Former chief executive of Liverpool Rick Parry has mentioned that securing a place in the Champions League competition has remained a minimum requirement for any manager at Anfield.
His comments came at a time when the Merseyside club is searching for a new boss at Liverpool, following Kenny Dalglish’s sacking by the club’s owners last week.
Liverpool finished the 2011/12 league campaign at eighth place and subsequently failed to secure a Champions League berth for the third successive season.
The 57-year old Briton revealed that even though finishing the league in the top four has become a prime target for the club lately, it was a ‘minimum requirement’ for the Reds just a couple of years ago.
He told the reporters, “We always said to be in the Champions League isn't a goal, it's a minimum requirement.”
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Liverpool-c39809 started their 2011/12 campaign on a positive note, but lost their way midway into the season. Since the start of the year, the Reds managed to win just 5 league games over a period of 5 months.
Parry, who remained the chief executive of the club from 1998 to 2009, steered the Reds to Champions League triumph in 2005 and scores of other accolades under his tutelage.
The Briton expressed his disappointment over the club’s failure to win a place in the elite European competition, and believed that they should have at least mounted a challenge for a top four finish.
He compared the current gloomy situation at Anfield with the time when the club was under the managements of Rafa Benitez and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gerard-c14664 Houllier.
He also pointed out that even though Houllier helped the Reds grab a Champions League place multiple times, he was forced to leave the management post as the club had then set the target of winning the league title.
Following the Frenchman’s exit from Anfield, Liverpool appointed Benitez as the new head coach.
Parry remarked, “We wanted to be in contention for winning the league. We wanted someone young and hungry, not someone looking for a pension. Rafa, having won the league twice with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Valencia-c40863, was a perfect fit.”
With Liverpool searching for a new manager following Dalglish’s ouster last Wednesday, Parry advised the club to set a tight criterion for the new appointment and felt that they need to make a tactical negotiation.
He continued, “In every negotiation there is skill, a bit of luck and the third element is timing. Sometimes that is in your favour, sometimes it isn't because it is all about the right people being available.”
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