With us having no game this weekend, I’ve had nothing obvious to write about.
I could write about the cretins, Hicks and Gillett who have been back in the headlines this week due to their ongoing attempts to salvage some cash from the train wreck that was their ‘custodianship’ of Liverpool FC. I could but I won’t because I’m sick to death of the pair of them. They are no longer relevant to Liverpool Football Club. They came; they caused an awful lot of damage; they were booted out and now finally the club is heading forwards again - albeit from a very low starting position. So screw Hicks and Gillett. They are pathetic individuals bereft of class, honour and moral fibre but they are no longer relevant to Liverpool Football Club and are therefore no longer relevant to me.
In the end, I decided the only thing worth writing about is the reason why we have no game this weekend... The FA Cup. The Cup we were eliminated from after a single match.
Let me tell you this: I fucking hate the FA Cup. Why? Because it fucking hates me.
My first memory as a Liverpool supporter was the 1986 FA Cup Final when we beat Everton 3-1 thanks to Rushie’s brace. We went on to win the Cup twice more in the next 6 seasons. Up to that point, I had no issues with the competition but then in 1996 I experienced what remains my most painful memory as a supporter. Beige Armani suits, Spice Boys, a dull-as-ditchwater final and Eric bloody Cantona with a late winner for the Scum. Fergie’s beaming grin. Fowler in tears. The horror. The horror.
What was so painful about that ’96 final was that it undermined everything I believed about Liverpool FC and football in general. You see, having previously been at most a passive fan, by the 1995-96 season I was seriously hooked. I had started listening to the live games on the radio and watching the few games televised on terrestrial TV and I now knew most of the players. I idolised Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman and would get really excited about our games.
I knew that Liverpool was the best team in the world. I knew that we’d had a bad few years because Graeme Souness was a rubbish manager and I knew his removal was all it would take to put us back on top. I knew that Man United were jammy and cheated and didn’t deserve a single one of the trophies they’d taken while Souness had us in the doldrums. I knew that we were better than them – a point proven by our 2-0 win over them at Anfield while I also knew they’d only managed a 2-2 draw against us at Old Trafford because they’d conned the ref into giving them a dodgy penalty. I knew that the only reason we hadn’t won the League in 1996 was because of a nightmare month of November when we were quite clearly jinxed. I knew that in the previous two years when my family had moved house (1989 and 1992), Liverpool had won the Cup and we’d moved again in 1996 so it was fated that we would win it.
I sat down to watch that match with my Dad with absolutely 100% certainty that we were going to be lifting the trophy after full time. That full-time whistle was like a dagger through the heart.
The season after, I had to work during our FA Cup fourth round tie at Chelsea. As I scrubbed dishes in the kitchen of the Bay Horse, one of the waitresses stuck her head through the door to say “1-0. Fowler”. She later returned with the message “2-0. Collymore”. I finished my shift and walked home knowing my Dad had recorded the match for me. I couldn’t wait to watch it. As I walked into my house, the match had just finished and I accidentally saw the scoreline 4-2 flashed on the telly. I thought “Wow, we scored 4! I wonder who got the other 2?”. I took the tape upstairs to my room and sat down to watch it. Sure enough, we went 1-0 up (Fowler), then 2-0 (Collymore). Then Chelsea pulled one back. Then another. Then another... I waited for Chelsea’s third to be disallowed but the celebrations of the home team continued. “Hang on!” I thought. It suddenly dawned on me that perhaps Chelsea had won 4-2; not Liverpool. I fast-forwarded through the rest of the game and found it to be true. We were out in round 4. Gutted! How could this happen? Chelsea were shit. Liverpool were the best.
A year later as we went out of the Cup in the 3rd Round at home to Coventry City, I now knew that Liverpool were not the best. Not by a long way. You see, Roy Evans was the problem. Like Souness before him, he was holding us back from reclaiming our rightful status of World’s Best Club. He had to go.
In came Gerard Houllier. In 1998-99, a hard-earned win at Port Vale set us up for the “tie of the round” against Man Ure at Old Trafford. Shorn of Evans, we were about to show Man Ure that we were back. We went 1-0 up after just 3 minutes and held that lead until we were within touching distance of full-time. Then Nicky Butt tripped over the ball in the vicinity of Jamie Redknapp and Graham Poll awarded a farcical free-kick from which United scored an 88th minute equaliser. Bastards. “Still, at least we’ll do them in the replay at Anfield,” I thought but then in stoppage time Ole Gunnar Solskjaer stole a stomach-churning winner and our season was over in January.
The next season we went out in the fourth round at home to Blackburn – who were then in the division below the Premiership – but in 2000-01 we finally got beyond round 4 and went on to win the bastard!!!!
2001-02 saw us dumped out at Highbury in the fourth round after Carragher was sent off for returning a coin to an Arsenal supporter who had lobbed it at him. 2002-03 saw us dumped out in round 4 again and once again it was at home to opponents from a lower division – this time Crystal Palace. In 2003-04 we finally got beyond round 4 but no further after we failed to beat Portsmouth at home and lost the replay. In 2004-05 we went out in round 3 at Burnley thanks to THAT Djimi Traore own goal. Then in 2005-06 we won it again! Hallelujah!!! By now, Rafa had us back amongst the big boys so surely we could expect to see more regular cup runs? Er... No.
In 2006-07 we went out in round 3 at home to Arsenal (on my fucking birthday). In 2007-08 we went out in round 5 at home to Barnsley(!!!). In 2008-09 we went out in round 4 to Everton. In 2009-10 we went out in the 3rd round to Reading(!!!). Finally, this season we went out in round 3 to Man Ure.
In summary, in the last five years we have played just eight FA Cup ties and lost five of them. Those we won were against the mighty Luton Town, Havant & Waterlooville and Preston North End. It is basically a competition that heaps misery on us and brings very little joy most years.
In some ways I should feel grateful that we’ve reached 3 Finals and won 2 during the period that I could label myself a true Liverpool fanatic. Only the dirty Mancs, Arsenal and Chelsea can boast better records. My issue is that in those years when we haven’t won it, we’ve usually gone out in round 4 with the occasional appearance in round 5 offset by a number of falls at the first hurdle. Yes, we occasionally win it, but overall, we are rubbish in the FA Cup and that is why I hate it.
Saturday, 19 February 2011
Saturday, 12 February 2011
Liverpool 1 Wigan 1: Doh!
Disappointing. In football, there’s no such a thing as a foregone conclusion but Liverpool should be beating Wigan at Anfield.
That we failed to do so was a consequence of having a tired and depleted squad lacking strength in depth. Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger would have played in this game but for injury. You could also say the same of Andy Carroll. True, if you sign an injured player you can’t complain about him being unavailable but he is Torres’ replacement and Torres would have played so there is some validity to the argument.
Gerrard and Agger were badly missed, not simply because they are amongst the team’s best players but because they are amongst the few genuine football players at the club and both offer real goal threats. Lucas and Aurelio have their strengths but as a midfield pairing, they lacked creativity and offered no threat to Wigan’s goal. Meanwhile, neither Carra nor Skrtel are capable of bringing the ball forward into midfield in the way Agger does.
Then there was the further absences of Jonjo Shelvey and Joke Cole. Kenny seems to like Shelvey while we have yet to see anything like the best of Cole but it’s reasonable to assume that either would have been introduced from the bench before Jovanovic. Even Aurelio could have added something if introduced from the bench had he not been starting in the absence of Gerrard.
Jovanovic was really poor. He looks like a poor man's Erik Meijer. Ngog was similarly ineffective but in his defence, he has shown in the past that he has potential whereas to date, we've seen no evidence that Jovanovic can add any value to this squad.
This summer is crucial for our football club. We need 3 or 4 first team players of real quality but also need squad players who won’t weaken the team when required as much as some of the current fringe players.
Despite our deficiencies, we were still unlucky not to win with Suarez hitting the woodwork twice and Wigan’s equaliser being clearly offside yet still allowed to stand because the officials were utterly incompetent. I just wish we'd had a bit more quality to be able to push for a winner after the set-back. In truth, Wigan were never on the ropes and were good value for their point.
It is frustrating when, having beaten Chelsea away, you can’t beat a poor Wigan team at home but this shouldn’t undermine confidence. We are still on an excellent run and are playing infinitely better than we were when we drew at Wigan earlier in the season.
Next up is a double-header against Sparta Prague. I expect to see the likes of Kyrgiakos, Aurelio, Poulsen, Jovanovic and Ngog feature over the two legs but I would really like to see Pacheco and Wilson given chances. Pacheco needs a chance to show what he can do. If he can prove he has what it takes to play in the first team, he can give Kenny a much-needed alternative attacking option when Gerrard is out.
Let's get through that tie and then we can focus on picking up 3 points at West Ham.
That we failed to do so was a consequence of having a tired and depleted squad lacking strength in depth. Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger would have played in this game but for injury. You could also say the same of Andy Carroll. True, if you sign an injured player you can’t complain about him being unavailable but he is Torres’ replacement and Torres would have played so there is some validity to the argument.
Gerrard and Agger were badly missed, not simply because they are amongst the team’s best players but because they are amongst the few genuine football players at the club and both offer real goal threats. Lucas and Aurelio have their strengths but as a midfield pairing, they lacked creativity and offered no threat to Wigan’s goal. Meanwhile, neither Carra nor Skrtel are capable of bringing the ball forward into midfield in the way Agger does.
Then there was the further absences of Jonjo Shelvey and Joke Cole. Kenny seems to like Shelvey while we have yet to see anything like the best of Cole but it’s reasonable to assume that either would have been introduced from the bench before Jovanovic. Even Aurelio could have added something if introduced from the bench had he not been starting in the absence of Gerrard.
Jovanovic was really poor. He looks like a poor man's Erik Meijer. Ngog was similarly ineffective but in his defence, he has shown in the past that he has potential whereas to date, we've seen no evidence that Jovanovic can add any value to this squad.
This summer is crucial for our football club. We need 3 or 4 first team players of real quality but also need squad players who won’t weaken the team when required as much as some of the current fringe players.
Despite our deficiencies, we were still unlucky not to win with Suarez hitting the woodwork twice and Wigan’s equaliser being clearly offside yet still allowed to stand because the officials were utterly incompetent. I just wish we'd had a bit more quality to be able to push for a winner after the set-back. In truth, Wigan were never on the ropes and were good value for their point.
It is frustrating when, having beaten Chelsea away, you can’t beat a poor Wigan team at home but this shouldn’t undermine confidence. We are still on an excellent run and are playing infinitely better than we were when we drew at Wigan earlier in the season.
Next up is a double-header against Sparta Prague. I expect to see the likes of Kyrgiakos, Aurelio, Poulsen, Jovanovic and Ngog feature over the two legs but I would really like to see Pacheco and Wilson given chances. Pacheco needs a chance to show what he can do. If he can prove he has what it takes to play in the first team, he can give Kenny a much-needed alternative attacking option when Gerrard is out.
Let's get through that tie and then we can focus on picking up 3 points at West Ham.
Liverpool v Wigan: Preview
Prior to the current campaign, Liverpool have played 15 seasons in the Premiership since it reduced to its 20-team format. Of those campaigns, 3 of the top 4 were overseen by Rafa Benitez, the other by Houllier (although he missed half of that campaign through illness leaving Phil Thompson in charge). 4 of Rafa’s 6 seasons were in club’s the top 7 best League performances whereas 4 of Houllier’s 6 were in the bottom 7. It’s quite clear who performed the better of the two despite some of the nonsense still spouted in the media.
Curiously, the bottom 4 features both Houllier’s and Benitez’s first and last seasons, the order being: Benitez’s last (63 points), Houllier’s last (60), Benitez’s first (58) and Houllier’s first (54).
Why bring this up? Because when FSG finally brought the brief yet far too long reign of Roy Hodgson to an end following our 3-1 defeat at Blackburn, Liverpool ranked 16 of 16 in terms of League performance. With just 25 points from 20 games, we were 6 points behind the 1998-99 season at the same point and had the worst goal difference of any season by 12 clear goals. Basically, we were on course for our worst performance of any 38-game Premiership season.
What is truly remarkable is that if Liverpool beat Wigan at Anfield today, we would have 41 points from 27 games outperforming the 1998-99 and 2003-04 seasons (Houllier’s first and last) by 2 points. A 3-0 win would even see us equal the goal difference of that 2003-04 season.
Despite the excuses made for Hodgson by his patriotic and xenophobic friends in the media and the LMA, I never believed that Liverpool’s performance this season was as good as any manager could achieve with the same set of players. King Kenny has proven indisputably that Hodgson was the problem and that a better manager (and backroom team) could achieve far more with those players.
At times under Hodgson, I genuinely feared relegation. To be on the verge of the 40-point mark, generally considered the safety mark as far as relegation is concerned, with 11 matches still to play is testament to Kenny’s remarkable performance so far.
While no game is a foregone conclusion, I expect Liverpool to win today. Whether that win has to be ground out or is a walk in the park will depend on what Wigan bring to the party. They are a really unpredictable team that is capable of good football and battling performances on their day whereas on others opponents can rack up a cricket score against them.
I’ll be hoping for an early Liverpool goal and a comfortable win from there.
Dirk Kuyt has an excellent record versus Wigan with 5 previous goals against them for Liverpool. The only other current player to have scored against them is David Ngog who scored the opener in this fixture last season. I doubt Ngog will start.
I’d like to Suarez given his full debut but the team were so good against Chelsea, it would be harsh to leave anyone out. I’m intrigued to see if Kenny retains the 3 central defenders that worked so well against Stoke and Chelsea. In theory, dropping Skrtel allows Suarez to come in to play off Kuyt but that could restrict the attacking threat from Johnson and Kelly on the wings so isn’t necessarily more attacking. I trust Kenny and Steve Clarke to get it right.
Curiously, the bottom 4 features both Houllier’s and Benitez’s first and last seasons, the order being: Benitez’s last (63 points), Houllier’s last (60), Benitez’s first (58) and Houllier’s first (54).
Why bring this up? Because when FSG finally brought the brief yet far too long reign of Roy Hodgson to an end following our 3-1 defeat at Blackburn, Liverpool ranked 16 of 16 in terms of League performance. With just 25 points from 20 games, we were 6 points behind the 1998-99 season at the same point and had the worst goal difference of any season by 12 clear goals. Basically, we were on course for our worst performance of any 38-game Premiership season.
What is truly remarkable is that if Liverpool beat Wigan at Anfield today, we would have 41 points from 27 games outperforming the 1998-99 and 2003-04 seasons (Houllier’s first and last) by 2 points. A 3-0 win would even see us equal the goal difference of that 2003-04 season.
Despite the excuses made for Hodgson by his patriotic and xenophobic friends in the media and the LMA, I never believed that Liverpool’s performance this season was as good as any manager could achieve with the same set of players. King Kenny has proven indisputably that Hodgson was the problem and that a better manager (and backroom team) could achieve far more with those players.
At times under Hodgson, I genuinely feared relegation. To be on the verge of the 40-point mark, generally considered the safety mark as far as relegation is concerned, with 11 matches still to play is testament to Kenny’s remarkable performance so far.
While no game is a foregone conclusion, I expect Liverpool to win today. Whether that win has to be ground out or is a walk in the park will depend on what Wigan bring to the party. They are a really unpredictable team that is capable of good football and battling performances on their day whereas on others opponents can rack up a cricket score against them.
I’ll be hoping for an early Liverpool goal and a comfortable win from there.
Dirk Kuyt has an excellent record versus Wigan with 5 previous goals against them for Liverpool. The only other current player to have scored against them is David Ngog who scored the opener in this fixture last season. I doubt Ngog will start.
I’d like to Suarez given his full debut but the team were so good against Chelsea, it would be harsh to leave anyone out. I’m intrigued to see if Kenny retains the 3 central defenders that worked so well against Stoke and Chelsea. In theory, dropping Skrtel allows Suarez to come in to play off Kuyt but that could restrict the attacking threat from Johnson and Kelly on the wings so isn’t necessarily more attacking. I trust Kenny and Steve Clarke to get it right.
Monday, 7 February 2011
Chelsea 0 Liverpool 1: Who's the bigger club now?
Don't pay attention to the ‘Judas’ jibes. Disregard the complaints that Torres lied to us when saying “My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed.” Forget the difficult conversations many fathers like myself had with our young sons when explaining why their bedroom wall posters had to come down and that their idol was no longer to be idolised.
Yes, these were good reasons to feel angry but to me, what was really galling about Torres’ sale to Chelsea was that it appeared symbolic of our fallen standing in the game.
We were once the biggest of fishes in the pond. That Chelsea could take our star player from us confirmed what secretly we all thought but didn't want to accept. These days, we are a medium sized fish and there are much bigger fish in the pond.
Never before had we had to sell our star player to a rival Premiership club. In the last two years, we have been shipping quality. We couldn’t hang on to Alonso, Mascherano or even Benayoun. To see Torres go there and quip about joining a ‘big club’ was galling.
That fate should decree his Chelsea debut would be against us was nothing short of sick. In recent years, we have become accustomed to facing Chelsea as the ‘have-nots’ versus the ‘haves’ but what they had and we didn’t used to just be money, strength in depth and recent success. We consoled ourselves by counting the things we had that they didn’t like history, class and Fernando Torres. Now our prized striker was about to be used against us. Sick.
The way in which Kenny and FSG had handled an extremely damaging situation was masterful. Far from licking their wounds, they responded to the Torres bombshell by eclipsing the transfer records of all clubs bar Chelsea and doing to Newcastle what Chelsea had done to us. Perhaps Chelsea were a bigger fish but this showed we were still high up in the food chain.
Kenny said all the right things. “The most important players are the people at this football club,” he said. “We'll just play against any player they put on the pitch. We're more important than any player they've got.”
He went on to say that no player is bigger than the club and that it was "irresponsible and stupid" to think otherwise.
The statement is something of cliché in football but if ever it was proven true, it was yesterday at Stamford Bridge.
Torres got what he deserved: a debut to forget and a smack in the face from Agger. He left the pitch looking crestfallen with the boos and jeers from his former fans ringing in his ears. All eyes had been on him but the star of the show was not Chelsea’s new number nine, it was Liverpool Football Club. Exactly as Kenny had said, Liverpool FC was more important than any player Chelsea had.
Individually, Liverpool’s players were great. Collectively they were magnificent.
That win was the perfect riposte to Chelsea’s arrogance. “We can take your star player” said they. “We can take 3 points from you on your own turf” said we. “And by the way, that’s twice we’ve beaten you this season.”
A week ago, Liverpool faced a potential crisis. Now they are surging onward and upward and unthinkably find themselves within striking distance of a Champions League spot. Suddenly, it is Chelsea who find themselves in crisis. Suddenly, from talking about the title, they find their Champions League spot under threat. £71.3m well spent!
It’s dangerous for us to get carried away and start raising expectations. When Kenny took over, I was just hoping to avoid relegation. I thought 7th place should be our target and 6th would be a massive achievement. Now we are 6th and look capable of climbing higher but if we were to finish the season in 6th, it will still represent a massive achievement. If Kenny somehow managed to steer us into the top four he should win the Manager of the Year Award no question.
I just love that we can once again dare to dream. I love that we can once again enjoy the buzz of a big win and the pride in our club. I love feeling optimistic about the immediate future. I love King Kenny.
Torres is dead in our hearts. Long live the King!
Yes, these were good reasons to feel angry but to me, what was really galling about Torres’ sale to Chelsea was that it appeared symbolic of our fallen standing in the game.
We were once the biggest of fishes in the pond. That Chelsea could take our star player from us confirmed what secretly we all thought but didn't want to accept. These days, we are a medium sized fish and there are much bigger fish in the pond.
Never before had we had to sell our star player to a rival Premiership club. In the last two years, we have been shipping quality. We couldn’t hang on to Alonso, Mascherano or even Benayoun. To see Torres go there and quip about joining a ‘big club’ was galling.
That fate should decree his Chelsea debut would be against us was nothing short of sick. In recent years, we have become accustomed to facing Chelsea as the ‘have-nots’ versus the ‘haves’ but what they had and we didn’t used to just be money, strength in depth and recent success. We consoled ourselves by counting the things we had that they didn’t like history, class and Fernando Torres. Now our prized striker was about to be used against us. Sick.
The way in which Kenny and FSG had handled an extremely damaging situation was masterful. Far from licking their wounds, they responded to the Torres bombshell by eclipsing the transfer records of all clubs bar Chelsea and doing to Newcastle what Chelsea had done to us. Perhaps Chelsea were a bigger fish but this showed we were still high up in the food chain.
Kenny said all the right things. “The most important players are the people at this football club,” he said. “We'll just play against any player they put on the pitch. We're more important than any player they've got.”
He went on to say that no player is bigger than the club and that it was "irresponsible and stupid" to think otherwise.
The statement is something of cliché in football but if ever it was proven true, it was yesterday at Stamford Bridge.
Torres got what he deserved: a debut to forget and a smack in the face from Agger. He left the pitch looking crestfallen with the boos and jeers from his former fans ringing in his ears. All eyes had been on him but the star of the show was not Chelsea’s new number nine, it was Liverpool Football Club. Exactly as Kenny had said, Liverpool FC was more important than any player Chelsea had.
Individually, Liverpool’s players were great. Collectively they were magnificent.
That win was the perfect riposte to Chelsea’s arrogance. “We can take your star player” said they. “We can take 3 points from you on your own turf” said we. “And by the way, that’s twice we’ve beaten you this season.”
A week ago, Liverpool faced a potential crisis. Now they are surging onward and upward and unthinkably find themselves within striking distance of a Champions League spot. Suddenly, it is Chelsea who find themselves in crisis. Suddenly, from talking about the title, they find their Champions League spot under threat. £71.3m well spent!
It’s dangerous for us to get carried away and start raising expectations. When Kenny took over, I was just hoping to avoid relegation. I thought 7th place should be our target and 6th would be a massive achievement. Now we are 6th and look capable of climbing higher but if we were to finish the season in 6th, it will still represent a massive achievement. If Kenny somehow managed to steer us into the top four he should win the Manager of the Year Award no question.
I just love that we can once again dare to dream. I love that we can once again enjoy the buzz of a big win and the pride in our club. I love feeling optimistic about the immediate future. I love King Kenny.
Torres is dead in our hearts. Long live the King!
Friday, 4 February 2011
Chelsea v Liverpool: Preview
Much has been said over the last week about these two teams. Who got the better of the Torres deal? Were Liverpool crazy to spend £35m on Andy Carroll? Was Torres justified in swapping Anfield for Stamford Bridge? Are Liverpool fans justified in feeling let down by Torres for wanting to go? How will both clubs comply with the new Fair Play Rules? Will Torres score on his Chelsea debut against Liverpool? Should Liverpool supporters boo Torres or clap him?
To be honest, I'm getting a bit bored of it all.
If we'd paid £50m for a player like Torres, who turns 27 next month, I'd feel uneasy. It's a massive amount to gamble on a single player. I'm much happier that we've hedged our bets by gambling £57m on two players, one of whom has just turned 24 and the other of whom has just turned 22, who both have the potential to be world class in years to come.
Of course, Chelsea believe they are getting a proven world class player in his peak years, hence the premium, but only time will tell if that proves to be the case. Plenty of disgruntled Liverpool supporters have argued that Torres' best years are behind him pointing out that he was exceptional in 2007 and 2008 but has never recaptured that level since. The counter argument is that Torres' failure to recapture that level was because of a succession of injuries and more recently the shocking tactics of Roy Hodgson.
If Torres was still at Anfield, no one would be saying he should be sold because he's past it so I guess these arguments are ultimately just wishful thinking. That doesn't mean they won't be proven right but it's hard for supporters to be objective in such situations.
Personally, I don't care whether Torres is past it or not. Torres is the past. He is a player who came to Liverpool to win trophies and left having failed to do so. He won't be remembered as a legend - you have to win things for that to happen - but was a very good player for us during a brief window in which he showcased his talents at Anfield. Either way, he is now a Chelsea player and I prefer to focus on my own team.
Luis Suarez looks a genuinely exciting signing and it was fantastic to see him score his first Liverpool goal during an exciting cameo against Stoke in mid-week. Whether he is worth £35m or not, I like the look of Andy Carroll as a player and I am pleased we have signed him.
With 3 League wins on the bounce and 3 successive clean sheets, we take some form and confidence with us to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have been fragile of late and have not won too many games over the last couple of months. They already seem too far off the pace to retain their Premiership crown and are by no means certain to qualify for next season's Champions League. If we were to actually win there, it would give us a real chance of overtaking them in the League - a prospect that had looked unthinkable while Hodgson was leading us to ruin.
Realistically, a Liverpool win - though not impossible - is highly improbable. Since the start of the Premiership, our record at Stamford Bridge is shockingly bad. Even before Abramovich pitched up to buy a few League titles and cups, Chelsea away was a bogey fixture for us. Our Premiership record there reads: Pld 18, Won 2, Drew 4, Lost 12, Scored 7, Conceded 27.
In addition, we have also played there in 1 League Cup, 1 FA Cup and 4 Champions League ties failing to win a single one.
Looking for reasons to be optimistic, it was on this ground the King Kenny scored the winning goal that sealed the League title back in 1986. Meanwhile, if anyone knows the weaknesses of this Chelsea team, it must be King Kenny's No. 2, Steve Clarke. The tactical accumen the pair demonstrated against Stoke in midweek shows what they are capable of.
Would I take a draw before the game? Yes.
To be honest, I'm getting a bit bored of it all.
If we'd paid £50m for a player like Torres, who turns 27 next month, I'd feel uneasy. It's a massive amount to gamble on a single player. I'm much happier that we've hedged our bets by gambling £57m on two players, one of whom has just turned 24 and the other of whom has just turned 22, who both have the potential to be world class in years to come.
Of course, Chelsea believe they are getting a proven world class player in his peak years, hence the premium, but only time will tell if that proves to be the case. Plenty of disgruntled Liverpool supporters have argued that Torres' best years are behind him pointing out that he was exceptional in 2007 and 2008 but has never recaptured that level since. The counter argument is that Torres' failure to recapture that level was because of a succession of injuries and more recently the shocking tactics of Roy Hodgson.
If Torres was still at Anfield, no one would be saying he should be sold because he's past it so I guess these arguments are ultimately just wishful thinking. That doesn't mean they won't be proven right but it's hard for supporters to be objective in such situations.
Personally, I don't care whether Torres is past it or not. Torres is the past. He is a player who came to Liverpool to win trophies and left having failed to do so. He won't be remembered as a legend - you have to win things for that to happen - but was a very good player for us during a brief window in which he showcased his talents at Anfield. Either way, he is now a Chelsea player and I prefer to focus on my own team.
Luis Suarez looks a genuinely exciting signing and it was fantastic to see him score his first Liverpool goal during an exciting cameo against Stoke in mid-week. Whether he is worth £35m or not, I like the look of Andy Carroll as a player and I am pleased we have signed him.
With 3 League wins on the bounce and 3 successive clean sheets, we take some form and confidence with us to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea have been fragile of late and have not won too many games over the last couple of months. They already seem too far off the pace to retain their Premiership crown and are by no means certain to qualify for next season's Champions League. If we were to actually win there, it would give us a real chance of overtaking them in the League - a prospect that had looked unthinkable while Hodgson was leading us to ruin.
Realistically, a Liverpool win - though not impossible - is highly improbable. Since the start of the Premiership, our record at Stamford Bridge is shockingly bad. Even before Abramovich pitched up to buy a few League titles and cups, Chelsea away was a bogey fixture for us. Our Premiership record there reads: Pld 18, Won 2, Drew 4, Lost 12, Scored 7, Conceded 27.
In addition, we have also played there in 1 League Cup, 1 FA Cup and 4 Champions League ties failing to win a single one.
Looking for reasons to be optimistic, it was on this ground the King Kenny scored the winning goal that sealed the League title back in 1986. Meanwhile, if anyone knows the weaknesses of this Chelsea team, it must be King Kenny's No. 2, Steve Clarke. The tactical accumen the pair demonstrated against Stoke in midweek shows what they are capable of.
Would I take a draw before the game? Yes.
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