Born to be Red

Worst game I have seen in a long long while - Fulham 3 - 1 Liverpool

2009-11-02T04:52:00.000-08:00

Article by Paul Tomkin. I dun agree with him fully....

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The Fulham fixture was the penultimate match in a run of 11 games with no fewer than eight away, and only three at home. Only two of the past seven games have been at Anfield. So it was a horrible sequence, and far from indicative of the roughly 50-50 split you expect. It also included games against Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal, plus Fiorentina and Lyon in the Champions League. None was against a team lower than mid-table. So, despite poor results, it was not your average run of games. Of the defeats, only those against Fiorentina, Lyon (which could have been so different had the second goal come) and Sunderland were hard to argue with (even if the Sunderland goal was worth a full-blown argument). By December 5, the sequence will extend to 11 away games compared with a paltry five at home. So on paper it doesn't get any easier. Thankfully it then switches, with four out of the next six at Anfield. Add in a bit of an injury crisis, with almost an entire team absent at Craven Cottage, a thoroughly ludicrous red card (Degen) and goals conceded against the run of play, and it all got a bit surreal. Liverpool were not outstanding, but they were not awful either; for the first 60-or-so minutes it was the kind of fairly impressive 'by the book' possession-based away display you'd have seen 25 years ago, just lacking a bit of cutting edge, as might be expected with so many of those who can supply it absent. But by the end, with nine men, and an incredibly young set of players left out there, it was desperate stuff at times, as you'd expect. No red card at all last season, or this, until last week; now three in two league matches. Jamie Carragher found himself in three similar situations, and while none looked a clear sending off to me, there was probably a totting up process involved, even if that's not legal in terms of the decision process; in other words, the benefit of the doubt ran out, whether or not it was fair. In each instance he was putting pressure on the forward, but on no occasion did they have the ball under control. Going to a place where United were well beaten last season with so many players absent made it tougher; as did the need to not cause a recurrence of Torres' injury. At Anfield I'd have still expected a victory, but away from home it's naturally more tricky, especially when the pressure is on. At 1-1 Liverpool were in control, although the sight of Torres leaving the field will have lifted the home team, and the Reds were not creating enough clear cut chances. That would be my main criticism. The second Fulham goal was particularly frustrating, as Kuyt had bust a gut to keep the ball in, only to find his hard work rewarded Fulham. In hindsight, he'd have been better letting it go for a throw. But hindsight really is a wonderful thing. With that in mind, I would ask this: why does the average fan, or, given their ceaseless negativity, almost every football pundit (who have never managed, yet appear to know it all) have to 'understand' a manager's decision? It's fine to have your opinions. But they, like mine, mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. They are made without full knowledge, from the safety of... ( – wherever – ). These opinions do not affect anything, and they are not affected by the realities of what is taking place. We can say "keep Torres on!", but we do not know what could have happened had he stayed on; we wouldn't have had to carry the can for any aggravation of his injury, or get flak for losing while he was in the treatment room. If he'd stayed on and got injured, we could have said "You should have taken him off!" Commentators joke about it "being a lot easier up here", but still put the boot in all the same. Against United, Torres was sacrificed after 80 minutes, with the game delicately poised. It was barely mentioned. In the event, his replacement sealed the victory. Of course, had United equalised, or worse still, gone on to win, the Torres decision would have been ripped apart, even though it was a necessity. Because, as observers, we can always have it both ways. We can always damn for what happens and also condemn for what might have happened. If every decision a manager makes is understandable, then that would suggest that they are easy, and obvious. Therefore, it suggests a job that anyone could do. Clearly this is not the case. We ask our accountants, or computer technicians, or mechanics, to do work we don't understand. We trust that they know better; if we tried to tell them how to do their job better, without similar training, experience or knowledge, they'd tell us where to go. We trust that they understand the small details. Not so with football managers. With football, everyone knows better. As a bit of fun, a bit of banter, that's all right. But as a proper reasoned analysis, I'm not convinced. And what alarms me is the utter certainty of people who've probably never even been near a football pitch in their lives, either to watch or to play, and of those who know the game, but not the role of management. For instance, taking off Benayoun at Fulham to bring on a fresh, eager young goalscorer. Whether or not you agree with that is up to you; it’s a judgement call. It comes with no guarantees. But as a decision it is effectively rendered null and void by the immediate dismissal of Philipp Degen, for what was never a sending off in a million years. (David Bentley wasn't even booked for a far worse tackle earlier in the day.) Any chance Nathan Eccleston had of coming on and making a name for himself, with a bit of league debut energy, was curtailed not by Benitez but by the referee's bizarre decision. While Liverpool equalising looked far from a certainty, there will have been more of a chance than before Degen's dismissal. That put Liverpool under far greater pressure, and led to the Carragher sending off, with the Reds outnumbered. Taking off Torres is another decision that seems easy to attack, but the season lasts well beyond Fulham and Lyon; Torres has not been 100 per cent fit, therefore the last 30 minutes were a risk. Of course, taking him off is a risk too, and a boost to the opposition. That's the reality of management: a rock and a hard-place; damned if you do, and so easily damned if you don't. Whatever is said about Rafa's tactics, last week against United Liverpool could have been undone when Valencia hit the bar. However good Liverpool looked, they got the much-needed breaks at the right time. Against Arsenal and Fulham, they didn't. Against Arsenal, a player was allowed to block a goal-bound shot with both hands. I didn't write in the aftermath of last weekend's win that Rafa was a tactical genius in the way he set up and then made alterations, and I'm not saying the exact opposite now. Whatever you do, games turn on little moments, and often they are beyond the control of the man on the touchline. For me, the decision I've least understood from any manager - ever - was when Rafa took off Steven Gerrard in the Mersey derby at Goodison a couple of seasons back. In that moment, I thought it was insane. Surely the last player you take off in a pulsating Mersey derby is the local lad and captain who is playing with his heart on his sleeve? However, Gerrard, with an understandable desire, was trying to take on Everton all on his own, and as soon as Lucas replaced him, Liverpool became a team again, passing and breaking down their 10-man rivals by moving the ball. In the last minute, Lucas effectively 'scored' the goal to win the game (only denied by an outrageous 'goalkeeping' save from Phil Neville, who was sent off, and the spot-kick converted by Kuyt). Clearly Benítez saw something that I, and almost any other observer, didn't, because not only did it lead to the win, it led to a more coherent display. That taught me that left-field decisions are made for a reason; reasons often well beyond our comprehension. But they can always go for or against. They can always look inspired, or foolish. Whatever you do right in football, things can so easily go wrong. But that is what good managers do: they make decisions. And on balance, over the course of his Liverpool career, Benítez's judgement calls have been successful. However, it's obviously easy in a time of struggles to just focus on those you believe he got wrong, and, for instance, blame the lack of a title challenge in 2007-08 on omitting Torres against Birmingham, and so on. Some managers make equally bold decisions but in other ways: I've often seen all three substitutions made at half-time. That often gets credit from the media. But one injury, and you're in trouble. Spurs lost against Stoke at home last week when they ran out of subs and ended up with 10 men. Towards the end of his massively successful reign, and with his team still the best in England, Kenny Dalglish was torn apart for fielding three full-backs in midfield away at Arsenal. I even heard it mentioned by one commentator recently. What wasn't mentioned was that the Reds won. Which just goes to show that managers are questioned, even when they get it right; just as Benitez was when Lucas inspired Liverpool to a win in the derby. With that in mind, who'd be a manager on those days when you lose?

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The Right Reaction

2009-10-25T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have not updated this blog after the previous 2 games mainly becos' I was too heart broken to write anything. In any case, the result last night was what I had expected. All week long, I talked about the likely result against an in-form Man U. I said we will not lose the game only becos' we can't afford to. Against a team in ascendency, it was normal for people to expect us to lose or maybe just draw. Well, again like I said, it is absolutely naive to think that the BPL is such a straight forward league. I also said before that it has shown so far this sason all top 4 teams are capable of dropping points anytime. The Arsenal and Man U games as the case in point for this weekend. Even Man City drew last night. No one is going to stroll away with the title this season. I still think Man U will not be a contender for the league title only becos' they don't need to. It will be a 3 horse fight between Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Back to the game. In a nutshell, we played with our heart and showed the world what Liverpool FC is all about. We may be taunted repeatedly by Man U fans over our title drought over the last 19 years but before any great comeback, one must experience a trough. We are in the tail end of the trough now. The reverse it true too. I can't wait for the post Ferguson days to arrive. Lucas, Aurelio, Carragher, Johnson, Kyut, Benayoun all played really well. We could see that Torres was not fully fit and he was given special treatment by Vidic all night long. When Vidic was red-carded (for the 3rd straight game against us!!!), we felt we were vindicated. On the contrary, the second yellow card on Mascherano was way too soft but, at 94mins, we are not complaining. Speaking about injury time, where did those 5 mins come from , one must ask?? Fergi had spoken about the Ref's handling of the game but he must be blind not to notice that we were the subject of a few dubious decisions from the Ref as well.

On a serious note, I hope we have just come through the lowest point in our season. Wins against big teams usually turn a season around. We will now need to consolidate and go on a winning streak. No more mucking around, Rafa! Best XI every game. The title is still up for grabs and we need to fight with our lives. The time is now......

Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

2009-10-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

It was a defeat that didn't hit me very hard. For some reason, I was prepard for that scoreline. I had a hunch that we would lose. Don't ask me why. I can't explain it here. I told my usual gang at Cavern before kickoff that we would most likely not win the game. It was not the most popular statement around but I had to say it.

That is the reason why Gerrad and Torres seemed "off-form" throughout the game. How can their form dip so drastically in a matter of days?? Uncharacteristically?? A term often used to explain the unexplainable in football. I shall not dwell further here...

In any case, looking purely at the game itself, we were not significantly poorer than Chelsea. In fact, I felt we played well and was equally as creative and imposing on the pitch throughout the first half. A single Mascherano mistake in the second half cost us the first goal. Benayoun's introduction did inject a different dimension into the game but it was not meant to be. The second goal was not unexpected especially when we were pushing so far up field in search of the equalising goal. Lucas did play well though......surprisingly.

On the whole, I dun think its the end of the world after 3 defeats. Manchester, Chelsea, Man City and Arsenal are all still capable of dropping points. Chelsea may look solid now but they are due to lose a few key players to the African Nations Cup soon. That would be significant.

Anyway, I expect a huge peformance from the Reds in our next game. Trust me....

6-1 thrashing of Hull. Article by Tomkins...

2009-09-28T06:24:00.000-07:00

How do u disagree with Tomkins?? Everything he said in this article resonates with how I feel about our team now. In any case, let us just sit back and enjoy this feel good moment before we face Chelski next Sunday.

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His record for Liverpool almost defies belief, especially as he doesn't take the free shots at goal that are penalties, unlike many other major goalscorers. That, along with his all-round game and the nature of his goals, already elevates him above Owen, Aldridge, and dare I say it, Fowler.

Only Rush and Hunt, as out-and-out centre-forwards in Liverpool's post-war history, deserve to be mentioned in the same breath – that's how good Torres has been thus far. Of course, Rush and Hunt had longevity, but you can't hold that against the Spaniard. He can only do what he can in the time he's had; and he's done it, and then some.

To be on target to beat Hunt's record for the fastest Liverpool player to 50 top-flight league goals is incredible: 46 from 56 starts (plus eight as a sub) is phenomenal. But even that doesn't tell the whole story – after all, he only played an hour at the weekend. So it's not like those 56 starts all amounted to 90 minutes each.

How quickly things change. Torres was jaded, Liverpool were hopeless, and the creative lynchpin was in Spain. It was all over. Even I got dragged down by the doom and gloom. You wouldn't think from the early media reactions that Liverpool, following on from last season, would so soon be able to lead the way in goals scored, would you? Lacking this, lacking that, yada yada yada. Not bad for a team whose biggest summer signing isn't even fit yet, and who, of course, are cautious (yawn).

The bench, that was supposedly too weak (funny how missing five top-class players can do that!), now looks stronger, with Babel, Voronin and N'Gog all contributing in recent weeks, and the injured stars regaining fitness. Of course, defeat at Chelsea on Sunday, and the perception will be that it's all over again, but the table will clearly show that to be a lie.

Liverpool's four league wins on the bounce, and Chelsea's humbling at Wigan, prove that this league can remain wide open. Crucially, the Reds can go there with confidence, while Cech-less Chelsea have their first doubts crashing in – not least in their man-marking at set-pieces. I have to admit being driven close to breaking point regarding Liverpool's zonal marking in the past few weeks: not the system (though mistakes were being made), but the almost Tourettes-like mentions of it. Are prospective pundits and summarisers required to perform an anti-zonal marking diatribe as part of their job interview?

Creating The Tomkins Times, my new LFC web journal, has given me a chance to really study such topics in real depth, and counter every myth surrounding issues that are often complex. It's also somewhere I can keep an ongoing check on media hypocrisy. Criticism can obviously be fair, but double-standards are not. Just last week on one discussion show, Benítez was criticised for selling Peter Crouch (who rejected a new contract), criticised for selling Alonso (who wanted to play for Real Madrid, and was sold for three times his original fee), and was labelled ‘lucky' for having Fernando Torres. I kid you not. Lucky!

Anyone else would be hailed as a genius for ‘risking' a large percentage of his transfer budget on a player some judges had doubts over, and helping him blossom into the best striker in the world. I tell you, some people will twist themselves in knots of illogical argument rather than say a good word about the Liverpool manager. Luck? It was judgement.

Rafa was also criticised for offloading Robbie Keane, who is having a good season at Spurs. But since Keane's sale, Liverpool have doubled their goals-per-game ratio. Keane wins, Spurs win, but so do Liverpool, in finding a far better blend after getting their money back on the striker. Again, much of the criticism of Liverpool came back to an apparent lack of forwards, but Kuyt continues to score and create goals, and he is one of about five or six players who can play either in midfield or up front, in a fluid, interchangeable system. And while Torres was missed at times last season, the Reds still did extremely well in his absence.

David N'Gog only looks like a weak option if you haven't really heard of him (because he's not yet a household name, at just 20, and is therefore easy to dismiss), or if you compare him to Torres, against whom any up-and-coming striker would suffer by contrast. Watch him closely in midweek, however, and suddenly the view might change. Also, his goals-per-minute ratio in a Liverpool shirt is nothing short of incredible. He hasn't played many vital minutes, admittedly, but as with Torres, he can only do what he's asked to do, and thus far that is to score five goals at an average of one every 138 minutes of football; or in other words, quicker than both Torres or Gerrard managed throughout last season – or one every 1.5 games'-worth of playing time.

You could argue that the two players Benítez is lucky to have are Carragher and Gerrard, both of whom he inherited. But even that pair have had their roles changed and their play developed in the past five years. I've always maintained that on the whole Benítez has bought extremely well, but all managers have their flops. A 50% success rate is about the best any can hope for.

It's also true that at any one time, by the very nature of only eleven getting to start, several of any manager's signings will be questioned; the better Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt play, for instance, the harder it is for Ryan Babel and Albert Riera to look as effective. Having said that, against Hull all four of those players made massive contributions, with Babel's coming as a sub. Again, so much for the squad being weak. (I know the opposition weren't of the highest calibre, but these are the teams Liverpool struggled to beat at home.)

Goal Involvement, a measurement I devised for ‘Red Race', is another area I aim to regularly monitor on The Tomkins Times. It's my version of assists, which counts all meaningful passes in the build-up to a goal, not just the final one, which are then added to the goals themselves, to give an indication of who is supplying the cutting edge. It's not 100% foolproof (I devised it, after all), but it is a more all-encompassing gauge for who plays important roles in the creation and execution of goals. This is then looked at as totals, and as per-minute contributions. I also try to rate the quality of the contribution, although this is clearly subjective.

For a team that supposedly relies so heavily on two players, since February Liverpool have been a sublime attacking unit. And while Kuyt and Benayoun continue their excellent form from last season, Glen Johnson has already added a whole new dimension; far and away eclipsing Alvaro Arbeloa in this regard. Johnson may get forward no more than his predecessor, but he in more incisive.

Not only are the goals being shared around, but the supposed reliance on Gerrard and Torres also stretches to how the team as a whole are creating chances; it's not just the biggest two names feeding each other or creating goals out of nothing. So far, Glen Johnson has been involved in more Liverpool goals than his captain, as has Dirk Kuyt. With the goals flowing, more players are getting assists and ‘involvements'. The left-back slot highlights this trend.

With Johnson kept relatively quiet against Hull, that allowed Emiliano Insua space, as the left flank became the avenue to exploit. He richly deserves his call up for Argentina (although I'd have preferred him wrapped in cotton wool at Melwood!)

One of the flaws of any system that ranks assists is that the supplier is only rewarded if the ball is turned into the net; last year Insua's overlapping runs were excellent, but his crosses were not converted; he didn't feature in a single goal in his ten league games. This season he has already been involved in five goals, in just seven matches. Despite the loss of Alonso, there are improvements all over the pitch at Liverpool this season. And this is before Agger and Aquilani have even kicked a ball. There will clearly be a number of teams contesting the title, but after a poor start, Liverpool now look capable of being one of them; and this with another gear or two to find.

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Another close call.

2009-09-21T19:09:00.000-07:00

West Ham 2 - 3 Liverpool

Another close call. It was a game marred by poor defensive play. I was reading my previous blogs and I did mention before that Carragher's performance is increasingly suspicious. The penalty he gave away was absolutely unnecessary. Hines was not going anywhere, Carragher had his angle right. Thus, the nudge was uncalled for. We have also conceded too many goals from set pieces this season. I have always been sceptical about zonal marking. It doesnt work. Period. The foundation behind any successful team is a strong defence. We cannot be conceding silly goals and hope to escape with 3 points every game. Against the big boys, we may not have such luxury. Perhaps the pace and intensity of the game is increasingly more challenging for Carragher. Perhaps he is no longer as fast or as sharp as before. Maybe it is time to allow the Agger and Skrtel partnership to flourish. I am not saying Carragher is rubbish. I just feel that perhaps it is time Rafa plays him less.

Torres looked a lot better against the Hammers. I mentioned in my previous blog that he needed to step up a notch and he did just that. The first goal was classic El Nino style. Taking on defenders with a sudden burst of speed, better ball control and possession. It's easy to tell when Torres is off form cos' he will give away possession easily and his running off the ball is not as obvious. We cannot afford for Torres or Gerard to slacken and they need to maintain that consistent level of performance every game. We all know the damage they can cause when they play well together. Although the winning goal was accredited to Babel's cross from the right, I am still cautious about his performance. We need to see more of Babel and perhaps the game against Leeds will give him the perfect opportunity to lay claim for a first team place.

With Chelsea and Man U picking up 3 points every week, we need to make sure we do not slip up further. This is going to be a really tight season. Every single point will count come May 2010.

Not surprising

2009-09-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

I was not surprised by the scoreline. The "indicators" were there for all to see. Almost everyone expected a Liverpool thrashing for the boys from east of europe. When so many people expect a big scoreline, that's when it will not happen. Like I said, we call it kelong!! Otherwise how these "people" drive mercedes benz or beemers??? (notice I never say Audi...hehe.)

Anyway, back to the game. I felt Torres was extremely quiet tonight. He was not his usual self against Burnley. In fact, he had not been his usual self playing for Spain in the previous 2 international games as well. He needs to step up a notch soon. The rest of the team looked decent tonight though it was not a fantastic peformance. Given the context, 3 games in a space of a week, I suppose a huge scoreline was not necessary. 3 points was all that mattered in this opener. No point scoring 10 goals tonight and then go on to play poorly against West Ham. The priority is still the Premier League this season.

I was talking about Benayoun with some colleagues tonight. We all agreed that against the hard tackling opponents or the heavy weights, he will have a tougher time. He can be rather light weight at times. We shall see what happens as the season progresses.

I suppose Rafa has found his First XI for now. This is a good lineup. Like I said, unless Aquilani proves himself to be a good player, I think this should be our starting lineup Rafa should stick with. As for Lucas?? Well, at least he earned one free kick tonight. Not bad for a rubbish player like him...;-)

I feel vindicated.

2009-09-12T19:21:00.000-07:00

It was the Benayoun-Kyut-Reira-Gerrard combination that destroyed Burnley. A team that beat ManUre a few weeks ago. ;-)

In my blog and also my conversations with people, I have maintained that the Gerrard-Torres partnership needs to be replaced with a Benayoun or Voronin-Torres partnership. Reason is because, in the absence of Alonso, we needed the skipper to fill in that creative role in the middle of the park. Mascherano is not a creator, he is a destroyer. Breaking up attacks and harrassing our adversaries. Lucas? Don't even go there..... So, unless Aquilani is as good as Rafa says he is, Gerrard needs to continue in the role. He is one of the world's best attacking midfielders. Look at the way he came into to box to augment the attack while playing for England in midweek and against Burnley last night? His link up play with Torres, Kyut and Benayoun was fantastic. I said before that Benayoun is a very clever player and he had proven last season that he can score goals too. His understanding with Torres is good as well. Only problem is that, he can be guilty of going to "sleep" in some games.

While it was a good team performance against Burnley, we must not get carried away with the result. These are games we need to win and win convincingly. Against heavy weights, Benayoun will need to prove he is as good as we think he is. Consistency is the key. Chelsea and Man City look fantastic at this point. Man United's win at White Hart Lane was not unexpected although I still think they will not be in contention this season. I don't think Spurs ever learn from their mistakes. After going 2-0 up last season, they eventually lost the game against ManUre. So, even playing against a 10 men last night, I seriously didn't think they were gonna draw level at all.

Whatever it is, we have 3 more points in the bag. Let's take it one game at a time. For me, I am gonna change my flight ticket next Wednesday and start looking forward to my 2nd Anfield pilgrimage come Feb '10. Will be watching the Blackburn Rovers game at Anfield!!

A Good Fightback

2009-08-29T23:29:00.000-07:00

It's not true we won only because Bolton had one man sent off. It can be a lot tougher to play against 10 men especially when they are leading at home. Credit must be given to the Reds for pressing hard and eventually a Gerrard-Kyut-Torres move culminated in our second leveller. From then on, there was only gonna be one winner. Time was on our side. We had approx 20mins to find that winning goal. No sweat. The way Gerrard blasted that goal from a Torres knock-down was sweet! 12 yards out....that was a typical Gerrard goal!

There was on thing that troubled me though. What was Lucas doing on the pitch? Even when Benayoun came on, it was for Reira and not Lucas. I couldn't believe it. Reira was a constant menace down the left all night long. Glenn and Kyut was doing the same down the right. But what was Lucas doing?? Nothing much really.....Why does Rafa love him so much? One wonders....

Our defense. Honestly, I feel Carragher's time is up. We can't be conceding silly goals all the time. Something needs to be done and done quickly. That greek defender (forgot his name) did reasonably well but I feel it's time to play Skrtel and Agger together once they are fit. Carragher is not as sharp and, more importantly, not as fast as before. After more than 10 years of distinguished service playing for the club, perhaps his time is nearing an end as a player.

For the last time, I hope Rafa stops playing Lucas. Period. We can\t afford to drop more points especially when Chelsea is picking up 3 points for fun.

Btw, all those bloody loud ManUre fans out there who think they did well by beating Arsenal. Think again. It was an own goal that gave them the 3 points.....if I were them, I would just thank my lucky stars and be damn quiet and humble. But I suppose that's a concept they will never fully comprehend. Hehehe ;-)

Lucas, Lucas on the wall, shoot him, kill him, just don't play him

2009-08-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

Lucas was horrible. He played well against Stoke but against Villa, he was back to his usual self. The own goal conceded was unforgivable. How and why he head the ball towards goal baffles me. Without Alonso or a quality playmaker, we were just like headless chickens running around aimlessly.

Gerard, Kyut, Benayoun, Torres, Insua, Mascherano were all guily of below par peformance this morning. I don't understand why Reira was left on the bench.

I don't know what else to say. Just shocked. At the rate we are going with Lucas in the team, we ain't going anywhere this season.

Period.

First Win of the season

2009-08-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

It was a good team performance. Everyone worked hard for each other. Even though Lucas was not fantastic, it was evident he was working his socks off for the team. Credit to him!

Glen Johnson was the livewire in the team. His relentless runs down the right flank, overlapping with Dirk Kyut, was a constant menace to the Potter's defence. He created a few goals and even scored one on his debut. What a start? (and what was he doing on the far post??). Anyway, I have said that the right back position had been our weak link for the last few years. Arbeloa was terrible in that position. Insua on the opposite flank was also providing amunition into the box consistently. With Reira and Insua down the left, we have 2 overlapping defenders that can join in the attack.

Gerard had a much better showing yesterday. His run into the box and the subsequent cut-back was pure quality. Torres showed a lot of grit and determination as well, scoring the first goal for us. It was great satisfaction to watch them play at their best. When both Torres and Gerard decides to play, we can beat anyone in the BPL.

We are not even at full strength yet. With Agger and Skrtel back in defence, Aquilani in the middle of the park, we will be a much stronger team. The key now is consistency. I have been saying that for years. Let's hope the win this morning will signal the start of our title chasing season. It's been 20 years. The wait must end now!

Next up, Aston Villa in Anfield. C'mon you Reds!!

09/10 Season Kickoff - Spurs 2 vs 1 Liverpool

2009-08-18T23:21:00.000-07:00

Our pre-season was not fantastic and I had my fears prior to this game.

I expected a tough opening game at White Hart Lane but what puzzled me was the line-up Rafa put up. We lost to Spurs twice last season and to go there without our best available 11 is suicide. Benayoun and Voronin was on the bench. Instead we found Babel and Lucas in the starting line-up.

Babel was pathetic on the left. He lost possession too easily, lacked aerial presence, can't tackle, can't shoot, can't pass. He was simply a pain to watch. Lucas was quoted saying he is confident he can fill the void left by Alonso and I was surprised with that bold statement. We all know Lucas' quality. He is nowhere near Alonso. He is another disappointing player that day and all through last season as well. If not for Reina's saves, we could have been 2 goals down by half time and we didn't even have a single shot on target then. We saw the benefits when Rafa adopted an attacking style of play towards the end of last season. We were good going forward, always looked like scoring. I am not sure if the defensive approach adopted in the first half against Spurs had undone us. One thing for sure is that Lucas needs to be replaced. He is just aweful. In the absence of Aquilani, I feel Gerard need to be brought back into midfield to provide that creative spark and physical presence. Reira need to play on the left and perhaps Benayoun or Voronin can partner Torres up front.

I have been watching Carragher closely since last season. I feel his level of performance has dropped tremendously. The foul he gave away outside the penalty box led to the second spurs goal. That was absolutely unnecessary. Ayala came on and did relatively well. Perhaps, its time to rest Carra and give the youngsters a chance. Read a rumour that we had signed a Greek 30yr old defender from AEK Athens named Sotiris Kyrgiakos. I am not sure how good a player he is.

One other problem that I feel is hindering our progress is the ownership of the club. The yanks need to go. In today's context, without a big transfer kitty, we are not going to challenge for the BPL title. Look at Man City. We need another world class striker, play-maker and defender. In today's crazy transfer market, it can easily cost the club >100m pounds. Are the yanks ready to provide the club with that kind of funds?? I seriously doubt so.

We will be playing in Anfield in the next 2 games. 6 points is mandatory in the next 2 games to get out season started. We can't afford to lose ground with the top 3 teams this early in the season.

Will we challenge for the title next season?

2009-07-02T01:10:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I have been slacking and not updating this blog as often as I should. I promise I will do my best to be more diligent.....

The title challenge was a disappointment last season despite the team's performance. To not win the title after beating Man U (twice) and Chelsea in the same season is simply unbelievable. As far as I am concerned, we lost the title during the Middlesborough game. The final surge to the end of the season was phenomenal. We were scoing for fun and won every game along the way. That to me was the sign of a championship winning team. Many people said that Man U didn't win the title but rather Liverpool gave it away.

So will we challenge for the title once again next season? It depends on whether if we can hold on to players like Alonso and Mascherano. Basically, the backbone of the team. In defence, we have Carragher, Skrtel and Agger. With the inclusion of Johnson, it will provide us with more attacking firepower from the rear. Something Arbeloa wasn't doing as well throughout his time in that position. It will be good if we can cash in on him now if Real Madrid continues their crazy spending spree. For midfield, we have Alonso and Mascherano. On the flanks, we have options in Kyut, Benayoun, Reira. In attack, we need Torres and Gerard to be fit and playing together more. This is the spine of the team. I dun see why we need to spend a lot of money to buy more players.

We also have a few talented and upcoming young players, ready to make the break through to the senior team. Emiliano Insua, Nabil El Zhar, Jay Spearing, N'gog, Charles Itandjie, Damien Plesis, Craig Lindfield. These are players that have performed well either when called into the first team or when playing with the reserves last season.

The appointment of Kenny Dalglish in the youth development programe will be a boost to the club as well. Just to have King Kenny walking around the club will serve to provide that little extra motivation to the players in general. He is afterall a legend and great player.

Finally, I feel Benitez needs to continue the strategy he employed towards the end of last season. By releasing the defensive leash and mindset, what we got was a team that didn't know how to stop scoring. On the other hand, we found ourselves conceding a lot of goals as well. Remember the Arsenal game that ended 4-4? We need to restore the defensive steel in our backline. Behind every successful team is a strong defense.

Can't wait for the new season to start but in the meantime, I am looking forward to my second pilgrimage to Anfield in December.

Don't lose faith

2009-05-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

The game against West Ham was won in the 1st minute. I don't mean to sound arrogant but based on current form, we knew nothing will stop us the moment that first goal went in. By half time, the game was dead and buried. All hopes turned towards Sunday to the Manchester derby. It was a huge disappointment in the way City was rolled over by a rampant Man United side. I agree that the 2 goals were beautifully taken but I expected City to put up a stronger challenge. Alas, it was not to be. Once again, I felt Man United had it easy. Many teams accorded too much respect to them. However, I remain defiant over the title challenge until the very last point is lost. Man United's game against Wigan is perhaps our last chance. They need 4 more points to win the league and have 3 more games to play. Too easy? Probably. If they draw or lose to Wigan tonight, out title hopes will still be alive. But the important thing is this: even if they win tonight, we must not lost faith and belief. This is football and anything can happen. They can still lose their last 2 games and we will have to be in a position to take advantage should that unlikely scenario become a reality. Whatever happens, we need to keep winning, keep fighting. I hope Rafa drills that into the players' heads.

Whatever happens to the title challenge, I feel we need to make a few changes in the summer. For one, the right back position needs to be strengtened. Philip Degen has been a disappointment after being out for the whole season and playing only one first team game so far. He needs to go. So does Arbeloa. He is too slow and too cumbersome at times. In central defence, with the departure of Hypia, we will need extra cover. The left back position looks pretty healthy at the moment with Insua, Aurelio and Dossena all playing well. In midfield, Lucas needs to be sold. Yes, SOLD! He is one of the worst brazilian players I have ever seen. Alonso MUST stay. I can understand why Rafa wants Gareth Barry. With the addition of another strong midfielder, Gerard can be freed to play further up front and his partnership with Torres can only do us good, provided the both of them remains fit. Having said that, perhaps an additional striker will do us no harm. For our flanks, it is looking really good and there is really no requirement to buy another player in that department.

Title or not, it is still progress we made this season. Looking back, there were games where we should have won instead of drawn. And if Gerard and Torresd had started more games together, perhaps we may be in a better position than we are right now.

I just love this song....

2009-05-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

LIVERPOOL is the religion!

ANFIELD is our church!

THE KOP is our choir!

STANLEY PARK is our lurtch!

RAFA is our saviour!

GERRARD is the god!

CARRAGHER is our force!

while Lampard's the lazy sod!

PAISLEY laid the foundation!

SHANKLEY built the house!

now RAFA'S doin the garden!

COZ WE ARE F**KING SCOUSE!

Wastefulness

2009-05-03T18:15:00.002-07:00

We had more than 23 attempts at goal against the Magpies last night and the scoreline merely read 3-0. Don't be get me wrong! I was glad we secured another 3 points and kept up the pressure on Man United. I was happy we played well enough although I feel at times we could have done better.

My point is this: against bottom half teams, we can afford to be wasteful in front of goal and get away with it. Against a team like Arsenal, Chelsea or Man U, we will be punished for it. We need to be clinical and lethal in front of goal. Alonso hit the same spot on the horizontal twice, Gerard did it once. Kyut was guilty, as usual, of too many misses. Riera started the first 15minutes of the game as though he was playing for the Magpies.

Although we have been playing well, in order to be Champions in the league, I feel we need to add that element of aggression and lethality in our play. We have been guilty of being too soft at times. I'm not sure if this is due to the fact that we have a large contingent of spanish players and they are not known to be an extremely physical league in Europe. Or perhaps its the culture within the club. Liverpool has always been known to be pass-and-play team since the Shankly days. We were never known to intimidate our opponents or win a game by being physical or aggressive. However, the key is balance. We can't be too soft or do we need to be too aggressive. What we need is to continue our passing game and get the players to display more grit and agression when the need arises.

Aggression and precision. These, I hope, will be the fundamental building blocks for next season. Until then, we need 9 points in the last 3 games and hope for a miracle. Nothing is won or lost yet.

Final Push To The End

2009-04-28T19:45:00.001-07:00

I have not written anything over the last 3 games. First was the 4-4 draw against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League quarter final, second was the similar scoreline against Arsenal in the league and finally a 1-3 away win at Hull City.

There was something common in all these 3 games. Defensive lapse. To have conceded 9 goals in 3 games is not exactly the kind of performance any defence can be proud of. But on the same note, we scored plenty as well. One thing for sure is that no one can win a game by merely being free-scoring. Defensive steadfastness is the pillar to success. If we can't score, we must at least ensure that we don't concede. So what was the problem?

My assessment is that it is not a systemic problem but an individual one. Skrtel looked out of sorts for the past few games, Carragher alone can't save the world, Agger had not been given enough games to anchor a steady performance. Arbeloa, for me, was a key culprit. In the game against, Arsenal he was simply too slow, too complacent and too....whatever! Look at the game against Hull, he wasn't running enough to cover ground and track back to defend. Even when he did, he committed far too many errors. He looked unmotivated, too casual and out right lazy. Insua had been out standing thus far in the season but even he gave away a Hull City goal due to his failure to mark his man, running into the 6 yard box. The most astonishing thing was that he did not even attempt to chase and fight for the ball. If we are to continue winning and secure 3 points in the remaining 4 games in order to keep our title hopes alive, we need to stop conceding goals through slack defending. The drive and determination is not present in the defense department. Something needs to be rectified and rectified soon.

It was heart breaking to watch Spurs crumble like a pack of cards in the second half after storming to a 2 goal lead. The controversial penalty changed the dynamics of the game. If they had held on for 15minutes in the second half, I am sure Spurs would have gone on to win the game. That first MU goal gave those dogs belief and thus the resultant fight back which was no doubt astonishing.

But MU still have to play a derby against Man City and a final game against Arsenal. We can only keep ourselves in the race by ensuring 3 points in the every one of the last 4 games.

It doesn't help that Gerard is still injured and his return against Newcastle this Sunday will provide the boost I feel the team needs. If we can keep winning, I am sure the title challeng will go right to the wire this season.

What a week....

2009-04-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

I missed the CL game against Chelsea on Thursday morning. My iphone had a mind of its own and decided to shut down. As a result, the alarm failed to ring and I only woke up at 6am. When I saw the score, I was not utterly upset. There was a strange sense of calm...it was wierd. Maybe I felt that getting knocked out of the CL may not be a bad thing after all. Our energy can then be focused on the league and the team ought to give it everything they have.

I watched the replay though and felt that the first 2 goals by Chelsea were a result of the deficiencies in our zonal marking system. Ivanovic's run in the box were unchecked and that resulted in 2 poorly conceded goals. No one followed his run. We paid dearly for our defensive errors. There was nothing Pepe could have done. It was a really poor result. How we managed to let Chelsea come back into the game after taking the lead remains to be answered. With Lucas in midfield, that is hardly surprising. As much as I wish to remain optimistic, going to Stamford Bridge to score 3 goals and keep a clean sheet is not exactly something anyone has done in recent years. So, I won't be surprised if our CL's dream end on Wed morning.

But that is not the end of the world. The team responded well and played a controlled game against Blackburn Rovers last night, scoring 4 goals in the process. Torres was absolutely on fire. His first goal will be a contender for the goal of the season. With Mascherano back in the team, we certainly played a lot better. We could have won the game by at least 3-4 goals more if not for the wasted chances in front of goal, particularly by Kyut. The early goals means Gerard can be rested and given more time to nurse his groin injury.

The fact that Man United had to rely on a 17 yr old to crawl their way back means they are not in the best of form at the moment. Luck won't run forever and I hope theirs end sooner rather than later. With 6 more games to go, we are still in the fight. Every league game now is a final and we need to keep that pressure on Man U.

I hate Man U

2009-04-07T02:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope the title stirred some reaction!

It was a heart-stopping game against Fulham on Saturday. For a while, I thought it was going to be one of those nights when the ball will refuse to hit the back of the net. We hit the cross-bar 4 times in the first half, had another 4 near misses in the second half. I was almost in tears when Benayoun finally scored the winning goal deep into injury time. It was certainly a relief to win as anything less than 3 points will effectively hand the advantage back to Man-Ure. One of the commentators actually said he thought we might have too much quality in our side that could actually work against us. There, however, are a few players I felt could have done better. Kyut seemed out of sorts. Gerard was clearly not at his best with some stray passes. Other than the only link up play with Gerard, Torres should have scored when he broke through in the box. Luca, as usual, was mediocre at best. Thankfully he did not give away a penalty or free-kick outside our box. It baffled me why Reira was not played. Perhaps Rafa was thinking of the mid week CL games against Chelsea. In any case, I thought Dosenna played really well in the first half.

What can I say about Benayoun? It is no secret that he is a quality player, able to create and pry open defences with his runs. He had scored a few crucial goals for us this season and I believe he can be utilised by Rafa as a super-sub. I suppose he is most effective especially when defenders are tired and his fresh legs will actually pose a big problem for the other teams.

In terms of form, I feel we are clearly a better side than Man U now. If not for that stuck up looking 17 yr old Italian boy, Man U would have been badly affected by the draw with Villa. There was nothing in their play that would suggest they deserve the title this season. For a long time, they have been winning by the odd goal. On the other hand, we could have been 4 goals up in the first half in Craven Cottage and to think that we are the only top 4 side that won there this season says a lot about our title credentials. I hate those Man U fans who have been extremely loud and arrogant after their win on Sunday. It's strange how these people, who claimed to be fans, will only be heard when their teams win. If Man U loses, they are nowhere to be heard or found. Bunch of fair weather fans!!! I bet 90% of them in Singapore won't even know a single club song or cheer of the club......I rest my case.

It's true the title is for Man U to lose. We need to secure 3 points in every game now to keep our hopes alive. That's all we can do. We need to pressure them until the last game in the season. Whatever happens, I will be happy with the result this season. We just need to keep believing and have faith....

It's now or never.....

2009-03-22T23:28:00.000-07:00

The game was over by the 40th minute. 5-0 against Villa and it's now 1 point between us and Man U (although they have a game in hand).

It was a great team performance especially in the context of the title challenge. Both Man U and Chelsea lost on Saturday. I was worried that we may not capitalise on the advantage and slip up again. But it was not to be. The moment Kyut scored the first goal, I knew then that we would win it big especially since Villa's confidence was at a low. What is frustrating is that our momentum will be disrupted by another international break this week. This is the third time this season when we had to break our good run in due to international friendlies or world cup qualifiers. We play Fulham next. They will be well rested and on a high after beating Man U convincingly at home. We need to win every game now if we are to maintain the title challenge. Man U still have a game in hand and if they win that, the gap will be restored to 4 points again.

I hope Gerard and Torres return injury free from their international duties. The players need to be focused and the next 2 months will be crucial.

We need the 19th league back in Anfield.

Rafa has signed a deal and Stevie issues warning in Europe

2009-03-19T01:06:00.000-07:00

It has certainly been a wonderful week to be a Liverpool fan. As King Kenny rightly pointed out, the timing of Rafa penning a new deal cannot come at a better time. The comments from Hicks and Gillet seems to reflect a rare common consensus between the two American owners but how long will that last before they fight again? That's for all of us to guess! Stevie's comments in the aftermath of Manchester United thrashing indicates a growing sense of belief and returning confidence in the team. How can anyone fault him for saying that? It's a fact that massive wins do instill confidence and, with confidence, teams generally play better football. Let's just hope that this is true for the remaining season. Too often we have seen the team drop their standard of play after a string of good results. I guess it's a mental barrier the team must overcome in order to be champion material. 2 European finals in 4 years....that's a record that any team will be envious of in Europe. With Rafa's tactics and the way the team sets up it's play, Liverpool has proven to be a hard nut to crack in Europe. I expect nothing less than a semi final appearance this season. But then again that's not where we hope the team will be this season. It's the league title that we really desire. Imagine doing the double over Chelsea and Man United in a season and still not win the league title! Unbelievable! Maybe the Anfield factor is a reason for the team's lacklustre performances against the lower league teams. Anfield has been unable to regenerate the kind of atmosphere that exists on European nights. Agree that European nights have also been special in the hearts of all Red fans but in order to win the league, we need to do our part to inspire the team to raise their standard of play week in and week out. Rafa's decision to play the Anfield anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone" just before kick off was exactly for this purpose. He had hoped to inspire the players and the crowd before kickoff. However, too often, in recent season, the Anfield crowd had grown silent as the game progresses especially if the score remains goal less at half time. The fact is that players are human beings too and we can't expect them to raise their game weekly in order to produce the kind of performance we saw against Real Madrid and Manchester United. If only Anfield can become the all important 12th man in EVERY game we play, I am sure the players will be inspired to give their 110%. I am not sure if Rafa will be the man to bring us the league title. It's true we have progressed over the last 5 years but I feel we lack one or two players of Torres' quality. Look at Man United's bench. Look at Chelsea's bench. And then look at ours! There are a few players I feel needs to be shipped out. Lucas is one of them. He is ordinary at best and usually atrocious. We need a creative player in the class of David Villa or Frank Ribery or even Fabgregas. Besides Torres, we lack another world class striker. I still believe it was a mistake to sell Keane. Given another season, I am sure he will come good. On the left back position, Aurelio is turning out to be a decent player but Dossena is not the kind of player for us. We need another cover for right back as well. Arbeloa is not doing too badly but should he be injured, we need a proper right back as cover instead of playing Carragher, Mascherano, or worse still, Skrtel. 3 quality players - a striker, a midfielder and a left/right back. And provided Torres, Stevie, Alonso, Kyut, Benayoun, Mascherano, Carragher, Reina remains fit throughout, we have a team of players capable of beating anyone in England and even Europe.

What was next??.............a thrashing for Man-Ure!

2009-03-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

Man U vs Liverpool 1-4....

If anyone had said this to me before the game, I will probably think he is insane. But that was the scoreline last night. Thrashed Man U in their own den. What was even better? Well, a few things: 1) Firstly, the only goal they scored was from a dubious penalty given by the referee, whom we all feel is a Man U fan, and not from open play. 2) Secondly, after bringing on 3 good players (Berbatov, Giggs and Scholes), they were immediately down to 10 men....thanks to Mr Vidic! 3) And scored with a beautifully taken free kick 4) A totally clear cut penalty awarded to us in "payment" for the one awarded to them 5) Dosenna scoring his second goal in 2 consecutive games and both were the 4th and last goal of the game 6) Making Ronney the fat pig eat his fat &%!@#*!% words.

3 Red players I felt were excellent yesterday. Torres, Gerard abd Hypia. In a game where some of our players were not exactly at their best, we had these 3 guys holding the team up. Reira seemed out of sorts, Reina were guilty of some slack goal keeping, Lucas was as usual rubbish,.....It is still a joy to watch Hypia these days. For me, he was a pillar of strenght and stability at the back. His experience makes up for his lack of speed.

Overall, it was an extremely excting game and I am totall mad we triumphed. We have now done the double over Chelsea and Man U this seasson. Can we win the title? Of course!! But only if Man U drops 2 games and draws one. It's gonna be tough but anything is possible...........Come On you Reds...

A historic European triumph..........but what next?

2009-03-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

It was a great display of attacking football, backed up by a very special Anfield atmosphere. The scoreline could have been bigger if not for the performance of Casillas. I suppose the return of Torres and Gerard boosted everyone's confidence. I said on many occasions that no team likes to face Liverpool in Europe. The miraculous win 5 years ago in Istanbul created a sense of belief throughout the club - from the manager to the players to the fans. It's this belief that makes us so hard to beat in Europe. However, the story is different in the league. Our record of post-Champions League games is not great. The team has often been accused of post european hangover. With Man U coming up on Saturday and the title challenge at stake, will the same Liverpool side turn up? I am dying for a win on Saturday but I'd rather be cautious. Man U is playing really well now and they are in a rich vein of form. The game will be a cagey affair and I hope I will be able to sleep well that night.....

Liverpool Must Let Rafael Leave This Summer - an article by Sulmaan Ahmad

2009-03-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

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When Rafa Met Parry

Anyone who has ever seen the masterful piece of film-making that is Speed may or may not remember Sandra Bullock's line to the immortal Keanu Reeves, when she says, "Relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last." What's more intense than clawing your way out of the Champions League group stage, past a series of 'superior' teams in the knockout rounds and then, after going 3-0 down at half-time to one of the greatest teams of the last decade in the final, coming back to tie the game 3-3 and win on penalties? It was their fifth, it meant they could keep the trophy; all the more amazing when considering they had not even won a league title in 15 years at the time.It was all too much, and all too soon for Rafael Benitez at Liverpool. He was forgiven for finishing fifth in the Premier League only for his triumph in Istanbul. Development since has been stunted and insufficient, much like the excuses made by the man himself. Rafa is under pressure now, after this topsy-turvy engagement period, to tie himself down, take the plunge and marry himself to Merseyside. It seems he's not quite ready for that kind of commitment. The Spaniard is still wrangling over prenuptial agreements and trying to have it all his own way. He's good, but he's not that good. And in this day and age, you really do have to be that good to command that kind of power.Rafa wants it all his own way, and has already seen off chief executive Rick Parry, who announced he will be leaving the club at the end of this season. Nevertheless, the powers that be are unwilling to hand over complete control to Benitez, and nor should they. This is not a man to whom it should be a foreign concept for affairs in the transfer market to be handled by those above him. He's from Spain, where it is regular practice - where he won the league under such a system - and there is an air of selfishness surrounding his demands.Understandable, maybe. Everybody has their own best interests at heart, but let's look at this from Liverpool's point of view. The owners still look fairly likely to sell, and perhaps a manager on a long-term contract running his own ship would not entice many of the most attractive potential suitors.So what does Rafa really have in his corner when going into these negotiations? Despite many a miraculous result during his four-and-a-half seasons at Anfield, he has yet to convince that he is capable of being the best. He only knows how to win as an underdog - he cannot outplay his opposition - and that is not enough for Liverpool.There can be no doubt that they can and will continue to scrape past top opposition under Rafa's leadership, but they will not become anything resembling a great side until they learn to beat one and all comers. They don't need to be able to batter the Barcelonas and Inters of this world - fans have, and will, continue to forgive the defensive dirges if they could at least be promised the three points against the likes of Stoke City and Middlesbrough - but when Rafa has to attack a side, he ends up as impotent as Luiz Felipe Scolari's Chelsea.The Blues stuck their neck out - doing what they had to do - and soon, even supporters as loyal as Liverpool's will surely see that there is life after Rafa. It seems this unhappy couple are currently willing to settle for the odd moment of magic amid the monotony, purely due to the paralysing fear that they worry about whether they can find anybody better in the aftermath of parting ways.It is time for that leap of faith. Given time and money in equal measure, Benitez continues to make the same mistakes he did from the beginning and seems incapable of change. I said just last week that the Spaniard needed the Champons League to save his job, but just seven incredible days later, it seems as though not even that will do. Even if they win it, they will not be the side they need to be.The owners must be brave and the fans more far-sighted and understanding in seeing that the time is right to part ways, instead of handing all power over to a man who has still yet to do as well as he should have and is showing no signs of wanting to change his ways. Yes, it is now beyond beating a dead horse. This dead horse has already been beaten, decapitated by one of Vito Corleone's confidants and had its head left in George Gillett's blood-soaked bed. It's over. Both Liverpool and Rafa must move on.

Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com
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It's really over

2009-03-01T20:44:00.001-08:00

I m still recovering from the shock loss at Riverside. Forget about the fantastic win at the Bernabeu. It's the league we wanted most and it's where we are let down again.

All that contract talks, the political decision to sell Robbie, the owner's boardroom fight, the talks with new managers, the club's finances, the new stadium, Rick Parry's departure.....all these were just plain rubbish and we were supposedly to be in the best league position in 19 years and with a real chance of winning it. So, now Man U will win their 18th title this season and if they win another European trophy, we will risk losing our status as the most successful club in England soon.

It's sad. It's heartbreaking. We need a change.

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

2009-02-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-02-12T05:45:00.000-08:00

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..........

2009-02-07T12:11:00.000-08:00

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

2009-02-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

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!!

2009-02-01T21:23:00.001-08:00

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.

It's Lucas again!!! We have lost it.........

2009-01-28T21:14:00.000-08:00

It's Lucas who gave away that silly penalty in the box at the 83rd minute. Can u F@^!#@!* belive it??

That is a crucial moment in our fight for the title. 2 points dropped, slipped down to 3 place in the table. I just don't believe this.....

As far as I am concerned, our title hopes are fast fading away....unless we get our first win in 2009 very soon. With Chelsea next up, I think that is gonna be really tough especially if we have stupid and clumsy players like Lucas running around on the pitch.

I am really devastated.

Complacency costs us the lead

2009-01-20T06:22:00.000-08:00

It's complacency. I guess everyone, including the players and the manager, thought we had the 3 points in the bag when we went 1 goal up. Rafa substituted Torres and Reira. We stopped attacking. The 2 "new" clowns made all the silly mistakes. Lucas gave away unnecessary free kicks by making school-boy type of challenges. Benayoun didn't need to make the tackle that resulted in a free kick just outside the box. That free kick gave Everton the equalising goal.

Why didn't we keep attacking till the final whistle? Why did Rafa make those changes when we were only 1 goal up against a team that has not lost a game in the last 7? Why did we stop attacking? Why Lucas and not Mascherano if we were going to defend our slim goal advantage?

And now, we are left to kick ourselves for conceding a silly goal that may cost us the title in May. Man United will not drop many points at home. We are clearly the underdogs now and it is all our own doing.

It is heart breaking. The draw against Stoke may turn out to be the sucker punch that will cost us the title. We can only pray that Man United drop some points from now till May whilst we keep up the pressure in all the remaining games by ensuring we earn ourselves the 3 points.

It's not looking good.....

It's heartbreaking

2009-01-12T04:23:00.000-08:00

I was so upset with the game against Stoke last Saturday that I can bear to blog about it for 2 days. It was absolute rubbish.

Gerard, Lucas, Riera, Benayoun were virtually "missing" from the game. Riera was nowhere to be seen on the left. Lucas was, as usual, giving away possession cheaply. Gerard only turned up in the last 15 minutes of the game. Benayoun was running around aimlessly. Why was Torres AND Keane sitting side by side on the bench?? We know that Torres is not fully match fit but why has Keane been benched for 2 games after seemingly rediscovering his scoring touch?

We can't keep coming home with a point and say that it was a job well done! Not when a certain team is 5 points behind us with 2 games in hand. It would have been a good point if both Chelsea and Man U had drawn as well. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I am not sure if what Benitez said about Fergie had an impact on the United players but it seems so. Remember how Drogba scored 2 goals against us after Rafa openly criticised him before the game against Chelsea last season? In any case, the managers can decide to wage a verbal war against each other but the players need to keep their focus on the pitch. I felt that some players were just not hungry enough in the game against Stoke.

Benitez needs to start with his strongest 11 as far as the league games are concerned. Lucas must be banished onto the bench for a long long time. In the absence of Alonso, I feel that Gerard should be reinstated in the middle of the park instead of playing Lucas. We don't need to see Keane and Torres on the bench together especially when they are both not injured. That is ridiculous. Playing Gerard in midfield will mean either Torres and/or Keane will have to start. Kyut can continue playing on the right flank. I felt that the team selection against Stoke was flawed.

Man U will have a tougher fixture list in the second half of the season. They are bound to drop a point or two in the remaining games. We need to do ourselves a favour by ensuring that we do not drop anymore "unnecessary" points. I feel that the title race will be between Man U and us from now.

This is really becoming too stressful for me......

The war of words has started......

2009-01-09T19:31:00.000-08:00

I love this interview Rafa gave before the Stoke game. Looks like the war of words between the two clubs has started.......

Have a read....
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What do make of Alex Ferguson's comments recently?

I was surprised, but I have to talk about facts because I think it is important. I think that they are nervous because we are at the top of the table. But I want to be clear that I do not want to play mind games too early. I think that they want to start that so I have taken some facts so it will be easier to talk about this. November 1 they played against Hull City and Mr Ferguson, their manager, was given a two-match touchline ban and fined £10,000 after confronting Mike Dean, the referee, for improper conduct. We have started a Respect Campaign. And we started with the sending off of Javier Mascherano at Old Trafford from the referee, Mr Bennett. But that was also the referee when Manchester United played Wigan, and he couldn't see the handball from Rio Ferdinand. He didn't give a penalty and they won the title. I think that will also be the same referee that they have in the game in hand against Wigan. During this Respect Campaign, he was charged by the FA following comments made towards Martin Atkinson, but he was not punished. He is the only manager in the league who cannot be punished.
Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs on a Saturday morning away, while United were playing on a Sunday and no one was saying anything. Now he is complaining that everybody is against United. They will play against all the teams in the top of the table in the second half of the season - I think that is a fantastic advantage. But I don't know why, at Christmas time, United played on the 29th December instead of the 28th, while we played against Newcastle away. He was not complaining this time. He was not thinking about this. About his behaviour with referees, the Southampton manager knows how Mr Ferguson works. He was very clear the other day. It is a fact. I am not playing mind games. This is about facts. If Mr Ferguson wants to talk about the fixtures, and we want to be on a level playing field here, there are two options: one is where is the same as in Spain. The first part of the league, all the teams know at this time they will play against this team on this weekend, or that weekend, and the second half of the league will be the opposite - you will play away. After that, Sky or Setanta who has the rights will choose the game and everybody will know when they are playing. That way it would be the same for everyone so Mr Ferguson will not be complaining about the fixtures. Or maybe the other option would be Mr Ferguson organising the fixtures and everything in his office and sending them to us - then everybody will know and nobody can complain. Talking about football, because I want to finish with this and the mind games. We know what happens when we go to Old Trafford. Mr Scolari maybe needs to know to use zonal marking against the staff of United because they are always using man to man with the referees when they go to the bench and especially at half-time when they are walking close to the referees and talking and talking and talking. All the managers need to know, only Mr Ferguson can talk about the fixtures and the referees - nothing will happen. I think we need to know about this. We are talking about facts, we are not talking about my impression. Everybody can see this every single week.

The fact that he has said these things, is this a sign of the pressure getting to United?

I think that they did not think that we would be at the top of the table in January. But we are at the top of the table, and clearly they are nervous.

Do referees need to take a firmer stance with United?

I will not say that. I want to be very clear - I have been here for five years and I just know how long these things have been going on.
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A year of reckoning

2009-01-01T01:22:00.000-08:00

I ended the year 2008 quietly. There were no loud music and flashing lights, no champagne, no whiskey.........Just dinner with some friends at home and a few glasses of wine.

As far as Liverpool's title challenge is concerned, 2008 was one of the best so far....at least in the last 18 years. But there is still a long way to go. The second half of the season beckons. The pressure is going to increase with each passing week. The club will need the experience of a league winning manager to guide them through. It promises to be a real exciting second half of the season. With the Santiago Bernabeu to come in Feb, it promises to be one of the most exciting fixtures in this season's last 16 Champions League knock out round. We are 3 points clear at the top of the league. What more can we ask for but to stay in that position till May 09?

2008/09 season has been great so far. I pray that our good form continues into the new year. My only wish for Liverpool this season - 3 points every game from now till May 09.

I don't think I am being greedy right?

Happy New Year.............

Genuine Title Contenders??

2008-12-28T07:04:00.000-08:00

8 goals in 3 days. Playing without Fernando Torres......and 4 points clear of Chelsea (at least until their game against Fulham is over).

Title contenders?? Maybe but let's not lose ourselves in all that euphoria. All we wanted was to be challenging for the title at Christmas. We are now leading the table. It has been a fantastic start to the season but we are only half way there. We can't slacken and lose concentration especially when we expect a stronger challenge from Man United in the second half of the season. Chelsea will still be at least one point behind us, provided they beat Fulham at Craven Cottage (they are currently trailing by 1 goal).

The team is playing well and confidence is high. That can only be a good sign going into 2009. Whether we are genuine title contenders or not, let's just not speculate or lose ourselves in that discussion.

3 points every game. That's the objective from now till May next year.

Caution will not win us the title

2008-12-22T23:20:00.000-08:00

In previous seasons, a draw at the Emirates will be seen as a good result and a valuable point earned. In this season's context, however, it's more like 2 valuable points dropped especially after the Gunners were reduced to 9 men momentarily. While Fabregas was being treated for a knee ligament injury and Adebayor sent off for a second yellow card offence, we were playing against a 9 men team for a while. With only one striker upfront, the Gunners were there for the taking. Instead of attacking, we slowed the game down considerably and were contented with passing the ball around in our own half. As a result, the game became scrappy and our momentum going forward was lost.

While I understand that a point will virtually end the Gunners title hopes, we could have very well capitalised on the situation and gone for the win. Instead, Reira was subsituted with Babel, Keane was taken out for Nabil El'Zhar and finally David N'gog for Lucas. As far as I am concerned, the substitutions were overly cautious for a team sitting merely one point above second-placed Chelsea. Lucas should have been substituted earlier in the game. He was losing possession easily and was ineffective in his role. I cannot understand Rafa's intentions as far as the substitutions were concerned. Wouldn't it be a sensible decision to play a 3 men defence at the back especially when the Gunners deployed a lone-striker upfront? Insua should have been taken off and Babel playing as a striker behind Keane and Kyut. Benayoun should have replaced Lucas on the right flank and Kyut moved upfront into a 3-4-3 or a 3-4-1-2 formation. With Alonso protecting the 3-men backline, Gerard can still maintain his position in the hole and push the attack from midfield. Benayoun could exploit Clichy's injury on the right flank with his surging runs. We will have Babel, Keane and Kyut in attack trying to score that winning goal.

I said before that while caution will not necessarily cost a team the title, it will not win us any either. Every single point counts. It is a blessing that Chelsea has continued to struggle so far. They could have easily taken over the lead this morning at Goodison Park. With Man United winning the World Club championships, they will return with renewed confidence. I agree that we have been playing our best football in recent years but to win our 19th league title, we need to be more ruthless and adventurous in front of goal. Our inability to kill teams off may return to haunt us in May.

Let's hope we will not have to face a heart-stopping second half of the season.

Another wierd weekend but we are still top

2008-12-14T18:17:00.000-08:00

What a strange weekend!

Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Hull City at Anfield. We had to come from 2 goals down to level the game. Once again, Gerard was there to rescue the team and earn us what could prove to be a crucial point.

Man United, Arsenal and even Chelsea were all held to draws!! I must say that I am relieved to see us still top of the table. If the rest of the results had been otherwise, the 2 points dropped at home would have been a really bad result. However, in the context of the results over the weekend, the 2 points dropped against Hull did not seem that bad a result afterall. In fact there were positives to be taken from the game.

Gerard scored 2 goals and seemed extremely lively during the game. That has to be a good sign as we all know the kind of impact he can make in a game. I liked our wing play in recent games too especially with Benayoun coming in for Kyut on the right and Reira on the left. I have always been impressed with Benayoun and he is the kind of player that has the ability to change a game and score crucial goals. It was also good to see Hypia playing alongside Carragher and I felt he deserved at least a goal after so many attempts at goal from the corners. The spirit of the entire team was unquestionable. They fought and fought. The pressure on Hull City was immense especially in the last 20mins of the game. However, what I felt could have been done better was the substitutions made by Rafa in the second half.

Why did he bring on Nabil El'zhar for Benayoun on the right? He couldn't cope with the pace of the game, often losing possession. Why did he take off Reira for Babel? And what was the wisdom for a one-for-one substitution between Mascherano and Lucas?? We were fighting for the winning goal and Hull City seemed contented with a point. They had 10 men in their own half and were happy to try to play the counter attack. Why not go 3 men at the back?? Take off Dossena and replace him with an attacking player. Why not play Babel upfront or maybe even Keane or David N'gog with Kyut?? Why not instruct Gerard to push further up? Why not get everyone to shoot at will instead of trying to play that 'perfect' final pass??

We probably wont lose a championship by being overly cautious but neither will we win one if we remain so. We needed 3 points regardless of the other results and that was clear. Given the way Hull was playing in the last 20mins, I felt we could have been a lot more adventurous. We needed to signal our intent clearly and could have gone on the offensive by bringing in an extra attacking player.

It is clear we missed Torres' presence. We need him back soon. With Keane dropped to the bench, we clearly lacked a out-and-out striker. Kyut has been playing well this season but we all know he can be rather wasteful at times.

It is important to note that despite not playing at our best, we are still leading the table and that should be a blessng. Of course, the other argument could also be that we should capitalise on their current form and pull away from the rest. Whatever it is, nothing will change the fact that we are in the driving seat for now. Let's just savour the moment and enjoy it.

Next up, the Gunners at the Emirates.

Break down the 'bus'

2008-12-02T04:48:00.000-08:00

2 home draws in the League and a scrappy 1-0 win over Marseille in the Champions League. Championship material? I certainly hope so.

While it is easy to moan and cry over the 4 points dropped in the League, we should also take the positives from the current situation. Sitting 1 point clear at the top of the League is something I am sure we will all gladly accept at the start of the season. This is afterall Liverpool's best start in a long while. What we said at the end of last season was that we needed to be challenging for the title after December. It is early December now and we are leading the League. That in itself is a remarkable achievement.

The context of this is that whilst we may not have been at our best, the rest of the traditional top 3 teams are doing just as bad, if not worse. Arsenal had lost 5 times thus far whilst Chelsea have been beaten at home twice already. Man U barely scrapped through with a 1-0 win over their city rivals last weekend and are 6 points below us (with a game in hand).

Yes, we need to start churning out title winning performances and getting 3 points for every game but as long as Chelsea, Man U and Arsenal are below us, I dun care even if the team scraps thru 0-0 draws and earn a point. What worries me more is the mentality of the players. They need to remain positive and confident. Winning of course breeds confidence but what's more important is that the team's current position be pointed out to each and every one of those players in the dressing room. They need to understand that they ARE the League leaders. And being League leaders, they need to start playing like one and bulldoze their way through every team that comes to Anfield to "park their bus" in front of their goal. Look at the last 2 games. Both Fulham and West Ham came for a draw. They were just happy with a point and hopefully minimise the damage should we score the first goal. The key for them was to keep a clean sheet in the first half and frustrate Liverpool. In the second half, as we push more men forward, they will hope to hit us on the break and try to steal that wining goal. What that means is that we will need to play with confidence, flair and creativity. We can't simply rely on the wingers to do the same thing game after game! Every coach in England now knows Albert Reira is the threat on the left and Kyut or Benayoun on the right for Liverpool. Shut these fellas out and we will be forced to play down the middle. Put more men behind the ball and stop us from playing our usual football. Soon, we will be forced to pump the long balls in and hope for the best. Given that, I feel that Gerard thrives in situations like that. It was unfortunate he didn't start off the game in a more attacking role this morning. Without Mascherano, Gerard was tasked to sit in front of the back line whilst Alonso sprays the passes to Keane and Kyut. Surely, we missed Torres and Keane seems to be lacking in confidence. We need Gerard to be at his best for these teams to be broken down.

In any case, it's still early days and we are sitting at the top of the League. We need to remain positive and look forward to Blackburn this weekend. Without the League Cup to distract us in the next 2 days, it's time to re-group in order to drive forward. It's not time to panic yet. We just need belief.

3 points for sure on Saturday.

Jamie Redknapp: A tribute to Steven Gerard - 10 years on.

2008-11-20T01:55:00.000-08:00

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It feels like only yesterday that I saw this teenage kid from Huyton for the very first time. He came to join first-team training along with Stephen Wright because Gerard Houllier wanted to have a look at the two of them. Funnily enough I think the boss thought Wright was the better of the two when they first arrived. I always remember passing the ball to Stevie early on and he hit this 50 yard pass to the left wing. I thought to myself: "what have we got here then?" Next he goes into a 50-50 with Paul Ince and smashes him up in the air and we're all thinking we've got something special on our hands - he certainly made an impression that's for sure.
At the time there were a few concerns over his fitness but since then he's been relatively injury-free and he's been different class. They don't come along like him too often. When you're asked to give a tribute to someone it's normal to heap praise on them but with him it's easy because it's so true. He's a special lad - and I don't just mean on the field, I mean off it too. Even now if I ask him to sign a shirt for someone he goes out of his way to help and there it is the next day. I honestly can't speak more highly of him.
One game that always stands out from my brief time playing with him was the Merseyside derby against Everton in 1999. We won the match 3-2 and Stevie kicked a couple off the line playing at right-back. His passion for the club was there for all to see that day. I remember how he celebrated one of those clearances as if he'd just smashed one in at the Kop end. I spoke to my Dad after the game and he said: "Who was that at right back? He was like superman that kid." After that day he just got better and better and in the seasons that followed he went on to establish himself as one of the best central midfielders in the world. Now he's improved so much that he is the best. I've been saying that for a while now and no-one comes near him as far as I'm concerned. He's dynamic, he's powerful, great at passing, great at tackling - you name it he can do it. People talk about who the best player in the world is... Is it Messi, Ronaldo or Kaka? They are just a few names we could mention and Stevie's right up there with them. I honestly don't think he realises just how good he is. I've got some great Stevie memories from my time at Anfield but one that sticks out in my mind that always makes me chuckle was when I asked him if he wanted a pair of boots. He used to clean mine when he was a trainee and when I asked him what size boot he was he turned to me with a cheeky grin and said: "six, seven, eight and nine." I'll never forget that. He wanted the other boots for his mates! Like I say, I was at Liverpool a good number of years too so I know how it feels to have played for them for over a decade. It's a special club and if you leave, no matter where you go, it's always going to be a step down. So, it's a great achievement for him to have been such a huge part of the club for those 10 years and I think he's got many more ahead of him.
You need the likes of Gerrard and Carragher in the side because they are local lads who have a great affinity with the fans. They are your heart and soul. Stevie could walk into any side in the world but he has remained a loyal red and if you were dreaming up a Roy of the Rovers top five he could probably better it. Every few months he seems to be picking up a new accolade or breaking another record and, to be frank, I'm proud to say I played alongside him. I hope he goes on to achieve even more in the years ahead and continues to add to his medal collection in what has been a fantastic Liverpool career so far.
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Reebok conquered, next up Craven Cottage

2008-11-18T22:36:00.000-08:00

It was a good game against Bolton last Saturday. Except for the first 15mins of the second half, I felt it was a comfortable win. Order was restored when the first team was put up against Bolton. The weekday League Cup game against Spurs was complete rubbish. The team's performance and, in particular Torres, prompted an outburst from the manager. I suspected the comments Benitez made about Torres made him play a lot better against Bolton. He came on in the second half and created that beautiful cross for Stevie to score the second goal. It was a perfectly timed cross that made the header looked easy. 2 goals up. I knew we would go on to seal the 3 points. The fact that Chelsea matched our result later that evening means that this season's title race will be extremely tight. With Man U playing a lot better, I expect a 3 horse race for the title. Arsenal will be close but I don't think they have the tenacity and desire for the League title this season. Their focus may well be in the Champions League. We need 3 points in every game. I just hope Stevie, Keane and Torres will all recover in time from their injuries to play against Fulham this Saturday. It's good that they are all dropped from the mid week international friendly due to injuries and that will allow them sufficient time to recover for Saturday's game. That should be the priority over everything else now. We don't need our key players to be distracted. I don't believe in "country before club" as far as Liverpool's title chances are concerned this season.

Knocked out of the League Cup again.....

2008-11-13T01:24:00.001-08:00

It can be viewed as a blessing in disguise ......if we decide to be optimistic. In any case, the game this morning was complete rubbish. Rafa made 10 changes to the side that beat West Brom last weekend. Most of the key players needed to rest....that was his reason. But the trend was obvious. For the past 5 seasons, Rafa had constantly fielded under strength teams for this competition. It is clear that the priority has always been the Champions league, League title, FA Cup in that order.

Looking at Spurs this morning, they were not the full first team either. For one, Bently and a few other first team players were on the bench.

Hypia, Babel, Dossena, Lucas, N'gog are all first team fringe players. Even Plessis and Nabil El'zhar had a few first team starts this season. Only Degen and Cavialeri can be considered as full reserve players. In other words, there is really no excuse for the kind of rubbish we dished out. 3 goals in 8 first half minutes. The second goal by Campell was complete rubbish between out goalkeeper and defender. No excuse for a big club like Liverpool. Degen was atrocious. His defending was non existent and it was his wrong positioning that caused Hypia to drift left to cover him and as a result, leaving a man short in the centre. That allowed Spurs to score the first goal.

I am really disappointed. It's ok to lose but the quality of play must be there for all to see. In this case, we were really bad. It was so painful I had to switch off the tv and spare myself the agony of the second half.

If we view this as a blessing in disguise, then at least the team can now focus on the League title and the other 2 cups.

The League cup are for teams like Arsenal and Man U especially when they will end up with nothing to fight for this season....;-)

Lethal Strike

2008-11-10T00:31:00.000-08:00

With Keane scoring his first league goals for the club on Saturday and Torres back from injury, this is the time to let the most "lethal strike" partnership in the premiership to flourish. Rafa needs to play them week-in and week-out now. We need to get them working more together and to build on that understanding. There is no question about their ability. Both are world class strikers and if we are to win the League this season, we need them firing on all cylinders soon.

Having Keane's confidence restored, Torres will benefit greatly from the Irishman's non-stop running and creativity. Keane has the ability to create, to drag defenders wide whilst paving the way for Torres to strike. Similarly, with Torres on the ball, it will not be surprising to see 2 defenders marking him very quickly. Drag them wide and whip a cross into the box and we have Keane or Gerard or Kyut or Reira waiting to pounce. Sweet!

With an attacking line made up of Keane and Torres, supported on the flanks by Kyut and Reira and in the middle of the park by Alonso and Gerard, it's not difficult to see why opposing defenders will be under tremendous pressure when facing them. Throw in Babel, recently dubbed the Super-Sub, Benayoun and Mascherano, we have the ability to inflict a Red tsunami. Both Chelsea and Man U have already seen it so far. The loss to Spurs 2 weekends ago must be seen in context. It was a sucker punch after having been so dominant for most part of the game. Ironically, it was one of the best games we had so far in the season. The movement and passing were fantastic. We were just unlucky not to have scored more. Agger could have had a hat-trick! We need to expect teams visiting Anfield to try and shut us out. A point is always a fantastic result for them. We need to build up our resilence and be patient. One goal is all we need to get that 3 points.

One loss does not lose us the title and similarly, 10 wins will not win us the league. There's still a long way to go and we need to maintain that level of consistency. When the team is playing well and winning games, the changing room will be buzzing with confidence. Confidence breeds belief. With belief, anything is possible. The additional plus factor in our favour is hunger. Hunger for the 19th League title. It has been 19 long years since the league title came home and what better time to win it now.

I really believe this is the season. I sense a feeling of excitment in the way the team plays. Each time they attack, they always look like they are going to score. Our set pieces and corners are looking a lot more threatening. My only hope is that we maintain this current form and keep our players injury free. Maintain the level of competitiveness and consistency.

3 points.....every game. (I have said this more than a hundred times now).

The new "Robbie"

2008-11-09T06:30:00.000-08:00

First it was Robbie Fowler. Now, it's Robbie Keane.

I feel vindicated. I said a month or two ago that Keane needed time to settle and he was probably feeling the weight of the club on his shoulders. Whether that's self-imposed or not, I don't know but it's certainly a fact that any player moving into a new club will need time to find his feet before start playing to his true potential. In this case, there was no doubt about Keane's potential. We all knew what a great striker he was at Spurs. With better players around him, it was only a matter of time before he starts banging in the goals.

Many critics were voicing their frustrations over his lack of goals and, more importantly, his movement. In the game against West Brom, he's starting to look like the player he was at Spurs. Finally 2 goals for Liverpool in the league. He is looking more mobile and threatening. His touch is a lot better. Given time, I am sure the Kyut, Torres, Keane and Gerard attacking front line will reap many rewards.

Back at the top of the table. Let's stay there and not lose the lead again. 3 points, every game. That's the target.

2 famous quotes from 2 great Liverpool managers

2008-11-04T05:38:00.000-08:00

"The socialism I believe in is not really politics. It is a way of living. It is humanity. I believe the only way to live and be truly successful is by collective effort with everyone working for each other and everyone helping each other and everyone having a share of the reward at the end of the day. It is the way I see football and the way I see life". Bill Shankly

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"One of the things I keep reminding players is that when you're in a fog, you must stick together. Then you don't get lost. If there's a secret about Liverpool, that's it."
Bob Paisely

We lost....

2008-11-02T05:12:00.000-08:00

I am totally devastated! How did we lose the 3 points in injury time? What happened to the fight back? Looks like all the things we said about losing a late fight back is coming true.

It's sad to lose the lead so soon. We needed to break away from the pack and extend our lead. We failed but the consoling thing is that it's still early days. There's still 27 games left to play and it's not even christmas yet.

We need to improve, that's for sure and bounce back in a big way in the next game.....

Article by Paul Tomkins - The ends justify the means

2008-10-31T00:35:00.000-07:00

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After that epic, energy-sapping battle at the Bridge, one managerial sacking on that very same day ended up seeing both of the Reds' next opponents with newly appointed managers. And we all know the pitfalls that can bring. As I stated earlier in the week, nothing is being made easy for Liverpool. Not only have the banana skins been laid out, but they'd been covered with oil, grease and just about every other slippery substance known to man.

Until last week, Spurs were handing out league points like a child who's consumed six gallons of Cola throwing confetti at a wedding. Now, they're a totally different prospect. Spurs' amazing recovery at the Emirates only makes Saturday's visit all the harder; however, perhaps the effort they put in when chasing Arsenal shadows might work against them. Portsmouth were always likely to be more adversely affected than Spurs by the managerial merry-go-round, but a new manager in any circumstances can lead to a renewed effort in a squad to prove themselves. They certainly put in the effort.

And yet Liverpool's eighth win, along with two draws, makes for one of the best-ever starts to a Premier League season. Of course, that's a short history, but a pertinent one in terms of what Liverpool now crave. Few Liverpool teams prior to 1992 can boast such a phenomenal start, either. (One, in 1990/91, saw the first eight games won, but the Reds eventually finished 2nd.)

What makes this start even more remarkable is that out of the other nine teams currently making up the top half of the table, Liverpool have played seven. And one of the other three games was Everton away, a fixture where form has no function.

The first goal is crucial in games where the opposition come with scant ambition to attack. Tony Adams built his reputation on outstanding defensive organisational skills, so it was no surprise that he set his team out to hold on for a point. Against Stoke it was the referee who denied Steven Gerrard a set-piece goal, but this time the captain's effort was allowed to stand. Once that goal goes in, it's usually the signal to relax and turn on the style. However, it was a bit late in the day, and then the Reds got a bit nervy - which is understandable, but something they will need to learn from.

When the goals don't go in and the game is creeping on, you keep going and keep believing. Titles are won with all kinds of victories; you cannot be snobbish about their validity or beauty. Believe it or not, championships are also won with defeats and draws in the mix - which of course sounds obvious, but this can seem like a day and age when any poor result is treated as the end of all hope.

Part of that is down to the impatient, on-demand era in which we live, and the hysterical swing from euphoria to despair in the course of 90 minutes. But it's also clearly down to the increased competitiveness at the top end of the table. These days there is less scope to drop points and get away with it. However, perfection isn't possible, either.

Rafa Benítez made four changes last night, and with 15 minutes left you could sense the knives sharpening again for his rotation policy. But Liverpool had previously beaten Manchester United and Chelsea by making changes, and last night United made five changes of their own. I've already heard that United's squad is so good, they can afford to make changes. But it didn't stop them losing games last season when Ferguson left out Rooney or Ronaldo. Equally, it didn't stop them winning others, and winning the league. And anyway, two of the Liverpool players rested - Keane and Riera - had slight knocks, while playing Sami Hyypia against Peter Crouch (against a side that also contained Bouba Diop) was just plain common sense. The ends justified the means: three points.

But with a visit to Spain last Wednesday followed by the gruelling encounter with Chelsea away on Sunday, it was clear that this was going to be a game where changes were made; and anyway, all the Champions League teams have done so lately. At the weekend Arsenal rested Adebayor, and they won; last night, United rested Rooney, and they won. These are their best strikers, and Rooney was on a hot-streak. So there is hypocrisy in only Rafa getting roasted for doing so. The fact is, even had Liverpool drawn with Portsmouth, the Reds would still have been a point clear at the top. While far from ideal, a draw would have still left an enviable situation in overall terms.
After all, it is not individual results that define a season, but the accumulation of many matches. Liverpool slipped up after beating United with a draw against Stoke, but I argued at the time that it needn’t prove costly if other results go the Reds' way: which, so far, they have. And, if we're honest, even better than expected, with the full 15 points garnered from a tough run of games.

League title chases almost always have twists and turns, and with some excellent sides in the top five, it's almost certain that no team will run away with the title. Gone are the days of the lone dominator, contemptuously brushing all aside. You can bet your mortgage (if it's still worth much these days) that United and Chelsea will have a strong second half to the season. Fortunately, it seems to be a trait of Benitez's Reds, too. It's also true that there is pressure in leading from the front. It can be more tiring. Sometimes, as seen with United in 1996 and Arsenal two years later, it can be better to come from miles behind, getting momentum at just the right time. But of course, no-one can guarantee that the necessary late surge will occur, and equally, it's no good being ten points off the pace if the team that's leading keeps winning. You always want to be as best positioned as possible at every stage, but with something left in the tank for the second half of the season. It's no good burning yourself out in the first half of the season just to be top in winter. What I've said on many occasions is that teams that win the title in the modern age always go close the season before. In other words, no-one comes from 4th to win the title anymore.

Manchester United ended their 26-year wait in 1993 only after finishing second a year earlier, partly down to an Anfield defeat at the end of the 1992 season. Blackburn finished second in 1994 and won it in 1995, before Arsenal jumped from third to first in 1998 - but, crucially, they had been equal-second on points in 1997. And Chelsea finished as runners-up in 2004, a year before ending their 50-year drought.

My opinion has always been that this second-place season is the precursor that builds the belief (through improvement on the year before), but which also teaches the players to live with greater expectation and cope with the pressure; usually they've finished second by being in a title race at some point that season. So it may well be that this is Liverpool's 'dry run' (although that term does not capture the drama of a Premier League season). But equally, this is just a trend, not a certainty. And I do think that the previous four seasons have seen a steady improvement in the quality of the Liverpool squad, and a gradual education into the ways of the manager. Liverpool have become reaccustomed to the big occasion under Benitez, and this will serve the club well, as it relates to pressure.

Benitez recently pointed out that Sammy Lee and Mauricio Pellegrino have a lot of experience of winning titles, as does he himself. This is no idle or irrelevant boast; this is a crucial factor. While it's nice to have players with league-winning experience, you can also say that the hunger of the current squad is just as important (as it was for Chelsea four years ago). In these instances, I feel it's more important to have a management structure that has achieved it all, and understands what happens in these situations. The last thing you want is a manager flapping and getting nervous. But Benítez has twice seen off Real Madrid and Barcelona to land the Spanish title, so he knows what it takes in a long-haul race.

You do need some key men on the pitch with experience. But then Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard are fine leaders by example, and not unfamiliar with pressure (or winning trophies) at Liverpool, while the Spanish contingent learned a huge amount over the summer about what it takes to win a major trophy. Also, Mascherano has won two Olympic titles, and while I'm not sure how that compares with other major honours (given that it's not each national team's strongest side, with mostly youngsters featuring), it's clearly not something to be sniffed at either. Another key figure could be Sami Hyypia, whose age, calm demeanour and experience of winning trophies with Liverpool will make him a priceless member of the squad, no matter how many games he gets to play.

There's also the club building as a whole, from the Youth FA Cup wins in 2006 and 2007, and the reserves as national champions in 2008. It's like a volcano rising to the surface, with success filtering up to the top. Hopefully 2009 will be the year when the whole thing blows like Krakatoa.
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A crucial 3 points to keep the momentum going

2008-10-30T06:53:00.001-07:00

The game against Pompey early this morning was indeed a tricky affair. If we had failed to win, the 3 points we earned against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend would have been futile. I don't think any Liverpool fan will complain about the penalty that gave us the precious 3 points and kept us at the top of the table. It's not important how we win as long as we get the 3 points. Remember how Chelsea won the league title scrapping through 1 goal wins a few seasons ago?? A colleague of mine said that this may well be Liverpool's season since we are showing signs of a "champions luck". I really hope he is right. Luck or no luck, the overall shape and look of the team has indeed been promising thus far.

This Liverpool team is beginning to play the kind of football that resembled Rafa's title winning Valencia. Perhaps it has finally taken the Gaffer 4 seasons to build the team he wants. All around the pitch, there is a new sense of excitment and belief. You can see it in their eyes. We have quality and loads of it too.

In Reina, we have one of the best keeper in the world and he is showing his true form again this season. In defence, we have the ever reliant Carragher together with Skrtel, Agger and Hypia. 4 fantastic players. Every championship winning team boasts a backline that is solid and steady. In these 4 players we have the kind of quality and depth that will carry us through the season. Although I feel if ever we need to buy in Jan, we will need to strengthen the left and right backs. Arbeloa, Dossena, Aurelio can look rather ordinary at times. We need better quality in these areas.

"We have the best midfield in the world....." and so the song goes. With Mascherano and Alonso playing well, working hard and protecting the back line, it frees Gerard to roam upfront. His favourite position. I read in his autobiography that this is where he feels he can play his best football although he will play anyway the manager wants him to play. For a long time, Rafa received heaps of criticisms for leaving Gerard out at the right flank. With Kyut flourishing on the right now, Gerard's restoration in the middle of the park can only be good for the team. Albert Reira has impressed me so far. He has provided the team with a new attacking option down the left. He is what we have been lacking all these seasons. Even Babel has been displaced onto the bench. In attack, we have a partnership that can potentially be the best in the premiership and even the world. Keane is starting to settle down and in Torres, we hv one of the best strikers in the world. At their peaks, I think both of these players can be devastating.

Above all these, there is a renewed sense of hunger and focus. The players now understand what they need to do in order to mount a serious title challenge. 3 points every game. It's that simple. Week-in-Week-out. It has been 19 long years since the title came home. It's the dream of every true Liverpool fan and player, both past and present. This is the right time to reinforce our status as the most successful football club in England.

3 points away at White Hart Lane this Saturday.....Let's take it one game at a time.

London Bridge is falling down.............

2008-10-26T11:28:00.000-07:00

We finally did it....we broke Chelsea's unbeaten home record!! 86 home games without a loss...until today that is. It was Alonso's shot deflected off John Terry that gave us the win. We are now officially sitting top of the league, 3 points clear of Chelsea, 8 points clear of Man United!!! This win is significant for a few reasons. Firstly, it was away at Stamford Bridge. Secondly we won without Torres. Thirdly, we have not even hit our peak form yet. Wins against Man United and Chelsesa will surely put the confidence of the players sky high. Even the most skeptical doubter will start to believe. Will this finally be our year?? Will number 19th league title finally come home after all these years of waiting? Maybe......Rafa need to keep the players on their toes and work hard. There is no room for complacency. It's still early days but all these wins will mean nothing if we do not keep our level of consistency. Wins against Man United and Chelsea will be nullified if we do not at least get a point at the return legs. We need to keep going till the final game of the season. Traditionally, our form dips after the new year. Let's hope we buck this trend from now and keep going.

The players did very well. Everyone of them. From Reina to Keane, from Reira to Kyut, from Carragher to Gerard. It was a fantastic performance. Alonso and Mascherano were all over the pitch. It could easily have been 2 goals to nothing if Alonso's free kick did not hit the upright. Ashley Cole was lucky to remain on the pitch. He could have been sent off after that reckless tackle.

It's been a great season so far and it's gonna get even better..........

Come Back Kings - Livepool 3 Wigan 2 (18 Oct 08)

2008-10-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

How many times do we need to come back from 1 or 2 goals down to beat our opponents? No doubt it's truly a joy to watch especially when the winning goal hits the back of the net but it is certainly not good for the heart!

We played really badly in the first half. Credit to the Latics, they didn't come for a draw. As a result, we had an entertaining game of non-stop end-to-end action. With Torres injured during the mid week international, we had to play with Keane and Kyut upfront. The first goal conceded was a nightmare. Thankfully for Agger, he redeemed himself by setting up the equaliser. However, this did not last too long. How a Wigan player managed to get a cross past 2 Liverpool defenders on the right side baffled me. That was horrendous defending. Crosses need to be cut out. That resulted in the Latics taking the lead again. I went into the half time break shaking my head in disappointment. It was a poor showing. With Chelsea beating Boro away by 5 goals earlier, the pressure was on us to win in order to keep pace with Chelsea.

I was glad we won the game 5 mins from time. With one man sent off for a second yellow, it was time for Liverpool to attack. Kudos to Rafa for changing the formation and playing 2 at the back. It was a gamble that paid handsome dividends immediately. Nabil El'Zhar once again proved to be a really good player in the making. He set up the second equaliser by Albert Reira. That was his debut goal for the club. Honestly, he looks every bit the kind of left sided winger we missed for so many seasons. He is a good signing.

Although I wish we could wrap up a game in the first half instead of having to come back from behind, this team is demonstrating the characteristics of a championship winning mentality. This win will further reinforce the players' belief that we are "un-beatable".

Now, let's bring on Athletic Madrid and Chelsea..........

Man City vs Liverpool - 05 Oct 08

2008-10-05T09:17:00.001-07:00

To come from 2 goals down and win the game away from home speaks a lot about the quality of the team. What an excellent game!!! The funny thing was that I did not feel a tinge of panic at half time. I was confident we would grap 1 back and it was a matter of time. I told myself if we pull one back early in the second half, it's game on. And so we did.

I must admit that the first half was terrible. I don't think Joe Hart had to even raise a finger for any attempt at goal. We were that pathetic. Although I was surprised that no changes were made at half time, it showed how much confidence Rafa had on his players. I supposed he knew that as long as the team started playing better, we would get a result.

I know those sour grapes would surely say that our come back was only possible after City lost one player to a straight red but who cares? I don't care how we earn that 3 points as long as we get it. That's how much we want the league this season. The team is playing with a lot of confidence and flair. There is belief and fighting spirit all round. With a bit of luck, who dare say this cannot be our season?

The only disappointment in the game was Skrtel's injury. It looked bad and I am sure he will be out for a few months. He has been in such fine form and will surely be missed. However, this will be the best chance for Agger to return to the starting lineup. In my opinion, there is little difference between the 2 of them. We need Agger back at his best.....

With an established defence, solid midfield supplemented by very skilful wingers and a formidable front line, who dare say number 19th will not return to Anfield this season??

It will be close but at least we are challenging..........

Liverpool vs PSV - 02 Oct 2008

2008-10-02T09:02:00.000-07:00

It was a good game overall.

Kyut's scoring record in Europe continues with a well taken strike in the 4th minute. That set the stage for the rest of the game. What's more pleasing was Kean's first goal in a red shirt just after the half hour mark. I felt vindicated. After 11 games, the debut goal finally came. It was a beautiful shot from a Torres' cross. With the first goal out of the way, the future can only look brighter. It was also significant that it was Torres who provided the ball to Keane. If they continue to play together more, the understanding will only get better.

Gerard's 100th goal for the club in front of the Kop was a screamer. It will certainly be a goal of the season for me. For a midfielder who had been played out of his favourite position on many occasions, getting the 100th goal certainly speaks a lot of his quality.

On the whole, it is difficult to find a reason to criticise the team after a performance like this. We need to maintain the momentum. The weekend's tie away to Man City will be a stern test to determine if we are indeed championship material.

Everton vs Liverpool - 27 Sep

2008-09-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

It was perhaps our best performance so far.....especially in the second half. We totally dominated the game and made the Blue Boys look like School Boys (hey, it rhymes!!). I always say that games like these are full of action and controversy. Very often these controversies come in the form of yellows and one or two reds. It's no exception this time around. I am just glad the red was shown to a Blue boy and of all people, Tim Cahill. I knew the 3 points were in the bag the moment Cahill was banished into the showers early.

I mut say it was pure joy to see Keane set up that beautiful strike for Torres. After a goal drought over the last 6 games, it was sweet to see our top striker hitting the target - twice. The only thing remaining is for Keane to find the net soon. Once that happens, the flood gates will open for sure.

In the middle of the park, Gerard put in one of his most mature and professionl performances in a derby game. He was boosing the midfield and, together with Alonso, nullified Everton's control of the game. Kyut was as usual working his socks off though I hope he improves the quality of his crosses soon. On the left, Reira is slowly impressing me more. He has the ability to take on defenders and provide that attacking edge down the left. Back in defence, Skrtel's performance and the clean sheets are keeping Agger away from the starting line-up. Agger's goal in midweek during the Carling cup game did not earn him an automatic recall into the starting XI. Skrtel has been excellent thus far.

It's still number 2 in the table, behind Chelsea on goal difference. We need to take each game at a time but performances like these will only raise our hopes that Number 19th may finally be coming home this season.

2 points dropped against Stoke City will not cost us the title

2008-09-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

I have decided to paste Paul Tomkin's latest article here. I totally agree with whatever he said below. Drawing against a newly promoted team that packs its defence is not a disaster. I believe we will bounce back after this draw to register bigger wins.......We just need to keep believing.
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I attempt to read all emails, even though I can't reply to them all. After poor results I get a mixture of messages: those from people who appreciate my attempts to find light in the dark (and who, such as this weekend, request a dose of positivity served in a glass half full), and those from people who offer a suggestion as to what I can go do with myself, sometimes with precise details as to the how and where. I don't like to dwell upon a bad result. Upon medical advice I am aiming to lessen my workload over the coming months (not easy with a book just released and the season so quickly in full emotional flow), but while a result like beating United can see me happily steer clear of the laptop and just savour the memory, the over reaction to two points dropped at home to a promoted side can spur me into action. When I read that the Reds definitely cannot win the title after one bad result, I despair. Just as beating Manchester United didn't make Liverpool a certainty to win it, one draw at home to a promoted side does not mean the opposite is now true. What I abhor most about modern football support is this constant swing from one extreme to another. Anything is still possible, be it bad or good. Unbeaten in eight, only three goals conceded - each time leading to a victory after being behind - and a mere point off the Premier League pace. The big picture seems fine to me. I still don't fully understand the emails I receive that treat me as if I am the person to blame, but I guess venting spleen is an important desire for many upset fans, and as someone who very much believes in the current manager, I'm an obvious target. After all, we all feel helpless in the support of our team. We'd love to be able to directly influence the game, but that's just impossible. And we all get wise after the event. Had Stoke scored from a long throw, then it would have been a mistake to not play Hyypia. Had it been from central midfield, it would have been due to leaving out Mascherano. As it was, it was an attacking line-up from Benitez, with two strikers, one winger and another striker-cum-wideman, and the two most creative central midfielders at the club. And Liverpool did all the attacking. They just drew a blank. Galling as it is, it happens. Drawing 0-0 at home to Stoke is clearly a bad result. Of course, the referee did not help matters; what the home team desperately needs in parked-bus games is that first goal. It's not an excuse, just a fact of life. If you score legitimately after 67 seconds, you can relax, and the opposition has to change tact. Let's be clear: brilliant, free-flowing football is virtually impossible in game like this - at least until that first goal goes in. It's hard to pass around a team that sets up like part-timers Andorra did against England; except Stoke are not non-league standard. And while the result wasn't as hoped, Liverpool did pretty much everything text-book against a packed defence. There may have seemed like too many long distance efforts, but then Liverpool have already beaten 'Boro, Sunderland and Marseilles thanks to shots from outside the area. It can be a way past a massed defence if there is little space to work the ball, but Liverpool also went wide, tried intricate pass-and-moves, and created good chances close to goal as well. I don't blame Stoke at all; they came with a game plan, just as Liverpool used to go to places like Barcelona under Gerard Houllier and park the bus. The referee allowed it to work this weekend due to his bizarre early decision, and the Reds failed to take their chances. All credit to the Potters. There are obviously parallels with last season, particularly the 0-0s at Portsmouth and Birmingham at the same stage (not to mention an illogical refereeing mistake at Anfield that cost the Reds two points). Like then, the first 0-0 - this time at Villa Park - was actually a decent result. Last season Benitez was blamed for resting Torres and Gerrard; this year he has done no such thing (although he was without them in the win against United), which goes to show that sometimes bad things happen to good teams, no matter who features in the line-up. The difference this season is that Liverpool have already beaten a title favourite. I kept hearing for four seasons that the other big three are the teams you need to beat to win the title. At the same time, I still keep hearing that every single other team is the kind of team you need to beat to win the title. But you can't win 'em all. All champions have a handful of bad results over the course of a season. No title is ever lost because of one slip-up in September. However, every bad result clearly lessens the margin for error. You can always carry a few setbacks, like United did when drawing at home to Reading early last season (amid other bad results in a poor start), but each one means one fewer 'get out of jail free' card. So it's not something to be blase about. It can prove costly, but only in a cumulative fashion. While drawing with Stoke seems to negate all the good work against United, the fact remains that beating the current champions not only gave the Reds three points, but denied Ferguson's men their own. Beating Stoke and drawing with United might seem a far more respectable way to get four points, but this way around is actually better, as United, who've already dropped points at home to 19th-placed Newcastle, remain worse off, and that's an important difference. (Unless it's Stoke who end up challenging for the title) Again, it should have been six points, but these blips happen. For me, the main problem this season has been the fitness, sharpness and confidence of the two strikers. And there's not a lot a manager can do to change that, apart from keep faith and have patience. To my mind Rafa was right to buy Robbie Keane, who is a quality striker, but there was no guarantee of an instant windfall. Torres was late back from Euro 2008, then suffered a hamstring strain. He's not found his full acceleration, and perhaps he's feeling the pressure a little after the raised expectations after a quite incredible 12 months. He has looked a little tentative when running, and it might be a week or two before we see him feel comfortable enough to use his explosive pace. As a quick striker in my playing days (with only marginally less ability than Torres), I suffered with hamstring problems. They do play on your mind; it's a horrible feeling when one pings at full-pelt. Even when it's healed, the psychological scars linger a little longer. You need to feel able to trust your body. I still feel Torres will have an excellent season. He doesn't need to score as many goals overall, just pull a rabbit out of the hat like he did at Sunderland, and of course, in the Euro 2008 final. Less goals but more 'winners' would be great. Robbie Keane, meanwhile, seems overanxious, which is natural for any new striker with a big price tag searching out his first goal. Peter Crouch took 19 games to break his duck, but after that his scoring record was pretty good. Keane's two main efforts against Stoke were deft attempts, but a confident striker feels more able to aim for the corners; when the goals aren't flowing, you tend to concentrate on just hitting the target. When I started out as a semi-pro I couldn't buy a goal (I was refused credit at Goals'R'Us). But once the first went in, my whole game went from abysmal to what I would call my 'personal best' (to some observers, that was only a fraction better than abysmal, but that's semantics...). It's hard to explain how different you become as a footballer once you find your confidence. And trying too hard really is a curse. You need work-rate, but a relaxed mind. Albert Riera seems to have settled much more quickly. For a tricky winger, his passing is superb. He looks a bargain, and Andrea Dossena, who has come in for some unnecessary criticism on a couple of occasions, will help offer a new dimension on that flank. Another major plus is that Liverpool are defending set-pieces far better this season. The zonal marking system improved upon the arrival of Mauricio Pellegrino as a player in 2005, and he seems to have tweaked things again; particularly important with players like Crouch, Sissoko and Riise replaced by smaller alternatives. Liverpool have played some very tall sides this season, but rarely been worried (touch wood). But the Reds still need to score more from their own corners. As has been noted, Liverpool have rode their luck at times this season, but it ran out at the weekend. The Manchester United victory showed how good this team can be, and despite the up-and-down nature of the performances, the Reds are brilliantly placed in both the league and in Europe. It could be better still, but every team can say that, including Arsenal, who lost at Fulham. As it stands, six points ahead of United and level on points with Chelsea, in addition to an away win in Marseilles, is something we'd have all taken if offered it in August. Amidst the gloom of a missed opportunity, it's important to not lose sight of that fact.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We finally did it!!!! Liverpool 2-1 Manchester United

2008-09-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

What a game!! I told my friends before kick-off that I had a hunch we will finally win against Manchester United. I read in a report before the game that the last time Liverpool went on an 8 game losing streak against Man United, we won 1-0 at the 9th game. It was the 9th game last night. And we won by a one goal margin. History repeated itself.

To make the victory sweeter, we did not even start with our bext XI. Torres and Gerard was on the bench at kick-off. Most of our players are not at their best yet. Although our form hasn't been great, we remained unbeaten thus far. 3 games 9 points. What more can we ask for??

Some sore loser commented that our revival was helped by an own goal but who cares? We will take that any time. 3 points is all that matters. A win against a team like Man United can only serve to boost the players' confidence from now on.

Both Mascherano and Alonso were bossing the midfield magnificently. They made Carrick and Scholes looked ordinary. Although they scored the first goal, we were the better team for most of the game. Berbatov is a great player but we showed the world how collective determination and hunger for a win, will tilt the game in our favour. Skrtel and Carragher were out standing in defence. Albert Reira, our new spanish winger who made his debut, looked promising down the left flank. It's not always easy to be thrown into a game like this especially if it's a debut. I thought he did really well. Even without the full team, we played like champions. Last night's game was by far our best game of the season.

I must say something about Robbie Keane. Although I mentioned in my previous blogs that he must be given time to settle, I must say that he has been looking very ordinary thus far. I am beginning to agree with most people that he is probably not worth the 20million pounds the club paid for him. Agiainst Man United, his positioning was way off, his first touch was shocking and his passing can be totally rubbish at times. I just hope we did not make the wrong decision to sign him. He really needs to start playing better and scoring goals.

Whatever it is, a win is a win. Who cares if the equaliser came from an own goal? To win the league, we need to grind out results and learn to win ugly. If we keep doing this, I am sure the number 19th league title will finally be coming home.

It's time we beat the mancs

2008-09-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to feel the nerves prior to kickoff this evening. Undoubtedly, this is the biggest game of the season so far.

We need to beat Man United badly.....I am not sure how I'll feel if we lose again. It's been 8 games in a row. The last time we lost 8 games to them, Liverpool bounced back with a 1-0 win at the 9th game. Will history repeat itself?

I really hope so.

Liverpool vs Man U - It's not a good time to play the scums

2008-09-08T06:59:00.000-07:00

13 Sep 08 (Saturday)......it's Joelle's birthday. Kick-off time will be about the same time Joelle was born 5 years ago. I hope my daughter will bring the team luck this time.

We have lost 7 (maybe even 8) times to the scums consecutively and our head-to-head record against them is not exactly the kind of statistc you will want to look at in the buildup to the game. Obviously, I approach this game with a lot of apprehension. If what I am reading so far is true, we will not have Gerard and maybe even Torres. Keane does not look like he will score anytime soon and David Ngog is certainly too raw to be playing in a huge game like this. That means we will most likely have no striker. Babel is not on form yet and Kyut is not the kind of player known for his clinical finishing. The only thing looking up for us is our defence. Carragher and Skrtel is looking settled and solid. Reina is playing well at the moment.

We need to win this game badly if we are to challenge for the title this season. We need 3 points. More importantly, it's the pride. Where are we going to hide our face if we lose to these bunch of scums again?

At the moment, it certainly looks like we will need a miracle for any positive result.

Let's start praying for that miracle.

Heroes and Villans

2008-09-01T17:21:00.000-07:00

With Spurs holding Chelski to a draw at Stamford Bridge, the stage was set for a Liverpool away win at Villa Park and top the table before the international break. The Gareth Barry saga in summer meant it was not going to be an easy afternoon for Rafa's boys. The fact that Torres limped off in the first half with a hamstring injury did not help matters either. We were already missing our skipper from a groin injury.

I was hopeful perhaps that was the perfect opportunity for Keane to steal the show and finally score his first goal for the club. He was presented with a great opportunity in the second half. With only the goalkeeper to beat, running into the penalty box with 2 defenders chasing him. What did he do? He blasted that ball well above the horizontal. What the %$#!?? I was shocked! That was not the Robbie Keane I saw at White Hart Lane! What kind of a 20 million pound striker did we buy? I have been patient and, even when people were criticising Keane only after his second game for the club, I said time was needed for him to settle. The goals will come.....though I hope it will be sooner rather than later. But to screw up that wonderful opportunity in front of goal was simply unacceptable. Prior to that, we had Kyut missing another opportunity by blasting the ball into the side netting. I mentioned last season that we needed to be more clinical in front of goal. Against top teams like Manchester United and Chelski, chances will be far and few. But when a chance to strike presents itself, we need to make it count. If we keep missing opportunities like these, we will once again find ourselves 1 or 2 goals down before we even know what hit us. Look at the Super Cup game between Man U and Zenith last Sat morning. The Russians were already 2 goals up by half time. Man U was controlling the game, passing the ball around, teasing the Russians with their possession and trying to find a way to penetrate and, when they did, it was wasted with some slack passing or inaccurate shooting. On the contrary, the Russians had far less possession and only 2 clear chances at goal. They scored twice and won the Super Cup.

David Ngog looked sharp and willing when he came on for Torres. However, he could not sustain that brilliance and eventually faded away in the second half. Rafa brought in Audrelio for Keane. That move stunned me. Perhaps it was a tactical substitution but I could not see where the tactical wisdom was. In fact, I hardly even saw Aurelio touch the ball! I have always thought that at 0-0 in the second half away from home, against an opponent struggling to break us down, we should have brought on a match winner and steal all 3 points. Aurelio is not a match winner. Babel is. And why was he sitting on the bench? Agree that he didn't look 100% fit after the Olympics but with 20 mins to go, there must obviously be a better substitute than Aurelio. What about bringing in Nabil El Zhar on the right and Benayoun on the left? Why Aurelio? As far as I am concerned, the so-called "samba" boys in our team (the other one is Lucas Leiva) should be re-named the "sambal" boys. They are brazilians but not the same kind that will dazzle with their fancy footwork and trickery on the pitch.

Ok, ok.....maybe I am a little frustrated by the overall performance and the fact that we could be facing Man U next Sat without Torres and Gerard. Maybe I lost it a little this morning.......but I have to say that I have always stood by the team and kept my faith in them even when they dish out rubbish on the pitch. After losing to Man U for the past xx (I don't even wanna remember how many) consecutive games, I cannot bear to see another one. The last away game against them was a nightmare. I almost threw up after the 3rd goal was conceded. We lost the last 2 home games against them by a 1 goal margin and both goals came from a corner. I don't expect us to win but a good performance will certainly be appreciated.

Perhaps this international break is a blessing in disguise for us. We have 2 weeks to get Gerard and Torres fit. Let's pray something miraculous happens on the 13 Sep (it's my daughter's birthday afterall)......we need 3 points against one of our fiercest rivals. If we manage to do that, it will surely boost our confidence for the rest of the season.

Come on you Reds.....

Liverpool vs Standard Liege

2008-08-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

It was a huge relieve to see the ball in the net just 1 min before the end of extra time. Yes, extra time! Can you believe it? And I thought we were going to walk all over them in Anfield!

For the 3rd consecutive time this season, we managed to nick the winner late in the game. It was too not the kind of games for the weak hearted. I was mentally preparing myself for penalties. Thank goodness we did not need to go that far. It was a fine cross from Babel to Kyut. The Dutch-connection.

It's also interesting to note that for the past 2 games, the style of play changed the moment Nabil El Zhar came on as a substitute. In the game against Boro, he came on for Arbeloa covering the right back position. It was his run down the right that resulted in Carragher's equaliser. Against Standard Liege, he came on for Keane. Kyut was moved to the central position behind Torres and El Zhar sat on the right flank. His impact was immediate. The referee should have given a penalty for an infringement on him in the box. What is undisputable is the fact that this 18 yr old Moroccan boy certainly has a lot of potential. I will like to see Rafa handing him a start against Villa this Sunday.

Earlier in the week, Rushie mentioned on the club website that it was important that we managed to win games even when we were playing badly. King Kenny, in Singapore this week, echoed the same comments in the local papers today. However, we will certainly need to improve our game if we are to get anything out of Villa Park this Sunday. Villa is surely one of the in-form teams at the moment. They have managed to score in the last 5 games and some high scoring games too. With Gerard out for 2 weeks due to a groin surgery, it will be Mascherano and Alonso running the engine room in the middle of the park. Unless Alonso hits form at the right time, too I foresee we'll lack connectivity between the back line and the forwards. Babel has been uninspiring since he returned from Beijing. One would expect him to be in good shape but he looked heavy and tired. Keane really needs to show the form he displayed at Spurs. I think he has been disappointing so far. I did mention before that he needs time to settle but it's almost 5 games since he started in a red shirt and we need to see more of him. For a player of his quality and experience in the league, I almost expected him hit the ground running.

The next 2 games will be challenging. Away to Villa on Sunday followed by the international break for the World Cup qualifiers and then Man U visits Anfield on 13 Sep. A big big game. Probably the most anticipated game in the season. It's never easy to play them after an international break (in fact, it's never easy to play any time!!) . Let's hope we stop this losing trend against them. Enough is enough. Surely, we must be able to beat them on our own turf!

Things are also looking fairly interesting in the Champions League group stages. Once again we meet PSV Eindhoven and Marseille. Athletico Madrid will prove to be a tricky team to play against. It will be not be stroll in the park but then again, we would fancy facing Liverpool in Europe? Afterall...................This Is Anfield.

Corners and Standard Liege

2008-08-26T07:50:00.000-07:00

There is one area we need vast improvement. Corners.

During the Boro game, we had about 9 corners. It was shocking to see how each one of those corners ended up nowhere near the goal. Every single one was wasted and sometimes we even ended up losing possession. Shocking! What happened to those well rehearsed set pieces? Corners are useful places where goals can be scored....and easily too. This is provided the ball is whipped into the box with a lot more committment. We have Skrtel, Hypia, Torres and maybe even Carragher that can head the ball well. Or take the ball outside the box and we have Gerard and maybe even Alonso that can blast a stinger towards goal as well. But instead, our corners are all too predictable and perhaps even 'toothless'.

We need to rectify this problem soon.

Tomorrow, we face Standard Liege in Anfield. The first leg was forgettable. Liege is certainly a team to be wary of. They were quick, aggressive and sharp in the first leg. We were certainly far too complacent then and could have easily gone 2 goals down if not for some heroic defending by Reina. Having said that, the team will be boosted by our injury time win over Boro last weekend and the return of Mascherano and Leiva from the Olympics. The team will also be boosted by rumours of another possible addition before the transfer window closes. A spanish left winger from Espanyol. Rafa is certainly looking to bring more width to the team.

We are certainly looking more solid as a team after 4 seasons under Rafa. The spine of the team is settled. In goal, we have Reina. In defence, we have Carragher. In midfield, we have Gerard. In attack, we have Torres. We also have a good mix of experience and youth. Amongst us, we have Champions League winners, European Cup winners and Olympic medallists. There is hunger and desire. After 19 long years, the team knows it's time to deliver. After a good start in the league, it's time to start winning in style and show the world what Liverpool Football Club is all about.

I expect us to tear Liege apart. They will be playing in Anfield on a European night. And we all know too well how special European nights can be in this sacred ground.

It doesn't matter how the 3 points were collected

2008-08-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

2 Scousers saved the day for us. Just when the game seemed dead and buried, we got an equaliser from an unexpected source. Jamie Carragher.....2nd goal in 8 years. He doesn't score many but this one is surely valuable. Although it deflected off a Boro defender, Carragher will certainly claim it. And deep into injury time, a typical Gerard screamer just outside the penalty box sealed all 3 point for us. What a game! It was explosive down at the East of Anfield Fan club at Harry's. As usual, there were lots of singing and cheering after the game....I lost my voice again.

But the reality is that it was a terrible game in terms of the team's performance. We started the first 15mins brilliantly but it was always a challenge to sustain that kind of pace and passing. We fizzled out expectedly and allowed Boro to settle themselves into the game. There were a lot of possession still but we just couldn't find the break through.

Dossena was impressive down the left. Skrtel looked sharp. Torres seemed hungry for goals. However, Alonso, Gerard, Beanyoun and Keane could have done a lot better. I was impressed with Nabil El Zhar when he came on in the 83rd minute for Arbeloa, especially when he sliced through 2 defenders and sped down the right flank. Rafa should consider giving this boy a few more first team games. Babel seemed like he was still in Beijing. On the whole, we need to step up a few notches if we are to start beating the likes of Man U and Chelsea. Keane only had one moment of briliance when he beat 2 defenders in the box and slipped a beautiful through pass to Torres that almost resulted in a goal. We need Keane to be playing like this for 90mins. Once he finds his form and understanding with the team, we have with us one of the most lethal strike partnerships in the league.

But having said that, winning the league requires some element of luck as well. Like how we won our 5th European title 4 years ago. Chelsea were scrapping through 1-0 wins unspectacularly 3 seasons ago when they won they first league title in almost half a century. If we can dish out rubbish football and still win games, I feel this could be a sign. A sign that number 19th may finally be coming back home this season. I agree that we are not at our best at the moment but it's also important that we are collecting 3 points and maintaining our 100% winning record. All teams will inevitably drop points. On average, a top 4 team will drop between 15-20 points a season. It's impossible to score 105 points (over 35 games). If we can possibly hit 85-90 points come Apr-May 09, we will certainly be in for a title challenge. The key is to win all 3 points at home ,beat 80% of the other teams away from home, and ensure we win or draw games against Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal.

I have a feeling that there is a sense of purpose in the team this season. The focus seems to be more on the league this time round. Everyone is talking about consistency over the entire season, the need to keep pace with the leaders, making Anfield a fortress once again, beating the top 3 at home. If sustained, I am quietly confident we will be fighting for the title come May next year.

For now, let's just savour the joy of being at the top of the table....(at least till the rest of the games tonight).

3 points is all that matters

2008-08-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

I have read and heard many negative feedback about our team's performance last Saturday. I agree it was a terrible first half. The team is not enjoying their football at the moment.

I can think of a few reasons:
1) Gerard is not at his best cos' of his injury. With a fired up and fully fit Gerard, he can only lift the team's level of play higher.
2) Babel, Mascherano and Leiva were absent. With the Olympics final over by this weekend, we will have these 3 key players back for good. That can only be good news for us.
3) Keane and Torres needs more time to get that understanding between them. We simply can't expect Keane to walk right into the team and start banging in goals for fun. It will take time for him to settle. I just hope he scores his first goal sooner rather than later. Get that first goal in and I'm sure it will do him a lot of good in terms of confidence.

Credit must be given to the Black Cats. They have strengthened over the summer break. Furthermore, it's the first game of the season. Everyone was fired up to win it at home. In Rafa's 4 seasons in-charge, we have never started our first game at home. Getting the first win was important. I don't mind even if it was a fluke or own goal. 3 points was all that matters.

I have said this probably more than a hundred times - Consistency. We need to play at the same level week-in and week-out. We need to kill teams off with a certain kind of ruthlessness. We need to start with our strongest 11, wrap things up by half time and start resting key players the last 20mins. Not the other way around! Rafa needs to know his best 11. There is a lot of debate about the pros and cons of Rafa's rotation policy. I don't have a problem with that but I feel Rafa needs to re-think some of his tactical game-plans.

It's still early days. But in order to win the league, we need to start playing better soon. Real soon.....

Champions League Qualifier - 14 Aug

2008-08-14T23:02:00.000-07:00

Game: Standard Liege vs Liverpool

This being our first competitive game of the season, I was not entirely surprised by the team's performance for a few reasons.

Firstly, it was an away game in Europe. It will be foolish to think we can walk all over our opponents on their own turf. Credit must be given to this Belgium outfit as they played with a lot of heart and courage. They did not seem intimidated by our reputation and could have easily gone 2-0 at half time. They were aggressive and quick. To make matters worse, we had our worst game all pre-season. We lacked ideas, lost the 2nd ball consistently and could not hold possession in order to control the game.

Secondly, it was not exactly Rafa's preferred starting XI. Babel, Mascherano and Leiva were all away in Beijing for the Olympic games. Gerard was even forced to start despite having just recovered from an injury.

Thirdly, the Keane-Torres partnership has not settled yet. To be honest, Keane looked a little out of sorts. I have been watching him closely since he started and I am a little worried. I really hope he will step up soon and the promise of this partnership being the most lethal in the BPL eventually comes true.

It is still early days. We still have Sunderland to face before the return leg. I feel the team is not at its best shape to start the season. We need everyone fit and playing well. Too early to make any judgements. We will have a better idea after 10 games. Let's hope there will only be good things to say then.....

Pre-2008/8009 Season

2008-08-04T23:12:00.001-07:00

It's the time of the year when I am starting to feel impatient again. 16th Aug can't come any faster. Thanks to Euro 2008, at least I was not starved of football action for a prolonged period of time. 3 months of no football is totally unacceptable.

Before the season kicksoff in 2 weeks time, Liverpool made various acqusitions that will certainly fill me with hope once again....(since when have I not felt hopeful at the beginning of each seson?). Will this finally be THE season we have all been waiting for...after 19 long painful years?

I must say the aquisition of Robbie Keane from Spurs thrilled me. It's always been a joy to see a true Liverpool fan play for the club. What a dream! Robbie's committment and desire to excel cannot be questioned. He is a proven EPL player, settled and, at 28, will prove to be an important signing. A year ago, we signed a Ferando Torres for a club transfer record fee. This year, we signed Robbie for 20.3mil pounds. Both players surpassed the 20-goal mark last season, with Torres setting a new goal record in a debut season by a new foreign player in the league. Robbie started the game against Rangers last Saturday. It was the first time he partnered Torres. There were glimpses of brillance and good movement between the both of them. With Gerard, Babel, Benayoun and Kyut, we have 6 players with an attacking mentality and superior game intelligence. That can be a significant difference from last season. It will be Babel's 2nd season and should he step up one level, we have in our hands another potent player. Benayoun looks extremely lively on Saturday. Kyut seemed re-charged. Gerard will need to step up a few notches and we will have one of the most potent front lines and midfield in the league. Move aside Mr Scolari and Sir Fergie! It's the Red Army marching in.....

With the purchase of italian Andrea Dossena from Udinese and a free transfer of swiss defender Philipp Degen from Basel, our back line will be boosted tremendously. These are 2 players that have a good attacking mentality. Their overlapping runs down the flanks will provide a more offensive look to the team. I must admit I have been impressed by Dossena's performance last Saturday. It was a good thing Riise was off-loaded to Roma in the summer. I was so happy I had to celebrate his departure.

Another young striker in 19 year old french David Ngog signed from Paris-Saint Germain, will provide the attacking backup for Torres and Robbie. This boy is one of the brightest young talents in french football. His first goal for the club against Rangers last Saturday was full of quality. He looks big and strong, the kind of player to survive in the EPL. I am sure he can only improve at an accelerated pace understudying Torres and Robbie. With Gareth Barry's deal back on the table with Aston Villa, we are looking at one more quality buy in the middle of the park. Barry's signing will prove to be useful. He has a tremendous partnership with Gerard. Both of them started playing together since the U-21 days and were together when they both made their International debut into Kevin Keagan's England team for Euro 2000. They will play well together as they have been good mates with each other for more than 10 years now. There is a great understanding between them.

The possible arrival of Barry will probably signal the departure of one more player. Alonso's move to Juventus was halted at the eleventh-hour. I am sure Alonso will either be benched or sold soon to make way for Barry should Villa agree to the offer price. The departure of Crouch saddened me though. I have always liked that fella. He has great qualities and a good attitude. Unfortunately, the lure of first team football was simply too much to resist and he had to go. We wish him well and hopefully he doesn't score against us at all in the coming seasons.

Overall. the shape of the team is looking good. We will have to live without Mascherano, Lucas and Babel for the start of the season due to their participation in the Olympic U-23 competition.
I am sure we will be more than prepared to cope without them. The quality of the passing during last Saturday's game was a sign that pre-season preparations are progressing right on track. The team looked really good pouring forward.

I have confidence that we will bring back at least one cup in the new season. Hopefully it's the one we have been waiting for.............after 19 long and painful years.

Come on you Reds....

Liverpool is my religion,
Torres my God.
You'll Never Walk Alone is my hymn,
and Anfield my place of worship.

2007/2008 Season

2008-05-11T22:33:00.000-07:00

It was a nice way to end the season. We beat Spurs comfortably away with 2 superbly taken goals. It was significant how El Nino was involved in both of them. First with a perfectly timed flick on to Voronin and, second, a deadly-cool finish after rounding off the defender and keeper inside the 6 yard box. 33 goals in 46 appearances, of which 26 goals were scored in the EPL. That broke Ruud VanNisteroy's record for the most number of goals scored by a foreign player in his debut season in the EPL. That achievement spoke volumes of the quality of Fernando Torres, aka El Nino - Liverpool's Number 9. The frightening thing is that he will get better with time. Surrounded by better quality players who can play the ball into his feet or free him with a well-timed through pass or flick-on, Torres will inflict maximum damage when he is in a one-on-one situation. What he needs to cope better is the physical aspect of the English game. Defenders across England will now be aware of his talent and they will no doubt be looking at ways to stop him. He needs to be stronger and more physical.

On the whole, he is one player that made a huge difference this season. There are a few others I felt made a positive impact. Ranked no. 2 in my list is Ryan Babel. This dutchman has proven to be the next big thing in the club. He will improve and be a key player for the team in the next season. Rafa can employ him primarily as a left winger but also as a supporting striker. This boy can play. If he steps up a level higher and stays fit, it will be another dominant season down the left in the next season.

Yossi Benayoun, Javier Mascherano, Martin Skrtel......new faces that made an instant impact. In Benayoun, we have an extremely intelligent player that can either play wide or in the centre, score goals and provide quality crosses into the box. In Mascherano, we have with us one of the best defensive midfielders in the world. His forte lies in his uncanny ability to break up any counter attacks. One thing this boy must learn is to control his temper and the timing of his tackles. In Skrtel, we have a young defensive player who has proven to be extremely suited for the english game. He literally walked into the team in January and claimed that central defensive position and called it his own. Don't forget that we still have Daniel Agger. Once he recovers from his long term injury, we have with us another raw talent. The future looks bright as far as our defence is concerned.

Having said this, there are also a few players I felt let us down this season. Firstly, it's Steven Gerard. Our Captain. I simply adore Gerard and I cannot imagine ever losing him to another team. However, I felt that for a player of his quality and love for the club, he had an average season. Too often this season, he played below his standards. There were games when he was simply absent. Take last night's game for example. I felt he was already off for his summer holidays in Ibiza. With a firing Gerard, he is simply unstoppable and we all know that too well. From this alone, I felt he had a disappointing season amidst the fact that there were flashes of brilliance in the odd game he played in. Xabi Alonso. I am not sure what happened. He seemed a pale shadow of his former self. He appeared average for most part of the seaon and seemed more suited for a mid table kind of team - like Everton. I am not surprised his name was mentioned for a possible transfer in the summer. John Arnie Riise is next. Despite his occasional long range scuds, I always said that he is one player that needs to go. For too long we have lived with average players and he is certainly one of them. We need someone of a higher quality on the left side and I hope the young Argentine, Emiliano Insua, can finally provide the team with higher quality on that side of the pitch. Dirk Kyut. Although he played well in the last 2 months of the season, for the most part, he was a pain to watch. Although he tried to justify his drop in form to the passing of his father, I felt it was simply too convenient an excuse to justify for his poor performance and fat pay check.

As we break for the summer and re-group for the new season, the club needs resolve a few key issues. We need to sort out the club ownership and funding issues once and for all. We hope that the yanks will finally sell their stake to DIC. We need the new stadium construction to commence immediately. With ex Liverpool star Sammy Lee possibly coming onboard as Rafa's No.2, we need to re-discover our winning formula for the coming season.

Will we finally clinch our 19th League title? There are signs that the team has improved tremendously over the last 4 years. Rafa has been given the time to improve the squad and the expectations will not doubt rise. With Man U winning their number 17th, there is enough motivation for the club to protect that record in order to preserve our status as the most successful club in the history of english football. A status we are all too proud to lose. However, a lot will depend on the transfer activities of the other clubs. As much as we are trying to close the gap, it's really about who has the biggest access to funds in order to sign the best players.

I am looking forward to the next season with apprehension. The key will be to maintain consistency. Without which we will falter like we did the last few seasons. It's time to step up and dig deep. Rafa needs to spend his summer holidays reviewing what went wrong. In terms of tactics, there were times when he fell short. We need to play the same team week in, week out. The second team will need to step up and ensure success in the League and FA cups. With this dispersion of attention, I am sure we will pose a bigger challenge next season. Ferguson took 4 years with Man U before winning his first league title. Let's hope it's 4th time lucky for Rafa.....if he stays on as Manager.

The end of season 07/08

2008-05-04T00:39:00.000-07:00

I can't bring myself to write about anything after our semi final loss to Chelsea. It was something I felt was coming before kick-off. The lineup was flawed, the tactics lacking, our players did not live up to the big match expectations. I was surprised what a quiet game Stevie had. The venue was the last stumbling block. Riise's own goal proved to be the nail in our Champions League coffin.

There is nothing else to play for. The season has ended. As we look forward to the next one, let's pray the boardroom turmoil will be resolved soon. I hope the yanks sell their stake to the arabs and Benitez leaves. I like him but I just don't think he has what it takes to bring us our League title. I may be wrong but that's how I feel for now.

Thanks to the Euro 2008, I will not suffer from a lack of football action for the next 3 months.

To be continued'..........

Chelsea vs Liverpool

2008-04-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

An interesting article by Tony Barrett, a correspondent for the Liverpool Echo
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According to French statisticians, Liverpool only have a 23 per cent of making it through to the Champions League final in Moscow.

But then, when did anyone at Anfield take any notice of what French statisticians have to say? Those experts at L'Equipe may be able to rate Liverpool's chances by going through every single European Cup semi-final since 1971. And they may even be justified in making Chelsea statistical favourites to go through on Wednesday night. But one thing they could never factor into their complicated equations is that mythical factor that Liverpool are at their best in Europe when their backs are against the wall. Is a club which has come back from the dead in Istanbul, which has won twice at the Nou Camp, which has defied logic against the likes of St Etienne, Olympiakos and, more recently, Arsenal really going to be cowed at the prospect of "only" having 90 minutes to score a single goal away at Chelsea? Will a club that once won a European Cup against AS Roma in their own backyard with all its hostility be afraid of the blue and white chequered flags which will be unfurled at Stamford Bridge? Not a chance. This is Liverpool's stage, not Chelsea's.

Had those French statisticians also bothered to look at European Cup finals since 1971 they would have discovered that Chelsea have not appeared in a single one of them. In the same period of time, Liverpool have appeared in seven and, in my book at least, that makes them favourites. Forget that 95th minute equaliser at Anfield last week and focus on almost every single one of the 94 minutes that preceded it. Liverpool were comfortably the better side and had it not been for the excellence of Petr Cech would be heading into the second leg with the kind of lead that even miracles cannot overcome. Pepe Reina, by contrast, was hardly tested and there were times when the Spanish keeper must have been tempted to join in with the Kop as they did the Torres bounce just to keep himself warm. Yes, John Arne Riise's own goal did shift the balance of the tie because it gave Chelsea that crucial away strike and yes, Liverpool could have done without conceding. But all they have to do to cancel it out is score a single goal at Stamford Bridge and the tie will be back in their hands.

A legend will be created tomorrow. Someone will carve his name on Liverpool's unique European history alongside the likes of Dalglish, Smith, Rush, McDermott, Keegan, Fairclough, Garcia and Gerrard. One player dressed in red will seize the moment and give the travelling Kop a moment they will treasure until their dying day. The stage is set for a hero to emerge and open up a path to Moscow. No one will care if it's Torres, Gerrard, Kuyt, Carragher or Skrtel, just as long as someone does it. Liverpool have nothing to fear from Chelsea. What is their to fear from the functional or the perfunctory? This is not the Real Madrid of Figo and Zidane, the Milan of Van Basten, Baresi and Gullit, the Barcelona of Stoichkov, Romario and Koeman or even the Man United of Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez. It is the Chelsea of the eternally balance-challenged Didier Drogba, the vastly over rated Ashley Cole and the perennially weak Paulo Ferreira. And what's more, they're even fighting among themselves if Saturday's embarrassing squabble over whether Drogba or Michael Ballack took a free kick is anything to go by. ! Throw into the mix the fact that Avram Grant is totally untested at this level and is no doubt currently fretting about whether he should stick or twist and all of a sudden all those doubts and fears which followed Riise's unfortunate intervention are rendered almost meaningless. If roles could be reversed and it was Liverpool who had the away draw with a second leg to come at Anfield but you had to have Grant in charge rather than Rafa Benitez, would you take it?

I didn't think so.

Benitez is an arch alchemist in the rarified atmosphere of the Champions League and he will be heading to Stamford Bridge with the kind of battle plan Napoleon would have been proud of. Every eventuality will have been considered, all strengths and weaknesses assessed and a tactical masterplan will be implemented which will give Liverpool every chance of getting the result they need. We know this is the case because we have seen it so many times over the last four years. We have seen it against Arsenal, Inter Milan and Juventus. And we have seen it against Chelsea. Twice. The Spaniard will be relishing the opportunity of going into the Londoners' own backyard and making it a hat-trick. He won't see his team as the underdogs and he certainly won't be afraid. As is the case for his team, this is Benitez's stage, a place where he is rarely found wanting. Chelsea, by contrast, have been to the Champions League semi-finals on three separate occasions and are still to make it to a single final. To borrow a phrase from bookmaking parlance, the Londoners do not have course and distance. They do have an away goal to their name, but it is only one. Liverpool now know exactly what they have to do and every single Liverpool fan should today be believing that they will do it. It is they who have history on their side no matter what those French statisticians might say.

And anyway, 23 is a lucky number for Liverpool at Stamford Bridge. Remember Kenny Dalglish's goal to win the league at Chelsea in 1986? It was scored after exactly 23 minutes. That's fate, history and a beautiful omen. It's going to be Liverpool's night. All we have to do is believe. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A massive, massive game

2008-04-28T03:15:00.000-07:00

First of all, I must apologise for not writing since our fantastic win against Arsenal in Anfield. No excuses really.....just been busy and lazy, I must admit.

Despite our current form, it is disappointing to approach the return leg of the Champions League semi-final in Stamford Bridge at 1-1. When Riise came on for Aurelio, I remember telling my friends at the fan club that he will be the weak link and how I hope he will not screw it up for us. So you can imagine how I felt when that equaliser was scored in extended injury time. Absolutely rubbish! We have been reading some really positive comments coming out of Anfield in the aftermath of that game but I personally believe Riise's time is up. I always believe he lacks the defensive qualities and even as an attacking left winger, he has been inconsistent over the years. It is true that he has scored some astonishing goals in the past but we are not looking at flashes of brilliance but consistency over the entire season. In this sense, he has to leave. I feel that Aurelio has matured and settled very well in the left back position and he will continue to occupy that side of the pitch. The other player that impressed me on Saturday was the youngster Emiliano Insua. Although he only played for 15mins, I saw enough to feel that he deserves to start against Chelsea. You must be thinking I am crazy? Maybe....but it's time to take a measured gamble and we have nothing to lose. Chelsea are the huge favourites and I am sure they know what Riise is capable of. They WILL attack down the right and look to fire salvo after salvo of crosses into the box, knowing fully well that Riise will probably allow them to do it with relative ease. With Insua, he will be the surprise package. It's now up to Rafa to decide if he thinks that boy is ready for the game of his life. I am quietly confident.

It's good that we have finally wrapped up our league position and secured Champions League football next season. The current fight for the league title can only work to our advantage, at least as far as the next game is concerned. Chelsea played with the entire full team and come Wed, it will be their third game in a week. Similiar to the last Arsenal game at Anfield, the final 10mins will be crucial. That's when our well rested legs will count and provide us with that extra push. Playing Babel in the second half was a master stroke by Rafa. He tormented the tired Arsenal players in the last 15mins. The same scenario can very well happen again. We have Pennant and Benayoun playing very well at the moment. Both of them can inflict serious damage if they come on as second half subs as well.

On the whole, I remain quietly confident that Stamford Bridge can crumble and collapse come Thurs morning. It is not impossible. Liverpool will need to produce one of our best performances in recent memory to make that a reality. There is still 90mins to play for and anything can still happen.

It will be a massive, massive game. Let's pray and fast for the team from today.........

God Bless Liverpool.

Another Classic European Encounter

2008-04-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

What a game! The atmosphere at Harry's was just explosive. We were all shouting, screaming, jumping, hugging, crying, laughing..........all in unison. The experience was comparable to the Champions League final against AC Milan 3 years ago.

I mentioned in my last blog that I suspected Arsenal's players will tire toward the end of the game. I was not wrong. The only player running with fresh legs in the last 15mins was Theo Walcott. The fact that he burst past 4 Liverpool players before feeding an inch perfect pass to Adebayor says it all. On the other hand, Liverpool rested Babel and Mascherano fully on Sat. Gerard and Torres only played 20 and 1o mins respectively. Fabregas was non-existent towards the end. It was a good tactical game plan by Benitez. The employment of Crouch up front with Torres was a master-stroke. It was Crouch's flick-on header to Torres that resulted in Liverpool's second goal. Of course, with the employment of Crouch, we lost the wing play on the left and that's where I felt we could have done better. Gerard was guilty of straying into the centre too often. The only attacking option on the left was the overlapping runs provided by Aurelio from the left back position. I felt that Babel should have replaced Crouch after we went 2-1 up. That would have given us more width and it would stretch the tiring Arsenal defence further. Babel's pace and power down the left would have posed many problems. As expected, the last 2 goals by Liverpool were direct contributions from Babel. He has been exceptional thus far and is now finally showing what he is really capable of. I said previously that Benitez can even employ him as a second striker. Having said that, it is quite obvious that we need further reinforcements in summer. We need at least 2 quality wingers that are able to inter-change on either flanks. We need reinforcements at the left back position. With Skrtel and Agger in the team, the future certainly looks bright in defence. We have found able replacements for the ageing Hypia and Carragher. With the addition of another quality stiker, it will certainly enhance our challenge for the league title next season.

We will have a psychological edge over Chelsea in the semi-final round. Having beaten them twice in the semis over the last 3 years, they must feel the pressure to finally deliver. That can only work to our advantage. The manner in which we beat Arsenal can only boost our confidence and I honestly think the team is peaking at the right time. It will be a tough fight but like I said before, no one really wants to play us in Europe.

I have already booked my air ticket to Moscow in May. Only waiting for my match ticket now....anyone care to join me? It will be a Liverpool vs Barcelona final. :-)

Game On!!

2008-04-06T04:20:00.000-07:00

With Fabregas playing 2 full 90mins in a span of 3 days and a huge blow to Arsenal's confidence with a well earned draw, it is certainly game on @ Anfield come Tuesday.

The title will be out of reach for Arsenal if Man U wins at the Riverside tonight. The fact that they can't break down a resilient Liverpool for 2 consecutive games will deal a huge blow to their confidence. With a precious away goal, we can afford to sit back and invite them to attack. Play the counter attacking game......and you can always rely on Torres to score from those one-on-one situations. It's certainly looking good.

The team will be very aware of Arsenal's players. The fact that Gerard only played 20mins and Torres 10mins, Mascherano and Babel totally rested, we will certainly be the fresher team. The task will rest hugely on the defence this Tuesday. Shut them out and I will be booking my air ticket to Moscow in May.....

Come on Reds.....

A crucial goal....and half a step into the semis

2008-04-03T05:58:00.001-07:00

A crucial away goal means the onus is now on Arsenal to come out attacking in Anfield. Never a popular hunting ground for teams playing us in Europe, it should be another explosive game. The Gunners are staring at another season without a single piece of silverware. Lose to us next week and it's all over. With this thought in mind, I am sure we will be able to break more freely and hit them on the counter attack.

Torres needs to shake off the ever reliable William Gallas. His marking of Torres was exceptional and Torres must find a way past him. Perhaps the employment of a target man will solve that problem. The other thing that I was concerned about as the way we were losing ball possession. Losing possession casually will only allow Arsenal to launch another wave of attack. They are always capable of scoring and we must be at out very best defensively. If the score remains at 0-0, we will go through to the semis.

I felt Mascherano had a quiet game by his own standards. We need to see a lot more of him if we are to beat Arsenal. Like I said to some friends, this is the Champions League and it is a totally different ball game. For some strange reason, we are always able to lift ourselves for these games. With a 5 point gap for fourth place, we can afford to rest some key players for this Sat's league game. Arsenal will be looking to revive their title hopes. That will be crucial for the return leg next Tues. The team that is in the best condition come Tuesday should and will win.

After the Toffees, let's have the Gooners

2008-04-02T09:30:00.001-07:00

It was a good win against the Toffees. I had a good feeling that we would bounce back from our humiliating defeat to Man United and secure that vital 3 points. It was perhaps a wise tactical decision to deliberately slow the game down in the second half for 2 reasons. Firstly, Everton's attacking options were limited both on the pitch and the bench. With Cahill and Johnson out injured, they never really posed a serious threat in the final third. Secondly, 3 points was all that mattered and having an eye on tonight's Champions League clash with the Gunners, Benitez obviously thought it was wiser to save the best for the next 3 matches.

It's a trilogy of games against one of the best teams in the league and perhaps one that will define the rest of our season. Although our record against them in the Emirates suck, it's afterall the first encounter against them in Europe. Premiership form will have no bearing on tonight's game. Look at our record against Chelsea in the Cup competitions. Knocked them out twice in Europe. That to me is crucial in the run-up to tonight's game. European nights in Anfield have always been special. Hold the Gunners to a draw and take the tie back to Anfield and we have all to play for. We need to stop the "rot" against Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal.

Let's pray for the best....

IT'S A GAP, NOT A GULF - Another interesting aricle by Tomkins

2008-03-25T11:00:00.000-07:00

Have a read.......
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These fixtures tend to take on an all-defining power, but ultimately it's just one game. And one-off games involve luck, the kind Liverpool haven't done well enough at Old Trafford to deserve in recent years, but which has been unfairly lacking in recent home games against United. United also used to win these games when Liverpool were the best side in the world, while the Reds regularly beat United when they were winning titles at the start of the new millennium, so it's important to put them into perspective.

United, based on the league table, were always going to still be the better team regardless, but the gap is closing in a season where United have actually considerably strengthened (adding £80m-worth of talent), when their squad was already far more expensive than Liverpool's to start with.

The result from Old Trafford, whatever it would be, would only sway my opinion a few percent either way: a draw, and we're where I thought; a win, and we're perhaps 5% ahead; a defeat, and maybe 5% behind. But performance, and ability to deserve more at Old Trafford, would also be important. In the end, maybe that was hardest to judge.

I hadn't reckoned with the Ashley Cole factor, and refs cracking down on any form of dissent following his bad foul and barracking of the ref last week. It's ironic that Liverpool hardly ever harass the referee, and rarely get players sent off, and yet pay the price of a clampdown while teams who misbehave more frequently continue to get away with it. Cole's tackle and reaction were far worse, but he got away with it. Ferguson, meanwhile, had put the referee under more pressure before the match.

Mascherano was clearly treading a tightrope, and while I understand his frustration at being booked for his first tackle while United players were only getting warnings, he should have kept out of things having already been cautioned and can't have too many complaints.

However, if referees are going to give one team all the bookings, and award nonsensical yellow cards, trouble will follow. Torres was being fouled and fouled again, by three United players in three seconds, and when he asked the ref about it, he got booked. Ludicrous, utterly ludicrous. Some refs have admitted letting Wayne Rooney swear at them 20 times or more in a match, and then Mascherano gets sent off for plain dissent following Torres' unfair booking. Where's the consistency?

Ten-man Liverpool showed character in the middle of the second half, and that's encouraging. But when United can bring on £60m-worth of talent (Tevez valued at £30m, even if only on loan initially), you can see the disparity in resources as they turned the screw in the last ten minutes. This when Ferguson's starting team already cost £30m more than Benitez's.

Unfortunately, it all coincided with Pepe Reina experiencing probably his most mixed game for the club - three wonderful saves, but also a couple of costly mistakes. I still think he's the best keeper in the country, but part of United's success has been down to landing Van der Sar after years with dodgy keepers. Can they replace their ageing Dutchman when the time comes?

Much of the constant criticism of Benitez has been that he has never appeared to know what his best team is. I've never seen this as essential in the modern age, when the squad takes on more significance. Isn't it better to have two equally good players competing for one position, where you can't choose your best XI, than one good and one bad, where you easily can?

Ideally you'd want a great player in the mix, and few teams have two of those competing for the same spot. One is hard enough to come by, let alone two.

When trying to work out United's strongest team, who are their best midfielders? Ronaldo, Giggs, Scholes, Anderson, Nani, Hargreaves, Carrick and Fletcher are those who appear most. You could make a strong case for the inclusion of the first seven names in particular, but only four can start at once. Ferguson chops and changes them, and 'rotates' heavily, all without criticism, even when they lose.

If anything, the midfield situation is clearer at Liverpool, particularly since Gerrard was moved into a more advanced role (something Ronaldo also does for United from time to time). The most obvious choices for the two deeper midfielders are Mascherano and Alonso. Lucas is an excellent player for his age, and a handy option at this stage of his career, but is still learning when compared with the other two.

The left-wing role is being nailed down by the exciting Babel, who, like Lucas, is also learning. Babel, however, has the ability to be devastating, and that will only increase with experience of the league and maturity. He's improving, but there's more to come. He's at the stage Ronaldo was two or three years ago.

It's easy to say 'why didn't Benitez do all this at the start of the season', but that misses the point. First of all, Alonso was injured. That left Lucas, who was not ready to be a regular at that stage, and Sissoko, who had lost his confidence. So Gerrard played in a traditional midfield role; and even had he played in his current position, there's nothing to say the understanding with Torres back then would have been as strong as it is now.

Also, Babel wasn't ready to be as consistent; he was struggling to adapt to the pace of the game, and the frequency of matches. It's very hard for a manager expected to challenge for the title to bed in new players straight into the starting XI; there's no patience from outside with regard to mistakes while the adaptation takes place.

I feel that Liverpool are now where United were in 2006. Although the Reds finished just one point behind United that season, Ferguson's project was more advanced. He was about to have Ronaldo and Rooney come of age; whereas Liverpool were never going to get that dramatic improvement from the ageing Fowler and Morientes, while Cisse's pace on the wing had its limitations - he was never going to improve in the way Babel, a clever player, has the potential to.

In 2005/06, Benitez had some new key elements in place - Reina, Agger, Alonso - but since then he's added Torres, Babel, Mascherano, Lucas, Arbeloa, Skrtel, Aurelio and Benayoun, to name just a few. This collection of players is now starting to blend, but it can improve markedly given the age of the team and its time spent together.

Also, United invested even more heavily than Liverpool last summer, building from a position of strength - although they paid around £50m, they added £80m of talent in just four players last summer. How do you close a gap in those circumstances?

In Torres and Gerrard, the Reds have a combination to build success around, in the manner United did with Rooney and Ronaldo, before adding a third axis in Tevez. Of course, as soon as Liverpool found the prolific striker everyone said the club lacked, the focus switched to 'Liverpool rely too much on Torres'. Crazy.

It's important that Liverpool build on the formula the manager has created. But an avoidance of injuries to key players next season will be crucial; it is to any team. It's not possible to say how much a team relies on one player simply by removing their goals from the equation; after all, if they weren't playing, someone else would be. However, I find it hard to believe United would be doing anywhere near as well had Ronaldo suffered a serious injury in August.

Man-for-man, there's not a massive gulf between the two clubs' strongest XIs. But it's about the squad, too. Also, a team is not just a collection of individuals; it's how they gel together, and how much they exceed the sum of their parts. United have the advantage in that sense, having been together longer. They break with such pace and understanding, and that hasn't happened overnight. Liverpool, with Gerrard, Torres and Babel forming a new super-quick attack, are capable of matching them - but in time.

They also have players with league-winning experience from 2003 and before, which helped underpin their recent success. Liverpool are closing the gap in terms of team cohesion and unity, but the psychology of two decades without a league title will always be the hardest barrier to overcome.

A fit Agger, and Liverpool would almost certainly have been closer to the top three. He was missed in a number of home games in particular. Alonso was also missed. I don't think United had to get by without any key first-choice players for long periods this season, bar Gary Neville, who is not crucial to their cause.

Of course, a lot depends on how each of the big teams strengthen over the summer, and how quickly the new additions settle. I just feel that, despite the setback, Benitez is now really close to the side he wants. Will that be enough? With United building upon key elements Ferguson had put in place while Rafa was still at Valencia, it'll be hard. But hopefully not impossible.

Time will tell...
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The Aftermath

2008-03-24T04:41:00.000-07:00

I feel like hell this morning. It's hard to describe that feeling.

Someone said he knew before the game that Man U will win. According to him, the asian handicap climbed before the game. Liverpool was 'heavy' last night (ie. many people bought Liverpool to at least draw, if not win). It was true that many pundits had predicted a draw. Some even went for a win. Perhaps that explained why Mascherano got himself sent off. Got what I mean? I just could not understand it. Thought about it the whole day and, to me, that was the only logical explanation. Why did he run almost a full 50m to where Steve Benett was, just to ask him why Torres was yellow-carded?? He's certainly not dumb and stupid!! He already had a yellow card earlier and the papers in UK were all talking about players showing dissent and disrespect for officials over the last few days before the game. For an international player with experience, that was just shocking!!

Even with 10men, we were a pale shadow of our usual self. We needed a match winner and there was none. All season long, we have been guilty of some slack defending. The second goal was a gift to them and that gay-boy had it easy. Alonso should have provided a stiffer challenge to Ronaldo's header. Forget about the third goal. The game was long over by then. I can't recall what happened after that. It was all a blur.

To win the league, we need to win games like those last night. Unless we can do that, it depresses me even more to realise that the league title may not be returning to Anfield anytime soon.

The cure for all this pain will present itself this weekend. Kick Everton's ass in the much-awaited Liverpool derby, stretch the gap for fourth placing to 5 points and I am sure all this pain will be forgotten.

This is not the way to lose

2008-03-23T09:49:00.000-07:00

My heart is shattered.

With Mascherano's dismissal in the first half, the task of beating Man United was made even more difficult. It was a stupid sending off, absolutely unnecessary!! I am not sure what was going on in his mind. That gave the game away to Man U. We did not even play with our usual confidence and flair. I suppose that has a lot to do with the mentality of the players. Having lost the previous 7 encounters to them, it was an uphill task to break that jinx. Still, I believed that we would have put up a stronger fight. I did not expect us to play with such mildness. I even expected a win....

It is hard to swallow defeat especially to our bitter rivals. It's even more painful to think that we have only scored 1 goal against them in the last 8 league meetings. This is one of the worst nights of my life. Reminds me of the game when we lost 4-0 to them on 1st Dec 2002. Very painful....

When will this end? When will we start playing like a championship team against the top 3 in the league? This is simply too painful. I feel like throwing up.

I am shattered.

Time To Break The Man U Jinx

2008-03-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

We have not beaten Man U for 7 successive games. That's a record that needs to be broken and rectified. Losing to Man U is indeed an extremely painful experience for all Red fans. With the current form and also coming off the back of 8 straight wins, the Red-men are certainly looking good to end that misery.

My feelings tell me that we will triumph. I dare say this on my blog. It's been a long while. With Man U having difficulty finding the back of the net in recent games (although I believe they will thrash Bolton tonight) and Liverpool firing on all cylinders, it's now or never.

8 points seperates us and them. That makes this Sunday's game so crucial. Win and the title race will be thrown wide open. Lose and it's pretty much back to securing fourth place for next season's champions league football. I am feeling confident becos' I feel that Man U will be inclined to attack since this is a home game and they must be confident of nicking another victory against the Reds. And that's when Torres will punish their back four. Looking at Man U, they have the Ronaldo-Rooney-Tevez combination to bring in the goals. Look at Liverpool. We have the Gerard-Torres-Babel-Benayoun-Mascherano combination to threaten as well. I hope that answers all your doubts. It's a must win game for the Reds. There's simply too much at stake. 3 points will ensure we open up the gap between us and Everton. 3 points will ensure we are back in title contention again.

Traditionally, Man U vs Liverpool encounters are mostly cagey affairs. It will not be different this time. I guess the game will be decided by a single goal. There is just too much at stake for both teams Having said that, if you are feeling doubtful, a draw is always a good buy, though I feel it will not be the case.

It's time to call on the spirits of Shankly and Paisely. Bring on Man United for we know no fear. We will march unto Old Trafford with our heads held up high. We will show these bastards what we can do. Come on you Reds!!!

It's the final straight

2008-03-17T10:27:00.000-07:00

The next 5 games will be extremely crucial.

We visit Old Trafford this Sunday followed by the most anticipated game of the season - against Everton in Anfield. Afterwhich, we play Arsenal in another league game before facing them for 2 legs of the Champions League Quarter finals. 3 games against the Gooners in a space of a week. Tough!

I cannot help but feel the excitement and, as such, I will cut short my F1 weekend in Sepang and make sure I make it back in time for the Man U game on Sunday. Can't miss it. We have been really unlucky against the Red Devils in recent years and I have a feeling it will all come to an end this Sunday. We will triumph! Believe it or not. Put your money on Liverpool to beat Man U!!

In our fight for the final Champions League spot, we need to beat Everton in the local derby come next week. That will build up a 6 points cushion provided we beat Man U on Sunday. It will be an emotinally charged game. As usual, Liverpool vs Everton is what I look forward to the most every season. Coming off a 7 game winning streak, confidence is high. Our win against Reading was crucial. That put the pressure back onto the Toffees but more importantly, it kept our winning streak going and that can only be positive.

Whatever happens, I can't wait. Let's bring on the big boys and let El Nino do the talking.

Another famous victory

2008-03-12T01:14:00.000-07:00

I never doubted a minute that we would come away from San Siro victorious. I said many times yesterday that we would win by 2 goals. Ok....so I was not totally correct but it was a victory nevertheless.

It was one of the most beautifully taken strikes I have seen from Torres. The Gerard-Torres combination is proving to be extremely lethal. However, I must add that a few other players are beginning to show their true quality too.

Fabio Aurelio, the player I criticised heavily in the past, is staking a claim on the left back position. That has always been our weak link but I am glad he is doing a much better job than Riise. It was his burst down the left after stealing possession from Inter that led to the goal. Obviously, Torres' finishing was in a league of it's own too! Luca Leiva is proving to be a capable replacement for Xabi Alonso. Ryan Babel had been excellent in the last 5 games. Martin Skrtel will give Daniel Agger a run for his money if he keeps playing like that. Gerard is having the time of his life. He is given the license to roam freely, causing a bigger threat to the oppositions. Although I would prefer Benayoun as a right winger compared to Kyut, I must admit that Kyut does provide a different option altogther.

Finally, we are seeing some resemblance of a first XI. Rafa has kept the same shape over the last 5 games and only changing players when they are unavail or injured. That can only be good news for the team.

Now, let's hope the team goes all the way from now.

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"Liverpool without European football is like a banquet without wine." Roy Evans

Video - Passion of the Scouser

2008-03-06T05:04:00.000-08:00

Back in the driving seat

2008-03-06T04:31:00.000-08:00

3 reasons why we are winning again.

Firstly, confidence is high after a positive result against Inter Milan. Secondly, the return to form for some of our key players. Kyut is playing better after his 2 goals in 2 successive games. Babel and Torres are on fire. Stevie is beginning to play at his best again. Saw that screamer from him this morning for goal no 4? It was an absolute beauty! Trademark Steven Gerard!! Thirdly, the 4-2-3-1 formation that sees Gerrard, Babel, Kuyt and Torres in a four pronged attack. It's also the formation that allows Rafa to play Mascherano, Alonso and Gerard in the middle at the same time.

One area where we need improvement is in defence. I hope Agger returns for the Newcastle game on Sat and if he does well, we will have our answer for the return leg against Inter Milan. There are already punters predicting an Inter win. The asian handicap is indicating a minimum half ball, with many people I know taking the italian giants to win by a goal. The key will be our defence and if we can hold out the first 30mins, we will probably go through. It will be even better if we can hit them on the counter-attack to score an away goal. That will kill the game off. Inter knows they need to score 3 goals to win and with an away goal, they will need 4. That's a tall order.

Let's just pray now that we win our next 2 home games and that will really put pressure on the Toffees to keep up.

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"Liverpool's fans are just amazing. The best feeling I have at away games is Anfield. It is just incredible. I love it. You get goose bumps when you see their supporters sing You'll Never Walk Alone." Arsenal and France star Thierry Henry.

Rafa Going Dutch? - An Interesting article by Paul Tomkins

2008-03-04T12:40:00.000-08:00

An interesting article by Paul. I can't say I agree with him fully, especially the part about Kyut.
Have a read.....

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The formation - 4-2-3-1, or 4-2-1-3 depending on how you look at it - is one that appears to suit the personnel at the manager's disposal, and is also one that both Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt are very familiar with, with the pair having regularly been deployed either side of a main striker for the Dutch national team. It also appears nearer to what Benítez deployed at Valencia, but which he struggled to mimic at Liverpool with the players at his disposal. Maybe that's now changing. I keep hearing that Kuyt is not a natural wide player, but it's not only where he has played for Holland but also where he started out at Utrecht. Rather than a winger with silky skills (Babel is doing that role nicely on the other flank), he is a wide attacker. He has the energy and intelligence to make a nuisance of himself in dangerous areas, and with two goals and an assist via the post in his last four games, he has shown he can get into the box as much as when playing as the second striker. His wide work is tidy and terrier-like at worst, but at best he can put balls into the box with the knowledge of the way a striker likes to receive them. There's no doubt that the area the Reds are strongest in the centre of midfield. Despite what some people seem to think, Steven Gerrard, like all of the major players, has always played nearly every game possible under Benítez. With his recent deployment in advance of two other central midfielders, he can play a free role without ever looking stranded up there, as he can if playing ahead of two midfielders in a 4-4-1-1. The downside of Gerrard starting games as the second-most advanced player, as seen in Athens, is that he can end up playing with his back to goal, where he's less effective. The current formation seems to get the best out of him: he can burst forward with his energy and drive in support of Torres, Kuyt and Babel as part of a powerful quartet capable of sharing 70 goals a season (they already have 55). Add Benayoun, who could replace either Kuyt or Babel, and you have 65 goals between the five of them. But the system also means two out of Alonso, Mascherano and Lucas can feature; in a flat 4-4-2, where Gerrard's role is more traditional, two of those other three central midfielders have to miss out. Lucas was rightly rested at the Reebok, having looked tired last week, but he has adapted well for a young overseas player thrown into the cut-and-thrust of a Premiership midfield. There's a lot more left to come from the young Brazilian, and next year, as with Babel, we should see a player more acclimatised. Liverpool's form in the main two competitions (therefore excluding Barnsley) has been excellent in the last five games, with three goals scored in wins against Sunderland, Middlesbrough and most recently Bolton (never an easy place to go), a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge when the better team, and the famous 2-0 defeat of Inter Milan. Chances are being put away at last. If anything, it is the defending that has been uncharacteristic of a Benítez team at times, with a few sloppy goals conceded lately. Perhaps this is down to the changes in the back line: Arbeloa, Finnan and Aurelio have been in and out due to several niggling injuries, whilst Agger's six-month absence has seen him missed as both a destructive and constructive force. Meanwhile, another new defender has been introduced in the shape of Martin Skrtel, and while he's been excellent on an individual basis after a shaky first game, it takes time for the defence to gel as a unit. The same applies with marking set-pieces, where the zonal system relies on understanding and, like any other factor in football, relies on confidence. But as with the form at Anfield which has taken a dip this term, we know the defending can, and almost certainly will, be better in the future. There's much to play for until May, but also, looking beyond that, I can sense Liverpool improving radically next term. The new players Benítez added this summer are approaching 50 goals, and each can still improve. In 2006-07 United surprised people by improving dramatically to win the league without changing a lot of elements from the previous season, while this year, even more surprisingly, Arsenal are leading the way, again after only only adding one new player to the regular starting line-up (Sagna). It is largely down to existing young players, like Adebayor, Hleb and Fabregas, suddenly going up a level or two. I think winning the league in 2009 will be a tall order for the Reds, but now some key new players have bedded in at Anfield I'd expect a more cohesive challenge next term. A number of new first-team players have been signed in the last 12/13 months –– I make it eight who have featured very heavily. But in most positions you can now see that Rafa finally has the players he wants. Unlike the top three, whose squads were closer to completion by 2005-2006, this is still a relatively new project. I cannot stress this enough. When building towards success you have to wait for the elements to align –– for the new players to adapt to the league and to the tactics, and to gel with the existing players; for the existing key players to be sharp and on form; for confidence to be high; and for there to be no major injuries to those few irreplaceable players. There is no magic formula to make the fates align. And you need luck at the right times, both in games and in the season as a whole. After dreadful luck at the Reebok in recent visits –– Luis Garcia's wrongly disallowed goal for offside in 2004/05 and Pepe Reina's ludicrous penalisation for handling outside his area last season –– the Reds got a lucky break with Jaaskelainen's own goal. By the time the bad officiating hit again –– a corner awarded against Kuyt when the ball was nowhere near out, which soon led to a goal –– it was too late in the game to derail Rafa's men. When Benítez first arrived, the squad needed rebuilding but he couldn't afford to go for the real top-end players everyone was after, as they were too expensive. Nor could he rely on hugely promising youngsters who were not yet ready (players of the ilk of Theo Walcott), because you have to wait two or three years for these to mature and a new manager needs to get up and running quickly. But it's now that the squad really has the look of a project nearing completion. There are still one or two positions where improvements can be made, and a club like Liverpool has to consistently be on the lookout for top talent, but Reina, Torres, Mascherano, Agger, Babel, Lucas, Arbeloa and now Skrtel fit the profile of young, dedicated players with technical ability, a winning mentality and a real turn of speed. Until last summer, Rafa had been getting in lots of cheap and medium-priced players (£2m-£6m), keeping and polishing the gems like Agger, Arbeloa, Crouch and Reina and offloading good players like Bellamy and Sissoko who made contributions but didn't offer absolutely everything he wanted. Sensible buying meant profits could be made on those being offloaded, allowing Rafa to reinvest in better players, as seen with the trading up from Sissoko to Mascherano. This is a gradual process; improving bit by bit, year on year. It made more sense in those first three years than blowing the budget on a couple of big names, because were they to fail to adapt, like Shevchenko or Veron and countless other star names, or were they to get seriously injured, he would have been left with the same fairly weak squad he inherited and little room for manoeuvre. But I'd expect a slower turnover of players from now on, because it's getting closer to a situation where the team will 'settle' and naturally improve, as seen with Manchester United and Arsenal recently. And in the next two years, you can expect to see some graduates from the successful youth and reserve sides, such as Insua, Nemeth, San Jose, Anderson, Hobbs, Spearing, Pacheco and Plessis –– who are already wise to the tactics and settled at the club –– pushing for places; but being introduced gradually and naturally, rather than thrust in because the team is struggling. The success of the Reds' youth and reserve sides since 2005-06 shows the strength of the club as a whole, but it's now about waiting for the very best talent to be ready to make the step up. Benítez has had some criticism for not previously playing Babel enough (now the Dutchman is finding his feet), but if you look at how Arsene Wenger eased in Eduardo before his broken leg, you can see a very similar pattern: using the player in Europe more than the Premiership initially, but then increasing the league minutes. Now Babel is looking an integral part of the team. Hopefully the current form is indicative of the way the team is heading. The Reds are proving harder than ever to beat this season, are generally scoring more goals, and the away form is title-winning class. A return to the fortress Anfield had become between 2004 and 2007, and more consistently killing games off when totally dominant (to avoid those frustrating draws), and suddenly, without an awful lot needing to be altered, a big improvement could be seen.
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The heat is on for fourth spot

2008-03-02T19:00:00.000-08:00

With the Toffees winning at home against Portsmouth as well, we must not falter for our remaining game in hand against West Ham on Wednesday. Failure is not an option and it's critical that we secure all 3 points.

Looking at the remaining 10 games, we will have a harder time. Everton will be playing teams lower than them in the table, with only Arsenal visiting them at Goodison Park sometime next month. On the other hand, we still need to play both Man U and Arsenal away. It certainly looks like deja vu to me. Remember our Champions League winning season? We lost to Burnley
in the FA cup, was on a dream run in the Champions League but lost our fourth spot to Everton.

I am not dreaming about another Champions League success but who dares to bet against us in Europe? It will be tough and we need lots of luck as well. I cannot imagine us not qualifying for Champions League next season. We may lose Stevie and a few others. I am not sure.

Whatever it is, we need to win our games against West Ham, followed by Newcastle this week before travelling to San Siro for the second leg show down against the mighty Inter Milan.

Right where we belong

2008-02-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

Back in 4th place (at least until Everton plays). That's where we belong.

It was a good game, coming from 1 goal down to win. I said after the Inter game that this may well be the turning point this season. We have been in the dumps longer than expected and it is time this revival begins. Confidence is high. We played well although I won't comment on the scoreline. It was unnecessary to concede 2 goals. Then again, Carra was suspended and Agger is still injured. With the both of them back in the lineup soon, I am sure we will do a lot better.

Once again Torres proved to be the difference this season. This being his second hat trick in the season. One thing I must say is that I am really frustrated with Rafa's treatment of Crouchy. He seem to prefer Kyut to him a lot more. As far as I am concerned, Kyut must go. Although he has a great attitude but we need a better finisher in front of goal. Crouch gives us that edge. With Crouch playing, he will be the ideal target man for Torres. I can imagine that to be the perfect strike partnership. Have been saying this for many many weeks.

In any case, this is an important win and I just wanna savour it for now.......

Well done boys!!!

Turning Point

2008-02-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

This must be the turning point in our season.

Beating Inter Milan this morning was by no means a stroll in the park. Someone said it was becos' we were playing against 10men for most of the game. I disagreed. Playing against 10 men may be more difficult than a full team, especially so against an italian team who can defend deep. Just look at the way they pack their 6 yard box. Inter walked into Anfield this morning unbeaten in all competitions this season. Their last defeat was in Sep 07. However, the question Liverpool was asking the first 30mins was whether they could play at a pace that fast. As we found out, the italians couldn't cope. The statictics says it all. Liverpool had 61% possession , 23 shots with 7 on target. Inter had 3 shots and none on target. That's shocking! It is also interesting to note that 2 of those shots came after the 65th minute mark. They came for a draw.

Advantage Liverpool. Although the tie is not over yet, we have one foot into the next knock out round. Someone also said this morning that Inter will thrash us at the San Siro come next week but they will need to score 3 goals to do that. And if we score an away goal, they will need 4. Not an easy feat too against a Liverpool team that has made Champions League football our cup of tea. We must remember Milan 3 season ago and also for the finals last year. Lessons must be learnt and we must reproduce a disciplined performance like the one against Barcelona in Nou Camp. In the mean time, let's savour this victory.

If you had read my blog a day before the game and believed what I said, I am sure you are a little richer by now. :-)

Let's hope we survive San Siro in 3 weeks and finish these italian bastards off.....Come On You Reds!!!!

This is Sweet!!

2008-02-19T14:12:00.000-08:00

I missed the game!! Fell asleep an hour before and only woke up in time to see the goals!!! Will catch the reply tonight. Damn!!

If you had read my blog yesterday and believed me, you would be a little richer today too!!

It was a classic Liverpool European night. I am not sure if the Inter sending off early in the game contributed to the result but the statictics was quite shocking. Inter had 3 shots, with none on target. Liverpool on the other hand had 61% possession, 23 shots and 7 on target (if I do not recall wrongly). It was total dominance for a game of this level. The italians were setup to defend after going down to 10 men but I expected their forwards to play a counter attacking game. Looks like they were content with a draw.

Kudos to Kyut. Its now 2 goals in 2 games. I hope its the beginning of better times for him. And what a beauty from Stevie!!! Score 2-0!!!

Taking a 2 goal advantage to the San Siro is not a bad result at all but the danger is that we will now be favourites to go through and I don't like it. The under-dog tag fits me just fine. The odds are stacked against us still and we need to be tight in defence and aim to get an early goal in the second leg. Score first and Inter will need 4 goals to win the tie.

It is looking good. The counter attacking game will suit Torres fine.

This is Anfield. European nights are special here. Just remember that.

Let's pray this is the turning point for us in the season. We need to now go all out to secure ourselves that 4th spot in the league and take one game at a time in Europe.

I am praying

2008-02-19T08:10:00.001-08:00

I am praying. Cannot sleep. The game is 3 hours from now and my tummy is feeling funny.

It's a huge game. Looking on the bright side of things, Champions League football has been our turf for the last 3 seasons. 2 finals in 3 years. Not a record Man U or Arsenal can boast about. As much as the league title has eluded us for 19 years, the same goes for Man U and Arsenal. Don't talk about Chelsea. They were nobody before that Russian gay....I mean, guy bought the club. European nights in Anfield are special. Remember Juventus a few seasons ago?? Remember Olympiakos? We must take confidence from our track record. Inter on the other hand has been inconsistent in Europe. Only one semi final appearance in the last 5 years (if I don't recall wrongly). They walk into Anfield tonight unbeaten all season. The lead the Serie A by more than 10 points. Impressive statistics. Liverpool on the other hand was dumped out of the FA cup by Barnsley over the weekend. The odds are stacked against us. I hope the whole gambling world takes Inter tonight. That can only work to our advantage.

The first 20 mins will be crucial. We must explode off the blocks from the first whistle. We must bombard them with waves of attack down the flanks. Crouch will cause the pasta-babies a lot of problems. The flick-ons will be crucial. Torres must run between the lines and take advantage of his speed. Benayoun and Babel must fire down the flanks and provide quality crosses. They will be the alternate fire power, cutting in to cause the defence problems. Mascherano will need to be at 110%, disrupting any counter attacks with his precise tackling. Gerard needs to provide those explosive runs down the centre. He needs to start showing what he is really capable of. The defence will be where the game will be won or lost. I hope Skrtel starts. He has shown great quality against Chelsea. Carra needs to be at his very best. If Riise and Finan plays, I pray they will not be our weak links. Inter's strike force is intimidating but we need to be strong and courageous.

The hope of all Liverpool fans rests on the 11 players on the pitch tonight. God be with them....

Take Liverpool to beat Inter

2008-02-17T02:45:00.000-08:00

In any case, although I have lost quite a bit of money on Liverpool this season, including last night's shocking 1-2 loss, I will put my money on Liverpool to beat Inter Milan by 1 goal or 2 goals.

Believe me? It's entirely up to you. Remember, everything in the remaining season hinges on this game. It's make or break.

My heart is broken

2008-02-17T02:18:00.000-08:00

I feel terrible today. As usual, my friends who are Man U and Arsenal's fans sent smses to rub salt into my wounds. Had to suck it up and endure......

With Inter Milan on Wed morning in Anfield, this is certainly not the kind of result we were after. What really pissed me off was the team selection. I understand the intention was to keep some fresh legs against Inter in 3 days but the thinking behind the team selection is what I am questioning. Do we really need to rest Reina in goal???? To me, both Barnsley's goals were avoidable. The first goal was really Itandje's mistake. He came off his line and failed to make contact with the ball. What a mess!! And the winning goal? The whole defence including the keeper were guilty of ball watching. Why was Babel taken off when he was clearly the best player on the field? What's worse? His replacement was Harry Kewell! Immediately, the team lost an important attacking front down the left. Kewell was absolutely RUBBISH!! He can't dribble, he can't run, he can't shoot. What is he doing on the pitch?? And Alonso?? He is one player that needs to pull up his socks or ship out. He was a pale shadow of his former self.

Although I agree that the quality of the team put up should be good enough to beat lowly Barnsley but the team is not exactly in fine form now. Confidence is low. We need goals and anything else to push the team ahead. Winning by 1 goal will not help much. Losing the game is a million times worse.

Rafa needs to go. Like I said, I have no problems with team rotation but he needs to be clear who are his bext XI and when to tinker the team. Like I said, do we need to tinker the team's goalkeeper? He has been guilty for showing disrespect for the Carling and FA Cups by fielding under strength teams. I like Rafa but my patience with him is running dry. Lose to Inter and we will call for his head. We need a new inspiration. Clearly, he is not able to wake the team from it's slumber. He seems to be running out of ideas. We need a new face, a new sense of determination, a new streak of confidence.

Lose to Inter on Wed morning? Our season will be over.

I cannot imagine.

Tired

2008-02-13T07:18:00.000-08:00

I would really love to write something on my blog but I am too drained out. My mind is not really working by the time I come home and I keep falling asleep in front of my computer. It's bad. I will write again this weeekend......

For now, let's be ready for the Inter game.........

It was a solid team peformance!

2008-02-11T08:11:00.000-08:00

It is always good to get a point in places like Stamford Bridge. And top that up with a much improved performance from the team, I feel it was a good result.

We need to play at this level and committment in the long run. The players need to understand that we are now fighting for survival for a Champions League place. Can't drop anymore points and we need to kick start that winning run again.

I refuse to look at the table now. It's depressing. The extra game in hand will be very important now. We need to win in order to close the gap.

We lost Torres

2008-02-08T00:05:00.000-08:00

According to the club website, Torres is out for 10 days after injuring his hamstrings whilst playing for Spain in a friendly aganinst France. This is obsolutely a big blow!!! I am shocked. Losing our top scorer for 10 days in a crucial period!! My goodness. I cannot imagine the impact. Prior to this, I was quietly hopeful we might cause a shock in the game against Chelsea. Have a strange feeling, just like how I felt when we last beat them 2-0 a year ago. I am not so sure now. We will have to depend on the rest of the team.

In view of this, I think Crouch will start with Kyut. Voronin is injured too. We will have Babel, Benayoun on the wings with Gerard and Mascherano in the middle. I hope Rafa plays with Hypia and Skrtel in the middle with Carra on the left, out of his usual position. Finan will start on the right position since Arbeloa is injured too. We will probably have Pennant, Kewell, Lucas on the bench.

It will be tough. Looking at the starting line up, I will be happy if we come away with a point. I will take the quarter handicap from Chelsea and pray hard. It all depends on the attitude of the team. The first 30mins will be crucial. If we start off the game well, you will never know what can happen.

Happy Rat year everyone!!!

Next 3 games...

2008-02-04T06:04:00.000-08:00

I cannot help but feel excited about the next 3 games. First up, we travel to Stamford Bridge for a crucial tie on Sunday. If we are to secure ourselves a top 4 finish and put ourselves amongst the top 4 teams in England, we need a result there. Chelsea has been unbeaten at home for more than 2 years now. A colleague of mine said today that their "miraculous" run will end this Sunday. A bold statement but I wish he is right. It will be one hell of a morale booster if we manage to nick it. We have nothing to lose, so why not give it a go? Like the hokkien saying, "the ball is round", so anything is possible! Ha!

Next up will be Barnsley at home 6 days later for the FA Cup 5th round. We need to progress past this round in order to ensure we still have something to play for this season. I don't foresee a problem here but we gotta respect them for making it this far.

And 3 days after that, we face Inter Milan at home when the Champions League resumes. It will be a fantastic, highly intense and nervy game. The Italians are flying high right now, playing very well. Need a big result here in order to ensure we survive the away leg. It's going to be very very tough and I don't see how a positive result in Stamford Bridge will not help start a major revival of our remaining season.

I feel vindicated

2008-02-03T06:38:00.000-08:00

I feel vindicated. If you read my last blog yesterday and had listened to what I said, you would probably be a little richer by now!! It was 3-0 against the Black Cats.

Though the first half was dismal, I thought it was a good solid team performance in the second. It was very nice to see Carra crossing for Crouch's goal. The question was not if but when. The moment the first goal went in, I knew the floodgates would open. Against a team like Sunderland, it was a given. If there was a better time to boost our confidence, it was last night.

I was particularly pleased with the Crouch and Torres combination. It led to the second goal (which incidentally was a beauty). Like I have said so many times, play the ball to his feet and leave the rest to him. See what I mean!

I want to quote Rafa and I am pleased he made this point in a recent interview with Livepoolfc.net, he said, "We have to have pride in the shirt, pride in the club that we work for and pride in the fans that we represent." Bingo! He got it spot on.

Now, bring on Chelski and the blue boys.....

"The difference between Everton and the Queen Mary is that Everton carry more passengers!" Bill Shankly

Never Say Never

2008-02-01T00:43:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning thinking about what I wrote in the blog last night.

I realised that I am losing confidence in the team and we are really in the dumps. I am sure many more Liverpool fans are feeling the same. But then again, we are the famous Kop. The never-say-die fans of the famous Liverpool Football Club. The greatest and most successful football team in the history of the english game. We need belief. We need to get behind the team and support them. Not desert them. Not to give up on them now.

Starting with this Saturday. It's now or never. I have a very strong feeling we will win by 2 clear goals against Sunderland.

Believe or you will live to regret it!!

"At Liverpool we never accept second best." Kenny Dalglish

This is looking really bad

2008-01-31T07:42:00.000-08:00

To lose a game deep into injury time is not a very pleasant experience. Add that to the current "crisis" at Anfield, the result is devastating.

I refuse to read the reports today. The result says it all. There is nothing else to talk about. We failed to score and lost a game in injury time. Lying 7th in the table and only 4 points above 10th place West Ham. This situation is really shocking. I am really sad and anxious. What is possibly going wrong with the team? Is Rafa losing the dressing room? Is there an internal rift between the players? We just forgot how to play football since 2008 arrived.

Someone told me last night that the consequences of not qualifying for Europe next season could cost Liverpool a place in the EPL. The word administration was even mentioned!! I can't believe it.

What started off as a promising season is turning into a nightmare.

It's over

2008-01-21T18:53:00.000-08:00

As far as the league title is concerned, it is over.

2 points dropped at home against Villa and we were lucky to even escape defeat! 2 goals in 3 minutes from the Villains broke my heart. The second goal was a complete joke!

I am growing tired of saying the same thing over again. It was a situation waiting to happen. As long as we do not score the second goal, we can expect the visitors to hit us through one of the set pieces. They have been great scoring through set pieces over the last few games. We should have been aware of that but no! We had to give away a silly equaliser through some sloppy defending. Hypia and Carra played very well throughout the first half but to let in the first goal in that manner? It was shocking!!

After scoring our first goal, we slowed the pace down. WHY??? I have mentioned on so many occasions that we lacked the killer instinct. Villa was playing below par after we took the lead and we should have gone on to finish them off in the first half. Torres should have been moved deeper since he was mostly ineffective playing upfront. In the second half, he saw more of the ball as Kyut switched positions with him. Try to defend a 1 goal lead against a team like Villa? We are asking for trouble. This truly confirm my worst fears. The team lacked the fighting spirit. Forget about our equaliser! It was a stroke of luck that Crouch scored! We were at home in Anfield and why didn't we make the visitors feel it? We should be pinning them down in their own half and taking our chances. Should have been 2 goals up by half time!!

Rafa's tinkering. We saw Kyut partnering Torres up front. Kewell on the left. To me, they were the weak links. Although Kyut set up the first goal with a clever pass, the rest of his game was atrocious. Should have seen the way he blasted the ball over the cross bar when he should have layed it off for Torres in the 6 yard box to shoot. Even if he decides to shoot, at least get the damn ball on target for goodness sake!!! Did we see Kewell stretching the defence on the left? He looked really ordinary. Like I said on so many occasions, we need to off load him while he is still injury free. Babel should be PLAYING from the first whistle!!! Saw the impact he created when he came on in the last 15mins? Enough said.

It is really frustrating to watch the game. Something drastic needs to be done. Although we like Rafa but I feel he is not going to get us the trophy we all dreamed about. He may not even assure us of Champions League football next season! We need a motivator. We need someone to inject some consistency in the team. We can certainly start by being more consistent in our team selection.

Gerard needs to step up and take some hit for the team's performance. His shooting this morning was apalling.

Bottom line is this: Again - Like I mentioned a few blogs ago, I will be contented if we end the season securing ourselves a Champions League slot (ie. 4th place) and get past Inter Milan in the Champions League knock out round come Feb. That is all I am asking for. Nothing more.

One thing for sure. Come next season, I will still be wearing my Red. I will still be singing the songs. Nothing will stop my from loving my club. We have waited for 18 long years. Surely, we can wait for one more.

Liverpool....We Love You!!

Uncertainty

2008-01-17T05:49:00.000-08:00

It was a relieve to finally win a game.

There has been much uncertainty over the future of Rafa over the last 2 weeks. The fact that the yanks approached Klinsman surely did not go down well with the Anfield faithful. However, I must confess that I was somewhat excited about the prospect of having a certain Mr Jose Mourinho take over as manager. Although I hated him as a Chelsea manager, I feel he has what it takes if we are single minded about winning the league title after 18 long years. For too many seasons, we lacked the tenacity and stamina to last the full season. It was either we started badly or we would drop off the race somewhere after the new year. Like what a friend of mine once mentioned, we need our foreign players to understand what it means to be playing in a Red shirt. Is it reasonable to expect them to feel the passion of a Gerard or Carragher? I am not sure. I guess even if that's not a realistic proposition, we must at least be assured that these highly paid people give their 110% week in and week out. Unfortunately, we have not seen that yet. Just have a look at Carra and read what he is saying on the website! If only these players emulate half of Carra's spirit and passion, I am sure we will go on to win a lot more games.

However, I must admit that one foreign player did impress me during the game against Luton. And he is non other than Ryan Babel. Just to put on record, I have always felt he is quality and he will be a very important player for the team (I made this point in my previous blogs). Not only is he good as a winger, he is deployable on either side of the pitch as well. The break through came about shortly after he swithced over to the right side. He can play as a supporting striker or even play up front with Torres. He is much better than Kewell, who has been injury prone and one dimensional. He is better than Pennant who has been ineffective for most of his games. I have mentioned previously before that both Benayoun and Babel should start for all our games from now. We are 12 points behind the leaders. We need to win every game from now and hope to get a result when we travel to the top teams. Let's stop monkeying around. I know Rafa is probably trying to ease Babel slowly into the english game in order to prevent an early burnout for the 21 yr old. But come on!! He is a strong young lad and I am sure he will manage. Because of his age, I feel we can afford to stretch him a little more. As far as I am concerned, the team that started against Luton should be the first XI. The Crouch-Torres partnership needs to be nurtured. They need to play a lot more together. For me, they are the partnership upfront. I don't know what's the relationship between Rafa and Kyut but as far as I am concerned, this other dutchman needs to go. He is useless. Both Babel and Benayoun will probably score more goals than Kyut this season.

Enough of the team. I also feel the Americans Hicks and Gillet need to sell the club back to the arab group DIC Investments. I admit I was impressed by their enthusiasm in the beginning. What I am afraid now is that we might end up like Leeds United. Letting the club bear more debt is certainly not the way forward. There is always that danger of things going really wrong and we end up in administration. I believe these arabs have deeper pockets and we certainly would welcome that extra bit of cash to buy better quality players. And also to build that world-class stadium we have been promised. My intention is to visit Anfield either this season or the next. It's my last chance to return to the club one last time before we move to the new grounds in 2009.

Now that we have a full week of rest, I don't think Rafa will have any valid excuse not to start the home game against Villa with the exact same team. I will be disappointed if he tinkers this time.

Another Draw

2008-01-13T01:27:00.000-08:00

Game: Middlesborough vs Liverpool
Score: 1-1
Feeling: Very disgusted

It was the first game I missed this season. Refused to watch it, thinking that it could possibly be me that's causing the team's bad run. Maybe if I do not watch the game, they might win it.

Once again, I was wrong. I checked the score at half time and it was Boro leading. I knew then that we would at most only draw the game or maybe even lose. Win it? Never.

You can tell that I am on the verge of giving up. It's been 18 long years. How long more do we have to wait? We have been the most passionate of fans, most loyal and most patient but even then, we all have a limit. This was supposedly to be our best team in a long long time. There was genuine hope at the start of the season. The team looked very impressive. Our start was perfect and it really made us feel this could be our year. And 4months into the season, we are 12 points behind the leaders and playing like a Division 1 team.

It's rubbish. This is surely not good enough.

Dark Days

2008-01-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

I have been following the news out of Anfield over the past few days. The draw against Luton Town disgusted me. Thought about what I have been writing in the last few blogs and I feel that I should be more patient. It's no doubt very frustrating to watch the team play now. Whatever it is, I will still be a fan at the end of the season. It has been this way for the past seasons (for as long as I can remember) as far as the League title is concerned. Once again, we need to look towards the Champions League and FA cup to salvage some pride. Even the FA cup looks remote now if we continue to field the kind of players and formation. I remember how it feels like before Houllier left the club. Strangely, I had the same feeling again after the Luton game. Rafa's fate will be decided after the meeting between our Amercian owners and Rick Parry in New York today. Much as I hate Mourinho but rumours of him taking over don't seem as distasteful as before. We need to change our mentality. We need a manager with the killer instincts, the ability to bring the best out from the players and I believe the self-proclaimed Special One is the right man.

Whatever it is, things are certainly not looking up for us. I am beginning to lose faith over Rafa's rotation policy. With no games over the week, why did we not play Torres? With the score remaining level at half time, shouldn't we inject some striking power upfront in order to steal the initiative? I read Carragher saying on the club website that he was relieved to leave Luton with a draw!! As far as I am concerned, with all the talent at our disposal, if we are only relieved to draw Luton, we are in serious trouble. For long spells throughout the game, the Hatters looked like they were the side more likely to score. Talbot was an inspiration up front. So what if we have international players like Crouch, Voronin and Kyut? I totally disagreed with Rafa there. They were a pale shadow compared to the grit, determination and fighting spirit of the Luton players. Like a critic rightly pointed out, when you are drawing 100,000 pounds a week, there is very little desire to want to go that extra mile. More so if you are a foreign import with no prior love or affiliation to the club we all love.

What is left for us now? At the rate at which we are playing, I will be happy if we make it past Round 4 of the FA cup, finish 4th in the League come May and hope we do not get thrashed by Inter in Feb when the Champions League resumes.

Sad indeed.....

It's dreadful

2008-01-04T00:52:00.000-08:00

It was a season we felt the team could finally deliver the much awaited and much longed-for 19th League title. All that hope and optimism were shattered when Bramble slotted that ball into goal for Wigan's first point against the Top 4 teams in recent history.

It was painful. I said a few blogs ago that we simply cannot expect to defend a 1 goal lead. I also said that last minute winners or equalisers do not come daily. We were lucky to score the winner against Derby but not so lucky this time.

I can't even comment on Rafa's 4-1-4-1 formation. Why play a lone striker at Home? Why try to stretch the play by trying to play wide with Kewell and Pennant? Stevie had proved ineffective as a supporting striker. Why not start off with our strongest lineup since we cannot afford to drop any more points, at least at Home? Where was Babel and Benayoun? I think Kewell lost possession at least 35 times throughout the game. Pennant? I won't even waste my time talking about him.

It was the first time I gave up before the game ended. It was not the scoreline. I can live with it if the team played really well and conceded. But it was crap football that was dished out on the pitch. We lacked the sharpness, the ruthlessness and the hunger. In short, we were just rubbish.

As far as I am concerned, the title race is over. I don't see how we can close a 12 point gap over Arsenal. Rafa did not provide a clue as to how we are going to do it. If I am him, I wouldn't even be thinking about that right now. I would be worried about securing a 4th place finish at the end of the season in order to guarantee Champions League football next season. With Man City and Everton in red hot form, it is going to close.

We can't blame anyone except ourselves. It's painful to watch. Then again, we have been here before. For so many seasons, it's the same old story by Jan or Feb. We just need to wait and be patient. I will still be a Liverpool fan and a damn good one as well. Nothing will stop me from loving the club I live and breathe by.

You'll Never Walk Alone.

It's Over

2008-01-03T08:06:00.000-08:00

Liverpool 1 Wigan 1. Rubbish!! Complete rubish!!! We can kiss the title goodbye...