can put this into a topic when you want, but here's how I see it.Everybody at this club is suffering from the same problem. Everybody on here has a different view, some blame the owners, some blame the manager, some blame lack of staff, some blame tacitcs and formations, some blame players, some blame bad luck, some blame that season's like this happen from time to time and others blame a combination of the lot.
Well around 8 o'clock tonight, it struck me that there is only single problem, and 95% of our club (not including fans) suffer from the same problem. DESIRE TO BE IN THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT. The root of this problem is down to money. They've all got more money than sense, yet still want more and more, that's why they have to be in the media spotlight.
Here's how it's broken down into each person. Tom and Jerry at the top, they constantly bring the problems and attention of Liverpool to the media. That way they get more money for doing the interviews for papers and telly. They get to be in the spotlight and it's all centred around them.
Next Benitez, he refuses to change the way he manages, because he knows that his rotation policy will be in the papers the following morning. He knows that with every interview he does, he'll be asked about the americans. Every time, he's picking up more and more money.
Next the players. Apart from 5/6 of our regulars, they're all indiviuals. There's no team there anymore, we have become indiviuals, with the exceptions of Reina, Finnan, Carra, Hyypia, Mascheranho and Kuyt. The rest all want the glory and fame to fall on them. They want the attention from the media to fall on them, because it adds an extre couple of grand onto their pay check.
I'll try and show you how each player does this. Starting from the back with Riise. He tries his best to rocket a 40 yard screamer in, because that gets more credit than a 4 yard tap in, when both mean the same thing, A GOAL. Sticking with Riise he is still persisting that he can outrun players, that's why every game you see him knock it past the right back and try and outrun them. Problem is Riise is going like the wind while the opposing right back is strolling and Riise is always second best of late.
Next Aurellio. Same with Riise, he for some god known reason, thinks he's a set piece expert. He think he's going to rocket one in from 40 yards. Rather than play the simple pass or whip a free kick in because if he belts it in from so far out, the spotlight is all on him then.
Next Alonso. He is one of the most talented passers of a ball this club has seen. One problem though, rather than bust a gut to go and give a player help, he'd rather stand there and admire his 40 yard pass and look extremely pleased with himself, while the player with the ball has four fellas up his
. Alonso stands in the centre circle with a huge grin all over his mush. Again Alonso, knowing that media and fans alike drool over these passes, he tries it with his shooting. Rather than give the team a better chance of scoring, he decides to shoot from his own half to take the limelight off anybody else. When they go in, fantastic, when they miss it's handing possesion back just for a shot at fame.Onto Gerrard. Well we all know he loves the media. Instead of producing a simple tackle like Maschernaho or Carragher would, he has to launch himself from 10 yards away to make it look so much more special. Same with his goals, he has to rocket them in from 25 yards then run around like he's the only player in the world who can do it. I'm not criticsing here, but it's all for that media spotlight. A Gerrard screamer is going to get more press, more telly coverage and more attention around the world than a Gerrard sitter. We lose so many chances of a well worked out attack because of these players having to take on the spectacular.
Babel is next on the list. He has taken this comparison to Theirry Henry, just a little to litterally. I think that he honestly believes that everytime he picks up the ball he's going to cut inside and bend one into the top corner. It doesn't happen. I'm a huge fan of Babel but he's got to play the simple pass at times rather than trying the screamer. Same goes for Riise, Aurellio, Alonso and Gerrard. Just play the simple through ball and ensure a shot on target from Torres, than think you're going to bury one from 25+ yards. I'm not saying always pass, but if our forwards are in a better position then play them in. If it's conjestered and there's nothing go on in front of you, then have a dig, but try and play the easier pass.
Pennant. Again I'm a huge fan of his, but he overdoes it far to often. Once he's beaten the man, instead of whipping it in, you'll see him try and the beat the man again. Just to show off and make himself look even better. No need for it, keep it simple.
Harry Kewell, well he's self explaintory. Only fit for finals and even then get injured 10 minutes in so he doesn't have to work for the trophy and he can get himself well groomed for the celebration pictures.
Onto the forwards in Crouch and Torres. Torres must have a clause in his contract where it says everytime you score you earn an extre million quid, because not even Baros was as greedy as him. It's head down and head for goal but forget the team mates. That's all because the attention is on goal scorers. Money, money, money.
Finally Crouch. He's the biggest hog of the media I've seen. No matter who we or England are playing for, he's there doing the interviews. Whether he played or not. It's him. As for his game well that speaks volumes in terms of media attention. When the ball is in the air does he try and knock it down to Kuyt/Torres, nah no need for that, just do an over-head kick so the attention is on me. His robotic dance, all for attention.
Our entire squad with the few exceptions are indiviuals. We are no longer a team. I'll give Kuyt his dues here, he works hard for the TEAM. That's because the rest don't want to graft so Kuyt has to do their running for them.
Going back to the 70s/80s players. Would you of seen Joey Jones carrying on like Riise or Aurellio. 40 yard shots and trying to out pace their right back. No because he knew he didn't have that in him. He knew his job was to kick the
out of their right winger then give it to Heighway and let him use his pace to put the ball in. Heighway, did he carry on like Babel and Pennant. Did he ponce around with it and dilly dally. No he beat the man and swung it in for Toshack and Keegan. Did Toshack try overhead kicks, no because that wasn't his job. His job as the big fella was to knock the ball down or use his height to score. Not do overhead kicks. Moving onto the 80s, did Graeme Souness play 40 yard passes, YES he did. Did he then stop and admire it, no he broke his bollox to support the front men. Terry Mc, did he always try the killer pass everytime he had the ball, no he played it simple and went ahead of the front men to make the chance of scoring that much easier.Back then we were A TEAM. Shankly, Paisley and Fagan all had us as a team. Everything was team work. (was with Dalglish but I haven't gone as far as him as manager so didn't mention him in the origional list) We trained as a team, ate as a team and travelled as a team. We won and lost as a team. It wasn't pinpointed onto one player, they all deserved credit when we won, and criticism when we lost. That's left Liverpool now. Now because of the money involved with the game, from wages to sponsorship deals, everyone wants to be the hero.
That's where our problem is. We are no longer a football team, but a group of indiviuals. Until the entire club from top to bottom come together and unify as a team. We won't succeed. Every team needs it's heroes, Gerrard and Torres are ours. But those two along with the rest need to work together and stop trying to be the hero every week. It's a team game and I think this club at the moment has lost that mentality.
Right, that's about it, went on a bit, but needed to be said in my eyes.
