Liverpool in the Media (Linked Articles Only) VI

Twenty26Six · Mar 27, 2014

StiltonFC said: ↑

i accede to your more reliable recollections. i think my memory of Riera is coloured by his 2nd season, where he rarely played.
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I agree. My memory is also that he had a very bad second season. Fell out with Rafa and possibly had some injury issues, too. But, for 8m, he was a shooting star of a purchase for one-year.

Red Bird · Mar 27, 2014

StiltonFC said: ↑

i accede to your more reliable recollections. i think my memory of Riera is coloured by his 2nd season, where he rarely played.

the good Riera season -- 2008-09 -- was the year of 5 nil-nil draws where if Liverpool had won 2 of them, it's a trophy.

the grim reality of that season is that Liverpool out scored ManU and had a better GD. how cruel is that?\

plus that, the loss to the Bitters in the FA Cup replay.
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That, unfortunately was what undid the season. Always wondered what might have been if, in some of those, Benitez had loosened the shackles a bit, even we had lost two or three but won the other three or two ...

burning247 · Mar 27, 2014

Losing to Middlesboro and that Arsenal tie are probably the 2 that hurt the most with Tottenham (the laughing stock of the league at the time) loss being a close 2nd.

Red Bird · Mar 27, 2014

I gues this is in response to this

It is dangerous writing about Liverpool. It is dangerous having an opinion about Liverpool. It is especially dangerous challenging orthodoxies about Liverpool. Not dangerous in any literal sense. Nobody will physically attack you. But they may shout at you on Twitter, which is not quite as bad but sometimes can still be quite hurtful.

This is a myth about Liverpool. It is the myth that Liverpool fans are worse than any other when it comes to shouting down those who dare to disagree, or who do not admire their club’s every action, or those who are perceived to be its critics, its detractors and its enemies.

This is not true. Liverpool fans are no worse than any other. There is not some sort of genetic predisposition among people born in Liverpool, or those drawn from all parts of the globe to support Liverpool, that makes them more acerbic, more vicious, more angry.

They are more numerous, yes. Partly that is because of the club’s popularity, of course: you are more likely to be shouted at by Liverpool fans than, say, Stoke City fans, because there are more Liverpool fans in the world. Only Manchester United and Arsenal can match them for popularity in the United Kingdom; Chelsea – by the gauge of Facebook “likes” – compete abroad, too.

But partly they seem more numerous because no fan-base, at any club, is quite so mobilised for the social media age. When the Twitter phenomenon was starting to explode, when more and more fans were finding their voice on forums, Liverpool, you may remember, were going through a protracted battle to rid their club of the two snake-oil salesmen they called owners.
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liverbird · Mar 27, 2014

Red Bird said: ↑

I gues this is in response to this

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******** off Chelsea FC, you ain't got no history... or non-plastic supporters. So our lads worldwide are tired of untruths about our club and are willing to stand our ground. Sound, la.

usscouse · Mar 27, 2014

I'll say it again.
There was no history in the FA archives of a Chelsea club until it was invented by Abramovich. Then all the plastic Chavs from the Isle of Dogs suddenly leapt aboard.

Wingtips1 · Mar 28, 2014

http://www.football365.com/news/11669/9234871/Perfect-match-

The highlight of the campaign will be the match against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, where Liverpool will replace the Standard Chartered logo on their shirts with the Seeing is Believing logo. This will be the third time that the Seeing is Believing logo has been displayed on the iconic red shirt to raise awareness of the programme's work in the fight against avoidable blindness.

After the game, five limited edition player shirts from the match will be signed and auctioned on eBay to raise money for Seeing is Believing. All donations will be matched by Standard Chartered, making this fixture the 'Perfect Match', with the club and its sponsor coming together to support an important cause.
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Wingtips1 · Mar 28, 2014

http://espnfc.com/powerrankings?league=generic&year=2013&week=24&cc=5901

We're #7 in Shaka's eyes.

liverbird · Mar 28, 2014

Wingtips1 said: ↑

http://espnfc.com/powerrankings?league=generic&year=2013&week=24&cc=5901

We're #7 in Shaka's eyes.
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Says the former West Ham goal keeper. As if he knew anything.

jeffcoop · Mar 28, 2014

Wingtips1 said: ↑

http://espnfc.com/powerrankings?league=generic&year=2013&week=24&cc=5901

We're #7 in Shaka's eyes.
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That's in all of Europe, and one behind Chelsea (we've actually dropped to 8th now, and Chelsea to #7). He has us above City.

burning247 · Mar 29, 2014

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/bootroom/id/789?cc=5901

It would be wrong to say that Liverpool are having so much fun that it doesn't matter if they win the title or not. Of course it matters. But if it does all go wrong, if Chelsea or Manchester City prevail as they surely will, no one should deem this season to be a failure.
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Red Bird · Mar 29, 2014

burning247 said: ↑

http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/bootroom/id/789?cc=5901
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The difference between the great is that they know if you come second (or 4th) you have still not won anything.

B.A. · Mar 31, 2014

Guardiola welcomes 'awesome' Reds back into Champions League

Wingtips1 · Mar 31, 2014

http://www.football365.com/john-nicholson/9241905/John-Nicholson

Liverpool are back, back, back. That's bad enough for Manchester United, but the Reds' resurgence is a huge threat to them on every level, far more than to any other top club.

Once Liverpool buy a proper defence and add some depth to the squad, the chances are they will once again become a European behemoth, sooner rather than later. The talk at the start of the season was of a possibility of Champions League qualification but that's a given now. The title is within their grasp and to all of us who grew up when Liverpool were an inexorable grinding machine of football winningness, it's an almost reassuring sight. A warm glow in football's fireplace and it is United who are burning.

But it isn't just the quality of Liverpool's players and manager that United need to worry about now, it is the fact that the team which stands above all the rest is actually called Liverpool. That name matters.
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Red Bird · Mar 31, 2014

Spot the revisionist-- nothing about not having European football and plenty to say about the lack of quality in the squad.

The Reds are yet to win a league game under Rodgers this season ahead of Sunday's encounter with Manchester United. And Rodgers has already been introduced to the financial shortcomings of the club after he released Andy Carroll on loan, only to see no new face arrive as replacement on transfer deadline day.

Mourinho sees that situation as indicative of the problems his old colleague faces at Liverpool, and he has ruled out the chance of the Reds winning the Premier League under his stewardship. In Mourinho's eyes, the Merseysiders should lower expectations and give their manager time to spark a change of culture at the club.

"Brendan can't be a champion with that team. He can't make miracles. And it's difficult because expectations are so high," Mourinho told Sky Sports News.

"The reality is that Liverpool are not the best team right now. Not even close. Other clubs are investing much more than they are.

"I hope he has time to build, because if he doesn't have the right players in his hand, it takes more time to build. I think he deserves that and - with time - he will improve them."
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Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/171516.html#wspgXzObirT5b0m0.99

usscouse · Mar 31, 2014

Wingtips1 said: ↑

http://www.football365.com/john-nicholson/9241905/John-Nicholson
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Who is John Nicholson and why isn't he managing Manure if he's that clever.
He's actually a writer of fiction and his "In depth" reports read like it.

AndSomeAreAngels · Apr 1, 2014

Pretty brilliant article on Moyes, from Slate of all places:
Who's to Blame for the Collapse of Manchester United?

David Moyes’ account of the day he got the Manchester United jobforeshadowed so much that was to follow, in a way that seldom happens in real life.

Moyes says that last April he was out shopping with his wife, Pamela, when his phone rang.

“Where are you?” said Sir Alex Ferguson.

“I’m out with my wife,” said Moyes.

“Can you drop over to the house?” said Sir Alex.

Moyes, the longtime manager for Everton, wondered what Ferguson wanted. He told Pamela: “It’s either he wants me to take somebody on loan, or he’s come to buy one of my players.”

Moyes left Pamela at a local shopping center and drove to Sir Alex Ferguson’s mansion. He was nervous because he was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. “I’d never ever go to a meeting with Sir Alex with a pair of jeans on. ... I can’t do this!” he remembers thinking.

Sir Alex ignored Moyes’ casual outfit and got straight to business: “I’m retiring. Next week. You’re the next Man United manager.”

“So I didn’t get the chance to say yes or no,” Moyes later said. “As you can imagine, the blood drained from my face.”

Two things strike you about Moyes’ story: At no point was he in control of what was happening. And when he sought to describe his feelings when he learned he had been handed the biggest job in English football, he reached for a cliché that signifies terror.
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newterp · Apr 1, 2014

AndSomeAreAngels said: ↑

Pretty brilliant article on Moyes, from Slate of all places:
Who's to Blame for the Collapse of Manchester United?
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fascinating read - this one kills me (and apparently the players too):

He had a reputation as a hands-on coach who pushed his players hard in training. According to Phil Neville, who played for Moyes at Everton, players sometimes ran so hard in preseason training that they vomited. “The Horse Shoe” was a Moyes preseason institution. Neville describes it as “a series of sharp runs that cover distances between 100 meters and 300 meters and there is barely any time to catch your breath in between. By the time you are on your eighth sprint, your legs feel like jelly and buckle, while your lungs are burning. The manager, meanwhile, simply laughs as you collapse.”
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sorry - it doesn't matter what sport - but high paid athletes are only going to take so much of this before quitting on you especially if you don't have the cachet to back it up. There are numerous similar stories in all sports of this happening.

burning247 · Apr 1, 2014

Oh, Moyes. I still think (in a sick way) that Whiskey Breath purposely put Moyes in there knowing that either A) he would fail miserably making everyone swoon about how amazing he was or B) Moyes would succeed (against all odds) and he would be hailed a genius for picking the perfect man to lead his squad to more glory.

Red Bird · Apr 5, 2014

Always though his attitude stank, and I recall remarking that he acted as if he was already the finished article with little room for improvement. Oh, and Cattagher confirms what we all thought; Carrol was a £12-15 million not £35 million player (the fee was not his fault, though).

Unfortunately, though, Liverpool’s decision to pay £35million was a big mistake and it never did Andy any favours. He started well, with two goals against Manchester City on his first start, but it quickly became apparent he wasn’t the right fit for the club.

In training, he’d complain if the ball was not flung into the box — and I don’t mean from out wide. He wanted the ball to come in to him from close to the halfway line, but at Liverpool that was never going to happen.

There were other things. He found the intensity of playing three games every week difficult.

Before he might have been used to getting himself right for a match on a Saturday, then spending time socially with his mates — as we all did when we were young — but at Liverpool the training and professional demands are relentless.

He would very rarely complete a full week on the training field at Melwood and, eventually, that takes a toll. If you aren’t fully conditioned, you are susceptible to injuries and Andy suffered his fair share.
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...m-price-tag-gave-no-chance.html#ixzz2xzZyb1Yy
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

el-capitano · Apr 5, 2014

Here's another one I read today:

Andy Carroll, the former Liverpool striker, insists he will not be motivated by bitterness as he seeks to bruise his old club’s title prospects this weekend.

Carroll says he tipped Brendan Rodgers’ side to win the league before the start of the season – to the incredulity of his West Ham team-mates – and understands why the striking partnership of Luis Suárez and Daniel Sturridge would have limited his opportunities on Merseyside had he stayed.

“There is no bitterness at all, no,” he said. “The way they play is incredible. They are on fire at the minute. Suárez and Sturridge up front are completely different to me.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...as-backed-them-to-win-the-Premier-League.html

Red Bird · Apr 5, 2014

el-capitano said: ↑

Here's another one I read today:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...as-backed-them-to-win-the-Premier-League.html
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Good acceptance of reality by the big man. I still feel that he, Adam and Downing and , to a certain extent, Henderson largely contributed to Dalglish's sacking by being nothing more than ordinary. But that's an old, tired story ...

Twenty26Six · Apr 6, 2014

The two best managers in the league reside on Merseyside: http://www.theguardian.com/football...pp-lahm-everton-roberto-martinez-philipp-lahm

idreamofpikas · Apr 7, 2014

el-capitano · Apr 8, 2014

Oh, the irony:

There is a dilemma looming for Everton should they maintain the form that demolished Arsenal on Sunday and close in on Champions League qualification. What if they help Liverpool win the Premier League by beating Manchester City on the penultimate weekend of the season?

According to Sylvain Distin, some Evertonians at Goodison Park would rather concede a top four finish than assist in a 19th league championship for their Merseyside rivals. For Distin and Everton's players there is no dilemma; they are intent on marking Martínez's impressive first season as manager by qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2004-05. For some boyhood blues working at the club, however, it is a different matter.
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The club's veteran, and astonished, central defender said: "We've spoken about it with some of the staff and said 'What if we have to beat City to be in the Champions League but by doing that Liverpool win the league?' The funny thing is some people would rather we don't get Champions League as long as they don't win the league. It's mad! Personally I'd rather be in the Champions League. You can't miss a chance for that. It would be amazing for the city if both clubs made it. I think deep down both sets of fans would like it if both clubs were in it."
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http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/apr/07/everton-crown-liverpool-premier-league-champions