LFC build-up :Utd v Liverpool - The Perfect Remedy or a Poisoned Chalice

When Liverpool left the pitch having won a point away from home against Arsenal, in a performance which heralded the kind of optimism that had now been seen among the Liverpool faithful since January it seemed that this time we were finally going somewhere. The new signings who had so far been exposed to first team action were showing early promise and any supporter you listened to delighted in echoing the common refrain of “tell you what I would have taken 7 out of 9 points from these three games before the start of the season”.

Fast forward one week and that optimism had been usurped by despair yet again. If the Arsenal game was supposed to show us how far we have come well then the game against West Ham showed us just how much father there is to go on our road to redemption. The fact that a performance like this came at Anfield only added to the anguish and in the end it somehow left most of us feeling worse than what was previously believed to be this side’s darkest day back on the last day of last season. And with good reason too. All of a sudden we saw how Benteke could struggle to influence a game, we saw our that defense (which had previously kept 3 clean sheets) was far from being the impenetrable unit it had previously appeared to be with Dejan Lovren seeming to return to type and prove his many doubters right.

The most unwelcome international break which followed that game couldn’t have come at a worse time for miserable reds who were left with no escape for at least a fort night. The fact that this chance for redemption comes against United at Old Trafford does little to inspire confidence that our moods will be lifted much come Saturday evening. We were soundly beaten 3-0 here last season as United completed the double over us and our record at this ground over the years is far from impressive. You wont find many arguing with my description  that this is hardly the greatest Liverpool side ever created. The thing is though, this is far from a vintage United side either and if you spoke many of their fans I believe you would find that, currently our mindsets are not so dis-similar. They had ground out a couple of wins to start their Premier League season without ever looking truly convincing, they then had a stale draw against Newcastle before slipping to a damaging defeat away to Swansea. The only differences between our season is their lack of a truly promising performance such as ours versus Arsenal and also their lack of a home defeat like ours against West Ham. The point of my ramblings is not to convince anybody that we are certainly going to go there and return with all three points at 7:30 on Saturday, what I am trying to show is that this result is not a foregone conclusion for either side.

It is far too early to talk about six pointers or the likes, but this game definitely has more about it that simply the 3 points which are on offer. Both managers are currently experiencing some real internal pressure and although it seems outlandish to suggest that this single result could result in either being removed from their position, it is not in doubt that the pressure will be multiplied on either manager if they were to lose this game. It is of course possible that the need to not lose this game could result in something of a stale mate, certainly in the latter stages if the game is tied in a score draw (the only result which could realistically see both managers saving face). However the Old Trafford faithful will not accept a team sitting back, at home against such a hated rival. This is the reason why I think it is possible for Liverpool to get something from this game. We’ve shown our most promising signs against teams that are willing to play. Whilst there is no denying our struggles at times, I think it is clear to most that they are most clearly visible against opponents willing to give us the ball and repel our attacks, this is why our recent home record  has been so poor as teams are so willing to soak up pressure at Anfield. Away from home, away from the frustrated Anfield crown, with our ever excellent away fans providing the loudest support they can possibly muster egging us on could just prove to be exactly what is needed at the moment.

While in truth this game offers nothing more than 3 points to the victor, with plenty of season remaining for a loser to make up that difference, if one team does emerge victorious it will be the perfect remedy to their recent ills, whilst the loser will have to take another sip of the poisoned chalice as the pressure on their leader approaches breaking point.

Utd v Liverpool - The Perfect Remedy or a Poisoned Chalice

When Liverpool left the pitch having won a point away from home against Arsenal, in a performance which heralded the kind of optimism that had now been seen among the Liverpool faithful since January it seemed that this time we were finally going somewhere. The new signings who had so far been exposed to first team action were showing early promise and any supporter you listened to delighted in echoing the common refrain of “tell you what I would have taken 7 out of 9 points from these three games before the start of the season”.

Fast forward one week and that optimism had been usurped by despair yet again. If the Arsenal game was supposed to show us how far we have come well then the game against West Ham showed us just how much father there is to go on our road to redemption. The fact that a performance like this came at Anfield only added to the anguish and in the end it somehow left most of us feeling worse than what was previously believed to be this side’s darkest day back on the last day of last season. And with good reason too. All of a sudden we saw how Benteke could struggle to influence a game, we saw our that defense (which had previously kept 3 clean sheets) was far from being the impenetrable unit it had previously appeared to be with Dejan Lovren seeming to return to type and prove his many doubters right.

The most unwelcome international break which followed that game couldn’t have come at a worse time for miserable reds who were left with no escape for at least a fort night. The fact that this chance for redemption comes against United at Old Trafford does little to inspire confidence that our moods will be lifted much come Saturday evening. We were soundly beaten 3-0 here last season as United completed the double over us and our record at this ground over the years is far from impressive. You wont find many arguing with my description  that this is hardly the greatest Liverpool side ever created. The thing is though, this is far from a vintage United side either and if you spoke many of their fans I believe you would find that, currently our mindsets are not so dis-similar. They had ground out a couple of wins to start their Premier League season without ever looking truly convincing, they then had a stale draw against Newcastle before slipping to a damaging defeat away to Swansea. The only differences between our season is their lack of a truly promising performance such as ours versus Arsenal and also their lack of a home defeat like ours against West Ham. The point of my ramblings is not to convince anybody that we are certainly going to go there and return with all three points at 7:30 on Saturday, what I am trying to show is that this result is not a foregone conclusion for either side.

It is far too early to talk about six pointers or the likes, but this game definitely has more about it that simply the 3 points which are on offer. Both managers are currently experiencing some real internal pressure and although it seems outlandish to suggest that this single result could result in either being removed from their position, it is not in doubt that the pressure will be multiplied on either manager if they were to lose this game. It is of course possible that the need to not lose this game could result in something of a stale mate, certainly in the latter stages if the game is tied in a score draw (the only result which could realistically see both managers saving face). However the Old Trafford faithful will not accept a team sitting back, at home against such a hated rival. This is the reason why I think it is possible for Liverpool to get something from this game. We’ve shown our most promising signs against teams that are willing to play. Whilst there is no denying our struggles at times, I think it is clear to most that they are most clearly visible against opponents willing to give us the ball and repel our attacks, this is why our recent home record  has been so poor as teams are so willing to soak up pressure at Anfield. Away from home, away from the frustrated Anfield crown, with our ever excellent away fans providing the loudest support they can possibly muster egging us on could just prove to be exactly what is needed at the moment.

While in truth this game offers nothing more than 3 points to the victor, with plenty of season remaining for a loser to make up that difference, if one team does emerge victorious it will be the perfect remedy to their recent ills, whilst the loser will have to take another sip of the poisoned chalice as the pressure on their leader approaches breaking point.

Happy Birthday Bill Shankly

On this day (2nd September) in 1913 Bill Shankly was born in Glenbuck Scotland. He played for Cronberry Englington, Carlisle Utd and Preston North End and was manager at Carlisle Utd, Grimbsby, Workington and Huddersfield before arriving at his spiritual home Anfield in 1959.
When Bill Shankly arrived at Anfield in 1959, Liverpool were in the second division and going nowhere. The training ground, Melwood was a shambles and Anfield was not a pretty sight. With Roger Hunt and Ian St. John Scoring goals and Ron Yeats in defence Liverpool won promotion back to the old 1st division in the 61-62 season. In 63-64 Shankly delivered the League Title with a side which still contained the nucleus of the side which had gained promotion 2 years previously.

To summarise Bill Shankly's contribution to Liverpool I will use the words of Bob Paisley: "One man transformed Liverpool from a run-of-the-mill Second Division team into the greatest team in the world. That man, of course, was Bill Shankly. His philosophy was simple; If you are going to to play football, you play to win. While he was the making of Liverpool, there is no doubt that Anfield was the making of Bill Shankly. His character, his own enthusiasm, his will to win were so infectious."

This is just intended to be a short tribute to the great man.




MANAGERIAL RECORD:

League Matches: 609
Won: 319
Drawn: 152
Lost: 138

Best Placing:
1st in Division 1 1963/64, 1965/66 and 1972/73



HONOURS:

1961-62 - Division 2 champions

1963-64 - Division 1 champions

1964-65 - F.A. Cup Winners

1965-66 - Division 1 champions, European Cup-Winners-Cup finalists

1970-71 - F.A. Cup finalists

1972-73 - Division 1 champions, UEFA Cup winners

1973-74 - F.A. Cup winners


ANECDOTES:

IAN ST JOHN - Liverpool 1961-1971



I could confirm a thousand times the Shankly caricature. I was around, for example, one day when he took a bemused reporter into a toilet cubicle in the new dressing room at Anfield, pulled the chain and said: 'You know it refills in 15 seconds . . . it’s a world record.'"


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TOMMY SMITH



"I was trying to get fit and Shanks caught me in the medical room at Anfield with Joe Fagan shaving my leg preparatory to strapping it up. Shanks said, 'What the hell are you doing?' I said, 'I want to play, so Joe's strapping my leg.' He said, 'Don't be daft. You're not playing. Get off that table!' After a bit of an argument, I said, 'I am playing. It's my leg.' Straight away he answers back, 'It's not YOUR bloody leg. It's LIVERPOOL FC's leg. And you're bloody not playing!'"


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GEORGE BEST - Man Utd and Northern Ireland legend



"In 1967, we arrived at Anfield to play Liverpool and as I glanced out of the window of the coach I saw Bill Shankly standing at the main entrance. I was the first player to alight from the coach and when I reached the entrance Bill shook my hand warmly. 'Good to see you again, George,' he said. 'You're looking well, son.'


This was unusual for him, and knowing Shanks to be a wily old fox, I decided to hang around to try to find out what he was up to. As each of the United players entered Anfield, Shanks shook his hand, welcomed him and told him how good he looked. Eventually, Bobby Charlton, a born worrier, came up to Shanks.


'Bobby, son. Good to see you,' Shanks said, shaking his hand. 'But by God, if ever there was a man who looked ill, it's you, Bobby!'

Bobby's face went as colourless as an icicle. 'Ill? I look ill?' he repeated, running the fingers of his right hand over his forehead and down his right cheek. He was visibly shaken.

'Aye, Bobby, son. You look like you're sickening for something. If I were you I'd see a doctor as soon as you set foot back in Manchester.' Shanks patted Bobby on the back and took off down the corridor, leaving him trembling in the foyer.

In the dressing room, Bobby was conspicious by his absence and, ominously, there was a delay in announcing the team. We sat around kicking our heels, no one daring to get changed in case Matt Busby had a tactical plan which meant leaving one of us out. The thought of getting changed only to be told to put your clothes back on because you're not in the team is a player's nightmare.

Eventually Matt Busby entered the dressing room with Jimmy Murphy and told us they had reshuffled the team which had beaten West Ham the previous week. Bobby Charlton was unavailable. He'd suddenly been taken ill."

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PETER THOMPSON



One day Shanks called me into his office. As I walked in, he began swearing and saying how disappointed he was in me. I was shocked, because I had been doing exceptionally well and the team had been winning. He agreed that I was playing brilliantly and I was now more bemused, until he said, ‘I’ve just heard that you’ve got a blue car, bloody sell it!”


QUOTES:

The famous Chris Lawler story



"The only time Chris Lawler was injured was when Tommy Smith 'did' him in a five-a-side match at Melwood. We had just got the pitch levelled and Tommy, who was younger than Chris, caught him with the sole of his boot. Chris' ankle went up like a balloon, but he was only out of action for ten days.

It was around this time we were due to play Anderlecht and one day we were playing a five-a-side game and Chris, still injured was watching. The boys called Chris 'Silent Knight' because he had so little to say for himself. My team in the five-a-side was claiming a goal and I said, 'Just hold on. Chris, you were watching.' 'Yes', he said. 'Speak up, Chris,' I said, 'I can't hear you. Did you think that was a goal, Chris?' 'No, he said.' 'Good God, Chris,' I said, 'this is the first time I've heard you speak to me and you tell me a bloody lie!'"

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"Of course I didn't take my wife to see Rochdale as an anniversary present.It was her birthday. Would I have got married in the football season? Anyway,it was Rochdale reserves."
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"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."


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"If a player is not interfering with play or seeking to gain an advantage, then he should be."


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"If Everton were playing at the bottom of the garden, I'd pull the curtains."

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About the "This is Anfield" plaque:



"It's there to remind our lads who they're playing for, and to remind the opposition who they're playing against."

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To Alan Ball, who'd just signed for Everton:



"Don't worry, Alan. At least you'll be able to play close to a great team!"

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At Dixie Dean's funeral:

"I know this is a sad occasion but I think that Dixie would be amazed to know that even in death he could draw a bigger crowd than Everton can on a Saturday Afternoon."


This information has mostly been taken from the excellent http://www.shankly.com/ which contains a biography and basically anything you could wish to know about the great man, including many, many more excellent quotes, anecdotes and tributes

Gomez - Youth is Pushing him Forwards

I’ve been kind of reluctant to put down in words something that’s been on my mind whilst watching Liverpool’s first three matches of the season. When players and the team are going through a good run of form it seems that anything you say which isn’t 100% positive is interpreted as a negative by some people. I really don’t want to be negative in this piece but I do want to bring some realism to discussions about this player.

During the first three matches of this season Liverpool have been defensively excellent, three clean sheets and we hadn’t really given away any clean cut chances until the Arsenal game when Simon Mignolet, who was being decreed as an imposter at this time last year, showed that he has truly left the poor form of them days behind him by proving equal to the gooners most dangerous efforts. Martin Skrtel has shown us that he just might be able to break from his form history of being good one year and poor the next. Nathanial Clyne has come into the side and immediately looked like he has been at the club for years. Dejan Lovren, whilst not yet looking the €20m powerful leader we were promised last summer has at looked like he might just have something to offer the first team. On top of all these players as the pick of the bunch is an 18 youngster signed from mid-table Championship side Charlton Athletic for a fee in the region of €3m – Joe Gomez.

It’s a wide held belief that, in spite of what the manager may claim now in hindsight, Gomez was signed with the intention of loaning him out to gain further first team experience. That he managed to do enough in training and pre-season friendlies to not only convince the manager to keep him within the club to develop, but also to put him in the starting line-up for the first league game of a season which saw the manager on the brink from the first whistle was an incredible testament to his character and ability.

Gomez has taken to this challenge better than I think even the most optimistic of supporters may have thought possible. He has looked assured in defence, comfortable in possession and he has looked dangerous going forward. It used to be that I could sound like an auld arse here and say “haven’t seen potential like that since….” But in fairness its only a couple of years since Raheem Sterling was showing incredible potential as an 18 year old at the club so I won’t go down that route. Sufficed to say Gomez has bags of potential.

However, as with any 18 year old the important bit when eulogising over their performances is to remember their age and inexperience. At the moment he is playing to an incredibly high level but as we have all experienced when watching young players trying to adapt to senior football it is perfectly natural for them to be inconsistent. Right now his form shows no sign of dissipating but that is often the case with developing players. Another truism for developing players is that inevitably their form hits a patch where they find it hard to perform at all. This period often turns out to be the acid test in that those who recover their form after this period go on to have careers in the higher echelons of the league whereas those who don’t tend to transfer downwards until they find their level

Gomez has a number of attributes, both developed and achieved, which are helping him to shine at this level. His height, strength and pace give him an immediate means to level the playing field against older more experienced players somewhat. His technique and tactical awareness ensure that he not only functions within the team he positively influences performance. I believe that, at this point, his lack of experience and youth are also contributing to his rich vein of form. He clearly has a lot of self-belief so his confidence is high from the get go. He has yet to receive a rinsing from any opponent thus far so he is unaware of the dangers which lie ahead from unforgiving opponents when they identify a weakness.  At some point in the future this will come and it is at this point we will find out if Gomez will go on to be truly world class or if he will simply become a good level defender.

At the moment I am thoroughly enjoying watching this guy play and I’m very much looking forward to seeing him develop but when I keep hearing people talking incredulously about his performances “In spite of his age” I can’t help but feel that we need to remember at this early stage perhaps his performance isn’t in spite of his age, maybe it’s because of it.

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Satisfied With Improvement, Daring To Dream

At the start of this season I had one target in mind - to see Liverpool improve. Long gone are the years where every season began with fanciful dreams of unprecedented glory. Age, experience, and the last few painful seasons had coloured my thinking to a level where I dared not raise my expectation levels to even a European place. To my mind, it seemed like the mentality throughout our support had re-adjusted itself to a similar idea. I read countless blogs, listened to podcasts, went on forums, even had some good old fashioned face to face conversations with friends and it seemed something was different. Although our rivals delight in our, previously unabashed optimism it seemed to me that a sea-change had occurred and the consensus was that expectations for the season ahead needed to be realistic.

Suddenly the only cries of “this is going to be our year” were lowly taunts from those who have loved reveling in our dashed hopes in years gone by. Unfortunately for them, their taunts though fell on deaf ears as the Red faithful remained focused on our most important target for the season ahead – Improvement.

Wouldn't you know it though, just when we decide to get real, they go and alter our reality!

Even with a huge slice of the season remaining I think its clear that the improvement we have craved has been displayed... and then some! The swashbuckling displays against Spurs, Bitters and Gooners stand up as the incredible examples of how far we have come. The improvement we wanted didn't only come, it came so thick and so fast that its left us right in the mix with an actual, realistic chance of lifting the big one with 12 games to go.

“its the hope that kills you”

It’s been a heck of a season but its caused us some difficulty in re-adjusting our ambitions. There are those captious souls who simply refuse to get their hopes up. There are many eternal optimists who have already raised hopes so high, if a fall were to come they may not survive (maybe slight bit of hyperbole there). The majority, to my mind, are like myself and caught in the middle trying to find the balance between hope and expectations. The scars from previous travails have given us a reluctance, but we must recognise there is no harm in hoping so long as you accept the reality of what actually marks out success for the season.

Success is what we wanted at the start of the season. Success is improvement. We can hope that this improvement could include us winning a league title, we can dream of Stevie lifting that trophy above his head in May. We can dream. As long as we understand that that is not the only marker for success we can dream. 12 games to go who knows what can happen. One thing I do know is I’m happy with how the season has gone so far. I will be ecstatic if we do finally manage to win no.19. Either way though I’ll be happy with improvement. And sure, if we don't win it in the end, Next year will be our year J

This article was originally published on www.tomkinstimes.com as a subscribers only piece.

Twitter: @barrymeehan7