Crimson Corpus of Liverpool Football Club

Shackles are off at Anfield, so abandon hope all who enter

2010-09-04T19:44:00.001+08:00

The hopeless optimism of Liverpool's supporters vanished after defeat to Manchester City last Monday night. This was a good thing. Liverpool is no place for hopeless optimism. Or even hopeful optimism.

Every time Joe Cole plays he gives another example of why only the deluded could see him as the signing of the summer. Liverpool is no place for the deluded.

There should have been no optimism among Liverpool fans this summer, no Newcastle United-style rejoicing at a summer signing. Not when the club is in peril. The chairman Martin Broughton said at the beginning of July that the club was on course for "where we would have expected to be" which involved a sale by the end of August. August is at an end and Liverpool aren't where they expected to be. They're not even where it's at.

Liverpool now have a football team to match the reduced ambitions of the boardroom.

The club which once existed solely to be a source of pride to their supporters and had no other purpose is now a source of pride to Andy Gray, Jamie Redknapp and Sky Sports, and a headache for the banks. The club is being managed as Sky Sports always felt it should be. It has an English manager who is playing England's captain in his favourite position. Liverpool are doomed.

On Monday night, Andy Gray's pre-match tactical analysis on Sky anticipated with relish Steven Gerrard's selection in midfield. The reluctance of nearly every manager Gerrard has worked under to select him in midfield was raised. Gray seemed bewildered by this collective wisdom as if trying to work out why a woman would dump a cat in a wheelie bin.

Some managers have certainly acted as if English players are dumb animals as they surround them with players who can do their thinking for them.

Under Hodgson, Liverpool are taking a different approach and the defeat to Manchester City demonstrated how it's going to work out.

At Liverpool, they have embraced the quota system as the means to shape a more English personality to their team. Liverpool have never had an English personality, even when the team was mainly made up of Englishmen.

Gerrard, in his unconscious way, has retreated from the humiliation of the summer and decided that the solution to this humiliation is to surround himself with Englishmen and feel safe.

Rafa Benitez tried to challenge him and, for a time, he was successful. But Gerrard wasn't happy, as if happiness has anything to do with anything. Gerrard has run from hard choices his whole career and resented those who tried to make them for him.

He should have left Liverpool rather than be the arrested and malfunctioning heart of the team. Instead he ducked those challenges and now, helped by his supporters on Sky, he has changed the rules again. He will be happy, and Liverpool will be happy, if Gerrard plays in central midfield, a position of importance to match his ego.

Hodgson seems inclined to give these powerful forces within the dressing room responsibility. He has handed Joe Cole a central role, ignoring the lessons of this summer, and every summer, that no Englishman anywhere should ever be given a central role or the responsibility that comes with it.

By the end of last Monday night, Gray should have been chastened. Instead he didn't seem to grasp the significance of his post-match comments as they showed a clip of Gerrard hitting the post. It was, Gray said, "Steven Gerrard at his best". Liverpool were 2-0 down and Gerrard, freed from the restrictions of having to think and create, was trying his Superman routine. "The shackles were off," Richard Keys said beside Gray, unable to grasp that central midfield play is about recognising when to shackle and to unshackle. Steven Gerrard's problem is that he has no idea how he does the things he can do, let alone how to do the things he can't.

The self-destructiveness at the heart of this desire for Gerrard is its most interesting factor.

Under Benitez, Gerrard was finally allowed to play without responsibility as a partner for Torres. His legs may or may not be up to this role at this stage of his career but it will take an astonishing mental adjustment for him to do anything else.

Hodgson is a man well-respected in UEFA circles or, in other words, a nonentity, a corporate line manager who can make everybody feel at home. Sky feel at home at Liverpool now.

Javier Mascherano's refusal to play created a convenient scapegoat (there always seems to be one nearby when Gerrard is exposed) as Hodgson had to abandon his plan to play Gerrard behind Torres at the last minute. Mascherano had stated his desire to leave for a year so intending to play him in the last few days of the transfer window could be seen as bad planning rather than planning.

Hodgson used the fall-out from the Mascherano strike to criticise Benitez's attempts to sign Dirk Kuyt. Benitez had given a written undertaking that he would not return to sign his former players, Hodgson claimed.

Some said Hodgson had made a similar promise when he left Fulham, that he would leave the talent at Craven Cottage alone. By signing Paul Konchesky, he can be said to be observing the spirit of this agreement.

"We don't need the money," Hodgson said when discussing Inter's interest in Kuyt, words that should have tripped a few alarms when Liverpool need every penny they can get.

Hodgson was the appointment of a board that has failed in its primary duty. He was the low maintenance man they could do business with while they failed in their main objective.

It is time for Liverpool supporters to start boycotting matches, to take direct action against the owners and the board that sustains them still.

Hodgson, it was said, brought stability. Liverpool does not need stability, it needs radicalism. Bill Shankly did not bring stability; if he had, the club would have remained stable in the second division. Hodgson needs to challenge Gerrard. When Cole returns from suspension, the manager will have to confront their failings and play them where they are most dangerous, not where they think they belong.

Benitez had to go because the dressing room atmosphere had soured. So far this season, Liverpool are playing with the abandon of free men.

dfanning@independent.ie

Sunday Independent

What's counting at LFC?

2010-09-02T23:22:00.001+08:00

Took this from another blog, still not in the mood to write:

Gillett: “We have invested more money than our competitors, in keeping with the history of the club”

Hicks: “Our debt is very managable…. and we never use player sales for debt service. The summer window will be big.”

Tom Hicks (27 May 2010): “We have no intention of selling any of our top players and we have a substantial transfer budget in place. There’s so much misinformation about transfer spending. It’s more than doubled under the ownership of George and myself from the previous three years and we will make a significant investment this summer. It’s really about getting the right players.”

Martin Broughton (16 July 2010): “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we have no need to sell any players to pay off the debt. If we were to sell anyone, then the money would be reinvested in the squad.”

6pm 31.08.2010: The transfer window has closed and as we suspected the club has had the fans off yet again.

PLAYERS OUT 2010 (£42.65m)

08.01.2010 Andrea Dossena Napoli £4,700,000
10.01.2010 Andriy Voronin Dinamo Moscow £1,800,000
04.02.2010 Nikolay Mihaylov FC Twente £1,500,000
19.05.2010 Mikel San José Domínguez Athletic Bilbao £2,600,000
01.07.2010 Fábio Aurélio released Free
01.07.2010 David Martin MK Dons Free
02.07.2010 Yossi Benayoun Chelsea £6,000,000
23.07.2010 Albert Riera Olympiacos £3,300,000 *
23.08.2010 Diego Cavalieri Cesena £3,000,000
25.08.2010 Krisztian Nemeth Olympiacos £1,000,000
30.08.2010 Javier Mascherano Barcelona £17,250,000
31.08.2010 Alex Kacanicklic Fulham £750,000 *
31.08.2010 Lauri Dalla Valle Fulham £750,000 *
31.08.2010 Damien Plessis Panathinaikos £ UNKNOWN FOR NOW

PLAYERS IN 2010 (£25.55m)

12.01.2010 Maxi Rodriguez Atletico Madrid Free
10.05.2010 Jonjo Shelvey Charlton £1,700,000 *
08.07.2010 Milan Jovanovic Standard Liege Free
19.07.2010 Joe Cole Out of contract Free
21.07.2010 Danny Wilson Glasgow Rangers £2,000,000 *
31.07.2010 Fabio Aurelio Out of contract Free
12.08.2010 Christian Poulsen Juventus £4,550,000 *
18.08.2010 Brad Jones Middlesborough £2,300,000
29.08.2010 Raul Meireles FC Porto £11,500,000
31.08.2010 Paul Konchesky Fulham £3,500,000 *

(* indicates additional payments may be applicable)

PROFIT ON TRANSFER DEALINGS IN 2010: £17.1m (the “substantial transfer budget in place” appears to have gone missing – again).

http://www.scousenotenglish.co.uk/?gclid=CKfB8b3L6Z4CFU0A4wod1nXaIQ#/todays-news-3/4540928104

Questions Christian Purslow Needs To Answer

2010-07-26T11:39:00.002+08:00

Below is another effort in the attempt to question Purslow, initiated by concerned fans starting at RAWK, albeit asking difference people concerned to do it since he has been avoiding the fans' calls. As supporters, we can write to the emails below and include the open letter:

Most people on here have taken part in this before, but don't worry....
we are taking a different tack. No need for letters and stamps in this one.

All we are asking for is, a few minutes of your time, from the comfort of your own home without a need to even leave your computer... We intend to bombard the media, on top of all the relevant people and institutions that we have already approached.

Over recent weeks we have constantly tried to question our "Managing Director," Christian Purslow.

Right here on RAWK and spread across many fan sites and forums on the net, and also through things like the SAVE LIVERPOOL Facebook and Twitter campaigns, we have attempted to pressure Mr. Purslow into answering questions that we feel most of us fans want answering.

Knowing what sort of a man he is, we didn't try to question him personally. We turned to other people and institutions politely asking, then demanding, them to quiz him on our/your behalf.

We got answers from all the people and institutions that we approached... RBS, Standard Chartered, Secretary of Industry, Vince Cable, and The Premier League.

These are the people who have a duty, in one capacity or another, to ask these questions on our behalf. And, as I said, we have recieved answers from them all, but they also all ducked their responsibility to ask these perfectly legitimate questions. So, we think it's high time we forced/embarrased them into what they should have been doing all along as a simple matter of course.

In fact, we started a campaign to get some answers when Rafa was first forced out, and for at least a month we have been trying to get answers from Purslow personally. So, it's time to force people's hands.

And during this time, our union, SOS, have also tried to question Purslow on at least two seperate occasions... once in public, which he disgracefully ducked out of. And we eagerly await the results of SOS's latest attempt to get Purslow to answer our legitimate concerns.

However, even though I am a union member, I want to note that this is in no way, shape or form an SOS initiative. And although, we have worked with our union on this, and fully support their efforts, we are doing this in an attempt to bring Purslow to account to us - the fans and supporters - and force him to finally answer our/your questions...
Questions we think we are fully entitled to ask... questions we think Purslow is duty bound to answer... and questions we feel all fans would want answering.

So, please don't go bothering the union or board members with emails or so on. There is no need, and they have more than enough to do as it is without being bothered with all this.

Let's just stick to the intended targets and keep focused on the goal. But, knowing our Managing Director, no doubt, he will try to duck, dive and dodge as he has since this started. No problem...
As the old saying goes, he can run but he can't hide.

And as in the other parts of this campaign, if we band together, all do this and get as many other Reds as we can to join us, we can pile massive pressure on top of all the pressure we have already heaped on him.... Remember, there's millions of us. We get a tiny percentage on board, and we can have a massive effect.

And even if he squirms away, as is his habit, we will, at the very least, highly embarass him and erode any credability he has left.

So, here's all the questions we have been asking our Managing Director to answer for a month or so. But, to include a couple of events that have taken place recently, we have added a couple of new questions to the ones we originally posted.

Finally... we have found when taking part in a campaign like this, it is best to add a personal cover note to the set questions. It only has to be brief - a quick explanation of why you are doing this in your own words. In fact, you can add whatever you like, but please...
No abuse. No threats. Nothing derogatory. There's no need.... Just a quick personal note imploring every one you contact to ask the questions on your behalf because Purslow has ignored all past attempts.

OPEN LETTER TO CHRISTIAN PURSLOW

Your appointment as Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club in July 2009, was officially reported at the time as a temporary role until a long-term replacement for Rick Parry as Chief Executive is found. One year on, could you confirm the following:

1. Are Odgers Berndtson still retained by the club in relation to filling the Chief Executive vacancy?

2. If so, how many candidates have been shortlisted and/or interviewed in the last 12 months? And have you been personally involved in that selection process?

3. If not, has another executive search company been appointed or is the vacancy considered 'dormant' or 'on hold' at present?

4. Is it true that if/when this appointment is made, despite remaining at the the club as a board director, you will cease to have any direct operational responsibility?

5. Can you explain why numerous media outlets (Sky, Trinity Mirror etc.,) not to mention the club's new manager, Roy Hodgson in his first press conference, have begun to refer to you as the "Chief Executive"? Have you been promoted internally without public confirmation from the club? Or are you simply misrepresenting yourself in this regard?

6. Do you expect to remain at the club in any capacity once the sale of the club eventually goes through? Do you believe your continued presence will be countenanced by the fans or new owners?

In relation to the club's financial state and operational matters:

7. What happened to the significant investment you were tasked with obtaining for the club, and confirmed earlier this year as being "very likely (by) Easter"?

8. How do you account for that failure given Liverpool FC's high profile globally? Does it reflect on yourself, the owners, or the club itself?

9. Are you able to explain why you feel empowered to make football-related decisions when you have previously had zero experience in the industry, and were appointed solely on the basis of your financial background? Outside of normal MD supervisory responsibilities, would you agree your primary remit was investment not asset-stripping?

10. Do you feel it is acceptable behaviour for any senior executive at a football club to privately brief hand-picked journalists to disseminate false information via the media, in order to further their own agenda to remove key employees and spin-doctor the financial realities of the club?

11. Did you earlier this year, personally contact either Jorge Valdano, Miguel Pardeza or any other Real Madrid executive to discuss the potential availability for transfer of Rafael Van Der Vaart, without prior discussion or indeed even the knowledge of the then-manager Rafa Benitez? If so, with what purpose given it is the manager's chief responsibility to identify who to buy or sell, subject to board financial approval.

12. Why did you decide to terminate the employment of Rafa Benitez by paying out £6m in lieu of the remainder of the length of his contract, when he was already having discussions with Internazionale who according to their owner Massimo Moratti, were prepared to pay an equivalent sum in compensation to Liverpool FC for Benitez's services? Moratti had, after all, just similarly received €8m from Real Madrid as compensation for the loss of Jose Mourinho.

13. Why, having effectively placed a combined £12m in contractual fees as a debit on the club's balance sheet, did you and the board then decide it prudent to appoint Roy Hodgson as the new manager, thus requiring the club to further pay in excess of £2m in compensation to Fulham FC? Nonwithstanding Hodgson was clearly not the choice of a key member of the selection committee, and there were other far more suitable candidates available for the role who were either internal or out of contract and thus required no such payment to be made.

14. Announcing the sale of Yossi Benayoun on 2 July to our Chairman's beloved Chelsea, the official Liverpool FC release included the statement "Yossi's departure was agreed between the player and Rafael Benitez a number of weeks ago.". Given you terminated Benitez's contract almost 6 weeks ago, a month before Benayoun's sale, isn't it true that this misleading statement was clearly and cynically designed to lay the entire blame for the player's sale at the hands of the club's ex-manager? Or does this set a precedent in that you plan on implementing all of our ex-manager's long-term plans on squad retention in his very noticeable absence?

15. Are you also willing to confirm either the magnitude or the actual fee received for Benayoun, as there is no real need in this context to hide the figure behind the "undisclosed" nature as reported in the media.

16. You recently stated in relation to player transfers that "no-one leaves until a new manager is appointed". So given Roy Hodgson's recent appointment, who can we look forward to the club selling now? Does Hodgson have a say in transfer matters or have you usurped full responsibility in that area?

17. Given your Machiavellian-like behaviour during your tenure as temporary MD, and your increasingly autocratic actions, are you prepared to accept that for the vast majority of fans, your claims of being a "lifelong Red" and former season ticket holder (not technically true as you well know) mean you are viewed as the worst kind of traitor? As opposed to the lone 'fan within' the boardroom you have attempted to paint yourself as. Do you therefore have any regrets?

(http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=260637.0)

Here's some email addresses:

admin@guillembalague.com, bill.bradshaw@express.co.uk, james.lawton@independent.co.uk,m.lawton@dailymail.co.uk, martin.samuel@dailymail.co.uk, ashley.gray@dailymail.co.uk,sam.wallace@independent.co.uk, dominic.fifield@guardian.co.uk, martin.lipton@mirror.co.uk,henry.winter@telegraph.co.uk, kevin.mccarra@guardian.co.uk, hugh.mcilvanney@sunday-times.co.uk,leewatson@guillembalague.com, sid.lowe@guardian.co.uk, sport@independent.co.uk,editorial@dailymailonline.co.uk, sport@tribune.ie, mailbox@mirror.co.uk, starsport@dailystar.co.uk,sports@sundayworld.com, sport@liverpoolecho.co.uk, mailbox@mirror.co.uk, sport@guardian.co.uk,sport@independent.co.uk, btsportsdesk@hotmail.com, newsdesk@irishtimes.com,darwin.templeton@jpress.co.uk, feedback@dallasnews.com, 606@bbc.co.uk, 5livesport@bbc.co.uk,u2us@skysports.com, fff@foxsoccer.com, onair@talksport.co.uk, football@bbc.co.uk, tonight@itv.com

Some of the Unanswered Questions on Purslow

2010-07-02T13:00:00.003+08:00

This was posted on RAWK, something which should be answered. And who is this person who "was at Harvard Business School with Tom Hicks Jnr? He is indeed a long standing friend of the Hicks family with some business ties to them, as he owns and runs his own leveraged buy out company, with it’s assets all held off-shore."

FIGHT BACK, PART 4: PURSLOW IN THE DOCK - WE WANT ANSWERS!

« on: June 30, 2010, 02:01:32 PM »
Seeing all the recent developments at the club, have left most of us scrambling for answers and more confused than ever, here's some questions I think we'd all want answering by our Managing Director.

Of course, we're more likely to be answered with threats from his lawyers than a direct response from the man himself. So, copying one of the man's favourite tactics, I'm going to send the list to some of our friend's in the media - in the hope they can get some direct responses at the press conference to unveil Mr Purslow's choice of manager. But I'll add the rest of the people I think we should send the questions to in seperate post.

But firstly...
Here's the questions themselves. We have a very knowledgable friend to thank for these. Obviously they weren't drafted by me, as Mr Purslow hasn't been called any obscenities, and the questions are a bit more challenging than "Exactly how long have you been the Hicks family personal Gimp?"

So, make sure you ask them. Of course, you can add some of your own. And you can send them to whomever you think should be answering them. But please don't get abusive or threatening...
We have no need to come down to Cecil's level.

But we do need to let him know that this will not stop. We will not give in until we have took back our club from the hostile invaders and their hired gimps in the boardroom. So add a little cover note, explaining this is an organised campaign that won't stop until we - the Supporters of Liverpool Football Club - are given some answers.

Ok. So, get the printer going again and let's get at it...

Dear Mr. Purslow,
Your appointment as Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club in July 2009, was officially reported at the time as a temporary role until a long-term replacement for Rick Parry as Chief Executive is found. One year on, could you confirm the following:

1. Are Odgers Berndtson still retained by the club in relation to filling the Chief Executive vacancy?

2. If so, how many candidates have been shortlisted and/or interviewed in the last 12 months? And have you been personally involved in that selection process?

3. If not, has another executive search company been appointed or is the vacancy considered 'dormant' or 'on hold' at present?

4. Is it true that if/when this appointment is made, despite remaining at the the club as a board director, you will cease to have any direct operational responsibility?

5. Do you expect to remain at the club in any capacity once the sale of the club eventually goes through? Do you believe your continued presence will be countenanced by the fans or new owners?

In relation to the club's financial state and operational matters:

6. What happened to the significant investment you were tasked with obtaining for the club, and confirmed earlier this year as being "very likely (by) Easter"?

7. How do you account for that failure given Liverpool FC's high profile globally? Does it reflect on yourself, the owners, or the club itself?

8. Are you able to explain why you feel empowered to make football-related decisions when you have previously had zero experience in the industry, and were appointed solely on the basis of your financial background? Outside of normal MD supervisory responsibilities, would you agree your primary remit was investment not asset-stripping?

9. Do you feel it is acceptable behaviour for any senior executive at a football club to privately brief hand-picked journalists to disseminate false information via the media, in order to further their own agenda to remove key employees and spin-doctor the financial realities of the club?

10. Did you earlier this year, personally contact either Jorge Valdano, Miguel Pardeza or any other Real Madrid executive to discuss the potential availability for transfer of Rafael Van Der Vaart, without prior discussion or indeed even the knowledge of the then-manager Rafa Benitez? If so, with what purpose given it is the manager's chief responsibility to identify who to buy or sell, subject to board financial approval.

11. Why did you decide to terminate the employment of Rafa Benitez by paying out £6m in lieu of the remainder of the length of his contract, when he was already having discussions with Internazionale who according to their owner Massimo Moratti, were prepared to pay an equivalent sum in compensation to Liverpool FC for Benitez's services? Moratti had, after all, just similarly received €8m from Real Madrid as compensation for the loss of Jose Mourinho.

12. Why, having effectively placed a combined £12m in contractual fees as a debit on the club's balance sheet, did you and the board then decide it prudent to appoint Roy Hodgson as the new manager, thus requiring the club to further pay in excess of £2m in compensation to Fulham FC? Nonwithstanding Hodgson was clearly not the choice of a key member of the selection committee, and there were other far more suitable candidates available for the role who were either internal or out of contract and thus required no such payment to be made.

13. You recently stated in relation to player transfers that "no-one leaves until a new manager is appointed". So given Hodgson's imminent appointment, who can we look forward to the club selling now?
« Last Edit: June 30, 2010, 08:03:53 PM by FAT SCOUSER »

£770,000 a week in interest... enough to pay wages to 7 Nando's a week.

Why we must rally to make a difference

2010-06-30T13:43:00.001+08:00

Something else that sums up the problems nicely:

Stand to.. and prepare for a long-un…

Rest assured that WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

There have been several articles in the media about the email/letter campaign. There’s the Bloomberg article Kinny posted in #420 and there was an article in the Echo today.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news//tm_headline=royal-bank-of-scotland-turn-up-the-heat-on-liverpool-fc-owners%26method=full%26objectid=26697601%26siteid=100252-name_page.html

The headline reads: “Royal Bank of Scotland turn up the heat on Liverpool FC owners”
… yet there is in fact, absolutely nothing in the article that does actually suggest that RBS is doing anything…
… in truth it is just a short article wrapped around their email response to the letter campaign.

But at least it is media coverage of the situation… and RBS won’t do anything unless it gets a lot more coverage.

Look forget all the smoke and mirrors lads. Businessmen love to make simple things look complicated.
It creates an isolated world where the money that is out there can only be had by a few instead of by everyone.
But basic business is really rather simple and our current situation really comes down to a simple maths equation.

G&H have put NONE of their own money into the club.
They purchased the club with a loan from RBS.
They then refinanced that loan for a larger amount.
They used the club as collateral.
They have siphoned off money during their tenure.
RBS does NOT make money when the club is sold or the loan is paid off.
They make money when the loan IS NOT paid off… …every day it isn’t paid off.

£110,000 per day, every day the loan IS NOT paid off.

That’s £110,000 per day, every day the loan IS NOT paid off.

One more time… £110,000 per day, EVERY DAY the loan IS NOT paid off.

A quick sale therefore, in spite of their claims, is NOT in RBS’s interest.

£800 million is a joke, and NOT realistic.
But The Yanks know this!
(by the way most American Reds I know call them the Yanks too, so it isn’t a derogatory word towards all Americans! Its called “context” people.)

Contrary to popular myth, G&H are NOT stupid, idiots, morons, etc.
G&H know £800 million is a joke, and NOT realistic.
They KNOW this!
Its smoke and mirrors bullshit so people are talking about that and not the REAL figures of debt involved, and the nature/structure of that debt.

£800 million is the starting price for negotiations so they don’t get low-balled.
“I’ll give you 5 quid for your bike.”
“Nah I want 15.”
“Alright I’ll give you 7”
“Make it 12”
10 quid and that’s my final offer”
“Deal!”

G&H will be looking to clear as close to £500 million as they can (since the debt is actually closer to £461 and NOT the continually ill-reported £271m)

They’ll make a few bob on the sale, at that price, but like RBS, G&H are MAKING THEIR MONEY EVERY DAY the club is NOT sold…
… by virtue of a loan made to the club, by their parent holding company Kop Cayman.

The longer the “sale process” drags on, the more money G&H make, and the more time G&H have to siphon more money off the club.

So it is also NOT in their interest either to effect a quick sale.

Martin Broughton is a Temp.
He’s probably getting paid by the week, or month, with a bonus on completion of task…
meaning he makes more money if the sale process takes LONGER… not if it happens quicker!

Purslow is a G&H appointment (and also possibly on a temp contract if some reports are correct,) but either way… there is a very good likelihood that any New Owner would want their own man at the helm.
So it isn’t in his immediate interest to see a quick sale.

The players… well… simply put… the players will be plying their trade… on lucrative contracts … somewhere… regardless of how all this falls out.

That just leaves US…
…the Fans.
The ONLY one’s whose interest IS promoted by a quick sale.

So that is a really long-winded way of saying…
… anything we can do to put pressure on RBS to effect a quick sale…
… should be done.

“But why would they sell quick, if as you say, they are making money every day the club is NOT sold?” I hear you say. “Why would they listen to us?”

Well, as their “press release” indicates, they wouldn’t… coz there is no negative effect on them as a financial institution if we complain, then take their fob-off explanation, and then do fuck all.

BUT… if we continue to put pressure on them, we can perhaps affect their bottom line.
Government run they may be, but they are a business, and a business is about the bottom line.

If RBS senses they can continue the current arrangement unaffected, they will do so.

If however, they stand to lose money elsewhere (via people pulling their accounts) or suddenly find themselves the target of a negative media, or even being publicly painted with the same brush as G&H, then that can affect their bottom line (perhaps other businesses pulling their affiliations with them?)

THAT is the only way we can make a difference.

And THAT is how we could have made a difference when G&H took over.
But the simple facts are… we all wanted a sugar Daddy.
Nobody (well very few,) were accepting of the status quo and there was a clamor among the fanbase for a sale to new owners.

Hell… at one point, we didn’t even care that some fucker with a list of human rights violations pending against him was the go-to-guy!

The Yanks were largely welcomed with open arms…
… and no one wanted to know about Corinthians and such…
… and that information was raised, but largely… near completely… ignored.

Remember when the Klinssman rumors surfaced?
The fans marched en-masse?
There was a public outcry and better than 75% of the fanbase vocally supported Rafa.
THAT is why G&H backed down.
It is the only reason.

It was simply easier and more cost-effective for the expedition to continue through the jungle with the thorn in their side, than remove it and risk the lions smelling blood!

Arthur you say, fans couldn’t have done anything about G&H taking over…
… but had 75% of the fanbase marched on Anfield in opposition of G&H, as they did over Klinssman…
…it would have created an atmosphere where two thoughts, just might have, sprung to the front of the mind…

The first in the addled brains of G&H…
“Fuck this. These fuckers aren’t passionate, they’re mental. This shit is more trouble than its worth.”

The second in Moores and Parry’s pea-sized-brains…
“Fuck this, let’s go with DIC, or we might not get out of town alive.”

But the fanbase welcomed G&H, in spite of the “franchise” and the “global brand” and the “brand loyalty” slip-o-the-lips.

We heard what we wanted to hear “custodians of the club” and “spade in the ground” …
…as we were looking over our shoulders at the Chavs and Scum disappearing over the horizon…
… and, either not noticing, or completely ignoring, the pale skin, the blood stained shirt, or the slight stench of death, we said “we don’t give a fuck who you are and we don’t require a background check, just come on in.” and invited the Vampires into the house.

When G&H ousted him, 50% of the fanbase had grown anti-Rafa…
… but that 50% (aided and abetted by a very anti-Rafa media,) made its voice heard as though it were 75%.

That 50% almost completely ignored the circumstances of the last 5 years and certainly the circumstances of the last year.

There was a building frustration… And it provided the atmosphere in which G&H could do, what they’d been wanting to do, since the day they took over.

Fire the Mexican help!

It was what they’d been waiting for…
…that is why FS takes the position that those in the vociferous anti-Rafa camp are complicit…
… and I’m sorry if you were in that camp, but whatever your reasons for being there, you were in some measure complicit, because of the simple failure to understand that being pro-Rafa, (for the last 6 months,) really meant being pro-LFC and Anti-Owners.
(and by that I mean strictly having the forethought to be anti-current-predicament.)

…but that atmosphere was created…
… and it released G&H from the only shackles that held them from doing what they wanted…
… and make no mistake…
… one of Purslow and Broughton’s primary objective’s was “find a way to get rid of him.”

… it remains to be seen where that leaves us all…
… but our actions or inactions…
… our Unity… or lack thereof…
…… WILL play a part…

…… how big a part?
… well, that’s up to US. Each of US. ALL of US!

Aitch@Kopblog

Good Article on Gloom on LFC

2010-06-29T00:05:00.001+08:00

Fans forgotten, troubles extended

Posted on May 9th, 2010 by Andy Heaton

By Andy Heaton and Jim Boardman.

Fears amongst Liverpool supporters that the appointment of Martin Broughton was little more than a ploy to buy more time from the banks certainly won’t be eased following Sunday Times revelations that the latest loan extension from RBS was for a full 12 months.

New chairman Broughton was ostensibly brought in to facilitate the swift sale of the club, a sale in his words that should be completed in “a matter of months”. If fans believed him (and a few did for a short time, until reality slapped them in the face again) there’d have been something to finally celebrate in a season no Liverpool fan has enjoyed. But the likelihood of that happening at Torres speed looked extremely slim following a report in the Wall Street Journal claiming Tom Hicks still expected the club to sell for up to £800m. That was before the Reds’ accounts were sneaked out last week showing overall debt of a staggering £473m and dashing supporters’ hopes of an end to this torture yet further.

To now find that the bank gave the owners at least 12 months to find a buyer who was willing to not only pay that outrageous asking price but to deal with that frightening debt leaves fans with heads in hands convinced there is no end to this nightmare. Have the owners persuaded the bank to stay off their backs long enough to see if the world markets recover?

The accounts showed the majority of the Reds’ debt was to the bank – an overall £238m outstanding but with a facility to increase that up to a potential £297m. Overall the club found itself hit with a £43m bill for interest during that year ending 31 July 2009, making an interest bill totalling £76m for the past two years alone. To put that into perspective, when Liverpool announced details of a 60,000-seater stadium in 2002 the whole cost, of the whole project, was estimated at between £60m and £70m. In two years the club has paid more in interest than that stadium would have cost to build.

Staying on the subject of the stadium, despite it still not actually existing, it’s costing more and more money every time another set of accounts is sneaked out. This time another £22.3m went into what remains a figment of a Dallas architect’s imagination. Shovels never went into the ground, “large swimming pools” never started to take shape, but Liverpool have so far thrown £45.5m at a stadium that might never be built. The last attempt at building a stadium resulted in the club writing off £10.3m for the abandoned plans inherited by the current owners, bringing the money wasted so far to £55.8m.

Fans are understandably angered at these figures. £76m in interest for two years, £55.8m spent on a stadium yet to even have one ounce of steel bought for it, a total of £131.8m spent by the club since the new owners came in on the very thing they were brought in for. And they’ve not it brought it. They’ve just taken.

Coincidentally that pretend stadium figure is very close to the amounts the owners had claimed they’d put into the club so far out of their own pockets. Co-owner George Gillett Junior was recorded speaking to a supporter late last year about the state the club was in and claimed that he and his partner had put £128m in. It wasn’t all he claimed.

It’s common knowledge, recorded in legal documents, that the two owners borrowed the money to buy the club, a total of £298m was made available to them. But Gillett likes his fairy tales: “When we bought the club it was with our own money. Cash.” That comment alone was astounding, even by Gillett’s standards.

Twelve months later and that loan needed to be refinanced but – Anfield Road believes – Gillett’s financial situation wasn’t quite as rosy as he’d said when that first loan was taken out. One of the sticking points in getting it refinanced was that Hicks was no longer keen on signing a finance agreement on a “joint and several” basis and so began a feud that still hasn’t ended. The refinancing went through eventually with all but the initial purchase price put directly onto the club.

This half of Liverpool’s ‘Brothers Grimm’ continued with his stories: “The club is extraordinarily good financial condition. Far better than United, Chelsea or Arsenal. We have put more money in than anyone, more than Man City with the craziness they have got.”

If you hadn’t heard the recording yourself you’d assume this was all made up by someone out to smear Gillett as a madman, so wild were the claims. But he made it all up himself. And he wasn’t finished: “The vast majority came from Tom and me and our personal cash, not the club, not from borrowings.”

It wasn’t his only gem: “If I told you that Arsenal by law cannot spend as much as we do, United cannot spend any more than we can, would you say we are under spending? We didn’t do what Man United did. They took all of their money from the player sale and owed so much money they had to use it to pay down the debt.”

Even when he eventually got something right he made it wrong: “We have put £128 million in to buy players on top of what’s come in in the last 18 months.”

Even Rafa’s most loyal supporters would struggle to accept a season like the one now ending had he been given £128m – plus the money coming in from any sales – in the space of 18 months. Most of that money went on appeasing RBS by reducing some of that debt.

A few months later the Managing Director Christian Purslow backed up Gillett’s claims about the owners’ investment into the club. He told Spirit of Shankly that “last summer [2009] a large amount of debt was paid off by the owners personally. At the same time, they having by then invested some £130m, it was agreed we would fund our transfer spending for the time being out of our own resources.” Let’s repeat again, they’ve not thrown anywhere near £130m of their own money into the pot for transfers.

The £130m shows up in the Reds’ accounts as £145.3m, but it shows as a debt. , they didn’t put the money in as equity. It’s a loan from Kop Cayman, the overseas parent company, and for all we know was borrowed by them from some other source somewhere. However they got hold of it, they charge the club 10% interest on it. And with none of the interest paid so far, the debt is growing at a sorry rate, hence the reason the £130m is now £145m.

Is there anything else the club could use the odd £15m for? Players, perhaps?

Whilst the headlines of the last few days have again been dominated by Hicks, Gillett, Broughton, Purslow, part sales, full sales, boardroom showdowns past, boardroom showdowns present, transfer spend, ins and outs but a distinct lack of Sheikhs about, the only ones seemingly not worthy of a mention are the ones who are really financing this whole sorry charade; not the banks, not the owners, but the fans.

Any deal that has the potential to keep afloat the bankrupt regime of George Gillett and Tom Hicks can only be described as horrifically bad for the real custodians of the club as they are consigned to yet another season of soul-destroying stagnation on the pitch.

In the vast majority of other businesses, such disdain for the paying customer and corporate rape would have seen a company fail long ago, as customers took their “business” elsewhere but, as we have found to our considerable cost, football is just not “any other business”.

The emotional blackmail of giving up on something that has been part of your life, and has given you so much for so long proves too much to bear, as we pay hand over fist for our season tickets, Sky and ESPN.

We are the marketing man’s wet dream, the ultimate brand devotee, and don’t those at the top just know it?

It’s hardly as if we are going to write a strongly worded letter to the customer services manager threatening to start watching Everton is it?

How they must laugh as we pay our £38, are told to sit down, shut up and that we mustn’t protest; not that it matters though, because they’ve had our money anyway, and like a victim of systematic domestic abuse, we always come back for more.

And remember, that is OUR £38. It’s not a £38 that we borrowed off somebody else, to be paid back by somebody else, with us making a nice profit out of it having never even stuck our hands in our pockets. We made sacrifices to find all those thirty-eight pounds. Like we make sacrifices if we decide to buy our children all three of the brand-new kits that will be out in the summer. And for some fans you’ll need to multiply that £38 by at least ten, because that’s the kind of money it costs to buy the ticket along with a £50 hotel room from Thomas Cook, the club’s official touts.

Of course, families like the Hicks’ and the Gillett’s wouldn’t get where they are in the world without trampling on a few (thousand) people along the way; it’s extremely doubtful we are the first or that we will be the last victims of these particular snake oil sellers.

We should have seen them coming, and undoubtedly we won’t be so easily fooled again, but ultimately, we are powerless to make a tangible difference, despite the admirable efforts of Spirit of Shankly and a handful of clever, resourceful and determined individuals who have, at the very least, been a major irritant to those guilty of tarnishing the name of Liverpool Football Club.

Change will only occur when they either find someone who is willing to pay the vastly inflated asking price for a struggling business or the Royal Bank of Scotland decide to step in a put a stop to the corporate abuse of England’s most successful football club.

Wachovia are no longer involved with Liverpool Football Club, charging LFC £3.6m to be freed from existing agreements before RBS quite willingly assumed their £60m+ exposure last summer.

George Gillett quite happily dismissed the spending of some Spanish clubs: “That money is all borrowed from the government,” he said, criticising the practice. But RBS are now publicly owned and the fact they continue to support, nay, encourage the current owners of LFC is a stunning indictment of just how much risk banks will take chasing the mighty dollar, how little they have learned from past misdemeanours and exactly what they think of the people that had to bail them out to the tune of £45.5 billion pounds.

A bail out that that was down to, in the main, irresponsible lending, twisted accounting practices and greed.

Sound familiar?

Article from: (http://www.anfieldroad.com/news/201005093636/fans-forgotten-troubles-extended.html/

Another letter to be sent out

2010-06-14T22:12:00.001+08:00

To:

Richard Scudamore
Chief Executive
Premier League
30 Gloucester Place
London
W1U 8PL

cc.
David Sheepshanks
Acting Co-Chairman
The Football Association
25 Soho Square
London
W1 4FA

cc.
Roger Burden
Acting Co-Chairman
The Football Association
25 Soho Square
London
W1 4FA

Dear Mr Scudamore,

I wish to express my increasing concern regarding the conduct of Martin Broughton, recently appointed as Chairman of Liverpool Football Club.

Upon taking up the part-time role in April 2010, Mr Broughton confirmed that his remit was purely to facilitate the sale of the club on behalf of the current owners. Acting in conjunction with investment bank, Barclays Capital, it was made quite clear that his role was limited to reviewing and making recommendations on potential buyers. Furthermore, as Chairman, it was also made explicit that he would not be involved in the day-to-day running of the club or making operational decisions, deferring those responsibilities to the existing management team headed up by the Managing Director, Christian Purslow, himself a temporary appointment whilst the club sought a long-term replacement for former Chief Executive Rick Parry.

As you are no doubt aware, Mr Broughton has always been open about his strong personal allegiances to another, rival Premier League member, Chelsea Football Club. Many Liverpool fans, whilst initally sceptical given such an admission, were nevertheless prepared to cautiously accept his personal inclination, given his very specific role and his ‘day job’ as Chairman of British Airways plc (BA). We had trust that he would act in a manner befitting the role of Chairman, respectful both of his duties and the confidences they afforded, and ultimately, to act in the best interests of the club. His statement in May 2010 that he felt it unwise to attend the forthcoming Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC, was also seen at the time as understandable albeit a little disconcerting.

However, that initial scepticism seems to have been valid and has taken on greater significance following a recent report in the Times: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article7140751.ece.

Having stated he did not think it wise to appear in public attending that football match between Liverpool FC and Chelsea FC, it therefore beggars belief he felt no such compulsion or crisis of conscience about accepting a subsequent invitation to attend Chelsea FC’s private party to celebrate their Premier League title. Not only did he happily attend the event, mixing with executives and club officials, but he is alleged to have made ‘off-the-record’ comments to a Sky journalist and broadcaster present that contradict his official stance on the sales process at Liverpool FC, and worse, made specific insinuations and references to Liverpool’s most valuable player, Fernando Torres, glibly suggesting he may leave due to the state of the club. I suggest to you that these remarks - not withdrawn or denied - are both wholly unprofessional (in circumstances not entirely dissimilar to the damaging Triesman affair) and represent clear evidence of a serious conflict of interest given his position at Liverpool FC.

There is also the matter of his official involvement in the very recent and somewhat controversial dismissal of Liverpool’s manager, Rafael Benitez, a long-standing outspoken critic of Liverpool’s owners. Suggestions that he was only communicating on behalf of Christian Purslow are no longer valid given he has now confirmed his direct involvement in an email to Jim Boardman, who runs an independent fans site, AnfieldRoad.com (on which the email is published). In addition to restating his primary remit (the sale of the club), Mr Broughton confirmed he was involved in the dismissal as it was “a matter for the Board”. This is contrary to his non-involvement in operational club matters that he claimed upon appointment. Either that original statement was deliberately false, or he has acted in collusion with Christian Purslow (who, it should be noted, shows no sign of ceding his own temporary role, despite having failed in his primary objective to secure investment, and having interviewed no candidates for the CEO position that would render his own job redundant) to terminate the contract of a manager for political purposes. The role of Chairman is not something that he can apply when and where it suits him to do so. Mr Broughton’s additional comment in that email that the decision was largely ratified by the media as some sort of justification, is at best, extremely naïve or at worst, utterly disingenuous. Again, a comment that raises serious question marks about his perceived integrity and credibility in general.

You may quite reasonably feel this is very much an internal matter for Liverpool FC, not least given the current ownership welcomed his appointment. However, I would remind you that both the Premier League and FA have a regulatory responsibility to maintain the integrity of the game, and where necessary police clubs and individuals involved with clubs, in order to safeguard the interests of the sport. Both organisations are very clear on potential conflict of interests when it comes to clubs, players and agents, and I see no need reason why that policy should not be extrapolated and enforced in this matter. Let us not forget the controversy and disrepute that Peter Kenyon was involved with following investigations into his involvement in transfers towards the end of his tenure at Manchester United whilst in discussions to join Chelsea. Suggestions of questionable moral conduct by association also tainted him at Stamford Bridge, for example the Quest report into unlicensed agents. Then there is David Dein, who was also subjected to similar controversy and accusations of conflicting interests given his dual roles at Arsenal and the FA. Ultimately, the game’s executives must be beyond reproach, a criteria that Mr Broughton has even in such a short time, evidently failed to fulfill.

Whatever his credentials at BA, Martin Broughton is very far from being an experienced football executive. He was appointed only to provide a credible and reputable business figurehead with whom potential buyers for the club could comfortably enter into discussions with (in stark contrast to owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett). However inexperience is not an excuse for ill-judged and questionable conduct. And so I would call upon you to investigate this matter and strongly consider a motion to censure his conduct. Given the circumstances and his comments, I would hate to think what the potential ramifications would be if, for example, Fernando Torres was sold to Chelsea this summer. Improper or not, it would be seen as a transfer potentially involving corruption given Mr Broughton’s access to confidential contracts and his own personal loyalties, and any failure for you to properly investigate such a proposed deal would be highly damaging to the game in England, and consequently the Premier League’s reputation globally.

I ask you, therefore, to act pre-emptively and in the first instance, investigate this matter by requesting Mr Broughton answer these deeply-held concerns (held by the vast majority of genuine Liverpool stakeholders I might add) regarding his allegiances and agenda, and for you to report as such via reputable media outlets. At the very least, it will serve as a welcome reminder to Mr Broughton as to his wider responsibilities and duty of care as chief representative of one of your high-profile members.

Yours faithfully,

(name withheld)

************************************
Don’t forget to add a note with your own grieviances and most importantly….
Get everyone you can on this. To win - we need the numbers.

Keep On Pressuring RBS

2010-06-12T14:27:00.003+08:00

To keep on the pressure in getting rid of the two cancers, fans could print out the letter below and add in whatever they feel about the whole mess clouding our club and post them to the RBS address and C.C.s. Good luck!

On the same note, fans could also download the latest effort simply described"We have taken the pride, spirit and revolutionary message of this song and adapted to the plight that Liverpool fans find themselves in at the current time. All profits from this single will be sent directly to aid initiatives to the education of fans to the end of ridding ourselves of the morally bankrupt ownership we are suffering from at present." here http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/sonsofanfield

The T-Shirt with "Standards Compromised' will also be in the offing soon. Let's show the leeches that we mean business!

YNWA

To:
John Hourican
Chief Executive, Global Banking and Markets
RBS
36 St Andrew Square
Edinburgh
EH2 2YB

Distribution list:
cc. Suneel Kamlani, GBM
cc. Marco Mazzucchelli, GBM
cc. Alan Dickinson, UK Corporate
cc. Mark Catton, UK Corporate
cc. Roger Lowry, Head of Public Affairs
cc. Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State BIS (1 Victoria Street London SW1H 0ET)
cc. Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State, Sport (2-4 Cockspur Street London SW1Y 5DH)

Dear Mr Hourican

I wish to convey my ongoing and extreme dissatisfaction over the management of the RBS loan facility provided to Tom Hicks and George Gillett, that continues to prop up their catastrophic ownership of Liverpool Football Club.

I am not a member, but the supporters union, Spirit of Shankly, one of the most vociferous opponents of the current regime, recently ran an billboard advertising campaign targeting the ownership of the club that used the appropriate tag line “Debt, Lies, Cowboys”. I am going to unashamedly borrow that line as a structure to this letter.

[b]Debt[/b]
As you know, the club’s debts as of last July stood at £351m, of which £237m constitutes the loan facility provided by RBS, the remainder being in high-interest intra-company loan from Hicks and Gillett’s offshore holding company, Kop Cayman. These figures may have changed slightly over the past 11 months since the accounts entered into the public domain, but no additional investment has been secured by the owners, and there remains no doubt that the overall debt is escalating to a point whereby negative equity will very soon come into effect, if not already a reality.

In addition to this, the club’s ongoing ability to service such a debt has become highly unsustainable. Improving sponsorship income is relatively insignificant, and the only measure which could have significantly supported this level of borrowing - the building of a new stadium - has not in over 3 years, proceeded beyond architectural renders, the apparent cost of which, an obscene £50m, has also been put on the club’s balance sheet. Against this backdrop of unserviceable loans and gross financial misconduct, it is therefore no surprise that the club’s auditors, KPMG, have for the second year running raised red flags, expressing “[i]material uncertainty about (the club’s) ability to continue operating as a going concern[/i]“. A damning indictment that instigated the Premier League to demand that the club’s newly-installed Chairman, Martin Broughton (more on him later), appear before their Chief Executive and Board of Directors in person to provide verbal assurances that the club would in fact be able to meet its fixture list for the forthcoming 2010-11 season. Leaving aside the embarrassment, it is not difficult to see the Premier League’s perspective. The phrase “living hand to mouth” springs to mind.

Forgive my stating the obvious to a senior professional banker at this point, but it is purely to set up and illustrate a point. Like any borrowings, the conditions for obtaining a credit facility of this type is based on the financial background of the individuals in question, their existing commitments, the value of the purchased asset, and in the case of refinancing, I would imagine their recent history and behaviour when it comes to servicing the existing loan, and any others held by them. Which brings us to Tom Hicks.

[b]Lies[/b]
Liverpool fans and credible media (both UK and global) are clear in that Tom Hicks tells lies. The list is a long one but here is the latest relevant example, provoked by the condemnation by the club’s former Chairman who deeply regrets selling to Hicks and Gillett. You can view it online at the following URL, together with valid deconstruction, here:http://www.spiritofshankly.com/news/Tom-Hicks-_-You-Couldn-sss-t-Make-It-Up-(Well-Actually,-Tom-Can).html

So, in addition to his established propensity for lies, l wish to address the basis for the latest extension of the RBS facility, which was conditional on the agreement that the club be officially put up for sale, with Hicks conceding to step back from the process in order to realise a quick transfer of ownership. This agreement was ratified by the appointment of the aforementioned Martin Broughton, who has confirmed that his is a short-term part-time role, the sole remit of which is to find and approve an appropriate buyer for the club at a fair market price. It is not difficult to assume therefore that his appointment was at RBS’ express request, via an intermediary third party. “Within months” was Mr Brougton’s statement on the timescale for sale, upon taking up the position in April.

However, since then, there have been numerous interview quotes from Hicks, arrogant and belligerent as ever, claiming that irrespective of the ‘For Sale’ announcement, he will continue demand up to a totally unrealistic £800m for the club and that he is willing to prolong the situation and take up to two years to sell. He is even boasting in the US media about how profitable Liverpool FC will be for him, all bluster designed to divert attention from the harsh reality that he is in financial dire straits and has been for some time. These comments are clearly a stark contradiction of those reassurances he provided the RBS with, and thus render them meaningless. Like us, the fans, you are being lied to. It is not difficult to surmise that Hicks’ agreement to sell was simply a ploy to obtain ‘breathing space’ - which you duly obliged with, at least verbally - in which to further his agenda of financial pillage, possibly even petty revenge (on the fans who have rightly not allowed him to act without accountability, the “terrible personal price” he often complains about) but ultimately a desire to seek personal profit whatever the cost to the club, or its creditors.

[b]Cowboys[/b]
Talking of creditors, what surely must be of even greater concern to the RBS, is the eerily similar situation Hicks finds himself in with his US sporting assets, the Dallas Stars and the Texas Rangers. In April 2009, Hicks willingly allowed both clubs (operated by Hicks Sports Group) to default on $525m loan, a premeditated decision that Hicks himself insisted was a “negotiating tactic” designed to force the banks to renegotiate the terms of the loan. I must try that line myself next time I wake up one morning and take a sudden dislike to my existing RBS mortgage rate, the one I happily agreed to on signing. In fact, I would be, quite literally, betting my mortgage on the outcome of that particular conversation.

Not content with just that small matter of defaulting on a half-billion dollar loan, Hicks has now, as of a few weeks ago, forced the Texas Rangers to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, following a protracted and now stalemated sale process. Sound familiar? It gets even worse, as although the Rangers owe $540m to their creditors, (the majority secured against the club, the remainder against, yet again, Hicks Sports Group, another part of Hicks Holdings LLC, the onus being on the ‘limited liability’ aspect) under the terms of the sale (preferred one of the two deals offered) that Hicks is trying to force through, it seems the creditors only stand to receive $230m of the $540m the club is being sold for. This has been extensively covered in the US media and the facts verified. In which case, if I was sitting in the RBS’ shoes, I would have extreme concerns about Hicks attempting the same financial sleight of hand, and asking myself exactly what tangible assets the £237m loan I’ve provided is actually secured against, given the paper trails of Hicks’ myriad of limited companies all end up offshore and with zero personal liability. Yes, there is ‘the club’, but the owners are continuing to asset-strip (sales of high value players required for ongoing success and Champions League income, and the recent sacking of a highly-respected manager who was outspoken in his condemnation of Hicks and Gillett’s ownership), siphon off funds and are unwilling to provide or accept additional investment, all the while the value of the club is depreciating along with the chances of realising the repayment on your loan capital.

It should also be worth noting that latest reports this week state that Hicks has yet again blocked any sale to two separate potential buyers, simply on the basis of his wholly unrealistic asking price. This adds considerable weight to the already strong opinion that, unlike his co-owner George Gillett, Hicks has no intention of wanting to sell the club. His asking price is said to include added valuation for the future revenues generated by a stadium that he failed to build, and that a new buyer will have to pay to build instead, a stance that is as bizarre as it is illogical and which therefore represents an insurmountable block to any sale, now or in the future.

Essentially, these actions speak, in fact, shout of a man whose shameful conduct and objectionable character raises deeply concerning questions about RBS’ continuing exposure on this £237m loan and subsequently, a very real threat to the continued existence of Liverpool FC in its current status as one of Europe’s leading football clubs. This latest agreement for refinancing for up to 12 months, ostensibly to allow a sales process to go through unimpaired and without pressure, serves no-one’s benefits except Tom Hicks. What will be the excuse when he, as his history and substantial current evidence suggests he will, sells off the prize assets, and files for bankruptcy as per the Rangers, leaving the club in terminal financial decline or worse, and with the RBS, the club’s major creditor out of pocket? Not to mention, the wider political consequences at allowing this to happen unchallenged. Do not underestimate this last point, as this matter is not an isolated one (the Glazer family’s ownership - £1.2bn of debt’s worth - of Manchester United for example) but as with the banking crisis that forced RBS to seek government bailout, you will unfortunately be viewed as culpable through negligent inaction and held to account.

[b]Summary[/b]
And so to the crux of my expression of disgust and request for action. Aside from the financial hand grenade that is currently being juggled, the RBS and its majority shareholder HM Government have both a collective financial and moral responsibility to ensure that such a prestigious UK global export is not driven into unmanaged administration and ruin by the stubborn and irresponsible actions of two US nationals, one of whom in particular has a clear agenda and is leveraged up to their neck in debt. By providing yet another loan extension and/or refinance in order not to influence a sales process (one that Hicks is clearly not committed to), the RBS and HM Government are therefore willingly complicit in this unfolding disaster, a fact which will not go unnoticed or unchallenged. I am aware the Bank has provided the club with day-to-day banking services for many years long predating the arrival of Hicks and Gillett, and I only hope that this long-term relationship engenders a mutual desire to see financial stability and success.

Fortunately, there is still an opportunity to halt this seemingly inexorable decline. This can be achieved by withdrawing any existing agreement to extend the loan effective immediately, essentially foreclosing on the loan to Hicks and Gillett (as Kop Football Ltd) secured against the club. Informal short-term administration by any other name, would I assure you be welcomed by all Liverpool fans, if it ensured the removal of the current owners. This action would then allow Martin Broughton to facilitate the sale of the club quickly (there remains many interested buyers out there at a realistic market price, as Barclays Capital will attest) under your mandate without veto or negative interference from Hicks.

By doing so, you will be sending out a strong and positive message about supporting UK interests, corporate prudence and cleaning up financial mismanagement, a message that all addressed recipients of this letter, both at the RBS and the new Coalition Government, would surely benefit from given their own past events and the current financial climate. I’ll sign off with an unfortunate but apt analogy using another Liverpool-related world famous entity. This is a last chance to steer a footballing Titanic hard to starboard to avoid a looming and malevolent iceberg and towards a bright and prosperous future. Actively ensuring the ship keeps to its current course, however, is not an appropriate action and history will judge the RBS accordingly.

I implore you on behalf of fellow Liverpool stakeholders, please act now in the best interests of the club and indeed yourselves.

Yours faithfully,

(name withheld)
Former shareholder of Liverpool FC=

Plea to all LFC Supporters: Do Your Part and Join the SOS

2010-06-07T13:36:00.005+08:00

Our club is being sucked dry, slowly but surely, by two leeches. The amount of interest/money being paid to service the debt is enough to pay the wages of at least 5 top players. Rather than forcing a sale, the bank looks to be happily allowing the owners an extension of the loan taken as long it gets the lucrative income from the massive interest. How long until there comes a time when all our assets are stripped i.e.: players sold off and replaced by mediocre players (not to say that it has not started when the manager had to sell to buy) on top of all the income we make going towards servicing the debts and we are put into administration and relegated?

The only man, who is on the side of the fans in the whole set-up, has been removed. A man who gave the fans a hope for the future, being the most successful manager in the last 20 years and was wanted by so many big clubs which he declined for the love of LFC. A man that had 13 players in his squad good enough to be picked to play in the World Cup. He may have had his flaws but he was never a yes-man the owners were looking for.

Rafa Benitez stood in the way of the owners whose interest in the club is pure business. It is a lucrative income for the owners given the size of our club and its fanbase, and LFC doesn't need to win any trophy for it to become a cash-cow for the owners. Just being at mid-table is good enough. Check out the few 'investments' the owners had made before LFC and you will get the drift.

The whole mess created by the owners smells so terrible it makes a public toilet feel like a perfume store. All the promises made were just lies and the media has had a hand in the smear campaign against the manager and unfortunately some fans fell for it and helped in his ousting (someone actually used the word 'traitors' to refer to this set of fans). It was so bad that some fans had this idea that all will be okay after Rafa left (I am actually glad that he left seeing the crap he had to take whilst being at LFC -- he doesn't deserve all that) and we will get the likes of Hiddinks to take over. Well, where is the Hiddink now? All we have left now is a board made up of more businesspersons working for the owners and King Kenny as the feel-good factor to hoodwink the fans, yet again before a yes-man is in his place while money being channeled out to the banks and to the Caymans.

What's next? Torres being sold by the Chelsea trojan horse? Gerrard deciding to abandon ship? Benayoun forced to go look for greener pasture? Will we ever see any of the money from the sales go towards strengtening the squad? Forget about the title, will we ever qualify for the CL again?

These are the uncertainties that hang like a dark cloud over the club at the moment. As for the owners, I don't think they care. As long as fans fill up the stadium and buy the merchandise, they will be happily laughing all the way to the bank. Even if the locals decides to boycott the games and the merchandise, no problem because the seats will be filled up by tourists who will visit the store before and after the games. And it will continue as long as the owners are not forced by the banks to sell. But why would the banks do that when they themselves are getting a fair share of the whole deal, 1M a week in payable interest is good business.

We the fans are the victims in this whole mess and we will surely witness further decline of the club we love dearly given the circumstances. Fans from all around the world should reignite what used to be the notion of us being the most knowledgeable fans and start supporting the efforts for the survival of OUR club. We should not just sit aside and watch our club crumble and, heaven forbids, becomes another Leeds or Newcastle. Just like the few efforts put up by individuals recently, for example the recent letters sent to all media stating our thoughts, there are more efforts being put into place. According to sources close to this whole mess, things are not so gloomy if everything goes according to plan. We might, at last, get rid of the two viruses. Even if it doesn't happen quickly, we can at least look back and say that we tried our best.

One step being discussed towards this is not buying any merchandise because this indirectly puts money into the pockets of the greedy leeches, so I will not be buying the jersey. The second step is to start boycotting everything that is related to the two twats. The third would be to start writing to entities related directly or indirectly to the two twats and LFC stating our thoughts and what we intend to do.

But the most important step is to sign up as a member of SOS. It costs only £10 a year but it would be money well spent as SOS needs the numbers behind them and they have something prepared up their sleeves. Doing this is simple, just go here and do the necessary: http://www.spiritofshankly.com/join.html

Hopefully the Phoenix will again rise from the ashes with the help from all of us, true to the sacred words of You'll Never Walk Alone!

What has not changed at LFC

2010-06-05T12:38:00.003+08:00

Image taken from: http://tomkinstimes.com/2010/06/liverpool’s-financial-decline-1992-2010/

The Beginning of the End

2010-05-10T09:25:00.001+08:00

Sums up everything nicely:

In six months, the Benitez era will seem like a golden age

In the dressing room and on the balance sheet, Liverpool have fallen over the edge, writes Dion Fanning.

I f Liverpool thought this season was bad, the summer may have them looking back wistfully. The release of their latest financial figures might shake some sense into those who think that Rafael Benitez's possible departure will make things better. Liverpool, as the figures show, are in great peril. In six months, the Benitez era will seem like a golden age.

The idea that Jose Mourinho can be parachuted in to save the club should crash up against the reality of these numbers. For the second successive year, the auditors, KPMG, expressed "material uncertainty" about Liverpool's ability to continue as a going concern.

The new chairman Martin Broughton has had to appear before the Premier League to give a guarantee, which had to be backed up by the banks, that Liverpool will be able to fulfil their fixtures next season (anyone who saw Liverpool's performance in Portsmouth this season may question if that guarantee was given last season). Yet some people cling to the view that Liverpool need simply to sign a new full-back. There is no quick-fix for Liverpool. There may be no slow-fix either.

This weekend, it does not seem as inevitable that Benitez will leave. At this stage, the decay has affected him so profoundly that it would be no bad thing for him to go. At the very least, his departure would allow those who criticise his management to understand slowly what he was up against. Alan Curbishley won't be able to do much better.

On Friday, an internet campaign launched by a Liverpool forum resulted in journalists receiving hundreds of emails from supporters backing Benitez. It is customary for their loyalty to be applauded slightly patronisingly at this point before asking at what other club would a manager be backed in this way?

Benitez earned their loyalty by providing as magical a night as any Liverpool fan has experienced in Istanbul, defying Chelsea in the semi-final and challenging for the title last season. He earned their loyalty by being misunderstood, as Liverpool people feel they are, and he earned their devotion by rumbling Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

So when they chant his name or send an email, they are not displaying blind devotion. They are acknowledging the complications of managing a club that has no future until things change and recognising that Benitez has, imperfectly, managed until this season somehow to keep Liverpool competitive.

Once Liverpool's players started spinning about the race for fourth and once Benitez started talking about how the value of the club had increased during his time at Anfield, then things were destined to unravel. That was not Benitez's racket. At his best, he felt no need to point to his record because he didn't respect the people who were looking it up.

They were wrong about everything: wrong about his transfer record, wrong about rotation, wrong about how often he rested Torres. Yet they never shut up and they wore Benitez down. The reasons Rafael Benitez is no longer the right manager for Liverpool are exactly the same as the reasons he was such a successful manager of Liverpool. His stubbornness allowed him to ignore the voices that told him he should buy Michael Owen or play Steven Gerrard in his "favoured" central midfield position.

Then he became distracted and demented by the financial position and gaining control. His attempt to sell Xabi Alonso was a disaster -- not because Alonso was in sparkling form and it made no sense -- but because his return to form was achieved not by coaxing the best from him but by instilling a sense of resentment that made his departure inevitable.

One of the key tenets of Benitez's philosophy is that he does not get close to the players. There is nothing wrong with that but it works best if the manager does not hold resentments if the players react to that distance, as Alonso did. The sadness in the fracturing of the relationship with the player once known as 'Son of Rafa' was compounded when, having taken the biggest risk of his career at Liverpool, Benitez barely saw any of the transfer fee.

Instead, he was forced to gamble on a fragile player like Alberto Aquilani and the pressure was on once it quickly became apparent that the title would not be achieved as many had expected. Benitez had been exhausted by the battles he had to fight. He was contaminated by the bullshit coming down the line and the players appear to have had enough.

Just as his success masked the dysfunction of the regime he was employed by, his failures have hidden them too. Benitez took on Hicks and Gillett and paid the price: not the loss of his job but the loss of his vision of what the team should be. Like all obsessives, he is always at risk of losing touch with reality.

Liverpool, out of the top four and with their most glorious footballer Fernando Torres agonising over his future, have more chance of sinking further next season than they do of reclaiming a Champions League place.

Torres is not bigger than the club, the old cliché that may yet be used by the accountants this summer after he makes an impact on the balance sheet, but there is a strong case to be made that it stands or falls with him right now. For many reasons, Torres is no ordinary footballer. He is loyal and curious about his surroundings. His talent ensured he would be a favourite at Liverpool, but his heart quickly bound him to Anfield. His disillusionment, not about last season, but about the future, is likely to see him leave in the summer. Even if the banks were to allow Liverpool to replace him, he is irreplaceable.

Broughton has announced that Liverpool do not need to sell him to service their debts but when £85m has been paid in interest since 2007, the needs of the money men can sometimes become insatiable.

Torres will have his choices and he may decide, despite their failure to qualify for the Champions League, that Manchester City are the best option. Certainly, they can offer a challenge in the future that Liverpool cannot. If they could persuade Torres then it would be a spectacular announcement of their intentions which could speak even louder than qualification for the Champions League.

Liverpool are being squeezed by teams who have been allowed to build and clubs that have not been so badly run. Tottenham's progress has been through shrewd investment and the acquisition of a squad that Liverpool can only envy. Peter Crouch might have stayed at Liverpool if he had been offered a contract that would have made his time on the bench bearable. Instead, he ended up at Spurs, along with Robbie Keane, who played no more time at Tottenham than he did at Liverpool but nobody seemed to notice before he headed off to Glasgow.

City and Spurs are ready to replace Liverpool. They have energy, ambition and new ideas. Liverpool are just trying to make it through the night. They have been ripped from their community by the decision of David Moores to sell the club to Hicks and Gillett. The desire of supporters to see the club return to ownership they understand has now been replaced by the pressing urgency to find somebody to rescue them.

There was a time when Moores and Rick Parry (who received a pay-off of £3m, the latest accounts revealed) searched the world looking for new investment. Moores could have borrowed on the club to build a new stadium instead of selling to the Americans, who were borrowing on the club to buy it, and Liverpool would be in a better position today. Instead, he made a rash decision and a poor business one for him and for Liverpool.

Those were the good days when the world felt it could trust people like Hicks and Gillett. Because there were so many of them, they must be doing something right.

Last week's accounts showed Liverpool's loss was 34 per cent worse than 2008's figure as £40.1m went on servicing the club's £351.4m debt to Royal Bank of Scotland and US firm Wachovia. These loans have been extended until the sale but the club is now, according to KPMG, "dependent on short-term facility extensions". They are living hand to mouth. And yet they claim that Torres doesn't need to be sold. They do not need to sell him, much as a wino doesn't need a bed for the night.

It is worth noting that the accounts were taken in a good year for Liverpool, a run in the Champions League and second in the league. Next year, if there is a next year, things will be worse.

But still they blame the manager. Benitez is said to be torn about his departure. A number of senior players would be happy to see him go and a number would prefer if he stayed. His management style is undoubtedly wearing on players but Liverpool aren't faced with too many alternatives.

Few managers will be tempted in the summer to join a club which may not still have owners and has no money. Martin O'Neill is the only candidate who appeals, especially if he feels he has done as much as he can at Aston Villa. Liverpool may not end up like Leeds but there is every indication they could end up like Newcastle, who, unlike Liverpool, had a stadium that gave them the revenue to compete. Liverpool have nothing, not even freedom, as that isn't afforded to the indebted.

The days of standing on the edge of the abyss are over, Liverpool have fallen over the edge. Benitez seems reluctant not to fall with them. He staked his reputation on the club and he found that even when it plummeted, he didn't want to give it all up.

He has been promised riches and finances at Juventus but still he hesitates. He is bound by something more. He is a flawed hero but history will see his management as no less heroic for the reality that it was doomed.

Sunday Independent

Latest from S.O.S.

2010-02-28T20:51:00.003+08:00

The Spirit Of Shankly has reportedly put up two billboards like this so far and has planned for more in the city.

YNWA

Priceless Rafa

2010-02-10T23:39:00.000+08:00

Haha!! Priceless!! In your face Sky!!

Reality Check Again.

2010-01-31T14:33:00.007+08:00

As usual after each game, the internet would be brimming with opinions about our performance. A good thing, really. But depending on where you are coming from, some sites are more preferred than others.

I have tried to ignore the sites that spew only the negative about the team and the manager. I especially avoid the sites from the daily media because I do not see any proper journalism in them. Imagine reading about your team and you see the writer even gets the name of our players wrong!

There are a few sites that I frequent everyday because I see in them an avenue in which a healthy debate is always welcome. There I read different views, insights from those who are close to Anfield and have been to the games, and most importantly comments from people who really understand the game having played the game and coached at different levels. Some of the comments make us think really hard about the whole circumstances surrounding us at the moment, especially on the issue of Rafa Benitez.

These are just two examples:

No offence lads, none whatsoever. But I am getting bored of reading the same thing over and over again. I am boring myself with the same shit over and over every time a discussion about Rafa comes up either in the blog or in conversation with friends and colleagues. I even found myself on the phone to my Dad in Jamaica explaining why it’s not as simple as Rafa doing a poor job.

Arthur, some of the things FS says may seem like scare mongering and over the top. But I believe he is bloody well right when he says we run the risk of slipping into oblivion if Rafa loses his job while the club is in its current predicament.

Before deciding if Rafa should stay or go I think it is important to understand the position the club is in. I believe a lot of people are not aware of the shit the club is in. Drawing 0-0 at Wolves and Rafa only making one sub is but a grain of sand in the desert compared to the fucking mess the club is actually in. But I digress.

I will try to put it in simple terms – it’s not that I think anyone reading this lacks intelligence its because once one forms a hard opinion it is very difficult – sometimes impossible to change it no matter how well or simply things are explained. I will try anyway.

In the opinion of FS, Keith, Aitch, Timmy, myself and a few others Rafa Benitez is the best manager the club can wish to have in its current predicament. The reason we think this way is this:

The club has no money for transfers. Clubs in this position find it very difficult to attract top managers to the job. The club does not have money to pay any compensation for a manager who is in a job. Clubs in this position have to wait for a manager to be out of work or free from a contract before they can get him. Unless of course we are talking about a manager who is at a small club where say a £1m pay off would suffice.
The most simple way I can put it is like this: LFC is a skint football club. Skint football clubs do not attract top quality established managers.

Forget Hiddink, Mourinho, Lippi, Capello or anyone of that ilk. As a matter of fact you can list the top 20 managers in football and I would be willing to bet my life that not one of them would touch LFC with a bargepole.

The likely scenario if we sacked Rafa would be that we get a manager from not the top shelf but the shelf where the likes of Mcleish, Allardyce, Mark Hughes, Steve Bruce, Roy Hogdson reside. Now imagine a manager in this mold with no money to spend on new players. Also imagine what the attitude of our current squad would be if such a manager replaced Rafa. Players like Reina, Torres, Masch, Gerrard – would they be looking to stay at the club long term playing for such a manager? Would they have the belief that the club is going forward? Or would they be looking towards La Liga in a hurry? In my opinion we’d have a number of players thinking about their futures and at the same time no money to add any quality to the squad. What you get in this scenario is a steady decline.

This decline happened at Newcastle after they sacked Bobby Robson. They fired a very good manager after they finished 5th. The club was also run poorly. They hired Souness and ended up 17th he then left. What happened after that was a succession of managers none of them as good as Robson. I am sure they would have loved to get Hiddink but I’m afraid with no real money to invest and a group of clowns in the boardroom they could only recruit mediocre managers. Players left to go to other clubs that semmingly had more ambition – poorer players replaced those. Newcastle slide down the league year on year until they get relegated.

The notion that top managers will be falling over themselves to manage our club once Rafa slings his hook is a fallacy, a pipe dream, a fantasy. It’s on the same level as saying we’ll be buying David Villa in the summer. There is no queue of investors falling over themselves to take over the club, no top manager itching to take the job and no super star world class player aching to come and put on the red shirt. This “we are Liverpool” is total bollocks. We’re skint. Time we start acting like it.

May I also point out that the club cannot afford to sack Rafa. You may think “oh it’s not right keeping a manager just coz we can’t afford to sack him – something is not right”. Damn right something is not right. Financially we are fucked. Wake up and smell the coffee. Realise the real life situation. The club can’t sack Rafa and it can’t recruit a top manager. It can’t fucking afford it.

Also realise this. No manager since Rafa’s arrival has been more successful on a smaller or similar budget. So when quoting Tomkins/soccernomics to suit your argument when we draw 0-0 with Wolves or lose to Reading remember the bigger picture. Which is this:

2005 – 5th in PL, Carling Cup final, CL win.
2006 – 3rd in PL, FA cup win, CL 2nd round. (our highest ever PL points tally)
2007 – 4th in PL, CL Final.
2008 – 3rd in PL, Semi final CL.
2009 – 2nd in PL, Quarter final CL. (our highest points tally in 21 years)

Reading, Wolves, Spurs, Arsenal, City, Villa have not been more successful than Rafa’s Liverpool. Only the mancs and chavs have and I think we are all intelligent enough to know why that is. The above has been achieved with a net spend of £16m per season. I think that deserves a pat on the back rather than ridicule.

I don’t believe you sack the 3rd most successful manager in English football since 2004 due to one poor season. Especially when the likely-hood of getting a superior replacement is very slim.
(LondonBarnes)

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

And here’s the thing…

we simply must stop all this “anti-Rafa” “Rafa-Basher” vs “Rafa apologist” “Gag on Rafa’s Tackle Brigade” nonsense.

Coz that is what it is ultimately! Just fuckin nonsense!

And it desn’t matter which “side” you are on… you’ve been placed on that “side” in part, by media driven bullshit.

Rafa has lost the plot or Rafa is a Tactical Genius?

How about neither!

How about he’s just a man, doing a job to the best of his ability. (did that sound a bit too much like Julia Roberts… “I’m just a girl, standing across from a boy, asking him to love her.” … or is it just me?)

but I digress… An ability which outstrips the abilities of the majority of men doing the same job… worldwide!

“Anti-Rafa’s” love to suggest they are LFC fans, not Rafa fans… as though they have exclusivity on that right.

…believe me fellas, there isn’t a single lad in here, “supporting Rafa” who holds his allegiance to LFC second. For reasons repeatedly expressed, we just believe that the two are symbiotic at present.

It is time the divisiveness and name calling stopped.

If someone holds a different opinion, reason it out… or at least try to… not because you’re right and they are wrong.

Reason it out, becuase THAT is what “the most knowledgeable fans in the world” should be doing… leave the petty catfights to the rest of the league.
If that proves futile, then just ignore them.

I support Rafa not becuase I have some gay affinity for chubby Spanish blokes…
…or any gay affinity for that matter…
…quotations from a dodgy Hugh Grant Rom-Com as potential evidence to the contrary…
…and okay sure… there was that incident in my very late teens, when my mate walked in on me, to find me embarrassingly naked on the bed with a bowl of jello, watching a David Niven movie… but as I explained at the time, it was hot and I was hungry…
…but I support Rafa because judging him on his entire tenure, not one game, or one season…
…on all his successes AND failures…
….judguing him on his “his obvious” strengths and his “obvious” shortcomings…
… and taking into account the circumstances he finds himself in… at ownership level, at administrative level, at management level, at training and playing… and the way he conducts himself within these circumstances (especially in comparison to his contemporaries)
… I conclude he is the best man for the job at present.

And the job is running LFC… not an easy one, despite what some would have you believe.

look, you won’t get any arguments from me if you claim… Football is an easy game.

Too fuckin right it is. You trap the ball, you run with the ball, you pass the ball, you shoot the ball.
Easy peasy…

Managing 20 young millionaires who’ve never actually done a hard days work in their life, who live a rockstar life, driving cars that cost more than you or I make in 2-3 years of graft, living in big mansions (with hermetically sealed trophy rooms the size of your average UK workers home) (and yes, that’s a poke at Stevie G.), dating supermodels and popstars, adhored by milliones who chant their name and are managed by agents who overfeed such already over-inflated egos…

… with tens or even hundreds of millions at stake… in an industry where few, and I do mean few, of your contempporaries have held their current positions for more than 5 years…
… all while under the daily… no make that hourly… microscope of a sharkfeeding frenzy media, who “drive the story” rather than “report” it… and maybe… just maybe top-flight football management isn’t so easy.

Then again, its a simple game, so maybe I’m just making excuses?
(Aitch)

Some More Facts and Records

2010-01-28T21:32:00.002+08:00

Since there have been lots and lots of comments elsewhere on the progress of our club, I would just like to post an article by Tomkins, which I am sure took a very very long time to produce. Hence it should be given its due respect. The article is at his membership site but this one is free, so I thought I would just copy and paste the whole thing. The article can be found here:

http://tomkinstimes.com/2010/01/some-rafa-benitez-facts-and-record/

For fans looking for a different perspective, feel free to subscribe to tomkinstimes. It is a whole different world of football in there. The following article was written by Paul Tomkins:

Some Rafa Benítez Facts (and Records)

This is an extensive list of some of the achievements of Rafa Benítez and his players in the past five and a half years. Some of them won’t be remembered as highly significant, but many of them highlight the progress made since 2004.

Following the list, there is some statistical analysis on the manager’s performance, in comparison with previous Liverpool managers.

August 2004 – January 2010

2004-05

In his 1st home game in charge (Man City) Liverpool came from behind at half-time to win a game for the first time in more than 5 years.

At Fulham (October 2004) the Reds came from behind at half-time to win an away game for the 1st time in 13 years.

Liverpool became the 1st British club to ‘keep’ the European Cup following a 5th Final success.

Steven Gerrard became the 2nd youngest player to captain a European Cup winning team.

2005-06

Became only the 3rd team, and the 1st British side, to win the European Super Cup 3 times.

Steven Gerrard became the 1st Liverpool player in history to score in 5 successive European matches.

Kept clean sheets in each of their opening 4 league games for the 1st time in the club’s history.

Sami Hyypia played in a 56th consecutive European game – breaking the club record for an outfield player (he extended that record to 57).

Liverpool set a new club record of 11 consecutive clean sheets (Oct-Dec 2005).

Went 762 minutes without conceding a league goal (a post-war club record).

Won 10 league games in a row for the 1st time in 15 years.

At Luton Liverpool scored 5 goals in an away F.A. Cup tie for the 1st time in 59 years.

Liverpool beat Manchester United for the 1st time in the F.A. Cup for 85 years.

Recorded their biggest ever away win in the F.A. Cup (7-0 at Birmingham) and the biggest by any team away from home in the Quarter-Finals for 106 years.

Conceded only 8 league goals at home – their 3rd best total ever.

Set a club record of 12 successive wins in all competitions (it was extended to 14 at the start of the following season).

By lifting the F.A. Cup became the 1st manager in the club’s history to win a trophy in each of his first 2 seasons in charge.

Set a club record of 21 goals scored by substitutes in a season – previous record was 12.

Achieved the 6th-highest accumulation of available league points in the club’s history, and at the time, the 2nd-highest ever number of wins (as a % of games played)

2006-07

Recorded his 50th league win in just 93 games – a record bettered by only 2 Liverpool managers of the previous 57 years, Dalglish and Shankly.

Went unbeaten in 30 successive home league games for only the 4th time in their history.

Scored 4 goals in the 1st half of an away league game (at Wigan) for the 1st time in 15 years.

Pepe Reina kept more clean sheets in his first 50 league games (28) than any other goalkeeper in the club’s history.

Jamie Carragher played in a club record 58th game in the European Cup.

Jamie Carragher made a club record 90th appearance in all European competition.

Conceded only 7 league goals at home – best total for 28 years.

Only second English side to win in Nou Camp (previous one was Liverpool in 1976).

Reached second Champions League final in three seasons. (If ‘lucky’ to win in 2005, the Reds were ‘unlucky’ to lose in 2007.)

2007-08

Beat Besiktas 8-0 to record the biggest ever Champions League victory.

Scored 4 goals in a game on 8 occasions before Christmas for only the 3rd time in club’s history.

Steven Gerrard scored his 23rd European goal – to break the club record.

Pepe Reina kept his 50th league clean sheet in his 92nd appearance – breaking club record of 95 held by Ray Clemence.

Steven Gerrard became the 1st Liverpool player ever to score in 5 successive European games in the same season.

Fernando Torres became the 1st Liverpool player in 62 years to a hat-trick in successive home league games.

Jamie Carragher became the 1st Liverpool player to play 100 European games for the club.

Fernando Torres became the 1st player in 12 years to score 20 league goals for the club.

Pepe Reina kept 54 clean sheets in his first 100 league games to break the club record held by Ray Clemence.

Steven Gerrard became the 1st Liverpool player to score in 4 successive home European games.

Fernando Torres became the 1st Liverpool player to score in 7 successive top-flight home league games.

Rafa Benitez won 81 of his first 150 league games in charge. Only Kenny Dalglish (87) won more as Liverpool manager.

Ryan Babel equalled the club record of most goals in a season scored by a substitute (7).

Liverpool had 6 players who scored 10 goals or more in a season. Only the 3rd time this had happened in the club’s history.

Fernando Torres equalled the club record by scoring in an 8th successive home league game (all divisions).

Fernando Torres scored 24 league goals – most by any Liverpool player in a debut season for 61 years.

Fernando Torres broke Ruud Van Nistelrooy’s record of most goals in a debut Premier league season by an overseas player.

Pepe Reina won the Golden Glove for the 3rd successive season.

Liverpool scored 119 goals in the season – more than any team in England.

2008-09

In 2008 recorded their highest points tally in a calendar year (81) for 18 years.

Liverpool won 9 successive home league games for the 1st time since November 1990.

Fernando Torres became the club’s 2nd highest ever scorer in his first 50 games (34 goals).

Ryan Babel became the club’s 2nd highest ever goalscoring substitute (with 8 goals).

Liverpool came from behind to defeat Manchester United in the league for the 1st time in 42 years.

End Chelsea’s 84-game unbeaten home record.

Became only the 2nd English team to win in the Bernabeu.

At Anfield inflicted upon Real Madrid their biggest ever Champions League defeat.

Steven Gerrard became only the 2nd Liverpool player to play 100 times for the club in Europe.

Recorded their biggest win at Old Trafford for 72 years. It was also the 1st time 4 Liverpool players had scored at United in the same game.

Led the table for the 1st time ever in the Premiership with 2 games to play.

Broke Bill Shankly’s record of 65 European matches as Liverpool manager.

Broke Bob Paisley’s record of 40 European wins as Liverpool manager.

Recorded his 100th league win as manager in his 181st game. It was the 3rd quickest ever by a Liverpool manager and 50 games faster than Alex Ferguson.

Equalled club record set in 1904-05 by winning 13 away league games.

Amassed their highest points total ever in the Premier League (86) beating the 82 set in 2005-06. Their highest in the league since 1987-88.

Scored at least 3 goals in 6 successive games in all competitions for the 1st time in the club’s history.

Finished the campaign with a goal difference of + 50 – their best for 21 years when they amassed + 63 in 1987-88.

Lost just twice in the league – equalling the fewest they had lost in a league campaign for 105 years.

Fernando Torres scored 33 goals in his first 50 league games for the club – the best by any Liverpool player for 52 years.

Pepe Reina kept his 100th clean sheet in the fastest time in Liverpool history (197 games).

Won 75% of all available league points – 2nd highest in the club’s history.

The highest number of points by any team which failed to win the league (38 game seasons)
2009-10

Went unbeaten in 31 home league games – their 3rd longest ever run and best for 32 years.

Against Manchester United recorded his 114th league win in his 200th game. The 2nd best tally by any Liverpool manager in first 200 league games (Kenny Dalglish 120 wins).

Liverpool won a 3rd successive league game at Everton for only 3rd time in club’s history.

Yossi Benayoun scored a hat-trick against Burnley to become only the 5th player in the club’s history to score a hat-trick in 3 different competitions.

Pepe Reina set a new club record of most clean sheets (79) in first 150 league games.

Liverpool scored 22 goals in opening 7 league games – best tally for 114 years and 2nd best ever.

Broke club record by scoring in an 18th successive Premier League game at Anfield.

Fernando Torres broke the club record by scoring his 50th league goal for Liverpool in just his 72nd match.

(Correct up to January 23rd 2010)

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

In addition, here are some statistics relating to the eight Liverpool managers over the past 50 years.
Win %

Rafa Benítez

League – Played 212, won 56.13% (currently 2nd-highest % for any post-war Liverpool manager)

Europe – Played 77, won 55.84% (currently 3rd-highest % for any Liverpool manager)

Gerard Houllier

League – Played 216, won 50.00%

Europe – Played 52 , won 50.00%

Roy Evans

League – Played 172, won 48.26%

Europe – Played 16 8, won 50.00%

Graeme Sounes

League – Played 115, won 40.87%

Europe – Played 12 6, won 50.00%

Kenny Dalglish

League – Played 224, won 60.71%

Joe Fagan

League – Played 84, won 52.38%

Europe – Played 19 , won 68.42%

Bob Paisley

League – Played 378, won 56.08%

Europe – Played 61 , won 63.93%

Bill Shankly

League – Played 609, won 52.38%

Europe – Played 65 , won 52.31%

Progress From Predecessor?

Although it never appeared in the book, for Dynasty I compared the league records of all eight managers since 1959, with the first season’s points removed from their average tally. This first season total was removed because some managers inherited successful sides, and others inherited struggling sides; as such, I wanted a less-skewed figure for their performance.

Once Liverpool were struggling from 1991 onwards, the worst points tally posted by each of Evans (60), Houllier (54) and Benítez (58) was in their first season. By contrast, Joe Fagan, by inheriting a world-class team, had his best total in his inaugural season. The same applies to Graeme Souness (I’ve also excluded incomplete seasons if the manager left before the end).

So, when removing the first season – giving each man a season’s grace, if you will – the following figures are their average league points tallies; where a predecessor is listed in brackets it means they improved on the man before them. Currently Benítez has the greatest improvement by any Liverpool manager, but that will drop slightly if Liverpool do not reach 78 points in this campaign.

1 Paisley av. 83 (predecessor av. 77)

2 Dalglish av. 81 (predecessor av. 77)

3 Benítez av. 78 (predecessor av. 68)

4 Shankly av. 77

5 Fagan av. 77

5 Evans av. 70 (predecessor av. 61)

7 Houllier av. 68

8 Souness av. 61

So anyone who says that the club has gone backwards since the days of Houllier (that includes you, Danny Murphy) is wrong; the facts suggest a big improvement.

(All tallies adjusted to 3 points for a win system, which was introduced in 1981.)

Proximity To Champions

Following the publication of this piece, student Kais-Sabir Jesani emailed me some of his own analysis, which I feel to be first-rate.

“I feel that examining Liverpool’s points hauls in isolation, across seasons and managers fails to account for the performance of the team in relation to the highest-achieving team each season. As a result, I have analysed the points totals amassed by Liverpool in each season, as a percentage of the points achieved by the team that won the title in that particular season, for each season since 1991/1992.

“I felt this would provide some perspective as to how close the team came to winning the title or challenging for it, in comparison to the team that actually won it that season. This analysis would reflect the fact that in some seasons, the winning points haul would be higher or lower depending on the standard of other teams, competitiveness in the league etc.”

• Over the course of Souness’ two full seasons in charge (1991/1992, 1992/1993), Liverpool averaged 74.15% of the points accumulated by the team that won the league in those two seasons.
• If we are to include the 1993/1994 season, this figure drops to 71.79%.
• Over the course of Evans’ four full seasons in charge, Liverpool averaged 85.94% of the points haul attained by the title-winning teams in those seasons.
• Over the course of Houllier’s five full seasons in charge (1999/2000 to 2003/2004), Liverpool averaged 79.12% of the points achieved by the winners during those seasons.
• If we are to include the 1998/1999 season, then Houllier’s figure drops to 77.33%

The average points total achieved by Benitez’ teams, as a percentage of the winning teams totals, during his 5 full seasons in charge, is 82.1%

If we exclude his first season (as you suggested – quite rightly, in order to avoid skewing), then Benitez’ figure rises to 87.36% – the highest amongst Liverpool managers in the Premier League era.

It is interesting to note that the performance under Evans was the most consistent during his four full seasons in charge, in that there was less deviation of the points achieved as a percentage of the winnings teams points for these seasons.

However, under Benitez in 2008/2009, the points achieved by Liverpool as a percentage of the winning team’s (United) points haul (86/90 * 100) - 95.56% – is the highest total achieved by any Liverpool manager in the Premiership era.
Finally

I’ll add some further interesting bits and pieces as and when I’m made aware of them. Some of these will be made available only to subscribers.

- start edit-

Subscription costs only £3.50 for premium membership.

-end edit-

Gloom Gloom and More Gloom

2010-01-10T21:37:00.004+08:00

Here we go again.

Possibly, sell players to a total of 16M and and spend only 1.5M to buy.

Just like the previous two windows of players transfer, we see yet again just how many steps we are actually taking to move 'forward'. In reality, the steps 'forward' here would be to reduce the debts of our club, and not to strengthen the team. Debts which was not there before the two twats took over. Is it surprising that we have not won any silverware since their arrivals?

Another heart-breaking thing is we will, yet again, miss out on signing quality players. Just like in the past when other teams, such as Arsenal (their scouts do not deserve the praises given them, I feel) outbid us for the players Rafa had pinpointed because we either 'lacked' the fund or the board took its sweet time in haggling the price. This time we could miss out securing the likes of Maroune Chamakh and Arda Turan. Even the so-called done-deal for Maxi Rodriguez at 1.5M is not a done-deal yet. I can already see it, other managers need to just wait and see which players Rafa shows any interest in and then offer more money.

Now, imagine if we do not qualify for the CL next season (I personally believe we will). The lost of potential income from the CL would mean either the owners (if they don't sell the club which I believe they won't be able to at the value they put on the club) pay the interest out of their own pockets or tell the manager to sell players to cover the debts and the wages. It is not like we have a large stadium to generate income like the Mancs (which by the way has the biggest debts) and Arsenal to cover the expenses and debts.

So, seeing how stingy our owners are at the moment, it could only mean that we will be selling players like Torres and buying almost-expired players or just look for free transfers. And where will that take us? Slowly downwards towards the relegation zone because each season after that we will fail to qualify for European football. Or worse when the owners, having at last squeezed us dry, leave us unattended and we end up like Leeds.

Which good manager in his right mind would want to come to us? And how long will Rafa continue to be 'stubborn' and stick around, having spent at best 12.7M net a season throughout his tenure so far, when other big clubs are beckoning him non-stop? How long can he be expected to create 'miracles' when competing against so many other clubs that spend so much more? How much pressure will he be able to withstand, when his two predecessors amidst less pressure, succumbed to heart failures?

The idea of having a big stadium itself then, which was planned for so many years now but has yet to materialise, would be a joke because we won't be able to fill it with fans. Irony that the twats missed somehow I guess.

Yesterday, Tom Hicks Jr the vice-president was reported to have used harsh words against a fan in an email that includes 'idiot' and "Blow me f*** face. Go to hell. I'm sick of you." He has apologised for it if were to believe the reports, but if it were true just shows how he regards us fans. He will definitely Walk Alone, with the two twats at his sides. He can be contacted at tohjr@hicksholdings.com

YNWA

Let's be Realistic: Happy New Year 2010

2009-12-31T14:03:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year 2010.

For the past week, there was so much to write about our team and the ongoings with our club that it was going to be a heavy task to even start writing. But then I saw an article which pretty much stated what I wanted to say and then more. It is very long and would need much patience to read but it is worth it. Many of the points are repeated and we have probably read them, but it at least sums up most of the circumstances that have surrounded us.

The win against Villa showed our team having almost all players available and we can forsee in not to distance a future we will be able to field our strongest side again. The way we bombarded Villa reminded me of our display at the end of last season. The back to back wins would also have surely gave us the much needed confidence against Spurs next week. Among the positives in the game against Villa includes Torres' record-breaking 50th goal, Insua having a hell of a game again (what a bright future this lad has in him), Lucas without Mascha around seems to play better (I am really glad Rafa believes in him), Aquilani getting more English football experience under his belt and showing enough glimpses of an awesome player he could be for us (no wonder Rafa mentioned a fit Aquilani is worth much more than what we paid for him -- 5M first payment makes sense now). And I am sure Rafa will mould him into a better player than he was, as was done to our other players.

The downside of the game was the knock on Johnson and I understand it is a ligament tear, which at minimum is 3 weeks and the worst 2 months in the sidelines. Seems like our injury jinx this season is very much still around.On the poor performances of some players, I feel they are very much overplayed so far and need some rest (Kuyt comes to mind). Maybe with some new inclusion during the January break (no harm being optimistic here), these players could be rested and used sparingly to ensure we keep on fighting to the top of the league.

One thing that really put a smile on my face last week was Rafa's reply to the journalists. This is after his apt reply to the Souness and Klinsmann slatings towards him a few weeks back. This time, when asked ‘Will you resign if you don’t make fourth place?’, he replied ‘You Journalists, when you say something or make a mistake, do you resign?’ Something like that. Haha!

Below is the link to the article mentioned above (if you have not read it yet). Have fun reading!

http://www.lfcpost.com/item.php?item=73319

YNWA

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T14:35:00.003+08:00

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Here is something good to read during this festive season:

http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/12/the-roots-of-struggle/

YNWA

Frustrating Times at LFC

2009-12-14T18:43:00.006+08:00

There is no denying that the loss against Arsenal last night was frustrating for the majority of us. Many of us had expected that we would win this game because, at long last, we had players coming back from injuries and Rafa had almost his best players at his disposal. It was also a great opportunity to close the gap at the top, especially when the other contenders for the top four faltered in one way or another.

Well, personally it had slipped my mind that players who are back from an injury would be rusty, as what we saw in Torres who would have easily scored that one clear opportunity he had in the first half. Torres' display last night was clearly an indication of rustiness because we all know what he is capable of. The same goes for Aquilani who came in in the second half, and asking him to salvage us the game was in a way asking a bit too much.

Our first-half performance was a good indication of our team being back to its best form. If our finishings were better or if Torres were fully-fit, I am sure our display in the first-half itself would have assured us a win. My major complaint last night was Benayoun having to play on the right because if we had Reira fit, he would have provided us with more crosses. Benayoun, as we saw, had to always cut in as I am sure his left foot for crosses would have been as good as to Aurelio's right-foot.

Motivational wise, Arsenal had a good cause to go all out since a win for them would have taken them 3 points off the Mancs with a game in hand, which they managed. I am not saying that we didn't have that motivation but clearly what happened in the second half was something we were not prepared for.

After all the onslaughts we put unto Arsenal, to see the ball deflecting that a many times before Johnson's own goal was devastating in a way. Although it would have been difficult to read it in the players, I am sure they would have thought "WTF! With all the effort of having an almost full squad that played some decent football, after only 5 mins in the second half this happens. Did we deserve this?" This after having a call for a clear-cut penalty denied by the ref. Then 8 minutes laters, Arshavin who hardly had a game, scored from the only half-chance that he got. It would not have been easy for the players to be so composed after that. Hence we saw a wee bit of desperation afterwards when the balls were most of the time quickly knocked forward in hopes it would fall to our forwards. The rest is history. Playing against Arsenal is of course never easy, and that is an understatement.

I have been called a Rafalogist by some quarters and again I would like to state again that I am against those who thinks by removing Rafa out now, all our problems will be solved. They call me Rafalogist and I call them Anti-Rafa Brigade. I would like to think that some amongst the Anti-Rafa Brigade are just frustrated while some fail to see what Rafa has done for us since taking over. They would rather listen to SlySport and the likes of Souness (don't you love Rafa's response to both Souness and Klinsmann?) and Redknapp jr. Well, there is no point in repeating what I have been thinking so far because it has been stated many times over.

What really mindboggles me is some of these fans are actually happy when we falter because it proves their argument. They do not want to listen to the facts that for a team to succeed nowadays, it needs strong backing of funds, not only for buying players but also for paying high wages to make them happy enough to warm the bench.

What we have suspected a long time ago was mentioned by Rafa Benitez himself that the priority this year was to take care of the debt situation in LFC. That means Rafa needed and will need to sell to buy and to sell to increase the players wages when we offer them new contracts. That means Rafa would need to sell to service the debts. And I will not be surprised if Mascha is sold in the summer (extend his contract before that so that we get a better price for him when Barcelona come knocking) because we need to pay our debts. Debts which was not there before the American Jokers took over. And when Rafa sells, making a profit in the process, he will only receive a paltry sum for the players. Just like in the case of Alonso.

Well, here we have a manager who just signed a new five-year contract knowing the situation beforehand and agreed with the owners. So, even if Rafa did not sign the extension, some other manager would have done the same and that manager would have been facing the same kind of problems Rafa is facing in relation to funds for players. So, how different would things be then? But what is important in this aspect is we do not become another Leeds United. And we should be backing the team and the manager to ensure we qualify for the CL next season. Clearly this added pressure on the team is not needed at this moment.

Some might argue Rafa's tactics and approaches to games are wrong, hence we are not performing (forget about the injuries we have had because some of these fans do not want to hear that). Last season Rafa showed what the team is capable of and his tactics, if they were wrong, wouldn't have taken us so close to the title. Some fans argue the players he has brought to the club are not good enough. Well, we know the sort of players he wanted but could not get them due to either lack of funds or Parry's blunders. But look at the line-up we have at the moment and count how many players are good enough to be playing for their international teams. If Rafa is blind to talent, then you need to also accuse the international managers to be blind too.

In a nutshell, if we were to give Michael Schumacher a Proton Saga he will also falter. Then we ask for the head of Schumacher because he failed to deliver and ask Jensen Button to drive the car. And it will go on and on. Bad analogy, I know, because clearly these drivers will never ever be able to improve the Proton Saga into a Ferrari, but in the case of Liverpool, Rafa will be able to at least take us close to the finishing line ahead. Something he almost did last season, against all the odds facing us in the face. And I believe, given enough time and patience, he will eventually find the balance he is seeking and deliver us the Holy Grail.

Unlucky Liverpool FC

2009-12-09T09:58:00.009+08:00

After beating Drebecen and Everton in away games, we could only 'manage' to hold Blackburn to a 0-0 draw at their turf. The last fixture was a disappointing game for Liverpool fans because clearly we could have won that game if only lady luck had decided to throw even a wee bit of the Mona Lisa smile towards us. Because in reality, she has shunned us since the start of this season.

There was so many positives from that game that I have decided to focus on. While some fans keep on harping about "Rafa this and Rafa that", I would like to see it as another clean sheet against a formidable opponent (check Blackburn's home record) after the many problems in our back four that have been haunting us since the start of the season look to have finally been overcome. We seem to be back to our best in keeping clean sheets which has been our strength since Rafa took over.

While some fans continue to moan about our midfield, and how Rafa is still to blame for Alonso departure (yeah..right) and how it has cost us the shot at the title, I would like to focus on how Lucas has been transformed into a so much better player from last season. I admit I used to be quite pissed off at Lucas last season and was occasionally guilty of giving the stick to Rafa for keeping his faith on Lucas, but now I happily accept the humble pie. That's why Rafa is the manager of the greatest club on earth.

Of course Lucas was never ready to carry the responsibilities Rafa put on his shoulders (people tend to compare him to a 30M player), but when we needed him to do the job with Aquilani sidelined for much longer than it was thought at first, Lucas has delivered. We don't see him giving away stupid freekicks in dangerous areas anymore. He looks to have much more confidence in him now and outshining half-fit players like Gerrard everytime, doesn't give away the ball that easily and most importantly, and marshalls the midfield when we go forward. He has more composure nowadays and doesn't 'only give sideway passes' as fans used to complain but tries to execute the telling and penetrating passes and gets closer to the opposition goal areas than before. And yes, he is not the finished article yet and needs to continue to learn the trade, especially his shots at goal, but we can see how he has played the man-of-match role in so many games in lots of fans' eyes. And the best thing is he is still young and had never complained about the sticks he has had to endure during his dark-days both from fans and the media and looks to be thankful with the faith Rafa has given him and in keeping his head down to continue to improve on his game. Classy lad I would say. Let's hope he goes on and improves further for years to come.

As for Aquilani, we will at last see him start against Fiorentina tomorrow and I really can't wait to see him play. I have read lots of comments from fans in Italy on how good he is and, as Rafa has said, a fully fit Aquilani is worth much much more than the 20M we paid for him. This is a perfect game for him to start, unlike the previous ones when he was not match-fit and when the stakes were high, not to mention the condition of the pitch not favouring a player that has just come back from injuries like him. I trust Rafa because he knows the actual condition of the player after seeing him in training everyday. I won't make the mistake of expecting Aquilani to immediately play like Maradona or score 6 goals in this game, all from 30 yards away, because a player in his condition will take some time to fit into the jigsaw puzzle. But this game will somewhat prepare him for the cruncher against Arsenal this weekend and that game is one hell of an important game for us.

Another positive so far this season is our young striker who had to endure, just like Lucas has had to, the responsibility of headspearing our attack in the absence on Torres. It is a pity that N'gog had to be thrown into the games in this fashion but with Rafa's hand tied at the back due to lack of quality options upfront, we shouldn't be asking for so many miracles although N'gog has shown enough class to become a great player. His touches are sublime and his ability to hold the ball upfront is remarkable for such a young player. His positioning and his finishing is definitely better than Kuyt's or Voronin's and hence understandably Rafa, given the circumstances, prefers him over the others. N'gog should be applauded for having to do what he had to do so far, mostly for facing the expectations of the fans in brave fashion after what Fowler and Owen (the prick) had done for us at similar age in the past.

It is December and being 12 points off the pace from leaders Chelsea and only 4 points off third place Arsenal is not such a bad thing, given the circumstances. Circumstances in which Lady Luck has not been so kind to us. We have been unlucky to have had the american owners taking over our club in such pitiful manner. I would take the 20M Moores would had thrown to us every season over the lies and promises made by the dreadful cowboys. We have been very very unlucky with the unseen-before injuries, up to 12 players at one time, that we have had so far this season because I always believe had our team been fully fit since day one, our position in the CL and the league would have been better. We have been unlucky that Rafa could not buy players of his choice and favourable covers for our first team players and had to throw in young guns when they got injured. We have been unlucky that we had to play unfit and half-fit players. We have been unlucky that so much pressure has been put on the club by fans (blame Rafa here for creating the expectations amongst us by taking the 2nd spot last season) and the unfriendly media not to mention the beachball and the referees. And the list goes on and on...

So, it is quite mindboggling that some fans choose to go after Rafa's head as if he purposely hexed the team to mediocracy when the writings on the wall is so obvious of his achievements so far at our club. He has shown what we are capable of last season against the odds in which so many other teams spent more money than us. And I believe when all our injured players are fit again, we will again go on our winning ways and the realistic top 4 position at the end of the season is not that far-fetched. I have argued with some fans when they said we should be winning the title this season and not aiming for top 4 and when I asked why we MUST win it this season, most of them hit the wall in their arguments. Granted that not all LFC 'fans' on the net are actually LFC fans (I believe there are many fans of the opposition clubs having a laugh at our expense and probably some are planted as CyberTroopers by certain quarters to achieve their agenda), it saddens me to see some fellow fans continue to read and believe the lies spewed by the media and choose not to listen to blatant arguments, some based on statistics. And in doing so, for some reasons only they know, they go against the traditional view of Liverpool fans being the most knowledgible fans in the world.

We are still in the running for two cups that I hope we lift this season no matter what they say about how unimportant those cups are. And I feel we will at last have a streak of unbeaten run and hopefully when all the injured players are back, we will again strike fear in our opponents when we score goals for fun. It was not such a long time ago that we saw what we are capable of.

How Rafa benitez has overachieved at LFC

2009-11-27T02:46:00.002+08:00

For those who want to take a peek into some statistics, this latest one by Paul Tomkins is one of the greatest I have come across:

http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/11/liverpool-can’t-afford-to-win-the-league/

YNWA!

Reality Check One...Two..

2009-11-25T22:12:00.009+08:00

It has been quite a while since I last posted but fortunately the hectic weeks are behind me now. I did manage to catch all the live games of LFC on the telly here, even the one last night that kicked off at 3.45AM, and also got to always keep in touch with the news over my mobile but mostly from the more 'sane' sites.

If my past weeks were damning, I cannot start to imagine what it was like for Rafa Benitez. And I am glad I am just a fan and not the manager of LFC because I do not think I would have survived the horrifying ordeal he had to undergo. It looked like, and still looks like, every Tom, Dick, And Harry is going after his jugular.

But that is not the truth altogether, because there are quite a number of santuaries, if you may call it that, where the fans get to discuss matters related to LFC mostly with proper facts and figures, where almost everyone is level-headed and would take whatever that is reported in the news with a pinch of salt.

Some people call these fans the rafalogists, as if Rafa Benitez needs to apologise for anything, while some call them rafatollahs, a term that makes quite a number of us squirm for obvious reasons. The fans, some of them have been following LFC for decades through the thicks and thins, are given these names because apparently they are the ones who are wrongly making 'excuses' for Rafa Benitez, as we all know Rafa is not one of those managers who give excuses that easily. And Rafa is taking them for a ride and they are so stupid (half-a-brainers as some put it) they cannot see the obvious. Fortunately, I can say that I belong to this group of fans that supports Rafa all the way.

This is not to say that Rafa is beyond criticism, because we all know that managers come and go, just like players come and go, but the fans (the actual ones at least) are here to stay and all of us want LFC to be as successful as possible. Then again, there is the term 'supporter' that I feel is sometimes taken too lightly by some quarters. As I cannot speak for these fans, I will just leave it at that but would like to state that some of the crap that comes out from some ex-players and ex-managers is really really disheartening. I just wish that there were a way we could disassociate ourselves from these morons. And the worse part of it all is some of these morons never did really achieve any sorts of greatness at the club neither as a player nor as a manager. And I am sure we fans can pinpoint them all and their 'achievements'.

The least some of these people could do is to take stock of the problems we have had since Rafa took over until now. We still hope that our team is still up there challenging for glory but somehow I feel the great expectations that was brought upon us by Rafa Benitez himself last season needs to be reassesed. It hurts to see a great team that ended last season with so much potential seems to have deteriorated over night, which is just impossible.

It is so easy to criticise, especially after a game with the benefit of hindsight, but I would like these people to show us which manager could have done better than Rafa Benitez with all the circumstances that have been surrounding him. Which team could afford to challenge strongly with almost half of the squad out injured (never have we seen such bad luck of injuries before) and those who get to play are either still nursing with injury or thrown into the pitch and given such huge responsibilities when at best they should be playing in the reserve league?

Or show us the manager who would have done a better job than Rafa Benitez with the players he had to buy and sell because of the lack of funds, when one player on the bench of our rivals is more expensive than 3 of ours playing their hearts out on the pitch? Or show us the manager who could have stopped the beachball from scoring against us? Or show us the manager who could have stopped the goals from leaking in when our back four is forced to being rotated so very often? You get my drift here and if it sounds like being an apologist for Rafa, then so be it.

I used to make fun of ARSEnal and ARSEne Wenger. But after what he told the press the other day about Rafa and the circumstances he is in, I now have more respect for him, a rival manager, than for people like Souness and Jamie Redknapp and gazillions of other morons and the so-called pundits.

I personally still believe that when we have all the injured players available to Rafa, which would not be that long in the future and if there is no other injuries (touch wood) and when all the players at last get back their confidence, and if we get to be back in the top 4 at the end of December, then we would still have a decent shot at the title. And with Aquailani almost fully fit to play now and maybe one or two additions to the squad during the January break, we get to at last show the form we are capable of, displayed so effectively not too long ago. Until then, I will continue to cross my fingers.

In Rafa we trust.

YNWA!

Poor Anti-Rafa LFC Supporters

2009-11-07T11:27:00.008+08:00

I really feel for the 'supporters' who are in the Anti-Rafa Brigade. Yeah, really, if you believe cows can fly. The go on and on about wanting Rafa to be sacked while ignoring glaring FACTS. And what happens to them after each game?

When we lose, these supporters will be happy because they feel that their argument is justified, BUT they will be unhappy because we have lost. And when we win, they will be happy because we won BUT will be unhappy because their argument to 'sack' Rafa would be refuted. Either way, they always remain unhappy and are stuck in the no-win situation. Hence my pity for them.

Maybe they should take up this advice: bet some money on the opposing team to win. Even when LFC loses, they will be happy because they would have won some money afterwards.

I have always suspected that the many of these anti-Rafa fans who comment in blogs are not really supporters of LFC but are having a field-day at our expense. They might actually be supporters of the Mancs and are having a good laugh while jumping into the Anti-Rafa brigade led by pundits and members of the media.

Some are genuine LFC supporters but are brainwashed by the pundits and media into thinking the best solution for LFC at the moment is sacking Rafa. They don't want to see the fact that Rafa has actually overachieved so far, especially if one is to take into account the FACT that funds and achievement is closely related.

Funds includes players wages of course. We have seen how a player would be moaning on the bench and demands first-team football or a transfer out. But once his contract is renewed and he gets higher wages, he will keep quiet. Same case when he is transfered out to a team that pays his a higher wages and he will immediately be happy sitting on the bench, and the demands for first-eleven football is forgotten.

According to a study by Futebol Finance last year, almost half of football's top 50 earners played for clubs in the Premier League. Eight were at Chelsea and seven at the Mancs, while Liverpool had only four. I am sure currently there are a lot lot more of them in the other teams like Citeh too.

Rafa has been struggling with the funds issue for so long. He is not geting the funds to buy players, to strengthen the team he has built. Try to imagine if Rafa did not have to sell the players from last season, and had brought in Johnson, Aquilani and/or Barry. Imagine how much stronger our beloved team would be!

Rafa had also had to struggle to make players happy with a high wage, players like Crouch, who is not complaining being on the bench anymore after leaving us on the pretext of first-team football because his has got a higher wage now. But I guess all these fact will be lost on an anti-Rafa fan. Please google for this fact on the correlations between funds/wages and success at soccernomics or something.

How about the fact the Rafa is currently struggling with all the injuries? Gerrard, Aquilani, Johnson, Skrtle, Riera, N'Gog, Agger, Aurelio, Kelly, Cavlieri and Torres are all unfit. Or the fact that Carra and Degen are suspended for the next game? Try taking out that many players, including first-elevens out of the other teams like the Mancs or Chelsea or Spurs or City and see how they perform.

Some fans argue that the modern day football demands quick success unlike those good old days. And I say exactly! What has changed is this demand from 'new' fans. I would like to borrow an analogy from a life-long supporter of LFC from the Kopblog/TIA site and see whether fans would want this manager sacked:

"The team finished runner-up the previous season. Three wins would have sealed the title. The new season started with optimism that their drought in the league could be expunged from memory. The team went unbeaten in the first nine games: W:7 D: 2: L:0. Unfortunately, the team would only win consecutive league games on two occasions after September. Their first loss was in their tenth game, away to their traditional rival.

Then the injuries arrived. By the season’s end only four players ended up featuring in forty or more games in all competitions. The manager had to call on reserves, fringe players, worn-out veterans and untested youth.

The victories disappeared. Three wins in the league during a twelve games stretch between mid-September through early December: P: 12: W: 3: D: 6 L: 3. One of those losses was a 4-0 hammering against a newly promoted side. They beat their city rivals, but in the very next game, they were humilated 4-1 at home against another traditional rival.

They responded well with straight victories, but then only won one of their next six (P:6 W:1 D:2 L:3) league matches stretching from mid-January to early-March. Their remaining ten league games consisted of six wins and four losses. One of those losses was at home to their city rival. The team finished a disappointing fifth in the league, fourteen points behind their hated cross-town nemesis who finished as champions. By the injury-ravaged season’s end, they had seemingly gone backwards. They lost eleven league games, almost double than the previous seasons total of six. Furthermore, they conceded 42 goals: a stark contrast to 24 the season prior.

Additionally, the team were embarassingly knocked out of their European competition to a third placed Portuguese side on away goals, bundled out of the League Cup and humiliated in the FA Cup to a team who finished fourth from bottom in the division below them. - Fat Scouser"

If the above manager were sacked because the fans demanded it, LFC would not have been the LFC as we know it today. And yes, that is the difference between the modern-day fans of today and the fans from the greatest manager of all time Shankly's era.

YNWA - enough said!

From Lucas to Rafa Benitez: Off With His Head!!

2009-11-04T23:37:00.012+08:00

When we beat the Mancs last week, everyone including his pet rock was jumping with joy I am certain. Everyone except those in the clueless bandwagon. Then, afterwe lost to Fulham, the dam burst further!

How do some fans miss the obvious I do not know. We have been overachieving with Rafa at the helm and yet these people scream murder and want Rafa to be sacked. We know that if we don't qualify for the knock-out stages in the CL, we will lose at least another 10 million. Fund which Rafa could do with so as to buy players in the January window because the owners are never going to give him any from their own pockets. That's it if Rafa is actually given the fund from the CL, and it is used not to pay off the interest on the debts. Hence, we need to win in the CL tonight to be able to compete in the PL, no two ways about it, except if some rich billionnaire comes and gives Rafa money to buy, without having to sell. So, was it wrong for Rafa to think about the next important game when we were at Fulham?

Everyone knows about the injuries to our players, including the swine (?) flu pendemic that also hit some players who played in the game against Fulham. A total of 12 players last I heard. Twelve! It was a gamble Rafa took to play some of these players, such as Lucas, and also playing Torres who was also injured and had to be injected because we don't have anyone else to rely on. The substitutes were needed to be done -- one because not to aggravate the injuries and two, for them to be available in the crucial CL game.

Those things are obvious to see by everyone who wants to see it. Unlike the pundits and journalists that have the agenda to vilify Rafa, which sadly I feel would still continue even if Rafa wins the PL. They talk as if they know what really is going on behind the scene when a wee bit of research will tell you about the circumstances we are in. They do it purposely because it sells. Which papers have reported about the ice-bag Torres needed after the Fulham game? None, because that will justify Rafa taking out Torres.

Rafa's records are also there to be seen, a record better than all the current managers such as Fergiescum and also better than Shankly and Paisley. Why isn't people going after Wenger's head or any of the other managers head for that matter? And why is that the expectation for our team is so great that we must win the PL this year? Or we should have won it last year? Or the year before?

Expectation is normal but once should take into account the circumstances. The expectation is so high this season BECAUSE Rafa took us to second spot last season with a point tally the highest since 88. One would think that Rafa is stupid and doesn't know about substitutions and buying players and is not interested buying players like Villa et al. He spent only a net of around 16M a season so far. Heck, by the looks of thing, Rafa seems to be sabotaging LFC, and he himself inflicted all the injuries unto the players and spread the flu himself. So that he could go to Real Madrid! Sheesh... We know why he couldn't buy those players he really wanted, why he had to buy and sign up for free the players he brought in, why he has to sell to buy, why he had to loan off players, etc. People talk as if it is very easy to manage a team like LFC, and this is from people who have never kicked a ball in their life, let alone managing a small team even!

One thing that bothers me. They whack Rafa and his tactics (most times wrongly too) but then do they come up with better solutions? As they say: opinion is like an ass-hole, everyone has one (including me of course) AND hindsight is always 20/20. And I will never believe Rafa would willingly throw a game away, no manager would be that stupid. He might gamble a player or two and hope for the best in a game, sometimes with results and sometimes without. But when he doesn't have a choice, he just prays for the best given the circumstances he is in i.e.: because we don't have Villa or Silva on the bench to throw into a game when a player of their stature is needed. But we see the impact of his decisions AFTER a game and damn!, hindsight is always 20/20.

Latest rumour is Real Madrid is going to offer 20M to LFC for Rafa's service with Alonso thrown in. There is a clause in Rafa's contract that says if he is sacked, the owners would have to pay something like 20M. Isn't it better to give Rafa the 20M to buy a player instead? Hell no! Sack Rafa instead! And bring in Souness they say! What would these people say to Real Madrid's offer if the rumour is true? Of course they will jump at that idea but will anything change is the line-up? Will the new manager get the funds Rafa did not get? Will the line-up and tactics the new manager uses change our fortunes? Will all the injuries we have suddenly become non-injuries? And is the manager's job only about choosing the players to play a game? There is no guarantee. Rafa is the best at his business, and that includes the A to Z of running a team and not only team selection mind you.

Whatever it is, we should be backing the team. Backing also includes backing up Rafa. He doesn't need us to also join the bandwagon that comprise pundits. ex-players and journalists who are after his head! We should first understand the circumstances at LFC i.e.: all the problems Rafa and the players face, and the least some fans could do is lower their expectations of winning the PL and the CL this year because we understand the circumstances and then support our teams to the fullest, hope for the best and enjoy watching the game. There will be joy and sorrows along the way. One week we beat the likes of Mancs and the other week we lose to the likes of Fulham. We will again beat the likes of the Mancs and hope we do not falter against the likes of Fulham (not that they are a team like MyTeam which would be easy meat for us) in the near future!

If we were to go by some of the lame arguments put forward by the kneejerkers/post-Istanbul-fans of we-must-win-everything-fast-no-matter-what, then lots of the managers would need to be sacked too. Their argument, Rafa has spent sooooo much money (which is of course false because we know the truth) and should have won the PL. So, they actually equate success with the funds spend, which is the truth of course. Well, some managers have spent more than Rafa so it is only fair that they are sacked too because they did not win anything: try Chelsea who finished below us last season. Or, teams that do not win anything is justified because they spent less than LFC. Well, then Rafa has spend less than the Mancs and Chelsea, so his not winning it should be justified too, no? But he still managed to take us to 2nd place last season, etc etc. Isn't it great?

I am actually worried for Rafa at this moment. He has had backing from the fans so far. We never hear about an anti-Rafa demonstrations. And this is one of the reasons Rafa has stayed put at LFC, because LFC fans are knowledgable fans and support (big word this) the club through thick and thin and know a team so good last season do not turn into this nightmarish team overnight. Knowledgable fans that know about his overachievement so far, what he had to endure with the jokers yanks and most importantly, how he had to sell to buy in the process of building eventhough so many obstacles were thrown in his path, and how injuries after injuries have marred his plans so far this season. But maybe, after tonight's game, if ever we lose (touch wood) there will be enough of these so-called fans, together with the so-called pundits and the pathetic journalists, rallied behind by some stupid former players/managers of LFC, who would really get under Rafa's skin and become forceful enough to drive him out of this beloved club of ours.

If that happens, that will yet be the biggest disaster for us.

YNWA!

Brilliant Rafa Benitez

2009-11-02T22:50:00.003+08:00

This is something I saw at Kopblog, posted by a true fan who did a very good research. Maybe some of us might see what's it is like for Rafa and how brilliant he has been for us.

2004/05

£2m - Josemi: peanuts and was moved on in a swap for Kromkamp 18 months later
£1.5m - Antonio Nunez: part of the Michael Owen deal and filled a gap for a while. Peanuts.
£10.7m - Xabi Alonso: Massive success and sold for £30m+ in the summer when he wanted to leave
£6m - Luis Garcia: Massive success and sold to Athletico Madrid for £4m
Free - Pelligrino: Stop gap that allowed us to rest Sami for league games, benefitting us massively in Istanbul. Now on the coaching staff.
£6.3m - Fernando Morientes: Pretty much everyone made up when we signed him, top class, but never settled. Sold for £3m to Valencia.
£1m - Scott Carson: One the most highly rated young keepers around. Lost out through injury and signing of Reina when Dudek left the club. Sold for £3.25m.

Total bought: £27.5m

Free - Marcus Babbel: Released to Stuttgart at the end of his career.
£2.5m - Danny Murphy: Xabi Alonso signed to fill the role Murphy had in the side
£8.5m - Michael Owen: Wouldn’t sign a new contract and sold before he left on a free. He’s done nothing since that is a masterstroke with hindsight.
Free - Stephane Henchoz: Released to Celtic at the end of his career

Total sold: £11m

A total of £16.5m net spend in his first year at the club, with the vast majority of that being spent on Xabi Alonso.

2004/05 net spend: £16.5m

2005/06

£240,000 - Antonio Barragan: Kid for the future. Sold for £675,000 to Deportivo a year later.
Free - Boudewijn Zenden: Signed for nothing and released for nothing. Did a job for us.
£6m - Pepe Reina: In the top 3 or 4 keepers in the world now and still young. One of Rafa’s best signings.
£5.6m - Momo Sissoko: Brilliant for a few years, had that eye injury and sold to Juventus when his form dipped for £8.2m. Replaced by Mascherano.
£7m - Peter Crouch: One signing I did question but proved to be a great bit of business. Turned him from a laughing stock into an international. Sold for £11m.
Unkown - Miki Roque: Kid bought for peanuts. Sold again for an unknown amount.
£150,000 - Jack Hobbs: Highly rated 16yr old signed from Lincoln. Didn’t progress as hoped and sold to Leicester for a reported £1.5m, although figure not confirmed.
£190,000 Besian Idrizaj: No idea who he is
£1.5m - Mark Gonzales: Cheap player to provide back up for the left wing. Sold for £3.5m to Real Betis.
Exchange - Paul Anderson: Swapped for John Welsh. Sold for £250,000.
Exchange - Jan Kromkamp: Swapped for Josemi. Later sold for £1.75m
£5.8m - Daniel Agger: Blighted by injuries but potentially top class and great signing for the money.
£250,000 - David Martin: Young reserve keeper
Free - Robbie Fowler: Pay as you play deal and no risk involved. Scored a few goals. Released in the summer.

Total bought: £26.73

Free - Vladimir Smicer: Out of contract and released. Played a small part in Istanbul.
£3.5m - El Hadji Diouf: The best £3.5m Rafa has ever recieved.
Free - Pellegrino: Filled the gap in the last 5 months of the previous season, not good enough and released.
£2m - Alou Diarra: Sold for £2m. One of Houllier’s buys.
£2m - Antonio Nunez: Bought for £1.5m and now sold for £2m when didn’t work out.
£6.5m - Milan Baros: A Houllier signing sold at a profit. He’s done nothing since.
Exchange - John Welsh: Swapped for Paul Anderson
Exchange - Josemi: Swapped for Kronkamp.

Total sold: £14m

2005/06 net spend: £12.73m
2006/07

£6m - Craig Bellamy: Good signing and later sold for £7.5m to fund Torres deal.
£2m - Gabriel Palletta: Played a few league cup games, not good enough and sold for £1.2m
Free - Fabio Aurelio: Very injury prone but a good player when fit. Great signing for nothing.
£6.7m - Jermaine Pennant: Second choice after missing out on Alves. Ran his contract down and released. Attitude stank.
£9m - Dirk Kuyt: Has his critics, but has been brilliant for the money. 15 goals last season from wide and vital to the way we play. Ultimate pro. Great signing.
£200,000 - Nabil El Zhar: Few cameos last season and improving. Injured now. Promising still. Peanuts.
£750,000 - Astrit Ajdarevic: No idea who he is, and released on a free to Leicester.
Loan - Daniele Padelli: Reserve keeper, made one appearance and never seen again.
Undisclosed - Jordy Brouwer: Young reserve.
£2.5m - Alvaro Arbeloa: Bargain signing, great service for a few years and sold for £3.5m when running his contract down.
Loan - Javier Mascherano: Rescued from West Ham, now one of the best defensive midfielders in the world and will probably be sold to Barca this summer for a massive profit. Paid £18.6m for him a year later at end of loan deal.

Total bought: £27.15m

£200,000 - Zak Whitbread: Youngster
Undisclosed - Bruno Cheyrou: Houllier flopped, sold for a reported £1.5m.
£3m - Fernando Morientes: Didn’t work out. Cut his losses.
Free - Didi Hamann: Great servant, released at the end of his career
£675,000 - Antonio Barragan: Paid £240,000 for him.
£2m - Djimi Traore: Houllier signing and daylight robbery getting £2m for him
£500,000 - Neil Mellor: Signed as a kid and did a job for a while. Not good enough and released.
£1.75m - Jan Kromkamp: Nunez bought for £2m, swapped for him, who then sold for £1.75m. Stop gaps at minimal expense.
£525,000 - Darren Potter: Acadamy lad, not good enough and robbery getting that much for him.
£1.5m - Steven Warnock: Probably sold to cheap and looks a mistake with hindsight. Good squad player.
Free - Salif Diao: The clearout of Houllier’s flops continues.

Total sold: £10.15m

2006/07 net spend: £17m

2007/08

£5m - Lucas Leiva: Brazilian player of the year when signed. Could still go either way but a lot to prove.
Undisclosed - Krisztian Nemeth: Promising youngster currently out on loan in Athens.
£270,000 - Mikel San Jose Dominguez: Youngester plays in the reserves.
£1.8m - Sebastian Leto: Left winger signing but refused a work permit. Sold for £3m.
£20.2m - Fernando Torres: Bargain of the century
Free - Andriy Voronin: Free transfer to strengthen the squad. Plays well in Germany, garbage over here.
£5m - Yossi Benayoun: Took a while to settle but now a key player. Superb signing and an absolute bargain.
£11.5m - Ryan Babel: Highly rated dutch international. Absolute waste of space. Bad signing on reflection, but nobody knew how he’d turn out. Still got potential but he can’t be arsed.
Undisclosed - Charles Itandje: Back up keeper signed for peanuts. Now released.
£1.3m - Emiliano Insua: Youngster who is now a full Argentinian international and massive potential. Bargain.
£6.5m - Martin Skrtel: Been off form this season so far, but brilliant last year and a good signing for the money.
£18.6m - Javier Mascherano: Completion of loan deal

Total bought: £70.7m

£2.7m – Florent Simana-Pongolle: Houllier youngster sold wanting first team football.
£100,000 – Daniel O’Donnell: Kid sold
Free – Jerzy Dudek: Released at end of contract
Free - Zenden: Released at end of contract
Free – Robbie Fowler: Released at end of contract
£4m – Luis Garcia: Wanted to return to Spain. Great service.
£6m – Djibril Cisse: Houllier signing sold to part fund Torres deal.
£7.5m – Craig Bellamy: Sold at profit to part fund Torres deal
£3.5m – Mark Gonzales: Signed for £1.5m and sold when didn’t work out.
£1.2m – Gabriel Palletta: Bought for £2m but never worked out. Young defender.
£3.5m – Chris Kirkland: Houllier signing. Injury prone and wanted first team football.
£8.2m – Momo Sissoko: Great signing, good service, sold when lost his form at a profit.

Total sold: £36.7m

2007/08 net spend: £34m

2008/09

Free – Philip Degen: Garbage, but free.
£7m - Andrea Dossena: Italian international left back. Hasn’t settled. Bad signing.
£3.5m – Diego Cavalieri: Reserve keeper. Only played league cup games so far.
£1.5m – David N’gog: Young French striker. Promising.
£19m – Robbie Keane: Everyone made up when we signed him. Didn’t work out and sold back to Spurs for £16m.
£8m - Albert Riera: Spanish international. Started well but jury still out.

Total bought: £39m

£4m – John Arne Riise: Good servant but form tailed off. Snapped their hands off at £4m.
Free – Harry Kewell: Harry who?
Undisclosed – Anthony Le Tallec: Houllier youngster finally released. Fee not known.
£11m – Peter Crouch: Laughing stock bought for £7m. Great signing. Wanted first team football.
£2.25m – Danny Guthrie: Youngster from Acadamy thought not good enough.
£3.25m – Scott Carson: Injury prone and Reina now first choice. Sold at profit.
Undisclosed – Steve Finnan: Sold for a fee believed to be £1m
£16m – Robbie Keane: Didn’t work out.
Undisclosed – Jack Hobbs: Young defender that didn’t progress. Sold for believed to £1.5m.

Total sold: £36.5m

2008/09 net spend: £2.5m

2009/10

£17.5m – Glen Johnson: Big fee, but has been brilliant so far.
£17.1m - Alberto Aquilani: Injured so far but meant to be a class act. Highly rated in Italy.
£2m – Sotirios Kyrgiakos: Last minute signing to fill Hyypia’s shoes. Only money we had to spend.
£160,000 – Daniel Ayala: Young defender, played a few times this season and looked promising.

Total bought: £36.76m

£250,000 – Paul Anderson: Youngster that didn’t progess.
Free – Jermaine Pennant: Out of contract. Poor signing.
Free – Miki Roque: No idea who he is. Bought for peanuts.
£3m – Sebastian Leto: Signed for £1.8m but didn’t get a work permit. Had to sell.
£3.5m – Alvaro Arbeloa: Wanted to leave and out of contract in the summer.
£30m – Xabi Alonso: Wanted to leave. Bought for £10.7m. Great signing.

Total sold: £36.75m

2009/10 net spend: £10,000

Total Players Bought: £228,976,000
Total Players Sold: £145,100,000

Total Net Spend: £83,876,000

So, that’s a total spend of just over £83m in 5 years at the club. An average of £16.6m a year.

The vast majority of his signings have been sold at profit, or if still at the club, are worth a lot more than we paid for them. Exceptions being Babel and Dossena, but we’ll still get decent fees for them when sold as they’re full internationals.

A lot of the signings above have been stepping stones in rebuilding the squad, gradually improving it by replacing players with better ones. Our league positions over the past 5 years and the improvement in our league positions and points totals show the progression.

2004/05: Finished 5th – 58 pts
2005/06: Finished 3rd – 82 pts
2006/07: Finished 3rd – 68 pts
2007/08: Finished 4th – 76 pts
2008/09: Finished 2nd – 86 pts
**************************************

We ungrateful bastards, with our ridiculous demands and expectations, should be on our knees thanking the good lord for bringing us Rafa Benitez.

I shudder to think the mess our club would have been in by now had Parry not hired this man before selling the club to the two parasites.

-Those are his words by the way.

YNWA!

Fulham 3 Liverpool 1: The Best Fans In the World

2009-11-01T00:57:00.003+08:00

Is it only me or is the whole world against us?

Firstly, we have a list of injured players longer than my telephone bill. Then, Rafa has to be contented with playing so-so players because of some friggin owners would not cough up the funds needed for us to be real contenders for the PL. Then we have a game in which we dominate play for such a long period and the bar stops the ball and the only time Pepe touches the ball is to collect it from his net.

Then we have an unlucky touch of ball to keep it in play by Kuyt just for it to be robbed and resulted for a goal against. Then we get a straight red card for a tackle from the side, not behind! Then yet again, we get another straight red card although Carra touched the ball before that sissy of a player goes to the ground!

And for the toppings, we have the usual media and their freakin bias against us. And of course, the cherry on top, the two commentators. What can I say? Apart from talking shite about our so-called 'demise', Rafa's errors (as if they could be better managers!), these two scumbags were actually showing their delight during the whole game! No wonder some smart fans mute the telly when watching us play.

I wish that things would just turn around for us and these _______ (fill in all the expletives here) will all eat their humble pie and shit it out and then eat it all over again at the end of the season. Such is my contempt for them.

I am sure the whole world saw and heard the YNWA anthem being proudly sang by our supporters although we were already 'dead and buried' in the game. I wish I were amongst them singing my heart out. Those fans really make me feel so proud of supporting the best and being the peers of the best supporters in the world.

YNWA!

YES! LFC Fans Still Celebrating

2009-10-28T00:06:00.005+08:00

This is the famous burst and flattened beachball look. Priceless!

I am still celebrating even though I know it was only a battle we won and not the war. But still, how often have we felt this euphoria in the last, say, 20 years? Not so many times. Anyways, I bet many of us fans have had friends or collegues gone missing the past two days. Well, who asked them to support the Mancs in the first place haha!

Some of the media and pundits have not stopped slagging and slanting Rafa. I guess their punditry and journalism skills are sadly very much limited. That's the price you pay for not having enough imagination.

While we talk about how Pepe was incredibly the first player to reach N'Gog after his goal and the messages on beachballs thrown by our fans on the pitch saying Yanks Out and supporting Rafa, the so-called sorry-excuse-for- pundits have no other ideas for their rantings while deep down inside feeling exactly like Fergiescum as shown above, who keeps on with his senile mumbling attacks on the Ref hoping that we overlook the fact that his days are numbered and his failure to outwit Rafa for the last three games.

YNWA!

Priceless Bounce Back for LFC

2009-10-26T02:10:00.001+08:00

And sign of a great Captain:

Carra making sure Giggs could not influence the ref during the halftime walk to the dugout...priceless!

Let's Rally Behind Our Team

2009-10-25T18:43:00.004+08:00

I feel the game against the Mancs is timely. What better way to show to the fans our resilience if not by winning this much-anticipated game. This is the sort of games when form is thrown out of the window.

What I would like to see today is a game in which all our players give their all and play themselves to the ground. I am sure Rafa has a game plan and the players are expected to deliver it to the minute detail. And I don't think the players need any kind of motivation other than the fact we are playing the Mancs.

How they play will indicate how much support they give to the Gaffer and the fans. And I also hope that the fans get behind the team all throughout the game. Even if we did not get the result we all hoped for, at least we would know that the players have tried their best and that will be something positive amongst so much negatives associated with LFC at the moment.

The fans in Liverpool have planned a march to show their protest against the owners. For those members of the anti-Rafa Brigade, I hope you start wondering why there is never an anti-Rafa march or protest. At least at this moment, because I am sure if ever it were Rafa's fault for our so-called slum, the fans in Liverpool will be the first to show their feelings.

Anyway, I have a good feeling for tonight's game. And hopefully the Ref's influence in the outcome of the game will not be needed.

YNWA!

To All Anti-Rafa Fans

2009-10-24T22:30:00.003+08:00

Granted that all LFC fans want us to succeed but to agree along with what the media have been calling for non-stop now would be ridiculous. They want Rafa's head to roll. And this after what Rafa has achieved even with so many obstacles (need they be mentioned again and again?) in front of him.

Here's something from the www.liverpoolfc.tv official site:

HOW RAFA'S 200 COMPARES TO RIVAL BOSSES
Jimmy Rice 23 October 2009
Rafa Benitez will take charge of his 200th league game for Liverpool on Sunday - and we've unearthed some fascinating statistics comparing the Spaniard's record to rival managers.
Benitez has won 113 of his 199 top-flight clashes since taking charge of Liverpool in 2004 - an impressive 56.8 per cent.

This compares favourably to the records of Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger in their first 200 league games.

Ferguson won just 87 from 200 (43.5 per cent) after joining Manchester United in 1986 - and it took the Scot almost seven years to collect a league title.

Wenger triumphed in 110 (55 per cent) of his first 200 league matches following his appointment at Highbury in 1996 - a stat which was good enough at the time to win him a championship trophy in 1997-98.

Meanwhile, just one Liverpool manager from down the years can boast a better record than Benitez.

Kenny Dalglish won 120 of his first 200 (60 per cent) league games.

Bob Paisley totted up 113 victories (56.5 per cent), Bill Shankly 106 (53 per cent) and Gerard Houllier 101 (50.5 per cent).

Go figure!

Paul Tomkins' Latest - A Must Read for all LFC Fans - updated

2009-10-24T14:49:00.002+08:00

The latest article by Paul Tomkins, which is for public viewing, is a must read for all LFC fans.

Here is the link:

http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/10/my-day-with-crisis-hit-benitez/

This is the latest:

http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/10/the-aftermath-after-meeting-benitez/

Off With Rafa's Head They Say!

2009-10-20T17:05:00.003+08:00

Looks like if some Liverpool fans are given the powers, they will sack Rafa Benitez immediately. The reason? Because we are not at the top of the table at the moment, we have not won all the games we have played so far this season, and we have not won our games by a 5 goals margin, all scored from 20 yards I suppose. And it is only October, mind you.

These 'supporters' want quick fix. They think that everything will be okay and the above will materialise after the managerial post is taken over by Dalglish or Klinsmann or Mourinho. They fail to see the obvious beyond their one-tunnel view, and would rather follow the bandwagon that is the filthy media and their lazy journalism. Some fans in Liverpool kept mentioning to us about these post-Istanbul supporters, who by the way are not appreciated at all by the true Scousers. Some even suggests that LFC should be relegated for one season (Horrors!) so that these so-called supporters would go and support some other team.

There is so much information on the internet, it is a surprise that some people still believe the lies that are being told in the media. Or by the two donkeys. As for Rafa's achievement, it is there to see by everyone who wants to see it. Take this argument for instance. It is by Gerry at www.thisisanfield.com:

"Firstly, I think we can all agree that Rafa inherited a pretty poor squad when he took the job. At the beginning of this season only Carra and Gerrard remain from that original squad, so for those of you watching in black and white, that means that with the exception of those two players an entire first team squad has been rebuilt in the 5 years he has been here.

Now what you need to do is consider the list of players he has brought in, in his time here and take away all of the free, cut price and compromise signings he has been forced to make and just focus on the first choice signings he has been able to make. When you have that number divide it by the five seasons he’s been with us and when you get your answer ask yourself these three questions:

1. What other top manager could achieve what Rafa Benitez has achieved with such limited resources?
2. What other top manager would be bothered?
3. How in the name of Shanks, has he been able to keep us firmly in the top four, been able to mount even a remote challenge for the title and how could we possibly be the current number one ranked side in Europe?

Nuff said!"

Enough Said indeed!

Keep the Faith and YNWA

Perspective View

2009-10-18T14:09:00.003+08:00

Paul Tomkins is one of the best writers in the football world, who puts things in perspective especially for us Liverpool fans. He does not manipulate statistics to suit his views and does his research extensively.

To read his in-depth analysis nowadays we need to subscribe, which is value for money. Some of his works are for public viewing such as the one below. Fans are recommended to read them before making a simplistic conclusion to what is happening in the EPL.

http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/10/the-cost-of-premiership-success/

Result: Rubber Ball 1 - Liverpool 0

2009-10-18T00:01:00.004+08:00

It has been a while since I last posted due to being heavily burdened by workload. Since that last post, we lost to Fiorentina in the CL and Chelsea, and just now to Sunderland, in the Premier League. Although I did find time to follow the news and the whatabouts on my mobile.

It is a very trying period for supporters of LFC. Expectation was so high after such a good performance last season, but unfortunately things have not gone our way so far. Imagine being beaten by a beachball, for freakin sake!

Sunderland scored via the deflection of the rubberball but according to the commentators (who kept saying it was a balloon -- both needs new glasses -- until it really pissed me off) the rulebook says it is the prerogative of the players i.e. the keeper in this case to burst the balloons thrown into the pitch. Well, I don't see how players on the pitch could burst a beachball, and also in this game, the ball was thrown into the six yard from the stands minutes before (by a Liverpool fan apparently) and no way Reina would have wanted to shift his eyes from the football.

Anyway, what's done is done. We played terribly in the first half without Torres and Gerrard and improved tenfolds in the second but couldn't break through the three buses parked in front of their goal. Buses that suddenly transformed into F1 cars during counter-attacks that nearly scored 4-5 goals for them.

It is quite sad to see how things are going for us. From the media that tries to shove the carrots into our backside at every chance they get, to the managers of national sides such as Spain and England who insist on taking our players to meaningless games and get the players injured, to former players and brothers of the players of the Mancs giving the game to the Mancs, to the freakin cowboys called the owners of LFC who are the owners of the carrots that the media keep shoving up our arses... and the list goes on and on...

Two meaningful things stood out for me in this game. One was our outnumbered supporters singing YNWA eventhough they were booed like hell. And the second was the 7 minutes injury time awarded for the game. I cannot recall when we were given that much injury time whilst we were losing.

Chin up! We are Liverpool Supporters and We Will Never Walk Alone!

Saudi Prince to buy Stake in Liverpool?

2009-09-26T17:49:00.003+08:00

I came across a forum that mentioned Prince Faisal Khaled is reportedly interested in buying a 25%-50% stake in LFC. Allegedly Saudi TV reported that the deal will be finalised at tonight's game. The prince owns the Sports Investment FX company or something.

If anyone understands Arabic and can confirm whether it is really the Prince, please check out here: http://liverpoolfc.co.za/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1126051643/m/302102294

A fan also mentioned that Hick was apparently in Saudi Arabia all week. Dunno whether I should be excited or just ignore it as one of the many rumours that have been circulating around.

Shock! Horror! Revealed: Liverpool is Screwed

2009-09-24T19:05:00.003+08:00

Why am I not surprised reading about the leaked papers from LFC?

The documents concerned is apparently a prospectus published by investment banks Rothschild and Merrill Lynch which was released by Bloomberg News.

It reveals that the owners have capped the spending on new players and also any increase of wages to £20M. Oh, and it is for the next 5 years! This figure could only increase if there is an increase in the broadcasting revenue, something that does not happen often. Or if Rafa sells players to raise up funds.

The documents also revealed that the owners were seeking new loans to refinance existing loans and also almost increased the ticket price by 8%.

No wonder the fans are worried sick. Here were are with LFC ridden in huge debt as never before and a chance to become the new Leeds United if ever we do not qualify for the CL once. The sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered seems to have a clause that says we will only be paid if we qualify for the CL, or something like that.

Equally, fans are worried for how long more Rafa is going to take this before he decides enough is enough and leaves us. And of course, with that much funds available, how are we going to compete with the likes of the Mancs, Citeh or Chelsea.

It is difficult to remain optimistic at this time. Until someone megarich comes to rescue us, it is the worrisome lane all the way for us.

Dark and Gloom in the BPL but not at Liverpool FC

2009-09-23T15:19:00.014+08:00

Since the Burnley game, LFC has played against Debrecen in the CL, West Ham in the league and Leeds last night in the Carling Cup. I did not get to catch the Debrecen game but, as with the other two games, LFC won not so 'comfortably too' I was told.

We are sitting 'comfortably' at third place in the league after the West Ham game when a few teams in the top five dropped points as expected. We are at the moment only one point worse compared to the same fixtures from last season. So all the dark and gloom in the few weeks after the season kicked off was just knee-jerk reactions from worried fans understandably. Third place at this time of the year is not so bad, and being 6 points off the league leader Chelsea is not a catastrophic situation. This could of course easily change soon if the likes of Arsenal, Man City and Villa win their game in hand.

The fans supporting the greatest team in the BPL if not the europe or the world, could be forgiven for having such high expectations. If we don't win by 8 goals margin, with 4 goals scored beautifully from 30 yards out before halftime in which the ref would need his arse pumped because he swallowed his whistle engraved with 'Mancs forever', then there will be some quarters who will ask for some heads to roll. Such are the expectations of some passionate fans.

There are so many issues being the talk of town at the moment. The positives of course include Torres' superb two goals against the Hammers, with the first being so awesome we will never forget it ever. His second goal won us the game. For a player who has 'lost his form and playing below his best', scoring 5 goals so far is not so bad. If Torres is not rated as the best striker in the world right now, then it is because of the biased media and pure jealousy.

Another main issue that has been the talk of town is Carra's contributions to the team. Granted that he has made a few errors that could have cost us something, but one could expect these errors taking into account his age. To me, Carra should never be blamed totally just as we should not blame the zonal marking which has provided us such great defensive results in the past. I do not want to dwell in this topic so much but suffice to say his presence in the team is crucial because he marshals the others alongside him in defense so well.

This season, Rafa seems to have decided to go after the jugular of opponents, and rightly so since some of us fans used to criticise him and his defensive strategy in the past that we felt have cost us the premiership. It does look like we aim to win games nowadays rather than not lose with the defense playing higher up the pitch. This I am optimistic will pay its dividends at the end of the season.

Sometimes the players around do not heed Carra's callings, with Johnson still new to the system with Arbeola gone, and sometimes Carra comes against faster and better and younger players whom he could have unestimated. And sometimes players that score the goal against us should be given due credit for outwitting the defense, just like how we credit Torres for outjumping the opponents players to head in his goal or get past three players and toe-poke for a goal. But as long as we outscore our opponents, I am not duly worried.

Last night's game against Leeds saw our second stringers getting a chance to show their worth. Against a settled Leeds side that has won a string of games at home in the lower league, we should be happy with the 1-0 win. I am sure if our first team were playing, we would have won the game by at least a 4 goals margin. As it was, our second stringers guaranteed more games under their belt this season and more chances to prove themselves to Rafa for a place in the first eleven.

The biggest topic at the moment is of course the manner in which the Mancs beat ManCity, which was already weakened by the ejection of Adebayour who faced the FA music in such quick fashion. Especially when the winning goal was scored after the 6 minutes (yes! six minutes!) injury time was over. Justification for the added time was indeed lame. It is very appalling how some referees get away with these types of 'blunder'. A little bit of controversy is good for the game, but too much kills it.

A friend of mine screamed blood, as I am sure many other football fans from around the world did too, and suggested that we start to bombard those who are responsible via emails for destroying the game that we all love.

If this is not evidently a case of match-fixing, then I guess there are more blind people in the BPL as I would have thought. This is not the first time this has happened and will not be the last time too. Just like the new ruling imposed for next season that requires teams to register 7 players, if I am not wrong, who are under 21 and who have trained in England for at least 3 years. No sweat. Big teams will just start recruit younger players, not necessarily English, and make sure they get their minimum 3 years of training before being unleashed in the Premiership before they are twenty one.

I would not be surprised if soon we see the support for the BPL dwindle and football fans start to follow the Bundesliga. This, of course, on top of following the La Liga which is improving steadily every year. I would not also be surprised if the FAs from around the world think twice before sending their future coaches and referees to get their badges in England. After all, so much farce is being thrown about by the so-called experts of football. As the famous line says: May a thousand flies...

YNWA!

£80M Marriage between LFC and Standard Chartered

2009-09-15T19:49:00.005+08:00

It is now official that LFC has just signed a four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered worth £80M over four years. The deal, biggest in our history, starts at the start of next season and will see the end of the 17-year era of association with Carlsberg. Carslberg pays LFC £7M a year.

This is indeed a very good news, right after we beat Burnley 4-0 for a back-to-back win at Anfield. Association with Carlsberg has always brought on some issues with fans from around the world. Firstly because Carlsberg is a brand of a beer, and secondly muslim fans are not really comfortable with brandishing a name linked to beer on their chest.

There is talk of the power-that-be being uncomfortable with the idea of beer being associated with sports and might come up with new rulings to put a stop to it. So, this new deal is timely for the future if ever there is a new ruling.

But most importantly, this new sponsorship will now be able to tap into the huge 'muslim' markets from around the world. There will be more fans who would at last be able to buy a genuine Liverpool merchandise without feeling guilty of brandishing something that is 'haram'.

All of my LFC jerseys bought during the Carlsberg era are from Golok without the Carlsberg logo but with the word 'Liverpool' designed to look like the Carlsberg logo. But starting next year, with Standard Chartered's logo, I would at last be able to buy an authentic LFC jersey which will ensure LFC receives the funds generated from the sale.

There is also some questions from fans on the subject of morality in which it is said that there is no difference between a beer and a bank. Both are put in the same boat with the word 'devil' written on its side. Well, fans can have their own personal arguments and make their decisions afterwards. As for me, I am just glad that LFC is at last making some efforts in realising its potential in the merchandise department. And at the same time, I am hoping that the £80M will not all go into the pockets of the americans.

(photo taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/liverpool/6186690/Liverpool-agree-80-million-shirt-sponsorship-deal-with-Standard-Chartered-Bank.html)

International Boredom of Football

2009-09-09T20:11:00.009+08:00

I feel this is the first time I am glad that the international break arrived. Although it did come after our win against Bolton, but it was not the usual break that usually breaks our momentum of winning games. This time it feels like it is a timely break, much needed to tighten a screw here and a screw there in strengtening the team.

Not all fans around the world look forward to these international breaks. Especially when they don't have any team to support when their country is not involved. This particular break, for two whole weeks, came just after four games in the BPL and I cannot recall if there was ever a time it was like this. I am one of those people who support the idea that FIFA should reshedule the untimely international breaks (that also unfortunately sometimes break a player until he can't perform for the club that pays his salary) so that they don't disrupt the leagues.

It is already more than a week and tonight some of our players will be involved with their respective national team. I am keeping my fingers crossed that none of them gets injured in the games. It would be unthinkable to have the likes of Torres or Gerrard sidelined because of injuries.

While we wait for the BPL game against Burnley this weekend, there have been stories of Babel and Reira wanting more games at Liverpool. Which is understandable since the World Cup is next year and these players are vying for a place in their national squad.

In Babel's case, he is looking at a loan deal that would take him to Ajax in the January window to boost his chances in the Dutch national side. That's it if the news in the papers are to be believed. Apparently he complained of not getting enough games at LFC. After Rafa's response on the issue the other day, I don't think he is going anywhere if there is no replacement in our depleted squad. Rafa had thrown the gauntlet at the players to fight for a place in the starting eleven.

I feel that Rafa will give Babel the chance to change a game by coming in as a substitute, something which he did quite well when he first arrived. This after he was given a start in our first game against Spurs this season in which he did not really impress.

On top of this, I feel Rafa will give Babel the chance to proof himself in the Cup games because with the squad that we have at the moment, LFC is not really going to field its best in these competitions. Probably the young players will be given the nod ahead of the first eleven and if we do get far, let's say in the semis, maybe only then Rafa will field the likes of Torres and Gerrard.

We need to challenge for the Premiership without saying and definitely the CL since it is where the big money is. The cup competitions would be an added bonus if we were to go far in them. And I wouldn't be having sleepless nights if we were to falter in either or both of them, especially with a thin squad that we have at the moment. But these competition would be the best arenas for the fringe players we have to show what they are made of.

And who knows, a good run by Babel or any of the others in the competitions would eventually warrant a first eleven spot in our first team. Either that or at least come January, we will be able to get a higher price for their talents when they are offloaded. Fund, alas, which will be gobbled up by the two freaks. Sigh, it is indeed dark days ahead for us Liverpool fans.

Let's hang Lucas from the nearest tree branch

2009-08-29T19:04:00.006+08:00

Going through the football news and bloggers since we lost to Villa was very very interesting and disheartening at the same time.

If the slating came from the usual enemies of LFC, then it is understood. These vultures, the so-called expert on journalism but do the most copy-and-paste reporting, will forever lurk around LFC and find even a slight bit of excuse to go after us. But unfortunately, some fans and so-called 'supporters' did it too.

The enemies blame Rafa for selling Alonso (as if he would rather have an unhappy player than 30M), for buying Aquaman who is injured and for Rafa staying put at Anfield when he should just leave!

Other fans blame Lucas, who funnily have had three better games than some of the other 'superstars' on the field, and want Lucas to be benched if not hanged from the nearest tree branch. One statistic showed Lucas have had more executed accurate passes of the ball than Gerrard. I could argue that Lucas' balls were all safe balls across the field while Gerrard's were attempts for a killer-ball pass but mistakes of giving away the ball away are mistakes no matter what were the intentions.

The number of chances we created but not executed with Lucas in the midfield also suggest it was not really that bad having that kid in there, although not a match-winning performance. Any player could have made the own-goal mistake in the Villa game and was not the first and will also not be the last, as Gerrard's lunge in the penalty box that resulted the killer blow will not be the last mistake made by a formidable player.

I would not want to be Rafa now, bench Lucas with Gerrard taking over his role in Central Midfield but risk destroying whatever left of the kid's confidence if we lose the next game. But still, if he is played and we do lose again, then indeed Lucas will hang from the nearest tree branch.

I personally feel Lucas is not ready to marshall the midfield if we are to challenge for the championship. Yes, he has improved but breaking up Gerrard-Torres combination upfront that has produced so many goals and destroyed so many teams in the past is also worrisome. Lucas doesn't have the vision and the skills for the well-executed pass that split open defences. He can play in there and maybe in a few years we will see a much much better and improved player. But if we are to become the league champion this year, then I am sorry to say Lucas is not the answer. But I do not want him hanged from the nearest tree branch because we do not have other option at the moment if we were to keep the Gerrard-Torres combination.

Voronin is crap, Kuyt is doing a wonderful job at the right with Johnson, Ngog is still raw, Babel might be so-so up there so a lone rusty Torres upfront is still not a good idea. Probably Benayoun could play in that hole behind Torres and Gerrard behind him in CM. With a fit Riera on the left flank with Insua. But I trust Rafa to make the best decision since he is the expert.

Overall, our enemies all say our season is gone, finished, kaputt, off-with-(fill in the manager/staff's and any player's name here)-head. To read these people, it is all dark and gloomy and we might as well give up on challenging for the league now. Why waste time trying then, just hand over the trophies to the Mancs and get it over and done with. Hell, kick out the manager, sell all the players, close Anfield...

To me I have only the owners to blame for taking us all for a ride with lies after lies and taking us one step backwards each time Rafa takes us two steps forward. The rest of the team should also share the blame for the below-par performances we have had so far if we were to look for a scapegoat. Blame also the ref in the Villa game that made a mistake in awarding the corner in injury time of the first half, that resulted Villa to score very much later after the injury time was over. And for not protecting Torres who might soon break a neck bone.

But to suggest our season is over is a kneejerk reaction that is uncalled for. Two defeats do not break a season. We have players injured who will soon be making their way back and they are all classy players. With the return of Riera, Aurelio (who could actually play in the midfield as shown last season if needed), Agger, Aquaman, and the new Hercules now, our bench will not be so bad after all. And who knows, before the end of the month, another new player is revealed. Such is my optimistism!

Fans and especially players should stop saying 'this is our year' and we should just aim for the top four until January. Let's not add more burden on the team and Rafa and let's get behind our team no matter what. Let our enemies say whatever they want, let them mock us all they want and hope that at the end of the season, they will all choke on the humble pies!

As for tonight's game against Bolton, a 3-0 victory in not impossible even if Bolton plays rugby and Rafa lines up the same players as in the game against Villa.

YNWA!

Dark Clouds and Silver Linings Over Liverpool

2009-08-21T13:57:00.005+08:00

The gloom after the 1-2 loss to Spurs was clearly lifted after the emphatic 4-0 win against Stoke. It was heartening to watch how we bounced back after a disappointing opener of the season with such an encouraging display of football.

As the wisemen of the game keep on saying, a season is neither made nor broken with one game won or lost. If I remember reading this one somewhere right, no team has won the premier league without dropping at least 19 points throughout a season.

The two fixtures so far had also resulted us being in a better position compared to last season i.e. 3 points as opposed to only 1 point in the corresponding fixtures. That is two better than last season. And if we beat Villa away this season, then it would be four points better than last season in the corresponding games. Something in that light in being utterly optismistic.

So, it is not all dark clouds over our heads at the moment. But of course this will not guarantee us anything this season because it is more and more difficult for a team to win the league after every year. No game is ever a guaranteed 3 pointer nowadays and Burnley showed just that, back in the top flight after 33 or so years and put the Mancs to 'shame'. And for that we are glad and grateful of course because it did give us great pleasure.

We again saw how biased most media are towards us, not that we needed to see much more to start believing it. Just compare what the media and the pundits said after we lost to Spurs with the humiliation of the Mancs at the hands of Burnley. And we can fully expect that this nonsense will not ever end and Rafa will continue to be demonised by the Fergie ****-suckers behind the typewriter/PC/or whatever that is used nowadays.

We also witnessed in both games so far what Johnson has brought to the team. After rebuilding LFC for so many years on a tight budget, we feel that Rafa has finally completed the jigsaw puzzle albeit one or two missing pieces. But even then, we have always moved forward no matter what happened and this season we will continue to trust Rafa to challenge on all fronts again.

We also saw how the young guns in the squad, the likes of Ayala at eighteen, given greater exposure in the pre-season and trust to shoulder the responsibility in the absence of the first eleven. And they all came out with flying colours, which is good for the near future.

It would be interesting to see whether Rafa, after the signing of Kyrgiakos, will stick to the young guns or go for experienced in an anticipated robust game with Villa. An unheard player but with a good height, Kyrgiakos cost is like the price of a Kancil as compared to the Mercs some teams have paid. But just as in the case of Skertel, I trust Rafa would have made the right choice given the circumstances. And his presence should add strength to our depleted squad.

The past few days has also seen the rumour of Rafa quitting on us squashed when it was reported that he stormed out of Anfield and the owners. Even the bookies had stopped taking bets of him resigning, such was the strength of the speculation. But Rafa has came out and said "I can state I am committed to this club. When I signed a new contract I decided to stay here for the fans, for the staff, for the players". Note that there is no mention of the owners at all in his last line. Rightly so.

Let us all cheer and hail our team and Rafa throughout this season and the next and the next no matter what happens. I will end with a priceless quip from the man of the hour himself: "We are at the top of the table now with 23 stitches. Carra, Torres and Skrtel. I haven’t seen how many Torres has but I can guarantee you it’s 10 or more”.

YNWA!!

Is Rafa really screwed..again?

2009-08-18T22:12:00.007+08:00

The following article is something that I read last week at http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/david-maddock/Liverpool-should-beware-of-calling-Rafael-Benitez-s-bluff-over-transfer-policy-article109173.html.

Now, of course most fans around the world wouldn't want Rafa to ditch us. Although he is deemed as a hardheaded person who will like to stay around, take up the challenge and prove certain quarters wrong, but you tend to get scared with the outcome of all that has happened after he extended his contract.

Some fans who have done their own calculations feel that Rafa should have something at least 50M left to spend, funds that was promised him which encouraged him to sign his extension and funds generated from sales of players. We heard about how positive his statements were at the beginning of the summer break, his admission that he did spend more than he should for Johnson -- meaning he did have the funds in the beginning -- and especially how cheerful he was.

Well, looks like there is a spanner in the works now. It seems like Rafa has only 1.5M left to spend. 1.5M? It is not even enough to pay the season's wages of a world class player. And we don't need one, but a few players of international standard to boost our squad.

But alas, many fans are dejected to the idea that Merrs. G&H are sucking our club dry to service their debts. Hence we have, again, this effort: http://www.petitiononline.com/l18c5fa7/petition.html and there is rumours of demonstration tomorrow at the Stoke game and suggestions of boycott among local fans.

No wonder Rafa looks down and frustrated in coming up with a statement like this one: “At least now when you have a question the answer is given quickly. Sometimes we are not happy with the answer but it’s part of the process and we have to keep on working together.”

We do hope Rafa with stick around but for how long we ask because the media will continue to go after his head after each game. After all, I can guess Rafa, if he had a choice, would not have to play Babel who is a right-footed player at the left-wing. We trust his ability to generate profits from sales of players and from the CL, and continue to challenge against all odds with a thin squad made up mostly above-average players. And if he were to leave, we might just turn out to be a mid-table team devoid of his abilities because there will never be a better manager like him given the circumstances.

And I am not sure a better manager than Rafa would even want to come and manage LFC with those two american hawks lurking and hovering over Anfield.

Liverpool should beware of calling Rafael Benitez's bluff over transfer policy
By David Maddock

If there is a common theme throughout the managerial career of Rafael Benitez, then it is the fact that he is a man of principle.

At Real Madrid, a club he loves and that is in his blood, he was doing the youth team job of his dreams, but walked out rather than select the president of the club's son who he considered not good enough.

At Extramadura, despite winning a miraculous promotion to La Liga, he again quit after being crossed by the president of the club.

At Valencia, after winning two league titles against all odds, he walked out after promises were broken over transfer policy.

Why mention all this? Well, when the Liverpool manager was negotiating his current contract in April, a deal that will apparently keep him at Anfield for five more years, one of the main points of negotiation was over future transfer funds.

Benitez knows he has a squad that is close to being champions, and recognises that he requires perhaps just two more top class players to take the final step. He also recognises those players will cost massive money to improve on what he already has.

Hence his negotiations in April, when he secured promises from Liverpool's American owners that funds would be made available to build the squad of his desires to seriously challenge the Manchester United-Chelsea dominance at the top of the Premier League.

The details of those negotiations are unclear, but it was widely assumed that he would be given at least £20million to spend this summer on top of ANY money he raised himself through sales. Other reports suggested he would be given £40million plus sales.

With less than a week to go before the start of the new season, he has been given precisely NOTHING to spend, above and beyond the money he has raised.

To spell the maths out for Liverpool fans puzzled at this statement, the sales of Xabi Alonso, Sebastien Leto, Alvaro Arbeloa, Jack Hobbs and Paul Anderson have generated something in the region of £40million.

In response, he has paid out around £32million to bring in Glen Johnson and Italian midfielder Alberto Aquilani, leaving a PROFIT of around £8million, perhaps more.

Unless you sell Cristiano Ronaldo for £70million, it is hard to make a profit in the transfer market and retain a squad good enough to win the title - especially if you were just short of that mark the season before.

Benitez knows this, and as already suggested, he really is a man of principle. He will be seething inside that his best chance of winning the title at Anfield is apparently being scuppered by owners who have gone back on their word, and are trading long-term title prospects for short-term balance sheet concerns.

A word of warning to Tom Hicks and George Gillett, Benitez walked out of Valencia - a club that had won two titles and a UEFA Cup and were amongst the favourites to lift the Champions League - because he "asked for a table and they brought me a lampshade".

So far this summer, the owners haven't even turned that lamp on at Anfield.

Spurs 1-2 What a Nightmare to the Season Opener

2009-08-16T23:57:00.006+08:00

For a game much anticipated, the loss to Spurs could be summed as an anti-climax. There was always the feeling of something was wrong somewhere. It felt like Liverpool has weakened by quite a bit. Players throughout displayed a team without much cohesion and looked not ready for the season opener.

We could really see what the absence of Alonso has done to the team. I guess it is pointless in mentioning Alonso now. At least Reina showed why he is considered as one of the bests in the game. Twice denying Keane at point blank range in the first half and a wonderful save from a long range attempt in the second. At those moments, it did make my heart swell in seeing what a twat Keane is, as he was at Liverpool for six months.

But at the middle of the park, we just did not have the drive. The injuries to Skertel and Carra might have worsened the believes of the likes of Lucas and Mascha to push forward. Both of them had come back from the pre-season injuries, hence a wee bit worrying.

And at both flanks, significantly Babel, somehow did not deliver as expected. Gerrard, starting as a forward, did not have a good game too, at least in the first half, as Torres was shackled throughout the entire 90 minutes. Benayoun, on the other hand, was a breath of fresh air when he came in for Babel.

We showed a glimpse of Liverpool of last season, but somehow there was never a real conviction that we would nail this game. Attempts at goals were scarce, while possession and first touches were ordinarily for a mid-table team.

If we are to believe the rumours that is making their rounds, Rafa will bring in at least two more players. And Voronin is again linked to a return to the Bundesliga. Well, I really hope these rumours are true. We need another player to cover the back four and definitely another forward while we wait for Aquaman to be fit.

What's Happening at Liverpool FC?

2009-08-13T17:48:00.005+08:00

The summer transfer period is almost over. Rafa brought in Johnson and of course Aquilani to strengthen the team after Hyypia, Arbeloa and Alonso, among others, left us.

The question that most fans are asking is whether there will be more signings before the start of the season this weekend. Once upon a time, at the start of the summer break, we were made to understand that Rafa would have around 20M, on top of the funds garnered by the sale of players, to further strengthen the team to continue challenging the top spot next season. But what we have seen so far is there is no 20M to be spent, that's it if Rafa doesn't have a few surprises up his sleeves before the transfer window closes.

It is reported that Roma bought Alonso with the following payment structure for the €20M:

4 cash instalments of :-
- €5M upfront
- €3M by 4th January 2010
- €7M by June 30th 2010
- €5M by June 30th 2011.

The deal also includes:

- €300,000 for every year Liverpool qualify for the Champions League from 2010/11 to 2014/15
- €250,000 everytime the player reaches 35, 70, 105 and 140 appearances.
- €1M for the first time LFC either wins the Premier League or Champions League by 30 June 2014.
- 5% of any future transfer fee will be paid to Roma.

(This info was taken from comments by KeithSA at http://www.thisisanfield.com/kopblog, attributed to info found at http://www.asroma.it/UserFiles/988.pdf)

If this were the case, then Rafa should have a lot of money for other players since he received 30M for Alonso, on top of the money he got from the sales of other players, but only so far spent 5M for Aquilani. The purchase of Johnson could be related to the funds promised him earlier by Messr. American Businessmen, which is still short of the 20M mentioned. We actually spent £10M for Johnson because of the £7M owed by Portsmouth for the acquiring of Crouch.

Fans from around the world would be satisfied if Rafa were given the full authority of the funds generated and for transfers of players as indicated when he extended his contract. In Rafa we trust. But I bet the fans would definitely be pissed off if what was promised is not delivered by the owners and the funds generated by Rafa, as we have seen year in and year out, were to be used to refinance whatever loans taken to keep them afloat.

If it were the case, some fans would wish that the owners were really floating porcupines and a strong current would wash them away out of our sight.

Aquilani a crock?

2009-08-08T22:52:00.008+08:00

It is half time now with LFC trailing Atletico Madrid by two goals to nothing (commentary in chinese though). As a pre-season game, it does look good with players getting the much needed match fitness and we could see flashes of what we are capable of. Carra took a knock early in the first half and was substituted. Let's hope it is nothing serious.

With him out, Atletico managed to score the two goals quite easily -- the first when Carra was at the sideline -- and with the other central defenders still out injured, it could be a disaster in the league in the event we get into this situation of not having a formidable substitute. Rafa might want to bring in at least one more defender to strengthen the depth of our team.

In the middle, the gap left by Alonso is still telling. Lucas (someone actually tried to engineer a move for him but I think it would be silly if he were to go back to his motherland at this stage of his career) is still Lucas albeit a wee bit better than last season.

Much has been said about Aquilani being injured and could be out for up to 8 weeks. As for me, Rafa is no donkey hence nobody could take him on a ride. For a player that has not played many games for the past two seasons, Aquilani had the much needed surgery to rectify whatever it was that sidelined him for so long. And of course Rafa knows this because it would be just mindboggling to pay 20M for a player that might play only 15 games a season.

So, I would like to think that the surgery was a successful one and he needs around 2-4 weeks to be fully healed and maybe another 2-4 weeks to get back his full fitness, during which we might see him in action on and off. But the most important thing would be Rafa must have studied Aquilani's medical records and his potential in the league and decided on the positives rather than what we have been reading in the media.

One thing for sure though, we need him fast because at the moment the engine room of LFC is missing one important wheel. And when we are told that he is better than Alonso when attacking, more mobile going forward and could play between Mascha and Gerrard, it only points to a more attacking Liverpool next season. And all the teams that come to Anfield with the intention of parking the bus in front of their goal would need to think twice!

YNWA

In comes Alberto Aquilani

2009-08-06T00:44:00.006+08:00

It has just been confirmed that LFC and Roma have agreed the deal to bring in Alberto Aquilani to Anfield. I do not follow the Serie A, hence do not really know much about this player. But it seems that he is very highly rated and how fast he settles in the BPL will be crucial since the season opener is just around the corner.

His name was mentioned time and time again as Alonso's replacement towards the end of the Alonso's saga. This confirmation, coming so quickly after Alonso's departure, only confirms how much Rafa was prepared for losing Alonso. Aquilani would be our player is less than one week, subject to a medical since he has not played for a while because of injuries. And at 18M, Rafa might even have the funds remaining from Alonso's deal for one or two players to strengthen our squad.

Now let's hope Aquilani is the right player for us, in a league very much more notorious than the Serie A.

Alonso's Departure: A Silver Lining?

2009-08-06T00:02:00.003+08:00

It is a pity that the inevitable happened so close to the curtains being raised for the new season -- 10 more days before we meet Spurs -- but then it is better now than next week I guess. Rafa comfirmed that Alonso made his decision two months ago and that would have given Rafa ample time to plot the strategy for the new season.

Alonso, after five good years at LFC, has gone and life goes on for us because he is not the first important player that have left for greener pastures, and will not be the last. His skills and professionalism will be remembered always. Especially his professionalism. Never once did he moan and groan about his problems to the press. When he first arrived, he was quite an unknown to us. We knew about his close relationship with Rafa afterwards. We saw his quick thinking with the ball at his feet and his famous accurate passes and some spectacular goals that included embarrasing the opponents' keepers. But sadly, he will not be remembered as one of the greatest players or a legend for us.

At times, we used to complain about how his skills was not really good enough to prise open the defence of the teams that came to Anfield and parked the bus in front of the goal. Some fans even went further and deemed this as Rafa's weakness or his negative approach of not wanting to win games but more like not wanting to lose games. And this was the reason we dropped points and did not win the league last season.

Well, with Alonso gone now, Rafa has the opportunity to change his tactics, which might see us with player/s brought in that could change the outcome of these difficult games against the so-called weak teams we need to win against to win the league. Fans that have said Rafa was building his team around Alonso, to the effect that we dropped crucial points because we lacked the ability to kill off games, will definitely be happy with the departure of Alonso.

As the transfer fee was not disclosed, we do not really know how much Real paid for Alonso or whether it was paid in cash or in instalments. But we do know that Rafa was always in control of the situation and not Parry, and we can conclude that the fee should be around 30M which was mentioned time and time again. If that were to be the case, it was a good business deal for us and hopefully the large part of the funds is given to Rafa to strengthen the squad and also maybe for one formidable CM who will not only compensate the missing Alonso but also someone who has the ability to win us the games against the difficult teams.

And in Rafa we trust.

YNWA

Awesome

2009-07-19T14:09:00.000+08:00

Something wonderful ...

Alexander Hleb - I Like

2009-07-16T22:15:00.003+08:00

Alexander Hleb would a step forward for us if there is any truth to the rumours circulating amongst the many so-called transfers of players. And forward is the keyword here of course.

This Belarusian player is supposedly a replacement for Mascherano, a dangling of a carrot in Barca's attempt to land Mascherano. But we know Benitez is no donkey.

Hey, maybe Benitez's approach to the games next season will be different to the ones we have witnessed in the past. Go for the kill -- win games rather than not lose games -- and the next season could well be our season.

But then again, it could well turn out to be just another rumour but I personally would be elated if it materialises. If only we had the money to keep Mascherano and get Hleb too.

Sigh.. now where is the knight in shining armour in the form of an oil sheik I wonder...

Friendly Matches

2009-07-14T15:26:00.002+08:00

Liverpool will be playing quite a number of friendly games this coming weeks. For a few previous pre-seasons, we managed to catch a few live games shown on Astro. I wonder if this time we get to watch these games again on Astro.

Anyways, the games will be shown live on the internet. Those of us who have broadband connection, we will be able to watch the streamings live on the net. Anyone who do not about this but are interested to know how, you can get in touch with me ;-) .

The Return of King Kenny

2009-07-04T16:20:00.005+08:00

Kenny Dalglish's acceptance of returning to the club as a caretaker of the Academy and as an Ambassador is wonderful news indeed. Many fans around the world would have surely asked themselves throughout the years of when this legend would be coming back home.

His return marks yet again another of the continuity of the Rafalution. Dalglish, as a former player and manager of the wonderful era of LFC, would be able to contribute for a brighter future of the club as a whole. And who knows, maybe even replace Benitez should it be needed one day.

His remarks after the confirmation, "For the boss to put his trust in me is a great compliment and I am coming back as a very lucky person. When you leave a club you don't often have a chance to return, so I am fortunate for being given such a fantastic opportunity", shows how down to earth the legend is. Maybe the fans in this part of the world would soon get to meet him in person if his ambassadorial post were to include Malaysia as a potential market.

Kenny's return definitely overshadows the latest hot topic of Michael Owen becoming a scum. I guess many fans have still not forgiven him for leaving LFC for 'greener pastures' when we needed him the most. And also for not giving LFC an opportunity to get a decent compensation of his worth when he left for a paltry transfer sum.

Because of that, it is easier for these fans to swallow the fact that Owen is now a scum. Would Dalglish or Fowler have done the same unthinkable thing Owen have done? I would like to think not just because these players have LFC close to their heart and would never think of walking alone.

(Photo taken from the LFC Official site)

First Serious Signing

2009-06-25T00:17:00.004+08:00

I have always admired Glen Johnson but never the teams he had played with. He has great skills and his ability to defend well and at the same time join in the attack to worry the opposing defence is surely an asset to LFC.

But most importantly, he is English and with the new ruling of the quota for home-grown players in a team competing in Europe looming in the horizon, Rafa's decision to sign Johnson can surely be considered as a smart move. With him in the team, Rafa would not have to sacrifice other key players to adhere to this ruling when it is in effect.

LFC is actually spending £10M for Johnson because of the £7M owed by Portsmouth for the acquiring of Crouch. But apparently his wages is high and this has made players like Mascherano unhappy. It is reported that Mascherano is paid only £30K per week whilst it only makes sense that he is paid as much as the other great players in LFC, at a figure close to £100K per week.

With the purchase of Johnson, it is inevitable that some of the current players in the squad will be sold off. Players like Dossenna, Voronin, Arbeloa (after that on-field spat with Carragher) et al are expected to leave. What is worrisome is that key players such as Alonso and Mascherano (even Messi has joined in the talks) are being courted by likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Just hope that these players that make up the spine of the team do not leave us because then all the building up work done in the past few seasons would have all gone to waste.

(pic taken from: http://www.insidefutbol.com)

Back to reality

2009-06-21T10:13:00.003+08:00

Just got back home last night after spending ten days in a hotel for the 17CCEM. The whole thing was wonderful but tiring because of the tight schedule. I was always on the move and got to go to bed only at around two everyday.

I had the privilege to be assigned with the delegates from the Kingdom of Lesotho. I met many new friends from around the world and also friends I have not met for many many years. I even met a classmate from my school days whom I have not seen for 25 years! Imagine that...

Really enjoyed being chauffeured around for the duration of the conference..hehe, and of course being in the motorcade with the outrider who helped to clear the roads for us. It was never easy when there were more than 40 ministers and delegates from more than 40 countries being escorted around. I have the utmost respect for the outriders now that I know how difficult the job is and also for the bravery that they displayed. Although one rider had to take care of 'only' 3 cars, I could see it took great skills on his part to smoothen the ride for us.

I would also like to take this opportunity to apologise to the drivers in Kuala Lumpur who had to endure the massive traffic jam that we created the whole of this week. For those whose vehicle was dented in the process and who panicked and froze in the middle of the roads when asked to move aside, please ask your friends about the actions to take. Better still, ask a driving school about it. And for those hard-headed ones, serve you right la...

In a nutshell, it was a very educating experience and I liked it a lot. But nothing beats being at home with the family. And I have got to update myself with what is happening at LFC...

What a nice arrangement!

2009-06-09T13:51:00.002+08:00

This is something that I read on lfcglobe.com. Sickening is the right word to use if I may:

According to the Guardian, George Gillett and Tom Hicks are using money Liverpool have generated for their own personal expenses.

The club are being made to pay almost £2m to cover the travel and legal expenses of the American owners.

The owners’ holding company Kop Football’s accounts show that Hicks charged £192,000 for ‘third party consulting, travel and other expenses’, while co-owner Gillett charged £129,000 for ‘reimbursable travel, legal, personnel and other expenses’.

The total charged to Kop in expenses, for the owners and their affiliated companies, since their takeover in 2007 to the accounts’ end date of 31 July 2008, was £1.85million.

James McKenna, spokesman for the Spirit of Shankly, said: “Hicks and Gillett were the multimillionaires who promised not to do a Glazer and that work would start on the new stadium within 60 days.

“Yet now we find, as fans, not only are we paying for their takeover, but we are also paying for their costs of having done it, and, for coming over to visit the football club.

“They were supposed to bring investment to take the club forward, but it turns out we’re even paying their travel costs.”

Dark Days Ahead?

2009-06-05T15:58:00.003+08:00

Read that LFC is in trouble as its parent company aka The Americans, suffered a £42.6m loss last year due to interest payments. It really does look bleak, doesn't it?

Looks like also we will never see good players like this one donning our jersey...

The End to the Barry Saga.

2009-06-03T03:21:00.003+08:00

Good riddance, I say. So glad that he signed for City today. Never did rate him that much, really.

I personally feel that last season when Rafa was chasing him, it was more about Gerrard wanting Barry, his England team 'mate'. The excuse was Parry was slow in making the decision but we could speculate that Rafa did not really want him at Anfield.

Gerrard again suggested how he would love to have Barry at LFC before Barry 'snubbed' us for the so-called assurance of first team football in a 12M deal (not for the money, of course, allegedly to be at 90K a week, and as if he did not play in every game at his old club, and was also the captain for goodness sake, and could have been be playing in Europe next season). With Parry gone and with Rafa in control of transfers of which he said he needed the power because quick decisions must be made in the transfer market, one could ask why he did not act 'quickly' to secure Barry first thing if he was really chasing him.

What is worrisome now would be whether Alonso, who was the supposedly lamb to be slaughtered for the money to secure Barry, would stay with us. He could be so pissed off with the whole idea that he might really snub us for a better respect for his talents in a greener pasture. He definitely completes the backbone of the team and his vision and accuracy in the game would surely be missed if he were to leave.

Hopefully this end to the Barry saga doesn't trigger an Alonso Saga.

Always Look On the Bright Side of Life

2009-05-17T13:45:00.007+08:00

So we did not Kop Number 19 this season with two more games left to be played. Once upon a time, 18 Titles looked very difficult to emulate. But it looks like the scums have done that this season. Some quarters might argue that LFC have actually won 20 Titles, the two achieved during the wars. That is another story of course.

Old red-nose infamous lash at LFC in saying he would love "knocking Liverpool off their f***ing perch" has not happened yet. To do that, he needs to win the title at least one more time. And of course also win the Champions League a few more times too, because that is one nice perch to be seated upon. So, he can continue to worry about that and continue to be obsessed about it. I read somewhere this week that old red-nose had actually modelled his teams since 1986 by LFC's standards set by our legends. But of course this could be denied and argued until the cows come home.

This season we really made the scums sweat until the final two games. Well done to LFC! There are actually so many positives so far this season that one could hold on to. We could end up with 86 points, our highest ever in the history of the premiership. We have outscored all the other teams which is another positive sign of how far we have come. We have created the momentum and hunger for greatness, and most importantly the belief that the next title is not that far away. The fans are excited and rightly so. So many good players are linked to LFC at the moment, which only points to a deep belief and not just mere hope.

With Rafa still at the helm and already planning for next season, I bet we will continue to see vast improvement and who knows, next season could be it. The two remaining games are also interesting, not only for the reason of avoiding the play-off matches in the CL next season. It will prove to the fans how committed the players are and how the players react to the situation. It will also give a chance to some player to prove whether they deserve to continue to don the LFC jersey.

So, chins up and continue to chant the mantra for You'll Never Walk Alone!

Image taken from http://cid-2e8a4a49f017e827.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/.res/2E8A4A49F017E827!957/2E8A4A49F017E827!1106 (nothing to do with everton by the way)

3-0 West Ham: worry worry man united...

2009-05-10T13:28:00.004+08:00

Liverpool might not become the champions this season but nobody can deny the fact that we are putting a lot of pressure on the scums this season. And I bet many of their fans, especially their red-nosed manager, are deeply worried at the moment. Probably their club tune rings quite loudly in the ears albeit with a different lyrics. "Worry worry man united".

Two games in hand doesn't mean an automatic 6 points. As the saying goes, do not count your chickens before the eggs hatch. After all, we were once 8 points clear at the top, remember? Everyone then thought the BPL was a forgone conclusion this season.

Their first worry is the local derby against Man City today (and you can bet fans of LFC from all over the world will be supporting City). If they do not clinch this game, their worries would be compounded, although a draw will see them back to the top again. After this game, they have another two before Liverpool plays West Brom next Sunday. If the scums were to lose two games before the last day of the season, our meeting with Spurs on that day will be really, really interesting. Hell, it will be one of the best endings to a season as focus would not only be one the bottom of the table as it usually is, but also at the top. The neutrals would be delighted if this were to happen.

Another worrying factor for the scums is we have proven that we could be a force challenging for the league title. We have out-scored them in the league, our players continue to have the belief, and Rafa is looking to further strenghten our squad for next season. After years of rebuilding and with internal squabbles almost out of the window, Rafa has come out to say that he is looking for quality players as addition for next season. This means many players will be offloaded since we have such a big squad, and the funds garnered will be used for 'quality' players. I like the sound of it a lot. So many players are linked to LFC at the moment, and any one of them could be in the reds jersey in the summer. Very exciting indeed.

If the scums go on to win enough games and win it this season, then so be it. Old red-nose should then consider resigning while he is on top, because next season he will have double the sleepless nights. Maybe he could dedicate the remaining years of his life going around thanking all the officials who have been sniffing his ass while he managed the scums. As we wait for this season to end, he can continue to be deeply worried. I like the sound of that a lot too.

(Image taken from http://cristiano-ronaldo-gallery.blogspot.com/2007/)

3-0 Newcastle...sighaa

2009-05-03T22:29:00.003+08:00

So here we are again, back to being 3 points behind the scums after beating Newcastle 3-0 today. The result could have been 7 or 8 goals in our favour, such was our dominance in the game. There are 3 more games left to play before the season ends, while the scums have a game in hand.

It is always nice to hear some players and supporters of LFC who keep saying we will not give up on the league title. But alas, ever since the destiny was out of our hands, this talk of not giving up is merely a hope. Many supporters still believe that the scums will drop at least 6 points by losing to Man City and Arsenal. If the really do lose the two games, it would be down to goal difference then. It will be exciting if it were to happen that the title is decided on the last day of the season. We have a better goal difference than the scums at the moment, but the title decided on goal difference has not happened that often. I cannot even recall when was the last time it happened.

Some supporters have already given up hope, meaning they do not see the scums dropping any points in their remaining matches. And of course the many dubious decisions in their favour by the referees in the recent games further strengthen their beliefs (those who are decades-long followers of the EPL know how far back the scums are favoured by the officials, not to mention the FA itself and the media).

Our form at the moment that sees us close behind the scums after every game must be very worrying for the scums. That for me is good enough because I can imagine the red-nosed scum having sleepless nights everytime we win. With more and more pressure building up on them to perform in the BPL and the CL, he might just crack up and go bonkers. That is something to hope for before the season's end.

(Image taken from http://www.myspace.com/andynstacy)

Champions League: 4-4 Chelsea

2009-04-15T04:36:00.004+08:00

One would suspect someone somewhere did not really want Liverpool to win the tie against Chelsea. Trailing 1-3 from the first game, it was a tall mountain to climb but since it is Liverpool, that was not impossible at all. And we almost proved that again tonight.

But of course one would argue that we are really concentrating on the League title this year. And if we were not involved in the CL, we could give full attention to the BPL. To me, the destiny of CL was in our hands whilst the BPL depends on the scums to lose it. Hence, it does not really make sense to throw away an opportunity of a silverware like what some fans have suggested so that we could fight in a cause that is really in someone else's hands.

Rafa started with Lucas in Gerrard's role with Benayoun on the left flank. With Mascha and Alonso dictating the middle of the park, we were 2-0 up at halftime. Even when they scored two goals, the game was still in our hands. What boggles my mind is how a kid like Lucas (he scored a deflected goal right before another quick goal that put us backinto the game) is given a man's role, when logically Benayoun fits there better. Other mindboggling decisions include taking out Mascha, after which Chelsea scored a few goals, taking out Torres when we needed to score goals that would have won us that game and taking out a defender when all we needed was one goal to win us the tie leading 4-2 with 8 mins left. Twice in the game we needed only one goal to win the tie but couldn't do it.

Rafa knows best I guess. If one were to speculate, it would seem that Liverpool did not really want to win the tie. Therein lies the conundrum of 'what ifs'. The result was as it is because of the players started and the changes made. Who could really say of the end result if different players were started and different changes made? Maybe the score would have been worse for us and the excitement that eventually lead to much disappointment for fans around the world would have been missed altogether.

All in all, there is no denying that all the players on the pitch gave their all, and that's all that matters. We did not go down feebly and indeed we gave them a fight and a scare of their lives. Now, let's concentrate on the League Title by winning all our remaining matches and hope for the scums to lose one or two before the end of the season.

You'll Never Walk Alone!

One Nil Despite of...

2009-04-05T02:30:00.004+08:00

Which player, three out of five times, passes the ball to an opponent player?

Which player, more often than not, breaks down an attack of his own team?

Which player loses the ball so easily in midfield, he looks like an Under 15 player of a Malaysian school?

A Teh Tarik at the mamak's on my expense for anyone with the correct answer.

Benayoun, coming in late in the game against Fulham, showed the passion and intent of the Liverpool side that won massively before the international break. With the woodwork denying Liverpool of at least three goals earlier in the game, it looked like it was going to be another of those nights for us. As the game approached the final whistle, the fans would not have been wrong to question of the missing 'we-must-win-this-game' attitude in our side that destroyed manure and real madrid not too long ago.

With ten minutes left in the game, suddenly all the players upped their tempo as if it was pre-planned. Not a game for the weak-hearted, when chances after chances were not taken. And when everything started to look very bleak for our premiership and next season's Champions League challenge, Benayoun steps in to score a goal in the dying minutes that could very well define our whole season. Not for the first time this season too. For a player who was supposedly injured coming back from international duty, he deserves an extension to his contract and a pay rise immediately after that display.

Apparently that last minute goal was our eighth time this season. An exciting match to watch definitely, but I prefer for us to score a couple of goals early in the game and build on that as the game progresses.

With this win that put us two points clear at the top, Liverpool can now go on to play Chelsea in the CL with a better frame of mind. And with Rafa's contract impasse out of the window, and the likes of Gerrard and Kuyt having agreed to their contract extension, we are more stable than ever before. All points to a good finish to the season.

Man of the match: Benayoun, of course.

Accolades to all the players, except for the one whose name is not mentioned above. He only deserves half of the praises in my books.

TOMKINS: REDS ARE COMING UP THE HILL

2009-03-25T22:13:00.002+08:00

Article taken from LFC Official site at

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/NG163718090323-1016.htm

Paul Tomkins 23 March 2009

Sloppy, disjointed, lacklustre. Thankfully, this was only injury time; the preceding 90 minutes were electric, the Kop ecstatic.

And you know it's a good day when the opposing fans resort to ironic chants.

It's fair to say that we all know who the big Liverpool stars are. Home-grown lads Gerrard and Carragher win countless plaudits, and rightly so. And Fernando Torres is idolised.

But almost five years in, this is now very much Rafa's team.

It is one that he has fully shaped. From his predecessor's days, only Gerrard and Carragher remain in the first team, albeit in different positions to where they played up to 2004.

(As an aside, only one other player remains from the days of Gérard Houllier: Sami Hyypia endures as a valuable squad member; one I hope to see at Anfield until he's 40. He has that naturally lean look that saw Teddy Sheringham go on to the same age, and with little pace to lose and much intelligence to use, I see no end in sight for the big Finn, if he plays in a good team. If I were him, I wouldn't want to be in a ropey defence at that age.)

Anyway, this side is about much more than the three much-vaunted stars. It is, in every sense of the word, a team.

The next three most appreciated players are probably Reina, Mascherano and Alonso; a trio who, in my opinion, are as good as anyone in the league in their respective positions.

Of the three, Mascherano is the only one to struggle a bit this season, perhaps as a result of the Olympic games. But in recent weeks he's been immense. For a little man he's a real giant.

Goalkeepers get the lion's share of the credit for clean sheet records, but the team clearly plays its part. Even so, Reina deserves great acclaim for reaching 100 clean sheets faster than any other Liverpool keeper.

Not only that, he is one of the most creative keepers, too. A clearance to him is a chance to start a move, not merely eradicate danger or get rid of the ball. No-one can match his distribution. Liverpool play some great passing football, but rightly aren't afraid of a direct ball either. Mixing things up is vital.

I have also always been a massive fan of Xabi Alonso. But the previous two seasons were disrupted by injury and led to indifferent form, certainly by the standards he set in his first two campaigns. Thankfully he's not only back in form this season, but better than ever. He's a joy to watch.

Of the six players named so far, four were signed by Benítez, while the other two he remodelled. They have his stamp all over them.

Another near-faultless player is Martin Skrtel, who had a nightmare start against non-league Havant & Waterlooville (that cost me the last of my hair), but has barely put a foot (or his close-shaven head) wrong since. Daniel Agger, an immensely talented centre-back I love to watch, has struggled to dislodge the Slovakian, even in his few periods of full fitness after two bad injuries.

I try to laud the more unsung heroes, often because rather than given credit they can find themselves unfairly criticised.

Some players will split the opinion of the fans, simply because we all appreciate different things. But you have to learn to appreciate what it is that individuals offer, and how they compliment one and other. You need contrasting styles, different strengths.

I do still despair at the minority who focus on Dirk Kuyt's shortcomings rather than his attributes. For a centre-forward he's not especially prolific, but for a wide midfielder he contributes massively. His movement is superb, largely because he mixes intelligence with great stamina and heart.

And in the last two years, he has scored an incredible amount of important goals.

His finishes took the Reds to the semi-final of the Champions League last season, and into the group stages this time. He also took two massive penalties at Goodison Park last season, the second in injury time to win the game.

Rather incredibly, this year his 10 goals have all been vital: either the team's first in a match, which he's done seven times, and/or late, late goals to help win games for the Reds (four times) and salvage a draw (once). Go and check: not a single 'luxury' or consolation goal in there.

Ten solid gold goals.

Some goalscorers rack up high figures in routs, or bang one in when the opposition is easing off with a big lead, but goal difference aside, they can be meaningless. Kuyt's great strike against Villa was just the latest in a long line of telling contributions.

While Kuyt offers a bit of everything on the right flank, on the left Albert Riera has usurped Ryan Babel as the tricky left-winger.

I despaired at some fans recently writing off the Spaniard after a sticky couple of months, but anyone with eyes could surely appreciate his skill and awareness in the first half of the season.

English football is gruelling, and while Riera had adapted to the pace of the game in terms of time on the ball (perhaps due to his four months at Man City in 2006), it's another challenge to keep bright and bubbly for 10 months of unrelentingly tough matches; even the artless teams make you work hard in England.

So remember, form is temporary, class is permanent.

This also applies to Alvaro Arbeloa, who started with a bang by marking Lionel Messi out of both legs against Barcelona in 2007, after only arriving that January.

His first half-season was a big success, but last year I was less impressed. However, he has responded in real style, and after a very good season so far has been better than ever in recent weeks, particularly in getting forward with skill, pace and energy.

All of the players listed above are pretty much regular starters. It's a right they've earned, but there can be no doubt that it's harder for players who are in and out of the side.

It's virtually impossible to keep international-class talents happy as bit-part players. Liverpool wanted to keep Peter Crouch, but with his contract running down he opted for regular football, which I understand and respect.

He knew he would never find his best form in and out of the side, but equally that he would never displace a fit Fernando Torres.

It's impossible to say either way, but I suspect had he still been at Liverpool, the Reds would have picked up more points during Torres' spells on the sidelines, and helped as a sub in some of the draws, but that's life.

One player who might have felt frustrated but accepts the situation is Yossi Benayoun. In the first half of the season he wanted more playing time, which is a healthy desire, but in the second half of the season, before injury struck, his form was earning him it. In that sense, he's been the perfect squad player.

Then there's Fabio Aurelio, who has been in and out of the side due to injury more than anything else. It seems he still can't play a lot of games in quick succession, but the left-back spot appears to be his right now (although Dossena is still adjusting, and Insua will only get better, at just 20).

Until this season I felt the Brazilian was a 'good' player at best. He had that great game against Arsenal, in the 4-1 win, but then his Achilles' tendon snapped. It seemed he'd regularly come in to the side after an injury, looking short of match sharpness, then get injured again. And despite a great free-kick technique, they never seemed to trouble the keeper enough.

This season he's shown me that he's a much better player than I believed, which goes to show two things: players can improve even at 29, and after three years in England; and that the manager will know what his players are capable of, even if they are not delivering at a specific point in time. At both ends of the pitch he's been superb, and looks an absolute bargain.

Part of the challenge a manager faces is having everyone fit at the same time, and everyone in form at the same time. There's no magic wand to do this.

Right now, it's hard to find a Liverpool player out of form; part of this is down to a shared confidence, but also down to fitness.

Confidence on the ball often comes from your own sense of physical well-being. Tired or partially-injured players will naturally make more mistakes, which then negatively affects their confidence, and the cycle turns vicious.

When preparing for this season, Benítez and his staff had Fernando Torres, after a long and intense first season in England, late back due to his further efforts for Spain. With him were several other colleagues, as the Reds suffered most in terms of the lack of a summer break.

Then you had Mascharano and Babel, who were two of Rafa's biggest buys, jetting off to Japan for the Olympics, with the latter at the time still not fully recovered from the injury sustained for Holland earlier in the summer. Subsequently neither found their top form in a game for Liverpool before March. Coincidence?

Torres then picks up a series of hamstring injuries, mainly with Spain, and Gerrard sustains several niggling problems. Skrtel misses several months, while Agger is finally injury free but lacking match fitness. Benayoun is Liverpool's best player in February but then misses March. Insua, after four excellent games, is taken by Argentina to the South American U20 championship.

You can talk about the strength of the squad, and the tactics or selections of the manager, but it often gets overlooked how having fit and firing players can make all the difference. And this year, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have been more adversely affected by injuries to their key players than United, who have a bigger squad anyway.

Liverpool are playing no differently of late in terms of tactics, but now enough players are injury free and sharp. And rather than miss great chances, they're all flying in right now, making this supposedly cautious side the Premiership's top scorers (and England's top scorers in Europe), even with Torres missing more games than he's played and the sale of one of the strikers.

It shows how good this team really is, now that the key men are fit and enough of them are on song. And that has stoked life into the title charge.

My suspicion is that Manchester United might probably still edge it, aided by the timing of this international break (just as they seem to be self-destructing) and Liverpool's infinitely harder draw in the Champions League, that will test the fitness and hunger of the Reds to the limit, not to mention Chelsea too.

But even if they do edge it (and they'll probably enjoy it all the more because of our raised hopes), they would do well to stop and think about the statement made by Liverpool Football Club in the past fortnight, added to the clear progress made overall this season.

To quote the Kop choir, the Reds are coming up the hill, boys. The Reds are coming up the hill.

Mauling of Villa and International Break..again!

2009-03-25T00:50:00.005+08:00

Watching Liverpool thrash Villa 5-0 was really something. The way we played our opponents in that game reminded me of a sight when a caged bird is suddenly unshackled and is able to fly freely. I cannot really recall when was the last time Liverpool played this way, in full control of its destiny.

There is so much confidence in the team now one must feel that the international break came at the wrong time. After all, it would a pity if we were to lose a momentum in which we scored 8 goals against two of the best sides in Europe and 5 against a team eyeing for a CL spot. But for our biggest rival for the Title, the break could not have come at a better time. The scums would be glad to hope that our momentum could break and for them to have enough time to lick their wounds and take control of things when the league resumes next week.

Another worry would be for the players on international duty themselves. Let us hope that all of them arrive back to LFC unscatched. Losing important players like Gerrard and Torres through injury would a big blow to us, more so when the depth in the squad is not that great.

Next week, we get to play Fulham and a win will take us 2 points clear of manure. And the scums will play Villa, a game they cannot afford to lose. But it does look good for us when they will be without three important players in vidic, scholes and the shrek, who were all red carded when manure's dam was bursting (all these red cards, is it due to the infamous Rafa's rantings of Fergie and the Refs not too long ago?). Even with one game in hand, they will be really worried because of games against City and Arsenal in the cards. As mentioned by most football pundits, the title is theirs to lose. Let's hope that they do lose it in the end, and if that were to happen, it will be the biggest bonus for Liverpool fans this decade.

TOMKINS: FERGUSON IS WRONG

2009-03-22T23:43:00.006+08:00

Articles by Paul Tomkins taken from LFC Official site

(http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/):

Paul Tomkins 22 March 2009

Thankfully, most media outlets seem to have seen the massive inaccuracy in Alex Ferguson's figures relating to Liverpool's spending.

That he should even choose to come out with such figures in the first place is interesting, given his rather undignified reaction to Rafa's 'fact' press conference a couple of months back.

I'm also still smiling over his 'we were the better side' comments following their total humiliation last week, which every neutral I've spoken to found hilarious. That United played so well was obviously the reason Old Trafford was so empty in the last 10 minutes. He's also had a pop by excluding Rafa's name from the best managers in the league, which seems a bit childish for a pensioner.

You can't argue with Ferguson's success as a manager, but you can with some of the things he says.

This season may be a learning curve for Liverpool, with the league United's to lose even before their two main rivals were drawn against each other in the Champions League (which yet means the teams aspiring to catch United play each other in titanic, exhausting battles, as seen with Chelsea and Arsenal facing Liverpool last season while United get the easy draw.)

But the United manager is clearly worried, particularly as stability has been put in place at Anfield regarding the manager's future.

That the United manager should already be talking about Liverpool's future spending is fascinating. Why do so, unless he's worried?

Ferguson talks about the young players United have signed, and bizarrely says that Rafa, a man who started out in youth development, does things differently.

Perhaps Torres, Reina, Alonso, Mascherano, Agger, Lucas, Babel and Skrtel weren't all young players – aged 20-23 – when Rafa signed them after all, and all the teenage talent brought to the club, including Insua, Nemeth, Pacheco, Plessis and Ngog, is just a mirage?

How many players in their 30s has Rafa brought to the club? I can't think of one before or after Pellegrino, at 33, in 2005. Nor one as old as Henrik Larsson or Edwin van der Sar.

Robbie Keane was the oldest major signing Benítez has made, and perhaps the fact that he turns 29 this summer was why he was shipped out so quickly; at that age, if it doesn't look like it's working, you can't bide your time, particularly if a good offer comes in before the age-related depreciation takes place.

But the major flaw in Ferguson's argument is the fact that he already had half of his squad in place in 2004 when Rafa arrived.

He hasn't needed to rebuild an entire squad from scratch, merely add the £15m-£30m adornments. Rafa has clearly had to deal in quantity to cover all positions, but Ferguson has had the luxury of looking solely at quality.

So the two situations are poles apart. Ferguson had already spent big on players like Rio Ferdinand before Rafa pitched up.

He already had the players who emerged because of his youth system, which took almost seven years to bear fruit beyond one player (Giggs emerged in year five). Benítez would only be at that stage in 2011.

Indeed, if you add together every single player Rafa has bought (and there have been around 60, many of whom were mere kids), it still does not reach the total cost of United's current squad.

Even if you also add the cost of those players Rafa inherited who are still at the club (and there are just three), it still does not reach the total cost of United's current squad.

Including players out on loan (but not the full Tevez fee due this summer), United's squad costs over £215m, compared with Liverpool's £134m.

Let me remind you of what I said a few weeks back:

“Unless Ferguson is banned from fielding players like Ferdinand and Ronaldo (which would be illogical), or forced to start from scratch in 2004 (again illogical), it is not a fair comparison, is it? – I mean, come on, use your brain for a second here.”

Benítez is trying to overturn an established superpower, one that still has a dozen-or-so players who predate his arrival in England. Rafa has just three who were good enough and young enough to endure (not that Hyypia was young, but like Giggs he is evergreen).

As well as buy players, Rafa has had to change the culture of the club to fit in with his ideas, as all managers do; Ferguson did that 20 years ago. It's why it took him so long to win the title, as you cannot change things overnight.

Unless Benítez was going to try and compete for honours with the likes of Diao, Cheyrou, and Diouf, or players like Smicer, Dudek, Hamann and Henchoz, who are now all in their mid-30s (and therefore had a very short shelf-life), or injury-prone stars like Harry Kewell, Liverpool needed a fairly complete overhaul.

Particularly as Owen and Heskey had left, and Djibril Cissé was about to arrive, all of which had been pretty much decided before Rafa took the job. (Also, including Cissé as a Benítez signing only further skews the figures.)

So the inaccuracies are clear for all to see. But let's switch things a little.

How did Ferguson overtake Liverpool? The situation was very similar to that now, even if it was a long time ago now.

Remember, both Ferguson and Benítez arrived aged 44, and inherited squads that had averaged 4th over the previous four seasons, and finished 4th the season before they arrived. All the fours, then!

Each had a massive burden of expectation, brought about by a desperately long wait for the title. Alex Ferguson's average league position in his first five seasons at United was 8.6 (11th, 2nd, 11th, 13th, and 6th). Benítez's, if Liverpool finish only 3rd this season, will be 3.6.

But Ferguson faced in Liverpool in the '80s an established team with a top-class manager. He couldn't get close to Dalglish during their time in the respective dugouts.

Ferguson spent more money between 1986 and February 1991 (£12.8m gross, £9.87m net) than Dalglish managed in his six seasons (£12.5m gross, but only £5.77m net), but got nowhere near to toppling the Reds in that time.

So United's net spend was virtually twice that of Liverpool, and yet Ferguson still didn't trouble Dalglish. The money Ferguson spent wisely in the late '80s on players like Ince, Pallister, Hughes and Bruce took four years to have any effect on the league title. This is only Torres and Mascherano's second season.

So why did Ferguson spend so much more than Dalglish?

Well, Dalglish (like Ferguson in 2004) had a lot of his squad already in place.

Grobbelaar, Hansen, McMahon, Whelan and Nicol all spanned the entire period when Dalglish and Ferguson managed the two English superpowers.

(Liverpool raised £3.2m from selling Ian Rush in 1987, but the Reds also spend almost as much to bring him back a year later.)

Those men formed the heart of Dalglish's Liverpool.

They were five players who didn't need to be signed between 1986 and 1991; the kind of quality that could cost a king's ransom if they hadn't already been snapped up before at the top of their powers.

Ian Rush, the sixth name, also had a Liverpool connection which meant that although he needed to be re-signed, it was a relatively easy deal because of his time at Anfield.

Of course, Rush's initial departure led to the greatest influx of talent seen under Dalglish: the wonderful quartet of Aldridge, Beardsley, Barnes and Houghton. So Dalglish was partly 'blessed' in that Rush, whom he inherited, at least raised enough money to rebuild the attack upon his transfer.

Ferguson has enjoyed similar bonuses more recently: selling his best players for big fees as they approached their 30s (such as Stam, Beckham and Van Nistelrooy). Such sales now help keep Ferguson's net spend down, but in his first five years he couldn't get such impressive sums for Ron Atkinson's flops. So his net spend was very high for the times.

Again, make the comparison with Benítez and the likes of Diao and Cheyrou, who raised nothing.

Benítez never had such a luxury. Owen's value wasn't great due to his contract situation, leaving £10m less coming in. The only seriously saleable asset was Steven Gerrard.

The biggest profits Rafa has made have been on players he himself bought: Crouch, Bellamy, Sissoko. Of course, he hasn't been in the job long enough to sell his real gems, in the way Ferguson and Wenger (with Henry and Vieira) have picked the perfect time to cash in on world-class players aged 29/30/31.

If Rafa wanted to sell Torres he could make a massive profit, but thankfully the striker still has five years before he even reaches 30. So it's not relevant. Ideally, Torres would score loads of goals, win Liverpool titles, and return to his beloved Atletico no earlier than 2014 for a big fee.

Therefore you cannot ignore the way Ferguson overcame Liverpool – not by spending more, but by spending twice the amount.

So there you have it. It took the resignation of Dalglish to open the way for Ferguson, who had spent twice as much money but only averaged 9th place between 1986 and 1991. No wonder United fans wanted him out in 1990. But it just goes to show how difficult it is to overtake a side that already has the momentum, but that the best managers get there in the end.

If Ferguson is thinking back to how he did so, then no wonder he's feeling worried.

For details of how to purchase 'Dynasty: Fifty Years of Shankly's Liverpool', click here to visit Paul Tomkins' official website>>

Great News

2009-03-22T01:00:00.003+08:00

Some very good news since we whacked the daylights out of the scums at their grounds. Rafa Benitez at last signed a new contract that will make him one of the longest managers of LFC, if he stays until the end.

The american owners (when are they going to sell??) have just increased the value of LFC. A stable LFC is worth a lot more money so at least one of them who sells eventually will make tonnes of money. Hopefully before the start of next season we get to see some Arab owners ,who are really wealthy, show up and start injecting the much needed funds.

Another good news was Gerrard's assault charge being dropped, although there is still the affray charge that he has to answer to. Hopefully he would be able to concentrate on football and not get distracted by it if the case goes to the Crown Court. His partnership with Torres is so so much needed at the moment.

Another good news today was the game I watched. I do not usually watch the scums play, but today I flipped through the three channels to watch the BPL games and the Bundesliga. The scums were beaten 2-0 by Fulham. One of the goals was scored by Danny Murphy. He must be on cloud nine at the moment. To top it up, two scums were red carded. So Scholes and the Shrek (yes, Rooney) will miss games after this.

I really really enjoyed the games which I started to watch seriously when Fulham was one up. It was enjoyable right until the end. I just had to laugh listening to the commentators, who I felt were about to cry when the scums were losing. On the same note, Chelsea is trailing 1-0 to Tottenham at the moment.

Of course I am not letting the above results get to my head. The scums would need to lose more games after this, and for us not to lose any, for us to overtake them at the top. If we win against Villa tomorrow, the scums will still be one point above us with a game in hand. You do the maths. One more loss and one draw at least. And we don't lose any. Still a mountain to climb but who knows..after all it IS football. Strangers things have happened before.

I am just enjoying the moments. And nothing beats watching the scums get beaten while Fergie's mouth open and close non-stop like a guppy out of water! And the rest of the scums run aimlessly like headless chickens on the pitch. We really did it to them last week! Haha!

You'll Never Walk Alone!

TOMKINS: FOUR DAYS IN HEAVEN

2009-03-17T15:51:00.002+08:00

Paul Tomkins 16 March 2009

Article by Paul Tomkins taken from LFC Official site

(http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/):

For once I'm almost lost for words. Where do you start after back-to-back results like those? Excluding cup finals and league deciders, I do not think there can have been two better results so close together in the history of the club.

In the grand scheme of things they are only small landmarks – two games – and United remain favourites to land the league title. But as markers of intent and ability, they could prove immense.

If Liverpool do go on to win either of the main competitions, these will be seen as the defining moments. If not, they are still boosts to the self-belief and proof of what this team can do against the very best, and help attain future success.

Liverpool didn't just beat Real Madrid and Manchester United, they outplayed them and thrashed them. Unlike victories at Old Trafford in the past decade, this was no smash and grab; it was smash, smash and smash again.

To do the double over Manchester United and Chelsea and still be outsiders to win the league seems incredible.

But it's credit to United for such an unbelievable run going into this game; when Liverpool did stumble in the new year they took full advantage. All the same, United's remarkable clean sheet record was dragged through the Old Trafford mud on Saturday lunchtime.

Beyond anything else, this week has gone to show that a fit Gerrard and Torres combination is as good, if not better, than anything in world football.

Zinedine Zidane, no less, said Gerrard is the world's best player, and no-one will argue against Torres being the world's best centre-forward.

Put them together, and they will tear defences apart. If fit.

And whatever you say about the rights and wrongs of Liverpool's season, and the manager's decisions, you cannot dispute the quality that the pair bring, and how the Reds have sorely missed it. Results have been dug out in their absence, because of other top players and a canny manager, but these two are as sharp as any cutting edge gets.

Torres still has an ankle problem, but unlike a hamstring, it doesn't affect his pace, and is less psychologically damaging. But even with a strapping holding the joint in place, he tortured the league's best defender this season. Vidic on toast, anyone?

A key factor regarding Torres' fitness has been how in both games it took just a long punt to open the scoring.

Liverpool can, and do, play pretty intricate football to work openings, but if you have genuine pace up front, allied to skill and strength, you can terrify defenders as renowned as Cannavaro, Ferdinand and Vidic with any kind of pass.

Gerrard, like Torres, is also a quick thinker, and when the no.9 wasn't running in behind United's knot-tied defenders, the captain was.

Despite this, and despite the pair helping put four past Madrid, Andy Gray was still talking about Benítez being negative in the absence of Alonso (whose injury was another major blow – he and Benayoun have been two of the form players) by not dropping Gerrard back into midfield. Gray made some fair observations, but this wasn't one of them.

When will people get – or maybe just accept – just how good Gerrard is right up alongside Torres?

When will people see the Liverpool captain as a quicksilver version of Kenny Dalglish? – not quite as brilliant as the great Scot in some respects (who could be?), but arguably just as devastating playing off the main striker. Gerrard now has more goals than any United striker this term, by playing this role.

Yes, he's great in central midfield, too. But please, let's not accuse the manager of negativity when this formation has helped thump the double Spanish, English and European champions in the space of four days, with eight goals to just one in reply!

It's true that Alonso and Mascherano aren't prolific, but it's not like United are getting 25 goals a season from this position. United's pair of Anderson and Carrick have two league goals between them, the same as Liverpool's.

Giggs and Scholes, who also play there a lot, are undeniably ageing well, but are no longer goalscorers; they have one league goal each this season. It's like judging them on their abilities of five years ago.

Ditto Gerrard, who was averaging six goals a season in midfield in 2004, before Benítez turned him into a 20-a-season man playing in the hole.

Until last season, Gerrard didn't look totally convincing in the role, particularly against the best sides. Now he's excelled there against Chelsea, Madrid and United in the past month or so.

Part of this is due to his own improvement due to gaining experience in the position, and part of it is down to the introduction of Torres and Mascherano in front and behind him, and the much improved form of Alonso. In other words, the team is getting better, to provide him with a stronger platform.

United also tend to play Park or Fletcher on one side and Ronaldo on the other; the same wide-midfielder/winger combination as the Reds.

While Liverpool have no-one to match Ronaldo's remarkable record of goals from the flank, Kuyt has easily outscored Park and Fletcher put together, while Riera, Babel or Benayoun can also notch goals.

(And any Kuyt doubters, look at his run to help Gerrard win the penalty. Top class movement.)

I won't deny that Liverpool still lack a little of the all-encompassing depth of United's squad, and that's a reason why, over the long haul, it's proved hard to win the league.

But even some of the less-heralded squad members have shown their qualities this week, not least Andrea Dossena, who has picked a great time to show the attacking instincts he was bought for (even if the non-stop, lung-busting gruel of getting up-and-back in the Premiership from left-back has been a big culture shock), and Lucas, who showed great heart on Saturday, and despite the odd mistake was generally excellent.

Resources

So why not play like this every week?

As I've been saying for a few weeks, Benítez has had to sell his own signings in order to buy better, more expensive ones; trading his way up with a lot of transfer activity (making for a big, distorting gross spend), but rather than shelling out almost £200m, the reality is that he's been recycling funds, leaving a low net spend. United's current squad is roughly £80m more expensive than the Reds'.

The gap in squad funding is immense, in no small part due to United's success on the pitch at the precise point the English game became a cash cow (while Liverpool's own great success was in a far less profitable era), and from being able to develop their stadium while Anfield remained largely land-locked.

Look at it like this: even if you include every single player Benítez has bought, the total still doesn't add up to what United's current squad cost to assemble.

Now, if in times of injury and fatigue, Liverpool had been able to also call upon Peter Crouch, Craig Bellamy, Luis Garcia, Momo Sissoko and various other players bought and sold by the boss, then would the squad be a lot stronger? Undoubtedly.

But those players were sold as part of a process of improvement; without selling Bellamy and Garcia, Torres probably does not arrive; without selling Sissoko, Mascherano probably does not arrive. And the wages are a problem, too; it's not cheap to keep a big squad together.

Just look at the two teams at Old Trafford.

United's starting XI cost £45m more than Liverpool's, and their 18-man squad cost £176m to the Reds' £105m. That's a chasm.

United have every right to spend more money on their squad, if they generate such amounts; but let's not enter into this mythological world created by United fans and myopic media mouthpieces to make out Benítez has had equal spending power. He hasn't.

I also keep hearing that when teams like Everton fail to finish above Liverpool, or even get close, it's because of their lesser resources; David Moyes is still lauded as a genius, though.

Meanwhile, Rafa Benítez is often lambasted even though he has worked miracles in Europe, and, domestically, has Liverpool currently punching at the same weight as a £200m+ über-squad (that of Chelsea, with a similar squad cost to United), despite a collection of players that only cost around 60% as much.

Isn't this hypocritical? Can't people see this?

Moyes has taken seven years to make Everton a very good side; Benítez has taken five to turn what was a decidedly average Liverpool team into a very, very good side indeed, bordering on excellent (if still not perfect), with only the 5th-most expensive squad currently in the Premiership.

Hypocrisy abounds. Rafa is seen as someone who doesn't understand or prioritise English football, even though he's racked up his first 100 league wins in 50 fewer games than Alex Ferguson. Again, I'm not arguing that Liverpool are now better than United, merely that Benítez be judged fairly, based on facts.

As another example of misconceptions, a lot of people appear to be criticising Benítez's substitutions this season, simply because he doesn't go for broke at half-time with bravado switches. And yet Liverpool have scored more second-half goals than any other Premiership team, and a whopping 24 in the last 15 minutes of games!

Look at vital goals against both Madrid sides in the last ten minutes of Champions League games, or Kuyt's winner in the last minute of extra-time against Liege. Look at all the last-gasp winners in the league.

Does this not suggest that, more often than not, the manager has been proved right? Does this not suggest positive changes were made, either with personnel or tactics, or that in some instances, no changes were right, too?

The fact is, Liverpool have never been this well placed at this stage of a season since the league was re-branded in 1992; when I saw the figures a couple of games ago the Reds were five points better off than at any point in the past 18 years (going back to 1991, when the Reds trailed off in the spring following Dalglish's shock departure), and since then it's been six points from six.

To go from a reasonably distant 4th to winning the title in one season is a big ask, particularly when the holders are also European champions. Even if the dream of the title ultimately proves a step too far, the Reds can go to Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge with extra confidence from now on.

There is still work to be done, improvements to be made. But that's why I've always trusted Benítez; I've never felt that anyone could guarantee Liverpool the league title (given the odds stacked against the Reds these days), but I have felt that at least he has the unerring perfectionism that will drive him, and the team, on.

Yes, he persists with some players out of form, but simply because he knows what they are capable of (as seen this week), and trusts that his belief in them can help them succeed; but anyone who doesn't do what he needs them to is quickly sold, as better replacements are sought.

Without the ability to spend £30m a time on a number of players, it becomes a slower process – sorting the wheat from the chaff; keeping the good signings and moving on those who don't cut it. Unfortunately, every time he does this, a club like United, who were already more advanced in their evolution, can go and spend £32m on a single player, while the league as a whole strengthens (see Aston Villa as an example).

So if Liverpool are not yet at that level we so crave, anyone who cannot see a marked improvement this season is missing the overall picture and choosing to just fixate on the negatives.

The progress may not be in giant steps, but it's not in baby steps either. And that's good enough for me.

PRICELESS THRASHING!

2009-03-14T23:03:00.005+08:00

Astro Bill for the next six months: RM633.00.

Transfer fee for Torres: ₤26 million.

Watching Alex Ferguson's mouth open and close like a guppy out of water while manure is being thrashed by Liverpool: PRICELESS!

We beat the scums 4-1. At Old Trafford too. This week has been a tremendous week for us in which we scored 8 goals and conceded only one, and that too through a penalty, while beating supposedly two of the world's top teams.

To tell the truth, I don't really care for the league title now. I am not going to rue all the drawn games before this one. If we go and win it, then it is a bonus. Nothing beats the sensational feelings of utmost euphoria of beating the scums. As I told a friend, not even a wanking could top this, sorry.

Watching the scums shocked to a point of disbelief during the game was sweet. Listening to the manure crowd silenced by an awesome display of football by Liverpool was double sweet. I even enjoyed the commentators being taken to a sudden speechlessness.

We are, deservedly, going to enjoy this for a very long time now. And I am pretty sure we will never walk alone with this one!

Aggregate: 5-0

2009-03-11T05:38:00.002+08:00

Winning 1-0 at the Bernabaeu two weeks ago was fantastic, especially when not many English teams have achieved that. But to win 4-0 against Real Madrid at Anfield is simply awesome!

I guess Real did not really know what hit them just now. It was good that they did not come to Anfield with the intention to park the bus in front of goal and play the counter attack for that one important away goal. Real came and played a very positive game, as we did, but that was really their downfall. In a very open game, it was also a night when clean football triumphed when players did not fall like matchsticks at every contact made.

In the first half, Real Madrid's defense were in tatters and Pepe has himself to blame when he put unneeded pressure on himself with his warrior-like talk before the tie. He must have been loco to fire up Torres like that. And it was indeed a sight for sore eyes when Torres scored the first goal. Surely a big relief for him to have done that given his past encounters with Real.

Our captain had a fantastic game too of course. After Gerrard's penalty, which to me was a bit harsh but that's football, Real Madrid began to attack more and more and this fell nicely into Liverpool's hands.

All the Liverpool players had a very good game, except for Kuyt. He might have screwed his Liverpool career since he revealed Rafa's 'instruction' to him to not sign a new contract until Rafa's own contract issue was not settled. Hell, I would not want to be his friend too if he is to go around and tell the world of our 'intimate' moments!

Unlike Babel, whose game just now was stupendous with his movements and passes, Kuyt to me had a nightmare of a game. His final passes especially were almost all screwed up, just like his recent revelation.

After the third goal, Gerrard's superb finishing from an equally superb pass from Babel from the left side, Real Madrid knew the game was over. With the imminent changes made by Rafa in view of cruncher next week against manure, we got to see many more chances to score. Spearing, who replaced Gerrard, displayed a glimpse of brilliance too. And to put icing on the cake, Dossenna scored his first goal for Liverpool before the final whistle.

The only concern after this game is Mascherano's ineligibility in the next CL game after collecting a yellow card. As expected, he had a marvellous game. Maradona is spot on when he decided Mascherano as the captain for his national side, not to mention the statement he made of 'mascherano and 10 other players' for his team list.

On the same note, it was not very nice to watch how our game suffered after Alonso was substituted and Lucas came in his place.

This result will go down in history as one of the best CL results ever. And I don't think Bayern Munich's emphatic 7-1 win (aggregate 12-1) against Sporting Lisbon is going to deny Liverpool the limelight it deserves this week.

It is bragging time, folks!

TOMKINS: END SHOCKING TRANSFER MYTH

2009-03-05T22:24:00.001+08:00

Paul Tomkins 04 March 2009

Article by Paul Tomkins taken from LFC Official site

(http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/):

Okay, it must end NOW! I've reached breaking point. The shocking transfer myth must be put to rest, once and for all.

I've tried in the past, but the media misinformation continues to gather pace like some ill-founded rumour. It's dangerous, because it causes unjust criticism.

Let's make one thing clear: Liverpool have nowhere near the most expensive squad in the Premiership.

No. Where. Near.

Indeed, there are three clubs who have spent at least 50 per cent more on their current squad than Liverpool.

Shocked? Well, you should be if you believe what's spouted out on TV. But it's true. And one of the clubs is not a name you'd necessarily expect.

It doesn't help that some people – such as Jamie Redknapp last night – focus on Rafa's gross spend, rather than the net amount. Effectively, this means counting all the right-backs he's bought as one big outlay, rather than looking at how he's replaced one with another for roughly the same £2m fee.

Working with just the gross spend, you add the £2m of Josemi to the £2m value of Kromkamp (even though it was a swap), to the £2.6m paid for Arbeloa. But none of these players were at the club at the same time, and each was traded to get to the point where an outright success was secured, as happened with the final purchase.

So even though the total cost of getting Arbeloa was just the £2.6m paid, people will use a figure almost three times as high. That is illogical.

(Another note, Jamie: Liverpool have three right-backs on the books, not just one; but the promising Darby, like Arbeloa, was injured and Degen has had a first season ruined by various ailments. So it's wrong to criticise the manager for an unbalanced squad and playing a midfielder out of position when three right-backs are unavailable.)

It's like the housing market: you don't just go in and buy a mansion straight from school. (Okay, so maybe some footballers do, but not the normal people of this world. As someone stuck with renting, I'm speaking generally here!)

You start with an affordable house; you then use the money from selling that to buy your next property. Most people can only get to own a big house having traded their way up over a number of years.

Yet when someone asks how much you spent on your house, you don't add all the houses you've ever bought together, do you?

If you own a £220,000 house, you don't say £470,000 because you add the £90,000 starter home and the £160,000 step up. That would be moronic.

According to the excellent and reliable www.LFCHistory.net, Rafa's gross spend is approximately £188m, but his net spend is only £108m, given that around £80m has been recouped.

(I'd hazard a guess that a large proportion of the £108m net spend has also been recouped through Champions League progress rewards, particularly with the Reds being the top-ranked team based on his five-year tenure.)

So it's easy to pluck a figure of '£195m' from the air, live on air, and make it seem like that should make a team champions, or ultra-close challengers.

But it's only the cost of the current squad that counts. Because that's all a manager can choose from; he can't go back in time and select a player he sold in order to trade up, just as you can't just turn up to one of your old houses and let yourself in.

You simply cannot add Rafa having spent £5.8m on Sissoko to the £18m on Mascherano, because the two were never part of the same set-up; one was bought and sold for a profit, and as with a house, the money reinvested in a step-up. If Sissoko isn't bought and then sold, Mascherano probably doesn't arrive.

Is that really too tough to grasp?

From my own experience in writing 'Dynasty', I can attest that researching transfer fees is never easy, given the amount of undisclosed fees and various add-ons (for various things, like appearances, trophies won, national caps and the cultivation of unexpectedly daring hairstyles).

But taking each fee as the most a club has expect to pay when add-ons are activated, I've calculated the cost of the most expensive squads in the league, and listed them below.

(Note: while it's impossible to be 100 per cent accurate with the figures in the public domain, I'd say that overall it's at least 95 per cent of the true amount, and with rival teams I've actually been generous and excluded a couple of players whose cost just isn't listed anywhere I could find.)

The most expensive squads (excluding players out on long-term loan) are as follows:

Chelsea £207m
Manchester United £206m*
Spurs £188m
Manchester City £140m
Liverpool £127m

(*£226m if Carlos Tevez's deal made permanent, given that it is initially a unique two-year £10m agreement, and very different from 99.9 of transfer deals. Effectively United are winning games with a £30m player.)

So what does this tell us?

Let's start with the leaders. United's squad contains the most home-grown players, such as Giggs, Scholes, Neville, O'Shea, Brown and Fletcher, who all arrived for free.

So that shows that it is a long-established core supplemented by a lot of expensive signings added one by one to a unified collection. In other words, classic, spot-on building of a squad when already established at the very top.

But it shows that even if you work with the unfair use of Rafa's gross spend, it still doesn't match what Ferguson has spent on his current squad, let alone those who have been bought and sold for record fees in the past.

And this is utterly, utterly critical, and beyond the grasp of some people who cannot analyse things with common sense.

After all, what does it matter how much Rafa has spent since 2004 if Ferguson is currently fielding players like Ferdinand (£30m) and Ronaldo (£12.8m) who were bought before then?

Isn't Rafa – in the real world – competing with a team whose construction started well before he arrived?

Unless Ferguson is banned from fielding players like Ferdinand and Ronaldo (which would be illogical), or forced to start from scratch in 2004 (again illogical), it is not a fair comparison, is it? – I mean, come on, use your brain for a second here.

After all, how much as Harry Redknapp spent since he took over at Spurs? I make it almost £50m. How much has Rafa spent since Harry Redknapp took over at Spurs? Nothing. But only a nutter would compare the two in this deeply skewed way.

Rafa has been in his job about five times as long as Harry, so you obviously wouldn't dare compare their teams. And yet Ferguson has been in his job about five times as long as Rafa, and yet the Spaniard is expected to have Liverpool as champions by now.

Chelsea and Spurs are actually the more interesting examples in many ways. I knew Spurs had spent a lot, but to have a current squad that cost almost £200m shocked me. Add together the cost of Bentley, Pavyluchenko, Palacios, Bale, Defoe, Bent, Keane and Modric and you more-or-less end up with the cost of Liverpool's entire squad.

I could be sarcastic – or media-style sensationalistic – and say that with that much spent, any manager should be able to win almost all of his matches, but it wouldn't be fair or logical. It's far more complex than that, and even a good manager like Redknapp has his work cut out.

Chelsea and Spurs have had seven managers between them since 2007. This means different men making expensive signings and ending up with a mixed squad. Based on expenditure, both of these clubs are massively underachieving this season. Almost certainly to blame for that is the hierarchy having itchy fingers when it comes to firing managers.

Of course, this analysis doesn't include wages, either. You don't get the very top players in the world without also having to pay them a king's ransom. Michael Ballack must be most expensive free transfer ever, with wages reported to be around £130,000 a week, or about £30m over five years. Again, Liverpool are no way near the highest payers, either.

So there you have it. By all means print it out and pass it around; 'pass it on', as the saying goes, including to those in the media who could do with reading it. By all means quibble over some of the finer details, as there is a tolerance of a few percent on the accuracy of the figures, but the overall gist is very much sound and robust.

Note: as all good schoolteachers tell you to do, my workings are there to see, and will be available to view on my website.

0-2 M'borough

2009-03-01T00:57:00.004+08:00

So the Number One club in Europe lost to a team fighting the relegation battle in the EPL. Such is the football in one of the toughest leagues in the world.

There is nothing positive to say about the match. For those who still had faith in Liverpool winning the league title, this result is a shattering blow to that aspiration. We were again hit by the unfortunate own goal and Alonso had to be the victim this time around. As for our frontmen, it was the same situation as in the past months. Opportunities created but none taken.

Looks like to truly win the league title, a team would need to have at least 6-7 players that cost 20+ million each. While some other teams could boast a bench of expensive players, LFC sadly does not have that luxury. Even when we had a few players of that calibre, such as Crouch and Keane, they would sulk and complain about being on the bench.

It is incredible to think that once we so comfortably sat on top of the league and by next week, we could be 10 points behind the leader. I guess many fans are already looking ahead to next season. And have resigned to the fact that CL is the only one competition that could salvage us something this season.

We Are Number One!

2009-02-27T19:28:00.003+08:00

Two exciting news today. Parry is going to leave at the end of the season and Liverpool is officially the Number One ranked club in Europe.

Rick Parry has always been accused of being one of the culprits in the poor performance of LFC in the last twelve years. If that were the case, then good riddance that he is getting the boot. Those who have been after his skin will therefore celebrate this news. And I bet there will be plenty of that starting today. Let's hope whoever that is replacing him will come with better ideas, especially bringing LFC to the Malaysian shores.

Now, the important news of the day would definitely be the fact that we are ranked Number One in Europe. Apparently the win in Bernabeu was the key to this achievement, Real Madrid being a quality side. And the last time we were at this spot was in 1985! Clearly due to Rafa's presence and our consistency in the CL for the past 5 years. Not only has he been very astute business wise, but also he has ensured continued income from the CL. And this accolade comes automatically I guess. Hail Rafa!

UEFA's latest rankings: 1 Liverpool FC (114.077), 2 Chelsea FC (110.077), 3 Barcelona (109.403), 4 AC Milan (109.306), 5 Arsenal (101.077), 6 Sevilla (100.403), 7 Man Utd (99.077), 8 Bayern Munich (93.664), 9 Lyon (90.576), 10 Inter Milan (87.306).

The rest could be read here: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2009/02/27/liverpool-are-officially-the-top-ranked-club-in-europe-100252-23026354/

2009-02-26T22:41:00.008+08:00

How many English teams have actually beaten Real Madrid at the Bernabeu Stadium? Apparently before last night loss to Liverpool, Real Madrid was only beaten once by Thierry Henry's goal for Arsenal in 2006. So Benayoun's goal last night means a lot to LFC and EPL.

We managed to contain and make Real Madrid look like an ordinary team although their form in the La Liga has been stupendous in the last months. No coincidence here. Imagine if Gerrard and Torres were actually fit.

The win also helped Rafa's cause in the saga of his new contract. We do wonder who could have started the rumour before the match of his intention to quit LFC/his dismissal this weekend. It would be mindbogglingly insane to kick Rafa out now since he seems to be the only sane entity around in LFC setup. For the past five years, he has ensured our qualification in the CL, which means more money in the coffers. Remove him now and LFC would be in chaos for the next few seasons.

The award for our worst performer on the pitch last night must go to Riera. Granted that he assisted in the defensive works, but he really fumbled going forward. I actually started to count of the number of times he lost the ball either for showboating or loose passes but after a while gave up. Too many to keep count. Not to mention of the number of times he strayed upfront.

One of the reasons I am extremely jubilant for the win last night is because of some comments this guy made before the match.

His post-match comments was a lot more different though. I guess he underestimated Liverpool pretty badly. Just like the many poor journalists before the match.

To Hope

2009-02-23T15:54:00.006+08:00

Last night's result against City was like a sucker punch. Being 7 points behind manure now means we need manure to lose 3 games including the one against us in March. Even two losses and one draw on their part is sufficient for us. Provided we win all our remaining matches. Mathematically speaking of course.

But we all know this kind of calculation can be all nonsense in the end and we might suffer from more heartbreaks. Because then we will always be hoping that we win all our remaining games and if we don't, we will be heartbroken. It also means that we will also always be hoping for manure to start losing games and everytime they don't, we get more heartbreaks.

We will all rue the many games we were held to a draw by lesser teams this season. In fact, it was almost similar last season. And we will be reminded again and again that in two games, losing one game and winning another is 3 points while not losing both but drawing both is only 2 points.

The easier way is to stop hoping altogether. But the problem would be whether the remaining games will be enjoyable enough. Especially when knowing we could not stop manure from winning the title when we could have. After all, any other team except manure.

For me personally, it would be a bonus if we do win the title this season. Like other fans, I will still root for us to win all the remaining matches. If it is fated that we lose the title by a single point to manure, it will definitely be a bitter pill to swallow. I have already planned to exercise a media blackout if that were to happen.

Today, since I knew I will be spending the whole workday in the fields, I went in a Liverpool T-shirt with the biggest Liverbird on its chest. Each time the hundreds of manure supporters (Chelsea and Arsenal supporters are a wee bit quieter nowadays) asked something about last night's game, I thumped the Liverbird while uttering 'Win, lose or draw, I will never walk alone!' That shut a few mouths right away.

This is the last stanza from 'To Hope' by John Keats:

And as, in sparkling majesty, a star
Gilds the bright summit of some gloomy cloud;
Brightening the half veil'd face of heaven afar:
So, when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud,
Sweet Hope, celestial influence round me shed,
Waving thy silver pinions o'er my head!

Yet Another Fiasco

2009-02-22T16:31:00.002+08:00

We read today, yet again, how Rafa Benitez is hardheaded in refusing to sign a new 16M contract. We are told that Rafa's refusal is because he disagrees to certain terms in the contract that doesn't allow him total control of players transfers.

I don't know whether to believe these journalists or not in their assessment of the situation. On one hand, I believe that the manager should be in full control of players coming in and going out of the team. After all, the manager is always measured with his success as his yardstick. It is his head that will roll at the end of the day if the teams fails. Hence, Rafa's demands if it were true, is justified.

On the other hand, knowing how the majority of the journalists hate Liverpool's guts and would love to see us fail, I want to believe that this is another attempt to further destablise LFC. With so many important league games and CL games around the corner, these stories is going to hurt us even more.

Rafa's latest comments towards the so-called expert pundits, ex-players or otherwise, was another gem. We all know how many of them should go to coaching school and learn the basic to really understand what really goes on behind the scene.

Playing a tired Torres in the last 15 minutes so that he would be against an equally tired defense (rather than starting him when he would have been against fresh defense), in which he scores, was a masterstroke. And it was Rafa's decision by the way. And all the expert pundits and journalists who condemned Rafa throughtout the game, before Torres winning goals ensured another 3 points for us, should all start commenting on the game of congkak!

Blame Rafa

2009-02-08T16:48:00.006+08:00

Whatever happens at the end of this season, this game will be remembered by all fans throughout the world. And just like in so many other games earlier in the season, the players showed tremendous intent and workrate in this game against the so-called minnow Portsmouth. And to win the game after going behind twice and scoring in the last minute could be considered as the performance of a championship material. At least it was the talk earlier in the season.

Some of us might be tempted to go after Rafa's decision to rest key players ahead of an international break. But we all know the gamble he took by fielding the second bests for this game. It is not a norm that Rafa decides to play a yet-to-mature Ngog alone upfront and a defender to support the midfield. Some might say the lineup was as crazy as it could get, which the majority could not rightly agree more.

Watching the game develop was very frustrating indeed, just like some of the recent games in which we were held to a stalemate. Conceding a goal when we dominated while fielding so many defensive players on the pitch was quite a bummer.

I caught a glimpse the smirk on Crouch's face when they were leading and was immediately reminded of the comments he had supposedly given yesterday, in which he agreed with Keane's lambastings of Rafa. Okay, Keane has a case since he has been known as a prolific striker before coming to LFC (although saying things like he would give his medal away if Liverpool won the league this season is not so nice). But from an unknown Crouch who was helped by Rafa's patience which eventually ignited Crouch international fame? He should be thanking Rafa! Some players suffers from amnesia faster than us fans. Anyways, it was karma when it was Crouch's backpass that led to one of our goals. That was satisfying for me at least.

If we had drawn or lost the game, Rafa would have been further grilled by every Tom, Dick and Harry. It was reported by Spirit of Shankly that George Gillett, in an exclusive interview, is not behind our manager as we would have been made to believe. And he has blamed Rafa for LFC losing the top spot to manure due to our bad form of late. Imagine what a loss to Portsmouth would have done to Rafa, who has yet to agree terms in extending his contract.

For the common fans, all we want to see is Liverpool winning matches. The win against the Chelseas and the Manures were great. This win against Portsmouth is equally great, although the way it was done leaves those with weak heart with a weaker one. And it would be the motherload of greatness if we were to go and win the league at the end of the season. But if we don't, just watching the majority of players working their hearts and socks off in a game is satisfying enough at the moment. Especially the likes of Torres. We will try to ignore the what-ifs then.

What If

2009-02-02T17:39:00.004+08:00

O the sweet taste of Victory!

How we have all yearned for this feeling of joy. Beating one of the Top Fours and doing a double over them this season doesn't happen often, mind you.

When I first saw the line-up, it did look like the best Liverpool could offer this season. It looked very promising when you see Alonso and Mascherano in the middle with Torres and Gerrard upfront. I did not really care about the flanks because it is obvious that Kuyt, of late, has been playing the role of the headless chicken who can't really cross and Riera would undoubtedly stray into the middle of the park and lose possessions at crucial times. But then again, how many times have we all seen LFC fielding its best line-up, boasted a big chunk of the possession, and then drew the games this season.

And true enough, yet again we saw us doing just that and yet again we saw how this game was going to be another Wigan or Everton. And when the red card was shown to Lampard (sorry mate, when you show your studs you get a red card, immaterial of whether you win the ball or not), I thought it was going to be more difficult to win this game. Teams with ten players on the pitch always tend to work harder, except against manure of course. And true enough, we bombarded Chelsea like there's no tomorrow and still could not make the possession count.

We would have ended the game 0-0 if not for some of the things that were missing in recent games that stood out like a sore thumb. Torres almost back to his best with his magic, Gerrard playing one of his best football in recent times, Rafa going all out by taking out a midfielder and putting in a striker, and Benayoun.

If we were to believe the stories we read on the net, Rafa seems to have concluded his contract debacle and with that out of the picture, was more willing. Many of the games before this, he was accused to have played negatively by trying not to lose games rather than winning. But last night, he showed his intent by taking out Mascherano. We are also made to believe that Rafa now has more say in the transfer of players, hence Keane was not even on the bench (at the time of writing, apparently Spurs and Liverpool have agreed for Keane exit and Liverpool is eyeing Javier Saviola as a loan striker). So, a happy Rafa is a winning Rafa after all.

Torres seems to be at his best, albeit a bit rusty just yet. I assume not many of us saw it coming, his first header goal, especially the Chelsea defense. Simply superb. And Gerrard was simply sublime, given the freedom to dictate without Lampard's presence. And Benayoun, what can we really say about his yoyo performance. Last night he was like a man possessed and delivered through. And we all love him for what he did last night, until the next game when he messes up again.

The only minus point in the second half was how Babel was trying too hard to win the game alone when brought in. The kid needs to be a wee bit cool and not try to be the messiah and shoulder the whole responsibility of winning the game for us.

Now, while we all bask in glory for beating one of the most expensively assembled teams in the world, we can continue to ask the 'what if' questions. What if we had not drawn that many games this season, what if Keane was more prolific in LFC jersey, what if this important win would all be nothing at the end of the season, etc.

With this win, we are again damned to continue to hope that some miracle happens that manure somehow fumbles a couple of times before the end of the season and we go on to win all our remaining matches. Optimistic fans will say that when there's still hope, there's still a way for us to claim the 19th title this season. Pessimistic ones would rather not have the hopes at all for they can't bear the heartache of trying to answer the many 'what ifs' in May. Wonder which fan I really am..

Great Expectations

2009-01-29T11:13:00.004+08:00

We only managed a 1-1 draw with Wigan. And I have lost count of how many times we have dropped two crucial points this season.

Firstly, I felt like I have been screwed by Astro. I waited until 3.45AM to switch on the TV, fully expecting the game to be shown live. I mean, every Liverpool game is an important game for the fans, so no reason why I should not have this great expectation.

When I saw a match I did not care less being shown live on espn, I quickly changed channels to Star Sports and then panicked when Liverpool game was not even shown there. I even checked TV3 and some other channels and rightly got very disappointed. Thank you Astro for making me pay RM100+ a month and then making me feel like a fool for the second time right away. The first being the payments I make to you and the second for not checking the programme.

I then sat in front of the PC and started 'watching' the Live Gamecast. I felt the line-up was okay except for Benayoun and Lucas. I started to curse Benitez. But after Benayoun scored our goal in the 41st minute, I felt then the line-up was justified and in a way apologised to Rafa. Maybe I overestimated Wigan and clearly Rafa knows best. After sending my last sms to Jo, a friend whom I feel was also in some ways screwed by Astro, I went to bed at halftime.

Imagine the disappointment I felt when checking the score upon waking up. My anger swelled when I saw it was a penalty conceded by Lucas. Granted that I did not watch the game (I am kicking myself because I could have watched this game live on the internet but forgot all about it) but still this is a player, alongside Benayoun, who have really, really disappointed me personally throughout this season. I then saw a few SMS from Selva, another fan friend, saying that the fans all over the world are equally devastated and are blasting Rafa for the poor subs.

Yes, this ranting is about me. A fan. And it is always about us fans really. Why shouldn't we be disappointed or angry? Maybe we wouldn't feel so much annoyed if the situation were like the last few seasons when the expectation was not so great. At this moment, I don't think even a piece by Paul Tomkins will make me feel okay. He is usually more level-headed in his analysis and makes enough sense in looking at the glass as half-full.

But not today. All the talk about we would have gladly taken at the start of the season this 'success' of being in this position behind manure by two points in January just does not make sense to me now. Nor how Rafa is still building the team or fergie did not win anything in his first 6 years at manure or we have won the CL under Rafa. It is difficult to remain positive.

It all boils down to the great expectations we have had so far this season. It is not easy after 19 years of waiting. Fans see this season as our only legitimate claim for the title. Rafa said it so many times of how important all the games were, including those that we faltered in. And again before this game he said that he is only thinking of this game and not the game against Chelsea this weekend. Then he plays the Lucases and the Benayouns. We all do trust Rafa because he is a good manager, but his popularity is slowly diminishing. And if he does not deliver something this season, fans from around the world will go on a witch hunt (not that they have not started) and Rafa might find himself in the same boat as the american owners.

Don't get me wrong, I support LFC all the way. Win, lose or draw, I will continue to support the only team I have supported since I was a kid. And the club is bigger than everyone else. The managers and players come and leave, but the fans will still be around. So, the fans are bigger than the managers and players in my book. And the fans do not like it when they are being screwed. And their disappointed and anger are fully justified. But mind you, that doesn't mean that they are not behind the team.

Is the hope of salvaging something this season still there? I guess so. But my great expectations, which have been dropping not so quickly these past few month, just took a huge plunge. As a friend told me today, we might even miss the CL next season. I shudder to such thoughts!

Ref Gone Loco

2009-01-20T06:01:00.004+08:00

Today's game left a bad taste in the mouth. The 1-1 draw against Everton is not the disaster. Being equal on points with manure still requires us to beat them before the end of the season, as would having 2 points more. That's it if we believe it is going to be a two-horse race until the end of the season.

The disaster is how the game was officiated. I was not happy with Rafa's lineup eventhough I felt it was enough to win us the game, but the ref made me more unhappy with his dubious calls throughout the game.

Pathetic sums it all up.

Rafa: Why we love him

2009-01-09T23:18:00.002+08:00

This is really a gem!

Found it here: http://www.setanta.com//uk/Articles/Football/2009/1/9/Prem-Benitez-on-Ferguson/gnid-34709/

Raging Rafa fires fury at Fergie

by Ben Blackmore , 09 January 2009

Rafa Benitez has launched an extraordinary attack on Sir Alex Ferguson, claiming the Scot is the only manager who thinks he is above the law.

Benitez was speaking ahead of a huge weekend at the top of The Premier League, which could see Liverpool go six points clear with victory at Stoke - live on Setanta.

Click here for details of how to get Setanta Sports on Satellite, Freeview or Broadband for live coverage of Stoke v Liverpool from 5pm Saturday.

The Liverpool boss gave a staggering reaction to Ferguson's claims that Manchester United have been the target of a tough fixture list, before going on to slam the conduct of United's staff when influencing referees.

"I think they are nervous because we are at the top of the table," began the simmering Spaniard.

"I want to be clear. I don't want to play mind games too early. I think they want to start. I will say some facts so it's easy to talk about this...

"On November 1, Manchester United played against Hull and Mr Ferguson received a two-match touchline ban and was fined £2,000 after the game for confronting Mike Dean and for improper conduct.

"We then started the Respect campaign and started with Mascherano's sending off at Old Trafford. Steve Bennett was the referee then, and he was also the ref when they played against Wigan and he could not see the handball from Rio Ferdinand. He didn't give a penalty and they won the game and won the title.

"I think the same referee, Mr Bennett, will be in charge for the game in hand against Wigan. During the Respect campaign, Mr Ferguson was in fact charged for improper conduct for comments made against Martin Atkinson and was not punished.

"He is the only manager in the English league that cannot be punished for these things."

Benitez, armed with a notepad full of points, then turned to Ferguson's moans about the fixture list, which has seen United play away from home after every Champions League game this season - as well as playing the 'top four' all away from home.

"The second half of the season, they're playing at home against all the other teams at the top of the league and I think this is a fantastic advantage," continued Benitez.

"At Christmas time, United played on the 29th instead of the 28th, I don't know why. The rest of the teams didn't and we played away at Newcastle 42-44 hours after Bolton at home. He was not complaining this day or thinking about this.

"His behaviour with referees, the Southampton manager, he knows how Mr Ferguson works. He was very clear the other day. It's a fact and I'm not playing mind games, I am talking about facts.

"If he wants to talk about fixtures and how we can all be in the same position on a level playing field in England, there are two options.

"If you don't want more problems, do the same as in Spain. They draw the first part of the league so all the teams know who they play against and, in the second half of the league, it's the opposite. Everyone knows. After Sky and Setanta have the right to choose their games on Saturday and Sunday, they will choose them and it'll be the same for everyone.

"Mr Ferguson won't be complaining about fixtures so maybe the other option is for Mr Ferguson to be organising the fixtures in his office and sending it to us so everyone knows and nobody will complain...

"So talking about football as I want to finish with this and the mind games. We know what happens every time we go to Old Trafford and Mr Scolari needs to know to use zonal marking against the staff of United.

"They are always doing man-to-man with referees, when they go near the bench and especially at half time when they walk close to the referees and are talking.

"So all the managers need to know only Mr Ferguson can talk about fixtures and referees, all these things, nothing happens. You need to know I am talking about facts and not mind games or pressure. These are things people can see every single week."

In Rafa We Trust

2008-12-28T22:22:00.004+08:00

If against Bolton on Boxing Day Liverpool was sublime, today against Newcastle for the last game of the year, we were stupendous to say the least.

With the empthatic 5-1 win, LFC made a few statements. That we are still at the top of the league after the energy-sapping games over the Christmas period. And that we did it after Rafa, yet again, tinkered with the squad. Call it whatever you want -- rotation system, Rafa's hardheadedness, etc but I can see Rafa smiling gleefully with both middle fingers upwards (not that he would actually do this) towards the so-called expert pundits.

Against Bolton, he utilised the wide players to perfection which of course benefited Keane who went and scored two goals. Players like Insua and Lucas played like true pros and with the introduction of Alonso displayed how lethal our forwards could be. Rafa tinkered with the back four too with Carra playing as rightback. Such was our domination in that game that we saw the defence having a field day upfront, even with the old Hyypia and Carra joining the attacks as they wished. And we could also afford to take out and rest Gerrard for today's game.

Just as everyone thought this formation would again be used in the game against Newcastle today, Rafa did the unthinkable. No Keane who scored two goals on Boxing Day in the starting lineup (his looks on the bench today again showed how confused he is). Nor was Reira, who played sublimely on the left and scored the first goal in the same game, played. Kuyt played upfront alone (oh no, the headless chicken) with Gerrard behind him and, (goodness us) Lucas and Mascha in the middle.

Lucas showed how he is coming to age with a fine display attacking, with defence-splitting and long passes that we don't normally see him convert before. Insua was terrific. Carra showed yet again how potent he could still be in the position at the rightback which he started his career at. And Gerrard again showed how damaging he could be if given the freedom to roam upfront with two goals. And he was again rested much early before the game ended.

If we had lost or drawn this game, the pundits would have had their day of course. But we won, proving yet again why Rafa is the best there is. We finished unbeaten at home in 2008 and are still in contention for the elusive 19th title (some might argue our 21st and why not?).

To all the pundits out there, please bow down to Rafa now. Frankly, he knows much much more than what you all do.

Jingle Bells, Jingle all the Way

2008-12-22T01:55:00.005+08:00

I forget how many times I have asked the same question: are we good enough to win the title this season? A justified argument as to why we are still at the top of the table (we might not be tomorrow if Chelsea wins) is because of the favouring results of other games in which the teams gunning for top spot lost points too. We will see what happens at the end of the season.

The only silver lining in the draw against Arsenal today was the goal scored by Keane. A superb one too. A pity he doesn't do that every week.

We created enough chances to win the game. Now, how many times have we mentioned that this season? The fact that we only managed a draw is a wee bit heartbreaking as usual. I am still wondering what happened in this game. And let's not talk about the misses we had because it is nothing new.

Reira was mostly a passenger throughout the game, whether as a winger or in defending Arsenal attack on the side of his flank. We were lucky that Arsenal did not really exploit this, especially when we had Insua in fullback there, although Arsenal did most of their attacking on that side. Probably they still lack a better player with more experience to do the damage.

In the midfield, we always lose the vision and creativity of Alonso when Lucas is playing. As to why Lucas always gets the nod by Benitez still baffles me. If Mascherano as holding midfielder were to play, Alonso would always be deadlier with his freedom to create chances for the forwards, with his killer passes and attempts. We lost the battle in the midfield and also forward today when Gerrard had to leave Keane alone at the front.

And with our flanks keep drifting into the midfield, the middle of the pitch was really packed much to Arsenal's favour playing compact.

Now, what really confuses me was what happened after Arsenal was down to ten players. We played better against eleven men in this game. It is always mentioned that a team down to ten men always raise up their efforts to make up for the shortage.

But Liverpool went into a coccoon when we started to have the one man advantage. Maybe the players did not know what to do since it would require a quick tactical change and since Benitez was not at the sideline, an instant decision was not possible. Sammy Lee, as we could see, had to refer to Benitez through the phone in all instances. After taking out Keane, Kuyt was asked to play upfront. Only towards the end of the game we saw the introduction of Ngog. By then, it was too late.

Someone suggested that our players were affected by the jeers from the thousands of spectators. To me, they were mostly lost in deciding what to do. They looked worried, played worryingly as if Arsenal had the upperhand which resulted in Arsenal really having the upperhand in most situations, which made them looked far more superior than us. Maybe our players were waiting for instructions from the sidelines to change the game plan, which did not come or came too slowly.

We can start to ponder on what has happened to the normal decisions a team makes when it has one extra player on the pitch. You know, the opponent without the usual strike force would start defending. They play deep and hope for a quick counter-attack. You push them to play deeper by ensuring you do more of the attacking. They can't really attack well because you force them to defend. And you stretch your opponent wide with your flanks. You tire them with your passes. Eventually your opponent will have a lapse in concentration in which you deliver the killer blow. In this game, nothing of that sorts happened. But of course, that is easily said than done.

I am sure in the papers tomorrow, Arsene Wenger and Arsenal would be described as the winners in this game. I can see the headlines now "Ten men Gunners held Liverpool to a draw' with Arsene complaining how unjustified the sending off was and how, if that did not happen, Arsenal would have won the game. How the referree is ALWAYS against Arsenal and how Arsenal are the heroes to have almost beaten 11-men Liverpool. Not to forget the fact that they play a beautiful game. You know, the usual stuffs we read about Arsenal in the papers.

A team that leads the table on Christmas day wins the league for that season, they say. Of course we know that it is not true. Getting a draw away against Arsenal is always a good result. Yes, we might lose the top spot tomorrow after the Chelsea game. But they will be having only one point lead over us if they win. And that is a big IF. And if they do, we know that the season end is still so far away. And of course we know we are still not champions even if Chelsea loses tomorrow. But of course too I would not mind for us to remain at the top of the table come this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!! Ho! Ho! Ho!

To be or Not to be Disappointed

2008-12-02T05:55:00.002+08:00

So, Liverpool is back at the top of the table by one point after failing to beat a very disciplined West Ham. West Ham knew just what to do to nullify Liverpool forwards and showed, yet again, how to match Liverpool in their own turf.

Many would agree if I were to say that one point for us is justified, which is enough to go top of the table. West Ham came close to clinching a victory themselves and fully well deserved a point. They defended very well and some of their players seem to have found a loophole in the new 'ball-to-hand' ruling. Keep arms close to your body but make sure that the elbows are always sticking out to stop the ball. Their keeper also showed how every keeper that comes to LFC seem to grow wings and save impossible balls. All in all, West Ham proved again that Liverpool has a problem finding the back of the net when the opponents park the bus in front of the goal and go for the counter attack approach.

To me, the man of the match for the first hour was Hyypia. He defended so stupendously and was a sight for sore eyes. And he came close to scoring a few times too. And when Hyypia, at 35, is the man of the match for that long a period, then you know something is wrong.

The flanks for us were a real disappointment. Putting Benayoun at the right flank was utter nonsense. Kuyt is much better there and should have been played there. Benayoun kept losing possession, could not cross and a few times made a mess for Arbeloa too. He, like Riera at the left flank, kept drifting into the middle and most of the times was running around like a headless chicken. He was lost, without any conviction of what his role really was. I am still asking myself what is it that Benitez sees in him to justify his playing Benayoun in that position.

As for the left flank, Riera and Dossena showed yet again how they can't really cross. What is the use of having wingers and overlapping fullbacks when they do not provide the amunitions for the forwards?

As for Keane, well, where do I start? Suffice to say that he has lost it. Forget about seeing his old damaging striker's role in his new LFC jersey. We can all wait until the cow comes home, and he will still be struggling to come to terms as to what really happened to him. Patience, as we know, has its limitations.

People always say when Gerrard plays badly, Liverpool play badly. This game sums that up rather aptly. He lost his marbles sometime during the break. When other players see their captain trying so desperately to the extent of making a mess of things when being cool-headed would have been better, they of course become panicky too. Maybe if, a big if of course, Torres were around, we could have won this game with a Gerrard goal.

So, did Benitez choose the proper line-up for this game? As the Master, he of course knew what he was doing. But I would have started with Kuyt at the right with Keane and either Babel or Ngog in front. Kuyt because he has been so used to that position and even in this game he had to do a lot of work for Benayoun (mangkuk ayun if you want to know what I really call him). Babel with Keane would have posed more threat to West Ham defence and who knows, we would have scored a goal or two too. Babel is never afraid to let loose one of his powerful shots and is always a big threat with his speed and muscles.

Anyway, I bet there are actually a lot of fans out there who really did not believe LFC was going to win this game. They would not say it openly of course as they would be lambasted left and right. Hell, I am sure many fans are also not so convinced that Liverpool is really going to win the Premiership this season. I mean, we should be a few points above Chelsea now, not by a solitary point. But, as a fan, we will continue to have faith in the team. Although a massive makeover come this January transfer window is most welcome. And of course we have hope. As long as there is hope backed by our current position, we will always continue to have the believe. No matter how disappointing this game was for us, we should look at the one point gained, not the two lost. After all, being optimistic is a virtue they say. Maybe if I really dug deep, I might find that virtue myself.

Another Chance for Top Spot

2008-12-01T02:26:00.003+08:00

So, Chelsea lost to Arsenal. Good news for everyone except Chelsea fans I suppose. With this result, Liverpool has a good chance to go to the top of the table if they win tomorrow. And yes, there will be a live telecast at 4am for malaysian viewers after all.

I normally do not watch other games, but this time around decided to watch the Chelsea vs Arsenal match. Not completely though, but in between the Stuttgart vs Schalke match in the Bundesliga. This was right after manure beat mancity with a solitary goal which I caught a bit here and there but was watching when the goal was scored.

After a few minutes in the second half at Stamford Bridge, I switched channels for the Bundesliga game. And yes, unfortunately I missed both Arsenal goals. No big loss there. But what I really wanted to mention of this particular game, which I do not normally watch, is how both teams were playing so badly. Watching this game has made me believe how superior Liverpool really is. And I do also believe that this would be our year. Happy watching the tuesday morning match and You'll Never Walk Alone!

Quick Fix: Owen or Heskey?

2008-11-30T17:46:00.003+08:00

If the media is to be believed, Benitez is currently looking at bringing back either Owen or Heskey to LFC. Both players will be on sale at a very low price it seems, and Owen is at 2 million. Now, which player is the better choice?

I like Heskey, a player with so much potential before coming to LFC but did not really stand out as a LFC material and was booted out eventually. As for Owen, he proved to be a deadly striker both for us and england when he was with LFC. Then he jumped ship, leaving us high and dry when LFC needed him the most. For that, I don't like him at all.

Yes, we all rooted for him and loved him before he 'got greedy' and left us at his prime, at a crucial moment. LFC could have made a lot of money out of him, but alas made nothing since no contractual issue was to be settled. He tried to make a comeback to LFC, at a price higher than the one received, and it would have been crazy had LFC bought him back at that time.

Does this beg for some Liverpool fans to hate him, for abandoning us when we needed him? I am sure there are thousands of fans out there, including players, who hate his guts..really. Some might even be happy that he is in the rut now. So, will he help LFC's cause this season with Torres injured? At 2 million, I think it is a good gamble, but it will take a lot of persuasion on the part of Benitez to bring him back to LFC. As for me, I don't really care as long as we win games.

Crimson Corpus of Liverpool Football Club

Shackles are off at Anfield, so abandon hope all who enter

What's counting at LFC?

Questions Christian Purslow Needs To Answer

Some of the Unanswered Questions on Purslow

Why we must rally to make a difference

Good Article on Gloom on LFC

Another letter to be sent out

Keep On Pressuring RBS

Plea to all LFC Supporters: Do Your Part and Join the SOS

What has not changed at LFC

More Grim Reading

The Beginning of the End

Latest from S.O.S.

Priceless Rafa

Reality Check Again.

Some More Facts and Records

Gloom Gloom and More Gloom

Let's be Realistic: Happy New Year 2010

Merry Christmas

Frustrating Times at LFC

Unlucky Liverpool FC

How Rafa benitez has overachieved at LFC

Reality Check One...Two..

Poor Anti-Rafa LFC Supporters

From Lucas to Rafa Benitez: Off With His Head!!

Brilliant Rafa Benitez

Fulham 3 Liverpool 1: The Best Fans In the World

YES! LFC Fans Still Celebrating

Priceless Bounce Back for LFC

Let's Rally Behind Our Team

To All Anti-Rafa Fans

Paul Tomkins' Latest - A Must Read for all LFC Fans - updated

Off With Rafa's Head They Say!

Perspective View

Result: Rubber Ball 1 - Liverpool 0

Saudi Prince to buy Stake in Liverpool?

Shock! Horror! Revealed: Liverpool is Screwed

Dark and Gloom in the BPL but not at Liverpool FC

£80M Marriage between LFC and Standard Chartered

International Boredom of Football

Let's hang Lucas from the nearest tree branch

Dark Clouds and Silver Linings Over Liverpool

Is Rafa really screwed..again?

Spurs 1-2 What a Nightmare to the Season Opener

What's Happening at Liverpool FC?

Aquilani a crock?

In comes Alberto Aquilani

Alonso's Departure: A Silver Lining?

Awesome

Alexander Hleb - I Like

Friendly Matches

The Return of King Kenny

First Serious Signing

Back to reality

What a nice arrangement!

Dark Days Ahead?

The End to the Barry Saga.

Always Look On the Bright Side of Life

3-0 West Ham: worry worry man united...

3-0 Newcastle...sighaa

Champions League: 4-4 Chelsea

One Nil Despite of...

TOMKINS: REDS ARE COMING UP THE HILL

Mauling of Villa and International Break..again!

TOMKINS: FERGUSON IS WRONG

Great News

TOMKINS: FOUR DAYS IN HEAVEN

PRICELESS THRASHING!

Aggregate: 5-0

TOMKINS: END SHOCKING TRANSFER MYTH

0-2 M'borough

We Are Number One!

To Hope

Yet Another Fiasco

Blame Rafa

What If

Great Expectations

Ref Gone Loco

Rafa: Why we love him