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Fellow forumites, please indulge my rant. The internet is full of so called fans who love to jump up and down beating their chests when their teams win, quick to create demi-gods out of mere mortal managers when things are going right...but the true measure of a fan is the fellow that can go through thick and thin and not waver in his support for his club no matter what the circumstances.
As some of you know, I have been critical in the past of the many fan-site bloggers out there who fancy them selves "supporters" or "critics". They tend to have an opinion on every thing a manager does. Usually, said opinions (arguably) fall into two categories: 1) praise or 2) complaint. There are only a few who have the football knowledge or intellectual capacity to be objectively critical, regardless of how their team fares. And across the universe, football knowledge (unlike Jamaican talent) does not abound.
This fellow for example (http://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/04...ty-villarreal/) , criticizes Klopp for the loss to Villareal saying "The defeat, in particular the manner of it, almost feels like a punishment for a needlessly unambitious display..." Well, what would have been an "ambitious" display? Starting Sturridge up front with Firmino? Leaving Touré on the bench to play Lucas at center back with Lovren while Allen played holding midfielder in front of them? Maybe. Personally, I would have preferred to see Sturridge on the pitch, regardless of configuration/formation. However, does that mean the manager was not "ambitious"? Ridiculous. The manager had a strategy which I believe was to "not lose". This is a perfectly legitimate strategy in a two-legged tie when squad depth is appallingly thin. The disgruntlement may seem tame, but had it been a Klopp's much maligned predecessor, the criticism would have been even more venomous, scathing and nasty, even if the game's outcome and tactical decisions were exactly the same.
But while I critcise the "Twelves" fellow (I think that's his name), at the same time, I find it curiously bizarre that the "empty barrels" that are so quick to beat their chests when their (presumed side) wins, have gone so silent.
Such is the dilemma the "wagonistic" fan faces. They can't ride the wave during hard times. More poignantly, they paint themselves into a corner, making mountains out of men, so they are unable to comment with any semblance of consistency or credibility when things go counter to their flawed wagonistic/messiah-building doctrine.
My personal belief (you may have your own, which is perfectly fine with me) is that as fans, we have a responsibility to be supportive of our club, our manager and our players. This does not mean blind support. The objective fan can point out issues and problems constructively, without demeaning players, managers, or administrators.
So while Klopp may have made a mistake tactically in yesterday's game, the objective fan will recognize that he was only 90 seconds away from being a genius because had Liverpool walked away from El Madrigal with a 0-0 tie, we would have had the advantage with the added bonus of a "fresh" Sturridge to face Swansea on Sunday. Alas, that was not to be, but I submit that it was a bigger reflection on the naivete of the players than the tactics of the manager. However, it's his cross to bear, which I accept has to be the case. Such is the fine edge on which a manager's career is so precariously perched. For the rest of us, criticism is easy, especially when we shroud ourselves in hypocrisy and ignorance. And believe me, "ignorance abounds".
Walk on Herr Klopp. Wheel an tun. The "real LFC fans" are 150 million percent behind you. You are Liverpool's manager, that alone demands our respect. It's the Liverpool Way.
YNWA
As some of you know, I have been critical in the past of the many fan-site bloggers out there who fancy them selves "supporters" or "critics". They tend to have an opinion on every thing a manager does. Usually, said opinions (arguably) fall into two categories: 1) praise or 2) complaint. There are only a few who have the football knowledge or intellectual capacity to be objectively critical, regardless of how their team fares. And across the universe, football knowledge (unlike Jamaican talent) does not abound.
This fellow for example (http://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/04...ty-villarreal/) , criticizes Klopp for the loss to Villareal saying "The defeat, in particular the manner of it, almost feels like a punishment for a needlessly unambitious display..." Well, what would have been an "ambitious" display? Starting Sturridge up front with Firmino? Leaving Touré on the bench to play Lucas at center back with Lovren while Allen played holding midfielder in front of them? Maybe. Personally, I would have preferred to see Sturridge on the pitch, regardless of configuration/formation. However, does that mean the manager was not "ambitious"? Ridiculous. The manager had a strategy which I believe was to "not lose". This is a perfectly legitimate strategy in a two-legged tie when squad depth is appallingly thin. The disgruntlement may seem tame, but had it been a Klopp's much maligned predecessor, the criticism would have been even more venomous, scathing and nasty, even if the game's outcome and tactical decisions were exactly the same.
But while I critcise the "Twelves" fellow (I think that's his name), at the same time, I find it curiously bizarre that the "empty barrels" that are so quick to beat their chests when their (presumed side) wins, have gone so silent.
Such is the dilemma the "wagonistic" fan faces. They can't ride the wave during hard times. More poignantly, they paint themselves into a corner, making mountains out of men, so they are unable to comment with any semblance of consistency or credibility when things go counter to their flawed wagonistic/messiah-building doctrine. My personal belief (you may have your own, which is perfectly fine with me) is that as fans, we have a responsibility to be supportive of our club, our manager and our players. This does not mean blind support. The objective fan can point out issues and problems constructively, without demeaning players, managers, or administrators.
So while Klopp may have made a mistake tactically in yesterday's game, the objective fan will recognize that he was only 90 seconds away from being a genius because had Liverpool walked away from El Madrigal with a 0-0 tie, we would have had the advantage with the added bonus of a "fresh" Sturridge to face Swansea on Sunday. Alas, that was not to be, but I submit that it was a bigger reflection on the naivete of the players than the tactics of the manager. However, it's his cross to bear, which I accept has to be the case. Such is the fine edge on which a manager's career is so precariously perched. For the rest of us, criticism is easy, especially when we shroud ourselves in hypocrisy and ignorance. And believe me, "ignorance abounds".
Walk on Herr Klopp. Wheel an tun. The "real LFC fans" are 150 million percent behind you. You are Liverpool's manager, that alone demands our respect. It's the Liverpool Way.
YNWA
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