Right. I'm beginning to get over it now. The midweek thing. My pal Lena Mistry always bangs on about 'getting over it', so I am. Can't argue against that, as Lena is one of those birds that knows her footy. Apparently, she also does a blinding back, sack and crack ! Erm, someone told me !
It's ok. Really. We can concentrate on winning the league now we're out of the European Cup. There's a stat somewhere that suggests the same, I think. Which brings me nicely to the weekend. Oh how I can't wait. How I can't wait to watch X Factor minus those twins ! That and the small matter of the Mersey derby.
So now we look forward to Everton. Actually, we don't. Well, I don't anyway. Evertonians everywhere are licking their lips at the prospect of playing us and having the rare opportunity of winning their annual 'cup final'. Even my mate Fergie says that Everton are so bad at the mo, that even Liverpool can beat them ! What the hell ?!
So unless Torres makes his comeback on Sunday and Aqua gets a start, I think we might struggle. No really. Everton are famous for being in the city of Liverpool, ha, ha. No really....Everton are famous for raising their game against Liverpool - even on their worst form. Most of the bluenoses that I know can't wait for Sunday. However, one thing that normal, sane people AS WELL AS Evertonians might not think about, is how we'll be licking our wounds and how we might take it out on them this Sunday. They have no idea. I have no idea. Will the real Liverpool please stand up ? Hull beating them midweek and Rat boy Neville's baby brother getting bad news on his injury is lovely to hear. Although, let's not forget Tim Cahill who always plays well in the derby. Or is he injured too ? I don't know. I don't care. Even though I may sound like I do.
So between now and May is when EVERY Lib'pool player will be playing for their future at the club. Babel doesn't deserve a future at Liverpool. He doesn't even deserve a future on Twitter, so he can 'do one' ! Apart from Reina, Gerrard, Carra, Torres and Aqua, nobody is safe in my opinion. Not even Mascha. Then again, football's worst kept secret is that our Monster is Barca bound before/after the World Cup ! Just this scary thought should inspire our fringe players to a spirited fightback to our lost season. We have quaality. We'll create chances. Here's hoping anyway. With hope, in my heart, I'll never walk alone. And nor shall any Red reading this. Fingers crossed for a Liverpool, Barca (v R.Madrid) and...dare I say it...Chelsea (v. Arse) treble on Sunday. I say Chelsea so that they can run away with the title from the dirty Mancs and also dent Arsenal's progress as they are our main rivals for that gold plated 4th spot.
Yes, 4th. After all, Moses did say "come forth". So we shall.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
The morning after 'pool
The morning after.
Usually for me the worst come down after a night like that. Being a Liverpool fan I've not had THAT many disastrous nights, so have to take it on the chin and let the other minnows have their day-like every dog.
So all the good deeds that I did as mentioned in my previous post went to waste. Or maybe they're being saved for Everton ? Maybe they were only enough to beat Debreceni ? Maybe I'm talking rubbish ? Karma, like the proverbial shopping trolley, has a mind of its own !
It does still pain, however. Like being dumped by a fit bird 'cos you were late for a date. Like being dumped by a fat bird 'cos you ate her pudding. Like failing an exam that you started revising for the night before. Like getting your car clamped while you're still sat in the car ! You get the gist. All self inflicted and all of the above applies to Liverpool FC...because it's our own fault we were in that situation.
Did Lyon turn up last night ? I don't think so. Did Fiorentina deserve to win ? Of course they did. Did the Italians and French collude to carving up Liverpool ? No chance. Unfortunately. I wouldn't mind sitting here with that dark cloud comfortably settled over my head, blaming anything but us for last night...but I can't. The truth of the matter is that we dug our own grave many weeks ago. Last night was too little too late.
Gutted is a good enough description for Liverpool, but then so is pathetic. Wallowing in self pity isn't something we're good at, so onwards and upwards...I couldn't imagine anything further downwards. Hell no. Please no. God no. God is a Liverpool fan, no ?
Usually for me the worst come down after a night like that. Being a Liverpool fan I've not had THAT many disastrous nights, so have to take it on the chin and let the other minnows have their day-like every dog.
So all the good deeds that I did as mentioned in my previous post went to waste. Or maybe they're being saved for Everton ? Maybe they were only enough to beat Debreceni ? Maybe I'm talking rubbish ? Karma, like the proverbial shopping trolley, has a mind of its own !
It does still pain, however. Like being dumped by a fit bird 'cos you were late for a date. Like being dumped by a fat bird 'cos you ate her pudding. Like failing an exam that you started revising for the night before. Like getting your car clamped while you're still sat in the car ! You get the gist. All self inflicted and all of the above applies to Liverpool FC...because it's our own fault we were in that situation.
Did Lyon turn up last night ? I don't think so. Did Fiorentina deserve to win ? Of course they did. Did the Italians and French collude to carving up Liverpool ? No chance. Unfortunately. I wouldn't mind sitting here with that dark cloud comfortably settled over my head, blaming anything but us for last night...but I can't. The truth of the matter is that we dug our own grave many weeks ago. Last night was too little too late.
Gutted is a good enough description for Liverpool, but then so is pathetic. Wallowing in self pity isn't something we're good at, so onwards and upwards...I couldn't imagine anything further downwards. Hell no. Please no. God no. God is a Liverpool fan, no ?
Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Pre-match nerves for the Debreceni match
Ok, so what did I do today ?
I carried out good deeds. Did some chores round the house, gave me Ma a lift, picked me arl fella up from the station, said a prayer for my friend's dog, set the table for dinner, brushed my teeth, tidied my bedroom and done al my homework ! Ok, I'm joking, of course...I didn't really set the table for dinner ! Ha, ha.
The starting 11 look fine, with news filtering through that Babel wants to leave in January if he doesn't get many more games. Can't wait for the New Year !!
A special mention to me mate Penfold who couldn't possibly travel to Budapest as he's signing on ! Please see pic attached.
Nerves are shreded. Bricking it. Walk on...with hope in your heart !
I carried out good deeds. Did some chores round the house, gave me Ma a lift, picked me arl fella up from the station, said a prayer for my friend's dog, set the table for dinner, brushed my teeth, tidied my bedroom and done al my homework ! Ok, I'm joking, of course...I didn't really set the table for dinner ! Ha, ha.
The starting 11 look fine, with news filtering through that Babel wants to leave in January if he doesn't get many more games. Can't wait for the New Year !!
A special mention to me mate Penfold who couldn't possibly travel to Budapest as he's signing on ! Please see pic attached.
Nerves are shreded. Bricking it. Walk on...with hope in your heart !
Yet another big week for Liverpool
This is a blog and not an 'article' for publication, so please remember that before you slate my wordage, format, slang language, etc.
Yet another big week for Liverpool. 2 out of our 3 games this week are cup finals, Man City, Debrecini and Everton.
Lunchtime kick offs are just wrong on so many different levels. Typically, football fans, whether men or women hate waking up on a Sat'dee morning to go shopping with their partners, but strangely enough, tend to discover newfound energy when it comes to making it to 'first orders' for that all important pre-match pint (which is second only in priority to the the pre-match warm up [just]) to help wash down that fry up that everyone shares with Helen Chamberlain on Soccer AM, when Saturday comes.
Even when you're out straight from work on the Friday night for a quick congratulatory meet with friends who are celebrating their engagement (congrats once again to Sonal & Chetan)...like I did...knowing full well that as I live in London, I'll need to leave 'Cockney' at 7am when it's still dark and when the milkman's still yawning and when revellers are still returning home from their night out ! At 7am, just so me and my entourage can get to the 'Pool for 11-ish and meet the local Scouse fraternity along with members of LFC London for the traditional pre-match banter.
As I took my seat, I was thinking back to last season when we were supposed to "win the league and now you're gonna believe us". Yes, last season when we were in our pomp and we still only scraped by against the filth of Manchester that is Man City. Note : Man Utd is the filth of Salford, they're not in Manchester. We'd just heard that Glen Johnson had got injured in the warm up, so we had to re-jig and I had this surge of fear rush through me just like when Michael Thomas slipped through our famous defence in 1989. Great. Nice swan. Blinding. I should've brought me boots !
Then we kicked off and looked our usual self, so no complaints. Only a matter of time before we score and normal service will be resumed. Then I looked at the Liverbird upon my chest and remembered that it wasn't the Liverpool way to do it straightforwardly. "Straightforwardly" may not be a real word, but I think we should campaign for it, just like bouncebackability became accepted a few years back.
So a couple of injuries later during the match, we looked doomed. I do feel sorry for Rafa and do love him to bits and want him to remain, so I'm glad I've cleared all that up right here, right now. Our whole game plan changed and we looked lost. Mascha looked immense, Lucas was fab, despite ridiculous post match reports concentrating on his dreadful header that could have won us the game, and of course, our Ste Gerrard who was only 40% fit, was heroic as always !
Although we did look like scoring, it was nil-nil at half time and so, off I went for my superstitious half time leak, a tradition which is followed by hand washing at THAT sink and drying my hands in both dryers simaltaneously. I then took my usual walk along the terrace that used to be known (and still is to many) as the Kemlyn road. I never thought at half time that we'd win and secretly prayed for a point. A point that we were lucky to get eventually.
The 2nd half wasn't pretty at times, but we scored and I was bouncing like Torres had scored ! Oh Torres...how we pine for you ! Then we sat back, retreated 10 yards and arrogantly asked Man City to "bring it on, la !". Like we had the bottle to withstand any kind of onsluaght with the last minute makeshift defence we had to have and the crosses and corners that we've never been able to deal with since Sami left.
So there I was, watching a drab lunchtime performance, albeit 1-0 up urging Liverpool to kick on. It wasn't happening. That's when something else happened - Man City or 'Citeh' scored....twice ! The second with what I thought was an offside goal, but what the hell, when your luck's out, it's all out ! We were heading for defeat in our own back yard and the tabloid knives would be out (again) for Rafa ! We have to save Rafa, 'cos it's all about "In Rafa We Trust".
That was the moment my thoughts turned to X Factor, Danni Minougue and George Michael. Hmm. Jedward also momentarily entered by head, but everything leapt back out when my thoughts turned to our European game on Tuesday night and my damaged ankle ligaments. Don't ask me how these two are linked - it's how my head operates and no, I don't smoke funny cigarettes.
I thought about risking Aquilani on for the last 20 mins or save him for Tuesday night away v Debreceni in Budapest. I thought long and hard, like I had a say in the matter - but hey, football fans are allowed to think like that. Then I banished my thoughts because league number 19 wasn't coming, so let's get European cup number 6 in. Leave him be and let him have a blinder in Hungary.
The boys did well though, considering. We had "quaality" and we showed "charachta" to level up and make it 2s. Thanks to Ngog and thanks to Yossi who appeared to have just come on as sub to score a goal and go off again. I seriously doubt that Babel would have been as eager to get to the ball to score as Yossi was - we ought to put Babel on ebay and sell him in Jan.
Note to self : Must order a kilo of Horse placenta. Horse placenta seems to be the next best thing after the majic sponge for an instant cure and looks the business as Yossi and big Al Riera were in agony with their hammi injuries, but Horse placenta seems to have done the trick !
So now Tuesday in Budapest. Aqua will start the match, Torres still injured, Ste will play like a man possessed and we'll win at a canter. Simples !
What makes it complicated though is that Lyon need to beat Fiorentina or draw at the very least. If Lyon lose, Liverpool are doomed. Our sheer stupidity in Europe has led us to rely on other teams to do us a favour - I now know how Everton felt when they used to rely on other teams to save them from relegation.
Liverpool fans say "we're not English, we are Scouse", but according to UEFA, we are classed as English, so...
1) Fiorentina can still qualify, so will go 'hell for leather' to beat Lyon
2) Lyon have already qualified so won't care much if they lose to Fiorentina
3) Both Lyon and Fiorentina would love to avoid Liverpool at a later stage in the tourney and risk losing.
4) Liverpool are English
5) Lyon are French
You do the Maths.
I'm not saying cheating will take place and that Lyon & Fiorentina will arrange to carve up Liverpool. I'm not saying that because I don't need to.
Mersey derby on Sunday - I'll need to get over Tuesday night before I get onto that.
Yet another big week for Liverpool. 2 out of our 3 games this week are cup finals, Man City, Debrecini and Everton.
Lunchtime kick offs are just wrong on so many different levels. Typically, football fans, whether men or women hate waking up on a Sat'dee morning to go shopping with their partners, but strangely enough, tend to discover newfound energy when it comes to making it to 'first orders' for that all important pre-match pint (which is second only in priority to the the pre-match warm up [just]) to help wash down that fry up that everyone shares with Helen Chamberlain on Soccer AM, when Saturday comes.
Even when you're out straight from work on the Friday night for a quick congratulatory meet with friends who are celebrating their engagement (congrats once again to Sonal & Chetan)...like I did...knowing full well that as I live in London, I'll need to leave 'Cockney' at 7am when it's still dark and when the milkman's still yawning and when revellers are still returning home from their night out ! At 7am, just so me and my entourage can get to the 'Pool for 11-ish and meet the local Scouse fraternity along with members of LFC London for the traditional pre-match banter.
As I took my seat, I was thinking back to last season when we were supposed to "win the league and now you're gonna believe us". Yes, last season when we were in our pomp and we still only scraped by against the filth of Manchester that is Man City. Note : Man Utd is the filth of Salford, they're not in Manchester. We'd just heard that Glen Johnson had got injured in the warm up, so we had to re-jig and I had this surge of fear rush through me just like when Michael Thomas slipped through our famous defence in 1989. Great. Nice swan. Blinding. I should've brought me boots !
Then we kicked off and looked our usual self, so no complaints. Only a matter of time before we score and normal service will be resumed. Then I looked at the Liverbird upon my chest and remembered that it wasn't the Liverpool way to do it straightforwardly. "Straightforwardly" may not be a real word, but I think we should campaign for it, just like bouncebackability became accepted a few years back.
So a couple of injuries later during the match, we looked doomed. I do feel sorry for Rafa and do love him to bits and want him to remain, so I'm glad I've cleared all that up right here, right now. Our whole game plan changed and we looked lost. Mascha looked immense, Lucas was fab, despite ridiculous post match reports concentrating on his dreadful header that could have won us the game, and of course, our Ste Gerrard who was only 40% fit, was heroic as always !
Although we did look like scoring, it was nil-nil at half time and so, off I went for my superstitious half time leak, a tradition which is followed by hand washing at THAT sink and drying my hands in both dryers simaltaneously. I then took my usual walk along the terrace that used to be known (and still is to many) as the Kemlyn road. I never thought at half time that we'd win and secretly prayed for a point. A point that we were lucky to get eventually.
The 2nd half wasn't pretty at times, but we scored and I was bouncing like Torres had scored ! Oh Torres...how we pine for you ! Then we sat back, retreated 10 yards and arrogantly asked Man City to "bring it on, la !". Like we had the bottle to withstand any kind of onsluaght with the last minute makeshift defence we had to have and the crosses and corners that we've never been able to deal with since Sami left.
So there I was, watching a drab lunchtime performance, albeit 1-0 up urging Liverpool to kick on. It wasn't happening. That's when something else happened - Man City or 'Citeh' scored....twice ! The second with what I thought was an offside goal, but what the hell, when your luck's out, it's all out ! We were heading for defeat in our own back yard and the tabloid knives would be out (again) for Rafa ! We have to save Rafa, 'cos it's all about "In Rafa We Trust".
That was the moment my thoughts turned to X Factor, Danni Minougue and George Michael. Hmm. Jedward also momentarily entered by head, but everything leapt back out when my thoughts turned to our European game on Tuesday night and my damaged ankle ligaments. Don't ask me how these two are linked - it's how my head operates and no, I don't smoke funny cigarettes.
I thought about risking Aquilani on for the last 20 mins or save him for Tuesday night away v Debreceni in Budapest. I thought long and hard, like I had a say in the matter - but hey, football fans are allowed to think like that. Then I banished my thoughts because league number 19 wasn't coming, so let's get European cup number 6 in. Leave him be and let him have a blinder in Hungary.
The boys did well though, considering. We had "quaality" and we showed "charachta" to level up and make it 2s. Thanks to Ngog and thanks to Yossi who appeared to have just come on as sub to score a goal and go off again. I seriously doubt that Babel would have been as eager to get to the ball to score as Yossi was - we ought to put Babel on ebay and sell him in Jan.
Note to self : Must order a kilo of Horse placenta. Horse placenta seems to be the next best thing after the majic sponge for an instant cure and looks the business as Yossi and big Al Riera were in agony with their hammi injuries, but Horse placenta seems to have done the trick !
So now Tuesday in Budapest. Aqua will start the match, Torres still injured, Ste will play like a man possessed and we'll win at a canter. Simples !
What makes it complicated though is that Lyon need to beat Fiorentina or draw at the very least. If Lyon lose, Liverpool are doomed. Our sheer stupidity in Europe has led us to rely on other teams to do us a favour - I now know how Everton felt when they used to rely on other teams to save them from relegation.
Liverpool fans say "we're not English, we are Scouse", but according to UEFA, we are classed as English, so...
1) Fiorentina can still qualify, so will go 'hell for leather' to beat Lyon
2) Lyon have already qualified so won't care much if they lose to Fiorentina
3) Both Lyon and Fiorentina would love to avoid Liverpool at a later stage in the tourney and risk losing.
4) Liverpool are English
5) Lyon are French
You do the Maths.
I'm not saying cheating will take place and that Lyon & Fiorentina will arrange to carve up Liverpool. I'm not saying that because I don't need to.
Mersey derby on Sunday - I'll need to get over Tuesday night before I get onto that.
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