Target: O'NEILL is the man Liverpool want
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LIVERPOOL CHIEFS WANT O'NEILL
Villa boss is earmarked as Rafa's replacement
O'NEILL: Man for the jobMARTIN O'NEILL has emerged as the man to replace Rafa Benitez.
American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have identified O'Neill to succeed the Spaniard if Liverpool fail to qualify for next season's Champions League.
Hicks, Gillett, and managing director Christian Purslow are standing by beleaguered Benitez despite Liverpool's woeful recent run of form.
But behind the scenes the mood of staunch support for Benitez has shifted as Liverpool's season has lurched towards chaos, with six defeats, one draw and just one win in their last eight games.
The club are wary of making a knee-jerk reaction but recognise that unless results improve dramatically - and soon - they will have to consider replacing Benitez during the season rather than next summer.
Kenny Dalglish has been tipped to hold the Anfield fort if Benitez IS sacked before May but he would only be keeping the seat warm for O'Neill (left).
Wednesday's 1-1 draw with Lyon leaves Liverpool's Champions League campaign in a precarious position and five Premier League defeats already this season means their first title since 1990 is a pipedream.
Failing to qualify for the Champions League next season would have a huge effect on Liverpool's already shaky financial position.
The club's budget is based largely on Champions League qualification and an absence from the top four would badly damage any chances of Hicks and Gillett refinancing the club's debt.
That is why Benitez's position is now being discussed by the club's hierarchy and they have come to the conclusion that O'Neill is the best suited and best placed to take the club forward.
Twenty months ago, when things were wobbling under Benitez, the club flirted with the idea of recruiting Jurgen Klinsmann. But the initial interest came to nothing and despite having done a good job as German national manager at the 2006 World Cup, Klinsmann's lack of credentials at club level were exposed last season at Bayern Munich, where he was sacked in April. Since then Liverpool have flirted with the idea of luring Jose Mourinho back to England to take up the one job the 'Special One' has consistently said would lure him back to the Premier League.
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why should O Neil want to leave aston villa for liverpool? liverpool 2 yankee owners is the problem, and he has no problem with his yankee owner at villa, plus his owner provided him with funds to buy players he wants. at liverpool, he may even need to sell before he can even buy players.
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the owners r damn stupid....y would O'neill come to liverpool n start all over again?unless o' neill has a lack of foresight, he wouldn't abandon aston villa for liverpool, as aston villa is way stronger than liverpool nw...
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O Neil doesn't have CL experience too.
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O Neil doesn't have CL experience too.
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problem is does O Neil wants to join Liverpool lol. I think it is more likely he would join Man Utd than Liverpool if fergie is to retire at end of the season, no offence caused.
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Say what you like but pool is a bigger club than Villa. So I do belief O'Neill may want the job... cos its still like a step upwards... And I don't think the owners will have any problems with him and he with them as well... Rafa's current problems doesn't come from the 2 owners... Some people trying to defend him, conveniently blame the owners, but actually its all Rafa's doing that the team is where they are now... Purchased, Team selection, tactics, zonal or man marking, sub used, cold attitude towards his players... All got nothing to do with the owners...
Lets go look at how much O'Neill and Rafa has been given or spent these last few years... O'Neill has spent a lot lesser compare to Rafa... And still keep Villa in good shape...
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O Neil wants to join Man United, together with Mourinho after Fergie retire. Let's see who gets the job among the 2.
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Originally posted by zocoss:
Say what you like but pool is a bigger club than Villa. So I do belief O'Neill may want the job... cos its still like a step upwards... And I don't think the owners will have any problems with him and he with them as well... Rafa's current problems doesn't come from the 2 owners... Some people trying to defend him, conveniently blame the owners, but actually its all Rafa's doing that the team is where they are now... Purchased, Team selection, tactics, zonal or man marking, sub used, cold attitude towards his players... All got nothing to do with the owners...
Lets go look at how much O'Neill and Rafa has been given or spent these last few years... O'Neill has spent a lot lesser compare to Rafa... And still keep Villa in good shape...
we know... but will O'neil take the bait in a club where u dun gt much money for transfers , n u may have to sacrifice quality for depth? best of all, aston villa is a stable place with two very gd players and stronger than LFC nw...compared to liverpool, whr the 2 owners are at each others' throats , the team is dependent on torres and gerrard and the depth is so chui...i tink even great managers like alex ferguson or the late bill shankly will shudder to work in such environment whr u do not have sufficient funds to do wat u really want... -
Originally posted by zocoss:
Say what you like but pool is a bigger club than Villa. So I do belief O'Neill may want the job... cos its still like a step upwards... And I don't think the owners will have any problems with him and he with them as well... Rafa's current problems doesn't come from the 2 owners... Some people trying to defend him, conveniently blame the owners, but actually its all Rafa's doing that the team is where they are now... Purchased, Team selection, tactics, zonal or man marking, sub used, cold attitude towards his players... All got nothing to do with the owners...
Lets go look at how much O'Neill and Rafa has been given or spent these last few years... O'Neill has spent a lot lesser compare to Rafa... And still keep Villa in good shape...
exactly
no doubt that the owners have part to play in liverpool's downfall, but the main mastermind has to be rafael
im saying this again, even if rafael win anything this season, i wan him out, asap.
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Originally posted by limpper:
exactly
no doubt that the owners have part to play in liverpool's downfall, but the main mastermind has to be rafael
im saying this again, even if rafael win anything this season, i wan him out, asap.
Agreed with what both of u say. O neil is a proven credible English manager.He is one of the best replacement for Liverpool. And Rafa shall go. Lousy buy, lousy tatics and always so full of himself.
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the problem with liverpool is that those players that can perform are not playing, whereas those lousy ones are playing.
Liverpool should play back a normal 4-4-2.
Reina as the Gk. Insua as the LB, Johnson as the RB. Skrtel and Agger as the CB.
Mascherano as the DM. In front of him, play Benayoun in the playmaker role. Kuyt on the ring wing and Babel on the left wing. Play Gerrard as the second striker, and Torres up front.
This way, pool will look dangerous and their defense would be stronger without Lucas and Carragher.
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Originally posted by charleslee:
we know... but will O'neil take the bait in a club where u dun gt much money for transfers , n u may have to sacrifice quality for depth? best of all, aston villa is a stable place with two very gd players and stronger than LFC nw...compared to liverpool, whr the 2 owners are at each others' throats , the team is dependent on torres and gerrard and the depth is so chui...i tink even great managers like alex ferguson or the late bill shankly will shudder to work in such environment whr u do not have sufficient funds to do wat u really want...
We ask have Villa spent as much or even close to what Rafa have these last few years? The answer is No... And yet O'Neill still manage to keep them up there... And I belief there is no one else better than O'Neil when we talk about sacrifice quality for depth... Last season Villa had one of the smallest squad in the premier league... probably from not having enough money to buy extras... and his squad quality also came from small money purchased or self developed...Players like James Milner, Curtis Davies, James Collins, Richard Dunne, Stephen Warnock, Steve Sidwell, Stiliyan Petrov, John Carew, Emile Heskey, Nicky Shorey all didn't cost much at the time he bought them... Ashley Young for 9m from Watford, what a buy... today can sell from $20m to $25m... Gabriel Agbonlahor promoted from their own youth squad...
So I would say he did quite a good job taking a lost Villa back to among the top sides... All at a rather low budget... And he never complain no this, no that, or no money like Rafa, giving excuses all the time...
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liverpool should go for someone with a track record.
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Originally posted by dragg:
liverpool should go for someone with a track record.
like mourinho? I agree
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Wah! After Barry you all want to destabilise MON?
Actually our advice would be ..
Be careful what you wish for.
1. MON's sides do not play attractive football. They all play like Leicester City during Heskey era.
2. Talking about Heskey, don't be surprised if MON brings the fellow with him.
3. MON has his fair share of signing duds. Net player spending is not as small as you think yet he seems to end up claiming to have a small squad.
4. Quite a few Villa fans think he is more clueless than Rafa at tactics and team selection.
Whatever you do please, please don't get Mourinho.
You may achieve the success you crave but Liverpool will end up being hated by every neutral while playing negative kiasu football.
Who would I recommend then?
The guy managing Galatasaray at the moment.
CL, League winner playing attractive football.
Also can spit better than a camel as a player IIRC.
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Originally posted by Taxidermist:
Wah! After Barry you all want to destabilise MON?
Actually our advice would be ..
Be careful what you wish for.
1. MON's sides do not play attractive football. They all play like Leicester City during Heskey era.
2. Talking about Heskey, don't be surprised if MON brings the fellow with him.
3. MON has his fair share of signing duds. Net player spending is not as small as you think yet he seems to end up claiming to have a small squad.
4. Quite a few Villa fans think he is more clueless than Rafa at tactics and team selection.
Whatever you do please, please don't get Mourinho.
You may achieve the success you crave but Liverpool will end up being hated by every neutral while playing negative kiasu football.
Who would I recommend then?
The guy managing Galatasaray at the moment.
CL, League winner playing attractive football.
Also can spit better than a camel as a player IIRC.
frank rijkaard
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RUBBISH
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Originally posted by Y_Shun:
O Neil doesn't have CL experience too.
really?? did he managed celtic? were they in UCL b4?? perhaps I am wrong.
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Big clubs, small clubs, who cares. It's the current crop of players/managers/fans that makes the difference, not the history as it's all about potential.
Do you see bigger potential in O'Neil compared to Rafa? I don't think so. Rafa knows how to stroke the egos of the bigger players and push them to the edge, although he lacks the nurturing touch of Arsene I may have to admit.
O'neil, is not bad tactically, manages very well, and creates a fighting unit out of any group of players given to him, but I don't quite see him as a top top manager in the calibre of Alex/Ancelotti/Capello/Rafa/Wenger/Mourinho and such. There's just a different level of pressure working with clubs pushing for a title winning campaign.
O'neil for Rafa? I don't think so. If Alex Ferguson isn't willing/eager to find him as a replacement, then why should the bungling dynamic/disastrous duo at the Anfield's director box think any different?
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Originally posted by Rooney9:
like mourinho? I agree
i think mourihno is a good choice too.
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Loli also doubt mourinho will want to come to liverpool, dun even have money in the transfer kitty