DrogballZ Taking A Break

Not a week, just a day! It's my birthday today so I won't be around to post until tomorrow. It's the big match tomorrow so treat this as a calm before the storm, shall we? Enjoy guys!

Three Is Enough...

English clubs would face losing a Champions League spot if Michel Platini wins the race to become president of UEFA.

The three-times former European footballer of the year, who is challenging the present incumbent, Lennart Johansson, to become the next UEFA president, believes no country should have more than three representatives in Europe's premier club competition.

"Four clubs are too many," said Platini at the launch of his media campaign to become the next leader of European football after years at the top table of both UEFA and FIFA.

"For everybody - for the country itself, the fans and for the TV rights. Three should be the absolute limit.

If so, we're pretty much screwed, right? I think Michele Platini is someone that speaks some sense so far and his idea does sound good there. But can we overtake Chelsea, ManYoo and Arsenal...? Hmm....

100 Players Who Shook The Kop Top 10

#1 KENNY DALGLISH

Name: Kenny Dalglish

Years at Liverpool: 1977 to 1990
Position: Forward

Date-of-birth: 4/3/1951
Birthplace: Glasgow

Signed from: Celtic (August 1977)

Games: 529
Goals: 172

Honours:
First Division Championship (1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86), European Cup (1978, 1981, 1984),
FA Cup (1986),
League Cup (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984),
Charity Shield (1977, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1986),
Super Cup (1977),
PFA Player of the Year (1983),
Football Writers Player of the Year (1979, 1983)

Part One:



Part Two:




There can only ever be one King and the man who’s earned the right to take his place on the Anfield throne is the one and only Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish. Regarded by the majority of Liverpudlians as the club's greatest ever player, his all round stunning brilliance has been deemed to have shaken the Kop more than anyone else.

The Scotland international was brought in to replace the recently departed Kop idol Kevin Keegan, who'd moved to Hamburg earlier that summer. If any player could step into Keegan's illustrious boots it was Dalglish and fears some Liverpudlians may have harboured over their new purchase were quickly laid to rest.

Dalglish found the back of the net within seven minutes of his league debut for the Reds, against Middlesbrough at Ayresome Park, and followed that up by hitting the target again on his first appearance in front of the Kop three days later as Newcastle were beaten 2-0.

The new King of the Kop crowned his first season at Anfield by topping the club's goalscoring charts and chipped in with the only goal of the 1978 European Cup Final against FC Bruges at Wembley – a delicate dink over the keeper that was quite simply perfection personified.

In 1979, his supreme individual ability was recognised by the football writer's of England who voted the canny Scot their Football of the Year. It was a fully deserved reward for a player whose every touch had Kopites purring with delight.

With Rush taking over the mantle of chief goalscorer, Dalglish became the undisputed creator supreme and if assists were recorded back then, he'd have been the first name on everyone's Fantasy Football teamsheet. A double footballer of the year in 1983, he was without doubt the finest British-born player of his generation and rightly spoken about in the same tone as such world renowned stars from this era like Maradona, Zico, Platini and Rummenigge.

In the aftermath of the Heysel Stadium disaster he was a surprising but popular appointment as player/manager and fears that his new role would result in him spending more time on the touchline and less on the pitch were initially unfounded.

Gradually, but inevitably, his appearances became less and less over the next few years as he concentrated more on the managerial aspects of his dual role but there was still the odd flashes of brilliance to revel in as the master sought to teach his apprentices.

What Dalglish went on to achieve as Liverpool manager cemented his legendary status but that is for another series. He did more than enough during his playing career to be rightfully hailed as the greatest player in Liverpool history.

Kenny, we'd walk a million miles to have you in our team again. Long live the undisputed King of the Kop!

Sold to: Retired (May 1990)

Claim to fame: Scoring the winner in the 1978 European Cup Final

Did you know? He had an unsuccessful trial with Liverpool as a 15-year old in 1966, playing in a 'B' team defeat to Southport

Where is he now? Working tirelessly to raise funds for his wife's breast cancer charity

Jamie Carragher on Kenny Dalglish: "For me he's not just Liverpool's best player but probably Britain's best ever football person if you like. We're the most successful club and he's the best player so I don't think anyone beats him."


Read More @ LiverpoolFC.tv

Crouchy's Goal

The 7th Month And 10K Visitors...

It's a coincidence that 19th October is The Red Cauldron's 'birthday', which was established 7 months agao and today, we have the number 10,000 visitor on board! No idea who but as usual, this will be my thank you speech. Like I've always said this blog will not be here without the support of you people. It's a long list of regulars on here who have contributed much to the discussion and improvement of the blog.

People from the Singapore Liverpool fan club forums like LadyLala, Stevie and Fiz(?). There might be some lurking but thanks a great deal although I don't post there anymore. The we have the dudes from Malaysia jy and prash! Thanks for making the tagboard a really lively place. Then we have elia from Hawaii whom I'm not sure if he/she's around now due to the recent earthquake there. Of course Emma the Crouchy freak from MysticDollarRedemption.

Sorry if I missed out on you, don't take it to heart! I've alot of things to memorise so the names might just slip off my mind. And to those readers who are here regularly but doesn't talk much (you lurkers!), still, a big thank you!

I'll ensure that this blog will continue to improve and provide you with all the news, videos, pictures and all the other rubbish stuff I post randomly on here.

I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!

Reds Hung On For Win

UEFA Champions League

Bordeaux 0 - 1 LIVERPOOL

Scorer:
LIV - Crouch (56min);

It was scrappy and it wasn't pretty at all. But Liverpool maintained their unbeaten start in Champions League group C with a 1-0 win over French side Bordeaux. Peter Crouch scored from a Craig Bellamy corner to give Liverpool side a much needed boost and hopefully he can carry on his good scoring records against ManYoo this Sunday at Old Trafford. The defence kept a clean sheet as well, albeit a few nervous moments near the end.

After a disappointing start to the season, Liverpool came into the game like a car with punctured tires. Struggling to kick into any sort of rythmn or form, the Reds struggled on the domestic front and a win in France was a much needed one. We had a poor record playing in France and it's most definitely a concern for Rafa Benitez as he set out a team which was without Steven Gerrard, who had a minor hamstring problem.

The game started off well and with good tempo. But as Bordeaux drew energy from their home support, Liverpool were forced deep into their own half and were forced to play counter-attacking football. But surely Rafa forseen it and the inclusion of Mark Gonzalez proved so. His pace and energy was needed to break down the Bordeaux defence which left spaces behind for the speedy players to exploit.

Craig Bellamy nearly put Liverpool one up but his indecision costed a wonderful chance. That was about it for Bellamy in the first half as he was isolated up front with Crouch operating very deep and never really provided any support for the Welshman.

Although Liverpool were pinned back most of the time and Bordeaux having a lion share of possesion, they seldom threaten Reina's goal. But they did manage to put in a few decent set pieces and Liverpool were nearly punished on two occasions.

Peter Crouch's third Champions League goal came as a surprise as the chances Liverpool had were scarce and didn't force Ulrich Ramé into any sort of saves. Bellamy's corner was headed in from Crouch, who had Hyypia doing a smokescreen right in front of him and all he needed to do was to place it beyond the 'keeper's grasp.


The tempo did picked up a little after the goal, but Liverpool were unable to capitalise with the panic in the Bordeaux team. Soon the rythmn dropped off and the Reds were again pinned back and have to do a lot of defending. They conceded far too many free kicks at the edge of the area and were giving the Liverpool fans a hard time watching.

Near the end, homegrown Liverpool player, Stephen Warnock nearly doubled the scoreline with a wonderful run into the penalty box. But his finishing was poor and placed the shot straight at the 'keeper. He did so well until the finish to be exact.

It wasn't a good performance from the Reds, but the Liverpool fans surely can't complain much after a rather disappointing weekend. It's understandable that they got pinned back due to the nature of playing an away game and hitting them on the counter-attack was the initial plan. The loss of Steven Gerrard didn't help as Zenden was playing in the central role with minimal impact.

The positives points are there to be taken note of especially Sami Hyypia rising to the occasion. He has been criticized previously as 'pass his sell out date' but he showed us tonight that he still has something to offer to the club. His form had been patchy at best but he was strong tonight and did no wrong.

A clean sheet will be an encouraging one as Liverpool seeked to gain momentum and will look to build on this vital win in France. But first, they must overcome ManYoo this Sunday and we all know how difficult that match will be. The performance isn't convincing enough to suggest we will be able to beat them. But who knows, this is football and everything is possible. That's at least what Liverpool fan can hope and pray for.

Being An Armchair Journalist Is Better...

Because you won't get knocked around by players flying around near the pitch. Hahaha

100 Players Who Shook The Kop Top 10

#2 STEVEN GERRARD

Name: Steven Gerrard

Years at Liverpool: 1998 to present
Position: Midfield

Date-of-birth: 30/5/1980
Birthplace: Whiston

Signed from: Apprentice

Games: 348
Goals: 64

Honours:
European Cup (2005),
FA Cup (2001, 2006),
UEFA Cup (2001),
League Cup (2001, 2003),
Community Shield (2006),
Super Cup (2001),
PFA Young Player of the Year (2001),
PFA Player of the Year (2006)

Part One:



Part Two:



The ultimate modern day footballer, Steven Gerrard is fulfilling the dream of every local Liverpudlian. The greatest English player of his generation and arguably one of the best in the world right now, pundits have run out superlatives to describe Liverpool's talismanic midfield powerhouse.

As the inspirational skipper of the Reds he's already lifted both the FA and European Cup and our hopes of adding the Premiership title to this illustrious list rests largely on his shoulders.

Originally spotted by Liverpool scouts as nine-year old, Gerrard's precocious talents were carefully nurtured by Steve Heighway and his staff at the club's centre of excellence. Nothing was going to distract him from his pursuit of the Anfield dream and though growth problems were to restrict his progress at times during his mid-teenage years, his single-minded determination to succeed shone through.

After taking just one look at him in training at the Academy, Houllier immediately promoted Gerrard to Melwood in November 1998 and by the end of the month had handed him his senior debut at home to Blackburn.

After making 13 appearances that season, Gerrard went on to fully establish himself in the side during the 1999/2000 campaign, netting his first goal in a 4-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday and collecting his first red card for a foul on his derby debut. Once these occasional bouts of recklessness were eradicated from his game Gerrard set about blooming into the complete midfielder that we know today.

His meteoric progress at club level was rewarded with a first full England cap that year and the following season saw his profile raised several notches more as he performed a key role in Liverpool's unprecedented cup treble success, scoring in the UEFA Cup Final win over Alaves and deservedly walking off with the PFA Young Player of the Year award.

With his influence on the team becoming more and more important, Gerrard was handed the honour of succeeding Sami Hyypia as club captain in October 2003 and how he thrived on the added responsibility.

His role in the unforgettable Champions League triumph of 2005 that followed was pure legendary; from his amazing last-gasp Kop shaker that sealed a passage into the knockout phase at the expense of Olympiacos to the spine-tingling night against AC Milan when he kick-started and orchestrated the miracle of Istanbul.

The sight of Gerrard proudly hoisting the gleaming silver trophy into the Turkish night sky was the cue for tears of happiness to be shed by many a tough Scouser. Bringing home 'number five' meant so much and will never fade from the memory.

In the immediate aftermath of his Ataturk heroics, Gerrard pledged his long-term future to the club, just has he'd done the previous summer in light of annoying speculation linking him with a move to Chelsea, but still the rumours rumbled on.

Liverpool looked to have lost the services of their best player and feelings of anger, disbelief and sorrow were visibly vented on the city streets. But in one of the most amazing u-turns ever performed, the red half of Merseyside awoke the next morning to discover all their Christmases had come at once;

With his future finally resolved, his performances reached even higher standards the next season and another super-human effort in a major cup final confirmed his standing as the heir apparent to Kenny Dalglish as Liverpool's greatest ever player.

Trailing to West Ham in Cardiff, Gerrard snatched the trophy from the Londoners grasp by masterminding another awe-inspiring comeback, setting up one goal and scoring two as the Reds clawed their way back into a game in which they twice looked dead and buried.

His last-gasp leveller at the end of normal time has already passed into FA Cup folklore and the subsequent penalty shoot-out victory ensured Gerrard became only the second player in history, after Stanley Matthews, to have a final named in his honour.

At 26, the undisputed 2006 PFA Player of the Year is showing no signs of slowing down. There's no reason to believe he won't be the fulcrum of this team for a long time to come and it's incredible to think his best days may still be ahead of him.

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson once described him as 'the most inspirational player in England, bar none,' and if he continues to progress at the rate he has done then, fingers crossed, it must surely be only a matter of time before the much-coveted Premiership title is residing in the Anfield trophy cabinet.

Kenny might still be the king but Stevie is most definitely the prince and if he can get his hands on that one trophy that has so far eluded him then maybe one day soon the crown will be passed over.

Claim to fame: Lifting the European Cup in Istanbul

Did you know? His promising football career was almost brought an abrupt halt as a teenager following an accident with a garden fork

Ian Callaghan on Steven Gerrard: "I think Stevie G without doubt is one of the best players in the world. I think he’s one of the best players that's ever played here, if not the best. He’s just got everything going for him, he’s got pace, power, he can pass the ball around and he scores goals - what more do you want? He’s just an unbelievable player."


MORE @ LIVERPOOLFC.TV

On The Various Issues...

Chelsea Screaming 'Blue' Murder

As I've covered previously, the injury caused by Reading on Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini are already blown out of porportion with Chelsea insisting on some issues like the ambulance who came late and the report they wanted to send to the FA regarding their 'treatment'. What a farce. An unfortunate incident turned into an oppotunity for Jose Mourinho & co. to whine about how everyone hates them and their self-pity on the news conference were there for everyone to see. 'Oh the ambulance team hates us and the referee hates us'.

It came just at a nice time when Chelsea are about to play their toughest fixture thus far against regining European champions, Barcelona and will be without the two keepers. So in an attempt to deflect all the pressure, Jose used this opportunity to incite the feelings of the Chelsea fans and also leaving a back door for himself if they fail to beat Barcelona this time round.

It's just ridiculous and farcical. I don't know what's the deal with those words he said about the ambulance coming late and stuff. If he is well and truly lying, then I think he's the saddest man on earth. An attention seeking manager who wants all the eyes to be fixed on him.

What about the report that they will be handling to the FA after the Barcelona game? It's just so Chelsea that when things don't go their way, they'll make a mountain out of a molehill. Firstly, they'll question the decision of the referee over the two challenges that injured Cech and Cudicini. From THEIR point of view, of course they're blinkered and think that it was on purpose and everyone hates them.

The man who cried wolf over and over again for the past few years, do you still believe his stories? After the incident involving the referee that had to retire after being accused by Jose, I think most football fans just takes him as a wind up merchant and attention seeking wh*re. I can't wait to see that the FA proved that everything he said were lies and how he'll then react.


Henry's 'Hand Ball'

If UEFA or FIFA needs a more concrete evidence for introducing video technology into the game of football, then last night will be the case. From what I saw, there's no way Theirry Henry could've handled the ball and scored the equaliser. But the referee saw what we all didn't and can't see as he awarded CSKA Moscow a free kick, disallowed the Henry goal and wait for it, giving Henry a yellow card!

I'm still not quite sure how video technology could be implemented, but if you guys wanna share your views, you're welcomed and I might do a post on this after I've thought through the possibilities and done some studies on video refereeing.

A Message To You People Out There..

Noticed that the updates on this blog is getting lesser each day? The blog that used to be updated 3 to 4 times a day now has slowed down, right? Well, sad to say a student have to go back to school at some point of time and the thing is now I'll have to go to school from 8 to 5 daily and come home really tired and lazy. The 'crisis' our club is facing doesn't help either and even as an optimist I'm not feeling good at all.

But rest assured! The blog will still be running, just that I'll update a little lesser compared to the past and hope you guys don't abandon me!

To cheer you people up:



Non football related, but have a laugh!

100 Players Who Shook The Kop Top 10

#3 IAN RUSH

Name: Ian Rush

Years at Liverpool: 1980 to 1987 & 1988 to 1996
Position: Forward

Date-of-birth: 20/10/1961
Birthplace: St Asaph

Signed from: Chester City (May 1980) & Juventus (August 1988)

Games: 660
Goals: 346

Honours:
First Division Championship (1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86, 1989/90),
European Cup (1984),
FA Cup (1986, 1989, 1992),
League Cup (1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1995),
Charity Shield (1982, 1986, 1989, 1990),
ScreenSport Super Cup (1986),
PFA Young Player of the Year (1983),
PFA Player of the Year (1984),
Football Writers Player of the Year (1984)

Part One:




Part Two:




Only one word is needed to describe Ian Rush's Liverpool career. Goals. Plenty of them, to be more precise. No player in Anfield history has scored more and his record his one that will take some beating.

Nothing shakes the Kop more than a goal and in two glorious spells with the club he netted so many times he must surely have been guilty of causing some structural damage before the old terrace was finally pulled down in 1994.

A goalscoring legend if there ever was one, it's hard to imagine that his glittering career with the Reds had such an inauspicious beginning. Signed from Chester City towards the end of the 1979/80 season for a then British record fee for a teenager - £300,000 – Rush felt he wasn't being given a fair crack of the whip by then boss Bob Paisley and asked for a transfer after making just a handful of appearances.

Tall, thin and ungainly, the young striker looked anything but a future striking hero when he broke into the team but how looks can be deceptive. It actually took him nine games before registering his first goal for the senior side but once that hit the back of the net there was no stopping him.

Electric pace and eagle-eyed anticipation meant he was also a nightmare to mark and his attacking partnership with Kenny Dalglish is genuinely regarded as one of the finest there has ever been.

A remarkable 47-goal haul – 48 if you count his spot kick conversion in Rome – was enough to see him become the first British player to win Europe's Golden Boot, a perfect accompaniment to an unprecedented treble of League title, European Cup and Milk Cup, not to mention double player of the year recognition.

After just one season in Italy though, he was to make a sensational return amid a blaze of publicity. Having been made aware that their former star had failed to fully settle in Turin, Liverpool jumped at the chance to bring him home and Rushie responded by picking up where he left off, scoring goals for fun and proceeding to smash what goalscoring records he hadn't already.

In October 1992 he found the back of the net for a 287th time in a Liverpool shirt and in doing so surpassed Roger Hunt as the most prolific striker in Anfield history. The same year, Rushie's status as one of the club's elder statesman saw him handed the captaincy by manager Graeme Souness and in 1995 he fulfilled a personal dream by lifting the Coca Cola Cup as Reds skipper.

While records are there to be broken it's not inconceivable to suggest Rushie's phenomenal tally of goals in a Liverpool shirt is likely to stand the test of time.

But even if he is, somehow, one day, displaced from his position at the summit of the clubs all-time leading goalscorers, the fact he shook the Kop a record 346 times means he'll forever be renowned as one of the all-time Anfield greats.

Sold to: Juventus (July 1987) & Leeds (May 1996)

Claim to fame: Scoring more goals for Liverpool than any other player

Did you know? Liverpool didn’t lose a match in which Rush scored until the 1987 Littlewoods Cup Final against Arsenal

Where is he now? Looking to get back into football after recently completing his UEFA coaching badges

Nicky Allt on Ian Rush: "Ian Rush is maybe your all-round complete centre forward because the man could run, defend, was pacy, athletic and he could put the ball in the net. But more than anything his work ethic for the team is something you don't really find in a striker today. Your modern goalscorer thinks he hasn't got to run back and work but Rushie was always our first line of defence and a lot of people forget that."

'Keepers Get Pwned..

Last week, Paul Robinson was made to look like an absolute fool with that air kick. Then last weekend, goalkeepers grabbed the headline once again but with different reason.

They say lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. But think again, after watching the Chelsea vs Reading game over the weekends. Chelsea lost two goalkeepers in the match unfortunately and one of them nearly get KOed by that kick. As they say, Cech was lucky to survive that kick from Hunt.

Accidental or on purpose? You'll have to be the judge:

Petr Cech's Injury:



Carlo Cudicini's Injury:




To me, they looked just like accidents. Football is a contact sports and it's not surprising that there will be things like this happens. But to be fair, the videos are inconclusive and I can't be very sure whether my guess of it being incidental is right. But obviously in the Cech's one, the Reading player did tried to pull his leg away.

Cudicini one was more of an accident. Both went for the ball and unfortunate for the Italian, he was on the receiving end.

Even without two goalkeepers, Chelsea still went on to win. And guess what, Frank Lampard's deflected goal. Didn't deflect once but TWICE. He must have gained some level and now has mastered the art of deflection.

100 Players Who Shook The Kop Top 10

#4 Robbie Fowler

Name: Robbie Fowler

Years at Liverpool: 1993 to 2001 & 2006 to present
Position: Forward

Date-of-birth: 9/4/1975
Birthplace: Toxteth

Signed from: Apprentice (April 1992)

Games: 348
Goals: 177

Honours: FA Cup (2001), UEFA Cup (2001), League Cup (1995, 2001), Super Cup (2001), PFA Young Player of the Year (1995, 1996)

Part One:



Part Two:




It's not for nothing that Robbie Fowler is known as God by those on the Kop. One of the most revered figures in Liverpool's recent history, Fowler is also one of the most naturally gifted goalscorers to have graced the famous red shirt and his striking exploits are already the stuff of legend.

Now in his second spell at the club, even if he doesn't net another goal for the Reds, his halo will never slip in the eyes of his adoring fans. Since scoring on his debut against Fulham in a 1993 League Cup tie, Fowler has enjoyed a long-running love affair with Kopites that has never wavered and shows no sign of abating.

A boyhood Evertonian, he switched allegiances when joining the club's 'centre of excellence' at the age of 11. A host of clubs sought his coveted signature but Liverpool made the successful swoop. It was the late Jim Aspinall who is rightly credited with persuading him to sign for the 'enemy' and it must rank has one of the most important this club has ever made.

Fowler rose through the ranks as expected and those in the know knew the Reds had a special talent in their midst. With the Reds still struggling for goals, Souey handed his highly-rated rookie striker a start at Craven Cottage and was rewarded with a debut goal. In the return at Anfield Fowler famously netted all five in a 5-0 rout and a star was born.

His first full season in the limelight saw his reputation blossom from promising youngster to fully-fledged superstar, this rapid elevation no doubt aided by a fastest-ever Premiership hat-trick against Arsenal, a Coca-Cola Cup winners medal and the PFA Young Player of the Year accolade. He also topped the Anfield goalscoring charts again, breaching the 30 mark for the first time, and the so-called 'Toxteth Terror' was suddenly one of football's most feared finishers.

What Fowler lacked in pace and height he made up with an uncanny ability to sniff out goals. No opposition net was safe when he was in the vicinity of the penalty box. Close-range tap-ins or long-range super strikes, the 'Growler' was wonderfully adept at both and, as the goals flew in by the bucket-load, his stock rose higher and higher.

Four goals at home to Middlesbrough in December 1996 saw him hit the milestone figure of 100 goals for the Reds quicker than striking mentor Ian Rush, while another 30-goal haul the following season took Liverpool to the closest they came to a 19th League Championship during this era.

Two serious injuries then forced him to endure a lengthy and frustrating spell on the sidelines, which coincided with the emergence of Michael Owen. But although Fowler temporarily lost his 'golden boy' status, Owen could never boast the same kind of rapport with the Liverpool crowd and it was no secret who they favoured most.

In February 2001, Fowler scored a spectacular goal on Liverpool's first visit to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff and became the first Reds skipper to lift a trophy in six years as Birmingham were beaten on penalties in the Worthington Cup Final.

But despite these goalscoring heroics, speculation that Houllier wanted to sell him refused to disappear and in November 2001 the unthinkable happened; Fowler was offloaded to Leeds, against his will, in a record-busting transfer.

To say the Kop was shaken by this would be a gross understatement. Letters of protest flooded the local press and even the massive fee received failed to soften the blow.

Talk of him returning occasionally popped up in the sports pages but was always shrugged off as pure fabrication. Until January 2006 that is; when Liverpool's prodigal son sensationally returned to a hero's reception.

Whatever the future holds, it's hard to envisage him being loved by the fans more than he already is – although helping Liverpool to a long awaited Premiership title would surely do him no harm!

Sold to: Leeds United (November 2001)

Claim to fame: Scoring the fastest-ever Premiership hat-trick

Did you know? In 1997 he won a UEFA Fair Play award for admitting that he had not been fouled by Arsenal keeper David Seaman after a penalty had been awarded during a league match at Highbury.

Where is he now? Back at his spiritual home

Tony Barrett on Robbie Fowler: "You could list all of Robbie's goals but I think the thing that separates him from the other Liverpool centre forwards is that he's always had this feeling among the fans of being a kindred spirit. There are countless examples of things he's done for fans and done for the people of the city. It wouldn't matter if Robbie never scored another goal for Liverpool Football Club as he's made his feelings for the club known and the fans returned those feelings."

Bellamy Salvages A Point For The Reds

English Premiership

LIVERPOOL 1 - 1 Blackburn

Scorers:
LIV - Bellamy (64min);
BLA - McCarthy (17min);

A frustrating afternoon for the Reds, fans and players alike. Liverpool has finally lost their 100% record at Anfield this season after they could only managed a draw against a hardworking Blackburn. It was their old boy, Craig Bellamy, who was back to haunt them with the equaliser and his first league goal for Liverpool after his move from Blackburn.

Many, including me, felt that this is yet again 2 points dropped and the feeling of frustration seemed to be in the air right now. After the 2-0 defeat to Bolton 2 weeks ago and the aptly timed International games, Liverpool came back to this game without Daniel Agger and Dirk Kuyt. Both have played an instrumental part in Liverpool's season so far with Agger impressing in the middle of defence.

His absence was felt throughout Liverpool when Benni McCarthy drew first blood. It yet again exposed Liverpool's weakness in dealing with crosses from the left. It has been a probem for quite some time and we haven't been able to find an answer yet. David Bentley's cross from the left went over Nonda and Carragher's head. It fell kindly for McCarthy to slot the ball into an empty net. But Reina have to shoulder the majority of the blame for his decision to come out and then get himself caught in no mans land. A rush of blood to his head from a very inexperienced goalkeeper. Very disappointing.

Even before the first goal, Liverpool struggled to up the tempo even though it was played at Anfield. The general energy level of the players were not at a high and they seemed to be lazy and lethargic at best.

Pennant's run did cause a few problems for the Blackburn defence, but his final ball were poor and was frustrating. He then ran around like a headless chicken, without aim and purpose. The midfield pairing of Alonso and Gerrard was in question once again. Are they suited to be paied up in the middle? Gerrard was neither here nor there while Alonso's position was behind Gerrard. Both of them failed to track back at times and Blackburn exploited that. Nonda and McCarthy, who both are mobile and pacy strikers, were allowed to run into that space directly threatening the defence. Hyypia's ageing leg made it easier for them and his form has to be a concern to Rafa Benitez.


Crouch did well on a few occasions and was able to link up well. But his lack of pace and mobility made him a virtual spectator and other than his effort in the first half, he was pretty much out of the game. Bellamy was quiet throughout the game as well. Other than the goal, he was largely annonymous.

Alonso and Riise did played well after half time and deserve some credit, but the rest of the team were pretty poor. The most probably reason would be the tiring international games prior and those game pretty much drained up their energy while Blackburn players seemed to be more energetic and hungry.

We could always find excuses for such performance. But at the end of the day, the result counts and it's not a pretty one. We never truly deserved a win anyway, so a draw is a fair result. We never really pin Blackburn back to the wall and failed to get any sort of rythmn in the game.

Are we missing Sissoko's energy from the midfield? I do think so, especially when Gerrard and Alonso in the middle, there bound to be some problem. As I've mentioned before, both of them cannot really compliment each other well and the balace wasn't there.

We'll have to look at the defensive problems and solve it before it's too late. It's starting to worry me abit because I like the look of a solid defence and where was the solidarity and understanding of last season, were we kept a dozen of clean sheets consecutively. Our weakness seemed to have been spotted and exploited not once or twice, but on many occasions already.

Even the most optimistic fans like me have to question our 'title chase' already. If we can't pick ourselves up from this and go on from strength to strength in the coming months, we'll be lucky to finish 4th. Chelsea, ManYoo and Arsenal have began to found their rythmn while we're struggling to find any sort of cohesion. It's ManYoo next week and if we don't turn this around, I'll have to say it again, It's too late.