tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72774546004628069052024-02-19T15:34:43.641+00:00Well Red - a Liverpool FC blogA fan's-eye view of Liverpool FC, happenings at Anfield, the past, the present and the future.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger154125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-47416801756787897652011-03-15T16:23:00.002+00:002011-03-16T00:07:22.043+00:00Wenger's put Arsenal on the road to nowhere<style>
@font-face {
font-family: "Cambria";
}p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0cm 0cm 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7277454600462806905&postID=4741680175678789765" name="OLE_LINK3"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7277454600462806905&postID=4741680175678789765" name="OLE_LINK4"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7277454600462806905&postID=4741680175678789765" name="OLE_LINK5"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7277454600462806905&postID=4741680175678789765" name="OLE_LINK6"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7277454600462806905&postID=4741680175678789765" name="OLE_LINK7"></a><b>Daily Sport column, March 16, 2011. </b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=7277454600462806905&postID=4741680175678789765" name="OLE_LINK8"></a>ARSENAL are like a posh car with a shit engine – it draws admiring looks everywhere it goes but breaks down before it gets home.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">If your motor performed like that for six years, what would you do? Trade it in for one that could do the job? Kick f*ck out of it like Basil Fawlty did to that crappy Mini?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Or sit there, grin and say ‘Ah well, it looks good, and at least we’ve got money in the bank’?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wenger has had the fortnight from hell – two weeks, three trophies down the swanny.</div><div class="MsoNormal">First, Arsenal were outfought by Birmingham in the Carling Cup final.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then they failed to beat Sunderland at home in the Premier League and Barca swept them aside in the Champions League.</div><div class="MsoNormal">And on Saturday a Man United team containing SEVEN defenders beat them at Old Trafford.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fans that were talking about the quadruple now look like bigger tits than you find on your average page in this newspaper.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fact is, the Gunners bottled it. They might play pretty triangles that get the geeks foaming at the mouth but so what?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Barca do it better – they score and get regular results. </div><div class="MsoNormal">And forget whining about refs, Arsenal got spannered in Spain, Van Persie knew what he was doing and Wenger made a holy show of himself when he claimed his side would have won it if the Dutchman hadn’t been sent off.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wenger could still end a trophy drought dating back to 2005 by winning the Premier League.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But what price them cocking that up, too? Whatever it is, I’ll take it.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Gunners have great young footballers but they’re not winners. There’s more fight in the post office on pension day.</div><div class="MsoNormal">They don’t have players who by sheer determination alone can grab a game by the scruff of the neck and win it.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’m thinking Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Carlos Tevez, Rafael Van Der Vaart, Ryan Giggs.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Instead Arsenal have a bunch of players who shit their kecks when they see the finishing post. They’re football’s answer to Devon Loch. Wenger can point the finger and dream up excuses but there’s only one person to blame and he’s in the mirror when the Frenchman brushes his teeth every morning.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wenger has had 15 years to drum his philosophy into the club and six years to build a winning side.</div><div class="MsoNormal">If he looks at the teams that brought home the bacon in the past, they’re chalk and cheese against the class of 2011.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wenger’s winners played decent footie but they could fight, too.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit, Martin Keown – none of them ever shirked a tackle.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Can the same be said of Arshavin, Rosicky, Chamakh and the rest?</div><div class="MsoNormal">For f*ck’s sake, Nicklas Bendtner owns pink boots and was once scared by a balloon on the pitch – what does he think when he’s facing a burly centre-half?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Wenger bought those players and what about the ones he didn’t buy?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Where’s the top-class centre half, the reliable keeper and the dominant central midfielder?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Where’s the striker who can regularly net 20-plus goals a season?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Rumour has it Wenger CAN spend. That he’s sitting on a kitty of £80m. If that’s true it should be another nail in the coffin.</div><div class="MsoNormal">The whole point of quitting Highbury for the Emirates was so Arsenal could compete financially.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yet in the five years that spanking ground has been their home they’ve spent less than Sunderland and Villa.</div><div class="MsoNormal">It’s all well and good growing your own and buying them early but it's just not working.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Time for Plan B, Arsene. Otherwise the Arsenal board will be thinking about a new engine for its posh car – and a taxi for Wenger. </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-51359576904060025212011-03-12T14:07:00.000+00:002011-03-12T14:07:35.125+00:00Problems for Ferguson cut deeper than Nani's leg<b>FOR once the Nani gash was nothing to do with Wayne Rooney.</b><br />
<br />
And instead of being an embarrassment to Manchester United, it was a convenient smokescreen.<br />
<br />
Phil Dowd got it wrong when he failed to dismiss Jamie Carragher for his shuddering tackle on Nani that left the cry-baby winger with, er, a cut, in United’s deserved defeat at Anfield.<br />
<br />
He also got it wrong when Rafael was allowed to stay on for doing a passable impression of Bruce Lee.<br />
<br />
But talk of Nani’s gash and Alex Ferguson’s toys out of the pram reaction to defeat (or lack of it) was a veil over a string of problems at United.<br />
<br />
That may sound mad when they top the league and are still alive in the Champions League and the FA Cup. But anyone with eyes can see all is not right at Old Trafford.<br />
<br />
United must be the least convincing table-toppers in a lifetime. The Glazers continue to ignore pleas to leave and bids to buy and they and their debts remain.<br />
<br />
And as average players like Michael Carrick and Anderson are handed new deals, it’s hard to shake a feeling that it’s because they can’t afford to buy anyone better.<br />
<br />
Rooney is still far from being himself and Dimitar Berbatov remains an enigma, capable of the sublime – see his jaw-dropping control of a hoofed ball on Sunday – and the ridiculous (his general levels of effort).<br />
<br />
And leading the madhouse is Ferguson, or the silent Knight as he is now known after his laughable “media blackout” following the Anfield humiliation.<br />
<br />
He may be 69, but he really needs to grow up.<br />
<br />
United match-goers sing: “We’re Man United, we’ll do what we want.” And it appears the fans are not the only people associated with the club who believe that ditty.<br />
<br />
Managers are supposed to speak to broadcasters after a TV match. Ferguson didn’t and he ordered his players to keep it shut, too.<br />
<br />
Even Ryan Giggs had to shrug and say ‘no’ when asked to talk about passing Bobby Charlton’s appearance record. Must be a real lift for his morale that.<br />
<br />
So Ferguson will be hit hard now, right? He’ll face a fine, a ban? Nah.<br />
<br />
The Premier League will only act if a broadcaster complains. And guess what? No-one at Sky, BBC or talkSport has got the balls to take him on. Not that his behaviour should come as any surprise.<br />
<br />
He still doesn’t speak to the BBC just because of some perfectly reasonable journalism. And he regularly bans press men just because he doesn’t agree with what they write.<br />
<br />
Ferguson even once banned the club’s own TV channel because a presenter said United should play 4-4-2.<br />
<br />
And he’s fallen out with the FA again of course.<br />
<br />
Could it be that the grumpy grandad’s bullying tactics are finally going to fail? As United played out the final minutes of their defeat at Anfield, the Kop taunted their rivals: “You’re Man United, you’ll do as your told.”<br />
<br />
Maybe it’s time Fergie did just that and stopped making up his own rules.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-59811582883775814572010-12-29T11:29:00.000+00:002010-12-29T11:29:36.371+00:00Roy Hodgson: Not so great expectations<b>AS people who still believe Roy Hodgson is the right man for the job at Liverpool are finding out, defending the indefensible is nigh on impossible.</b><br />
<br />
Hodgson's crime sheet while in charge at Anfield is long and well-known: his signings, his football, his treatment of players, his public gaffes and his cringe-worthy press conferences. Not to mention results, or rather lack of them (although there's plenty of players who have underperformed under two different managers who should shoulder a share of the responsibility).<br />
<br />
But of all the things Hodgson has got wrong, most annoying is his constant attempts to play down expectations and create a culture where mediocrity becomes acceptable. He was at it again when talking about Fulham.<br />
<br />
At the time of the press conference, Hodgson's old club had won two games from 17 in the Premier League.<br />
<br />
They hadn't won away (surprise, surprise) and won only once on the road last season under the man now in the hotseat at Anfield.<br />
<br />
The Cottagers' record in terms of points gained away from home when Hodgson spoke out was the same as Liverpool's: five.<br />
<br />
The goals scored away record was the same, too: six. Fulham were only keeping their noses out of the relegation zone because of a superior goal difference compared to Wigan.<br />
<br />
All in all, they are a team Liverpool should beat.<br />
<br />
The Reds' home record this season is better than Arsenal's and Fulham haven't won at Anfield in 29 attempts. Yet Hodgson can't help himself.<br />
<br />
It seems it is part of his make-up to prepare for the worst, to pave the way for failure, sow the seed of doubt: “I’m very wary of the game because they are a hard team to beat. In fact they have lost even less games in the league than we have so we know it’s going to be tough.”<br />
<br />
Can't the manager of Liverpool concentrate on the positives of his own team? Isn't the Liverpool team, even in its current state, a class apart from Fulham's?<br />
<h2><b>Stifling negativity</b></h2>Hodgson just does not exude confidence in public and fans can only hope he is not the same behind closed doors at Melwood and Anfield. His stifling negativity is in stark contrast to, for example, Bolton manager Owen Coyle.<br />
<br />
Ok, Coyle is at a club where expectations are lower, the pressure is less and the spotlight is not quite so glaring. But nevertheless, he has turned a Bolton side that was struggling near the relegation zone into one that is challenging for Europe. And with a minimal outlay in the transfer market.<br />
<br />
Some of Coyle's recent line-ups have been identical to those fielded by predecessor Gary Megson aside from Stuart Holden (a freebie signing from the MLS). But what is refreshing about Coyle is his approach.<br />
<br />
There's no face-rubbing, scowling, or playing down of expectations, Coyle just tries to win – whoever his team is facing. Most of the time he does it with a smile on his face and he's got a good relationship with the media, too.<br />
<br />
I'm not saying Coyle should be Liverpool manager – he's still relatively inexperienced and has no pedigree in European competition. But it would be nice if Roy could take a leaf out of his book when it comes to his general approach (I won't be holding my breath).<br />
<br />
When Coyle first took over at Burnley one fan commented on his impact: “Eleven points from his first five games and fans were already shouting his name! All the games we were clearly dominant.<br />
<br />
“Compared with Cotterill's tactics he had switched a moderately defensive team into one hell of an attacking force overnight and not just against the average bunch of relegation strugglers. Wolves, Watford and Charlton were in the first five and they were top six when we played them!”<br />
<br />
Players too, have been quick to praise Coyle after working with him. Andy Cole, who played under Coyle while on loan to Burnley, said: “I cannot say enough superlatives about him. His enthusiasm made me feel like I was 21 again.”<br />
<br />
But Coyle himself summed up his approach: “Each and every game we enter we try to win - and to do so by playing a style pleasing on the eye with chances being created and goals being scored.”<br />
<br />
Could Hodgson put his hand on his heart and say the same? Of course he couldn't.<br />
<br />
Liverpool players are known to be disillusioned with Hodgson's approach, fans have long since grown tired of the safety-first tactics (laughably instilled even in the dead rubber against Utrecht) and Hodgson is yet to hear his name sung by the Kop.<br />
<br />
Those that advocate persevering with Hodgson are quick to highlight why Liverpool's current plight isn't his fault – he inherited the majority of the squad, the team had a poor away record last season, he hasn't had a real opportunity to spend and so on. All true, but missing the point.<br />
<br />
Hodgson isn't the only reason for the failures this season, just as Rafa Benitez wasn't the only reason for the failures last season. But Hodgson was supposed to get more from the players at the club – organise them, improve them – that was the whole idea behind his appointment wasn't it?<br />
<br />
Hodgson is now also benefiting from a stabilised off-field situation. Yet all he has done is verse Liverpool players in a style unsuited to many of them and an approach that long-term only seems to lend itself to a lowering of sights.<br />
<h2><b>Good track record?</b></h2>On appointing Hodgson, then chairman Martin Broughton said: “We weren't looking so much for somebody who was just emerging, we wanted somebody who could, first and foremost, command the respect of the players, who had a good track record and could take us forward from where we are now.<br />
<br />
“He wanted to focus on how he could get more out of the existing players. His focus wasn't on 'how much money can I have?' or 'I want to bring this person in or that person in' - he was really focused on 'I believe, and I've got a track record that demonstrates it, that I can take the existing players, get much better performances out of them and buy constructively to build for a better future.'”<br />
<br />
Well whereas Liverpool still clung on to hopes of a top four spot until the end stages of last season, that feat is already looking out of reach this campaign. Only the poor quality of the league this season offers a chink of hope that Liverpool can sneak in with a late run.<br />
<br />
That of course would require an improvement away from home, a more balls-out approach coupled with more consistent effort from the players. Going away and trying not to get beat is not good enough for Liverpool - it's not even good enough for Bolton.<br />
<br />
Coyle once said he would try and beat his kids if he played them at tiddlywinks. You get the feeling Hodgson would settle for a draw.<br />
<br />
Liverpool need a manager who can instil players with confidence, motivate his stars, convince fans with his rhetoric and make the most of the resources available to him. A new manager, the right manager, can make a difference. Hodgson was never the right manager – his CV says so.<br />
<br />
Returning to the Bolton example for a final time, look at Johan Elmander. Labelled a expensive flop under Megson, all of sudden he is a player reborn under Coyle. He said himself when comparing the two managers: “It doesn't help to stare and scream at me. I got tired the more of it I heard.<br />
<br />
“Owen Coyle is a great coach, who I really enjoy working with. As soon as he came to the club I started to play well, even though the goals didn't come right away.”<br />
<br />
Gretar Steinsson, another Megson signing, said: "It's totally different from the first years when I was here, being in a team that actually believe they can get points against the strong sides instead of just hoping for a draw."<br />
<h2><b>Inspiration and positive approach</b></h2>Liverpool and NESV do not have to accept mediocrity. They shouldn't be happy with a plucky defeat at Spurs or progress in Europe's second-rate competition. The squad is capable of more – 11 of the 23 players that achieved Liverpool's best away record in the past 20 years are still on the books.<br />
<br />
And while Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano have left, Raul Meireles and Glen Johnson have joined. The wage bill alone at Liverpool should dictate a certain level of success.<br />
<br />
Perhaps inspiration and a positive approach could make the difference. Sadly, the likelihood is we'll never know the answer to that question under Hodgson.<br />
<br />
Asked about Liverpool's poor form away, he recently said: “If you ask me why, when we have such a good set of quality players, then the only true answer is I wish I knew. There should be no reason, because we have a team that can win away from home.”<br />
<br />
So Roy is looking at the players, knowing they're good enough, yet puzzled by why they are not performing. Perhaps the players are looking at Roy, knowing he's not good enough and that's <i><b>why</b></i> they are not performing.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st_twitter_vcount"> </span><span class="st_facebook_vcount"> </span><span class="st_email_vcount"> </span><span class="st_sharethis_vcount"> </span> <span class="st_digg_vcount"> </span></div><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/buttons.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
// <![CDATA[
stLight.options({publisher:'8bc73271-2275-46ce-ab70-f17aa957d516'});
// ]]>
</script><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/about-well-red-magazine.html"><b>*Issue five of Well Red magazine available now - click here*</b></a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-1393802856898858332010-12-29T11:17:00.001+00:002010-12-29T11:20:48.258+00:00Dalglish v Hodgson - It's no contest.<a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/news/kenny-dalglish-liverpool/image/9876483?term=kenny+dalglish" target="_blank"><img alt="Kenny Dalglish Liverpool 2010/11 Liverpool V FC Steaua Bucharest (4-1) 16/09/10 UEFA Europa League Photo Robin Parker Fotosports International Photo via Newscom" border="0" height="264" src="http://view2.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9876483/kenny-dalglish-liverpool/kenny-dalglish-liverpool.jpg?size=500&imageId=9876483" title="Kenny Dalglish Liverpool 2010/11" width="320" /></a><br />
<script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<br />
by JOHN ANTHONY<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">AT the press conference to announce Roy Hodgson as new Liverpool manager, chairman Martin Broughton went to great lengths to explain the long, considered process the board had gone through when deciding who should get the job.</span><br />
<br />
He talked about the track record, reputation and experience that all pointed to Hodgson being the right man.<br />
<br />
Yet if the board went through such an extended process, how could they miss the chance to bring the most successful football manager in recent history to Anfield? No, Alex Ferguson didn't apply for the job – but, according to a respected football statistician and economist, the best manager of his generation did.<br />
<br />
There are many ways of measuring the best manager. The easiest is to count up league championships won – and Ferguson has won 11, at least double his nearest current challenger.<br />
<br />
But it's taken him 25 years to win those titles. How many would Bob Paisley have won if he'd managed us for 25 years instead of just nine? After all he won it seven times in his comparatively short time in charge. Read that again – seven in nine years.<br />
<br />
Ferguson had been United manager for seven years before he won his first title.<br />
<br />
How about looking at how often managers win the title and the average finishing position of the clubs they manage. This can at least make it a more level playing field for bosses that haven't been around since football was in black and white.<br />
<br />
Take Ferguson, on average he wins 0.44 top-flight championships per season. You can't win 0.44 of a championship but his record of 14 top-flight titles from 32 seasons with Manchester United, Aberdeen and St Mirren works out at 0.44 championships per season.<br />
<br />
Look at his finishing positions in those seasons: 8, 4, 1, 2, 2, 3, 1, 1, 11, 2, 11, 13, 6, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 3, 1, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 2. That's an impressive run of form and equates to an average finishing position of 2.8.<br />
<br />
Again, you can't come 2.8th in the league but you get my drift. So a championship roughly once every two seasons and an average of finishing in the top three makes SurAlex a pretty good yardstick.<br />
<h1><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px;">Semi-pro title</span></h1>Arsene Wenger is another manager talked of in hushed tones. Yet in 24 seasons of top-flight management it is surprising he has won just four titles, meaning he wins 0.17 titles per season.<br />
<br />
On that count Ferguson is more than twice the manager Wenger is. Looking at his top-flight formline, Wenger teams have finished: 11, 18, 19, 1, 3, 3, 2, 2, 2, 6, 3, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2, 1, 2, 4, 4, 3, 4, 3 for an average finishing position of 4.2.<br />
<br />
There wouldn't have been many complaints had Wenger been sitting next to Broughton in a new LFC tie at that press conference. But what of the man who did get the job?<br />
<br />
It's tricky to assess Roy Hodgson's career in the same way as the “Big Two” because much of his top-flight experience has come in semi-professional leagues.<br />
<br />
It's ridiculous to value a mid-1970s Swedish semi-pro title alongside winning the Premier League. To make a sensible comparison we can look at the seasons when Roy managed in the top flight in England and Italy at Blackburn, Udinese, Inter Milan and Fulham.<br />
<br />
Some allowances have to made in these figures as he has been sacked in mid-season by three of those clubs. Hodgson's finishing positions in the English and Italian top-flight reads: 7, 3, 6, 19, 14, 17, 7, 12. That's 0 titles per season and an average finishing position of 10.6.<br />
<br />
Even allowing for the small sample those are not particularly impressive figures. So the candidates for Liverpool manager this time around must have been a modest bunch if someone who has yet to win a top-flight title and whose teams finish mid-table got the job. Not so.<br />
<br />
According to respected football statistician and author Stefan Szymanski, the best manager of the past two decades and more had thrown his hat in the ring.<br />
<br />
Szymanski compiled a database of football statistics from 1974-1995 and calculated that Kenny Dalglish has the best record of all managers in English football.<br />
<h1><span style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 12px;">Modest resources</span></h1>He looked at factors such as spending on player wages, the number of players used in a season and the proportion of home-grown players in the squad. Dalglish was particularly good at getting the best out of relatively modest resources.<br />
<br />
Szymanski said: “The assumption is that anyone can buy their way to the top of the league, but you have to be Kenny Dalglish to do it cheaply.”<br />
<br />
How useful those skills could be for the current Liverpool manager in these cash-strapped times. Granted, his study was completed in the mid-90s before Ferguson had really got going at Old Trafford.<br />
<br />
And it came just before Kenny's “disastrous” - © all newspapers - spell at Newcastle United. A spell so disastrous it featured a second-place Premier League finish and an FA Cup Final in less than three seasons.<br />
<br />
So I applied the manager test to Kenny Dalglish and the results were something of an eye-opener. In completed top-flight seasons as manager, his finishing positions were: 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, 13, 2. The fourth came in Blackburn's first top-flight season and the 13 was his second term at Newcastle when Alan Shearer suffered the injury that he never really recovered from.<br />
<br />
Even with that blip, Dalglish has won 0.36 titles per season with an average finishing position of 2.8. So a very similar record to Ferguson even after his run of success in Kenny's absence.<br />
<br />
It's twice the title return that Wenger has managed and is in a different league to Hodgson. This excellent record seems to have been forgotten – when the editor of this very magazine was interviewed on Radio Merseyside, the presenter asked him about “Dalglish's average record last time he was Liverpool manager”.<br />
<br />
Why didn't the club roll out the red carpet when Dalglish said he wanted the job? Just look at his record again – not only did he keep the Liverpool dynasty rolling, he took a midtable second division club and won them the league.<br />
<br />
He spent a few quid doing it but considerably less than Alex Ferguson did to bring success to Manchester United.<br />
<br />
And is it a coincidence that Ferguson was only able to dominate English football when Dalglish was out of the way? His mind games didn't seem to work in those days.<br />
<br />
The reason given was Dalglish's “10 years out of football”. This is a reasonable caveat but it's not like he's forgotten what to do – he wouldn't have come in on day one to ask when we were playing Coventry and Sheffield Wednesday.<br />
<br />
The passing over of Dalglish for Hodgson was a puzzling one but Kenny hasn't gone away. Would he be happy to hold the fort until the next permanent manager is identified? Could he provide the short-term boost that could secure a place in Europe or even a cup win?<br />
<br />
It could be a gamble worth taking. And on the evidence of the statistics, not actually that much of a gamble.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://bit.ly/gN7SuH"> Issue three of the mag is now available free online here</a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/wellredfeatures/issue-5-sir-roger-hunt-exclusive.html" target="_blank">Click HERE to buy issue five </a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="st_twitter_vcount"> </span><span class="st_facebook_vcount"> </span><span class="st_email_vcount"> </span><span class="st_sharethis_vcount"> </span> <span class="st_digg_vcount"> </span></div><script src="http://w.sharethis.com/button/buttons.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<script type="text/javascript">
// <![CDATA[
stLight.options({publisher:'8bc73271-2275-46ce-ab70-f17aa957d516'});
// ]]>
</script>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-33367743232045455952010-10-05T21:30:00.000+01:002010-10-05T21:30:10.955+01:00Dear Mr Hicks..<object width="400" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RO55BazkiZ4?fs=1&hl=en_GB"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RO55BazkiZ4?fs=1&hl=en_GB" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="385"></embed></object>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-4063391850224608472010-09-27T00:34:00.000+01:002010-09-27T00:34:45.520+01:00Well Red's new website...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyvT4_8NT8XsClHFjL8an70jSwpUSe2Lm4aFgx_LxhXrRumqE0f1os63UymfB-pPVcUwkyaG0fAZSPZ1_XEUpqm46k-s9p5EMDRsvBFXfLudEBdpkQUefwk5lVnVrYpZhQZ4H34uEec2k/s1600/we-have-moved.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisyvT4_8NT8XsClHFjL8an70jSwpUSe2Lm4aFgx_LxhXrRumqE0f1os63UymfB-pPVcUwkyaG0fAZSPZ1_XEUpqm46k-s9p5EMDRsvBFXfLudEBdpkQUefwk5lVnVrYpZhQZ4H34uEec2k/s320/we-have-moved.jpg" width="298" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://liverpoolfc.wellredmag.co.uk/"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>WELL RED HAS MOVED!</b></span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unlike Liverpool FC under Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Well Red now has a new home. Visit us at <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">www.wellredmag.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
Please do not post comments here as they will be deleted. Visit the new site and join the debate.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanks for your support. YNWA.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">Robbo </span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-43185035429025475422010-09-01T00:24:00.001+01:002010-09-01T00:26:15.724+01:00LIVERPOOL FC: There's Klingons on the starboard bow<div style="text-align: center;"><b>From the new Well Red magazine website:<a href="http://liverpoolfc.wellredmag.co.uk/"> liverpoolfc.wellredmag.co.uk</a></b></div><b> </b><br />
<b>YEARS of listening to music – good and bad – has left the legacy of a rare ‘gift’. Being able to think of bizarre songs that apply to any given situation. </b><br />
<br />
The latest is <i>Star Trekkin</i>’ – a ‘novelty’ song from 1987 by a band called The Firm. <br />
<br />
I have absolutely no idea why it popped into my head as I drove home one evening pondering the mess that our club has found itself in. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/liverpool-chairman/image/9552857?term=martin+broughton" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Liverpool's chairman Martin Broughton gestures as he takes his seat before their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England, August 15, 2010. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT SPORT SOCCER) NO ONLINE/INTERNET USAGE WITHOUT A LICENCE FROM THE FOOTBALL DATA CO LTD. FOR LICENCE ENQUIRIES PLEASE TELEPHONE ++44 (0)" border="0" height="200" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view4.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9552857/liverpool-chairman/liverpool-chairman.jpg?size=380&imageId=9552857" title="Liverpool's chairman Broughton gestures as he takes his seat before their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal in Liverpool" width="151" /></a>But as I thought about Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Christian Purslow and Martin Broughton - the w*nkers and the bankers – there it was: <i> </i><br />
<br />
<i>“There's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, starboard bow; there's Klingons on the starboard bow, starboard bow, Jim.” </i><br />
<br />
Perfect. Because that’s what they are - Klingons. <br />
<br />
None are real football men. Not in my eyes. One’s a Chelsea fan (say no more), two haven’t got the foggiest and one claims to be a former Anfield season-ticket holder. <br />
<br />
But do they actually give a sh*t about Liverpool FC? Are their own reputations more important to them than the club’s? <br />
<br />
They’ll happily sit there in silence while the ownership farce grows and grows like an elephant on a McDonald’s diet. They’ll keep it zipped while a buyer taken seriously by the club and the Premier League – Kenny Huang – pulls out of the race. <br />
<br />
And they’ll say nothing as other reported interested parties, many of them discredited, disappear back under the rock from which they emerged. <br />
<br />
And all this after people within the club had been telling anyone that would listen that a takeover was imminent. It would happen in August was the word. <br />
<br />
The ‘takeover’ – complete with new stadium and bumper transfer kitty – was undoubtedly used as a bargaining tool to keep Fernando Torres out of the clutches of Chelsea in the summer. <br />
<br />
Yet, weeks later, it was back to square one. The Chinese option was taken away. <br />
<br />
All eyes back on the Klingons. <br />
<br />
<i><b>“Star Trekkin' across the universe, only going forward 'cause we can't find reverse.” </b></i><br />
<br />
Time then for some noise. Divert attention. Make sure the warnings of what is on the starboard bow are ignored.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Burying bad news has becoming a reoccurring theme at Anfield. Joe Cole has signed…and by the way ticket prices have gone up. It’s general election result day today – oh and here’s the latest financial figures from Anfield. <br />
<br />
This time the Klingons had to steer eyes away from reports of the banks seizing control of the club in October, of spiralling debts, £60m penalty clauses and of no serious bids on the table after Huang headed for the hills. <br />
<br />
So it was full speed ahead on operation reputation recovery. For Christian Purslow at least. <br />
<a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/news/fernando-torres-liverpool/image/9601716?term=fernando+torres" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Fernando Torres Liverpool 2010/11 Manchester City V Liverpool (3-0) 23/08/10 The Premier League Photo Robin Parker Fotosports International Photo via Newscom" border="0" height="200" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9601716/fernando-torres-liverpool/fernando-torres-liverpool.jpg?size=380&imageId=9601716" title="Fernando Torres Liverpool 2010/11" width="142" /></a><br />
First it was a spin-packed chummy chat on Radio Five Live’s <i>Sportsweek.</i> <br />
<br />
There was never a real chance Torres was going to leave, he said in the 10-minute interview. (“No, not at all, really.”) <br />
<br />
Funny, but many, many people were 100 per cent convinced of Chelsea’s interest. And Torres’s prolonged silence spoke volumes. A simple ‘I’m staying’ would have sufficed to put the weeks of speculation to bed. And remember Hodgson – days after being appointed as Liverpool manager - revealing Purslow had spent longer with Torres than he had? Does that sound like someone who was never going to leave? <br />
<br />
<a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/news/steven-gerrard-liverpool/image/9601626?term=steven+gerrard" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Steven Gerrard Liverpool 2010/11 Manchester City V Liverpool (3-0) 23/08/10 The Premier League Photo Robin Parker Fotosports International Photo via Newscom" border="0" height="200" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view4.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9601626/steven-gerrard-liverpool/steven-gerrard-liverpool.jpg?size=380&imageId=9601626" title="Steven Gerrard Liverpool 2010/11" width="194" /></a>Then it was Gerrard , another who stayed silent, fuelling the exit talk. It was “not at all” likely Gerrard would have left either, according to Purslow. <br />
<br />
Again, with a minimal amount of digging, things don’t seem so black and white. <br />
<br />
Real Madrid ruled out a move for Gerrard due to the Liverpool captain's age and valuation, according to their transfer consultant Ernesto Bronzetti. <br />
<br />
That’s someone who works for the club then, not a journalist, not a fan – a club official. <br />
<br />
“The president does not agree with Gerrard because he is 30 and Perez doesn't want to know," Bronzetti told <i>GR Parlamento</i>. <br />
<br />
“Plus, Liverpool asked for 70million euros [£58m].” <br />
<br />
If Gerrard was never going anywhere, why was someone quoting prices to Real Madrid? <br />
<br />
On to the bidders, Purslow claimed the questionable – “there are a number of bidders” – before stating the obvious: “We will take time to examine those extremely carefully.” <br />
<br />
Purslow described a <i>Sunday Times</i> story that RBS could take control of Liverpool in October as “speculative”. <i><b>But didn’t rule it out. </b></i><br />
And with hardly a difficult question asked, it was on to the full-on PR spin: “The target is significant improvement. We think our club and players belong in the Champions League - so that is where we would like to be.” <br />
<br />
Wouldn’t we all? <br />
<div style="color: red;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: red; font-size: small;"><b>Charm offensive</b></span></div><br />
While Hicks, Gillett and Broughton have remained quiet – keeping Liverpool fans hanging, guessing and speculating – Purslow has kept up the charm offensive. <br />
<br />
ITV even zoomed in on him during coverage of the home match with Trabonzspor to tell fans who he is and what he does. Why? <br />
<br />
Purslow is not famous. He’s not a footballer or a manager, as much as he would like to think he is. He might be good at something but it’s not something that fills stadiums or puts you on the edge of your seat. <br />
<br />
Purslow was brought in to find investors, to sell the club. He failed. He’s still here. And don’t we know it? <br />
<br />
Has a boardroom suit ever had so much media coverage as Christian Purslow? <br />
<br />
He would do well to take a leaf out of Sir John Smith’s book. Many fans don’t know who he is - the way it should be. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.lfchistory.net/images/paisley.bob/1974_SMITH-PAISLEY-T.V.WILLIAMS.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://www.lfchistory.net/images/paisley.bob/1974_SMITH-PAISLEY-T.V.WILLIAMS.JPG" width="200" /></a><i>“We’re a very very modest club. We don’t talk. We don’t boast. But we’re very professional,” </i>Smith (pictured, left, with Bob Paisley and TV Williams) once said.<i> </i><br />
<br />
He took over Liverpool Football Club in 1973. By the time he stepped down in 1990, the club had amassed four European Cups, and added three FA Cups and 11 championship titles to its roll of honour. <br />
<br />
Did Smith sit down for off-the-record briefings with journalists? Did he plant information in the press or get his friends in the media to write PR puff? It’s doubtful because the phrase ‘The Liverpool Way’ actually meant something back then. <br />
<br />
Perhaps Henry Winter could tell us? <br />
<br />
The <i>Daily Telegraph</i> football correspondent wrote an ‘everything is rosy’ piece that Purslow himself would have been proud of. <br />
<br />
Ignoring the fact that Liverpool have been searching for the ‘right buyer’ since the days of David Moores and Rick Parry, he wrote:<br />
<br />
<i>“The right buyer must be out there… Blessed with an iconic name, so much else is also right about Liverpool: support, manager, captain, No 9 and goalkeeper. Anfield also boasts the right executives in all key positions apart from chairman and owners.” </i><br />
<br />
So that’s an endorsement for Purslow and the manager he appointed. Nice. <br />
<br />
<i>“If anything, and acknowledging the credit crunch and need for a new stadium, Liverpool are undervalued,” he went on. </i><br />
<br />
The spin was not the most subtle… <br />
<br />
<i>“After a season of drifting badly, Liverpool’s board inevitably acted, removing Benítez and installing a far less political animal in Roy Hodgson. <br />
<br />
“He has started quietly but confidently, becoming the first Liverpool manager since Shankly to win his first three European games.” </i><br />
<br />
So the board had to act, according to Winter, and look, they appointed a man who can mastermind wins over Rabotnicki and Trabzonspor (what do you mean, who?). <br />
<br />
If you think that’s blatant, wait until Winter goes for the kill, when he really backs his Klingon mate. <br />
<br />
<i>“The board have appointed well. Now they must find the right owners and appease frustrated fans. A new banner on the Kop articulates a dislike of the chairman Martin Broughton and the managing director Christian Purslow. <br />
<br />
“Concerns over Broughton are understandable; he’s a Chelsea fan, a season- ticket holder who mixes with their players and his position at Anfield would have become untenable if Stamford Bridge had developed its interest in Torres. <br />
<br />
“Criticism of Purslow is harder to fathom. Perceived as a bit too posh for some Kopite tastes, Purslow is passionate about doing what is best for the club he loves. <br />
<br />
“He spent much of July shuttling back and forth to Spain to help convince Torres his future lay at Anfield. When it comes to dealing with the minutiae of selling a business, and an awareness of the tricks of the number-crunching, deal-making trade, nobody at Anfield is better qualified than Purslow, who has extensive experience of this skill. <br />
<br />
“The time to judge Purslow is when a deal is done, when the sums are added up and the new owners’ true character emerges. <br />
<br />
“A buyer will materialise. The Premier League is so attractive.” </i><br />
<br />
Ah, that’s alright then, this Klingon is OK by Henry, so he’s OK by us, right? <br />
<b><br />
<span style="color: red;">Questions unanswered </span></b><i><b> </b></i><br />
<br />
<i><b>“It's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, not as we know it; it's life, Jim, but not as we know it, not as we know it, Captain.”</b></i> <br />
<br />
As ever, Purslow and Winter’s media musings failed to answer the questions we really wanted answering. Who are the bidders? Where are the bidders? And when are they buying? <br />
<br />
And while we’re there – where’s the money gone for the manager? You know - the cash from player sales that is definitely reinvested in the team. That can’t be used to pay debts. A ‘fact’ reiterated by Purslow and Hicks. So obviously true then… <br />
<br />
Hodgson’s recruitment strategy has been strange to say the least. On appointment the word was he would have £12million to spend plus whatever was raised from sales. <br />
<br />
When Mascherano headed for Spain that should have meant a kitty of around £50m. The signings of Raul Meireles and Paul Konchesky – which only happened once Masch had booked his plane tickets - took Roy’s spending to £24.2m. <br />
<br />
If the ‘player sales’ pot is really there, why was £15m for Peter Crouch too much for Liverpool? Word was he wanted to come back. Word was Roy wanted him. The only stumbling block was cash. <br />
<br />
Also telling were the remarks from Kristian Nemeth’s agent after his client completed a move to Olympiakos. "Liverpool told us that it is not a question of quality but a financial decision. As it is with others this season," said Tibor Pataky. <br />
<br />
Since Robbie Keane went back to Tottenham for £16m in January 2009, Liverpool have recouped £102m from player sales. Just under £60m has been spent on strengthening the squad and some of the signings, if we’re being honest, have left a lot to be desired. <br />
<br />
Signing back Aurelio, with his poor injury record, smacked of desperation. Poulsen was hardly a jaw-dropper either. Brad Jones? Paul Konchesky? <br />
<br />
Ok, so Meireles comes highly recommended. But after Mascherano left, he still represents a cheaper alternative and as for parading him on the pitch at the West Brom game, when did we become Newcastle? <br />
<br />
The only surprise was that Purslow wasn’t on the pitch too, taking the plaudits for his ‘catch’. <br />
<br />
Hodgson, like Rafa Benitez, is working with the handcuffs on but the Klingons don’t want you to see the ball and chain. <br />
<br />
The right words from Hodgson, the signing of Joe Cole and the recruitment of Meireles gave fans some hope. The Kenny Huang debacle, the thumping at Man City and being held to ransom by Javier Mascherano reminded us where we really are – struggling to put the brakes on our decline. <br />
<br />
<i><b>“Only going forward, still can't find reverse.” </b></i><br />
<br />
Beam me up, Scotty and bring me back when it's all over.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>From the new Well Red magazine website:<a href="http://liverpoolfc.wellredmag.co.uk/"> liverpoolfc.wellredmag.co.uk</a></b> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-83689432017980819402010-08-17T00:43:00.000+01:002010-08-17T00:43:39.465+01:00LIVERPOOL FC: Solid start but same old problems<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-august-2010/image/9557728?term=liverpool" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Aug. 16, 2010 - 06332121 date 15 08 2010 Copyright imago BPI Steven Gerrard of Liverpool Thanks The supporters AT The End of The Game PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxFRAxNEDxESPxSWExPOLxCHNxJPN men Football England Premier League 2010 2011 Liverpool Action shot Single Vdig 2010 horizontal premiumd Football." border="0" height="265" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9557728/sports-news-august-2010/sports-news-august-2010.jpg?size=380&imageId=9557728" title="Sports News - August 16, 2010" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gerrard applauds the Kop after Sunday's draw with Arsena<b>l</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><b>AFTER the tantalising but tiresome takeover talk that has made two months feel two years, it was just nice to get back to the football - for a couple of hours at least.</b><br />
<br />
Everyone connected with Liverpool FC has finally joined forces in recognising that the club must lance the boil of the current owners to put the club back on track.<br />
<br />
But as club managing director <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8915520.stm">Christian Purslow stressed</a> hours before the showdown with Arsenal, it's not a process that can be rushed. After having its fingers burnt so badly by the hot air of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the club <b><i>has</i></b> to get it right this time.<br />
<br />
The situation has rightly led to a lowering of expectations, for now at least. And while any Liverpool manager will be under pressure - the history and the standing of the club will always ensure that - Hodgson will perhaps be afforded more time than his predecessors before fingers are pointed in his direction.<br />
<br />
The signings of Joe Cole, Fabio Aurelio and Christian Poulsen show exactly where Liverpool are on and off the pitch. A free transfer, a player deemed injury prone and a Danish destroyer in the twilight years of his career are hardly the signings of a club with real title ambition.<br />
<br />
Talk from some had been that Hodgson may 'let Liverpool off the leash' - imaginary shackles that the players were forced to play in under Rafa Benitez, according to many.<br />
<br />
That's a point that can be argued ad infinitum - and is on almost every Liverpool forum.<br />
<br />
Shackles or not, Hodgson needs to be released from his own handcuffs - the club's lack of finances - before he can truly stamp his mark on the club.<br />
<br />
With that in mind, it was no surprise to see a safety-first approach adopted against Arsenal.<br />
<br />
The circumstances were unfortunate given an incident as rare as a sighting of the new Everton away kit on County Road - a Pepe Reina mistake - but Hodgson would surely be the first to admit that he would happily have taken a draw before a ball was kicked against Arsene Wenger's side.<br />
<br />
The fixture computer wasn't kind to Hodgson, and that continues to be the case with a trip to Manchester City next up, so to get a point on the board at the first attempt was undoubtedly a huge comfort for the new manager.<br />
<br />
Liverpool's performances against Macedonian minnows Rabotnicki had prompted some to suggest that a gung-ho approach could be adopted at Anfield.<br />
<br />
A glance down the teamsheet quickly dimissed such talk as fanciful - the line-up was first and foremost solid: Steven Gerrard and Javier Mascherano in front of the defence, two workers on the wings in Dirk Kuyt and Milan Jovanovic and a back four that contained only one player with any thoughts of attacking in Glen Johnson.<br />
<br />
It was Arsenal that started the stronger, dictating the play, looking more like the home side and adopting a much higher line than Liverpool who doggedly defended the edge of the 18-yard box for most of the match.<br />
<br />
Across the 90 minutes the Londoners had a huge 64 per cent of the possession. <br />
<br />
Thomas Vermaelen was the first to worry a goalkeeper, his fourth-minute free-kick fisted away by Reina who at that stage was hoping for his first-ever clean sheet against the Gunners. <br />
<br />
Cole had lifted spirits with his performance against Rabotnicki but he was given little chance to shine on his Premier League bow for the Reds. Abou Diaby snapped at his heels at every opportunity and the Arsenal team generally didn't give him a second to settle.<br />
<br />
Aside from a neat backheel in a build-up to a Reds' move, Cole did little else other than pick himself up off the floor before he was harshly sent off for a challenge on Laurent Koscielny.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-august-2010/image/9555403?term=liverpool" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Aug. 15, 2010 - 06330404 date 15 08 2010 Copyright imago Liverpool s Joe Cole Gets Sent Off AS Arsenal s Arsene Wenger looks ON Barclays Premier League Liverpool v Arsenal 15th August 2010 PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUK men Football England Premier League 2010 2011 Liverpool Vdig xsk 2010 Square premiumd." border="0" height="343" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view4.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9555403/sports-news-august-2010/sports-news-august-2010.jpg?size=380&imageId=9555403" title="Sports News - August 15, 2010" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cole heads for the dressing rooms after his sending off</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Despite the gospel preachings of Jamie Redknapp and Andy Gray on Sky, Cole did not jump in with two feet off the floor and the connection that brought the player down was more with his trailing leg than the leading boot.<br />
<br />
Liverpool can rightly point to challenges from Jack Wilshere on Mascherano and Tomas Rosicky on Gerrard as being equal to that of Cole's yet both Arsenal players merely saw the inside of Martin Atkinson's notebook rather than the inside of the Anfield dressing room.<br />
<br />
Jovanovic was the more impressive of the new signings, a bustling seventh-minute run in which he swatted Bacary Sagna to the ground suggesting his tough-nut, hard-working style will soon endear him to the Anfield faithful.<br />
<br />
Arsenal were cuter in possession for most of the game, albeit - as is so often the case with Wenger's side - without any real cutting edge.<br />
<br />
Liverpool's attacking threat was also limited, the Reds regularly resorting to hopeful early balls to Ngog who, like so many times last season, was too often left isolated in a lone attacking role.<br />
<br />
The Reds are desperate for another striker and with Fernando Torres still searching for full fitness - and now possessing a worrying recent injury record - a reinforcement before the transfer window closes at the end of August is a must.<br />
<br />
Ngog, though, is doing his best to take advantage of his opportunity. And after a frustrating first half which saw him starved of service and caught offside three times by the Gunners' quickly advancing and well-drilled backline, he lit up the game with a wonderful near-post drive, his eighth Premier League goal - all of them at Anfield.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-august-2010/image/9555269?term=liverpool" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Aug. 15, 2010 - 06330589 date 15 08 2010 Copyright imago Color Sports Football Barclays Premier League Liverpool vs Arsenal Liverpool s David n GOG Celebrates His Goal AT Anfield in Liverpool PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxPOLxUSAxONLY men Football England Premier League 2010 2011 Liverpool Action shot Vdig xsk 2010 Square premiumd." border="0" height="383" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view4.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9555269/sports-news-august-2010/sports-news-august-2010.jpg?size=380&imageId=9555269" title="Sports News - August 15, 2010" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ngog celebrates his impressive strike</td></tr>
</tbody></table>That Torres was pictured grinning his approval from the bench said it all. It was a strike that he, arguably the best striker in the world, would have been proud of.<br />
<br />
The Frenchman, just 21 and looking more and more a snip at just £1.5million, also had a header cleared off the line in the first half and while his detractors continue to point out his failings, it's worth considering just what responsibility is being placed upon his inexperienced shoulders.<br />
<br />
Arsenal can boast Van Persie (27), Chamakh (26), Nicklas Bendtner (22) and Carlos Vela (21) as frontline strikers.<br />
<br />
Liverpool have Ngog, Torres, then players that are either inexperienced - Lauri Dalla Valle (18), Nathan Ecclestone (19), Dani Pacheco (19) - or not out and out strikers (Jovanovic, Kuyt, Ryan Babel).<br />
<br />
To put it into perspective, Ngog and Vela are both 21. Vela has 28 caps and nine goals for Mexico yet in four years as an Arsenal player he has twice been farmed out on loan and has started just three games in the Premier League, appearing as a substitute 22 times, scoring two goals.<br />
<br />
Ngog has been at Liverpool for two years, started 13 Premier League games, made 26 substitute appearances and scored eight goals. In all competitions for the Reds he has scored 15 in 59 appearances - better than one in four, and many of those appearances were as a substitute and for a matter of minutes.<br />
<br />
As a rookie forward he has arguably been overused - a victim of circumstance. Strikers of a similar age and ability at clubs of a similar stature are simply not being called upon as much as he is because of the greater strength in depth. <br />
<br />
Glen Johnson, who in the first half had linked well with Kuyt before testing Manuel Almunia with a fierce left-footed effort, again linked with the Dutchman in the build up to Ngog's goal.<br />
<br />
The move broke down but it was the excellent Mascherano who revived it, stealing the ball and threading it inside the Arsenal defence for Ngog to finish confidently.<br />
<br />
That 46th-minute goal set the tone for a battling second-half display, one which outsiders can only guess as to whether it was fuelled by Hodgson's half-time team talk or a burning sense of injustice at Cole's sending off. <br />
<br />
Liverpool showed great spirit and effort throughout, but we knew this team had that in them - even during the nightmare that was last season Everton were beaten by ten men and Spurs were defeated with an Anfield display that was more fight than finesse.<br />
<br />
Jamie Carragher and Gerrard were both superb against Arsenal, the skipper clearly cutting a much happier figure under Hodgson. The statistics show he was the Premier League's top tackler at the weekend, winning eight for a 75 per cent success rate. But it remains to be seen how he will perform long term in a deeper role if that is where Hodgson chooses to employ him.<br />
<br />
Martin Skrtel, too, made some crucial blocks while Daniel Agger clearly played on autopilot for the best part of 20 minutes, the Dane concussed from a ball to the face in the 67th minute with TV pictures appearing to show the defender saying 'I don't know what I'm doing'.<br />
<br />
Liverpool effectively played from that moment onwards with nine men and inevitably Arsene Wenger's side came more into the game and carved out opportunities, particularly when the manager went for broke with his substitutions, leaving his side pressing for a goal with Van Persie, Chamakh, Walcott, Rosicky and Arshavin on the pitch.<br />
<br />
The Reds battled on valiantly before sickeningly succumbing to the last-gasp equaliser via Reina's fumble. It was a bad error, a costly mistake - one of many by goalkeepers in the Premier League this weekend.<br />
<br />
But to attach blame, point the finger or question the Spaniard's ability would be churlish in the extreme - Reina was clearly handicapped by the sun as the ball came across, his glove across his eyes as he strained to pick out the flight of the cross.<br />
<br />
A truer example of his ability came from his superb save from Rosicky, tipping over when it seemed certain the Czech would score after a tidy one-two with Van Persie.<br />
<br />
Those with even the smallest inkling of doubt about Reina should ask Wenger what he makes of the Anfield No.1. He must have seen something he likes in the five years Reina has plied his trade in England - he bid in the region of £23million for him after all just a week or so before this clash.<br />
<br />
So the match finished all square, a Gerrard free kick too close to Almunia to repeat his trick of 2007 when a piece of last-gasp set piece brilliance claimed all three points on the opening day of the season at Villa Park.<br />
<br />
In truth not too much could be gleaned from the performance. That Hodgson could get a team defensively organised was never in doubt. That Gerrard, Mascherano, Kuyt, Carragher and Skrtel could defend, show spirit and battle with the best of them was also well known.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/news/javier-mascherano/image/9557740?term=liverpool" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Javier Mascherano Liverpool 2010/11 Liverpool V Arsenal (1-1) 15/08/10 The Premier League Photo Robin Parker Fotosports InternationalTest Photo via Newscom" border="0" height="484" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view4.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9557740/javier-mascherano/javier-mascherano.jpg?size=380&imageId=9557740" title="Javier Mascherano Liverpool 2010/11" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mascherano was superb for Liverpool</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The test for Hodgson is to squeeze more creativity, more attacking threat out of the current crop of players. Perhaps a bigger test, a more telling conundrum for the manager, will be when teams arrive at Anfield with no intention of going for the win. The buses are already ticking over, ready to park. It's up to Hodgson to come up with a way of moving them - a task that has frustrated a succession of managers at Anfield.<br />
<br />
Hodgson himself concluded that while Sunday was a good result, it was too early to judge the team - or him.<br />
<br />
He said: "I’m still learning about this team. I think the fans can expect the players to run round and chase and show the same spirit as they have always done. If we can add a bit of tactical awareness and organisation the supporters can expect a good season."Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-29808624889320858542010-08-14T11:16:00.000+01:002010-08-14T11:16:46.898+01:00Liverpool v Arsenal: Reds can make the most of Anfield's air of optimism<div style="float: left; margin-right: 5px;"></div><script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/joe-cole-milan-jovanovic/image/9433329?term=liverpool+fc" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="July 27, 2010 - Liverpool, United Kingdom - epa02262984 (Bottom L-R) Milan Jovanovic, Danny Wilson and Joe Cole attend a photocall at the Anfield Road Stadium in Liverpool, north west Britain, 27 July 2010. The three soccer players were unveiled as Liverpool's new signings under newly appointed head coach Roy Hodgson (up." border="0" height="269" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9433329/joe-cole-milan-jovanovic/joe-cole-milan-jovanovic.jpg?size=380&imageId=9433329" title="Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic and Danny Wilson sign for Liverpool FC" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NEW BOYS: Roy Hodgson with Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic and Danny Wilson</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<b>SO here we are, the new season and who would have thought things would have felt so positive around Liverpool Football Club?</b><br />
<br />
When the curtain closed on last season's dismal league campaign with a drab draw at Hull, most Reds thought that would be that for the Anfield careers of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.<br />
<br />
That was a conclusion reached not through pessimism or doom-mongering, it was a very real possibility. Chelsea were waiting in the wings for Torres and Real Madrid were quoted a price for Gerrard.<br />
<br />
Both have stayed, one seemingly buoyed by the change in the manager, the other by the likelihood of an imminent change in ownership and therefore ambition.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/sports/afrcia-poulsen/image/9205991?term=christian+poulsen" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="SOCCER/FUTBOL WORLD CUP 2010 DINAMARCA VS JAPON Action photo of Christian Poulsen of Denmark, during game of the 2010 World Cup held at the Real Bafokeng stadium of Rustemburgo, South Africa./Foto de accion de Christian Poulsen de Dinamarca, durante juego de la Copa del Mundo 2010 celebrado en el estadio Real de Bafokeng de Rustemburgo, Sudafrica. 24 June 2010 MEXSPORT/OMAR MARTINEZ Photo via Newscom" border="0" height="320" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view3.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9205991/afrcia-poulsen/afrcia-poulsen.jpg?size=380&imageId=9205991" title="AFRCIA WC POULSEN" width="213" /></a>So with star players with a smile on their face, new attacking options in Joe Cole and Milan Jovanovic, the return of Fabio Aurelio, the delayed departures of Emiliano Insua and Javier Mascherano, and the arrival of Christian Poulsen <i>(left)</i>, all of a sudden it seems new boss Roy Hodgson has options all over the field.<br />
<br />
It will be interesting to see what his line up against Arsenal is tomorrow. Hodgson traditionally set up at Fulham with two banks of four, a targetman, and a player in behind, normally Zoltan Gera.<br />
<br />
The big man up front is not an option Hodgson has with the current squad and the rumoured return of Peter Crouch now on the back burner.<br />
<br />
That's unfortunate given his textbook hat-trick, one with each foot and a header, the last time we beat Arsenal in the Premier League in March 2007.<br />
<br />
Since then it's been four draws and two defeats in our meetings in the league, with our last win in all competitions against the Gunners being the 4-2 Champions League quarter-final victory in 2008.<br />
<br />
I wouldn't expect Hodgson to go balls out in an attempt to break that run of results - the most likely set-up is the Rafa Benitez-favoured 4-2-3-1.<br />
<br />
Fernando Torres is likely to start from the bench given Hodgson's comments regarding his fitness in his most recent press conference, so that should mean David Ngog is given the nod to lead the line.<br />
<br />
It's likely to be a tight game, but I fancy Liverpool to benefit from the 'new manager effect' and the current wave of optimism around Anfield and sneak a narrow victory with a fired-up Steven Gerrard and a revitalised Joe Cole proving too much for an Arsenal side likely to be without Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie (with a bit of luck.). If the Reds do nick it, it will be their 2000th win in league football.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>FACT FILE</b> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Liverpool v Arsenal, Sunday, August 15, kick-off 4pm. Live on Sky Sports 1.</div><br />
<i>Last five at Anfield:</i><br />
<br />
December 12, 2009: <b>Liverpool 1 Arsenal 2</b> (Premier League)<br />
April 21, 2009: <b>Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4</b> (Premier League)<br />
April 8, 2008: <b>Liverpool 4 Arsenal 2</b> (Champions League)<br />
October 28, 2007: <b>Liverpool 1 Arsenal 1</b> (Premier League)<br />
March 31, 2007: <b>Liverpool 4 Arsenal 1 </b>(Premier League)<br />
<br />
<i>Odds:</i><br />
<br />
Liverpool 6/4 Arsenal 2/1 Draw 12/5.<br />
<br />
First goalscorer: Torres 4, Van Persie 7, Ngog 7, Chamakh, Gerrard 15-2, Arshavin 8, Kuyt 10, Cole 11, Jovanovic 14, Carragher 80.<br />
<br />
<i>Fact:</i><br />
<br />
This is the 173rd time Liverpool and Arsenal have met. Liverpool lead by 68 wins to 60, with 44 draws.<br />
<br />
<i>Magic moment:</i><br />
<br />
Robbie Fowler smashing in the Premier League's fastest-ever hat-trick in just four minutes and 33 seconds as the Reds won 3-0 at Anfield in August 1994.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-28370091297685613652010-08-06T12:39:00.002+01:002010-08-06T12:51:27.658+01:00New owners at LIVERPOOL FC? Well just Huang on a minute...<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/workman-applies-gold-leaf/image/9481012?term=huang" target="_blank"><img alt="A workman applies gold leaf to the Shankly gates outside Liverpool's Anfield stadium in Liverpool, northern England August 2, 2010. Chinese businessman Kenny Huang has launched a bid to acquire control of Premier League club Liverpool from its unpopular American owners, a source close to the deal said on Monday. REUTERS/Phil Noble (BRITAIN - Tags: SPORT SOCCER BUSINESS)" border="0" height="232" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view1.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9481012/workman-applies-gold-leaf/workman-applies-gold-leaf.jpg?size=380&imageId=9481012" title="A workman applies gold leaf to the Shankly gates outside Liverpool's Anfield stadium" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>If I knew back then what I know now</b></i><i><b><span class="txt_1"> </span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="txt_1">If I understood the what, when, why and how</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="txt_1">Now it's clear to me</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="txt_1">What I should have done</span></b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span class="txt_1">But hindsight is 20/20 vision</span></b></i></div><script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="txt_1">GEORGE BENSON </span><span class="txt_1">had it right</span><span class="txt_1">, hindsight gives us 20/20 vision. And if we'd had that benefit, the throng of Liverpool fans that prevented Tom Hicks from entering Anfield the last time we faced Arsenal would have been present in even bigger numbers when, three and a half years ago, he first ventured into the vicinity of the postal district of L4.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">The reign of Hicks and George Gillett as owners of Liverpool Football Club is possibly coming to an end with solid news on a new owner expected within a week according to reputable sources including The Times.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">After the lies, the politics, the broken promises and our unwelcome crash course in accountancy, not to mention of the suffocating blanket of debt that has accompanied the American's time in charge, it's easy to see why many fans will look at prospective owners and say, 'They'll do'.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">But back to hindsight. Whilst hindsight is now used to point fingers about how we as a club ever arrived at the situation where two men lacking class, cash or football knowledge were allowed the keys to the Shankly Gates, it should also be used to question any future suitors.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">Yet already some fans are poised to unfurl their China flags and declare that Kenny's from heaven. Well just Huang on a minute.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">It's all well and good supporters castigating Rick Parry, David Moores, the Premier League's pointless 'fit and proper person test', the media and so on for not seeing through the smiles, sniffing out the sh*te or questioning the iffy track record of the successful purchasers the last time the club was sold.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/soccer-proposed-purchase/image/9492878?term=huang" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Aug 02, 2010 - Liverpool, England, United Kingdom - China fund raises finance to match Liverpool asking price. China Investment Fund sold shares worth 351.4m. Sum is equivalent to Anfield club's debt. The Chinese fund represented by KENNY HUANG (minority shareholder of Cleveland Cavaliers) has spent the past fortnight raising precisely the amount of cash required to finance a bid for Liverpool. Sources have confirmed to Digger that the China Investment Corporation, the sovereign-wealth fund to the world's most populous nation, is the organisation being fronted by Huang, who yesterday admitted interest in bidding for Liverpool. In a series of trades since 19 July, CIC has sold $558m of shares in Morgan Stanley, equating to $374 million. That sum is equivalent to Liverpool's debt to the nearest decimal place, and is exactly the number insiders say has been quoted to interested parties as the sale price." border="0" height="253" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view3.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9492878/soccer-proposed-purchase/soccer-proposed-purchase.jpg?size=380&imageId=9492878" title="SOCCER : Proposed Purchase of Liverpool Team" width="380" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Kenny Huang</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>But fans were taken in, too - remember the banners (there were a few variations on the theme) aping the Mastercard advert: Match ticket £32, New stadium: £220m - For everything else there's Tom & George?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"> So to see some swallowing the Chinese whispers of a new investor without a care to question is breathtaking given our recent history.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">It also leaves a sour taste in the mouth to see fans acting like lottery winners, instantly looking to the money, talking about how many millions more we can spend than other clubs.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">Once upon a time fans argued with rival supporters about who had the best number nine - now it's who has the richest owners.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">It's not football as I know it and for me some kind of supporter representation is the key to retaining some semblance of the club I once knew.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1">The name of Liverpool has already been dragged through the mud, the club in many respects has lost sight of it roots - fans are increasingly being priced out of watching the team they love, the community around the ground appears long forgotten.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="txt_1">What Kenny Huang, Yahaya Kirdi, the Rhone Group and the Al Kharafi family all have in common (if indeed they all have a genuine interest in the club) is they see Liverpool as an opportunity, a brand to be exploited, a supporter base believed to run into the hundreds of millions which can be squeezed. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="txt_1"> </span><br />
<br />
<span class="txt_1">Super-rich fans that genuinely care for the club have been priced out by the money-mad game but even fiscally-motivated aims can complement those of fans - owners can pocket a profit and bask in the prestige of being associated with the most-decorated club in Britain, we can taste success again and the club can be run in a way befitting of 'The Liverpool Way'.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="txt_1">That's the ideal. But the other side of the coin is Hicks and Gillett. And there's many more like them sniffing out a buck without a care for football. Read David Conn's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beautiful-Game-Searching-Soul-Football/dp/0224064363">The Beautiful Game?</a> for an excellent if depressing insight into clubs - and fans - that have been shafted by their owners.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="txt_1">Owners in the modern game care about money. Fans care about the club. The two can and should work together, a fact recognised by UEFA who, <a href="http://www.fsf.org.uk/news/UEFA-to-enforce-need-for-supporter-liaison-officer.php">according to the FSF</a>, will under </span>Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations have the obligation to appoint a Supporter Liaison Officer to ensure a dialogue between a club and its fans from 2012.<br />
<br />
The rule-makers could go further - in Germany a <a href="http://www.german-times.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12721&Itemid=12">'50 plus one' rule </a>means clubs will always retain their identity and power because owners can only ever take 49 per cent of control of Bundesliga holding companies. Rules such as these have allowed Bayern Munich - Champions League finalists last season - to stay debt-free and offer tickets for as little as £11.<br />
<br />
We shouldn't hold our breath about a similar model being adopted in England any time soon, though. Portsmouth's plummet into administration - and the Championship - after having four owners in a season proves the Premier League's power men are quite happy to leave it alone and allow the financial rat race to continue unchecked. Laissez-faire? What's fair about that?<br />
<br />
But there is one way for fans to enjoy greater power in the current set up - own the club themselves. That may seem fanciful given the huge figures being bandied around to buy Liverpool but with the aforementioned hundreds of millions of fans worldwide - why not?<br />
<br />
The joining of forces of Liverpool supporters' union <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/07/24/spirit-of-shankly-and-share-liverpool-vow-to-take-back-liverpool-fc-100252-26920765/2/">Spirit of Shankly and Share Liverpool</a> and the forming of a <a href="http://www.spiritofshankly.com/documents/sos_credit_union.pdf">credit union</a> are steps in the right direction. It will clearly take time but with support from fans it is achievable - Bayern is 80 per cent fan owned, while Barcelona's decisions are taken by a president and board of directors voted for by its 102,000 members, hence the motto <i>"Més que un club"</i> (More than a club).<br />
<br />
Dedicated Liverpool fans would argue that LFC is also more than a club. It's certainly more than a business proposition. And that's why supporters - and the Liverpool board - should scrutinise and question every step of a bid to take power at Anfield.<br />
<br />
Until match-going fans are involved in decision-making processes, suspicion is healthy for the well-being of the club we all love.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-37584391776647833992010-07-21T01:01:00.000+01:002010-07-21T01:01:38.937+01:00Joe 90 and Stevie Glee put a (temporary) smile on Liverpool FC<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/fifa-world-cup-2010-soccer/image/9192200?term=joe+cole" target="_blank"><img alt="England's Joe Cole in action..FIFA World Cup 2010 Group C..Slovenia v England..23rd June, 2010." border="0" height="316" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9192200/fifa-world-cup-2010-soccer/fifa-world-cup-2010-soccer.jpg?size=380&imageId=9192200" title="FIFA World Cup 2010 Soccer: Slovenia v England JUN 23" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b><i>JOE 90 (grand a week) </i></b></div><br />
<b>IT’S been a whirlwind few days for Liverpool, culminating in the signing of Joe Cole, the commitment of Steven Gerrard to the club (finally) and now the announcement of a deal for Danny Wilson, the 18-year-old centre half from Rangers.</b><br />
<br />
Whatever way you look at it, all of the above is good news for Liverpool.<br />
<br />
It’s created a much-needed air of positivity around the club amid the lingering stench of Tom Hicks and George Gillett, and while off the pitch things seem as chaotic and uncertain as ever, at least on it there are some reasons to be cheerful.<br />
<br />
Cole fills the gap in the squad left by the recent departure of Yossi Benayoun, offering the same versatility of being to play across the midfield or ‘in the hole’.<br />
<br />
There’s not a great deal to choose between the two for me and while there’s euphoria from some fans - and fanciful talk of 'new eras' from some of our ex-players - the signing comes with an element of risk given the relatively recent cruciate ligament injury which kept him out for nine months.<br />
<br />
West Ham are said to have offered Cole a bigger pay packet, while Manchester City, Spurs and Arsenal all tried to lure him. Not that he’s come cheap. Free transfer he maybe (Liverpool’s third of 2010 after Maxi Rodriguez and Milan Jovanovic) but a four-year contract at around £4.7million a year could suddenly feel like a very long time, and an awful lot of money, if he fails to rediscover his form and fitness.<br />
<br />
Wilson is someone Rafa Benitez targeted, and comes highly rated in Scotland. He’s left-footed but at 18 it would be a surprise if he was instantly pitched into regular Premier League action.<br />
<br />
It goes without saying that Gerrard’s commitment is a positive, and hopefully he can rediscover the form we all know he is capable of. A similar soundbite from Fernando Torres would also put minds at rest as his continued silence on the subject of his future remains a concern with Chelsea waiting in the wings.<br />
<br />
Add Jonjo Shelvey and Milan Jovanovic to the mix, both deals struck by Benitez, and there seems to be some welcome options and permutations in midfield that bode well for the coming season.<br />
<br />
The transfer kitty remains a concern though and it’s on that subject that, as ever, eyes turn to our beloved boardroom. <br />
<br />
With the departure of Emiliano Insua imminent – following Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena out of the exit door - a specialist left back is still a must.<br />
<br />
But how much is left in the kitty to find the one, ideally two, players to cover that position?<br />
<br />
Benayoun left for £5 to £6million depending on what newspaper you read, and Insua and Albert Riera are set to leave for similar figures. According to <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jul/19/joe-cole-liverpool-torres-gerrard">The Guardian</a>, all three deals were struck before the arrival of Roy Hodgson, who even admitted <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6255780,00.html">liking Insua</a> but is seemingly powerless to prevent the transfer going through.<br />
<br />
So there’s £15m in for starters. Add Dossena (£4.5m) and Andrei Voronin (£2million), who both departed in January and you would expect there to still be some cash available.<br />
<br />
Yet <a href="https://twitter.com/DuncanCastles">Duncan Castles </a>in the Sunday Times suggested the budget for player purchases could be as little as £3million before player sales.<br />
<br />
Of course there was the reported <a href="http://www.guillembalague.com/blog_desp.php?titulo=Rafa%20Benitez%20agrees%20%A36%20million%20severance%20package&id=456">£6million severance fee</a> for Benitez and <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/7865199/Liverpool-manager-Roy-Hodgson-ready-to-take-on-biggest-job-in-club-football.html">£2m compensation </a>for his replacement Hodgson to pay which no doubt ate into that figure.<br />
<br />
Wilson has cost £2m rising to £5m, while Cole’s wages will also come out of the kitty, <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/liverpools-16320m-buying-cap-revealed-in-club-report-1792189.html">a puzzling development</a> which no Liverpool fan can recall every happening at the club before the current regime took charge.<br />
<br />
<i>IF</i> there’s money remaining for a left back (not to mention a striker) it could be Hodgson’s first signing as Liverpool manager.<br />
<br />
Because so far, he appears to have had very little to do with the transfers, in and out.<br />
<br />
Even Cole appears to be the work of someone else. Hodgson admitted that Jamie Carragher and Gerrard had <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/8837579.stm">persuaded Cole</a> to come to Anfield during the World Cup. Yet Hodgson wasn’t manager at that point, so who told the players Cole was a target? <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Questions-for-Christian-Purslow.html">Christian Purslow</a>, the club’s managing director, seems the best guess as he’s been name-checked too many times by Hodgson not to be involved (the conversation with Torres and the Cole deal being two examples).<br />
<br />
That a boardroom suit should be playing fantasy football manager with the club’s limited finances is concerning yet one senior national journalist recently got in touch with me to say directors making signings in football independent of the manager’s input is far from uncommon.<br />
<br />
I find that staggering. And while I have no reason to doubt the journalist, I do wonder how much of such interference Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho or Arsene Wenger would tolerate.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the said suit should concentrate on what he was brought to the club for – to bring in investment. <br />
<br />
In an interview with <a href="http://www.director.co.uk/MAGAZINE/2010/7_July_August/liverpool_football_club_63_11.html">Director Magazine</a>, Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton said: “Seventh is not Liverpool’s rightful position, and neither is administration.”<br />
<br />
That the ‘a’ word is mentioned should send a shudder down the spine of every Liverpool fan. As should David Bick, chairman of Square 1 consulting and an expert in football finance, warning on Sky Sports that Liverpool face “insolvency issues” unless a buyer is found soon.<br />
<br />
His point is that the club is being propped up by short-term bank loans, and that a change of direction in ownership is needed fast to arrest a worrying plummet towards financial armageddon - a fall that no amount of ship steadying from Hodgson, or Englishness from Cole, can halt.<br />
<br />
In a recent <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=781604&cc=5739">open letter</a>, Bick chillingly concluded: “Once decline becomes precipitous, even money may not prevent the decline spiralling into permanency.”<br />
<br />
Cole, Gerrard, Jovanovic, Shelvey and Wilson are good news. The overall picture, still, is not.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-49226098032926334552010-07-06T23:14:00.000+01:002010-07-06T23:14:44.011+01:00Backing Hodgson and backing the decision to appoint him are two different things<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/sports-news-july-2010/image/9266563?term=roy+hodgson" target="_blank"><img alt="July 01, 2010 - 06114531 date 01 07 2010 Copyright imago BPI The New Liverpool Manager Roy Hodgson during The Press Conference PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxUKxFRAxNEDxESPxSWExPOLxCHNxJPN men Football England Premier League 2011 Presentation later team manager press conference Portrait premiumd Vdig xmk 2010 horizontal Football." border="0" height="260" oncontextmenu="return false;" ondrag="return false;" onmousedown="return false;" src="http://view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/image/9266563/sports-news-july-2010/sports-news-july-2010.jpg?size=380&imageId=9266563" title="Sports News - July 01, 2010" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<br />
<b>WHEN Roy Hodgson emerges from the Anfield tunnel on August 14 to take charge of his first Premier League game as Liverpool boss, I’ll be there cheering him on.</b><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <br />
But that doesn’t mean I’m happy with his appointment as successor to the axed Rafa Benitez. Far from it. In fact, I can't shake the feeling that it’s a backward step.<br />
<br />
Liverpool will be Hodgson’s 17th job as manager – he’s a journeyman, and in 35 years he’s never won a major trophy.<br />
<br />
He was sacked by Bristol City, Blackburn, Inter Milan, The UAE and Udinese. Some track record. <br />
<br />
And ask yourself this, if Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal (even Spurs, Man City and Aston Villa) had been looking for a new boss would they have plumped for Hodgson?<br />
<br />
It’s a mediocre appointment because the powers that be at Anfield are accepting the club now has mediocre aims under the stewardship of owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.<br />
<br />
Ok, Hodgson got Fulham punching above their weight. He saved them from relegation, he took them to seventh, he reached the UEFA Cup final.<br />
<br />
But Fulham isn’t Liverpool. Liverpool is still the most successful side in England. The club has worldwide support. Off-the-field problems or not, expectations for many fans won’t change. They want the title, cups, Europe. They want attractive football. Hodgson hasn’t got form for delivering any of that at a big club.<br />
<br />
At Blackburn he spent £20m on a string of flops and nearly took them down. At Inter Milan the fans pelted him with lighters.<br />
<br />
But he’s the LMA manager of the year, right? So? Joe Kinnear, Frank Clark, George Burley and Steve Coppell have also won the award so it’s hardly a benchmark for quality.<br />
<br />
It stinks of desperation – a knee-jerk appointment based on one good season with Fulham.<br />
<br />
It says it all that Kenny Dalglish made it so clear that he wanted the Liverpool job. He didn’t fancy Hodgson for the job and felt he could do it better himself. The King wanted someone world class in the role, a man who could command respect. A Guus Hiddink, a Jose Mourinho.<br />
<br />
A man who could persuade Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano and others that their future lies at Anfield rather than Real Madrid, Chelsea or Inter Milan.<br />
<br />
Such bosses are unrealistic targets maybe, due to the state of the club. But that’s why Kenny was prepared to steer the ship until it reached calmer waters.<br />
<br />
Now we have a man who can drive a milkfloat steering a Formula One car and he’s expected to make pole position.<br />
<i><b><br />
Thank God, Sam Allardyce didn’t have a good season…</b></i></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i>More analysis of Roy Hodgson's appointment, Rafa's exit plus exclusive interviews with Rob Jones and celebrity Kopite, actor David Morrissey, in issue three of <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/buy.html">Well Red.</a></i></span></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-7103176911012119212010-06-07T10:27:00.002+01:002010-06-08T00:52:21.652+01:00LIVERPOOL FC: A response to Chris Bascombe's hatchet job<b>TEAR apart a poisonous presentation of something at Liverpool FC and you'll always get the same response: Why does it matter?</b><br />
<br />
Just ignore it, will be the cry. Don't buy the newspaper, give the website a swerve, turn the telly off or change the radio station.<br />
<br />
Admittedly for my own blood pressure it works a treat (I'm a much calmer man since I stopped listening to Talk Sport and those dents in the steering wheel have started to recede).<br />
<br />
Adopting that strategy is all well and good but when apathy rules, people start to take the piss. And then you realise - misinformation does matter.<br />
<br />
It matters because it's a distraction. A noise. It's like someone waving something shiny on the hard shoulder of the motorway - you end up looking when you should be braking to avoid the crash. <br />
<br />
The latest distraction comes from Chris Bascombe. And the something shiny in his case is a freshly-sharpened hatchet. <br />
<br />
Bascombe, formerly of the Liverpool Echo, and a Liverpool fan, now writes for the News of the World. <br />
<br />
I don't buy the paper, I don't visit their website - not just because of their obvious link to The S*n but also because I don't enjoy their particular brand of journalism. <br />
<br />
But it's still relatively easy to be exposed to Bascombe's work - it's a reoccurring thread in one of the Liverpool forums for instance. And like it or not, the NOTW is the biggest selling newspaper in Britain. <br />
<br />
So Bascombe's words carry weight with some. Many will pick up that paper without knowing the background and believe every word. <br />
<br />
I’m not one of them. In fact, I’d go as far as to describe his latest piece as a joke. <br />
<br />
Coming just a day after a <a href="http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-reade/Why-Rafa-Benitez-leaves-Liverpool-as-a-legend-not-the-failure-his-history-rewriting-critics-insist-The-Brian-Reade-Column-article448527.html">brilliant warts-and-all summing up</a> of Rafa Benitez's reign by The Mirror's Brian Reade, Bascombe couldn't resist the temptation to plunge the knife into Benitez, the man who helped him win awards at the Echo - and secure a move to a national in the first place. <br />
<br />
Because in journalism, contacts are king. Being a competent writer is only half the battle. To win the awards, to impress the big boys, you need a man on the inside. And who better than the manager? <br />
<br />
But that was then. And when the Benitez-Bascombe relationship soured, the former Old Hall Street scribe didn't like it. <br />
<br />
So when he kicks off his bitter, one-eyed piece with the line about Benitez forgetting about the players, about him having "minimal support", what's that based on? Because it's not fact. <br />
<br />
Bascombe probably does still have some contacts at Liverpool - his key one isn't hard to work out, he wrote his book. But one player's view isn't necessarily the view of the whole squad - and shouldn't be presented as so. <br />
<br />
So for Bascombe's yin in that he claims Benitez had little backing in the dressing room, I give you Tony Barrett's yang from a recent <a href="http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2010/06/liverpool-webchat-with-tony-barrett.html">webchat </a>he did for The Times. <br />
<br />
Asked if player power had played a part in Benitez getting the sack, Barrett replied:<br />
<br />
<b>"This myth is being perpetuated to ridiculous levels now. I spoke to a very senior Liverpool player today, one who has been outspoken in his criticism of the owners, and he told me the Liverpool dressing room was no different to any other. <br />
<br />
"There are players who don't like Benitez, there are others who do like him and there are those who change their opinion of the manager according to variables such as whether or not they are in the team and results." </b><br />
<br />
So there's a view from the inside, from a player - and to him the Liverpool dressing room was no different to any workplace. <br />
<br />
Yet to Bascombe, it's the frontline of a warzone. <br />
<br />
The alleged evidence of how Benitez mistreated the players, too, is laughable. <br />
<br />
Rafa Benitez signed Fernando Torres's hat-trick ball against Hull with 'Keep working'. <br />
<br />
Funny how that sentence evokes no emotion when written on its own. Yet Bascombe dresses it up like Benitez had pulled down the striker's shorts and smacked his arse in front of the rest of the players. <br />
<br />
It's the same with Henry Winter, a journalist that moves in similar circles, with his constant reference of the 'cold detachment' of Benitez. <br />
<br />
I don't know about anyone else, but in my working life I've never had a manager that wraps me in a fur coat, puts me in front of the fire and tells me how good I am every five minutes. Why does a professional footballer need that kind of treatment - particularly one as good as Torres? <br />
<br />
If signing a ball 'keep working' is the best evidence Bascombe can present that Benitez is 'cold' after six years, is it unfair to suggest he is clutching at straws? <br />
<br />
Then there's the suggestions that Benitez was/is deluded, is some kind of crank - like his attacks on the owners were almost out of order, something he'd dreamt up and exaggerated. <br />
<br />
Suggestions which, coming from a Liverpool fan, are startling. Bascombe, more than most, should be all too aware of the perilous position the ownership of Tom Hicks and George Gillett has put the club in - yet it’s almost swatted aside as a side issue.<br />
<br />
So while Bascombe admits: "He had much to complain about due to the owners..." he goes on to say "Working for mad chairmen is an occupational hazard but most managers deal with it in a shrewder manner." <br />
<br />
But most managers are not dealing with chairmen whose sole aim is to line their pockets. Most managers can rely on some modicum of support from their chairmen, and most chairmen have some idea about football and know, for instance, that if you need a centre half when you are trying to mount a title challenge, you don't go scouring the bottom end of the market. <br />
<br />
The vindictive attack goes on and on, tempered only by the sentence: "He was and still is a world-class coach." <br />
<br />
My guess is that came afterwards, probably just as he was about to hit send, when he thought: 'Hang on - let's make this a balanced piece..." <br />
<br />
That lines appears before he walks off down another avenue - a route where it is clear on which side of the divide he was when the recent public battle of Anfield was taking place. <br />
<br />
<b>"Benitez thought he'd won his war. Instead he came up against Christian Purslow at a time when key players' form dipped and injuries took their toll." </b><br />
<br />
Ah Purslow, all hail the suited-up bean counter - our saviour. Ask yourself this, have you ever known a managing director's name appear in the press so frequently? The Telegraph's Winter, the Daily Mail's Ian Ladyman, The Mirror's Dave Maddock - all time and again tellling us what a wonderful job this man is doing while at the same time attacking Benitez and often barely giving a nod to the club's off-field problems. <br />
<br />
Anyone would think that some kind of briefings have been taking place...<br />
<br />
And what of Purslow? Why is he still here? What's his role? And why is he now getting involved in football matters? <br />
<br />
Wasn't it his brief to sell the club (or at the very least bring in some new investment)? <br />
<b><br />
"Vulnerable, Benitez became more confrontational. Purslow soon found himself cast as panto villain amongst the clan referred to in Anfield circles as 'the Rafa mafia'. The poisonous leaks against Purslow were assisted by the careful manipulation of Benitez's sympathisers who laughably complained when the boss became the victim of his own smear tactics." </b><br />
<br />
So what "poisonous leaks" are they then, Chris? Is it supposed to refer to the incident with Spirit of Shankly when "Cecil" tried to release some more spin to fans and SOS felt it was time to reveal what was really being said by a senior official about the future of our club? <br />
<br />
Quite how that constitutes Benitez attempting to smear Purslow, I don't know. But it seems the only logical explanation. Otherwise I'm struggling to understand the reference, as are many others.<br />
<br />
Whereas if you want evidence of leaks about Benitez being put out to the press by Purslow, well we can go back as far as November when Winter wrote: <br />
<br />
<b>"But it is known around Anfield that Purslow has talked to Benítez about his style of management, notably his cold detachment from the players" </b><br />
<br />
Now THAT'S a poisonous leak, as is suggesting the former manager was deliberately missing meetings with Martin Broughton, the new chairman, when he in fact was preparing for a mammoth journey across Europe to Madrid. <br />
<br />
Tearing shreds off Benitez isn't Bascombe's only agenda in his latest piece, either. He decides to have a go at fans, too:<br />
<br />
<b>"His departure should not only leave fans assessing where the club goes but cause some to re-think their own role. There's a flaw in the ethos of a club which too readily makes gods of managers."</b><br />
<br />
<b>"There's a well meaning but misguided element of Liverpool's support seduced by Benitez's chippy approach. They want Liverpool as a club and city to be belligerent street fighters and their extreme view of what the Scouse mentality is rooted in militant caricature. Benitez bought into this which is why his behaviour became so erratic."</b><br />
<br />
There's also a flaw, Chris, in journalists who too readily accept the viewpoint of one player, or one boardroom suit, without considering what their agenda is; without questioning it; without offering balance.<br />
<br />
As for telling fans how they should behave, what they should believe in - even what their politics should be, well who appointed you God, Chris?<br />
<br />
Perhaps these fans who you mock recognise the state their club is in. Perhaps they recognise that there is a fight taking place and in Benitez they had an ally - what do you want, a puppet? A man who will watch as Steven Gerrard, Javier Mascherano and maybe even Torres are sold from under him, and will say nothing? A man who won't make a murmur when the promised budget disappears, or when yet another signing goes to the dogs because of tinkering and money watching?<br />
<br />
Well not for me, Chris. There's problems enough at the club and Benitez, love or hate his football, was well used to dealing with them.<br />
<br />
As you say, he was and is, a world-class coach - something Liverpool now look unlikely to attract.<br />
<br />
But it's OK Chris, instead of asking the questions we really want answering - like why spend £6million giving one manager the boot, and £3m to attract an inferior one when we're skint; like why sack the boss without having a replacement lined up; like why target one-season wonders, second-rate nomads and men with less than desirable links and track records that don't stand up when you had a European Cup winner on board?<br />
<br />
Instead of those, let's tackle what's really important: that the manager stopped giving you stories, you didn't like it and you couldn't wait to stick the boot in. <br />
<br />
<i><b>That makes you a much better Liverpool fan, Chris. Much better.</b></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-2906572908057317412010-06-03T23:37:00.001+01:002010-06-03T23:37:44.670+01:00FREE special edition of Well Red on LIVERPOOL FC and Rafa Benitez<div><object style="height: 284px; width: 420px;"><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=A4112B&showFlipBtn=true&autoFlip=true&autoFlipTime=6000&documentId=100603222801-d1f4c80317e54a2592f5c4a968d79b70&docName=wellredmagdebt&username=robbohuyton&loadingInfoText=Well%20Red%20magazine%20(LFC)&et=1275604361405&er=51" /><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="menu" value="false"/><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:420px;height:284px" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=A4112B&showFlipBtn=true&autoFlip=true&autoFlipTime=6000&documentId=100603222801-d1f4c80317e54a2592f5c4a968d79b70&docName=wellredmagdebt&username=robbohuyton&loadingInfoText=Well%20Red%20magazine%20(LFC)&et=1275604361405&er=51" /></object><br />
<div style="text-align: left; width: 420px;"><a href="http://issuu.com/robbohuyton/docs/wellredmagdebt?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fcolor%2Flayout.xml&backgroundColor=A4112B&showFlipBtn=true&autoFlip=true&autoFlipTime=6000" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com/" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=rafa%20benitez" target="_blank">More rafa benitez</a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-91636133155845028022010-06-03T15:15:00.003+01:002010-06-03T15:41:19.468+01:00Benitez is bailing out and LIVERPOOL FC is still sinking<b>SACKING Rafa Benitez is like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.</b><br />
<br />
<div>It's a cliche, but it's also true.<br />
<br />
</div><div>The owners of Liverpool Football Club – Tom Hicks and George Gillett – have turned a once-great institution into a sinking ship.<br />
<br />
</div><div>They have plunged the club into millions of pounds of debt with nothing to show for it – the promised stadium remains the figment of an architect’s imagination while much of the debt is the money used by Hicks and Gillett to buy the club in the first place.<br />
<br />
</div><div>They promised they wouldn’t ‘do a Glazer’. Then they ‘did a Glazer’.<br />
<br />
</div><div>The club will struggle under ANY manager while the American carpet-baggers own Liverpool and luring a top name manager to Anfield right now is an impossible task – what boss in his right mind would walk into this shit storm?<br />
<br />
</div><div>So that means lowering the sights. So with Benitez out of the picture, a manager who won the European Cup, the FA Cup and was four points away from delivering the title a year ago, who next?<br />
<br />
</div><div>Well as was so often the case for Benitez, it will be the second, third or fourth choice that will be heading for Liverpool once Rafa has cleared his desk.<br />
<br />
</div><div>Talk of Guus Hiddink is fanciful – he has a worldwide reputation as a great manager. He would demand a huge salary and would no doubt request a handsome transfer kitty to freshen up the Liverpool squad.<br />
<br />
The likelihood of either is on a par with a Liverpool-Manchester mutual appreciation society being formed – it’s never going to happen.</div><div><br />
With a £351million debt pulling the club into the water, the men in power will have to go for the cheap option as they try to turn the tide.</div><div><br />
And that means someone already on the books having a crack at the job until new owners are found. That means Kenny Dalglish or Sammy Lee.</div><div><br />
Lee wasn’t good enough for Bolton and while he is an excellent No.2, he freezes in the headlights when he’s in the hotseat.</div><div><br />
And Dalglish? Well he’s an Anfield legend, he loves the club and the fans love him. But he hasn’t managed in the Premier League for 12 years. And the King, like any manager, would ideally want a pot of cash to add to what is still a decent first eleven at Liverpool.</div><div><br />
That pot is likely to be barely full rather than brimming over. So that means wheeling and dealing, shopping at Netto rather than Harrod’s, selling to buy and trying to build a team that can challenge for the title (because that’s what the unrealistic expectations at Anfield STILL demand) with hands tied behind his back.</div><div><br />
Something Rafa Benitez has been doing ever since that fateful day in 2007 when Hicks and Gillett got their hands on the family silver.</div><div><br />
Benitez was used to the political games at Anfield. He dealt with the owners approaching Jurgen Klinsmann behind his back, he was used to having his transfer targets vetoed by a suited-up bean counter.</div><div><br />
He almost brought the much-coveted 19th league title to Anfield in spite of those conditions.</div><div><br />
Whether any other manager – Kenny included – can juggle off-field shenanigans, budgets dwarfed by supposed rivals and STILL achieve success is highly unlikely.</div><div><br />
It won’t stop people wanting it though. And how long before the name of a legend becomes mud?</div><div><br />
Meanwhile, Hicks and Gillett rock on their rocking chairs at the ranch – waiting for the mug willing to spend £600million on a club, clear debts of £351m and build a stadium for what, another £300m?</div><div><br />
<b><i>Benitez has gone and Rome’s still burning.</i></b></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-55176542343739763242010-05-27T00:47:00.011+01:002011-05-25T23:49:07.071+01:00LIVERPOOL FC: Five years, five times<b><i>FIVE years ago this week, we were celebrating winning our fifth European Cup after an amazing night at the Ataturk.</i></b><br />
<br />
<b><i> </i></b><b>IT STARTED with a miss...</b><br />
<div><br />
</div>When the ball dropped to Eidur Gudjohnsen at the far post it was like someone had pressed the mute button. It was the loudest night on the Kop in my lifetime (I swear the actual stand was moving) yet in that split second you could hear a pin drop (or perhaps a fart or two squeak out of the thousands of twitching Red arses...). <br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Breath was held, hands went to faces – with Jerzy Dudek flailing on the floor it looked a cert the net would ripple as the Chelsea striker took aim...but it didn't.</div><div><br />
</div><div>In that moment, I knew it – we were going to a European Cup final. We, Liverpool, a team featuring Djimi Traore, Igor Biscan and Milan Baros. A team that had finished 37 points behind title-winning Chelsea, in fifth place, behind Everton, and on the same points as Bolton with 14 league defeats to our name. We were going to Istanbul with number five in our sights. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Talk of getting to Turkey began in town, when we eventually got there. That was after what seemed like hours of embracing people I'd never met, and barking 'Get in' at everyone who crossed my path wearing Red.</div><div><br />
</div><div>No-one wanted to leave the Kop that night. And no wonder. Our last European Cup final had come 20 years earlier. This was the taste of the big time another generation had been waiting for – me included. I was eight in May 1985 and can just about remember watching Liverpool and Juventus go through the motions after the horror of what had happened before - a black day which I barely understood at such a tender age.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I watched that final, like many a Reds game, in the back room of my ma's on a crap Pye black and white portable telly. This time though, I'd be there - in the same country, the same city, the same ground as the Reds. And this time I'd win it with them.</div><div><br />
</div><div>It was the usual score on getting abroad – fans were shafted left, right and centre by travel operators, hotel owners and the rest.</div><div><br />
</div><div>After being fortunate enough to qualify for a ticket – a miracle in itself – it was decided to swerve the fleapit hotels that were charging Hilton prices. As much as I wanted to fly over and get on the ale, money was talking. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Without the time, or the inclination to be fair, of some other Reds who trekked all over Europe by road, sea and air to reach Istanbul, we opted for the flight there and back option. It was a bit of a bank-breaker (or should I say credit card), but so what? This was a once in a lifetime chance, the opportunity to be part of history – to experience a European Cup win first-hand and not just have to watch videos, read books and listen to old fellas grin their way through their tales of 77, 78, 81 and 84. Now I'd have my own story to tell.</div><div><br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXq0hsVeN688p4OQreEdFlo0T_aIFeuaf-6De5I6NUcjaL6-MDq0i0ZYEPXHdnSRdJAP1X-TZFdmLyastfWu0-AoChy2d2Fw3WYHL0ahQJOgqNFv4U9kxA_9KwIYNlz4wp28np-ZghG8_8/s1600/europeancup+003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXq0hsVeN688p4OQreEdFlo0T_aIFeuaf-6De5I6NUcjaL6-MDq0i0ZYEPXHdnSRdJAP1X-TZFdmLyastfWu0-AoChy2d2Fw3WYHL0ahQJOgqNFv4U9kxA_9KwIYNlz4wp28np-ZghG8_8/s200/europeancup+003.jpg" width="150" /></a>John Lennon Airport was a buzz of anticipation, even the taxi driver had seemed bang up for it and he wasn't going. And Lennon himself (well the statue) was kitted out in a fez <i>(right) </i>for the occasion. <br />
<br />
But from the moment we touched down in Turkey (after a delayed flight), things didn't go quite to plan. Omens looked bad. While the early embarkers were living it up in Taksim Square, we were told on arrival that our coach, under police advice, would be heading for the harbour. Sound.<br />
<br />
And so we arrived. Deffo a harbour. We wandered aimlessly about for a bit before turning up a side street. There were a few Reds here and there but there were more AC Milan fans in this end of Istanbul.<br />
<br />
The sun was shining, the ale was calling but this wasn't where the party was at. We had hours to kill before we had to return to the coach and this was about as exciting as Widnes on a wet Wednesday.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the texts continued to drop into my phone's inbox. "It's boss here, you know. Loads of Reds. Get down here."<br />
<br />
I could picture the songs, the banter, the laughs. And here I was stuck on a Saga holiday. <br />
<br />
Time to go. So we did - how far could it be? A couple of other Reds had the same idea and a taxi was shared. But it seemed that in this part of the world driving schools are run by The Stig. Swerving in and out of traffic sporting a 'I don't give a f*** grin' isn't the best combination for a taxi driver. I could picture the compo claim already - if I lived to put on the neck brace.<br />
<br />
While snarled up in traffic on route to Taksim, a couple of local kids shouted to us. "Liverpool," said one. "3-3" said the other, holding up the right amount of fingers (using two hands, obviously - it was Istanbul, not Wigan).<br />
<br />
At the time, we thought nothing of it. Looking back, well it's a bit weird, isn't it?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69-47fNYcuAKUccqmb0AC16HZC9GnNIdooJPWEr35uxkx43uxw45E5SFjezuL42fiGDlzJTzqazDcfe2cQFDn8d31xqd3JwEsLbBERkQn1dePOqwLjfD_1A4s3Y7yRM57sBMMDFW4Ajzl/s1600/europeancup+005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj69-47fNYcuAKUccqmb0AC16HZC9GnNIdooJPWEr35uxkx43uxw45E5SFjezuL42fiGDlzJTzqazDcfe2cQFDn8d31xqd3JwEsLbBERkQn1dePOqwLjfD_1A4s3Y7yRM57sBMMDFW4Ajzl/s320/europeancup+005.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After what seemed like a lifetime, we reached Taksim. After the ride we'd had, I didn't know whether to open the door or jump out of the window Dukes of Hazzard style.<br />
<br />
Taksim Square <i>(above)</i> was just a sea of red. Banners, flags, Reds on a roof, Reds in a tree, Reds up a lampost, songs, ale, sunshine...now we're talking.<br />
<br />
We met up with a couple of mates who'd blagged their way to Turkey on the pretence of working - one for the Daily Post, the other for the Echo (colour piece my arse).<br />
<br />
After filling us in with tales from the night before, we headed for the bar and bumped into another couple of journalists, one who greeted me with the matter of fact: "Thought you'd be here." It was like I'd bumped into him in the Asda rather than in a foreign country thousands of miles from home.<br />
<br />
Istanbul, what we saw of it in our short time there, was a cracking city and if I've got one regret from that trip it's that I didn't get to see more of it. The people, too, were spot on. They seemed genuinely amazed, or perhaps bemused, by just how many Reds had made the trip. Loads of locals turned up with cameras and video cameras to film the loony Englismen with faces as red as their shirts filling up on Efe.<br />
<br />
Even the waiter at the restaurant didn't seem to mind too much at a poor attempt by Nick Peet to get a free scran. He was totally on to the attempt to clean the plate and pretend he hadn't helped himself buffet-style to a big plate of spag bol...<br />
<br />
The fella on the market stall didn't bat an eyelid either, when the same Mr Peet ordered six cigars as we searched for a taxi: "It's for when we win, mate."<br />
<br />
News had filtered through that the ground was in fact a good way out of the city - 20 minutes to half an hour was the grossly inaccurate estimate that was bandied about.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVH_yMQ9I0QdDjpTJka1bWsV0AZwG_USG1KBT6BzsNI2oy4EuRtytWuB13yAfDjpW8BTuIdngQZiv-b7TrbIcklWjEcKGf3hs1xjaNQl56Kt5yEwen_Z1zXz11j2N3n7gnqIpt3M5D0k2/s1600/europeancup+033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixVH_yMQ9I0QdDjpTJka1bWsV0AZwG_USG1KBT6BzsNI2oy4EuRtytWuB13yAfDjpW8BTuIdngQZiv-b7TrbIcklWjEcKGf3hs1xjaNQl56Kt5yEwen_Z1zXz11j2N3n7gnqIpt3M5D0k2/s320/europeancup+033.jpg" /></a></div>Straightforward enough then, or so you'd think. We split into two groups and jumped into a yellow cab each. But we were barely around the corner when our cab turned to reveal Tony Barrett's <i>(above, right, with Jon Jones)</i> cab parked up with a worrying plume of steam heading skywards from the bonnet. Another cab rolled over the cobbles....containing John Aldridge, who clearly found the sight hilarious.<br />
<br />
Not sure Tony did though, and he was even more unhappy when the plan to decorate the cab in red backfired when a local kid whipped his scarf en route to the ground!<br />
<br />
Back in our cab, things took a turn for the strange when the driver - on a motorway - began craning his neck out of the window to shout to some suited up Turks in a Mercedes.<br />
<br />
A full-on conversation took place at about 80 miles an hour. Next thing, we're pulling over. "Eye, eye, mate, f*** these off, carry on, we've got to get to the ground here."<br />
<br />
"They'll take you," said the cab driver. "They want to go near the ground - they need people with tickets with them to get past the police."<br />
<br />
Now in any other circumstances alarm bells would be going off. They could have been anyone, it could have been a scam, we might have been getting kidknapped...<br />
<br />
"Tell them we'll go if they pay for the cab," said Nick.<br />
<br />
And they did. Next minute we're all getting into a Merc with a pair of complete strangers. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictiVSRPxjINkZDvGBXcu2Ow6GaYwg0SDjG3H_tzgOuv0wHPuhWRRRnc2yCitYtrtQq26I3sb7jP_PI1JZ36syH_cWP3iMg2548xoocPwlqseuJ8eSKilik2edt7LY3EjpzWRnpK1tOikc/s1600/europeancup+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEictiVSRPxjINkZDvGBXcu2Ow6GaYwg0SDjG3H_tzgOuv0wHPuhWRRRnc2yCitYtrtQq26I3sb7jP_PI1JZ36syH_cWP3iMg2548xoocPwlqseuJ8eSKilik2edt7LY3EjpzWRnpK1tOikc/s320/europeancup+012.jpg" /></a>Despite the suggestions coming through on the text, their intentions were not sexual and we eventually arrived at the ground, a modern - if odd-looking - bowl-type stadium in the middle of nowhere. It looked like Mars. Mind you, there's probably more ale on Mars.<br />
<br />
There wasn't a can to be had by the time we arrived, so we had to make do with the tail-end of a fans' festival which at this point consisted of Pete Wylie knocking out Liverpool songs on stage.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_hv_N2c8Xi5vYPtnD7uuoQ3lICbKyRPCSm0h-AYiFGrzFU30ESDbz3zwLcnKjNcWSco96YF2EAw5ipzYb5kn3tfauFe4KX9pCkQYKgoOJ3I4TefVE7TtK31UmpNlqaCRkESrV-dcRReC/s1600/europeancup+018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_hv_N2c8Xi5vYPtnD7uuoQ3lICbKyRPCSm0h-AYiFGrzFU30ESDbz3zwLcnKjNcWSco96YF2EAw5ipzYb5kn3tfauFe4KX9pCkQYKgoOJ3I4TefVE7TtK31UmpNlqaCRkESrV-dcRReC/s320/europeancup+018.jpg" /></a>That stage was soon full of Reds and the Turks got jittery with one organiser hilariously trying to warn about health and safety as fans bounced around him singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.<br />
<br />
One fan grabbed the mic and shouted: "Jose Mourinho, I hope you're enjoying Emmerdale Farm, lad!".<br />
<br />
In the ground it struck home just how many Reds had made the pilgramage, a good three-quarters of the Ataturk was Liverpool - some feat considering the location.<br />
<br />
Before the match got going there was an opening ceremony. Pretty pointless, but when you're there you watch it, don't you? So as everyone stood on seats to get a look, I followed suit, only to feel a prod in the back. "Get down will you, I can't see."<br />
<br />
"Neither can I, that's why I've stood up here like everyone else has."<br />
<br />
"Just get down."<br />
<br />
"You get up - then you'll be able to see."<br />
<br />
"Get down."<br />
<br />
And so it went on with the Victor Meldrew of Liverpool fans until his mate joined in as well.<br />
<br />
"Get down."<br />
<br />
"Oh f**k off, will yer." And on that note, I turned back to the pomp of ceremony only to feel an attempted shove from behind.<br />
<br />
There's only so much a man can take, and at that point I was going to swing for the pair of them. My mate Jon had clearly spotted the red mist and pointed out that a Turkish jug wasn't the best place to try and watch a European Cup final. So I left it... still got back up on my seat though.<br />
<br />
Handbags out the way, it was on to the game itself. At 3-0 down, all of a sudden we seemed a long way from home. The bravado, the adrenaline that had been surging through thousands of Reds all day, had gone.<br />
<br />
We were outclassed in that first half. As we trudged into the bowels of the stand, no-one said a word, there were just a few shakes of the head, puffs of the cheeks and wipes of the brow. We were f***ed.<br />
<br />
"We've just got to keep a clean sheet second half," someone eventually piped up. "Otherwise, this could be about 7-0. We could be on the end of the worst result in a European Cup final ever."<br />
<br />
As some lads left for the hills, unable to take anymore, I thought of the Bluenoses, the Mancs, Andy Gray, all those Soccer AM beauts. They'll all be loving it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5XXJiS5CxM-uizYoLrGjQrcMnvSZHHYxvPbmTz1YPtTPD0TgvSo3d8QsqGpuGH8flLsc3EesBQ9nZjVhtH6bz6LAHfz3whAuquiQjtnTL6290thdf8NprxEATdUOjHaZGw52pHvQmGuo/s1600/europeancup+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf5XXJiS5CxM-uizYoLrGjQrcMnvSZHHYxvPbmTz1YPtTPD0TgvSo3d8QsqGpuGH8flLsc3EesBQ9nZjVhtH6bz6LAHfz3whAuquiQjtnTL6290thdf8NprxEATdUOjHaZGw52pHvQmGuo/s400/europeancup+025.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
And my dad. "All that money to watch a bunch of fellas kicking a ball? You must be mad..."<br />
<br />
Now you know why I was watching the '85 final on the portable...<br />
<br />
Everyone talks about the rendition of <i>You'll Never Walk Alone</i> just before the second half but I barely remember it to be honest. I have vague recollections of singing it, but it was more out of duty than hope. I didn't for a minute think we'd get back into it.<br />
<br />
The rest, as they say, is history, you all know what happened next...<br />
<br />
When Andriy Shevchenko missed we just went nuts, absolutely nuts - I've got some phone footage somewhere of me letting out this primal scream (see videos below) I remember falling over seats, rolling on people, bear-hugging strangers. I even fell on my old mate Victor Meldrew from earlier - we held each other in a special moment and then just laughed, there's no time for fighting when you've just won the European Cup!<br />
<br />
As I struggled to take it in, I remember Carragher diving into the crowd, Riise running around aimlessly (no change there, then).<br />
<br />
Then out came the cup. It was miles away from us yet it looked massive. It was massive. It is massive. And it's ours. For keeps.<br />
<br />
After more bear-hugging, dancing and handshakes, me and Jon <i>(below right)</i> had to leave for our plane. Not that we knew where our coach was parked as we of course hadn't arrived at the Ataturk in it.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlN9Qvrj3xG1APmu4iXFO67gXb2KYoIkC9EmeNh9yMiXDyFeP_t5Ncr9-nwVQggm6jIIN5LihDUGYpoWevAYMIgA2gwAoTs_7CNMMEVNSPUxhlwQk3IUBrcQ6ttIfltSavCSy7gWpu4fV/s1600/europeancup+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzlN9Qvrj3xG1APmu4iXFO67gXb2KYoIkC9EmeNh9yMiXDyFeP_t5Ncr9-nwVQggm6jIIN5LihDUGYpoWevAYMIgA2gwAoTs_7CNMMEVNSPUxhlwQk3IUBrcQ6ttIfltSavCSy7gWpu4fV/s320/europeancup+034.jpg" /></a></div>We wandered about for a bit amongst rows and rows of identical coaches before eventually spying a fella we recognised smoking outside the coach. "Alright lads," he said, nodding, with a dirty smirk on his face like he'd just done the deed. But it was <i><b>that </b></i>good...<br />
<br />
On the coach, it was quiet. Nobody had anything left. Everyone was shattered. The players will tell you they put everything into the match. Well so did the fans.<br />
<br />
"Who missed that last pen, lad?" piped up this fella.<br />
<br />
"Shevchenko"<br />
<br />
"Nah, I'm not having that."<br />
<br />
It was funny because I'd said the same in the ground. As he was walking up, I'd tapped Jon and said: "There's no way he'll miss, he's quality."<br />
<br />
But it was meant to be. At the airport it was chaos. People everywhere, no-one knew what was going on - but no-one cared. Even the bizarre token system to get a pint was ignored and laughed off. There was no spoiling this.<br />
<br />
Arrving back at Liverpool, I had a spring in my step despite having no kip for God knows how long. I was there when we lifted No.5. I was there for the greatest comeback in football history. I was there when a lad who grew up a stone's throw from my mum's lifted Old Big Ears as captain of Liverpool Football Club.<br />
<br />
That's put us on the map, that's made them sit up and take notice. I even got a text off a Bluenose - and a fairly bitter one at that.<br />
<br />
"Were you there?" it asked. I couldn't type fast enough. "Fair enough lad, youse deserved it." I nearly fell off the train seat.<br />
<br />
Train? Yep, train. I'd got my head down for a couple of hours and now I was on the train to town - totally done in, but walking on air with a permanent smile. It was time for the victory parade...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk%20/"><b>www.wellredmag.co.uk </b></a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyTA8icdfV8ol3VGQgHPOZyLmXA9AVdvMLyVo3WuQ5oTDIWuJKWBYQP_0SBT-tbQkyHMGU11N0aPjHjA5-g-5a-Aaj0Rp6CSvMBcC9QvYI8xldBeuDpLeNLckuNvTKKIWKbBRr9-CbzK7/s1600/europeancup+067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyTA8icdfV8ol3VGQgHPOZyLmXA9AVdvMLyVo3WuQ5oTDIWuJKWBYQP_0SBT-tbQkyHMGU11N0aPjHjA5-g-5a-Aaj0Rp6CSvMBcC9QvYI8xldBeuDpLeNLckuNvTKKIWKbBRr9-CbzK7/s400/europeancup+067.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<object height="385" width="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/mdEploEVWOI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/mdEploEVWOI&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="390" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Straight after the penalty shoot-out.<br />
<br />
<object height="385" width="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/oU0k1_BFr5A&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/oU0k1_BFr5A&hl=en_GB&fs=1&color1=0x5d1719&color2=0xcd311b" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="390" height="385"></embed></object><br />
<br />
Boss cheesy by Tony Barrett...</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-45748751092680770682010-05-19T00:37:00.002+01:002010-05-19T00:37:44.397+01:00Jamie Redknapp: Guilty of crimes against punditry and Liverpool FC<meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"></meta><meta content="Word.Document" name="ProgId"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Generator"></meta><meta content="Microsoft Word 12" name="Originator"></meta><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CGareth%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml" rel="File-List"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CGareth%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx" rel="themeData"></link><link href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CGareth%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_colorschememapping.xml" rel="colorSchemeMapping"></link><style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:1;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:swiss;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-1610611985 1073750139 0 0 159 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin-top:0cm;
margin-right:0cm;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:Calibri;
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
.MsoPapDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
margin-bottom:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;}
@page Section1
{size:595.3pt 841.9pt;
margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;
mso-header-margin:35.4pt;
mso-footer-margin:35.4pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
-->
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=jamie%20redknapp&iid=6676738" target="_blank"><img ="" alt="Alfred Dunhill Links Championship - Round One" border="0" height="276" src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/1/5/3/3/Alfred_Dunhill_Links_d2ed.jpg?adImageId=12905828&imageId=6676738" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js" type="text/javascript">
</script></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>THE THOMAS Cook advert was bad enough.</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">You know the one, where Jamie Redknapp prances round the beach with no top on, playing golf shots into the sea.</div><div class="MsoNormal">He might not play for us anymore but he’s a former Liverpool captain – we’re guilty by association.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Opposing fans across the land, once they’ve taken their fingers out of their throats, must chuckle every time they see it – I know I would if it was an ex-Manc.</div><div class="MsoNormal">So that’s Jamie Redknapp the sell-out – what about Jamie Redknapp the pundit?</div><div class="MsoNormal">Well, he’s not one is he?</div><div class="MsoNormal">A pundit, according to the Oxford Dictionary, is ‘an expert in a particular subject or field who is frequently called upon to give their opinion to the public’.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Tune into La Liga coverage and watch Guillem Balague – there’s a pundit, right there. He knows his onions, he’s done his research - he even pronounces the players’ names right and can throw the odd witty comment into the mix. All in his second language, too.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then there’s Jamie Redknapp. Comparing the tight-kecked pretty boy to Balague is like comparing Fernando Torres and Victor Anichebe.</div><div class="MsoNormal">They might do the same job but the gap in ability is easier to see than Alex Ferguson’s nose on a winter’s day.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Redknapp, Harry’s son of course, has been sticking the boot in on the club he played hundreds of sideway passes for on a regular basis this last season.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Fair enough, you might say, it was a disappointing campaign after all.</div><div class="MsoNormal">No argument, but if you’re going to dish out stick - and get paid well for the privilege – you’ve got to get your facts right.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Get them wrong and your arguments look thinner than one of Jamie’s ties. Angrily perched on the couch during Sky’s coverage of Liverpool’s league defeat at Old Trafford in March, Redknapp told the millions that Liverpool have missed Xabi Alonso.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Nothing new there then, just the repeating of an over-stated viewpoint that has been doing the rounds all season.</div><div class="MsoNormal">But he went on to say that the Reds would particularly miss him at Old Trafford – because he had been so influential the year before in the 4-1 routing of Slur Alex’s side.</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Xabi Alonso was sensational spreading the ball to Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard that day,” he told viewers in a gaffe Garth Crooks would be proud of.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course Alonso didn’t play that day due to injury. </div><div class="MsoNormal">To use the clichéd commentary, Jamie is so fond of – it’s a schoolboy error. Maybe he should leave the Wii-playing to his old fella and the missus and do a bit of research once in a while?</div><div class="MsoNormal">To close the case against Redknapp, we must look at his favourite word. Literally.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Gems include: "He's LITERALLY left Ben Haim for dead there" and “Gerrard has been amazing. He’s <b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">literally</span></b> covered every blade of grass on the pitch”</div><div class="MsoNormal">And who can forget: “Alonso and Sissoko have been picked to <b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">literally</span></b> sit in front of the back four.”</div><div class="MsoNormal">Like ‘loyalty’, Jamie clearly doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘literally’. There’s even a Facebook petition to have him taught its correct use.</div><div class="MsoNormal">So for crimes against Liverpool Football Club and football punditry, we find Redknapp guilty. And for his punishment we propose a month of eating McDonalds three times a day.</div><div class="MsoNormal">That way his arse wouldn’t fit into those spray on kecks, the women will turn off, and there’ll be even less of a point to him being on the couch at Sky.<br />
<i> </i><br />
<i>Leftover article from issue two of Well Red magazine: <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">www.wellredmag.co.uk</a></i> </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-47535958884025244542010-05-18T09:29:00.001+01:002010-05-18T13:37:38.201+01:00Liverpool FC in 'its most perilous position for 50 years'.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINiynPt67GBmLcOwIAZVndBH9hT4xjxUKpV_qPuBR3RwwNsNfTF891MmI1qg0EQvw9GTZnfe66_pLmzRkdMbayFzrHUUZytfsAER6KN1pm29_fPY9i5SX0almLyLGr6evm9CGax36zLfH/s1600/wellred2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiINiynPt67GBmLcOwIAZVndBH9hT4xjxUKpV_qPuBR3RwwNsNfTF891MmI1qg0EQvw9GTZnfe66_pLmzRkdMbayFzrHUUZytfsAER6KN1pm29_fPY9i5SX0almLyLGr6evm9CGax36zLfH/s400/wellred2.jpg" width="296" /></a></div><br />
<b>DION FANNING, sports writer for the Irish Sunday Independent, says Liverpool FC is in its "most perilous position in 50 years".</b><br />
<br />
In an exclusive article for the second edition of <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">Liverpool FC supporters' magazine Well Red</a>, the respected journalist says the Reds' financial situation, brought on the club by owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, has left Liverpool closer to Newcastle than to Europe's elite.<br />
<br />
To read more, you can buy the second edition online <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">here</a> or it is available from newsagents in Merseyside, North Wales and Ireland from May 28. A limited number of copies are available across the UK. You can check where by selecting 'Well Red' and entering your postcode <a href="http://www.anladvantage.co.uk/WhereToBuy.aspx">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Also in issue two, Tony Barrett from The Times details why Liverpool are now way off the pace off the field compared to Premier League rivals.<br />
<br />
The pieces by Tony and Dion are part of a 14-page special examining Liverpool's debts which includes analysis of the latest accounts and what the next step for the Reds should be when considering new owners.<br />
<br />
The feature - 'They're Bleeding Us Dry' - also includes some superb fan artwork which underlines the problems.<br />
<br />
Also in Well Red issue two, there are exclusive interviews with former Liverpool manager Roy Evans and Anfield stadium announcer George Sephton, a Q&A with Ian Callaghan and features and analysis about Hillsborough, supporting England (or not), leaving Anfield (or not), Glen Johnson (by Paul Tomkins) and more.<br />
<br />
Well Red is in newsagents from May 28, priced £2.70 or you can pre-order via the website: <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">www.wellredmag.co.uk</a> Orders received today will be delivered up to four days before Well Red is in the shops for UK addresses. Well Red can be posted worldwide.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-55868711989236965372010-05-13T00:55:00.001+01:002010-05-13T10:39:35.584+01:00Why I'm sick of being a LIVERPOOL FC fan<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=liverpool%20fans&iid=8371371" target="_blank"><img alt="Unhappy Liverpool Fans Protest 2009/10" border="0" height="176" src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/c/1/8/e/Unhappy_Liverpool_Fans_834d.JPG?adImageId=12836337&imageId=8371371" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<b>I NEVER thought I'd write this, but I'm sick of being a Liverpool fan.</b><br />
<br />
Not sick of Liverpool FC: I still find myself staring at my ticket stubs or thumbing through an old programme and enjoying the fond memories of Istanbul, Dortmund, Cardiff, Barcelona; my first derby win or even my first game, a less than glamourous Rumbelows Cup win over Crewe.<br />
<br />
I still feel the emotions rise when I watch the DVD of that night in the Ataturk and I still get riled when faced with a crowing Manc (although there's not too many of them about right now). <br />
<br />
So as I say, I still love the club.<br />
<br />
But the being a fan bit? Well I'm sick of the soap opera, peeved with the politics and right now the whole thing has left me feeling a bit worn out and fatigued; my passion has been sapped. <br />
<br />
Months ago, I glanced at the fixture list and I'd mentally pencilled in the Hull game as a trip I'd be making. <br />
<br />
End of season, day in the sun, couple of bevvies, a laugh, and hopefully a comprehensive victory for the Mighty Reds.<br />
<br />
That's how it went in my head anyway.<br />
<br />
But who was I kidding? I keep making that mistake – thinking football is still the way it used to be. It's not – not at Liverpool anyway.<br />
<br />
The Liverpool I know had its heart ripped from it and thrown in the Mersey long ago. Now it's all about being pro-Rafa or anti-Rafa. About belonging to one forum but hating another. About blaming the owners for ruining our club or claiming it's an excuse. About believing the Rafa stories, the Gerrard stories or the Purslow stories – or not believing them.<br />
<br />
All in all it's a whole lot of in-fighting and that has punched my enthusiasm in the solar plexus and left it rolling on the floor and gasping for air.<br />
<br />
So I didn't go to the Hull match – didn't even try to get a ticket, and after briefly toying with the idea of tracking down an ale house screening it 'on the foreign', I settled for listening to Aldo and co on Radio City.<br />
<br />
The match, well you know the score, depressingly familiar – Aldo sounded like he'd had enough, too.<br />
<br />
It just washed over me, I was barely arsed. In fact, the most excited I got was when Chelsea went 2-0 up and I knew the Mancs wouldn't be lifting number 19. How sad is that?<br />
<br />
So that was that and it was back to the politics. Rafa Benitez referring to "senior sources" on several occasions in his press conference, a clear reference to the planting of information in the media by those "senior sources". The same senior sources that took it upon themselves to talk about players with other clubs without the manager's knowledge.<br />
<br />
That was like throwing a piece of meat to the hungry hounds – off we went again: the manager is out of order, Purslow is out of order, Rafa rubbed his hands together once (that really is a rumour going around, well part of it anyway), Gerrard doesn't care, Madrid want him, he's definitely going, it's Lucas's fault...and on and on and on until you're left rocking yourself in the darkness, mumbling and praying for mercy.<br />
<br />
The thing is, if anyone is rubbing their hands together and thinking about money, it's Tom Hicks and George Gillett. Because while we slug it out amongst ourselves – falling out on forums, arguing in boozers, even scrapping at the match – they continue to rape and pillage our club relatively – in terms of our worldwide (or even match-going) support – unchallenged.<br />
<br />
The debt is mounting up, the loan from the off-shore company to the club is growing – and what are the majority of our support doing about it? Nothing.<br />
<br />
Yes, there's Spirit of Shankly – they've done a sterling job. They have sent out the message that Liverpool fans will not just roll over and have their belly tickled by the carpet-bagging American pair.<br />
<br />
But their ranks contain approximately 5,000 members – a fraction of the people who attend Anfield regularly and a mere spec on the radar when global support for Liverpool is totted up.<br />
<br />
So why are so many doing so little? Are they burying their head in the sand? Can they not concentrate long enough to get their head around what Hicks and Gillett are doing to the club? Or are they just buying the spin and waiting for Sky Sports to tell them about it?<br />
<br />
There's so many messages flying around the world about Liverpool FC that perhaps they are just not hearing the right one – the one that says Hicks and Gillett are ruining our club, dragging it down from its perch with barely a kick or a scream and pointing it in the direction of the road Leeds and Newcastle took after financial mismanagement – the road to nowhere.<br />
<br />
It's a road the club is on now, despite what new chairman Martin Broughton tells us. Something will happen in months, people are interested, he says. Exactly what managing director Christian Purslow told us when he arrived.<br />
<br />
We've gained another suit, but as a club we're still shivering in the cold, stark naked, looking in at the Premier League and Champions League parties knowing we've got no chance of an invite.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the banks have extended deadlines, the interest – at £110,000 A DAY – continues to mount and Hicks and Gillett sit thousands of miles away, sitting and waiting for the buyer that never comes.<br />
<br />
But for some all that doesn't matter. They want Benitez out and Jose Mourinho in. It doesn't matter if we haven't got money, he's got to go and Jose? Well, he'll happily kiss goodbye to Inter Milan, ignore a possible offer from Real Madrid and walk into a club on its knees who will pay him less than he can get elsewhere. It would be career suicide. It makes no sense at all. But still people say it. <br />
<br />
That kind of debate suits the Americans just fine. It's another distraction and another step away from what would really get them thinking – mass, organised protest. Boycotts. Pressure. More of the same from Spirit of Shankly only with more bodies behind them, more money in the coffers, more helping hands to get the wheels turning.<br />
<br />
But for many of the tactics that would truly make them sit up and notice to work it needs the whole of the Liverpool support on board – and as it stands that support is so factious, that doesn't look like happening anytime soon.<br />
<br />
Hicks and Gillett can turn to their PR firms (or those "senior sources") to keep the pot bubbling with distractions about players, managers and rubbing hands. It's divide and conquer - the oldest trick in the book. And it's working a treat.<br />
<br />
But who needs PR firms when you've got rumours (a speciality of the City of Liverpool), forum 'insiders' and journalists happy to be spoon-fed information and reproduce it as 'fact' without questioning its validity?<br />
<br />
It all keeps fans from coming together and fighting the cancer that is eating away at our loved one. And that's exactly what the profit-obsessed charlatans want.<br />
<br />
<i><b>Issue two of Well Red magazine is out later this month. Go to <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">www.wellredmag.co.uk</a> for more information.</b></i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-54147082740840218322010-04-12T22:07:00.000+01:002010-04-12T22:07:30.162+01:00LIVERPOOL FC: Please mate, can I have my football back?<b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5NKhY5JlkktQvcZjMDpUOSB2-ElHMRAoW78h2lF-1AZhosauzoRgghE_kUgDtKNYibhUvudP7Rt4OuQXShnrm2SVKC1pTi2pCoTkgclI3n5StvEe2w6al54gojP96R4rdZ8_72s4Gjrc/s1600/soccerspecial.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv5NKhY5JlkktQvcZjMDpUOSB2-ElHMRAoW78h2lF-1AZhosauzoRgghE_kUgDtKNYibhUvudP7Rt4OuQXShnrm2SVKC1pTi2pCoTkgclI3n5StvEe2w6al54gojP96R4rdZ8_72s4Gjrc/s320/soccerspecial.jpg" /></a></div><div><br />
</div>"ALRIGHT mate, can I have my football back?"<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Having a kickabout as a kid, there were plenty of times I had to brave the wrath of the bitter bloke who lived on his own and got too protective of his garden gnomes.</span></b><div><br />
</div><div>It was a daunting task to go and knock for the bright orange Trophy 5 footie – but it had to be done for the good of the game.</div><div><br />
</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Now I want my football back again – only this time I don't know where to knock.</span></div><div><br />
</div><div>Supporting Liverpool these days feels like someone's stuck a knife in the ball. Sometimes, someone turns up with another one and we have a game – like against Benfica.</div><div><br />
</div><div>All of a sudden, it's just how you remembered it. Floodlights, banter, laughs, good football, great goals, another cracking European result and a couple of bevvies.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Then the ball's gone again. We're back to the half-baked, half-arsed, nearly-but-not-quite version of the game. Like when someone turned up at the park with a Shoot 5 (those crap flyaways for a nicker from Eddie's shop round the corner).</div><div><br />
</div><div>You could still have a game, but it wasn't as good (those mad banana shots were funny at first but the novelty soon wore off).</div><div><br />
</div><div>The novelty of Tom Hicks and George Gillett wore off a long time ago. But like a fart lingering in an old settee, they're still here three years later.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Their ownership casts a permanent shadow of doubt over the club that is affecting everyone - fans, players, manager. Everyone.</div><div><br />
</div><div>They turned up clutching a shiny Adidas Tango, wearing a pair of Puma Kenny Dalglish. Everyone took a look and thought, 'Here we go, these lads can play'.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Yet it turned out they couldn't even kick a ball. And when they went up for a header they closed their eyes and missed it.</div><div><br />
</div><div>They didn't even know the rules.</div><div><br />
</div><div>But they weren't the only ones who took their eye off the ball.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Rick Parry and David Moores asked them round for a game in the first place – and they'd never even seen them play.</div><div><br />
</div><div>They only had to ask – plenty of people knew their game.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Now Hicks and Gillett have hidden every footie in the shop. We can't even have a game of headers and volleys. And until someone turns up with a load of money, we're stuck playing knock and run.</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm not getting excited about a Chelsea fan who's worked for British Airways becoming a non-executive chairman (or some such trumped-up sh*te) at Anfield.</div><div><br />
</div><div>And I'm not excited about 'Barcap' looking for a buyer for Liverpool Football Club.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Because to my mind, to put it bluntly, Hicks and Gillett are taking the p*ss out of us.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Just when it looked like the big boys would send them packing back to their own park, they've dug their heels in.</div><div><br />
</div><div>£600m? Why would anyone pay that for Liverpool Football Club in its current state (£237m in debt and looking for the same again and more for a new stadium)?<br />
</div><div>An extension from RBS on the deadline fans thought might flush Hicks and Gillett out is just the downer we didn't need.</div><div><br />
</div><div>And come the summer, if the third bank to tout Liverpool round the globe looking for a buyer can't find a billionaire born yesterday, it will be Rafa Benitez and Fernando Torres taking their ball home.</div><div><br />
</div><div>And frankly, who can blame them? This isn't what they signed up for. So what's the answer? Well that's the really scary bit...</div><div><br />
</div><div><b><i>No-one seems to know.</i></b></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-16503165640787244922010-04-08T01:52:00.000+01:002010-04-08T01:52:14.023+01:00LIVERPOOL FC: Gerrard's scowl and media manipulation<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=liverpool&iid=8434028" target="_blank"><img alt="Steven Gerrard Liverpool 2009/10" border="0" height="463" src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/3/e/7/1/Steven_Gerrard_Liverpool_8158.JPG?adImageId=12201759&imageId=8434028" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<br />
<b>PICTURE the scene. You're at work, looking to achieve a target. In your mind, you know best. You've got your own picture drawn up of the optimum way to meet that goal. Then your boss comes along...</b><br />
<br />
He's got his own ideas. He's paid to make the big decisions, so like it or not, you have to get on with it. Your view doesn't really count, so you feel frustrated. And as the gaffer walks away after telling you his plan, you shoot him a look. Scrunch up your nose, stick your tongue in your bottom lip, maybe even slyly flick him the Vs (depending on how much of a rebel you are).<br />
<br />
As incidents go, it's about exciting as a David Moyes press conference. It's something that happens in workplaces up and down the country week in, week out. It's of so little significance it probably won't even make the water cooler when the gossips gather.<br />
<br />
<i>Yet do it on a football pitch and all hell breaks loose.</i><br />
<br />
Now that cameras track the every move of Premier League players, all too often mountains are made from molehills.<br />
<br />
So while Steven Gerrard might have been momentarily less than happy with Rafa Benitez when he substituted Fernando Torres on Sunday - as were many fans - it's hardly evidence that Liverpool FC is about to witness mutiny.<br />
<br />
If that was the case, why did Gerrard continue to play well AFTER Torres had left the pitch? And while much was made of his fleeting scowl as the Spanish striker left the pitch, where was the footage of his clenched fist and satisfied cry of 'yes' to fans in the away end of St Andrew's after he had hit the opening goal?<br />
<br />
In that moment Gerrard looked every inch the Liverpool player that cared - so no wonder it hit the cutting-room floor at Sky and the BBC.<br />
<br />
Crisis-club Liverpool showing a bit of unity? Ooh, no - we couldn't have that...<br />
<br />
Much better instead, to crank up the audio of boos when David N'Gog took the field at St Andrew's - conveniently forgetting to mention that the overwhelming source for that sound was home supporters still miffed at the young Frenchman's dive to win a penalty at Anfield earlier in the season. <br />
<br />
The fact is, newspapers and television are desperate to generate stories to feed what they perceive is a need for 24/7 coverage. And without games every day of the week (yet) to fill airtime and pages, what better way to get the juices flowing than a nice bit of scandal? <br />
<br />
And there's nothing better than a manager 'losing a dressing room'.<br />
<br />
Ok, removing Torres from the action at Birmingham was always going to provoke debate - especially as it came with 25 minutes to go in a game where three points could have kept Liverpool in touch with fourth place.<br />
<br />
Torres is the club's top scorer, and the best finisher at Anfield. So even a tired Torres, so the argument goes, is a threat.<br />
<br />
This is true - and it was the very thing I was saying while begging for a winner at one of the poorest Premier League grounds I have visited.<br />
<br />
As it turned out his replacement, N'Gog, could easily have won the game, wasting three presentable chances in a display which, finishing aside, was impressive.<br />
<br />
So I can understand the 'everything Rafa does is right' crew defending his decision, too.<br />
<br />
That's debate and that's the beauty of football - no two people see it the same way.<br />
<br />
What I can't abide is the shit-stirring, the suggestion of more - the creation of a problem that isn't there (or at the very least, there is a doubt is there).<br />
<br />
Benitez has his ways, and love them or hate them, that's how he manages. He's methodical, scientific, a thinker - he studies and applies logic. The decision to substitute Torres was classic Benitez. Head always rules heart and it has brought him - and Liverpool - success.<br />
<br />
Rafa's not going to change his ways because the fans, media or players tell him to - he makes his own mind up. And sometimes what his mind thinks is totally at odds to what most supporters think - bringing off Gerrard for Lucas in the Goodison derby, for example.<br />
<br />
But we're the fans and he's the manager. He's in possession of all the facts and figures and knows what goes on behind the scenes - we don't. <br />
<br />
So to treat the Torres substitution as some kind of landmark event, evidence of a rift or signs that Benitez has 'lost it' is simply mischief making. Anyone with experience of watching Benitez in action will tell you it's entirely in keeping with his approach.<br />
<br />
But when the media smell blood they're hot on the heels of their prey. Liverpool's poor campaign means any mistake, any result other than a perfect one, is met by hysteria and a myopic view of the problems at Anfield.<br />
<br />
Hence Torresgate meant 'experts' where wheeled out left, right and centre from rocking in dark rooms to again sticking the knife in on the Liverpool manager (yes, you Ronnie Whelan).<br />
<br />
But what about Carlo Ancelotti? Isn't it, by the same logic, madness to leave Didier Drogba on the bench for Chelsea's match at Old Trafford? What face did Frank Lampard pull when he heard about that?<br />
<br />
Well it doesn't matter (for now) because the Italian is winning - and his gamble against Man United worked.<br />
<br />
And how about good old Alex Ferguson? Will the media finally dare to criticise after he risked Wayne Rooney against Bayern Munich in the Champions League (and it failed)? Will they call United a one-man team? Will they question the inclusion of rookie Rafael (who was sent off)? Or are they too worried about losing their seat for United home games?<br />
<br />
Like Liverpool playing in the Champions League next season, such criticism is unlikely but not impossible - and would be welcomed on Merseyside.<br />
<br />
But even if Sir Ribena Berry IS criticised it won't last for long. Not when there's a great opportunity to generate more scandal at Anfield against Benfica.<br />
<br />
The vultures will be in place tonight, that's for sure - desperate to point the pen if Liverpool bow out of the Europa League. <br />
<br />
<i>Here's hoping the Reds opt for the best possible way to silence them - winning. </i>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-22330692847693821722010-04-02T15:33:00.000+01:002010-04-02T15:33:26.005+01:00New LIVERPOOL FC magazine now available digitally to fans worldwide<object classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000"codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=8,0,0,0"width="360" height="237"id="flipbook" align="middle"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="movie" value="http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1nbui/WellRedIssueOneApril/resources/flipbook.swf" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><embed src="http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1nbui/WellRedIssueOneApril/resources/flipbook.swf" width="360" height="237" name="flipbook" align="middle" quality="high" bgcolor="#ffffff" allowScriptAccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://content.yudu.com/Library/A1nbui/WellRedIssueOneApril/?refid=45244" target="_blank">Click to buy</a><br/><br />
<br />
<b>A DIGITAL version of new Liverpool FC magazine <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk">Well Red</a> is now available.</b><br />
<br />
Responding to requests from supporters worldwide, the 64-page publication is now available for immediate download for just £3. Simply click the preview mag above.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-28416138367659628402010-04-02T01:07:00.000+01:002010-04-02T01:07:36.830+01:00Liverpool pipped in Portugal - that's manna for the moaners<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://view.picapp.com/default.aspx?term=liverpool&iid=8416607" target="_blank"><img alt="Football - Benfica v Liverpool UEFA Europa League Quarter Final First Leg" border="0" height="258" src="http://cdn.picapp.com/ftp/Images/b/c/5/b/Football__Benfica_4a67.jpg?adImageId=11997457&imageId=8416607" width="380" /></a></div><script src="http://cdn.pis.picapp.com/IamProd/PicAppPIS/JavaScript/PisV4.js" type="text/javascript">
</script><br />
<b>MOANING - some people just love it, don't they?</b><br />
<br />
<i>Forget facts, ignore evidence and cobblers to circumstance, some fans will moan - no matter what.</i><br />
<br />
Throw in a bit of blame, find a nice scapegoat, and 'happy' days, that's one little contented moaner you've got right there.<br />
<br />
Take the Sunderland game. After a car crash of a season at Anfield, an enjoyable, attacking performance featuring a goal of the season contender from a fit and firing Fernando Torres would surely be enough to put a smile on even the most negative fan's face, right?<br />
<br />
Throw in good performances all over the pitch and Maxi Rodriguez's best game for the club and there were reasons to be cheerful, yes? <br />
<br />
Apparently not.<br />
<br />
Not for misery arse: booze-fuelled and ranting to anyone who would listen in one of Anfield's most popular after-match drinking establishments.<br />
<br />
He would be, the spitting, swaying fan revealed, giving up his seat at Anfield next season if "that f***in' Lucas is still at the club...".<br />
<br />
The Brazilian, football's equivalent of Marmite, didn't even play against Steve 'Big Fat Head' Bruce's side. But no matter - misery arse wanted a moan. And he wouldn't let a near faultless performance at Anfield spoil his day.<br />
<br />
God knows what said supporter was like tonight.<br />
<br />
A quick trawl of the forums (why do I do it to myself?!) revealed the same old sh*te post Benfica.<br />
<br />
Apparently, Rafa Benitez should have continued with the shackles off, gung-ho approach that did for Sunderland, according to some.<br />
<br />
Well sorry, they might both play at the Stadium of Light, but Benfica are not Sunderland.<br />
<br />
They are top scorers and league leaders in Portugal, unbeaten in 25 games before the quarter-final first leg.<br />
<br />
So what gives Liverpool the right to think they can turn up in their back yard and play them off the park? Let me guess, 'We are Liverpool..'.<br />
<br />
So what? We <i><b>are </b></i>Liverpool - but Liverpool have a horrendous away record, Liverpool are much stronger at home and Liverpool have a successful European track record under Benitez of keeping it tight away and winning at Anfield.<br />
<br />
Barcelona are arguably the best team in the world right now and turning up and "going for it" didn't work for them at Arsenal, why would it work for Liverpool at Benfica? <br />
<br />
The mere fact the Reds lost in Portugal has sent the moan-mad amongst our support into crisis mode again, but why? From where I was sitting - in the office for the record - Liverpool played well enough up to the sending off of Ryan Babel.<br />
<br />
They grabbed a good away goal from Daniel Agger - his first for a year - and despite playing with ten men for over an hour, and having to put up with some p*ss-poor refereeing, escaped with a 2-1 defeat, the away goal meaning a 1-0 win at Anfield will be enough to book a semi-final spot.<br />
<br />
Comfort should be taken that it will be a different set of officials. A set that recognise swinging your boot like a three-wood at the back of a striker's legs with no attempt to win the ball is a sending off offence.<br />
<br />
Forty-thousand Liverpool fans should help the cause, too.<br />
<br />
Had Torres scored what a looked an easy chance for him, there would be even less reason to moan...but I'm sure you'd find something, wouldn't you misery-arse? <br />
<br />
Here's a thought to finish: next Thursday, for the home leg, why not forget this season? Forget what you think of the manager, Lucas, anyone else you "hate" and <i><b>SUPPORT</b></i> the team.<br />
<br />
Create an atmosphere, sing, back the team and create the famed Anfield European night that has bamboozled so many other top sides from across the continent.<br />
<br />
<i>You never know, you might just enjoy it...</i><br />
<br />
<b>*** Have you bought <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">Well Red the mag </a>yet? ****</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-80598165603906605992010-03-27T13:19:00.000+00:002010-03-27T13:19:22.515+00:00LIVERPOOL FC FANS: Write for Well Red magazineCHANCES are, if you go on Twitter, Facebook, Liverpool forums, <em><strong>the internet.</strong></em>..you will have heard me harping on about <a href="http://wellredmag.co.uk/">Well Red</a>, the new Liverpool FC mag.<br />
<br />
Well, issue one is done now, it’s been printed and posted out to people who pre-ordered. From Thursday it will in WHSmiths and major newsagents in Merseyside and surrounding area, North Wales and Ireland.<br />
<br />
Anyways, onwards and upwards and all that, I’m now planning issue two…<br />
<br />
One of the things I’m aiming for is the mag to be a true ‘voice of the fans’ - so I hope to establish a regular team of contributors who are A1 writers (and Reds, of course).<br />
<br />
I’ll also be inviting other top Reds who work in journalism to contribute but until they agree to it, not much more to say on that right now.<br />
<br />
But I don’t want that to put everyone else off, and so this is my attempt to encourage Reds to send in their rants, opinions etc and so on.<br />
<br />
This can be about a player, a manager, a topic, a certain game (your first one, worst one etc), away trips etc etc<br />
<br />
If your submission is valid, punchy, well argued or from the heart, then it stands a great chance of making it into a future issue of Well Red.<br />
<br />
First though, before you go scurrying off to your keyboards, here’s some guidelines (not set in stone like, so don’t let it stem your fantastic individual style if you have one):<br />
<br />
<strong>Length: </strong>For a one-page article, approx 400-500 words. For two pages, 1,000 tops. Any more than this, let me know in advance what your in-depth report is about, I’m open to ideas…<br />
<br />
Less, well if you have **suitable** and copyright-free images I can use, all the better.<br />
<br />
<strong>Structure: </strong>Have a think about your piece before you kick off - think about its beginning, middle and end. Look at how the pros structure their work. Endless ramble and straying too far off topic will confuse (and bore) the reader - and we don’t want that now do we?<br />
<br />
In general, suggest an idea, back it up with facts and examples, consider the other side of the story and then come to some kind of conclusion.<br />
<br />
<strong>Accuracy: </strong>Don’t make things up (I don’t want to end up in court…). Check your facts using a reliable source (soccerbase, official site, LFC history etc).<br />
<br />
<strong>And finally: </strong>Dropping me an email - or a tweet - before you go off and write a new Bible is a good idea. Your topic of choice may already have been covered.<br />
<br />
Send submissions - ideally as a Word document - to wellredmag (at) googlemail.com<br />
<br />
YNWA<br />
Robbo<br />
<br />
www.wellredmag.co.ukUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7277454600462806905.post-12787736160985624062010-03-14T11:32:00.001+00:002010-03-14T11:35:56.088+00:00Above us only lies: Liverpool's Sun boycott takes to the skies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.redandwhitekop.com/images/misc/dontbuysun.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.redandwhitekop.com/images/misc/dontbuysun.gif" width="233" /></a></div><br />
<b>A CAMPAIGN to raise awareness of the ongoing boycott of The Sun by Liverpool fans has taken to the skies above Anfield.</b><br />
<br />
A blimp - a mini-airship - with the 'Don't Buy The Sun' message on its side was launched from waste ground opposite the ground before Liverpool's win over Everton in February.<br />
<br />
It also advertised the recently-launched website <a href="http://dontbuythesun.co.uk/site/">dontbuythesun.co.uk.</a><br />
<br />
The boycott dates back to 1989 when, in the aftermath of the Hillsborough disaster, The Sun published a series of lies about Liverpool fans under the headline 'The Truth'.<br />
<br />
Editor of the time Kelvin MacKenzie, who is still a columnist for The Sun, refuses to admit he did anything wrong by publishing the damaging allegations which included unfounded claims of fans stealing from, and urinating, on dead bodies.<br />
<br />
The story was not only extremely distressing for the families of the deceased, and fans attending the game on April 15th, it also tarnished the image of the city of Liverpool - and Liverpool supporters - and hindered the fight for justice for the 96 people that died at the disaster by incorrectly influencing perceptions of what happened that fateful day.<br />
<br />
Liverpool fan Stuart Goodwin explained that the idea for the blimp was born when it became clear that there was a growing number of fans who were unaware of the boycott, be that because of age, ignorance or location.<br />
<br />
He said: "Around this time last year there were obviously a lot of discussions about the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough, and inevitably when talking about that time in history, there's always the slightly nasty footnote of The Sun and 'that' headline.<br />
<br />
"I remember talking with a number of friends and fellow fans about the boycott, and it was clear from descriptions of overheard conversations about Sun stories in the pub, Suns in back pockets on the way to the game, Suns on the Kop even, that the Don't Buy The Sun campaign needed a little bolstering.<br />
<br />
"Don't get me wrong - as boycotts go there's no question in my mind that it's as strong as you will see about anything, anywhere. But I'm a firm believer in dealing with cracks when they start to show, not when they're suddenly gaping wide, and with an ever-growing, ever-broadening match-going fanbase coming from far and wide to Anfield, there's a very definite need for education on the subject.<br />
<br />
"You have fans coming to the ground that know how many titles we've won, can name most of the reserve team, and can rattle off a perfectly passable rendition of <i>Fields Of Anfield Road</i>, but there's a lot more to our club than the Wikipedia stats and lyrics learned from watching a YouTube clip. If you're in the club, you need to know its history on AND off the pitch, and far too many sadly don't.<br />
<br />
"Coupled with this is the fact that 20 years on there's a generation of local youngsters that maybe haven't had the history passed down, so I felt something was needed that would encourage kids to ask questions, and also to remind parents, aunts and uncles to have those kinds of conversations."<br />
<br />
So the need to educate about the Sun boycott was identified, but why a blimp?<br />
<br />
Stuart went on: "They've always struck me as the kind of thing that turn heads, and make people smile, and the message and the medium just seemed to be a perfect fit. Unfortunately though, it was an idea far too expensive and complicated to think too seriously about in time for the 20th anniversary, so that was that, and to be honest I pretty much forgot I'd ever mentioned it.<br />
<br />
"A few months later I saw a blimp advertising a car showroom on my way to work, and the idea came back to me. First thing I did when I got in was jump on to the RAOTL forum and started a thread raising the idea again. Feedback was great, and a couple of people were sufficiently taken with it that they threw a tenner each into the pot. Within a day though, the thread had died away and it was back to being one of those internet ideas like all those lost flag and banner designs that get talked about for an hour and never get spoken of again.<br />
<br />
"At this point I'd read around and got quotes, and it looked like we were talking about £1,500-£2,000 for the blimp alone, quite before you'd looked at anything else such as mooring rope, banners and helium. However, somebody pointed out an eBay auction where a supplier was selling second hand blimps for a fraction of the price of a new one, and suddenly it felt doable.<br />
<br />
"I got in touch with the guy selling it, and as luck would have it he told me that he had a slightly bigger one which he was also looking to sell that had only ever been flown for two days. White with red fins - perfect. It was occurring to me that the idea was going to stay an idea unless I actually made a demonstration that I was serious, so I went way into my overdraft and bought it.<br />
<br />
"As soon as I put the pics of the uninflated, very limp-looking blimp up on the forum, the response was absolutely phenomenal. I'd set up a Paypal account by this point and money absolutely poured in. Within a week of the pictures going up there was over £800 in the blimp kitty, and contributions continued to come in from the UK, Spain, Australia and the US. To date the blimp fund has totalled over £1,500, and not just from Liverpool supporters - a couple of Everton fans and a Newcastle fan have also thrown in."<br />
<br />
With a successful first flight now under its belt - "I've never felt as proud as I did when I first took my seat in the Annie Road and saw the words 'Don't Buy The Sun' bobbing over the Kop" - Stuart is co-ordinating the blimp's next outing.<br />
<br />
He added: "While its main use is intended to be to spread the Don't Buy The Sun message, it's now envisaged to be available for both the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and Spirit of Shankly for use with any other campaigns they have in mind.<br />
<br />
"From its first flight it was clear just how much of a head-turner it is, and in the coming months I'm sure you'll see it broadcasting other messages. It's also been suggested that we include it in parades in and around the city, which we'll definitely look at.<br />
<br />
"At the moment we're limited to flying it at daytime home matches, but by next season we'll look at adding lights which will allow it to go up for evening kick-offs as well. The dream scenario is that it will eventually fly at every home game, but this will depend completely on keeping the kitty topped up so that we can afford the helium it runs on."<br />
<br />
The blimps costs around £200 per flight for helium and fan donations to keep the blimp flying are welcomed. They can be made via Paypal to the address: <a href="http://uk.mc255.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=stu@corkyball.co.uk" ymailto="mailto:stu@corkyball.co.uk">stu@corkyball.co.uk</a><br />
<br />
Stuart said: "If people want to send by any other method, or make any comments or suggestions about the blimp, feel free to email me on that address. Volunteers to help on flight days are also very, very welcome, so keep an eye on the various forums to see when it will next be up in the sky. People will have to supervise the blimp during the match, so we'll always be looking for people willing to sacrifice going to the match to help in that regard."<br />
<br />
For pictures of the blimp, see here: <a href="http://www.photoshelter.com/c/propaganda/gallery/100206-Dont-Buy-The-Sun/G0000s6B6nNR.pXQ/">100206 Don't Buy The Sun - Images | Propaganda-Photo.com</a><br />
<br />
<b>For more on the Don't Buy The Sun campaign, and the fight for justice for the 96, read the first edition of Well Red magazine, out at the end of this month: <a href="http://www.wellredmag.co.uk/">www.wellredmag.co.uk</a></b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0