Was it a storm in a tea cup? Was it a petty dispute that grew arms and legs, or is there a genuine rift in the corridors of power at Liverpool?
Well if there is, may they continue bickering for a good while yet, because we’ve won our last two matches by three clear goals.

Not that last night’s game was that clear cut. We were disjointed for much of it, and Porto settled into a very nice rhythm, but Torres shows why you pay the big money, and Crouch shows why we miss him (in Europe especially where many teams can’t play him)

A big shout to the 2,500-3,000 fans voicing our concerns before the game. Liverpool’s fans do know what’s important to them, and right now a win in Marseille, a win v the mancs, and a winding down of the troubles would bring us all a very merry Christmas.

owners, who by the way, it should be said, most of us welcomed, and welcomed warmly when they made the right noises as they popped up at ours for tea..

But now there is a rift with Rafa, bother with Benitez, and make no mistake, if Messrs G n H thought we could make a noise at Anfield on a European night, wait til you hear us over our European Knight… Talk about making the right noise..

If proof were needed that Liverpool have the right man for the job, Rushian’s piece on Houllier’s team v Newcastle 2 stories down, is by far the most eloquent way to show how far we have come as a team. It encapsulates where we were and how we feel about being here now.

The USA (us at Anfield that is) have long memories and like all fans, have a simple alleigence - the club. If the manager is making the club progress, he gets our support. Especially at Liverpool where we are patient and know our football.

And whether Rafa knows that or not, ( he must  know he has our backing), he is right in saying look this is how it works in Europe.

I hope for once there is contact with Manchester Utd. Contact between our owners and theirs.

Because I think that the Glaziers may point out a couple of things:

Don’t cross a successful manager

Don’t underestimate the fans

Don’t take the piss.

You wanted our club Gillette and Hicks, well you can’t just cherrypick the best of it - the big games, the Euro nights and the great feelings, supporting Liverpool, any club, you take the rough and the smooth.

It’s the shite that makes the good times so sweet. So let’s not overworry but lets be clear, don’t make us point out our support for our own European Knight.

So Mr Allardyce thinks Rafa is lucky to have kept his job as he hasn’t won the Premier League in his years at Anfield.

Well they say us fans don’t know much about football, but yesterday proved them wrong. A television shot you will see oft repeated was of Sam foreground and 2 fans behind him shouting “You don’t know what you’re doing”.

I watched the game sat next to 5 Geordies. They had kept their shirts on, but that’s Scotland for you in the autumn. Bu they were tearing their hair out. 3 at the back? Milner not on? No shots at goal? and so it went on.

Humble Pie is a tricky dish to eat when your big mouth is full of chewing gum, but Sam, honestly, just becuase Rafa (and Arsene and Alex) don’t like the way you set up Bolton; is that good enough reason to utterly disrespect a manager who has taken his team to 2 Champions League finals?

Big Deal Sam, big deal. oh and good luck at the poisoned chalice that is Newcastle. New castle? same old story.

meanwhile poor Rafa can’t win. he wins against the barcodes yesterday handsomely - well why do we need any new players? He loses? well what’s he doing in the job?

I noticed with interest that as soon as Gerrard went off, so did we off the boil. Testament to my belief that John Arne Riise isn’t the sharpest tool in the box (in fact, nor the 17th sharpest, just coming below the soft mallet), i watched and winced as he took the ball and passed it without looking straight up the park. To the opposition. We lost our way a little bit in the last ten minutes. Luckily Newcastle have still to find theres.

Oh and good to see Harry play without any complaint. From him.

It was four years ago at a very similar stage of the season (give or take the odd game) that I decided that Gerard Houllier had to go for the future of the club. It was just a personal epiphany, not at all important in the grand scheme of things, but watching Houllier’s side that day against Newcastle crystallised for me the belief that the club was going backwards.

This is what I wrote after a long, brooding trip back:

“Au revoir Monsieur Houllier - that was a tactically naive, cowardly, abrogation of our tradition today. Haven’t been as furious after a game in years. A disgrace to the name of LFC. Go now Gerard while you retain the personal respect of many of us.

We went into the game looking for a draw with 23 games to go in the season. At this stage we should be looking to win every match. No movement forward. Poor movement off the ball. Siege mentality. Unacceptable.”

Compare and contrast that to yesterday’s performance against an equally average Newcastle. We had young exciting attacking players bursting forward at every opportunity. Making angles, moving off the ball. Attacking intent throughout.

Now we haven’t always played that well this season as injuries have interrupted our flow and new players been slow to settle in, but if we win our game in hand (at home to West Ham) and we go second above both Chelsea and Manchester United. We’ve also never reverted to putting up a Maginot line across the pitch against mediocre opposition as Houllier did.

We shouldn’t be looking to change the manager when there is clear, exciting, forward progress on the pitch.

On buying the club in February this year, Hicks and Gillett released this statement:

“Liverpool is a fantastic club with a remarkable history and a passionate fanbase. We fully acknowledge and appreciate the unique heritage and rich history of Liverpool and intend to respect this heritage in the future. The Hicks family and the Gillett family are extremely excited about continuing the club’s legacy and tradition.”

Part of the club’s unique heritage and rich history is that we, the passionate fanbase, have always been the ones to instinctively know when the time was right for a manager to go. Now it not that time.

The new owners should show some humility, swallow their pride and support the fans in supporting the manager. Our legacy and tradition deserves that.

All together:

Ra Ra Rafa Benitez …

Yes, the BBC are at it again. In their infinite wisdom, the BBC has decided to dig deep into Britain’s deep population pool of 60 million and drag up Kelvin MacKenzie, the notorious lying bigot responsible for the original and since repeated Hillsborough smears, to appear in its Celebrity Apprentice show in aid of Sport Relief. It defies belief. Are they really that thick? Perhaps MacKenzie will accuse Alan Sugar or urinating on and robbing the dead when he’s told that he’s fired.

Sports Relief can be contacted as follows:

Email: info@sportrelief.com

Sport Relief
5th Floor
89 Albert Embankment
London
SE1 7TP

Switchboard: 020 7820 5555
Fax: 020 7820 5500

The BBC? It’s hardly worth complaining. You’ll just receive a standard reply composed by a trainee. It’s clear MacKenzie has a mate high up at the BBC from his continual use across its various networks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/

Phone: 08700 100 222

Email: http://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/make_complaint_step1.shtml

BBC Complaints,
PO Box 1922,
Glasgow G2 3WT