Much as I was initially pleased with Kenny Dalglish’s presence in an advisory role in LFC’s search for a new manager, I fear it is more a token gesture from the big wigs - Broughton and the American owners - to temporarily assuage the fans.
And if, as reports last week suggested, Kenny himself quite fancies the job if his mate Roy Hodgson doesn’t get it, then I’m afraid I’m not feeling very optimistic about the recruitment process. If Dalglish and whoever else is involved in the search can seriously only manage to come up with Hodgson and Pellegrini, then I’m completely dismayed. They’re not bad managers, but where’s the invention, where’s the imagination?
Which brings me to my next point. I think the reason we aren’t seeing the most exciting young managers being linked to Liverpool is that the whole recruitment process is being driven by the horrible myth that LFC needs ‘a safe pair of hands’. I roughly translate that, from the corporate management lingo employed so often by the men running our club, into ‘a guy we can control’. Benitez fell out with the board because he could not abide Liverpool’s off-pitch woes having a detrimental effect on-pitch, as they so often did; I believe he was so obsessed with attempting to control such things that he eventually lost focus and could not have possibly committed 100% of his time to the team alone. He made such a fuss for a very good reason: the football club he loved and wanted to manage for years to come was being torn apart, very slowly and deliberately, by men principally interested in the weight of their wallets. Those same men got their way when they eventually forced the ailing Rafa out – and now they want to install a puppet.
I don’t think they want to pick the team, but they do want to control the squad financially – which means selling players as they see fit, in accordance with the figures on the balance sheet. They want to be able to muck about with the future of the club without their manager challenging them. As much as I appreciate that King Kenny’s main aim will surely be to look after the club’s best interests, I’m not sure if any man could possibly prevent Broughton from getting what he and his American paymasters want. Hodgson, I believe, is seen as a ‘safe pair of hands’ because he’s worked under difficult Chairmen (Inter, Fulham) and almost always towed the party line. Surely his record in football can’t be held up as a reason for employing him, as it is utterly mediocre, particularly on the occasions when he was given a chance at a big club.
Pellegrini showed he was able to work obediently under the tyrannical reign of Perez at Real Madrid, leading the team to its highest league points total in history. But he did eventually speak out about the fact that the club sold Robben and Sneijder against his wishes, and openly criticized his President for being aloof and misguided. Those outbursts, which I see as brave and honest reactions to impossible working conditions (similar to those infrequently made by Benitez), will actually count against him in the search for LFC’s new manager. That’s a horrible shame.
Still, whilst I see Pellegrini as a more stable and suitable footballing candidate than Hodgson (or Dalglish for that matter, who I don’t want to see return after so long out of the game, and after what he managed to mess up at Blackburn all those years ago), I do not agree that the ‘safe pair of hands’ is what Liverpool needs. ‘Safe pair of hands’ is just a by-word for quiet mediocrity, gradual stagnation. We need new life and long-term hope on the pitch, a vision, something exciting. We need a coach who wants us to play good football but also who is in it for the long run. We need a coach who can silently watch Broughton and co. at the top, and have the backbone to speak out when he sees fit. We need, in other words, exactly what we won’t get.
If we don’t appoint somebody else in the meantime, I’ll write about who my top picks are later this week. But for now, I leave you with the thought that the men in charge of picking our next manager do not have footballing motivations at the top of their list of priorities. They’ll be looking for a marionette with strings leading all the way up to Anfield’s boardroom. Things are only going to get worse.
I think the rumors are true. the club has been sold and part of the sale was to get rafa out. why else would we sack a manager whilst club is in precarious situation. would be nice if we could unearth an arsene wenger type manager but i cant see it hapenning. If Hodgson gets the job we are doomed!!!
Full agree with all of this article……I myself have been saying the same for week now, Hodgson is just NOT the right man for Liverpool, we deserve much, much, better than this. We need someone that a classy players will want to come and play for! and, Hodgson is NOT that manager!!!!!!
YNWalkA
I am a loyal lfc fans i obliged it
the suspence is killing me, can’t wait for your top tips, will be monitoring this site day and night in anticipation of your announcement!
if the rumours are true and the club has in fact been sold then why are we still chasing woy? do the prospective owners have no vision or very little cash to go for a top manager who would demand a healthy warchest?
it has to be capello. with new owners and a 5 year deal….. sell macherano,,, and babel and reira and other fringe players degen, cavalerli etc and get around 65 - mill and buy 3 great players,
Spot on article.
My imagination is running wild..if the club has been sold, and its the new owners who want a yes man, so they can take stock and maximise the squad potential, before making any rash moves, then its both common business sense, and frightening.
Perhaps a manager who works with what he has and only a little money is the best way to build from the bottom up. Make some space for some kids to break through etc.
While i am totally under whelmed at all of the potentials, i do see why a semi clued up sports based business person may approach the make over of LFC in this way.
Rushing anything has proven unwise, even on a basic level..
City paid over the odds for santa cruz and adebayor because of brash and unwise strong arming.
Who is choosing this new manager? a fucking chavski fan or smarmy bank clerk, fuck that, surely not.
Way i see it is , whoever is coming in, is in for a season unless he does very very well.
The biggest problem is convincing the top boys to stay with some, middle of the road journey-man. The though horrifies me.
Interesting views John, fully agree with your opinion on Hodgson and the need for an exciting, young manager to come in. I have written elsewhere about Dunga as an intriguing alternative to the candidates being considered at the moment - and look forward to seeing the names that you come up with. I encourage you to publish this ASAP - whether the Liverpool board pays attention or not it would be important for other fans to see what we are potentially missing by going for a “safe” pair of hands.
what a load of rubbish, what cv or credentials in management did shankly paisley fagan and dalglish have before becoming a manager? hadgson is a football man thru and thru just read this
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8756348.stm
this is exactly what we need and as for rafa being hampered by “lack of finances” was it not rafas decision to spend what money was available (18 mil for a right back we didnt need and 20 mil for a central mid who hadnt played more than 10 games a season for the previous 3 seasons) he neglected the right wing and strikers position where we clearly needed cover, rafa was the architect of his own downfall, poor decisions in the transfer dealings, poor tactics, and an extremely poor squad depth (our spine is as good as anyones but beyond the first 9 or 10 we got notin)
some very good points there, if we get Hodgson it tells me we’ve got no money & no prospect of a sale anytime soon, they’ll sell G & T to pay down their debt & we can expect mid table mediocrity for the next few years.
IF the rumours of a certain BIL of mancity buying us are true, I really can’t seem him going for Hodgson, I would expect someone more high profile. Can you see G & T , & other big name players getting excited about bein managed by Roy? all repsect to roy but he just doesnt inspire or excite me.
I am praying that all this speculation is a smokescreen for whats really going on, that the club is in middle of a deal to be sold, but if Hodgson is appointed I fear my prayers will go unanswered
please just put someone there and lets see what he’ll do….pleeease soon
Let give ROY our support. The main course of our downfall last season is Benitez poor buys and man management. Benitez is Continental Coach not suitable for EPL. Roy can bring success.