Why 2011 - 2012 Campaign will go down as the worst league season ever? To put it bluntly, because it was—at least in the Premier League era that's for sure.
Now let me quantify.
Liverpool had some moments of achievement—such as the Carling Cup victory and making the FA Cup final—but that's not what we're talking about here.
League-wise Liverpool have been awful and there's no justification to comments such as "they had an unlucky season."
People talk about how many times the team struck the woodwork as a way of highlighting the club's misfortune. I call it missing.
The excuse that the team hasn't had time to gel is superfluous considering the vast quantities of cash that the players receive in their bank accounts each month. If you worked in sales job and used that as an excuse for poor sales figures, you probably wouldn't last a week.
The reason for the poor performance can only be assigned to two areas. Poor management or poor players.
The Liverpool owners have pointed to the former by sacking Kenny Dalglish, and a replacement is yet to be assigned. Were they right in taking such drastic action? On results alone you'd have to say yes, although Dalglish will always garner more relief from fans due to his legendary status.
There is no crystal ball in the football world that means one method works for all when it comes to managerial success. Alex Ferguson was nearly fired by Manchester United before becoming one of the most successful managers in history. On the other hand, Jose Mourinho made his mark in his first season at Chelsea.
Public relations have been strained with the Luis Suarez racism row involving Patrice Evra, and Liverpool know that there is no place for that type of behaviour in the modern game.
Money spent on improving the squad turned out to be a small fortune—which is fine as long as the Liverpool owners didn't dish out the money under the assumption that their first transfer window would their only big spend. Football, of course, is ever evolving.
It has been repeatedly said that the latest signings haven't worked out for the most part, with Stewart Downing and Charlie Adam receiving particular scrutiny from the powerful Kop voice. Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson could give 10 years service to the club if things work out—a statement that would seemingly improve their relative worth over time—but will they be given it?
I haven't even broached the subject of home form and the league results because I respect the Liverpool fans too much. They don't need a comparison chart of how this season's points fared against previous ones. Liverpool fans know where things have been going wrong and they know what needs to happen to change it.
Results, PR nightmares, overspending on average players, the sacking of a legend—Liverpool's season was a manual on how NOT to run a Premier League football club, and one they'd do well to never repeat.
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