Again maybe Babel wasn't good enough? Again, fringe players who aren't good enough for the first XI will get demoralised naturally?
But don't you think the manager of Liverpool FC has more responsibility than that? That he should be sensitive to the fact he's carrying a historic torch temporarily and should be passing it on burning as brightly?
I do indeed - but he came to a club with an awful squad. He left it a much better squad with far more recent history than when he arrived. He's donated to the Hillborough fund and several other local funds relating to the club. He's a bigger Liverpool fan than Hodgson will ever be and far, far more in touch with being a red than Woy will ever be.
Football wise had he not been forced to work on a shoestring in his last two seasons (making more than he spent) whilst clubs catching us up spent more than ever in their history, I have no doubt that we would still be in the top 3.
Decent net spend up until 2008. Great results until 2009 including closest title challenge since the EPL. Net spend has been negative since then and what has happened to results? A strong correlation I think.
What I will accept is that 7th with last seaso's squad was an under acvhievement. But when you compare spend on transfers and wages to those above us it's actually far closer to where we "should" be.
Fergie does this brilliantly at Man U. He's got living legends playing at Old Trafford like Giggs, Scholes, Neville etc along with potential legends that have been bedded into the team over a number of years like Fletcher, Rooney, Nani etc...And even newer guys coming in to learn the United way from a solid infrastructure of committed United die-hards. Ronaldo was there for like 7 years and left with a heavy heart.
Apples and pears I'm afraid. You're comparing a side that can offer more wages, higher transfer fees and more trophies year on year. That aside, I am more than happy with the loyalty of players like Gerrard, Carragher, Kuyt, Torres (Liverpool fan before he came), Reina, Agger (who could have gone to Milan), Johnson (who could have chosen Chelsea) and Cole (who could have gone to most top EPL clubs) - how many loyal players do you want?
Ferguson has had the likes of the following go in recent years: Heinze, Ronaldo, Tevez and now nearly Rooney.
So back to these players Benitez has improved. Where is Alonso, Mascherano, Finnan, Hyypia? Because Liverpool FC aren't benefitting from his investment to make them better. In fact who has Benitez ever bought who has been at the club for 5 years? The goalie?
This is so lol. Well Finnan and Hyypia were moved on in their twilight years after great LFC service. So I don't get your point? Alonso was touted about after 2 BAD seasons for us and inevitably left the year after when he'd had a great season. Obviously this was a mistake by Benitez.
As for players who have been around 5 years I don't get what point you're trying to make? We've gone from upgrade to upgrade as we can blow 17m on the likes of Anderson or Carrick. Hamann, Biscan, Gerrard, Murphy > Hamann, Alonso, Gerrard, Biscan,> Alonso, Sissoko, Gerrard, Hamann, > Alonso, Mascherano, Gerrard, Sissoko etc Josemi, Kromkamp, Arbeloa, Johnson, etc Baros, Cisse, Bellamy, Crouch, Torres - again the failing being the withdrawl of funds when the squad was really close to being very good. Were there mistakes? Yes. Alonso, Keane (although this is mostly Rick Parry) etc but year on year up until 2009 you will see a marked improvement in the squad.
It is too easy and misguided to say why did you sell Bellamy/Crouch/Sissoko/insert name here - we needed the money for our upgrades. Simple as that.
So in the 6 years of general happiness how did he add to the heritage of the club and build on those foundations? Yeah he churned a load of mediocre players through the club and made a few quid on some but didn't that dilute the honour of playing for the club at the same time and lead to this current non plus attitude from many?
He won trophies? He had a youth side that won back to back FA Cups? We've won the reserve league with a youth side? We went from 5th place finishers to 4 points from being champions on a budget of £14m net per season (I challenge you to show me who else has done something similar in the premier league era bar Arsene Wenger who for me is a genius)
At one stage we had a side that contained a world's top 3 gk, a miserly defence (the best in the EPL at the time) possibly the best ball playing CM in the league (definitely top 3 in the world) a brilliant defensive CM, the league's top central AM and one of the world's best strikers (when fit) when he was still being funded.
How is upgrading year on year, to get to this stage, becuase you don't have the budget to fill a first XI full of superstars bad management?
After 6 years of Rafa who is the heart and soul of Liverpool? Still Gerrard and Carra? Fuck me. The guy can get temporary success but doesn't give a feck about what happens after he's gone.
No he's left us Torres, Reina, Johnson, Agger, Kuyt, instead of Dudek, Carragher at RB, Biscan, Murphy, Baros - hopefulls like Pacheco, Suso, Ince, Shelvey and Wilson instead of Vignal, Le Tallec, Mellor, Traore
If you think he doesn't care you really have no idea what you're talking about. You are just guessing. (EDIT: He gives more of a shit than McManaman, Lawrenson, Evans, Redknapp and Souness - some of which are "legends" you mention above)
I didn't really see Valencia kick on after he left citing problems with the owners and I'm sure he'll do well in the short-term at Inter but will have problems with the owners and gg to them afterwards. Yeah so 5 happy years where he kinda destroyed the legacy of Liverpool with Hodgson now conveniently carrying the can for him.
Lol so he leaves Valencia after 2 league titles and a Uefa Cup and it's his fault they didn't win more after? You do realise you're arguing for him here? Do you know when they last won La Liga before he arrived? He is seen as one of the best managers in the world by most of Europe for his achievements there - I'm really at a loss as to how this can be used to argue that he's done something wrong?
What legacy are you talking about? The one where we last won the league in 1990? Oh that's right the legay you grew up watching. It ended in 1990! He arrived into a club on the decline facing financial constraints and people outspending us left right and centre, an unbeaten Arsenal side, endless millions at Chelsea and the force that is Man Utd. In that time he won more trophies than Wenger (often overlooked) fought very hard for the club against the owners, helped the community, and most importantly improved the side.
Hodgson, so far, has made the side worse. This is pretty undeniable. He was however working under the same restraints as Benitez so I am hoping he gets it right with some money on his side. But coming out after a 2-0 thumping at the hands of Everton and saying "it's the best we've played all season" or saying he's worried about Torres going to Utd is so far from the Liverpool way I fear he'll never be treated as maybe he should. There are threads all over LFC message boards right now saying exactly this - we like Hodgson, he's a nice guy etc etc but he's just so wrong for the club. Now there's a man really killing the Liverpool tradition.
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