Public discord not the Liverpool way

Jan 15 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

THEIR arrival promised the American dream. Instead it is turning into more of an Anfield nightmare.

When George Gillett and Tom Hicks landed in Liverpool almost a year ago, they spoke of being custodians rather than owners of a club and reassured supporters with the words: “For us, it’s about winning and passion, respect for tradition and history, legacy.”

Instead, in their relatively short tenure, the duo have left the country’s most decorated outfit fretting over the fate of its manager, stadium and financial future.

Loyalty, stability and discretion have long been the bywords at Anfield, a reputation forged over decades that were rewarded with unrivalled success.

Don’t forget, this was the club that afforded previous manager Gerard Houllier a Press conference to say his farewells after deciding to dispense with his services.

So the news yesterday that Liverpool had asked Jurgen Klinsmann to consider replacing Rafael Benitez as manager showed little regard for such Anfield tradition, history or legacy.

The revelation from Hicks was mere confirmation of rumours that had been gaining currency around football circles for weeks that the German had been sounded out by Liverpool, eventually stated as fact in Saturday’s Daily Post.

Clearly, any supporters who still had their heads in the sand and fingers in their ears regarding the discord behind the scenes that is now hampering on-field performances, must now wake up and smell the burgers.

Hicks said yesterday: “In November, when it appeared we were in danger of not advancing in the Champions League, weren’t playing well in our Premier League matches, and Rafa and we were having communication issues over the January transfer window, George and I met with Jurgen Klinsmann to learn as much as we could about English and European football.

“He is a very impressive man. We attempted to negotiate an option, as an insurance policy, to have him become our manager in the event Rafa decided to leave the club or other clubs that were rumoured in the UK Press, or in case our communication spiralled out of control for some reason.”

The extraordinary decision for Hicks to come clean may have been with the intention of the owners becoming more transparent in their dealings.

But it smacks of a hugely embarrassing volte-face from someone who declared only last month: “The media made up everything; they made up that we were going to fire him, that I told him to shut up, that there was a battle between Benitez and the Americans. It’s really funny to watch.”

You will be hard-pressed to find a Liverpool supporter wearing a smile this morning.

By going behind the manager’s back in such a brazen fashion, Gillett and Hicks are in danger of turning Liverpool into not Manchester United or Chelsea but Tottenham Hotspur.

The Londoners’ lamentable board did the same by openly courting Juande Ramos while Martin Jol was still in situ earlier this season, and we all know how that ended up – and the state Spurs find themselves in at the moment.

Irrespective of whether Benitez should be removed or not, one thing is certain: this isn’t the Liverpool way, to allow behind-the-scenes machinations to be made public.

In mitigation, while Hicks and Gillett have a wide sporting portfolio, their knowledge of English football – let alone the running of a Premier League club – was pretty much zero when they assumed control. Therefore, you would have to question the standard of advice the Americans are receiving.

Their discussions with former Germany coach Klinsmann had taken place in late November at Hicks’s second home in southern California, and news of the summit had reached Benitez later in the week to prompt his now infamous “as always I am focused on training and coaching my team” Press briefing that so irked the owners and didn’t exactly help matters by inflaming an already volatile situation.

Much was made of that quote, yet now it appears the key word may well be “my”.

Despite the belief of Hicks and Gillett, Benitez has always been insistent he doesn’t want to walk away from the job he has occupied since June 2004, increasingly speaking of his love for “my team, my city and my supporters”.

Yet it has been patently obvious for some time the Spaniard has not had the full backing of those in positions of power at Anfield; after all, “communication issues” at the time could have easily been rectified with a few meetings and a few phone calls.

The clear- the-air talks between the manager and the owners after the December 16 defeat to Manchester United – one of only two setbacks in 21 Premier League games – did much, as the Americans have intimated, to end any interest in Klinsmann.

But Benitez would have almost certainly been sacked had Liverpool been dumped out of the Champions League by Marseille only five days earlier.

Indeed, there’s a very real possibility Benitez would have been jettisoned in the summer in any case had Klinsmann not opted to take over at Bayern Munich instead.

So, what happens next?

Few could blame Benitez if he decided to walk today, let alone the end of the season. Having led the club to one Champions League success and another final, along with memorable FA Cup glory, the Spaniard deserves an awful lot better than to be treated in such a shoddy fashion.

However, his stubborn streak will mean that Benitez will keep his head down, keep quiet and get on with business until at least May, maybe even picking up silverware on the way.

Hicks claims Benitez now has the full support of the owners, with the lines of communication much improved and all parties working together.

But it still seems inevitable there will be a parting of ways at Anfield during the summer.

And with Hicks yesterday reiterating that the Americans have no intention of selling their shares in the near future, it would leave only one person heading through the Anfield exit door.