I know. It's been a while. And I haven't vented my spleen on the season as it's unravelled And now I'm here I feel my spleen in need of a major air conditioning.
But of course today is a day to talk turkey. In just over a months time the residents of our neighbours across the pond will be sitting down for their traditional Thanksgiving Day meal. Today could be the day that Liverpool fans give thanks for being rescued from one group of American's by another group of their compatriots.
But hold on one goddamn second. Is this merely a case of out of the frying pan into the roasting tray. Wouldn't we rather be celebrating American Independence Day instead. What is the difference between the Boston Red Sox owners and the Texas Rangers owners. What makes John W. Henry the man that Tom Hicks isn't?
When Tom and George arrived on Merseyside, they came with promises of a new stadium, investment into the team and the big promise of no debt on the club. Of course there is always the working capital debt that all major use to pursue their projects. Who can honestly believe that a new Anfield can rise from the foundations without borrowing to deliver it. The Emirates is as close to a blueprint to follow as you could get in this country. To build the new stadium, Arsenal had to borrow but they have done the sums and this debt is being repaid as promised in the same way that you or I would pay of our mortgage.
What really rankles is that Waldorf and Stadtler didn't use their own money to purchase our family. They borrowed heavily to acquire the club (the now famous acquisitional debt). NESV have assured the Board (the non yank ones any way) that the only debt on the club will be the working one. This doesn't necessarily mean that the debt goes away, but one option is that the debt will be spread across the NESV portfolio, so is assured against The Red Sox as well as The Reds.This flies directly in the face of the Hicks tactics of syphoning profits from Liverpool to finance his other interests.
What pleases me is the precedence that has been set with The Red Sox. They realised the link between success on the field and profit. If the team is successful then the supporters will want to put their hand in their pockets to support the team which can be invested to make the team successful which means the fans are willing to ...... you get the idea.
But how will that profit be made? Well it has been suggested that ticket prices will be increased to try to offset the costs and provide an instant return. Boston's famous Fenway Stadium has tickets that cost in advance of $300. But, it also has tickets that cost less than $12 providing a real opportunity to bring in the whole family for an affordable price for the majority of working class supporters.
It has been well documented that NESV, which is part owned by the New York Times, turned round Boston red Sox from a heritage brand with considerable history but no recent success, into a twice championship winning side. And although the company ain't skint, they are not in the same financial league as the Sheiks and Oil Barons. Wouldn't it be so much sweeter to win silverware knowing that we have done it without the help of a sugar daddy?
So I am, like has been said on a multitude of TV and Radio stations about Liverpool fans today, cautiously optimistic for the future. The much maligned Christian Purslow and Chelsea fan Mr Broughton have at last raised their head above the parapet and rather than being shot at by the masses, they have only angered their paymasters. That I can cope with.
Wednesday, 6 October 2010
Sunday, 15 August 2010
They're Off
I wrote a blog this morning to put down in words my feelings towards the start of the season. It was entitled Under Starters Orders with every intention of following it up with the post called They're Off. Little did I know at the time that it was likely to be the most apposite title I could come up with for a blog post.
So the season is up and running and we have gained a creditable draw. This season I have decided to forgo my armchair fr a view from the bar stool in an attempt to save money on a Sky Sports subscription. Maybe I'll even get a view from the stands occasionally.
Today's pub of choice was not as full as in previous visits but still with plenty of atmosphere. A few anti Liverpool (as opposed to pro Arsenal) voices were around but in the main it was a Reds pub. Plenty of TVs and yet still plenty of places not to get a good view.
So the game. Well I suppose I was as disappointed at the end as most reds fans, although looking back in hindsight I would think that a draw was probably a fair result. Arsenal dominated posession but didn't produce anything particualrly incisive, wheras we played well on the break but let ourselves be put under too much pressure for my liking.
What I was most disappointed with was the fact that we didn't start playing like we can until we were down to ten men. I was very optimistic when I saw the starting line up. It looked suitably attack minded. yet we didn't retain possession well at all and therefore didn't make the impact that we should have.
The best chances fell to us in the first half, but they should have been more bountiful. Ngog can score goals but he needs a higher ratio of chances than Torres so we need to be able to ceate them for him.
The Cole sending off was the turning point of the game. Should he have gone. I can see why he was sent off. It is one of those challenges that if you don't get it right it can look terrible. He had his foot raised and from a distance that can look dangerous. He wasn't helped by the Arsenal right back making the most of the tackle but it was achallenge he didn't have to make.
The second half was a football game of its own. It had twists and turns, a stunning strike by Ngog to put us into the lead and a terrible blunder by Pepe to conced two of the three points. Reina is still the best keeper in the Premiership and now he has his seasons blunder out of the way we can go from strength to strength.
So the positives from today were many. The attitude was excellent, particularly in the second half. Jovanovic looks a class signing, Ngog will gain confidence, our bench looked as strong as any we've had for a long time, we started to see the positiveimpact that Roy has had on the training ground (no zonal marking).
Negatives? - Well Cole will miss 3 games (pending an appeal) and he didn't really show what he can do. And we did take time to come out of the traps. With our next game against the financial muscle of Manchester City, it will take a 90 minute performance to put our first win on the board at Eastlands. But there were enough signs today to show that we shouldn't fear anyone.
So the season is up and running and we have gained a creditable draw. This season I have decided to forgo my armchair fr a view from the bar stool in an attempt to save money on a Sky Sports subscription. Maybe I'll even get a view from the stands occasionally.
Today's pub of choice was not as full as in previous visits but still with plenty of atmosphere. A few anti Liverpool (as opposed to pro Arsenal) voices were around but in the main it was a Reds pub. Plenty of TVs and yet still plenty of places not to get a good view.
So the game. Well I suppose I was as disappointed at the end as most reds fans, although looking back in hindsight I would think that a draw was probably a fair result. Arsenal dominated posession but didn't produce anything particualrly incisive, wheras we played well on the break but let ourselves be put under too much pressure for my liking.
What I was most disappointed with was the fact that we didn't start playing like we can until we were down to ten men. I was very optimistic when I saw the starting line up. It looked suitably attack minded. yet we didn't retain possession well at all and therefore didn't make the impact that we should have.
The best chances fell to us in the first half, but they should have been more bountiful. Ngog can score goals but he needs a higher ratio of chances than Torres so we need to be able to ceate them for him.
The Cole sending off was the turning point of the game. Should he have gone. I can see why he was sent off. It is one of those challenges that if you don't get it right it can look terrible. He had his foot raised and from a distance that can look dangerous. He wasn't helped by the Arsenal right back making the most of the tackle but it was achallenge he didn't have to make.
The second half was a football game of its own. It had twists and turns, a stunning strike by Ngog to put us into the lead and a terrible blunder by Pepe to conced two of the three points. Reina is still the best keeper in the Premiership and now he has his seasons blunder out of the way we can go from strength to strength.
So the positives from today were many. The attitude was excellent, particularly in the second half. Jovanovic looks a class signing, Ngog will gain confidence, our bench looked as strong as any we've had for a long time, we started to see the positiveimpact that Roy has had on the training ground (no zonal marking).
Negatives? - Well Cole will miss 3 games (pending an appeal) and he didn't really show what he can do. And we did take time to come out of the traps. With our next game against the financial muscle of Manchester City, it will take a 90 minute performance to put our first win on the board at Eastlands. But there were enough signs today to show that we shouldn't fear anyone.
Under Starter's Orders
On the 4th July this year I was among a throng of people stood on the concrete plateau in front of St George's Hall in Liverpool joining a growing voice that wanted to ensure a better future for our club. At that point, it looked like our squad was disintegrating, we were nowhere near finding new owners and the future looked particularly bleak. Whilst the thought of a relegation scrap wasn't mentioned, I did have dark thoughts.
Six weeks later and things have changed significantly. We now know that the sales process is making progress, although maybe not as quickly as we would like, but let's be realistic, it's more important to get the right owners than to get different owners. I don't want to be in the same place 12 months down the line, so I would rather take a couple of extra weeks and get the right investment for the club.
The transfer window so far hasn't been the disaster zone it could so easily have been.The outs have pretty much been the ones that most fans would have allowed to go, and although it still looks like Mascherano will go, out of the three star players rumoured to have been disillusioned at Anfield, he is probably the one that most fans would sacrifice.
Gerrard and Torres have reaffirmed their commitment and on top of that, we have two free signings that would be well worth a few million quid. Milan Jovanovic looks every inch a Liverpool player and who with a Liver Bird on their chest is disappointed at the arrrival of Joe Cole?
In addition we have a new manager. He isn't Rafa Benitez, who built up a tremendous rapport with the fans, but Roy does seem to be saying the right things at the right times and more importantly doing things that we can believe in.
This is our first opening day fixture at Anfield since Gerrard Houllier was in charge and the opponents couldn't be much more difficult. We beat Arsenal in our first home game in 1996 and 1994 whilst in our record breaking season of 1988/89 when we went 29 games unbeaten from the straight of the season, we started with a 2-1 win at Highbury. Two years earlier, the last time we had an opening day game at Anfield against the Gooners, we triumphed 2-0.
So the history books shine brightly on Liverpool today, and, as with all football fans on the first day of a new season, my optimism has returned. Come six o'clock this evening I expect to be sitting proudly at the top of the EPL (OK Chelsea did quite well but they were playi9ng the mighty WBA. we've only got to get past the lowly Gooners).
Hopefully reality won't smack me in the face tonight.
Six weeks later and things have changed significantly. We now know that the sales process is making progress, although maybe not as quickly as we would like, but let's be realistic, it's more important to get the right owners than to get different owners. I don't want to be in the same place 12 months down the line, so I would rather take a couple of extra weeks and get the right investment for the club.
The transfer window so far hasn't been the disaster zone it could so easily have been.The outs have pretty much been the ones that most fans would have allowed to go, and although it still looks like Mascherano will go, out of the three star players rumoured to have been disillusioned at Anfield, he is probably the one that most fans would sacrifice.
Gerrard and Torres have reaffirmed their commitment and on top of that, we have two free signings that would be well worth a few million quid. Milan Jovanovic looks every inch a Liverpool player and who with a Liver Bird on their chest is disappointed at the arrrival of Joe Cole?
In addition we have a new manager. He isn't Rafa Benitez, who built up a tremendous rapport with the fans, but Roy does seem to be saying the right things at the right times and more importantly doing things that we can believe in.
This is our first opening day fixture at Anfield since Gerrard Houllier was in charge and the opponents couldn't be much more difficult. We beat Arsenal in our first home game in 1996 and 1994 whilst in our record breaking season of 1988/89 when we went 29 games unbeaten from the straight of the season, we started with a 2-1 win at Highbury. Two years earlier, the last time we had an opening day game at Anfield against the Gooners, we triumphed 2-0.
So the history books shine brightly on Liverpool today, and, as with all football fans on the first day of a new season, my optimism has returned. Come six o'clock this evening I expect to be sitting proudly at the top of the EPL (OK Chelsea did quite well but they were playi9ng the mighty WBA. we've only got to get past the lowly Gooners).
Hopefully reality won't smack me in the face tonight.
Monday, 2 August 2010
The Emporer's New Clothes
Today has seen us catapulted into the media spotlight for non footballing reasons once again. I had quite liked putting the TV on or logging into Twitter to discover who we had been linked with in the transfer market, and even one or two of the rumours coming to fruition, Joe Cole and Fabio Aurelio being the notable inclusions in this list.
But today we are the talk of the city again. Who, how, why and when are the questions on all supporters lips tonight.
Who? - Well the first to put their head above the parapet seems to be Kenny. No not the King but from Hong Kong. Kenneth Huang has been outed (by his spokespeople I presume) as putting together a bid for The Reds. At first this morning, it looked as though Kenny was in the box seat and would have the deal tied up in a few days. Liverpool fans were immediately buoyed by the prospect of Statdler and Waldorf vanishing from the boardroom, never to darken our doors again.
How? - Well it sees that Kenny has a cunning plan. Instead of giving the yanks their dollars, he intends to do what all good bailiffs would do. Buy the debt, force a payment default on the owners and send in the heavies to remove anything of value that they own and ... well that is my problem. Normally the bailiffs see what they can get their hands on so that they can sell it on to recover the debt. Which brings us to the why.
Mr Huang has said all the right things today. Completion of the deal in time to invest in the squad. Build a new stadium. retain our best players. But where have we heard all this before? Oh yes, I seem to remember a certain Muppet saying that there would be a spade in the ground within 60 days. Pledges mean nothing to me any more.Only action is good enough. And any investor will be judged on what they do, not what they say.
So when? Well the sooner the better. The one thing that can be guaranteed is that there will be no investment coming from Uncle Sam. So hope needs to spring eternal.
Over the course of the day the story has developed and it now seems that Kenny's wasn't the only pound in the frame. Up to 6 bidders have made offers depending on who you believe and we do seem to have had some concrete word from our Blue chairman on the subject who believes a deal could be done by the end of next week.
Meanwhile it looks as though Kenny is the front for the Chinese government investment arm (cue the repeat of the moral dilemma when it looked as though Thaksin Shinawatra was about to buy the club). George Gillette has a preferred bidder who may just be able to thwart Kenny's cunning plan by showing as a credible buyer to RBS and the whole thing rumbles on until H&G get their thirty pieces of silver.
So the next week or two promise to be interesting to say the least. I foresee claim and counterclaim, offer and counteroffer. Will we have new owners by the end of the transfer window? Possibly. Will they be the right owners is more to the point. We've worn the Emperor's New Clothes once. I'm not prepared to do it again.
But today we are the talk of the city again. Who, how, why and when are the questions on all supporters lips tonight.
Who? - Well the first to put their head above the parapet seems to be Kenny. No not the King but from Hong Kong. Kenneth Huang has been outed (by his spokespeople I presume) as putting together a bid for The Reds. At first this morning, it looked as though Kenny was in the box seat and would have the deal tied up in a few days. Liverpool fans were immediately buoyed by the prospect of Statdler and Waldorf vanishing from the boardroom, never to darken our doors again.
How? - Well it sees that Kenny has a cunning plan. Instead of giving the yanks their dollars, he intends to do what all good bailiffs would do. Buy the debt, force a payment default on the owners and send in the heavies to remove anything of value that they own and ... well that is my problem. Normally the bailiffs see what they can get their hands on so that they can sell it on to recover the debt. Which brings us to the why.
Mr Huang has said all the right things today. Completion of the deal in time to invest in the squad. Build a new stadium. retain our best players. But where have we heard all this before? Oh yes, I seem to remember a certain Muppet saying that there would be a spade in the ground within 60 days. Pledges mean nothing to me any more.Only action is good enough. And any investor will be judged on what they do, not what they say.
So when? Well the sooner the better. The one thing that can be guaranteed is that there will be no investment coming from Uncle Sam. So hope needs to spring eternal.
Over the course of the day the story has developed and it now seems that Kenny's wasn't the only pound in the frame. Up to 6 bidders have made offers depending on who you believe and we do seem to have had some concrete word from our Blue chairman on the subject who believes a deal could be done by the end of next week.
Meanwhile it looks as though Kenny is the front for the Chinese government investment arm (cue the repeat of the moral dilemma when it looked as though Thaksin Shinawatra was about to buy the club). George Gillette has a preferred bidder who may just be able to thwart Kenny's cunning plan by showing as a credible buyer to RBS and the whole thing rumbles on until H&G get their thirty pieces of silver.
So the next week or two promise to be interesting to say the least. I foresee claim and counterclaim, offer and counteroffer. Will we have new owners by the end of the transfer window? Possibly. Will they be the right owners is more to the point. We've worn the Emperor's New Clothes once. I'm not prepared to do it again.
Sunday, 25 July 2010
Early Thoughts
Two games in and so far no goals for and one against. About time I started calling for the managers head don't you think? Of course not. Although I do have a beef with whoever thought that starting the season so soon after the Wold Cup ended was a good idea. Five weeks to let the best players in the world (and the second best as well, sorry Dirk and Ryan) to have an end of season rest, and a pre season training regime and some match practice is a joke. The English Premier League is no longer the best league in the world, just the biggest cash cow.
And as for the Europa League qualifying stages starting during the World Cup. Although, to be fair, I suppose UEFA didn't expect any teams with plenty of World cup players, to join the competition so early.
It was good to see the youngsters get a run out and let Roy see who has some potential to bring through for a chance this term. I don't think any of them have particularly shone, but none have disgraced themselves either. Lucas has grown in confidence and Jovanovic seems to have the right attitude, being the first player,along with Soto, to return from international duty to play in the warm ups.
But I am worried that with only three more games before the big kick off (you have to say that about the first game of the new season. It's the law) we will be very under prepared to take on Arsenal. If anything, the fact that the Gunners are our first opponents is something of a softener for two reasons. Firstly, they will have a number of late arrivals in their squad, and secondly, when we play Arsenal as our opening game, we seem to have a decent season.
Last week was positive for reds fans with the arrival of Danny Wilson and Joe Cole and the interview with Stevie G that suggested that he was here for the season. I think that Roy has made good plans for the playing side of the club and feel more optimistic on that front. Of course the big issue that still needs to be resolved is the ownership and until that is sorted, then we are still going to be running to stand still. I think that if Fernando Torres starts for the reds against the Gunners, then we can probably read that there is likely to be good news on the ownership issue. My belief is that if he receives certain reassurances, then he will stay with us.
Mascherano on the other hand just needs to hand in a transfer request and be done with it. Playing games like he seems to be is disrespectful to supporters who welcomed him when he was unwanted elsewhere. I'd just like the transfer funds now please (as long a Roy is allowed to reinvest it).
So Thursday will be our first real test.Our first must win game of the season (well maybe not, but definitely a can't lose game). How often will we hear those words in 2010/11? A must win game for Liverpool. Every one I hope.
And as for the Europa League qualifying stages starting during the World Cup. Although, to be fair, I suppose UEFA didn't expect any teams with plenty of World cup players, to join the competition so early.
It was good to see the youngsters get a run out and let Roy see who has some potential to bring through for a chance this term. I don't think any of them have particularly shone, but none have disgraced themselves either. Lucas has grown in confidence and Jovanovic seems to have the right attitude, being the first player,along with Soto, to return from international duty to play in the warm ups.
But I am worried that with only three more games before the big kick off (you have to say that about the first game of the new season. It's the law) we will be very under prepared to take on Arsenal. If anything, the fact that the Gunners are our first opponents is something of a softener for two reasons. Firstly, they will have a number of late arrivals in their squad, and secondly, when we play Arsenal as our opening game, we seem to have a decent season.
Last week was positive for reds fans with the arrival of Danny Wilson and Joe Cole and the interview with Stevie G that suggested that he was here for the season. I think that Roy has made good plans for the playing side of the club and feel more optimistic on that front. Of course the big issue that still needs to be resolved is the ownership and until that is sorted, then we are still going to be running to stand still. I think that if Fernando Torres starts for the reds against the Gunners, then we can probably read that there is likely to be good news on the ownership issue. My belief is that if he receives certain reassurances, then he will stay with us.
Mascherano on the other hand just needs to hand in a transfer request and be done with it. Playing games like he seems to be is disrespectful to supporters who welcomed him when he was unwanted elsewhere. I'd just like the transfer funds now please (as long a Roy is allowed to reinvest it).
So Thursday will be our first real test.Our first must win game of the season (well maybe not, but definitely a can't lose game). How often will we hear those words in 2010/11? A must win game for Liverpool. Every one I hope.
Thursday, 8 July 2010
Dawning of the age of Woy.
It's been a week since our new manager was finally appointed and I know you have been desperate to know what I think.
So far Roy has said all the right things and left enough scope for optimism. Was he my first choice for manager? Well, in the circumstances the club is in at the moment, I think reality told me he was the best we had a realistic chance of getting.
And I am optimistic that we will be in for an improvement in the next few months. Why? well there are a number of things that are very much in Roy's favour. First and foremost is the new manager bounce. When a new manager comes to a club, one of two things tend to happen. The players all of a sudden realise they have a new man to impress and start turning in performances or there is too much change all at once and the players are confused. With Roy having the pre season to work with the players, I think that negates the latter option, with the players who are at the club still having something to prove so I think our bounce will be an upward bound.
I also believe that Roy hasn't got the baggage that Rafa had during the last season. Rafa had a constant battle with the board (and in most cases with immense justification). He had no support from the board and he eventually, in my opinion, let that side of his job interfere with the team management side of his role. I don't think that is a problem Roy will have. I don't trust the board anymore than any other Liverpool supporter, but I don't think Roy is as stupid as he would have to be to take the job on with the promise of big bucks to spend, knowing the current state of our club. Therefore I think he has realistic expectations and will be able to work well within them and put every effort into managing the team well.
I also think that the owners and board have a vested interest in Roy doing well. He is their man, their choice, the one that they believe in. Rafa was appointed by the previous owners and was always under scrutiny. He was challenged at every turn and made the fatal mistake of being popular with the fans whilst the Yanks were taking them for a ride.
Under these circumstances, I do believe that Roy Hodgson is the best option for Liverpool. Better than Kenny Dalglish? Yes. I was a season ticket holder during Kenny's period at the helm. his teams football was exciting, breathtaking and successful. everything that a Liverpool fan would love right now. But for me, he is too close to the fans to be the manager. He would have the same problems with the owners that Rafa had and he would also take up the baton on the fans behalf. Once again, I can see the playing side suffer for the internal politics, and I for one wouldn't like to see Kenny's reputation tarnished by bickering with Waldorf and Stadtler (look it up if your under 30).
I think the new manager needs to knuckle down and concentrate on repairing our broken team, whilst we the fans continue our War of American Independence. As anyone who attended the rally at St George's (ironic name really Hall will tell you, the fans don't need the manager to make their case, they are damn good at making themselves heard.
So far Roy has said all the right things and left enough scope for optimism. Was he my first choice for manager? Well, in the circumstances the club is in at the moment, I think reality told me he was the best we had a realistic chance of getting.
And I am optimistic that we will be in for an improvement in the next few months. Why? well there are a number of things that are very much in Roy's favour. First and foremost is the new manager bounce. When a new manager comes to a club, one of two things tend to happen. The players all of a sudden realise they have a new man to impress and start turning in performances or there is too much change all at once and the players are confused. With Roy having the pre season to work with the players, I think that negates the latter option, with the players who are at the club still having something to prove so I think our bounce will be an upward bound.
I also believe that Roy hasn't got the baggage that Rafa had during the last season. Rafa had a constant battle with the board (and in most cases with immense justification). He had no support from the board and he eventually, in my opinion, let that side of his job interfere with the team management side of his role. I don't think that is a problem Roy will have. I don't trust the board anymore than any other Liverpool supporter, but I don't think Roy is as stupid as he would have to be to take the job on with the promise of big bucks to spend, knowing the current state of our club. Therefore I think he has realistic expectations and will be able to work well within them and put every effort into managing the team well.
I also think that the owners and board have a vested interest in Roy doing well. He is their man, their choice, the one that they believe in. Rafa was appointed by the previous owners and was always under scrutiny. He was challenged at every turn and made the fatal mistake of being popular with the fans whilst the Yanks were taking them for a ride.
I think the new manager needs to knuckle down and concentrate on repairing our broken team, whilst we the fans continue our War of American Independence. As anyone who attended the rally at St George's (ironic name really Hall will tell you, the fans don't need the manager to make their case, they are damn good at making themselves heard.
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