Is It Our Year?

Being a Liverpool fan has been difficult in recent times, we have been befouled with a distinct lack of quality for many years, despite impressive performances in the Champions League, this cannot mask the inadequacies we have had in our squad in recent years. The Champions League was the make up that graces many a unattractive girl on the weekend, but in reality when it’s washed off, you cannot hide the blemishes. Liverpool fans have waited 17 long years for a league title, and for the most celebrated and successful team in the country that simply is not good enough. We have had to endure some torturous Premiership years, seeing our biggest rivals dominate, whilst we had to suffer the indignity of fighting for the last Champions League places. But now things are changing, Liverpool now have investment, a fantastic new stadium and a squad better than anything we have seen in the last 10 years.

Fans of other clubs will continue to provide many a reason why they think Liverpool will continue to underachieve in the league. They will say “Rafa rotates too much”, “you aren’t good away from home”, “you are a one man team” “you can’t score goals”. Years before this may have been true, but gone are the days of Bruno Cheyrou, the legend of Igor Biscan, Djimi Traore, Salif Daio, Bolo Zenden, Morientes, Dudek and Cisse. In ealier years Rafa would rotate his team and bring in ineptness, when a player like Zenden makes your Champions League final 11, you really have to question the squad you have. He may be the worst player to play on a Champions League final. Losing that final last year was a blessing in disguise. To win it would have covered up the deep rooted problems we had, but thankfully Rafa has spotted all of this and rectified all the problems we have in our squad.

The Defence

Liverpool have only conceded two goal so far this season and both of those were from penalties, one of which was highly contentious. In Finnan we have one of the most underrated players in the league, and one of the best right backs in the world. Arbeloa is a class act and has come leaps and bounds at left back this season. Carragher bleeds Liverpool red, and his passion for the club makes him a world class defender. Agger is simply a great talent, after he was taught a footballing lesson by Drogba in the first leg of the Champions League, he came back to produce a match winning performance at Anfield to control the animal that is Drogba. The likes of Traore could only dream of getting into this team, in comparison to earlier years where Djimi was our first choice left back. Comical is the word.

The midfield we have now is probably one of the best in the world, I think we have all heard the new song, but you can’t deny the quality we have right now. Monster Masch is just that, a monster. His hunger to win the ball is like a 16 yr old boy on the hunt for his first sexual experience, he is relentless and his distribution is also top notch. Alonso has not discovered the form he had in earlier years but his distribution is still impressive, but I feel it’s only a matter of time before Monster takes his starting spot. Momo was once the worst passers of the ball I have ever seen, he couldn’t pass wind, probably couldn’t even play pass the parcel, but this season he has been rejuvenated and has improved massively considering the pressure he is now under for a starting spot. He also has the honour of scoring the 7000^th goal for Liverpool FC. What more needs to be said about Gerrard, simply one of the best midfielders in the world, his influence and drive will carry Liverpool very far.

Attacking options

Last season we had to deal with the likes of Zenden to provide a creative spark for our strikers, a man who couldn’t deliver a pizza let alone a good ball in the box. Harry Kewell who as talented as he is, is clearly made of wet paper and Speedy Gonzales who promised so much but literally gave nothing, and was ousted by Zenden in the starting line up, that’s similar to having your girlfriend stolen by the elephant man. This season things are different, Riise has move into midfield, Ryan Babel is a class addition and looks a real threat, Pennant is beginning to show the world how good he really can be, he has been our best player so far this season and I’m expecting him to get better. I was miffed when we signed Benayoun, but he has impressed me greatly so far, but I still miss little Luis.

Upfront things look a lot different, last season we had a misfit in the shape of Bellamy, GOD, who was brilliant but he was clearly past his prime, Kuyt who seems to be afraid of the penalty box and the legend that is Peter Crouch. We struggled for goals and lacked the real quality to compete. This season we have a porn star and El Nino. Voronin, the pony tailed genius, looks a snip at free transfer and has looked impressive so far and knows how to put the ball in the net, whilst Torres provides us with some genuine pace, skill and power upfront, something we haven’t had for a long time. Ten goals in two games suggests we won’t have trouble scoring this season, but the quality of the opposition wasn’t exactly great.

1 – "Not good away from home" – Already picked up two wins at places we would have struggled to win at last season

2 – "Rafa rotates too much" – yes he does, but he does it to keep players fresh, last season he rotated and brought in genuine crap, this season he is rotating and bringing in genuine class.

3 – "You are a one man team" – we have lost our two best players and have still produced wonderful performances, even without Stevie we have enough quality to cover his absence, losing Stevie is not a problem.

4- "Your strikers cannot score goals" – Our strikers have all scored a couple this season already which bodes well for the future, I think Torres and Voronin is a massive step up from Bellamy and Fowler.

Can we win the league this season? Yes potentially we can, and the squad progression suggest that we will go a lot closer this year. The future looks good, and I think the rest of the Premiership knows it.

Ramming It Home....

Liverpool 6 Derby 0

Liverpool leaped to the top of the Premiership table for the first time in 5 years with an emphatic destruction of a truly woeful Derby side. Liverpool rammed home 6 goals, and regardless of how bad the opposition were, you can’t deny that there is genuine quality in this Liverpool side. Scoring 10 goals in two games without your two best players is a good return. Derby were hopeless, and the sight of two Derby defenders tackling themselves for Liverpool’s second was truly comical, and with defending like that you have to wonder how long it will be before Derby are relegated. I think the word “ram” is such an apt nickname, because they will be getting shafted all season.

Man Utd 1 Sunderland 0

Man Utd really are not playing like Champions, they limped to an unimpressive 1-0 win against Sunderland. Roy Keane went back to his old club and received a great welcome, Sunderland continue to slide, but when you have signed 10 Man Utd rejects/old boys you are bound to struggle, but they defended brilliantly and Craig Gordon is a great acquistion. The impotency upfront for Man Utd was clear to see, and the introduction of Saha was the impetous they needed and he duly scored the winner. Anderson looked well out of his depth, and Nani failed to excite me again. I think their minds were still thinking about the prostitutes they were entertaining a few days earlier. Tevez still looks unfit, but when Ronaldo and Rooney return, and Saha gains full fitness, Man Utd will be a force again.

Arsenal 3 Portsmouth 1

Fabregas shockingly scored another league goal, and his 4^th goal this season. For a guy who has struggled to score in the league it’s clear that he’s maturing as a footballer, can he keep it up? Arsenal strolled to a relatively easy win which started with Adebayor slotting home a penalty after Van Persie was felled in the box. Even though they went down to 10 men, they still looked comfortable and even after Kanu’s bizarre goal made it 3-1, it was clear that the result was never in doubt. I’m not sure if Arsenal have enough to maintain a title challenge, a few injuries and they could really struggle.

Blackburn 1 Manchester City 0

Sven’s honeymoon period appears to be over as Rovers eased to a 1-0 win courtesy of Benni McCarthy’s close range strike. Blackburn are still unbeaten and are playing with the sort of consistency and quality that many people expected of Tottenham this season. Surely it won’t be long before Mark Hughes steps into Fergie’s boots? Or perhaps he may even be a target for Tottenham once Martin not so Jolly departs… watch this space.

Aston Villa 2 Chelski 0

Villa’s hoodoo over Jose Mourinho continued as Chelsea left the Midlands pointless. The Special One even resorted to getting his hairstyle changed before the game in an attempt to change his fortunes at Villa Park. Unfortunately for Jose, it made no difference and now he has just ended up looking like an idiot. A word of advice Jose, if it aint broke, don’t fix it. Chelski toiled at Villa without any real cutting edge, though it could have all been different if the referee had spotted Laursen’s attempted GBH on SWP in the first half. Without Fat Frank, Chelski were unable the resort to their tactic of getting Drogba to flick the ball on for the Fat one to hit a deflected winner. Ashley Young gave Belleti a torrid time as Villa grabbed what was probably a deserved three points, certainly in terms of clear cut chances.

Fulham 3 Tottenham 3

Diomansy Kamara’s shinned bicycle kick pushed Martin Jol one step closer to the sack as Tottenham once again pushed the self destruct button. I think Martin Jol should be called Santa Claus from now on, not just because of his rotund figure but also because he just loves handing out gifts. His decision to remove Robbie Keane proved pivotal, as the Irishman was running the game and the substitution handed Fulham the initiative. This was followed by the introduction of Michael Dawson as Jol pretty much said “we are trying our best to let you back into the game…so please oblige”. Fulham didn’t disappoint as they gained a point from a game in which Spurs completely dominated. Jol will have a lot of sympathy from the shambles of the Ramos affair but many will question whether he has the tactical ability to take Spurs to the next level, something which will almost certainly cost him his job.

Middlesborough 2 Birmingham 0

Goals from Wheater and Downing handed Boro an impressive win. Shame that there was no-one in the ground to witness it. A very poor attendance was the most notable thing during this game as well as Steve Bruce’s terrible attire. Stick to the tracksuit Steve.

Newcastle 1 Wigan 0

Michael Owen rediscovered his goal scoring touch as the Geordies snatched a last gasp win against a plucky ten man Wigan. Before everyone gets excited though, remember that Owen was up against Titus Bramble, not exactly the sternest test he is likely to face. I personally won’t be convinced until Michael gets 15-20 games under his belt.

Bolton 1 Everton 2

The Yak scored on his debut but it was Joleon Lescott who turned out to be the hero as he headed a last ditch winner at the Reebok. Everton have been excellent so far and look as though they could really be a force to be reckoned with this season, providing that they can keep their squad injury free. Another defeat for wee Sammy will do little to keep the vultures circling but the fact that Derby are already relegated may suggest that he may get some more time to stamp his authority on the Trotters.

Reading 0 West Ham 3

The Hammers gained revenge for last years six goal spanking as Bellamy and Etherington ran riot. Bellamy has shown that he can be a class player but it remains to be seen whether he can do it week in, week out. When things are going well, Bellamy will be fine. But if things aren’t going well, the hunchback is not the sort of person you want in your side when you are trying to scrap your way out of trouble. Not unless he is handed a golf club of course.

DAYLIGHT ROB-BERY AT ANFIELD

Liverpool 1 Rob Styles 1

Liverpool were denied three points after a truly awful penalty decision allowed Chelsea to level the scores. Makes you wonder about the sanity of referees these days, the Chelsea players were guilty of harassing Rob Styles at every opportunity, even when decisions went their way. Torres gave Liverpool the lead after latching onto a brilliant through ball from the ever inspirational Steven Gerrard; he knocked the ball past the statuesque Ben Haim and then produced a neat finish reminiscent of Thierry Henry himself. Liverpool looked very comfortable, with Chelsea

Chelsea’s only shot on target came from the penalty spot, the inept Rob Styles awarded a penalty because apparently Finnan impeded Malouda in the box, but in fact it looked like Malouda charged into Finnan. Probably the worst decision I have seen since Steps decided to reform. Styles had clearly been intimidated by the England captain, who consistently got in Rob Styles’ face, when will they punish players for this type of behaviour? The penalty was then converted by the rubenesque Lampard, who then proceeded to run to the away fans and shout “Franki Lampard, Franki Lampard”, and also did a celebration resembling him putting another pizza in the oven, very strange behaviour me thinks. What do you expect from a man who has his own TV channel, which I’m sure will be full of dietary tips for the English public. Rob Styles then proceeded to continue his Graham Poll impression, by clearly booking Essien and not sending him off, he later claimed that he booked Terry, but if that’s true then why did he brandish his yellow card twice? Styles’ performance was similar to letting a blind man take control of a steering wheel, you could just about guarantee there was going to be an accident. All in all, Chelsea will be the happier team, but Liverpool are beginning to look like a side who can finally mount a sustained title challenge.

Man City 1 Man Utd 0

Manchester United fell closer and closer to the relegation zone, after losing to local rivals Man City. For all the possession and chances Man Utd had, its clear that they need a target man upfront or it could all end in tears. Who would have thought that the champions would have scored less goals than Michael Chopra after 3 games. What are the odds on Man Utd playing Plymouth in the Championship next season? Geovvani grabbed the only goal of the game after a deflection off Vidic left Van Der Sar with no chance. The highlight of the game came when Sir Alex thought Tevez had scored, the look on his face from jubilation to sadness was simply priceless. There is talk of Man Utd signing Anelka, and he could be the man to rescue their season, if not they could be out of the title race in August. Man City are looking impressive, I don’t think they are top four contenders, but they will be pushing for a European spot, and in Micah Richards, they have one of the best English talents I have seen, simply superb.

Blackburn 1 Arsenal 1

Jens Lemon produced another comical moment to deny Arsenal three points. I think his days are numbered as Arsenal’s number one, and this howler will go into the archives as one of the worst ever. Arsenal took the lead through Van Persie after a goal line scramble, but all his good work was undone by Lemon, who spilled a routine shot by David Dunn into his own net. Lemon has gone from being one of the best keepers in the world to a Zippos circus act, and if he continues like this we could be seeing the end of the comedy act that is Jens Lemon, similar to the end of Frasier or Friends, I know we all like a bit of comedy.

Fulham 1 Middlesbrough 2

Fulham lost two points thanks to another dreadful refereeing error. David Healy scored a legitimate goal, which was not given even though the goal keeper carried the ball over the line. The linesman somehow did not see it, thus costing Fulham two points. When the season is over, its moments like these that could be crucial, I think its time to introduce some sort of TV replay to make sure mistakes like this are not made in the future. There is a lot at stake in football these days, and to have the fate of games in the hands of one man just doesn’t make sense. But with Tony Warner in goal, Fulham should be pointing the finger at another man, truly disgraceful goalkeeping.

Tottenham 4 Derby 0

Tottenham lifted themselves off the bottom of the table with a comfortable 4-0 victory over Derby, and it was the usually useless Jenas who scored with a fine solo effort, with Malbranque grabbing a brace. Maybe all is not lost for Martin LOL (his new nickname until I can take him seriously again) and Bent also opened his account to pay much a fraction of the 16 million they paid for him. He still needs to buy effectively if Tottenham are going to get anywhere near that 4^th spot this season.

Reading 1 Everton 0

Reading continued their impressive start to the season by beating the pretenders Everton whilst Bolton look in big big trouble after losing 3-1 to Portsmouth. Sammy Lee could be the new favourite to get the sack, after three pointless games.

Newcastle 0 Aston Villa 0

There was a bore draw at St James Park between Newcastle and Aston Villa, with Steve Harper making sure the Geordies got a point. The game saw the return to action of Michael Owen who looked well off the boil. Whilst it was only his first game back, surely his best days are behind him. He is like a Peter North without a dick, he might as well just retire.

Wigan 3 Sunderland 0

Wigan routed a truly awful Sunderland at the JJB which momentarily sent them top of the league. Don’t be fooled though, they have only beaten Boro and the Black Cats at home and they will still be expected to struggle, although Jason Koumas looks as though he could be in for an excellent season.

West Ham 1 Birmingham 0

West Ham gained a narrow but deserved victory over Birmingham thanks to a Mark Noble penalty. Not much to report here but Steve Bruce was back to his moaning about the “big club Vs little club syndrome”. What a load of nonsense. Birmingham have a far bigger fan-base that the Hammers and since when have West Ham become a big club exactly? Shut up Steve and just admit that your team were garbage.