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.

Thanks guys, feedback would be great too!

more HERE

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.

Fulham, Stoke and Transfers

Ok, so it wasn't the greatest performance that we are likely to see from the reds, but lets face it, in our current situation we'll take the three points how ever they come. Also, too many times in the past we have seen Liverpool cave in to pressure in the final 10mins of games and drop points as a result, Wednesday is a step in the right direction, it may have been a laboured performance, it may have been sloppy at times, and we may have invited pressure on too much, but, we still left with three points. Now I'm sure the players are in agreement with the supporters that we would all love to avoid situations like what we found ourselves in for the final 10mins against Fulham in future games, but it is reassuring to know that we are actually capable of holding out.

Fulham never really came to do any real damage, looking at the way they set up, and the way they went about the game, their plan was all about frustration. They closed down and tried to restrict the passing movement that Liverpool had expertly displayed against Wolves, they had plenty behind the ball, and played quite deep at times always looking to play on the break, which, when you consider that Liverpool had a 5 man midfield, was something of a strange way to play. And for the first 10mins at least, it looked like we where going to run riot, we started brightly, we retained the ball well, passing was excellent, the goal was coming.

And where is Sian Massey when you need her?? Fernando Torres incorrectly ruled offside, in pretty much the same position between the defenders as Meireles was at Wolves. The finish was calm and composed and just what we needed. Had the goal stood, the game would have taken a different turn, Fulham would have to have played with more purpose, open up a bit more, and with energy levels running high more goals would have come. Instead the first half seemed to pass without incident. The second more of the same.

The own goal was brilliant, a chip and then a complete miss kick, nice to see a bit of luck go our way for a change. The game then dragged on to the point where we found ourselves under increasing pressure for no reason at all, too much haste in the play, sitting back too deep, inviting Fulham forwards, but Fulham never really looked like making the push on their own, even after the goal, their game never changed, we where contributing to our own downfall yet again and the final whistle couldn't come soon enough.

The reason i suspect is down to tiredness, early on the players looked bright and energetic, but from the hour mark onwards, many players looked like they where running on empty. And there was definitely a big Lucas sized hole in midfield, say what you will, but for the last 18months he has been a very dependable and often unsung performer in the middle, and he was missed. Poulsen again, as he did against Wolves, played well, he looks a different player than the one we saw before New Year, doesn't quite have it there for a full game, but he was physical, passing was good, link up was good, still not world class, but he did a good job.

I have to say though, Steven Gerrard had no effect on the game whatsoever, too often was he playing too deep, dropping back to collect the ball to take it up, and more often than not the ball played went backwards or sideways, others did this at times, but for a player who was chomping at the bit to get going, he didn't even get started. Match fitness doesn't come into it either, he has trained everyday with the team and a comeback game against a Fulham side with little ambition to do anything other than get a point was just what he needed. Hopefully he will rediscover his form in the coming weeks like so many of his team mates have.

Johnson for once did quite well at left back, the main problem with him in this position though is that nine times out of ten he has to turn back onto his right to get the cross in, this makes it too easy for defenders to force him to use the left, which isn't going to be of much use most of the time. Have to say though, Dani Pacheco must be wondering what he has to do to get a game, great summer with Spain at the under 19 championships, golden boot winner, a real hot prospect, if he's lucky he gets to sit on the bench - give him a go!

We may have been fortunate to come away with a victory but at least it saved us from bemoaning another poor decision from the officials, both linesman had a poor game as did the referee to be fair.

Stoke up next, and lets face it, not an easy team to play against. Interestingly, they lost their last game to Fulham and play Wolves at the weekend, so by the time the game comes around they could have lost back to back games against the teams that we recorded back to back victories against. So it is promising, and with the reds playing better football, confidence up i think we are very good for the three points. Stokes only real threat is those silly throw-ins that take about 90seconds to complete, stop them, stop the threat, maybe throw the Greek in to rough it up a bit. Next Wednesday is a perfect opportunity for us to start February off as we mean to go on, and make up for the disappointing 2-0 defeat from earlier in the season. These are the games LFC should be winning - no doubts.

Transfer time! Bid rejected for Charlie Adam?? Get in, made up, over the moon, decent player he may be, in good form, yes he is, but, he is not what Liverpool need. We have plenty of depth in midfield, Poulsen, Lucas, Gerrard, Meireles, Shelvey and if needed Pacheco can play through the middle albeit slightly advanced. Adam is worth at the very most, very very most, £6m. £4m is a fair price for player who cost Blackpool just £500k, and he is not a priority for Liverpool at this time, and he is by no means worth upwards of £10m, the thought is ridiculous. Buying him would be a waste of money, currently we already play with 3 central midfielders, can't see how signing another would help, especially not with other potential signings having the ability to alter the formation.....

And that brings us to Luis Suarez, the biter, the cat between the posts, an he scores some decent goals too. His arrival is not nailed on certain, but quite likely, and in the event that it does go through, you would have to say that the formation is also likely to change, with him off Torres, a midfielder will have to make way, presumably one of the middle 3, and that's a hard pick to make, on performances alone though, i have to say Lucas and Meireles deserve their places. Reports suggest 20m euros offer rejected, Ajax want 25m euros apparently, middle ground then, 22.5m euros should close the deal on that one, if the reports are true, the player himself certainly wants to come, especially to play alongside Torres....

Speaking of the #9, Chelsea bid £35m, but then again don't they do this every window?? has it ever worked? We always have something that they want, sadly for them though, they'll never have Torres, or Gerrard, or 5 European Cups, or 18 League Titles, or Anfield and its atmosphere, Mr Abramovich probably wakes up hot an sweaty in the middle of the night wondering why he bothered with Chelsea in the first place when he could so easily have bought the club he so wishes to emulate. As for reports that Torres has held talks with Kenny Dalglish about his future, that is I'm afraid, old news, that was weeks ago, remember, it was after those talks that he came out and expressed his desire to stay with Liverpool and honour his contract, how long ago was that? errrrr little over 3 weeks.

The fact that the media are reporting it now as if its new is just a poor attempt to elevate the story further, to sell more papers, get more web hits, as far as i see it, Chelsea made an offer of £35m, when asked, Liverpool responded by saying NO even posting on LFC.tv that the player was not for sale. That's it, there is nothing else, direct quotes there, Chelsea acknowledge bid, Liverpool acknowledge turning it down further adding that he isn't for sale. The media then add that he has had talks about his future, yep, covered that, weeks ago, and that he is begging Liverpool to negotiate with Chelsea, begging?? of course he is, that's why the stories use direct quotes from the player and his representatives and LFC, oh wait a second, they DON'T. Don't believe everything that you read in the comics, or the pro Manure/Chelski media.

Nando has more respect for the club and it's supporters than people give him credit for, would not surprise in the slightest if stories to the contrary are being spoon fed to the media by Chelsea, really wouldn't surprise me.

Right thats me done now, as always feedback is much appreciated - it really is, you can follow me on Twitter HERE please feel free to retweet this post, followbacks for those who do!

Oh an if the woman with the Vuvuzela, KOP 305 Wednesday v Fulham, do me a favour love....leave it at home next time.

Dancing Past Wolves

The transformation of Liverpool Football Club under Kenny Dalglish has been nothing short of amazing.
Barely a month ago, Liverpool succumbed to a rather lifeless and embarrassing defeat to Wolves at Anfield, and lets not make any suggestions of it being 'just an off night', i was present, Wolves did little more than they did on Saturday, and yet where able to walk away with 3 points. That pretty much sums up how poor Liverpool were on that cold December night.

But one month on, and watching Liverpool play is a joy to behold.

Pass and move he said, pass - and - move, its the Liverpool way. Yet many in the media, the so called experts where quick to voice concerns over Kenny Dalglish's ability to instill this into the team and remarked that things had changed since the King's playing and managerial days at Anfield, with the underlying message seeming to be that his old philosophy would not work. Hope they where watching Sunday! Pass and move is, as has been said many times before, the 'fabric' of the game, why should this notion be any different to Liverpool FC. Ok so we have been used to slow build up from the back, passing backwards and sideways then back again just to move forwards over recent years, but in barely a month that has all changed for the good.

The Liverpool performance against Wolves was not perfect, at times there was a tendency to just sit back a bit, play a few hurried passes/clearances, BUT, it was a very accomplished and complete performance from the reds who where well worth the 3 points and who where by no means flattered by the scoreline. And the third goal sums up how far the team has come this month, 30 passes, yes 30! I'll say 30 because i don't think the ball to Torres could be described as a pass, but whether you say 30 or 31 its still more than the 2 or 3 that club has struggled to put together for some time.

In my last post after the Derby i addressed the negativity and criticism of Raul Meireles, and i said it was all rubbish, even the best make mistakes and i said then that his mistakes where down to being a little more confident than his team mates, many of whom have endured a long and hard 18months at the club, and i said that with everyone up for the fight and singing from the same song sheet, his effectiveness and creativity would gain him universal praise, rather than criticism. Told you so! He was immense in midfield, a real general leading by example and i think it will continue for some time, arguably our best buy for a considerable amount of time.

Fernando Torres looks like the fresh faced menace that terrorised the Premier League from 2007-2009 and that is down to the belief and confidence that Kenny Dalglish has given him, 3 goals in 4 games under the King and long may it continue. But it is the whole team, the much criticised Poulsen gave a good performance, Reina as always was superb and Martin Kelly looks in no danger of losing his starting place any time soon. This post would be a mile long if i had to praise each player for their contribution individually, so i'll have to just have to leave it there with some selected highlights! But it was a team performance and the team was superb.

So much has changed in the team this month and as its transfer window time it wouldn't be fair to ignore the possibilities. Charlie Adam is a decent midfielder, and £4m is fair price for his services considering Blackpool played £500k for his services, but LFC have alot of midfielders and this area of the team is not a priority, and with Keisuke Honda also being linked with a move to LFC for around £10m it comes down to a choice really and also money i suppose, but out of the two i would rather have Honda than Adam, and any suggestion from Holloway that it would take a two figure sum to land Adam is delusional, i cant see any team willing to pay more than £6m and the hard line stance of the manager will probably mean that Adam will go nowhere.

Luis Suarez, please please please! The way Liverpool are playing under Dalglish will suit Suarez down to the ground and i think he would really compliment the reds newly discovered style of play. It is a long time since a potential signing captured the imagination of the LFC fan base and i really hope that the deal goes through, it would be a crime to miss out on him.

The way LFC and NESV have operated in this transfer is refreshing, we are no longer being bullied over price and if the reports are true it is LFC that are doing all the bullying, i think it will be a long time before we are bullied into paying over the odds for a player. Consider Adam, i don't think the club will pay the two figure sum that Blackpool want, but in times gone by the club might have folded and just paid whatever the other club wanted. I also think contract terms and wages etc will now be more strict under the new ownership which will only help the club in moving forwards, we'll get real value for the money we pay.

I hope the last stretch of the window goes favourably for the reds and i look forwards with excitement to the future ahead.

The team are playing well, they were superb against Wolves and the future looks good, a first win under the King, Fulham to come, hopefully another 3 points too, but a performance like Saturday will go a long way to making those 3 points a reality!

As always feedback is appreciated and you can follow me on Twitter Follow ME. Shout outs for retweets!

Take care folks!

Reds On Track

Just over a week since Kenny Dalglish returned to Liverpool Football club, a week?? seems a lot longer than that to me.

And the main reason for that is probably the rapid transformation of the club in such a short space of time. The game against Blackburn, a game that saw an awful performance from the reds in every area, a game which ultimately proved to be the final nail in Roy Hodgsons coffin, is (at the time of writing) not even 2 weeks old and already much has changed.

The supporters have been well and truely lifted, the affect that Kenny Dalglish has had could not have been achieved by any other living person. There is optimism, belief, unity, and that's just the supporters. The players do not look in any way shape or form like the players who capitulated at Ewood Park, and for so long this season have been below par.

There is a real attacking intent, the players believe that they can do it, the manager knows they can do it and the supporters are right behind them. And it is all down to the King.

Look at Torres, suffered with injuries last season and in the summer, this season he has been fit for a considerable amount of time, more so than he had been at this stage last season, but he looked completely dejected, he had lost his way, showing only flashes of what he's capable of, and those flashes few and far between. Hodgson's line on Nando was that he was lacking confidence, not fully fit, or he simply couldn't explain the reason for his lack of form. Perhaps the reason was the managers lack of ambition, his methods, his team talks, the way he carried himself, the transfer targets that he set himself?? I wouldn't want to play up front with Carlton Cole down the local park never mind at Englands greatest club. In comes Dalglish and Torres immediately moves to dismiss any suggestion of him leaving, he looks sharper against Utd, scored a goal against Blackpool that had been beyond him all season, and ran rings around the Everton defence. He looks sharper, he's running at defenders, he's tracking back and chasing down, he's pressing players when he's off the ball, and this is all in ONE week, only thing that had changed was the manager.

And the same can be said for the whole team, Martin Kelly has been superb and he is well worth his place, the only time i want to see Johnson back at right back is if Kelly is injured or suspended, like i've said before i don't see Johnson as a defender, he should be out on the wing helping with the attacking, his defending lets him down, but he has improved. Heard alot of talk about Meireles not being good enough, makes too many mistakes etc etc. All players make mistakes, he's a very creative player, he is trying to be creative all the time, his confidence is up and he is becoming a real threat to the opposition. Once the entire team is singing from the same song sheet and their understanding of each other in the new style of play we have adopted improves, the mistakes will be fewer and far between. His goal against the bitters was well taken and fully deserved and i know for fact that had we won the game there would have been very little talk of any mistakes he might have made, and any talk that did occur would simply have been washed away in the glory of victory over that lot.

Dalglish has made it quite clear that he intends to give some of the younger players a chance to prove their worth in the first team, with Kelly a success. So in the absence of Steven Gerrard, Jay Spearing was handed a starting place, on the merit that he had a good game for the reserves in midweek. Now i know this will rock the boat a bit with some but i have to say that i'm not a big fan of his. Alot of supporters blindly give him praise purely and simply because he 'a local lad'. Locality has nothing to do with a footballers ability, but the really good players who get into their local sides are pretty much hero worshipped. At the age of 22 he has made a mere 5 first team League appearances, by age 22 i would expect a really good player to have made a few more than that. He's small, not very fast, his passing is on the whole below par, he seems to lack strength yet gives off the impression that he is quite a strong player and his creativity is barely there, what he does have is determination but thats not enough. I've heard many talk of him as the 'Next Gerrard' but the gulf in class between the two is huge, and im comparing a 22yr old Gerrard to a 22yr old Spearing. Gerrard had made over 100 League appearances by the age of 22 and was only a year away from the Liverpool Captaincy and had already played in over 10 internationals and scored 2 goals for his country. There is no comparison, and at times against Everton he didn't look up to the job, he had an OK game but i dont think he has the ability to displace Lucas, Meireles or Gerrard in the middle, there is talk of Van Bommel coming in, and the younger Jonjo Shelvey looks to be a much better midfielder and has already made more League appearances, and has the potential to claim a first team place before he turns 22 in just over 3 years time. Even in the reserve game, Spearing was only OK, Pacheco had a much better game and is probably wondering what he has to do to get a decent shot at the first team, can be used as a striker but looks the part in a central attacking role. And thats the only negativity from me this week.

Against the bitters we where unfortunate, first goal for them should never have happened as it was quite clearly a goal kick, if Dowd wasn't sure all he had to do was ask himself why Kuyt was escorting the ball off the pitch quite casually rather than trying to prevent the corner. Second goal again unlucky, Anichebe leads with the elbow and he like a vast number in the Everton team is, politely, overweight, or just fat. Whilst he doesn't seem to catch Kelly with that elbow the collision was a rough one and the landing even harder. Now maybe i'm wrong with this but im pretty sure that the referee has to stop play for head injuries, now, Kelly takes a knock to the head and then lands awkwardly with his head hitting the floor with some force, Phil Dowd is no doctor and head injuries can be quite severe and need to be dealt with immediately, that is why referee's are instructed to play 'immediately' good thing Kelly was OK. If Dowd does this then no second goal, just bad luck, if he'd have gotten the first one right then this one is slightly forgivable but he still made a mistake.

Luck will come our way, like i said it  might seem like Dalglish has been back aaaages, but its only just over a week and already the signs are positive. Much improvement from the reds, and now its time to push on and at the rate the team is improving i can see us having a fair number of wins to celebrate in the coming weeks.

Talk of LFC getting in 5/6 players in January is a bit wild in my opinion, i would expect money to be spent, but only on 2/3 players. Suarez looks more an more like a done deal by the hour, and reports of loan signings rather than actual money changing hands implies to me that NESV are prepared to stave off the main rebuilding job until the summer, by which point they will or should have, their CEO in place, and have a much more rounded understanding of the game and how thing's work, oh and know who the manager will be next season!

Fans were great at the Derby, as always!!

As always, feedback is appreciated, i've also noticed you can tweet this post by clicking the little 't' on the bar below, shout outs for everyone who does that! And of course you can also follow me on Twtter Follow ME!

Take care Folks,

ash