At the start of this season I predicted we would finish 5th. My reasoning was we lost the best player in Europe last season and bought a load of new players who were young and would no doubt need some time to adjust to the league and club.
5th is the average position of the club in the two seasons before this campaign; and it’s the ranking of Liverpool’s team cost (£XI), it’s squad cost, and its wage bill. 5th highest in the country.
FSG can’t pump money into the club for transfers, or the club will breach FFP. The club can’t pay more than the 5th-highest wage bill right now because they don’t have the turnover that comes from being settled in the top four, and would again breach FFP (and handing out five-year contracts based on top four qualification isn’t really wise after just qualifying for the first time in five years).
We can’t attract the biggest stars unless we pay the biggest wages and become Champions League regulars
We can’t become Champions League regulars without the money that comes from being Champions League regulars. And we can’t attract those who prefer would prefer London, because Liverpool isn’t in London.
Liverpool are one of the ten richest clubs in the world, and yet only the 5th-richest domestically, when the odds heavily favour the four richest (the current top four) If Liverpool were only the 15th-richest club in the world, but the third-richest in England, things might be much more beneficial; they’d be guaranteed the regular Champions League income and the kudos of competing in it to attract better players. And there’d only be two richer teams in the country to try and overtake, even if only for one season.
One logical solution – as crazy as it seems – would be to try and bring through the best young players you can, over a period of a few years, with a manager who isn’t going to clog the XI up with hoary old pros. Sounds a bit like our club doesn't it???
I think FSG need to give Rodgers time to be the person to find the hidden Can's of European football. If we can get into the Champions league and stay there then we will attract the youth as they will see that our club gives youth a chance.
Once the stadium expansion is complete and FSG keep up the good work of bringing in more sponsors then our revenue will increase. We will probably have to sell one of our best youngsters every other year or so to create more revenue until we are settled in the top 4. We will have to get used to this. We are no match for Real or the Barca's of this world when they come calling players heads are turned.
Last season we punched above our weight really. We went on a great great run of 12 or 13 winning games. Only the best teams can beat those odds and go unbeaten for 20 or 30 games. Could a team that cost roughly half of what the best teams cost, and which has a very young average age, overcome those odds? Remember, winning 11 league games in a row last season was an event that occurs, on average, once every five years in a Premier League season. Only once every five seasons will someone win 11 games in a row in the same season. You can’t expect these things to be like buses.
And it would always only take a couple of defeats to kill off the chances this season, because when you’re playing catch-up you have less room for error. We got it wrong at the start of this season, but Rodgers rectified those things ahead of the u-turn in form that resulted in an excellent few months. However, Liverpool essentially needed to maintain title-winning form just to finish 4th; and with a team averaging around 24 years of age, you won’t get title-winning form over many many months, especially when the youngest Champions in the modern era (Chelsea in 2005) were over 25, and the average is about 27.
For those saying we should be higher up the league have a think about it. You only win things if you spend the money. We are the 5th Richest club and are looking at a 5th place finish.
Don't blame the owners we nearly went into administration a few years ago. Don't blame Rodgers as at times last season he was being hailed a genius. He is a tactical manager and has proved that again this season by changing the teams style and tactics when it wasn't working and getting the team to go on a 10 game unbeaten run. Sometimes the players need to look at themselves. 2 games ago we were flying, 2 games later and the world is going to end according to some.
What I do know is it is never boring supporting our club. I nearly have a heart attack every game and I drink like a fish to calm my nerves. If we finish 5th I will be gutted to have missed out on the champions league but I feel we are still one year away from being good enough to be there consistently. We are going in the right direction and I am going to enjoy the rest of the season without being too negative. We are the 5th richest club and that is where we will probably finish.
YNWA
Should we expect higher than 5th
posted on 8/4/15
Sheriif waffling on with his normal garbage. Arsenal are minuscule on the european stage, so he starts throwing his normal insults when he gets taken to task. he really is a feckwit.
posted on 8/4/15
Mamba
On the BBC 606 this was what quite a few of your fans came up with in defence of Rafa.
Rafa was responsible for the good signings Parry was responsible for the bad ones.
It was that kind of reasoning where I first came across the phrase 'scouse logic'.
posted on 9/4/15
This is the same Rafa who tried to shift out Alonso to fund a move for Barry. Can't understand why people can't just admit he was shoddy in the transfer market.
Even now you could look at the money he has spent at NapolI and wonder why they have gone backwards since he has joined them.
posted on 9/4/15
Many scousers are blinded when it comes to Rafa.
posted on 9/4/15
I think some just can't accept criticism of him because of the CL win.
It is a bit weird.
He's a good manager, but he spent enough money with us to have made a better fist of the PL at times.
The season we came 2nd wasn't even our best squad under him. We had dross like Ngog and El Zhar getting regular appearances.
We could have done better in the league on 06/07 and 07/08 IMO.
I think he produced a lot from his first two seasons, but after that I don't think he got the most out of what he had.
posted on 9/4/15
So Liverpool fans blamed Parry for signing cheap players who turned out to be poor? Or did they blame him for being part of the reason Rafa had to keep bringing in this type of player? There is a huge difference between this and saying 'Liverpool fans gave Rafa the credit for the good signings and blamed Parry (I think it was0 for the bad ones.' Think about it. If you had stated the former I would not have said anything but the latter is hogwash, sorry. What about Hicks and Gillette? What were they blamed for seeing as it was only Parry and Rafa that Liverpool fans could talk about? Your statement contains some truth but ultimately it is patently misleading and meant to paint a certain picture, which some people like to do when in debate with a Liverpool fan.
Rafa made mistakes, I have not seen anyone denying that yet. Pointing out the poor ownership and management (must have been some of the worst seen in the league) he had to work under is stating a fact which for some reason some people perceive as a vigorous defence of Rafa.
Liverpool fans will know more than you what it was like during Rafa's time. Rafa made noise and put the owners under pressure for funds. When you need 4 players and are told that you have sell to buy with a budget that can only get you one of the players you desire, you tend to compromise a lot. Every summer interview was like a plea for sufficient money with the task of maintaining CL status. That's not to say Rafa himself did not make mistakes. With hindsight we can see he made mistakes but it was mistakes elsewhere that really did us in in the end.
Just drop the innuendo, have a decent debate because criticism of Rafa is valid but so is criticism of the conditions he had to work under from which we are still reeling and trying to recover from to this day but clearly the worst is over now and we can move forward. Our huge loss last year was the last of the cowboys' effect on our club.
posted on 9/4/15
The same persons who say Liverpool fans don't accept criticism of Rafa are the same persons who don't accept criticism of anyone else but Rafa. Both extremes are just as ridiculous as the other and you know what they say about the proverbial baboon whose arris is just as red as his mate's but does not realise this and proceeds to laugh at his mate's red arris anyway.
posted on 9/4/15
Everyone knows that for a period of time he worked under difficult conditions, but until the final Summer he was there, he was always backed by the yanks in the transfer market and never really made Liverpool any betttter. In fact they were worse when he left than when he joined the club, despite spending significant sums of money. Don't think anyone can argue with that.
posted on 9/4/15
I love the way all Liverpool fans backed him and all stood up for him. Utter tosh.
We all know he made a lot of bad signings but what you blinkered lot don't understand is what he had to do to build a squad. He was given small budgets when we needed many players when utd and Chelsea were buying £20-30m players each window. He was given £20-30m each window to get around 4 players.
Parry was useless. A prime example was when Rafa spotted Dani alves and Parry lost out on the deal because he played hardball over £1m. We could of signed him for £8m.
Our club was being run by a bunch of morons and Rafa has spoken about how his hands were tied on numerous occasions and quite franky I believe it. Selling our best players when we finished 2nd was the end for him.
posted on 10/4/15
I couldnt give a shyyytte what fickle plastic united fans say about rafa ..
led us to the champions league...and the fa cup...and second in the premiership...thats decent going for me.