Sport

Comolli pays the price for Liverpool's spending

Following the exit of the director of football, it’s a question of who is next to leave Anfield, writes ANDY HUNTER

Fri Apr 13 2012 - 01:00

Following the exit of the director of football, it's a question of who is next to leave Anfield, writes ANDY HUNTER

A CHAIRMAN pinning blame for poor results on a director of football and a manager taking responsibility for the signings – but not the transfer fees – that contributed to the owners’ discontent: the “disconnect” in the summer transfer strategy that Tom Werner, the Liverpool chairman, referred to in his reasoning for Damien Comolli’s exit from Anfield exists on many levels.

That Comolli took the fall for Liverpool’s ludicrous overspending in 2011, even though Dalglish admits he sanctioned every arrival from the €42 million Andy Carroll to the free Craig Bellamy, is not surprising. Few lament the exit of a director of football. Most Premier League managers remain unsure about what they do.

That it was officially confirmed 48 hours before the most important fixture in Liverpool’s season in Dalglish’s second stint as manager, the FA Cup semi-final against Everton at Wembley on Saturday, has created a distraction and sense of turmoil the squad could do without, however.

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It is also a little risky to ask the six 2011 signings who are available for the semi-final – Carroll, Bellamy, Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Jose Enrique and Sebastian Coates (Doni is suspended and Charlie Adam injured) – to deliver against their Merseyside rivals after the clear inference that their employers are distinctly unimpressed with their investment. Would next Monday, when Comolli’s sacking could have been portrayed as a mark of ruthless FA Cup finalists or a firm response to semi-final misery, have delayed the search for his replacement by a damaging degree?

Clearly the FA Cup game – “This is not only a semi-final, it is a semi-final against Everton,” Steven Gerrard said yesterday – ranks a distant second in the Americans’ eyes to creating a structure they believe will enable Liverpool to bridge the gap on wealthier rivals, return to the Champions League and compete for the Premier League once Uefa’s Financial Fair Play rules come into effect. Once the emotions of a Wembley cup derby have subsided, few would dispute they are right.

The decision of Werner and the principal owner, John W Henry, underlines how far Fenway Sports Group are from the vision they held for Liverpool when they replaced Tom Hicks and George Gillett as owners. Their first major appointment was Comolli in November 2010.

They were still extolling the virtues of the former director of football at Tottenham Hotspur on their last visit to Merseyside a few months ago.

There were reservations over how Comolli would work alongside Roy Hodgson and subsequently Dalglish, plus the mixed record that accompanied him from White Hart Lane. Even so his appointment underlined FSG’s determination to take a fresh approach with Liverpool, one that may not rigidly follow the “Moneyball” principles that Henry espouses for the Boston Red Sox but, as the Americans made clear at the time of their takeover, would seek to replicate Arsenal’s success in delivering consistent Champions League qualification at a fraction of the spend of Manchester United and Chelsea.

They then went out and spent €90 million on Carroll, Henderson and Downing. FSG acted decisively in hiring and firing Comolli, in relieving Hodgson of the managerial chair last January and in sanctioning Dalglish’s signings. But swift action does not characterise their entire Anfield reign. There is still no decision on a new stadium, they had no choice but to drop plans for a younger coach to replace Hodgson on a permanent basis given Dalglish’s initial impact and, despite appointing global headhunters to find a new managing director to succeed Christian Purslow, they eventually appointed from within when Ian Ayre was promoted.

The Liverpool manager reacted incredulously yesterday when asked whether his position had also been discussed with Henry and Werner since their arrival on Tuesday. “Behave yourself!” he replied, before insisting Liverpool have moved forwards in the 15 months since his return.

Success in the League Cup and potentially the FA Cup supports Dalglish’s assessment. That, and his status at the club, affords him time no other manager languishing 33 points behind Manchester United would get at Liverpool following an outlay of over €130 million. But it was a reasonable question to ask and it would be remarkable if Henry and Werner, if only among themselves, had not asked it too.