Sammy Lee

[Montse]

Sorry if this isnt directly LFC related but he was a great servant so feel free to move!

 

SSN reporting now that Sammy has rejected the chance to be f/t U21 coach and has left the England set up entirely. Shame, think he would have been great in that role and would be a fantastic opportunity to use it as a springboard for full club management.

 

All the best Sammy!

[Guest Scot James]

Get him back in.

[Benitez]

  Scot James said:

Get him back in.

 

 

why?

[Jonesy]

he's gone back to Bolton to be Fat Sam's assistant.

[Guest Scot James]

Isn't it obvious?

[Benitez]

  Scot James said:

Isn't it obvious?

 

 

um, no.

 

He's moved on, Liverpool have moved on. Liverpool seem to be doing very nicely with the staff they have thankewverymuch.

[Guest Scot James]

Oh right. So there's no call for top, experienced coaches who have a passion and infinite knowledge of the club then?

 

I didn't know he'd gone back to Bolton, but I'm sure Rafa could have made good use of him.

Edited August 8, 2006 by Scot James

[Guest ninja norman]

  Scot James said:

Oh right. So there's no call for top, experienced coaches who have a passion and infinite knowledge of the club then?

 

I didn't know he'd gone back to Bolton, but I'm sure Rafa could have made good use of him.

 

To be fair he obviously left looking for a new challenge. He is now an assistant manager and he has stated he has ambitions of becoming a manager one day, so why would he return to take a position of lesser responcibility?

 

I was sad when he left but people move on. Maybe he will go off and develop into a top manager and he can come back if/when Rafa heads back to Spain.

[Jonesy]

  Scot James said:

Oh right. So there's no call for top, experienced coaches who have a passion and infinite knowledge of the club then?

 

I didn't know he'd gone back to Bolton, but I'm sure Rafa could have made good use of him.

 

 

well when I say 'gone back' I mean he'd never left. He was working part time in the England set up.

[Guest Scot James]

I thought he was working full time with England?

 

Anyway, it was a pity he left. It's sad when you lose one of your own like that, especially as he left feeling like a failure.

Edited August 8, 2006 by Scot James

[Gomez]

I think we really could have used him when Rafa first joined the club. I think early on the premiership took Rafa a bit by surprise and Lee's experience could have help avoid mistakes like at goodison that year.

 

However, he threw a hissy fit when he realised he would never get the big job himself and left to 'devote more time to England' joining fat Sam a couple of months later. Rafa apparently wanted him to stay (and was quoted as saying as much)

 

He wasn't there for us when we needed him, so f*ck him. Can't honestly see what he would bring that we don't already have either.

[Jonesy]

  Scot James said:

I thought he was working full time with England?

 

Anyway, it was a pity he left. It's sad when you lose one of your own like that, especially as he left feeling like a failure.

 

 

he was to begin with. stepped down from the full time role.....but he remained on part time. he stepped down as he bored with full time role.....stuck behind a desk most of the time. he missed the training aspect so ended up with bolton....apparently he still misses the training aspect.

[Guest Scot James]

  Gomez said:

However, he threw a hissy fit when he realised he would never get the big job himself and left to 'devote more time to England' joining fat Sam a couple of months later. Rafa apparently wanted him to stay (and was quoted as saying as much)

 

Didn't know that.

 

He mentioned in Ballague's book that he was asked to stay on but declined because he'd worked under Ged and felt responsible for the clubs failure.

Edited August 8, 2006 by Scot James

[Guest ninja norman]

  Gomez said:

I think we really could have used him when Rafa first joined the club. I think early on the premiership took Rafa a bit by surprise and Lee's experience could have help avoid mistakes like at goodison that year.

 

However, he threw a hissy fit when he realised he would never get the big job himself and left to 'devote more time to England' joining fat Sam a couple of months later. Rafa apparently wanted him to stay (and was quoted as saying as much)

 

He wasn't there for us when we needed him, so f*ck him. Can't honestly see what he would bring that we don't already have either.

 

Thats harsh and frankly uncalled for. Many people would leave a job if a lot of people they had worked with for years left and they had other attractive options available. Rafa came in and changed the setup at the club and there was no chance for Sammy to develop his career, so he moved on. Seems entirely reasonable to me.

 

Rafa promoted Alex Miller in order to help him adjust to the Premiership. I suspect that the main reason for the failure was that Rafa was sure his methods would work in the end. He has been proved right about zonal marking and limiting what Gerrard tries to do, but failed to account for the time needed for players such as Alonso to adapt to the physical aspects of the game. I think in some ways a poor first season was inevitable as Rafa revolutionised the way we did so many things and we had a squad with many players who simply were not suited to his style.

[Benitez]

  Scot James said:

Oh right. So there's no call for top, experienced coaches who have a passion and infinite knowledge of the club then?

 

I didn't know he'd gone back to Bolton, but I'm sure Rafa could have made good use of him.

 

he left of his own accord.

 

Sammy's a great bloke, but people move on, he moved on.

 

 

We have a very good coaching staff. I'm sure as and when it needs to change (as it did this summer with Herrera going), the right people will again be brought in.

[Kopfaithful]

  Scot James said:

Didn't know that.

He mentioned in Ballague's book that he was asked to stay on but declined because he'd worked under Ged and felt responsible for the clubs failure.

 

that's exactly what he said on goals on sunday last season or the year before. he thought it was unfair for him to stay when he was 1st team coach and as GH & PT where deemed failures, he thought he should fall on his own sword too.

[sammy knucklz]

  js said:

that's exactly what he said on goals on sunday last season or the year before. he thought it was unfair for him to stay when he was 1st team coach and as GH & PT where deemed failures, he thought he should fall on his own sword too.

 

from Sammy's interview with the offal, June 2006.

 

Your departure came as a big surprise to many Liverpudlians; can you explain your reasons for leaving?

 

I had been invited to stay and I fully appreciated that. What I also appreciated though was that Rafa had to bring his own staff in. This was perfectly understandable. I've got nothing but the utmost respect for Rafael Benitez and the club. But having been a major part of what Gerard Houllier was trying to implement and achieve, during the bad times and the good, I just felt that it was best I also went, just as he and Phil had gone. To have stayed after they'd left maybe I'd have lost some credibility.

 

 

Given your love of the Reds how difficult a decision was it?

 

It was a massively difficult decision. All my family and friends are from Liverpool and I'd been there such a long time. I absolutely loved the place but I had to do what I had to. I had a couple of options on the table and I chose to work with the FA for two reasons. One because it is a great association and two, I thought it would be wrong of me to stay in club football after being invited to stay at Anfield. It was a tremendous wrench but I'd been through it before as a player.

 

Did any of your family or friends try to change your mind?

 

My family and friends were superb through it all and I can't thank them enough. They were so supportive at a time when I needed it most. But at the end of the day they knew it was my decision and my decision solely. To be honest, nothing anyone could say or do would have influenced me because my love of Liverpool Football Club has always gone beyond other things. Rightly or wrongly, I've always put the club first. Certain people will know what I mean when I'm talking about that and I don't think I need to expand on it.

 

whole interview ere

 

Seems fair enough to me and fully in keeping with my own high regard for the man. Not sure what he's alluding to in the underlined section of the last quote though - seems there may be a bit more to it like...