Sorry for the delay folks,
But by now, you would have read today's The New Paper for the Question of the Week.
There's still time to answer over the weekend of course...and it concerns Liverpool, whom we were calling Al-Liverpool not so long ago (Bye Bye sheikhs)
So here's The Postman's Question of the Week: What should Liverpool's new American owners (George Gillett and Tom Hicks) do to bring back the glory days for the Reds?
Reply by 3pm on Monday, in not more than 200 words, please (click link right for auto word counter).
Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here, or e-mail to The New Paper's sports desk under the title "Dear Postman".
At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
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33 comments:
A takeover could help bring the glory days back to Liverpool but it could depend on many factors, some of which can be controlled while others out of its control (see point 5)
Perhaps here are some of the reasons how Liverpool can attempt to bring the glory days back
1. Ensure continuity in both the playing squad and the management team. To be honest, Benitez, although he seems clueless at times about his tactics, has done a fair job if the number of trophies he has won is used as a criteria. But if the big prize (EPL) was used as a criteria, he would have flopped. But i guess the new owners would give him the time he needs after hearing from both Gerrard and Carra on him this week after the takeover. Familiarity breeds success. Even if he does fail to bring home the EPL title first time round, more patience should be given and ensure that he is not sacked straight away. As we can see the best example of a club's faith in a manager in Fergie who has evolved to become the most successful manager in British football. Who knows what could happen if Benitez continues into the future?
2. While keeping the management team constant, the owners have promised to provide plenty of transfer funds of the manager. The likes of Torres has been mentioned and if they do go through, Liverpool could be much closer to the likes of Man U and Chelsea next time round.
3. Do not run the club like a business. Continue to treat it like a football club. Do not sell your best players even if it means making a huge profit but weakening your squad.
4. Do not interfere with the running of club. We all know what happened at Hearts where the owner interfered and bought plenty of his countrymen even without the manager's interest (i think they were slovakians or something).
5. Provided both Man U and Chelsea stop progressing. Both Man U and Chelsea did not win immediately after their respective takeovers. I guess it takes time for the benefits of the takeover to set in. Plus Man U and Chelsea have a team that has been playing well together for ages while Liverpool has been adding lots and lots of players during each transfer window. With more time needed to gel together and build the required team spirit, I do not expect Liverpool to win the EPL straight away next season.
Cheers,
kel
Gillett and Hicks maybe are masters on the field of sports franchising business but on the real soccer pitch it will still be the business of manager and players so they shouldn't interfere with Benitez's drawing board or do any drastic chops and changes.
However from what I read on the profiles of these 2 new owners,I don't think they will interfere that much and Liverpool is in quite safe hands as Gillett is a man who respects his acquisitons' tradition and history as shown by the evidence of his NFL team,The Canadiens.His partner,Hicks on the other hand used to take hands-on approach on his baseball team,making some expensive big name flops and since then he learnt his lesson,that might just work well for Liverpool as the club can continue to develop without much obstacles from the new owners,what more with their history and tradition intact.
The new owners should do what they did for their assets in North America for Liverpool and that is trusting the people who know football and contribute funds for new players when deemed neccessary by the manager.Of course I'm not saying Liverpool should milk their new Yankee bosses,anyway these businessmen are shrewd when it comes to money issue.
Gillett and Hicks should also communicate and work out the future plans with the club people which include the management team whos running the club,Rafa and the players so that everyone will be assured for the club's and their own future as such acquisition could caused uncertainty within the club.
So far,everything looks good isn't it.So its goodbye Dubai and Hola America.
Cheers
Like any investment, Gillet’s and Hick’s main priority is to ensure their venture is profitable. They are savvy enough to realize that success on the field will breed success off it financially. Hence, they will do everything within their powers to make Liverpool great again.
A new stadium worthy of larger crowds is in order. While fans will miss the Anfield atmosphere, the higher gate receipts generated provides much needed income.
Expanding the fan-base through aggressive marketing in places previously untapped will also ensure Liverpool generate the revenue needed for future improvements.
Improving the scouting and youth development system is also essential. The cup performances against Arsenal highlight Liverpool’s lack of quality in the Reserves.
Bringing in quality youths capable of becoming first-team players will ensure Liverpool enjoys continued success on the pitch in the long run.
Crucially, Rafa needs to ensure he buys the right players worthy of wearing the Liverpool shirt. Strengthening the squad is vital as the master tactician needs players capable of complementing Gerrard as well as to execute the various systems he enjoys employing to suit the opponent.
Liverpool has always been a good side. Maybe they need this American touch to be great again.
What should Liverpool's new American owners do to bring back the glory days for the Reds?
I expect them to do a thorough study on the Reds and have the say on transfer dealings. Past managers have bought the wrong guys even Rafa (Krompkamp, some Spanish guys). This will ensure money will not be wasted.
The youth academy needs to be upgraded in detail. Remember guys from youth system such as Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen? Liverpool needs to produce the Gerrards and the Owens to blend with the guys the manager bought.
I hope the owners can get a manager that is linked to Liverpool in the past and bring back the traditional short-passing game they used to play. I used to love watching the likes of Wright passing to Barnes passing to Rush into goal!
The Manchester United fans used to hate the Glazers but now they kept quiet.The Glazers just did the 'underground things' linked to the club. I bet the new Liverpool owners will be doing the 'underground things' to the best of their ability to help the club progress. However, I still stress my earlier point of having a say in transfers. It's their money, isn't it?
Name: Qyaerus-Syahrein
Age: 25
Favourite Team: Chelsea
Shouldn’t the question be ‘What can Benitez do to bring back the glory days for Liverpool’ instead?
I feel that there isn’t much the owners can do on their part really. They only have to carry out what they’ve already promised so far: having the club’s interests as the top priority, ensuring continuity and stability at the club, and giving their utmost support to the manager.
By appointing departing Chairman David Moores as Lifetime President and Parry to continue as CEO at the club, the Americans definitely showed that they valued the experience they bring. It is also telling as to how they have emphasized on their belief in the “Rafa Benitez concept”, and will support whatever plans ‘genius’ Rafa has to present to them.
Still, I think that the person who will play the most important role in Liverpool’s future would be none other than the manager himself. Rafa now has the funds and support from all corners of the club to build a truly formidable Liverpool team, like those in the 70s and 80s. The challenge for him would be to spend the money wisely to find the missing puzzle pieces to complete that grand masterpiece.
(Oh, one last important thing the Americans also need to do would be to brush up on their football knowledge and start using the right terminology. We certainly don’t have “goal tenders” and “defence men” like in hockey, and I’d rather Liverpool was called a “soccer club” than a “franchise”!)
The owners are just the money supplier. There's nothing much for them to do to help Liverpool to bring back their glory days.
This is not the job of the owners to bring back the glory days. It is the job of the players and the managers!
Players now play for money instead for their teams. Even if they put up a poor performance, their salary wouldn't drop.
American management and motivational methods are the way revive past Liverpool glolries.
American tycoons will find out, why previously it was successful in winning European Cups and Championship titles, Liverpool players play for the team and not as individuals.
They will instil club loyalty, making sure players like Goalkeeper Dudek, who gave their best with undying loyalty with heroic displays of winning Champions League, to play every game instead of being relegated to play FA and Carling Cups.
New Owners must interfere with Benitez's team tactics, as proven being ineffective as shown through Liverpool's current League standing.
From: Chester Low
Liverpool board needs to support Rafa with enough capital. We need the capital to secure at least 1 superstar per season like the likes of Kaka, Messi, Torres, Villa, competing directly with Man U and Chelsea without the need to rely on whether they are "boyhood Liverpool fan"?!!
We also need a good core of British players can can help us in EPL such as Micah Richards, Aaron Lennon, Gabriel Agbonlahor to add steel, pace and width to Liverpool.
The new owners then need to give Rafa some time for his team to gel. They need to trust Rafa and Rick Parry and not meddle too much and risks turning it into a fiasco ala Mourinho-Shevchenko-Abramovich..
A string of domestic and European cup wins in the past 6 years is not a bad return for Liverpool. A lot of clubs would be delighted to be in Liverpool's shoes. But we are talking about the most successful side in English history and to be great, the current team needs to win the EPL.
We can discuss about the tangibles with the new stadiums and such but the only genuine problem Liverpool has is getting the right team balance and improving his squad depth. Rafa's transfer track record hasn't been great so even with a larger transfer kitty, he needs to ensure he gets the right players in, not just star names.
Not the Pennants or the Gonzalezs but quality players capable of cutting it in the English game as well as mixing it in the Continent.
Liverpool are only a handful of players short of becoming a great team. It all boils down to how efficiently Rafa uses this new found fortune.
Title talks for this season? No Way, not after losing to Newcastle 2-1.
Next season? Why not? The American owners just need to open their wallets and pay, pay and pay.
They do not need to interfere with Rafa's plans. I don't think the lost to Newcastle was the fault of Rafa.
ALthough I suggest that Rafa should play the same eleven every match if possible.
It builds them together as a squad, and they will know each other more well. Know waht they are thinking, know the game plan and so on.
The American owners are brought in to provide fundings for 1)The new 60,000-seater stadium. 2)Pay for big names to come to Liverpool. 3)Provide a larger warchest for Rafa.
And that's all, nothing more, nothing less. That's in my point of view anyway.
Its impossible to play the same eleven for every match, certainly not after a busy international week. This could explain the lacklustreness. I agree that the loss wasn't due to Benitez's fault because the Bellamy and Kuyt, Bellamy in particular had chances enough to finish the match many times over. But due to luck, poor finishing or over enthusiasm in getting one over the toon crowd, he only scored one.
Opening up the wallets to pay and pay will not guarantee you the title. You need to be able to keep the egos in check because not all will play every match. Ranieri was a classic case who failed to do so despite buying plenty of players. Though some could argue that his time was the gelling on period for his players, i feel that he lacked the manmanagement skills to keep those players together.
cheers,
kel
DIC vs Americanos.What happened behind closed door, is anyone's guess.Well it swayed to the Americanos.Liverpool are a club with a rich abundance of heritage and tradition, will they sell their souls to a bunch of shiekhs or to the free wheelin' americans?Did the chairman get more than the DIC offer?
The 2 American cowboys will support Rafa.Currently this Pool team is too one dimensional, relying on their wing play and high balls and lack consistency big time.Rafa has to think out of the box,stop buying spanish harlems and start buying wisely.Get rid of the antiques.Gerrard to many is a legend, but over-rated. To me,he can score crucial goals, and beautiful volleys, but is nothing more than a push and run player with grit and determination, than anything else.What has he done besides winning the CL with Pool,let alone England?
Rafa will be at the helm,but it remains to be seen if he can raise the bar at Pool or become another Manager.
"DIC vs Americanos.What happened behind closed door, is anyone's guess.Well it swayed to the Americanos."
An extra ₤8m did the trick.
Once again, Benitez's tactics and favouritism are the reasons in failure to bring back glory days. Under Benitez's total control, it shows current Liverpool are in no position to compete with Manchester United for EPL Crown.
Jose Reina, time and again, keep on conceding unnecessary mistake goals without being benched, allowed to be kept in goal because of Benitez showing favouritism.
Crouch and Kuyt combination, is most successful compare to other partnerships, being broken up to allow Benitez's another favourite muse to play.He happens to be another Peter Crouch, who needs 20 shots at goal in order to score one.That player is Craig Bellamy.
American owners must actively involve in team selection and tactics to ensure return of glorious days to Liverpool.
If not, Liverpool Fans Will Never Walk Alone Crying In Winless EPL Title Decades.
From: Chester Low
I know it's not possible but you try to play them together. Not changing line-ups and pairs all the time! Try to keep most of them the same at least.
For example, play the same defenders or forwards most of the time will definitely build their understanding. Wouldn't it?
Gillett and Hick’s successful takeover of Liverpool could potentially usher in a new era of success for the Reds. A new stadium, the clearing of the £80m debt and a rumored £100m transfer kitty all sounds too good to be true.
A bigger stadium would lead to an increase in ticket revenue and the Anfield atmosphere will be replicated on a larger scale basis.
With the increase spending power, Benitez can look forward to sign some of his preferred first choice players rather than some ‘mickey mouse’ players.
It will not be easy to breach Chelsea or Man U’s stranglehold on the EPL but Benitez will have a better set of tools to compete and he will have ‘lesser’ excuses if he fails to achieve success.
Funds can also be set aside for scouting and youth development to ensure that the ‘Arsenal massacre’ will not happen again.
Success of 70s and 80s were great but Liverpool needs to stay relevant. The American management can also study the success model of Chelsea and Man U and improve on Liverpool’s.
Perhaps Liverpool just needs that midas touch from the Americans to become a real powerhouse in England and win league titles again!
Didn't he do that yesterday? From defence to attack, perhaps the only notable inclusion would have been zenden. So i am not sure what you meant by not playing them together. Its not like he changed his entire team because the spine was still intact. Liverpool's errors yesterday wasn't due to their lack of firepower but their defence which conceded two stupid goals. And guess what, all their regular defenders played. Such are the exertions that managers have no choice to resort to squad rotation. We saw Man U doing that with the likes of Fletcher and Park and they won. If Liverpool have won yesterday, you probably would not have said anything.
Cheers,
kel
I think the ideal solution is to, sadly, replace Rafael Benitez. What has he been doing all these years? Bringing in Spanish/La Liga players? I thought the fans had enough. Reina was a flop. Luis Garcia is not suited to the EPL. Alonso's good but not yet world-class. Aurelio has yet to prove his worth. On deadline day, he still went on to sign two more Spanish players. His best signings so far ,out of dozens of them. since his arrival in 2004 are certainly the clinical Dirk Kuyt and the hardworking Momo Sissoko. Many would say Benitez has done quite okay because he did won the Champions League and the FA Cup. However, I would say that his whole system seems to be ineffective when it comes to the league. He can win cup competitions but the league is something that he can never win if he continues to be as stubborn. He needs to bring in more world-class players because after all, Liverpool is a world-class club. He must also be more decisive with his tactics and strategies. His tactics are too predictable so he needs to change, if not, he must be changed! He will make a good World Cup/Euro Cup coach(The English FA, you heard me?) but never a good Premier League one.
I saw Liverpool lost to Newcastle yesterday, I realised that, when Gerrard performance is lack lustre, Liverpool looses. He has never taken a rest day because Liverpool could not afford to. The strikers are not able to put away sure goals. So, Liverpool's inconsistency is due to lack of quality in the squad. We see the youth squad in the Carling Cup and FA Cup and see how they are hardly able to provide any semblance of a good opposition to Arsenal.
The Americans bring in the money for promotion and a new stadium. What is uncertain is will Rafa Benitez have a good eye for quality players that can provide good support to the squad and value for money.
Alex Ferguson eye for quality replacement and timely support for the squad is very evident. I am not even sure if Mourinho is his equal in this respect.
Liverpool should look for a new manager if they want to win the EPL!
q-s Match Report
Newcastle United Vs Liverpool
Liverpool lost to Newcastle United. The main word is UNDERESTIMATE. Look at the goal by Obifermi Martins. Didn't Daniel Agger UNDERESTIMATE Martins that led Martins run all the way to goal?
The second goal where John Arne Riise gave away a penalty was also UNDERESTIMATION on Riise's part. When he stuck out a leg to stop the Newcastle player, he UNDERESTIMATED there will be no penalty. Referee blows whistle *PEEEP*. Penalty! Riise lost face when Nolberto Solano scored from the spot because he UNDERESTIMATED.
Key word for this report is : UNDERESTIMATE
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Underestimate everyone at your own peril. :D
George Gillett and Tom Hicks can try emulating Chelsea’s success:
1. Sack the ‘tinkering’ Benitez (remember Ranieri?) for a more charismatic manager like Mourinho. Of course, there’s no other manager like Mourinho. Hence, get a manager who knows his players and their positions well & able to gel the team with discipline.
2. Spend heavily on big-name players & disrupt the transfer market. However, the riches of the Americans are nowhere near the Russian. Thus, they should just get players they need & not for them to warm the bench.
3. Go for substance don’t go for style (build up team play first). Be content with 1-0 wins. This should not be a problem since Liverpool has been defensive till Benitez came.
While going for glory, they should not neglect the supporters. They are an essential part of Liverpool. Hopefully, the new stadium doesn’t mean higher prices for them. Also, develop the youth academy to build a team for the future. That should go down well with the local fans (& Steve Gibson).
Firstly, new players!!! After bringing in Mashcherano, they should also bring in Tevez in the coming summer. And most importantly, a very very consistent goalkeeper who do not concede stupid goals!!! Maybe Gianluigi Buffon or Iker Casillas.
Next, just like Chelsea, they should expand their name to other part of the world, maybe to Singapore. They should definately follow Arsenal footstep by havibg partnership with an American club. How about partners with the Los Angeles Galaxy or D.C. United so Freddy Adu can play for Liverpool one day.
They should also stick with Rafa through thick and thin. Don't be like those West Ham big shots, whatever their name was.
What they should not also do is increase the ticket price like what Malcolm Glazer did.
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, they should win the heart of those loyal Liverpool fans, especially me!!
Fauzie, Liverpool/Internazionale Fan
Mohamed Fauzie Bin Mohamed Din
17++
90386307
Student
Liverpool/Internazionale
Why sack Rafael Benitez?
Isn't a Champions League, FA Cup, European Super Cup and a FA Community Shield not enough?
Compared to Mourinho during his stay at Chelsea, Rafa did a much better job.
Chelsea was just the champions of England, Liverpool was the champions of Europe!
Yes, he has brought many La Liga players to Liverpool. I agree like what he defended that against Boro's manager by saying the Spanish players aer much cheaper than English players!
For example, Chris Kirkland. Young English goalie, cost Liverpool £6m to bring him over from Coventry City. It wasn't a good buy too. £6m can buy you one or two experienced player overseas.
In Liverpool currently, excluding players on loan, there are 11 English players in the 30 players from the main squad. It's quite fair, isn't it?
Ensuring stability in the club is the number one priority for the new owners. Not wanting to upset fans, retaining the management is part of that strategy, which means Rafa still at the helm. Hence, don't expect the back of Rafa leaving Liverpool any time soon.
Rafa will be given money to plunder the best talents and players in the world and streamlined the youth and scouting system. Rafa will be given time to prove his worth to the new owners.If he fails to deliver, change will be inevitable.
I do not think Rafa is a bad coach. You do not win European titles at 2 different clubs without having a certain quality but unfortunately for him, he came in at a time Jose made his move to Chelsea. Hence, comparison between the 2 was inevitable and Jose's success hasn't helped Rafa's cause.
Now Rafa has no reasons to complain now that he has the resources he craves. For his sake, we hope he gets it right.
The new owners should learn from the Glazers. The Glazers continued United’s running of the club. Besides keeping the infrastructure of the club, they have expanded the stadium, kept Fergie and allowed them a big-money transfer per season.
Gillet and Hicks should allow Liverpool to continue their tradition. They should not splash cash the way Chelsea did, disrupt the market and become a public enemy like Chelsea but instead continue to invest in their youth academy that has produced Gerrard, Owen and Carragher. They should not meddle with team affairs. Let the manager have the final say. See what happened with Abramovich and Mourinho over Shevchenko.
Liverpool should have a manager who understands the English game. Although Benitez has led Liverpool to cup glory, he has not done well in the transfer market. He continues to bring in players from the Spanish league which he is more familiar to, without realising that they do not fit into the English league. To field reserves and be kicked out of the FA Cup the way they did was an utter disrespect to the most prestigious cup in the world.
-Raymond Ng ;p
Hicks for one time made Alex Rodriguez the highest paid baseball player with a 10 year $US252 million dollar contract making him the centerpiece of his championship aspirations. A staggering amount during that time and was surpassed by Beckham only recently. Although it never materialized to a winning team it showed the owners commitment and aspirations of having a winning franchise. Hicks for one thing already own a Stanley Cup trophy from the NHL which is the Premiership equivalent.
Hicks and Gillett, both long time owners of sports franchises, knows that in order for Liverpool to regain its lost glory it should be able to attract stars and promising youngsters to play for them. To do this, Liverpool should be on par with the best, may it in facilities, attractive wages and a promising farm system.
Having a new stadium built and coupling it with a good budget for transfers is a good start. Now the next thing is to develop a good farm system to develop promising home grown players.
The new owners have the money and the attitude for winning. Liverpool have their history. If they do it right, it is just a matter of time.
George Gillett and Tom Hicks=Brokeback Mountain. Sorry, can't resist.
George Gillett and Tom Hicks were at a party and they had a lucky draw. George will not show Tom his lucky draw number but Tom insisted. Tom said, 'Come on. I'll SHOW YOU MINE, you SHOW ME YOURS,'
George and Tom one night had a heated argument. George yelled, 'Tom, I WANT YOU TONIGHT,'
Tom then said, 'I'll BEAT your ass so badly,' George was shocked. He then said, 'You want to BEAT my WHAT?'
American owners can give glory days to Liverpool and they must do certain things.
Sack Rafa Benitez and hire charismatic Sven-Goran Eriksson, the man who brought England back-to-back Quarter-Finals in two consecutive World Cups.
It pays to play whole heartedly for Liverpool, with continuing to bench Dudek including Carling Cup and FA Cup matches, despite almost single-handedly won Champions League for Liverpool.
Continue to show favouritism to unworthy players.Like Benitez who showers favourtitism, to incompetent goalkeeper Jose Reina, result in Liverpool's current 3rd placing in EPL.
New owners must buy expensive flop strikers, like Andrei Shevenchenko, so that EPL title will be in Liverpool hands.
Actively involve in game tactics, team selection and player purchases.By doing it, shows they are interested in wanting Liverpool to regain glory days.
Becaause of American owners interest in winning, current club players will be motivated to win every thing on field and create more scandals off field.It also attracts more Talented Big Time Charlies wanting to play for the Reds.
From: Chester Low
Two things. First, to fully support Rafa and Rick in their transfer plans for new players. They had already stated their intention of winning trophies (Premiership title being the most important) by not putting a budget on transfers. This would surely help Liverpool's bid to secure a world class striker as well as a right winger, which would make the team more balanced and complete. Secondly, to take full advantage of their experience and expertise with US sports franchises and make a commercial impact e.g. merchandising, in the whole American market (an area which has been largely untapped by English clubs). More revenue translates into bigger coffers for the transfer kitty and more bargaining power and attraction for the club. Sad but true, it is all about money. Leave the rest to Rafa and the players and success will follow.
Playing soccer now is equal to playing for money!
Everything's about the money, the changing of owners, players. Winning trophies and titles. Bigger stadiums.
Buy players to increase club reputation, more people watch = More money earned!
Winning trophies or titles = earning the MONEY given to the winners!
Bigger stadiums, more people to come and watch, more gate receipts = More money earned!
All comes down to the word "MONEY".
The real spirit of soccer is lost to money. That shouln't be it!
You are right Haley. Playing football is all about money. When I heard Cristiano Ronaldo wanting to move to another club to be World's Richest Footballer, I hope a dog shits on his handsome face (which I saw on 4-4-2 magazines this month).
Footballers are paid wayyy more than they deserve. Come on, you get paid Billions in Europe just by playing football?
The money earned through gate receipts and merchandise mostly should be given to develop football in their countries. Though European countries don't need it, they can still donate the money to any poor population. People who can't work for a living due to disability for example.
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