Gus Hiddink Agent has been approached by LFC?

[Whelan]

I like Hiddink, but we are a totally different job from Chelsea last year. They werent anywhere near as bad a shape as we are. They had a big squad costing a shit load of money. They had just 6 months before took the league to the last game of the season and only lost the CL because Drogba is a cunt and Terry slipped. They had Drogba and Essien returning from Injury just as Hiddink came in, so they were going to improve anyway. I dont have much faith Stevie and Nando staying injury free. i think too many people are seeing he improved Chelsea, took them to 2nd and think it will be the same with us. We need massive investment in the squad and theres no chance of that happening in the current circumstances.

 

I don't think we are in as bad a shape as it is reported!

 

The team should be doing a hell of a lot better which is why some fans are so pissed off!

 

Take Nando, does he have an underlying problem or is it because we have been playing him whilst he is injured which results in pro-longed injury? Chamone would lessen the load from Nando, this also applies to Carragher as well, Ryan Shawcross would lessen the load on him, allowing Cara the odd week off without us shitting ourselves!

 

I think we have problems in squad depth, rather than problems with the actual team, and whilst I think we could do with more creativity i.e. Silva or similar, I don't think it needs vast amounts of money.

 

Not saying we just need one peice of the jigsaw or anything like that, but, I think a lot of our current problems are closer to home and can be rectified without the need for money, and in my opinion, without a new manager.

[Ted]

Didn't South Korea have a perfectly good goal against Germany ruled out in the semi final?

[Whelan]

You forgetting those goals off the corners? Hiddink identified our weakness and exploited it to great effect.

 

So did Tony Pulis, Martin O'Neil, Arry, David Moyes, Sam Allardyce, Joe Kinnear, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce, Alex McLeish.

 

Didn't exactly discover something previously unnoticed!

 

As I said, I'm not averse to him, think he is a reasonably safe option, just not convinced he is the answer to all our problems.

[ZonkoVille77]

A lot of people keep going on about Rafa's CV, but that doesn't show all the flaws that he has shown as boss of Liverpool.

 

Name one manager with no flaws?

[Guest davelfc]

Name one manager with no flaws?

 

Haiti's national manager....

 

 

What? Too soon?

Edited January 20, 2010 by davelfc

[Dougie Do'ins]

Hiati's national manager....

 

 

What? Too soon?

Cant rep you for it but would if I could.

[RedKnight]

Haiti.

[Guest davelfc]

Haiti.

 

I was thinking of the hernia.

[ZonkoVille77]

bad fuckers. funny though

[Steve Holt]

He never said Liverpool. The article said Liverpool have been mentioned in the press, the agent didn't.

[piscinin]

It's obvious that Benitez has enjoyed some success at LFC, and in fact that's what has led me to back him in the past, despite concerns about his style of football and many of his management methods. People can put up with a lot whilst the team is successful, but when a decline occurs and the situation looks terminal then the doubts begin to look highly justified.

 

If I could see any small sign that he knew how to address this slump then I would not have come to the point where I no longer want him as manager, but it seems clear that for all his tactical elegance in the past he does not have much of a clue how to motivate a team. It's this more than any other of his flaws which leads me to think we could do better, because a large part of sporting excellence is motivation.

 

Rafa has been the king of the mini-slump brought on by tinkering with the team strategy followed by a mini-revival once things settle down. It's like clockwork. The "he can't motivate them", "he's quitting" rumours quickly follow only to be replaced with the "why can't we play as good as we are now" calls. Looking back over the last few years, it seems to me a slump far from being terminal as you assume, is more often than not a catalyst.

 

This also happens to be Hiddink's main strength as a manager, alongside a willingness to go for the throat.

 

My abiding memory of him last year was how he setup the team against Barcelona in the 2nd leg. He got it very very wrong.

[Whelan]

My abiding memory of him last year was how he setup the team against Barcelona in the 2nd leg. He got it very very wrong.

 

First leg also!

 

Saying that, PSV were superb in both legs and should have been playing us in the final.

[gkmacca]

He never said Liverpool. The article said Liverpool have been mentioned in the press, the agent didn't.

 

Well, he did say this:

 

'I have spoken with representatives of four clubs and five national federations,' Van Nieuwenhuizen told Sovetskiy Sport.

 

'Almost all of the options have previously been mentioned in the press - Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, etc

 

 

Read more: Guus Hiddink's agent 'has spoken to Liverpool' about replacing Rafa Benitez | Mail Online

[zigackly]

Rafa has been the king of the mini-slump brought on by tinkering with the team strategy followed by a mini-revival once things settle down. It's like clockwork. The "he can't motivate them", "he's quitting" rumours quickly follow only to be replaced with the "why can't we play as good as we are now" calls. Looking back over the last few years, it seems to me a slump far from being terminal as you assume, is more often than not a catalyst.

 

I'm not at all convinced. It's generally a particular result which gets things turned around and sometimes we can go on for months before we see it. Last season the slump was a long series of draws from January to March, which was only corrected when we found our balls after losing to Boro and almost ruling ourselves out of the race. A good motivator would have addressed it long before then and won a league title.

 

My abiding memory of him last year was how he setup the team against Barcelona in the 2nd leg. He got it very very wrong.

 

Probably because it went against his natural inclinations to play in that way, but obviously he was trying to be pragmatic against the best team in Europe by far at that time, who were absolutely flying. You saw how they dismantled the Mancs in the final. Hiddink's strategy for those two games, although unusual for him, did nearly get a result after all.

[RedKnight]

I was thinking of the hernia.

 

Good comeback.

[RedKnight]

"One thing I'll say about that is this..."

[Steve Holt]

Well, he did say this:

 

The one that I read (on the first page) says this:

 

Almost all of the options have previously been mentioned in the press - Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, etc

 

The one on the site says this:

 

'Almost all of the options have previously been mentioned in the press - Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, etc

 

Thats why I said he hadn't said Liverpool.

[WaltonRed]

This is the same Hiddink who couldn't get Russia to the World Cup and was sacked by both Real Madrid and Real Betis?

 

Rafa was sacked by Tenerife wasnt he? He'd also have us on that list if the board had the money.

 

Its a poor comparison. Loads of people have left Madrid, its a circus.

 

If and when Rafa does ever get the Madrid job, he'll probably add it to his list of sackings too.

[gkmacca]

The one that I read (on the first page) says this:

 

Almost all of the options have previously been mentioned in the press - Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, etc

 

The one on the site says this:

 

'Almost all of the options have previously been mentioned in the press - Manchester City, Liverpool, Juventus, etc

 

Thats why I said he hadn't said Liverpool.

 

Yes, sorry, I just saw the other report.

[Unrighteous]

So did Tony Pulis, Martin O'Neil, Arry, David Moyes, Sam Allardyce, Joe Kinnear, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce, Alex McLeish.

 

Didn't exactly discover something previously unnoticed!

 

As I said, I'm not averse to him, think he is a reasonably safe option, just not convinced he is the answer to all our problems.

 

You say that like those managers did it with devestating effect. Two goals off corners in a CL away match is a massive result.

[JohnnyH]

He had nothing to do with South Korea making it to the semi finals of a World Cup?

 

Nothing at all?

 

Getting as far as the semis had fuck all to do with him. He did ok with them, got them out of the group stage, but after that it was a level of match fixing that would have embarrassed the Italians. FIFA were too scared to challenge them on it because of the pollitical issue but speak to any international manager or FA from that world cup and they will all say it.

[Spy Bee]

If and when Rafa does ever get the Madrid job, he'll probably add it to his list of sackings too.

You can't beat him with a stick that doesn't even exist, off a tree that hasn't even been planted yet.

 

You are beating him with a seed. A seed that's not even pollinated.

[piscinin]

I'm not at all convinced. It's generally a particular result which gets things turned around and sometimes we can go on for months before we see it. Last season the slump was a long series of draws from January to March, which was only corrected when we found our balls after losing to Boro and almost ruling ourselves out of the race. A good motivator would have addressed it long before then and won a league title.

 

 

Maybe, I characterize the slump differently, the entire first part of the season was a slump for me. But I don't agree it's a result that turns it around. He's switched personnel (Aimar/Yossi), switched formations (to 4231). etc. He's a tinkerer.

 

Probably because it went against his natural inclinations to play in that way, but obviously he was trying to be pragmatic against the best team in Europe by far at that time, who were absolutely flying. You saw how they dismantled the Mancs in the final. Hiddink's strategy for those two games, although unusual for him, did nearly get a result after all.

 

You could say he was too busy worrying about Barcelona and didn't spend enough time working out how to impose their own strengths on the game.

[RedKnight]

Getting as far as the semis had fuck all to do with him. He did ok with them, got them out of the group stage, but after that it was a level of match fixing that would have embarrassed the Italians. FIFA were too scared to challenge them on it because of the pollitical issue but speak to any international manager or FA from that world cup and they will all say it.

 

If anyone said something along similar lines about Benitez you'd be calling them allsorts.

[JohnnyH]

If anyone said something along similar lines about Benitez you'd be calling them allsorts.

 

I'm trying to make sense of your comment but I just can't? I'm not being an arse here, I just can't work it ou. What am I saying that could somehow be switched to Rafa's name?

 

Unless you think I mean Hiddink arranged the fix? Which I don't. The government did. But you are not seriously going to tell me that the South Korea run to the Semis was all above board are you?