only educated supporters/followers of Liverpool F.C that will recognize that you clearly have an agenda against the club and are writing out of your a$$. And increasingly saddening is the fact that our voices will not count for much as we are labelled to have a biased view. I can't say anymore to you except that you are a "journalist" and should be responsible with what you write. You should be responsible because you have a great amount of responsibility. What you write will inculcate honest readers with little to no knowledge about the subject matter. This article screams lazy, biased journalism of the highest degree and if you have any fiber of good will in your body you will take it down.
I'm surprised the editors published this article, it really is drivel. Until I saw previous LFC articles by the same bitter bluenose. Got an agenda then lads? Yawn. Why is it you seldom see articles about Everton or the mancs written by Kopites? Your obsessed. For the good of your health go get some help.
The only way you are ever going to read an article even slightly critical about Liverpool is if it's written by a supporter of another club.
First of all the criticism of Houllier. I dont know why but people choose to forget that he won that treble and brought through some really good youth players and finished second in the league to boot. He wasnt a bad manager if you ask me and coped alright considering he had some major health problems during his time. Second, it seems that whatever Liverpool would've done with the manager situation criticism would have been levelled at them. You cant win can you? Especially with wannabe hacks. If Dalglish had stayed there would have been similar articles on this site saying we were crazy to keep him on and were heading to an armaegeddon in the same tone as this piece of nonsense. Andy Carrol has become a twitter joke that everyone has latched onto. He might yet become worth the money. The reason this article is on here is because it is obviously provocative and will get the comments and hits up which in turn makes the site look more popular.
Ah Mickey, if you're going to start putting people right can you at least get you facts straight first too? "Gee why don't we take a look at Sir Alex or David Moyes? Which piece of silverware did they attain before managing their respective clubs? None worth mentioning." OK, it's well documented Moyes has won nothing (yawn) but Alex Ferguson? Would you honestly say that 3 Scottish Premier League Titles, 4 Scottish F.A. Cups, a Scottish League Cup...oh and a European Cup Winners Cup and a European Super Cup 1983 (with ABERDEEN!) aren't worth mentioning. And why can you not accept that Benitez spent A LOT of money, it doesn't matter how much he recouped, the money was still there to spend, and he spent it (awaits cries of 'NET SPEND! NET SPEND!) Oh, and one final thing, Bill Shankley, LFC's most successful manager? You could at least know your history, lad!
No, it is the beginning of a new era, the FSG era. While it appears FSG will redevelop Anfield instead of building a new stadium, as long as capacity reaches 60k, it will be good enough. While many fans might criticize their choice for manager, FSG in the past with baseball have picked well.
If only you Liverpool fans could see how dellusional you are. Your major purchases were ALL bad choices, let's not forget King Kenny (worst of all). At best a mid-tier club within the next couple years.
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