Pandemonium at Anfield; Drobga and Owen to the rescue?

If there's a university out there with a course on the basic tenets of wheeling and dealing in the transfer market, I'd recommend Liverpool sign up both its manager and owners for it.

Both Brendan Rodgers and John Henry have recently tried to downplay Liverpool's lack of success in bringing in a new striker and neither wants to pin the blame on the other.

But the fact that Liverpool are now desperately considering moves for Michael Owen or Didier Drogba can only mean that someone's pushed the panic button.

Perhaps both Rodgers and Henry are telling the truth. Perhaps Rodgers is still a little new when it comes to working the transfer window and hasn't figured out the fact that clubs like Liverpool will always be quoted a higher price than ones with less prestige and history.

Besides, a precedent was set last season under Kenny Dalglish who thought nothing wrong on spending GBP35 million on Andy Carroll or GBP20 million on Stewart Downing.

As such, perhaps Henry, after investing GBP100 million in last season, has become a little too apprehensive when it comes to spending more cash. Having seen his investments yield an eighth place finish last season, it isn't all that surprising to find the Boston Red Sox owner getting a little frugal with his cheque book.

But even with all that under consideration, just how on earth did they commit one of the biggest blunders in the footballing world. If signing Carroll for GBP35 million was ridiculous, this was far more absurd: letting Carroll go on a season-long loan to West Ham without procuring a replacement first.

I can't think of many managers or club owners who would have made such a novice mistake but these two men, somehow, saw it fit.

I can understand if Rodgers was trying to remove the deadwood in the squad. Lord-knows it's been a long time coming. But even then, his decisions have been bizzare. He has so far sold both Dirk Kuyt and Charlie Adam, two players who may not be the most consistent but are at least capable of scoring goals.

And while these two players were considered to be surplus to requirements, Downing and Jordan Henderson still remain on Liverpool's payroll.

Thus, with no back-up strikers, Rodgers may have sealed his fate. Luis Suarez may be one of the most gifted footballers in the world but as evident last season is not one of the greatest goal scorers.

Instead, the Uruguayan international plays best behind the striker but with no one there, he's once again left to his own devices (much like how Fernando Torres' last years at Liverpool were).

As evident in the defeat to Arsenal, his supposed new striking partner, Fabio Borrini, is still unconvincing in front of goal and was eventually brought off for Downing, who, if you're counting, amassed a total of zero goals last season.

And now that the panic button's been pushed, will Drogba and Owen be able to rescue the Reds and Rodgers from what could be a disastrous question?

To be honest, I'm doubtful both players would come. Owen would appear to be the likelier of the two to come to Anfield (if an agreement can be reached).

Should both players arrive, the club's confidence would receive a short boost but keeping them injury-free would pose a significant challenge to the club's medical team. If anything, they may be able to stave off the slump and get the Reds out of the danger zone until January when Rodgers and Henry can get another crack at the transfer window.

Otherwise, this story will once again end in more turmoil. Rodgers will most certainly be doomed for an early severance package while Henry will attain unpopularity levels in the same vein as George Gillette and Tom Hicks were, giving rise to yet another anti-American wave at Anfield. And we all know how that panned out for the club the last time it happened.

New Faces, Old Results

A new manager, a new project, a new vision. The result? More of the same-old same-old.

No rewards here for guessing which club is the topic of today's piece (the photo on the right was a dead giveaway itself).

Yes, meet Brendan Rodgers, the man whose arrival at Liverpool was greeted by bemusement laced with the mild-optimism that is reluctantly bestowed upon every new manager that has been appointed to the hot seat at Anfield.

With the exception of Kenny Dalglish, of course, who incidentally was the man Rodgers was brought in to replace. It's no easy task filling in the shoes of a fan favourite. The task is made all the more harder when your managerial resume only includes Swansea and Reading.

Still, there was some reason -even if it felt foolhardy at times - to believe Rodgers had what it took to turn things around or, more importantly, accomplish what Dalglish, Roy Hodgson and Rafa Benitez had all failed to do.

Rodgers' ability to instill a formidable playing method at Swansea with much success played a big role in convincing John Henry and the rest Fenway Sports Group that the Northern Irishman was the manager they needed to revive an ailing giant.

Nevermind the fact that the comparisons of Swansea's passing game to Barcelona's were a tad bit exaggerated. The fact is, Rodgers was able to create a style that was more continental than English at a newly promoted club and led them to an 11th place finish in the league.

More impressive was the fact that Rodgers was able to achieve this with a team that largely comprised - sorry Swansea fans - mediocre footballers. To FSG, the potential was limitless. If Rodgers can do this with the players he had at Swansea, imagine what he'd be able to do if he was given a couple of stars and a competitive budget?

In theory, Rodgers made absolute sense to FSG instead of someone like Louis Van Gaal or Fabio Capello or even Pep Guardiola.

Unfortunately, as Rodgers and FSG were to later find out on the opening weekend of the new season, that there's no real easy fix at Liverpool. Sure, there were some fleeting moments of fluid passing but as soon as the first goal went in, along went the team's confidence.

Once again, the team on the pitch resembled the same team under Dalglish, Hodgson and Benitez: wasteful and bereft of ideas.

Rodgers can surely lament some of the questionable decisions that went against his men but the truth of the matter is that Liverpool once again failed to convert their dominating possession to goals - a popular theme at the club over the past three to four seasons.

Reds captain, Steven Gerrard is right when he says it's too early to push the panic button but given the way things have started, Rodgers must surely be wondering what he's got himself into. And with just over a week left of the transfer window and Europa league qualifiers and a Man City home game coming up, he doesn't have time on his side. He may just end up resorting to a famous tactic of Dalglish' last season - pray that Liverpool's luck on the pitch miraculously changes.

 

Mixed Signals On Carroll

The news of late surrounding Andy Carroll's future at Liverpool has been, well, mixed. On the outset, it appears as though both club and player are willing to part ways.

The popular theory out there is that the Liverpool's new manager, Brendan Rodgers, is no big fan of Carroll. And he may not be equally popular with the Reds owners in Boston who have yet to see any returns on the massive sum invested in the England forward.

Carroll, for his part, is apparently frustrated at a lack of opportunity to prove himself to Rodgers, especially after some impressive displays in EURO 2012.

Seems straight-forward doesn't it?Almost.

Soccernet reports that Liverpool have accepted a bid of GBP 19 million from West Ham for the striker but Carroll has rejected a move to Upton Park. In fact, Carroll's rejection comes a day after his new manager revealed that the striker wants to carry on at Anfield and that the former Newcastle forward could fit into his style of play.

If that's so, why did they accept a bid from West Ham especially when it comprised of a GBP2 million season-long loan payment with an option to permanently sign the striker for GBP17 million at the end of the season.

So, even from a financial perspective, this wasn't a deal that would have benefited Liverpool whose transfer budget this summer seems hinged upon their ability to raise cash by offloading some expensive and ineffective players.

What gives? Is there a communication breakdown between Rodgers and his new employers?

Martinez or Van Gaal?

Amidst the countless rumours this week, it appears as though the leading candidates for the top post at Liverpool is between Wigan's Roberto Martinez and former Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach, Louis Van Gaal.

Of the two, Martinez is apparently in the lead for the job and is currently in talks with Liverpool owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) in United States.

One can only hope that this is just another formality in the long and arduous search for a new manager and not a prelude to an appointment. If appointing Kenny Dalglish after sacking Roy Hodgson in 2011 was a PR victory with the club's supporters, bringing Martinez in would be nothing short of a disaster.

There is already a considerable amount of opposition to the fact that Martinez is even being considered for the job and one can only imagine the criticism and pressure that will be leveled at him each game Liverpool dont win.

For someone more accustomed to fighting relegation battles, this will come as both a shock and a sobering reminder that expectations at Liverpool are far different from that at Wigan.

But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here.

Van Gaal has recently emerged as a strong candidate for the job. Initial reports indicated that FSG wanted the Dutchman to assume the role of technical director, which was vacated by Damien Commoli towards the end of the Reds' torrid campaign last season.

The idea of putting Van Gaal in that position seemed to indicate that FSG wanted the Dutchman to implement a new transfer policy and bring in some fresh talent to provide some much needed change to the squad.

It also meant that high profile managerial candidates - Fabio Capello, Rafa Benitez - were out of the equation. Van Gaal is quite the imposing figure (he's also 60) and only a young an inexperienced manager like Martinez would be able to work with him.

Besides, Van Gaal would be some sort of insurance for FSG should Martinez fail and could be called in to step into the manager's role if needed.

But as it turns out, Van Gaal has indicated that he is more keen on the manager's position at Liverpool than the technical director's post.

Despite being sacked by his last club, Bayern Munich, Van Gaal possess an impressive resume that includes a Champions League trophy, UEFA Cup and several league titles in Holland, Spain and Germany respectively.

Simply put, if the choice boils down to either Martinez or Van Gaal, it should be a no brainer.

As for Capello and Benitez, reports suggest that both are keen on the job but haven't been approached by Liverpool. I've suggested several times that Capello fits the bill perfectly.

Just as successful as Van Gaal, Capello has a keen understanding of the English game and would not need time to settle in.

And if all else fails and you're left with just Martinez, I would rather go with Benitez who at least knows what it takes to compete at the highest level (and FSG wouldn't have to pay him to relocate. He already lives in Liverpool!).
 

Hansen Wrong On Dalglish

As speculation mounts over who will take over the reigns at Liverpool, former Reds defender and BBC Sport pundit, Alan Hansen, has come to Kenny Dalglish' defense over the latter's sacking.

Hansen's defense of the former Liverpool manager should not come as a surprise as the former played alongside and latter under fellow Scotsman, Dalglish. But much of his piece, which can be read here is sheer hypocrisy.

Before I go on, I will admit that it is sad to see Dalglish' second stint at Liverpool end in such a way but as I've argued before, his time at Anfield had run out. Legend or not, the Reds endured one of their worst seasons ever in the Premier League and Dalglish had to shoulder much of the blame.

Now, on to Hansen's column.

My first beef was with the following:

"Dalglish himself would have been disappointed with the final Premier League position, but he did win the Carling Cup and if you are winning trophies this should ultimately give the manager some leeway. When you are rebuilding you have to start somewhere and winning silverware is not a bad place, no matter how highly or otherwise people regard the Carling Cup." 

First, the only clubs that don't think highly of the Carling Cup are the ones that don't win it. And while winning the Carling Cup would be sufficient enough for a mid-table club, Liverpool aren't one or, rather, aren't supposed to be one.

Instead, despite the Carling Cup success, the Reds endured one of their worst seasons in the Premier League by only winning six home games all season and scored a total of 47 goals all season, nearly half of what champions Man City scored.

But even that would have been palatable had Liverpool won the Carling Cup in a convincing fashion. Instead, the slogged and won it over penalties against Championship side (I reiterate: Championship side), Cardiff City.

"Liverpool's owners, the Fenway Sports Group, have set the bar high here because it was always going to be incredibly difficult for Kenny to come back, rebuild the team and restore them to the Champions League in one full season."

Set the bar high? Three seasons ago, Liverpool were in the Champions League and finish second in the league. Many of those players in that season were still in Dalglish' squad. Furthermore, let's put some things into perspective. Liverpool FC is expected to compete for the Premier League title, not just a Champions League qualification spot.

Moreover, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) gave Dalglish GBP100 million to invest in new players for the club. Even when you consider the sort of money Man City and Chelsea splash in the transfer market, GBP100 million is quite a substantial amount.

As such, it's not surprising that FSG felt a little bit of disappointment when their team finished eighth in the league and below Everton. And did I mention that the club they paid GBP35 million for Andy Carroll finished fifth? The irony would've been too much for FSG.

Dalglish sacked!

As expected, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) have removed Kenny Dalglish from the managerial post at Liverpool after the Reds endured one of their worst ever seasons in the Premier League. I believe assistant manager, Steve Clarke, will be the next one to be shown the door as he too played a significant role in Liverpool's demise this season.

By firing Dalglish now, FSG will give themselves enough time to find a new manager who can start rebuilding the team and possibly offload some expensive flops.

That being said, I can't for the life of me comprehend how Wigan's Roberto Martinez has become the favourite for the job. Can anyone remember what happened the last time Liverpool appointed a manager who was more accustomed to battling for survival than fighting for the league title?

Apart from him, the other names being brandied about are former Chelsea manager, Andre Villas-Boas, and former Reds manager, Rafael Benitez. Borussia Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp has also been mentioned.

I still don't know why Fabio Capello hasn't been thrown into the shortlist. Considering his experience in winning league titles (both in Italy and Spain), he would seem like Liverpool's best choice.

But I'm sure the rumour mill will start popping up new names in the coming days. Stay tuned.

Dalglish To Leave Liverpool?

The rumour mill on Kenny Dalglish' future has been heating up with speculation rife that Kenny Dalglish' second stint at Liverpool will be coming to end soon.

The rumours follow news reports that Dalglish and assistant, Steve Clarke, recently travelled across the Atlantic to Boston to meet the club's owners, Fenway Sports Group (FSG).

Some reports suggest Dalglish made the trip to clarify the situation regarding his position at Liverpool which increasingly come under scrutiny following what can only be described as a dismal season for the Reds.

Then again, the meeting could have been a reaction to the events that unfolded over the weekend. While most of the headlines were dominated by Man City's dramatic victory against Queens Park Rangers to seal the Premier League title, the Reds succumbed to their 14 defeat in the league, this time at the hands of Swansea City.

City may have won the league by a mere goal difference but the irony of the matter is the fact that Roberto Mancini's men scored nearly twice as many goals as Liverpool did. And perhaps the worst record of all was the six meekly wins the Reds managed to muster all season at Anfield.

So far, except for sacking Damien Comolli, FSG has remained silent over Liverpool's poor showing this season. Perhaps we'll finally hear something now. In the meantime, as previously reported, Fabio Capello's looking for a job.