Summer Of Love

Trying to stay in the moment is difficult. Because of the constant advancing of time, before anything really has the chance to be savoured it is gone. It’s why we cherish photographs so much. They are a visual representation of a place in time.

Another effect of this is the constant progression of hypothetical actions. This is especially true in a professional sense, for those that do not look ahead are forever at risk of being left behind. Because we don’t know what will happen, based on probability and the information at hand it then becomes nigh on impossible for our brains not to run off into the distance and not seek out a single solution but to travel down the road of any number of multiple destinations.

Every year there are days on the calendar we look forward to purely on the basis of what happened before. The idea of attaching any extra significance to an event or period of time that hasn’t happened yet is established firmly in either reliving old glories or an attempt at correcting the mistakes of our past. Most of these situations are personal, but there is one that appears universal.

While there will always be certain exceptions; everybody looks forward to the summer.

Like most things that are deep rooted within us, the love of this time of year stems from childhood. School holidays – in addition to actual ones – led to seemingly infinite possibilities. It was our best chance to get out and explore the world at large, whether it was a case of having and endless playtime or being taken away to some far flung land by our parents. This is before you factor in the sunshine, although that’s not so much of an issue in England.

As May turns to June and spring to summer, a seed of hope is planted. The football season has only been away for a few weeks but – in the absence of a major tournament – it’s sometimes two weeks too long. As players begin to be added to the squad, that hope should begin to bloom but all too often as of late, Liverpool Football Club have had some pretty bad harvests.

He may be the default position for misery around Anfield but it begins with Roy Hodgson. It’s the LFC equivalent of the word schadenfreude; there really is no other way to evoke such despair, which is somewhat symbolic given how everyone else would have reacted to us at the time.

With each passing year, the picture of a smiling Hodge as he unveiled Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic and Danny Wilson becomes even more incredulous and this is even before you get to Paul Konchesky.

That’s not to say that things then were anti Hodgson or even Pro Rafa, at the time everyone was desperate for it to happen. Much in the same way that if you close your eyes and flap your arms in an attempt to fly kind of fashion, but still it wasn’t exactly a exciting start to the campaign that was to come.

Flash forward a year and the enthusiasm could not be faulted. Everything on that front had been completely reversed. King Kenny was back in charge, there were new owners at the helm and with a large influx of cash and signings made over the summer maybe now things could start going in the right direction.

Game one of 38, a Seb Larsson sucker punch drained it away in a single blow. A win at Arsenal the following week did counter that nicely, but at home certainly, a tone had been set and an oppurtunity missed.

By the time summer came around again, there was another regime change that would come with it. It was Brendan Rodgers who would be tasked with getting Liverpool back up the table and who promptly had the rug pulled from underneath him in the form of two massive obstacles.

The first; having to play both Manchester clubs and Arsenal in quick succession so early on meant that there was no chance for any momentum in terms of points to build and secondly perhaps the most calamitous end to a transfer window since its inception.

For the first time in a long time, Liverpool aren’t playing catch up; they’re setting the pace. It’s a speed nobody should expect to maintain throughout the season, and the last two games have already proven that won’t be the case, but is one that could certainly carry the team through to the end of the year.

Barely before the dust had begun to settle on Carra’s boots than all the talk was of the manner in which business was being done. Toure, Aspas, Alberto, Mignolet; all sorted in quick succession. Then the fixture list was actually kind to the club for a change and allowed for a chance to really fly out of the blocks. In years past it’s been easier said than done for Liverpool to take such an opportunity but that they have done. Three played, three wins, three clean sheets. If there was any room for negativity to climb in through the window, the arrivals of Victor Moses, Tiago Ilori and Mamadou Sakho helped slam it shut.

A home defeat to Southampton takes some of the gloss off the start, but Liverpool were never going through the entire season unbeaten anyway.

So now here we are. The sun has quite literally shone on Liverpool during the close season. A good start does nothing but build a platform to push onward and it is still going to take a lot of hard work and effort to continue that narrative. In the meantime however, it feels good to simply sit down and enjoy the moment.

To watch Steven Gerrard imperiously guide his national team while Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge blossom before our very eyes. The smiles are there and whether that be due to the good start or simply because Kolo Toure has become the ultimate cult hero in the blink of an eye.

Even when the sun goes down and the seasons change, there’s a real impetus there now that Liverpool will not go with it.

The Duality Of Fan

Fandom is a very difficult thing to nail down. Primarily because it revolves around the reaction of a single individual to something and the collating of said individuals into a group, bound by a common bond.

Human beings are complex and contradictory by nature, so the idea that even those who share similar interests will have similar personalities is not so much a fallacy as it is impossible.

Some connections resonate stronger than others, which complicate things even further. Pointless competition arises, whereby devotion to something is measured in a points system. Two people can be connected by one thing and yet at odds with each other by how much it means to them.

Glen Johnson, why…Joe Allen, can’t…Luis Alberto, no!

All these and more, readily and repeatedly within earshot. This was even before half time, when the Liverpool team had a two goal lead against Notts County. I should say that saying these things were mostly the rantings of one bitter, bitter man—but those that share his attitude and how it completely contradicts with mine is what I need to get off my chest.

Not one ounce of encouragement uttered within the entire game. He even had an extra half an hour to find it within him. I’m not asking anyone to blindly praise anybody, but to stop and think about things for a second.

Shouting “OH YOU…!” several times at a 17 year old lad who’s not having the best of times on a football pitch, what is that meant to achieve?

The important thing is not even how good or how bad his individual performance was, nor how it fitted in line with the team. Jordon Ibe’s progress will not hinge on one League Cup game; win, lose or draw. What he can learn from his game against Notts County is, and I’m certain that the coaching staff and Jordon himself will take something and move forward.

The last thing we want is that the next time he gets an opportunity he is afraid. That he would play anything other than his own, natural game, for fear of being derided.

Daniel Sturridge had been put through on goal. His shot hit the keeper and then bounced over the line and Anfield celebrates a goal like with the kind of joy and relief you wouldn’t associate with a second round League Cup tie against Notts County. It should have been—at the very least—the instant where red blushes were almost certainly spared. What had been a collective show of emotion gave way to something different entirely.

Chants of “You’re not singing anymore” directed from the Kop toward the Anfield Road end at the deflated Notts County fans were drowned out by boos.

As a precursor, I would like to point out that I was part of them, so I am not trying to condemn them. But did get me thinking. These were jeers not aimed at an opposition player or trying to intimidate the referee, but at a section of our own fan base.

Who needs enemies?

Football has often been likened to religion and the comparison is somewhat understandable given its emotional power with the masses. Emotion and rejoicing go hand in hand. Volume doesn’t matter because it comes from the heart more-so than the vocal chords. Especially at a football ground, where you’re very unlikely to hear anything pitch perfect. One voice can stand out and make a difference; for both the good and the bad.

Anytime you’ve ever really tried to sing—and even those of us without any real vocal talent have tried—you feel something deep down, that’s what it’s about.

I’d heard it all before.

The lone gunman, intent on picking apart every little thing about a certain player, or the manager. It’s happened before and it will happen again.

Being at Anfield is something I have always taken as a responsibility. You’re there as a supporter, to be there for when they need you. However, having listened to such vitriol—and become increasingly irate—with the mindless criticism around, in particular a complete assassination of Luis Alberto, came a realisation. I had been so worked up and deflated with what was being said, my voice had been missing as a counterpoint and so I was as much to blame as he.

Chances are, if Alberto heard one voice that night, it was mine. It wasn’t a great performance by any stretch of the imagination, but boy do I want him to succeed.

For that last half an hour when things went wrong on Tuesday, there was a sense of inevitability and that it had all been seen before. That mass acceptance shouldn’t even be contemplated let alone tolerated.

This isn’t to let any of the players off the hook, as there was a drop off which Notts County took full advantage of, but the idea, the very birth of that capitulation, came from doubt.

It spread like a disease and quickly led to frustration, which in turn led to uncertainty. As such, mind and body were out of synch. They didn’t regain much of that until Toure’s injury, and out of it rose a cloud of defiance. That doubt needs to be exorcised.

Opinions are not all equal. All that is valid is that you possess one, but that doesn’t prevent them from being superior or inferior. Everyone has their own personal bias one way or another.

It matters little how they arrived at such a conclusion.

Past judgements inform, but rarely illuminate. If anything they blind us to things as we are determined to see through our own eyes no matter how narrow the vision may be. Some would rather something goes wrong, or a particular player messes up, just for the sake of validation.

Being there isn’t just a badge of honor you wear for the sake of it. It’s part of a coming together. At the heart of it is a community. Football is, after all, so incredibly—feel it deep down in your bones—tribal and, perhaps more than most, the identity of what makes Liverpool Football Club is reflected in the people of the city.

This isn’t to invalidate anything or anyone outside of the city limits. That debate is tiresome and nonsensical, so long as you feel. You don’t have to embrace it (some of the people I know don’t like the city they were born in) but you do have to understand it and respect it. If you have it in you, nobody can take it away.

Come for the love of that team and leave your preconceptions at the turnstile.

Afterward, we can give an honest account of ourselves. Leave it to the opposition to undermine us.

Brendan Rodgers’ job is hard enough.

Terry McDermott Interview

The UEFA Cup. A European Super Cup. Four Charity Shields. Three League Cups. Six-time champion of England. And three European Cups.

It’s a trophy haul that dwarfs many entire football clubs, let alone one that an individual player would be proud of. Then again, there is nothing diminutive about Terry McDermott; his presence lights up a room just like he would a football pitch and when he talks, it’s always worth listening too.

This is what he had to say.

KTTK: Firstly, how’s life with Birmingham City?

Terry Mac: Yeah, very good. Could be better I suppose but it’s been a difficult season for everybody. I feel like up until a week ago, ten days ago we had a chance of getting into the playoffs. You never say never but it’ll be very difficult to get there.

So what we’re trying to do is get as high up in the league as we can. Because there’s been a lot of changing over the last year and we just want to finish off with a little bit of a bang. We’ve got four games left; two away, two at home. If we can get maximum points from there you never know where it leads too. People say it’s mission impossible to get into the playoffs – it probably is – but you never give up hope and we just want to finish as high as we can which is hopefully round about the seventh/eigth/ninth, if we can finish around there we’ve had a great season.

KTTK: What did it feel like to sign for Liverpool and to play for someone like Bob Paisley?

Bob only took the job in – I think it was the – June, or July. He took the job when Bill Shankly retired. Though I didn’t know too much about Bob Paisley; I knew who he was obviously because I was a Liverpool supporter as a kid.

It was a big job for him to do, to take over from Bill Shankly. We played them in the FA Cup final in May and I played alright and I’ve sinced found out that they had me watched a few times during the next season. I think it was about the October that I got a phone call of Phil Thompson saying “how do you fancy coming to Liverpool?”

I thought he was winding me up. He wasn’t.

Before I know it I’m in a car, driving down there by meself with an envelope that they had sealed so I couldn’t look at it. The intrigue was “shall I open the letter” as I’m driving down the A1. Shall I open it or shall I not?, because it was sat on my passenger seat.

I thought bollocks, I’m gonna open it, I wanna know what it’s about. It was a fee. I didn’t know nothing about it [prior], I just had to go to Liverpool. It was £166,000. So I got down there, went straight down to my mother and father’s, who lived in Kirkby, and me dad came and met me.

I just remember going there, didn’t even ask about wages. Like there is now, negotiating all the time, sometimes it takes a day or two to cross the t’s and dot the i’s and it took me about thirty seconds to sign.

They just give us it “there’s your contract” and it was 55 – whatever it was I can’t remember now – 55/100 quid a week. “Thank you… that’s it. Finished! Thanks very much I’ll see you tomorrow.” So it was done that quick, we just done a few photos. It was never about money, there was never any negotiating, there was never an agent.

I never ever had an agent, there wasn’t really such things as agents only Kevin Keegan had one when I was at Liverpool. So there was no negotiating it was “that’s your contract, do you want to come?” I’m not gonna say no, am I? So I just signed. It took me two years to get into the team.

KTTK: Which brings us neatly onto the next question. It took you a while to become a regular fixture in the Liverpool first team, do you have sympathy for players who don’t hit the ground running (like Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Lucas etc.)?

No, I don’t have sympathy for them. I wish I was them, I wish I was in their shoes now. Playing for Liverpool in front of them fans. I don’t feel sorry for them at all but I think they’ve – and I’m sure they do – I remember talking to Henderson at a Bonfire night party.

I remember talking to him and saying “just dig in” because he was going through a bit of a rough time. I actually said to him what I had to do for two years. Two and a bit years when I wasn’t in the team, in and out the team, more out than in. He was going through that similar thing and I said “just keep going, it’ll turn because you’re a good player” and he is a good player. It’ll turn and he’s playing a lot of games now but it’s took him the best part of a season.

KTTK: With there being very little patience in the game these days, how much harder do you think it is now for someone to break through after they have been written off?

I think it depends on the character of the player. I mean when you’ve got the abilities like he [Henderson] has, you should never doubt them because you’ve had a bad game or two, three or you’re not in the team. You know that you’re a good player so you’ve just got to persevere. You can’t just say I’ve had two bad games and I’ve been left out for six weeks.

That’s what happens.

It takes time to blend in the way he wants you to play, that the club – Liverpool – wants to play. I thought I’d probably made it when I played for Newcastle before I went to for Liverpool. I was a big fish in a big sea but when I went to Liverpool I was a little fish in a big sea. You have to come to terms with that.

I got to realise what football’s really all about. When I was at Newcastle, it was fantastic for me. I was playing every week, loved living there. Loved being round the place but when Liverpool come I didn’t really know what football was really all about and what you have to do in terms of the way you play.

I could probably play two or three bad games at Newcastle and probably still play whereas at Liverpool if I had a bad game I knew I was in trouble or that I might be out of the team. I quickly… I say quickly, it took me two years to realise it.. but then I did. Even when I was player of the year, even then I never felt I was secure in my place. That’s ridiculous to say but that’s how it was at the time. I knew that you’re only a game or two from being left out again.

I realised then that you’ve got to do it every single game whereas maybe at the other clubs I’d been at – Bury and Newcastle – I could have two good games and three bad games or something like that and still play but at Liverpool I had one bad game and I might not be in the team for two or three months, so I realised you’ve got to really do it every single game. You’re not going to play well every single game but you’ve got to put the effort in every single game and that’s what my game was based on; giving one hundred percent, every game.

KTTK: The goal you scored against Tottenham in 1978 at Anfield…

Don’t know what I was doing there.

Don’t know what I was doing on the post for their corner. I was leaning against it because we were 6-0 up and then I don’t know what possessed me to do it. That’s what happens in football. I’ve gone from their corner – from being on the post – to heading the ball ten yards from their goal.

I just kept running. Why? No idea. I just done it.

The build up to it was just, well… Bob Paisley said at the time it’s the best goal he’s ever seen at Anfield. Now I don’t think it’s the best goal in terms of me because I finished it off, I think in terms of the build up to it. Where it come from, from their corner. From going out to Kenny gave it to Dave Johnson, he gave it to Steve Heighway, all more or less one and two touch. Heighway’s was certainly one touch. I don’t know what possessed him to cross it. I mean he was so far wide and there was acres of space for him to run into but he crossed it straight away. At the time I didn’t know it but having watched it since on television I couldn’t help but think “why did he cross it the way he did; so far out?” It was still an unbelivable ball. I just had to put my head on it.

KTTK: If that’s not your favourite goal for Liverpool, what is?

It’s got to be up there because if Bob Paisley says it’s one of the best goals for Liverpool, you’ve got to listen to him. Over the years I was very lucky to score a few top goals. Spurs away in the FA Cup, that was an unbelievable goal. I scored a goal against Aberdeen in the European Cup, away, we won 1-0. I chipped the goalie from the byline. That was special.

KTTK: chipped Everton…

I’ve scored a few goals haven’t I? Don’t know how but I did it. Yeah, Everton obviously because of the importance of the game; semi final of the FA Cup.

I’ve been very very lucky, I’ve scored a lot of good goals. I remember scoring a goal, I think we were playing Mönchengladbach in a friendly. It’s never been shown since, there might not even have been cameras there. The ball come over me shoulder from a long distance and as it’s coming down and I’m running onto it and just volleyed it and it flew into the top corner. I remember that one but because no-ones ever seen it… I’d probably rate that one as one of me better goals than the ones that are on television.

Because it was a team goal, probably the one against Spurs at Anfield.

KTTK: Is there a goal you’ve witnessed that you’d rate as on par with it?

I don’t know why but I always remember a goal that Alan Mullery scored. I think he was playing for Fulham at the time. It was a volley, the ball was coming across – he was outside the box – it came across him rather than at him. It absolutely flew into the net. Probably one of the best goals I’ve ever seen. That one was on televison a few times and I have seen it. That one sticks out but I don’t know why.

KTTK: You’ve been a coach now for some time, how has the game changed?

Funnily enough, I was asking [Birmingham manager] Lee Clark about this the other day. He’s only finished playing about five/six years and I asked him if he thinks the game is faster than it was six years ago. Because when I’m out there it watching them and they’re flying past, I’m thinking “did we used to run that fast?”

He said it’s not much different than when he was playing but that’s like six years ago and obviously mine’s 26 years ago. It seems quicker and it probably is slightly quicker but they’re more protected now; players. In our day anything went, they’d snap you in half soon as look at you and that was the more difficult part of it.

Now they’re so protected, it’s certainly a lot easier being a striker. We had people coming through the back of you and they wouldn’t get booked – they wouldn’t even get a telling off. You’d probably get away with three of them and get a warning.

Now an eyelash falls on the floor and they get booked.

It’s crazy, they’ve just took the art of tackling out of the game. I mean I was never a tackler so it probably would have suited me but the people make a living of winning balls and making tackles, they’re gonna be extinct because they’re just gonna stop them. A lot of the players who are playing now, it takes away from most of their game. Their game is winning the ball, tackling and giving the ball to the more skillful players but they can’t do that now because they’re frightened to death of getting sent off.

KTTK: As someone with European pedigree, bearing in mind that Champions League football is out of the picture for next season, should Liverpool be looking for a Europa League spot this season or would it actually benefit them to have a clean slate next year?

Garbage. Absolute garbage. If they don’t think playing in Europe is high on their agenda there’s a problem because Liverpool traditionally…like Newcastle now, we see it against Benfica the other day… the fans just love being in Europe, it’s a big thing for them. For anyone to say that it’s not a priority to be in Europe… they’ve got enough players to do what other teams do, not play the players every week…rest them or whatever, to say that they don’t want to be in Europe…I find that astounding really and I’m sure that Liverpool fans will as well.

I heard Phil Thompson on Sky Sports the other day saying exactly same thing and he’s right. They wanna be in Europe. As a player you want to play every game, you want to better yourself, to pit your wits against European opposition. That’s what it has been at Liverpool for donkey’s years. For someone to come out and say that they’ll have a better go at the league next year if they didn’t have to play in Europe, I don’t buy into that.

Of course they want to be in the top four, we all want them to be in the top four; I’d love Newcastle to be in the top four. It is very, very difficult but it’s doable because they’ve got enough good players to do it. There’s no reason why they can’t get in the top four.

Even if he has to or if he wants to rest one or two of them, there’s fringe players who are not playing every week that would love to do it. Chop their bloody finger off to play in the Europa League every Thursday, so I don’t buy into that at all. I think players, fans definitely want to be in Europe.

Maybe the sports science people don’t.

KTTK: Lastly, do you have any advice for Brendan Rodgers?

No.

No advice whatsoever because he’s a lot more of a manager than I’ll ever be. But what I will say is that he’s bought well. I think he’s got a few good players there. They still need strengthening and I think they’ll have a real, real go next year to get into that top four.

It’s been a tough season, they’ve done well in a lot of games but obviously like with Kenny they couldn’t get results at home – lost a lot of points at home – Kenny was exactly the same. If they can put that right well there’s no reason why not. It will be difficult. No reason why they can’t be in the top four, they’ve got enough good players to do it. They’ve proved that when they play against the likes of Chelsea and Man Uniteds and Arsenals. They’ve proved that they’re a match for them, they’ve just got to get that consistency.

(H) West Ham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 7th April 2013
                                                Anfield

                                  Liverpool VS West Ham

Another Sunday afternoon kick off, another encounter with a team that plays in claret and blue.  Following up on victory over Aston Villa last week, this one doesn't have quite the same edge.  For starters there is no need to look for any immediate redemption in that Villa may have beaten us at Anfield but our record against the Hammers makes much more pleasant reading.  Secondly, with the fact that they're perched in a relatively safe midtable slot there is no real danger of them coming to Anfield desperate for a point.  That's not to say they won't make it hard for us.  We only have to look to their manager for proof of that.

It would take a miracle or some other unforseen sign of the apocalypse, but I sense that we'll have a lot of the ball this afternoon.  Allardyce's men tend to take a hot potato approach to the game of football and if any of them hold onto it any period of time it will inevitably be followed by a demand to kick it high and long.  The middle of the park will need to be claimed as quickly as possible and I would be shocked if Henderson wasn't included to assist with that.  We saw in the game at Upton Park earlier on in the season how they can over run us if we back off, Diame in particular was spectacular that day and part of the reason why we got back into it was that he was forced off via injury.

More than anything we need to keep West Ham on the back foot as the precise thing they're very good at is our Achilles heel right now.  Defending set plays will be key and Carlton Cole will no doubt be looking to rough up our centre halves much as he did in the reverse fixture.  Hopefully Jamie Carragher's calming influence as of late will limit these moments to an absolute minimum.  Looking out alongside Carra in defence, it could be a good day for Glen Johnson to find some form again.  He was almost on a par with Luis Suarez in terms of effectiveness at one point - and let's be fair, no-one was ever really going to get close to him so that's a compliment in itself - but has cooled off as of late.  Johnson has scored against West Ham in our last three encounters with them.  Hopefully that's a trend which will continue today.

In terms of shape, because we're almost certain to be afforded a lot more space, I'm wondering whether Rodgers will opt to put Sturridge in there and go with the two in midfield.  If that were the case, it would require one of Coutinho or Downing to be benched to work properly - Lucas and Gerrard in a flat midfield could get outmanoeuvred very quickly - and it would be unfortunate if either one had to miss out.  Certainly the temptation would be there to go with the same team that won at Villa Park last week and given that I'm not sure how well Sturridge's injury is coming along then it's tough to gage.  I can certainly see the need for added attacking threat given how they'll sit deep and require a lot of work to break down but would hate to see it come at the expense of our shape in the middle of the park.

The temptation is there to say that with Everton playing Spurs, there are points to be dropped for those above us.  Truth is, that doesn't matter any more.  We simply have to get as many points as possible and whatever wants to align in front of us we will have to accept.  Even though this is likely to be a very attritional game of football and at times very uneasy on the eye - Allardyce will do that to you - I think we're doubly fortunate in that West Ham don't have that much to play for either and Andy Carroll isn't playing.  He would have something to prove and has been in decent form for them as of late.  Joe Cole meanwhile will try to come back and haunt us but I have a feeling this may be just one in a catalogue of limp performances at Anfield for him.  Some games have a lot riding on them or a multitude of angles that at any time could spark the match into life.  This isn't one of them.  Get the points and move on.

(A) Aston Villa - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 31st March 2013
                                                Villa Park

                                  Aston Villa VS Liverpool

It's been far too long since we last stepped off the pitch having been sorely brought back down to earth against Southampton.  Champions League football is all but mathematically ruled out and it's looking more complex than ever as to whether we'll be able to make European football at all.  It could come down to having to root for a some variation of an all English Europa League final.  I've even started looking at the fair play table!

Whatever run we were hoping to make had been blocked off before we could get into any sort of stride.  The international break has seen us have to stew over the fact that the season is more or less over with eight games to go.  That's no excuse for letting this one go today.  After what happened at Anfield in December, we owe them one.

Things may not have gone according to plan for Brendan Rodgers in his first season in charge but that's nothing compared to what Paul Lambert has had to endure.  Having taken the Premier League by storm last season with Norwich it was only natural that some of the shine would come off this season (the same can be said for Rodgers) but nobody would have expected Villa to be in quite as much trouble as they have been.  Having been dragged firmly into a relegation battle, at one point it looked like the League Cup was to be their salvation but even that turned into a morale sapping loss at the hands of Bradford.

They may be down at the wrong end of the table but have found themselves some form having beaten relegation rivals QPR and Reading in successive games.  Their victory at Anfield - which still rankles - will also give them the confidence to know that they can beat us.  As such it will be vital that we look after Benteke far better than we did that day.  We're likely to have a lot of the ball as despite being at home I expect they'll set up something like the away side.  If Rodgers has been trying to work on our vulnerability at set pieces this will be the perfect test to see whether any of it is paying off.

For once there is good news following an international break in that not only has no-one comeback with an injury but that it's given allowed Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher some much needed recovery time.  I'm hopeful in that Jordan Henderson will be able to inject some energy into the midfield now Joe Allen has finally been ruled out for the season with the club having actually opted to have the operation he needed.  No doubt when it's all over we'll look to certain games which became the fine line that prevented us from finishing even higher; the 3-1 defeat at Anfield being on top of that list.  If Villa are allowed to complete the double over us and we do go on holiday now that everything appears to have been lost, we may be looking far higher up the table than anyone would like.

Getting Into Character

For all the skill involved, football is a buffet of uncertainty. Without the proper tools required to carve out the chaos, success will not be forthcoming, but no particular pallet of skills will guarantee the right result every time.

Conditions, atmosphere, the level of consequences and skill of opponent are all indeterminate ingredients that go into any football match and so the only guarantee for Liverpool in the fight for a seat at the top table in European football can be what comes from within.

There are no real set drills for character, only instances where it is displayed proudly—or where it is sadly lacking.

When a team is as frequent with its defensive gifts as Liverpool have been, they volunteer themselves for an assessment of their stomach for the fight. The win over Spurs proved to everyone else that this team capable of a big victory. For those in the squad, they will have felt it at the Etihad and against Arsenal.

It doesn’t feel quite right to give credit in a situation whereby, through whatever set of circumstances, that points were given away rather than earned. However, there has to be something for the way both games ended.

Man City are the champions and were desperate for a way back into the title race. The game at the Emirates was turned around by the home side in a flash. On both occasions there was no real pressure on the Pepe Reina’s goal at the end. There could be a case of both teams individually ran out of steam. A completely fragile team does not end either game as comfortably as Liverpool did.

When Stewart Downing bore down on goal last Sunday, all of Anfield collectively held it’s breath while simultaneously trying to guess which of Vertonghen’s limbs the ball would bounce off. It’s been like that for a couple of years, but this was different. Downing is someone who had been completely written off before a ball had been kicked.

A running joke among his own supporters.

No doubt the impetus that was there going into the final few weeks of the season has now disappeared, but if he can come back, so can the rest of them.

Things are much easier and straightforward once all appears lost and the team that finds itself hopelessly behind in a match only has one recourse. It takes another set of skills entirely to keep things steady and hold on to what someone is desperate to prise from your fingertips. There is something to be said however for the side that can let everything slip, only to grab it all back again but still, Liverpool’s grip on points this season has not been as strong as anyone – Brendan Rodgers in particular – would have liked.

Questions have been raised time and again over the mental fragility that exists among the players.

Saturday once again proved that there is a case to be made, particularly in regard to games against lesser opposition when pressure is applied (in addition to defeats against Villa, Stoke and both league games against West Brom). Once again everything looked to have clicked into place after the previous victory over Tottenham. There is still enough time for certain individuals to learn from the mistakes that have been made – including the management itself – and work toward ironing out this particular kink.

Those of us waiting for it to disappear completely will be waiting a long time; sometimes upsets just happen in football, that’s the way it is.

What remains the biggest issue of concern is still the middle of the park.

It has – on occasion – worked very well, but the same kinds of problems continue to be a major source of damage to team. Henderson’s absence is alarming in the wake of what had appeared to be a few breakout performances for him, especially given the fact that both Lucas and Joe Allen are on the wrong side of injury which has seen their form suffer as of late.

On his return to the team Joe Allen will find it hard to shake off the tag of “teacher’s pet” but people forget how young he is and only need to look to his Brazilian midfield partner to see what happens when you write people off too soon. Lucas Leiva spent virtually his entire Liverpool career battling against the odds and looks to have found himself another scrap.

Right now his fitness can’t carry him to the heights he scaled previously but his heart is big enough to help bridge that gap once again.

For all the talk of a destructive type in midfield, there may be more appeal for someone who can dictate terms tactically.

A bulldozer in midfield would certainly be nice but when things start to go out of control, one player – aside from a former player who wore No. 20 – is unlikely to be able to bring that balance to the team as a whole.

The key – certainly in terms of the way that Rodgers wants to play – is to slow things down without becoming blunt as a unit and while Gerrard can do it, again he is only one man. Bringing someone in to assist in either disrupting the opponent or helping the team tick over will certainly help, but there needs to be a continuing adaptation from the rest of the team as individually and collectively they look for consistent form.

The last two weeks have seen everything that typifies what Liverpool has become recently, at least on the pitch.

On their day they can beat anyone but are just as likely to shoot themselves in the foot or have a “bad day at the office” at the wrong time. Being capable of doing something and actually going out there and doing it is the difference between real champions and pretenders to the throne. What played out at St. Mary’s was a strange one, almost as if Rodgers was being too clever in anticipating a comedown following the joyous result against Spurs and feeling the need to second guess himself.

Just as the players themselves must learn and adapt, so must those responsible for them.

Five points off fifth place, there is no metaphorical cliff that Liverpool are currently hanging off. That’s not to say anything is set up for the end of the season. If things were aligned better, there would be no need for the run that’s required in order to get into Europe. Also, the release of frustration and optimism that came with a much needed win over Tottenham has already been drained away.

While there are still points and pride to play for, the players have a duty to keep fighting. Those that want to bow their heads and feel sorry for themselves will not be staying at Liverpool Football Club for much longer.

What happens from here on in – if the season is to end on any kind of high note – will take nothing less than a steely determination and an iron will.

Forged on the training ground where nobody will see and then moulded on the playing field with the whole world watching.

Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the small ones.

(A) Southampton - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Saturday 16th March 2013
                                                St Mary's

                                  Southampton VS Liverpool


Tottenham was the platform. The stepping stone from which we could find our way to having a successful end to the season.  It's a game that could be remembered for years to come if it counts for something at the end of the season.  In that regard we cannot let that effort go to waste today.

Despite the joy and relief last Sunday, we've not really got anything to celebrate as of yet  and with the FA Cup semi final draw placing together Man City and the winner of Man United versus Chelsea, our route back into Europe just got a little bit harder.  At the moment fifth spot is the only guarantee of continental football. So while we're gunning for that, we may as well make a run at fourth.

Of all the teams down in the scrap for survival, Southampton are the one making the least amount of noise. They made their move in swapping Nigel Adkins for Mauricio Pochettino and are now seemingly calm enough to deal with the situation without grand proclamations having to be made about their end of season run in like Aston Villa or QPR.  The former Espanyol manager had and initial boost that saw them beat Manchester City but as of late has seen them only pick up one point in their last three.  It's a perfect collision of a team in great confidence meeting a team looking to find some.  Here's hoping Southampton are still looking at 5pm today.

If he does come back into the squad today, I'm hoping Pepe Reina is in the kind of form he showed in our last away game, although I'd like to hope he's not called upon to make as many saves, in spite of how good they all were.  The make up of the midfield will be interesting to see and with no sense of how Allen or Henderson will be used from here on in, I'd like to hope we get the energy from Jordan but would understand if we went for the same team that dealt with Wigan a fortnight ago under similar circumstances.  Just like in that game I'm really excited to see more from Coutinho. What he has shown so far is very encouraging and the longer he can keep contributing something, the more it will underline just how class he is.  Certainly Pochettino will know all about that, having had him on loan in Spain last year and was also keen on getting him to come to St. Mary's while we were after him.  Thankfully he'll be wearing the Liverbird today.

It's strange to be far less confident in this game than I was last week. I had this sense that it had been far too long since we had beaten Spurs and really felt like the game was ours to win.  Equally, I know that Southampton are desperate for the points and it would be just like us to fall at this hurdle.  We've won three in a row now and this would be a step forward in terms of continuity to get ourselves a fourth.  Today could be the day where we break the shackles of our inconsistency these last few years.  If we stay chained to them, European football will disappear over the horizon very quickly.

(H) Tottenham - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Sunday 10th March 2013
                                                  Anfield

                            Liverpool VS Tottenham Hotspur


This is an occasion for football fans, not just those who follow the fortunes of either Tottenham or Liverpool. If you enjoy football then on show today are two of the Premier League's best players. Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez have respectively done wonders for their clubs and are always at the top of any defenders primary concerns. It's unfortunate in a way that they aren't going up against each other directly but it's safe to say that the team who deals with them better will be the one who comes out on top. They are both players who can change a game in an instant and as such it will require full focus for ninety minutes from whichever defenders that Brendan Rodgers decides to put out there.

After the emphatic victory over Wigan which now feels like an age ago, we're settling down to make the final push for the end of the season.  The good news is that Daniel Sturridge has been passed fit (and I never thought I'd be saying this) but it may come at the cost of Stewart Downing, who would be unlucky to find himself out of the line up after last week.  Sturridge may not be the only change as Martin Skrtel is fit again and I've a funny feeling he'll play as well as Jordan Henderson, whom I erroneously focused on last week only for him to not even make the starting line up.  Whoever does take to the field, we're in good spirits and - West Brom aside - great form at home.  This one would be far sweeter than any of those previous wins, three points against a top side in the league.  Both against Spurs and in terms of someone above us, we're due one.

While it's true that we will certainly have to be on our toes regarding Gareth Bale, ignoring the rest of the team could prove to be very costly indeed.  Today could very well be the day that will make a fringe player very happy. From Assou-Ekotto to Sebastian Bassong and Erik Edman, some of Spurs' lesser lights have a habit of saving their wonder strikes for games against Liverpool. I'm nervous enough as it is that Emmanuel Adebayor will awaken from his seasonal slumber and suddenly look like a world beater.

Spurs have played two full games over the last seven days and while their emphatic win over Inter Milan wasn't quite as tiring for them as I'd hoped it would be it's still very difficult for any side to win three games in a week.  Whatever tiredness is there will certainly help us in trying to keep them quiet, especially on the break where their pace can be deadly.

Defeat today would all but officially extinguish whatever faint hope there lingered in terms of finishing in the top four. If we do manage to win however, confidence will soar and the impossible may have got a little easier.  Away from home Spurs seem to have some kind of hold over us and managed to win in the last three seasons while we've not managed to inflict any damage on them whatsoever   This time has to be different, we have to show that even though we're unlikely to join them in the Champions League next year, we are still capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

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.

(A) Wigan - Pre Match Thoughts

Premier League

                                             Saturday 2nd March 2013
                                               DW Stadium 

                                  Wigan Athletic VS Liverpool

For days we have been stewing. It has been a long wait since the last time we stepped off the picth, having just fallen at the last hurdle against Zenit. It was a mammoth comeback that just fell short. Today Wigan will feel the brunt of that bottled up frustration.

Wigan are a very difficult side to gauge. At times they look dead and buried but towards the end of the season always appear to rise up and pick up enough results that will see them remain in the Premier League for another season. They're hardly the most alluring of teams and will never attract any of the worlds top talent and so the spotting of a talent like Figueroa and before that Valencia & N'Zogbia as well as the nurturing and resurgence of someone like Franco Di Santo, who has gone from a joke figure to a fully capped Argentine international.

In spite of both the location and Dave Whelan - who is probably as loathsome a figure as there is in football - I do have a certain respect for them. Most of that is down to Roberto Martinez, who has proved in a industry filled with faux-loyalty that some people are still capable of sticking with a club that has given them a chance. Also, the style of football with which he has instilled into his team and stubbornly stuck to at times is very admirable. Wigan's perennial survival is primarily down to the nous of their manager and his ability to bring in the right kind of player.

With Daniel Sturridge ruled out, our task has gotten infinitely harder due to the fact that in such a short space of time he has added so much to our attack. I'd certainly like to see Coutinho play but other than that the majority of the side will be the one that came so close to overturning Zenit. Suarez will be once again the focal point but in a game where most of the action will be in the middle third of the park I'm looking for a massive contribution from the midfield. Jordan Henderson will be the one with the impetus to go forward and this could be another important game in terms of his continuing growth as a player.


It sounds unlikely and there are bound to be bumps along the way but from here on in we need perfection. Picking up maximum points from our remaining games is the tallest of orders for a team that has such problems with consistency but at the very least we can give ourselves a chance with victory today. It's not about winning them all but rather winning enough to hang around in the race for Europe while other teams play each other. If a gap opens, the only chance we'll have to take advantage of the points that will inevitably be dropped is if we build up a head of steam. The later we leave it to get going, the more unlikely it will be to effect anything.

(H) Zenit St Petersburg - Pre Match Thoughts

Europa League

                                  Thursday 21st February 2013

                                                  Anfield

                             Liverpool VS Zenit St Petersburg

We're two goals down and I'm smiling. There's every chance we'll go out of Europe tonight and because of our league form may not get back there for a while, yet I cannot hide my delight. It's peculiar this enjoyment, for there is no real logic behind it.  All I know is that nights like this are to be savoured. Cherished for all they're worth.  I intend to do just that.

Games like this rise above. Whether it's the sheer gravitas of continental football or this never-ending cycle that we've been programmed to think that way, a game in Europe just feels better than one in the league.  Having said that, we're coming into this one with the perfect domestic preparation having battered Swansea on Sunday. Daniel Sturridge's absence provides a curious puzzle for Brendan Rodgers to solve but this won't be about personnel but rather attitude. Our mentality has been questioned as of late and as far as the "great nights at Anfield" go there are an ever decreasing number of players in the squad that know what one truly feels like. The manager does though. He was there that night when the sheer power of the Kop and all those at Anfield that night blew Chelsea away. It can be done. It will be done.

In the history of football there have been countless more goalless draws and drab encounters than all out excitement but therein lies the reason why they're that much more enjoyable. With such little room for error and every fibre of common sense in my being suggesting that there is too much work to do, it wouldn't exactly be the first time we've scoffed in the face of fate.

All the confidence, all the bluster and sheer defiance that I feel right now, that's not to say that the executioners blade does hang painfully close. A single Zenit goal scored at any point requires that we need four in reply to progress. Defensively we've been at odds this season, with the goals fluctuating between zero and two. If one would be catastrophic, even contemplating a second will mean the end. At home things haven't been that bad (four clean sheets out of the last five) but with our ever increasing desperation that will continue to rise through the game there's every chance we could be done on the counter. Goals may be the order of the day, but the cornerstone to this victory will be a clean sheet. This could also lead to the only foreseeable result which would see extra time. I can certainly see this happening. Pepe Reina may even need to be called upon for some penalty heroics.

It's easy to be cynical. To sneer at the sheer fact that we're in this position in the first place. This isn't about any long term plan.  We could win the whole thing and there would still be some that would dismiss it. That's entirely the point. This is about US. About having another night to reminisce about when we're older. About the chance to rekindle some old memories. About right here and right now.  This is our moment.  Seize it.