Much has been made of the resurgence of Liverpool in the second half of this season. This year, unlike any before in the last decade has been the hardest to deal with. It was difficult to accept that by November Liverpool were sitting 16th in the league, brandished as relegation candidates. I, like most fans had many sleepless nights when Roy Hodgson was in charge, not knowing where this club was going. We were linked with the Carlton Cole’s and Bobby Zamora’s, the fear was that my great love won’t ever recover from this.
I guess it’s easy to give Kenny Dalglish the plaudits and Hodgson all the negativity. Would Kenny have done better if he had taken on the club when Gillett and Hicks were destroying it? Should Roy have done better? It’s all what ifs. The truth remains that for Roy Hodgson it was never going to be easy. The fans weren’t on his side, he never had his name sung by the Kop, phone in after phone in calling for his time; it really was just a matter of time.
Things were difficult for Hodgson when he started; the board troubles (we all know about) did not help. Mascherano leaving just after the season starting was in hindsight the beginning of the end for Hodgson; even if his time had only just started. He was undermined by a senior player, who refused to start against Manchester City. Liverpool were torn apart by City and the match summed up how far behind we were to getting back in to the top four, the table didn’t lie.
A few things Roy could have done differently. It was clear from the outside that Mascherano wanted to leave all year. So, why spend all summer telling the fans that he won’t be going anywhere? It would have made more sense to sell him earlier and then use the funds from the sale to find an adequate replacement. (Dear Roy- Christian Poulsen is not an adequate replacement). Also, If Mascherano has just left, then why would you get rid of a fit again Aquilani on loan? It made no sense.
Why would you not pursue to purchase another striker when our only striker was Torres? Hodgson would argue that the Carlton Cole deal fell through at the last minute. However, he had all summer to look for a striker. Why get rid of Insua and then bring in Konchesky for another £4 million?
Why say no to Rafael Van der Vaart when he was offered to you before he went to Spurs? Later, Hodgson would say ‘we have many players like that already in our club’; did he mean Poulsen, Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic? Why not give the youth a chance the way Kenny has when we were short of players?
The truth with Roy was that he has huge media support and so was rarely openly criticised. It was always Benitez’s fault for leaving a poor team, or the owners off the field court cases. This frustrated the fans that would see week after week the empire crumbling.
Liverpool would go away to Birmingham and play for a draw, away to Newcastle and the same tactics. He thought he was still at Fulham. We would defend for most parts of a game and we no longer had an identity; what was the Liverpool way? He forgot that he was managing one of England’s most decorated clubs. He inevitably found it difficult to manage the expectations that came with that.
His departure and Kenny’s revival has lifted a huge cloud, not only for the players but also for the fans. The pride for our football club is back. We can say were the greatest British club of all time. We have a Liverpool way now; we get the ball down, pass and move. The unity and dignity of the club has been restored.
We are winning again, and despite losing Torres for good and Gerrard whose been injured for most of this season, we’ve shown that were not a two man team. Players have stepped up; Dirk Kuyt is thriving playing along side Suarez, and Lucas, the unsung hero is becoming a Kop favourite. He has shown so much maturity and has forged a permanent position for both club and country.
Kenny has bought in youth, especially with injuries to the fullbacks, Flannigan and Robinson coming in, and to Gerrard, with Spearing coming in. They haven’t let him down. Well I mean how can they; he is the King after all.
Its funny how football changes around so quickly, and what once was the darkest period in this clubs history has now become the most exciting. Football is like that. There is a new ray of light at Anfield, a sense of something big to come, unlike years gone before. I can dream again that a 19th title will be returning.
It doesn’t matter if were not strong enough to win the league title next year. I can accept that. .I know for well that I won’t go to bed on a Thursday with Liverpool in the bottom three and in fear that we may go into administration by Friday lunchtime. Everything else is a luxury.
