Why Houllier must go?
3/1/2003
After witnessing the most abject, uninspiring and futile
performance by a Liverpool side in living memory, the time has
come for Mr Houllier to relinquish his position as manager.
Before all the Houllier admirers pigeon hole me as another
disloyal supporter responding with another knee jerk reaction,
lets consider THE FACTS during Houlliers reign as manager:
1. In his transfer dealings, Houllier has signed more failures
than successes. Whilst no-one would disagree with the quality of
Hyypia, Henchoz, Kirkland and Riise, do we really consider the
signings of Diouf, Smicer, Biscan, Diomede, Traore, Barmby,
Xavier, Arphexad, Cheyrou and even Heskey to be successes?
2. Why did Houllier decline the opportunity to sign one of the
best young and PROVEN Premiership talents around (Anelka) in
favour of a striker (Diouf) who admittedly had a good world cup
but was then playing for an average French side and was
completely oblivious to the demands of English football? I
wonder what Mr Houllier would do now given the same opportunity?
3. Having been brought up on Liverpool teams retaining
possession and often embarrassing teams with our ability to
pass, move and create, why is it since the arrival of Mr
Houllier we seem unable to retain possession for more than three
or four passes? (usually in our own half!)
4. Why does mr Houllier insist on playing full backs that have
little or no creative and attacking ability? (Carragher, Traore)
Full backs, like central midfielders, have to be omnicompetent
in the modern game. Long gone are the days, especially at home,
when we can satisfy ourselves that our full backs are 'solid'
and 'able defenders'. Full backs such as Ashley Cole, Mikael
Silvestre and Graeme Le Saux provide their teams with genuine
attacking options and also give their sides NATURAL WIDTH.
5. On the same point as above, why are evidently more talented,
creative and skilled footballers in the full back positions
ignored? (Babbel, Vignal and even Riise on occassions)
6. Why oh why are Liverpool so slow at starting games. This
invariably allows teams to grow in confidence and dictate the
terms of a game. This invariably allows the opposition to take
the lead and results in us having to play 'catch up'. I would
like to know what happens in the dressing room immediately
before the team takes the pitch.
7. Why have Liverpool developed a system of play under Houllier
that can be described as nothing more than 'alehouse football'.
The most shocking indictement of Houlliers reign is the fact
that in my 30 years of watching LFC, I have seen them play more
long balls in the last six months than I have seen in the
previous 29 and a half years.
8. Why do Liverpool sit so deep as a team? This is again a 'Houllierism'
- these tactics simply invite opposition pressure and invariably
results in pressurised defenders lashing the ball blindly
upfield (usually in the air) only for it to come back seconds
later. These tactics result in the whole team becoming stretched
and the three units (defence, midfield and attack becoming
isolated from each other).
9. Is it just me or do our strikers seem incapable of keeping
hold of the ball for more than a nano second? I don't know what
Mr Houllier and his staff do with the players on the training
field but killing a ball and using bodily strength to reatin it
should be high on the agenda.
10. When was the last time you saw a Liverpool midfield player
charging into the box to get on the end of a cross delivered
wide from an advanced position? This goes to the crux of
everything that is at fault with LFC - no width, isolated units
within the team, sitting to deep, lack of creative fullbacks.
There are many more faults I could list under the Houllier
regime and I agree he has contributed some good things to the
club. However, all those supporters who were in raptures
following the 'treble' have to concede that the team has
declined since then and lets be honest, we only won the
Worthington Cup against a second rate Division One team on
penalties, we stole the F A Cup from an embarrasingly superior
side on the day and we achieved UEFA cup success with a 4-3 win
against a very average Spanish team. Our boring, rigid, 'absorb
pressure and hit them on the break' mentality has been exposed
repeatedly at Europes top table - remember Valencia and
Barcelona?
In summary, Houllier is living on the good nature of supporters
blighted by years in the wilderness as the manager who brought
them three trophies in one year, beat Man Utd more than once and
returned as a hero following health problems - blunt but true.
It is my opinion that Houllier lacks the offensive tactical
accumen to forge LFC into a cohesive, creative and potent side
who's main objective on entering the field of play is to score
goals not comprimise this aim with attempting to concede them -
this mentallity can often backfire and did so famously this
season afgainst Middlesbro' at the Riverside.
Mr Houllier was quick to offer 'bad luck' as the the resason for
Liverpools demise at the start of this current barren spell. I
can think of numerous games when Liverpool were blessed with
good luck and the result could have gone against us (Leeds away,
Chelsea home, Ipswich home, Tottenham home, Southampton home) -
you create your own luck and Liverpool are guilty of creating
very little.
My thoughts are summed up, sadly, by the fact that I would
rather watch Arsenal or Chelsea play at present than LFC - their
games lack creativity, excitement and lead to utter frustration
for those supporters who have to endure the mediocrity - what a
sad indictement on the current side.
Mr Houllier has taken the side as far as he is capable. I
believe the time is right for him to step aside and allow
passing, movement, creativity and excitement to return to the
barren, boring and one dimensional pastures of Anfield.
Goodbye Gerard, your chateau and vineyards await you in Southern
France. |