Are Liverpool the most disappointing team in the country?

Following Liverpool's woeful FA Cup exit in midweek against a struggling Reading side, i found myself dismayed once again over the fortunes of one of the grandest clubs in the game. It led me to ask the question, are Liverpool the most disappointing team in the Premier League?

I am consistently underwhelmed by the performances they put in on the pitch, while off it the club seems to be in complete turmoil as a name that has been synonymous with all that is great about English football becomes just another headline in the soap opera world of Premier League ownership. For a club that sets such high standards for itself, and with such an outstanding and dedicated fan base, i feel that Liverpool and its supporters deserve more.

Liverpool's lack of strength in depth has been well documented, and without Gerrard and Torres they are without a doubt significantly worse off. This in itself is not too much to worry about, as any team would miss their influence. However, on Wednesday against Reading, the total inability of any of their players to make an incisive move, to break down the Reading defences, was a huge disappointment.

The likes of Benayoun and Kuyt are good players, but seem incapable of leading a team to success alone, while the likes of Babel and Ngog continue to show nothing to suggest that they deserve to wear the Liver Bird crest on their chest. I'm actually a little embarassed every time i see Ngog lead the line for Liverpool - it's not his fault, but he's just woefully inadequate for the role and responsibility bestowed upon him.

Of course it is easy to jump on the bandwagon and criticise Liverpool during this season when they are clearly below par. However, even last season when they were in contention for the league for so much of the year, they contrived to throw away so many chances that were gifted to them, drawing games that on paper appeared to be 3-points in the bank. The occasional stirring victory or talismanic performance for Gerrard or Torres fails to outweigh the weight of disappointment for me.

This week will inevitably raise more questions about the leadership of the club, both in terms of its owners and its manager. Tom Hicks has promised that the club will have money to spend in the summer, but will it be too late by then? Without Champions League football (which they are in danger of losing), will players such as Torres be looking for another club? Will they be able to attract the calibre of players they undoubtedly need? Is Rafa Benitez still the right man for the job? Surely he can't have many supporters left after he failed to offer any relevant explanation for his sides inexplicable performance on Wednesday. The question is though, would a replacement fair any better under the current conditions at the club, and if so who is that man?

Some may argue that the likes of constant under-achievers such as Spurs or, up until now, Manchester City, must be more disappointing than Liverpool, but at least both clubs provide value for money in the drama stakes, and their supporters would arguably suggest they are amongst the best clubs to follow for these reasons. Teams like Bolton, Stoke or Wolves might play unattractive football, but it has seen them overachieve in recent years and for that their supporters must be grateful.

What do Liverpool supporters feel? Is their club a constant disappointment to them? Given the remarkably high standards the club sets itself and the oustanding dedication of its supporters, my feeling is that the team all to often fails to produce what the club and its supporters deserve. I hope to see a day when Liverpool stand triumphant and united at the very top of the game again, but unfortunately i fail to see it happening any time soon.

Join the debate by leaving a comment below!

Burnley: Laws appointment sends mixed message

Yesterday Burnley appointed Brian Laws to be their new manager following the departure of Owen Coyle to Bolton Wanderers.

First off, Laws must be one of the most experienced managers ever hired into the Premier League. He has managed close to 800 games since his first post at Grimsby in 1994 - thats 300 more than Rafael Benitez. Without going and looking at each manager individually I would guess that he ranks 3rd or 4th in terms of experience in the Premier League after Fergie and Wenger. And perhaps the highest in terms of when he entered the league. This guy clearly knows his way around a football club. For this we applaud Burnley. So many managers in the Premier League are just handed the top job with no experience whatsoever, and inevitably fail or become tiresomely mediocre. Hiring someone with experience is an astute move on Burnley's part.

On the other side is that the sides that Laws has gotten his experience with, have not been Premier League quality sides. His last club was Sheffield Wednesday, from where he was fired. Before that he was managing Scunthorpe and Grimsby. Two sides who have jumped around between the lower divisions.

The calibre of player at Burnley will not be drastically different from that which he managed at Wednesday but clearly the quality of the opposition will be light years apart.

It would appear to me that Burnley have hired someone who considers this a huge promotion, is used to working on a strict budget, and will not want to leave the club if they get relegated. With Coyle leaving mid-season, the club have been left in a tough position, and hiring someone like Laws, a survivor, is someone that the board clearly fill two different roles for the club. Firstly someone with the determination to keep them in the league, but also someone who wont have a bruised ego if they get relegated.

If I were a Burnley fan I wouldn't be overly disappointed with the decision but I also wouldn't be overly optimistic. I think this is a classic case of giving Laws a chance to see what he can do. Unfortunately the Premiership and Burnley are multi-millon pound organizations and they just put someone in charge on millions of pounds of assets who has not had a great deal of success with other million pound assets.

Perhaps also in the mind of the Burnley decision makers is the fact that if Laws was unable to keep Burnley up and then they wanted to go in a different direction with a different manager, few fans would shed a tear over Laws departure.

Overall its an interesting appointment, not quite as black and white as it first appears and has several possible outcomes.

Ownership soap operas threaten to overshadow on-pitch action

Misdemeanours and financial uncertainties of club owners are threatening to overshadow the football being played on the pitch at several Premier League clubs, leading to questions resurfacing over what makes a "fit and proper" owner of a football club.

Is it just me, or has football's focus shifted significantly towards the boardroom in recent years? As clubs become the playthings of ultra-rich sugar-daddies and sports tycoons from across the pond start to see the Premier League as an attractive prospect, the wranglings of the boardroom have become regular back-page material.

Perhaps it is the overarching and ever-extending influence of money in the game that has switched our focus away from the day-to-day business of the results on the pitch, and on to the results of business off it. Today, the importance of finely balancing success and financial security (something Portsmouth appear to have failed in) is so evident in the game that issues of ownership have been thrust into the public domain.

Club owners are under the scrutiny of the fans and the media alike, and so perhaps, they should be when there is so much at stake. However, surely less scrutiny would be required if the criteria for passing the Premier League's "fit and proper persons test" actually did what it said on the tin.

Portsmouth's recent ownership travails must draw the credibility of the test into serious doubt, as they have proved unable to meet even the most basic of financial commitments since assuming control. Granted, they took over a club already flirting with disaster and financial ruin, but the optimism of the fans when cream-suited Sulaiman al-Fahim bought the club in August has long since evaporated, along with the Dubai businessman's stake in the club (he sold a 90% stake to Ali Al Faraj on October). Portsmouth have made headlines again today as the Premier League gave tghem a 5pm deadline to pay back creditors or lose their latest slice of TV money.

The owners of Manchester United and Liverpool have also made the headlines in the last few days. For United, the story relates to a £500m bond issue in a bid to safeguard the financial security of the club, while Liverpool's co-owner Tom Hicks has today announced that the club will be "spending big" in the summer break, clearly a move to appease fans over the clanger dropped by his son Tom Hicks Jr in sending abusive emails to a fan.

Surely questions must be asked whether these parties are suitable to be in control of two of the biggest and best footballing insitutions the world has ever seen? These clowns of the boardroom are doing their best to overshadow what should really matter - success on the pitch. Liverpool have clearly struggled for lack of adequate investment inthe right areas in the last two seasons, while Manchester United look to be going the same way. Of course, success on the pitch must be underpinned by financial security, but it seems that both parties are failing on that front as well. I'm not sure what either have going for them, but it's not a lot from where i'm sitting.

There are of course stories of takeovers and ownership issues in recent years that have impacted positively on the game, and those should not be ignored. Randy Lerner continues to do a sterling job at Aston Villa with very little public intrusion. He has let Martin o'Neill's side do their talking on the pitch, and for that he should be praised. Carson Yeung has made a promising start to his time as owner of Birmingham City, perhaps galvinising his teams progress which has seen them go 12 games unbeaten in the Premier League. Even Roman Abramovich has enriched the Premier League by bringing us such characters as Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelotti in the managerial hotseat, whilst building a formidable team along the way.

It remains to be seen of course, whether Stan Kroenke manages to assume control at Arsenal, and what kind of legacy he'll bring to the club. Many suggest he will be a positive force for change at the club and will lead them to the silverware that has eluded them in recent years. Whatever happens in his story, he would do well to take heed of the mistakes made by those who have gone before him.

Fulham: Up the Duff

Fulham are a team rarely mentioned and easily forgotten, but with Roy Hodgson as manager they should never be underestimated. The signing of Damien Duff - in my view the signing of the season - has given Fulham that little bit of extra quality that they needed. Duff has rediscovered his Blackburn and Chelsea form after struggling at Newcastle. His pace and skill are the biggest contributing factors to any goal that Bobby Zamora has scored this season and he even chips in with a few goals himself. With Andy Johnson injured earlier in the season, Duff stepped up his game and expect nothing less from him with Zamora now out for while.

After proving that they can beat anyone with their 3-0 demolition of Manchester United (granted they had a makeshift defence but it was still impressive) a bet on them to win the FA Cup at 20-1 could be a great shout. With their main competitors fighting for Top 4 positions they might even get an easy ride to the final and it won't be long till they are out of the Europa League (sorry Fulham fans but its true) allowing complete focus on the FA Cup

By contributing author Harry M

Celtic face critical January period

With transfer news filling the newspaper columns it is imperative that Celtic get this window absolutely right.

The decision to state that Aiden McGeady is not for sale at any price is obviously critical and perhaps the most important move that Peter Lawwell will make over the next few weeks. Celtic are more fortunate than their cross-town rivals in that they are in a strong financial position and are not being monitored closely by any financial institutions.

Gary Caldwell may well make a move to England, with Wigan Athletic keen on signing the centre-back. This move would be fine, as long as he replaced. Centre-back is Celtic's weakest position with no real quality to speak of. Caldwell, is perhaps, overall the best of the bunch but I wouldn't mind seeing him go as long as his replacement was swiftly acquired.

Gordan Strachan has been linked with Willo Flood, Chris Killen and Mark Wilson and could result in the best dealings at Parkhead in a while. While they all offer depth, none of them are even close to the starting eleven.

Scott McDonald is the other player that has several suitors. He is Celtic's only pure goal scorer, he is the only player that routinely contributes very little to the overall game but will make his mark with one or two goals. Samaras and Fortune both offer much much more in overall quality, but lack the finishing ability of McDonald. Similar to Caldwell, I would not be devastated if Scott left, but he would need to be replaced immediately. If that replacement was not out there, then it would certainly be a dangerous move. I cannot imagine Strachan making the move to sell McDonald as it is certainly goes against his conservative managerial nature, but perhaps big Tony sees things a little differently.

Overall Celtic are playing good football, dominating games (see last Old Firm game) but are conceding cheap goals and not finishing off created chances. A worrying trend indeed. Careful negotiation of the January transfer window is going to be essential for Celtic to reverse this trend and bring in a few players who may be able to make that important difference down the stretch.

Lower league signings could inspire Premier League success

The wealth of quality players in the lower leagues reinforces the strength of the English game, and shrewd signings this January could provide Premier League clubs with just the tonic to propel them to success.

Everyone is looking for a bargain at this time of year. The January transfer window provides managers with the opportunity to reinforce their ranks for the long, hard slog to the end of the season, and with many Premier League clubs suffering multiple long-term injuries, it seems like this month will see as much activity as ever.

Every team in the Premier League has something to play for, and strong January signings could be the difference between achieving your goals for the season, or fading into obscurity. Last year Harry Redknapp bought astutely, if expensively at Spurs, and they rocketed up the table after the additions of Wilson Palacios, Jermain Defoe and Robbie Keane. Arsenal bolstered their season with the inspired addition of Andrey Arshavin, while Chelsea failed to push United all the way for the title after picking up Portuguese flop Ricardo Quaresma on loan.

Panic buys aplenty can usually be expected, but this year it could be those players picked up from The Championship or England's other lower leagues that prove the most influential and effective.

Glancing down the list of some of the names being linked with moves to Premier League clubs, it is testament to the strength of the English leagues that so many come from The Championship or lower. Victor Moses of Crystal Palace is hot property, with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham all tracking him. Watford's Scott Loach and Peterborough's Joe Lewis are great goalkeeping prospects who look Premier League class through and through. Arsenal and Manchester United are apparently "in a race" to sign Cardiff youngster Adam Matthews, while at the other end of the table Kris Commons of Derby has recently been linked with Wolves. Following his exploits in the FA Cup recently, I would also be very surprised if a few Premier League clubs weren't taking a long hard look at Jermaine Beckford, and possibly other Leeds United players.

All this suggests that, in terms of talent, the English leagues are rife with promising players who could well step up and make an impression on the very biggest stage, and I for one am excited about their prospects. There are still countless examples of unknown foreign players coming into the Premier League and failing to make the grade, or looking no better than average along the way. West Ham's recent signings (albeit under the huge financial constraints they are experiencing) boast some highly questionable foreign imports, while Newcastle employed the same bits-and-pieces approach to their transfer policy, which saw their side full of misfits from around Europe stumbling its way to relegation last year.

The example of Birmingham City is a fine one, and one that many clubs would do well to follow this month. Yes, they are the fashionable club to write about at the moment due to their impressive form, and no doubt they will encounter a dip at some point as the season progresses, but their transfer policy and the signings of Alex Mcleish have been a revelation. Their defensive duo of Scott Dann and Roger Johnson, signed from Coventry and Cardiff respectively, have formed the solid base of the Premier League's 3rd meanest defence this season and are arguably early candidates for the Premier League's team of the season.

Further up the table, big clubs have proven that it pays to take a look at the lower leagues. Arsenal have a real talent on their hands in Aaron Ramsey, while Spurs and Everton have benefited immensely from adopting a policy of picking up young players from The Championship. Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson, to name just a few for Spurs, and Tim Cahill, Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka to do likewise for Everton, have shown the value of taking a gamble on a lower league player, and it won't surprise me if these clubs and others bring in players from the second tier during this month.

I believe this is a really exciting transfer window for signings from the lower leagues, and I wouldn't be surprised if some real gems emerge. It is great for the English game to see such strength in depth in its leagues, and I hope that more clubs recognise the merits of adopting this transfer policy. While fans of some lower league clubs may be disappointed to see their top talents "poached" by Premier League big guns, developing talent and selling it on for profit is a great way to balance the books. It's good for the clubs who sell, it's good for the teams who buy and it's great for the players who get a chance to prove themselves on the biggest stage in domestic football.

Craig Bellamy: Player of The Year?

It would seem to be an appropriate time to consider who may be the early favourites for Player of the Year accolades.

I am going to leave this one largely up to the comments, but I will mention my particular choice:

Craig Bellamy

I have been an admirer of Bellamy throughout his career, thinking that he would be a complete nightmare to defend against and someone that could make almost any defender look like a 4 year old in a split second. At Manchester City, with their high-tempo attacking style he seems to be having somewhat of a breakout season. His speed, timing, passing and finishing seem to be at a level which is above and beyond what we have seen from him before. He is currently my favourite player to watch in the Premier League and lets hope he can maintain his form.

What are your thoughts?

Man City: Huge financial loss irrelevant

Today Manchester City announced losses of £92.6 million last night, the third largest in British football history.

This is a truly sad state of affairs. Now let me be clear, I do not blame City or their owners, it is a free market and they are entitled to do whatever they please. They have put together an exciting team that I certainly enjoy watching. From a singular entertainment perspective, I could care less how much money City spend. However for my overall enjoyment of the Premier League and football, I am less certain.

Much like Chelsea did a few season ago City are trying to buy their way into the upper echelons of the Premier League. Nothing wrong with this (within the current system and rules), all teams do it. But how far are they willing to go? The losses sustained this year are inconsequential when your club is owned by billionaires, much like the losses Chelsea are maintaining.

Does Sheikh Mansour care about a £92.6 million loss? Not one bit. He can afford to absorb that kind of expenditure with the expectation of being paid off down the road, and the personal glory from owning an elite football club.

Sadly it is the administrators that consistently let down the sport. They fail to ever protect football. Football is a product, and like any product it needs to be protected from elements that could damage it. The FA and Premier League stand idly by year after year as issues arise and are not dealt with adequately.

We have been long standing supporters of introducing a salary cap system, with the goal of slowly leveling the playing field somewhat. One aspect of American sports that the UK could learn from is that there is great equity across the spectrum of those sports which results in close games, close title chases etc etc.

The Premier League at least, has an exclusive elite, and the rest. This is a broken system, where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer (unless of course you are bought by an Abu Dhabi Sheihk).

On a another note - is Craig Bellamy a legitimate possibility for Player of The Year this year? I think he might be.........

Arsenal may strike further blow to FA Cup credibility

It would appear that Arsene Wenger will field a weakened team for the January 24th FA Cup tie with Stoke City, in order to keep first team players fresh for Premier League fixtures. Following from yesterdays article (which prompted a lot of controversy - mainly from Leeds United fans) this would add further wood to the fire as Arsenal clearly put the Premier League above and beyond the FA Cup in importance (rightly so in my opinion).

The FA Cup will never be the competition it once was if teams cannot field their full strength sides and truly value winning this competition. Wenger clearly thinks his side have a chance on challenging for the title this year, and victory at the weekend would take the Gooners to 2nd place in the table and only one point behind Chelsea.

Much like Mick McCarthy a few weeks ago, Wenger has to decide how best to manage his assets available to him and the message will surely be that a rest over the weekend of the 24th will allow his key players to stay on top of their game for the important Premier League fixtures.

****************
A note on yesterdays article.

It appears to me that many readers have missed my point, and on review that is down to the fact that I did not explain myself as eloquently and clearly as I would have liked. Let me re-state my point in the simplest terms possible:

The excitement that I gain from sport comes from competitions where it is extremely difficult to predict a winner because of the wide variety of teams that could potentially win. Four teams have dominated the FA Cup over the last 15 years and as such I have lost interest. Similarly I lost interest in the Premier League the last two or three years as Manchester United and Chelsea were clearly the only two teams that could win. This season it looks like the excitement is back as things are much tighter and there seems to be greater equity among the teams.

If you look at the greatest sporting events in the world - they are all bound by one of two common trait - many possible winners, or great equity and competition between the competitors :

The World Cup
Ryder Cup
The Grand National
6 Nations
March Madness
British Lions Tours

Over recent years British football has suffered because of a lack of these traits, I can only hope that they begin to emerge again.

Why no-one should care about the FA Cup.

There is a lot of column inches taken up in today's newspapers regarding Leeds United win over Manchester United this weekend. Some journalists hail the 'romance of football' others laud the 'minnows' and others simply revel in the 'beauty' of the FA Cup.

Personally I do not care one little bit for the FA Cup, or the Carling Cup for that matter, and frankly I struggle to understand why anyone else does either. Presumably there are many Leeds United fans who are extremely happy today with their 'famous' victory over United. But why? They have not won the FA Cup, they won't win the FA Cup so why are they that happy? Of course its always good to watch your team win, but unfortunately the powers that be in football have made it so that the joy that Leeds are feeling will be short lived.

The FA Cup is immeasurably boring. Lets take a look at the last few winners:

2009 - Chelsea
2008 - Portsmouth
2007 - Chelsea
2006 - Liverpool
2005 - Arsenal
2004 - Manchester United
2003 - Arsenal
2002 - Arsenal
2001 - Liverpool
2000 - Chelsea
1999 - Manchester United
1998 - Arsenal
1997 - Chelsea
1996 - Manchester United

Anyone notice a pattern? With the exception of Portsmouth in 2008, all winners come from four teams? Which four? Oh right, I think we all know them.

Where is the excitement and drama in a competition if history tells us that only four teams can win? If teams outside of these four were to start consistently winning the FA Cup, then I will happily retract all the above statements and say that the FA Cup is truly a great competition. Until that happens, it is merely a distraction.

Are there any Manchester United fans that are really that upset about thir exit from the competition? I would doubt it. The Premiership and the Champions League are the only things that this club really care about.

If United can win the Premiership is anyone going to be thinking, "well this is great, wish we could have won the FA Cup though"......?

No.

Let Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal win it.

All footballers are knobs.

On a miserable day back at work after too many pies and too much champagne, a little light reading can help raise the temperature on an otherwise cold day.

Barney Ronay in the The Guardian's sport blog writes this amusing piece.