The Liverpool Way

[KevieG]

What do all of you lot assume this means?

For me it has been the pass and move philosophy that is suppposed to be the way that this club approaches the game. In my opinion this approach to football is dead at the club, for the past 10 years now our style of football has been nothing sort of shite. Its just about palatable when we are winning, but there are times watching us(too many times) when its just excructiatingly bad.

 

Its pretty clear that all of our defence including keeper are under instruction to hoof it when in possession, central midfielders don't have the remit to come short, demand the ball and look to start a move from deep. This stems from our previous two managers philosophies plus the players they have signed in pursuit of this. Roy Evans for all this faults at least had the team playing a good brand of football

 

Opinions?

[Guest TK-421]

I take it to mean playing the game in the right spirit in a sporting sense but also playing to win. I don't associate the phrase with pass and move football and other nice pretty, flowery things.

[KevieG]

I take it to mean playing the game in the right spirit in a sporting sense but also playing to win. I don't associate the phrase with pass and move football and other nice pretty, flowery things.

 

Some people would claim its not criticising managers.

[Dirk]

The idea that we played like Brazil the entire time we dominated European football is absolute bullshit. 1988 was not the norm.

[JER]

The idea that we played like Brazil the entire time we dominated European football is absolute bullshit. 1988 was not the norm.

 

I'd agree with that - we used to make full use of the back pass when we needed to. For me the best football I have ever seen played was the 78/79 season - speed, movement, skill and passion.

 

For me, the Liverpool Way should be about sending out a team and letting the opposition worry about you. Also putting your best 11 on the field. It is plain to see that we are not doing either at the moment.

[wiiksie]

For me, its about respect. Respect for the game (and how it should be played), respect for the club, its manager and players, and respect for other teams and their fans.

[Guest TK-421]

Some people would claim its not criticising managers.

 

I don't agree with that. Criticism is fine as long as it's fair and reasonable and not regurgitating what some moron in the press has written.

[stringvest]

The idea that we played like Brazil the entire time we dominated European football is absolute bullshit. 1988 was not the norm.

 

I agree, but we did usually play to feet, and there was a lot of movement and fluidity right across the team, with everyone by and large comfortable on the ball. The teams of the 70s and 80s played great football - the team moved as a unit, and because of this we would dominate the area the ball was in. We had a higher standard of players then though.

[Plewggs]

For me the real meaning of The Liverpool Way is supporting team and manager through the bad periods, however disappointed you are with results and performances.

 

We even sacked a director last season for breeching this principle.

It’s Stalinism at its finest.

 

Long may it continue.

[stringvest]

For me the real meaning of The Liverpool Way is supporting team and manager through the bad periods, however disappointed you are with results and performances.

 

We even sacked a director last season for breeching this principle.

It’s Stalinism at its finest.

 

Long may it continue.

 

You obviously weren't around in the 70s and 80s when fans would moan because we only won 1-0. Thank fuck the internet wasn't around in those days.

[Dundalis]

I sometimes feel like turning some of our games off on the tv, coming back 5 minutes from the end and hope we are winning. That says a lot as I pretty much never miss one of our games.

[Plewggs]

You obviously weren't around in the 70s and 80s when fans would moan because we only won 1-0. Thank fuck the internet wasn't around in those days.

 

I remember it well.

 

I once got smacked in the teeth at Anfield by a fellow Red for telling him to

F-off cause he was abusing Ronnie Wheelan.

 

Fat, slow, lazy and unfit indeed.

How dare he.

[aws]

It means solidarity and mutual support - on and off the pitch.

[Best Believe It]

For me, its about respect. Respect for the game (and how it should be played), respect for the club, its manager and players, and respect for other teams and their fans.

 

Spot on.

[shannow]

I'm not sure if it's easy to describe The Liverpool Way.

 

Is it the Style of football

Is it having legends on the pitch

Is it the club and it's principles

Is it the supporters

It would have to be a mix of everything.

 

Our football style may not be the most fluid but it should be exciting to watch.. knowing that when we attack, that we should be able to put together a combination of passes that open a defence so that a clinical striker can finish.

Our legends should be inspirational, Carra last season is an example, Gerrard the season before.. this season ????

Our Club should stand behind the manager and encourage him to play a style suited to the team he has and the club he's representing.. I think Rafa is a great manager but he needs to be able to adapt like he expects his players to.

As for the supporters, yes we need to get on the players backs when they are missing the chances.. but we need to show support when the heads are down... that's one thing I am still proud about.. are the fans. It's great to be able to hear YNWA even when we lose.

 

That is Liverpool

[Paul]

Spot on.

 

Indeed.

[moxter]

It's a lot of things.

 

Like praising the team when they do well, offering sympathy when they don't. "Ooohs" not "Booos" when a player misses a chance. I remember a time when a Liverpool player missing a sitter would get a chorus of, "What the fuckin 'ell was that?" Now they get screamed at by their own supporters.

 

Also respect for former players. No matter what they've done. You don't boo your old players, you give them some applause or at worst ignore them.

 

Applauding their goaly when he takes his place in the Kop goal.

 

Pass and move is part of it, but as Dirk says it wasn't always there for every game. Pitches were pretty shite in days gone by, including Anfield for a good part of the season.

 

The fans were often good to opponents, applauding a good goal against us for example.

 

I know that's a bit of a rose-tinted view, but it's what most fans strived for.

 

Hear hear.

 

Can I set an example on the former players thing by bigging up Ian St John. Taken a bit of stick on here recently and I'm sure he's making mistakes but will always be a legend.

[Red '84]

It means solidarity and mutual support - on and off the pitch.

 

exactly, its still fooking october ffs, we havent been playing our best but we can still qualify to the next round in europe, and move to within 3 points of the league leaders if we win on sunday. the time for asking questions is the summer time, simple as. we are liverpool fc, good times and bad, thats football, personally i prefer the good times you get in may.they mean more.

[KevieG]

Then I think the fans are holding up their side of the bargain, time for Rafa to get the finger out.

[Cardie]

Then I think the fans are holding up their side of the bargain, time for Rafa to get the finger out.

 

Are we fuck.

 

As for whoever said letting the opposition worry about us not the other way around that was addressed by Souness after the Marseille game when he said we went out to, firstly, stop the other team playing, so that's bobbins as well.

[Dirk]

Are we fuck.

 

As for whoever said letting the opposition worry about us not the other way around that was addressed by Souness after the Marseille game when he said we went out to, firstly, stop the other team playing, so that's bobbins as well.

 

Agreed. I saw him say it on the pre-match, he said under Paisley we always went out first to control the game, he used the word control. From there he said we then went onto to try and create chances. People seem to think that when Rafa says "Control the game" that he means "batter the opposition," but I don't think he does.

[Section_31]

For me, its about respect. Respect for the game (and how it should be played), respect for the club, its manager and players, and respect for other teams and their fans.

 

spot on.

 

The liverpool way is IMO also about keeping things in-house, not getting cockey, and applauding inferior teams who play out of their skin to get a win at anfield while other fans in the same position would boo and sing 'who are ya?'

 

That's the liverpool way.

[KevieG]

Agreed. I saw him say it on the pre-match, he said under Paisley we always went out first to control the game, he used the word control. From there he said we then went onto to try and create chances. People seem to think that when Rafa says "Control the game" that he means "batter the opposition," but I don't think he does.

 

I would like to think "controling the game" would be what the great Milan team did, they pressed really hard and almost forced the opposition to play the game in their own half of the field as the pressure was really intense, BUT also when you were in possesion of the ball that it would be kept at all costs, that you would pass and probe for an opening, that all players were comfortanle in possesion.

We seem to have part A sussed but part B is completely anathema to us.

 

The problem for me is that Rafa doesn't seem too worried about part B as long as we are good without the ball.

[Dirk]

I would like to think "controling the game" would be what the great Milan team did, they pressed really hard and almost forced the opposition to play the game in their own half of the field as the pressure was really intense, BUT also when you were in possesion of the ball that it would be kept at all costs, that you would pass and probe for an opening, that all players were comfortanle in possesion.

We seem to have part A sussed but part B is completely anathema to us.

 

The problem for me is that Rafa doesn't seem too worried about part B as long as we are good without the ball.

 

What evidence do you have for this statement?

[aws]

Interesting point. I wonder how much of what Rafa says gets lost in translation so-to-speak.

 

By controlling the game he means denying the opposition space, cutting down their possibilities and stopping them having opportunities. Control is only the platform from which we're supposed to go on and win.