Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #86156 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 178 pages

Red And White Kop website, May 27, 2005
A wonderful insight into Liverpool’s Champions League winning-season from the internet’s foremost writer on the Mighty Reds

Squarefootball website, June 11, 2005
A must-read for Liverpool supporters

Synopsis
A WONDERFUL INSIGHT INTO LIVERPOOLS CHAMPIONS LEAGUE WINNING - SEASON 2005 AND A LOOK AT THE MANAGERIAL STRATEGY OF RAFAEL BENITEZ

Customer Reviews

Two Years Later and it Still Reads Wonderfully
With Athens looming, I pulled this out recently to try and help relive some of the memories of Liverpool's last Champions League victory, and I had forgotton just how good it really was. Every single aspect of that remarkable and unforgettable season is captured and even two years after the events of that amazing night in Istanbul, the book has lost none of its appeal. The inevitable end of the Houllier campaign, the Michael Owen transfer saga and all the other comings and goings, the arrival of Rafa Benitez, the Carling Cup final, the early FA Cup exit, the very poor league campaign and the night of May 25th are all covered with honesty, humour, integrity and passion. Paul Tomkins is clearly a man who loves Liverpool Football Club. I have read opinions before that claim this to be a problem. Yes, there is a bias towards the club, but I don't recall reading the line where he claims to be anything other than a passionate supporter. In fact, one of the most remarkable things about this book is that despite this bias, the book is very balanced. He remains very objective and doesn't shy away from any of the problems that had to be addressed. Nor does he see the problems that were at the club at the time as been akin to an end-of-the-world scenario. He puts the shortcomings of that season into perspective and explains his faith in the manager's abilities. Since the book was written, Liverpool have won an FA Cup, had their highest ever Premiership points tally and are now less than a week away from a second European Cup Final appearance in three seasons, which to me proves that he was right to display the level of faith he had in the club's direction; the proof is there for all to see.

Obviously, fans of Liverpool Football Club will find more to enjoy in this book than most. But I would also suggest that anyone who has any interest in a story, well told, about triumph in the most unlikely of circumstances, should also have a read. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Gutless Read
As a Red of 40 years, I was almost cringing at every page of this drivel. Tomkins is obviously a diehard Red, but not an objective one. This entire book is a rerun of "Houllier-esque" excuses for poor performances by Rafa's teams, choice of purchases, selling of players, and anything else that has been a complete waste of money or time at Liverpool FC since the "sacking" of Roy Evans.

In both his books, that I read, I almost felt like throwing up as Tomkins drones on about how Rafa has not had the money to buy the players he "really" wants. He becomes Rafa's #1 PR man as he looks in detail at every conceivable excuse for a poor showing in the Premier League, being knocked out of cups, and playing boring negative football despite months of training, expert analysis, state of the art facilities and equipment, top of the line nutrition, world class accomodations, millions of pounds spent, massive global fan support, superior traditions, unique location, and a youth structure that has been typically one of the best in the country.

Yet despite all this going for an experienced manager in a job that is the envy of the football world, Tomkins can bellow out the most benign of excuses for 11 millionaire footballers to play poorly at places like Bolton or Middlesbrough.

I always believed this was a game of football we were involved in, not a game of chess or a matter of nuclear science. But to hear why Rafa got it wrong with such and such a player, and in this game and that, you would think the football we played was so excellent, every ex-player, fan phone-in and pundit was a critic with Stevie Wonder glasses.

Then he marvels at Rafa's success as if every victory was so well planned and thought of. Yeah right, I am sure the plan was to be 3-0 down in Istanbul, and 2-0 down in Cardiff, just so we could win those cups on penalties. How easy it is for Tomkins to forget that until we scored, we were outclassed in both games and only last minute saves took us to extra time and pks. More luck, than judgement, mate, but as fans we take that as part of the game. But surely do not excuse it as "genius."

If Rafa was such a genius, how is it we scored against Chelsea in the Carling Cup Final, only to spend the next 85 minutes bunkered in defending for our lives, and then get trounced in Japan by a poor Brazilian side, before Cisse had to be introduced to save a trophy out of nothing in a game that was pure abject football. Just minor examples of where genius Rafa was totally missing in these matches.

OK, nobody is saying Rafa is a bad manager, of course not. He is a winner and a proven one at that. But genius, come on. I just hate fans to get carried away. If we had the same success of cup wins playing football like Wenger's Arsenal and Rijkaard's Barcelona, I would be a true believer in Benitez's methods and what Tomkins writes.

BUT, we do not even come close despite an outlay of over 85 million quid, over 30 players bought, and the great Benitez standing on the sidelines barking instructions every second of every game instead of allowing his players to play the match themselves. I mean, what did he do in training if they do not understand the plan by match time? Also, why did he buy the players, if they cannot think for themselves.

That is the difference between Benitez and Paisley or Shanks. The latter knew players when they saw them and balanced them on the pitch so they could play football in any condition. They were the leaders, not the men who picked them. With Benitez we never know who is playing next, no wonder Liverpool is so inconsistent. The previous managers also knew when a player was past his best and replaced him with a better player. That is never done at Liverpool anymore and is the main reason for Liverpool's lack of success before Houllier's Treble in 2001. For example, today we have still not replaced John Barnes or Steve McManaman after 10 years, or Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen after 20 years, or Steve Nicol and Phil Neal after 20 years or even Michael Owen after 2 years.

Why doesn't Tomkins talk about that in his book?

Write as a dedicated fan, for sure (to coin a phrase off Rafa) but give a balanced view. There is a reason why only one section of Anfield sings Benitez songs, and it is same reason why those other sections did not sing Houllier songs. We are not convinced of the football Rafa plays and we cannot be fooled by mindless fans like Tomkins.

Five stars for five star triumph
This is an superb account of the recent history of Liverpool FC. As with its excellent follow-up, Red Revival, this book takes a balanced look at the club's recent fortunes. In the case of this book, it starts with the demise of Gerard Houllier and looks at the simultaneous rise of Rafael Benitez at Valencia. The book then follows the progress of the 2004/05 season, including all the off-the-pitch activity like investment, proposed stadium move, Gerrard to Chelsea, and Owen to Madrid. It then details the lows in the league and FA Cup, and the hysterical reaction to them in the media, and the heady highs of Istanbul, with a eye-witness account of the occasion in Turkey and the famous game itself. There are some excellent books on that incredible triumph, but this is easily up there with the best.