I am a newcomer and wanted to come in to this forum to share my views and after hearing them, I hope that most if not all will agree with me and will think that my analysis is good and worth reading about!
I could go on and on about myself but wish to go directly to the point.
As a lifelong Liverpool fan, I just wanted to make my views known. At the same time I am also very interested in history (I am a history buff) and also a fan of alternate history theories and of course love the "Back To The Future" series very very much.
For those who are not aware, alternate history theory is about bringing up past issues and talking and making theories (plausible and realistic ones of course) about how things could be different. Why is this important? Because it is quite sensible and realistic that past history could have turned out different in many other ways had those figures in past history done things differently, because events would have turned out differently from what actually had happened.
This is a serious matter because though we cannot change past history, if we learn lessons, principles and other things from past history and also learn from others failures (avoiding them of course) and successes (modelling them of course) then we will be wiser and more knowledgable.
One good example, in the 2nd World War, the British were unable to defend our beloved island, they were unprepared, complacent, ill equipped and fell to the Japanese.
If there was such a thing as a time machine, the British would definitely love to go back and install strong defences for Singapore wouldnt they and prevent the Japanese from conquering Singapore.
BUT IN REAL LIFE THERE IS NO TIME MACHINE.
Ok, what happened has happened and when our now Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (who was a young man at the time of the Japanese occupation) took charge of Singapore, he realised the failings of the British, and that a country must be prepared and ready to defend itself and that we count on nobody but ourselves for our own defence. So learning from past history, National Service was implemented and the government spends tons of money and resources on defence and to boost Singapore's military capability, making sure the SAF is well trained and well equipped to deal with threats to our sovereignty and at the same time deterring potential aggresors.
This has indeed safe guarded our country and ensured its survival, security and prosperity and it is good to think that this is an instance where the destiny of Singapore turned out well. Imagine Singapore with a token military force or even worse no military force to speak of, we will be at the mercy of other countries!
The fall of Singapore to the British was unfortunate but at least our government learnt from it and changed future events and the fate of Singapore (for the better) by taking the necessary measures and courses of action.
Now onto Liverpool Football Club, how does alternate history come into Liverpools picture?
As most if not all Liverpool fans should know, Houllier has left and the search is on for his successor. If we do not realise by now, do we realise how important and vital who the club appoint as the new manager? Do we realise how serious the implications and the consequences are of the decision on who the manager is?
If Liverpool get a good (or even better) great manager, we can rise again from the ashes and challenge the like of Arsenal & Man U and do justice to our team from the 70s and 80s.
If Liverpool get the wrong guy, then the club might fall so far behind so far that they will become "just another team" and Arsenal and Man U might gallop beyond the horizon, never to be caught again!
Dear fellow Liverpool fans, do we want that to happen?
Of course not! Thats why Rick Parry and those in power need to make sure they get the right person.
Now onto the manager, who would most likely be the best candidate for the job?
While the club might have other ideas, here is my analysis of the candidates that have come up in the news.
Alan Curbishley ---- Though did well for the kind of limited resources he had at Charlton, still inexperienced at European level and that is not good considering that Liverpool have to play in the Champions League next season.
Gordon Strachan ----- Though did well for a club like Southampton, like Curbishley is not really experienced in Europe. Moreover he also does not have much experience running a bigger club
Martin O'Neill ----- More experienced in Europe and has a good track record. He has taken on the lesser clubs and done well and has been to the UCL with Celtic.
Rafael Benitez ---- Is experienced in Europe and took charge of one of the clubs in Spanish league (Valenica) and managed to overtake the glacticos of Real Madrid to win the title.
Actually the best candidate would be Jose Mourinho but he is already taken!
Looking at the candidates available, the best choice would be, as expected,Rafael Benitez. By employing him, Liverpool would stand the best chance of getting back on track to recapture former glories again. The best would be Jose Mourinho actually but he is already taken!
If Benitez is not employed, the other candidate will have to be Martin O'Neill.
Though there is no 100% guarantee that any manager will be successful with Liverpool, the club can choose the person that will give the club the greatest probability and chance of success.
As I have stated before, the decisons we make and the courses of action we take are so important as it affects our destiny for better or worse. And at this point of time, those in charge of Liverpool must really choose the correct person to be the new manager. It will determine whether we will again have a club to be proud of, or become fodder again for the likes of Arsenal and Man U and become the target of heckling by Man U fans.
Think again everybody about what we have done in the past that affects the present and what we do now in the present affects the future. We must be careful and more analytical and show more wisdom in our thoughts, actions and with the decisions we make.
And as Liverpool supporters and soccer followers, we must realise that this appointment of the new manager is so very important and that we are in the midst of a vital and crucial turning point in the fortunes of our beloved team.