Why FSG are right to sack Kenny

Its very difficult for Liverpool fans to hear this because Kenny was the name that departed. The iconic stature of the person and a Legend which he will always be. However, in this article I would like us not to focus on the person who was dismissed,instead, just focus on the objectives and  vision of FSG and see if the Manager who happened to be an idol of the Kop, ranked in terms of the long term goals set by the Hierarchy.

Kenny came into Liverpool at a time when Liverpool were going no where, more falling than rising. The fans, press, share holders, stake holders everyone was worried, the sentiment was very negative. So FSG sat down and thought what is the way forward. FSG clearly had to options, one implement their long term plan immediately which would need them to scrap the current structure and management or to get in a caretaker and steady the ship. The earlier plan was always the one FSG had to implement, but looking at the hole in which Liverpool had fallen, they bought time and stability and choose the latter. 

Kenny was appointed and he did miracles, got all stake holders back on the same page. Anfield started filing up again, smiles came back and Liverpool got respect from everywhere. For six months as caretaker, Kenny showed the world and the Liverpool players, what is the Liverpool way. He brought the right sentiment back. In the summer of 2011, FSG had to decide weather to appoint him permanently, on the basis of what he had done in six months FSG delayed a revamp and gave Kenny the only job of staying in the top four. This would allow them to study and plan so that they were sure that whatever revamp was to come was perfect. 

FSG had clear objectives when they came in they were :

- Development of a footballing Philosophy

- Developing a recruitment strategy

- Developing the commercial side

- Qualifying for the Champions league

- Reducing the wage bill

- Winning trophies so that the financial stability can be assured. 

When a assessment of Comolli and Kenny was done, they were asked for what footballing philosophy and recruitment strategy. The answer was pass and move the liverpool way and buying young British players, well that was not enough. FSG needed a clear vision a plan. The master plan whcih would aid the recruitment of players. FSG were shocked to see that Comolli and Kenny recruitment policy was non existent, thy just went around getting the most expensive young British players without checking if the would fit in the footballing philosophy. It was more like pay whatever it takes to buy British. Certainly, this is not what FSG had asked for as a Philosophy. 

FSG are very clear people with a vision and are extremely organized. What they wanted and expected by now was to create a Philosophy. If you compare Barcelona and Ajax which FSG admire, Barcelona and Ajax instilled a philosophy of play from the u-8s to the reserves to the main team. Players play with a pattern with and without the ball. They play with a plan either with wingers or through the middle. Short passing, long balls or mixed. Slow possession or fast counter attacks. This would then make positions in team based on the philosophy and then they would get the player they want with the required attributes in the market and get him young and cheap. Even if he is useless in other areas, he must do the things required by him under the philosophy. 

When FSG were reviewing Liverpools season and recruitment. They could not understand  the game play of Liverpool. Playing with Carroll, a Strong Header of the ball, a lanky slow striker, the team were playing small pass and move football. In ideal circumstances, if there is a good header of the ball you must have the best one on one wingers with a very good cross percentage. The short passes in midfield is not required, more so the midfield should be defensive and compact to stop counter attacks and the wingers and the fullbacks should be allowed to attack. This will increase the crosses and the probability of getting headed goals increases. Liverpool did not have one proper one on one winger, downing could not beat one man and Henderson was being played on the right. Both were poor at beating the full backs and whipping a cross. Downing tried early crosses from top of the box rather than the by line this also decreased the chances of goals as these crosses are very difficult to head in. Carroll had difficulty in understanding the game play due to the fact that he was used to getting service from by lines and he would run from far post to near post and being unplayable. One other advantage of a Striker like Carroll is to play long ball and to by pass midfield, this is what Liverpool did in the last part of the season and Carroll thrived on it again this was against the so called pass and move philosophy. 

Looking at the other games, Kenny used Suarez and who is a terrific between the line player as a striker when Carroll was injured. Suarez need a finisher with him and Liverpool never bought any player who could move into space and make late runs to get goal attempts. When Kuyt and Suarez were played on top the movement of Kuyt clearly showed that these two would really be ideal if played together. Kenny put Kuyt on the bench when Carroll came back and thus altered and played a confusing philosophy. When Suarez got the ball in space Carroll would be looking at him with back to goal or would be running on the far post. There was no movement to get behind the defense which Kuyt was good at. 

In the absence of clear plan, another shock was to play Henderson on the right the whole season where as he was the captain of England U21 as a central midfielder. He proved his worth in the center in the last few games of the season. Jay Spearing was being preferred to him.

The basic thing which FSG did not understand was why Carroll was bought if he didnt fit into the fast pass and move philosophy? If the philosophy was attack on wings with crosses why were wingers not brought, Downing and Henderson on both wings was a failed plan. They were useless as one on one wingers. 

FSG wanted a fast attacking football style, why were no fast strikers and wingers brought with the 120m. Suarez was the only player who fit the FSG system. They dont beleive in the idea that you buy good looking players and try to adjust them. Its non sense for them. They need a system and players should be brought according to it. 

FSG also believe like Barcelona and Ajax that if the system is in place at all levels. Liverpool will get 6-7 players in the team from their academy, because they dont have to be the best in everything, they just need to play in the system. Only 2 superstars are needed in the team so that in odd matches their individual brilliance wins the game. Liverpool already have Suarez and one more is required. Gerrard is not the same player lets be honest with it. 

So as long as FSG get the right philosophy in place, the right manger,  the right players for the system. I am sure Liverpool will be in the champions league in two seasons. 

Transfer News: Torres back to Liverpool?

Yesterdays outburst in which Fernando Torres hit out at Chelsea, describing his time at the club as the worst in his career, he is planning to move.

He has not considered any club yet and is waiting for talks with the owners, but it is clear, he wants to move and is not happy. Liverpool would not be his ideal choice, firstly because his wages cannot be matched by Liverpool and second Liverpool are no longer in the Champions League.

However, if Liverpool appoint Rafa Benitez, the Spaniard due to his close relation with Torres and being the person to make his career in England, could convince him to join Liverpool. The fans are desperate for the owners to get Rafa Benitez back. If he is appointed Liverpool fans could have their idolized Number 9 back, who without doubt will be forgiven by them.

Rafa Benitez might hold the key in transforming Liverpools fortunes again. Will the owners be brave enough and put their trust in the much loved Spainsh coach and bring back the Basque connections to Liverpool?

Transfer Special: Clint Dempsey deal to Liverpool almost done.

The latest reports coming from the US are claiming that Clint Dempsey has agreed to move to Liverpool in a 7m deal. The start will double his wages and is eager to join the Merseyside club. The deal will be the first to announced after a new Manager is appointed. It is being claimed that the Liverpool owners want the Manager to have the final say in the transfer and thus have not made it official yet.

Dempsey has been in phenomenal form the latest 2 seasons in the EPL. He has a proven goal scoring record and the American is highly admired by the Liverpool owners. More news to follow.

Breaking: Rafa Benitez willing to work in changed role.

This will come as a surprise to many, but Rafa Benitez is willing to work in a change role which the FSG are set to introduce. This was learnt by our sources, However, the stumbling block is the past record of issues Rafa had with power and transfer budget both at Valencia and Liverpool.

It is learnt, that Rafa believes that the new system can work only if the Manager is given the final say in players and that his input is most important on what kind of players are to be looked at. Our source, who interviewed Rafa for a TV channel few months ago claims he is ready to take the Liverpool job in the changed role.

If Rafa Benitez comes back, Liverpool will get another phase of Rafaluation, the first one in all honesty was a terrific one. This one can only get better. It time for the FSG to the wise decision a give Rafa the job he so much loves. 

Real Reasons behind Kenny sacking

Like all other Liverpool fans, I am devastated, utterly disappointed and feeling as someone has stabbed me in the back. Kenny the Legend has been sacked by FSG, yes they sacked the King. It is very difficult to keep my emotions away from this episode and do unbiased review of this catastrophe. However, I am set out to state a few facts here.

Kenny Dalglish since his second coming, has never been let down by the owners, giving him all the funds he wanted, giving him total control and everything he wanted. They cannot be blamed for their support. They only asked for one thing. Get back in the Top four. At the start of the season they said it would be a major disappointment if Liverpool did not qualify for the champions league. That is the only target they gave Kenny.

Kenny on his part did the biggest mistake of not understanding the message of the owners. He played a very strong team for both domestic cups and in many ways undermined the league position to get a trophy. FSG never asked for a trophy. Their objectives differed throughout the season. Kenny played for the cups where as FSG were craving for the Champions League spot.

As the season wore on, we could see Kennys remarks changing in favor of cups, in every interview, he would stress the importance of going to Wembley, the owners were not impressed. They wanted Premier League as a priority, which is very much in line with what Liverpool fans wanted at the start of the season.

Kenny was adamant in his last quotes before flying to meet the owners in Boston, that he would not trade the Carling Cup win with any premier league position. His stance was clear, he valued the Cups much more than Liverpool owners wanted him too, at least until they had a big squad.

When Kenny met the owners, he was adamant he had succeeded in bringing silverware, the owners hardly paid any attention to it as they felt it was not inline with their objective. Kenny certainly thought differently.

The American owners maybe harsh and have no emotions, but they cannot be put at faulted, they asked for something which they didnt get, on review the saw a manager who did you think the way the owners did. They then had to decide on a couple of questions.

- Is this man apart from his past, able to get Liverpool back to the top four next year and probably the league title in 3 seasons?
- Will this manager when given a transfer kitty of around 40-50m after selling players, use the funds appropriately and wisely and young international stars?

Well to be fair, if leaving Kennys aurora aside, I think the answers to both questions  were NO.

The owners had to act as per them and they did, not because they could not see the stats of Liverpools games and the reasons for slump like injuries and hitting the post. The real reason was difference in long term approach.

I see where both parties come from, Kenny will argue his team was unlucky and he got a trophy, but the above two questions which FSG will ask themselves again and again will still answer as a NO.

Job hunt starts now, not for a manager but practically every position of the club, this is a major revolution. It will cause the club to either fall out of Europes elite for the next decade or lay the foundations for a brilliant future if world class appointments are made. I am afraid most bets will be placed for the former.

FSG have can pull a rabbit out of the hat if they manage to get Rafa back to Liverpool, he had unfinished business, loved by masses at Liverpool and always focused on youth development and the league position. He fits both categories FSG have in their master plan, the only worry if Rafa will be ready to work under a Director of Football.

To a dark day in Liverpool history when the King is dethroned, its very hard to accept but these are not good times at Liverpool but as we have always done in past. HOLD ON LIVERPOOL. YNWA

Liverpool's season - A super foundation or a major slump?

As the last home game of the season approaches and the dust is finally settling down on a major disappointing FA cup final loss to Chelsea, todays game couldn't have come at a better time. A home win and a convincing performance might just cheer a Liverpool faithful and be optimistic for the future. However, there is a lot more than this games result the Red fans around the globe want answers too. The biggest question is how to rate this season ?

Certainly its been a very poor season in the league in terms of league position. A couple of good cup runs and a trophy is a certainly something to have a little smile about but nothing more than that. All red fans know things are bleak for the immediate future, no champions league, finishing under Everton and ending the season with no real positives going into the summer. Or are there any positives?

Firstly, to analyze any situation it is very important to be unbiased and non judgmental. Facts must speak and no fake hopes and moral boasting statements. So I have set out to do a forensic examination in all what went right and what went wrong this season starting from the summer to this last home game.

Lets start of with the Summer, facts are that Liverpool had arguably the most dead wood in the league, a good job in getting rid of a lot of high wage earners. Its is important to stress, transfer dealings are based on 2 factors, Transfer fees and Wages. A lot of fans see big transfer fees other clubs pay for players and think that Liverpool could have matched that, maybe Liverpool could, but the biggest factor in transfers is wages. With the lack of champions league and a much lesser stadium income than the rest of the big four, Liverpool had to devise a way to buy player knowing the wages limitations. It is important to note that big players across Europes top leagues do not settle for anything less that 120,000 pounds per week ( at least), almost double of what Liverpool  pays Andy l, its most expensive signing. People make a lot of noise on the exuberant transfer fees paid on a lot of players last season, but no one compares the wages, which are more important than any other factor while recruiting players.

Last summer, Kenny had to spend wisely, going after players like Higuain, David Villa etc would have been foolish as their wages cost around 8-10 million pounds annually. Buying a couple of superstars would cost Liverpool atleast 20-30 million more in terms of Wages per annum, which is impossible for Liverpool. Kenny went after young players who are based in England so that if in the future when they  become stars a Big Club from Europe would come calling, the player would like to stay in England. Andy Carroll cost a high fee but his wages are a mere 2.8 million per annum.

When you buy young, its a risk but you have to take the gamble as the wage budget does not allow Liverpool to go for big players anymore. This was the first full season of all the new players, a lot of positives can be taken out from a financial point of view as the wages were managed and I am sure this summer the same will continue. On the pitch, young players need time, Carrolls performance in FA cup final proved he is just starting to warm up for Liverpool.

The biggest negative of the summer was not finding a young striker with pace who is clinical. Liverpool lacked the finishing touch which Liverpool have craved for a long time now.

Moving on from the summer, the season started fine, Liverpools defence stood out in the premierleague and at one time were the joint top defence in the league. The back line of  Glen, Agger, Skrtel, Enrique were really strong, Lucas sitting in front made it one of the best compact defences. Liverpool were not conceding a lot but at the same time were not scoring many too. Not scoring a lot was understood as new players needed time to gel.

The defining points of the season which Liverpool could not recover from were :-
- Injury to Lucas, Liverpool could never replace him this season, with the highest tackles in Europe at the point he got injured, suddenly the back line were exposed to many more runners and many players attacking and playing unchallenged through balls. This cost Liverpool dearly.
- Injury to Agger was another major blow, his form in parts have been exemplary this season. When he broke his rib Carrager took over, who with all due respect does not have age on his side, few penalties given away and few blunders costed liverpool dearly.
- Injury to Adam, this is also a major blow,  players who set the pace of the game in midfield are the most important, the departure of Alonso is clearly fresh in the memories of the Reds. Adam was not out of this world but when he had time on the ball he was very important to Liverpool.
- Suspension to Suarez, again Liverpool were relying too much on one person, Suarez was really lively when he came but his suspension had a major effect on liverpool, there was no flair and no attacking player on the field.
- Bad luck, Liverpool have hit the woodwork more than 30 times this season, this is quite extraordinary.

All the above causes could have been dealt with only if Liverpool had a strong bench, If liverpool had replacements for these players, I am sure this issue will be addressed in the summer.

Now lets talking about what the stats say about the way liverpool played. These stats show something many Liverpool fans have no idea about. I will talk about a couple of stats only not to complicate it much. Liverpool vs Man city.

Liverpool made a total of 488 shots on goal, where as man city made a total of 501. Only 13 more.

Liverpool chance conversion rate was 9%, where as Man city was 18%.

These 2 stats clearly show the problem, Liverpool have created almost as much as the Champions to be, but the finisher which Liverpool craved so much in the summer was not bought. Carroll is a very unique striker and Suarez has flair but both have a poor conversion rate since their previous clubs. Both have good assist counts in their previous clubs.

 Liverpool need to get a Striker who can solved these problems by just having a high conversion rate and a Midfielder who can cover for Lucas and Adam, who has both defensive qualities and has an eye for the quick counter pass, this can set Gerrard free. An additional crafty winger would fit the bill.

To summarize, Liverpool had a great season in terms of chances created, played free flowing football, but the injuries killed their spine, lack of depth was evident. If the 3 missing links are added to the team mentioned above Liverpool will fight for top 4 position next season. All those who expect Kenny to go out there and get world class players should think again. The wage policy I mentioned above is very important for Liverpools survival . In this case Kenny will again attack to the English market getting young players.

I expect Kenny to go after Agbonlahor, Jarvis, Hoilett, Nzonzi, Sincliar, Sigurdsson, Klasnic. Any two of these will come in my opinion.

One thing I want the Liverpool fans to know is that, there is lot more to come from Kenny and if he gets it right in the summer, getting good fast intelligent players with the attacking mentality. Liverpool can only go up from this point.