by Raoul » Thu Sep 23, 2010 2:53 am
I'd guess that many of us are actually not all that surprised by this result. Gutted, angry, bemused, but not actually surprised.
Because we all know that this is not the first time this has happened.
The reality is that the team that played last night should have been good enough to win the match. There were 5 or 6, perhaps 7, fringe players (many of them full internationals of good teams) who should have been playing out of their socks to prove something to the manager. So how did they fail like this?
Is it because they are bad players? Well, no. They are good players. Many of them players we have been asking to see more.
Did Hodgson get his tactics wrong? That I don’t know, I haven’t seen the game, but I can’t believe that is the problem.
Perhaps Northampton just played out of their skins; this was their Cup Final after all. From what I’ve read, that isn’t the case either.
The point is that results like these happen far too often. Why? Perhaps it is not the players or the managers or the owners. Perhaps there is a culture that has crept into the team over the years that has made it acceptable for players to just go through the motions. I’ve lived in more than one culture. I’ve been involved in a number of organisations, where despite changes in personnel, the same strengths and weaknesses are present. Why? Culture.
LFC needs a change in culture. That will take time. And it isn’t going to be easy.
What do I want to see Roy do?
If you don’t perform, you don’t play.
1. Tell the players they were rubbish, and until they show him otherwise, they shouldn’t expect to play. He still needs to give them chances to prove themselves, one game isn’t enough, but he should underline that by losing this game, their chances of doing that have just gone down.
2. Having not seen the Northampton game, but assuming that they were all rubbish, I’d select this team for Saturday.
Reina
Johnson
Cara
Skrtel
Koncheskey
Amoo
Poulsen
Meireles
Cole
Gerrard
Torres
Some of them (perhaps Cara, Skrtel and Torres for instance) are only in the team because those pressing them haven’t shown enough.
That would be a start, but culture goes deep, and change takes time. It could be a long road folks, even with new owners.
"Life is not just about money. There are other things, important things that have a different kind of value. Anyone from Liverpool could tell you that."
- Jamie Carragher