Three Hundred and Sixty Degrees of Viciousness

Both in football and in life, there is no fixed point to which we might one day arrive at. There are differing levels of joy and accomplishment that everybody hopes to attain, and though it takes great perseverance to get there, it can all disappear in an instant.

Those that remain constantly successful must change and adapt as circumstances dictate over time. For the many that are not yet where they want to be, the journey is even harder.

Progress isn’t something that can be measured in a straight line.

Liverpool are at a point where right now where the attacking areas look to be finally firing and suddenly the defence is as leaky as it has been in years. Complications rise up from unexpected areas and solutions can be just as fortuitous.

On the field and in terms of the standing in English football, these are the worst of times that Liverpool Football Club has faced for many a year. That’s not meant to sound critical, but rather establish how things are right now. Champions League football – once a minimum requirement – is now all but a feint possibility.

We must learn to accept our position, but never accept it as our fate.

Liverpool Football Club didn’t fall away from greatness, it was held over the edge and then finally pushed.

Rafa Benitez did his best to dig his heels in and prevent this descent, Kenny Dalglish and FSG re-established some footing, so at the very least nobody is staring down at the abyss we were confronted with a couple of years ago.

Still, there now remains a mountain to climb simply in order to return to where Liverpool was but five years back. In an industry where a week is a long time in football, think how much damage can be done in that length of time.

Watching the way teams react to conceding a goal tells you a lot about the individual and team mentality. When there’s nothing left to lose Liverpool often come roaring back. Hulk’s goal at Anfield last week should have been enough to completely kill the tie but that was never going to happen. The problems occur against a team which has no business taking the lead in the first place. For years now, Liverpool have had this flaw with which they allow underdogs to dictate terms to them; it’s one of the reasons they’re so good when they are in that role.

Though it’s loathsome to hold them up as the perfect model, whenever someone scores against Man United the players are downright indignant. There’s an immediate backlash, which almost inevitably leads to them being level if not even leading before long.

Because this has been a concern for some time, however, both our players and fans as well as the opposition are fully aware of it. Coupled with the long-standing profligacy issue and you have the perfect storm.

Both identifying and acknowledging weakness is healthy and important for those that want to become better.

Unfortunately, right now Liverpool – both on the pitch and in the stands – are caught in a holding pattern. Whenever the signs are recognised, there is panic. West Brom at Anfield is the perfect example. The way things played out in the mind transmitted themselves onto the pitch like a horrifying self-fulfilling prophecy.

Right now, the problem isn’t so much that things can go wrong, it’s the acceptance that when there are a few indicators it then becomes inevitable. To win, sometimes a team or an individual has to be defiant, even in the face of what is in their very nature. Only then will these struggles with fragility start to become addressed.

For John W. Henry and Brendan Rodgers, the plan was to start again.

“Year zero”, it had been christened, and most fans bought into the idea of having a completely clean slate and starting again. The problem is that as a concept it’s completely untrue. It would have particular resonance were the playing staff entirely new but for the most part it was the same faces that had underachieved last season.

Discarding the last two years is to ignore all that which worked in the previous regime and much more importantly forget about the problems that so badly needed fixing. You can’t go into a situation with the same components and expect a completely different result, no matter how well they are put together.

In spite of the longing disappointment that surrounded Liverpool in the league last season, Kenny Dalglish did a better job with the team than he’ll ever likely get credit for. Even with that being said, the reminders of a once great footballing empire can be seen all over his face.

What Liverpool needed was something new.

The need for a fresh start, to forget how far the club had fallen, that was much more important in terms of managing short and long term expectation. However this current incarnation of Liverpool FC will be judged, it would do more harm than good to hold it up against the ghosts of the past.

Times change and people move on.

Steven Gerrard, Pepe Reina, Martin Skrtel, Jamie Carragher and Lucas Leiva were all present in the 4-1 victory over Manchester United. On the flip side, Jonjo Shelvey, Martin Kelly, Daniel Agger and Lucas again all played some part of the team that was dumped out of the League Cup at Anfield to Northampton Town. Those two games represent both the apex and nadir of Liverpool’s recent past.

The Northampton game is now over two years old. Year zero may have had a nasty side-effect in papering over the cracks from last season but it was necessary to lay down a marker and move on from the turmoil and in-fighting that’s gone on over the last few years.

Brendan Rodgers has come in and put his individual stamp on the team, yet the goal is so that a few years down the line a collective identity will be so strong that that the presence – or absence – of one man will not imbalance the team.

Last year, Lucas Leiva’s disappearance led to an almighty collapse in form, and there’s something to be said of the Liverpool team that contains Daniel Sturridge and the one that does not.

Wherever the club ends up finishing in the league, there is much hard work still to do.

Many believe that the quality of players Champions League football would attract to Anfield will help with the problems in consistency. If anything it’s the other way around. If Liverpool can find that consistency, top four football will not be far behind.

The Thin Red Line

The scale of victory is measured by the merit of the vanquished.  Defeating a lesser opponent draws nothing more than acceptable acclaim, for that's what was supposed to happen.  It's only when matched up against the very best that winning becomes a joy in itself.  In the long run, beating a rival doesn't matter any more than anyone else; but it feels like it does.  As far as a points are concerned, being triumphant over Manchester United is exactly the same as a beating Wigan.  For as much as it is shaped by numbers however, sport is defined by the raw emotion that surrounds them.  Football is played by human beings.  People with allegiances.  To a colour.  To a badge.  To a city.

Without the beautiful game as an avenue of superiority, nothing would change.  That which exists between the cities of Liverpool and Manchester would be there come what may.  Hostilities between the two go back now over a hundred years, the catalyst for which is still proudly displayed on the crests of both City and United.  Ironically enough however, it is the similarities between the two that sparked off what would be the purest grudge match in English football.  The working class roots of both cities made both cities places where the beautiful game could thrive.  From here, the two would begin a power struggle that would go on to dominate the game in this country, claiming thirty seven league titles in the process.

Football is often accused of having a sick sense of humour.  During the success at Anfield in the seventies and eighties, Man United would often come and get a result.  When Ferguson's men were at their best - with an iron like grip on the Premier League - Danny Murphy and John Arne Riise would spoil their fun.  A few loses didn't matter to the Old Trafford faithful, they were a minor annoyance.  None of it would mean anything until there was a challenge worthy of the name.  Once Gerard Houllier left Liverpool, the wins dried up but despite all this, the Red Devils were not the only ones making history.  A fifth Champions League title suddenly catapulted Liverpool back into the spotlight.  It looked inevitable that a head on collision was coming.

 

It took three years for Rafael Benitez to earn a victory over Man United.  The game itself was no more than any other high profile encounter but it represented a whole lot more.  For a couple of seasons Liverpool had been - almost inconspicuously - preparing for a run at the top prize in English football.  Although there was a huge disparity in terms of resources, this loss - for the first time in a long time - made them seem catchable.  Then came the hammer blow.

March 14th 2009 could so easily have been a watershed moment in the history of the Premier League.  On the back of a four goal thrashing of Real Madrid, Liverpool went to Old Trafford and gave Manchester United a beating that it looked like they'd never forget.  It was the kind of defeat that would have had a lasting effect on the psyche of a lesser team, or would have been put over for years to come as the moment when Liverpool regained their throne as the top team in England had they got over the line.  Regardless of how closely it was fought, all that mattered was that United were once again crowned champions.  The chance had gone.

That was three and a half years ago now, and it feels like a lifetime.  To have waited so long for an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with United and come out on top so emphatically only for it to count for nothing was a bitter pill to swallow.  In the months that followed, trying to challenge with the top teams under the poisonous ownership of Hicks & Gillete became like trying to box with a hand tied behind your back.  What happened next was the appointment of a man who was even less equipped to fight.  His solitary Liverpool-Manchester derby was noticeable for the duo of Jonny Evans and John O'Shea trying to give the game away, only for Dimitar Berbatov to rescue it.  The next time the two would meet, there would be royalty present.

Kenny Dalglish's first game in his second spell with Liverpool began at Old Trafford.  Though it ended in defeat, it didn't matter because of the idea that Hodgson was gone and the king was back.  Two months later and that joy became euphoria as Luis Suarez and Dirk Kuyt combined to put on a display that harked back to the all to brief period under Benitez where the two clubs were on equal footing.  It was part of a run of form that made people really believe again at the beginning of last season.  All that optimism and belief was to be unfounded.  Things got even more complicated the next time United came to Anfield.  

So much has already been written about what went on between Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra.  What it meant was that Kenny Dalglish was not only without his main goal threat, but that both the club and his name was to be dragged through the mud as a consequence.  An FA Cup tie at Anfield saw hostilities ramped up even further, with a media campaign surrounding the treatment of Evra.  With Suarez back into the team at Old Trafford, a 2-1 defeat only added to the headlines of a handshake that never was.  This whole sorry affair was part of the reason why King Kenny is no longer with the club.

In the years that have passed since Andrea Dossena lobbed Edwin Van Der Sar, a new challenger to Alex Ferguson's dominance emerged.  They too have been defined by a magnificent win at Old Trafford.  For now the Premier League title seems destined for one city, the only question remains as to which half it will go.  In order to once more reign supreme once again, Liverpool now have to overcome the financial might of the blue corner of Manchester, after having spent so long fighting the red contingent.  While that fight is some way off, that doesn't mean anyone will take it lightly on them in the meantime.

The hierarchy at Anfield did their utmost to make sure everyone was fully aware that they were pushing the reset button in the summer.  Having been pushed back in the race for a Champions League spot by a couple of years, it's going to be a long and difficult process before we're ever in that same position once more.  Brendan Rodgers took this job because of that very fact.  The idea of restoring this great club to to the pinnacle of English football once more, it would be enough to immortalise anyone.  In order to achieve that - because of their own thirst for success and what Liverpool Football Club means to them - no-one will stand in his way and test him more than Manchester United.

Martin Kelly: All The Right Moves In All The Wrong Places

At the heart of every iconic moment in the history of Liverpool Football Club, there are those who stand out.  Fom Billy Liddell to Steven Gerrard and beyond, we exalt their exploits as if they are the stuff of legend.  Despite our support and favouritism, the truly great are very few in number.  We are lucky in that some of the great exponents of this simple game have pressed their studs into the Anfield turf and we watch from the stands in awe.  That still leaves a very large number of people - even those whom we think of fondly - who don't posses those unparalleled talents.

There is a great need in the world of football to label things.  Fast and small? You're the new Theo Walcott.  Any half decent scoring midfielder/striker with a good agent these days has been compared to Messi at least once.  Almost ten years ago, Liverpool had on their books a versatile defender.  He didn't excel at anything in particular but had more than a grasp for the art of defending and gave you everything he had.  The arrival of a new manager with a different philosophy to all those before it spelled a change in Jamie Carragher's career that saw him - briefly - become one of the best defenders in Europe.  Could the same happen again with Brendan Rodgers and Martin Kelly?

If they are to make good on their childhood dreams of being a footballer, there are inevitably roadblocks that must be overcome along the way.  In Martin Kelly's case that obstacle came early on in the form of a serious back injury, which stunted his development by almost two years.  Spotted by the Liverpool scouts at the tender age of seven years old, he was originally a centre midfielder but his height and composure on the ball saw him move back to defence, where - throughout his years at Melwood - he has played every position along the back-line.  After receiving rave reviews as a member of Gary Ablett's title winning reserve team in 2008, Kelly would go that one step further and make his Liverpool bow, coming on in the last few minutes for Jamie Carragher in a Champions League game in Eindhoven.

Having made enough of an impression on Rafa Benitez to include him in a few Champions League squads, the focus now was on whether or not he could push for a place in the regular first eleven.  In an attempt to get some first team football behind him, the last six months of the 2008-09 season saw Kelly loaned out to Huddersfield town, during which he scored his first ever competitive goal.  This continual progress, coupled with the departure of Sami Hyypiä led Benitez to claim that there would be a chance for one of the youth team players to make that step up and he again found himself in the team for a Champions League game, only this time in the starting line up.  Being awarded Man of the Match was a step in the right direction but unfortunately it came at a price.  A groin injury picked up in that game sidelined Kelly for four months.

The summer of 2010 saw major change at Liverpool as Rafa went out and Roy came in.  Kelly's chances were limited to Europa League games although a starting role in a two goal victory over Chelsea at Anfield was quickly followed by a new three year contract shortly after ward.  When Kenny Dalglish came in the following January, things began to pick up quickly for both Martin and the rest of the team. An extended run in the first team made it so that first choice right back Glen Johnson was moved over to the left side of defence, such were his performances.  When it was all going so well, injury struck again.  A hamstring tear against West Ham would be the end of his season.  He had shown the Liverpool faithful what he was capable of, and was also in the process of doing it on an international level.

Ashton Gate versus Uzbekistan.  Hardly the most glamorous of opponents and locations, nevertheless Martin Kelly made his England Under 21 debut and scored in the 2-0 victory in August 2010.  Just over a year later and he netted two goals in as many games to take his tally to three in five.  He underlined his potential for goalscoring by netting the second against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge just a week later.  These performances - coupled with one against Arsenal at the start of the season which drew plaudits from Fabio Capello himself - saw him firmly on the international radar.  He had come back from injury time and again, each time determined to come back stronger.  He had never had a particularly bad game for Liverpool and so, an even bigger challenge was on the horizon.  Despite all of this, nothing could prepare him for the fury that was about to come.

Injuries along the back line had deterred England's preparation for Euro 2012.  Micah Richards had ruled himself out because he didn't want to be on any standby list.  Roy Hodgson turned to Kelly - someone he had worked with before and quite probably the best option of those who were left.  It was as if Hodgdon had picked a short sighted alpaca.  Radio phone ins and internet forums added fuel to the fire, questioning the decision.  It was as if the rest of the country as one stood up and said "I have never seen Martin Kelly play." coupled with the fact that Liverpool had underachieved the season prior - as well as a severe undercurrent of dislike for the club in general - saw Kelly as a scapegoat for a side that hadn't even played a game yet.  Which brings us neatly to what's happening now.

Brendan Rodgers' arrival and subsequent change of philosophy, coupled with the performance against West Brom at the weekend has seen Kelly at the heart of another debate.  Those writing off his ability are almost certainly writing premature obituaries, because there is room for him at Liverpool Football Club.  If Martin were playing for a mid table club, someone like Tottenham, Chelsea or Arsenal would have likely snapped him up during this transfer window, so we must be careful in not discarding or tarring him.  Scapegoat tags are very hard to get rid of and after the summer he's just had it would be unfair to add to any of that.  That being said, there is a conversation that needs to be had.  Sooner rather than later, Kelly has to be moved to the centre.

Maybe it's the comparisons with Jamie Carragher that put people off Kelly long term.  Even though these days people only ever talk about him in a negative light, while the comparisons are still valid they don't resonate as much in a Brendan Rodgers side.  The flaws in Kelly's game out wide are arguably as great as those in Carra's game in the middle of this system, but playing Martin in the middle negates both of those aspects.  He's much more comfortable with the ball at his feet however, and carries a far greater aerial threat.  I see no reason why moving him centrally shouldn't at least be attempted, other than the fact that it leaves us very light in the wing back positions - although this could be rectified in the coming week.  If Liverpool insist on leaving him out wide, there's a possibility they may hinder themselves in two positions rather than just the one.

It's unlikely that Martin Kelly will ever score a hat-trick in four minutes or inspire an Istanbul like comeback.  His career at Anfield to date has been largely inconspicuous, but every club needs players like this.  People who will give their all and get on with whatever it is they have to do, without being conscious of the limelight.  Over the course of a season contributions will be made by everyone, some will have to be greater than others because not everybody can be a superstar.  To ignore that input would be foolish because the likes of Gerrard and Suarez wouldn't be able to do what they do were it not for the contribution of a Kelly or Lucas.  Even the smallest star still shines brightly in the sky.