Slipperduke
The Camden Cad
There was something entirely predictable about the news that George Gillett has already begun to apportion blame for Liverpool's poor start to the season. Speaking to supporters before September's crushing 6-1 victory over Hull, their fourth league win on the bounce, the American announced, "If it's not getting better, it's not Gillett and Hicks, it's the manager, it's the scouting." Clearly, the man is a motivational genius. If it wasn't enough that the newspapers were beginning to pile on the pressure, now the owner is joining in.
I would love to see what would happen to Liverpool if Rafa Benitez left the club. Who would replace him? Would Jose Mourinho leave Inter Milan to take over a club with limited resources and a feuding boardroom? I don't think so. The big name Italians, Fabio Capello, Carlo Ancelotti, Marcelo Lippi and Giovanni Trapattoni are all in secure employment. The smart money would be on Gillett's friend Jurgen Klinsmann, a man with just one disappointing domestic season at Bayern Munich to his name. After that, we're in the realms of sentimental fantasy, relying on obsolete legends like John Toshack and Kevin Keegan.
Benitez may have his faults, but remember that he has been at the club since 2004, building a team who play in his own image. Liverpool are tight, disciplined, organised and cold. To dismantle that and replace it with something else would cost the club more money than they've got, even without the cost of paying off Benitez's new, extended contract. Put simply, Gillett can say whatever he wants to supporters, he can't afford to do anything about it.
But if he, or his partner Tom Hicks, would like to hear some alternative explanations for Liverpool's underwhelming start to the season, then perhaps I can help? Success in football, you see, is brought about by strong, unified leadership, money and excellent team spirit. And a bit of luck. So where does that leave Liverpool?
Strong, unified leadership? Well, Gillett and Hicks can't stand to be in the same room together and they routinely sit 20 seats away from each other on the rare occasion that they're both in town for matchday. So we're coming up short there.
Money? Hmmm, not much better. Kop Football, Liverpool's parent company, lost GBP42.6m last year as a result of crippling interest payments from the leveraged buy-out that landed one of England's most famous clubs with a debt that couldn't be cleared even if the entire squad was sold off in January. Liverpool only seem to be able to spend what they bring in, which means they can't sign the two or three world class players who could make them title contenders. Not without losing two or three world class players first anyway.
Team spirit? That's the biggest deficiency of all. Anyone looking for reasons to explain Liverpool's disappointing start to the season might want to ask themselves why one of the co-owners was briefing against the team manager to influential supporters groups. As any management consultant will tell you, when personal pride and ego comes before the group objective, failure is inevitable. Benitez may not be the perfect manager and he certainly isn't blameless for this start, but my word, he's not the worst thing about Liverpool Football Club. Not by a long way.
I would love to see what would happen to Liverpool if Rafa Benitez left the club. Who would replace him? Would Jose Mourinho leave Inter Milan to take over a club with limited resources and a feuding boardroom? I don't think so. The big name Italians, Fabio Capello, Carlo Ancelotti, Marcelo Lippi and Giovanni Trapattoni are all in secure employment. The smart money would be on Gillett's friend Jurgen Klinsmann, a man with just one disappointing domestic season at Bayern Munich to his name. After that, we're in the realms of sentimental fantasy, relying on obsolete legends like John Toshack and Kevin Keegan.
Benitez may have his faults, but remember that he has been at the club since 2004, building a team who play in his own image. Liverpool are tight, disciplined, organised and cold. To dismantle that and replace it with something else would cost the club more money than they've got, even without the cost of paying off Benitez's new, extended contract. Put simply, Gillett can say whatever he wants to supporters, he can't afford to do anything about it.
But if he, or his partner Tom Hicks, would like to hear some alternative explanations for Liverpool's underwhelming start to the season, then perhaps I can help? Success in football, you see, is brought about by strong, unified leadership, money and excellent team spirit. And a bit of luck. So where does that leave Liverpool?
Strong, unified leadership? Well, Gillett and Hicks can't stand to be in the same room together and they routinely sit 20 seats away from each other on the rare occasion that they're both in town for matchday. So we're coming up short there.
Money? Hmmm, not much better. Kop Football, Liverpool's parent company, lost GBP42.6m last year as a result of crippling interest payments from the leveraged buy-out that landed one of England's most famous clubs with a debt that couldn't be cleared even if the entire squad was sold off in January. Liverpool only seem to be able to spend what they bring in, which means they can't sign the two or three world class players who could make them title contenders. Not without losing two or three world class players first anyway.
Team spirit? That's the biggest deficiency of all. Anyone looking for reasons to explain Liverpool's disappointing start to the season might want to ask themselves why one of the co-owners was briefing against the team manager to influential supporters groups. As any management consultant will tell you, when personal pride and ego comes before the group objective, failure is inevitable. Benitez may not be the perfect manager and he certainly isn't blameless for this start, but my word, he's not the worst thing about Liverpool Football Club. Not by a long way.
