Published: 1:18PM Thursday October 22, 2009
By tvnz.co.nz's Sarah Williams
Source: ONE Sport
Source: ReutersLiverpool fans fly their flags at Anfield
A famous Liverpool manager once said: "Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it's much more serious than that."
And of course, when you live in a world where children die of incurable diseases, people are starving to death, and you're a Hull supporter, its not really that bad, but sometimes, just sometimes it really does feel like that.
And as a Liverpool fan of over 20-years, this is one of those times.
There is no getting away from the fact that right now Liverpool are in serious trouble.
With six defeats in all competitions, one of those inflicted by a beach ball, handing us our worst start to a season in 22-years, the club it seems is rotting from the inside out, and us, as fans, are powerless to stop it.
And that is what is killing Liverpool supporters right now.
We know that everyone is laughing at us, and perhaps they have a right, after all, we are arguably some of the mouthiest football fans in the world, but along with our songs about our history and 'Scousers ruling the country' we are also some of the most fiercely loyal fans you are ever likely to meet.
And that is why we try to hold our head up high in times of trouble, but right now it feels that holding our head up high and praying for the light at the end of the storm is all in vain as our once feared and respected club is failing to pieces in front of our eyes.
Some say that a club's opening game can set the tone for what lies ahead, and after the Tottenham defeat on the opening day of the Premier League season perhaps we should have known what was to come.
After the Villa defeat I still had hopes that Liverpool could build on their title promise of last season, after the Chelsea loss those niggling doubts starting to creep in, after the beach ball incident I was angry and now, after the Lyon defeat I am numb.
I, like many of you have read the internet chat on the Liverpool 'crisis', and although we all have many conflicting opinions, once thing we all agree on is that something needs to be done, and it needs doing now.
Another thing we all agree on is the American owners.
These two fools, who thought they knew football, now surely know they knew nothing at all, and it will be best for all concerned if these two can put their differences aside for one moment and agree on selling the club.
Along with this there are many that are now calling for Rafa Benitez's head, and there are many that are asking just what good will that do?
And when you look at the facts of what has happened to club over the last few years, the obvious decision, should Liverpool get beat by Manchester United on Sunday, would be to give Benitez the chop.
There is no denying that Benitez has brought Liverpool back to European glory with the 2005 Champions League win, the most special and rarest of nights that any football fan could hope to dream of, but the fact is, Liverpool, the manager and the fans, can not live off Istanbul forever.
And when you look at what Liverpool have or have come close to winning since he took the helm in 2004, the wrong decisions that Benitez has made often outweigh the good.
Of course he brought in Fernando Torres, one of the greatest signings this club has ever had, but he also succeeded in alienating one of just two players who even come close to him, in Xabi Alonso, making the influential midfielder decide he was better off in Spain.
The money, or lack of it, also comes into question time and time again, but it is also a fact that since he came to Anfield, Benitez has spent an incredible 229 million pounds on flop after flop that increasingly make Liverpool look like the 'two man team' everyone thinks we are.
Who buys a left-back when you need another striker? Who buys a 'sick note' midfielder for a position you need filled at the beginning of the season? Who brings in Voronin, Ngog and Dossena or buys Lucas full stop!?
But who knows, perhaps it has something to do with the management style.
Benitez, famously, is a tactical manager, preferring small slaps on the back when players put out great performances to a style of man-management that see Harry Redknapp or dare I say it SFA, getting the best out of their sides.
One of these examples is Ryan Babel, who has often been hailed as the new 'Henry' by the Dutch press, but, when not being played out of position, he is left rotting on the bench as his confidence goes with him, so until he finally gets his move back to Ajax, I guess we'll never know.
I would also go as far to argue that in losing just two games last season, and having our best chance to win the League in decades, it was Benitez's questionable team selection that lead to too many draws, ultimately costing us the title we so crave.
I am not writing this as a Benitez hater, I know what he has done for us, I know we have nobody to replace him, and I also know that after handing him a new contract last season we can't afford to sack him, but me, well I have never actually believed that we could win the League under the Spaniard anyway.
And the thing is, Liverpool, as it is well known, are professionals at the bounce back, and there is actually no reason that Liverpool could not beat Manchester United on Sunday, but even though a win would leave us just four points behind them, it would only succeed in papering over the cracks.
I of course am just one voice in a chorus of many, but when the one person who is charged with helping the club is actually destroying it, it is time to cut them loose or suffer another year in the wilderness as the newfound laughing stock of the footballing world.
It is times like this I sometimes wish I had been born an Evertonian, at least then I would be used to the disappointment.
What are your thoughts on the Liverpool crisis? Have your say below.......
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