Villains or Heroes?

Don't know whether to rejoice or not? Are we on the up? Have we turned the corner just yet?
From last night's show against fellow 4th spot contender, the boys did not show much. Another drab draw was turned into a win by the lethal right foot of Torres albeit a lucky deflection from a Villa defender and he did not flinch to claim his 50th league goal.
Until that intervention, the boys played like normal, high intensity missing from the Liverpool side we knew.

Still, we did not claim much ground as other contenders like Spurs and Man City also claimed a win.
Whether the win against Villa will provide an impetus to the boys to pick up their horrible season is anybody's guess.

We'll see this coming Saturday against Reading in the FA Cup.

Boxing with the Wolves

Tomorrow's encounter with the lowly team could have not come at the right time when the team is not firing at all cylinders. Not even at half capacity. 7 defeats before half way stage.
Is this Liverpool that we know?

Much can be said about why the team fared so badly. Rafa's indifferent tactics, bad luck et al.
To me, its the players. Simple, the spine of team have played badly or simply out of form.
Take Gerrard for example, the driving runs have been missing. Injured maybe but this is simply not Gerrard that we know. Torres missed a few games here and there. Carra was found wanting in some games especially against speedier, younger players. Lethal left peg of Agger is nowhere to be seen these days. How he missed those easy headers, 6 yards out is beyond me. Bet ya, Hyypia would have dunked it, eyes closed.

Kuyt, played out of position for ages now is the biggest culprit in my book, topping the hate list with my favorite Brazilian Lucas come 2nd.
I've lost count on how many times , the attack broke down when ball was either played to or by him. He simply sucks big time this season albeit a few lucky goals.
Lucas, filling up for the ever injured Aquilani, though well liked and preferred by Senor Goatee is not going much headway in the EPL. I'll bet my last ringgit that he would never make it in the EPL.
No one knows when Aquaman will ever show up at Anfield regularly to repay his big transfer fees.
Sad but it's the reality for now. No mention here of Babel, Riera and Voronin. They simply suck big time. If somebody is not sold and no reinforcement coming in January, we are doomed.

Having said all that, hunting for wolves could have not come at a right time. Kill a pack and we can face the Villains with better confidence. Revenge is the word.

Deflated

Nothing is worse than get beaten by a last placed team, destined for Championship next season.
Buoyed by that plucky win over Wigan, thought we can just steamrolled Pompey. It wasn't to be though. The team sheet was not inspiring. Dossena, an Italian misfit as a wide player. How negative can Rafa be?

Rafa, for all widely reported tactical nous ought to be blamed here. His tactics were all negative.
How can you go to Pompey, still reeling with losses after losses with 2 holding players? For what?
4-4-2 should be an ideal idea to start the game with, to show your attacking intent, to win the game.
He started with Lucas, Mascha and defensive Dossena on wide left. Result? Not a single chance created for Torres. You do not win games without creating chances, do you?
We just do not have a single good wide players to rely on? Kuyt, still a headless chicken, is playing out of position for ages now. A good wide player in the mould of Valencia of Manure.
Riera? Too slow and injury prone. Johnson was anonymous, still feeling sentimental of his previous employer perhaps.

Aquaman, reportedly is injured again. What's the positive here?

None. That sums up our season, best forgotten.
Asking Rafa to leave would not the best decision either due to the club's thin coffer but the patience is certainly wearing thinner and thinner as the days go by.

I'm gasping for words but no one is bigger than the club. Rafa has to take the blame here. He is the manager and he dictates thing for the team and he failed big time, for the umpteenth time.

C U@ O T

Don't wanna write nothing.

Liverpool 2- Manchester United 0.

That's enough for this week. Get well soon Gerrard and Aquilani.

C U@ O T. In the meantime, finish your humble pie.

Really Bleak

My worst fears are confirmed. We are a club in crisis. 4 straight losses on the trot.

Brave souls out there, with MU game looming, tell me if we are not in a crisis.
With the squad depth stretched to the bare bones, once again the boys failed to rise to the occasion. SG could be out injured again being subbed so early.Aquilani remain crocked and nobody knows about Torres.
The fringe players are simply not good enough. Nuff said.

I'm not one to blame Rafa given his predicament with the injuries situation but lack of belief and more worryingly lack of talent in the squad has to be addressed. We need to move on from this quagmire soonest possible. To secure 4th position in the league, to progress further in the Champions League.
Forget EPL title, honestly at the rate we are going now, 4th spot too has to be contested, It's no longer our divine right, ManC, Aston Villa and Spurs are capable of being a snatch theft!!!

This is not a good week for us. Calls for Rafa's head won't help but clearly somebody has to go.

I would gladly ask for Lucas' head rather.

Bleak

Damn it!! It's only October and the title chase is as good as over. 4 losses in the league so far. 3 losses on the trot. Fiorentina, Chelsit and now Sunderland. It's unthinkable how a team tipped to go far stumbled so early.

What went wrong?
Many actually. Florence set the mood really. Outclassed by Mutu and Co, the hangover was prolonged by Chelsea. Injuries deprived the team of SG and FT, the only class act in the team against Sunderland, and true enough it was an accident to happen. It did happen via beachball apparent thrown unto the pitch by one of our own.

Rafa to be blamed for the fiasco? Maybe, but it was the players who failed him and us.
I've never liked Lucas. Save for a few occasions where he did well, generally he failed to inspire us, never mind the team. Paired with another greenhorn, Spearing the other day, the midfield was non existent. That was expected. Lucky, Bent is Bent, if not we could've been 4 at the wrong end.

Lack of depth really. Babel flashes his brilliance once in a blue moon, Benayoun excels when played together with class act, Kuyt shines when others shine, Voronin is at home in Bundesliga not EPL.

Dunno when this calamity will stop. Lyon is 2 days away. Man U at the weekend.
Lose these 2 games and Rafa's detractors will call for his head.

Hopefully, SG and FT will regain their fitness in time for Lyon.
The rest cannot be counted to mount a strong challenge. Yes, it's bleak in October and I don't want to sing 'November Rain' just yet.

Florence Fright

We've never met them, the Viola in CL. Not a fan of Serie A, I could not dwell much on the current team which parades the likes of Milan reject Gilardino and ex-junkie Mutu.
They're not bad it seems, currently occupying 4th spot in their league. Gilardino won't be playing though due to suspension.

The Italians, as always are tough to beat at their homeland. Cautious, slow build up and relying on counter attack are the main characteristics of Serie A teams, so much so we tend to sleep on the couch due to boredom.

What about tonight? Goals galore perhaps? Not a chance.
Think this tie will be evenly contested, being an away team Liverpool which will be without Monster Masch will pack the midfield with 5 with the lone striker in Torres. Interestingly, that's the same game plan going to be deployed by Prandelli, I suppose.
Italians never attack in droves. So it will be counter attack vs counter attack? Interesting !!!

I still fancy Liverpool to edge past Fiorentina by a goal or two, perhaps a brace to be scored by the man on fire, the one and only Torres.

Go Reds!!

Breakable Hull

see ya next week, Chelsit

True enough, right on cue. Hull got 'hell' they deserved. They were pathetic and surely by now Brown must be sweating, earplugs and all, thinking whether he can last another week in the hot seat. Paul Hart and him, I reckon as the candidate for early managerial casualty.

Except for what the pundits described as unexplained defensive frailties in the backline, Liverpool were majestic and in Torres, we have a hungry, brilliant, young and handsome goalpoacher. El Nino was superb to say the least. First hat trick of the season and if he continues like this, the goal tally for him would be intoxicating come end of the season.
Had the supporting acts like Babel, Lucas and Voronin were sharper, we could have run out a dozen or so to the good.

Yes, it's now confirmed, we are back in the groove. No more heartbreaking home draws. No more sickening traffic in the bus parking area.
Elsewhere, Chelsea got trampled by "tenuk" like Titus Bramble and Co. Cech won't face us next week and what chance hilarious Hillario has against a rampant Torres and Stevie G?

Before that, we'll entertain Fiorentina in Italy in CL and what a way to prepare for that Italian job with the demolition of Hull, the breakable hull.
It's been a good week for us all with Aquaman reportedly started running instead of swimming.

Lucas...you've been warned!!!!

Going To Hell

Yes, optimistically, our next opponent is going to bite the dust, They're going to "hell" tomorrow. The 2-2 draw last season was a distant memory. On that fateful day, we were saved by SG's brace and heroics. That was then. This is now.

Hull with only 4 points from their first 6 games in the new season are a shadow of their former self. The Phil Brown's side were so poor thus far and is a favorite to join Newcastle should they remain in the Championship.
The 7 home drawn games which ultimately cost us the title are best forgotten for we are a different side now albeit the unexpected loss to Villa. OK, we lost 2 games so early but we are beating the likes of Burnley and Stoke (bus parking specialist) with such ease clearly demonstrates the different quality we are having now.
Those 7 games cost us 14 points and hey...we only lost 6 points thus far. What matters is the points tally in May next year, not in November, not in January 2010, it's May my friends. Do not forget Manure lost 4 games last season and yet still retain the bragging rights.
We had dispensed off Arbeloa and Alonso notably, in came Johnson and Lucas as their replacement (not permanent though), yet we are clicking well. It must be said that I'm eagerly awaiting for Aquaman to replace Lucas.

Are we on a mean winning streak? Dunno yet but on the balance of probability, Hull will be an addition to the victim's list. Yes, they're going to hell.

Heroes and Villains Part 3

Not throwing the towel just yet. I know, it's catastrophic.

Villa did not deserve to win but hey...we did not either. Playing against a parked bus, why Johnson and Insua were not used extensively. They keep on probing through the middle as if Villa will open the floodgates. Not many days ago, Stoke was thumped right on cue...and the key was the width.
Suddenly they forgot to how to unlock a miserly defense.

And Lucas? Not worth mentioning his name here. Babel and Voronin? They're wasting my typing energy. We're too predictable...it's becoming a cliche now that if Torres and Gerrard fail, the whole team fail too. We're too thin on supporting act and Aquilani is still on treatment table.

Boys, better buck up...if not, please forget about the title. We're losing ground.

No Spur

We ended last season with a bang, matching Manure stride for stride until the very last moment when the lead became unassailable.

Fast forward to this season, and we started with a whimper. A friend confided in me that he was so dejected that he felt like he's going to watch porn movie instead. You know the usual stuff everytime we are winning, going to mamak shop after each game, wearing the jersey. But it wasn't to be and Spurs deserved to win. Not because they're good but we are bad.

Like many of you, I'm not sure why Babel is still wearing the famous red. Voronin too. Not forgetting the Brazilian maestro in Lucas. These trio played like shit and Rafa still believes in them?
For me, it's simple, these 3 are sub standard players and ought to be sold before they create further damage to the title hopes, or whatever is left.

Last season, we only lost 2 and failed to wrest the league. What about this season? Lost another and can we say next year again? Hope not but the team better buck up!!!

Let's wait for Stoke then. I'm still pissed off. There goes my week. Aaarrghhh!!!!

Post Pre Season

Really, nothing to shout about. Pre season games were somewhat very, very low key.
Except for Singapore which was blown apart, Liverpool generally were poor throughout the fixtures arranged to prepare for the long, arduous season ahead.

People come, people go. From the original squad which defeated Milan last 4 years in Istanbul, only SG and Carra are still donning the famous Liverbird sign on their chest. The last to leave was master passer, Alonso. He has become a "white", a Los Blancos.
In come Glen Johnson and Aquilani.

Glen looked solid thus far, comfortable in either flanks. Aquilani, another handsome looking Italian, however is still recuperating. Having not followed Serie A religiously, I'm not well placed to put a comment but on the evidence that I have seen, rather by chance, he is quite handful for opposing defenders. He possesses silky skills and quite masterful at passing the ball. Forward that is, not sideways.

Apart from these 2, Rafa has not enlightened us by some big name signing ala Villa and Silva as initially rumoured. Voronin has returned from his sojourn in Germany, Lucas is still making mockery of himself and Babel remains a poor, weak player.

So what to expect? We finished last season quite strongly and had it not for some drawn home games, we would be still enjoying our bragging rights even until today I presumed. But it was not to be, we are still in the doldrums yet feeling proud of the boys' achievement and looking forward to the new season.

Who cares about pre season anyway? It's artificial. Come Saturday, Spurs will be the 1st kill.
At their home turf.

Right Place, Wrong Person?

Glance through these names..Steve Nicol, Rob Jones, Jason MacAteer, Markus Babbel, Jamie Carragher, Rigobert Song, Alvaro Arbeloa and Phillip Degen.
Except for Degen, the rest cemented their place in Liverpool folklore by playing in rightback position at one time or another.

The only odd one out? The answer is....

Rigobert Song. He was the only black player to wear Liverpool's famous red and he was a flop.
Not worth mentioning here.

Enter Glen Johnson (pic), who reportedly will sign for us in a few days time.
Considering the fate of Song whose cousin is plying his trade for the Gunners, black players generally do not do well in that position for Liverpool. Thus, do we rejoice or what?
Glen Johnson with his attacking prowess, sadly is not known for his defensive qualities.Going forward yes, but going backward? He seems awkward backtracking his tormentors.
Had Kazakhstan player a little sharper in front of the goal during opening minutes of the tie between the Lions and the Kazakhs, Johnson would have been massacred by the press for his absent minded defending.

Arbeloa for his all defensive qualities is not that great going forward. His crosses were a little suspect but he provides stability in the backline and also can play in different positions be it in the center or to the left. Remember Messi anyone?
Arbeloa, seems likely to go back to Spain or spend time in the bench next season with the impending arrival of Johnson who's also courted by Chelsit.

Johnson or Arbeloa?
Johnson could be playing in the right position but is he the right person?
Song was sold for a song then. What about Johnson?

The Best There Is

I know, I know...I have neglected my blog. Truth is, I'm still heartbroken. Case of so near yet so far.
It took some cajoling from an armchair sportsman to revive my interest. Yeah...it's off season now and some are resorting to write political story just to kill time. Me, I did nothing.
Ronaldo was shipped out by SAF. Kaka left the fashion capital too for Los Blancos.
Who cares anyway? Galacticos or no, they will take some time to gel and could be in loggerheads with each other.

Next season will be our 20th without EPL title. It's been too long and I'm sure someday we would win it again. Next season perhaps? What is MU without CR7? That is 20 over goals short from their tally for they too relied on CR7 to provide some magic when the chips are down.

But we still have SG and FT. In my eyes, the latter is the best striker there is at this moment. Evidenced from his goals last night for Spain, there could not be many arguments about that.
He's the best there is and he'll bring back the title to Anfield after the lapse of 20 years.

Mark my word.

Heartbroken

One of those sickening games

So they said tables don't lie.
Yeah..we only lost 2 matches all season, both away at Spurs and Boro. Not a single defeat at home, yet we are only 2nd below MU which lost 4 games all season. How cruel?

Reason- we drew too many matches at home. Okay, no point crying now. It's done and dusted.
I know many of you put up a brave face saying next season gonna be ours but deep down everybody knows, it's the closest title race in recent times for LFC.
This is Rafa's best season ever. We were very close and had luck favoured us in those games, we could have nicked it and gloating like hell by now.

I could imagine the euphoria in printing media, UK, Malaysia and all over the world screaming The Reds are Champions again. It wasn't to be though.

What if Rafa bought a striker in January as cover for FT? What if the dynamic duo were not injured during those crucial times? What if Robbie Keane did not come to Anfield?
So many what ifs?

I'm not a hypocrite....I'm heartbroken despite my brave face.

Over, Not Over and Mat Over

Blame it on Keane?

Ohhh how I hate to say this....the title race could be over by tonight when MU take on Arsene's Arsenal. See, the Devils only need a point from 2 games. Under performing Arsenal tonight and self destruct Hull next week. Mmmm, the odds is not encouraging for me to take a bet against the bookmakers.

Okay, we could have been champions by now if not for those draws at home. No point crying over a spilt milk. It's done and dusted.
I'm not accepting defeat but the reality is we need Manure to lose 2 games on the trot. Fat chance huh? So, is it still not over?

Think, the season is best forgotten and look forward to next season in black. Rafa learnt his lesson, the players too. So did we, not to count the chicken first.

Anyhow, Mat Over is and was never my favorite comedian. He's so over, what else.

Hammers Nailed

Brilliant save but not quiet brilliant enough

It was a late match but worth the wait. Every single minute of it.

Stevie G was rampant but for me, MOTM was Javier Mascherano. In the absence of Alonso, he held the fort brilliantly. Sliced Boa Morte's legs into two and in the ensuing foray, we won a penalty courtesy of who else but Boa Morte!!!! How cruel. The ref failed to award a freekick but was spot on when Torres' shirt was pulled by the Portuguese.
Zola, understandably was livid on the touchline, his facial expression sometimes matching those who just lost millions in Las Vegas. I presume , having religiously watched Gil Grissom every week. I've never been to Vegas of course. Rather, I'd go to Anfield.

Thought, last night was a perfect example of a controlled performance. Not too gung ho, simple yet effective. Counter attacking at its best. The partnership between Stevie G and Torres for the opening goal was simply, brilliant. Too bad, they were not destined to play together more this season, injuries to either one denying us the chance to watch them wreaking havoc to opposing teams.

We did our homework, let's hope the poor sibling Man City can do their job.
Or is it too late now?

Oven Hot Owen

Who's that?

No, it's not super hot performance by Owen. In fact, he only came on for the last 10 minutes or so, when the game was already won by Liverpool.
Even his former striking partner circa 2000 dropped him to the subs bench. That speaks volume for the current Michael Owen. I know some people are still rooting for him to return to Mersey one day ala Fowler. Personally, he is over the hill, I think and has no place in the Reds squad.

Owen is definitely feeling the heat as Newcastle seemingly nosedived to the Championship. I was spot on when predicting that there will be annihilation of the Toons. The game was so boring that Newcastle offered very little except for the 1st 10 minutes. It's like a shooting gallery for every Liverpool players, Mascherano included. They were very, very poor.

There were few significant moments in that match. Gerrard, a bit rusty after a long layoff failed to convert many chances that came his way though one effort near the end was worthy of being "Goal of the Month" candidate.
Alonso smacked the bar twice, Kuyt after missing an open goal, dived bravely to score the 2nd goal while Lucas finally broke the duck in the Premiership after 2 years in the squad.

Though Lucas could be my man of the match after his 'priceless' scoring exploits, think the one who deserved more is the goalpost. It saved Newcastle on 3 separate occasions saving the Toon from a bigger defeat.

Joey Barton? He's more at home in the county jail.

The Curse of Anfield

the new away kit

I pity and hate Michael Owen. Pity him because the state Newcastle are in now, hate him because he left Liverpool in a lurch, lured by the shining lights of Madrid.

No one leaves Liverpool and turned into a megastar. Rushie left for Juve and flopped. Owen followed suit undeterred by Rushie's bad experience yet failed to hold a regular place amidst the 'Galacticos'.
One difference is that Rushie came back to his roots, Owen did not. He chose Newcastle instead.
Rushie was accepted back and cemented his status as legend but sadly Owen never recovered his form when he as a 18 year old burst into the limelight, bamboozling the entire Argentinian defense in 1998 WC. In a way he was cursed by us, the Anfield faithfuls.

Tomorrow, Owen will star for his new team. Will the Koppites cheer for him? No way Jose, he will be treated like any other opponent, no quarters asked, no quarters given.
Think Newcastle will be playing Championship football next season and Owen will leave in the summer. Any suitors? Everton are touted to get his signature to beef up their attack but do we care? Not one bit.

Owen is history, he'll never recapture those glory days with weakening knees, ankle,shin and metatarsal.

And tomorrow, Anfield would be witness to another annihilation of Newcastle, Owen included.
That's another step closer to the Championship. Pity him....

Folan's Folly

Sure, life sucks for all of us, Liverpool fans now. We are winning but MU are winning too.

2 weeks ago, Villa almost did it. Last night, Spurs led 2-0 at half time. They also almost did it and yet on both occasions, MU escaped by the skin of their teeth. Phew...Cilaka betoi la...

Hull was an expected victim. No two ways about it. Who's that thug Caleb Folan anyway? The way he kicked at Skrtel was unimaginable for a professional footballer. It could be life threatening had the kick was more accurate. Kudos to Mr Atkinson for having an excellent eye vision and rightly to show him the door.

A pat on the back too for Kuyt. Think you deserved it for your 'clinical' finishing. Please teach your other friend Lucas how to do it in Premier League as he hasn't scored yet in EPL. Teach him some other running technique too, jogging sometimes can be hazardous.

A Bridge Too Far Part 2

No heroics act this time, mate. Tough luck!

Mission accomplished. To score 3 goals or more at the Bridge.
Except that Chelsea should not score any. It's not in the script but that exactly what they did last night, much to our annoyance.

Really, nothing to be ashamed of. Okay, we failed to reach the semis but the performance of each player was outstanding, Lucas included.
To lead 2-0 at the break was something out of this world, giving belief that we can do it yet again but to concede 4 in the 2nd half alone was also something out of this world. When was the last time Reina conceded 4 in a game? Never.
Every time we are in a position to reach the semis, Chelsea snuffed it out.

Rafa's crazy tactics at the the end, going for the jugular was understandable. That's the only reason why Chelsea managed to score 4. Lampard was left alone for his goals though Lucas should have tracked him rather than standing like a statue. Okay, Masch was not around then.

How I wish we only lose 2-1 at home so that Rafa would have played Torres till the end. Or to shut up shop after having 2 goal lead. But in reality, we need 3 clear goals to advance.

Ahhh. forget it. Bring on Arsenal instead. Ohh another thing...Lucas scoring a goal. Deflected or not, still priceless. A collectors item.

Sam's Nightmare Part 2

The best striker in the world

It was a boring match alright for Blackburn did not offer much football. They were outplayed, out thought and everything else negative. Liverpool were supreme and in Torres, we have a complete striker. A magnificent 1st goal with a right foot shot followed by a bullet header. Too bad, he could not complete a hat trick, Rafa saving him for Chelsea obviously.

It could have been more actually. Kuyt (who else), Benayoun, Masch and Torres himself missed sitters to add to Torres' opener. Late goals, trademark of Liverpool this season added gloss to already magnificent performance with Agger and subs Ngog made it into the scoresheet.

SG was left on the bench as a cheering spectator, his services not required in the taming of Rovers and surely those who perished at Hillsborough would give their stamp of approval for tonight's display.

I've told ya, it'll be Sam's nightmare and how true I was.

And I think my father, an avid takraw player in his younger days would be able to teach Kuyt a thing or two on how to head a football into an empty net.

Sam's Nightmare

I'm shell shocked. We all are. What Chelsea did was unthinkable. It's like the Lakers losing 95-0 to the LeBron's Cavaliers. Shocking. Unbelievable.

Yet, life goes on. It's not the end of the world, so they say. Tonight, after Maghrib we'll stuck to the idiot box again, entertaining the visit of Blackburn to Anfield.
In the earlier fixture, we blew them apart 3-1. Alonso, Benayoun and SG took the honours that day while RSC replied for BR.(pic above)

What about tonight? Thought the players would want to get rid of the nightmare soonest possible and return to winning ways. Talking about characters, it's the perfect opportunity for the players to show the world what are they made of.

I'm full of confidence that they will bounce back and condemn BR to yet another defeat. Masch would be back and how I love his presence, and with it put Lucas where he truly belongs, the bench.

Indeed, it'll be a nightmare for Sam.

A Bridge Too Far

There's no place for Lucas even in our 'kampung' team

Crazy. We had not lost in Anfield for ages and yet, Chelsea blown us away.

It's not that we played that bad but Chelsea took their chances well. Liverpool played well only in patches but created very little even after Torres gave us an early lead. Gerrard and Torres were both very quiet, well marshaled by Essien and their defense. In fact, Gerrard was invisible for most of the match.

Sure, Drogba gave hell to our defense but contrary to popular belief, the tie was lost because a tiny difference.
Chelsea had Essien while our Masch was suspended. That was the key. The stability that Masch normally brought to the team was sorely missed. Alonso was less effective thus depriving Gerrard the ball. The much needed commodity against a strong team like Chelsea.

Masch's replacement? You know who...no point harping against a lost cause. Hopeless.
That's how the game was lost. No need to tear your greying hair. No need for Sherlock Homes.
The answer was all plain to see, unless you're Lucas' fan of course.

Aurelio was bad. Dossena was even worse. Babel tried too hard, clumsily as usual. Riera forgot how to play football tonite. Benayoun came on too little too late. Stevie was anonymous.
What else?

3 goals without a reply at the Bridge would be near impossible but not impossible according to fellow blogger, Jo.

Hope the lads could perform some unthinkable things at the Bridge. Yeah...Lucas would not be playing then.

Down to the Wire

Thanks but no thanks!

In the end it was frustrating to watch a supposed team in the running for Champions League berth surrendering their lead so meekly with 10 minutes to go.
Villa are supposed to turn into a hero in my books but all went astray with MU scoring twice to claim 3 points and back to the top of the table. God damn it.....

Exchanging text with Jo, our dreams were shattered when an unknown Federico Macheda, a 17 year old from Italian outfit, Lazio scored with a sublime effort to condemn Villa to 9 successive defeats. Poor Martin O'Neill.
Hats off to Fergie. He has guts to throw a baby into a cauldron of fire. Mind you, Macheda certainly looks older than 17. Maybe that pasta thing, you know.

As it is, both teams are now separated by a single point with MU still to play another game.
Both teams scored very late in their respective matches, lending another twist in the title race.
High drama, action packed, frustration and agony. Recipe for disaster for weakening heart.

We all lived for it and the title race surely will go down to the wire. MU have the upperhand for now but with Liverpool looking so majestic these days, even the bookmakers would have tough time to predict the odds.

It's all going down to the wire. Damn you, Villa for giving us false hopes.

Good Omen Part 2

role reversed last nite

At last, at the very last minute too, Lady Luck flashed her white teeth to us.

Past agony against those teams like Stoke, West Ham came to mind instantly but luckily, timely too, Yossi did us a big favor. Who knows whether his goal is a difference between 18th and 19th title? The only downside is that Mu is still having an upper hand in the title race. Only just, it seems with Liverpool having the momentum.

Playing with panache, Liverpool are steamrolling everybody. I agree with fellow blogger, Jo that the MOTM award should go to the goalpost. It worked 4 times in the 1st half alone, denying Liverpool a bigger win. On other day, it could have been an avalanche of goals giving bigger credentials to the win. Ohh...I forgot, it could have been a draw until Yossi, my least favorite player intervened. With the help of Lady Luck of course.

Tonite, can a Villain turn into a hero at the Theatre of Dreams? Hope Lady Luck will smile again and turn a Devil into something, a pussy cat maybe. Then who knows, things could get more complicated for them, mathematically and mentally.

Looking back at last night's match, Dossena seems to possess a good attacking instinct rather than defending. Zainal Abidin in the making? Most players started in attacking position in the early stage of their career and later played in a more withdrawn role when age is catching up.
Hey presto... Dossena seems to defy that logic, maybe he is more suited to attacking role. Maybe, Rafa transformed him upon realising his failings as a defender. Whatever it is, it worked and had Lady Luck smiled bigger, Dossena could have added another 2 to his collection.

Yossi? Still not my favorite player though.

Good Omen

See the picture. It paints a thousand words. Friends and foes.Calm before storm.

Next week, the 2 captains will slug it out in Anfield and 2 weeks later at the Bridge.
England won alright and seemingly cannot be stopped on their way to South Africa. The Spanish contingent also did a double over Turkey with Anfield duo, Alonso and Riera scoring to condemn Turkey to its 2nd defeat in as many games.

But first, SG & Co have to entertain Fulham at the Cottage. The Cottagers were on their best last week when they gave MU a footballing lesson. Timely too it seems.

Can they achieve a similar feat against Liverpool?
With all systems clicking, that to me is unthinkable.

Spain and England are winning, why not Liverpool? The omen is there for all to see with all the stars maintaining the same momentum of performance during the international break. None were injured too.

Another hammering on the cards?

Going Spanish

Be wary, your days are numbered

If Chow Kit is Indonesia away from Indonesia, then Anfield must be a Spain away from Spain.

Already boasting 5 Spanish internationals in Torres, Alonso, Reina, Arbeloa and Riera, it seems Rafa is raiding his former club Valencia or known locally as 'Los Che' to strengthen Liverpool next term.

Los Che is beyond recognition from those days when they made Barca and Real look like schoolboys few years back. Saddled with debt, Los Che is seriously looking to offload players to stay in existence. It has been reported that Valencia is only days away from bankruptcy.

Solutions? Sell your best players. Villa, Silva, Albiol, Mata, lock, stock and barrel.
Of course they will sell to highest bidders but beggars cannot be choosers. That's reality. No free lunches anywhere in the world.

Rafa has staunchly denied the comings of several stars notably Silva and Albiol but I think these 2 will be in Anfield next season. Rafa the politician is definitely better than Syed Hamid that we know. Deny everything then unveil them at the Anfield steps, touching that famous sign.

Should we rejoice? Of course, Silva is damn good and Albiol, a defender cum defensive midfielder would be good addition to already strong Liverpool squad.
If these 2 really join the ranks, then I would assume some departures to balance the books.

Silva can operates from both flanks and in Albiol, I see an alternative to Masch. All in all, both would be good additions. Now we are talking about in depth, aren't we?

Then, it's bye-bye to Lucas, Benayoun and probably Babel as well. Anyone else Rafa?

Samson and Delilah Part 2

It was kinda funny when I read somewhere that quoted Rafa as saying we should have score more goals when leading 5-0 with 20 minutes to go against 10 men Villa.

He has grounds to make a statement like that. Goal difference could make a difference should the contest goes to the wire.
As a loyalist, I concur with him. 100%.

But, deeply we know it's not gonna happen if somebody like this.........

enters the field. Sort of anti climax.

See, we led Real 4-0 and he entered the field. Nothing happened.

Then,when we were leading Villa by 5, against 10 limping men, 20 minutes to go and still nothing happened. The tempo went down immediately as if you're switching the lights off.
I guess Rafa sent him on to replace tired legs not to kill off the excitement but Lucas is a player who does nothing but walks with the ball. No sense of urgency from him.

And Rafa expects the earth to shakes violently when he sent Lucas on? Baffling.....

I admit taking occasional potshots at Lucas while we are winning is a non conformity to the rules. See, it's an extension to the word 'anti climax' if you find it anti climatic. That's exactly how I felt in the wee hours of a Monday morning or any other late games. You sacrificed your sleep and everything else but to be served poorly in front of the telly deserves some retaliation.

And Rafa was wondering why we did not score more goal after he sent Lucas on. Baffling again....

Maybe he's a Samson after all. We all know what happened to Samson after somebody cut his hair.

Victor and the Vanquished

Another rout perhaps?

Man U were done in by the Cottagers and the mighty Liverpool strolled past Villa. That was last week.
Next week.....

It's a reverse of this week's fixtures. The other way round.
Liverpool will go to Craven Cottage and Villa will visit Old Trafford, the very site where Liverpool gave MU a footballing lesson. Free of course.

It'll be a game for the victors and another game for the vanquished. Funny old game ha...

Dare to predict the outcome?

Heroes and Villains Part 2

Villain & Hero

While the score still at 1-0, Pepe made that save. That was the turning point of the game. Had Carew scored, the script could have been different. Alas, we went on to screw Villa further by quick succession of goals without a single reply. Villa's task were made more difficult by Friedel's sending off.

They could not live with Liverpool with 11 able men, what more with 10?
Sure, the final score flattered Liverpool as Villa floundered but as I said earlier, it could have been a different outcome had Carew scored, first with a neat flick and later that header.

3 glorious weeks. 13 goals for and 1 goal against, albeit a lucky penalty won by Korean Park Ji Sung. Three supposedly good teams fell with a swoop of Kop magic wand.
Still, it's Manure's title to lose. At this juncture, we have win every other game till the end while hoping MU still rattling, to lose further games. Maybe fate has other ideas?

As if everybody is conspiring against Liverpool, the unwanted international break rears its ugly head again. I suppose with the confidence Liverpool are having now, the break could see us losing momentum. Players could be injured and derailed our hopes to catch Man U. Dreaded of course but let's hope no untoward incident happens within the break.

Fancy Rossi overtaking at the very last corner anyone?

Heroes and Villains

C'mon you Reds!

Both Man U and Chelsea bit the dust last night and the so called experts/pundits immediately went on to say aloud that the title race is blown wide open. Is that so?

I'd like to believe so but the fact is Man U still lead by 4 points. Register a thumping against Villa tonight and the lead will be cut to a single point albeit an extra game in hand for MU. Based on the current form, many will predict a walk in the park for Liverpool.

That's where the danger lies. Many times before they flattered to deceive and we were left shaking our heads, thinking what could have been.

MU was clearly rattled judging from last night show from our football clinic at the Theater of Dreams. They finished with 9 men and could be losing talisman Rooney for a number of games in the title run in. Are they bottling it? Maybe but the work to chase them starts tonight at Anfield.

Win at all cost and who knows what it might do to MU's confidence not to mention ours, already high and intoxicating.

First, Lucas & Co, please strut your normal stuff. I want to believe.

Samson and Delilah

bad hair day in the office

Samson, as we knew from Literature Form 1, drew strength from his hair. As a typical man in the street, he also had weaknesses. His was budding, intimate affair with Delilah, a voluptuous Angelina Jolie lookalike. That was told by my teacher, one 'Mat Salleh" whose name escaped my brain and we accepted his story at face value. Forgivable, I guess. That was more than 20 years ago.

So Delilah said to Samson, "Tell me the secret of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued."
"No razor has ever been used on my head," he said. If my head were shaved, my strength would leave me, and I would become as weak as any other man."

Samson fell for her tricks and while in the act, Delilah cut his hair and Samson was subdued, caught and killed. Cunning plot.

That's how the story goes.

So what's their connection with Liverpool? Nothing really.

In the absence of Alonso last week, Lucas, my 'favourite" player was fielded in his place alongside Monster Masch. Generally he did okay except for several brushes of wayward passes, half hearted challenges. You know the typical Lucas.

The question is how on earth can Lucas plays so well?

a. Overrated Man U made him look good
b. Luck played a part in making him look good
c. Masch bailed him out on many occasions
d. None of the above

And the answer is........

None of the above. What? Why?

Let me tell the secret. He cut his hair recently and disposed those black hair bands.
And that made him good. Totally the opposite of Samson.

His Delilah? Do not care one bit.

A Joyous Season

Beware of his right boot. Vidic who?

What an incredible week for us all. That big win over eternal rival Manure was an icing on the cake really. Obviously we expect more, more joyous occasions to celebrate.

Really, it has been incredible. Rafa signed an extension to his contract, Gerrard been cleared of his assault charge and it's Chelsea again in the Champions League. What more to ask?

Rafa, upon signing his prolonged contract saga is set to become Liverpool's longest serving manager if he completes the tenure. As of now, he is the most successful manager in recent times even eclipsing King Kenny, what more Monsieur Houllier and Souness. He chalked up his 100th wins last week and earlier brought Liverpool to CL finals, not once but twice. A last 8 berth in CL is becoming a routine for Liverpool now, year in year out.

On Champions League front, we are set to lock horns with the Blues again. Last year we were beaten by Drogba's brilliance at the Bridge. Similar outcome this year? No way Guus!
It'll be tight of course but I've confidence in this team judging based on current form.
We beat them home and away in EPL and there should be no reason why we cannot achieve the same feat again in CL, being the only realistic chance of silverware for Liverpool unless Manure did the unthinkable by bottling it like our next opponent in EPL, Aston Villa.

Villa managed by O'Neill started like Usain Bolt but finishing like a whimper and there's no better time to sock it to them this Sunday. My take? Liverpool to win comfortably again. You know what confidence can bring to a team's performance? Just ask Manure.
Real Madrid trashing is a Tonic Ahmad Nandok to the players and Rooney & Co bore the full brunt of the magnificent tonic. It's everlasting effect will again resurface on Sunday and for that, and that alone will send O'Neill into submission.

Gloat You Must

I didn't write much lately. Was terribly busy meeting deadlines and those tiring outstation visits, endless traveling and all.

Not even the big win over Real moved me to scribble my thoughts and admittedly, I have thrown the towel to the EPL challenge. A surprise overtaking manouvre at the last corner ala Valentino Rossi would only be a bonus, I said to myself.

But, a chance to gloat over MU? Hell, no way I would miss it.
Forget the drawn games. Forget everything else.
In arguably the biggest game in the universe, we thrashed MU 4-1 at their own turf. When did they ever lose in such embarassing manner so much so that they were countless empty seats near the end of the match? Talking about 'malu babi'. Yes, the MU supporters were in that kind of state. In Malaysia too, I would presume. Nobody would want to wear MU jersey to avoid those smirks, you know what I mean.

You have to go back to pre- independent for such results and could be needing another 50 years to witness such heights again. I could go on to narrate every tiny details in the colossal match but let just savour the win. It's priceless.

Ohh that boy Fernando. 2 seasons in and you're already a legend!

Borrowed Time

I sympathize with my friends who are still believing that Liverpool are able to steal the thunder from MU at the very last corner. That was before Boro game though. I wonder if they're still believing the dream now.
See....I admire their courage but I still think it is beyond Liverpool this season. Infact, I unwillingly threw the white towel many weeks ago and as it happened, the Boro defeat did not disappoint me that much as before.
I have resigned to the fact that it will not be our year albeit the fanfare and happiness the team brought to us earlier in the season.

Boro aside, Rafa still yet to sign the new contract and Rick Parry who doesn't know how to market Liverpool beyond UK is going to step down finally. No news about possible takeover from the Yanks. I do hope a knight in a shining armour will rescue Liverpool and pour in much needed money. Yes, money...lots of it.
You don't win titles these days with mediocre players like Kuyt, Babel, Lucas and others who repeatedly failed us this season with inconsistencies.
You need more world class players similar to Gerrard and Torres stature to compete with Chelsea, MU and Arsenal. What we don't need is the above players who failed to shine when given chances when these 2 are injured.

To buy more players, we need money and unless the Yanks are booted out, we'll have the same problem though Rafa did his best with his set of limited players who have limited skills also.

Lets concentrate on Champions League. EPL is beyond us!

Gone To The Dogs

The last team to win the league

It's now official. The title chase is no more. The title is MU's again. The fat lady has sung.

3 down, 1 to go. Now the only realistic chance for a silverware is only the Champions League. Dumped out of Carling, FA Cup and now trailing 7 points off MU.

We needed to win tonight at all cost but only played well sporadically. Even Mighty Torres could not save us and we needed a lucky goal from Kuyt to save our blushes.
Tried as hard as they can but lack of depth in the squad finally took its toll. Deprived of SG and Xabi, the midfield was non existent and that contributed largely to the outcome.

Simply put it, we are not good enough to challenge for the title. We need Haile Gebreselassie's leg for the marathon run but sadly we have none. We relied too heavily on SG and Torres, it's becoming a cliche. Yes, we won some games without the duo but generally the the casts like Benayoun, Lucas, Babel, Riera and Dossena do not exactly set pulse racing.

Let's face it. The draws killed our hopes. We lost only once yet we are 7 points off MU.
It's water under the bridge now. No point harping on what could have been.

From now, it does not matter anymore if we are 2nd, 3rd or 4th as long we qualify for CL next season and we are safe in that department. It's Villa or Arsenal for the last spot.

So near yet so far.

Sin City

Tango, salsa or chuhascurrria?

We needed a stoppage time goal in a thriller few months back. We ended up winner 3-2.
Now, the poor and rich cousin of Manure will visit Anfield. Poor in a sense that they're nowhere compared to MU and rich...yes they're the richest club on the planet. They planned to rob Kaka but fell flat on their face.

They are poor on the travels but so do Liverpool on home ground. Draws littered our home games. Fulham, Hull, West Ham, Stoke to name a few have managed to steal the thunder right from under our nose. That's why MU are 5 points clear! We lost only 1 league game to Spurs all season yet we under in this predicament simply bcoz we drew too many home games.

My heart says we will win the encounter this Sunday but only just. SG won't be around and so does Alonso. That left us with my favorite player Lucas and Masch to man the midfield.

Lucas to run the show? Can he lives up to the billing?

Fight Club

How the game was won

I did not get to watch the Pompey game. Was away on official duties north of the border and was hoping that TV station will beam the game live. Freakin' mad. There was none but they carry a delayed Everton's game. Yes, I was mad. I've waited wearily only to be denied my dose of football.

Guess I was lucky not to have watched Babel missed an open goal. I've always consistent in describing him as not having a certain class to play for Liverpool or EPL generally.
I'm sticking to my judgment. Looks I'm not far from the truth.

In a way, Rafa was lucky. He fielded a strong squad minus Lucas to face Everton and lost in extra time and with tired players, he gambled with second stringers for Pompey. Had we lost, the gamble could have backfired dearly. 2 losses in a week? Dumped out of FA Cup and losing further ground on MU?
That would be kissing goodbye to the season bar Champions League.

Luckily, Torres saved Rafa and us. Yes, we are still in with a fighting chance.

And Babel? Choose your word carefully.

10 Heroes and A Stupid Boy

Walaupun rupamu tidak kukenal tetapi you're rubbish!

Granted, SG's early exit made it difficult for the team but Rafa's fascination with Lucas made the task impossible.
He did the team at Wigan and now for a 'bapok' tackle on Lescott when he's already on a yellow. I would not mind the red if it was for that kind of tackle that broke Eduardo's legs into pieces but for a 'bapok', stick your leg, half hearted challenge begs question whether he's born a Brazilian or he was born to a foreign couple holidaying in Copacabana beach.

Guess, my toenails are more Brazilian than him for he cannot pass, tackle or score goals. Yet, he is preferred than Masch who silenced Ballack and Fatty Lamps just a few days ago.

Save Masch for Pompey? Pompey who?
Really, I cannot fathom or stomach this fascination about Lucas at all.
The midfield battle was lost due to Alonso had to cover him constantly depriving the former licence to roam around and spray passes like he normally does. That was the key.

Masch is a holding midfielder not Lucas. Period. Maybe for UPB-MyTeam if KJ likes him.

Sell him please, Mr. Rafa. It's an insult to the name Liverpool.

Comings and Goings Part 2

Bye Keane, see you in May

So the conspiracy theory did not materialise.

Keane is now gone but Lennon and Saviola did not make it to Anfield. Seems Rafa is satisfied the squad he has now, a smaller one minus Keane. With Liverpool are still challenging on 3 fronts, injuries could scuttle his plan. You see, LFC are a bit thin in the striking department with only Torres, Kuyt and Ngog to choose from. Maybe Babel too.

What is he going to do with that Keane money? Maybe he has none as apparently LFC still owed Spurs 6 months ago. Maybe we really need that Arab money afterall.

Touch wood, Torres would not get injured again till May.

A Friendly Derby - Episode 3

Same men, different outcome

Yes, tomorrow it's that small club again. This time in their own den, a walking distance from Anfield.

Twice in a space of 4 days, the neighbour fought gallantly to deny Liverpool much needed wins. Taking a point in EPL and then forcing a replay in FA Cup. What will be the outcome tomorrow?

Everton had played a big part in Liverpool's history. Many years ago, King Kenny walked out of Anfield after LFC lost to Everton in a FA Cup replay and incidentally started the rot many thought as temporary. Alas,Liverpool have never win EPL since that fateful day. Been 19 years now! You see, Everton are a nuisance.

When the double header was played earlier, Liverpool were coming off a draw against Stoke. Captain Gerrard was denied by the goal post in the closing minutes. It was devastating and needless to say, that sets further draws against Everton (twice) and Wigan.
The club was mired in Keane situation then. Torres was a little rusty coming back from injuries. Everton had an unbeaten run in 7 games or so. They were on a high then.
So many factors worked against Liverpool.

Now, it's different. We thumped Chelsea and Everton got beaten narrowly by Manure through a debatable penalty. The opposite had happened. Timely too.
Tomorrow, Everton will pack their defence as normal and Liverpool will try to sneak a goal or two. No doubt, Everton will be wary of a wounded lion and in Torres, we have a fit, eager matchwinner. If not for Alex's heroics last Sunday, Torres could have five to his names. That was how dangerous he is these days. You could almost see him breathing fire when he took the entire Chelsea defence and he was victorious at the end. How fitting.

Tim Howard would do well to collect the ball from the net a few times tomorrow.

Cometh The Hour, Cometh The Rabbit

He is lovable, my pet rabbit

Here the theory goes.

Keane will return to White Hart Lane and in comes Aaron Lennon as makeweights.
Rafa will get the width he badly wanted with speedster Lennon, of course not related to his namesake John.

Kuyt will return to his favoured position of understudy to Torres or paired together in a 4-4-2 style. Hey.. we are still short of one striker with the departure of Keane. So who comes in?

The answer is The Rabbit, Javier Saviola currently employed by our next CL opponent Real Madrid. He's not going to play much for Les Meringues now that they have Klaas Jan Huntelaar.
Saviola previously with Barca is apparently wanted by Spurs to ease their injury worries. Seems like they have a done deal.

Now they've got Robbie, Spurs in return will let Saviola go in opposite direction, again as makeweights to lure Robbie.

How's that theory? Seems Rafa is a genius. Kill two birds with a stone. Got Lennon and solve the right wing problem and also got a poacher who's willing to bide his time. He aint complaining as he is a sub with his current employer. Harmony within the squad.

Make no mistake, this little fella is potent. Good addition to the squad.

Going, Going..Gone

The Irish eyes are weeping

Think we had seen the last of Robbie at Anfield. Dream move, wrong club.

He was previously a focal point wherever he has played save Inter but in Liverpool, its the reverse.
He has to settle quickly into a foreign style of play. Liverpool are build around Gerrard and Torres. No question about that. LFC is Gerrard and Gerrard is LFC. Torres to a certain extent.

Is he a bad player overnight? Certainly do not think so. He is a victim of circumstances caught between a rock and a hard place. Caught between Rafa and the Yanks. Rafa wanted Barry but got Keane instead. The club got him said Rafa. I thought it was Rick Parry's hands that got Keane just to placate the fans that wanted big name players. Barry was lost after several months, even after the lad was transfer listed by Villa and Keane was brought to cool the fire.

He is devastated of course but to a certain extent he has only himself to blame. Preston was the last straw that broke the camel's back. He was presented with so many chances but failed each time. His finishing that fateful day was comparable to Kuyt's or Lucas'.

He is a victim of circumstances also being continuously compared to Torres's amazing 1st season.
What Torres did was outta this world being different kind of animal. Keane in all fairness has other qualities that Torres does not possess.

I'm sad to see this. If Kuyt, Babel and Lucas can stay, why not Robbie? Those 3 stooges will never scaled his achievements in scoring department. I wonder what he will bring if he is allowed to stay a little bit longer.

Now, poor old Robbie will be remembered only for the wrong reasons.

Who's the Boss?

Mike Riley is comical. Fat Lampard did not deserve to be red carded. It took the gloss off Liverpool's win.
Sure it dented Chelsea's chance but on the balance of probability, Liverpool would win it anyway.

It Fatty's card was bad enough, Old Mike certainly was blind not to see Bosingwa's kung fu kick at Benayoun. Or is he suffering similar ailment like Wenger's eyesight?
That was a blunder and I hope he's investigated by Referees Committee. If Beckham was shown the door for touching Simeone, then what Bosingwa did warranted a ban for serious dangerous play. It was like trying to hammer a snatch thief!

Old Mike was comical really but Bosingwa is man enough to admit his mistake and has since apologised.

Did Old Mike apologised for his antics?

Heat Intensified

Have we turned the corner ? Not thoroughly convinced as yet.

Yeap...Chelsea were pummeled alright (see Droggy's face) but it need a late, late special intervention by Torres to save LFC yet again from embarrassing stats of controlling the match but did not score.
Apart from Torres' goals, Cech was not severely tested. Lucky wins? Perhaps but it was well deserved....LFC just need to it more often on regular basis against all comers, small clubs or otherwise.

2 days from now, it'll be Everton episode 3. Win at Goodison and you have me convinced.
Sure it's a little distraction from BPL but Rafa has no choice but to play his best 11. Lose and the confidence will dip. Momentum lost and all sniper pundits will train their guns at LFC again.
Surely Rafa and us, the loyal fans do not want that, I mean the confidence thingy. Critics are nothing to Rafa.

Confidence is sky high now, Rafa. Just play your best 11 presumably minus Robbie. You have nothing to lose though it's only FA Cup tie. It's Everton for God sake. That little club.

Go on son, make a statement.

Do or Die

When was this, Kuyt?

As much as I hate to admit it, the title is now MU's to lose should we lose to Chelsea tomorrow and MU win theirs against Everton. It'll be 5 points and could be 8 points adrift if MU win their extra game in hand.

8 points!! That massive? Yes, it's that massive.
To me, 8 is unassailable. End of story and LFC should try to concentrate on CL and qualifying for CL next season. Go all out in FA Cup as well to lessen the agony.

Liverpool are in a slump. Consider this, 7 draws in the last 10 league fixtures. That's 14 dropped points and yet we are only 2 behind MU. If half of that were won, we'll be sitting pretty atop the table challenging on all fronts but sadly........( I leave it to you to complete).

What started so brightly is now crumbling like a house of cards....but the boys can still salvage the season if they beat Chelsea tomorrow. It's still not out of their hands yet but every game from now on is a must win thingy. Even draws must be avoided at all cost.

Can they do it? Hopefully they can. They did it before and there's no reason why they cannot do it again.
That means every single players have to pull up their socks and be counted, Lucas, Babel, Keane and Kuyt included. Fail and I love to see those above leaving Anfield for good and seek a new paymaster somewhere else.
Admittedly, MU are far stronger in every aspect. They got better players all round and in cover.
What we've got is a spine in Reina, Carra, Gerrard, Alonso and Torres. The problem is the supporting cast did not do enough to complement the spine and that's why LFC is in the current predicament.

I shall not dwell further. It's do or die mission. Beat Chelsea and hope MU faltered against Everton. Too much to ask?

Black January

Bila nak menang ni?

Not a single win in January and from top spot to third in a matter of weeks. Stoke, the friendly neighbour and now Wigan. All teams that cannot be mentioned in a same breath as Liverpool yet the players failed miserably to register a single win. What went wrong?

Players? Not much of tinkering.
Gaffer? Still the same Spaniard who berated some grumpy old man who's now laughing wholeheartedly.
Tactics? LFC thumped Newcastle 5-1 playing 4-5-1 and Bolton playing 4-4-2.

Truth hurts but the reality is some players suck. Loss of form, injuries and over dependence on some players do play a factor too but let's start on the bad and ugly.

No one is greater than the club. Players come and go and admittedly it wont break my heart if we see the back of Babel, Lucas and Kuyt.

Babel was his usual self whenever fielded. Lost and confused. When was the last time his cross was turned into goal since Kuyt's against Liege? He was brought from Ajax, the football mill as a winger but amazingly his crosses were so poor. His awkward runs too. Looks tough courtesy of his built but he's so 'lembik'.

Lucas apart from his pass to Gerrard in that Newcastle game, blew hot and cold. He's neither here nor there in some games apart from consistently fouling opponents and receiving yellows. He cannot score goals too even from 3 feet away from goal and to see that coming from a Brazilian youth captain is unbelievable.

And Kuyt...what else you expect from a headless chicken? A sure first touch? A goal machine? A great crosser? Answer... none of the above but Rafa likes him a lot. We certainly cannot change his opinion about Kuyt but hey....I'm entitled to my opinion too. He sucks though he is a hard worker who chases lost causes all day long.
At the end of the day, the statistic of how many kms he runs in a game count for nothing when he steadily scuffs the chances that came his way.

Of course, we are disappointed to see this happening to our LFC. Not too long ago we were gloating about the superiority of LFC, now it's the turn of Manure to hog the limelight.

Unless the players pull up their socks, it will a case of 'so near yet so far' again for us this season.

Certainly not the January that Glenn, the Indonesian singer sung flawlessly.

Sri Liverpool FC

Hey, it was that man again (pic). The Aussie was certainly in his element to deny us again, for the umpteenth time. Everton played well. Their defenders like Jagielka and Lescott were awesome. Defending that is.

Possession never wins a football match, goals did and we lacked goalscorers to nail a close match. We had chances but as in every drawn matches this season, they fell to goal-shy, out of sorts players like Babel and Kuyt.
Liverpool relied too heavily on Gerrard and Torres to score. No other players it seems are capable to share the duties and whenever these 2 are heavily shackled, inevitably the goals dried up.

The omens are not good ha? Who else can score? Keane, Kuyt or Babel?
Keane was not even in the squad these days. Kuyt will score again next year. Babel has been disappointing whenever fielded, 2 years on after arriving from powerhouse Ajax. More like Ajax Fabuluso to me. Will he realise his full potential? On current form, the answer will be never.

This coming weeks will be busy for LFC. Tomorrow at Wigan, Sunday entertaining Chelsea and then the Cup replay at Goodison. A treat for us for sure but shudder to think if the trend will continue.

A friend suggested that Malaysian version of LFC should be called 'Sri Liverpool' FC for Liverpool are now a draw specialist. How apt?

Wigan should be the perfect fodder to dispel the tag.

The Last of The Yanks

Lets face it. Wealthy owner brings bucketful of cash and it means club can compete in the ever increasing transfer fees.
We've had bickering Yankee owners for a couple of years now who apparently do not know much about football or soccer as it is called in the Obama's land.

Much had been read about Rafa's frustration when dealing with the owners and we haven't had big name players either except for Torres.

Suddenly, hit by the credit crunch, the Yanks are now hellbent on selling their prized asset to some Middle Eastern family. Yeah... those filthy rich mega billionaire Arabs. Just read HERE
Just look what happened to Manchester City? After so many years in hibernation, suddenly they bid for Kaka. Never mind it did not happen, that's the power of Arab petro dollars. It certainly can do wonders.

I'm all for it if the acquisition can propel Liverpool to a new heights, buying new star players and build a new stadium. After all M&A are nothing new in business, even in Malaysia.

Maybe this is a new dawn for Liverpool. Maybe we are seeing the last can of Carlsberg on the player's chest.
Arabs don't drink, do they?

Tim Ca'hell'

Useless!

He broke our hearts and MU will now stay on top for the time being. Frightening thought?
They are even on points but stayed top on goal difference. An extra game in hand though.

I thought we could hold on to Gerrard's solitary strike but it wasn't to be. 1-1 at the end was cruel but Everton played well. Enough to deter Liverpool claiming the bragging rights.

We'll meet again next Sunday in the FA Cup. Chances are they will field the same players. Dunno what Rafa thinks but some players could be rested. Keane especially, he was not playing though fielded as back up striker. There's no chemistry between him and Torres, all plain to see. Maybe he's a dud after all. Duh....

Stoke it seems took the sting out of Liverpool play. Okay, it's still a long way to go but really, Tim Ca'hell' broke our hearts.

My heart goes to Gerrard.

A Friendly Derby

Actually it's everything but friendly about the match up between Liverpool and Everton tonight.

A must win for Liverpool. Drop point and we'll be chasing MU, perhaps till the end as they have 1 extra game and they're not seemingly possible to drop some stupid points either.
They had won all their latest game with a series of 1-0, some with a very, very late goals but who cares? It's 3 points that matters. Somehow their strikers managed to score even in a tight game be it Berbatov, Tevez, Rooney or the cocky faced Ronaldo. They have match winners in abundance.

Liverpool?
We clearly lacked match winners apart from Gerrard and Torres. The others are not dependable to score, a case in point Kuyt and Lucas last week against Stoke. They had chances but blew it. In a match as tight as that, every opportunity counts and yet they failed to nail it so chances went begging. 0-0 at the end.

Everton without a striker in their line up present a big chance to the Reds to correct what went wrong last time out. Nothing else matters except 3 big points to overhaul MU at the top.

Nothing else matters.

The Devil and His Bulldog

Scene at Anfield?

So many of us got fumed. Chelsea were butchered by the Devil and this morning it's Wigan's turn to return home empty handed. It's only 2 points separating us and them with an extra game in hand.
Bloody hell and they will be top before Everton's visit next Tuesday morning.
Thought Bolton is just making up the numbers.

Now, the pressure is cranking up. While they were winning 1-0 in the last few weeks, we were dropping points like nobody business. Kuyt and Lucas are among the culprits last week, missing gilt edged chances against wily old fox Stoke. Thought the lads were brilliant one day and then turned into a 3 legged mouse a week or so later. DNA modifications?

Now, the dropped points against those lowly opponents at home will haunt the players and definitely us, poor castaways. Everton will provide answers whether the players can live up to the billing.
Let's just see if the answers will be right.

Going Potters Part 3

The picture says it all!

In all fairness, Stoke played well. Well enough to deny Liverpool a much needed win to stay clear of the chasing pack.
Their brand of football certainly not pleasing to the eyes but alas it worked. Liverpool were held again 0-0, enough to stay at the top but to us, it's frustrating.

Rafa fielded more or less the same 11 with the same formation who annihilated Newcastle but it did not work this time. Stoke were resolute in defending and even could have won the game with their set plays, their only form of attack.

Lucas and Benayoun were clearly rattled by the physicality of the match hence their ineffectiveness. Some of the tackles or body checks were indeed questionable but that's Stoke. Only the tough will persevere and even Masch was bullied in midfield.

For now, whatever happens tonight, we'll be on the top but for how long? If MU win all 3 extra games, they will lead by 1 point and that could be sooner than later.

The question is can they handle Chelsea tonight? They too need points badly.
My take, the game will end in a draw, maybe 1-1.

Going Potters Part 2

Attention! Park the bus at your own risk!

Amidst the hype surrounding the double derby clash, somehow Stoke is put on a back burner even by the Brits media. A case of lost hope for Stoke?

Like to think so but with the game to be played at their stadia, Stoke could be a potential head turner yet again despite their lowly position. Man U just scrapped through, helped by the sending off.

Okay, their football is sickening to watch, more like rugby than football but to a certain extent it worked. They had secured a draw at Anfield earlier, parking 3 buses in the process.
A repeat on the cards? Do not think so.

This time at their own backyard, surely they will open up and this is where Liverpool will capitalise. I've confidence that history will not be repeated with Gerrard-Torres partnership to make sure it'll be 6 points ahead by the time Man U entertain Chelsea.

Talking about putting pressure, both will kill each other and the game end up in a draw.
Wishful thinking folks?

Double Whammy

Who's afraid of a small club?

And the prize for beating Preston?

It's double header against bitter rival, the blue half of Mersey. It's Everton, my folks on Jan 24/25 at Anfield.

The best part is we'll have to face them on Jan 19 for the league reverse fixture. That's 2 home games against Everton in the space of 5 days. What a prospect? Cards galore, crunching tackles and surely some goals.
We never had it easy against them, do not expect these 2 games to be a walk in the park either.

This January is a busy month. Apart from these 2 games. we'll visit Wigan on Jan 27 and then Chelsea on 1st February (Hari Kuala Lumpur) at home.
Sure it will be a selection poser for Rafa to name his side for so many games within such a short space. He is the master, he'll do wonders I'm sure. The players too are on the ascendancy by the look of things.

On current form, Liverpool will stampede Everton just like what we did at Goodison Park earlier. No real concern. They are only a small club, aren't they?