Liverpool 2010/11 Season Thread

[Supergoal]

Does it piss anyone off that all the media are reporting so many of our players are going to jump ship? Mainly all of our best players. I get the impression that it's a combination of some players thinking there's nothing left that can be achieved at the club and the owners are looking to break down some of the debt by a fire sale.

Makes me feel gutted and angry that this can happen. Already I can see next season as a massive write off even more than the season we've just had... I can't the light at the moment

[SharkSkin-Man]

There is no light until the owners leave, not for any kind of real success.
If I was a player at Liverpool, I would be looking for a transfer, can hardly blame any of them if they decide to move on.

I think a lot of people have had a rude awakening.
All the clowns on phone-ins during the season calling for Rafa's head and for the club to bring in someone like Mourinho or Van Gaal, Hiddink etc to replace him and re-build the team were living in cuckoo-land.

Nobody of that caliber is going to be mental enough to take the job. I think the chances of us getting a manager in who has won a top domestic league and the champions league (like the one we just got rid of) is pretty slim.


Season ticket renewal arrived today, just depressed me even more.

[Scythe]

See the Inter job as a poisoned chalice but time will tell, I wish him luck and am intrigued to see how he does with an actual transfer budget.

Gotta echo SSMan above the current uncertainty will cause havoc, lets just hope we can keep the majority of players, it is still Liverpool after all!

I would quite like Pellegrini, depends on his salary expectations really.

[SharkSkin-Man]

Woy Hodgson is now evens with a couple of UK bookies, so I think it's pretty certain that he will at least be offered the job first.
He seems like a top bloke, but his greatest achievement in top level club football is losing the UEFA Cup final twice...but I guess as a short term option to steady the ship you could do worse.

Pellegrini would be good and he's done a decent job with a notoriously difficult board at Real Madrid and an excellent job at a club with little money in Villareal. But that makes far too much sense for us to even look at.

[Adrock]

I would say turning Inter around during one of their worst periods in recent history speaks volumes for Hodgson. Liverpool are in for a bad time of it for a good while yet so Hodgson is the perfect man for the job in my opinion.

Papers are saying Dalglish has been rumoured to have stated his desire to manage the club again. I think if that is the case maybe give Hodgson a season or two with Kenny as general manager or some such and let him get back into the day to day running of a club.

Regardless of who Liverpool get for the job any kind of European spot next season would be a big achievement.

[hudson]

Hopefully all the doom and gloom will end soon and some rich dude comes in a whops his wad on the counter. Then we can go shopping and build the scouse galacticos.

Rumours going around on fans sites seem to indicate that something mad like that could easily happen if Hicks lets go. He may have to at some point.

I dream...

[Scythe]

RBS need to grow a pair...

[SharkSkin-Man]

I would say turning Inter around during one of their worst periods in recent history speaks volumes for Hodgson.

A lot is being made of that, and although it was a long time ago, I don't remember it being quite as miraculous an achievement as some are making out. Does anyone know what month he took over?

The really terrible side was 93/94 when they finished 1 point clear of the relegation zone, a couple of seasons prior to Hodgson taking over.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Personally, I have no desire to see the King become a puppet for the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse AKA Hicks, Gillette, Purslow & Broughton.

Logically, Kenny taking the reins seems like the right call (fans are happy, heat off the management short-term, living club legend who knows LFC inside-out, Stevie & Nando pleased with the appointment, etc.), but given the current climate surrounding the club, everything about such an appointment is geared towards the King taking all the flak if it goes tits-up. You all know that the media will relentlessly gun for him and target his long time out of the game, as well as the other crap that they specialize in.

That said, hell if I know who should be given the role. It's all too depressing to contemplate.

[EJG1980]

A lot is being made of that, and although it was a long time ago, I don't remember it being quite as miraculous an achievement as some are making out. Does anyone know what month he took over?

The really terrible side was 93/94 when they finished 1 point clear of the relegation zone, a couple of seasons prior to Hodgson taking over.

The season before he took over Inter had finished 6th on 52 points.

After a month of the 95/96 season they were bottom of the league and Hodgson took over, and they eventually finished 7th with 54 points. I don't know how many games they'd played when he took over, can't find that out, but it can't have been more than four or five.

In his only full season in 96/97 Inter finished 3rd on 59 points (6 behind Juventus who won the title) and lost the UEFA Cup final.

[SharkSkin-Man]

Answering my own question regarding Woy at Inter. (My sad life)

He took over from Luis Suarez on 15th November with Inter 11th, 9 points off Milan at the top after 9 games.
Eventually finished the season in 7th, 19 points off Milan at the top.
A step backwards from the previous season, when they finished in 6th.

Following season was much better, finished 3rd and made it to the UEFA Cup Final (lost).

So a decent job, with definite progression after he was given a bit of time, but perhaps not quite the amazing achievement it is being heralded as.

Also, some of the press are trying to make out it was done with a team of donkeys plus Paul Ince. While it was before Moratti started throwing money up the wall on the likes of Ronaldo, Crespo, Vieri etc. Roy still had some decent players in his time there.

Roberto Carlos, Zamorano, Bergomi, Ince, Branca, Djorkaeff, Pagliuca, Zanetti...not exactly mugs.

[SharkSkin-Man]

Didn't see your post above, HE!

[EJG1980]

No probs, you found out more about exactly when he took over than I did anyway

Does show you how easy it is for the press to spin stories though. The Mirror article I saw had many inaccuracies in it: saying he took over after the relegation scare season when he took over after they came 6th, saying they were bottom when he took over instead of 11th, saying Ince was his most famous player, etc..

[Adrock]

The press lying? Well I never!

I think he still did quite a good job to get the team to where it was that first full season he had. 3rd and UEFA Cup final is good enough for me.

He may not have been the knight in shining armour people are playing him up as, but its fairly obvious he did a good job.

[EJG1980]

I know, it's shocking! I nearly fell off my chair.

No doubting Roy is an excellent manager though who could do well with Liverpool. My worry level about Liverpool getting back above Spurs next season would definitely go up a few notches if he did get the job, especially if you hold on to your best players.