Liverpool plagued with bad managers

Lots of nails, you didn't miss one I don't think.

Well summed up, Billy.

I agree quality post except I disagree with the bit about Ged, I personally thought Houllier should of carried on recouperating and came back the following summer, although I thought he was right to come out the way he did against Roma. Thommo wasn't doing that bad a job in Houllier's absence.

A strange topic because as far as I'm concerned apart from the appointment of Souness we have had good managers who have all won trophies and almost got us the title that we have been waiting for.

Roy Evans had teams playing really exciting football and as DLS said if he had one or two quality centre backs and a decent goal keeper who knows where he could have got us in the league. Apart from a few seasons under Rafa, Roy's team was the best Liverpool team to watch since the 88-89 team.

Houllier and Rafa both went very close to the league title and won domestic and European trophies and in my opinion moved the club a step up again from Evans era.

I still am not totally convinced about Roy Hodgson but it's too early to say if he will be a good manager for us but even if he isn't we still have not been plagued by bad managers.

Since Dalglish left us liverpool have been on a downward slope due to poor managers.Firstly Graeme Souness who single handedly turned Liverpool from title contenders to mid-table mediocrity.He turned Liverpool's simple and beautiful pass and move football into pretty unenjoyable  displays.I think it's mostly his fault that Liverpool are where they are today.By the end of his reign he become so out off touch with the Liverpool people even giving an interview with the S*n after our FA cup success,And signing quite possibly the worst player I've ever seen in Julian Dicks 

The next manager is Roy Evans a man I find very hard to blame for anything.He was simply rebuilding what Souness had broken.He was very good with youth introducing,Redknapp,Owen,Fowler,Carragher,Mcmanaman and co into the team unfortunately he took over Liverpool at the wrong time he left after doing all he could do.

Gerard Houlier was his replacement and many people will disagree with me when I class him as a " bad manager " he did win our famous treble in 2001 but for me that was not enough with the squad he had to work with,Gerrard,McManaman,Carragher,Owen,Fowler,Redknapp,Babbel,Riise,Berger to name a few,this squad coupled with some awful signings prove to me that Houllier really under achieved with us.

And Finally Rafa Benitez I've been 100% in support of Rafa until upto a month ago I came to the conclussion that I was brainwashed by Benitez and took his side because he was standing up to the Yanks but it's obvious his style and his approach had stopped working he had turned cold on too many players too quickly never gave Keane a chance made some awful terrible signings Dossena,Joesemi,Nunez..to name a small fraction off them.Yes he won the Champions league,and Fa Cup and followed it up with runners up in the league but he made two many mistakes and by the end it was obvious the players wanted hi out with no one speaking out at the world cup and Gerrard's look off confusion against Birmingham really showed us his reign was up.

I haven't seen enough off Hodgson to make up my mind yet but the signs are showing he's not up to the standard off what Liverpool managers should be.Arsenal have had Wenger for years,Man Utd have had Fergie for years and Mourinho turned Chelsea into a mediocre 4th/5th club into what they are today a team capable of competing on all fronts..Why havent Liverpool had a Good manager since the Shankly,Paisley days.

/ends rant 

Your talkin utter shi*e!!!
Rafa got to 2 European Cups in three years! QUALITY MANAGER!!!
Houllier won 5 trophys in 2001 and did extremely well...
And you say Julian Dicks was worst player you ever saw??? I know for a fact you never saw him... He probably was shi*e but you were 2 or 3 when he was with us!!!

 I think our biggest mistake was when Kenny Dalglish left and we appointed Souness as manager,we should have kept to the bootroom system started by Bill Shankly and appointed Roy Evans or Ronnie Moran as manager.We would of had continuity and that system was a true and tried method.Another mistake we made was to have joint managers in Roy Evans and Houllier,that was doomed to failure from the start.Talking about bad managers I do not think Don Welsh enjoyed his time at Anfield in the 1950s

You mean like Fagan and Dalglish? Oh yeah why haven't we had them eh?

In all honesty, Evans wasn't a bad manager. Evans was a f**king quality manager who had us playing the best football we have done in the Premiership. Evan's problem was a combination of two things - a dodgy back line and keeper which he always tried to sort out by buying defenders instead of a decent keeper in place of James. His other problem was the fact that down the road Ferguson had what I consider to be the best United side I've seen.

Both clubs had quality youngsters coming through, the difference being that United had Bruce and Pallister (not Ruddock and Babb) at the heart of the defence and behind that they had Schmichael (not David "calamity" James). That's why they won everything.

Houllier again was not a bad manager, he took us to a level that most fans of this generation hadn't seen. He took us to a European final, the only manager since Dalglish to win two (or more) domestic cups while at the club and was pushing on to bring the League home. His downfall was his heart problems which he never fully recovered from. He should of left there and then.

Benitez again was not a bad manager, he had some faults like all managers do but he again took us to a new level. He took us to European Cup champions, something that nobody expected us to be with that squad. He took us to second playing the best football we have done since Evans' days.

His problem was he got too wrapped up in the political side of the game. Some think it was boss that he was telling us everything was going on but in the end I think he got too caught up in that, that it took away some of his footballing qualities. Every press conference he was making reference to the politics and while it's good to be kept informed, it's also good to just hear a manager talk football every now and then.

As for Hodgson, of course he's not in the class of Shanks, Bob, Joe, Kenny but that's because the team as a whole isn't in that class.

Shanks had Cally, Bob had Jimmy Case, Joe had Sammy Lee, Kenny had Ray Houghton, Roy has Dirk Kuyt.

Shanks had Peter Thompson, Bob had Heighway, Joe had Craig Johnston, Kenny had Barnes, Roy has Milan Jovanovich.

Shanks had Stevenson/Milne, Bob had Souey/Terry Mc, Joe had Souey/Whelan, Kenny had Molby/McMahon, Roy has Lucas/Poulsen.

Shanks had Byrne, Bob had Joey Jones, Joe had Alan Kennedy, Kenny had Beglin, Roy has Paul Konchesky.

Shanks had Lawler, Bob had Neal, Joe had Neal, Kenny had Steve Nicol, Roy has Glen Johnson

Do you see the difference in quality. What we had under the legends were quality players, what we have now is a fair few average players playing regular first team football.

Completely agree DLS, quality post mate.

I disagree with the thread title though, we havent been plagued with bad managers (Souness exempt from this statement as he was, in my opinion, the bad apple in trying to change everything at once). We have been plagued with sh*t signings who either valued their wage packed over the Shirt, or just didnt make the grade and/or saw playing for LFC as an achievement in itself.

Also, the 'joint managers' was the biggest f*ck up since signing Julian Dicks.

They always used to say that Liverpool fans were the most knowledgeable in football.
The OP here kind of destroys that claim.
Yes Hodgson is sh*t, SOuness was a tw*t, But the plague we've been experiencing is NOT the managers. This is one of the post ridiculous posts I've seen.

The irony...

You probably think that irony is what The Shankly gates are made of.

Yes Hodgson is sh*t

Mate how can you say that, he's only a few months into the job, at least give him till mid-season??

This is one of the post ridiculous posts I've seen.

This. To an extent.

I wouldn't say plagued with bad managers, to be honest. The only one there who was a bad manager was Souness. Everyone else (bar Hodgson, who hasn't had enough time) proved their merits as a manager.

Anyone who doesnt think Rafa is a great manager is  working for the Yanks in some way. Or a complete and utter imbecile.

No, not exactly. They may be wrong in your opinion, but I can see where they're coming from - that's not to say I agree, however.

Benitez was distant with the players, but warm towards the fans. It always confused me, but I could see his motives.

Some people may choose to believe some bits of press over others - we just happened to believe the good publicity about Rafa; the donations, the support he gave us and the community, the way he was with us and the press during interviews.

Others didn't agree with his tactics, his substitutions, his first XI picks - and like I said, I can completely understand.

Just for the donations he and his wife made after her left makes him a legend in my eyes and a true gent. 

Just for the donations he and his wife made after her left makes him a legend in my eyes and a true gent. 

This. End of.

I think our biggest mistake was when Kenny Dalglish left and we appointed Souness as manager,we should have kept to the bootroom system started by Bill Shankly and appointed Roy Evans or Ronnie Moran as manager.We would of had continuity and that system was a true and tried method.Another mistake we made was to have joint managers in Roy Evans and Houllier,that was doomed to failure from the start.Talking about bad managers I do not think Don Welsh enjoyed his time at Anfield in the 1950s

Didn't Ronnie Moran not want the job though mate? And Roy, probably should of got the job but Souness was a Liverpool legend and had just won everything with Rangers. Not a good yardstick I understand but at the time it looked a decent appointment (on paper)

Roy Evans would have made a good manager except that he was "one of the boys" when he took over. and couldn't get complete control of the dressing room. He was undermined by three prats, namely Ruddock, Dicks and Collymore, all of whom shouldn't have ever been near Anfield let alone in the team. Ronnie Moran didn't want the job, and yet again the idiot son of the Moores family made a mistake in bringing in Houllier as a joint manager, an idea that was bound to fail.

Im sorry but i dont know what youre talking about.. plagued with bad managers? Souness falls into that category,but no one else as far as im concerned. All managers make mistakes  including Houllier and Rafa, but you need to cast your mind back to where liverpool were after the Souness era . Houllier brought Liverpool back on the road to challenging again and Rafa took it on from there. So to name them as bad managers is daft. And as Roy is only our 10 manager since ww2 i think , its hardly a plague now is it?  Think mate.

I think this post has already run it's short course!

Mourinho turned Chelsea into a mediocre 4th/5th club into what they are today a team capable of competing on all fronts

I doubt your judgment that our manager like Roy Evans, Gerard Houlier and Rafa were bad manager but praised a lot to Jose Mourinho has done at Chelsea.

Only one question from me to you, DID YOU BELIEVE WITHOUT THE RUSSIAN MONEY  MOURINHO CAN DO IT ?

I'm waiting for your answer.

Roy Evans would have made a good manager except that he was "one of the boys" when he took over. and couldn't get complete control of the dressing room. He was undermined by three prats, namely Ruddock, Dicks and Collymore, all of whom shouldn't have ever been near Anfield let alone in the team.

Let's not forget some of the behaviour from the likes of Fowler, McManaman, Redknapp, McAteer and James too.

They weren't called the Spice Boys for nothing!!

Sir Souness The C**t

I doubt your judgment that our manager like Roy Evans, Gerard Houlier and Rafa were bad manager but praised a lot to Jose Mourinho has done at Chelsea.

Only one question from me to you, DID YOU BELIEVE WITHOUT THE RUSSIAN MONEY  MOURINHO CAN DO IT ?

I'm waiting for your answer.

I am no Jose lover but he did well at Porto. It will be along time before a portugese side wins the CL again. I would not say he spent a fortune there. Also, even with money, you have to be a good manager to get the best out of them, to make them a team. This is a quality that Mancini does not seem to have at the moment!

Let's not forget some of the behaviour from the likes of Fowler, McManaman, Redknapp, McAteer and James too.

They weren't called the Spice Boys for nothing!!

Agreed but they were just idiots ( as far as off the field antics were concerned- and on the field in the case of James.) the other three were ..............don't usually swear on line but they were just pr*cks

I doubt your judgment that our manager like Roy Evans, Gerard Houlier and Rafa were bad manager but praised a lot to Jose Mourinho has done at Chelsea.

Only one question from me to you, DID YOU BELIEVE WITHOUT THE RUSSIAN MONEY  MOURINHO CAN DO IT ?

I'm waiting for your answer.

Probably not but it wouldn't have been impossible he has done stranger things like winning the Uefa Cup and Champions league with a team like Porto..

Liverpool plagued with bad managers Owners