The Best of Enemies - Liverpool Reality Check

It’s always interesting getting an opinion from the other side of the fence. Most times we won’t agree but occasionally you come across those few fans that appreciate game and watch their teams without those tinted/bias specs on, something I struggle to do. So I was pleasantly surprised to read how realistic and grounded this Scouser actually is.

Liverpool Reality Check

Reality - the state of things as they actually exist as opposed to how they may appear or may be imagined.

In the case of Liverpool football club, a serious dose of reality was handed to players and supporters alike, over the last two weekends, as a virtually fully-fit Reds side labored to a 1-0 loss at Stoke City and then proceeded to get hammered 4-0 at Spurs. Reminiscent of losses to the likes of Blackpool, Wolves, as well as Tony Pulis’s men last season, much of the hype and euphoria of the recent changes at the club were somewhat diminished following more unproductive away performances.

Positive results against a weakened Arsenal side and a struggling Bolton, along with the opening day home draw with Sunderland, meant that The Reds were off to their best start in recent memory, earning a respectable 7 points from their first three premiership encounters. Fans and players were oozing with optimism and positivity but both sets of sentiments have now been somewhat dampened as a result of the two most recent setbacks. Granted that both The Britannia Stadium and White Hart Lane are never easy places to go, let alone win, a point was a necessity from both games to convince fans and players alike that Liverpool are genuine top four contenders once again.

Not for one second am I dismissing the magnitude of the turnaround that the club has undergone since the disgraceful previous American owners and, more recently, Roy Hodgson left the club, but the recent Stoke defeat, as well as the day-to-forget at White Hart Lane, came as a timely reminder that this is all still very much a work in progress.

I have no doubt that with King Kenny at the helm, accompanied by the likes of Steve Clarke and Damien Comolli, Liverpool will once again be a force to be reckoned with. The signings since January are indicative of the direction in which the club is going but these players are still in the process of jelling as they attempt to complement each other in the best possible manner.

As oppose to looking at a bench laden with inexperience and mediocrity, the depth at Dalglish’s disposal is a rare luxury that hasn’t often been afforded to managers of Liverpool in times gone by. While Benitez settled for the likes of Milan Baros and Florent Siname-Pongolle to act as game changers during his tenure, King Kenny can now call on the likes of Andy Carroll, Craig Bellamy and Jordan Henderson, to name a few, to positively impact any match.

While there is seemingly adequate depth and cover in the attack and midfield departments, I’m of the opinion that a re-shuffle is needed in defence. A fully-fit Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly make the right fullback slot the most accomplished in the defensive structures while the real issues lie in the central department. Jamie Carragher is not getting any younger, and while he still reads the game like a book, it’s becoming more and more common to see him falling short when asked to match strikers for pace. Daniel Agger may be able to complement Carra and provide cover for the 33-year old if need be, but the constant concerns surrounding his fitness mean that he’s only made 98 appearances during his 5 years at the club. Martin Skrtel was an ever-present last season, and was solid enough alongside Carra, but one gets the feeling that Liverpool require a more accomplished world-class presence in the heart of the defence should they wish to challenge for top honours once more.

Looking ahead to the home game against Wolves this weekend, anything less than a convincing victory over Mick McCarthy’s men will be unacceptable. It is imperative that Liverpool show the rest of the league that they are better than what they have produced of late and in turn earn another victory in front of a packed Anfield crowd. The timely and long overdue return of Steven Gerrard will be another reason to expect victory as Kenny attempts to rally his troops once more and avoid any further reality checks with games against Everton and United on the horizon. 

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When Will Fergie Bring Back The "Old" Guard?

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Does Fantasy Football Influence Your True Football Feelings?

The Premier League is back! From my side, I’m happy for United to have begun the campaign with a win, but there is a long way still to go. The best league in the world always has twists & turns, excitement & heartbreak as well as the final month’s glory & disappointment for everyone involved. It’s the moments deep in the second half when your team is defending a lead or pushing for the winner, and you are feeling your heart is pumping harder than usual, that you know it’s back. That feeling is pure. Its passion flowing through your veins and it makes you realise why you love the game and your team.

But for a while now there has been something which could be seen as an invasion on your true football feelings. This “game within a game” creates an unnatural feeling towards opposing teams and players which should not be there in the first place. I thought I could also repress these feelings, but while you are in the game, there is no denying it. I’m talking about the game that everyone gets fickle over, especially when you are at the bottom, and that’s Fantasy Football.

I was watching the opening fixtures last weekend with a group of mates and noticed something horribly wrong. When Stoke won a free-kick in the dying minutes of the game against Chelsea, a mate piped up and said: “Hold up Chelsea, I need that clean sheet!”  Was this die hard football fan cheering for the “wrong” result? That’s when I knew things had already started off on the wrong foot, yet again. All of us who play, and please note that I have been an active player since 2004, have had those moments when we hope for that goal or clean sheet to happen for the teams we are supposed to despise. That just is not good enough. That part of me, my mates and all others who play Fantasy football, who hope for those immoral results to happen, need to have a rethink. We are betraying our teams and ourselves. For what? A few more points? Come on now, we all need to do better!

How should you be feeling?

Let’s recap how you should feel if Fantasy was not involved. You should want what’s best for your team in terms of the matchday result (i.e. victory). You should want your rivals to drop points. You should WANT to see them concede in injury time, making the damage of the dropped points hurt even more. So why does a part of us not want to see the ball land up in the back of our opponents net? For pride? Respect? Let’s ask ourselves, what do we get if we win a Fantasy league amongst our mates? A few hundred bucks? Surely the glory you get from mocking opponent fans for conceding late on or winning the league come the end of the season trumps it?!

How do you end up feeling?

It’s just so much fun when you get it right. When your captain scores a double, 2 of your defenders provide assists and your keeper keeps a clean sheet, you just feel like you understand football and are able to predict what happens next. You gloat amongst your friends and let them know who is boss. However, football changes very quickly, and your feelings are completely different the next gameweek when not a single player performs and you see the dreaded red arrow pointing down. You get over it and wonder why you play. It all seems quite fickle to me, but it’s all part of the fun! You have to take the good with the bad, and that should start from the top, where the real game is happening. And let’s also all agree that we all wish we knew the weekend’s results on the Friday, imagining if we had picked the defender who scored a double, kept a clean and got all the bonuses as captain?!

However, Fantasy does have another positive aspect to it. It allows you to find interest in games that you may not have watched in the first place – like a Wigan vs. Blackburn or a Wolves vs. West Brom (not disrespect). You hope for Al-Habsi to keep that clean, Samba to score, Jarvis to assist a goal or Odemwingie to grab that elusive winner. In turn, you are exposed to new teams, players and managers which you may previously had known little about. That is one big benefit of Fantasy football for the game in general.

My point is that however fun the game is, we all need to keep it in perspective. We must acknowledge that it is a game based on the real game and wouldn’t exist without the real football. Your team and football in general deserves better than for you to be cheering for the “wrong” results. If you are a neutral and enjoy the game just for the actual football, then by all means cheer on whoever you want. But if you are a United supporter and you AREN’T cheering for Liverpool, City, Chelsea or Arsenal (in that order) to concede in the last minute because you have their defenders in your team, then you should feel ashamed and know that you are betraying your team. The occasional slip is fine, but when it’s happening week in week out, then you should reconsider where your passion actually lies. But like real football it’s an addiction which I struggle to under control. 

Transfer Season - Reading Through The Bullshit

Sifting Through The Lies

As we all long for the football season to return, the majority of us find “satisfaction” in following a variety of different sources through the various mediums available – trying to find latest breaking news which direct us towards which players could ultimately sign for our respective clubs. Whether people want to believe it or not, even the true football fans can be swept away and get overly excited about prospects that the media, bloggers and “people in the know” throw in our faces. What all of us need to understand is that all these people understand the needs of the public and are sometimes willing to put whatever headlines are necessary to gain the publicity. More often it is the lower tier bloggers and young journalists who instil a false (and sick) sense of hope that certain players will be joining our clubs. 

It’s so easy to jump on the bandwagon. As a huge fan of Twitter and a big Tweeter myself, I have built a solid stream of everyone I consider credible and who, on occasion, obtain “inside” or breaking news before others. These few newspapers, journalists and editors truly understand the game and have an excellent overall knowledge which can be admired and commended. And to those people I raise my hat and salute you. You are few and far between.

For the rest, I urge you to get a life and gain some humility. Being in the online industry and having studied marketing, your reputation (especially online) is crucial. And you only get one chance. If your reputation is damaged, the chances are firstly that you will be found out and secondly, no one will ever trust you again. That is why whenever I find an interesting article I always credit the person who wrote it and if I give an opinion, I do so with thought and the understanding of consequences. I know many people can get away with their crimes, but I believe people are finally starting to see these vultures for what they really are. I am no journalist or person in the know, I’m a football enthusiast, a fan, a passionate follower of the beautiful game and I most importantly, I am a realist.

Knowing the NON Credible Sources

One of the key points of the article is also help you determine who the unreliable sources are, the ones who fabricate stories just to generate excitement, hype and lies amongst the public. These people lack substance, lack the backbone to follow through on their statements and are practically writing articles and headlines which satisfy the public’s thoughts. They give us hope, tap into our inner emotions and tug at the heart strings which are connected to our clubs. These people should be lynched.

Example 1: Goal.com

When it comes to bullshit, Goal are the primary candidates. These guys will do anything to drive traffic to their website. When it comes to analysis and interesting articles, I can’t fault them, but when you read about a signing or fee agreed, be cautious and think twice. It’s generally going to be bullshit. Always check the quotes and their sources. Or maybe just don’t visit the website.

Example 2: Caughoffside.com

These guys (so I hear) are most definitely NOT journalists and are just guys looking to create hype and generate headlines. They are not credible sources. They have the exact amount of “inside information” as us fans have – none. Do not believe what they say and do not get excited about any headline you read. In fact, if you are following them on Twitter, unfollow them because they will just get you excited over nothing.

Transfer Examples & Predictions

As far as the transfer window predictions go, here are some examples and predictions for the rest of the transfer period. I have used these 2 examples as I’m a United fan and they quite possibly have some similarities as to the outcome. 

1. David de Gea

Synopsis:

I will not go through the timeline of quotes that came out of this boy’s mouth. But for everyone who can read through the bullshit, we all knew he was going to join United the moment Fergie came out and said it. He claimed he wanted to wait until the end of the European U21 Championship to decide his future, but he was merely waiting for his new agent’s contract to come into effect and the deal was done.

Outcome:

He joined United almost immediately after the tournament and expressed his delight at joining one of the biggest clubs in the world.

2. Wesley Sneijder

Synopsis:

Warning – this is a touchy, complicated and tiresome subject. This is my simplified take on the whole transfer saga.

Paul Scholes has retired. Owen Hargreaves has been released. United’s midfield already lacked creativity even with both these players. It’s time to find a solution, to install some of that “x-factor” which has been missing since Ronaldo left. There are 3 options of players who suite the mould of a United player in terms of quality, creativity and experience. These players are Luka Modric, Samir Nasri & Wesley Sneijder.

Now before I continue, let me put my personal preference of the player I want at United. It’s Wesley Sneijder. I have wanted him for over a year and believe he is perfect of us. This is debatable with numerous people arguing their case for each player. I don’t care. If he comes, he will be awesome.

Modric – This is not happening for 2 reasons – firstly Spurs don’t want to sell and secondly he prefers a move to Chelsea in London. Finished.

Nasri - We “bid” for Nasri 3 weeks ago. Wenger is in a serious predicament as the player won’t sign an extension, has 1 year left and if they don’t take the offer, and he will leave for free at end of the season. But how can he sell him to a rival? It’s a toughie, I won’t lie. In terms of United, I don’t think he will come for numerous reasons – but mainly he is going to go to City because (and I hate to say it) they are on the up and they are a serious threat and will be for many years. Oh yes, and they will pay him a fuckload more.

Sneijder - To sum up and conclude on everything I have just said. I have always believed Wesley was going to come. He has the chance to stay with us for the rest of his career, play under the greatest manager of all time, in front of a 75 000 strong Old Trafford crowd and join the Champions of England. He has won in Holland, Spain & Italy. It’s time for him to reach the pinnacle of his career with the most successful club in England.

Is he coming?

He has stated he is happy in Italy, he loves the fans etc. He has to say that. If not, his price would decrease and therefore hurt the fans and club he loves. And look at the sources of the information. He spoke to Vanity Fair the other day and said how his wife is happy in Milan. She was probably sitting right next to him.

People need to get a grip of the situation and read closer into it. There have been meetings that have taken place last week with the Milan board. So logic dictates that anything that is said from anyone other than one of the people in that meeting is most likely BULLSHIT. 

Lastly, Wesley needs to WANT to come to United. And he seriously cannot demand wages bigger than Rooney. This will cause problems and if he is not willing to come for the whole greater picture that comes with it, then we deserve better. His Dutch coach, all United fans and many journalists say he is coming, whereas Inter’s directors, fans and players think he is staying. I believe (hope) that he will come. I have my doubts and my feelings seem to swing each day, but I urge everyone to have the same attitude as me – 

Don’t stop believing until the transfer window is closed

Conclusion:

Logic needs to dictate your thoughts on which players could join certain clubs. Even though it makes sense to YOU, that doesn’t mean it will happen. The media are powerful, they are cunning and they are clever – they see the logical transfers and create the rumours which seem to make sense. Be cautious, don’t get overly excited until the picture with the manager and player holding their new club’s shirt starts circulating. Even then, it could be photo shopped. This is a dangerous game being played and people’s reputations get damaged. Make sure you are not one of them and trust in your managers, I know I do.

Note:

In my opinion, the most trusted media sources are: The Guardian, The Telegraph and Official Man United Writers. I have also found certain journalists such as Henry Winter, Daniel Taylor and Oliver Kay are all credible, fair and knowledgeable. There are many more but the focus of this article is to call the bullshitters.

Post Season Updates

Post football season would be extremely boring if it wasnt for the transfer gossip that occurs daily. Stories can change so drastically from one day to the next, its difficult to keep up and determine which ones are accurate and true. So I have started an Updates posting whereby I will post only the relevant, truthful stories as well as some interesting off-season links.

• Ashley Young in United Medical

http://yfrog.com/h815439894j - Picture showing his arrival at Bridgewater Hospital 

• Van Der Sar confirms handful of players to be involved with his testimonial

1. Rio Ferdinand
2. Nemanja Vidic
3. Paul Scholes
4. Gary Neville
5. Alessandro Del Piero
6. Mark Overmars
7. One of the de Boer brothers

• Chelsea name Andre Villas-Boas as new Manager

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_7001161,00.html

• Spurs stand firm on Modric - follow through with him as their model for new kit

http://aggbot.com/link.php?id=13976067&r=tw&c=46

• List of Total Transfer Ins & Outs So Far

http://aggbot.com/link.php?id=13976067&r=tw&c=46

More links & updates to follow as they happen.

Keep the Passion Alive!

The Post Domestic Football Season Starts With A Bang

Internationals:

We are all already suffering from a lack of domestic football. I can see it in the eyes (and the tweets) of my fellow football lovers. International football is one thing, but especially for me where my country does not rank up there with the top footballing nations, I find the gap between the two to be extremely large. Regardless, I do enjoy watching internationals because its football at the end of the day and at this moment, I’ll take anything. It also allows me to watch the game in an unbiased and fairly neutral manner. This is a pleasant change; it’s nice to remove the red specs once in a while and appreciate the game without any strings attached. I especially love watching England play, because for me, it works both ways whether they win or lose. I prefer seeing them win, as all of their players play in the Premier League and I watch them week in week out, so it’s good to see them perform from an outsiders perspective. However, if they lose, well I just love watching the media dismantle and shame the team like they have for all these years, as if each of the players had intentionally set out to irritate and disappoint the public and their fans. Hilarious and classic, every time. 

But overall, it seems like something is missing and will be missing for some time yet. I actually can’t wait for pre-season tours to begin, to watch the players in their new kits and see the team together again. Last year we had the World Cup and next year we will have the European Championships to pass the time, however this time round there is really only one thing that gives us a real sense of footballing pleasure (unless you’re an 

Arsenal fan), and that’s the transfer window.

Some Interesting Transfers:

Wednesday, in particular, produced a peach in terms of transfer activity. It was announced that Liverpool had signed the promising youngster, Jordan Henderson, from Sunderland for 20 Mil, with David Ngog included in the deal. A good piece of business in all honesty, as they get rid of Ngog and add some depth (and youth) to their midfield. Even though United showed some interest in the lad, the truth is we already have one of our own in Tom Cleverley and need a more experienced player to come in and do the job. Both players are English, young and creative centre midfielders. I believe Cleverley will be given his chance this season and hopefully he will grab it with both hands. Liverpool are also looking to add Charlie Adam and Stuart Downing to their ranks, along with Roma goalkeeper Doni. Let’s see which of these actually happen, but I do expect major ins and outs to happen at the Scousers throughout the transfer window.

However, the best news of the day happened a little after the Henderson deal. Just when everyone thought Liverpool had secured their next target, United popped up and grabbed him from right under the noses of the scousers. A truly Houdini type of act performed by the master Sir Alex Ferguson. Phil Jones, what a surprise coup! According to reports Jones met with Wenger last night but still chose to join United instead in a deal rumoured to be around the 15-20 million mark. At this moment in time, with the transfer market completely inflated, most clubs are going to overpay for the players they really want. Especially if the player they want are English! They have become precious commodities, prized long term assets seen as investments in the clubs’ future to ensure they meet the UEFA “homegrown” criteria. Most of the players bought do not match and warrant the price tag they are accompanied with; however, they represent an overall larger investment which has to be made by the clubs.

With that said, I see Phil Jones as an old fashioned, uncompromising powerhouse defender with bags of commitment and promise. I have not seen him have a bad game for Blackburn and stats show their winning percentage is higher when he is in the team (34% vs. 25%). Sources also say that Fergie only really wanted to bring the player in the season after next, however after Liverpool and Arsenal showed their interest, SAF knew he had to move quickly and in the end he got his man. A long term investment, and with Smalling as his English U21 centre back partner as it stands, United have some great young defenders in the team. With two Englishmen and two Brazilians in our backline, there will be a perfect mixture of youth, speed, commitment and flair which opposition teams will one day fear.

I look forward to Wesley Sneijder, Luka Modric or Samir Nasri making their way to Old Trafford in the near future. My personal preference would be Sneijder, I’ve been a fan for a really long time and it would give me great pleasure to see him don our shirt. Modric, however, is pure class, Premier League proven and a player I would take in a heartbeat. With Ashley Young and David De Gea looking certain to join United by the end of the month, this season’s transfer activity is looking to be really exciting.

Who wouldn’t want to play under Sir Alex Ferguson, the most successful manager of all time? Play at Old Trafford, the largest stadium in the league and join up with the Champ19ns of England? Did I say I took my 

red specs off? I think they may have slipped back on sometime during this article. 

The Truth About United

The truth is obvious and the facts cannot be argued. Barca were by far the best team on the night and without a doubt, are the best team in Europe. There is no shame in losing to a team filled with creativity, precision and possession of the highest order. When the 3 nominated World Players of the Year are all in one team, no matter who you are, you will struggle to get a grip of proceedings and most likely play second fiddle to the world’s best. Add Pique, arguably with Vidic the world’s best defender & Villa, Spain’s highest scorer, and you have one mountain to climb. I thought we could do it, though I knew in my heart that going into the game we were 65/35 underdogs, but we could work with that. However, on the night, the class and experience of this Barca team shone through. Pure football domination in every aspect, from possession to shots on target to corners - they had it all and that stats don’t lie. Their combined experience of winning trophies with both Barcelona and Spain has created an unbreakable winning mentality when it matters most, which cannot be matched by anyone.

For United, it really wasn’t a case of players not performing or showing up for the big occasion. We were there, and we tried, and somehow managed to get into halftime at 1-1. But as the game went on, we grew tired of running around and chasing shadows, which unfortunately stemmed from Barca’s dominance. And even though the goals we let in could have possibly been avoided, I’m sure Barca would have found an alternative route to goal. The ref had no part in the outcome and man for man; they were and are far superior. But far superior not only to us, but to any team out there. Man for man, the only team that could possibly match them with individual quality would be Real Madrid. But as we saw over the 2 legs of their semi final, they are not half the TEAM Barcelona are. At United, we are a team but definitely do not have the players to compete with the kind of player power and class which they have in their ranks.

Where to from here?

Well I’m not going to start demanding we buy players and slating the players which helped us knock Liverpool off their perch and claim our 19^th league title. As I have said many times before (see all my previous articles), winning the league was always the priority and anything else should be seen as a bonus, which we unfortunately we could not claim this time round. Considering our performances over the past 4 seasons, we can rightfully claim to be the second best team in all of Europe, having reached 3 finals in 4 years. Had it not been for Barca, we could have easily had at least 4 European titles to our name, but it’s not to be. Our squad as a whole is ideal for winning leagues, dealing with the long seasons and with Fergie constantly changing the team, it helps keep everyone fresh and in turn allows us to rest our bigger players for the more important games. In a Final, a once off game, the classier team will generally prevail, as Barca showed on the weekend.

Fergie knows that if we are to one day beat this great Barca team; we will have to invest heavily and make some wholesale changes. We do not need a complete re-vamp of the squad, however, after Scholesy yesterday confirmed that he would in fact be retiring with immediate effect, it has left our midfield extremely thin and lacking creativity. Strengthening in midfield, and of course a goalkeeper, is vital if we are to challenge on all fronts again next season. We have lost Scholes, Neville, Van Der Sar & Hargreaves for certain and players such as Brown, Kuszczak and even Berbatov could also depart in the summer. They need to be replaced with experienced players of similar quality who can come in immediately and do the job. But Fergie knows this, he is aware of who is available and what positions need attention. I’m not going to turn this into a summer transfer targets article, but Sneijder, Modric, Young, Rodwell and De Gea are the ones that come to mind. All I ask for is for United to put in the offers, be proactive and wait for a response. Put in a 30 million pound offer for Modric. Bid 35 million for Sneijder. Let’s see how “unavailable” they really are.

With everything said and done, the season has come to an end and I call for all United fans to enjoy the season for what it really was – a success. With a team that many people saw as one of the “weaker” and “less creative”  teams in comparison to those triumphant United teams in the past, winning the Premier League for a record 19 times is just fantastic and as fans we need to appreciate the kind of job that has been done. We are now entering into a transition phase; we are losing big name players with bags of experience. However, I trust in Fergie and believe that we have some promising youngsters who can hopefully step up and take their opportunities. But without a doubt, big money will need to be spent if we are to remain as dominant as we have been over the past 20 years and hopefully for more years to come.

Bel19ve in the Champ19ns!