Second Season Syndrome? Not For Torres

Fernando Torres Magic Seals Opening Win

English Premiership

Sunderland 0 -1 Liverpool

Video:

As Fernando Torres and his fellow Liverpool players stepped out of the Stadium of Light for the opening fixture against Sunderland, fans of the Reds will be hoping that Torres will once again be Liverpool's hero while the skeptics will be rubbing their hand in glee as they expect the Spanish hotshot to show the symptoms of the 'Second Season Syndrome (SSS)'.


Well, that's something which most fans are familiar with, seeing the likes of Marcus Stewart and Sunderland's very own Kevin Philips having the season of their lives before faltering away in their next campaign.

Torres came to England with a reputation and prolific in scoring is anything but. In his Athletico days, he wasted far too many chances and was dubbed as a profligate. But his first season at Anfield was a revelation and though he didn't set the world alight at the European Championship, he scored the most imporant goal that gave Spain their first ever taste of success in the competition since God knows when.


Despite his vast improvement as a player, doubtors are still around to put him down and suspected that he will not have an easy 2nd season in England, with defenders knowing him inside out finally.

Well, they're probably half-right.

Torres, thought didn't contribute much to the game, came up with an absolute cracker to give Liverpool all 3 points in their opening game. As the commentator summed it up perfectly, that was the only significant thing he did the whole game and it's just the one that counts at the end of the day.

Without a shadow of doubt, that is a making of a legend and I'm definitely not hyping this up. You don't expect players to perform at their best game in, game out but all you need is a little bit of sharpness and effectiveness. Torres showed just that.

Rafa Benitez would be relieved to see his side claim all 3 points as Liverpool, who looked uninterested at times, huffed and puffed their way to the finishing line. Without the magical touch of Torres and the much needed introduction of Xabi Alonso, it would've been just another away game for Liverpool, like how they used to do it all the time.

The first half was exactly how Liverpool looked like they were all of last season in their away fixtures. Passive, lacking the drive and energy and most of all, lack of urgency. It looked like there was no cohesion in the team and the passing was absolutely dreadful.

With Carragher and Dossena punting long balls ahead for Torres and Keane, the strikeforce is always going to be second best and until the last 10 minutes of the first period, Liverpool failed to sustain any sort of pressure or getting any sort of momentum.

Sunderland on the other hand, were aggressive and looked more likely to get any breakthrough. They played some lovely football with Steed Malbranque displaying some of his nifty touches and Richardson troubling Alvaro Arbeloa with his direct running.

12 minutes in and Sunderland nearly took the lead through Daryl Murphy but the gigantic striker failed to gather enough power or direction to beat Pepe Reina. That was a warning sign for Liverpool but the visitors failed to wake up.

Yet it was the introduction of Xabi Alonso at half time that was pivotal and turned the game around indirectly. He dictated the tempo of the game well and Liverpool finally looked to have got the upper hand.

Yet it seeemd as though it wasn't going to be Liverpool's afternoon as a Dirk Kuyt's strike was fumbled away by Craig Gordon and just as Torres was about to follow up, Robbie Keane was at the wrong place at the wrong time and the duo that was supposed to form a strike partnership, got into each other's way.

The Liverpool record signing of this summer was subdued and as space in and around the Sunderland defence was premium, he was left isolated and Nyron Nosworthy kept him quiet throughout. He was eventually replaced by Nabil El-Zhar.

Yet Liverpool believed and poured men forward. Xabi Alonso nearly caught Gordon out with an audacious shot from the half-way line. Reminsce of goals against Newcastle and Luton emerged.

Just right after that, Torres came out of the shadow and totally silenced the Sunderland faithfuls with a peach of a strike. He received the ball just outside the penalty area and with much confidence, he let fly and it went to the bottom right of Gordon's goal.

Totally unsavable.

It was just a show of his class and the midas touch of his. You could tell that he's totally delighted with that strike and probably deep down, he's glad he scored in the first game. He'll of course hope that he'll keep this momentum going.



Not the most beautiful display of football but the Liverpool fans should be happy with the 3 points. But they should be slightly worried with the performance in the first half as they looked totally toothless and clueless.

Most importantly, it'll be interesting to see how the Keane-Torres partnership will forge in the coming months after that 'miscommunication'. Here's hoping that it's just a minor hiccup and as the season goes on, they'll gel and form a deadly strikeforce. The sooner, the better of course.

Respect The Refs!

The English FA have just started a program called 'Respect' and it's aimed to improve the relations between players and the men in black as well as clearing the misunderstanding of referees. Here's the advertisement:



Didn't expect Capello to turn up, eh?

Funny Answers Given In Gameshows

This is totally not football related but really, have a laugh...

BEG, BORROW OR STEAL (BBC2)
Jamie Theakston: Where do you think Cambridge University is?
Contestant: Geography isn't my strong point.
Theakston: There's a clue in the title.
Contestant: Leicester.

PHIL WOOD SHOW (BBC GMR)
Wood: What 'K' could be described as the Islamic Bible?
Contestant: Er. . .
Wood: It's got two syllables . . . Kor . . .
Contestant: Blimey?
Wood: Ha ha ha ha, no. The past participle of run . . .
Contestant: (Silence.)
Wood: OK, try it another way. Today I run, yesterday I . . .
Contestant: Walked?

LATE SHOW (BBC MIDLANDS)
Alex Trelinski: What's the capital of Italy?
Contestant: France.
Trelinski: France is another country. Try again.
Contestant: Oh, um, Benidorm.
Trelinski: Wrong, sorry, let's try another question. In which country is the Parthenon?
Contestant: Sorry, I don't know.
Trelinski: Just guess a country then.
Contestant: Paris.


BEACON RADIO, Wolverhampton
DJ Mark: For £10, what is the nationality of the Pope?
Ruth from Rowley Regis: I think I know that one. Is it Jewish?

UNIVERSITY CHALLENGE (BBC2)
Bamber Gascoigne: What was Gandhi's first name?
Contestant: Goosey?

RICHARD AND JUDY (C4))
Q: Which American actor is married to Nicole Kidman?
A: Forrest Gump.

LINCS FM PHONE-IN
Presenter: Which is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world?
Contestant: Barcelona.
Presenter: I was really after the name of a country.
Contestant: I'm sorry; I don't know the names of any countries in Spain.

NATIONAL LOTTERY (BBC1)
Q: What is the world's largest continent?
A: The Pacific

BREAKFAST SHOW (RADIO 1)
Chris Moyles: Which 's' is a kind of whale that can grow up to 80 tonnes?
Contestant: Ummm. . .
Moyles: It begins with 's' and rhymes with 'perm'.
Contestant: Shark.

JAMES O'BRIEN SHOW (LBC)
O'Brien: How many kings of England have been called Henry?
Contestant: Well, I know there was a Henry the Eighth. . . er . . . Three?

CHRIS SEARLE SHOW (BBC RADIO BRISTOL)
Searle: In which European country is Mount Etna?
Caller: Japan.
Searle: I did say which European country, so in case you didn't hear that, I can let you try again.
Caller: Er . . . Mexico?

PAUL WAPPAT (BBC RADIO NEWCASTLE)
Wappat: How long did the Six-Day War between Egypt and Israel last?
Contestant (after long pause): Fourteen days.

THE VAULT (ITV)
Melanie Sykes: What is the name given to the condition where the sufferer can fall asleep at any time?
Contestant: Nostalgia.


STEVE WRIGHT IN THE AFTERNOON (RADIO 2)
Wright: Johnny Weissmuller died on this day. Which jungle-swinging character clad only in a loincloth did he play?
Contestant: Jesus

DOG EAT DOG (BBC1)
Ulrika Jonsson: Who wrote Lord Of The Rings?
Contestant: Enid Blyton.

NATIONAL LOTTERY (BBC1)
Eamonn Holmes: There are three states of matter: solid, liquid and . . ?
Contestant: Jelly.

SIMPLY THE BEST (ITV)
Phil Tufnell: How many Olympic Games have been held?
Contestant: Six.
Tufnell: Higher!
Contestant: Five.

QUIZMANIA (ITV)
Greg Scott: We're looking for an occupation beginning with T.
Contestant: Doctor.
Scott: No, it's 'T'. 'T' for Tommy. 'T' for Tango.
Contestant: Oh, (pause) Doctor.

BIG QUIZ (LBC)
Gary King: Name the funny men who once entertained kings and queens at court.
Contestant: Lepers.

TALKSPORT
Andy Townsend: How many wheels does a tricycle have?
Caller: Two.
Townsend: The Beatles were known as the Fab...?
Caller: Five.

MAGIC 52 (NORTH-EAST ENGLAND)
Presenter: In what year was President Kennedy assassinated?
Contestant: Erm...
Presenter: Well, let's put it this way - he didn't see 1964.
Contestant: 1965?

Thank You

Somehow, I saw a HUGE jump in readership, especially this few couple of days over the weekends. So I realise, I was on 'Blog of Note' there at blogger.com. Wow, it is indeed my pleasure (and pressure heh) to be on there and maybe my blog is RED enough to capture the editor's attention.

So to those people who left messages on the previous posts, I just want to thank you for your words of encouragement because it really mean ALOT to me. I've just been on my new job and a little busy to update constantly so those words definitely kept me believing that there's still potential for this site :)

And to those who asks me to review/have a look at your website, would you guys mind providing me the full link on your post right here? It is so to make my life a little easier and I can just click and I promise I'll get back to you.

So there, less than a week to the kickoff to a brand new season and I can't wait, seriously. This should be our year...



to get at least 3rd I guess?

Pre-Order 'Rush: The Autobiography' Now!

Remember the autobiography that is coming out at the end of this month? It's none other than Liverpool's top goalscorer in history, Ian Rush. And as I've promised, you readers of The Red Cauldron are a blessed bunch as there is a special deal in place for you if you pre-order the book now!

Just head down to http://www.ianrushbook.co.uk/ and click on the 'pre-order' button. There, you'll receive a 35% discount once you purchase it with the promotional code, which is IANRUSH.

Why are you still here. Just head down and get it already!

Keane Arrives At Merseyside

The last time I was so anxious in breaking in a transfer news was last year, this time, when our very own number 9 showed up at Melwood. He stood side by side with Rafa Benitez and he turned out to be one of the revelations of last season.

Obviously, Fernando Torres is his name and he did set the Premiership on fire last season with countless of brilliant goals.

His partnership with Steven Gerrard is undoubtedly one of the most potent in Europe last season, both of them working seamlessly on the pitch, helping out each other with assists.

But the dependence on the duo is apparent. Without any one of the these two components, Liverpool failed to break down stubborn defences and dropped some valuable points along the way.

Of course Rafa tried his best to solve the problem with his remaining strike force of Peter Crouch, Dirk Kuyt and Andriy Voronin. But other than Crouch, the remainder of them were not potent enough and struggled to provide goals for the team.

Now, with Crouch leaving for Portsmouth, Voronin's move to Germany imminent and Kuyt's transformation into a wing-forward complete, he knew he had to find a partner for Torres upfront, soon. He knew very well that this summer is the make or break one for him as the players he is investing are going to be the one which ultimately means he'll come even closer to his first Premiership crown, or a boot at the end of the season for yet another season of disappointments.

I see him now, being in the very same position with Gerard Houllier back in 2003. It is the situation where the team is almost complete but there is one or two players missing. It is like trying to fit a jigsaw puzzle, with chances of the last few pieces being the one that fits perfectly, or have the potential to fail spectacularly.

Obviously from history, we know that Houllier chose the wrong players and ended up with the latter circumstance. The rest of what happened should be discussed as little as possible.

Now, Rafa being in the same position, had to make the safest, yet the most dangerous gamble in his career at Anfield probably. The signing of Robbie Keane. The Irish arrived from Spurs yesterday after passing his medical and will don the number 7 of Liverpool.

Why would I say it's the safest, yet most dangerous gamble? It is obvious that this risk is very much down to the price of Robbie Keane himself, almost reaching 20 million pounds in total. He is after all, a 28 year old player with maybe 6 years max to his career span.

But I believe that above all, his Premiership stats speaks for itself and the number of goals he scored in the Premiership doesn't need to be justified. It most definitely speaks about the quality and consistency of the Irish striker, who seemed to have been playing football forever.

He had the chance to sign up for this very club he supported at 17 but rejected the Reds, stating that he'll be able to find first team football outside the Merseyside giants and indeed, he went on from Wolves to the prestigious Inter Milan, where he made waves in the Italian league before sealing a deal back in England with Tottenham.


Liverpool fans might have been wanting players like David Villa to add on to our ranks but I believe Rafa and many of us had the same idea. And that is to buy players with real quality (not doubting Villa) and someone who has ultimately, proven himself at the highest level as well as one who has already played in the Premiership.

Rafa Benitez definitely needs his players to be at their best right from the start of the season to truly mount a title challenge and he believe that Robbie Keane is just the man to support and add on to the already impressive firepower up front through Gerrard and Torres.

Also, having a leadership role in Tottenham means that he's matured and has the necessary mental toughness and qualities to play under Benitez. We know that the Spanish tactician isn't finding players who have boundless flair or limitless ability, but thinking players and footballers who can think for themselves.

I believe Keane fits the bill perfectly and will form a really fearsome partnership with Torres in the season to come. His experience and goal poaching ability will come in hand in hand with Torres' flamboyance and grace on the pitch.

Though the price is a little steep, it most definitely worth it, speaking through the eyes of faith in Rafa. One thing for sure and that is he improved the team and will most definitely make an impact in the league for the Reds.

Ian Rush's New Autobiography

Liverpool's record goalscorer with 346 goals and a legend that transcends generation. Which Liverpool fan isn't mildly interested in his very own story?

This upcoming book named 'Rush: The Autobiography' is an honest yet scintillating book with insights into his journey from a rough-edged Welsh teenager to the most devastating finisher in British football.

Rushʼs story is a near-mythical tale of triumph and tragedy. Declining offers from Manchester United and Birmingham City, on leaving school he joined Chester City and progressed through the reserves to become a first-team regular. His goal-scoring exploits soon attracted interest from Liverpool and, only eighteen, he signed for them for a British record fee. Thrust into the ranks of an already great side when still a teenager, Rush struggled to find his self-belief and make his mark before growing as a player and a man to become their deadliest striker. He went on to win 5 League Championships, 3 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and the European Cup, as well as twice being named Footballer of the Year and winning Europeʼs Golden Boot in 1984.

His credentials alone makes this book an even more interesting one and the good news here is, it is coming out real soon! The autobiography will be out by mid-August and here's the deal for all you Red Cauldron readers....

If you're interested to get this book, there will be a special pre-order offer for you at a special price! So just drop me a mail if you're willing to purchase it. What are you waiting for?

'43 Years With The Same Bird' Extract

Last week I gave an insight into this new book which is about to hit the stores near you. Now exclusive to all Red Cauldron readers, is the extract from the book. And guess what, it's on the meeting with none other than Mr. Bill Shankly!

And here it is:

1971 MEETING THE MESSIAH
Bill Shankly's bare manhood stood three feet away from me. OK, stood is an exaggeration. We were getting on well, but not that well.

Slacks with a crease that could shave a werewolf's four-day shadow had been removed and placed on a dressing-room hook with his left hand. In his right was a pair of crumpled shorts so old you could smell the Boot Room on them. Then a question: "What school are you from again, son?"

"De La Salle."

And the shorts, which had made their way to the expectant toes of his left foot, were abruptly pulled away.

"A rugby school?"

"No. Football."

Relief. Then animation.

"Thank Christ for that. I hate rugby. I remember turning up at a new Air Force post inWales and asking for a football. This officer says to me 'We don't play football here, only rugby.' So I says right, give me a rugby ball and I'll squeeze it intee a fitball."

He burst into a raucous laugh and began to squeeze an imaginary oval ball into around shape. "Christ, it's funny what things come back to you. I'd forgotten all about that."

Let's get this straight. I'm joshing away with Bill Shankly at Melwood training ground like a groom and best man before a stag night.

I've been in his company only five minutes and he's already told me a story nobody has ever heard before. Granted, in the league table of Shankly anecdotes it's six points behind Stenhousemuir. But it's mine to drop casually into conversations for eternity.

As this dawns on me a shiver jolts the blood.

There's a sigh I have to emit in short bursts for fear of being sucked inside out. Fear drifts from my brain, spreading down to feet doing epileptic taps. It's a feeling I would experience over the next 30 years of professional life before doing an interview.

But I would never feel the pure rush of pride I felt that June morning, knowing that whatever miserable hand life might deal, my self-esteem would never scrape a barrel's bottom. I would always be able to look a boss, a foe or a put-down merchant in the eye and tell them that Bill Shankly once shared a unique anecdote with me.

With his pride and joy dangling in my eye-line. At 17, life could only go downhill. PS: Huge. Obviously.

Want to read more? The appetite wetting extract here is just part of an even larger collection of stories from a Liverpool fanatic, Brian Reade. Want to find out more or already all set to get this book? Click HERE for more!

Hello & Goodbye

If you thought this is a post about me, then sorry to disappoint you! I'm going nowhere but there seemed to be much activity going on around Melwood in recent days as players arrive and depart from the Liverpool training ground.

Rafa is well please to announce the arrivals of 3 players who are going to fill the ranks of the Liverpool first team next season. Philip Degan, Andrea Dosenna and Diego Cavalieri are unveiled and though they are not ground-breaking signings like Fernando Torres, let's hope that they will have a glorious career at the Reds, aiding us to the long-awaited Premiership crown.

Going the other way is none other than '2 meter Peter', who has been a cult favourite for the past 3 years. His move to Liverpool sparked a revival in his career with participation in the 2006 World Cup and also Champions League final last season.

It is sad to see him leave Liverpool obviously, knowing that he has the qualities of a good player and you have to take your hats off for him as he, against all odds, proved himself to be a top player with important and spectacular goals.

His contributions to the Reds should not be underestimated and I shall wish him all the best in the south coast (just don't score against us next season, that is).


Meanwhile, Harry Kewell has finally departed. Phew

43 Years With The Same Bird

Amidst the fever that's surrounding the European Championships, the very fact that you're reading this is because YOU'RE A LIVERPOOL FAN! Don't ever forget that!

So I'm here to inform you, my fellow Reds out there, that there is going to be a highly anticipated book named '43 Years With The Same Bird' that is going to be released soon. Written by Brian Reade, a lifelong Liverpool fan and award winning journalist, he is going to touch on the moments which impacted him and probably us as well.

It is Brian's take on the extraordinary stories behind the 48 trophies he has seen Liverpool lift since watching them en route to their first-ever FA Cup win in 1965, right through to the Champions League defeat in Athens in 2007. It takes in all of the big nights that propelled the club to five European Cups, three UEFA Cups, 12 titles, countless domestic cup triumphs, bitter failures, the tragic disasters in Sheffield and Brussels, as well as the barren years of the late 60s and the 90s.

Already sounding fantastic to me! As Liverpool fans, we know there's one thing that binds us all and it's our sentimentalism and how we pride ourselves in 'those good old days'. While we move forward with Rafa Benitez and his Spanish armada, it wouldn't be a harm looking back and reminiscing on the events which 'shook the Kop'.

For more, please check out his latest podcast HERE and do mail me if you're interested. I'll most definitely point you to the person whom will answer all your questions.