Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Fri May 21, 2004 2:08 pm

According to the liverpool echo, the club have been bombarded with applications for the manager's post, even though a decision on Gerard Houllier's future won't be revealed until next week.

And emerging as an early front-runner to take over should Houllier depart is Valencia's Rafael Benitez.

No decision on Houllier, (right), is likely this weekend.

It will be next week before a statement is made by the club either retaining his services or bringing Houllier's six-year reign to an end.

As speculation grows, representatives of several managers interested in the post have been trying to contact Liverpool officials.

The Reds are refusing to enter any such discussions. They have too much respect for the boss to openly court the attention of other managers while Houllier is still in charge.

But it has been an eyeopening few days for board members as potential successors manoeuvre into position.

Interested parties were pushing candidates' names forward in number even before it emerged Houllier's position was under review.

Benitez is believed to be desperate to meet Liverpool and discuss a possible move to Anfield.

Having led Valencia to a championship and UEFA Cup double this season, he's eyeing the chance to test himself in the Premiership.

Benitez began his coaching career with Real Madrid where he trained the 'B' side. He moved to Tenerife before success-fully moving to Valencia.

Whether Liverpool would recruit a European coach with a proven track record or go for someone with Premiership experience is another matter.

Charlton's Alan Curbishley is highly-rated, for example, but it would represent a risk to recruit someone who is unproven at such a huge club as Liverpool.

Porto's Jose Mourinho is also being touted by his representatives, but he's still favourite to join Chelsea when Claudio Ranieri is sacked.

With European knowledge, a track record and Premiership experience, it could be Ranieri who fits the bill at Anfield best of all should the board find itself in a position where they're seeking a new boss.

Is it me or are people counting their chickens before they hatch?

by **ckay** » Fri May 21, 2004 2:16 pm

Not really Stu, I posted my CV last night.

by **Boocity** » Fri May 21, 2004 2:23 pm

I like ranieri but he does make some howlers like in the CL. He also changes the team around too often for my liking. How is Curbishley going to prove himself if he does not get considered for a bigger club??

by **blind** » Fri May 21, 2004 2:29 pm

Boocity wrote:I like ranieri but he does make some howlers like in the CL. He also changes the team around too often for my liking. How is Curbishley going to prove himself if he does not get considered for a bigger club??

i agree with you there mate Curbishly is stuck in a rut he just cannot get out of with out getting charlton relegated as for Ranieri i think he would be a good choice if Houllier went as he knows the Prem an is such a genuine guy that you cannot slag him off he has to be the most dignified manager in football to have gone through the sh*t he has delt with this season and still be able to hold his hands up and say he screwed up the tactics like when he did in the CL that takes balls!

by **stmichael** » Fri May 21, 2004 2:32 pm

Boocity wrote:How is Curbishley going to prove himself if he does not get considered for a bigger club??

i think curbishley has already proved himself by not only getting charlton up, but by consolidating their position and improving each season. i think a lot depends on how much money he is given to spend in the summer.

in my opinion the guy cannot take charlton any further than he already has. i think only fergie has been at his respective club longer. curbishley for me has a proven track record of getting the best out of players and he also gets his teams playing football in the right way. just imagine what he could do with the likes of kewell, baros, diouf etc.

the guy is also very shrewd in the transfer market with cheap quality buys such as di canio, holland. the way he handled the whole scott parker incident was exemplary aswell. for me he deserves a chance at a big club, and lets face it, it doesn't come any bigger than lfc.

by **Boocity** » Fri May 21, 2004 2:48 pm

Totally agree, gotta say I would prefer him to MON and MacLaren is ex scum so that could be a problem

by **Owzat** » Fri May 21, 2004 3:45 pm

stmichael wrote:i think curbishley has already proved himself by not only getting charlton up, but by consolidating their position and improving each season. i think a lot depends on how much money he is given to spend in the summer.

in my opinion the guy cannot take charlton any further than he already has. i think only fergie has been at his respective club longer. curbishley for me has a proven track record of getting the best out of players and he also gets his teams playing football in the right way. just imagine what he could do with the likes of kewell, baros, diouf etc.

the guy is also very shrewd in the transfer market with cheap quality buys such as di canio, holland. the way he handled the whole scott parker incident was exemplary aswell. for me he deserves a chance at a big club, and lets face it, it doesn't come any bigger than lfc.

Dario Gradi still at Crewe?

I don't doubt Curbishley has done a good job at Charlatan as has Redknapp at Portsmouth and previously at West Ham and O'Neill at Leicester, but getting the best out of average footballers isn't what is required to win titles. The Premiership is a joke with teams like Bolton finishing high, the strength of the Premiership is highly questionable. Who are the strong teams? spurs? Aston Villa? Newcastle? Blackburn? Man City? Boro? Put them in Europe and they are very ordinary indeed, sometimes against weak opposition.

To look at the table and say such and such a manager has done well on a small budget is rather overlooking other factors such as the money squandering of other managers, the lack of motivational and managerial skills at other clubs and how some teams can perform above themselves at the expense of better teams. Everton are a prime example - last season most people I knew rated Moyes highly, this season Everton finished 17th. Did he become a bad manager overnight? Same squad, same spending capacity. We gifted Charlatan six points, take those away and they'd be sat down in joint 12th instead of 7th. As for O'Neill's Premiership record - Kinnear managed a better Premiership finish with Wimbledon and Redknapp with West Ham. Even Moyes managed 7th last season.

Just because a manager can "get the best out of players" and do without massive spending, doesn't mean they'll automatically do well at a bigger club. Hoddle and Keegan are two muppets who did well at clubs without much money and managed to waste money at bigger clubs

by **stmichael** » Fri May 21, 2004 3:52 pm

owzat, who do you realistically want as the next manager of lfc?

by **Sean** » Fri May 21, 2004 3:54 pm

Here are my top 3 choices (in order of preference) if the managers job becomes available:

1. King Kenny
2. John Toshack
3. Martin O'Neill

What are yours ?

by **Owzat** » Fri May 21, 2004 3:55 pm

Realism would depend on me being in contact with the candidates which I am obviously not

Speculating it might be O'Neill, Maurinho, Hitzfeld, Cappello etc won't get us anywhere. What I am certain of is we won't win the title with Houllier in charge so I see little point in keeping him

by **XSD** » Fri May 21, 2004 3:59 pm

stmichael wrote:And emerging as an early front-runner to take over should Houllier depart is Valencia's Rafael Benitez.

That would be awesome

by **Dalglish** » Fri May 21, 2004 11:57 pm

I've been saying for ages Alan Curbishley and you lot laughed me out of here !!!!

Don;'t talk to me about not having had experience of a "big" club , neither did Kenny, Paisly, Shankly etc.....

AC would be ideal for LFC, his handling of Di Cannio this season after Di Cannio's Soap Opera season with West ham was a masterclass of man management AND Di cannio didn't play every game before you think he just gave in to Paulo.

His transfer of Scott Parker ( A palyer he nurtured himself) and getting £10 Million PLUS An excellent prospect Carlton Cole as well was superb financial maangement

He has taken Charlton to within a whisker of European Football next season and on a shoestring budjet which is a fraction of what teams like LFC, Spurs, Boro, Blacburn, Villa and others have spent.

He;s done the DOUBLE over Liverpool this season.

He's superb with the media and has the respect of almost everyone in football.

Finally we already have a MILAN why not an AC ?

Liverpool FC Forum

Manager applications - A bit premature?

Who is online