The How and Why Of Paul Richard Thomas
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New Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rogers today spoke to the media for the first time. Of what he said what as most exciting was for his desire to play “relentless” attacking football and of creating an environment at Anfield that will make opposition players long for full time. It has been a while since any visiting team have felt like that.
“I was here with Chelsea in the Champions League (in the 2005 semi-final) and the players said they had never experienced support like that,” the Northern Irishman recalled. “That was ultimately what won the game for Liverpool and that is what I want to do here. I want to use the incredible support to make coming to Anfield the longest ninety minutes of an opponent’s life. That’s the idea. I want to see this great attacking football with creativity and imagination, with relentless pressing of the ball. I know what it’s like because I had a team like that at Swansea. Teams came to Swansea and after ten minutes when they hadn’t had a touch of the ball they were looking at the clock. It makes for a long afternoon.”
Whether you agree with the appointment of Rodgers or not (I am fully in favour of him) this, if it comes true, is exciting. We have been shit for far too long. A lot of my fellow LFC fans need to realise we’re going to need a couple of years before we challenge for the league like we all want. Get this new style working next season and go for fourth then kick-on the season after.
Goodbye Kenny. Thanks for everything.
The FA Cup 3rd Round draw
Today’s always a magical day for football fans and (for me) traditionally the start of winter.
My own team Liverpool have got a kind draw, which is a nice change. The winners of a replay between Southend United and Oldham Athletic will come to Anfield. At least we can’t be knocked out by a cheating Dimitar Berbatov dive again like last season. Only Howard Webb would have given that, and as the game was at Old Trafford, he had to be there.
Speaking of the scum, they’ll be getting knocked out at the Ethiad by Man City. ITV must be gutted - who will they show every single sodding round seeing as Taggart’s men won’t be in the competition after January 8th? Have to admit, I think it was a bit of a fix seeing as it was the first draw out.
Knowing ITV, you can expect then to show one or both of Arsenal vs. Leeds and Chelsea vs. Portsmouth as well as the Liverpool game and Manchester derby. Why show the ‘smaller’ sides (what FA Cup 3rd Round is all about) when you can put on the teams that are on week in week out? Everton vs. Tamworth must be on TV, for one, but I doubt it as ITV is run by fucking morons.
Gary Speed, R.I.P.
Gary Andrew Speed, MBE (8 September 1969 - 27 November 2011)
Everton 0 Liverpool 2 - a Merseyside derby is never dull is it?
First we had the red card for Jack Rodwell. Yes, it wasn’t a red card. To be perfectly honest it wasn’t even a free-kick. Luis Suárez may have overexagerated his fall but the sending off was nothing to do with him, it was the incompetence of referee Martin Atkinson. A few minutes later Marouane Fellaini fouled Lucas a hundred times worse than Rodwell’s “foul” yet it wasn’t even a free-kick. Mad.
First of all, like Rafa Benitez, q couple of facts for you; 1. The last time Bolton Wanderers won at Anfield was in the same month that Marilyn Monroe married Joe deMaggio (January 1954). And 2. Last season it took us nine games to get seven points, the same we have now after our third game.
Oh, one more fact: Luis Suárez is quite good at football. Every inch, every corner, every nook and every cranny of the pitch belongs to him. He is the man who brought the fear back to Anfield. The Uruguayan is a terror. He is sheer, unbridled terror. He is a bewitching, dazzling menace, spreading roiling panic in his wake. The twenty-four-year-old may not have scored here, as Bolton were comfortably dispatched, but he does not need a goal. He does not even need the ball. His presence alone is a torment.
Gary Cahill, rated at £17m, and Zat Knight - a reliable if unspectacular Premier League campaigner- were the humiliated Wily E. Coyotes to Suárez’s Road Runner. This was a central defensive pair reduced to fear and farce by an unrelenting foe.
It was just him though, the match was a triumph for our three new midfielders. Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam both scored their first goals for the club (the former’s was a stunner) while Stewart Downing ought to have done, the former Villa player quickly looking an absolute steal. People may critice the £47m spent on them but today was a vindication of King Kenny’s judgement as they each produced unanswerable demonstrations of their quality. Then there’s José Enrique, bargain of the season at £6m. Playing for us must seem a world away from the Russian roulette of being part of Newcastle’s defence.
A quick word about Martin Škrtel who not only scored a brilliant headed goal but looked unnaturally comfortable as an attacking right wing-back. With him, Martin Kelly and John Flanagan it’s going to be hard for Glen Johnson to get a game this season.
Last point, I don’t know if Pepe Reina was banking on a clean-sheet bonus today, but he went absolutely postal at Jamie Carragher after conceding that goal. Commitment. Something you can see shared with every player in a red shirt at the moment.
It’s gonna be a good season.
Justice for the ninety-six. YNWA.
The last time Liverpool FC appeared in the Carling Cup, they suffered one of the most humiliating results in the club’s long, illustrious history. A little under twelve months ago, Northampton Town, who at that time were only two points off being rock bottom of the Football League, drew 2-2 at Anfield before winning on penalties. It was the first of many lows under Woy Hodgson.
Thankfully he’s long gone and we have someone in charge now who knows what he’s doing. And that’s what’s made this win so good.
King Kenny knows that although the League Cup is derided, winning it can be the catalyst to greatness. If it wasn’t for a hard fought Cup win against Birmingham City back in 2001 then we may never have won the FA or UEFA Cup’s later that season. Chelsea, under Jose Mourinho, were desperate to beat us in the 2005 final, giving them confidence for the next two seasons where they won almost everything… until meeting us in the cup competitions, natch ;)
Seeing players like Luis Suárez line up against Exeter City was the right message, saying we’re going to have a go at winning this competition. The League One side couldn’t cope with the magical Uruguayan, but then again the apparent ‘Best English Team Of All Time’ couldn’t cope with him as he set Dirk Kuyt up for all three goals in his hat-trick.
More positives were there too: Jordan Henderson is improving each game (undoubtedly he’ll need more time than our other newbies because of his age), Maxi still knows where the goal is, Andy Carroll scored (a cracker), Jack Robinson looked impressive, we never looked like underestimating our opponents thanks to a professional showing, it was Kenny’s 200th win as LFC manager and the win celebrated the Government saying they would release all the documents relating to the Hillsborough disaster, which reached 131,233 signatures during the game and will discuss it further when Parliament returns in September. A big thank you to everybody who signed it.
People may not agree with me but I sincerely hope we go all out to win this competition. It could be the start of something…
Jordan Henderson, welcome to Anfield
Jordan Henderson’s imminent signing is a genuine statement of intent by Liverpool FC ahead of what promises to be a busy summer at Anfield.
It is no secret that (King) Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli have plenty of work to do to reshape the Reds squad this summer, and this deal would seem to fit neatly with club owners Fenway Sports Group and their long-term strategy: Sunderland Athletic’s Henderson is young and English, but most importantly talented.
Cynics will suggest that Liverpool are paying an “English premium” but they showed with Andy Carroll in January that they are willing to pay whatever it takes to land their top targets, and the speed and decisiveness with which they have secured Henderson is a hugely positive sign. How often have LFC stalled I’m buying players until preseason or even the season has begun?
And by valuing David N’Gog (above), the makeweight in the deal, at £8m, Dalglish and his team have shown that they too can drive a hard bargain. The Frenchman should depart Anfield with little but fond wishes. He may not have been the man to take Liverpool to ‘the next level’ as such, but he worked hard, scored some important goals (and a absolute beauty against Arsenal) and deserves his chance of first team football in the North East.
Comparing his development at Anfield to that of Ryan Babel, who left for around half the £11m Liverpool paid Ajax for him, it is clear to see which was the smarter piece of business.
As for Henderson himself, well at twenty he clearly has plenty of developing to do, but he also has all the raw materials to be a success at Liverpool. Indeed, he displayed as much with a mightily impressive display against Roy Hodgson’s Reds last September in a 2-2 draw at Anfield. He is composed, athletic, energetic and has the ability to cross and pass the ball with consistent quality. Carroll, in particular, will thrive on his early balls into the penalty area, as he did so successfully at Newcastle with Joey Barton.
Nobhead Steve Bruce was desperate to keep Henderson at the Stadium Of Light, which makes this deal a tiny bit sweeter. Both Manchester’s City and United had expressed an interest, but the youngster’s determination to move to Merseyside and link up with Dalglish shows that Liverpool’s pulling power, despite no European football next season, remains undiminished.
Sadly a few fans online have been whinging about us buying snother central midfielder, saying we don’t need another one. I think we do. Jay Spearing deserved the credit he received at the end of last season, but unfortunately there is no way he is the long term solution. I also can’t see us getting a full season out of Stevie Gerrard anymore, so a young lad with plenty to prove will fit in nicely to the squad.
Kenny has an absolutely massive job to do at Liverpool. It is not as if he just has to add one or two players to an already good squad. He has to reshape all of it and this is a great start.
Blackpool’s Charlie Adam (above) remains a possibility for around £8m remains a possibility (his set prices especially would be of huge benefit to us), AS Roma keeper Doni (Doniéber Alexander Marangon to his Mun) looks like becoming José Reina’s back-up, Valencia’s Juan Mata (below) is being linked with us hourly as is Stewart Downing of Aston Villa, plus we’re also keen on Birmingham City’s scouse central defender Scott Dann and Ipswich Town’s young striker Connor Wickham.
All or maybe none will follow the Wearsider over the next couple of months but either way these are exciting times at L4.
Premier League D-Day 2010/11
So… 282 days, 6768 hours, 406,080 minutes or 24,364,800 seconds since the start of this Premier League season and it all comes down to this. For, erm, some anyway. Top and bottom of the table may be done and dusted, but issues aplenty are yet to be decided for the sides in between.
Issue to be decided number one: RELEGATION - Five teams, one point between them, two relegation places to be decided. For Wigan, Blackpool, Birmingham, Wolves and Blackburn, ‘Squeaky-Bum Time’ barely does today any justice at all. Basically a loss for any of that quintet this afternoon and they’re left more nervy than a one-legged man at a backside-kicking contest. Monster. EDIT:Goodbye Blackpool, you’ll be missed. Goodbye Birmingham, enjoy your trips into Europe next season.
Issue to be decided number two: RACE FOR THIRD - Only a couple of months ago, Arsenal were challenging on four fronts and bag in the hunt for the Premier League title. Now, they need a slip up from Manchester City to even finish inside the top three. FA Cup winners City lead Arsenal by a point going into the last day, meaning Arsenal have to better the Eastlanders result at Bolton when they travel to Fulham if they are to snatch third and that all-important automatic Champions League qualifying place. Fourth spot, lest we forget, earns clubs only a place in the final qualifying. Tense. EDIT:Arsenal are going to have to face a qualifier to get into the Champions League proper.
Issue to be decided number three: RACE FOR FIFTH - Ah yes, the Europa League. Very much the ugly sister of European Cup competition. Still, though, better than a kick in the bollocks many would argue - and it has come down to Tottenham or Liverpool, the former in the prime seats having stolen a march on the Reds with victory at Anfield last week. As with Man City and Arsenal, if Tottenham match or better Liverpool’s result later, fifth and Europa League qualification is theirs. Who said ‘poisoned chalice’? EDIT:Although it’s tempting to blame Hodgson for us failing to get into Europe, the blame must go with the players who simply didn’t perform in the last two games (Spurs and Villa) once the King had got his contract.
Issue to be decided number four: THE FAIR PLAY LEAGUE - Not the most salubrious of issues, but a potentially crucial one for the likes of Fulham and Tottenham. Following the announcement from UEFA that England, Norway and Sweden have topped their Fair Play rankings, and that each country will therefore be awarded an extra Europa League spot, whoever ends today top of the rankings and has not already qualified for Europe slips in through the back door. That rules out Chelsea, currently top, but not necessarily Tottenham and Fulham, second and third. A warning though: whoever reaches Europe this way faces three two-leg qualifying rounds and a play-off even before the group stages. Ouch. EDIT:Fulham progress, good luck to them although I sadly doubt the heroics of two seasons ago will be repeated.
Issue to be decided number five: GOLDEN BOOT WINNER - Looks like a shoot-out between Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tévez, this one - both are currently on twenty goals, with Darren Bent (Aston Villa) and Robin van Persie (Arsenal) their nearest rivals who are both on seventeen. Hot-shots. EDIT:Good on you, Tevéz for not letting that lanky, lazy, overrated Bulgarian win it.
Good luck to all the teams today. Except Manchester United, obviously. And Tottenham (so we, LFC, can get fifth).
Today I went back to school, so to speak, in two different ways.
I help out quite a lot at Lister Juniors and was asked, by the kids, to come with them to Anfield after their school team qualified for Finals Night of The Liverpool Football Club 7-A-Side Cup Tournament. Best of all, I’d be sat in the directors box. Obviously, I went.
I saw Mark Lawrenson (being interviewed for LFC TV), saw Andy Carroll (he is literally ten feet tall and could easily fit into the film 300) and sat just a few seats away from Raul Meireles.
Despite only the Centenary Stand being used the atmosphere was electric and felt almost like a real game. That’s the power of Anfield though. I’ve been there (actually on the pitch!) when it’s empty and you can just sense the history, the excitement, the passion and the love the place gets and gives. It’s a sensational ground, definitely the best I’ve ever been too and I will miss it dearly when it goes.
As for the football, it was of a hugely surprising quality for under elevens. The girls teams played first and the final was actually quite exciting, with St. Paul’s coming back from one down with three minutes left to win 4-1. A couple of the girls put some of the later boys to shame.
Then came Lister. They cruised through the semis but, sadly, lost in the final. After a very hard fought and entertaining game they lost 10-9 on penalties to St. Lukes. The St. Lukes that I went to as a child, in an odd coincidence. Heartbreak for the kids, some were in tears, but they should all feel very proud of themselves.
