Its been another big 24 hours at Liverpool hasnt it. The one thing that strikes me here around the ongoing debate about who will succeed the King is the sharp split amongst the fanbase. A verbal civil war which has existed since the sacking of Rafa. For me, it is vital that we (as supporters) get past this, we need to exorcise this split in order to move forward. Dalglish was someone who came in and papered over this fanbase schism, a legend who everyone could get behind. I believe he most definitely should have been given more time. It was about a work in progress for the King. To me he will always be the King and I mean no disrespect when i say that I don't think there is anyone out there, if they are honest with themselves, who didnt at one time or another during this season either vocally or internally question if he was getting it right, whether that was signings, tactics etc.
FS made a fantastic point the other day about the 'soul' of the club being lost. And without sounding preachy I think many on here could do with learning a bit from the auld arses. The problem, in my opinion, comes in thinking that we could ever be immune to what Modern Football has become. It was always going to infect our fanbase at some level. For too many years now, I personally, and many on here have been guilty of constantly looking backwards. Its understandable, we have one of the most glorious histories in world football, but I think the one positive in the sadness of KK's departure is that it affords us the chance to look forward. Its time to build something new, or else we will be consigned to the same fate as Leeds and Forest, also rans, has beens, a footnote in footballing History. The past will always be there but its weight will can crush the life out of teams unless they focus on implementing a sound forward looking strategy. I believe that Rafa was starting that process but through a mixture of both his own flaws and the constrains which he worked under, the process was halted prematurely. This is where we are stuck, a philosophical limbo. Trying to create a new future, with new owners but still with one foot in the past.
For that reason I worry about the new manager, if its not Rafa. If we do not let go of the immediate past we could play a major part in this clubs decent into regular mid table mediocrity. Rafa was treated badly, but i believe the man himself would encourage fans to support the club and whoever the manager turns out to be. I hate to say that I get the distinct impression that if its not Rafa, the pressure from a section of our own fan base will be immense. People like to bandy about Shankly's Trinity. I hope we never forget that we have an important part to play in that too.
