ECHO Comment: "Fears of Witch-hunt Against Liverpool FC"

[davek]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/liverpools-defeat-doesnt-matter-jurgen-7460958

Liverpool's defeat doesn't matter - Jurgen Klopp has imprinted his formidable spirit on this team
That this poor Liverpool team managed to take this final to penalties shows what spirit the German has given them

Team spirit: Jurgen Klopp talks to the players​

If hiring a German manager is supposed to guarantee one thing, it is the winning of penalty shoot-outs.
Yet while it was a choker for the Red Army, losing on spot-kicks didn’t actually matter all that much to Jurgen Klopp’s long-term prospects as Liverpool boss. Because winning the League Cup never really matters to any manager’s job prospects.
Kenny Dalglish was sacked months after winning it for Liverpool four years ago. In the past decade, that same fate has befallen League Cup-winning bosses Jose Mourinho (twice), Michael Laudrup and Juande Ramos, while Alex McLeish also left Birmingham after relegation.
Manchester City, always forward-thinking, announced they were dispensing with Manuel Pellegrini before he’d even won this season’s final.
No true judgements will be made on Klopp’s Anfield reign until deep into next season after the German has overseen a major overhaul of a lop-sided Liverpool squad which lacks sufficient quality in all except forward areas.

Irrelevant: Manuel Pellegrini has won the cup, but is off in the summer​

And then, nobody will be looking back on whether or not Klopp won the League Cup.
What Sunday did prove was that Klopp has engendered enough spirit into his inherited squad for Liverpool to go the full distance with a vastly superior City team.
Adam Lallana, very much a man of peace before Klopp’s arrival, ended up calling out the mountainous Yaya Toure for an extra-time street brawl.
The Reds finished with two midfielders and a virtual pensioner in a makeshift back four and yet somehow dragged City into a shoot-out.
And this final proved again that, despite all the Banana Splits smiles and the pratting about, Klopp is a deeply serious and decisive operator – always capable of making calls which are neither popular nor obvious.
Within 25 minutes Klopp was volubly ordering off Mamadou Sakho, with apparent concussion after a clash of heads with team-mate Emre Can.

Scuffle: Adam Lallana clashes with Yaya Toure​

The big defender, a cult hero on The Kop, chucked an almighty tantrum, kicking over a bottle on the touchline and burying his head beneath a coat when he returned to the dugout.
But Klopp wasn’t doing sentiment and he sent on ancient warrior Kolo Toure in his place – he and ‘little’ brother Yaya becoming the first siblings to contest a major Wembley cup final on opposite sides.
Klopp is also adamant that Liverpool’s £32.5million striker Christian Benteke is not for him, even in extra-time in a Cup final.
And the Liverpool manager was hard-headed enough to insist on playing Simon Mignolet, ahead of the previous ‘Cup keeper’ Adam Bogdan – a call which was hardly an unqualified success with the Belgian allowing Fernandinho’s opener to pass straight through him.
Klopp has dodgy goalkeepers, average defenders and unremarkable midfielders. Only in attacking areas do Liverpool look anything like Champions League contenders, yet even there, Klopp faces question marks – with Daniel Sturridge’s physical frailties leaving him unable to take a spot-kick.
Sturridge was the first offender in a string of cynical dives which infested the first hour – Nicolas Otamendi and Philippe Coutinho were also guilty and so too was Sergio Aguero, even though the majority of football sages who want ‘dangling a leg’ classified as a capital offence, would have awarded the City striker a penalty for his tangle with Alberto Moreno.

While City thoroughly deserved their lead, there was a resilience about Liverpool and a profligacy about Raheem Sterling’s finishing, which fuelled believe the Final was still alive.
And when Coutinho equalised seven minutes from full-time, thumping home after Lallana had struck the post from a Sturridge cross, half of Wembley was euphoric and engulfed in the red smoke of warning flares.
They are a wonderfully contrary lot, Liverpool’s supporters. They boo God Save The Queen and sing the praises of Igor Biscan, years on from his undistinguished Anfield service.
Predictably they gave dog’s abuse to ‘greedy b*****d’ Sterling, who flopped after a lively start.
Sterling, like the cramped-up Sturridge, was absent when it came to the penalties – and Willy Caballero, City’s performing seal of a keeper, was the unlikely hero for Pellegrini.
Having cajoled and roused his players in animated fashion before the shoot-out, Klopp retired to the dugout watch the decisive action impassively and in glorious isolation.
He is rarely predictable, Klopp. And his unpredictability will improve Liverpool, just as soon as he has some better players.

Laughing at this business of Klopp 'doing wonders' with the 'measly' squad he inherited. It cost about £200M to put together, it's not exactly the lads at the Dog & Duck Sunday League team he's had to struggle along with.

I believe he's won less games than Hodgson did at this stage of his Liverpool career. The jury may still be out on him, but the evidence so far is that he's all at sea and pretty clueless. Only his couple of Bundesliga titles stops me short of calling him a complete fraud, but that's what he's shaping up as right now.

I know one thing: he must rue the day he ever signed a contract to manage that basket case of a club,. And the creepy, cultish uberfanz he has to endure would have anyone calling the Lufthansa switchboard for the first flight out.

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

Every time I speak to a Kopite, Sterling has got a bit more expensive.

Lad today was telling us all that it was £60M.

Idiots, the lot.

 

[helpimonfire]

They make my day ha ha

Re: Farvel Steiner. Incestious Topic. Caution may contain n̶u̶t̶s Everton.
« Reply #19040 on: Today at 03:51:01 PM »

Their giddiness and delusion over this investment is hilarious but understandable. They've essentially gone from shopping in Aldi to shopping in ASDA. Moshiri on his own isn't going to pump a great deal of money into the club. He's been described as a glorified accountant and that has a ring of truth to it but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Everton need someone like him with some nous with money to get them on their feet and to head in the right direction. It won't be easy - they are a small club with a small fanbase with limited commercial appeal and a stadium that is dilapidated and barely fit for purpose. They are the facts, that is not me speaking to belittle them or to claim our superiority. They were great in the 80's and once were a big club but times have changed and football has changed and they've regressed on and off the pitch.

They have delusions of grandeur about what this investment actually means. Moshiri is worth a touch over a billion. In this current climate that's pretty small fry though and they don't understand it. Any money that they spend this summer and beyond will probably not come from him. The TV money and any other commercial deals they get will fund their transfers, not Moshiri. There's always a possibility that he participates in some good PR work and directly funds a transfer early on or perhaps puts a couple of million extra in to fund one that won't get done otherwise. Yet the idea that a man worth just over £1bn is going to put tens of millions into buying new players is naive. He's a businessman, he's still worth a hell of a lot of money and he hasn't achieved that by throwing that money on things that don't have a high chance of working out.

He's investing at the right time, I'll give him that. In 5 years time providing they stay in the league and continue to float around mid-table or slightly better then he'll be able to sell for a nice profit. He won't have to do much as I said, he'll just balance the books, use the TV money to spend on players and get a couple of better sponsors. Everton fans don't realise that we aren't in the late 90's anymore. They will have to spend decent money to stay still. £20 million quid today is spent on a defensive midfielder... by Stoke. I don't know what they are expecting to happen. Their best signings this summer will be those who stay, not who comes in. Sure, they'll likely spend big for them but others teams will do the same and those other teams are already in a much better position than them (West Ham, Southampton, Stoke, Leicester, Spurs).

Usmanov is a pipe dream. He's just increased his stake in Arsenal. Why would he gamble on having to invest hundreds of millions in Everton due to a new stadium and players when he has a sure cash cow with Arsenal? Power, apparently. He wants glory. Well, maybe. But the idea that he's likely to get glory by investing in a club that's the second biggest in it's own small city rather than a club with a 60,000 seater stadium in the heart of one of the world's biggest cities is insane. If he was going to do it he would have done it. He has more money than he knows what to do with, there wouldn't need to be any staged investment or planning. He wouldn't need Moshiri to get the ball rolling. If Usmanov wanted Everton then Kenwright would have sold to him faster than you could say "Where's the Arteta money?"

So, on the whole, it's probably good news for them. However they won't really move forwards, they'll likely stay where they are. And they should be grateful of that because they've gone backwards for as long as I can remember.

 

[Blues Harp]

Bitter, jealous and crapping themselves.........

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

they'll likely stay where they are. And they should be grateful of that because they've gone backwards for as long as I can remember.

And the RS haven't!

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

They've essentially gone from shopping in Aldi to shopping in ASDA

The RS have been shopping with Harrods money, but getting Aldi type players.

 

[BlueShark]

And the RS haven't!

Just what I was thinking. There are large parts of that post that accurately describe the full speed reversal of the RS as a footballing relevance but the poster is too bitter to see it.

And, as ever, he/she completely fail to see that if you blow millions on utter dross and win the grand total of sod all as they have over the years you are in no way qualified to pass judgement on other clubs who have just come into a little windfall themselves.

 

[Yorkie]

They make my day ha ha

They've essentially gone from shopping in Aldi to shopping in ASDA.

What an elitist and snobbish way of looking at it...
BUT, BUT BUT THEY'RE ALL WERKIN CLASS HEROES THO! RECLEANSE THE KOP, LAD!

 

[ElGato]

Klopp must look around the dressing room and think how the poor language are any of youse lot worth over 10mil?!

 

[ElGato]

Henderson's relish club captain lollollollol

 

[dandydan]

The way they are going on about the RS you would think they were a Div 1/2 team, not a team who has spent hundreds and hundreds of millions.

Fixed, gratis.

 

[Jacob]

So Lucas missed his penalty because of a thigh strain..........right

I occasionally see footballers in my surgery who are subject to a rare psychological delusion...Post Defeat Flannel. Unfortunately a new strain has developed somewhat virulent in RS players...namely Post Defeat Red Flannel. This can take a few forms not confined to players dancing like robots on scoring a goal, then suddenly laying up with injuries for months on end....returning to action and then being reluctant to take a penalty. Another indication is usually in somewhat dirty arrogant players who grab the ball when penalties are in the offing, fist pumping and gesticulating, often roaring "Come On"...and then having missed or failed to score, then create a smokescreen "injury-that-never-was". This is totally the opposite to the former "injury-that-always-is" as shown with the patient who for reasons of confidentiality can only be referred to as Daniel Sturridge. I hear there is also a hybrid strain namely shytowse-syndrome when ugly, faux-aggressive alpha male captains develop a sudden yellow streak down their spinal column and aversion to taking a penalty. It is, of course somewhat unfortunate that one club actually manages all three manifestations....with more to follow with their much trumpeted tradition of doing things five times.

 

[Blues Harp]

View attachment 18714
I occasionally see footballers in my surgery who are subject to a rare psychological delusion...Post Defeat Flannel. Unfortunately a new strain has developed somewhat virulent in RS players...namely Post Defeat Red Flannel. This can take a few forms not confined to players dancing like robots on scoring a goal, then suddenly laying up with injuries for months on end....returning to action and then being reluctant to take a penalty. Another indication is usually in somewhat dirty arrogant players who grab the ball when penalties are in the offing, fist pumping and gesticulating, often roaring "Come On"...and then having missed or failed to score, then create a smokescreen "injury-that-never-was". This is totally the opposite to the former "injury-that-always-is" as shown with the patient who for reasons of confidentiality can only be referred to as Daniel Sturridge. I hear there is also a hybrid strain namely shytowse-syndrome when ugly, faux-aggressive alpha male captains develop a sudden yellow streak down their spinal column and aversion to taking a penalty. It is, of course somewhat unfortunate that one club actually manages all three manifestations....with more to follow with their tradition of doing things five times.

lollollollol

 

[LouReedwalkonthewildside]

They make my day ha ha

Re: Farvel Steiner. Incestious Topic. Caution may contain n̶u̶t̶s Everton.
« Reply #19040 on: Today at 03:51:01 PM »

Their giddiness and delusion over this investment is hilarious but understandable. They've essentially gone from shopping in Aldi to shopping in ASDA. Moshiri on his own isn't going to pump a great deal of money into the club. He's been described as a glorified accountant and that has a ring of truth to it but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Everton need someone like him with some nous with money to get them on their feet and to head in the right direction. It won't be easy - they are a small club with a small fanbase with limited commercial appeal and a stadium that is dilapidated and barely fit for purpose. They are the facts, that is not me speaking to belittle them or to claim our superiority. They were great in the 80's and once were a big club but times have changed and football has changed and they've regressed on and off the pitch.

They have delusions of grandeur about what this investment actually means. Moshiri is worth a touch over a billion. In this current climate that's pretty small fry though and they don't understand it. Any money that they spend this summer and beyond will probably not come from him. The TV money and any other commercial deals they get will fund their transfers, not Moshiri. There's always a possibility that he participates in some good PR work and directly funds a transfer early on or perhaps puts a couple of million extra in to fund one that won't get done otherwise. Yet the idea that a man worth just over £1bn is going to put tens of millions into buying new players is naive. He's a businessman, he's still worth a hell of a lot of money and he hasn't achieved that by throwing that money on things that don't have a high chance of working out.

He's investing at the right time, I'll give him that. In 5 years time providing they stay in the league and continue to float around mid-table or slightly better then he'll be able to sell for a nice profit. He won't have to do much as I said, he'll just balance the books, use the TV money to spend on players and get a couple of better sponsors. Everton fans don't realise that we aren't in the late 90's anymore. They will have to spend decent money to stay still. £20 million quid today is spent on a defensive midfielder... by Stoke. I don't know what they are expecting to happen. Their best signings this summer will be those who stay, not who comes in. Sure, they'll likely spend big for them but others teams will do the same and those other teams are already in a much better position than them (West Ham, Southampton, Stoke, Leicester, Spurs).

Usmanov is a pipe dream. He's just increased his stake in Arsenal. Why would he gamble on having to invest hundreds of millions in Everton due to a new stadium and players when he has a sure cash cow with Arsenal? Power, apparently. He wants glory. Well, maybe. But the idea that he's likely to get glory by investing in a club that's the second biggest in it's own small city rather than a club with a 60,000 seater stadium in the heart of one of the world's biggest cities is insane. If he was going to do it he would have done it. He has more money than he knows what to do with, there wouldn't need to be any staged investment or planning. He wouldn't need Moshiri to get the ball rolling. If Usmanov wanted Everton then Kenwright would have sold to him faster than you could say "Where's the Arteta money?"

So, on the whole, it's probably good news for them. However they won't really move forwards, they'll likely stay where they are. And they should be grateful of that because they've gone backwards for as long as I can remember.

They really are trying to make out that this isn't getting to them (expecting a poem about us on RAWK soon) also, the lad who wrote this must be really close to Moshiri because he seems to know what Moshir's plans are for us.

 

[davek]

Is it just me that thinks Liverpool seem really small now?