Andy Carroll and Liverpool's philosophy

The biggest thing in football is money, we all know it. Peter Crouch comes close, Wayne Rooney’s vocabulary comes close, but money is what makes the game go round.

Any owner of a club, such as Mr J W Henry, will want to see returns on their investments. Of course they would, that’s fair enough, but sometimes I do sit and ponder whether money hamstrings football too much.

I’ve often heard it called moneyball, and there’s a lot of truth in this. When an owner invests a lot of money in a player, they expect that player to play, and when that player doesn’t play well, or doesn’t fit a system, then who has the ultimate say?

In a perfect world, the football man does. But as Rafa Benitez found out continually through his career, you can’t bite the hand that feeds you, or you’ll get a slap.

When I watch Andy Carroll play, this quandary always pops into mind. I see the team change, our brainless defenders (Agger and Johnson excluded) see it as an easy way out, and I worry that because he’s the most expensive British player ever, ‘he has to play’.

Now, I know he’s young, and new, and I think he will score a lot of goals for Liverpool, but I would hope that the manager (presumably Dalglish) will have the power and sway to dictate the team’s style on a game-by-game basis.

There will be some games where playing Carroll won’t be as effective. While I am sure he will improve as a player over the next few years, his style of play won’t. He will always be a target man, and not in the Drogba mould, because quite simply he lacks the pace.

Liverpool must concentrate on avoiding building a team solely to suitaro Andy Carroll, as has been mooted, but build a team based on a philosophy of good football, and ensure that Carroll fits that philosophy.

Lots of chit-chat and conjecture has bandied about the airwaves and internet-waves [cit] about buying wingers for Carroll. If that was to be our ‘aim’ then we would be seriously undermining our chances of long-term success. Carroll is still an unknown quantity. He has raw assets that should be exploited, and a good crosser would of course be a great acquisition, but any incoming wingers (Sylvain Marveaux looks set to join) I would hope they have a lot more about them than just being able to stick the ball on Andy Carrol’s head.

My concerns are obviously hypothetical, Liverpool may well have a grand plan for the summer, but as mentioned above, would the sheer price of Carroll have too much influence on the way the team thinks and plays?

Liverpool’s problem isn’t the players, it’s the mentality. Too little movement, not enough imagination. We don’t press high up the pitch like we used to, and if we win the ball in midfield, there’s only usually two people in front of play. To break teams down, you have to be ready to pounce, quickly and ruthlessly.

All of the teams who play on that ‘higher level’, have an amazing fluidity about them that allows interchangeable positions making them a nightmare for defenders. By focusing entirely on Andy Carroll, we allow ourselves to fall into dependency. Everybody will know where Carroll will play, and how we will play to him.

Who knows? Maybe Andy Carroll’s biggest role could be to play the worlds most expensive red herring. By using Carroll not as a goal scorer, but as a goal creator (i.e. making space, runs, dragging defenders away) Liverpool can take advantage of this space.

The biggest trouble Liverpool have had for the last two years is finding players who can create space. We’re too static, and Andy Carroll surely falls into that bracket. But, it can work.

To utilize a player of Carroll’s ability, we need strong runners from midfield and players who know when to go and when to stay, a footballing brain can never be underestimated. Meireles has shown he has the potential to do it, but he can’t be relied upon solely.

Kuyt doesn’t have the legs any more and Suarez is still too early in his career at Liverpool and must be given time. Although his direct style and unpredictable nature make him a handful for any team, I’m sure he will help the ‘dream’ of beautiful football along nicely.

In summary, I hope and expect Andy Carroll to be a success at Liverpool FC. I just hope that Liverpool play to LIVERPOOL’S strengths, and not Andy Carroll’s.

Andy Carroll should be a weapon wielded in a way to allow a warrior to move freely, not a weapon too heavy to be swung, rendering our metaphorical warrior over incumbent.

@onlychrissevers

Putting the wings back on the Liverbird

Putting the wings back on the Liverbird.

Those of us with our souls buried deep in everything Liverpool FC have seen many revolutions in the last 20 years.
Changes have been made and remade and new promises broken along with hearts.
The latest revolution though, so far, seems to be the big one, we can only hope.
It is of course far too early to start placing eggs in baskets. After two losses, one draw and four wins, Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool are getting their balance back.

The mixed messages and utter myths blurted out during Hodgson’s reign from each and every angle are forever being busted with each passing day under Kenny Dalglish. When Hodgson couldn’t get the team motivated, people blamed Rafa. They said he left Roy with an impossible task. Now Kenny has them winning and looking like a team again, it’s no longer anything to do with Rafa, now the talk is of Champions League football, who would have thought it?

Of course, those who actually watched and analysed a game in the last 10 years could see that Rafa Benitez had the best interests of the club at heart and had the ability and most importantly the vision to deliver. However, the impact of Hicks, Gillett and Purslow on the club is often overlooked by pundits and journalists.

Most reports on Liverpool, such as a recent piece in the Independent by James Lawton with Ian St. John, is nothing but laziness. They haven’t researched the depth of the problems brought by the owners, so they don’t feel comfortable talking about it. Instead, it’s too easy to blame Benitez and to overlook the evidence in favour of tired old sayings.

There’s been a lot of change recently though, and it looks as though loose ends have been cut.
Roy Hodgson has left, allowing players with flair and talent to rediscover their form such as Agger and Johnson. A rigid 4-4-2 has been cast aside to a fluid, interchangeable formation not seen since the hopefuly days that seem so long ago yet were only in the 08-09 season.
Kenny is hear now and I would be surprised if there was any player who wasn’t behind the manager.

Liverpool were, and still could be, in danger of becoming uncompetitive for a long time.
Credit to Fenway Sports Group though, they made a crucial decision and changed the manager, a new wave of optimism is running through the club.
I admit that, going into the Chelsea match, I thought a positive result would be unlikely, but after 20 minutes my fears were laid to rest. There was a confidence in Liverpool, and a determination and belief that we would not be beat and that we were not inferior.
Players previously derided, Lucas, Johnson and Kuyt all stepped up to be counted.

Lucas Leiva is the epitome of the clubs fortunes over the last few years. He had to overcome harsh and often unnecessary criticism from a lot of people.
I feel that at times, Liverpool fans shamed themselves in their treatment of the Brazilian and I hope that now, his quality, composure and drive will convince those, including ex-pros who said he should never wear the shirt, of his right to be at Anfield.
At just 23 the young midfielder has a lot of time still to develop in a position where players often find themselves peaking in their late 20’s.

As Lucas changes opinions, the team itself are changing opinions.
After the Torres departure, Liverpool and it’s owners where at a crossroads.
This time last year, that £50 million would have been syphoned off to service debts, only a percentage would have been re-invested. Now though, the entirety of it was reinvested.
This puts the power back in the hands of the football people and not the Chief Executive.

Now we see the media are starting to jump on the bandwagon. Talk of the Champions League may be premature, and I don’t think Liverpool fans should expect it now, we are probably too late, but if we continue in the same vein then I think next season the Kop should raise it’s expectations.

If we can catch Spurs, who have a game in hand, that could give us a 9-point gap to reduce in 12 games, then the tide will be in our favour come the summer. The lasting feeling at the end of the season will be one of rejuvenation and that will be important for attracting players and keeping players.

Champions League football is of course the goal, and so is a title challenge. You don’t need to be in the Champions League to challenge for the league though.
The damage this season has more than likely been done by early mistakes, but, if we can go into the summer with good momentum then with some decent investment this team may not be so far from a league win as people thought just two months ago, including myself.

We have a potential forward line that could score goals consistently for the next 5 years at least, and with some shrewd buying in other areas, Liverpool could find themselves an underdog for the league in 2012.

Man United this season have shown that you don’t need to be at your brilliant best to find yourself in a title battle come May. You don’t always need to beat the ‘Top 4’, you just need to beat the other 15 teams in the league and Liverpool should feel that they’re capable of doing that.

In the last two years, Liverpool’s biggest rival has been itself.
Struggling, infighting and disharmony have destabilized the club but now, after the decontamination of the last 6 months, Liverpool can take a big gulp of fresh air and push forward.

So now many fans are asking ‘how far can we go under Dalglish?’.
A king must always be at the top of his game and when Kenny’s been involved that’s where he generally finds himself, so why not be at the top once more, looking down on those who can only come close to him. Like a true king, and the legend he has forged for himself.

Kenny has unclipped the wings of the Liverbird and, at last, the future looks bright.

By Chris Severs

My Long Hard Fight With Terminal Football

My Long Hard Fight With Terminal Football.

After another round of heartbreak, deflation and frustration for Liverpool fans, I’m once again pondering the imponderable and trying so hard to foresee the future that I’m getting a headache.

What was a bright first half against a lively Atletico Madrid slowly became a painful death by the end of 120 minutes. Despite Liverpool looking competitive and Aquilani instigating some nice 1-touch passing, the Atletico keeper never had much to do.

On the subject of Aquilani, he seemed to have a nickname amongst some of my red neighbours; Yourshit Wasteoftwentymillion I think they were calling him. A game of football quickly descended into swearball as fans abandoned brain cells to shout aimless swear words at the big green pitch in front of them. One loving father, who had brought his young son to the game, seemed to be suffering from a terrible case of Tourrette’s.

If someone covered my eyes and I listened to the fans to try and decipher what was going on i think the first goal would’ve sounded something like this: Fuckoffyou played it out right to Fuckingrunwithit who knocked it on to Masch who swept the ball into the box before Yourshit Wasteoftwentymillion guided the ball home. It was hard for me not to bask in Aquilani’s glory while staring at his ignoramus detractors.

Throughout the whole second half, anxiety crept in while Gerrard and Lucas never seemed to make it to the second half for one reason or another, leaving Liverpool to play on with 9 men. Once extra time rolled around only Atletico seemed up for it, low and behold, up popped Fuckingrunwithit who drilled a ball past the keeper leaving Anfield with hope of glory... and then...

Nope. Just no. Don’t even think about having a good season. It was never going to happen. Two ex Premiership rivals in Reyes and Forlan combined to ultimately send Atletico through and put Liverpool back in their place, leaving us to end the game with a whimper and not a decent shot on target.

After the game, my initial reaction was one of deflation, but by the time I’d made it to the car I’d calmed down and realised that change is in the air at Liverpool and this season is just what we needed. What’s happened this season is too many players have sulked, too many players have been injured and our squad depth has been exposed. After a stuttering start, I feel as though the bigger characters in the dressing room have failed to shake off any lingering doubts and as a result have failed to lift the dressing room.

It almost feels as though Liverpool were diagnosed with a terminal disease early in the season, since then we’ve gradually got weaker, lost belief and in an unfortunate set of circumstance, become bitter and twisted knowing our luck is out.

We’ve been looking for a cure though, the Maxi drug seemed to help a little, but all it’s done is subdue the pain, the despairing feeling remains, looming over us as though there’s nothing left for us to achieve.

By October we’d written our will and wished everyone the best, a Europa League cup chance gave us false hope of recovery, but we were shot down just when we thought we just might...

I’m sick of it though, sick of being sick and watching a sick team play sick football. I think it’s contagious, it happens on the pitch and it spreads like Swine Flu into the stands. I don’t wanna die Football-God, please! Just let me live through this season and I’ll repent.

With the Yanks finally out (or so we hope), I see light on the horizon, maybe we’re over the worst of it, maybe Dr Benitez has found a cure and he’s just waiting for the summer to administer the treatment. I see Rafa as unspectacular, but steady, methodical and astute, for this I put my faith in him to turn it around. Just one last season, one last hoorah for Rafa to show us what he can really do, that’s what I want.

With a bit of luck, and a spit shine here and there, this season could be a wake-up call and players who maybe thought they’d made it, should take a long hard look at themselves. What has been a problem this season has been the clubs reputation in the media, players like Babel, Riera and Carragher have not helped things this season. Regardless of their intentions, speaking to the press in any way can only lead to bad things, I wouldn’t throw those dogs a bone never mind a nice juice quote to manipulate.

I think Rafa, if he stays, has a big job at hand to pull the dressing room in order, it feels as though cliques may have formed and with Gerrard and Carragher allegedly losing faith in Benitez, I can only hope that they grow up and sort out it out. If it is true of course, allegedly.

It should be remembered that we still have one of the best defences in the league this season, and Reina is once again on course for a Golden Gloves award. The loss of experienced pro’s like Hyyppia, Alonso and Arbeloa has affected team moral, but we’re a team of grown men and the show must go on.

At the moment, even though our season is in tatters, we are not far away from cracking it, it’s fine tuning that’s missing and creative experience. I’m positive that next year Maxi and Aquilani will play a big role in our title push. Players with game intelligence will become ever more important to us because I feel as though too many of our players literally haven’t got a clue. Kuyt, Babel and Carragher, for all their effort, potential and commitment are so hopeless with the ball at their feet I almost blush with embarrassment, as though I’m watching a match just hoping I was the only person in the world who saw it.

If we get a decent amount of money to spend this summer, I hope that Rafa will distribute it wisely on 2 or 3 players at most. We aren’t in need of sweeping changes, just sweeping the dust off our footballing brains under that big red rug. It’s time now to take our medicine, accept that our fate isn’t in our hands (which it hasn’t been for decades) and hope we’re back to full health and rid of this terrible affliction by August!

By Chris Severs

I'll tell you what!

I’ll tell you what!

Bemused, perplexed, confused and flabbergasted. That’s pretty much the state of mind I’m in for the majority of my football related viewing. I spend most of my time trying to find reason in football related matters, which is of course, redundant.

I don’t know why I watch football, all it does is throw problems at me, and it seems to do that to everyone. The ‘Oxbridge’ boat race is on as I type this, and although pointless on the outside, it’s simplicity has a beauty to it that football doesn’t. It’s just a bunch of testosterone fueled toffs pulling on sticks for 15 minutes as hard as they can, simple, no?

When I compare this to football, to all the controversy, the cheating, the vulgarity of riches and the desolation of broken institutions, I have to wonder why I follow such an embarrassing calamity of a business. Like a cheap old whore coming out of retirement, football has threw on it’s lipstick, squeezed into it’s old heels, stuck some extensions in, splattered a bucket of foundation on it’s face and tried to pass itself off as a business. A recent report from Sid Lowe about the Spanish game is relevant to football in all of the major leagues (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2010/mar/28/barcelona-real-madrid-spain).

I used to be of the impression that once the whistle starts a game to when the whistle blows for full time then nothing else matters. This season however has highlighted that the blatant incompetence, hypocrisy and cheating is as abundant on the pitch as it is off the pitch. Watching Fernando Torres getting cynically kicked all over the park against Benfica on Thursday night was like watching a puppy sat outside in the rain looking back in at your warm toasty haven; completely disappointing, sad and overwhelmingly deflating.

I can’t put my finger on what the problem is, and I worry that if my finger ever came into contact with the problem then it would be quickly bitten off by whatever foul beast is responsible. If I was speculating (which I obviously am) then the root cause is likely to be money. It makes people greedy and at it certainly affects peoples judgments.

I’m starting to think there’s a simplicity in supporting a team that’s not in the media spotlight week in week out. Part of the infuriation that plagues most football fans is ‘expert’ opinion. Now I’m not going to get dragged down into a rant (again) on punditry but if I could leave a ticking suitcase anywhere in the world then watch out Sky Studios!

Back to football, I was very impressed with the hostile atmosphere created by the Benfica fans during our game, it’s a passion that is generally missing in England. I know Rafa came out and talked about our fans being the 12th man but lets be honest, we’re only up for a game a couple of times a year. For the rest of the games the stands are full of slack-jawed louts who don’t know their arses from their elbows and the only thing they’re experts on is the price of a pint. That isn’t exclusive to Liverpool of course, all around England the passionate fan is being replaced by the angry fan. There’s a subtle difference and too many people are blatantly missing the point.

Everybody’s an expert and especially with hindsight it’s easy to preach to others about ‘what you would have done’ but the fact is, nobody cares, because they’re too wrapped up in what they believe themselves. In a way that’s what makes the game so popular, the fact that everyone can have an opinion. What drags it down is the way those opinions escalate into widely held beliefs (fueled by anger) and then, heaven forbid, end up oozing out of Jamie Redknapps mouth.

Right now I’m watching Man City run riot at Turf Moore and although it’s apparent that Burnley are hurtling towards the comforting bosom of Championship Football.
It’s reassuring to see that the majority of Burnley fans are sticking by their team after conceding 4 goals in 20 minutes. I admire that in a strange sort of way, although admiring the brave is very similar to admiring the stupid.

With a touch of foresight, I’d like to remind those expecting some sort of ‘Kop roar’ against Benfica to not get your hopes up, I think you should find a CD of the Kop’s best chants and just throw that on. I fully expect (if Liverpool aren’t winning after 30 minutes) for a chorus of moans, groans and stale old shouts at the same old players so watch out Lucas and Mr Kuyt!

From now to the end of the season I’m going to try and grow a cocoon of ignorance were I’ll try my best to avoid all lager infused opinion and steer clear of any expert punditry. Bring on Eurosport and it’s excellent Eurogoals show! No opinion, just goals. Yes please.

ON THE DEFENSIVE

On the defensive.

Balance is an important word in the footballing world and depending on what side of the scales you’re on, the other side can look pretty good from a sunken position. At Liverpool, the weight of expectation and pressure can sink the balance of a team to all new lows.

This season, Liverpool have been in the proverbial gutters. From day one things haven’t gone to plan, a slumping defeat to Tottenham was an anti-climax to a summer of ego-building and shoulder patting. The country expected, the city expected and the team expected. Expectation can be a heavy burden and on shoulders that were broad yet fragile, it all came tumbling down on that first defeat.

From that moment, we have been searching for answers. Too many questions have been posed and not enough solutions gained. While any positives have been attributed to the players, especially Messrs Gerrard and Torres, all the negativity has landed at Rafael Benitez’ door.

In times of adversity, great leaders must step forward and be counted. This is where Rafa may have issues. His lack of animation and perceived passion some may say is a reason for the drab and lackluster displays. Too many of us are quick to highlight one reason or another, instead of looking at all the options available.

In a game of chess, one wrong move can take 20 recovery moves to correct, providing the game is still winnable. Liverpool this season haven’t had the time to stop and think of their next move. Each setback has been quickly followed by another and with every defeat, every injury crisis, the pressure builds.

Rafa, who adopts the charisma and attitude of a chess player, has a lot of moves to make to correct the mistakes. Although he is often tagged as lucky, this season has surely seen that supposed luck run dry and then some. We have to ask ourselves though, after the success of last year, the inevitable departure of Alonso and the restrictions on transfer budget, what would we have done? Without using hindsight, it would have taken a brave man to have doubted Rafa in the summer of 2009 when our League Championship seemed a matter of when not how.

In times of despair, some fans are wishing Rafa away, they want to see a man who can inspire the players through team talks, someone who can give the hairdryer and charm the press; they want a Mourinho. For me, that’s not the answer. Not only is it financially impossible, cutting chords now is not the way forward for Liverpool.

Rafa is not a media man, he would much rather be left to his own devices to work his ‘machine’ in the way he built it. He’s not popular in the pundit business, this could (on a hunch) be due to him not playing the quote game with journalists on Fleet Street. He’s not a ‘mans man’ either, like Allardyce, Ferguson or any ex pro turned manager. His lack of a playing career alienates him to ‘experts’ on TV. They often don’t understand his ways and decisions because he studied a different side of the trade to them.

Rafa was never a top flight player, this is why his attitude to players is distant and strictly professional. He was in no players union, he may not understand the frustrations of being rotated during a hot streak and he’s certainly not in the game to make friends. However, what he does understand is the science of football. Benitez is in the Arrigo Sacchi mould, a career cut short by a lack of ability never stopped Sacchi going on to be one of the games greatest coaches. From our perspective, the shit has hit the fan, but from an objective point of view, Benitez has won almost everything in the game at club level, his position among the greats is almost achieved, and still at a relatively young age.

One thing we have to steer clear of is the ignorant punditry and reporting that doubts Benitez ability as a coach and his understanding of the game. Sacchi was once questioned on his qualifications of being a manager since he had never played the game at the highest level, he responded “To be a great jockey one does not need to have been born a horse”.

When a team such as Liverpool has a bad season, each blow struck against us is analysed, disected and blown out of proportions. All of our faults are exposed and laid bare, it makes us a target for teams who fancy their 15 minutes and due to this we come up against opposition who in previous seasons would roll over. In the meantime, Rafa has been trying to plug holes in the pipe-work while trying to build an extension on the house, the team has found itself between a rock and a hard place.

The tactics employed by Benitez this season have come under much derision, his choice of player and formation have been questioned at every opportunity. Dirk Kuyt and Lucas Leiva have come under special scrutiny while players like Carragher and Gerrard have gotten away with sub-standard performances throughout the season.

Although it is wrong to criticize players who are the workers of a team and who’s work-rate cannot be questioned, it is fair to lay the blame at Benitez’ door. I am a staunch supporter of Benitez and am in favour of a long Benitez tenure, I have however been left frustrated by certain tactics and team selections this season. This frustration however, will not be enough to deter me from the long term goal that I still feel Rafa can achieve, and that of course is Liverpool clinching that Premier League Crown.

When everyone seems to be losing their heads, I’m happy that the man in charge has a cool, calculating and tactical head on him. To get us through this we need to have patience and belief, transferring this onto the pitch may be a tall order, but the players will feel a whole lot better if the 40,000 in the stands aren’t paying more attention to a mistake than a great pass.

The best thing we can do at the moment is remind ourselves that the man we have at the helm has revolutionized this club. The youth team especially are overlooked more than most, the brimming bowl of talent ready to spill over into the 1st team is an exciting thought for the future. However, thinking too far ahead could be dangerous and to use a Rafa cliché ‘we must only concentrate on the next game’.

Our descent into the mire has left us stuck in the mud, instead of writhing with anger that we can no longer win the league, I feel that as a group we need to simply ‘get over it’ and help push the team through to 4th place.

As soon as the team can shake loose the shackles of pressure and disappointment, we should be free to get back to what we know we’re good at and start strangling opposition teams into submission. That’s how we built the foundation of the last 5 years of progression and that’s the route we must return to in order to start the painful recovery.

We may no longer be in a position to gain a checkmate in this game, but a stalemate settling for 4th should be something to be proud of considering the seasons troubles. In order to grind out a stalemate a chess player must be willing to play a defensive game, thats something we need to get used to as a crowd for the rest of the season.


By Chris Severs