They tracked his plane across Europe with the frenzied anticipation of children following Santa's progress across the globe on December 24. Indeed, Jurgen Klopp's arrival at Anfield felt like Christmas to many Liverpool fans. The club reinforced the sense of occasion by issuing a line of merchandise devoted to the German within 24 hours of his appointment as manager.
Before Klopp has been introduced to the players, before he has selected a team, before he has won a single game in the Premier League, the 48-year-old has been granted iconic status.
Realism? Circumspection? There have been few signs of either. Merely excitement. Nowhere else in football is there such a craving, such a desire to elevate the man who picks the side to such lofty heights. If English football is enthralled with the cult of the manager, Anfield is the high altar of the sect.
"A good manager can improve a team by five, maybe 10 percent," a long-time Anfield observer said. "Why do we seem to think it can be 300 percent?"
It all goes back to Bill Shankly, of course. The Scot transformed a provincial backwater into a European powerhouse, and in the process seemed to take on messianic qualities. His statue stands outside the Kop like an Old Testament prophet, arms outstretched, demanding belief, fortitude and adoration. Klopp is the sort of character who might imagine earning similar status. He may, however, find it instructive to look at the fate of Liverpool managers in the post-Shankly era. Only Bob Paisley, more than 30 years ago, left the position happily, on his own terms and free of chaos.
Joe Fagan retired 30 years ago at the age of 65, exhausted by his two-year tenure, and he suffered a gruesome sendoff at Heysel. Kenny Dalglish, his successor, had his first term as manager overshadowed by tragedy, too, and walked away from the job in 1991, when the burden of Hillsborough became too much even for someone as strong as the Scot.
These soured exits may have been attributable to catastrophe, but the Liverpool job has chewed up and spat out everyone who's taken up the mantle since. Graeme Souness had been one of the greatest players in the club's history, but he left with his reputation in tatters after three years at the helm at Anfield. Roy Evans, the last of the bootroom boys, was humiliated by the appointment of Gerard Houllier as joint manager in 1998, so he resigned. Houllier won a cup treble in 2001 but suffered heart problems and almost died during a game against Leeds United later that year. He returned with talk of being "10 games from greatness." Two matches against Bayer Leverkusen were enough to end that dream, and the Frenchman's stint in charge ended in 2004 amid disappointment and rancour.
Rafa Benitez came next and brought the Champions League to Anfield. When the club was sold three years after he arrived, he found himself embroiled in an exhausting civil war that ground him down. When he was sacked in 2010, he was a shadow of the manager he'd been when he arrived on Merseyside.
Houllier and Benitez brought trophies and glory to Anfield. By the time they were sacked, some sections of the support were treating them as if they'd overseen relegation.
Roy Hodgson was in charge when Fenway Sports Group (FSG) bought Liverpool. He did not last long. He was fired the next January, bewildered and confused. He had been given an impossible job. Next came Dalglish again. He won the League Cup, but FSG wanted more. Brendan Rodgers replaced him three years ago. The Northern Irishman's image was shinier than any trophy. Now it has been tarnished.
The desire for a saviour is powerful and dangerous. The flip side of so much hope being invested in Klopp is that it gives the new manager little room to manoeuvre. Unrealistic belief fosters overreaction when the desired standards are not reached. And the intense anger -- at least on social media -- of Liverpool fans is breathtakingly quick to flare up and brutal in its fury.
Klopp is the best appointment Liverpool could have made. That is a significant step forward from 2012 when they engaged Rodgers. Those expecting the next Shankly, however, need to back off and give the new man some breathing space to develop a way forward. Instant success is unlikely.
They should also remember how Shankly left Liverpool: in an unexplained and premature resignation that he lived to regret. He felt estranged from the club and more welcome at Everton.
It is not the burden of history that weighs down the new manager, it is the burden of expectation. If Klopp wants to emulate Paisley and leave on his own terms with his legacy intact, he will need to meet some unrealistic demands very quickly.
The German is not a miracle worker. He will have to develop a style of play to suit a squad that has a number of obvious flaws. Even extracting 10 percent more from this group may not be enough to fulfill the expectations of the fans who tracked his plane across Europe.
Klopp will have his feet on the ground. Many Liverpool supporters are still on a flight of fancy. There is plenty of turbulence ahead. A trip to White Hart Lane to play Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday could bring a bumpy landing. That is fine, as long as everyone involved realises that success may be attainable in the long haul.
Source: ESPN
