Topic: Roy Evans: 'Liverpool are a fair bit behind top four'

[xerxes1]

Roy talks absolute sense. We all know it. I think next season with our current players we'll get fifth.

Quite right, and better then the bedroom drongos who know better tha Roy Evans CBE a dististinguished servant of our club.

Of course we all hope for more,but the squad, and our buys, suggest,  a finish just short of the Cl.

[adamski29]

we finished 6th, regardless of who took the first half of the season. The table doesn't lie. Are we off the top 4 teams, yeah. Some of us really got to stop living in lala land. At this point, it's a fact we are worse off than the top 5 based on league results. Are we better or will we be better? Let's talk at the end of the coming season.

Normally you would be correct, but In the case of last season, and due to extenuating circumstances that prevailed at the time, I Would say that for this one time only I don't think the table can be taken as a rock solid indication of our level. last season was the most turbulent in our history, with everyone on the  floor in terms of moral,players fans, administrators. kenny came in and lifted everyone, I'm suggesting that the second half of the season is a better indication.  It could simply have been the effect of the weight of tyranny lifting of our shoulders, but managers like Kenny are one in a million. He like whisky nose or shankly, or any of the great managers transmit there personality  onto their team, they just have it, whatever "that" is. You could see the squad transform last season slowly but surley from ugly creepy caterpillar, into something much nicer, I wont say beautiful butterfly yet, but were making progress.

The players that we have signed so far have been solid If unspectacular, undoubted improvements in the squad, with Adam, the most potential to exceed expectations, for me anyway,  :)and I do understand the problems with signing players while not in the champions league, I am not of the football managers.brigade., but I can't but completley agree  with the post suggesting  that we eNed another "game breaker" not because I don't I think we can't get in the top four without one buht If we where to get say (oh dear god) Mata and he where to settle in the pl early, then I would say we would take some stopping.

[steve10]

I agree with Roys comments. Our signings will take us in the right direction but they are not title winning signings.

[koptommy93]

Can't see much wrong with what he's said, to be honest. There's certainly no reason to be calling him a bellend.

exactly, surely he's entitled to his own opinion

[Cracking Left Foot]

Anyone who's slagging off Roy Evans, a man who served our club for over 30 years and is as legendary a Red in his own way as Kenny, really needs to take a long hard look at themselves.

[Blue Coop]

I see the league being extremely competetive next year. Ofcourse, there are lots of factors to play out before the start of the season with the transfer window still yet to finish playing its part, but I actually don't think there is alot in it between the Top 6 sides next year. I see Man Utd, Chelsea and City finishing in the Top 3 spots (although, perhaps not as comfortably as some people would have you believe) but I wouldn't dare guess a 4th placed finisher right now, which suggests that I see Liverpool being more than capable of finishing in the Top 4 this coming season.

Man United and Chelsea

I certainly don't see Liverpool finishing above these two sides, and having read the comments of the thread, you all seem to follow that same sentiment. United are just far too strong at home, teams turning up to the 'Swamp' already admitting defeat and the way they regularly turn the 'lesser' sides over with ease. This will always stand them in good stead. Chelsea will no doubt spend money and add to an already strong side, I expect we will see a better Torres this coming season, too. I see these two finishing in the Top 3, no questions.

Man City (I'm a City fan)

Perhaps the hardest to predict, but I definatly see City joining the above two sides in the Top 3. While City take stick for having a negative style of play, the side will be strong next year with or without Tevez. This will be the first summer at City you won't see an overhaul of players, and that will only help the side gel further. Despite no expected overhaul, you know players are going to arrive at the club, Aguero? Nasri? Being linked with the top players and you wouldn't at all be suprised to see them roll up at City. Again though, it comes down to the way City can put away the 'lesser' sides. City held the best record for points against the bottom half of the table last year, along with one hell of a strong defence. If a few more creative players turn up at the Etihad stadium, I think City will challenge on all fronts.

Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal

I can't look beyond these 3 sides for the fourth spot, but between them its incredibly difficult to decide. Both Spurs and Arsenal are set to lose key players or retain unhappy players, and that is always going to take its toll. Unlike City, you don't see Arsenal or Spurs replacing Modric or Fabregas with top class replacements. I actually think the momentum is with Liverpool, but I don't think the back-end of last year with Kenny is a clear indication of how this season will go, the pressure was off then, it was a breathe of fresh air the club needed, but now its a different ball game. Okay, Liverpool haven't been signing superstars, but they have been signing solid, premiership proven talent in key area's (You've needed a winger for years) Regardless of last years performance, Liverpool are a good side, and I can definatly see them challenging for a CL spot next year.

[Jorgen]

Mr Evans talks sense, I agree with everything he said.

Top man Mr Evans.

[Matt8Pie]

Not a lot wrong with what he said, but it's his opinion.

My opinion is that we'll be in the top four at the end of the season.

[Andy @ Allerton!]

Roy has done us the favour we wished for. He has quelled any false expectations and hype.

We just need to quietly get on with it and see what we can achieve.

[Hymer Red]

Do you think that they say this just to manage expectations and take some pressure off the team

Ding!

Disagree with him all you want but Roy Evans is no bellend.

Are all correct answers!

[Jookie]

Do you think that they say this just to manage expectations and take some pressure off the team

Good point.

Probably not a bad thing to do given how hysterical some fans have been over the transfer window.

Challenging for top4 should be the aim for next season. Any more would be asking too much.

EDIT: just realised this is my 1000th post. Should have written something more profound!

[Robin]

Opinions respected, and he will be very happy if he was proven wrong. Improvements is what matters. and also beating Manchester United yearly.

[exiledinyorkshire]

I think he is wrong personally.

I think we may well challenge, although i dont think we can win it next year.

So i disagree with mr Roy Evans who managed our football club and got them playing some really good football, but i would never like to here him being called a Bellend or being told to fuck off again, thankyou very much.

[DanA]

yeah. join bottom. oooooohhhh nooooo relegation fight. of course we are talking about 11/12 season, and what are you using to gauge the up and coming season? well, how we performed last year would be a starting point. how much have we improved compared to last year is anyone's guess. Will we be better? We hope and on paper it should. After we finished 2nd, we looked set to again challenge for honors but failed.

like u mentioned, not exact science but yes it's lala land if anyone is seriously expecting us to challenge for the title. to be honest, the top 4 have a closer chance and likelihood for fighting for the title than us.

And which is a more accurate gauge. How we played for the entire season or how we played under  Kenny?

Had we played the entire season like we did under Kenny we'd have been in a race for the title. For what it's worth I don't think we're quite there but I think we're right there as far as top four are concerned which is where I disagree with the OP and your post.

[adamski29]

O

we finished 6th, regardless of who took the first half of the season. The table doesn't lie. Are we off the top 4 teams, yeah. Some of us really got to stop living in lala land. At this point, it's a fact we are worse off than the top 5 based on league results. Are we better or will we be better? Let's talk at the end of the coming season.

Normally you would be correct, but In the case of last season, and due to extenuating circumstances that prevailed at the time, I Would say that for this one time only I don't think the table can be taken as a rock solid indication of our level. last season was the most turbulent in our history, with everyone on the  floor in terms of moral,players fans, administrators. kenny came in and lifted everyone, I'm suggesting that the second half of the season is a better indication.  It could simply have been the effect of the weight of tyranny lifting of our shoulders, but managers like Kenny are one in a million. He like whisky nose or shankly, or any of the great managers transmit there personality  onto their team, they just have it, whatever "that" is. You could see the squad transform last season slowly but surley from ugly creepy caterpillar, into something much nicer, I wont say beautiful butterfly yet, but were making progress.

The players that we have signed so far have been solid If unspectacular, undoubted improvements in the squad, with Adam, the most potential to exceed expectations, for me anyway,  :)and I do understand the problems with signing players while not in the champions league, I am not of the football managers.brigade., but I can't but completley agree  with the post suggesting  that we eNed another "game breaker" not because I don't I think we can't get in the top four without one buht If we where to get say (oh dear god) Mata and he where to settle in the pl early, then I would say we would take some stopping.

[justarslan]

Anyone who's slagging off Roy Evans, a man who served our club for over 30 years and is as legendary a Red in his own way as Kenny, really needs to take a long hard look at themselves.

[cornelius]

we finished 6th, regardless of who took the first half of the season. The table doesn't lie. Are we off the top 4 teams, yeah. Some of us really got to stop living in lala land. At this point, it's a fact we are worse off than the top 5 based on league results. Are we better or will we be better? Let's talk at the end of the coming season.

Yeah we finished 6th...after our worst start to a season for 57 years!

What's giving me such belief is not just the improvement and togetherness under Kenny but the way we comprehensively beat United, City and Chelsea in the second half of the season. I'm extremely confident we will get top 4 because I believe we'll actually be pushing much harder than that. No Europe to sidetrack us either.

[fowlermagic]

Who the hell is Roy Evan? I hate these know nothing wannabe pundits who just keep trying to put their foot into us while down. Its not as if this man ever had the pleasure of hanging out with anyone who knew something about the game....

[canyouhearhimcalling]

That's 75 points, and would most likely win us the title combined with 7 or 8 draws. 20 wins would be a much more realistic target.

Well lets aim for 30 wins then

[canyouhearhimcalling]

Edit* We should aim to win 38/38

[LiverpoolForever]

While i disagree we are behind Spurs , i do think we have a battle to reach the Top 4 but i think we will get there with Arsenal being vunerable at the moment , our signings can only improve our chances.

But , as Andy said above maybe the dampening of expectations wont do us any harm in the long run.The thoughts that we may not get in the Top 4 maybe are more realistic than the people who think we can win the league or come very close , the last thing we need is people questioning the manager or the signings if we get off to a sluggish start.

[Torpedo Tommy]

"We’re a fair bit behind the top four of five clubs.”

Really Roy? I for one am not expecting us to win the league but we really need to get away from this lack of belief in ourselves. We have to believe we are good enough and go to win it. Not to get 4th. When we fall just short but land in the Champions League we are disappointed. We regroup, improve and go again next year.

If we're happy to target the top four we'll see that as success - which it isn't. Pisses me right off all this pessimism by former reds and people close to the club.

[LiverpoolForever]

"We’re a fair bit behind the top four of five clubs.”

Really Roy? I for one am not expecting us to win the league but we really need to get away from this lack of belief in ourselves. We have to believe we are good enough and go to win it. Not to get 4th. When we fall just short but land in the Champions League we are disappointed. We regroup, improve and go again next year.

If we're happy to target the top four we'll see that as success - which it isn't. Pisses me right off all this pessimism by former reds and people close to the club.

Personally , its not so much lack of belief , its perhaps realism that clubs have galloped ahead so far its going to take more than 1 or 2 seasons to close the gap.We have had massive expectations in the past and its not worked out so dampening the expectations this time might not be a bad thing.

Getting 4th would'nt be success but i would be a building block to develop and it would point to us being on the right road which IMO is going to be quite a long one seeing the money and players teams above us are attracting.City have moved the landscape , no doubt about that.

[Torpedo Tommy]

Quite right, and better then the bedroom drongos who know better tha Roy Evans CBE a dististinguished servant of our club.

Of course we all hope for more,but the squad, and our buys, suggest,  a finish just short of the Cl.

We didn't finish a million miles out of the Champions League last year and, results dependent, it was still mathematically possible going into May. We'll hopefully have the 3 new signings, a fit Andy Carroll, a fit Stevie, a fit(ter) Agger and possibly a left back.

I criticised Roy Hodgson for talking us into a mid table team. Until he went, we were bang on target for bottom half. If we can't live with the pressure of expectation to get top four we may as well wave the white flag now if we've ever got any intent on winning the league because the pressure will be immense.

Let's talk people up. Get them believing they are good enough. Pressure of expectation? We need to deal with it and fast!

[freedom]

We just need Mata.

yep 

[bigbear]

I don't think we are behind the top 4 with the additions we have made and importantly the additional time Clarke and Dalglish have had.

Caroll has been our biggest signing and yet he's hardly kicked a ball. Gerrard basically didn't play under Kenny/Clarke and Downing is a big improvement on the left. The idea of those three with Suarez is exciting. We know Kenny will have them at it and we know the crowd will respond to a bit of belief so why shouldn't we improve again.

I don't expect us to win the title but I do expect us to be well over 70 points and indeed closer to 80. That's not my heart talking it's my head.

I'm not saying who we will replace in there as it could be anybody. Don't forget we went from a very strong second to 7th in one disastrous season but I see no reason why it should not be us in there, indeed I honestly expect us to get in there.

[Torpedo Tommy]

Personally , its not so much lack of belief , its perhaps realism that clubs have galloped ahead so far its going to take more than 1 or 2 seasons to close the gap.We have had massive expectations in the past and its not worked out so dampening the expectations this time might not be a bad thing.

Getting 4th would'nt be success but i would be a building block to develop and it would point to us being on the right road which IMO is going to be quite a long one seeing the money and players teams above us are attracting.City have moved the landscape , no doubt about that.

Why was it that Kenny came in and turned the team around last January? He brought back belief in players who had started to read in the media that they weren't good enough. Within weeks, the confidence was back as players weren't scared of the ball. I can honestly say I've never seen a player with as little confidence as Glenn Johnson under Hodgson. Watch his showing against Blackpool. I couldn't have done worse. But is showing under Kenny? Immense improvement - even playing out of position.

If I'm honest, 4th would be about where I think we'll finish. Would this be a success? Not sure, I'd say progress. My point was not to target 4th. We have to believe we are better, we can't hold our hands up and say "well, City and Chelsea have spent more than us so what do you expect". United didn't scream about City or Chelsea last year despite, in my opinion, having an inferior squad. With possibly 10-15 games less than last season, we should target to win the lot - and believe we are good enough.

[peachybum]

I have to agree with Roy that i think we'll finish below 4th. Not by a long way though!

Of course a hope for the title but expect 5th. But thats based on the fact i don't see Carroll scoring the 15+ goals we'll need him to get 4th or higher.

But the windows still open and we could still improve our squad.

[bigbear]

With possibly 10-15 games less than last season, we should target to win the lot - and believe we are good enough.

That should be the starting point.

Get off to a winning start at home to Sunderland and believe we can win anywhere.

[LiverpoolForever]

Why was it that Kenny came in and turned the team around last January? He brought back belief in players who had started to read in the media that they weren't good enough. Within weeks, the confidence was back as players weren't scared of the ball. I can honestly say I've never seen a player with as little confidence as Glenn Johnson under Hodgson. Watch his showing against Blackpool. I couldn't have done worse. But is showing under Kenny? Immense improvement - even playing out of position.

If I'm honest, 4th would be about where I think we'll finish. Would this be a success? Not sure, I'd say progress. My point was not to target 4th. We have to believe we are better, we can't hold our hands up and say "well, City and Chelsea have spent more than us so what do you expect". United didn't scream about City or Chelsea last year despite, in my opinion, having an inferior squad. With possibly 10-15 games less than last season, we should target to win the lot - and believe we are good enough.

Kenny has instilled confience in the team no doubt about that and that wont change next season.Im sure Kenny will play to win it of course he will and he will honestly believe it as well.

It also depends on the indivdual fan , some are wildly optimistic and some are the other way , but personally i think its too soon to be talking about titles , of course i would be delighted if im proved wrong.Like you say 4th would be progress and i think we will get that , overtaking Arsenal.

[bigbear]

I have to agree with Roy that i think we'll finish below 4th. Not by a long way though!

Of course a hope for the title but expect 5th. But thats based on the fact i don't see Carroll scoring the 15+ goals we'll need him to get 4th or higher.

But the windows still open and we could still improve our squad.

If Carroll gets 15 League goals and Suarez gets 15 league goals we won't be far off top.

[Crimson_Tank]

Roy's assessment is a nice dose of cold hard realism for the club and supporters so that we don't get carried away with out revisions under FSG and Kenny. We did beat United, Chelsea, and City last year, while tying Arsenal and we were still in the running (albeit slightly) for a CL spot in April/May. We have a long hard road ahead but we are in a fantastically better position then we were a year ago.

Let's wait as see how next season looks in December and then we can talk about how far off we are.

[bigbear]

Let's wait as see how next season looks in December and then we can talk about how far off we are.

but we'll be 15 points clear by then !!

[Dick Emery]

We are not a long way behind as the season hasn't started. We need to buy a couple more and there is no reason why we can't be right up there when it does.

[cornelius]

And make no mistake, Kenny will be aiming for 1st.

[The Portuguese Kopite]

How bout he waits for August 13th? Because as it stands, since Kenny, Suarez, and Carroll came on board and Torres and Hodgson crashed and burned, we've done quite well in the league and I'm looking forward to how we do next year.

But for one thing, we are certainly beyond Spurs and Arsenal (especially if they lose Nasri and Fabregas) and definitely not far from the other 3.

[Twelfth Man]

We are not a long way behind as the season hasn't started. We need to buy a couple more and there is no reason why we can't be right up there when it does.

Raheem Sterling, Martin Kelly, Flanno, Jack Robinson, Connor Coady let us not forget the very bright prospects we have coming up from the reserve ranks.

[bigbear]

And make no mistake, Kenny will be aiming for 1st.

Too right he will.

Mind you he'll say
"We'll take it one game at a time starting with Sunderland, try our best in each game and the add up all the points at the end "

[Billy The Kid]

We finished 10 points off 4th place last season

And that was despite the fact that Hodgson had guided us to defeats at home to Blackpool and Wolves. There's 6 points right there that shouldn't have been dropped. We also had a home draw with Sunderland (so you can make that 8 points), and suffered horrible defeats away to Everton, and Newcastle. You could even throw in the draw away at Wigan too. And this was all before Christmas. That's 16 points dropped in total from those games.

When Kenny took over we stopped playing the horrendous football we had witnessed under Hodgson, and really started to tear through teams. I don't think we're that far off the top 4 to be honest   

 

[MikkeB]

Why do people think that Kenny is somehow the messiah, even he knows that for us to be as successful as he was for this club we need a few players like him in the team, theres only so much you can do from the sidelines. He will do well but we need perspective.