-HH-
Last season was strange in many ways, and optimistic though I am in general I can’t help but feel this time round is likely to be much of the same again. It’s sad when matters off the field seem to matter more than those on it, but that’s the way much of last season was - and sadly we seem no closer to ridding ourselves of the parasites that brought these problems in the first place. And what’s worse is they seem to have learned better manipulation. They’ve realised that the best spin for them is no spin at all. The quiet is dulling people’s anger and is allowing them to continue sucking the club dry. Meanwhile, Rafa is working his usual solid job in the transfer market with the added pressure of knowing that the owners want a league title and soon.
The saddest thing is that if Rafa does manage to bring back the title it will only serve to strengthen their hold on the club, attract more and more hangers on to the crowd which will lessen the impact of any protests we can actually make as supporters, either verbal or financial. Most people will tell you that they don’t care who signs the cheques as long as we win the league, but that’s not true for me. I want a good, responsible owner who will protect the interests of the city and the matchgoing fanbase as well as facilitating success on the pitch. Maybe it’s a tough ask, but we’re Liverpool and we should demand that of our owners. The matchday experience has already been ruined beyond recognition in the 7 years I’ve been going the match so god knows how those who remember the genuinely good days feel. *

On the pitch it’s been a good summer. The way I see it we’re a stronger attacking unit than we were last year - attacking full backs give us a new dimension, as does Robbie Keane. I think most defences will struggle against the talent we have, including the Mancs and Chelsea - where we lost the points that in the main cost us the title last year. The return of Danny Agger and to be honest the sale of Riise strengthens us defensively. On paper it’s all looking very good, but if we’re to turn that into a genuine title challenge we need to improve our mentality and defend and attack set pieces better, and all the signings in the world won’t solve that problem. We’re so close I can taste it, but being that close just makes it harder to take if you do fall short. Pre-season has involved a lot of positives too - some promising performances from youngsters, the return of Daniel Agger and for me a return to form for Jamie Carragher. Jamie was poor for me last season, but he’s shown he’s ready to get his head down again and prove any doubters wrong. And it being Carra, you just know he will.

My wish for the coming season is a complete reversal of last season, which started out with such optimism and petered out under a dark cloud of off pitch issues. Despite the strategic silence, those issues aren’t resolved and won’t be until the owners are removed. Getting rid of them in the first half of the season and settling things down off the pitch and finishing by taking the title to the wire would be my greatest hope. But even as an optimist by nature I can only see us getting one or the other at best, and sadly whichever we do get will be slightly sullied by the failure on another count.

*This ray of sunshine was brought to you by Powergen

Spartacus

The new football season kicks off in just over a week’s time and I can’t wait.  Every year it’s the same, come May I can’t wait for the season to finish and come August I can’t wait for it to start again.  It doesn’t matter how successful a season we have or more to the point how disappointing our league campaign may have been, it’s a cycle of emotions that I’ve lived with for many a year and I can’t see it ending anytime soon!

So what about this season?  What will Rafa’s fifth season in charge of the mighty reds bring us? Has he strengthened the squad enough to see us challenge for the title or yet again will our league campaign be over by Christmas?  I wish I had answers rather than opinions, but then if I had the answers would I still be waiting, eagerly anticipating the start of the season?  I think not!

For what its worth and purely from a leagues perspective I think we’ll have our best season yet under Rafa as long as Rafa lasts the season (I’ll come back to that).  So why the optimism?  Well partly because that’s my nature and I start every season full of optimism but also because I genuinely believe we’ve improved as a squad and I think Rafa is adapting to our league with every season, he’s not took to it overnight and he’s made mistakes but so what?  Who doesn’t?  As long as he learns by his mistakes and I believe he does then that’s fine. 

But I’m not getting carried away with my optimism, having the best league season under Rafa and winning the league are two very different things and in all honesty I don’t see us winning the league, I just don’t think we’ve done enough to bridge the gap.  I’m not a huge advocate of simply throwing money at the problem but I do believe we have to be buying players of the same calibre as Torres each season and not as a one off!  If that player costs money then he costs money!  All in all I’d class a title challenge and us still being in the race come March as a step in the right direction, anything more than that for me is a bonus. 

To be honest I feel sorry for Rafa, I’m sorry that he joined a club that prided its self on doing things the right way and supporting their manager, a club steeped in tradition with a reputation second to none yet he finds himself working with muppets and having to deal with unprecedented (for Liverpool) off the field antics, and I wonder how much he’ll stand for before he walks – but I also wonder how much our owners will put up with before they show him the door, a dodgy start in the premier/champions league and we’ll see how much faith they have in Rafa, have they got the bottle for the season ahead?  I believe a lesser man would have thrown in the towel by now and I don’t for one minute think he’s not considered that, but only time will tell.

Mark_P

August is usually a time for wildly confident predictions, the usual Evertonian bet and the usual “this is our year” statements.  This year seems totally different.

Maybe it’s another season of underachievement in the league.  Maybe it’s watching United do the double, edging ever closer to our haul of league triumphs.  Maybe it’s watching our manager having to try and sell players he wants to fund possible transfers, the funds he was promised by two cowboys eighteen months ago nowhere to be seen.  But “that feeling” isn’t anywhere near as strong as it normally is by the time August hits.

The signing of Robbie Keane undoubtedly excites.  As well as guaranteed goals, his clever play in attacking areas is something we’ve been missing.  Whilst the price may be a little high, the fact that he won’t have any problems adapting to the Premier League means that the buy is certainly no risk, bar the risk of a further dodgy chant from the Kop.

The departure of John Arne Riise means “For fucks sake Riise!” has been shouted at Anfield for the last time, and is another weakness in the squad addressed.  The probable signing of Gareth Barry and departure of Xabi Alonso is obviously in the manager’s mind, and, despite no obvious gulf in class between the two, something he will likely get.  The pre-season judging of new players is something that means nothing, and should act as merely a fitness boost and piss up for the fans, but David N’Gog has look a handful, and the form of the young reserve players has been encouraging.

Yet as Liverpool get into bed with Thomas Cook and tout tickets in the shape of their “Matchday hospitality”, buy out our pubs on a match day and have two owners with view so out of touch with supporters they felt it was a good idea to have a quiet pint in the Sandon after a match, it’s difficult to look forward to another season of bending over and taking it up the arse from Gillett, Hicks, Parry, Platini, Thomas Crook, the FA, UEFA et al.

Fortunately the Spirit of Shankly union continues to grow, and will undoubtedly go from strength to strength this season, hopefully giving us a platform to make some difference, with Thomas Cook’s lowering of rip off prices for coaches to Liege a testimony to what can be done through the union – http://www.spiritofshankly.com/join.html

Let’s hope by May we’ve found ourselves owners who back up their “snoogy doogy” claim, and Benitez and Gerrard are lifting the one we want in front of a celebrating Kop, with a loud rendition of “Champions!  Champions!” buzzing round the ground.

Enough to even get this miserable arse excited!

Raul: 

On the Pitch

An inveterate optimist, every year is always “our year” for me.  I’m happy to see that at least some of the more “thinking” posters agree with that view this time around.

I’m not sure whether having lived through the glory years makes me less or more desperate than some younger fans for success but my desire to win is tempered by the fact that I find a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure in having made the best effort possible, regardless of the outcome.  If we can look at ourselves at the mirror at the end of the season and say that we have done that, that we have tried our best, then there is nothing to be ashamed of, wherever in the league we might finish the season.  Old fashioned and perhaps even foolishly romantic but there you have it.

Practically though, this term, with the cast of characters that our manager has put together over the past few years I think that if we make that kind of effort, we have the quality and will find that we are there, or at least thereabouts.  The team to make the challenge is more or less there, the spirit must now follow.  And if there was ever a year for us to have that spirit, this is it.

Gerrard knows that this is the business end of his career.  I do not subscribe to the theory that some trot out about him “not caring” – I think does, enormously.  He needs to show that outwardly a little more this season.  Carragher clearly cares and Mascherano wears his heart on his sleeve too.  Question Kuyt’s ability if you must but his attitude is unimpeachable.  Skrtel plays like he wants to kill someone on the other team and Alonso, if he stays and when he plays, is always bothered about how we do.  If Keane is half the fan that he claims to be, he will have the bottle and I think that is enough of a nucleus to bring the Dossenas, Degens and N’Gogs of the world along and get them to do their best.

Of the new boys, Keane has done nothing to show that it was a mistake to get him, Dossena has impressed after a slow start and N’Gog seems to have the brains that Cisse did not.  I think Rafa has bought well this time around.

So let us see.

Off the Pitch

I’m going to leave out discussion of our owners, other than to say that I would like them out – they lied and they mistreated our manager.

I would like to see a significantly greater effort being made by the club in marketing LFC.  One of the reasons we fell behind Manchester United in the 90s was because their success was seen on TV by the teeming millions in Asia, leading to all that crap we love to deride – shirt sales, merchandise and more money for better players. 

News reports in the last few weeks point to the big enemy making big plans for countries like India, where the television coverage of almost every weekend game has meant that little boys are looking at the Premier League as a credible alternative to the IPL and cricket and, as is inevitable with little boys, are beginning to pick teams to support, however much that might be to the horror of the militant purple bin brigade.  And they will support the successful teams, which is why you will see more kids here with Manchester United and Chelsea shirts than Liverpool or even Arsenal.  Our three biggest rivals are setting up academies and twinning with Indian clubs, sending past players out for coaching camps and getting talented youngsters across to England for training and a taste of the big time.  Things like this are already happening in China and elsewhere in Asia.

We cannot afford to fall behind on this but the club seems to be dragging its feet on taking any significant initiatives in this area.  Whether this is down to Parry or the lying twosome, I don’t know but LFC needs to get its act together on increasing its global (shirt buying) support.  If we want to play with the big boys, we need to at least match their moves.

Perhaps we need to have the second coming of DIC to see this happen.

3. NickoH

I could quote the old saying of ‘heart or mind’ but I’ll let my mind rule this time.

It’s that time of the year when hope is usually high on the agenda, whereas in trophy laden times gone by it was an expectation of league winning success that was top of the list.

I’ve learned over the years to suppress this hope because sometimes even a little hope can be a cruel thing and the let down felt after Christmas (at best) can be a huge fall, with many a word typed in anger towards the owners, the underperforming team and the odd shot towards Rafa.

It’s been a slow progression, rather than a big bang but Rafa is steering the team in the right direction, I’ve no doubt about that. The summer has yet again seen a steady of never heard of youngsters, a couple of promising more experienced men and the possible ‘Torres’ signing in Robbie Keane. Will Robbie be this final missing piece of the jigsaw which has become harder to find than the Holy Grail and the Loch Ness Monster put together ? Only time will tell but I think he may just be the signing to turn them relatively huge number of last seasons draws into 3 points.

Obvious but Anfield needs to become the famous fortress yet again. Rafa seems to have cracked the away games but last season our home form let us down, which was a surprise to say the least. Maybe, just maybe, Rafa needs to go for the jugular when we are 1-0 up and coasting. Many times I felt if we got the second we would go on and win 3 or 4-0 instead of settling for what we had and many times ending up with only one point.

Babel, Torres, Gerrard, Keane, etc, etc…..on paper at least give us a mouth watering combination in the attacking third and fingers crossed the defence will be a place that will need to fight for places. Skrt’s, Carra, Agger and to a lesser extent Sami will be competing for the two central spots and it’s anyone’s guess who will make the positions theirs. In Pepe Reina we have a now hardened Premier performer in the nets and I wouldn’t swap him for anyone. His record in winning the Golden Gloves (or whatever it is called) tells no lies and gives us the start of that solid background down the middle.

Hopefully the off the pitch scenario will not be filling the papers as much as last season and whatever the outcome in that ‘battle’ the results will fill the message boards and column inches of Fleet Street’s ‘finest’.

So where will we finish ? Back to my heart and mind…….heart says we can win it, possibly all the way to the last game…..my mind says 3rd behind Chelsea and Man U but a lot closer.

The other cup competitions will hold the best hope of a trophy coming to Anfield. Rafa will play a second string in the Carling Cup but it may be strong enough (if we avoid Chelsea away) to bring it back home and give us a first visit to the new Wembley and a weekend piss up in London.
The FA Cup again may offer us a visit to Wembley twice but again it depends how seriously we take it. The scares last season and eventual upset in getting turfed out by lower opposition may well turn into a Burnley moment and we go on to win it the season after.

Europe….what can I say about Europe ? Every season now starts with me actually thinking we can go all the way….Maybe it’s the confidence we have got in recent seasons that fills me with hope for the forthcoming campaign or maybe it’s just a bit of wishful thinking that I’ll be sat in a bar in Roma come May. Whatever it is, I again think we can go all the way and after last seasons English domination we might just have to get through an all English quarter or semi final clash.

My Club-My View……full of hope as usual but don’t tell anyone…..I keep these things to myself.

So Ronaldo is a ’slave’ and there’s a thread in here about the money provided for Keane that says basically “say what you like about the Germans, but they made the trains run on time”

(Some people think Hicks has coughed up the money for Keane and Torres so he can’t be that bad:  http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=225240.0)

At what point do we the fan in the street say “Enough is enough”. It seems to me that for every SOS campaign there’s the opposite which says, “Actually never mind the morals feel the quality”. We all know many fans who remain silent on the take over and don’t really care and wouldn’t boycott a game if you paid them the SKY fee to the club per annum.

We all know that there’s been something rotten in the state of Football (esp the Premier League) since the day SKY bought it out and threw out any sense of decency. But this close season seems to have stunk more than ever.

1. Ronaldo is paid £100,000 a week and the very head of football says he’s a slave.

2. Joey Barton is released early from jail to see his manager fully back him and point out he was a good lad when he was at the club.

3. Hicks and Gilette, having loaded our club with millions of pounds of debt are now being almost forgiven by some who think they’ve stumped up the cost of Robbie Keane. (Good but overpriced btw.) when actually he’s paid for by the sale of others.

4. Real Madrid is accused of tapping up and unsettling Ronaldo, Sir Alex ‘whiter than a daz sheet in a nunnery’ Ferguson is livid. Never mind the hypocrisy, feel the price of Berbatov. Or Stam. Or Ferdinand. Or shall I go on?

It makes Chelsea’s sacking of Mutu for drugs abuse seem oh so applaudable. Except if Mutu was Drogba, would they have done it?

Would Barton have the loving father figure of Kev if he was a shit player?

Would Ronaldo matter a spit to either Real, Sepp or Alex if he was Wes Brown?

We often argue about the manner in which Liverpool play, what style would we put up with for a win. Well that’s no longer the point, its what would we lower ourselves to, to get a win? Let the club be taken over by two charlatans, sing their praises at the ground then wake up with a hangover realising we’ve not been seduced by the Texan lovely Jerry Hall, but fucked over badly by the Texan ugly George Bush Snr.
At least we’ve not sunk as low as something as crazy as our club hiring out Goodison for corporates.. Oh wait..

We the fans put up and justify many things in the name of winning and football, but this close season has made the bitter taste in my mouth even more sour.

in the close season its nice to see Liverpool players playing well and winning stuff so RAWK wants to say muchas well dunio to Fernando, Pepe, Arby, and Xabi for their win in Switzerland and Austria.

Who do you support? A RAWK Quiz.
With many new members, we’ve decided to set a quiz for them. Try it and see who you support!

1.   You can hear “Shall we sing a song for you?” being sung. Are you

a)   Singing with them
b)   They’re in the other end but its so quiet you can hear them
c)   Fuck off you redshite – we deserved to be 4th and its not fair and I’m taking my ball home cos we’re the people’s supermarket club
d)   It’s the away fans but we’re winning 8-0 and so are having a half time coffee
e)   It’s my first time in Manchester so I don’t know.

2.   It’s half time – what are you eating?

a)   cheap pie, pint maybe
b)   Coq au vin
c)   Depends what Tesco’s have on in the out of date dept you redshite, we’re better than you no matter what your manager says arsescuntwankers ooh look a balloon.
d)   Scouse pie
e)   It’s my first time in Manchester but I’ve heard the prawns are nice

3.   It’s the start of the 2nd half, and the opposition goalkeeper is running towards you. Do you?

a)   boo him, and start singing “Easeh Easeh” if you’re back in time
b)   mmm what? Oh you startled me, I had dozed off, we’re too busy drinking café au lait
c)   Fuck off redshite twats god I hate you, I’d run the other way cos I’d think he seen me shoplifting in Tesco’s
d)   Applaud him then boo if he doesn’t respond
e)   Isn’t Manchester big? Is that the goalkeeper? He looks tiny from up here.

4.   Your favourite player scores. What do you do?

a)   Chant his name to any old tune you nicked the week before.
b)   Applaud and then complain that all the decisions go against you.
c)   Sing a song about Steven Gerrard.
d)   Sing a song about him, hopefully a new one that isn’t the same as other players’ tunes.
e)   Ask people on Merseyside if they’re watching even if your team is playing Fulham

5.   It’s a big European night, what things do you bring with you to the game?

a)   What’s Europe? I’ve been to Marbella once if that helps?
b)   Nothing, I just pick up my flag on the way in, but it’s a bit cumbersome alongside my copy of Proust.
c)   A sign that says Redshite in a foreign language so I can hilariously get my photo taken with it abroad.
d)   Home made banners, flags, scarves, voices.
e)   Nothing, UEFA will provide us with everything we need, mainly a result though.

6.   One of your players blatantly dives, what do you think about it?

a)   I told you we shouldn’t have signed Robbie Savage.
b)   I did not zee eet, the incident you are talkeeng about but eet is never our fault you know, ever
c)   Sing a song about Steven Gerrard, its his fault
d)   One of those things, we all have players who do it
e)   We never have anyone who dives not even Ronaldo ever and UEFA and the FA will back us up because we never ever cheat because we’re the most glamourous team

7.   The match is over. You’re heading home. Your journey?

a)   Is about an hour, but I’m used to it, just wait til we get relegated it’ll be hours to Gillingham..
b)   Is by chauffeur driven car at, or in a black cab, but as the driver – anyway there was 18 minutes left so I can get away sharp.
c)   Via Tesco’s to see of any of the meat is half price yet.
d)   Is via the pub to talk about the match or out of the city with some mates
e)   It’s a long way to London from Manchester. Aren’t the kits pretty? Apparently there’s 2 teams in the city, I like Ronaldo he’s pretty too.

Answers:

Mainly a) – choose from any club in the Premier League, Championship or League One apart from Arsenal, Everton, Liverpool and Manchester Utd

Mainly b) Arsenal 90% maybe Chelsea.

Mainly c) Everton

Mainly d) Liverpool

Mainly e) Manchester Utd.

There are some, on here as well as elsewhere, who argue that Hicks isn’t all that bad for Liverpool. That his business approach to the club, his attitude to Parry (wanting someone else in to “take the club forward”) and his money, is a good thing and that so long as “we win trophies” well, what’s wrong with him, isn’t it about time we invested in Liverpool, didn’t he pay for Fernando and so on?

They would also point out that Bill Shankly himself said “coming first” was all important, and (with perhaps a modicum of truth) that most of us agree that so long as we win, who cares how we play or who writes the cheques..

Well to a degree that’s true. We all want to see Liverpool win; we mock the Arsenal fans who would rather see lovely football than be in the semi-final of the Champions League  if we win 1-0 in a final, the cup and the history books tell us all we need to know, Liverpool won.

But I’d like to say to these people, these hard-headed fans, these Thicks, sorry T. Hicks apologists, you’re wrong and you’re wrong for one reason.

We are Liverpool.

Now, before you all start calling me an old sentimental idiot, one who yearns for the pre SKY days and that all football is a business, let me put my argument forward why I believe the statement in bold, above, makes all the difference.

Firstly, I believe that football has always been a business, from the business decision orientated day of the formation of Liverpool, “Take your ball and piss off” said Mr J Houlding; to the days of the maximum wage, to today’s minimum wage being more than my dad would’ve earned in his life.

So its not that I think there was a golden age when football was run by kindly local businessmen who wanted the community to have something to be proud about.

No, what I truly believe is that I happen to support a unique team in the world. One that has (but sadly is rapidly losing) a direct connection with the community, with the fans and that a spiritual bond exists between the fans and the ‘Club’ whatever you take that word to mean.

Parry himself said that no individual is bigger than the club, and he was right. I and many others on here have written before that what Liverpool means to us, is individually unique, intangible and a wonderful concept that is ‘Our Club’. Certainly not anyone elses.

Liverpool has always been my club. Not David Moores when he owned it, not even Shankly or Bob’s club, it was the club I supported and followed and it accompanied me through life, above all else it was and remains the one thing that stays constant throughout my life.

Now, I don’t doubt fans of other clubs will think that too, that to them, all of the above holds water for them. But without saying “We’re the best fans in the world” because we’re plainly not, what is true is that Liverpool fans do have a unique and strong bond with that concept that is our club.

Think about it, even Arsenal players talk of the atmosphere, of playing at Anfield, even John Terry talks of how the noise and the home support scared him, how he was envious of Liverpool’s 12th man, the Kop, the ground, the man and woman in the street.

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live pundits talk about how they think Liverpool is different, even though they support other teams, how Liverpool has a proper link with its fans.
And there lies the rub Tom…
You see the supporters, create what Liverpool is to the rest of the world, for without us, the club would be just another football club. Without the fans, Liverpool FC wouldn’t be the Liverpool FC that you bought, that the media talk about and that other players and fans secretly envy.

Look at the all the Liverpool fansites, how many threads talk about games where the noise, the support, the flags the fans raised the hairs on the back of your neck.

We have flag days, threads on how to make your banners the size of a football pitch, Chelsea have a thread telling you what time to pick up your plastic flag.

The Kop is but a set of seats without us. The Anny Rd too. The Lower Centenary, well I’ll stop there but you get the idea.

The world of football knows our anthem, they love to talk about and listen to Anfield on a European night, even our players talk about it. And that would be nothing, NOTHING, without OUR voices singing, shouting and chanting. It would be like the British Museum on a European night, or even worse, Chelsea v Rosenborg.

Tom, this isn’t a franchise of soccer. Each football club in the world claims to be individual, but Liverpool is the epitomy of that. It isn’t a commodity to be bought and sold – well to you it is, but you are missing the point. You are playing with my emotions, my history, my memories, my hopes because I love my club. And Liverpool fans, as hoodwinked and seduced by your patter as we were (well if Parry and Moores fell for it, can you blame the fan in the street?), each have that connection to the club and that sentiment and that emotional bond.

So for you to come out and in public tell the world how terrible things are, its like shitting on my living room carpet, taking a photo of it and showing everyone else. You don’t do it. I can slag off my mum and dad, but not you. And if Liverpool FC is what it is, because of us the fans, then you are de facto, criticising us, the fans. Well fuck you for that you ignorant shit. Because no-one, NO-ONE, tells me or other Liverpool fans how to support our team. We know how to and we’ve been fucking good at it since 1892.

 It’s not about bad PR Tom its about trying to understand that Liverpool is different, that it is envied and admired in equal amounts across the nation, partially because of its success, but also because of the its culture, which is us.

The title of my thread is why Liverpool is different, what you ought to understand about us. The link between the fans and the club at this football club is different to anywhere else.

You have bitten off more than you can chew Tom. And we’re not ending up in your spittoon.

After many hard working hours, RAWK members 24/7 and kinKi have finished the Hillsborough for Dummies - the facts behind the Disaster document. I urge all readers on here to have a look at it, and to pass it on to all those who don’t know about the tragedy as its a fantastic introduction and factual guide to the terrible day.

http://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=217050