Liverpool FC Forum

by **LFC #1** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 3:43 pm

jonnymac1979 wrote:Brian Reade from the Mirror, 26th May 2004, St Mick?

Come on fella, post your source.......

are any of his posts his? honestly.

by **Sabre** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 3:59 pm

Under Houllier we were generally fairly difficult to beat and while not being too expansive or exciting, would have finished in fourth last season IMHO.

Yes, but why. I mean, I'm pretty sure because I've seen it in a Rafa team, that if Liverpool weren't playing the Champions League, which has lots of matches with full tension, Liverpool would have done great in the EPL

OK, some years ago Liverpool were playing the UEFA, but you play less games and I think it's not the same effort to beat Gloria Bistrita, Maribor Branik or one of those or to receive Betis or Chelsea.

Playing the CL makes harm, no matter what league are you playing. A very deep squad with quality subs like Barcelona, notices it a bit. A good Squad with not so many good subs (No disrespect to Neil Mellor, I like the lad but...) like Liverpool, notices it more, ending the season fifth. Real Sociedad, barely scaped demotion after doing a fairly good CL, drawing at home with all mighty Juve and passing the first mini league of the CL. Celta de Vigo, went straight to second Division.

This is an important factor, IMHO

Sabre

by **JC_81** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:08 pm

Obviously no one can really say for certain what would or would not have happened had Houllier stayed, but I'd suspect the following may have happened:

We'd have finished 4th last season and enjoyed a better league campaign, but would still be short of breaking into the top 3.

We would still have Murphy stumbling about the midfield instead of Alonso.

Gerrard would have gone to Chelsea for the start of this season, because let's face it, winning the CL is the thing that kept him here and Houllier wouldn't have won it.

Owen would still have gone to Madrid, I don't believe Houllier would have made a difference to this, Owen was stalling on his contract while Houllier was still here so he obviously knew he was going.

We may have been seeing the best of Cisse right now as Houllier's tactics play to his strengths

And Valencia would probably have won the champions league last season under Benitez instead of us!

Bottom line is Houllier had to go when he did. He'd lost the fans, the board and probably most of the dressing room. Couldn't have taken us any further
:no

by **bigmick** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:14 pm

Some really intersting posts but not many have picked up on the main thrust of my thinking, which was the Cisse question. As Houllier is long gone and never actually got to manage Cisse, it seems that he has escaped almost scot free in many peoples eyes for the signing of the big Frenchman. Were he still here, there would be nowhere to hide unless Djibril's form was vastly different to what we have seen sofar. Thiough we paid the ridiculous sum of 14 million for his services, Rafa never signed him and Houllier isn't here anymore so it seems it was nobody's fault. Unfortunately when it comes to our transfer dealings over the last 15 years, it never is anybody's fault.

by **Sabre** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:36 pm

not many have picked up on the main thrust of my thinking, which was the Cisse question

That's because you were **right** about Cisse. If I wrote a post every time I agree with you lot, I'd be a Super Elite member by now. :laugh:

Sabre

by **Ace Ventura** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:38 pm

bigmick wrote:Some really intersting posts but not many have picked up on the main thrust of my thinking, which was the Cisse question. As Houllier is long gone and never actually got to manage Cisse, it seems that he has escaped almost scot free in many peoples eyes for the signing of the big Frenchman. Were he still here, there would be nowhere to hide unless Djibril's form was vastly different to what we have seen sofar. Thiough we paid the ridiculous sum of 14 million for his services, Rafa never signed him and Houllier isn't here anymore so it seems it was nobody's fault. Unfortunately when it comes to our transfer dealings over the last 15 years, it never is anybody's fault.

The point your making mate i didn't spot but its a good one.
It is annoying that nobody is really accountable for the size of the transfer fee for Cisse.
But tbh i think the board need to be held partly responsible..they sanctioned a deal for a player (a record transfer) on the managers recomendation when they were not even sure about the manager.
Unless there was an agreement signed well before hand, which is possible.
Either way shocking business to agree to sign a player so far before he actually comes imo.

by **JBG** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:55 pm

Interesting Mick.

I think Houllier say Cisse as the player that would save his job. He was Houllier's biggest signing and Gerard was prepared to sell one of his former favourites, Emile Heskey, to make room for Cisse.

The thing is, we'll never know what would have happened, but I suspect Cisse would have been pretty successful in Houllier's counter attacking game plan.

by **Lando_Griffin** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 6:01 pm

We'd have been lucky to finish in the top half last season if GH had been in charge and we'd have had the same amount of injuries. He wouldn't have signed Alonso or Garcia.
I'd say we were on the slide under Houllier. Too much money wasted on rubbish.

by **A.B.** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 8:29 pm

Somebody mentioned[well quite a few] that we would had finished fourth last season if Houllier was manager. I'm not entirely too sure about that, main reason being is that the heavy injuries we had last season. At one point of time we had all of our strikers injured.

We were stripped to the bone and I don't know if Houllier could had gotten us in 4th with those kind of circumstances.

by **greenred** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:21 pm

Benitez would have gotten us to fourth last season if we didnt have the minor distraction of Euro quarter finals,semi finals,and final to worry about.We only finished three points behind Everton after all.

by **A.B.** » Fri Oct 07, 2005 9:25 pm

That too. The players last year said that after we knocked out Juventus, they all focused on the Champions League. And who can blame them? None of them ever won the CL before and it was possibly one in a lifetime opportunity.

by **hobbes** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 2:47 am

If he was still around we would be relegated

by **66-1112520797** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:54 am

JBG wrote:Interesting Mick.

I think Houllier say Cisse as the player that would save his job. He was Houllier's biggest signing and Gerard was prepared to sell one of his former favourites, Emile Heskey, to make room for Cisse.

The thing is, we'll never know what would have happened, but I suspect Cisse would have been pretty successful in Houllier's counter attacking game plan.

Just before he was sacked Houllier made one last attempt to sway the board and fans by selling Emile Heskey, he was under pressure and he new his job was on the line, and tried to make some sort of scape-goat of Emile by selling him off.

In the meantime Cisse was set to join and the deal was complete.It was a strange situation really because Houllier got the boot a few days later and then Cisse strolled in through the door.
So I guess in all fairness we will never know whether Houllier could of got a more out of Cisse than Rafa currently is.
I believe though Houllier would of stuck by Cisse the same way Rafa has stuck by Morientes.
Again if the board had any incling that they were gonna sack Houllier then why let the Cisse deal go through ?

by **Houllier=LFC** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:56 am

He seems to be doing well now, his team even beat Real Madrid by a big margin.

by **Houllier=LFC** » Sat Oct 08, 2005 3:58 am

Yes i dont know if any of you guys can recall, Cisse before joining us said he would only be coming over if Houllier is still the manager.

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If houllier had stayed - Where would we be now?

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