Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

Excellent post JBG, to your usual high standard and accurate.

A "blip" can be forgiven but we practically threw fourth place away last season. Houllier admitted he would have settled for a draw vs Man City at home and that isn't good enough. I have stated several times that no excuses can be made for losing 16 out of our last 46 league games. It is about time Houllier started acknowledging the flaws within the team, squad and his management and looked towards putting them right. Perhaps he needs a little "advice" on who to buy and a little tactical help. We have a record of not having turned round a half time deficit since something like 1999, yet people still say Houllier is tactically astute! I sometimes wonder if people continue to believe what they want to believe in spite of evidence to the  contrary

[greenred]

Great post jbg.I agree 100%.Houllier worked wonders for the club but things havent been the same since his heart problems.It should be obvious by now we have gone backwards over the last eighteen months and the team has gone stale.For the sake of the club gh must go,thats not being fickle,its just being ambitious for liverpool fc.

[RedSi]

Another thumbs up for that post JBG, 100% agree on your thorough analysis.

No doubt Stu_the_Red will be on shortly to remonstrate.....

[115-1073096938]

lol. Got stuff to do will reply to that later.

Just a short one tho.

It finally ended when Heskey scored at Southampton and we started winning again. We beat the Mancs in Cardiff and for a while we looked like we were on the way back. We went on a run, but as the finalle approached, we bottled it. We played badly at home to Man City and lost, meaning that we had to get a result against Chelsea.

We lost.

The Liverpool of 2001 didn’t lose these big games.

Look at the team that played this game. Diao, Traore, Riise, Heskey, Diouf, Berger off the bench in desperation.

It was a poor side down to injury and bad mistakes. Those mistakes are improving as players and becoming at least a squad standard which is a positive. Look at it this way. Next season with the correct signings the strength will be there and the players will also.

Back later peeps take care

[Dalglish]

Very readable post JBG , I enjoyed your in depth analysis, at least you took the last 3 and half years into context and i think you did say that GH has brought us forward over that period of time, something which I believe no one can doubt. You then go on to say that Gh has tok LFC backwards over the last 12 months which to be honest I largely agree with. However neither the a#se or Man u have had the level of injuries that we have had and often famns seem to conveniently miss that important criteria. Yes he bought badly in the summer of 2002 and we have paid a price both monetarily and on the pitch as a result. hoever i contend that his transfer dealings have been sound pretty much the rest of the time. GH gets crucified on the back of a few poor signings and 1 underachieving season 2002/03. In each of the other seasons he has brought LFC success in the form of trophies, full houses at Anfield (not something we had for a few seasons before under Evans) , discipline and professionalism and dignity in the way he has conducted himself. I have my opinion , you have yours and i thank you for at leats takingt he time to elaborate in detail rather than just write "we are cr#p" or "Get Martin oneil in"


Walk on....

[JBG]

I respect your views Dalglish (as well as your restraining influence on Stu's swearing!!!).

I like Gerrard Houllier. He won us some cups, he turned things around. For a couple of years we were realyl going places. He got sick. He came back, when he could have retired. He loves the club. He's a fan.

I really would love to see Houllier lifting the Premierhsip trophy for us.

But I honestly don't think he will.

Sometimes when things go wrong, all the will and effort in the world won't change things. Last season wasn't just a "blip". If it was, we would be duking it out with the top 3 for the Championship now. This "blip" has now run into a second season, and we can't bury our heads in the sand anymore.

I'll go out on a limb and say that I'll give Houllier until the end of the season. I want Martin O' Neill in, but I think I will see how Houllier does with the team from now on in. No more excuses, this is serious business now.

(I just shudder to think of Houllier staying and the Cisse transfer. I have a bad feeling about it.......)

[Owzat]

I'm glad I'm not the only one dreading the Cisse transfer. £13.4m for another French league player just leaves me fearing the worst. If we signed him for £7m that would be worrying but Houllier still seems intent on throwing money at players unproven in the English league and International scene

[115-1073096938]

William Gallas £4m

Signed from Marsielle. Class player.

Olivier Dacourt RC Lens to Everton. Class player.

Laurent Robert £9m

Signed from PSG. Class player

He has wasted Money on Diouf and Diao from france. I still believe Cheyrou has something to offer. Cisse is class, SERIOUS class.

[JBG]

But Stu you do understand the reasons why Owzat and I are nervous about Cisse?

Our track record is not great and circa £14million bucks will probably be our entire summer transfer budget.

Fingers crossed he'll be a 25 goals a season man......

[Cool Hand Luke]

I'm glad I'm not the only one dreading the Cisse transfer. £13.4m for another French league player just leaves me fearing the worst. If we signed him for £7m that would be worrying but Houllier still seems intent on throwing money at players unproven in the English league and International scene

Yes Cisse is from the French League but he is an established member of the Frech squad. Obviouly when were spending that kind of money on a player who is based abroad were going to be nervous, i am not 100% sure about Cisse, but am excited about his arrival.

[Cool Hand Luke]

I feel the squad and more importantly the first team have gone a little stale, that is why I think we should shake things up a bit in the first team. Diouf, Heskey and a centre back(probarly Henchoz need to leave) and Cisse, a right sided midfielder(Malbranque or Simon Davies), and a Pacey centre back( Boumsong would have been perfect).

[Cool Hand Luke]

Also I would like to defend Riise. His defensive play hasen't been a problem over the last 18 months, it is just that his foward play hasen't been as fantastic as in his first season, we all new in the first season his distribution was poor, but he hasen't got foward to good effect over the last 12 - 18 months.

But his defensive play has not suffered.

[115-1073096938]

Henchoz ain't leaving thats stupid. We need him for cover.

He'd still get his fair share of games aswell.

[JBG]

I wouldn't let Henchoz go either (he says he wants to finish his career at Pool) but I'd look at getting a guy with some serious pace in.

As Stu has said Henchoz would be a good back up and with injuries, rotation etc, Henchoz would probably end up getting a lot of games anyway.

He has also shown lately that he can do an ok job at right back.

[Owzat]

I was pleasantly surprised by Henchoz at right-back but I still wish he and Biscan would swap roles. Houllier built a solid defence around Hyypia and Henchoz, why is he so reluctant to try and re-kindle that relationship? (sorry, lost for an appropriate word)