What it means for us....
In South Africa the support for the English Premier League is largely split between Liverpool FC and Manchester United. In my town it gets a bit hectic, the Liverpool fans get hammered for our failure to win the league in the last 20 years.... we just hammer them back because they Man United, never liked much by anyone here.
So come this Sunday all fans will be wearing their respective team shirts and wait patiently for what will be our first 3 points of the season. In this fixture, form generally goes out the window and passion takes over...In front of our home crowd I have no doubt that we will truimph over out bitter rivals.
After four winless games so far we have made our worst start to a league season in over 100 years and no one is letting us forget it! The press and most betting companies are not giving us much hope either for a win on Sunday but I think we will prevail. WE ARE LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL CLUB.
We were desperately unlucky not to win at least 2 of our opening 4 games, we outplayed Man City and should've won that one, in our last game against Sunderland we were very unlucky not to win again. With over 60% possession and 23 shots on goal it is clear to see we have problems up front, we just not taking our chances in front of goal, we hit the bar twice and had numerous other chances to score. We are being very patient in our build up and the partnership of Allen and Gerrard in the middle of the park is going to get even stronger. Jonjo is looking hungry and makes excellent forward runs. Yes it will take time for us to click the way the manager wants but its going to come sooner rather than later.
The best way to really kick off the 'Rogers Revolution' will be to take 3 points off Man United !!!
Fergie is going to play 5 in midfield to counter our style and I think this is where we are going to win the game. We have the potential to win the midfield battle especially with the over lapping runs or Kelly/Enrique and Johnson. Rogers biggest concern will be whether to play Borini or bench him . In my opinion we should start with Reina, Johnson, Agger, Skrtle, Downing/Enrique (if fit), Allen, Shelvey, Sahin, Gerrard, Sterling, Suarez....Gerrard pushed up front to play alongside Suarez could prove a master stoke by Rogers. Gerrard is the type of player that would be perfect for Suarez to really take advantage off. Lets not forget Gerrard has a goal or 2 in him especially against Man United. Borinin, Assaidi, Yesil and Downing could all come on to change the game should we need.
This game is going to be huge and I think the script is written once again for a Liverpool win at Anfield...
We will walk tall in Fordsburg Square with out Warrior shirts and I knw we won't find any Man Utd fans to have fun with !!!!!
C'mon you REDS ...do it for the 96!!!
#YNWA
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Rogers left in Limbo by the Owners
Brendan Rogers was quoted three weeks ago "I'd be nuts to sell Carroll if theres no replacement for him and he needs 3 strikers"
Rogers was left in limbo last week as the owners sanctioned Carroll's move to West Ham on a season long loan. Rogers thought that he'd be getting a replasement in Clint Dempsey but the move never materialised. One wonders just how much FSG actually tried to get Dempsey when his move to Spurs was concluded in about an hour ! Refusing to spend 5 million pounds on a 29 year old who scored 17 goals last season....meanwhile the Mancs spend 24 million on a 29 year old in van Persie.
This left us very short up front with only Borini and Suarez as the recognised strikers. Yes Suarez is a striker but tends to create more than he scores. Borinin in my opinion is just not there yet, doesn't look like the 'goalscorer' that we need. Assaidi wasn't even on the bench while Yesil was bought as a future first team player.
For all our possession and good play yesterday against Arsenal we were left to rue missed chances again. Sahin was handed his home debut but failed to spark in a game that saw Joe Allen agani receive praise for his outstanding play. Gerrard looks a shadow of the player he once was, uncharacteristically giving the ball away far too many times. Its just not the same forcefull Gerrard that would carry the fight single handedly to any opposition. This I'm sure is a worry for any Liverpool fan. Our safe hands Pepe Reina also looked shakey early on in the season with two very bad mistakes in consecutive games, against Hearts and Arsenal.
Benitez once claimed that the he's got the best 'spine' in any team, Reina, Carra, Gerrard and Torres.
Torres jumped ship.....thank God Carra ain't playing ...
Ex Liverpool captains Phil Thompson and Jamie Redknapp urged Rogers to bring back Michael Owen, who is a free agent and make a move for Didier Drogba after being released by his Chinese club. While I'm sure the news of Drogba's arrival at Anfield will be welcomed I wonder about Owen's, the player who left us in 2004 to 'win trophies'. How would that go down with the Kop faithfull who have booed Owen every time he's returned to Anfield playing for Newcastle and Man Utd. Rogers says he will look at any player that can improve the team, I think he's just desperate and will take Owen back if the chance comes up.
Is it a case of the cup is half full or empty, We've done well in the transfer window brining in Joe Allen, Sahin, Assaidi, Yesil and Borini while letting Spearing, Adam, Carroll, Kuyt, Maxi and Bellamy leave. No replacements for Carroll, Kuyt and Bellamy could prove costly to an already shakey start to the Rogers Revolution.
Rogers was left in limbo last week as the owners sanctioned Carroll's move to West Ham on a season long loan. Rogers thought that he'd be getting a replasement in Clint Dempsey but the move never materialised. One wonders just how much FSG actually tried to get Dempsey when his move to Spurs was concluded in about an hour ! Refusing to spend 5 million pounds on a 29 year old who scored 17 goals last season....meanwhile the Mancs spend 24 million on a 29 year old in van Persie.
This left us very short up front with only Borini and Suarez as the recognised strikers. Yes Suarez is a striker but tends to create more than he scores. Borinin in my opinion is just not there yet, doesn't look like the 'goalscorer' that we need. Assaidi wasn't even on the bench while Yesil was bought as a future first team player.
For all our possession and good play yesterday against Arsenal we were left to rue missed chances again. Sahin was handed his home debut but failed to spark in a game that saw Joe Allen agani receive praise for his outstanding play. Gerrard looks a shadow of the player he once was, uncharacteristically giving the ball away far too many times. Its just not the same forcefull Gerrard that would carry the fight single handedly to any opposition. This I'm sure is a worry for any Liverpool fan. Our safe hands Pepe Reina also looked shakey early on in the season with two very bad mistakes in consecutive games, against Hearts and Arsenal.
Benitez once claimed that the he's got the best 'spine' in any team, Reina, Carra, Gerrard and Torres.
Torres jumped ship.....thank God Carra ain't playing ...
Ex Liverpool captains Phil Thompson and Jamie Redknapp urged Rogers to bring back Michael Owen, who is a free agent and make a move for Didier Drogba after being released by his Chinese club. While I'm sure the news of Drogba's arrival at Anfield will be welcomed I wonder about Owen's, the player who left us in 2004 to 'win trophies'. How would that go down with the Kop faithfull who have booed Owen every time he's returned to Anfield playing for Newcastle and Man Utd. Rogers says he will look at any player that can improve the team, I think he's just desperate and will take Owen back if the chance comes up.
Is it a case of the cup is half full or empty, We've done well in the transfer window brining in Joe Allen, Sahin, Assaidi, Yesil and Borini while letting Spearing, Adam, Carroll, Kuyt, Maxi and Bellamy leave. No replacements for Carroll, Kuyt and Bellamy could prove costly to an already shakey start to the Rogers Revolution.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
An Apology to Lucas.....KOP Hero
Its been 3 years since I last wrote on this blog and after reading older posts I really felt the need to apologise to a Kop hero....Lucas Leiva.
Back in 2009 when Rafa insisted on playing Mascherano, Alonso AND Lucas many(including me!) questioned Lucas inclusion. Why 3 'holding' midfielders...why Lucas!!!
While I knew Lucas was a class player I questioned his inclusion into an already steady midfield and was frustrated because we could obviously use an extra attacking player instead of another defensive one.
Barely a season later and I was made to eat my words and admitted it to every Liverpool fan I knew.
With Alonso moving on to Real Madrid and Masherano following soon after to Barcelona, Lucas was left to hold the midfield and boy did he step up. He soon established himself as the number one midfielder and our most productive player with the exception of the ever present Captain Stevie. He became a Kop hero...
No one was more excited to see Lucas come on as a sub on the recent American tour than me. Lucas was back to stabilise our fragile midfield that hurt so much under King Kenny when he got injured last season against Chelsea. Liverpool FC looked to step up a gear last season after Kenny was signed on as permanent manager but that progress was soon halted when Lucas got injured against Chelsea in the League Cup. With that our league form dipped, we just could'nt match other teams in midfield. Even the great Stevie G commented that Lucas was the form player when he got injured and it hurt the team. No one really stood out as an adequate replacement for Lucas in midfield and the team suffered. Yes we outplayed a lot of teams and suffered terrible luck in front of goal but for me the key to our miserable season was the loss of Lucas.
The Rogers Revolution started decently with some stella performances in the States and the inclusion of Lucas was a great sight once again. In the opening day of the season against West Brom we lost but we were never outplayed in that game, 3-0 was a flattering score line. Although Lucas was tiring in midfield I felt that his substitution was a major factor in us conceding 2 goals late on. It allowed West Brom to have a better share of the midfield. Lucas just covers so much ground and breaks ups much of the opposition plays.
We will once again lose the services of Lucas who was injured early on against Manchester City.... at least this time it wont be for the whole season. I'm really looking forward to enjoying your contribution on the field in his new Rogers system.
We need you to be back soon and stronger in our push for the Champions League places and hopefully we can shut a few doubters up and even challenge for that elusive League Title.
C'mon Lucas ....The Kop Hero from Sunny Brasil....
Back in 2009 when Rafa insisted on playing Mascherano, Alonso AND Lucas many(including me!) questioned Lucas inclusion. Why 3 'holding' midfielders...why Lucas!!!
While I knew Lucas was a class player I questioned his inclusion into an already steady midfield and was frustrated because we could obviously use an extra attacking player instead of another defensive one.
Barely a season later and I was made to eat my words and admitted it to every Liverpool fan I knew.
With Alonso moving on to Real Madrid and Masherano following soon after to Barcelona, Lucas was left to hold the midfield and boy did he step up. He soon established himself as the number one midfielder and our most productive player with the exception of the ever present Captain Stevie. He became a Kop hero...
No one was more excited to see Lucas come on as a sub on the recent American tour than me. Lucas was back to stabilise our fragile midfield that hurt so much under King Kenny when he got injured last season against Chelsea. Liverpool FC looked to step up a gear last season after Kenny was signed on as permanent manager but that progress was soon halted when Lucas got injured against Chelsea in the League Cup. With that our league form dipped, we just could'nt match other teams in midfield. Even the great Stevie G commented that Lucas was the form player when he got injured and it hurt the team. No one really stood out as an adequate replacement for Lucas in midfield and the team suffered. Yes we outplayed a lot of teams and suffered terrible luck in front of goal but for me the key to our miserable season was the loss of Lucas.
The Rogers Revolution started decently with some stella performances in the States and the inclusion of Lucas was a great sight once again. In the opening day of the season against West Brom we lost but we were never outplayed in that game, 3-0 was a flattering score line. Although Lucas was tiring in midfield I felt that his substitution was a major factor in us conceding 2 goals late on. It allowed West Brom to have a better share of the midfield. Lucas just covers so much ground and breaks ups much of the opposition plays.
We will once again lose the services of Lucas who was injured early on against Manchester City.... at least this time it wont be for the whole season. I'm really looking forward to enjoying your contribution on the field in his new Rogers system.
We need you to be back soon and stronger in our push for the Champions League places and hopefully we can shut a few doubters up and even challenge for that elusive League Title.
C'mon Lucas ....The Kop Hero from Sunny Brasil....
Monday, August 27, 2012
The Rogers Revolution
Is the Rogers Revolution really taking shape?
From the view of a Liverpool FC addict I can safely say it is....
Pushing on from last seasons ups and downs one can really see a change in the philosophy at Liverpool. Rodgers has a system in place that I think will work well with the players available to him, he's added Joe Allen who already looks like a polished midfielder, no disrepect to Swansea but Liverpool is more than just a club and we boast a midfield to match any in the Premier League. Allen has not only fitted in but has been our best performer since the league started, breaking down opposition play and also passing accuracy. Nuri Sahin has also been added and I can't wait to see him and how Rogers will shuffle the team around to accomodate him. He is exactly the type of player that we needed in the midfield. In my opinion he should be sitting just behind Suarez.
We were hard done by with two unfortunate mistakes against Man City, it was a case of 3 dropped points for Liverpool FC, who fought hard against the Champions. Raheem Sterling showed that he can play at this level, hes may runs and final ball into the box will no doubt be a good reason to bench Downing. He worked his socks off back tracking and im sure we're gonna be seeing more of this talented 17 year old.
One major concern for me is up front, while Borinin works hard the final product is still lacking, I trust Rogers judgment on him and having worked with him before knows his capabilities. With the future of Carroll still in doubt it remains to be seen if we will indeed add another striker.
Players like Spearing, Henderson, Adam, Downing, Carroll need to be moved on and suitable replacements need to be brought in, players that can fit in and play the 'Rogers' style must be brought in before the transfer window closes.
I'm really excited to see where Rogers can actually take the team once his philosophy is really understood on the field.
YNWA
From the view of a Liverpool FC addict I can safely say it is....
Pushing on from last seasons ups and downs one can really see a change in the philosophy at Liverpool. Rodgers has a system in place that I think will work well with the players available to him, he's added Joe Allen who already looks like a polished midfielder, no disrepect to Swansea but Liverpool is more than just a club and we boast a midfield to match any in the Premier League. Allen has not only fitted in but has been our best performer since the league started, breaking down opposition play and also passing accuracy. Nuri Sahin has also been added and I can't wait to see him and how Rogers will shuffle the team around to accomodate him. He is exactly the type of player that we needed in the midfield. In my opinion he should be sitting just behind Suarez.
We were hard done by with two unfortunate mistakes against Man City, it was a case of 3 dropped points for Liverpool FC, who fought hard against the Champions. Raheem Sterling showed that he can play at this level, hes may runs and final ball into the box will no doubt be a good reason to bench Downing. He worked his socks off back tracking and im sure we're gonna be seeing more of this talented 17 year old.
One major concern for me is up front, while Borinin works hard the final product is still lacking, I trust Rogers judgment on him and having worked with him before knows his capabilities. With the future of Carroll still in doubt it remains to be seen if we will indeed add another striker.
Players like Spearing, Henderson, Adam, Downing, Carroll need to be moved on and suitable replacements need to be brought in, players that can fit in and play the 'Rogers' style must be brought in before the transfer window closes.
I'm really excited to see where Rogers can actually take the team once his philosophy is really understood on the field.
YNWA
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