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Yet another frustrating weekend for the Reds. It’s hard to believe that just two weeks ago we were on a great run and closing in on second spot, with perhaps an outside chance of a late challenge for the title itself. Now two weeks on, it looks like we’re right back where we started. Our goal-less draw with little Everton last weekend caused our run to turn into a stumble and Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle saw us fall flat on our face.
As Liverpool/Newcastle games go, this was by no means a classic. Heavy overnight snow and torrential rain had taken their toll on the St James’s Park pitch and the referee had to do a couple of inspections before giving the game the go ahead. The poor playing surface didn’t help our passing game but it was the same for both sides, so although it can’t be used as an excuse for the result it was certainly a factor in some of the generally poor play from both sides.
Ex-Newcastle player Craig Bellamy was given a hot reception from the Toon fans but I really wish opposing fans would boo him every week, as it really seems to bring out the best of him. He was easily the best player on the pitch and gave us a dream start by putting us in front after 6 minutes. Its just a pity he didn’t take more of the chances that came his way because he could easily have got himself a hat-trick and really stuffed it to the Geordies.
We often hear of the importance of getting the first goal in Premiership games and after we got it, we really should have gone on and secured the points but the game then started to follow that all too familiar pattern that pisses us off so much. As usual we dominated possession and created a number of clear cut chances but failed to add to the score and Newcastle put together one attack, Reina and Agger turn into the Keystone Cops and Martins is left with an open goal to somehow level the match.
It’s a miracle that Newcastle got to the break at 1-1 but things got even worse in the second when, despite dominating possession once again we failed to make it count and gave away a soft penalty which the Magpies converted and somehow hung on for a 2-1 win. Once again we allow a team that we are far superior to, take points away from us and we’ve had far too many such slip ups to be a serious contender for the Premiership.
There are generally two schools of thought as to why we have so many games where we fail to make the most of our chances. One is the quality of our strikers, and the other is the quality of the chances we create, but I think the answer is a little bit of both. It’s pretty much the same point I made after our disappointing draw with little Everton last week, I just don’t think we have enough real quality players in the squad and its costing us.
Putting my rose tinted spectacles firmly to one side, I had a look through our squad for real top class players and the list I finished with was a pretty short one. In my view Carra, Finnan, Gerrard, Alonso, Bellamy and Kuyt are the only players that I would consider being really top class. If Kewell regains his fitness and form, he would also be included, Sissoko and Agger are progressing nicely into this category and Gonzalez looks to have great potential. Other then that, the rest of our squad is made up of good or very good players.
If our aim is to be the number one side in the country and perhaps Europe, then I don’t think we are strong enough at the moment. However, I don’t think we’re a million miles away either. Three or four top quality players added to what we’ve already got would make a massive difference to us. In recent times we missed out on Alves and Simao for pretty much financial reasons. Can you imagine the difference these two quality players would have made to our side this season?
That’s one of the reason’s why I so welcomed last weeks take over by Gillett and Hicks. It’s time for us to stop shopping for bargain players of potential quality and start buying players of proven quality. At least we know with these Americans, that Rafa will have a reasonable amount of cash to realistically persue such transfer targets. I would hate for us to become a club that purely spends, spends, spends but I think if we could bring in two or three top class players in the summer to add to what we’ve already got, then our goals will be well within our grasp.
I know there are some fans who have concerns about whether this takeover will compromise the history and the traditions of the club and I respect their views. As a lifelong supporter of the club these are things which are dear to me as well. However, I have no such concerns.
There’s no shame in trying to make this club profitable and spending some of those profits on players. Buying the best players available is no compromise of our traditions, it is one of our traditions, and we were doing it long before many of these other history-less pretenders. One of the first things Shankly did when he came to the club was to buy Ron Yeats and Ian St John, and many of the other Legends that emerged during his era were bought in the transfer market.
This continued under Paisley and I remember gasping in amazement as a young lad when I read the front page headlines which stated we had paid £440,000 for Kenny Dalglish. This was a colossal sum of money at the time and the highest recorded transfer of its day, but King Kenny turned out to be a steal at that price. When it was Dalglish’s turn in the managers chair, he too shocked the world when he forked out a fortune for Barnes, Beardsley and Aldridge. When it came to buying the best players available we were always at the front of the queue and its time for us to get back there. It’s not about buying success, its about being successful enough to buy those one or two players who can enhance what you’ve already got.
I’m not concerned about our traditions being compromised because I believe that regardless of who the majority shareholders happen to be, it is we the supporters who are the custodians of the traditions of this club and we have a lot more power then we sometimes realise. I believe that Hicks and Gillett have a lot of respect for the club and its supporters but if they do start to stir us down a wrong path, we’ll let them know about it and make sure that they listen.
That said, although I treasure the history and traditions of this club, I am far more concerned about our future then I am about our past. At the moment we struggling to catch up with the sides at the top of the table, but while we are chasing them, the chasing pack is chasing us, and they are getting closer. If we hadn’t secured this takeover deal, I believe there was a very real risk of us being swallowed by this pack and perhaps never re-emerging and I think David Moores also had this fear, which is why he held on for the right deal which would give us the best chance possible of success.
Success has a price and that price is not always purely a monetary one. To achieve the success we seek some sacrifices will need to be made. We know Anfield has to go and some of our other traditions may also need to be compromised, but I believe it’s a price worth paying. Because in my view Shanks began one tradition of ours which over-rides all of the others, WINNING!
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 #1 |
Gerry
Posted on February 14, 2007 @ 3:37 am
I just heard that Kopblog has been nominated for an award in the Irish Blog Awards under the Best Sports and Recreational Blog.
Unfortunately they’ve only just informed me and the voting has been going on for nearly a week and closes on Friday.
I’ve never won bugger all in my life and I don’t suppose that going to change anytime soon. But if any of you guys could head over here http://www.awards.ie/vote/ and give me a vote I’d appreciate it.
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 #2 |
red4life
Posted on February 14, 2007 @ 10:10 pm
Thats the least I can do. Well deserved and I hope you keep up the good work.
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 #3 |
LFC4LifefromUS
Posted on February 14, 2007 @ 10:47 pm
Hey Gerry,
I’ve been reading your blogs since long time. I literally wait for it when u r not that frequent in posting blogs. I’ve been writing here for the first time and I agree with almost everything u mentioned in the blog. I did voted for you and will try to get other people vote as well. Hope u win.. All the best..
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 #4 |
rick
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 9:20 am
Gerry, good onya, mate: well deserved. My vote’s in the bag.
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 #5 |
theredman
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 2:04 pm
Nice one Gerry, maybe you might get some of the “little club” supporter’s voting for you.
Keep up the great work,the humour and banter on this site is brilliant, (is’nt it Rick).
theredman say’s YNWA
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 #6 |
Christoffski
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 2:23 pm
This whole debate about Liverpool sacrificing tradition is stupid.. You simply can’t erase history, and Liverpool will always be the first English club to win the European Cup 5 times, Liverpool will always conjure up brillaint memories. No one is going to forget Rome, or any of the other legendary games, it just seems like.. People are nit-picking really.
This take over like Gerry said is about the future, we’ve been lucky to have two great cup final memories in these past two seasons, and it’s so we can enjoy more that Moore’s has sold the club..
Maybe I’m not the greatest supporter ever, and maybe some could argue that I’m not passionate enough.. But I really don’t give a flying fuck who runs the club, as long as they don’t trample on the little guys and generally act in a manner that I would consider wrong.. Does it really matter who’s running the club, aslong as they aren’t in the papers every day and paying well over the odd’s for average to good players??
American, Scouse, Hindu.. This OOT hatred has to stop, you don’t have to be from Liverpool to understand the traditions of this wonderful club.
Now, it’d be nice if the new Stadium was called Stanley Park instead of the Chrysler-Dodge Superbowl or whatever the hell it’ll probably get named.. But it’s always going to be known as ‘Anfield’ amongst the supporters anyway, and that’s all that matters.. Nobody wants to buy a club and run it into the ground deliberately, and Parry’s always going to be there to say. ‘I don’t think that’d go down well.’
The new ‘owners’ are still learning, and yet; i’m already getting better signs than I ever did with Moores, and remember folks! I’m 20, and I don’t remember our last league win, because I was so young.. All I remember is watching Manchester United winning league after league and Liverpool often signing utter rubbish whilst selling off better players than what were being bought in.. If you ask me this is the best thing David Moores has done since he took over, and that isn’t to say he did a bad job.. Just, he didn’t seem to me like a real winner. He and Parry were never ruthless enough.
Maybe this take over won’t lead to the kind of success United enjoyed in the 90′s, (Even though I’m highly confident it will) but the fact is, Liverpool now have a better chance than ever. This needed to be done, and as far as I’m concerned Moores got it right in choosing Gillet and Hicks.
Not sure if anyone noticed but apparently DIC are considering, or already have – tired slipping Arsenal an offer. Maybe it’s an act, but Gillet and Hicks seem to have a love for sports, and seeing as he knows what bankruptcy tastes like – Gillet seems to know what he’s doing.
It’s time people stopped over worrying about the club losing its tradition – It’s because of ruthlessness and success that Liverpool ever mattered in the first place.
And that’s why Everton will always be the smaller of the teams from Merseyside, ’cause nobody ever talks about Everton and european cup finals in the same sentance, and nobody seems to care about the songs they sing. This take over can only take us forwards, and help write new history, and newer traditions.
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#7 |
theredman
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 2:59 pm
That’s good reading Christoffski for someone so young, by the way what song’s do they (“the little club” ) sing apart from that theme tune for a sixties tv cop show the word’s are a little bit tricky but i’ll have a go altogether now nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah (breath),nah nah nah nah nah nah
theredmanYNWA
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#8 |
Christoffski
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 3:12 pm
Hahaha!!
Ah… Only the best for the Evertonians, y’know.. The classics ranging from ‘Foggy on the Docks’, ‘You’re not signing anymore’, to a lovely 2007 rendition of the song they first sang way back in 1933..
‘E-V-E-R-T-O-N
Are so small!!G
E-V-E-R-T-O-N
9 men behind ball!!
E-V-E-R-T-O-N
Aren’t worth fuck all!!’
etc etc
If they’re really feeling perky, they’ll throw a few claps in.. Nothing really worth talking about in great detail, other than the passing jibe. Their songs really are utter shite. :\
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 #9 |
timsky57
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 3:21 pm
My pleasure to vote for you, mate. This is the only blog I read, and I only read it becuase it’s always good.
T57 YNWA
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#10 |
Christoffski
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 3:29 pm
I think I’m gonna’ vote too, I’m not an Arsenal fan at all, but I’ve always found arseblog a great read, but this blog has definately won me over recently. (I love reading blogs and my good friend Markus reccomended I had a look at arseblog.)
There was a long spell of united and cuntski bashing with a real lack of content I myself would log onto a Liverpool site to read, but it’s definately got better lately, I’ve voiced my views about the writing here before, but it’s really taken a step-up this season. (Not to say it was bad before, but it rarely made me want to post.)
It’s much better lately, and for that it gets my vote.
Well done, Gezza’!!
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#11 |
theredman
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 5:38 pm
Listen lad’s, gettin worried,has’nt been a peep from the blueshite for a couple of day’s now?, do you think there’s been a nuclear war and nobody’s informed us, HELLO anybody out there, let’s give them some bait we hate shit and shit and shit we all fuckin hate shit.
theredman YNWA
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#12 |
Gerry
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 5:43 pm
Cheers for the support guys, I really appreciate it. I think the topic of the blog I’m currently writing, will prove to be very interesting and I’m looking forward to reading the comments already. I’ll post it up later.
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 #13 |
TurkishRed
Posted on February 15, 2007 @ 11:16 pm
The vote is in. Good luck…
Looking forward to my first ‘home’ game since the days of Houllier as the Mighty Reds visit that small little club they call Barça.
This lot think they’ve got it sewn up already, so Im praying that that is their undoing.
See you all on La Rambla, dressed in red in singing our hearts out
We won the first time
We won the first time
In ancient Rome
We won the first time
We won it 2 times
We won it 2 times
In London Town
We won it 2 times
We won it 3 times
We won it 3 times
In Gay Paris
We won it 3 times
We won it 4 times
We won 4 times
In Rome again
We won it 4 times
We won it 5 times
We won it 5 times
In Istanbul
We won it 5 times
We’ll win it 6 times
We’ll win it 6 times
In ancient Greece
We’ll win it 6 times
YNWA
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#14 |
rick
Posted on February 16, 2007 @ 9:22 am
theredman, at last we agree on something! Nice one!
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#15 |
theredman
Posted on February 16, 2007 @ 11:54 am
Just been looking at newsnowliverpool, a letter about how the lickle club have released a dvd of their 3-0 home win over the red’s, how fuckin childish can you get, is that it ? is that your season, the mind boggle’s i’ve got a video tape about everton it’s called 25 of our greatest corner’s i’ll sell it to any blueshite for 75p m (making a profit of 70p).
theredman YNWA
nice one back Rick
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 #16 |
thepeoplesclub
Posted on February 19, 2007 @ 9:41 am
Quote Christoffski,
‘This OTT hatred has to stop….blah blah blah.
Direct quotation he then goes on to insult Everton in every way he can!
theredman hopes for a nuclear bomb to land on Liverpool.
Do you individuals actually come from Liverpool? Do you have any knowledge at all of the history of these two clubs?
Why is there so much anger despite Hillsborough and despite Heysel?
You two and the sick purpoted Everton Fans chanting oscenities about Gerrard in the recent derby have done much to embitter the atmosphere of these matches. You do it from the safety of your computers and in my view you dishonour yourselves and the club you claim to support. Your insults and carping about my club says more about you than anything else!
By the way good luck Gerry, hope you win, you put a lot of work into this site. I read it because its sometimes interesting to see what is going on elsewhere. Of course the news now site often draws us in as well!
Remember before anyone responds to this, think about it and say to yourselves, ‘would I say what I’m about to say to this person face to face? It sometimes helps to see things that way.
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#17 |
Gerry
Posted on February 19, 2007 @ 12:15 pm
Cheers mate, and thanks for some very well made points.
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