There’s nothing more likely to bring out the child in me than a Liverpool match on a workday afternoon. The furtive sneaking from the office, the joy of the illicit pint, it takes me right back to wagging double maths on a Monday morning, although I was a vodka drinker back then…

So yesterday afternoon I settled down in the local ready to watch what may be the most important tie of the year for Liverpool FC, or at least their accountants. As the media remind us ad nauseum, failure to qualify for the league stages would have disastrous consequences for the balance sheet, not to mention the humiliation of missing the business end of the European season. So plenty at stake, an attacking lineup with Gerrard in his favoured position and even some unseasonal summer weather, sunshine no less, to savour, at least on the telly. What more could one ask for?

Well, something approaching a football match would’ve been nice. Despite their scary sounding name Toulose were a poor side. Overly defensive considering the prize on offer they struggled to mount one shot on target in a first half controlled by Liverpool. The tedium was already mounting when Rick Parfitt got onto a Crouch header and unleashed a wonderful strike into the top corner.

To be fair, the French side had a bit more of the play after the break. Elmander had a couple of half chances and will need careful supervision at Anfield but the rest of the game passed in much the same vein as the first half. Even as a fan I found myself looking at my watch with the kind of angry expression more akin to the Old Trafford moaner in chief.

I didn’t need to stick around for the post match interviews to know that Rafa would be happy to have ‘controlled the game’. I’m also not one to prize an adventurous loss over a boring win. If the end of the season sees us celebrating in Moscow I’d happily play the same match another 14 times, but next time I play truant I hope to see a better game than that one.

So, that’s pre-season over, we went through our preperations unbeaten, and still managed to avoid winning two trophies (well, one trophy, and some kind of strange porcelain thing that wouldn’t have looked out of place had Hugh Scully been fawning over it).

More importantly, we go into the season with a full week to prepare, no injuries (tonights game was not a final, so I think when Harry went off it was tactical, not the compulsory final injury). The team, based on the most recent evidence, seems to have a bit of fire in their belly, and all the new players have had a decent amount of minutes and time to settle in. All new signings have, in fits and starts and in varying degrees, impressed, and not one looks, at this very early stage, like a bad signing.

We have quite possibly the best fist team, and the best squad overall, that we’ve had for almost twenty years, a great manager, and an encourging sense of positivity surrounds the entire club. Big money is being spent (though the net spend is in line with, or lower, than previous years), and a big stadium on the way. The big players have all been tied to long term contracts, and the fans have big hopes.

Expectactions will, of course, be high - we’re LFC, and they always are - but whatever happens, I’m just glad it’s football time again!

Let’s finally get that number 19!

We are in the words of the same man, the best of fans - the worst of fans.

William, it was really a lie..

UEFA (Unbeliveably Embarrassing Football Arse-ups) have leaked a press release saying that there has been more trouble with Liverpool fans than any other over the last four years. This includes the 2005 final when the total sum of Liverpool fans arrested after the Istanbul final was….. 0. Yep, none. This was after UEFA Spokesman William Gaillard confirmed we were great fans, no trouble, the best of the lot.

Yesterday a UEFA spokesman confirmed that undercover cops had found that Liverpool fans were the most badly behaved over the last 4 years in Europe.

The spokesman’s name ? Oh, William Gaillard.

Blame the English, it’s free and easy…

This from an organisation that routinely ignores and trivialises the racist chanting, the nazi salutes, the stabbings, the shootings, the murders even from other supporters… This from an organisation that ignores the togetherness of gestures like Liverpool fans placing a memorial banner at the shrine to the Olympiakos fans crushed, at Athens last week.

Make no mistake, no real Liverpool fan will condone the stealing of tickets, the rushing of barriers and loutish behaviour. Nor would any Manchester United fan at Lille, or any real PSV fan at those of their ilk chanting racist slogans, or the ultras who kill or stab. Any football team will have fans who are bad for the game. But to suggest that Liverpool are the worst ? Or that UEFA have no blame for planning a match at a stadium where fans can get in with boarding passes ? Or pepsi cups ?

A great new advert the soft drink’s company “Drink Pepsi, see football for free”….

Then again this is an organisation that saw fit to host a final at Heysel, against all advice from security, police and footballing organisations.

And this is an organisation headed by a man who saw fit to celebrate the winning of the European Cup at that tragic place by running round the arena, carrying a cup and gloating whilst the stench of the dead lay heavy over the pitch.

Hypocrisy, insensitivity and underhanded high mindedness. Once again shame is heaped on football but this time the stink comes from on high.

It is as recently as both 2003 and 2005 that Liverpool have finished in 5th place in the premiership.
It bodes well, then, that, yet again after last season, a Champions League Qualifying place (NOT a Champions League place - ask an evertonian) has been secured in mid April.

These are small steps, but certainly important ones that show progression from the recent dark days when we often found ourselves fighting for a CL place in the last week of the season, missing out as often as succeding.

The points total will not be as high as last season, but it’ll not be far off, and stability at the club, new investment, and a team building process that looks near to completion, all hopefully signal that the dark days when “4th is the minimum acceptable target” seemed to become “4th is the maximum possible” are at an end. Rather than struggle to get INTO the Champions league, we are about to play in our second semi-final in 3 years, and will begin next seasons tournament ranked the 3rd best team in europe over the past 5 years (with only Barca and Milan ahead of us)

A fantastic, strong, in depth and still very young squad has been built (Reina, Agger, Riise, Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano, Pennant, Gonzales, Crouch, Kuyt and more have all still to reach the “peak age” of 27-28), while a previously failing youth system has produced a team reaching the last 2 FA Youth Cup finals, with many more young players impressing out on loan.

Small steps (and an occasional celebratory leap in the air) have been taken in Rafa’s three season in charge. Far be it from me to suggest a “5 year plan” is in progress (god forbid), but next season is the time to start taking big, Crouch sized strides.

It’s our year next year!

Now, where have I heard that before…

We’re at that time of the year again.  Every manager, player and fan are being asked how the year that is about to end has gone for them, while great analysis is being made of 2006.  Never being one to stand out from the crowd, I decided to follow suit and remember what went on in a year that included another cup win, and memorable wins and defeats.

The Second Coming and Encouraging Start - January 06

2006 nearly started off in the worst possible fashion as El Hadji Diouf, of all people, looked like he he’d ended the Reds ten game unbeaten domestic run at the Reebok on the 2nd.  Thankfully, Luis Garcia was on hand to maintain the run, starting us with a respectable draw to keep us as definite ‘outsiders’ in the title race.

The Saturday after we fell in love again with the FA Cup, especially after last year’s dismal journey to Burnley, with a superb encounter against Mike Newell’s Luton Town.  The no mark home fans, battling opponents and shite ground added to the tea time atmosphere, as the Reds won 5-3 after being 3-1 down.  Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso both scored stunners, and Florent Sinama Pongolle had the away end bouncing as he scored twice to make it 4-3.  Alonso topped off a memorable game with his first goal from his own half of the year.

Despite a loss at Old Trafford, the performance was one that warranted three points, with the strikers frustrating.  Djibril Cisse, already many people’s prediction to struggle to end the year as a Red, in particular missed seemingly easy opportunities.  Off the park, any chance to ram home the fact we’d won a European Cup not so long ago was duly taken.

But the biggest story of January was the return of Robbie Fowler.  For years the return of “God” was whispered around Liverpool by those apparently ‘in the know’, but as news filtered through on the Friday before the end of the transfer window there was no doubt that this was the real deal.

We finished January with a comprehensive victory away to Portsmouth, despite letting Pompey back into it with a late rally.  Man United may have handed us our first league defeat since October, but the return of Fowler and the start of our FA Cup run meant that 2005’s momentum was carried into the New Year in style.

Revenge on the Mancs and More Frustrations - February 06

The visit of Birmingham on the first day of February brought the debut of a player who was to end 2006 as a huge part of the team, Daniel Agger.  Despite a shaky start, not to mention having to remove the studs of Damien Johnson early on, the signs of the calm, assured passing from the back were evident at times.  Fowler’s first appearance in a Liverpool shirt as a 70th minute substitute blew the roof off, although his perfect return was ruined when his ‘winner’ was deemed offside.  Xabi Alonso’s late own goal was to start a three match run of defeats that blew any faint title hopes out of the water.

If defeat at Stamford Bridge was hard to stomach, Robben’s antics to get Pepe Reina sent off was the equivalent of the full on shits.  It’s ironic really that his manager ends 2006 accusing other players of diving and simulating.  Defeat at Charlton days later was the Mirror’s cue to label it an “Anfield Crisis” although it usually only takes the groundsman to put a corner flag in incorrectly for them to label it that usually.

A win against Arsenal at home and Wigan away got us going again, but it was the arrival of Man United in the FA Cup that will be best remembered from Febuary.  Chance of revenge had come very early for us, for Ferdinand’s undeserved winner, for their fans and police forces lack of effort in stopping woman getting smacked outside and especially for Gary “fucking” Neville.  Peter Crouch and the others on the field duly obliged and we were well on the way to our seventh trip to the Principality.

A one-nil defeat in the impressive Estadio de Luz didn’t dampen spirits, and we still sung that come May “in Gay Paree, we’ll win it six times.”  You don’t come back from three down against Milan and then let a one goal deficit bother you ..

Out of Europe, But in The Goals. - March 06

Charlton continued to piss everyone off by holding us to a scoreless bore draw, with Robbie yet again offside after grabbing what looked like the winner.  But it was Benfica’s visit that was a low point in the year, as goals from one time Liverpool target Simao and Fabrizo Miccolli sent us out of Europe for the first time since Marseille did in March 2004.  Things went from bad to worse as Stevie Gerrard’s mistimed, misplaced and everything else beginning with mis’ed back pass found the lurking Thierry Henry who dispatched it past Pepe Reina to leave February looking likely to take over November as our official nightmare month.

Thankfully the fixture list and FA Cup draw was kind to us, as first off Fulham came to town, and their 5-1 hammering made them wish they hadn’t bothered.  We then went to Newcastle, and defeated them, with Agger in particular impressing.  A 7-0 trashing of the hapless Birmingham was then followed by a superb Derby win, as, even with ten men, the Reds produced a superb performance to beat the Welshmen for the second time in the season.  Charlie Nicholas, Steve Curry and Jimmy Hill all proclaimed we’d been lucky, and on another day Birmingham and Newcastle would’ve beaten us, whilst claiming Rafa should be sacked for fucking up England’s World Cup hopes by having the cheek to play his best right midfielder on the right of midfield.

Feeling at home at Old Trafford - April 06

Wins against West Brom and Bolton meant that we were keeping the pressure on Man United in the second place spot, and we then carried on that form with a win at Blackburn.  A particularly stupid and awkward situation was finally solved when Liverpool and Blackburn agreed to play the game on the sixteenth, something Liverpool were aware of since the first day fixtures were announced in June/July.

But when the Reds went to Old Trafford to defeat Chelsea in the semi of the FA Cup final another trip to Wales was booked, and the defeat to the Rent boys in February suddenly seemed a long time ago.  Chelsea fans were hardly even heard as Luis Garcia and John Arne Riise fired us two goals ahead before Drogba pulled one back.  Charlie Nicholas and Brian Woolnough agreed that we’d devalued the FA Cup by beating Mourinho, he’d never won it before and it’s not fair we keep beating him in Semi finals.

Third place and more Cup Success - May 06

Two wins against Villa and Portmouth weren’t enough to leapfrog the Mancs into second place, but, like the year before, the games were a secondary attraction as fans made plans and talked about the Cup final ahead.

We all know what happened in Cardiff that day, and what a day it was. I never thought I’d see a better final than the Michael Owen one in 2001, yet that was bettered days later with the amazing 5-4 victory in Dortmund days later. That was then topped four years later in Istanbul, and whilst this one never reached those heights (What would?) it shows how lucky and spoilt we are to have witnessed and celebrated successes like these, and these are just in the last five years.

Dave Prentice told us that he wasn’t arsed because, in a woolly accent, he told us “You merderin Redshites aren’t even from Liverpool and we can get half season tickets.”

England World Cup Hopes Fade and Die (Again) - June 06

As England struggled against those renowned football nations such as Trinidad and Ecuador, twats who know fuck all and don’t bother with footy packed the pubs and screamed for England to win the World Cup. The joy of watching stupid fucking bints with red and white wigs and face paints crying as they went out was a joy to behold. Brian Woolnough blamed those dodgy foreign types who play in our country, especially the fucking Spanish cunts.

Pre-season - July 06

July brought about new signings in the shape of Fabio Aurelio, Mark Gonzalez, Craig Bellamy and Gabriel Paletta. After a seemingly endless pursuit of Daniel Alves, Jermaine Pennant was signed for the sum of a hefty £7m. After annual wins at Crewe and Wrexham, our performances in Switzerland and Germany were poor, a five nil reverse against Mainz alarming even for a pre-season game. Andy Gray was spotted partying like it was 1984 upon hearing the news of our five goal defeat.

Finally some proper footy - August 06

Another trip to Cardiff signalled the start of the new season, and as we outnumbered the Chelsea fans 1:3 off the pitch, on the pitch we beat them two to one, with Riise and Crouch scoring. Dirk Kuyt was signed through the next week from Feyernoord, with cynics around the World enquiring whether the Reds had only signed the Dutchman as a pretty boy to sell shirts to the Chinese market.

A 1-1 draw at the delightful Bramell Lane wasn’t an ideal way to start the season, but we followed it with another 1-1 draw against Maccabi Haifa in Kiev, ensuring our Champions League proper qualification. A two one victory over West Ham was a relief, although international football again made sure we’d only played twice in the league in the month of August.

Can we start again? - September 06

We started September with a game somewhere near home, although I can’t recall the score.

We started off our campaign in Europe with a respectable draw in the Netherlands, although the scenes in Amsterdam the night before showed that Reds were sure making up for lost time on the continent.  This was followed by a defeat at Stamford Bridge by a superb Drogba goal, although the performance was a positive.

Xabi’s second goal in a year from his own half capped off a good win at home to the, yet again, hapless Newcastle and wins against Tottenham and Galatasary show some promise for our domestic and European hopes.  Then came a defeat against Bolton away, more or less ending any hopes we had of making 2007 the year for number nineteen.  All by the end of September.

European Highs, Domestic Lows - October 06

October started with an average draw at home against Blackburn, followed by a decent one nil win away to Bordeaux.  But the season was to take yet another nosedive as, although eleven players in yellow shirts were indeed on the pitch at Old Trafford, none of them actually turned up (I know Reina was in a Blue shirt but you know what I mean!).  After two performances against United in 2006 that seemed to show that we were, at the very least, equal to them all over the pitch, this was a sharp shock to the system.

A win in the Carling Cup against a Reading who didn’t want to win was followed by a good 3-1 victory against Villa, although at least Martin O’Neil didn’t have far to go home.  What do you mean he didn’t really buy half the houses in Southport?

Victory against shocking Bordeaux at home ensured we were more or less through in our group, with Stevie Gerrard getting off the mark for the season.  Rodney Marsh was on hand to say “See?  I told you, play him in the middle.  What’s this fucking Benitez ever won compared to the mighty Rodney Marsh, eh?”

Can we have a mid season break in November from now on? - November 06

A narrow win away to Birmingham in the League Cup was followed by a dire defeat by three goals in the “Riverside on Steroids” stadium.  Somehow managing to draw at the “Riverside on nothing” stadium compounded the mood around the terraces as we somehow managed to draw a blank against one of the worst defences in the country.

A two nil win against PSV ensured we finished the group stages in top spot with a game to go, and a frustrating game against Man City was only saved as Joey Barton proved he’s just a “shit Bolo Zenden” as he passed to Dirk Kuyt who set Steven Gerrard up for the decisive goal.

We couldn’t carry on the form though as Portsmouth visited Anfield and left with a point.

Mickey Thomas told me after this game that Harry Redknapp should be named Anfield boss immediately, before offering me “120 for eighty quid, look dead real too”, whatever that means.

December

Well December’s been a lot better.  Craig Bellamy’s improvement has sparked a superb run of high scoring game, as we’ve thrashed Wigan, Fulham and Charlton in successive weeks.  Third in the league after an inconsistent start isn’t too bad, even though the title seems miles away even a few months into a long season.  We’ve swapped Cisse for Kuyt, Morientes for Bellamy and added Agger, Aurelio and others to the squad, leaving us in a better shape than the squad that faced Bolton twelve months ago.

The main news in December though was the news that investment seems to be on it’s way in the form of the Dubai consortium.  From reports from those who are qualified enough to know about this, it seems an exciting thing, which I’m sure we’ll be talking a lot more about come 2007.

Last years summary would’ve said the same, but 2006, whilst having more than it’s fair share of frustrations and disappointments, has improved us as a team whilst providing us with examples of exactly why we exist – to win trophies. With Benitez at the helm and key plays like Agger, Carragher, Sissoko, Alonso, Gerrard et al in the squad, let’s hope numbers nineteen, six and eight aren’t too far away.

Here’s to 2007, and let’s hope trips to Cardiff and sunny Athens come May …

After Xabi Alonso endured a slight World Cup hangover and started the season off poorly by his own standards, it’s no co-incidence that the Reds have started looking like a different team lately as our Spanish maestro steps his seemingly effortless game up.

When Alonso was signed in the summer of 2004, internet forums and workplaces were awash with avid Spanish football watchers heralding the Basque’s arrival for £10.5m. In recent Liverpool history, it has been these kind of arrivals that have resulted in the biggest disapointments, but from the moment he made his home debut, spreading passes from left to right to the delight of the drooling Kop against a helpless Norwich City, Alonso was a firm favourite with team mates, management and especially on the terraces.
The away game that season against Fulham only added to his already hero status, as he replaced the hapless Salif Diao and changed the game from a certain defeat to a (sort of) resounding victory. His comeback performances against Juventus, after playing just fourty five minutes in three months, and role in the European Cup win ensured the Spaniard got the credit across Europe he deserved.

There’s no-one better to watch than Alonso. His technique at striking a ball is something I could watch all day, from controlling a strike at goal in mid air, to putting just enough curl on a pass, as the banner says “Piccaso’s a Painter, Alonso’s an artist”.

He’s an excellent ball winner too, never shirking a tackle. Whilst of our Spanish contingent Josemi didn’t think whilst tackling and Garcia doesn’t think of challenging, Alonso never dives in uneccessarily and rarely misjudges his challenges. His positioning, especially when he sticks to the centre circle, means he’s usually the first pass Pepe or the back four can make, and he’s in a prime position to thread passes between defence and attack.
It’s not as black and white as saying that when Alonso plays well, Liverpool play well, but having him on song in the middle makes a huge difference in whether we see the early season Liverpool or the Liverpool that have made strides towards moving up the table of late.

And that’s why “Everyone wants to know … Alonso, Alonso, Alonso …”

After the doom n’ gloom of October and November it’s amazing what a difference a couple of victories make. Liverpool have finally hit a patch of form, or perhaps the fixture list has relented slightly. Whichever it is there’s no doubt that things are looking up. The performance against Charlton wasn’t perfect, to dominate a team in that way and still be only one up with 15 minutes to play isn’t good for those of nervous disposition. Still there was much to admire in the attacking football we played, a touch more ruthlessness and we’d have been setting records.

With both United and Chelsea well away there’s little hope for a league challenge this year, I reckon splitting the pair is as much as we can aim for. There’s still loads to play for though, a couple of cup ties with Arsenal and a mouthwatering clash with Barcelon on the horizon offer the hope that the team is hitting form at a crucial moment in the season.

We’ve only seen glimpses of the consistency and organisation of last year. If the manager and team can only raise their game just a fraction and keep it there this could still be a season to remember.