One of the legacies of Liverpool’s many successes of the 1970s and 1980s came to be described as the ‘Liverpool Way’. It encapsulated not just how football was played on the pitch, but also how the club conducted its internal politics and external relations with other clubs. On a very practical basis, this meant that potential transfer targets were not discussed and the contribution of all players to the squad’s successes was equally praised.
With the appointments of Gerard Houiller, Rafa Benitez and Roy Hodgson as manager of Liverpool football club, the ‘Liverpool Way’ became both an alluring cathcphrase and an albatross around their necks. To conduct one’s transfer business quietly was almost impossible after the explosion of blogging, constant news feeds and the onset of social networking sites that meant the footballing world never slept. Agents too became more powerful and players (it could be argued) cared less for the badge and more for their wallet. Rafa Benitez’s reign became an embarrassing charade towards the end, punctuated by constant board bickerings, which were played out for all the world’s media and rival fans to rejoice in.
Sometimes the public airing of laundry was quite successful. Among the more memorable of Rafa’s press conferences was Rafa’s rant against Sir Alex Ferguson. At the time Liverpool were top of the league after demolishing Newcastle 5-1. It was his first press conference since Steven Gerrard was arrested for assaulting a DJ and held over night by the police. Rafa’s rant cleverly turned the media’s attention off Gerrard and on to the seemingly “cracking up” Liverpool manager. Despite his efforts, the ploy failed as the team stuttered through the rest of the winter. Nonetheless, Rafa spared Gerrard of further unwanted media attention.
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Interesting point about the Rafa rant distracting media attention, never considered in those terms before.
Nicely written tale but can’t agree with the ending.It’s a relief to have this approach from Lfc.
Nicely written tale but can’t agree with the ending.It’s a relief to have this approach from Lfc
Kenny embodies the Liverpool’s way: the way in which He’s conducting transfer business is the prime example of Liverpool’s way 🙂
Hayy to see the King at the helm 🙂
Eamon. You should really not get sucked into the anti Rafa media version of the press conference. It was not a rant. Please think before you blindly follow the media version of events.
I have seen many rants by football managers, this was not one of those events. Rafa was calm and calculated.
YNWA
I’ll tell you what the Liverpool way is! Right now it.s ‘STICKING YOUR FINGERS IN YOUR *^%&$HOLE TO PULL SOME MONEY OUT BEHIND CLOSED DOORS’. It don’t mean &^%$ if you ain’t delivering the goods!!
Actually, hadn’t read the ending which is disappointing. It’s a good read and I hadn’t thought of Rafa’s “rant” in those terms before. The conclusion is weak and takes something away from the good explanation before it. I find this approach refreshing compared to the G & H era civil war.
For the past two decades, the Liverpool Way is the Mediocre Way.
nice writeup. to be honest, Rafa didnt do very badly in the area of d media. My problem with him was his constant ‘experiments’ on d pitch, and his ’86th’ minute substitutions (ask Babel) when a change should hav bn made much earlier.
@Pepe: perhaps if ur intellect was high enough to understand d topic of discussion, u would av thought deeply b4 postin a comment.
just leave d conversation to adults.
Is it spend a couple of hundred million to not win the league for 21 years ?