Liverpool FC Forum

by **Leonmc0708** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:45 pm

According to the official LFC site, Liverpoolfc.tv, former Liverpool manager Roy Evans believes Rafael Benitez is the man to make the Reds great again and he's pledged to support him every inch of the way. A nice touch I thought from Evo.

Having spent four years in the Anfield hot-seat during the nineties, Evans knows all too well about the pressure and huge expectations that come with managing this club.

He watched with interest developments at Liverpool over the summer and fully welcomed the appointment of Benitez.

"Rafa has been a manager at a great club. His team at Valencia was fantastic and he comes here with some great European experience," says Evans.

"He's well educated in a football sense, has a very good football brain and is very organised.

"But we've got to give him time at Liverpool. It's still early days and he hasn't had time to fully impose himself on the job yet. There is talent there. It's all about getting the balance right. From what we've seen so far there is a nice style to the play. The signs are that we've got the ability, we just need a bit more consistency and more of a solid base.

"Results have been mixed but you feel we're on the threshold of a new era. Alonso looks a great signing. Unfortunately, we haven't seen much of him alongside Steven Gerrard as yet but that is going to be an exciting partnership in the midfield.

"He's not a manager who will prevent a player from displaying their own individual talent within the team and I think that is really important. For me that is something that will help make us become a great team again."

A dyed in the wool Liverpudlian, Evans has not been back to his spiritual home much since walking away from the ill-fated managerial partnership with Gerard Houllier in November 1998. But now that Benitez is at the helm he's ready to turn back the clock and relive his days as a fan.

"I admit there was some bitterness when I left six years ago. It's only natural and I thought 'how can it go on without me? I've been here 30-odd years'. But it does. And sometimes better!

"Thankfully I'm over that now. How can I throw away 35 great years with the club I've supported, loved, played for and managed? I can't, it's as simple as that and I'm probably more a fan now than I have been since the days when I was a kid.

"As a player, coach and manager I was a fan for different reasons. Now I'm back to being a fan like I was in the days when I stood on the Kop.

"Admittedly, I'm more of an armchair fan but I'm very keen to see them do well and it would be nice to see them get back to where we all feel they should be. That is the top and I'm confident that can be achieved."

Nice of Roy to come out with some vocal support, however I was surprised there was no link or mention of his new auto-biography. Anyway I'll do it for him, it's called Ghost on the Wall, and is published by mainstream, released 7th October.

Ghost On The Wall tells the tale of one of the Boot Room's unsung heroes, from his early days on the streets of Bootle to his managerial stint at second division strugglers Swindon Town. The time in between of course, was spent largely at Anfield.

An England schoolboy starlet Roy signed apprentice forms for Liverpool in 1964, plucked from under the noses of Everton, Bolton, Wolves and Chelsea. Under the tutelage of Joe Fagan Roy began to learn what the game was really all about.

Although he failed to grab a regular first team slot the Boot Room spotted his latent talents and when Shanks retired in 1974 Roy was offered a coaching position on the staff.

The rest, as they say, is history.

'Ghost' tells the untold story with revealing insights into :

# Roy - the schoolboy starlet.
# The Boot Room personnel.
# America and the NASL in 1973.
# The reserve team years, 7 titles in 9 seasons and of course # Howie Gayle.
# Kenny, Souness and behind the scenes at the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters.
# Becoming manager.
# Robbie Fowler, Stan Collymore and The Spice Boys.
# Those transfers. Sean Dundee anyone?
# Houllier - why it was doomed from the beginning.
# The bitterness of departure.

by **jonnymac1979** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:01 pm

Can't wait for this. Should be a really good read.

No pun intended, but does anyone know who's ghost writing this for him?

by **Redrider** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 1:26 pm

Now that Houllier is out of the way. Evans is just 'smoothing' the club in the hope that they offer him one of these 'Good Old Boy's' jobs to supplement his 'pension'
Too many of these guy's hanging off the club: Heighway, Yeats, etc.
There was even talk of Dalglish, coming back in some role dipping his hand into the Golden Season Ticket Revenue Bucket again.

by **jonnymac1979** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:23 pm

Redrider wrote:Now that Houllier is out of the way. Evans is just 'smoothing' the club in the hope that they offer him one of these 'Good Old Boy's' jobs to supplement his 'pension'
Too many of these guy's hanging off the club: Heighway, Yeats, etc.
There was even talk of Dalglish, coming back in some role dipping his hand into the Golden Season Ticket Revenue Bucket again.

Is Heighway still employed by Liverpool?

I know him and GH were not best friends were they?

by **Redrider** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 7:10 pm

Heighway is involved at the Academy, I think Brian Hall is hanging on in somewhwere aswell.

by **kindaconfused** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 7:52 am

All sounds like good PR to me, yer never going to find out what he truly thinks. In the dynamics why would he say anything else at this stage.

All in all sounds like a stocking filler story to me, not worth the paper its written on, mildy interesting but no substance to it!

by **Redrider** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 9:41 am

kindaconfused wrote:All in all sounds like a stocking filler story to me, not worth the paper its written on, mildy interesting but no substance to it!

Yah, boo to you aswell !!

by **kindaconfused** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 10:24 am

Redrider

Thought you were a bit more sophisticated than that, but then perhaps not!

by **Leonmc0708** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 10:46 am

What a load of ******. Hangers on are you kidding me or what?

The old pro's should be given a job for life, superb servants for this club, and welcome all the time.

Evans was an unbeliveble servant, and if he wants a job, then he should get the reserves manager job, he was awesome at that level.

by **kindaconfused** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 10:48 am

Leonmc0708

It was that very reason for Liverpools down fall last time, how many of them do you want around the club and what role should they play, Hanger on 1, 2 etc?

by **Leonmc0708** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 10:55 am

kindaconfused wrote:Leonmc0708

It was that very reason for Liverpools down fall last time, how many of them do you want around the club and what role should they play, Hanger on 1, 2 etc?

nom.

what are you on about you idiot?

If Ron Yeats can supplement his megre pension with a few bob off the club for meeting and greeting on corporate hospitality packages, then why not?

Stevie Heighway has brought thru players like Fowler, Mcmanaman, Gerrard, Owen, and you say he is a hanger on? You must be joking. Fowler and Owen went for £21m, which paid his and everyone at the academy's wages for the next fifty years.

Redrider, I wonder if you are a Liverpool fan, you diss the greatest player, and a great manager also of this club and accuse him off dipping his hand into club funds and giving nothing back. What a waster you are.

The fact that you and your alter ego argue the toss, but never log on at the same time is also tedious

by **kindaconfused** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:11 am

Leonmc0708

Why does a disagreement have to be turned into lack of loyalty/dissing the club?

The alter ego thread is tiresome, Ill let Redrider speak for himself on that one.

If you say that these ex players have helped fine but how many of them do you want, everyone that ever played for the club?

Instead of shooting for the keybeard in response just read a few of Redrider and mine postings the style is so diifferent it would answer the question but perhaps you don't want to see that!

I find it mildly amusing so carry on

by **Redrider** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 1:04 pm

Leon, your losing it mate !

by **kindaconfused** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 2:27 pm

Leon, your losing it mate !

Liverpool FC Forum

Evans belives in the gaffer - Rafa gets roy's full support

Who is online