Deja vu

On the fan scale there are two extremes. At one end we have the knee jerkers. After a result like tonights in the Carling Cup, they call for Rafas head. There was one in the pub that I was watching the game in tonight. At the other end of the spectrum we have the superfans. They won't hear a bad word said against the manager, no matter what. I feel that I am somewhere in between. You won't hear me calling for Rafa's head but I do believe that he has made mistakes along the way. Being knocked out of the Carling cup isn't a disaster but the manner of the defeat at home was terrible.

The defence was as amatuer as a primary school team. Again we tried to play football, again we defended like children and again Arsenal picked us off with every attack. I have no problem with trying to play football but we have to be able to defend too. Paletta doesn't look anywhere near ready yet. Sami suffers when playing against pace. Aliadiere, a player I don't really rate, and Baptista, a player I rate very highly, tormented Sami. There is no point in playing him against teams like Arsenal. He is fine for matches like the Bolton one where the danger is primarily in the air. Peltier looked exposed as not yet ready for this level. Warnock was probably our best defender on the night but he still isn't of the required level for a premiership title. Dudek was poor again. Thanks for the memories Jerzey but it's time to go.

Arsenal's youngsters and reserves were much better than our youngsters and reserves which wasn't a major surprise. I think that this is something that Rafa is trying to change with his purchases. Wenger has a great eye for talent but he has had to pay a lot for his young stars. Our transfer policy seems to be changing from just local talent to include young prospects from abroad like Antwi, Astrit Ajdarevic, Insua and an Argentine winger called Leto who is currently being linked to us. If we can couple these young signings with local British and Irish talent like Jamie McCarthy, we should be able to build a strong team for the future. Rafa has said that he wanted to sign players like Walcott and Denilson but couldn't compete for price with Arsenal. Hopefully our investment will come off and we can sign the stars of the future too.

Both Garcia and Gonzalez came off injured. That leaves us a little short of left midfield options. It will probably be one of Riise/Warnock/Aurelio for now. The Lucas Neil transfer should go through in the next seven days according to the Lancashire Telegraph. I think that he'll be first choice left back for the moment if he does sign.

I think that it's time to refocus on the league. I hope that the team can forget about these last two results and concentrate on Watford away. This should be very winable. A good three points will get us back on track. A clean cheet would be a bonus after conceding nine in two games.

The Italian league comes back from it's winter break this weekend and Roma travel to Messina. In Spain Barca have to go to Espanyol hoping to bounce back from a draw last week. Good luck to both.

Out gunned

Now we'll have to concentrate on the league. I have to say that I thought it was a really good match. We played some great stuff but Arsenal were a lot more clinical than we were. We tried to play football against them and paid the price. Teams who concentrate on kicking them, such as Sheffield Utd, Bolton and Everton, have shown that you can get results that way. Xabi should have been given a peno at 0-0. Can't believe he got booked. The ref, Bennett was a joke. I thought it was looking like a 2-2 draw until Henry go the third. Rafa wouldn't have been happy with a draw and a replay given our fixture congestion. I would have prefered to win yesterday and lose the carling cup tie on Tue.

I was surprised that Pepe didn't start ahead of Jerzy who was a bit all over the place. He will always be a hero for Istanbul but I think that he could have done better for all of the goals. Pepe probably would have saved at least one of them. The defence overall wasn't that clever. Riise had one of his poorer games. I wouldn't be surprised to see Lucas Neil get the left back spot if and when he signs.

In our attacking play we did fairly well for most of the game but we lacked the clinical finishing that Arsenal had. It's been a case quite a few times this season that we've created many chances but have been unable take them. What sepparates us from Utd and Chelsea is top class penetration and finishing. Utd have great penetration and pace down the flanks with Giggs and Ronaldo. Chelsea don't as they aren't using wingers this season but they do have a clinical finisher in Drogba. If we are to challenge for top spot in the league then I think that we will need to get a top class winger.

Off the pitch, the protest by Kop was an amazing sight. Cards spelling out "The Truth" were held up to protest over Kelvin McKenzie who was editor of the Sun at the time of the Hillsborough disaster. You can read more about the source of that here. There was 6 minutes of incredible noise which was halted exactly 6 mins into the game, to coincide with the timing of the suspension of the match at Hillsborough.

And now time for rumour control. I had very little belief in the Mascherano rumours until Chris Bascombe wrote a story on it in the Liverpool Echo last week. You can read it here. He is very reliable on news in relation to the club. He says that our interest in Mascherano in genuine. I don't know if the deal is likely to go through now or in the summer but I think that he would be a good addition to the club. I would imagine that'll mean the end of Zenden which is fair enough.

Other rumours are much less likely to come off in my view. I've talked of Neil before and that one will happen. I'm surprised that it hasn't happened already. Gareth Bale, a young Welsh left back at Southhampton, has been linked to us and the other big clubs. I've heard great things but if it goes to a bidding war I don't see us competing. Niether Utd nor Chelsea really need a left back but that may not stop them bidding for him. Some mad rumours have linked Henry. It'll never happen. There are also storied that Deco has had a row with Frank R at Barca and could leave. I think that he's a great player but I don't really think that he would fit into our system.

Bolton battered

The second half performance today was possibly our best of the season so far. Jermaine "asbo" Pennant had his best game ever for us. I was starting to get worried about the lad but if he can show this kind of form on a regular basis then he should be confident of staying at the club. Himself and the always impressive Finnan formed a great double act down the right. Gonzaléz wasn't as effective but both players stayed wide to strech the bolton play and pin them back. Kuyt was a dutch master again today. He scored one and set up another. I am glad that he scored. He is a fans favourite already but hasn't really gotten the goals that his play deserves. He's been unlucky with hitting the woodwork numerous times so it was great to see him get back amongst the goals again today. I would hope that he can score around 15 in the league this season. Crouchie got another of his overhead specials. His heading wasn't what it can be today but he made up for it with this spectacular effort here. As a commentator in America once said, that goal was as electricifying as a hairdryer thrown into a bathtub.

Our goals for and against is now 17-1 in our last seven games. The defence has really stepped up and is getting back to the form of last season. Sami was recalled today which didn't surprise me. He is still our best player in the air and is very useful against teams who like to pump it into the box. Isn't it surprising that there is no talk of zonal marking now that we are keeping clean sheets left, right and centre?

Next up is Arsenal in the FA cup and then the carling cup match against them. I would like to win both but I have to say that I wouldn't be that put out to see us drop out of one of the domestic cups. We're fighting on all fronts and could do with a few fixtures less. Winning a cup is great, as we saw in Cardiff last may but Europe is the big prize as we saw in Istanbul. I would trade a FA Cup and a Carling cup for another night like that legendary one we had 18 months ago. Check out my favourite youtube clip here if you need refreshing on the best match ever. Still brings a tear to my eye.

3 point lane

What a huge result? We really needed to get something away after our poor result in Ewood park against Blackburn. I must admit that I feared a draw beforehand. On the day we didn't play great but we got the result. Compared to the Blackburn match, we didn't create half as many chances and weren't as cominent. But where we didn't finish and had no luck at Ewood, we rode our luck somewhat in trecherous conditions against Spurs.

Luis Garcia popped up to get the vital touch for the goal. He is great at getting into the box to pounch on rebounds and loose balls. He was unlucky with a header and a spectacular overhead attempt in the second half which Robinson saved. Garcia has his critics and does have terrible games some days. But on days like today he can prove invaluable when he pops up with a match winning goal.

We have Bolton paying a visit to Anfield tomorrow on New years day. It's a great oppertunity for us to get revenge for the 2-0 beating that they gave us at the Reebok. We were fairly poor that day but we're playing much better now and are at home this time. I wouldn't be surprised to see Sami start this one. He is our best player in the air and we will probably need him to try and counter their threat at set pieces.

On the side note that is the title race, I think that Jose looked rattled after Fulham. I now fear that Utd might actually win the league. There is a lot of games and points to go but Chelsea are really missing Terry and Cech at the moment and they're leaking loads of goals. I'm hoping that this is still the case on 20th January when they visit Anfield. I have no love for Chelsea but I would prefer them to win the league to Utd. My axis of evil is Utd, Everton, Chelsea in that order.

A tale of our profligacy

If ever there was a match that we should have won, this was it. We created numerous chances to finish blackburn off but we were unable to take them. Blackburn improved after the break and got the goal they deserved. Crouch could and should have had a hat trick. Friedal was superb and was rightly voted man of the match. We were unlucky to hit the woodwork twice through Bellamy and Alonso and Bellamy should have had a peno when Lily Savage pulled him back. But the bottom line is that we didn't take any of our numerous chances and blackburn made us pay.

The spotlight has fallen on Crouch since his lack of finishing on Stephens day. He hasn't played half as many games this year as last year when he was the number one striker. Kuyt and Bellamy are the first choice parntership in Rafa's eyes and I think that he's right. They look to be forming a clever and complimentary understanding. This doens't mean that there is a role for Crouch. He'll get his share of games and subs but he isn't an automatic choice now, as he was last year. I hope that he stays at the club. There is some talk of Newcastle bidding £12m for him but I think that's unlikely.

Spurs away is up next. I don't think that this will be easy and I wouldn't be surprised if we drew. Our away record is still quite poor and I would expect spurs to be strong at home. Defoe is on a fairly good run at the moment and he will give us problems if Sami plays.

Only three days until the transfer window opens. You can expect the roumer mill to go into overdrive especially if our investment deal is finalised anytime soon. I don't think that we'll make any huge signings beyond Lucas Neil. Perhaps the likes of James McCarthy at Hamilton Academical or some other youngsters like Astrit Ajdarevic, a 16 year old midfielder at Falkenberg.

Hornets stung

Another workmanlike performance in our victory over Watford. We didn't sparkle but could have won by a lot more. Crouch hit the post and Foster had a great game. He made a couple of fantastic saves, one from hie own man at point blank range. Two well taken goals and none conceeded is fair enough. We're unbeaten at home for all of 2006.

The games are coming thick and fast at the moment. Blackburn away tomorrow is going to be tough. I don't think that we ever have it easy against them. Bellamy will be looking to turn it on against his former club. Sky sports say that Bellamy and Gerrard are slight doubts for tomorrow but are expected to play.

I would like to point those of you who haven't already listened to the LFC official podcast to do so. You can get it on the official site here of by going into the iTunes music store and downloading it there. It is very well done and free of charge. There are good interviews with Crouch, Gerrard and Carragher on it. We seem to be quite slow as a club to embrace new technologies. We were one of the last premiership clubs to have a website. Lfc.tv was recently voted football site of the year. Hopefully the podcast will become more regular.

Happy Christmas to all reds. Our campaign to win the premiership starts in August. Come in 19, your number's up.

Perfect weekend

We win 3-0, Utd lose and Everton lose. Add in the fact that Arsenal drew at home with Portsmouth and it doesn't get any better than that. We've moved a point clear in third and I expect us to stay there give that we've a handy enough run over Christmas. Our next five league matches are Watford (H), Blackburn (A), Spurs (A), Bolton (H) and Watford (A). I think that we should be able to get 11+ points from that. As I've said before, the league is well gone but the closer that we finish to Utd & Chelsea the better.

Good to see Bellamy score again. His confidence seems to be back now and he looks a lot happier with his game. Himself and Kuyt are forming an effective partnership. Bar rotation it'll take some performances by Crouch or Robbie to repace them. The defence had another fairly easy day out. In our last three games we've scored 11 and conceded none. Long may it continue.

And so to the Champions league draw. Barca is the hardest draw that we could have gotten really. They are the one team that I wanted to avoid when it was made. But the more that I think about it the more excited I get. I relaly can wait for Feb to roll around. It's a mouth watering clash. I think that it suits us to be underdogs as we demonstrated against Juve, Chelsea and Milan two years ago. Obviously Barca are favourites, and rightly so as they are the best team in Europe. But the fact that we have the second leg at Anfield is a major boost. Momo is back then so I can see us going for a 0-0 in Camp Nou and take them back home with it all in our hands. Bring it on. For a Barca fan's perspective have a look at what TQ has to say about it here.

I expect to see a fair bit of rotation for the Arsenal match on Tuesday. Since we're at home and Arsenal aren't in great form I would expect us to win. If we lose I won't be that put out. Nice to win the carling/worthington/league cup but never a disaster to be beaten.

Cottagers kop four

Second 4-0 win in as many league games makes our position look a bit healthier. Portsmouth are only head of us on goal difference now. With all of the games coming thick and fast I think that we have a real oppertunity to consolidate third spot over the Christmas period. I don't know about making up ground on Chelsea and Man Ure as I don't see them dropping many points. But if we're clearly ahead of the pack come the start of Jan I'll be happy enough given how our season started.

The team did quite well as a whole yesterday. I think that Fulham came to try and stifle the game and nick a point if they could. It worked for Portsmouth and Blackburn so far at Anfield but Fulham didn't have the tools to keep us out for 90 mins. They did well to keep it scoreless to halftime. Our play was quick, high tempo passing throughout. Bellamy and Kuyt really worked the Fulham defence and goals looked inevitable. Garcia and Pennant both played well in patches. It was probably Jermaines best game for us so far. Some had him down as our man of the match. He appeared to concentrate on staying wide and taking his man on. I hope that he is given a run now to build on this form. He seems to be a confidence player so hopefully this will help him.

Pepe made a great save in the first half but didn't have a huge ammount to do other than that. Finnan got forward well to support Pennant and put in some good crosses. Riise didn't have his best game and seems a bit off form in the last couple of games. Aurelio might be given a few games when fit again.

Charlton at the valley is up next. I'm not taking anything for granted given our away record especially in London. But they are doing very poorly and were hammered by Spurs at white heart lane yesterday. I fancy us to pick up the three points with a hard fought 1-0.

Congrats to Rafa on his 50th victory in 93 games. He has achieved that record faster than such notables as Bob Paisley, Arsene Wenger and Fergie.

Adios.

Turkish disappointment

I think that we got what we deserved last night. We didn't seem all that bothered which is fair enough given that it was a meaningless game. I think that we had one eye on the Fulham match. Galatasary were the better team and deserved their win. Good to see Robbie score his first two champions league goals even if one of them came off his arse.

Of the young lads, Paletta wasn't great at centre back. I don't think that he's ready for the first team yet. Peltier looks a bit lacking in experience too. Maybe he is more at home at defensive midfield. Guthrie was probably the pick of the youngsters.
Pennant good for second goal but not what he shold be overall. He had a few good moments in the match. It's hard to know what's going to happen with him. He has all of the raw materials to make it but isn't doing it so far. Maybe his problems are in his head. I think he should, and will, be given until the end of the season.

I'm not that bothered who we get in the next round of the champions league. Hopefully not Barcelona. After that I don't mind. Celtic or Lille would be decent.

As regards the takeover talk I'm not counting chickens yet. It's looking good given the comments from Parry and DIC but nothing is guarenteed until we see the handshakes. I am cautiously in favour of the deal. I hope that we retain what makes us a special football club. If it means that the new stadium is safe and we can invest a bit more in players then I think that it should work out well.

Bring on the cottagers.

Barnstorming Bellamy

In a situation like this it would be easy to say I told you so. I'm not going to do that.

I was wrong.

In my last post I predicted that Bellemy would score a hat trick. He didn't. He only got two goals. A gross oversight on my part. I'll endevour to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

I listened to the match on Today FM premiership live and watched the RTE and BBC tv highlights later on. Pretty good performance. What a difference an early goal can make. Some away matches we've played terribly badly this year. Sometimes we've played fairly well but got nothng like at Everton away and Chelsea away. On Sat we played as well as those matches but we took all of our chances. And when the first one went in we grew in confidence. Xabi being back helped. The third goal in particular was a thing of beauty. I'm sure that Rafa was happy with that one, for sure.

I'm hoping that Bellamy can go from strength to strength from here. He has a great workrate and never hid or stopped trying when things weren't working for him earlier in the season. I amn't his biggest fan especially off the pitch but I will back him while he's at the club. I think that he can go on to have an big impact for us.

Galatasary next on Tue night. Not a very important game given that we're through and top of the group no matter what. I would expect to see some of the youngsters like Guthrie, El Zahr and paletta get a start. No injuries should be the priority. It'll be good to go back to the ataturk, for nostalgias sake.

The FA cup draw was today and we drew Arsenal at home. That is exactly the same draw as we got in the carling cup. I think that we should be able to beat them in both competitions as they've been poor on the road and we're great at home. Hopefully Henry is still scraping with Wenger by then and doesn't play.

Until next time.