A Warning For The Dalglish Loyalists
The majority of Liverpool fans still want Kenny Dalglish to continue as manager, but Paul Little warns that FSG may have other ideas. Just ask Terry Francona...
With just six games left in the Championship season, there are still plenty of teams in with a shout of promotion. Daniel Storey looks at who has a chance of making it...
Liverpool fans wondering how Fenway Sports Group are likely to see this season's developments should consider the fate of the fabled Boston Red Sox manager who finally broke the 86-year 'Curse of the Bambino'.
Up until 1918, the Red Sox were one of the most successful baseball franchises in the States, winning six World Series, including the inaugural competition. A year later, the club sold the great Babe Ruth - The Bambino - to the New York Yankees, who up to that point had been in the shadow of the Boston giants. This triggered a change in fortunes as the Yankees went on to dominate - collecting 25 World Series titles - while the Red Sox suffered a drought that spanned almost nine decades.
In 2002, a group led by John Henry and Tom Werner bought the club with the express aim of breaking the curse. Two years later, team manager Terry Francona realised the dream, before repeating the feat in 2007. But in 2011, Francona - seen by many as the greatest manager the Boston club has ever had - was ditched as the Sox failed to reach the play-offs after a dramatic collapse in form.
Francona's fall from grace, and the manner in which he was cut loose, should send a shiver down the spines of Dalglish loyalists. Despite having the third largest payroll in baseball ($161 million) and 15 former All Stars in his side, the Sox had missed out on the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Francona stood accused of becoming too close to his players - who had repaid the manager's affections by walking all over him as club discipline broke down. Moreover, John Henry was reported to have lost faith in Francona - surprisingly, the owner no longer shared his manager's passion for statistics and their application in the sport.
Publicly, the Red Sox owners tried to spin the sacking as a natural parting of ways - a line that the reporters rubbished. Initially, Francona appeared to be toeing the party line in his farewell press conference, citing his "inability to effectively reach the players" as being central to the termination of his involvement with the club, going on to suggest that they "may need to find a different voice to lead the team".
However, the baseball media suggested that the manager's final parting statement pointed the blame for his dismissal squarely at the Sox owners, and Henry in particular. "To be honest with you," said Francona, "I'm not sure how much support there was from ownership. You've got to be all-in on this job...it's got to be everybody together, and I was questioning that a little bit."
Following Francona's departure, Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe wrote: "The epic flop of 2011 had many faces: a lame-duck manager...whose team partly tuned him out; stars who failed to lead; players who turned lacklustre and self-interested; a general manager responsible for fruitless roster decisions; and owners who approved unrewarding free agent spending and missed some warning signs that their $161 million club was deteriorating." Does it sound familiar? Ominous even?
Many disgruntled Red Sox fans backed this view and accused Henry and co of being too distracted by their other interests - including Liverpool - to see what was happening under their noses. Publicly the owners have rejected this notion, but privately they have vowed never to allow such a collapse to happen again and to correct any lingering problems, spelling trouble for many of the club's well-paid stars.
Liverpool fans should be aware that FSG will be casting a similar critical eye on events at Anfield in the coming months. Given what happened towards the end of Francona's reign, they will be wary of any signs of a breakdown of discipline or suggestions that the manager no longer holds sway over his players. Dalglish would also do well to keep Damien Commolli on side - as a first choice Fenway pick and their 'moneyball' man, there's every likelihood that his position at Anfield is the safest.
However, if there is hope for Dalglish, it's that the owners kept faith with Francona for four seasons after he last won the World Series in 2007. There is perhaps some sentimentality behind the pragmatism, but how influential will Carling Cup success be in FSG's future plans?
****** me off how someone in modern football who backs the manager is labeled a loyalist nowadays but there are some decent points in there. Kenny needs to do some hard work this summer or he may not have long left.
The majority of Liverpool fans still want Kenny Dalglish to continue as manager, but Paul Little warns that FSG may have other ideas. Just ask Terry Francona...
With just six games left in the Championship season, there are still plenty of teams in with a shout of promotion. Daniel Storey looks at who has a chance of making it...
Liverpool fans wondering how Fenway Sports Group are likely to see this season's developments should consider the fate of the fabled Boston Red Sox manager who finally broke the 86-year 'Curse of the Bambino'.
Up until 1918, the Red Sox were one of the most successful baseball franchises in the States, winning six World Series, including the inaugural competition. A year later, the club sold the great Babe Ruth - The Bambino - to the New York Yankees, who up to that point had been in the shadow of the Boston giants. This triggered a change in fortunes as the Yankees went on to dominate - collecting 25 World Series titles - while the Red Sox suffered a drought that spanned almost nine decades.
In 2002, a group led by John Henry and Tom Werner bought the club with the express aim of breaking the curse. Two years later, team manager Terry Francona realised the dream, before repeating the feat in 2007. But in 2011, Francona - seen by many as the greatest manager the Boston club has ever had - was ditched as the Sox failed to reach the play-offs after a dramatic collapse in form.
Francona's fall from grace, and the manner in which he was cut loose, should send a shiver down the spines of Dalglish loyalists. Despite having the third largest payroll in baseball ($161 million) and 15 former All Stars in his side, the Sox had missed out on the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Francona stood accused of becoming too close to his players - who had repaid the manager's affections by walking all over him as club discipline broke down. Moreover, John Henry was reported to have lost faith in Francona - surprisingly, the owner no longer shared his manager's passion for statistics and their application in the sport.
Publicly, the Red Sox owners tried to spin the sacking as a natural parting of ways - a line that the reporters rubbished. Initially, Francona appeared to be toeing the party line in his farewell press conference, citing his "inability to effectively reach the players" as being central to the termination of his involvement with the club, going on to suggest that they "may need to find a different voice to lead the team".
However, the baseball media suggested that the manager's final parting statement pointed the blame for his dismissal squarely at the Sox owners, and Henry in particular. "To be honest with you," said Francona, "I'm not sure how much support there was from ownership. You've got to be all-in on this job...it's got to be everybody together, and I was questioning that a little bit."
Following Francona's departure, Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe wrote: "The epic flop of 2011 had many faces: a lame-duck manager...whose team partly tuned him out; stars who failed to lead; players who turned lacklustre and self-interested; a general manager responsible for fruitless roster decisions; and owners who approved unrewarding free agent spending and missed some warning signs that their $161 million club was deteriorating." Does it sound familiar? Ominous even?
Many disgruntled Red Sox fans backed this view and accused Henry and co of being too distracted by their other interests - including Liverpool - to see what was happening under their noses. Publicly the owners have rejected this notion, but privately they have vowed never to allow such a collapse to happen again and to correct any lingering problems, spelling trouble for many of the club's well-paid stars.
Liverpool fans should be aware that FSG will be casting a similar critical eye on events at Anfield in the coming months. Given what happened towards the end of Francona's reign, they will be wary of any signs of a breakdown of discipline or suggestions that the manager no longer holds sway over his players. Dalglish would also do well to keep Damien Commolli on side - as a first choice Fenway pick and their 'moneyball' man, there's every likelihood that his position at Anfield is the safest.
However, if there is hope for Dalglish, it's that the owners kept faith with Francona for four seasons after he last won the World Series in 2007. There is perhaps some sentimentality behind the pragmatism, but how influential will Carling Cup success be in FSG's future plans?
****** me off how someone in modern football who backs the manager is labeled a loyalist nowadays but there are some decent points in there. Kenny needs to do some hard work this summer or he may not have long left.
