Liverpool: Evans better than Benitez or Houiller?
In the Guardian yesterday, Rob Smyth talked about how Roy Evans (Liverpool manager in mid-90s for those of you too young to remember) got far worse press than he deserved.
It also raises an important question - was Roy Evans better than Gerard Houiller or Rafa Benitez as a manager?
The key comparisons Rob made were on ‘average positions’ in the Premiership, playing attractive football and mounting serious title challenges.
“It is revealing that, under Evans, Liverpool’s average Premiership position (3.5) was higher than under Gérard Houllier (3.6) or Rafa Benítez (4.0).”
Revealing indeed. Statistics don’t tell the complete story but maybe this one will:
It was under Evans that Liverpool had their strongest title challenge of the last 15 years, in 1996-97 (they eventually finished fourth but had they beaten Manchester United at Anfield in mid-April they would’ve gone top with three games to go).
When were Liverpool that close to going top of the league in the last 10 years?
Definitely, Liverpool have won more under Houiller and Benitez - UEFA Cup, Champions League, FA Cups.
But was Evans as bad as the press he’s gotten? Let me know what you guys think (I’d rather defer to Pool fans here than harp on myself).
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To be honest Im not sure where I would rate evans in relation to Benitez or Houllier.I do believe he has been very under rated and had we had a player in the mould of Roy Keane around at the time of Fowler McManaman and co we really couldve taken a league or two
I think the very idea of comparing Evans with GH or RB is absurd. We were a pathetic side playing in a league which was at best half as good as it is today. Look at our first team squad then, James, Babb, Song, Kwarme, Leonhardson, (mostly injured) Rednapp, (often injured) Berger, etc. This squad would be definite relegation stuff in today’s PL with teams like Chelsea (post Abromovich), Spurs, Bolton, Portsmouth, etc. having better first teams than what we had then. When we needed a striker desparately, RE found Sean Dundee and a past his “sell by” date Rieddle (mispelt?). RE had no buying power. No player worth any international repute wanted to join him. A draw against the Mancs was a great achievement. At least GH put us back with some good signings Hamman, Hyppia, Henchoz, Babble, etc. and won the EUFA cup and somehow managed to beat the Mancs regularly. It was daily torture under RE. Except that he was a decent human being, in foot ball terms RE was an under ambitious moron and a very dull one at that.
It’s a hard comparison to make, Evans was a good manager just not a great one and don’t forget the league wasn’t as competetive then.
Houllier also came close, the season after we finished runners up to Arsenal with 80 odd points we were top of the table at a canter but threw it away in a nightmare November. Again he was a good manager just not a great one.
Benitez’s record speaks for itself - two championships in the best league in the world and a European Cup with Liverpool. Now let’s see what he can do now we’re on a financial level with Chelsea and the Mancs.
Evans was a reasonable manager, but he lacked tactical awarenees. His plan b was always to take off Patrick Berger. He did so well partly becauase he had some of LFC’s best players ever e.g. Fowler and McManaaman. He wasted their talent and bought rubbish like Babb. Towards the end of his time, the team was treading water and discipline had gone to pot.
Indeed, the closest to winning the premiership was the 1996-97 season. I thought Evans ought to have felt hard done by - injuries to key players at the crucial phase with the subsequent loss of points and the criticism from the press. Tactically he was superior to Rafa who just excells in making a mess with subsitutions and showing bullish persistence in rejecting home-grown players who, unlike their Spanish counterparts, can produce two good performances a week.
Roy Evans? Lol. You’ve got to be kidding me. I almost lost interest in football bcos of him!
I disagree, Evans was Liverpool through and through but he was average, if you had to seriously make a choice between the three, Roy would always be the third.
And there’s this rather nice joke about Stats: Stat’s is like a bikini what it shows is nice but what it hides is often essential.
Gerard Houlier was simply the best manager Liverpool ever had. His quote of ‘Ten games from greatness’ still brings tears to my eyes even now.
The Evans era was unfortunate - in that it was Roy Evans who was manager. The players at his disposal during the mid-nineties had more talent than United but no spine. The likes of McManaman, Berger, Redknapp, Fowler, Collymore, Rob Jones would have walked into any Liverpool team in the following 10 years. At Anfield, Liverpool were awesome, those free flowing players with the Kop behind them were often unstoppable. The problem was away from home where they played like school girls - a strong manager like Houllier or Benetiz would almost certainly have dominated the title during this period. Evans was a very weak manager. You only have to watch games with Evans on the bench snuggily placed with the rest of the boot room almost forgetting he was now the boss. Remember during Evans period Liverpool always bought best of breed at top of market, for instance Scales, Babb, Collymore, McAteer, Berger, Mark Kennedy were record buys for their position or age. The other legacy he left was that not one of his purchases improved as a player whilst he was manager. As soon as Houllier came in we saw Danny Murphy and Patrik Berger become very important players but under Evans were not rated. Evans should have been sacked after the infamous 1996 FA Cup final - but the sour taste today is a long way explained by him being kept on for another 2.5 years of misery.
Roy Evans? From what I remember of his Liverpool team was they were one of the most entertaining side ever. Sometimes they tend to over pass. Kinda like the Arsenal of today. What they lack was a pair of safe hands. David James was never gonna provide that.They dont have a Sissoko or a Hammann to win the balls in midfield. Jamie Redknapp was great (when not injured),but he’s an all attacking kind of player. And Evans never really found a suitable partner for Fowler. Finally, they had Phil Babb playing on the center.Nuff Said.But I thought Houllier changes things too much when he arrived. A little adjusting here and there would have been sufficient. Liverpool got a bit too defensive from then on. So is he better than Benitez and Houllier? In the league, probably.
I think Roy Evans was a good manager. Houllier and Benitez have brought a new refreshed European culture to Anfield. However RE has the better League record and its the league record that counts, no matter what year it is contested. Liverpool are in the big four and are expected to perform in the league, and for Liverpool it is unacceptable to NOT have won the League in almost 20 years! RE understood that the league title is bread and butter to us. Once he left. Liverpool went from a title contending team to Cup specialists! Which I loved at the time, however I would have a better taste in my mouth if we had captured a title or two during the past few years.
All three managers have brought a wealth of qualities to Liverpool. RE with his understanding of the Liverpool way and that the League is ‘bread and butter’. GH with his ability to attract (some) decent players to the club (and change). Rafael Benitez: a tactical genius.
My Verdict: Rafael Benitez is my choice. He has not lost the plot (as yet) and has won the Champions League (albeit with luck,hard work and Djimi Troare),the F.A Cup and has now taken Liverpool to their 2nd Champions League final appearance in 3 years; and I honestly believe that he has been unlucky in away games in the League for the past 2 seasons (2005/06 and 2006/07; that does sound strange) Therefore I have faith that a League title is on its way into the impressive Anfield cabinet very soon under Rafa. So Cummon Rafa and Liverpool.
well i think there cannot be any comparison between the styles coz Evans is a typical English Manager whereas Houlliler and Benitez are more the cautious and tactical types. Liverpool under Evans played far more attractively than they do now, and they got close to the title in 1997. unfortunately for him they had Sir Alex’s formidable attacking machine to contend with. Eventually though, he ran out of steam and imagination, and lacked the mental and charactor strength to compete with Fergie and Wenger.
Houllier also came close in 2002, even though they enver had a realistic chance to beat Wenger’s near-invincibles! he won trophies but the bubble bust up after they lost to Leverkusen. what about Rafa? well the CL win is a big reference but the jury is still out coz his liverpool has been bullshit in the league so far. his propensity for being over cautious is enraging and despairing!! he should realise that goals are needed to win games for god’s sake!! Manchester United have scored 123 goals in all competitions in z league. Can anyone remember when was the last time Liverpool scored so many in one season??
In the End the jury is still out, but i’d sack all 3 and go for Ronnie Moran instead!