New man, New hopes ..

FSG chose Brendan Rodgers (BR) ahead of Roberto Martinez (RM) and my preferred choice - Steve Clarke. If the club and skipper are to be believed, BR was always their first choice. Makes you wonder why RM was invited to the US and not BR. Anyways RM can probably thank his chairman for "losing" the job. I secretly think LFC didn't pick him just to keep him quiet.

So, BR is the future it seems.
 I'll put it out there, I'm not a fan of BR. I think he's arrogant and has airs about him that are not quite deserved or warranted. Having said that, Swansea did play decent football last season and KD's side couldn't score against them. A buddy of mine constantly reminds me BR inherited RM's team and enjoyed the fruits of RM's labor. My retort is that BR took the Swans to the Prem in his first full season (first Welsh club to do so) and in his sophomore season took the team to 11th place. In my book he's been an instant success.

On paper it  does seem to indicate RM's more experienced; played good footie with Swansea and then with Wigan. He potentially may have been the better candidate. However I think the club acted quickly and more importantly by choosing a young manager with a "bright" future have laid a marker for a good foundation. It's a promising decision and by not signing a "big" name, the owners also show an indication of their expectations. It also may be astute if he does well and moves on to a "bigger club" (more on the manager merry-go-round and how to make money by grooming young managers a.k.a the "Swansea story" in future posts) and earns the club some money back in compensation.

Much has been said about how BR's first media appearance was a success.

Few will remember this by August 18, and fewer still when his first season comes to an end; if he makes it all the way.
I'm looking forward to how he deals in the transfer market. While I'm eager to "tweet" player suggestions, I recognize that a manager's first signing is not an indicator of how well (Si Senor Benitez) or poorly he performs.

I am a Liverpool fan, this means I'm getting behind my gaffer. I'm excited for the season to start with Arsenal on top (purely due to alphabetical order since everyone starts on level peggings). I'm looking forward to new arrivals, maybe an Icelander named Gylfi, some departures and hopefully attractive football with results. I'm also hoping for no negative press due to racial allegations (hear Luis) and the world going back to normal with us finishing above Everton. I'm not expecting a return to Champions League football but an FA Cup or Europa League win and a top-six finish are "aight" by me

It should be all about Steve...

With all the talk about Roberto Martinez (most of it from Dave Whelan), I decided it's time to speak up. If I were an adviser to FSG, Steve Clarke (SC) will be the man I'll recommend

Before you fall off your Lazy-E-Boy laughing, let's take a step back and talk about Steve.
So SC has always been the man behind the man, a No.2 for a long time but here's why I think he could be the one to lead us into a bright future.

He's known success. Whether as a player or an assistant, SC has won silverware. His Chelsea affiliation is most definitely the rosiest as he won silverware both as a player and as an assistant under Mourinho. Even with LFC, he has already won the Carling Cup. This could be the first of many.

Continuity. Few can argue that for large periods of the just concluded season, LFC played decent footie. Games at home to Arsenal, ManU and Man. City should have ended in victory but we just lacked the cutting edge. A lot of credit has been given to SC for the way the team plays. Rumor has it his resignation was turned down by FSG which indicates he's held in high regard by the owners. He knows the players already and whatever system KD was trying to establish can either be tweaked or reinforced.

Ambition/Hunger. Certainly SC has the needed ambition to take the team forward. This will be an excellent chance for him to prove he can be the main man after years of being an assistant. The hunger to make a name for himself can definitely be harnessed into success on the pitch.

Unassuming profile. He comes with no hype and will be an under the radar appointment that may set balanced expectations for the club. I've listened to many of his interviews on LFC TV and he's a very likable, down to earth sort of fella.

Fits the proposed management model. It's clear FSG are fans of the Technical Director / Manager model. SC will appear to be a perfect fit for this as he's familiar with it already and there won't be any ego conflicts or likely issues with transfer dealings.

History - We all know Scottish managers have been successful in LFC (and elsewhere, think Sir Alex). SC also has a long line of predecessors who have been promoted from inside and gone on to do big things. He only needs to look at the legacies of Joe Fagan and Bob Paisley to draw inspiration.

Finally, this will shut Dave Whelan up (anyone else tired of him selling his manager). There's nothing like a chairman in the news to remind you that the regular season is over.

The Old Lady sings again

While everyone is talking about that game on Sunday (I hear Hollywood writers are putting together a script to "Blue Moon Rising" coming next summer), my thoughts were towards Juventus. The Bianconeri are having a stellar year; crowned Serie A champions last week with an unbeaten record and playing in the Coppa Italia final. Add this to a spanking new stadium ... for sure the good times are back in Turin.

The recipe for success has been based on installing Antonio Conte as coach last year. The old boy has been an instant hit and his brand of football has been effective even though they have drawn a lot more games than they should have. It's becoming a trend for Serie A coaches winning the league in their first season as Allegri did exactly the same in his debut season with Milan.

How was Juve able to achieve success with no superstars? Teamwork. Conte has molded the team in his image with grafters like Vidal and Marchisio allowing Pirlo pull the needed strings in the middle of the park.

Credit must be given to Pirlo who proved the doubters wrong by leading the league in assists and showing he still "runs things". Milan must be ruing letting him go. Up front Matri has scored goals, not bucket-loads but important goals.

One thing I haven't been a fan of is Conte's trading flair for discipline. Players like Elia and Krasic have been sacrificed for Pepe and Marchisio with Vucinic occasionally playing out wide. Krasic, I believe would have added an extra dimension. He had a fantastic debut season and if there is truth that he fell out with Conte, then the coach has justified his omission with results.

It was an emotional touch to have the legendary Alessandro Del Piero captain the team on his final game for the club. As usual Del P delivered with a farewell goal. Even though this season he was largely limited to substitute appearances, he still made a telling contribution especially with crucial goals in the Coppa Italia.

So Juve reclaim the Serie A title and go some way to repair their image after the scandal that saw them relegated in 2006. Here's to seeing them possibly win the double and go ahead to great things in next year's Champions league.

The King deserves another year...

Kenny asks for one more year!

It appears a Carling cup victory and an FA Cup runners up medal could not mask a poor league season as Kenny's visit to Boston ended with him been shown the door.

Clearly Mr. Henry famously associated with using the "Moneyball" concept to win the World Series is not one for sentiments and did not even offer KD a place "upstairs". A team that won the Champions league as recently as 2005 should not be facing a third straight season watching it on the telly.

I can't argue with the timing and I'm sure this was not a rushed decision. KD had a lot against him; finishing 8th, the handling of the Suarez issue and how not to spend 100m on British players. Few will argue that his half-season cameo last season promised much more this season than was delivered but here's the caveat, will one more year have been any worse?

Here's how I see it, the club announce a loss for last season. The reasons for this potentially include finishing outside the Champions League places and paying off Hodgson. So why repeat the cycle? Add in a transfer deficit for our band of post-hitting players and we are staring at a larger loss. If on the other hand KD had been given another year, he may have found a way to turn the team from wannabees to performers. Also he would have only had one year left on his contract which would command a lower payoff if he needed to be let go.

So now we are faced with a scenario where a new manager comes in and inherits Kenny's (and Roy's aka Joe Cole) players. There is also a precedence of the last two managers (reputable names in the game) receiving the boot for not delivering the goods. A very intimidating environment you must agree. From the owners perspective money would need to be made available to show backing for the new boss whereas they could have otherwise told Kenny  to sell before buying.

There is of course the possibility that saving face and restoring the club's image were the prominent reasons to let KD go. If that is the case then his position was untenable and goodwill is something you can't put a price on. Oh well! It's that time of the year again to look forward to Summer transfers and in our case a new manager and all the hope (read disappointment) that brings. Could it be the return of Senor Rafa or the gamble on "Bobby" Martinez? I'm at a loss to pick out suitable candidates and this is one year earlier than Pep will be available. Yes, my secret is out. Now you know why I wanted one more year for KD :-)

Remembering Rashidi

Too often legends are easily forgotten till it's too late; they pass away or fall on hard times. I was saddened to learn that Nigeria had lost one of such legends; the goal king Rashidi Yekini. Rather than focus on his last days and whether or not he should have been celebrated more (he should have). I'll like to remember the joy he brought me and countless of his fans and countrymen.


Rashidi is likely most famous for his goal celebration in USA '94, after scoring Nigeria's first World Cup goal. It wasn't the most memorable goal - a simple tap in, but it was significant in announcing the country on football's world stage. This was the icing on the cake for a striker who was on top of his game. He had just finished the season as the top scorer in Portugal, top scorer in the ANC,  Tunisia '94 which Nigeria won and was the reigning African footballer of the year.

My admiration for strikers (true No. 9's only) is well documented and Rashidi was a forebearer of  your modern day Drogba, all physicality and finishing.
There are two fond strikes I always associate with Yekini, interestingly none are goals. First was a fierce volley against Egypt in Tunisia '94 that clipped the bar and the other is the scissors kick against Spain in France '98. What still fascinates me is how he was able to show the dexterity needed for the scissor kick even though he was already in his mid thirties and considered an "old man".

Rashidi will surely be remembered by a generation of football fans including "yours truly". I just want to use this opportunity to say thank you, "Ose" Baba Rashidi for the joy your goals and play brought to me.

A breath of fresh air

I have often said that I enjoy watching Le Championnat as it's one of the few leagues that still produces unpredictable results. True, I did indicate in my prediction piece that I felt PSG's new money would secure them the title but that may not be the case.

Montpellier have been the success story of the season building on their runners up finish in the League Cup the previous season. It's pretty uncommon for a side that finished in the bottom half of the league the previous season to be challenging for the title but it has been refreshing to watch.

Giroud: Scoring the goals

The club's success has been driven by the form of star striker Oliver Giroud, his league leading goals have driven the club's title run along with key contributions from Younès Belhanda, Souleymane Camara and John Utaka.

Giroud's form has seen him called up to the French national team and it remains to be seen if he will still be at the club next season. The same can be said of Belhanda; a certain Monseiur Wenger is rumored to be a fan. They also will be available for less than Eden Hazard who is currently getting all the hype.

Without star names, René Girard's men have been able to keep a tight defence (second best in the league) as well as a lead in goals scored. Their title run mirrors that of PSG and as long as they can match the results of the Parisians they can leave me with egg on my face as they are crowned champions. Now won't that be a something; a first league title and a true underdog story for us all.

A definition of success and a king's faltering army

Before we proceed, let's establish a baseline. The 2001 season was a successful season - LFC won a treble of cups and still qualified for the UCL by finishing third. In contrast the 2006 season was a decent season - an FA cup win to go along with the third place finish guaranteeing UCL action the next year.

So where does this season rank? Definitely lower than the 2006 season. A finish outside the top-6 is looming and there is even danger of dropping out of the top half. Yes, the Carling cup is in the bag but a season that promised much improvement in our league position has failed to deliver. LFC may yet finish the season with two cups, with an FA cup Merseyside treat soon to be served up in the semi finals; but you have to be judged by your bread and butter not your desert! At the beginning of the season I'll have taken a Carling cup win and a fifth place finish; as that would have translated to silverware and a league position improvement.

It's easy as a fan to reel out stats; six defeats in seven, KD with a worse win percentage than Hodgson etc. Do I blame the coach? Yes, he has to take responsibility for his buys, team selection and formation choices. This blame has to be shared (a lion's share) with his players. It is not acceptable to buy players (most of them internationals) who have failed to improve the team. The king's army have let him down, Suarez has been wasteful, Carroll has not delivered, Downing,Adam and Henderson have not been the creative forces that they were expected to be. It's often said players need time to settle but not when most I mentioned are domestic players who had success in the previous season that led to the big-money moves.

Will Joe Cole, Aquilani and Meireles have proven a better midfield trio? We'll never know but one thing for sure KD has been misguided in sticking with some of his purchases instead of picking some of his shining lights from the tail end of last season. Maxi has been passed over far too many times. Here's someone who shone under KD last season, two hat-tricks in the league last season; something neither Suarez or Carroll have been able to manage. This season he has delivered when called upon and together with Kuyt are two players I feel have suffered from KD's nepotism.

So just like I pleaded for some of the youngsters to get games, I'm asking KD yet again; give Kuyt and Maxi games!!. Your new boys might learn a thing or two from them.