Reds Defeated Again

Poor Decision By Ref Was Turning Point

Reebok Stadium

Bolton 2 - 0 LIVERPOOL

Scorers:
BOL - Speed (30min), Campo (50min);

I didn't catch the first half, but I did watch the highlights and boy, was I pissed. Reina took a goal kick and adjudged to have 'handball outside the penalty box' and Liverpool promptly got punished by yet another Bolton set piece. Gary Speed blasted home the free kick and Liverpool were behind, unfairly.

What on earth is the linesman thinking? If he does watch football a fair bit, he will know that Reina ALWAYS take his goal kick that way and replays shows that he clearly released the ball INSIDE the box. Wrong decision, another controversy and talking point for the following week.

Liverpool had their fair share of chances with Alonso hitting the post and Gerrard had a couple of chance to take pot shot at goal. But they struggled to break down the resolute Bolton defence. Kuyt and Bellamy were kept really quiet and even though Crouch was brought on for the second half, there was little the on form striker could do, showing some poor touches and some moments of frustration.

Campo then punished Liverpool the same way Galatasaray did during the Champions League game. Wingers and midfielders moved towards Liverpool's left flank, drawing Hyypia and Carragher that direction before sending a ball into the penalty area. Ivan Campo outjumped Steve Finnan, who's the only defender covering the penalty spot and it was pretty much over for Liverpool.

Bolton's fantastic home record continues, unbeaten and has yet to concede a goal. Liverpool struggled to break them down and the longer it took, the more frustrated the Liverpool players were and the deeper Bolton defended.

In the end, a great win for Bolton, but Liverpool need to start to find some form away from Anfield, as they have yet to win away this season thus far.

Drogballs' Post Match Report:

A bad bad decision cost us again. But let's look things in perspective. We're awful. We couldn't keep the ball as the ball retention was beyond poor. Sissoko wasted loads of possesion and the strikers were cut off from the supply line. Campo held the defensive midfield position very well and both Kuyt and Bellamy were rendered useless.

Bellamy could not put his pace into action due to the deep line Bolton held and Kuyt was marked out of the game. Even when Crouch was put into action, the in form striker could not hold on to the ball due to the physical approach by the Bolton defence.

I thought Benitez should've kept Kuyt instead of Bellamy because after 70 minutes, Bolton closed shop and left nothing behind their defence line for Bellamy to run into. Gerrard looked off form again and Sissoko was pretty poor.

We really need to start grinding out results away because away games count as well and next up is Blackburn and it's another away game. We cannot afford to lose another game if we're to 'challenge for the title' and already losing 3 games, we're already halfway there to the maximum number of lost possible for anyone that is to challenge for the title.

Let's not give up hope just yet shall we, although this might sound like blind faith. Just keep supporting our lads and don't give up on them.

Oh and the media will have another field day, '96th games without a settled side', eh?

Player Ratings:

Reina 7

Finnan 7
Carragher 7
Hyypia 7
Riise 6

Pennant 5
Alonso 7
Sissoko 6
Gerrard 7

Kuyt 6
Bellamy 6


Subs:

Crouch 6
Luis Garcia 6
Zenden 6

Premiership Weekend Previews

30th September Saturday:

Bolton vs LIVERPOOL

Sami Hyypia, John Arne Riise and Momo Sissoko have been called up for the squad for this game as Benitez will ring changes to the side that defeated Galatasaray 3-2 on Thursday. The defensive performance is pretty woeful therefor expect the big Finn, Sami Hyypia to be back, partnering Jamie Carragher as Liverpool prepare to deal with Bolton's aerial threat.

Two of the three Bolton strikers were Liverpool players and will want to make their former employers pay for not showing them enough faith. El-Hadji Diouf and Nicolas Anelka will start together with Kevin Davies, who just returned from injury.

Drogballs' Prediction: Bolton 0-1 Liverpool. A close, tight affair. Hopefully Liverpool can nick it!

Charlton vs Arsenal

Charlton's new signing, Andy Reid looks set to return to the side after an early injury lay-off.

Arsenal meanwhile does not have much injury worries other than Philippe Senderos and a doubtful William Gallas. Wenger is not likely to make any changes from the team that beat Porto on Wednesday.

Drogballs' Prediction: Charlton 0-2 Arsenal. In form team against an out of form team.

Chelsea vs Aston Villa

Chelsea midfielder, John Obi-Mikel hopes to start for the Blues. Michael Ballack started ahead of him, but is currently serving a domestic ban of 3 matches. Joe Cole is still recovering from his knee injury.

Villa will be put to their toughest test so far, facing the reinging English champions. Their form has been immense and the three-pronged attack of Angel, Agbonlahor and Luke Moore proved to be a very effective unit.

Drogballs' Prediction: Chelsea 2-1 Aston Villa.

Everton vs Man City

The Toffees will be without Tony Hibbert from suspension and also, Gary Naysmith from injury. Boss David Moyes is likely to start utility man, Phil Neville at right back and Nuno Valente at left back.

Man City will want to build on their 2-0 home win over West Ham and hope that Georgious Samaras could continue his good form.

Drogballs' Prediction: Everton 2-1 Man City.

Sheff. Utd vs Middlesbrough

Boro duo, George Boateng and Stewart Downing are poised for a return to the side as they visit Bremall Lane. Aussie striker, Mark Viduka is likely to start alongside Yakubu for this game as Gareth Southgate attempts to switch the tactic back to basic 4-4-2.

Sheffield Utd's form is a worry, but they will be more formidable at home and 'Boro didn't fare much better so far either.

Drogballs' Prediction: Sheff Utd 1-1 Boro.

1st October Sunday:

West Ham vs Reading

Drogballs' Prediction: West Ham 2-1 Reading

Blackburn vs Wigan

Drogballs' Prediction: Blackburn 2-0 Wigan

ManYoo vs Newcastle

ManYoo will be without Mikael Silvestre, who is out with a toe injury and will return after 6 weeks. But Sir Alex Ferguson has ready made replacment in Gabriel Heinze and Patrice Evra.

Drogballs' Prediction: ManYoo 2-0 Newcastle.

Tottenham vs Portsmouth

Drogballs' Prediction: Spurs 1-1 Portsmouth

100 Players Who Shook The Kop Top 10

#9 - Graeme Souness

Name: Graeme Souness

Years at Liverpool: 1978 to 1984

Position: Midfield

Date-of-birth: 6/5/1953

Birthplace: Edinburgh

Signed from: Middlesbrough (January 1978)

Games: 359
Goals: 56

Honours: First Division Championship (1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84), European Cup (1978, 1981, 1984), League Cup (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984), Charity Shield (1979, 1980, 1982)




Forget his turbulent tenure in the Anfield hot-seat and remember Graeme Souness for his majestic midfield performances in the famous Red shirt during the most dominant period of success in the club's history.

Whatever sins he committed as Reds boss – and he has since apologised for them anyway – they should never be used to taint the wonderful memories he left behind as a player.

An awesome midfield enforcer, Souness was a renowned hard-man who possessed a subtle touch. Once described as 'a bear of a player with the delicacy of a violinist', he was the general who dictated much of Liverpool's play throughout a glorious six year career in front of the Kop.

A native of Edinburgh, Souey first shot to prominence as a young player of immense potential under the tutelage of the great Bill Nicholson at Tottenham but made just one senior appearance for Spurs before moving to Middlesbrough in 1973.

His precocious talent blossomed on Teeside and his services were soon reportedly being courted by many top clubs of the time. That was the cue for Bob Paisley to swoop and it took a record fee between two English teams to secure his services. It was a wise move and was to prove money well spent.

The influence he exerted on the team grew with each passing season, as did his medal collection. As part of arguably the best midfield quartet in Liverpool history, Souness prospered and reaped the rewards. Titles and trophies came his way and in January 1982 so too did the honour of skippering the Reds

No opposition crowd, however hostile, could faze his ice-cool temperament in the heat of the battle, while no opposing players would escape without retribution if they'd committed any misdemeanors against his Liverpool team-mates.

The more intimidating the atmosphere, the better he performed - a fact never better illustrated than during the climax to the triumphant 1984 European Cup winning campaign. In the semi-final second leg against Dinamo Bucharest, Souey was targeted by the Romanian crowd following an incident in the first leg that left a Dinamo player with a broken jaw. But, with every boo, whistle and jeer, the Reds skipper grew in stature and orchestrated proceedings as a place in the final was memorably secured.

Unlike many other 'greats' who had left the club, Liverpool struggled to replace a player of Souey's calibre. At the peak of his powers, the one-time 'emperor of Anfield', was rightly regarded as one of the best all-round midfield players there has ever been.

Few Liverpudlians will disagree and he'll always be considered an automatic choice whenever any all-time Reds XI is discussed. Even his unsuccessful spell as manager cannot change that.


Sold to: Sampdoria (June 1984)

Claim to fame: Skippering Liverpool to the treble in 1984

Did you know? He appeared in Alan Bleasdale's television drama of the early 1980's 'Boys From The Blackstuff', alongside his look-a-like actor Bernard Hill – aka Yozzer Hughes

Where is he now? No longer actively involved in the game since his sacking as Newcastle boss last season and is currently employed as a television pundit

Dave Kirby on Graeme Souness: "Probably the most complete midfielder I've seen. I mean, Steven Gerrard is getting up there now and he's got a variation in his game but Souness was a born winner. I've seen a good few players in my time but Souness, if I saw him now, I'd shake his hand. You've got to remember what he did for this club in the six years he was here as a player."


More at LiverpoolFC.tv

Reds Trio Called Up For England Squad

Our skipper, rock and beanpole has been called up for the next 2 England fixtures. Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Peter Crouch are in the squad of 24 players called up by Steve McClaren for the matches against FYR of Macedonia and Croatia.

I didn't include Kirkland because he's on loan, although technically he's still in the team.


England Squad:

Goalkeepers: Robinson (Tottenham), Foster (Man Utd), Kirkland (Liverpool);

Defenders: G Neville (Man Utd), P Neville (Everton), Brown (Man Utd), Terry (Chelsea), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Carragher (Liverpool), King (Tottenham), A Cole (Chelsea), Bridge (Chelsea);

Midfielders: Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Jenas (Tottenham), Carrick (Man Utd), Richardson (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Parker (Newcastle);

Strikers: Rooney (Man Utd), Crouch (Liverpool), Johnson (Everton), Defoe (Spurs).


I'm not at all surprised by the exclusion of David Beckham. His England career is all but over when you see people like Shaun Wright-Phillips who rarely gets a game, is in front of him in the England packing order. Oh and why on earth is Jermine Jenas still in the squad? For f*'s sake, a half crippled Kevin Nolan is still the better choice!

100 Player Who Shook The Kop

#10 - Emlyn Hughes' Video:



The Graeme Souness one will be done later tonight.

Drogs out!

On Shankly's 25th Anniversary.. I Would Like To Say...

Stop The Bandwagon Jumping

Aren't you people tired of hearing the press going on harping about how our manager, Rafael Benitez managed to go 93 games without settling for a side? So it took the press a whole 2 years to notice this trend and like 'wow, after 93 games, we finally saw the light!'. Now I should say if you're one of the people who goes on and on with THAT statistic, then you're just another of those bandwagon jumpers like 'KILL CRISTIANO RONALDO' and 'Lampard is the best player on earth'.


Yes he does chop and change a little too much sometimes, but hey, this is the man that brough the European bloody Cup back to Anfield after 20 years and the FA Cup plus FA Community Shield to boast about. Not enough? What about the titles he won over at Valencia, beating off competitions from Barcelona and Real Madrid. Do you people think that the Spanish League is like the Scottish League? Walk over every season? Yes, then don't judge our manager based on the number of games he went on without settling with a constant squad but rather looked at the glory he brought back for Liverpool and Valencia and of course, his age.

Rafa is a young manager and although he has experience, he's still pretty green compared to Sir Alex Ferguson, who is rather stale now. The rotation policy is like a belief that is imparted in the manager from young and what can you do to change it? It's as if you're saying Arsene Wenger should encourage his Arsenal side to hoof long ball up front. Is this the way things work?

Show some respect and of course know what he's doing. Don't jump on the media bandwagon about how we constantly chop and change and when results are bad, everyone starts to come out of the woodwork and attack Rafa. When things are nice and calm, they still complain about it. I'm certainly not a firm believer of this system, but he's our manager, so why not, show him some respect and give him our utmost support. You'll never know what he's about to do.

I hope this post make you eat your words and hang your head in shame.

I mean you, the media out there.


YNWA, Shanks !

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of our great former manager's death. Although I'm not that old to actually seen him in real life or seen the side he managed, but he will forever be the legend to all Liverpool fans. The way he impart the 'Liverpool spirit' and the culture he has brought to the club has made it past generations after generations and his legacy lives on till this day. We'll see you in heaven Shanks, You'll Never Walk Alone, as always and forever.



Quotes From Shankly:

"Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed with that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that."

[on boardroom politics]

"At a football club, there's a holy trinity - the players, the manager and the supporters. Directors don't come into it. They are only there to sign the cheques."

[after beating Everton in 1971]

"Sickness would not have kept me away from this one. If I'd been dead, I would have had them bring the casket to the ground, prop it up in the stands, and cut a hole in the lid."

"If you are first you are first. If you are second you are nothing."

"Fire in your belly comes from pride and passion in wearing the red shirt. We don't need to motivate players because each of them is responsible for the performance of the team as a whole. The status of Liverpool's players keeps them motivated."

[Bill Shankly about the "This is Anfield" plaque]

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

"Liverpool was made for me and I was made for Liverpool."

"Anything off the top?", asked a barber in 1968. "Aye, Everton", replied Shankly.

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

Those quotes made Mourinho looked rather silly, isn't it? They're witty one liners over at Wikiquote and you guys might be interested to know more.

Bill Shankly On WikiQuote

Tags: Liverpool, Rafa Benitez, Bill Shankly, Quotes

100 Players Who Shook The Kop

A wee bit late, but I'll cover the 100 Players Who Shook The Kop Top 10 from now on and IF possible, I'll provide the clips. Anyway here it is:

#10 : Emlyn Hughes

Name: Emlyn Hughes

Years at Liverpool: 1967 to 1979
Position: Midfielder/Defender

Date-of-birth: 28/8/1947
Birthplace: Barrow-in-Furness

Signed from: Blackpool (February 1967)

Games: 665
Goals: 49

Honours: First Division Championship (1972/73, 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79), European Cup (1977, 1978), FA Cup (1974), UEFA Cup (1973, 1976), Charity Shield (1974, 1976, 1977), Super Cup (1977)

With his heart on his sleeve and a beaming smile on his face Emlyn Hughes played the game how it should be played and remains an iconic figure of a glorious era.

The mere mention of his name rekindles a host of magical memories - Wembley '74, Molineux '76 and Rome '77, titles, trophies and triumphs. At Anfield he'll forever be remembered as one of our greatest ever players and most successful captains.

Those lucky enough to see have seen 'Crazy Horse' play will recall his boundless enthusiasm, never-say-die commitment to the cause and unrelenting passion for the club whenever he had the liver bird close to his chest.

Signed as a 19-year old from Blackpool in February 1967, after making just 31 appearances for the Seasiders, Emlyn was destined for the top from day one. Shanks was so impressed with the exciting potential or the raw youngster, legend has it that on driving his new £65,000 signing back to Liverpool after completing negotiations with Blackpool Bill Shankly told a policeman: "Don't you know who is in this car? There sits the future captain of England."

Laugh, some might have done, but Shanks was right and Hughes went on to skipper both club and country with distinction. Bought initially as a replacement for the ageing Willie Stevenson, the fresh-faced youngster was plunged immediately into the first team at left-back for the home game against Stoke. The Reds triumphed 2-1 and what would be a glorious Anfield career was born.

Whether it was at left-back, in midfield or at the heart of defence, where he eventually settled, Hughes could be relied upon to run through brick walls for the Liverpool cause. A born winner who took defeat personally, the pain etched on his face when sitting slumped in the dressing room at Highbury after Liverpool had narrowly missed out on the championship in 1972 said more than words ever could. Equally so, did the grin on his face when holding aloft the many trophies that would soon come his and Liverpool's way.

A virtual ever-present during the memorable 1972/73 season, in which an unprecedented Championship and UEFA Cup double was won, Hughes was handed a huge personal accolade on the eve of the following campaign when he was named club captain in succession to Tommy Smith, although it was a move that was to signal the beginning of a long-running feud between the pair.

The inspirational Shanks had gone but with Hughes revelling in his new found responsibility greater glory lay on the horizon. 1977 was to be Emlyn's finest year and for a self-confessed royalist it was fitting that it should come in the year of the Queen's jubilee.

He played the last of his 665 games for the Reds in the forgettable FA Cup semi-final replay defeat against Manchester United at Goodison and a £90,000 transfer to Wolves soon followed.

there can be no denying Emlyn Hughes his status as a Liverpool legend. When the tragic news of his premature death was announced in November 2004 Kopites mourned his passing with tears and tributes, proof that his heroic deeds in a red shirt had never been forgotten. Old Crazy Horse will never walk alone.

Sold to: Wolverhampton Wanderers (August 1979)

Claim to fame: Being the first Liverpool captain to hold aloft the European Cup

Did you know? His father was a professional Rugby League player who played at international level

Where is he now? Sadly passed away in November 2004 after losing a 15-month battle against a brain tumour

Brian Hall on Emlyn Hughes: "Well Emlyn's nickname was 'Crazy Horse' and it was a good name for him because he had this boundless energy didn't he? He'd make these long runs with these long strides that he had, he'd jink past people and would strike at goal from 30 yards."

More At LiverpoolFC.tv

Tags: Liverpool, Emlyn Hughes, 100 Players Who Shook The Kop

A Step Closer For New Anfield

Liverpool Granted 9 Million GBP Funding For Stadium

Plans for Liverpool's new stadium moved a step closer on Thursday after £9million of European funding was confirmed.

The Objective One money will be used to regenerate community facilities in the Anfield area and is an integral part of the scheme.

The decision to award the Reds the money was made at a meeting at the Cunard building in Liverpool after the club guaranteed £160 million funding for the entire project was in place.

The European money will not be spent on the 60,000-seater stadium but the regeneration of the surrounding area.

It includes schemes such as the restoration of nearby Stanley Park, where the stadium will be built, and the creation of a shop-lined plaza on the site of the current ground.

Councillor Flo Clucas, chairman of the Objective One project selection sub-committee, said: "This is a major step forward for the people of Anfield.

"It will underpin substantial investment by other partners whose commitment will help transform the neighbourhood.''

Reds chief executive Rick Parry welcomed the decision of the committee.

He said: "It's another significant step forward in our plans for the building of a new stadium, which we have always seen as a catalyst for the regeneration of the whole area.''

Drogballs: Great news, although I don't quite understand all these financial stuff and how all these money stuff works, but definitely a great news. It's a step forward for us and hopefully, the board will be able to find the money to fund the stadium, which will definitely cost a bomb.

Tags: Liverpool, New Anfield

Reds Hung On Despite Superb Comeback

Crouch Brace Ensures Victory

UEFA Champions League

LIVERPOOL 3 - 2 Galatasaray

Scorers:
LIV - Crouch (9min, 52min), Luis Garcia (14min)
GAL - Umit Karan (59min, 65min)

May 2005 in Istanbul. Liverpool were trailing AC Milan 3-0 at half time. Last night, Liverpool were nearly on the recieving on of a superb comeback from the club from none other than Istanbul. Oh, the romance of Liverpool and Istanbul continues as the Reds held on to the win despite some serious defensive errs, but the first win in 5 Champions League games is a welcoming one and Liverpool fans should be happy with the win.

As mentioned, Liverpool have failed to score and win in their last 5 Champions League. But the home record at Anfield has been superb this season and Rafa Benitez has already made Anfield a fortress. But last night, the Istanbul side came without much of a plan, but ended up on the upper hand due to their courage to let loose their attacking flairs despite playing at Anfield. They played without fear and tried their best, credits to them.

But they got tore apart early in the game and everyone thought the game was over when Luis Garcia headed Jermaine Pennant's cross into the top corner of the net after some shocking defending.

Crouch got the first when Aurelio placed a wonderful cross from the left and all Crouch needed to do was get a touch on it and it really didn't take the Reds long to get the goals. The cross was fantastic as it was put in that 'no mans land' and Crouch was on hand to side foot the ball in.


But after the second goal went in, Liverpool seemed to have took their foot off the pedal and were complacent. The problems came from the left flank as Aurelio looked a suspect when it comes to positioning and awareness. It doesn't help with Luis Garcia was in front of him and he failed to track back to cover on a couple of occasions, leaving Aurelio exposed. Due to that, Agger got dragged out wide to the left and that certainly leaves only Finnan and Carragher to do most of the job.

Alarm bells were ringing when Galatasaray found spaces on the left yet again and Sabri took a pot shot at goal but was well wide. He was the most impressive player on the field last night and his movement was a constant problem especially for Aurelio, who struggled to keep track of him.

Galatasaray came out for the second half with much intent and that is to exploit the fragility in the Liverpool defence with Hasan Sas and Umit Karan coming on. It was a positive move and they know they had nothing to lose from then on. But a moment of magic seemed to have broken their hearts and morale.

Steve Finnan got back possesion and put in a wonderful cross for Peter Crouch, who was unmarked. The 2 metre tall striker launched himself into mid air and executed an exquisite scissor kick that is beautifully struck and the technique needed to connect the foot with the ball is without a doubt, top draw.


But Galatasaray seemed to have drawn their determination and belief from Liverpool themselves as they managed a superb fightback and again it was called the '6 minutes of madness', where Liverpool conceded 2 goals.

I thought Liverpool should've changed Pennant for Sissoko at 3-0 when we still pretty much have the game at its neck. His physical presence was needed in the central midfield position, giving Liverpool more balance there. Gala exploited the spaces between the Liverpool defence and midfield. Gerrard and Alonso in midfield seemed to be match-made in heaven, but both of them are not out and out defensive midfielder, therefore they left the defence with plenty of pressure.

Gerrard was pushed forward too much and Alonso struggled to cope with the free running Sas and Karan. And Aurelio's inability to pressure Sabri costs Liverpool a goal. Sabri put in a wonderful cross for Umit Karan to head home and now, Galatasaray was boosted and morale was high.

Then Liverpool defence were broken down once again this time on the right. Ilic dummied Finnan before sending yet another cross and yet again, it was Umit Karan scoring from another wonderful header. The comfortable 3 goals cushion that was held by Liverpool is now down to a mere one goal and the Liverpool defence seemed to be unable to cope with the pace of those Galatasaray attackers.

Finally at this point of time, Pennant was withdrawn and Sissoko was on to cover that area where Liverpool left a huge gap. Mark Gonzalez was on as well, to protect the left flank with his explosive pace.

Time wore on and as Liverpool thought the game was in their bags, Galatasaray nearly broke the hearts of the Anfield faithful when he got on the end of a cross. But the evergreen Turkish striker failed to connect with the ball and the last kick of the game certainly made the Liverpool fans break cold sweat.

Liverpool held on somehow deservedly, but just barely. The win means that Liverpool has gone on a winning streak at home. The three points is a certainly good one, but Liverpool now needs to improve their defence, especially aerial threats were not properly dealt with and not being able to cut off their supply lines. A good win nevertheless.

Thanks to GettyImages for the pictures.

Drogballs

Drogballs' Post Match Comments:

We were marred with defensive frailties throughout the game especially on the left. Rafa seemed to have misculculated that Gala will have a go at us and didn't expect Gala to come at us. Because teams that comes to Anfield usually got pinned back and the pressure on defence are usually minimal. Therefore putting Aurelio there in my opinion, is actually to boost the attack rather than the defence, as he looked to put an extra option to the attack.

But somehow it backfired and Aurelio struggled throughout the game. Luis Garcia failed to track back and the backline looked disorganised.

Then the spaces between the defence and midfield was exploited. The central midfield pairing of Gerrard and Alonso didn't help. Gerrard was too gung-ho most of the time although he did track back and defend some times, but Alonso was clearly struggling to pick up the 2 free role players. That made the Liverpool defence a little hesitent on whether to push forward and challenge or back off.

In my opinion, Gerrard should only play with Sissoko in the middle. If there's Alonso, then Gerrard should now be on the right wing. Because of Gerrard's style of play, he constantly left gaps in the middle and to be honest, he's quite poor at dictating the game's tempo. Therefore Alonso and Sissoko in the middle would be more ideal with Gerrard providing ammunitions on the wing, cutting in to the middle.


Liverpool Player Ratings:

Reina 6 - Didn't inspire confidence with his indecisiveness.

Finnan 7 - Wonderful assist, defensively one of the better ones.
Carragher 7 - A little shaky.
Agger 7 - Seemed to have struggled to mark Hakan Suker, the hulking striker.
Aurelio 6 - Putting in a wonderful cross, but defensively naive and wasn't aware of what's going on around him. Poor.

Pennant 7 - A great assist and then fizzled out of the game.
Alonso 7 - Doesn't seemed to be himself last night, perhaps due to the lack of support from Gerrard.
Gerrard 7 - Drift forward too much. Tactically a little naive and trying to hard to score.
Luis Garcia 8 - He was great in the first half, but when Liverpool needed to slow the tempo down, he constantly gave the possesion away cheaply.

Crouch 9 - Man of the match. Scored a brace, some nice touches, good team work and works very hard.
Kuyt 7 - A very quiet evening for the Dutch. Perhaps a little tired after 3 consecutive starts.

Tags: Liverpool, Galatasaray, Champions League

CROUCHING PETER, SCORES A SCISSOR !!

Wow, what a goal from the two metre 'goal scoring machine'. I was absolutely stunned and in awe when the ball connected with his foot so sweetly and he executed it so beautifully.



GET IN THERE, SON!

Tags: Peter, Crouch, Liverpool, Galatasaray, Scissor, Kick

And We're Still The Most Well Liked Club In The Country !

As opposed to the post below, we are officially the most well loved club in the land !

Liverpool are the club held in highest regard by fans, with the Reds gaining a score of 3.23 out of five in comparison to Chelsea's 2.82 out of five.

The research was conducted by Opinion Matters, who surveyed 1089 people in the month of September, and the full report is published in this week's edition of PRWeek.

A nice manager, a soft-spoken CEO, a chairman that seldom shows up, a bunch of great players who provided entertainment in all the cup finals and also a fantastic bunch of fans. What do we still need to ask for?

Well maybe just some nice bloke who can give us some money for the new stadium.

Tags: Liverpool, Most Well Liked Club In England

Did They Go Bollywood Because Of Their Falling Popularity?

Bollywood, a somewhat satirical term for the Indian version of Hollywood. But recently, they have being the talk of town not by movie-goers or Indians themselves, but the football world. What's the link actually? To be honest, there should be no link. But now they have been tagged together with Chelsea, the reigning champion of the English league. So what's the link? Well..

Chelsea stars Frank Lampard and John Terry are being lined up to appear in a Bollywood blockbuster.

It features Bollywood heart-throb Abhishek Bachchan as a devoted Chelsea fan. The film will be partially shot in London and will include footage of the players in action.

Producers are in talks to give Chelsea's star players and manager Jose Mourinho walk-on parts.

Yup, footballers now have to be the one dancing around the trees with funny music going behind the scnese. Did the director pay more money for them to act than Abramovich to actually stay on the football pitch and to do their job? No idea, but of course there's a reason behind every of this ridiculous decisions.

Chelsea hope the movie will boost their popularity in India and persuade British Asians to take more of an interest in the club.

Yea, to attract fans! Brilliant! Is it any wonder that they struggles to sell out even for European games, putting advertisement on their newspapers and mass media. It's a shame for the English champions, failing to attract the fans. And by thinking that going to Bollywood and goes on big screen will actually make anyone notice Chelsea, then maybe you'll get some fan girls, that's about it.

Maybe here's the reason though:

A survey has confirmed that Chelsea have the poorest public image of the top four clubs in England.

Independent consumer research commissioned by PRWeek magazine showed that despite the efforts of Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon to improve the club's profile, the champions remain the least liked club out of the Premiership's top four.

So the ever brilliant Peter 'once a red, always a red' Kenyon might think that going to Bollywood would actually make them a more likeable club, then wrong. You're going to be despised by football fans for doing that.

Maybe instead of doing all these publicity stunts, why not just improve the conduct of the players, manager and also the way you guys play on the damn pitch. Don't forget, Chelsea is a FOOTBALL club. But seriously, who takes them for what they are nowadays. The term 'Abramovich's play thing' is used to describe them and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.

After spending a grand total of nearly 300 million GBP and having 70% of your turnover going into salaries, is it still a football club, at all? With players like Ballack, Joe Cole and Shevchenko, neutrals expect to see good football from a team that has quality from back to front. But so far, they haven't been too inspirational, isn't it? A couple of good matches and that's about it, continual grinding out results and it's not even fun watching them anymore.

If Chelsea were to remain a true 'football club', then stop the 'selling out' and if they really want to draw fans, then they should start from what they're supposed to do primarily. Do the talking on the pitch, if people are liked the way they play on the pitch, then it wouldn't be so much of a problem drawing fans.

Football commercialization or in other words, 'selling out' is what is common in this day. Like what Rafa Benitez said, the football world is just a reflection of the real world, there isn't any difference. Remember the underground band you used to love and they constantly played in your local pub. But as popularity rises and the greed that got into them, they began to 'change' and evolve into something you can no longer relate with. They got sold out to the MTV crowd and you were left with nothing but reminisce of their past.

If you're a Chelsea fan prior to the Roman era, I truly pity you and I could feel your pain. A Russian who probably couldn't give a toss bout the club came in and turned the club upside down. Whether it is for the good or for the bad, nobody knows for sure. But time will tell.

So if Liverpool lacked Chinese fans, I wouldn't think our board will let us do a Crouching Peter, Hidden Finnan, don't we?

Tags: Chelsea, Bollywood, John Terry, Frank Lampard

Oh How Could I....

Monday 25th September was actually a special date but I totally forgotten about it! Alright it's the 6th months 'anniversary' of this blog and boy, this blog has came a long, long way. It used to be a place where I still put some personal stuff here and attracts a couple of friends and that's it. I started it so that I could speak out on the interesting things in football and also to be an informative place so everyone could learn something from each other.

But I'm proud to see this little space of mine booming with life and with people from all around the world sharing their views just like I do and also sharing the same love for not only Liverpool, but for football generally. Made friends along the way and definitely helped me someway or the other and also learnt alot on journalism and I must say my English has improved a fair bit, but still got to work harder! (my current aim is to be a sports columnist)

Anyway thanks to all the 'fans' over here that has constantly supported this blog and me for the past 6 months. I greatly appreciate your presence here and I hope I can improve and bring you the best. Although I don't see most of you in real life, but your words over here will be taken seriously.

Oh and I don't think you're reading, but thanks to the dude who made the banner there and designed the lay out of this blog. 'Never say never'.

THANK YOU GUYS!

Is This The Most Eccentric Liverpool Player Ever?

Watched the videos of the 100 Players who shook the Kop and saw a certain Bruce Gobbelaar in the list. I'm not old enough to actually witness him playing, so I'm interested to see why they constantly hailed him as a 'cult hero' and also see his 'dance' that Jerzy Dudek tried to imitate last year.



I love the part where he dropped the ball a couple of times and got really angry and actually pushed his fellow team mates away! Maybe if Reina grows a beard and act strange then he'll be something like him.

Tags: Liverpool, Bruce Gobbelaar

Rising Level Of Sarcasm..

I'm one of the people in that 32.58% category by the way..

Paul 'Fatty' Robinson will still win it even though he struggles to save shots that require him to move.

Michael Brown....

What A C**k !

Anyone who watched the Fulham vs Chelsea game might have noticed yet another controversial incident, just like any other games isn't it... Anyway Michael Brown went in with a studs up challenge on another fellow c*ckster CAshley Cole and it resulted in just a free kick for Chelsea. No punishment at all.

Now this c*ck here has a proud history of not being able to control his legs properly. Take a look:

Brown On Ryan Giggs:



Brown On Sean Davis:



He was punished for the first, but how did he get away from that tackle on Giggs. Anyway let's not drag the referees in AGAIN. Players like Michael Brown (and some times Michael Essien as well) ought to be punished more severely than the divers. It's obviously on purpose and to try and hurt a fellow professional is just downright disgraceful and is an unpardonable 'sin' to me.

Oh and he had the cheek to defend himself. I hope someone 'accidentally' break his leg that is..

Tags: Michael Brown, Tackle, Ryan GIggs, Sean Davis

Carling Cup Draw

2005 Carling Cup finalist, Liverpool, will face off with the challenge of newly promoted Reading in the Carling Cup 3rd round. The draw was made yesterday and the match will be played at Anfield on the week commencing from 23rd October.

• Liverpool v Reading

• Wycombe v Doncaster
• Sheffield United v Birmingham
• Leicester v Aston Villa
• Watford v Hull
• Leeds v Southend
• Chesterfield v West Ham
• Notts County v Southampton
• Newcastle v Portsmouth
• Charlton v Bolton
• West Brom v Arsenal
• Port Vale v Norwich
• Everton v Luton
• MK Dons v Tottenham
• Crewe v Manchester United
• Blackburn v Chelsea

To me, an alright draw. It won't be easy, but games at Anfield will surely make you and me feel a little more comfortable and confident. I've seen Reading play and I must say I'm very impressed by them. They're a fearless team and a very hardworking one, sort of what Wigan were last season.

Meanwhile Chelsea got a tough draw at Blackburn. It's usually these kind of cup games where the 'inferior' teams thrive and we could see a couple of surprises here and there.

Romance of the cup games, oh I love it. Giant killing, David and Goliath battles. Bring it on.

Hallelujah! Thanks You Jenas!

Goals From Yesterday's Game:



It would've been so different if Jenas scored that sitter.

During yesterday's game, everyone were awe-struck by two terrible miss from both Jermain Jenas and Craig Bellamy. The only difference was Liverpool scored from the miss, Tottenham missed and...well just missed it, la.

We all know Jenas has a reputation of...erm.. missing sitters and doing absolutely nothing at all but yet he manages to get into the England squad all the time. But that miss yesterday was NOT his first.

Jermaine 'living in a fish bowl' Jenas:

Last night's miss leading to Mark Gonzalez's goal:



The miss against Newcastle:



Wow..

Tags: Jermaine Jenas, Liverpool, Tottenham, Newcastle, Miss, Sitter