Are u kidding me?? Of course it's over....

I was devastated.

The lineup was flawed. The hunger and determination was absent. The sense of urgency was nowhere to be seen.

In a game which we must win, Rafa fielded a "second" choice team. Although Alonso was suspended for the game and Gerard ruled out, does it warrant a certain Lucas Leiva from playing especially since he had been committing cardinal sins in the last few games and have not proven to be half a decent brazilian footballer? Basically, he is rubbish/crap/sub-standard/ineffective/can't dribble/can't pass/can't shoot/can't tackle......Can someone pls explain to me why Benitez is still fielding him and yet decide to sell away Robbie Keane even after he scored a couple of great goals?? Granted they play at different positions but most people must agree with me that Lucas should be sold to Everton or Plymouth or some other lesser teams a long time ago. I am very sure even the youngster Plesis is a lot better than Lucas. At least Plesis can tackle and resembles Sissoko in his better days.................Enough of Lucas. The mention of his name makes my blood boil.

Why did Benitez start with Dossena when Aurelio was available? Was he thinking of Estadio Santiago Bernabeu?? I certainly hope not. The priority has to be in the League unless he had secretly conceded that the title challenge was over given the 8 point lead Man-Ure had over us. Even then, Dossena should not have played. He should have been shot/slaughtered and shipped to Africa to feed the lions. He is another rubbish player. Benitez bought him and Philip Degen at the same time and hailed them to be the club's answer for quality left/right backs. Degen started one game for the first team and played horribly. He has spent more time in the treatment room than on the pitch. Dossena? I rest my case.

Why did the subsitutions come so late? We only started playing football in the last 10minutes. Where is the hunger and determination? We didn't seem like we were interested to win. There were too many stray passes and long balls that ended in Iceland. Overall, it was a pain to watch the game.

As much as it saddens me to say this, we have "given" Man United the title. Yes, literally. Sometimes I feel Benitez should just talk less and concentrate more on his team selection. I am losing patience with him. What is this rubbish about him turning down the 5th contract offer on the eve of the crucial game against Man City? How is that ever going to help a team that is fighting for the title? There is a circus going on behind the scenes. If this season turns out to be trophy-less again, the Yanks and the boardroom will have to shoulder a major part of the blame.

I am devastated, angry, disappointed, disillusioned.........period.

Why did Rafa sell Robbie?

I still don't understand why but I've heard many people make the same comment about how Rafa is a control freak. Robbie was playing alright and scored some crucial goals before he was benched for no apparent reason. Given time, I thought he would re-discover his form. What happened in the next few weeks games still puzzled me. Why did Rafa drop him and not even name him for the Everton game? I read many articles about the ensuing dispute between Rafa and Rick Parry. I think it's really stupid and unnecessary. If they profess to love the club so much, they should resolve their differences for the greater good of the club's title chasing season. The first in 18 years. What I heard made me sick. Add that to the Yank's conduct over the ownership of the club. Come to think of it, there are so much uncertainties and discord within the club that it makes one wonder how ridiculous the situation is. It is frustrating to hear that our beloved club is in such turmoil.

I was one of the many people that felt excited about Robbie's signing. To see him leave his childhood club in such fashion was heartbreaking. I don't blame him for feeling the way he did and saying the things he saidn after his departure. He is a good player and even though he did not perform at the level we would have liked, I believed he would come good one day. It's sad we won't see Robbie in a Red shirt again.

I hope Rafa made the right gamble. Should Torres get injured again, our title challenge will most likely be over too. There are no strikers left. If we have to rely on N'gog, we must as well pack our bags and forget about the rest of the season! He is not ready for first time action. Period.

Great fight back but..........

It was a great fight back but certainly there must be questions raised about Rafa's starting team selection. Kyut, Torres, Alonso were on the bench. Who was in midfield? Aurelio and Arbeloa. He played Skrtel, Carra and Agger at the back. N'gog was our striker. I dun understand his argument about resting players when the next league game is at least a full week away. We needed the 3 points and that's not the way to signal your intentions. If we had lost or drawn the game, I am very sure the reaction will be very different. It was very tough to watch the game. We were trailing by a goal in the 85th minute!! I am sure luck has a huge part to play in the game. Scoring the winning goal in injury time doesn't happen all the time.

Against a Portsmouth team that had only won twice at home, it certainly looked like an easy game. However. it didn't turn 0ut that way. We conceded two silly goals from poor defending and put ourselves under tremendous pressure. Both their goals coming straight after we made our blunders at the other end of the pitch. Firstly Babel missed a sitter (and he needs to be shot in the head for that) right in front of goal and then Kyut had his goal disallowed. On both occasions, Pompey cam back and scored.

I said the win against Chelsea may be the turning point in the season. Although we lost to Everton in midweek, this win against Pompey will go a long way to change the attitude and mentality of our players. We know that there is hunger and desire in the team, we just need to start playing like champions again!! I don't understand why Robbie Keane was sold. Rafa better pray daily that Torres remains fit and injury free. If he does, we will have a player that may just bring us the League title. If he doesn't, I am sure Rafa will receive a lot of stick for selling Robbie. We dun have another credible striker. N'gog is useless. Kyut is either off side, losses possession or misses the goal most of time. We need another striker as back up for Torres in case he is injured.

Having saifd that, a win is a win and we ought to celebrate it. It's good to be back where we belong....the air is fresh up here!

I am now officially condemning Lucas Leiva

I watched the game this morning.

It was a heart break to watch how we conceded that silly goal 2 mins from end of Extra Time. That is just ridiculous. We had 3 players around Gosling and he managed to take a shot at goal.

Lucas Leiva needs to be sold, sacked or banished to the bench forever. He is RUBBISH!!!!!!!!
Firstly, he gave away a penalty that cost us the crucial 3 points. Now, he got himself sent off and we lost all initiative in the game. Playing against a bullish Everton at Goodison with 10men is just asking for trouble.

I am just really angry with Lucas. He needs to go......

Title Challenge Back on Track!!

We needed to win the game and we DID!!!

It wasn't just the result that I am pleased about but it was the way the players approached the game that was impressive. Rafa started with his best XI, dropping Lucas (thank god!), Benayoun and Babel. We had 29 shots with 9 on target, 70% possession at one point. Reina was hardly tested throughout. Gerard was everywhere. Alonso was spaying passes like a man possessed and he had his shooting boots on too. Mascherano was running from end to end, Carragher and Skrtel were at their best.

Chelsea was pathetic considering the quality they had on the pitch. Only 3 shots at goal and 2 on target.

I must admit the red card against Lampard was questionable but Mike Riley was also wrong for failing to send off Bosingwa for that kick on Benayoun late in the game. Ashely Cole could also be yellow or red carded for fouling Benayoun in the box too. The bottom line is this: This is football and it happens to all teams. You win some, you lose some. No team has ever won the title without being lucky at some point in the season.

This win is significant for 2 reasons. Firstly, it's our first win in 2009. Hopefully that will restore our confidence and belief that we can beat Man-Ure (I mean Man U) and win the league this season. Secondly, it was Torres' first goals in Anfield after almost 9 months. His last goal in Anfield was against Man City in May 08. We all know what a fit Torres can do for us. Combine that with the drive, energy and passion of Gerard, we have with us a potent combination that will score many goals.

I am personally disappointed with all the behind-the-scenes controversy that is rocking our club. This is the first time in 18 years that we are mounting a serious title challeng and we certainly do not need that sort of distraction. Why is Rafa not signing his contract if he claims he loves this club so much? And why do we need this kind of distraction for the manager in the middle of the season when we are mounting a title challenge? Why are the Yanks so damn
f%#king greedy and not sell the club for goodness sake? Why is Robbie Keane the centre of a dispute between Rafa and Rick Parry? That poor fella is just a boyhood Liverpool fan wanting to play for his beloved club. If we are serious about winning the league for our own good, surely we must be mature and sensible enough to not let these issues distract the team from doing it's job?

We are now back in the title race. It's going to be tight and the fight is just beginning. Man-Ure will not drop many points and I forsee the game against them on 14 Mar at Old Trafford will be a title decider. Let's just hope this win will finally end our bad spell and signal the beginning of better form from henceforth.