Great article from Matt Ladson at thisisanfield. And he’s right- there isn’t really anything that makes the position of the club and the fans any clearer. One thing’s for sure, and that’s that things couldn’t really stay as they were for much longer. Bill Hicks seems to have been pulling out all the stops in his charm offensive since calling for Parry to leave last year. In all seriousness, fans will generally be happy with this.
I saw what Phil McNulty over at BBC has said as well, and this is another excellent post from him. And yes, Benitez’s position has been strengthened. The way Liverpool have been left so ridiculously short in the run in to the title race is absolutely sickening, and it’s because of the childish politics between manager, CEO, and board that has let this happen.
There’s no doubt that Parry’s been relatively successful at Liverpool. Broadly thinking, during his time at Liverpool we have undeniably (albeit slowly) improved. The appointments of Houllier and Benitez, whichever way you see it, have been relatively progressive.
In recent seasons, his position with the board, as well as Rafa, and his apparent bunglings of some major transfer dealings has made him, in my opinion, an easy target. But truth is, I don’t think any self-respecting fan can say that it’s a good thing that the man has gone, beyond simply ending the ridiculousness of the current situation- at least it will force some kind of change in what’s going on at the club.
As soon as I heard the news, I saw Benitez’s farcical press conference this morning, repearedly answering questions to do with his relationships, and all of the other stuff by saying “I deal with football matters”. Well, does this actually make the what’s happened any clearer to the fans? No- and they are the ones that matter.
Let’s be clear- yes, we have improved this season. But only very slightly when you consider that Wenger has apparently lost the plot at Arsenal, and Chelsea have repeatedly shot themselves in the foot from the day they sacked Mourinho. This was Liverpool’s chance to really kick on and make strided towards United, and put presure on them whilst they had a huge back-log of fixtures. You have to be honest, you can talk about individuals, but as a club, we have stuffed this royally.
Ultimately, it comes down to cash and petty behaviour. Gillet and Hicks are co-owners, and both want different things. This is simply another step towards the future, but in the end, without further investment in all areas of the club, not much else can really happen, and this is the sad fact. In answer to the question asked at the start – not really.
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