Friday 25 February 2011

Reds Stutter On

Dirk to the rescue.
After last weeks, dull, lifeless and ultimately boring game in Prague last week this game could only get better, but when you consider just how bad the game was last week there was still plenty of room for the second leg to be a drab affair and still be an improvement - and that is essentially what was served up last night, an improvement, albeit without setting the world ablaze.

As always there are positives and negatives to every game, sometimes more of one and less of the other. The majority of last nights positives centre around the actual outcome rather than what happened during the 90mins. There were plenty of children at the game last night, great for them to get the experience of watching the reds at Anfield on a European night, an experience I'm sure they wont forget. We kept another clean sheet - that's 6 in the last 8 games now, long may that run continue. The game was also a sell, fantastic for the club, especially as it was a 6pm kick off, ridiculous time, nothing wrong with 8pm kick offs, but a sell out it was, and by my memory that's the first Euro sell out this season - we did have a laugh trying to figure out why and we concluded that it could only be people desperately trying to rack up the games in the run up to the final - if we get there - interesting to see what the criteria for tickets would be. And, finally we are through to the next round and due to both Braga and Porto qualifying our fixtures have been altered so that we now play away on the 10th and at home on the 17th - try and tell me that's not an advantage! More on that a bit later though.

On the pitch, well it wasn't exactly the performance we wanted but there were some positives to take from it. Danny Wilson, a centre back playing at left back, says he is willing to adapt to play anywhere along the back for the reds, now that is the right attitude and to be honest over the two legs i think he was one of the better performers, he was given a chance, he took it well, got a second bite of the apple and he played well again, i would really like to see him get a chance in the League, just like Kelly did, and i certainly would love him to keep his place against Braga - no more than he deserves on both counts. Pepe deserves a mention for 1. staying awake and 2. staying alert, he wasn't needed much but when he was needed he didn't disappoint.

Raul Meireles, now he really has come alive under Kenny Dalglish, last night again he was the man who controlled the middle, our most creative player by miles and a player who deservedly should have taken the MOTM award - fast running out of positive things to say that haven't already been said about him, now that is a good headache to have. And then there is Dirk Kuyt, like him or not, he never gives up, he is wasted out on the right and seems to come alive further up the pitch in a more natural striking role, he may not be having the best of games sometimes but then he pops up with the goal that wins it, and he does score the important ones - he kept at it, got his goal and rescued us from the torture of another 30mins, nice one Dirk.

As always it is not possible to praise everyone, so i just pick out the players i think deserve the mention most, likewise with the criticism - that is reserved for those who i think deserve it most. Now, generally, whilst the football served up wasn't great, we did retain the ball well at times, movement could have been better, but we always looked in control, we created plenty of opportunities to score yet took none. On the whole the performance was average, and on the scale average is below good so there is plenty of room for improvement - the contest over two legs? probably forgettable.

Now there are gonna be two main points of criticism here. The first, David Ngog, you would think that the arrival of two big money strikers would be enough encouragement for a striker who wasn't even challenging for the first choice position before they arrived to up his game. Well you would think that, but obviously that logic is lost on Ngog. He's lightweight, in more ways than one, easily 'moved' off the ball, doesn't even take a shove, doesn't seem to know how to hold a ball up and generally looks more isolated up front than Torres ever did even at his lowest point (at Liverpool not Chelsea!). His movement isn't the best, he isn't always were he should be, needs to look at his attitude, he  never looks bothered, does he even realise who he plays for? I just don't think he is good enough for Liverpool, we have better strikers in the youth teams and losing Ngog in the summer would remove one obstacle to those youngsters who are working hard to get their chance. Think it's time to cash in while we can, not that we will get much.

And that second piece of criticism?? This is aimed at the supporters who cheered when Poulsen was substituted. What is that all about? OK so he wasn't having the best game ever, but there weren't exactly many on the pitch who were. Under Kenny, Poulsen has played better than he ever did under Hodgson, and he has had some decent games. He doesn't set the world on fire with his world class skills, an he isn't exactly gonna go a long run with the ball, but he isn't in the team to do that. He did a decent job in the middle, much like Lucas who was having a quiet game too, they tackled, they passed, they allowed the players ahead to push on, and limited the attacking flow on the players behind them. And he was more involved in the game than the player who replaced him - and how HE gets in the team ahead of others is beyond me. Bottom line is, no matter whether you like them or not, Liverpool players should not be booed off by Liverpool supporters, wtf is that all about, really?? If you're happy with the change then fine be happy, no need to be a nob about it though.

One thing that does bother me about Liverpool in Europe is the feeling that a second leg at Anfield guarantees we go through - it doesn't. It's an advantage, that's it, if things don't go right in the first leg then the home support will make it a night to remember in the second, and it is always easier to play on home soil. But we need to start playing for victories away from home. Away goals still count as two in the event of a draw, and all it would have taken was a late goal last night and we would have been out. This season the reds have only scored 5 goals away in Europe, 4 of those came against Rabotnicki and Trabzonspor, that is a problem. We need to start scoring away goals in Europe. It would certainly make the second leg easier. Last season, Atletico proved the value of an away goal is just as important as a home victory in Europe, they won on home soil 1-0, beaten away 2-1, beaten by us, yet they went through courtesy of an away goal - they're vital and we need to start doing the business away from home, having to play at Anfield and outscore the opposition like we did last season season on 3 occasions is not an ideal situation to be in. Playing at Anfield second leg does not guarantee we go through, confidence is one thing, but arrogance is different, we need to give ourselves something to be confident about, beating Braga away will put us in a great position to go through, it will give us confidence. It has already been said to me that if we draw away we will go through, we wont, just means we will be favourites to go through - that is something different.

Lets end on another positive..

Liverpool are now 8 games unbeaten, 5 victories, 3 draws and 6 clean sheets. Next up is premier league high flyer's West Ham, wont be an easy game, they never are, we need to work hard for the victory, i think we will get the three points too, that would be 9games unbeaten, 6 wins, 7 clean sheets, and a chance to extend that to 10 games unbeaten when we welcome, if welcome is the word, our neighbours from down the road next Sunday. Confidence is high, but we will need two good performances in the next two games if we are to win, we can't play like we did over two legs against Sparta, the Utd game isn't the problem, we need no help raising our game for them, the West Ham game is the worry, we need to be on the ball, the teams fighting for survival our the ones to avoid at the moment, that said, i think we will be OK.

Fourth is still a long shot, there is a link on the sidebar to another article i wrote on the matter, still stand by it, still would love to be proved wrong, need to keep ourselves grounded and as the King keeps saying, the next game is the most important one - let's see where we end up come May.

I keep saying this but there never really is much done about it - feedback! more HERE.

Friday 18 February 2011

Bore Draw In Prague

OK so lets be honest, it wasn't a classic, and i don't think that too many people predicted a goalless, lifeless draw. Performances like this have become commonplace away from home in the Europa League, and you have to go back to August for the last time we won away from home in the competition. In fact since beating Trabzonspor 1-2 in August the reds have played 4 away games and scored only 1 goal, OK so it's only 1 conceded as well but that's besides the point, all of those game have been played out pretty much the same as this one - poorly.

It isn't all doom and gloom, a draw away from home in Europe, with the second leg to come at Anfield is never really a bad result, an away goal would have been nice, but at this moment in time - not essential. The 'gloom' comes from the fact that once again we have been subjected to a poor performance in a competition in which we are regarded as one of the favourites to win it. And a Steven Gerrard hat-trick aside, this Europa League run has been a pretty drab and uneventful affair.

Before the game, much was made of the inclusion of some of the younger players, our stars of the future if all goes well, but to be honest, I never really thought any of them would get any game time at all unless with 15/20 mins to go the game was pretty much over as a contest, and i don't think they would have made too much difference. They were taken to get some experience of what it is like to travel abroad and to get in some more training with the first teamers, their time will come soon, but not yet.

One youngster who was included was Danny Wilson who had a fine game at left back and was easily one of our best players on the pitch. He looked to be a strong and very capable player and never looked out of his depth, something made all the more impressive as he was played out of position at left back. He gave probably the best performance at left back that we have seen this season, not too eager to get forward and run down the wing but hardly surprising seen as how he is used to playing as a central defender. All in all he gave a great account of himself and I'm sure he will do well in the future.

Something that i find a Little bit worrying though is that our best left back is a young central defender playing out of position, and our best right back is also a young central defender playing out of position. OK so Wilson has only played a game at left back, but he performed better in the role than Johnson has done, and Martin Kelly is a much better right back than Johnson is. And that is a problem. Glen Johnson is not a bad player, I've said this before, on the whole he is an average defender at best, in fact it would be truer to say that he is not a defender full stop. His attacking qualities far outweigh his defensive ones. Attacking wise he is generally quite good, sometimes a little hesitant to play the ball but on the whole he is a threat going forward - defending is another matter entirely. His positional awareness in defence is not what it should be, you only have to look at Kuyt's reaction last night after he showed the attacker down the wing, preventing him from cutting inside, he was beaten for pace but he turned expecting Johnson to be in position to prevent the cross, Johnson however had drifted into the box and the fact that he was the one who cut the cross out inside the box is irrelevant, he should have been there to stop the cross ever being made. I think the time surely must have come to give Johnson a go on the right of midfield - he isn't being utilised properly in defence, he could add an extra cutting edge to our attack.

Krygiakos came back into the starting line up and was a rock once again. He has his critics but his no nonesense approach is great, nothing fancy just do the job, pretty much the same mentality as Carragher and he is a real threat going forwards. And last night even the kit man was more of a threat going forwards that Ngog was. He is too lightweight, and is not a player who can lead the line alone. With the ball at his feet he is generally quite good, and he is capable of scoring goals, but he is way down the pecking order now, the only reason he played was because Suarez is cup tied and Carroll is injured and Kuyt was needed on the right. Maybe in a 4-4-2 with Kuyt alongside him he might have had more joy, but playing alone he wasn't in the game at all, and he didn't try to get in the game either. With our new arrivals and more strengthening to come, coupled with the great young talent that we have coming through i can't see him having too long a future at Liverpool unless he starts to show that he deserves to be here.

Attacking was the main problem last night, no creativity, zero shots on target in 90mins is unacceptable at any level, it is unacceptable full stop for Liverpool FC. This lack of any real attack almost cost us the game. Sparta are in the middle of a winter break and before last night hadn't played a competitive game since December, match fitness for them was probably not at a high, and they probably would have preferred other opposition for their first game in 3 months but they looked the more dangerous and the more likely to score as the game went on. Liverpool had been in good form recently, even after stuttering against Wigan, many expected the reds to raise their game, but we lowered it.

One puzzling thing, is Dani Pacheco. He got game time last season, never more than 15/20 mins, he looked good, he had a great summer with Spain in the U19 championships - finishing top scorer, yet this season he is very much a bench warmer and most games he doesn't even get to do that. There are a few younger players have been given a go this season, but Pacheco has been largely overlooked. He has hinted that he wants to play more, that he may have to consider his options, and if the club want him to stay then they are certainly doing a great job trying to convince him that his future lies at Anfield. Now I'm not saying he's the next Messi or anything like that, only what most people are saying - we have a very talented youngster, 20years old, it's round about now that he should be getting game time, starting to make the step up, showing us what he can do, and we all want to see him get a decent chance that lasts longer than 10mins at the end of a game. There are players allot younger who are getting more game time, he has been excellent in the reserves and he must be doing alright in training because his performances in the reserves are consistently good, he must be wondering what he has to do to get a chance. Puzzling.

OK, so not the greatest of performances, probably up there with out worst for the season, but we do have a second leg to play at Anfield. I did try not to get too depressed over the performance and i do realise that it is still a good result and we do have an excellent chance of progressing but when the team plays so badly it really brings the negatives to the front - and lets face it, there where a few last night. Based on last nights performance, next Thursdays performance can only get better.

Hopefully we wont start with Ngog alone upfront, Hopefully Gerrard will be back, I would let Wilson keep his place, and if Kelly is fit he should get the nod ahead of Johnson at right back, Pacheco will probably be on the bench, Cole will get another chance - not too sure how many more he will get, needs to improve fast. It should be a better game, i think we will go through, but the performances in the Europa League simply must improve - our only chance of success this season, we should be going for it with everything - Hopefully from now on we will.

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Sunday 13 February 2011

Fourth Too Far??


Can Liverpool Finish 4th this season?

In all honesty probably not. Last season was a poor season by the high standards we set before it, this season was always going to be a struggle as a result.

Before the season started most people would have said that our main objective was to get back in to the top 4, but no one realised back then what a struggle it would be to actually do that. Many saw last season as just a blip, something that could easily be corrected this year, but there were problems on the field and off it that not many people paid too much attention to.

When you replace a manager, it is usually because things aren't working out and the team is performing badly. Last season under Benitez Liverpool weren't as good as they could have been, they weren't as good when judged against the high standards that the team set in the previous seasons - it looked like we were on an upward curve and Premier League glory was a certainty last season. That never happened, things were bad, but they weren't catastrophic. OK we finished 7th, but we did also get to the Europa League semi finals. And last season there were signs of the competitiveness that would become glaringly apparent this season. Other clubs in the league were strengthening their squads - both with quality and depth - whilst we did not. There were 6/7 teams challenging for the top 4 places - it was tight. We finished 7th, we where minutes away from the Europa League final? And we got back into the competition this season. One truly bad season, and Rafa is gone.

Look at Villa this season, they failed to invest and build upon last season, they had to find a new manager after O'Neill jumped ship and they have struggled this season and the clubs owners have now had to spend money to help keep the club in the league - they are only 3 points above the drop. That highlights the importance of building on what you achieve - we did not build on what we achieved in the 2008/09 season and we struggled in the next.

The reality is that he was sacked to make the club look more attractive to potential buyers - it was well known that he was always at odds with the clubs hierarchy - but then again, weren't we all??

I always felt that replacing Rafa with Hodgson would be a step back - new manager, new ideas etc etc the rebuilding would have to start from scratch. The clubs problems off the field, which were intensifying at the time did not help, but Hodgson never really looked like a good choice. He had some money to spend, pretty much a full summer to work with the team, but he was always punching above his weight at the club.

The downward spiral continued into the new season, the Hicks and Gillet sideshow diverting most of the attention off the team, but once that sideshow ended all focus was on the team. The new owners stood by him but in the end they had to let Hodgson go - it really wasn't working out.

In steps Kenny Dalglish, and the team looks transformed. Viewed as relegation candidates in December by February we are seen as being in with a shout of 4th spot. The change is unbelievable - but ultimately i feel it is too little too late in our bid to return to Europe's elite competition. We have spent money and strengthened, we are on a great run, unbeaten in 6 games, but the rebuilding has only just got started.

Victory against Wigan would have kept hopes alive, and whilst there is still a faint hope, the prospect of Champions League football next season is unlikely. The two teams above Liverpool - Chelsea and Spurs - both have games in hand over us, if they were to both win these, they would both be on 50points, 11 points ahead of the reds having played the same number of games. And with 11 games left to play this season it would be extremely difficult to gatecrash the party so late on.

It is not impossible, after all, nothing really is. The maximum number of points that Liverpool can finish with is 72. Spurs and Chelsea can both finish with 83. So in order for us to finish above them both would have to drop 12 points whilst Liverpool would have to not only remain unbeaten, but win every single one of our last 11 games - now that really is a big ask.

Looking into it further does provide some optimism - SOME. Chelsea have to play ManUtd (twice), Spurs and ManCity, Everton would not be an easy game for them either. So there is 5 games that Chelsea could potentially lose, and it wouldn't really be much of a shock if they did. Spurs stand out games of the run in are ManCity, Chelsea and Liverpool, again fixtures that they could potentiality lose. Factor in some draws against clubs fighting for survival and there is a small chance.

Liverpool have games against ManUtd, ManCity, Arsenal and Spurs coming up - hate to say it, but they are games that we could potentially lose as well. Victory in those fixtures coupled with slip ups from the teams above us and no slip ups on our behalf and the possibility of a 4th place finish is still there - just unlikely.

This season i think we will just have to settle for a Europa League spot. We are still in that competition and we are definitely in with a shout of winning it too. But that is probably as good as it is going to get this season. And we will be well adjusted to the competition when we play in it next season.

This summer is vital in the clubs rebuilding process, all indications are that we are going to strengthen the squad in more areas than one and build up a good young side that can challenge for years to come. Kenny Dalglish is likely to be the manager to take us forward into this period, and with him in charge the team is undoubtedly in safe hands. Who knows what might have happened if he had got the job in the summer and not Roy Hodgson? Who knows what would have happened if Rafa had stayed in charge?? Both, arguably, would have done a better job than the man who did get the job.

Next season is the real challenge. It is our time to show the world what a strong and stable Liverpool Football Club can do. Not saying we will win the league or anything - wouldn't wanna get peoples hopes up - after all it is not our given right to win it, or so we're told. But we can definitely be competitive with the other top teams, we can definitely challenge in the League for a top 4 finish, we can definitely challenge in the domestic cups and in the Europa League - anything else would be a welcome and much deserved bonus.

We may well be on the verge of good times once again - the last 6 weeks in particular have been amazing considering what came before, but it is important that we remain realistic in our expectations. We all want Liverpool to be challenging for top honours on all fronts, we all expect Liverpool to win every game and to play the Liverpool way, but first we have to work hard to put ourselves in a position where we can 'realistically' achieve all this - and we are not far off, and it will only come with hard work, belief and determination.

A top 4 finish this season is as i said, unlikely. I do not believe that it was Kenny's main objective to break into the top 4 when he took over, to be honest i do not believe that it was an objective full stop. I believe his job was merely to stop the downward spiral, improve results, and obtain a respectable finish - probably ensure that we got into the Europa League next season. What he has done is give us renewed belief, he has taken us back to a time when we played good football, and there was nothing but smiles all around. He has us reminiscing over past glories and dreaming of future glories, the fact that we are talking about a top 4 finish full stop is testament to how far we have come in such a short space - not too long ago it was all about Liverpool's relegation fight, now even in the media the talk is about Liverpool's slim top 4 hopes.

We arrived at the party a bit too late for a place at Elite table, but our day will come again, soon. In the mean time we need to concentrate on finishing as high as we can and get behind the team all the way.

For me, i think that next season will be completely different to this season, i think we could well be back on the upward curve once again - no one will write us off so easily next season.

Saturday 12 February 2011

Positives and Negatives: LFC v Wigan

Raul's the man....again!

Victory was vital against Wigan following on from the Chelsea game. Those were the words from everyone's lips, mine included. This was the case earlier in the season when we beat Chelsea, the next game was a must win, the game to kick start our season - that game was against Wigan too, and just like today it finished 1-1. It was a really frustrating afternoon to a game which promised so much and the inclusion of Luis Suarez in the starting line up raised hopes of a victory higher. The victory however would not come.

The game had barely got going when Suarez played the ball to Kuyt who in turn played the ball back in to Suarez in the box only for Suarez to be bungled over by a defender, there was only one thing that the referee could do - signal for a corner? Haven't seen it again but it certainly looked like a penalty at the time, and it was not the only puzzling decision to come from the officials today.

Credit to Wigan for actually coming to play football, they are in a dangerous position and fighting displays like today will go along way to keeping them in the league and from early on in the game they looked to play the ball and attack on the break but never really looked like getting a goal - it wasn't too long before the Reds settled into the game an started to take control.

And surely enough the breakthrough came.

Aurelio's cross from the left found its way to Meireles just inside the box and his volley was perfect, his technique brilliant, the goal superb. He just can't stop scoring at the moment and long may it continue. Minutes later, Suarez showed brilliant skill to turn in the box and get a shot away only to see it curl onto the far post and away from goal with Al-Habsi beaten. By this time the Kop was in full voice with the new Suarez song getting louder an louder as the masses picked up the words - followed closely by what i think was a debut for the new Meireles song - both quality it has to be said.

The remainder of the first half would pass without anything of note really happening, the Reds looked good for the victory but Wigan were certainly making a game of it and it was clear that the second half would be a real test for Liverpool.

Wigan came out and looked much brighter, more dangerous than they looked in the first half and they had nothing to lose really - in danger of relegation even a point would suit them and the longer it stayed at 1-0 the more belief they took. Raul Meireles was removed early on in the second half due to sickness and his presence would be missed. All Liverpool's play was in front of the Wigan defence and Wigan were now starting to attack on the break an were looking more dangerous and the goal they needed wasn't too far away.

Liverpool were slow at pushing out from Wigan set pieces, instead defending deep into the box and this would only invite pressure back. N'zogbia crossed the ball which was then put into the net at the far post from inside the 6yard box, suspicion of offside but it was impossible for me to tell from behind the goal. Dirk Kuyt who had had an ineffective game was replaced by Jovanovic but the decision would not have any impact on the game at all.

Liverpool started to push on in the last 10/15mins, but Suarez was to come closest, rifling the ball against the crossbar with the goal keeper well beaten again - just wasn't going to be his day. By this time the writing was on the wall and a draw looked inevitable - and that is exactly what we got.

It was a game that has left us with positives and negatives, although i would have to say, more positives than negatives.

Negatives - the big negative for me was the inability to cope with Wigan's approach to the game. Take nothing away from them, they came to play, they did not come to sit back and hope for a draw, and in the end it was their fighting attitude that got them the point they quite clearly deserved. Liverpool looked lost in the middle, the free flowing pass and move ethos that we have seen in recent weeks was absent, instead we saw a lack of movement in the middle, players dwelling on the ball too long and short passes backwards and sideways - it was an off day.

Defensively we never really looked uncomfortable, but that said we never really looked comfortable either. Too many times in the game did we see Skrtel and Carragher hastily heading the ball forwards or quite often they simply hoofed it up field - not a good idea when the opposition want to come an play, also not a good idea when a lot of the time there was plenty of time for the ball to be controlled an played to a team mate with some purpose.

The biggest negative of the game was by far the officials. The referee had a shocker and his linesmen weren't much better. Possible penalty and offside goal set aside there where very few big decisions to be made, in fact there were very few hard decisions to be made. Throw ins given the wrong way when the whole stadium could see that they should have gone the other way, a corner given to Wigan late on in the second half when the ball quite clearly went out off a Wigan player - he had a shot, he missed, goal kick, not a hard decision at all. Inconsistencies regarding what is a foul and what isn't, generally for most of the game if your name was Luis Suarez you weren't going to get a free kick - despite the fact that Wigan could only get the ball off him by fouling him. The whistle was all too eager to blow for nothing challenges on Wigan players though, and exactly how long does Al-Habsi need to take a goal kick - it felt like 30seconds at the quickest!

Don't like having to talk about the officials, always seems like I'm looking for an excuse, especially after a loss or a draw but anyone who was at the game, or watched online ;) will know that the officials really did have a poor game.

Quick note - should we have stuck with the formation used against Stoke and Chelsea, after the fact i would say yes, that formation would probably have been better than 4-4-2, especially considering the way Wigan played. Thoughts on this one folks???

Positives - Luis Suarez, quality from start to finish, looked to be tiring towards the end but he still kept going. He seems to drift into space effortlessly, always available, his touch is superb, and he was a real handful today, so much so that the only way Wigan could deal with him was to foul him. Unlucky with the penalty shout, unlucky to hit the post, unlucky to hit the bar, so so unlucky not to score - a goal was the only thing missing from his super display. His tracking back and help in the middle was also refreshing to see as was the Kop in full voice with a song dedicated to him - you just knew it would blast out if he found the net!

Raul Meireles, quite what Kenny has done to bring out the best in him is anyones guess, and as much as the boss plays it down there can be no doubting that his arrival has seen Meireles' form rise and rise and rise - no coincidence at all. Another quality goal from the man who just can't stop scoring and his presence in midfield was missed when he went off. If he keeps it up he will have another player of the month award coming his way in a few weeks.

Martin Kelly, he was given a chance, he took it and now he is seemingly a permanent fixture in the first team. He was superb again today, still not the finished article but well on his way. Glen Johnson says he is happy to play at left back - probably because he realises that ousting Kelly from that position is beyond him.

The main positive is that we are still unbeaten, six games unbeaten now, 2 draws, 4 wins and that can only be a good thing.

After four straight wins and four straight clean sheets a draw is always going to feel like a let down, but it is better than a defeat. The red machine marches on, this draw is just a stutter, and there is a real drive and determination at the club which was not present prior to January. To even be considered as an outside chance for a Champions League spot is incredible especially since at the start of the year, all the pundits and newspapers in the land had us down for a relegation fight, mid-table finish at best. Fourth spot is a long shot and after the disaster that was Roy Hodgson, securing 4th place was not Kenny Dalglish's main objective - it probably wasn't an objective full stop.

Performances have improved, both individually and collectively, everyone is pulling in the same direction. The owners have come out and signalled their intent, they want to lead the club forwards, they want to win, to be successful and they aren't afraid to put their money where their mouth is in doing so. The spirits of the supporters have been lifted, it is no longer a chore to watch Liverpool play, it is at times a real joy once again - there are frustrating moments but you have to take the rough with the smooth.

Since Kenny Dalglish took over the club has been reinvigorated, there is a renewed sense of purpose and belief and there isn't really one player that stands out as having had an awful time over the past 6 weeks. All have played well, all have had their dodgy moments, but that's football, players can't get it right all the time and when they don't get it right they need to have the right attitude, the ability to move on and improve. What they don't need is praise one week and criticism the next. Many players who last week received universal praise are now being universally criticised. We can't just support them when they are good. Players have off games - fact. Really i think players should only be criticised if they consistently give poor performances. It is one thing to 'constructively' criticise certain aspects of a players performance in a game, and it is another to openly criticise their whole performance.

Take Dirk Kuyt for example, praised for his efforts and work rate against Chelsea, had a decent first half against Wigan, but was below par for his time on the field in the second half - he had a mixed game yet has received most of the criticism and negativity following on from the game. Which is it? Is he the tireless Duracell Bunny with excellent work rate, the right attitude in abundance and someone who gives his all for the team, or is he the uncreative, slow, touch like a rapist striker who is deployed on the wing? He isn't the quickest, his touch lets him down at times and sometimes he could be more creative, but he also keeps going, his work rate is second to none and he does give his all, and at times his touch is perfect, his link up excellent, he is creative and he puts in a good cross. Pretty much he is every one of those things at one point or other, but he isn't lazy and he gives his all every time - he had a mixed game, simply acknowledging this is enough. When it comes to criticising players you have to take into account the bigger picture and not just one game - we all have bad days at the office.

I do not think that the international friendlies should be used as an excuse either. They are a pain but would the performance have been any different had we just returned from a mid week European game?

West Ham next in the league, no easy games in this league anymore. They are fighting for survival and seeing Wigan take a point will fill them with confidence, they would take a point now if they could. A win would be great, going into the game against ManUtd on the back of a 7game unbeaten run in the league with 5 wins in that period would be a huge boost - not that we need any help raising our game for them. Who knows, if you factor in the two Europa League games we could be looking to extend our run to 10 games unbeaten when we play Utd.

For now we must be content that we are six games unbeaten and things look good for the future, we have renewed belief and that is all that we need to be worried about. This season was always going to be a hard fought battle, especially after Purslow's manager Roy Hodgson dragged us down further. The feeling is that we will strengthen in the summer, based on the strength we acquired in January then things are definitely looking up and next season will be the real test, can we be competitive? With the King in charge...why not?

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Monday 7 February 2011

Reds Take The Bridge

Reds Celebrate Raul's Goal
In my last post before this game i said that Chelsea would try to make this game about Torres, i said that Sky would try to make this about Torres and I finished by saying that this game was about taking 3 points and that was all Liverpool would focus on - seems i was right.

Before the game much was said about the £50m man, the camera focused on him talking with Drogba, the commentary mockingly suggested that they were discussing who should score first and who second, who should set who up, who would take the credit, banners that were born red and white now appeared identical in every detail apart from the colour - a startling lack of originality. Chelsea slightly adjusted their set up, Drogba forced from his usual central position to accommodate his new team mate, other than that it was pretty much the same players that everyone guessed would start.

Despite the build up and the hype going into this one many people seem to have forgotten that with the exception of a few games, many encounters between these two sides had been cautious, uneasy and un-entertaining low scoring games - even with the hype there was never much doubt in my mind that this game would follow a similar pattern.

The Liverpool line up was greeted with many raised eyebrows before the game, the system employed against Stoke was still in place and Luis Suarez, who most people assumed would start against Chelsea was still on the bench - somewhere he was to remain for the entire game. Against Stoke the system was in place to combat their physical approach, their height advantage and their threat from set pieces. Against Chelsea the system was in place not to combat Torres or the 3 pronged Chelsea front line, the system was in place to control the midfield.

Defensively it was a 5-4-1, the emphasis on controlling what Chelsea could do, restricted them, but when Liverpool attacked the system seemed to seamlessly change into a 3-4-3, Johnson and Kelly pushing up the wings, Meireles and Gerrard able to move forwards to support Kuyt and Lucas to anchor the midfield, and with three centre backs there was always the option for Agger to move forwards and play the ball as he does, once the attack broke down, the system reverted back but the midfield presence remained and Liverpool were largely untroubled.

And Liverpool did control Chelsea, Chelsea could only do what they were allowed to do, there was little space, they could only move around the final third - they could not penetrate it. And that is due to the way Liverpool played, quickly closing down, doubling up, keeping calm and squeezing the space. Chelsea managed one solitary shot on target in the entire game, every other shot was deflected out or simply planted straight into the crowd - most importantly they were mostly from distance and Chelsea could not feed their front three.

Speaking of their front three, the debut £50m man was completely ineffective and turned out the kind of performance which was typical of him under Roy Hodgson. He got his dream move to a 'big club' but that still did not inspire him to perform, much was said about him in the build up and surely there must have been some motivation for him to show us exactly what we lost and Chelsea what they had gained but he quite simply did not look bothered.

As organised as Liverpool were in defence, in attack there was an equal level of organisation. We did not simply sit back as has been suggested. When we went forward it was with purpose and the only thing really lacking in the first half was the final ball. In fact at half time Liverpool should have been ahead! Whether the ball bounced up or not Maxi should not be missing or in fact hitting the bar from 3 yards out, by hitting the bar from that range he probably did the most difficult thing he could have done - but to me it seems that the miss was actually more beneficial to us.

The second half started much as the first did only this time it was Liverpool asking more questions of Chelsea, again the organisation was superb, Chelsea were showing signs of frustration, signs that had been evident since Cech and Ivanovic had their lovers tiff. With the hour mark approaching, substitutions where not far off and it would be Chelsea who would make the most notable change - bringing off Fernando Torres. The change was greeted at one end with cheers and down the other end there was only jeers, the away support making their feelings known. After the change Chelsea looked to be more of a threat, a more familiar shape with more familiar personnel - but for all the increased threat, their attack would remain toothless.

Chelsea may have made the change looking to claim victory but Liverpool would get everything they deserved minutes later. Gerrard stormed down the wing, shrugging off challenges and not giving up, Kuyt had actually drifted out of the box and was now making his way back in - in doing so he may not have realised that he actually drew the defenders away from the space behind, Gerrard crossed the ball, and to be fair it was not the best of crosses and Cech should easily have caught it, but he didn't, and Meireles, who had ghosted in behind everyone, kept his cool and volleyed the ball into the net to send the onlooking Liverpool supporters into euphoria.

The goal was the reward Liverpool deserved for a commanding and organised performance. The message from the fans was clear "you should have stayed with the big club", and lets be honest, we were all grinning and the thought of what was about to happen. The game wore on and still Chelsea could do nothing, their one real attempt at goal was expertly saved by Reina who stayed on his feet and stayed big - ever dependable. But, towards the end it was Liverpool who looked the most likely to score and in the closing minutes of injury time we managed to push Chelsea right back into their own defensive third with Kuyt chasing every ball, the message clear - Chelsea can't attack if they have to defend. Too many times have we seen Liverpool sit back towards the end of games and suffer, and it is true that we did retreat further and further back as time wore on but we always retained our shape and belief and even on the break we were a real threat to Chelsea. Three points was exactly what Liverpool deserved.

Chelsea may have their star £50m striker but, and this has always been the case, he has never played with the belief, effort, work rate, heart and desire of Dirk Kuyt. The two are completely different players, one is a real old fashioned work horse, his touch is rough at times but he never stops going, he never gives up and he will always give it his all, and many times over the years, deep into injury time, he has been seen chasing down opposition defenders high up the field, closing the goalkeeper down, defending from the front, giving his all for the club - and always played out of position on the wing. The other, is a world class striker and no mistakes about it, he is the modern footballer, over paid but when he is on form brilliant to watch, he will never chase down opposing defenders late on, he will never tirelessly run around the pitch giving his all, his attitude at times is petulant, he will complain when there is no complaint to be made and he does not play for anyone but himself - that much he has made clear. People can say what they want about Dirk Kuyt, he is frustrating at times, but he always gives his all for Liverpool Football Club, and he led the line against Chelsea superbly - he is a player who will be remembered for all the right reasons.

There wasn't a single player in red who had a bad game, Lucas and Gerrard were like midfield ninjas, silently going about their work but their control on the game was immense, Gerrard who has been quiet of late for the wrong reasons really was superb, his movement, his passing, his tackling, he really wanted to win this one. Lucas again is proving to be a valuable asset, 89% pass success against Stoke is one thing but to have the same figure in a game against Chelsea is outstanding and his tackling percentage was in the high 80's aswel. He hasn't proved all his doubters wrong but believe me he should have by now - his role and what he does for the team in that role is what he should be judged on and there can only be one verdict - he is an essential part of the Liverpool first team and will be for years to come.

The substitutions were spot on, swapping attack for defence but even Fabio Aurelio has attacking qualities that can not be ignored, both him and Poulsen slotted in quite nicely and we never lost shape, the work rate was the same. Even Luis Suarez was not needed, Chelsea fielded both of their newly acquired big money players but neither could aid their cause - David Luiz is a quality signing and a much better buy than our former #9 - he is a player i think can make a real impact in England, he does need a hair cut though. The fact is, Suarez was not needed, and that speaks volumes about the level of control that Liverpool had on the game. Had Maxi not hit the bar but instead scored, the second half may have been entirely different, Liverpool may have sat back sooner, Chelsea may have attacked with more purpose, we simply can not know, but for me in hindsight i think that Maxi missing was something of a blessing in disguise, although had the game finished 0-0 i might be saying something a little different!

Not interested in hand ball's or penalty shouts. When a player has his hands by his side and has the ball blasted at him from 4 yards and the ball strikes a hand it is not hand ball - don't be ridiculous. As for Johnson's shove?? It's only what John Terry does 4/5 times a game with no punishment.....

Sky's initial report straight after the game stated that Liverpool snatched victory, quite how they come by this finding is unknown, there was no snatch, no smash and grab, only a deserved victory. People have pointed to Chelsea's superior shot tally, yet they only had one on target, but that is apparently a measure of how superior they were. Had it in fact been Liverpool who had lost the game with a superior shot tally but inferior shots on target tally we would have been hung out to dry for not taking our chances and converting possession into goals. We finished the game with more shots on target than Chelsea despite having less than half the shots on goal that they did, i would say we clearly took our chances when they came and reaped the rewards too.

The signs of improvement under Kenny Dalglish are undoubted, in fact a top 4 finish which was so remote before the New Year is now entirely possible, not to get carried away of course, a lot can happen, but it is no longer impossible. As for Kenny as a permanent manager?? Why not, he is doing a fantastic job and it is once again a joy to watch Liverpool play, and there are smiles all round, he has earned it.

Not to put a downer on the victory but beating Chelsea was the easy part, funny logic i know but it is true. What we do now is of paramount importance, we must beat Wigan and we must beat West Ham. Last time we played Chelsea we beat them, we then slumped in the games following on from this taking only 4 points from a possible 12, one of those games was a draw with Wigan. Winning the next two games would be a massive thing for the club, 6 straight league victories, it would be great if it was also 6 straight clean sheets too. The third game??? Liverpool v Manchester United. Going into that game on the back of such a run would be brilliant and the famous old stadium will be rocking, the noise deafening, i can't wait.

Oh and as for Mr. Torres suggesting that Liverpool did not deserve to win, why is that exactly? Oh right, that's it yeah, because Chelsea are the bigger club as you said earlier in the week - you will come to learn the truth in time Fernando, you said there was nothing higher than Chelsea - that's because the way back up to Liverpool is closed for you mate. And as for our formation and set up which took Chelsea by surprise, if you had actually bothered to check up on your opponents and not so obviously consider yourselves favourites for victory you would have seen the formation was also used against Stoke in mid-week.

Kenny's red machine charges on, as do the length of these posts by the looks of it!

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Friday 4 February 2011

From Stoke To Chelsea


So after a week off which also included a frantic final 3 days in the transfer window it was back to concentrating on the football.

Before Kick off record signing Andy Carroll was paraded before the Anfield faithful to a chorus of applause and i do not doubt for a second that he wished he could be part of the game. How his Liverpool career will turn out no one really knows but since coming in he has done, and said all the right things so there is certainly a lot of promise with regards to him; and he can play a bit too! Looking forward to seeing what he can do for us already.

Arguably the most exciting of our new boys, Luis Suarez was always likely to play some part in the game, many had hoped for a full 90mins but the approach that was opted for in the game was probably best considering he has not played since the start of December. More on him a little later.

Stoke are well known for their style of play - dull, uneventful, physical with an emphasis on set pieces, in particular - long throw ins (they take far too long to take throws). That is their 'style' and if it works for them and their supporters enjoy it (as if) then that's that - definitely not every ones cup of tea.

Over the last 6-12 months it has been my view that teams no longer really come to Anfield for a draw, unlike in the seasons following on from Istanbul right up to 2009, most teams seem to be coming to Anfield with a view to taking the 3 points and have been determined to do so. Over the last few weeks however there has been a shift in this - alright it may only be Fulham and Stoke - but both teams have come for a draw. The Reds did not play anywhere near their best against Fulham and invited pressure on leading into a nervy finish, but Fulham never really took the game to us, after the goal their game plan was largely unchanged and it looked as though we would be the architects of our own downfall in the game, thankfully this did not happen - unlike many times in the past. Stoke never really looked a threat, before the game, confidence high many including myself predicted a comfortably victory, but when sense took hold and after considering the opposition and their 'style' of play, the game looked a far trickier prospect. The game however panned out as many had predicted before play.

To combat Stokes physical approach to the game and their love of getting men in the box for throw ins from the half way line, Liverpool lined up with 3 centre backs in Soto, Skrtel and Agger, 3 quite different players, a Greek beast, a Ball carrying Dane and a Slovakian in transition - the move paid off. We had an extra attacking threat from corners and enough cover to allow Agger to go on one of his little runs which is how we got the free kick leading up to the first goal. Stoke according to some where very 'organised' if you call  no more than 10yards between the back four and the front man with everyone else squeezed in between 'organised' then i guess they where. There was a lack of ambition from Stoke, long balls through to Carew would be the norm for the whole game and even then it wasn't very effective, they packed the middle, closed down in a bid to cut out any passing moves and generally concentrated on defending rather than attacking.

The first half passed without much incident the highlight being Suarez running down the touch line to warm up prompting most the Liverpool fans to look and applaud and completely miss a great chance down the other end of the pitch, Begovic, it has to be said he made some fine saves and probably kept the scoreline respectable for the visitors. What was clear though was that towards the end of the first half, Liverpool were starting to wear their opponents down and a breakthrough looked on the cards but half time came.

The return of Lucas to the midfield was a big boost, after the Fulham game many people said that he was missed, during the game i heard the same line and it is true there was definitely a big Lucas sized hole in midfield - but not against Stoke. The lad has had much criticism from the vast majority although, personally i have been trying in vain to point out to people that he actually does a job for us that goes largely unnoticed but now when he misses a game - the loss is noted. Many will still not agree and be quick to jump on him but off the top of my head i seem to recall that last season he was in the top 3 passers and tacklers in the Premier League with amongst the highest success rate as well - against Stoke, again not too sure but was it 89% success rate on passes?? So 89% of the time he finds a team mate, 11% he doesn't, and I'm sure the success rate is well above average in most games he plays in - he is turning out to be a nuisance to the opposition and is proving more and more of his doubters wrong with every game - AND he always seems to raise his game for the big occasions ESPECIALLY ManUtd - remember the 1-4 at OT some still rather bizarrely talk of how ALONSO bossed the middle in that game - despite the fact he was not playing.

Second half and that breakthrough that was on the cards at the end of the first half did not take long to materialise. Daniel Agger on one of those runs that he does, always forwards, always roving and to think Roy Hodgson considered this to be a bad point to his game HA! The fact we had 3 centre backs to rely on really just invited him to go for a run more often, he did, was brought down and won the free kick that would lead to a goal. Ball fizzed in at goal by Gerrard, falls to Soto who isn't really expecting it, let's it run free so that Meireles can launch a rocket at goal that was never going to be saved. Possibly a bit of luck involved but the more promising thing was how many red men where in the box and how quickly they reacted when the ball was delivered. Raul Meireles, Mr player of the month, simply can not stop scoring right now, and long may it continue, very creative, doesn't always get it right but always gets on with it and when he does get it right - top class!

So Stoke make a few changes, more attacking changes, does it change the game? No not really, still quite an uninspiring performance from a team who brushed us aside with relative ease before Christmas. After the game when quizzed on this and the earlier game, Tony Pulis actually suggested that it was down to the crowd having influenced his players and then went on to say that the crowd at the Britannia drum up a more ferocious atmosphere than the Anfield faithful - well Tony, surely if that is the case (which it is not) then your players should be able to handle the Anfield atmosphere with relative ease, seen as how they are used to playing and 'performing' in a much more 'ferocious' atmosphere. It doesn't take too much to say your team lost because they did not compete - they where beaten by the better team!

Then we all got what we wanted, on he came, the £23m man, our new number 7, Luis Suarez. Many acknowledged his call back to the dug out, there was a slight cheer, then a more thunderous cheer when it was clear to all he was preparing to come on, but that was nothing compared to what would greet his arrival and little did he know that it was soon to get a lot louder.

Considering he had not played since the start of December he looked sharp, his first involved was to be on the receiving end of a rather strong but fair challenge - welcome to England Luis. But it did not take long for him to find his feet in the game, he was certainly helped in this by Stokes lack of ambition. His touches were good, his link up with Kuyt surprisingly good considering they had not even trained together, a few nice passes, a couple of decent runs, tracking back and helping out in the middle, a cheeky back heel in the box - all greeted with applause, he was certainly backing up his statement about working hard for the team. But we all desperately wanted more.

Stoke have a high line, ball falls to Kuyt and already Suarez has peeled away, his reaction instant, the ball through from Kuyt is a good one and Suarez has expertly played the offside trap before the Stoke defenders even know he's there. On he went, out comes the keeper and at that point there was only ever one thing Suarez was going to do, round he goes, Begovic is stranded, the goal is gaping, and Suarez, well, he must have been brickin it really, i think we all would have in his position, he had done the hard part and suddenly putting the ball in the net did not seem so easy, it would have been easy for him to succumb to the pressure of the moment, his strike on goal was not as strong as it perhaps would have been on any other day, he wanted to score, we wanted him to score, the defender sliding in could only tip the ball onto the post and in and Anfield erupted.

Was it his? Well as far as we are told, it can only be an own goal if the ball is going out before an opponent diverts it into the goal, Suarez' strike was certainly goal bound, whether or not the fact that the defender knocked the ball against the post and in makes any difference i do not know - time will tell. But surely the dubious goals panel will let him have it, especially in the circumstances, after all it was hardly the most clear cut of own goals and it was definitely already going in.

On the night it was not an amazing performance but i think if anyone is going to apply the word 'composed' or indeed 'organised' to either side then surely they must apply it to Liverpool. Not a natural formation, not one we are used to any way, adapted well to combat the opposition to great effect and 3 points well deserved. And importantly, a clean sheet, 3 in a row now for the reds and lets hope that run continues. Pepe Reina is in fine form and his outstanding reflex save towards the end of the game outlines what a great goalkeeper he is - in my opinion; the best.

Ok so moving on, Sunday, Chelsea an it is all change, Torres swaps red for blue, Suarez will surely start, and no Andy Gray to preach to his misinformed and biased opinions - now who would have predicted that a few weeks ago. Lets just hope Sky have rat traps round the studios and commentary boxes because Ratboy is hardly unbiased, i think the only person he doesn't hate is Fergie, and he is not someone anybody besides manure fans want to see on the TV every weekend.

Chelsea v Liverpool, over the last 5/6 years this fixture has become a bit of a tasty one, slightly cooled in terms of the meaning of the game but there is certainly increased animosity between both clubs in this fixture has become a bit of a tasty one, slightly cooled in terms of the meaning of the game but there is certainly increased animosity between both clubs and their supporters which will only have increased given recent developments. Kenny Dalglish's team talk has probably already been done for him, Torres suggests that he has moved up in his career, Chelsea are the bigger club and after them there is nothing higher - that last statement isn't even true about English football let alone the wider European Arena and i suspect there will be an instruction of some sorts to go out their and show him who the bigger club us, not that it needs reaffirming to the men in red but it would certainly infuriate the Chelsea faithless.

This will not be an easy game, and it is not about Torres, the Chelsea 'fans' will try to make it that and i suspect the TV will too but it is about 3 points for us. We are currently 4 wins off the top 4 and should we beat Chelsea that would drop to 3 wins with the best part of 4 months left to play, Champions League football next season is certainly a possibility just as a lack of it is certainly a possibility for BOTH teams. Chelsea are fragile, since we beat them they have endured a torrid time, they have slipped down the table, they have turned in poor performance after poor performance, there are echoes of our own fall in 2009/2010 about them, it is hard to stop the fall, Abramovich has thrown money at the problem, soon that wont be as easy as it sounds, the team is ageing, they do have some top class players but they are lacking in spirit, they can be beaten, this is not the Chelsea who a few years ago would have easily brushed us aside in our current state. They are a team who came to us earlier in the season at the top, while we struggled at the bottom, but we beat them and we can do it again.

We need to believe we can beat them, we can play our game, we can get goals, they will think that the game is theirs, ignore the media crap that regularly comes from the likes of Terry and Lampard, they will go into the game thinking they will win and win comfortably, they will not go into the game thinking that we could win or that they are better, in fact i believe they will try and try and try to get Torres in on goal, if he does play he will certainly be their main focus in attack, they will want him to score desperately because of the potential psychological affect and because of the affect it would have on their own dull, plastic flag waving commuters.

We can win.

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Wednesday 2 February 2011

LFC TRANSFERS

The January transfer window is quite often a quiet affair for many clubs, including Liverpool. But that seems to have changed slightly!

So i want to just talk about the transfer window and some of the things that have stood out for me over the last few days really because lets face it, it was more like a 3-day transfer period than a month long window wasn't it.

Paul Konchesky - this will be brief. Why he was signed will baffle us for some time. When Hodgson arrived we had Insua and Aurelio, not the best Left backs in the world, but competent ones who knew the club, the players and the role they had to play. Hodgson decided though, in his infinite wisdom to loan one out and release the other, then the loan was off, then it was on again, then the player he released was resigned - was all a bit of an embarrassing joke really, oh and then we signed Konchesky. An average player at best, he never fit in, he never adapted to the team, he was never taken to the hearts of the supporters. Now it isn't like we didn't give him a chance, we did, it just wasn't working out and his mother did not help, towards the end even his old pal Roy wouldn't pick him and once he was gone the writing was on the wall for Paul - he won't be missed.

Another departure from the first team squad was that of Ryan Babel - something of a human enigma. He had the potential, he had the skill and he had plenty of faith placed in him, what he seemingly lacked however was the application. Every now and then he would produce a moment of brilliance which would stir up the question - why can't he do that all the time?? Only the player himself will know that for sure - but let's face it he went out on a high...
He also left with some dignity, after he was released from 'Twitter Jail' - don't ask - he had plenty of kind words for the club and the supporters which he had left behind, declaring us the best supporters out there, stating that he wishes us every luck for the future and that we get back to the top where we belong. And all this came from a player who was never really fully taken to by the supporters, we wanted it to work with him, but in the end it just wasn't and the move will do him good. His words though have ensured that should ever return to Anfield as an opponent he will receive a warm welcome from all - thanks Ryan.

The story of the outgoing players was only ever going to end with one man - Fernando Torres - the man who had it all and threw it away, the man who had one foot through the doorway to becoming a legend, the man who will now only ever be remembered primarily for what he did TO the club rather than what he did FOR the club. He has left in search of glory but at Chelsea the writing is already on the wall, ageing team, performances are poor, they are falling away and there are echoes of our own descent in 2009/2010 about them - at Chelsea i suspect he will not find the glory he craves. I wont say too much about him, i have done it already, if you want to read what i have to say on it then the post is called The Heartbreak Kid and you can select it from the column on the right. No kind words for us from him, makes the situation worse, no dignity, he left with his reputation in tatters, and right now, he is walking alone.

One thing i will say is aimed at those who took it upon themselves to burn the Liverpool shirts. Regardless of the name on the back of the shirt it should not happen. There is nothing more important than the badge on the front. Over the weekend and through to deadline day many people said that the club was bigger than any individual - a statement of fact - those who burned shirts for the cameras made a mockery of that statement and have insulted the club to the highest level. Look on the front of the shirt, there is a badge, a badge that symbolises where we are from, who we are, the values we hold, the anthem that unites us and on either side of all of this there are two flames to symbolise and remember those who we lost - regardless of the name on the back, the badge on the front is the most important thing and should not be disrespected.

One man who also suffered a little bit was Luis Suarez, his arrival overshadowed by the betrayal of a player who he had hoped to partner.

Luis Suarez, Liverpool's Number 7!!!

                                                   

I can't wait to see Luis pull on the famous red shirt and show us his best, he wants to be here, he is excited to be here and he is the kind of committed player that we need. On his website he left a message for his fans, thanking Ajax and their supporters for standing by him and for the help an support that they had given him and he wished them the best for the future - class. He then stated how happy he was to be at Liverpool, and how he looks forward to winning things and giving his best for the club, he has given a real masterclass in how to leave a club in a dignified and respectful manner, unlike someone else. His goal scoring record is superb and i don't think the will have any problems settling in and i think he could be in line for a debut goal, if he gets his chance I'm sure he will take it. Welcome to Liverpool Luis Suarez!

Next to join us was Andy Carroll our new number 9!!
                                                

Again, a player who wants to be here, a player who has thanked his former supporters - OK so he has been in a little bit of a spat with his former employers but anyone who thinks that Mike Ashley was ever going to say anything but yes to £35m is deluded. He says he is happy to be here and looks forward to showing his best. It would be so easy for a player so young as him to be cocky  about a £35m move, but he hasn't, he has maintained that it is his focus to get fit and ready to help the team, to play his part and to show everyone that he is worth it - he wants to earn that value. In my opinion i do not think he is worth the fee of £35m, his is a good young talent, but he is not proven at the very highest level, he has been great for Newcastle this season, but he does represent something of a gamble, one that i think will pay off though, after all what he could do for us over the next 5 and a half years could well be worth the £35m and more besides.Welcome to Liverpool Andy!!

Gonna finish addressing something that has bothered me a little bit, and that is the suggestion that our new owners NESV or FSG whichever but i prefer NESV are anything but committed to the club and are unwilling to put money into the club for transfers. RIDICULOUS.

People have pointed out that we have actually made a profit from the transfer window and that they have contributed nothing in terms of funds. But that argument is dead before it even gets going. The plan was never to sell in this window, the plan was to strengthen. Suarez was signed to complement Torres not to replace him, the plan was to bring Suarez in and that plan cost £22.8m, a fee that was agreed BEFORE the Torres saga erupted. Once it was clear that he was going to be leaving us the priority was a replacement and also to get the right price, we dug in, we demanded £50m in cold hard cash, no part exchange, no add ons, we wanted our fee, our valuation and their money. A replacement was needed though, and we had to act fast. Our new owners are committed to bringing in good young talent to build for the future success of the club, Andy Carroll represents this desire, we may well have had to pay over the odds but we had no choice given the circumstances - we risked being left with only one top striker, unproven and ineligible for Europe, now we have two top strikers who want to be here and one who CAN play in Europe which can only be a good thing for us.

It was never their intention to sell Torres, or to make a profit from the transfer window, but that is what has happened as a result of circumstance, and if we have made a profit this window then surely we have more to spend in the summer window which is only a good thing. Had we only brought in Suarez we would have a spending outlay of about £16/17m after taking into account the fee for Babel, no profit. It would have been easy for them to take the £50m for Torres and keep it, use it elsewhere, save it for summer, but they didn't do that, it went straight back into the playing squad.

Under Hicks and Gillet that money would have gone on interest payments, we would not have bought Suarez and we would probably by now be on the verge of administration or worse. There owners are committed, and I'm sure they will back us in the summer with more money for more players, the fact that we have made a profit this window means that there is more money to go round in the summer - not guaranteed but all the noise coming from the club AND Kenny Dalglish is that this is what will happen - expect a busy summer reds!!

Feedback is great so please leave some! check out the other posts (some are quite good) and you can keep up with them, me and more HERE.

take care folks!

ash

LFC January Review


Played : 6
Won :    3
Drew :   1
Lost :     2
Goals:    10
Against:  8
Position: 7th

What a month, none stop drama really wasn't it??

We went into the month on such a down, we had a manager we did not want, a team that was under performing and a transfer window that looked like being completely uneventful.

Allot has been said on this so i will try to keep this part brief. Roy Hodgson was not right for Liverpool, i don't think it was ever really likely to work out with him, we were going backwards, an fast, our away record had become unbearable, our performances unwatchable, his press conferences were torture - this man had been brought in to work on a nothing budget and to steady the ship but instead he was taking us down faster than the Titanic.

The players looked uninspired, they seemed to have no faith in themselves let alone their manager and the supporters had now turned against the manager - something had to be done.

And in stepped the King himself, returning to the club he loved and the club which idolises him. I do not think that the boys from NESV had any idea just how much of an impact his return would have but on the whole the return of Kenny Dalglish has saw a return to form, a return the old Liverpool way, a return to pass and move, a return to optimism and a resurgence in faith. The team looks a million miles away from the one which he inherited and not much has changed.

He came in determined, he proclaimed that it would take time and that he was happy to work with what he had and maintained that the squad of players that he inherited where capable of achieving success, and when you consider that he only brought in two players and one of those due to an unforeseen loss - he meant what he said.

Performances have improved, from the very dire (Blackburn) to the very brilliant (Wolves), allot has changed. For starters our tally of 10 points is our biggest points total for a month this season. The 10 goals we scored in January is the most goals we have managed in a month this season. Those figures are for league games only, but it is safe to say that January has been our best month this season and gives us a great platform to build on in February.

Stand out performers for January? Well there have been a few, Martin Kelly, undoubtedly deserves a top mention here, thrust into the team against ManUtd and he has played every game since, his performances have been composed, the way he has attacked down the wing and never given up has been commendable and he looks like a real asset to the club going forward and it will take some doing to knock him out of the starting 11. I think though, for me, January's star man has to be Raul Meireles. He has really come into his own this month under Dalglish and his goal against Wolves will take some beating and i suspect will be one of the goals of the season in the league and probably our outright goal of the season. His creativity gets more threatening by the day, his passing more accurate, he wants to be involved, everything is going through him now, he seems to be the hub of our attack feeding the others allowing them to find space, i think he will take his form into February and will continue to take the praise he deserves.

Another player who has surprised many this month is Christian Poulsen. A few weeks ago i maintained that i thought he was a good player, or rather to be more accurate i said he wasn't a bad player, and i said that i felt that he was just not suited to the English game. Kenny Dalglish thought has done something that many people would have thought impossible 4/5 weeks ago - he has been getting a good, composed and effective 60/70 mins out of Poulsen. His passing and movement against Wolves was up there with the best, the way he threaded the ball through to Meireles for the first, expertly placed and weighted with perfect vision, his physical display against Fulham was something i have never seen from him before - watch closely though, he is a bit naughty in his challenges especially when challenging in the air, he doesn't exactly have his eye on the ball, gets away with it though an it's good to watch!

Gerrard has looked short of form recently, he's missed three games through suspension but both before and after he didn't look anywhere near his best and that is something that he will have to address, but I'm sure he will.

The transfer window has just closed and at first it looked like it was going to be largely uneventful, but then it exploded into life in the final 3 days, we lost Ryan Babel - good potential but never delivered and i suspect he wont be missed by the masses but he left with his head high....

We also saw Paul Konchesky leave us on loan, good for him, good for us, less said about that the better. And of course we all suffered the betrayal of Fernando Torres - what he did for us will never be forgotten, but what he did to us will never be forgotten either and more importantly never be forgiven.

We say hello to two new faces who actually want to be here, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, our new number 7 and our new number 9, and I'm sure that you are all looking forward to seeing the best of them because i know i am!

That's it really, hopefully next month will be a better one than this month!

Feedback is as always appreciated and you can keep up with me and this blog HERE.

The Heartbreak Kid

Fernando Torres has left Liverpool Football Club. If you had said a month ago that Torres would not be a Liverpool player come February 1st most people would have laughed. After all, why should we believe such a statement? A statement about a player who had on numerous occasions declared his love for the city, the club and it's supporters, a player who had declared his commitment to the cause, and who would do so once again in January.

That commitment, the words used, all are very hollow now, hollow and meaningless.

The question on the lips of every Liverpool supporter is why? Why has he done this now, why did he declare his loyalty, why did he disrespect the club and the fans, why Chelsea?

His timing is poor, his choice of club poorer.

Fernando Torres wants to win trophies, all players do.

We all knew he wanted to leave, he hadn't quite said it, but we knew, and to be honest, none of us blamed him. The club is not the club he joined, fresh from a second Champions League Final in 3 years, the club that had such high hopes, the club that, with his help took the title race to the wire in 2009 - and since then it has been a rapid fall from the top. He has been away and conquered Europe and the World with Spain, he has seen the trophy cabinets of his countrymen expand year by year - he left Atletico for glory which he could not get and now he has done the same to Liverpool.

It could all have been so different though.

Had he handed in his request at the start of the month it would almost certainly be down to Roy Hodgson, there would have been ill feeling towards the request but the failing Liverpool manager would have taken the flak and Torres may have left Anfield with a bit more dignity. Although, following on from the appointment of Kenny Dalglish - could that have been the decision that could have persuaded him to stay? Who knows, but given how things actually turned out, i would have to say no.

I think it is something of an insult to Kenny himself that Torres did what he did, under Roy Hodgson, Torres was a shadow of himself, under performing, taking criticism left right and centre. Under Dalglish he looked like a totally different player, he had his belief and confidence back, he was getting back to his best and that was all down to Kenny Dalglish, the team entering February is miles different from the team that started January, and not much has changed, 3 players out, 2 players in.

Handing in the transfer request was an insult to Kenny Dalglish and the faith and support he had given Fernando.

Handing in the transfer request was an insult to his team mates who had always stood by an supported him.

Handing in the transfer request was an insult to every Liverpool supporter young and old across the world.

He has moved to Chelsea in search of glory.

He has swapped the passion, desire and support of the Kop for the Shed.

Flags and banners made with pride, scarves held high in support of the team, he has given this up for plastic flags and throw away scarves left on seats to try and drum up an atmosphere in a stadium that has none.

He has left a team building for the future to join a team whose star players will soon be retired to the studio.
Had he waited til the summer and still wanted to go, he could have had his pick of any club in Europe, had he kept his to his word an not signed for another English team he would have left Anfield with his head high, with the good wishes of the supporters and a thank you from everyone, he would have been remembered fondly, celebrated upon his return, it would not have been an easy loss but it would have been an acceptable one.

But Fernando Torres has left in disgrace, his reputation in tatters. He will not receive a fond welcome upon his return to Anfield, and i think, when he does return, and feels the full fury of the Liverpool faithful it will hurt him inside, he will step out onto the pitch with memories of good times stirring in his mind, those memories may even bring a smile to his face for years to come, but there will be no heroes welcome.

He will realise his mistake in time, his first interview for his new club was dull and uneventful, he looked like a lost child - or a man who was beginning to realise exactly what he had done.

There where no fond words for the club he left or the supporters who had adored him from day one. He said he did not want to talk about Liverpool and would never say anything bad about us. But in his haste to impress his new audience he declared that he had always wanted to play for a top club and is happy that he can do that now, he stated that after Chelsea there is nothing higher, and it was 'like destiny' for him to score against us on Sunday - all words which will have cut deep into the Liverpool supporters, the club and his former team mates.

It is true though Fernando, there is nothing higher for you than Chelsea, the reason??

The way back up to Liverpool is now permanently shut to you.

Chelsea are going backwards and we are likely to pass them on our way up. They are by no means guaranteed a Champions League place next season, and with a few wins under our belts then we can put ourselves in a great position to challenge Chelsea for fourth spot. Fernando will be well used to fighting for fourth by now and with the way Chelsea are going - he will need to be.

What Fernando Torres did for Liverpool will never be forgotten, years down the line when the dust has settled, the goals he scored may actually be enjoyed, never as they once where but they will bring up happy memories, and i don't think we can ever really forget the way he terrorised Vidic, like i said, in the long run what he did for us wont be forgotten.

But what he did to us will always overshadow everything he ever did for us.

After years of lies and deceit at the hands of two American cowboys Fernando took it upon him self to tell some more lies to the Liverpool supporters - he told us he was committed, that he would not leave and that we should get behind him and the team - Nando you should really have known better.

On the whole he will forever be remembered for the wrong reasons.

The flame of a potential Liverpool legend burned out on Monday night and there is no going back.