Topic: In Times of Troubles

[WOOLTONIAN]

Like many others I look to my Father for guidence. After all, he's been there and done that, even before I was created in his "Nut Sack".

Funny that Mark Platt from official site should be looking at the 44th anniversary today, that of Shankly's first signing Sammy Reid, who never made the grade at Anfield. At the same time I've been looking at events 50 years ago.

I've just spent a couple of days, looking at doing this piece. It's something I tend to do when things are looking gloomy. History usually brings a smile to my face.

1953 saw my father serving national service in Malaya, Singapore and all points east. I thought writing the piece might bring back happy memories and also cheer him up as he is at an all time low, as a Liverpool supporter. So off I trundled to get the basic skeleton of the piece i.e. actual events surrounding LFC just six years after we won the first post-war title.

1953 - 1954 highlights
10-1-1953, we were knocked out of FA Cup by Gateshead. We finished the 52/53 season in 17th place.

Ah well I thought, things can only get better.

2-9-53 lost 4-0 at Newcastle
5-9-53 lost 5-1 at home to Preston

Two away defeats at Wolves and Spurs, both 2-1. September ended with us being beaten 6-0 at  Charlton. At the end of October Chelsea humped 5 goals up us. November brought three consecutive defeats Sunderland, Arsenal and Cardiff. Roll on December eh?

Portsmouth beat us 5-1, so did Man Utd. West Brom beat us 5-2 and this was the beginning of 15 games without a win. Sadly one of them was a FA Cup exit to Bolton. The season ended with a 3-0 defeat at Blackpool. We were of course RELEGATED that season!

With all the facts in hand, I usually try to "put flesh on the bones of the story". I decided, not to bother. How would this possible cheer me arl fellah up? Then I thought, well, at least it would put the current plight into perspective.

So I rang him.

Yes, he said I remember it well, the bloody board didn't listen to the fans then either. The writing had been on the wall for a while at that time, but they chose to ignore it. Their thoughts at the time must have been "it can't get any worse". They brought in a bunch of mediocre players on the cheap, instead of replacing the older squad players with equal or better.

Having an all time great like Liddell was not enough, just like having Steven Gerrard isn't now. The then manager Mr Welsh (the one we did sack), spent half his time at Anfield with his hands tied behind his back. It was the board that picked the team, it was the board that decided who we bought. But it was Don Welsh who carried the can for the deficiencies of the club.

History has a habit of repeating itself and although the chances of us being relegated this season is nil, we must recognise we are on a slippery slope. Surely the current board are not going to wait until we are relagated? They must start addressing the problem before it's too late.

Looking across the park at Everton's demise must be ringing alarm bells in the ivory tower. No matter what others tell you, they were a great club once, who failed to recognise they were entering a downward spiral. They swapped competing at the highest level with relegation battles because they reacted too slow to the game changing.

It's bad enough we cannot compete with teams on the park, but when little clubs like Arsenal (yes, Woolwich Arsenal from Islington) are showing Liverpool the way off the park, it's time to take a good hard look at what's going on. The new "state of the art" stadium they are building will put the new Anfield to shame, based on the designs I've seen.

When Cardiff's Millennium Stadium was built it should have set a new bench mark for stadiums as the minumum requirement. We won't reach that requirement with the new stadium. Similarly the 1966 World Cup should have seen a big kick forward in stadium design and improvements - most of our best stadiums stood still - Goodison in particular.

So if we accept that Arsenal are an upwardly mobile club, or at least have reached the plateau of success, where are we?

We are half way down the plug hole of obscurity. We are in need a massive financial injection. Can the current board inject such an amount? NO.

We are owned by a bunch of private investors, who added together cannot come up with the sum required. We have two options on how to raise the cash sum required, FLOAT or succumb to a billionaires whim. Neither are acceptable to the fans apparently. I wonder whether relagation would suit them better?

We averaged about 36,000 at home in the old Division 2; do you think the fickle fans of today will still turn out in the Nationwide? Again NO.

Football is an industry. We are acting like a "cottage industry", forever dipping our toe in the waters instead of diving in and leading the way.
The time has come to ACT NOW, not suck and see how things turn out. We are in a position, where can become the next Everton or the next Arsenal. We can ill afford to stand still and hope that everything in the wash turns out ok.

Will we learn anything from the events of 50 years ago? Only time will tell. But time is running out.

Will players leave if things dont improve? "Will rats leave a sinking ship?" is the response - of course they will.

Will Liverpool replace seasoned pro's with "maybe's"? We already are!

Will the maybe's eventually be replaced by cheap journeymen? Ask Evertonians or West Ham fans and you'll get your answer.

Our choice is simple. Act now or accept our slide into the abyss of mediocrity.

I have always wanted to walk in my Father's footsteps. I doubt whether I could fill his boots. I certainly dont want to spend as much time as he did, watching our team play  "Down Amongst The Dead Men".

Ever considered how low we are capable of sinking under the current regime? The word RELEGATION cuts deep and for those who respond, "Never!" take a long hard look at events 50 years ago.

© Wooltonian 2004

[Ian-TN]

Our choice is simple

ACT Now
or
Accept our slide into the abyss of mediocrity.

Great post as always mate but what action should we take?

I think we all know that somethin is missin at the minute. Whether it be the manager or the players or both or whatever ya think, somethin is missin. I personally dont know what it is or how to put it right.

[walshys_mullet]

fuckin EXCELLENT WOOLTONIAN.

The shakespeare of these boards without a doubt and so true its amazing.

[Brick Tamland]

I think we all know that somethin is missin at the minute. Whether it be the manager or the players or both or whatever ya think, somethin is missin. I personally dont know what it is or how to put it right.

The confidence - thus installing more movement and free flowing passing, the gelling of a group of excellent players, the guidelines of a set-out formation where players know their roles.

Manager need to take main responsibility for leading the players into putting the above right. IMO :p

[Olly]

Cheers Wooly for that up-beat post!

As for 36,000 turning up when we were in Div 2, we're having huge difficulty selling out now!!

[longtimered]

Karl,
   I've been a bit despondent this has really cheered me up!
  Think there are two separate issues and the first need is to improve matters on the pitch or we wont need a bigger stadium.It is clear new leadership is needed since we have been going backwards over the past 2 seasons.I am sure nothing is likely to happen before seasons end unless things get dramatically worse.
  I think the next manager has a big job and believe its 2-4 years before we realistically challenge for the highest honours.I hope to see my 14th championship but dont expect to see years of dominance again in what is now a commercially driven industry.

[WOOLTONIAN]

My father is convinced the problems started 10 years ago, not NOW.

It's just over 10 tears since the Tea Cups were flying round the dressing room at half time.

We have been tinkering ever since.
Houllier is not solely to blame according to the old fellah, but are things any different after his 5 years ?
Is Houlliers apparent "careless" attitude any worse than throwing a tantrum ?

For us to fill the new stadium regularly, we must halt the slide now.
Drastic measures will need to be taken to put us back on the footing of the successful years.
And if that means starting from scratch so be it.

We need to look at all angles of our current plight, not just the manager.
To live and succeed in the 21st century, we must change, from the board down to the catering staff.
The boards acceptance of mediocrity (4th)
The managers acceptance of defeat (we tried our best but were unlucky)
The players mercinary attitude (win lose or draw, we get paid the same)

   I find it difficult to believe that LFC cannot provide it's customers with Cold Beer and Hot Food, everything is luke warm.
Which matches our attitude on the terraces and the players on the pitch.

Something stinks in the Hallowed Halls of Anfield and while "all" is guarded by the secrecy of private ownership, we will never know, what needs to be known.

I'd like to see a floatation and more open house style ownership.
Where elected board members are held accountable for their actions.
At times it's not the manager who needs sacking, it's the board. (aka O'Leary at Leeds)
We need a manager who is not affraid to stand up to the board and voice an opinion.
Not a man who is trying to become a board member (aka Houllier)
The old "school tie brigade" should be strangled with the same !
My father prefers the idea of a Billionaire buying our shares, who could afford to invest a few quid for the benefit of all, without interfering with the manager or team selection.

Some here will pick holes in both ideas.
Their staid attitude of "Leave it be" is what took us to the old DIV 2

One day we will all look back and say "How did we let things go so far"

When they did this in the late 50's, we unearthed the Biggest Diamond in History (the 120 carat Shanks)
regretably the mine of British management has now dried up.
We need to be looking worldwide for a new diamond, not in our own back yard.


Sorry about the Pie and Beer skit, needed to cheer meself up

[Ian-TN]

The confidence - thus installing more movement and free flowing passing, the gelling of a group of excellent players, the guidelines of a set-out formation where players know their roles.

Manager need to take main responsibility for leading the players into putting the above right. IMO :p

But surely its not all done to confidence. Even when we play well or win a few in a row we never seem to take that into the next game.

[sir roger]

i cant accept the critiscism of david moores in these posts, david moores is a supporter in the real sense of the word, i think he is wrong in his unswerving loyalty to gh. is he to be pilloried for this loyalty,i think its a rare quality in the cut throat world of football. we should be looking at other execs. at the club namely rick parry for one!

[FinnMacCool]

Great post, mate - you should put this on the official site too.

I still think we might find a diamond in our back yard if we look hard enough: we did with Paisley, Fagan, Dalglish and Evans.

When we've gone outside we've recruited Souness and Houllier.

[Bob Kurac]

you should put this on the official site too.

[WOOLTONIAN]

Finn
what do you think I would gleen from that ?
Have left them a debate on Re-instating Dalglish, which is more their ilk.

[Tarpaulin]

Great post Karl....

Its a tough time to be a Red!

[filopastry]

Just to clarify, a full floatation and raising money for the club through issuing additional share capital are 2 very different things and you can have one without the other