We talk to a Liverpool fan!

A busy festive period means a busy Opposition View time so lets kick off the Christmas period. We would like to welcome Liverpool fan Jon Richardson who is a moderator on Liverpool fansite Kop World.

Why and how long have you supported Liverpool?

27 years now, and as cliched as it sounds its in my blood. It has been passed along the generations.

Liverpool have struggled in recent seasons to remain a regular top four Club, now with Man City and Spurs fighting for the same places along with the usual suspects do you still consider Liverpool a top 4 club?

Hard to answer this without sounding arrogant, which i don’t mean to be but there are reasons we have dropped from the position that go beyond just what happens on the pitch. City have come on the scene now as well and will be there to stay, i don’t see Spurs as a long term threat to the top 4, they don’t have the depth in my opinion to stay there in the long term, they have signed well but one or two injuries in key areas will hit them hard.
And i also have a big issue myself with the Adebayor signing.

Are we a top 4 club? i suppose the facts will say not at the moment but i feel we will be in the shake up at the end of the year for one and with one or two more of the right signings we will be back in it before too long.

Your Club came very close to going into administration under the previous ownership, how worried were you about this before the new owners took the reigns?

Not very in all truth, i never felt we were on the brink, there would have always been someone to come in and get such a big club at bargain price in all truth. That’s the long and short and what i told myself while it was going on but i could bore you for hours about how those thoughts changed from day to day. The SOS played a big part in removing the previous owners, and if certain people on the board hadn’t found a way to get them out we could have been in big trouble, had Tom Hicks managed to get a re-finance package then the story could have gone another way entirely.

Andy Carroll has failed so far to shine in a Liverpool shirt and i am very aware that this question is asked all the time but what do you feel about him and his performances thus far?

Overall disappointing as a whole but for me there are reasons to back his corner, he arrived injured and when he looked like kicking on at the end of last season he picked another one up away at Arsenal. He looks shot on confidence in front of goal but he needs to get his head down and grab this chance before its gone. There have been positives recently, he looks trimmer than he has since he signed and overall his hold up play has improved, he works center backs well but people are going to judge him on goals, especially in the media.

I’m personally not sure he can link up with Suarez, Luis is a live wire, all over the place, left, right, central and is too quick for Andy. Andy needs a more traditional striker next to him who will stay close and work off knock downs and stay close to him, but so does Luis, he needs a goalscorer who is quick enough to stay with him and has good movement to be on the end of the things Luis creates. I’m not sure either will find the partner they need in each other.

With the massive investment that has gone into Liverpool FC recently do you think Champions League football is a must next season and if not would you consider this failure?

The investment is a media wow story, the overall net spend since FSG came in is around 35 million, and the wage bill has been cut dramatically (rightly so). Champions league is a must for the club but considering where we had dropped to last season and steadily over the 2 previous to jump right back up there is a big ask with essentially 7 new players playing regularly in the last 10 months. We need to get back there and the sooner the better but a disaster this season? No!

Many Villa fans feel rightly upset with Stuart Downing’s transfer request which ultimately lead to his 20 million move to Liverpool, mainly because he came out publicly 3 months earlier stating that he owed Villa a debt of gratitude and would remain even if Villa were relegated, Do you understand why we feel this way and looking at it objectively what do you feel about the whole thing?

We went through the same thing with Fernando Torres mainly but also Javier Macherano, Torres said the right things that we wanted to hear through his entire stay, but even so towards the end. Its made me think that I’ve lost all trust for most modern day footballers and don’t believe when they say these things at all. Enjoy them while they are here, its only one or two that mean what they say. I understand your frustration with him but at least you got a good fee as we did with Torres. i say to Fellow Liverpool fans, move on, there will always be the next idol.

What do you feel Liverpool can achieve in the coming years and can you win the EPL title in the near future?

We need a couple more players still, our squad is nowhere near what it was 3-4 years ago and that’s going to take investment and time. With the right players coming in then we can get back to where we should be but we are a way off it yet in all truth. But never say never, that’s why we are all so passionate about football, we believe and i still do yes.

Aston Villa lost both Stuart Downing and Ashley Young in the summer and this has clearly affected our performances this term, what do you think of both Marc Albrighton and Charles N’Zogbia and could they replace them?

I really like that Albrighton kid, seems to have a good head on his shoulders and from the bits I’ve seen has it all, young was a special player for your lot and he will have to become a special player to replace him but he is local so will have the fans backing and as i said looks to have the talent to make it. N’zogbia, I’ve never been fully sure of in all truth, attitude seems to hold him back at times, again a very talented kid, he has ad a few great games against us in the past but needs to sort his head out to do it more often. A Stan Collymore type if you will.

What are your feelings about Aston Villa and our Fans?

Never had a problem, always liked your fans when we go there, knowledgable, passionate, all the things you could want from a set of fans. Villa as a club, i always used to hate playing your lot when i was a kid, i remember it was always a tough game and that’s always stuck with me when we face you. There have been a few players over the past 25 years that have played for both so i always found myself looking at your results and how the likes of Ray Houghton, Steve Staunton,Dean Saunders etc got on.

What do you think Villa can accomplish both this season and in the next few years?

I think its going to be fairly difficult this season, the manager doesn’t have the fans backing and that doesn’t help. But there is a crop of players coming through that should serve you for years, you have the backbone of a good side, with 2-3 more you should be in Europe again soon. It depends on the budget whoever the manager is working to is though, if Lerner isn’t going to invest then it will be difficult as so many others are spending now, the old type big 4 has gone to the big 6 and that’s knocking on down the league. This season id say 10th-12th, with the right investment you should be aiming to finish above the likes of Newcastle in the top 7 every year, with the size of the club that’s only right.

And finally, Match predictions?

Wont go down well but if we put away the chances we will create as we are doing in every game this season i think we will snatch it by the odd goal.. 2-1 Liverpool.

Interview by Michael Steede.