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Ged on his way to Villa


gkmacca
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Think I read an interview with Chris bascombe once, might have been on here actually, was a while ago before he went to NOTW. He said one of his biggest regrets was the part he felt he played in Fowler going. He said he was fed stories about robbie by Ged (or sources close to the club) about robbie not giving 100% in training etc and that looking back he felt he was used just to soffen us up to allow Robbie to leave. Ged did his fair share of politicking.

 

Radio5 seem to have bought Houllier's bollocks of him claiming credit for istanbul on that shite 'monday night club' they have. "Of course, we were discussing this with regard to benitez weren't we, it was pretty much houillier's team who won the cup in 2005". Anyone who get a european cup winners medal for Traore, biscan and smicer deserves a sainthood.

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There's also no getting away from the fact that Rafa's last season was worse than any of Evans' or Houllier's.

 

You seemed fair-minded and objective in your well-balanced analysis and when I almost started reading your other posts to look for some football wisdom there, I came across the above-mentioned quote. I know we were spoilt in the CL under Rafa, so group stages humiliation last year ached more than any other European poor year under Ged. I understand we qualiefied to CL every year under Rafa until his final painful season, so it might diminish his earlier achievements. But to come up with so narrow-minded schoolboy mistake conclusion is beyond me.

 

In the first season with Ged on the bench we finished seventh and accumulated almost 10 points less in the league table. We scored less and conceded more, watching the back of the mights of West Ham and Aston Villa. We haven't gone as far in Europe as UEFA semi like last term, so unless I misunderstood your irony, you're seriously mistaken.

 

While 1998-1999 is by all means the worst season we had in years in terms of points, league position and lack of European adventure, 1999-2000 and 2002-2003 weren't distinguished ones as well. We might have come fifth in each of them, although our points tally wasn't really better than the one in 2009-2010. We also didin't prove our class in Europe, which we did last year, but there was no feeling of anticlimax, because of different standards set by our managers.

 

To surprise of many, last year we got several points more than under Ged in his final season, when we scrapped 4th! League is different now, simple as that, at least West Ham don't scare us anymore and don't overtake us in the league table.

 

In spite of extreme poor form last year saying that was the worst season since Souness era, very popular in beloved media, is way off the mark. We could even argue if it wasn't better than 2003-2004 in terms of points total and so on, but at least we should all agree - 1998-1999 was worse than the last one. If anyone thinks the other way round, feel free and back up with some stats.

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That's revisionist bollocks Robbie. Selling Fowler when he did is the best piece of transfer business that Liverpool ever did. We sold him for a great price when his form was tailing off and his subsequent career showed that.

 

I agree that it is revisionist bollocks, but equally there was lots of us, who as fans refused to believe that Fowlers best days where behind him, I was livid he was sold but in hindsight it was the right decision.

 

It might have been personal (I think it was), but it was still right.

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I agree that it is revisionist bollocks, but equally there was lots of us, who as fans refused to believe that Fowlers best days where behind him, I was livid he was sold but in hindsight it was the right decision.

 

It might have been personal (I think it was), but it was still right.

 

It would've been the right decision if we replaced him with someone that was as good as him.

 

Replacing him with Diouf wasn't good business.

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Even if that's rewritting history, Ged deserves a fair share of blame for handling the issue. Fowler might have never discovered his imperious best for us, although that's manager jobto fullfill errbody's potential and help them develope.

 

He might of been past him prime aged 26, but I bet Houllier slating him in 1999-2001 couldn't predict his downfall in City, he must of been a prophet to guess Robbie future in 1998-1999, because their tensions didn't start in 2001. He was just 24, far from finished article and true background of the bad patch was personal, nothing to do with football quality or off-field behaviour.

 

Football we played under Ged didn't suit Robbie and couldn't get the best out of him. Robbie did himself no favours and caused many upsets. Still, there's no way we can justify Houllier's conduct. Even if decision to sell him was reasonable, the way he humiliated and bashed Robbie can get no excuse.

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If you want to blame anybody for Robbie Fowlers demise then look no further than Roy Evans and McMannaman.

 

Evans had him taking injections week in week out, on the same ankle that eventually fucked him up, and McMannaman had him living the lifestyle of a naturally skinny twat, who never puts on weight and needs a couple of days to get back to full fitness.

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I agree that it is revisionist bollocks, but equally there was lots of us, who as fans refused to believe that Fowlers best days where behind him, I was livid he was sold but in hindsight it was the right decision.

 

It might have been personal (I think it was), but it was still right.

 

It would've been the right decision if we replaced him with someone that was as good as him.

 

Replacing him with Diouf wasn't good business.

 

Ah, see those are different arguments. Both correct though. I've often thought that it might have been a personal decision from Houllier rather than a footballing one, but it turns out he was vindicated.

 

I was the same Whelan, I was gutted when he went.

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That's revisionist bollocks Robbie. Selling Fowler when he did is the best piece of transfer business that Liverpool ever did. We sold him for a great price when his form was tailing off and his subsequent career showed that.

 

It would've been the right decision if we replaced him with someone that was as good as him.

 

Replacing him with Diouf wasn't good business.

 

Yeah, what he said. Replacing him with Anelka would have been sterling business. I dont think it was anywhere near the best business we ever did, He did alright for Leeds and scored more goals than Diouf did for us.

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I agree that it is revisionist bollocks, but equally there was lots of us, who as fans refused to believe that Fowlers best days where behind him, I was livid he was sold but in hindsight it was the right decision.

 

It might have been personal (I think it was), but it was still right.

 

Robbie says in his book that he suffered his worst injury, the hip injury, whilst at Leeds so make of that what you will. If he'd still been at Liverpool, and the politicing and all that subsided, then who knows how a maturing Robbie would've performed. Gerrard's on-field maturity really kicked in from the age of 26, 27.

 

I was absolutely gutted when we sold Robbie and I felt very strongly it was the wrong decision. Might've been also to do with Robbie being my favourite player alongside Kenny. Some people say Owen was never loved in the same way because he had taken Robbie's place in the team, but I always felt that Robbie and MO could easily play together, and I couldn't believe someone like Heskey was getting into the team ahead of Robbie.

 

I was delighted when Houllier joined us as he was exactly what we needed at the time, but his treatment of Robbie turned me completely off him, I couldn't wait for him to go after that.

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Robbie says in his book that he suffered his worst injury, the hip injury, whilst at Leeds so make of that what you will. If he'd still been at Liverpool, and the politicing and all that subsided, then who knows how a maturing Robbie would've performed. Gerrard's on-field maturity really kicked in from the age of 26, 27.

 

That might have been his worst injury, but it wasn't the one that hampered him though!

 

For instance, we played Boro in the Semi Final of the Littlewoods cup in 97 (I think), Fowler was not down to play as he had been getting injections to his ankle for the past couple of months, but Evans persuaded him to play, against advice, because there was no other strikers (Stan had called in sick with the flu!).

 

As I say, I was gutted he left, as Paul Mc says, he is probably my favourite non Kenny player for Liverpool. But whether Ged got lucky, or whether his decision was based on solid judgement. We got 11 Million pounds for a player whose best days where behind him.

 

Had we bought Anelka, then I don't think there would be any reservations.

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If Houllier becomes manager of Aston Villa hopefully he will persuade Carragher to go with him so the two mutually masturbating Rafa-haters can get their fill of each other. It wouldn't shut up "look-at-me" Carragher and we would still be constantly regaled by his vacuous opinions on everything and everybody but at least we would be spared the embarrassment of him being an LFC player.

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Houllier tried to sign Robbie back only 2 years later when he realised he had made a mistake. The board didn't sanction the deal. In hindsight we probably should have kept Robbie and never signed Diouf. He would have contributed more than Diouf ever did even though he was past his brilliant best by then. His worst was still as good as Dioufs best.

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It was 2001 and Souness never signed Speedie. Kenny did, Souness got rid within his first six months or so.

 

I don't think Souness bought Tanner either, but he did play him though. So the defence of that is out the window.

 

Yeah, sorry, poor research, my memories going, general point was though they were dark times and that kit was awful (despite Auxerre and the FA Cup). Souness did make some good signings (Redknapp) and other likes Fowler and McManaman came through but he took things backward in more ways than one (aside from the Sun) I think signing Ruddock created a dressing room that led to the Spice boys image (most like James, Redknapp etc were not that bad) and Evans never got it back.

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Yeah, sorry, poor research, my memories going, general point was though they were dark times and that kit was awful (despite Auxerre and the FA Cup). Souness did make some good signings (Redknapp) and other likes Fowler and McManaman came through but he took things backward in more ways than one (aside from the Sun) I think signing Ruddock created a dressing room that led to the Spice boys image (most like James, Redknapp etc were not that bad) and Evans never got it back.

 

Sorry to be a pedant, but Kenny signed Redknapp too.

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Sorry to be a pedant, but Kenny signed Redknapp too.

 

Oh shit, I'll keep my mouth shut and check my facts better, I can give you chapter and verse from my first game in 1968 through to 1989 and also 96 to present but for some reason that's like my dark ages, I think its because I had my first kid around then and didn't sleep for 6 years. I knew I shouldn't have bigged up Souness

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