I was just about to do my post-season recap of Liverpool FC, tie that in to my commentary on the astonishing results at Euro 2004, and finally end off with a season preview for the '04-'05 season when an amazing thing happened. The Official Liverpool Web Site has made an appeal for amateur writers to submit copies of their works for possible publication on-line. That means that this site will, for the foreseeable future, become my draughting pad for my submissions to the lads and lasses actually responsible for maintaining the LFC site. Could it be? Could it be? I may have a possibility of recognition at long last. Any comments which can give me any kind of idea for making my punctuation more punchy or my syntax silkier are not only welcomed, but now enthusiatically endorsed. I want to play in the big leagues with the pundits, and I need your help!
So with that status update stated, here are my thoughts on the state of footy in general and Liverpool specifically following a tumultuous series of events nationally and internationally.
The club finished the season having qualified for the Champions' Cup by virtue of finishing fourth in the league. That's good, since Liverpool FC without European football is like a feast without wine, as Roy Evans once said. But it is also a huge cause for concern, since the enormous difference in points which forms the gulf separating us from Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea would seem to reflect a corresponding contrast in team quality and consistency in terms of results.
And so, after the final balls of the season were kicked, the club nicely asked Gérard Houllier to step aside and make room for new management. Being the dedicated Liverpool fan that he is, and knowing that despite his accomplishments to date and projections for the future, he recognized that his continued presence would detract from the team's performance and place undue pressure on all members of the club. He had been second-guessed and scrutinized at every turn, and it was a stirring moment near the end of February when Steve Gerrard scored a critical goal against Levski Sofia in the UEFA Cup, than ran across the pitch to hug Houllier in an unmistakable statement of support for his boss. Despite the faith of his players, punters and publicists throughout the country would have continued to spend more column inches analysing his managerial style and techniques than on actual team performances or overall quality of play. As a younger man in the 60's and 70's, Houllier worked as a teacher on Merseyside, and has been a Liverpool fan and football professional ever since, helping France win the World Cup in 1998 as Technical Director. And so, tears in his eyes, he tendered his resignation and walked away from the only job he's ever wanted. He took a bullet for an under-achieving team and sacrificed his career, assuming all the responsibility for any perceived shortcomings in the team's season.
The team was hamstrung (almost literally) from the opening of the season, with hideous injuries decimating the squad and restricting options in terms of personnel and tactical structure. With Milan Baros, Dietmar Hamann, Chris Kirkland, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen and other ostensible first-teamers wracked with injury, the rest of the team grew increasingly dependent on Captain Steven Gerrard to dictate the flow of play during each game. The young lad emerged as Liverpool's heart and soul, and earned praise and admiration from all corners.
The biggest development to occur as a result of Gerrard's heroics was the bid submitted by the outrageously wealthy staff at Chelski, who offered extraordinary amounts of money to bring the lad to London. After a Euro 2004 performance that underlined his skills and potential game-breaking genius, it looked as though the club and player would be helpless before the temptation of mountains of lucre from Chelsea owner Roman Abramowich - somewhere between 37 and 40 million pounds to the club, and an extravagant weekly wage increase to the player.
After several days of soul-searching and meditation, Stevie G did something rarely seen in professional sports - he walked away from the big money and stayed with his hometown team. He met the new manager, Rafael Benitez, and was sufficiently impressed with the gaffer's plans and ideas that he is convinced of the club's abilities to win trophies. His loyalty and convictions sent ripples throughout the Premiership. His team-mates praised him, other managers were awe-struck, and the new manager at Chelsea was left giving a news conference fervently hoping that Gerrard does well - but not against his team.
The man put under pressure by Gerrard's decision was none other than fellow hometown hero Michael Owen. St. Michael has only a year left on his contract, but the fans are now in the thrall of an expectation that he will follow his friend, teammate and captain's decision to re-sign with the club. And in a Euro 2004 tournament where England captain David Beckham was so bitterly disappointing, it was St. Michael that played with a selflessness uncommon among strikers, setting young Wayne Rooney free time and again through other team's defences, and sparking the Rooney-mania craze. Every beautiful Rooney strike was presaged by a brilliant move by Owen to squeak balls from inside the man-marking prisons in which defences trapped him, and hit the wide-open and unmarked Rooney with a pass into his stride.
And while St. Michael dazzled with his generosity, it was another Liverpool player who claimed the golden boot for his repeated bulging of the backs of nets: Milan Baros. Baros displayed a hungry predatory instinct which was fed perfectly by the often sublime creativity of Pavel Nedved, Vladimir Smicer, and to a lesser extent, Karel Poborsky. The Czech Republic was simply a juggernaut, scoring goals at will, including a thriller over Holland. Until their irresistible force ran into the immovable object that was Greece, where the Greeks poached a goal against the run of play virtually as the ref inhaled to blow the whistle on the first half of extra-time. According to UEFA, it will be the last "Silver Goal" scored in this tournament - the rules having already been changed, but that will be of scant consolation to the mortified Czechs.
In a season where FC Porto triumphed in the Champions' League, and giants were being killed in cup competitions on an almost weekly basis, this year seemed to be destined to elevate the less fortunate, less glamourous, and less storied teams to the detriment of the likes of Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Bayern Munich. And with the possible exception of Latvia, no-one was less-favoured than Greece. Even after their shock upset of the hosts on the first day of competition, no one really fancied the Cinderellas to go all the way to the final and win. But somehow, through the virtually incomprehensible babblings of Otto Rehhagel, they formed a team that will go into history as legends. As quite possibly the greatest example of a team winning against astronomical odds through the application of discipline and teamwork in European football history, the Greek team have given their country the biggest posible lift it could have received prior to hosting the Summer Olympics in Athens.
So what can we expect from the upcoming season? More stunning upsets and long-shot David vs. Goliath showdowns? Canvey Island for the FA Cup, anyone?
UEFA, distraught at the comparative ease with which England, Italy, France, Spain and Germany were dispatched from the tournament are looking at ways of shortening the league seaons in those countries, ostensibly because of claims that after a full season, players from those countries are too knackered to participate meaningfully in a summer tournament. Which leads me to a final recap item. Markus Babbel, after three years at Liverpool has returned to Germany to play for Vfb Stuttgart. This is the man who played 60 games out of 63 during the 2000-2001 season, where he helped claim the UEFA Cup, The FA Cup, The League Cup, The Charity Shield and the European Super Cup. The following season, he was struck down by Guillian-Barre Syndrome, which sidelined him for over a year. After months of rehab, he was finally cleared to play, and he was loaned out to Blackburn Rovers for a season, where he slowly regained his match fitness.
His departure is certainly one of the most amicably conducted events of recent memory. He gushed out a glowing tribute to the club, the city and the supporters and cannot comfotably envisage playing for a different Premiership team. A classy full back who helped stock the trophy cabinet in his only full season of fitness, Markus will be fondly remembered. He was part of a back four defensive line which was one of the crucial components of a team which became the only club in history to play every possible fixture in a single season. Thankfully, there was no summer tournament following that magical season, since players like Babbel and Stephane Henchoz were completely out of energy. It took Babbel two years to get any of it back, due to the debilitating neurological disorder.
So this season is likely to prove the last one with a full 20-team Premiership. I expect that the conclusion of the 2005 season will involve four teams being relegated, and only two receiving promotion from Division 1. And the Scottish Premiership is going to have to do some reorganizing north of Hadrian's Wall. The financial situation in Scotland is dire, and the revenues are falling far short of club expectations to meet expenditures. Television contracts, sponsorships and wage bills are going to need a huge restructuring across the board to create financial stability. Unless Scottish clubs can make a dent in Europe, there just aren't enough revenue streams to sustain a healthy league. Glasgow Rangers are tightening their belts, and Celtic are following suit. I suspect that unless the SFA negotiate some form of Home Countries competition with proceeds benefitting the league members, Scotland will turn into a Conference-level of competition compared to England, and their performances in Europe will be on a par with Belorus and the Faeroe Islands.
So there's the structural analysis. As for the actual performances of teams on the pitch - all eyes are looking to Middlesbrough and Chelsea, who have been the most active in the transfer market. Speculation about Alan Shearer's future at Newcastle will continue to active - he's still banging in the goals, but how long before age or injury force the Toon Army to buy a long-term replacement? The departure of Lomanu Lua Lua has already thinned the ranks, and with a rising wage bill featuring Kieron Dyer and Jonathan Woodgate, how much can Sir Bobby Robson afford to spend, and when?
Meanwhile, on Merseyside the theme is one of continuity rather than expansion. Everton are working tirelessly to ensure that Wayne Rooney commits his future to the club, while Liverpool, having secured Steven Gerrard are looking to maintain the presence of St. Michael in the fold. The new faces include Djibril Cisse with the Reds, who has been a goal-scoring machine in the French League - the lowest scoring league in terms of goals-per-game average. Faces on the Kop at Anfield are salivating at the prospect of an in-form St. Michael combining with Baros and Cisse up front.
And many young and new faces that never had a proper introduction to the Kop are on their way out. Young masters Richie Partidge and Michael Foley-Sheridan have been released. Apparently the Benitez revolution does not believe the youth academy will be able to trump the successes of Fowler and Owen, Gerrard and Carragher, and have evicted some of the lads with big potential in order to make room for new imports and the articles that have proven themselves to be genuine already, such as Neil Mellor.
Bruno Cheyrou will not run out on the pitch at Anfield this season, having gone on a year-long loan to Marseilles. Oh, and for a whopping £6.25 million, Emile Heskey has been sold to Birmingham City. A good, solid lad, but he always seemed to flatter to deceive and never lived up to the hype surrounding his arrival from Leicester City. And with Cisse, Owen and Baros in the strike force, it was always going to be Heskey who would either lose first-team playing time or move to another top-flight club. And with Birmingham also scooping up the numerous Chelsea castoffs, they could be a surprisingly powerful team with a number of swift attacking options in Mikael Forssell, Muzzy Izzet, Jesper Gronkjaer and now Heskey joining the lightning-fast Stan Lazaridis and the talismanic and eerily erudite Robbie Savage at St. Andrew's.
But let's leave the midlands for a moment and think of the tragedy in Yorkshire, where Leeds dismantled their team in the wake of their relegation. And strangely enough, that team seems more and more impressive in retrospect as the former White United players are snapped up hungrily by teams with the expectations that most, if not all of them will be stars for their new clubs. Former Liverpool midfielders Domenic Matteo and Nicky Barmby are off to Blackburn and Hull City respectively. Ian Harte is off to Spain to play with newly promoted Levante. Young prospect Stephen McPhail is at Barnsley, England internationals Paul Robinson, Danny Mills and Alan Smith are off to Tottenham Hotspurs, Manchester City and Manchester United, in that order, for a grand total of £7.5 million. Australian star Mark Viduka went to Middlesbrough for £4.5 million, and rising star James Milner was sold to Newcastle for a fee that may eventually reach £5 million, depending on appearances. That's nine players - all highly rated and desirable. Why were Leeds so poor on the pitch last year with such a wealth of talent? And rumours still swirl that Eirik Bakke may be next on the auction block. Alas, Leeds will need to rebuild with some inspired youth and some cut-rate experience quickly if they hope to rejoin the other big clubs in the Premiership. A chilling warning to other clubs of the dangers of mismanagement and the need to keep the wage bills within the bounds of reason.
On the other side of the coin, Manchester United have been splashing out money quite freely to buy the heroes of tomorrow. Now that the first generation of Fergie's Fledglings has begun to fly the nest, Sir Alex has decided to begin rebuilding now with young and impressionable teenage talent that he can shape to his philosophies and tactics - Giuseppe Rossi from Parma, Gerard Pique from Barcelona, and Gabriel Heinze from Paris Saint-Germain. Apparently the success of teenaged Cristiano Ronaldo has filled the Old Trafford staff with the belief that not only can David Beckham be replaced, but so can Nicky Butt and several other members of the youth team that came up through the academy. And it seems that the expensive flops of Juan Sebastian Veron, Karel Poborsky (remember him?), Jordi Cruyff, and even Diego Forlan have burned the fingers and pocketbooks of the directors perhaps once too often. So they're buying for the future, and hoping that some of the old guard can help the youth along, laying a heavy responsibility on Roy Keane in midfield, Rio Ferdinand in defence, and Saha and Van Nistlerooy up front to win matches while the new signings are blooded and try and stay in the championship races of the next two or three seasons.
Chelsea, meanwhile, not content with profligately casting over £100 million of transfer fees around last season, have already spent £39.2 million this off-season. Gone are Emmanuel Petit, Winston Bogarde, Marcel Desailly, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Mario Melchiot, and Joel Kitamirike. All released from their contracts and set free to the four winds. Unwanted, and apparently unneeded. Gone temporarily are Hernan Crespo, Carlton Cole, Mikael Forssell, and Juan Sebastian Veron - all given season-long loans to other clubs. José Mourinho must obviously have liked the performance of PSV Eindhoven last year, since he splashed out £26 million to buy three of them: keeper Petr Cech, attacking midfielder Arjen Robben, and striker Mateja Kezman. What can we expect of Chelsea this year? A half-decent run in Europe, but no silverware, as everyone spends the season sorting through the jerseys trying to determine who's actually on the team.
The Gunners have been doing a bit of house-cleaning as well, though not flexing their purchasing power as indelicately as their blue London rivals. Arséne Wenger has released the contracts of Nwankwo Kanu, Igor Stepanovs, Craig Holloway, Rami Shaaban, long-time servant Martin Keown, and Sylvain Wiltord, and given Stathis Tavlaridis and Giovanni van Bronckhorst free transfers. What can we expect to see from them? They'll probably win the league again this year, though not quite in such dominating style as in the last season. They've lost some depth on their bench, and some leadership in the dressing room, and it'll show during the Christmas Break crunch, when injuries and fixture congestion start to drain them. They'll drop a couple of cup matches and have to turn on the Henry afterburners at the close of the season to take the Premiership.
And as for the 'Pool? Well, I would very much have liked them to have beaten Roma to Philippe Mexes' signature, since a 22 year-old defender who can also play sweeper is a rare commodity in today's game, but the knowledge that he spurned Manchester United's £9.9 million pound offer to sign for the Italian club is victory enough for now.
Benitez made his reputation as a man who can turn fortunes around very quickly, as he did at Valencia. But La Liga is one thing, and England another thing again. It will take some time to adjust to the faster pace, more aggressive play, and focus on fitness that is prevalent in the Premiership. Squad rotation can be almost as critical as a first-team tactical formation, and stamina training can be as important as set-play practice.
The first season will be good. A success even. But the elusive championship of the Premiership will elude the Merseyside Reds for one more year. The FA Cup is a good bet, though. And a very solid run in the Champions' Cup. Semi-finalists, perhaps. Then again, after all of these years of expectation and disappointment, perhaps I'm just a jaded kopite afraid to commit to hoping too much or too hard for something that has never come to fruition. On the other hand, I think that time is on Liverpool's side. The players are young, hungry and willing to shed tears of blood to win. And with Stevie G's commitment to the team, I believe the trophies will come. Loosely assembled squads of mercenaries cannot compete with an elite team of focused and attuned colleagues fighting for each other. Shankly demanded that kind of cameraderie from his teams, and now that Stevie G has made the first critical step in establishing passion, loyalty and dedication, his leadership can forge the great man's Red Army anew.
"The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way I see football, the way I see life" - Bill Shankly
Justice for the 96.
-mARKUS
Justice for the 96.
-mARKUS
