It has been said that a week is a long time in football in which case, a year must feel like an eternity.
That being said, this time last year it looked as though a new force was going to take English football by the scruff of the neck. Liverpool Football Club was rampant and unstoppable.
In the space of 12 magical days, Real Madrid was destroyed in the UEFA Champions League, Manchester United was humbled at Old Trafford and Aston Villa was simply obliterated on Merseyside.
This was a vibrant, powerful, explosive team that pushed the Red Devils to the brink before just missing out on the title by four points. They were also the hardest club to beat in the division with only two loses. Ultimately, unexpected draws against inferior opposition, and Rafael Benitez choosing to be conservative when boldness was asked for, undid them.
The loss to United on Sunday was Liverpool's tenth of their league campaign.
The last time this team was in double digits for league defeats was during the 2004/05 season and you all know what happened in that campaign.
That incredible victory against AC Milan in Istanbul brought Benitez five years of sainthood on Merseyside.
However, the faithful are now murmuring in the aisles and muttering in the dressing room.
Whispers persist that the senior leadership have lost respect for the Spaniard and his ultra conservative tactics. Steven Gerrard, who by his own high standards has been sub-par, plays with a snarl instead of a smile on his face while player/manager wannabe, Jamie Carragher looks to be looking after himself more than his manager.
I can’t say I blame them though. When the two stalwarts of the club have had the joy of football and the pleasure of representing LFC taken from them, you know that it's time for a change.
What makes me laugh is when you read quotes from Benitez - supposedly he’s considering his future. Which surely entails only two choices, either resigning or getting sacked.
You know for a fact Rafa, that if the club wasn’t in such bad shape, financially and emotionally, you would’ve been sacked months ago. The day you guaranteed LFC fourth place was perhaps the sorriest day of your tenure and there have been some sorry days recently.
I just don’t understand why he doesn’t unleash the shackles and let his players express themselves. Playing with character can only enhance his rapidly fading reputation, not stain it, because currently the football, if one can call it that, lacks imagination, enthusiasm, class. In fact it's not even close to what LFC football is all about. It’s almost as though the team is stuck in one gear and they’ve become the Prius of the Premier League.
The trouble for Benitez is that he can’t blame anybody but himself for his team selections. He can’t pull a Toyota and recall his bad buys - he’s stuck with them.
Ryan Babel, a bust. Robbie Keane, a misfit and Alberto Aquilani, who nobody knows what he can do despite currently costing 4 million pounds per league start.
With reports out that Inter Milan’s 'Special One,' Jose Mourinho, could move to Merseyside if the ownership issue is settled, it feels like the club could have the fresh start it so desperately needs, but only if it can change.
But the trouble is that Liverpool FC doesn’t like change. It is a club that craves stability.
To move forward and regain its respectability though, four changes must happen in the next few months or the cycle will inevitably continue.
Tom Hicks and George Gillett must be bought out and replaced with ‘real’ money, not the phony American kind that is all about debt and derivatives. This ‘real’ money has to be prepared to invest in the present and future well being of the club.
Rafael Benitez must be removed either by his own hand or by the board. With a fat contract, Rafa is probably in no hurry to go anywhere. Perhaps a deal can be worked out with Real Madrid that will see the Spaniard return to his homeland with little cost to the club
A new stadium must be more than a pipe dream and if it has to be shared, so be it. The constant back and forth bickering with the Liverpool council and Everton FC is for the birds. The financial realities of the modern world mean that historical rivalries, whilst fierce and passionate, need to be put into their proper context.
And finally Liverpool-type players must be bought. It’s embarrassing to watch footballers who have no right to wear the red of LFC besmirch the legacy of so many great players.
The wish list is long, it’s expensive and it will require courage to complete. However if it is completed, the new era I wrote about at the top of this piece will surely come to pass.
Until then, I’ll see you at the far post.
