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.