Wholesale Changes Needed at LFC

You know the core of all organisations, once a number of employees are involved, are the same. Whether you're in the business of buying and selling goods or engineering rocket parts the key challenges all share the same intrinsic qualities.

I've been managing businesses now for over 10 years and I've had good times and bloody hard times. Ironically my hardest times were when I was working for a manufacturing firm in Liverpool. The UK wide group manufactured plastic injection mouldings and our owners saw the opportunity to acquire a firm in Kirkby. A firm which was failing but with good contracts and the potential to make a significant return on investment. Especially as the company was being supported through some pretty substantial grant funding.

So the owners bought the firm and struggled to bring around a turnaround from day one. Now my MD and I (together with another colleague) had already turned round the fortunes of one of our failing sites in North Wales. So we were asked to head into the Kirkby site and 'work our magic'. The sales side of things had been sorted and the site was, despite its failings, picking up new contracts. All we had to do was get everything running right. Easy huh?

It seemed easy when I set out but I simply wasn't ready for the absolute culture shock I was faced with. We started trying to incrementally bring about change so as to not 'lose the workforce' or confuse systems and controls. In these situations you look for your reliable team members and you try to build systems and controls around them, even if they're not the best qualified or, in some cases, even the best performers. So we kept the overall modus operandi in place (which worked, but badly) while tweaking at the edges to gradually improve. We had been given a year after all.

To cut a long story short within a year my boss and I recommended to the board that they shut the site down. Quite simply with employment law as it was and the challenges facing the area the site was never, in our opinion, going to make a return. The board replaced us with another team, after some ill founded advice, and within another year that site in Kirkby brought down the whole group of 7 sites across the UK as the losses mounted.

The truth of the matter was we were unable to bring about the changes the site needed quickly enough. In hindsight the incremental changes were never going to work. We literally needed to bring about quick major changes from day one. I was younger then and I guess faced with the same situation now I may be better equipped to recognise that fact and shake things up from day one for better results.

I see similarities between that site in Kirkby and our club at the moment. There is no denying that the pressure is mounting at Liverpool Football Club. Yesterday should have been three points. It has been interesting to follow twitter, without contributing too much, and seeing the change in opinions. Even from previously die hard Rafa loyalists. The blame game rumbles on though while pin the tail on the scapegoat continues. Some push the tail on the owners or the players but more and more are pushing it onto Rafa.

The problem that the remaining Rafa loyalists have is that the reasons (and they are reasons and not excuses) are drying up. We don't have injury problems at the moment, or we didn't until Mascherano lunged in. Yes we do need another striker, but in fairness that negates the applause N'gog deserves - would Owen have done any better? The return rate of goals would indicate not. Yesterday (and yes I'll say it) even with 10 men we should have picked up three points. The quality of our players far surpassing that of Portsmouth.

I fully understand and recognise the logic of setting up with two defensive midfielders while confidence is low. Especially while our back four continues to be suspect. There is something quite obviously not working right amongst the back four at the moment. Maybe Rafa gets to see that in training as well. Hence his team selections of late. Two defensive midfielders set up in front of the back four, harrying the opposition, could well be the best way of not conceding. On the other side though it doesn't present the best opportunity to score either.

Maybe Rafa is working on the basis that the magic of Gerrard and Torres, coupled with the hard work of Kuyt will be enough to nick a goal or two. If we can get three wins in this fashion, well the confidence will be back (or getting there) and you can start being braver with team selection.

It is suggested that there are five key leadership attributes for leaders within organisations. Passion (what they believe in with enthusiasm and commitment), concentration (persistence and unwillingness to quit) and values (enduring standards of behaviour) I would never question with Rafa. But then you come onto confidence which is defined as "the unshakable belief in yourself to make happen what you want to happen". No one can doubt Rafa's confidence in his own abilities, he has a track record and success rate that allows him this confidence.

But therein lies the danger. Sometimes you have to step back and re-assess the situation. Sometimes you have to question yourself and your tactics and call upon the fifth leadership attribute. Courage - to do what is right and to overcome obstacles. So I return to the start of my story. Now is not the time, in my opinion, to be fiddling round the edges with a system which is looking suspect and unfortunately predictable. We need to play to our strengths. It is not about the optimum tactics or formation anymore, it's about the best starting XI we have with confidence and, in my opinion, attacking prowess. At this point it's about doing the unexpected and surprising your opponent.

Sitting back isn't working, bolstering our defences isn't working. I see and understand the logic but it's simply not working. Even against Wigan I don't believe it truly worked. Yes we got the result but if we're honest it could have quite easily been another slip, couldn't it?

When it comes to the football side of things, I play, but I'm happy to admit that tactically I'm naive when compared against other fans like Paul Tomkins or even my brother. When it comes to seeing a problem with an organisation though and recognising that tinkering isn't going to cut it anymore? No matter the organisation I can see it.

It sounds counter intuitive with a suspect back four but we need to attack more. Clichéd as it sounds attack may well be our best form of defence. Put teams on the back foot and stop trying to soak up pressure all the time as it's not working!

From my naive footballing brain, and the Mascherano injury maybe gives us the opportunity I would try the following (with an attacking mentality) XI: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio, Gerrard (on the right), Lucas (in front of back four), Aquilani, Riera/Benayoun, N'gog (behind Torres), Torres. I know it will start up all the Gerrard on the right talk, but he is effective there. N'gog for someone so young understands the game and I was impressed with the way he was linking with Kuyt the other night. Can he create a formidable partnership and understanding with Torres? We'll never know unless we try.

I realise I'm doing what I always complain about. Suggesting things, as a fan, without seeing the players in training or knowing their state of mind etc. Maybe Rafa has already tried this in training and it was useless but the key message is the same. Rafa needs to stop tinkering and have the courage to make wholesale changes to the teams mentality, tactics and formations. He then needs to 'gee them up' and send them out there with a fresh approach, it's surprising in organisations how 'teams' can react to a fresh approach.

I am still 100% behind Rafa at this moment in time. A little more patience is required and I'm still at a loss as to who will come in. Rafa is a world class manager and still deserves us behind him. I just hope he either recognises the need for courage and change or brings about the results some other way. Results are the only thing which are now going to fix this situation for the team, the club and his own future.