COLUMNIST JIM HOURIGAN

End-of-Year Report Card

By Jim Hourigan :  30/12/2007 :  Comments (6) :

The Board, Directors et al

As someone who does not live in the City of Liverpool, let me first give the perspective on our great club from those supporters of other clubs with whom I work and socialise. We are seen as a ?genuine football club? one who has stuck to its principles and who has not chased the green back; our custodians are viewed with some envy but more often with grudging respect for their apparent refusal to ?sell out the club's soul to some overseas investor?.

Sadly, however, we are also viewed as ?quaint? and something of a dinosaur. One friend of mine came to the Zenit game and sat at the back of the Gwladys St Lower stand. His comments afterwards were about stepping back in time and watching football in the seventies, restricted views, small seats, crap facilities etc etc... and he supports Preston!!! ? how differently others see us.

For me, however, our Board is an altogether different animal. This past year has been monumental: the decision to ballot the fans was unique for a club of our stature and the silence since then has been deafening. That silence, I believe, is a portent to the future ? the supporters were asked (and yes I voted), they gave their decision and the club will move on that decision whatever our subsequent views are.

Bill Kenwright was given his ?Get out of Jail' card ? he didn?t move the club; the supporters did ? or that is very much how he will portray it. To suggest that he, or the rest of the Board, should go against a democratic vote will be their get-out clause. How can they justify a change of view based on a vocal minority ? ? whether the minority has now become the majority is irrelevant, because in their eyes unless a second ballot is called the figures show the majority of those who voted want to move.

If ? and it may be a big if ? Knowlsley give planning approval, then the club will move and the silence for me is testimony to that decision. There is a unity in that silence that can only mean one thing ? the decision has been taken and they will stick to it come hell or high water.

Is it the right decision? Well I for one have got no idea; I cannot predict the future with any certainty and nor can anyone else. I hear all the arguments for and against and am still not convinced of anything other than we must leave the Old Lady, and that is the only thing I am sure of and support the Board on.

Change is the only constant and we must change to progress, so my end of year report on the Board is: ?a brave and monumental decision that could have repercussions for the future of the club way beyond the short term. One can only hope that the basis of that decision is based in both sound financial planning as well as a genuine understanding of the future direction and soul of this great club.?

The Manager and his coaching staff

As we reach the end of the year we are still in 3 cup competitions (and the Premier League). Relative success in Europe has been a welcome and progressive development. To win as many games as we have is no mean achievement and reflects well on the manager in terms of selection and tactics. A semi-final place in the Carling Cup also reflects well on David Moyes on both counts.

Our league position is satisfactory but no more; our inability to beat the better sides at home or away suggests that team selection and tactics still need to improve against better sides. After all Spurs are in more or less the same position but also came 5th in the last 2 years and they sacked their manager!!!

The biggest issue with DM is against what criteria should he be judged? If it's against Walter then he has been a resounding success; if it's against previous trophy winning managers then he has not got close in any Cup competition or in the league. The hardest decision is the criteria on which to judge him.

In the present mega bucks world of the Premier League, that is even harder, but one other measure can be used ? the quality of football. This is even more difficult in that it is subjective and open to interpretation; however, as a Moyes sceptic, I would have to acknowledge that the quality of football has been better as the year has progressed ? (what impact has Holden had??).

So my end of year report on Moyes is: ?definite signs of improvement as the year progressed but the crucial time now lies ahead. Decisions taken in the next 3 months will paint a far more accurate picture on his ability to manage a club and win trophies. Additions to the squad will indicate the thinking and influence the tactics which will ultimately be reflected in the trophy cabinet.?

The playing staff

(Inevitably this links to the Manager) Without doubt the strongest group of players for the last 10 years or so (acknowledgment must be given to the manager and Board for this situation). There is a potential to improve still further with the present group, but it will be limited to ?below the top 4?.

In order to improve, additions will be needed to the squad in some key areas. More pace and quality is required in the full-back areas and cover at centre-back beyond Stubbs is necessary. Hibbert is not a player who will take the club forward, his woeful passing and player awareness is so poor that he is one selection who, for me, questions the manager's tactical nous.

Valente has quality on the ball but lacks pace and I suspect is beginning to show his age. The jury is out on Baines and whilst full back is Nevilles best position, is he the future? Jagielka should be able to provide central defensive cover, but his performance yesterday was worrying. I hope it was a blip but I do worry that against the top players he will be found wanting.

Central midfield requires youth and ability on the ball. Defensive midfield players must also be able to contribute in attacking terms and be able to retain possession to compete against the ?better sides?. Carsley has played above expectations this season in defensive terms, but his ability on the ball is poor. Against average teams this lack of ability is more than compensated by the players ahead of him, but against good sides each player has to be able to compete directly with their opposing player.

Osman plays well against poor teams but seems ineffectual against the top sides who invariably have stronger physical players who tend to dominate him, Gravesen has played so little football that his presence in the squad must be questioned. Why has the manager brought him in if he is unwilling to play him? What does training indicate that means he is unwilling to use him in all but limited cameo roles?

Width in midfield is limited to two players (Arteta and Piennar) and cover is necessary for both injury and poor form. McFadden is something of an enigma and whilst I think he will not make it, I would be very reluctant to let young players go who might just need the right opportunity.

Up front we seem to have depth and a genuine goal threat and I see little out there that is better than what we have (in our price range).

So my report is: ?an improving squad of players who are able to compete well with most if not all sides. Pace and technical ability will need to improve in key areas if we are to really challenge teams and potentially break into the upper echelons of the Premier League.?

How would I summarise the year then? Well I?m certainly in a much better frame of mind than I was this time last year in playing terms. To be in a semi-final and still in Europe is a massive fillip and brings optimism for matchdays. I genuinely feel we can compete with most sides and no longer feel trepidation about fixtures ? I sat at yesterdays match expecting to win and felt up to half time that we were on course for an ?expected? victory ? the second half was an aberration and I believe a blip of the festive period.

In general terms about the club I am less optimistic. I can see internal factions developing and polar views increasing. We are all entitled to our opinions and views and none for me have been fully persuasive on either count. I strongly suspect that we will never reach anything like a consensus but at some point in the very near future, and it has to be in the near future for us not to regress from our present position, decisions will have to be taken. Whatever those decisions are I will go with them, even if they are diametrically opposed to my own views because without that the club will fracture.

If an Everton United was formed we would suffer enormously because, unlike Man United, we do not have an overseas base that is completely indifferent to it. Our support would haemorrhage and our future would be akin to the Sheffield?s or Nottm Forrest and I for one could not see that for the sake of my own personal views.

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