[lfc-news] Reds stars who coast through life at Anfield

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Reds stars who coast through life at Anfield Oct 25 2005
By Ian Rush, Liverpool Echo

IN RECENT years, I've wondered whether playing for Liverpool has come too
easy for certain players.

Those who have excelled have been those who have understood what it means
to play for the club, and how difficult it is to not only get into the
side, but stay there.

Nowadays, big clubs make major signings and it's as though the player feels
he's achieved everything he wants from the game.

Signing for Liverpool becomes the pinnacle of their career. They think
they've proved how good they are by moving to Anfield and the task of
improving and winning trophies is a bonus.

That's the kind of attitude which explains why some players don't seem too
bothered if the team loses, or if they're subbed or left on the bench.

The great players are those who realise getting into the Liverpool side has
to be the beginning of their ambitions, not the end.

As a manager, you want to see your team hurt by a defeat, or upset to be
left out of the team. I never like hearing players say they don't mind
being part of a rotation system.

I prefer it when they say they hate being left out of any game.

There's a difference between accepting a manager's decision in the right
way and actually agreeing with it.

I'm not one of the ex-players who likes going on about the past all the
time, but I do think there are general standards which applied years ago
which are equally significant today.

When I signed for Liverpool, I knew I still had a long way to go to get
into the first team. I set myself a target of two years.

When I finally got in, I never thought that was it. I realised I had to be
at my best every week to stay in. If a player was left out, he feared his
days were numbered.

I can't imagine many new signings feel like that today, not just at
Liverpool but at any big club. They expect to go straight into the side
and, once they're there, don't feel they need to pull out any trees to stay in.

It's a struggle to think of any of the most expensive signings Liverpool
have made who improved after they joined.

The game has changed, and squads have to be bigger, but that doesn't mean
the pain of being on the bench should be any less than it used to be.

To be a great side, you have to have hungry players who hurt for days after
a defeat and don't live off one good performance every few weeks.

When the Liverpool manager looks round his dressing room, he knows he's got
a couple of players who feel distraught after any defeat, but not enough of
them.

That's why I'm concerned about Liverpool's chase for fourth this season.

The Premiership title has gone beyond them very early already, and Spurs
are a genuine threat for fourth spot.

I see Tottenham as having the right blend of young, hungry players who feel
they have a lot to prove. If Liverpool had signed some of their youngsters,
I'd feel a lot more confident.

* Crystal Palace is a huge game for Liverpool.

Forget all talk of priorities. As things stand this season, the Carling Cup
tie should be top of the club's agenda now.

Liverpool can't win the title, so this is a competition they have a
realistic chance of winning.

The reward of European football also makes the tournament significant.

I'm sure lessons were learned after the events at Burnley in the FA Cup a
year ago, and I'd expect a strong team at Selhurst Park.

There are players with a lot to prove, particularly those who were left out
over the weekend.

You can be sure Palace will be up for tonight's game, and if Liverpool
don't match their efforts, they'll be in trouble.

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