Few people in Fergal Harkin’s position would have desired to finish their work this summer. Rebuilding a team on zero funds was an almost unachievable challenge for the Standard Liege Director of Football. The former Celtic man was hired by 777 a year ago to supervise the reconstruction project, and since then, he has undoubtedly had to deal with circumstances that he wasn’t prepared for.
Their off field difficulties and determination to quit football altogether has put Standard in a horrible position, hunting for new owners and needing to operate on a considerably reduced budget.
Harkin said that he could have easily departed in a Sudinfo interview. “I had two options—give up and go, or stay and fight. I chose the latter,” he remarked. The man responsible for transfers has had an exceptionally busy summer. Eleven players joined the team either on loan or for free, while twenty players left. The only thing David Bates cost was money, and even that was not much by today’s standards.
When Harkin said to Sudinfo’s Kevin Sauvage, “We are the third least spenders in the Pro League,” it perfectly captured the dilemma he faced in the summer. We have not only spent the least money, but we also needed to hire the greatest number of players.
The team has started reasonably well, at least defensively, despite the chaos and change. They are the poorest attacking team in the league, despite having the greatest defensive record.
Standard will play their fiercest rivals, Anderlecht, in the Belgian El Classico this coming weekend. The Mauves are facing pressure as well, but they haven’t had to deal with the same uncertainty that has dogged Standard this summer. But as is often the case with this match, it doesn’t matter which side is currently in an off-field crisis. Both sets of supporters will expect a show and a victory from their team.
