Never Walk Alone - Right Right

In my opinion Benetiz should never have been manager of Liverpool in the first place - and has been pretty much a disaster for the club.

But leaving that aside....

I find it intriguing that Liverpool fans are perfectly willing to vent their spleen at the 'Americans', yet are seemingly perfectly happy with the performance - or otherwise - of the manager.

Now fair enough the club don't have any money - and true there is much debate about this - whather it is the 'Americans' and their sub-prime purchase of the club, or where or not it is the managers appauling advantures in the transfer market - which let's face it have not been great. He has apparently spent £240million - and perhaps this ia a sign of how bad he has been that rather than look at this expenditure - which has not brought the club any closer to the real prize (the Premier league title) - his defenders would ask you to look at the net expenditure: i.e. the difference between what he has spent and what he has paid.

The problem here is that the figure - which I can't remember of the top of my head - is a negative number: i.e. he has spent more than he has recieved.

And fair enough it is marginal - around £20 million (or what it would cost to sack him) - but actually this is the real condemnation of the man. Because what this shows is that he is not a good manager. A good manager would get more the players when he sold them, than when he bought them - allowing for depreciation and players finishing their career with the club - but that he has wasted his transfer budget, brought the club to the point of financial atrophy, and still doesn't have a settled team that is competeing for honours on a regular basis is farnkly shocking.

And it is worse than that, because Liveprool were always a bellweather of English football for the nautral - you didn't mind them winning, in fact it was a sign of a healthy league that they did. But the fact is that Liverpool now have become the new Manchester United of the 80's - they think they are better than they are, composed of second rate players who are widely hated and living off past glories.

And it is largely down to Benitez - and precisely fuck all to do with the board.

He inherited a Houlier team that had Houlier not had heart problems would have progressed and achieved the Liverpool dream of regaining the title. But for various acts of moral cowardice, Houlier was dispensed with - and it is ironic that Liverpool are happy to take a 3-1 defeat at Fulham in order to chase money against Lyon - as they despeartely try to stay in the Champiion's League - seeing as Lyon are team that was built by Houlier.

Of course this connection is never mentioned in the jingoistic British press - because agian this is indicative of the decline that Benitez has brought upon the club.

Indeed it is largely the presswho have created the myth of Benitez - sure they won the Champions League - big deal - anyone can win a cup final.

But what annoys me is the way in hich the club is so badly run that they have to run a press campaign claiming that Torres is somehow one of Liverpool's all time great players.

Frankly I don't give a fuck what stats say - and the spin has it that he ranks with Rush and Dalgleish - but frankly he doesn't - Keegan and Toshack far ecilpse him, because they actually won something.

Let's face it Benitez's sole claim to fame is that he managed to trick Gerrard into staying with the club when he wanted to go to Chelsea - which only really goes to prove what a slippery character he is - not to mention the Mascherano affair.

Still the good thing is that the longer Benitez stays at Liverpool the easier it is for me as a neutral to instintively know who I want to win - because let's face it just as pulling the wings off of flies is enjoyable - so is the game of seeing how far down Liverpool have to sink before they finally work out that this man has been a total disaster for the club.

peace:)