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Posts Tagged ‘disappointment’

• Kenny Dalglish’s net spend of £110.7m dwarfs Moyes’s
• Manager fears Everton may never match rivals financially

As David Moyes prepared for his 21st Merseyside derby he said it was now a contest sharply divided by money. The Everton manager argued it was unlikely that the two sides would compete on an equal financial footing in the future.

“It would be difficult because Liverpool have got a great brand,” he said. “On the pitch, we have not been that far apart in recent years. But the amounts Liverpool have had to spend have been considerable. Maybe they have not spent as much as Manchester City or Chelsea but I bet it is as much as anybody else. They can’t argue they’ve not had it.”

In terms of net spending, Everton v Liverpool is now one of the most unequal of the great derbies. Since coming to Goodison Park in March 2002, Moyes has spent an estimated £25.8m more than he has received in transfer fees – less than Kenny Dalglish has spent in eight months at Anfield. Liverpool’s net outlay in that time has been £110.7m.

The last time Liverpool played at Goodison Park almost 12 months ago, then managed by Roy Hodgson, they were beaten comfortably and it is maybe no coincidence that Hodgson was the one Liverpool manager to operate under the same constraints as Moyes. His transfer dealings made a profit of around £12m for the club. “I felt we were getting closer to Liverpool then,” said Moyes. “I thought we had a good team last year and the disappointment was that we didn’t do better, especially at the start. We were edging closer. This time last year at Liverpool people were talking about their banks wanting this and that but it changed very quickly for them.”

Not since the mid-1990s, when Everton under Joe Royle attempted to sign Stan Collymore and paid £5m for Andrei Kanchelskis, have they matched Liverpool’s firepower in the transfer market. Only rarely, as with Momo Sissoko and Charlie Adam, have the two clubs competed for the same player. However, it could be argued that Everton squandered their greatest opportunity to draw level financially when, having broken into the top four in 2005, they lost their Champions League qualifier to Villarreal.

“Would making it into the Champions League have cracked it?” said Moyes. “Possibly, but I think all the clubs who have really made it have had real financial backing as well [as the Champions League money]. But it would certainly have helped.”

EvertonDavid MoyesLiverpoolTim Richguardian.co.uk

• Holland international disappointed at being dropped
• Kuyt believes Liverpool squad is strongest since 2006

Dirk Kuyt has spoken of his disappointment at losing a regular starting place at Liverpool but accepts the club had to improve competition for places to challenge for honours once more.

The Holland international has started only half of Liverpool’s six Premier League games this season as the manager, Kenny Dalglish, seeks to integrate the £20m summer signing Jordan Henderson into the team and utilises his options up front. Kuyt’s absence has surprised many given his form under Dalglish last season and contribution this term, and the 31-year-old admits it has been difficult to adapt to his changing role.

“I’m disappointed to be out of the team,” said Kuyt, who returned to the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday having started and scored against Brighton in the Carling Cup. “From childhood, I’ve always been disappointed when I’m not in the team because I’m desperate to be involved and make a good contribution. But it also makes me very determined too. I need to continue to prove myself, train as hard as possible and, when I do play, make sure my performance is of a high standard.”

Despite the personal cost, the former Feyenoord striker admits Liverpool’s squad now has the depth he encountered upon his arrival at the club in 2006 and required substantial investment following the final draining years under the former owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

He added: “Competition is tough now but it’s brilliant for the club that there are so many players to choose from now, top-class international players. The players realise at the end of the day you need more than 11 good players to be successful.

“When I first arrived here we had a very good, big squad but for the last two seasons before this one, we haven’t had the depth that we did in the first three seasons. Someone like Craig Bellamy is a strong addition to what is already a very strong squad, and that can only be good for the team. We definitely have better quality now and more players to choose from as well. I think with the signings we’ve made, we have a great squad now so we should be ambitious and have confidence in ourselves.”

Henderson has yet to convince that he merits a place in the team ahead of Kuyt but his fellow midfielder Lucas Leiva, who overcame a difficult start to his own Anfield career before establishing himself, insists the former Sunderland player simply needs time to adapt to his summer transfer.

Lucas said: “I don’t blame the young players because I have been in their position for a few years. He is English and has already adapted to the Premier League. But to change your club and move to a big place like Liverpool is difficult. I think he is playing well. He will get confidence when he gets more minutes and understands the role he needs to do more.

“We just have to keep encouraging him and give him the confidence to keep improving. We can see he has the attributes to be a good player but he is still very young and we just have to give him time and be patient. Then we will see he is a good player. We can see in training that he likes to work hard and that is the main thing. As long as you are working hard every day, your opportunities will come. He will be ready to show his best form if we don’t rush him and give him time to settle.”

LiverpoolAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk

• West Ham defeat must be a reference point, says manager
• Beating Manchester United is ‘not the end of our season’

Kenny Dalglish, the Liverpool manager, has warned his players that they have to build on their win over Manchester United.

Sunday’s 3-1 victory at Anfield was in stark contrast to a defeat by a similar scoreline at West Ham United the previous week.

Dalglish, however, is keen for Liverpool’s disappointing campaign not to be defined by results against their oldest foes. “It is three points but it is not the end of the season for us just because we have had a fantastic result against a team leading the table,” he said. “If we play like that against any team we would be happy with the performance and it shows you what the players can do and want to do.

“But you can never take away the disappointment of West Ham. We can use that as a reference point.”

In the aftermath of the victory Dalglish made a point of praising the team effort despite Dirk Kuyt’s hat-trick and Luis Suárez’s mesmerising performance grabbing the headlines.

Against United the manager reverted to 4-4-2, having experimented with a number of systems, and they were not even affected by the loss of Fábio Aurélio to injury midway through the first half which prompted a defensive reshuffle.

“You cannot carry anyone in a game against United, everyone has to play,” added the manager. “Dirk rightly got the headlines for the hat-trick but Luis put in a fantastic performance. They were fantastic and it did not matter what formation they played, formation was irrelevant.”

One key part of his formation in which Dalglish takes extra special interest is the pairing of the strikers Suarez and the £35m record signing Andy Carroll, who made his debut on Sunday as a substitute after two months out with a thigh injury.

“I don’t ever make a library of players’ performances but I know Luis is a fantastic footballer and is still trying to find his feet here,” said the manager. “I am really looking forward to him and Andy forming a fantastic partnership at the club.

“It is a long time since he [Carroll] has played and I am sure he will play a huge role for the club. But we will continue what we have been doing and act responsibly with him.”

Kuyt, meanwhile, believes the players have proved they can compete with the Premier League’s best teams but accepts they will not be successful without greater consistency. “We want to win every game, we want to go on a run,” he said. “The aim for us is consistency. We have shown that we can compete with the best but competing with the best is not enough to win things.

“We have beaten United, we have beaten Chelsea [twice] but we also want to beat the other teams as well. You need to win, with all respect, against the West Hams and the Wolves and the Blackpools.

“Everyone is working really hard every day to go forward and hopefully we can show that West Ham [a 3-1 defeat] last week was a mistake and go on a run of winning games. That will be our motivation for the coming games.”

LiverpoolKenny Dalglishguardian.co.uk