Fans all across the globe have been singing praises for Mr. Roy Hodgson although he is yet to lead the team to one competitive game. I can understand the excitement, it's just that I find it hard to be excited with anything these days.
It's amazing how one signing can have many positive effects on the team. With Joe Cole signing for Liverpool, we suddenly look creative. Our attacking players next season would be Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt, Cole, Jovanovic, Aquilani, Maxi Rodriguez, Ryan Babel (albeit rumour has it that he will be swapped with Huntelaar). Gerrard has pledged his future to Liverpool, don't think he has much of a choice really. He's too important to sell cheap but too old for other clubs to buy. Not that I'm complaining.
Cole, I know we've had our differences in the past years, but you start scoring those fluke goals at the Kop end, then I promise I'll learn to love you. Although I do think that 90k wage a week is a bit too much for him.
Regret Insua's sell. He's 21 years old Argentine international with a great future ahead of him. At the very least, he'll be a decent player. Yes he had been caught out of pace and position a few times last season, but which defender at his age has excellent positional sense. Can't see the logic in selling him really. Think Purslow just wanted to get rid of Rafa's players. Fiorentina willing to pay 5mil for him after a disappointing season at Anfield just shows the amount of potential they see in him. I think Purslow only saw a quick 5mil, which is used to fund Danny Wilson's buy. We still need a left back, although Agger and Wilson can probably play in that position, we still need a proper full back.
Cole is again a good replacement for Benayoun. Can't believe the things Yossi said to the press. He worked hard to earn his place in the first team, then got injured and lost his place to Maxi. What's more unbelievable is that Broughton claimed that it was Rafa Benitez who had sold Yossi to Chelsea. Just ignore the fact that Rafa was let go 6 weeks before Yossi was sold. Just ignore that.
Now we'll see who will be offloaded. Probably centre backs, Kyrgiakos or Skrtel. Skrtel didn't have a good season, but I'm convinced he has good tools to make a comeback. I don't understand the criticism Kyrgiakos got, I think he did well last season. And we need someone who dominates in the air in certain games. Well it's up to Purslow. My opinion does not matter.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Friday, July 9, 2010
#ESP v #NED
So the World Cup is almost coming to its end. To be honest I didn't expect the Netherlands to make it to the final. They defeated Brazil, my favourite to reach the final, albeit it was triggered by Felipe Melo pushing self-destruction button that resulted in Brazil being kicked off the tournament. And questionable goals against Uruguay, but lets not take anything against them. They do not reach this stage by luck, they're doing things right.
Spain may not have scored many goals in the tournament, but they are still a joy to watch. I think the reason that Spain have not been able to score a lot in the World Cup is that the teams playing against them defend in numbers, making it harder to penetrate the defense. But most of the times they remain calm and play their style of football, they pass and pass and pass, rarely resorting to long balls towards the front or attempting impossible dribbles. They pass and pass the ball around, recycle the possession, from the front to the halfway line, look for an opening, and bam, they find some unexpected space with an unexpected player running in it. Their passings wear their opponent down, and they're good at pressings too, making it sometimes impossible for the opponents to even complete simple passes.
I think the key to winning the final is the battle in midfield. In Van Bommel and de Jong for the Netherlands and Busquets and Alonso for Spain, they have fine holding midfielders in their time. Van Bommel is a tough tackling bully everyone hates but loves to have him in their teams, while de Jong protects the back four and provides links between defense and attack. Busquets raised a few eyebrows earlier in the tournament, but as the tournament progresses I think he grows in stature. Tough in tackles,has the ability to smell danger and can pass too. Alonso has been a joy to watch. What he lacks in pace, he compensates with great positioning. His passings are as good as ever.
Okay now it's too obvious I favour the Spaniards, right? But somehow I want Dirk Kuyt to win, no one deserves success more than he does. Lets see how it turns out. :)
Spain may not have scored many goals in the tournament, but they are still a joy to watch. I think the reason that Spain have not been able to score a lot in the World Cup is that the teams playing against them defend in numbers, making it harder to penetrate the defense. But most of the times they remain calm and play their style of football, they pass and pass and pass, rarely resorting to long balls towards the front or attempting impossible dribbles. They pass and pass the ball around, recycle the possession, from the front to the halfway line, look for an opening, and bam, they find some unexpected space with an unexpected player running in it. Their passings wear their opponent down, and they're good at pressings too, making it sometimes impossible for the opponents to even complete simple passes.
I think the key to winning the final is the battle in midfield. In Van Bommel and de Jong for the Netherlands and Busquets and Alonso for Spain, they have fine holding midfielders in their time. Van Bommel is a tough tackling bully everyone hates but loves to have him in their teams, while de Jong protects the back four and provides links between defense and attack. Busquets raised a few eyebrows earlier in the tournament, but as the tournament progresses I think he grows in stature. Tough in tackles,has the ability to smell danger and can pass too. Alonso has been a joy to watch. What he lacks in pace, he compensates with great positioning. His passings are as good as ever.
Okay now it's too obvious I favour the Spaniards, right? But somehow I want Dirk Kuyt to win, no one deserves success more than he does. Lets see how it turns out. :)
Friday, May 21, 2010
I've heard some people saying that Houllier is way better than Benitez in managing Liverpool.
This is the analysis made by Paul Tomkins about the two managers, you can read it here.
YNWA :)
This is the analysis made by Paul Tomkins about the two managers, you can read it here.
YNWA :)
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Warning: Explicit Content
I can't fucking believe it. I do not care that some people call Benitez "fat Spanish waiter",but it's a fucking disgrace when the so-called self-proclaimed Liverpool fans are echoing the statement.
Yes he may have made some bad decisions but he is still our manager, who is also an integral part of the club. Every manager makes some bad decisions, buys some bad players. Houllier's only bad buys are Diouf and Diao? Please. There was even less competition to win the league then compared to these recent seasons. Were Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham challenging the fourth place too then? Think not.
If you ask me personally, yes Rafa has made some bad decisions. You guys want to get rid of him, what next? In my humble opinion I think we have to get rid of the owners first, ASAP. They are the overriding problem. Whoever the manager we will hire after Rafa won't be able to do their job properly either under various restrictions imposed upon them by the Yankee morons. And if we do fire Rafa, who's next? You guys want Mourinho and Hiddink, but why would those two unarguably great managers come to work with a financially troubled and instable club like us? Right now, we only have history, and only history will get us nowhere, you know it.
Yes he may have made some bad decisions but he is still our manager, who is also an integral part of the club. Every manager makes some bad decisions, buys some bad players. Houllier's only bad buys are Diouf and Diao? Please. There was even less competition to win the league then compared to these recent seasons. Were Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Tottenham challenging the fourth place too then? Think not.
If you ask me personally, yes Rafa has made some bad decisions. You guys want to get rid of him, what next? In my humble opinion I think we have to get rid of the owners first, ASAP. They are the overriding problem. Whoever the manager we will hire after Rafa won't be able to do their job properly either under various restrictions imposed upon them by the Yankee morons. And if we do fire Rafa, who's next? You guys want Mourinho and Hiddink, but why would those two unarguably great managers come to work with a financially troubled and instable club like us? Right now, we only have history, and only history will get us nowhere, you know it.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Thoughts :(
The last home game against Chelsea was something like a title decider, although that's not how I would like us to decide the title. But as the banner a Chelsea fan was carrying to Anfield said, "Gary Neville or Chelsea?" , Chelsea is definitely the lesser of two evils. Us and Manchester United go way back, while us and Chelsea have become rivals only in relatively recent years.
To be honest, I'm dead scared for the club I love. We're going to spend at least the next season without Champions League football, and that is bound to affect our finances. And with the emergence of teams the likes of Spurs, Manchester City and Aston Villa, who all are more than capable of challenging the sacred Top 4 places, our chance to be back in the Champions League would be an uphill struggle.
Since the takeover in 2007, our debt has increased almost 100fold. When David Moore sold Liverpool FC to some imbecile morons namely Tom Hicks and George Gillet, the morons inherited a total debt of approximately 100mil pounds. Fast forward 4 years, we currently owe the Royal Bank of Scotland around 473mil pounds plus 40mil pounds of interest. With our early elimination from the Champions League and failure to finish above the sixth place, it's no wonder that this season we recorded a loss in profit.
What's more embarassing is that Martin Broughton, the Chelsea season ticket holder had to go meet the Premier League committee to convince them because they were concerned that UEFA would not allow us to operate in our condition. It's fortunate that the license is already granted by the UEFA. Another report states that our current financial status is only good for another 5 years. If we keep going down at this rate, it would safe to bury Liverpool FC in another 5 years. :(
And I don't think anyone would meet the morons' asking price. Or if anyone, it wouldn't happen so fast. When the morons announced that they're selling, I thought it's too good to be true. I don't know why, but I'm not convinced with Broughton. :(
To be honest, I'm dead scared for the club I love. We're going to spend at least the next season without Champions League football, and that is bound to affect our finances. And with the emergence of teams the likes of Spurs, Manchester City and Aston Villa, who all are more than capable of challenging the sacred Top 4 places, our chance to be back in the Champions League would be an uphill struggle.
Since the takeover in 2007, our debt has increased almost 100fold. When David Moore sold Liverpool FC to some imbecile morons namely Tom Hicks and George Gillet, the morons inherited a total debt of approximately 100mil pounds. Fast forward 4 years, we currently owe the Royal Bank of Scotland around 473mil pounds plus 40mil pounds of interest. With our early elimination from the Champions League and failure to finish above the sixth place, it's no wonder that this season we recorded a loss in profit.
What's more embarassing is that Martin Broughton, the Chelsea season ticket holder had to go meet the Premier League committee to convince them because they were concerned that UEFA would not allow us to operate in our condition. It's fortunate that the license is already granted by the UEFA. Another report states that our current financial status is only good for another 5 years. If we keep going down at this rate, it would safe to bury Liverpool FC in another 5 years. :(
And I don't think anyone would meet the morons' asking price. Or if anyone, it wouldn't happen so fast. When the morons announced that they're selling, I thought it's too good to be true. I don't know why, but I'm not convinced with Broughton. :(
Monday, May 3, 2010
Last home game of the season
Watched the game from my hotel room in Bangalore last night. I don't know how I could stand watching the game in which Liverpool had only one shot on target in the whole 93 minutes.
Reina put on an impeccable performance as always. Was exposed by Gerrard's ill-judged back pass for Drogba's goal, and could do little for Lampard's goal. Made an excellent save to deny Malouda and 3 saves to deny Anelka. His athleticism and distribution are as good as always.
Carragher dealt with Drogba well, but had to be substituted early in the second half due to injury with a broken look on his face. Made some good interventions, but 126 minutes of football on Thursday had taken its toll on his fitness and he's not getting any younger either.
Agger put on a good performance at left back. Despite his niggling injuries, he has been one of the few consistent performers in the team this season, eventhough the second Chelsea goal came from the left flank.
Kygiakos is a monster. For just 1.5million, he's the best bargain of the season. He made some terrific challenges and seemed to be able to win every header that came in his way.
Ayala, a rookie 19-year-old centre back, surprisingly gave an assured performance. I was half-expecting him to be skinned by Drogba. Even some Mancs was impressed. Definitely one for the future.
Mascherano. The worst player on the field yesterday, simply put. I heard rumours saying that he was injured, not sure why he started yesterday. Was skinned by Kalou each and every time.
Lucas looked assured and confident. He moved the ball swiftly and accurately around the field. One of the better performers in our team yesterday.
Gerrard. History repeats itself, although he used to do that to Henry. It was a pretty even game before the disastrous back pass to Drogba to take advantage of. After the goal, it was all Chelsea. But to be fair, Gerrard did show some of his class in the game. Made some smart long distance and cross field passes from deep.
Benayoun. Not having his best day. Was quiet in the first half.
Maxi did well in link-up plays and looked composed on the ball. Made a fine pass to Aquilani but the Italian didn't score thanks to a late intervention by Ivanovic. Had to be substituted late in the first half due to injury.
Babel did little on the ball but showed some urgency .
Aquilani played well in the first half, was unlucky not score from a 25-yard shot that when a little over the bar. Spurned a chance to score due to late challenge from Ivanovic. Faded in the second half to be replaced with David Ngog.
Kuyt. Offered no threat as a lone striker, ran around like a headless chicken most of the time, but did some alright link-up plays.
As a Liverpool fan, I'm quite saddened by the loss, but it makes me feel better to think that Manchester United will probably not win the league this season.
And it's time to stop chastising Steven Gerrard. The man has had one bad season. He's been there for us in the past. Without him Olympiakos, Istanbul, Cardiff, to name a few, would not have been possible. I still have goosebumps thinking of the beauty of a goal he scored at Anfield against Olympiakos at Anfield in 2004. Let us all get behind him, he's had enough to deal with, what with the wild rumours surrounding him and his family. The least we can do for him is to offer him a moral support from us, the loyal supporters.
Reina put on an impeccable performance as always. Was exposed by Gerrard's ill-judged back pass for Drogba's goal, and could do little for Lampard's goal. Made an excellent save to deny Malouda and 3 saves to deny Anelka. His athleticism and distribution are as good as always.
Carragher dealt with Drogba well, but had to be substituted early in the second half due to injury with a broken look on his face. Made some good interventions, but 126 minutes of football on Thursday had taken its toll on his fitness and he's not getting any younger either.
Agger put on a good performance at left back. Despite his niggling injuries, he has been one of the few consistent performers in the team this season, eventhough the second Chelsea goal came from the left flank.
Kygiakos is a monster. For just 1.5million, he's the best bargain of the season. He made some terrific challenges and seemed to be able to win every header that came in his way.
Ayala, a rookie 19-year-old centre back, surprisingly gave an assured performance. I was half-expecting him to be skinned by Drogba. Even some Mancs was impressed. Definitely one for the future.
Mascherano. The worst player on the field yesterday, simply put. I heard rumours saying that he was injured, not sure why he started yesterday. Was skinned by Kalou each and every time.
Lucas looked assured and confident. He moved the ball swiftly and accurately around the field. One of the better performers in our team yesterday.
Gerrard. History repeats itself, although he used to do that to Henry. It was a pretty even game before the disastrous back pass to Drogba to take advantage of. After the goal, it was all Chelsea. But to be fair, Gerrard did show some of his class in the game. Made some smart long distance and cross field passes from deep.
Benayoun. Not having his best day. Was quiet in the first half.
Maxi did well in link-up plays and looked composed on the ball. Made a fine pass to Aquilani but the Italian didn't score thanks to a late intervention by Ivanovic. Had to be substituted late in the first half due to injury.
Babel did little on the ball but showed some urgency .
Aquilani played well in the first half, was unlucky not score from a 25-yard shot that when a little over the bar. Spurned a chance to score due to late challenge from Ivanovic. Faded in the second half to be replaced with David Ngog.
Kuyt. Offered no threat as a lone striker, ran around like a headless chicken most of the time, but did some alright link-up plays.
As a Liverpool fan, I'm quite saddened by the loss, but it makes me feel better to think that Manchester United will probably not win the league this season.
And it's time to stop chastising Steven Gerrard. The man has had one bad season. He's been there for us in the past. Without him Olympiakos, Istanbul, Cardiff, to name a few, would not have been possible. I still have goosebumps thinking of the beauty of a goal he scored at Anfield against Olympiakos at Anfield in 2004. Let us all get behind him, he's had enough to deal with, what with the wild rumours surrounding him and his family. The least we can do for him is to offer him a moral support from us, the loyal supporters.
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