Bring Back Roy Evans

[gkmacca]

To the backroom staff. Tom Saunders played a brilliant role behind the scenes back in the 1980s/90s, and the more I see of Roy these days the more I think he could do the same now. Rodgers clearly won't allow a big name to come in as DofF, or even allow a DofF at all, but I think quite a few feel he could do with a steadying influence with a background in LFC to provide some counsel behind the scenes as he grows into the job. Evans could do that.

He's hugely experienced but he'd be no threat to Rodgers. He showed as manager he was open to new ideas tactically whilst being an expert exponent of the traditional pass and move philosophy. He's worked with Wales recently, has clearly kept up with the game, has shown he has a pretty shrewd evaluation of Rodgers' strengths and weaknesses and he'd be determined to help rather than hinder him if he did come back, by offering him good advice rather than being a yes man. It's not a dig at Rodgers, I just think he'd benefit from a good LFC figure who would embrace the new regime whilst not being afraid to debate things privately.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Cant see this happening.

Ideally Carra would do this role next season he he didnt go into tv.

 

[6TimesaRed]

no. no no....

NO...

As a manager he was useless.. I'm not for all this tradition nonsense. As much as it is good to keep to the club values, arguably tradition is what has held us back over the years in Todays modern era..

Carra for me would suit the role better imho..

 

[gkmacca]

Carra would be a threat. The beauty of Tom Saunders being there was he was a wise old head, been there/seen it/done it, who had zero ambition. Kenny adored him, and relied on him a lot as a sounding board during his first few seasons. I think Roy could be the same. Nothing to do with nostalgia. The coaching staff has no one who has experienced any real successes. Evans has seen it all since Shanks' days. Make him a director. Rodgers would have a great advisor as and when he'd want him.

 

[Hansern]

Sounds like a very good idea to me, its exactly what Rodgers needs.

 

[juniormember]

He'd be a great personality to have around, and as a member of staff, he really has seen it all. Rodgers and co. have done fuck all in the game, no matter their potential.

 

[Squiggles]

I'd rather get a decent defensive coach in.

 

[gkmacca]

That's an additional thing rather than a 'rather'.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Sounds like a very good idea to me, its exactly what Rodgers needs.

Yup - good shout Macca

 

[moron]

I don't think Roy Evans was useless as a manager or tactician. I think his problem was that he had an incredible bunch of players who were just so damned undisciplined, we all now about the Spice Boys era. When we played with some discipline we nearly always dominated teams and won, but you could always tell that certain players were not performing to their full abilities in many games - that was not his fault in my opinion. There is nothing any manager can do when an entire group or team decides its the dogs bollocks and just does not perform when it matters - that was the problem with our squad then. Stan Collymore - if I remember correctly was expecting a great culture when he signed for us - but realized on arriving that the culture was not what he had expected. At that time I suspect the culture he was expecting at a club like ours was the one that nearly fully developed in Manchester Untied - which we painfully witness as we all continue to do today.

 

[Modo]

Looking back, under his management we had a great attacking line up. Defensively we were shit, well except for Jones.
Ruddock, Kvarme, Babb, Wright, Bjornebye, Scales etc.

Just having Ruddock in your team is a criminal offence. I mean look at the clown today. Imagine how he was back then.

Anyway, I liked Evans, he seemed like a nice enough person and was a member of the boot room but I just don't see what he can offer us today.

 

[dee]

I simply don't see the value that a person that hangs a picture of themselves on the wall would get from Roy.

Chalk / Cheese

 

[gkmacca]

People would probably have said they couldn't see the point of Tom Saunders being around, but he was an invaluable wise old head for successive managers. Rodgers and his staff lack experience, Rodgers won't have anyone come in who is in any way a potential rival, so Evans seems to me the best option - he'd not cost anything significant, he'd be an all-purpose 'been there, done it' advisor and super-discreet occasional critic. and he'd provide the club with a symbolic re-connection with its traditions.

 

[Molbystwin]

no. no no....

NO...

As a manager he was useless.. I'm not for all this tradition nonsense. As much as it is good to keep to the club values, arguably tradition is what has held us back over the years in Todays modern era..

Carra for me would suit the role better imho..

Hmmm... not too sure that the assessment of him as useless is particularly fair, from what I remember he wanted to strengthen the defence and was not allowed to invest by the board. It's also true to say that we played some pretty exciting stuff under Evans. I don't thin Macca was saying he should be manager but more just a sounding board for Rodgers and a good Liverpool man who wouldn't be a threat to his authority.

 

[gkmacca]

Yes. The whole obsession this year has been on whether Rodgers should have accepted some threatening, powerful, chronically intrusive figure as DofF, or been left alone. This is just another option. I've listened to Evans a lot in the past few months and you can tell he has a sharp sense of the pros and cons so far in this regime, but he's a team man, always has been, and would be a great figure to have in the background - particularly if you really believe that Rodgers has what it takes to develop a title-challenging team, he'd benefit from having someone close at hand who has been through all of those challenges and anxieties before.

 

[Molbystwin]

I agree, certainly a man like Evans would be a good link with the traditions of the club and that might well be a good thing for a man who is only what 39/40 yeasr old... it might well be that Rodgers would appreciate someone who had been there done that.... I dont think we should be backward looking at all but by the same token I'm certain that a man like Evans wants nothing more than what's best for the club and its probably true to say that what with all the money men and new owners etc the behind the scenes at the club might not be very rich in Liverpool tradition.

I like the idea myself, but then i'm a sentimental old twat so...

 

[FoxForceFive]

I like the idea to a point, but I'd prefer it if it were someone with similar qualities but who was capable of giving some defensive coaching & getting that shored up.

For all Evans team's qualities, being defensively solid was never one of them!

 

[Modo]

Exactly. There are so many young talented coaches around. Give one of them a chance.
Like I said, I really don't see what Evans brings to the table, is he supposed to be some kind of mascot?

 

[gkmacca]

You really have missed the point. I make a case for the need for experience and you want to give a young coach a chance? What, another one??? Saunders went on special scouting trips for Paisley, Fagan, Dalglish, Souness and Evans (he was also actually the first staff member to spot Hyppia's potential), he liaised with the youth and reserve set-ups, and he was the one person on the staff who provided a sense of distance and could provide others with a degree of perspective when things were getting intense. Evans could do all of that. That's what is needed, not more inexperience on top of the existing inexperience. Read Dalglish's autobiography, you'll see Saunders was no 'mascot'.

 

[Modo]

You really have missed the point. I make a case for the need for experience and you want to give a young coach a chance? What, another one??? Saunders went on special scouting trips for Paisley, Fagan, Dalglish, Souness and Evans (he was also actually the first staff member to spot Hyppia's potential), he liaised with the youth and reserve set-ups, and he was the one person on the staff who provided a sense of distance and could provide others with a degree of perspective when things were getting intense. Evans could do all of that. That's what is needed, not more inexperience on top of the existing inexperience. Read Dalglish's autobiography, you'll see Saunders was no 'mascot'.

Thing is Evans has been away from the game for so long.

 

[dantes]

Thing is Evans has been away from the game for so long.

Dear God

 

[FoxForceFive]

You do have a very special talent for missing the point Modo.

 

[Modo]

You do have a very special talent for missing the point Modo.

I don't think I have. He has been away for a long time.
The way I understand it Macca wants Evans to be some kind of mentor to Rodgers. I don't see how Evans past experience would affect Rodgers at all.
The game isn't what it used to be. And the fact that Evans was the manager during the "Spice Boys" era tells me that he isn't the right man to have in that Dof position.
I kinda agree with RedNinja on this Carra would be a better fit.

 

[6TimesaRed]

Ha Ha Ha Ha..

April fool..


No..


Your Serious..


oh...

 

[Molbystwin]

I think thats a rather cheap shot at modo there to be fair, as it is true that Roy he hasnt been in the day to day of the game for a while. However I'm not sure that was what Macca was suggesting per se. Evans is a Liverpool man through and through and has enough experience in the game to provide some perhaps needed guidance without causing anyone to lose face or feel threatened in their inexperience and lesser ties to the club. Most Liverpool fans would appreciate the echoes of the boot room and consider Roy to be utterly trustworthy and not "on the make" in anyway hence suiting the suggested role to a tee a senior advisor but in the best non threatening sense of the phrase.

 

[Judge Jules]

I don't think Roy Evans was useless as a manager or tactician. I think his problem was that he had an incredible bunch of players who were just so damned undisciplined, we all now about the Spice Boys era. When we played with some discipline we nearly always dominated teams and won, but you could always tell that certain players were not performing to their full abilities in many games - that was not his fault in my opinion. There is nothing any manager can do when an entire group or team decides its the dogs bollocks and just does not perform when it matters - that was the problem with our squad then. Stan Collymore - if I remember correctly was expecting a great culture when he signed for us - but realized on arriving that the culture was not what he had expected. At that time I suspect the culture he was expecting at a club like ours was the one that nearly fully developed in Manchester Untied - which we painfully witness as we all continue to do today.

Are you serious, Ahmed? Who else's job is it BUT the manager's to impose discipline on the playing squad? I hadn't been aware that Collymore said such things but, if he did, he's a Grade A hypocrite, given the enthusiasm with which he bought into the culture in question. Uncle Roy was a good coach, but they don't always make good managers and IMO he was clearly one of those that didn't.

That said, IMO macca's idea has a lot going for it. In an advisory as opposed to a leading role I reckon Uncle Roy would have a good deal to offer.

 

[Ryan]

I'd prefer if Rodgers brought in someone who could help him fix the defence (not a dig at Evans btw).

 

[Spionkop69]

Looking back, under his management we had a great attacking line up. Defensively we were shit, well except for Jones.
Ruddock, Kvarme, Babb, Wright, Bjornebye, Scales etc.

Just having Ruddock in your team is a criminal offence. I mean look at the clown today. Imagine how he was back then.

Anyway, I liked Evans, he seemed like a nice enough person and was a member of the boot room but I just don't see what he can offer us today.

So you watched a lot of that team then? Ruddock was not a "bad" defender in the slightest. He was good and strong in the air, he was powerful and took minimal nonsense. He also had a great left foot.

Scales was a classy defender who read the game well and never needed to be aggressive or strong.

Mark Wright was an accomplished England CB too.

The issue with all 3 was injuries. Shit they were not. I'll give you Kvarme though!!!

I'm not sure comparing the Ruddock today and the man of yesteryear is very fair at all. The guy is an alcoholic with depression. He could play football then, but towards the end of his career the alcohol took its toll.

 

[Modo]

Yeah I did watch that team and I've read what several players said about certain players. But disregarding the fact that Ruddock was lazy, fat and a poor trainer, he was also a poor footballer. I never really rated him.

Scales was average.

Maybe I was harsh on Wright.

 

[Sunny]

Souness bought Ruddock and Wright not Roy Evans. Babb, Kvarme and Scales were Roys CB purchases