News, Roundup, Preview

Well finally we are at the end of the International break and our league campaign continues this Saturday at 3pm when we take on West Brom away from home. If there is one welcome aspect of being out of Europe it is the return to the traditional league fixture time of Saturday 3pm which is not possible when you have played a game on the Thursday previous. While we have had recent disappointments like the afore mentioned European exit, we went into the international break in decent league form where only a defeat against the much improved West Ham punctuates our improving record. Our form over the last 7 games reads as follows W W W D L W W, our last 2 league wins were delivered with style and left us with a promise of more to come. It was said by many that the international break could only halt our progress but hopefully with some players returning to fitness, while others were in need of a rest it could serve to help us as we hit the run in. Andy Carroll has shown in recent games that he is short on match fitness so his run out, and goal, for England should help him as he acclimatises to life at Anfield while Dirk Kuyt has continued his impressive goal scoring form or recent weeks by bagging 3 for Holland over 2 games. Gerrard and Suarez were not available for International duty due to injuries of varying severity but the break means they haven’t missed any extra games for the reds. Lucas was quite impressive for Brazil in their friendly against Scotland where it seemed that a lot of their play goes through him. He even received one or two compliments from the match commentators which was a surprise! Danny Wilson also got some minutes in this game. Skrtel, Agger, Johnson, Poulson and Meireles also appeared for their national sides and each of them came through their encounters unscathed.

There has also been some news over the week, such as Ian Ayre being given the Managing Directors job at the club. Ian has been nothing but a success since being installed as Commercial Director and he was the one trust worthy voice at the club under the previous regime. He is a true red and is a local lad, Liverpool fans should be happy to have someone trusted in such an important position in the club, it brings a stability and is the final piece of the backroom picture. Once Kenny’s contract is agreed and official we will be 100% stable it seems that everything is now in place to make this summer one of heavy action! One player who won’t be involved in any summer transfer activity is Lucas Leiva who today agreed a new contract. Lucas took a while to convince most of his merits but he has finally been getting deserved recognition. Many are still to be convinced by him, I think this is mostly due to a prejudicial view of how Brazilians should play, but to me this is great news. At 24 his best years are ahead of him and i am glad to say his best days will be played in red! The only other news really is that it seems Juventus will not be able to afford the pre-agreed transfer fee to make Alberto Aquilani’s loan deal permanent. I would love to see Aqua return as i am sure he can be a success in the premiership if he is injury free and given a decent chance. His time at Juve has been a big success so i am keeping my fingers crossed on this one.

So back to Saturday and the game against West Brom at the Hawthorns. This game is of course also significant as it is Roy Hodgson’s first return to Liverpool since he was sacked in January. I don’t think i need to mark out my feelings about Roy another time, suffice to say I wish him well at his new club. In fact i will go so far as to say that i am sure he will do a decent job at West Brom, a club which is at a perfect level to match Roy’s skill set. Steven Gerrard has confirmed he is back in contention for this game, so that leaves us with a pretty strong panel to select from with only Martin Kelly and Jonjo Shelvey unavailable.

-----

 

With regard to the blog, please remember to enter your email address in the space to the right to receive email alerts of updates, site news and new posts.

Sunderland 0 - 2 Liverpool (Talking Points)

After the bitter disappointment of leaving the Europa League at the hands of FC Braga, Liverpool reminded us that we still have hope (albeit slim) of qualifying for European competition next year. It was a performance which was at the other extreme of the dour, listless performance on Thursday night. The performance was aided in no small part by the endeavour of our new number 7 who seems to excite more with every passing week.

A Midfielder comes of age:

Jay Spearing has been on the periphery of the side now for almost 3 years. He has been given time in less important games of low intensity and has never let anyone down when called upon. The thing is though, he has rarely shone that brightly either. There have been moments of promise but nothing to suggest that he was close to forcing his way into the starting 11 on a regular basis. This performance had plenty of that however as he began to grow into the game as the first half wore on. He showed intelligence and a little experience in cleverly cutting across John Mensa following the Sunderland man’s mistake which forced the foul which won the penalty, yes it was a fortuitous decision but more on that later. Spearing was surprisingly influential on the game throughout with stern tackling, crisp passing and some driving forward runs, one of which culminated in a curling shot which Sunderland Keeper Mignolet did brilliantly to keep out. One positive of the season so far has been the promise shown by a number of Liverpool’s youngsters. If Spearing can keep his performances to a similar level to the end of the season he will give us yet another reason to be excited.

I Just Can’t Get Enough: Luis Suarez:

What a Player, What a Song! To show how quickly and how fully the Liverpool faithful have taken our new Uruguayan to their hearts they had a brand new song which could be heard booming around the stadium of Light on Sunday. Its a proper Liverpool song, and is a worthy successor to the last hero’s song. Expect to hear it being copied poorly , with no shame and sang at clubs all over England in tribute to their own hero’s. At least we’ll remember who came up with it! As for the man himself he was brilliant on the day and just showed us all further reasons to be extremely happy with our winter transfer business. He also showed he likes to work hard and is happy to put in as much effort when chasing the ball and he does when chasing a goal. The finish was sublime and from a ridiculous angle. On Match of the Day I heard the couch potatos scoffing at the keepers efforts, but I think that ignores the skill shown by Luis in convincing the keeper he would cross and then dispatching a rocket into the back of the net. Altogether now:

To the tune of Just Can't Get Enough by Depeche Mode...

His name is Suarez, he wears the famous Red

I just can't get enough, I just can't get enough

When he scores a volley or when he scores a head

I just cant get enough, I just can't get enough

He scores a goal and the Kop go wild

And I just can't seem to get enough Suarez

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do

Do-do-do-do-do-do-do

Luis Suarez!

The Partnership was finally given a go:

Due to Andy’s Injury when he arrived in L4 and Luis’ ineligibility for the Europa League fans have had to wait a long time to see the two new stars start a game in tandem. From this performance it was easy to see who was more match fit and I have spoken about Suarez’ performance above. The colossus had a few decent touches and caused trouble with his height on a number of occasions but it wasn’t exactly a blistering performance, although having said that he did have 2 good chances to open his account in Red (one of them a n absolute sitter). The Mackem’s, due to their fierce rivalry with their black and white neighbours were never going to give Andy an easy time, and his fitness levels at the moment made him look a little rusty which just made it all the easier for them. There were however enough contrasts on view however to assure all reds fans that this partnership is going to be something special. Andy flicked on to Luis a number of times and his aerial victories allowed us to keep possession on a number of occasions. When Luis had made a great run in the first half Andy dithered on the ball and wasted a half decent opportunity but that should not be dwelt upon. This is the type of flaw that will be corrected only through game time and match fitness.

Karma is a B*TCH!

I think even the most rose tinted red supporter can admit that the foul on Jay spearing took place (just) outside the area. The referee awarded a penalty and we were one nil up. The commentators jumped on top of it as if this were some huge controversy. Granted it was a contentious decision, which through the magic of instant replay we can see to be incorrect but really, don’t we see this kind of thing every week? Judgement calls which swing one way or the other often go in the wrong direction that’s just part and parcel of football. Its not like a goal was scored by the ball bouncing off a Beach Ball and past the goal keeper is it? No, that was last season in the same venue except this time it was scored against the home team!

Steve Bruce was up in arms after the game saying: I knew and [fourth official] Martin Atkinson knew within five seconds that it was outside the box with the technology we have got. Surely it has got to be time for those sort of things to be brought into play with all the technology we have got today."

Steve wasn’t so annoyed on the 6th of March when Sunderland benefited from a questionable decision by a linesman in their 0-0 draw at Arsenal. Steve Bruce laughs the call off, chuckling: "Well done the linesman."

-------------

That’s it for this article, Liverpool have no game this week as there is an international break, I will put up a new Top 5 early next week just to keep things ticking over. Dont forget to use the comments section below to suggest any future articles you’d like to see.

Top 5 - The Super Mac's

For this Top 5 i have decided to celebrate Liverpool's Super Mac's.

Please use the comments section to suggest Top 5’s for the future or debate the entries here.

5. Jason McAteer

Or Jason Macintyre as my Mam liked to call him was captured from Bolton Wanderers in 1995 after starring for Ireland in the World Cup as well as for Bolton in the 1st Division where he was a Central Midfielder. Jay is a bona-fide boyhood red and it literally was a dream come true when he joined the reds. He was an exciting player on the ball and was always willing to sacrifice himself for the team. He played in one of our more attacking sides under Roy Evans but ultimately the team was unsuccessful and he left Liverpool without becoming a legend, he is however a player remembered fondly by the Kop, even more-so now that his attitude in the media is respected for being honest and informed the way a true Liverpool fan should be.

4. Gary McAllister

Gary Mac, Gary Mac, Gary Gary Mac. He’s got no hair, we don’t care Gary Gary Mac! Picked up by Gerard Houllier in 2000 at 35 year of age, to say Gary Mac was a surprise signing would be a huge understatement. Man U and Everton fans were lining up to slag Liverpool fans for this most crazy of signings. Hs career at Liverpool was never going to be a long one but his experience and intelligence proved absolutely invaluable as we went on to win an unprecedented treble in 2001. He left Liverpool at the end of the following season with an emotional send off from the Liverpool faithful who couldn’t help but wonder what could have been had he signed for the club earlier in his career.

3. Steve McManaman

Shaggy emerged from Liverpool’s youth set up in 1990 but really went onto establish himself as one of the most exciting young English players under Graeme Souness. He starred as we won the FA Cup in 1992. And over the next few years, along with his bezzie mate Robbie Fowler, he was a small glimmer of light over a couple of very dark seasons. Under Roy Evans he was given a free role and he really played this role in a unique way and was an essential cog of the stylish side and starred in the League Cup final of 1995 scoring both goals in a 2-1 win. He besmirched his memory and status amongst Liverpool fans when he became the first high profile “Bosman Ruling” departure in England when he left for Real Madrid. I still choose to remember what excitement he gave me over the barren years. This video should remind everybody what a truly exciting player shag was..

2. Steve McMahon

Macca was Kenny Dalglish’s first signing in his first stint as Liverpool manager and went on to fill the void left in the side since Greame Souness’ departure a year earlier. Steve was the leader in the middle of the park and the hardman of the side, although this never took away from his skills on the ball which were the equal of any other player in the squad. As the Liverpool side went on the play some of the most attractive football ever seen in 87/88 Macca was an ever present in the side and scored a fair amount of goals for a player in his position. He left Liverpool having won 3 League Medals and 2 FA Cups. He also has the honour of being one of few player to have played for both Everton and Liverpool.

1. Terry McDermott

Terry Mac was an outstanding player for Liverpool. He was signed by Bob Paisley in 74 and went on to play for Liverpool 324 times. He was a dynamic attacking player who formed an incredible partnership with Souness over a few seasons. He had many notable achievements while at Liverpool, notable a goal in the 1977 European Cup final and in 1980 he became the first player to win the Football Writers' and PFA's Player of the year awards in the same season. He is one of my favourite Liverpool players and he scored some truly outstanding and important goals. The video below should so plenty of reasons as to why he has come top of this particular Top 5

Liverpool 3 - 1 Man United - Talking Points

Liverpool welcome Man Utd to anfield on Sunday for a face off which seemed to have more at stake that recent fixtures between the clubs. There were a number of reasons for this. For Liverpool, we have had to endure a torrid season of ups and downs and although things had started to look up recently, a comprehensive defeat to (at the time) bottom of the table West ham last week had reminded everybody that we should not get carried away with our resurgence just yet. For Utd their team has stayed top of the table and looked the most likely side to go on and win the Championship, the critics however had been blasting them for being a very pedestrian side and not in keeping with the dynamic champions previously produced by the club, this gave them a point to prove too, a convincing win against their old enemy would help show them as worthy title contenders. There was also the small matter of the League tally. I’m sure people don’t need telling that if United win the league this year they will finally surpass Liverpools long held record of 18 Championships, and while the players and management certainly played down the importance of this in the run up to the game but for fans I know it means a lot that we do whatever we can to stop Utd over taking us. While this subject is on people’s minds, I may as well point out my own feelings on the subject. I’m not all that bothered to be honest. Dont get me wrong it will hurt if they do it. It will hurt to no longer hold the record, but we’ll still have something to cling to, 5 European Cups. Its just that I feel the stigma of number 19 has been over us for so long I just want it gone, preferably of course by us winning number 19 and extending our lead. But I am actually at the point now where I thinks its probably best just to get it out of the way even if its Utd who take number 19. At least it will be out of the way and we can start concentrating on winning just because we are Liverpool, rather than purely wanting to win in order to stop Utd. Remember, we weren’t always the record League Title holders, we had to come from behind before and we can do it again! Anyway, enough of that on with the talking points from the game:


Pass and Move is the Liverpool Groove:

Its amazing to look at some of the players under Kenny and try to remember all the stagnant performances from earlier in the season. At times in this game it was hard to determine who was playing where across our midfield. Meireles, Kuyt and Maxi seemed to be interchangeable at any given moment, even Suarez dropped deep and allowed the midfield to advance ahead of him. It pulled the Utd defence about creating spaces for us to exploit and create chances. Its a refreshing and exciting style of football which can leave you as happy after a game for how you played as you are for the result achieved.

Individual Brilliance:

We had seen skills enough from Suarez already to lead us to believe he had enough about him to make it at Liverpool. He still looks raw or course and he is still acclimatising but already he looks like he will replace our previous hero seamlessly. It will be a while yet before this can be proven true but right now he looks like he could actually a better all-round player than torres. And before anybody starts this isn’t a case of me trying to say “well I never liked Nando Anyway”, I did I loved him, and there are strengths he had that Suarez may not have. But there are also strengths Suarez has that Fernando does not. The first of which being his unselfishness. Its natural for Suarez to look for a team mate when on the ball in a way it never was for Torres, if you don’t believe me just ask Robbie Keane. Sure he was always ready to play a quick flick to Gerrard in the early days, but as his time at Liverpool wore on he became more inclined to go it alone when in or nearing the final third. This was a potent weapon for us when he was bang on form but when it didn’t work, if Torres wasn’t bang on form, it was most certainly to the detriment of the team as a whole. With Suarez, he has shown at least glimpses of Nando’s greatest attributes, work rate, stamina, pace, skill, shot when these qualities are allied to a more team orientated player whey are each more important.

Dirk the Striker:

I have admired Dirk Kuyt since he came to Liverpool. He just doesn’t get the credit he deserves. Nearly every time you hear people compliment him there is a “but” or some sort of qualification take the good out of the initial statement. He came to Liverpool as a striker, Martin Jol, In-charge of Spurs at the time of his arrival famously said "I said last year, when nobody knew him, that he was a '20-20' player - 20 goals and 20 assists a season," said Jol. "In Europe there is maybe no-one else who is a '20-20' player. This statement from Jol may not have proven to be true in the Premier League but it shows his achievement and commitment none the less. He was happy to sacrifice his place as the goal scoring threat for Liverpool to help the team on the right side of Midfield. He still manages to pitch in with important goals every season. Don’t forget he also scored in Athens in 2007. Although he ultimately ended up on the losing side that day, very few players can say they scored in the European cup final. This game was a reminder from Dirk. A reminder that he is a striker, not the right-midfielder we have gotten used to at Anfield, and an effective striker too as shown by 3 absolute poachers goals. A reminder also that even if we put in more money over the summer, Dirk will fight to stay in the team wherever needed. He has won such battles before, he has been picked by numerous Holland managers ahead of other, more fashionable” names again and again.

The Colossus snuck on:

The result and performance were so good that it kind of drifted by without too much hoopla but Andy Carroll finally made his Liverpool Debut when he cam e on for the last 2 or so minutes on Sunday. He didn’t have a lot of time to do much but it was important none the less to get it done so he can start to feel part of the set up. He had a few nice touches but of course we can’t read much into that just yet. The most important thing was just to get it done.

Defensive Injuries are clocking up:

It was important to remember everything wasn’t rosy on Sunday and we did pick up another injury to a defender. Its not surprising to hear that it was Fabio Aurelio who joined Martin Kelly and Danny Agger in the treatment room and we are not in dire straits yet but we can’t afford to lose anybody else right now or we could be in trouble. Carragher could have joined the list of unavailable for his harsh challenge on Nani but luckily he was spared by the referee. Carra is probably going to play at full back a bit more now, as he did on Sunday, as cover but he doesn’t look comfortable there really. Perhaps Danny Wilson will show his capabilities but either way we are short of a left back and that will need to be addressed quickly over the summer.