"Rafa's Reds struggling to settle down to life on the Road"
What's going on at Liverpool? At home they are virtually invincible, yet their away record is shocking. No wins, one draw and five defeats. One goal for, 12 against! Thet are having an absolute beast away from Anfield.
I'm not involved with Liverpool so don't know the details of what's happening there, and I do thinh Rafa Benitez is an unbelievably good manager - but something is going badly wrong when it comes to away matches.
Is it players' attitudes stinking? Is it foreigners not fancying it away from Anfield? Is it too much tinkering with the team? Is it none of the above? That is the million dollar question Rafa will no doubt be asking himself ahead of tonights match at Middlesbrough.
Rafa's rotation policy has taken a bit of flak and I can understand why because there is no real proof it works in the Premiership. But then again it must be blimmin' awkward to keep so many goo players happy if you don't give them a game.
My opinion is that there are too many new faces at Liverpool this season. To bring in six new players was a big risk because that's a lot of new animals in the building. I've never had that problem sadly (buying too many players that is), but it's not easy ahving half a dozen new lads trying to gel with the boys who are already there.
It's a bit like relationships really. You can look around for the right girl for as long as you want and think that you've found a right darling - but it's not until you move in with them that you actually find out what they are really like. The snoring, the farting, the belching - you don't see all that when you are doing your scouting! Same with footballers. You don't know what kind of animal you've bought until they are in your camp.
Away games in England are very difficult. Nobody finds them easy. The fans can play a big part in the outcome of matches and the slightest little thing that comes from the terraces can make aplayer loose his focus. If one goes, then it can have a ripple effet and half the team goes.
That's why I think that managing footballers is like trying to train two different types of horse. In home matches it's great to have racehorses because they are fast and they love flying over the jumps. For away games you have to train them to be police horses. You can't have them spooked. You need them to be able to handle the noise, and to handle the difficult situations by walking straight on without a second look.
There is no secret formula to winning matches - home or away. If you have prepared your team perfectly that is half the battle, but the rest is down to the players when they walk across the white line.
If everything is working well, a football pitch is a football pitch no matter where it is. You win the game.
Liverpool were European champions in 2005, so their fans will understandably be really disappointed by their away form this season. But you can't always blame the manager. Some players just don't like playing on different pitches. They can have all the talent in the world, yet when they are in new surroundings they turn into rubbish! The best teams don't have many of that breed. They don't make excuses (Chelsea excepted) and thay perform well over and over again. Rafa Benitez has signed some fantastic players, but maybe one or two of them are the type that prefer life at home.
Liverpool's players and staff won't be happy. It must be soul destroying to not be able to win games away from home.
It's all about players' characters now. They need to stand tall and respond.
I have a sticker on my office wall. It says: "Football doesn't build character, it shows you who has got it."
I'll be looking out for Liverpool's result at the Riverside with real interest tonight.
Obviously this was written yesterday but what do people think? I think that there is a lot to what Ian Holloway says!
What's going on at Liverpool? At home they are virtually invincible, yet their away record is shocking. No wins, one draw and five defeats. One goal for, 12 against! Thet are having an absolute beast away from Anfield.
I'm not involved with Liverpool so don't know the details of what's happening there, and I do thinh Rafa Benitez is an unbelievably good manager - but something is going badly wrong when it comes to away matches.
Is it players' attitudes stinking? Is it foreigners not fancying it away from Anfield? Is it too much tinkering with the team? Is it none of the above? That is the million dollar question Rafa will no doubt be asking himself ahead of tonights match at Middlesbrough.
Rafa's rotation policy has taken a bit of flak and I can understand why because there is no real proof it works in the Premiership. But then again it must be blimmin' awkward to keep so many goo players happy if you don't give them a game.
My opinion is that there are too many new faces at Liverpool this season. To bring in six new players was a big risk because that's a lot of new animals in the building. I've never had that problem sadly (buying too many players that is), but it's not easy ahving half a dozen new lads trying to gel with the boys who are already there.
It's a bit like relationships really. You can look around for the right girl for as long as you want and think that you've found a right darling - but it's not until you move in with them that you actually find out what they are really like. The snoring, the farting, the belching - you don't see all that when you are doing your scouting! Same with footballers. You don't know what kind of animal you've bought until they are in your camp.
Away games in England are very difficult. Nobody finds them easy. The fans can play a big part in the outcome of matches and the slightest little thing that comes from the terraces can make aplayer loose his focus. If one goes, then it can have a ripple effet and half the team goes.
That's why I think that managing footballers is like trying to train two different types of horse. In home matches it's great to have racehorses because they are fast and they love flying over the jumps. For away games you have to train them to be police horses. You can't have them spooked. You need them to be able to handle the noise, and to handle the difficult situations by walking straight on without a second look.
There is no secret formula to winning matches - home or away. If you have prepared your team perfectly that is half the battle, but the rest is down to the players when they walk across the white line.
If everything is working well, a football pitch is a football pitch no matter where it is. You win the game.
Liverpool were European champions in 2005, so their fans will understandably be really disappointed by their away form this season. But you can't always blame the manager. Some players just don't like playing on different pitches. They can have all the talent in the world, yet when they are in new surroundings they turn into rubbish! The best teams don't have many of that breed. They don't make excuses (Chelsea excepted) and thay perform well over and over again. Rafa Benitez has signed some fantastic players, but maybe one or two of them are the type that prefer life at home.
Liverpool's players and staff won't be happy. It must be soul destroying to not be able to win games away from home.
It's all about players' characters now. They need to stand tall and respond.
I have a sticker on my office wall. It says: "Football doesn't build character, it shows you who has got it."
I'll be looking out for Liverpool's result at the Riverside with real interest tonight.
Obviously this was written yesterday but what do people think? I think that there is a lot to what Ian Holloway says!
I've never come across anyone as miserable and negative as you. (no pun intended)
As someone else said, I don't think the article was meant to be inspiring but what he says imo is spot on.
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