Torres Issues 'Money Or Your Life!' Ultimatum

Torres Issues A 'Money Or Your Life!' Ultimatum

     Undulating waves of euphoria were rippling across the Mersey yesterday as Luis Suarez was one step closer to joining Liverpool FC. That soon turned into a raging squall with full force gale winds tearing at the city's inhabitants. 
     Torres has handed in a transfer request. 
     A what? A WHAT?!
     The poor timing of the request is utterly baffling. Just as we are about to embark on a half season of strong recovery, growth on and off the field, Torres hands the club a recession. Ill advised or selfish, we can't know just yet the motivation around this request, but one thing is for certain, he has shot himself in the foot. 
     Let's consider his options.
     He may go to Chelsea and play up front with Drogba, who is out of contract this season, and other stars who may be getting the chop, according to some sources. That would leave him at another club who are rebuilding. The days of Abramovich excess are coming to an end, he is tightening his belt and buying clever. Risky move.
     He may go abroad. We know that Barcelona would be interested in him. To play alongside his good friend David Villa would be a dream move to him. An opportunity to play for the best team in the world shouldn't be dismissed.
     He may stay. Was his request bungled? I doubt it. Liverpool may be able to hang onto his services but Torres is looking at what lies over the other side of the cliff. If Liverpool keep his services, will it be like that of Ronaldo at Manchester United? Respectfully waiting a season before departing for alot of money on the back of success? Or will it he like that of Tevez at Manchester City? Holding the club to ransom for more wages, more influence and more headlines? Either way, it's inevitable that he gets what's he wants. Player power indeed. 
    Is life after Torres really that bad? We have a proven goalscorer on the horizon. Do we really need to break out the kerchiefs and wave off the departing Torres in floods of tears and much gnashing of the teeth? Sure we will miss his goals even though they haven't been flowing this season. We will miss his commitment, even though that has waivered dramatically this season. I think, most of all, we will miss his talismanic presence. That is an unquanitifiable spirit that money can't buy. 
     The warnings are there for Torres, if he leaves. He will fall into the categories of those strikers who left for a 'bigger club', like Rush, Keegan and Owen. Fresh in the memory is Owen's treachery, leaving purely for money and then playing for our rivals. Keegan left and found no success at Hamburg, his departure also paved way for the greatest Liverpool player of all time, Dalglish. And Rush, who struggled to score at his most prolific best against the tightest of defences in Serie A. These three players should act as a warning to Torres. Barely anyone finds more success away from Liverpool. We are the be all and end all of football spirit. We may not win many competitions but we win enough games to challenge as one of the best teams in the world. We may have fallen from that dizzy perch but we will be back there soon. 
     Torres can leave, he may find success, but I think one thing he has lost is every bit of respect from his millions of strong, working class supporters who do not forgive disloyalty easily. 
      So go Fernando, we wish you well but do not think for an instance that we will miss you, there is always another Owen, Rush, Keegan or indeed Torres on the horizon to score goals for the most prestigious club in England. 
     You'll Never Walk Alone Torres, but at the same time we won't be walking with you. 

The Reason

The Reason

          Many media critics and journalists had nothing but scorn for the way LFC had been playing this season. Heaping on the pressure that threatened to envelop the beleagued Roy Hodgson. The fans drew on this criticism of the players and instead turned it onto the manager, threatening to bring him down no matter what.

          Often, in the media, the attention was focused on the detrimental effect the fans and the players were having upon Hodgson. To an extent I agree with this assessment by the media but not necessarily the purpose. We as fans only wanted to express ourselves and begin the process of recovery that Hick & Gillett had so disastrously prompted. With some of the most powerful protests seen in football taking place on the terraces, the internet and the streets, it would only be a matter of time that change would be granted.

          Football is obviously a fickle monster, it generates its own heroes and villains, its own romances and divorces and its own fairytale endings and abrupt nightmare finishes. What Hodgson failed to take into consideration was the maelstrom he was placing himself in. Not only had the fans taken three years of lies and misdirection from Hicks & Gillett, they had seen their hopes of challenging for the title diminish as soon as it had been nurtured into life by Benitez. Half of the fans mourned Benitez and expected less glory, the other half rejoiced and expected a man to fire LFC to better success.

          How wrong were those fans?

          His press conferences immediately defied belief. Calling Northampton ‘formidable’, chastising the protests against the previous owners and shuffling away from Alex Ferguson when confronted with condemnations of Torres’ professionalism. That’s how Hodgson alienated the fans, by not being a backbone for the fans, he should have been enraged to hear such comments about one of his players, he should have spat into the microphone and demanded a personal apology from Ferguson. Although very good friends, there are still times when one will overstep the mark.

          The media didn’t cover itself in glory either. Continuing to back Hodgson just because he was an English manager is so typical of the Premier League and the British press. I cant believe the blame that Benitez got for the narrow, negative and frankly negligible way that Hodgson played. He himself spoke of how ‘this wasn’t [his] team of players’. Consistently backed by the likes of Andy Gray, Patrick Barclay and Henry Winter, Hodgson became a bit of a clown, stumbling from press conference to press conference, always with a failing quote, a sound bite that took chunks out of his career. Yet, still he was backed by Establishment, loathe to turn on anyone who would be named a Manager of the Season.

          Hodgson’s formations were, well archaic and frankly depressing. A standard 4-4-2 for basically every match, away from home we sat so deep we basically filled our own goalmouth. Torres was so isolated due to the midfield having no creators, they sat on the wings, Meireles and Cole, and Gerrard got his way by playing in centre midfield, even though he is far less effective there. This just created a midfield that sat and absorbed wave upon wave of attack. The wings were taken up with creative midfielders who should have been supporting Gerrard and Torres.

          Results such as the defeat to Blackpool at home, the loss at Ewood Park and the shambles at Old Trafford, all serve to indicate a man who was at the end of a relatively successful career. He was using methods that had revolutionised the football world in the eighties and nineties. He simply couldn’t compete with the high intensity of formations such as the ultra wide 4-5-1 or the passing narrowness of 4-3-3.

          In the end, Hodgson demonstrated a drastically fatal flaw. He assumed he knew the club and its supporters, their dreams and their hopes, their style of football and the level of football we would stomach. However, he couldn’t have been more further from the truth, this is Liverpool Football Club and we didn’t win 18 titles and 5 European cups by playing four central midfielders at home to Blackpool.

Liverpool FC V Everton FC - Match Preview

Derby Preview

     Liverpool take on Everton at Anfield tomorrow for the 214th Merseyside Derby, or as we say round here, The Derby. 
     Taking on a massive significance as Kenny Dalglish makes his emotional and romantic return to Anfield, this derby is destined to be high profile. Everton are in better form than Liverpool, holding possession better but facing a striker crisis. However, is this the moment Liverpool finally bounce back? Dalglish has a terrific record against Everton, losing only 3 of 20 meetings. 
     I feel if Dalglish keeps the team that he has been playing then we should be able to see a few goals. The midfield is the key as Everton should be missing Pienaar through a transfer pending and Cahill is away at the Asian Cup, Liverpool will miss Joe Cole through injury and Gerrard through suspension. 
     Whoever wins this will go above the other, the bragging rights are up for grabs and the inevitable pressure on the manager will increase with Moyes starting to lose face with the fans.
     Crucial battles will be Skrtel/Beckford. Since moving to the Premier League, Beckford has failed to sparkle and Everton fans are often left exasperated, he does find himself in decent spaces and this will push Skrtel who isn't having the best season. I see Beckford pulling Skrtel all over the pitch.
     Agger/Saha. I don't see any problem here unless Agger has to cover for Skrtel and this let's Saha link up with Beckford. However, Agger can handle the off pace Saha.
     Torres/Distin. This is very interesting, I can see Torres getting crushed by Distin but I also believe in Torres' ability to recognise who the weaker centre back is and go for Jagielka instead. 
     Johnson/Kelly/Bilyaletdinov. If Johnson plays right back I can only see trouble as Bilyaletdinov will tie him in knots. However, if Dalglish settles with the team of the past two games then I have every confidence that Kelly will easily contain the quite straight runs of Bilyaletdinov.
     Arteta/Lucas/Meireles. This is where most of the battling will be. In a stilted midfield lacking in creativity, you will be able to see the absence of Gerrard and Pienaar. Both Lucas and Meireles need to stifle Arteta as he will look to be the creative mind for Everton.
     My prediction, 1-0. Liverpool, I see a stronger midfield with Jovanovic on the left and Maxi on the right Meireles pushing forward supporting Ngog and Torres. This 4-1-4-1 formation of Liverpool's will stretch Moyes' 4-4-2 as wide men pushing inwards will force the Everton wide midfielders to track back and help out the defence. 
     However, you can never truly call a derby as they always throw up surprises. Red and yellow cards are inevitable, goals are not. 
     

Stopping the rot in the Kop

Life as a Liverpool Football Club supporter is often filled with drama, from Istanbul to a 4-0 home win against Real Madrid to a High Court battle for the very soul of the club, (don’t make me go there again, the palpitations are still trying to settle!)

One thing was supposed to be for certain, the certainty of a new era at Anfield. The era of the mumbling man, the shoe gazer, the shuffling gentleman who would ‘put an arm’ around the players. Roy Hodgson was the man that all ‘experts’ hailed as the firm and steady hand that would wrestle the tiller from the grasp of the tactically European ethos that had enveloped Melwood.

As a fan, I was bitterly disappointed that, as a club, we had gone in the direction of a ‘safety net’ manager, someone who would settle down the dust filled moments, soothe aching egos and partake in the nodding-dog act that the boardroom so desperately wanted. I wanted dynamism, brevity of negativity, depth of passion and a sincere, winning mentality. What I got was archaic formations, mediocre home games, appalling away performances and a misinterpretation of the very fabric of Liverpool FC.

Roy should never have been given this job. In his own words, this was his “reward for 35 years in football”. What, exactly, he had done in those 35 years to warrant one of the biggest jobs in world football, is completely underwhelming. The job was obviously too big for him as he lurched from one poor post match interview to the other. Northampton a formidable side? No rebuff to Sir Alex Ferguson on Torres’ perceived “cheating”? Blaming the fans for negative performances and singling out the protests of fans, against the debt accrual of the previous owners, for criticism? The more I think about his time at the club the more I’m reminded of an embarrassed senior citizen who utters something deeply un-p.c. and is forever trying to scratch himself out the hole, unable to fully come to terms with quite how the world has moved on.

Then a strange thing happened. Somebody wanted to buy us, someone saw into the vision of the wounded Phoenix licking its wounds, ready to rise from the ashes of the shackles placed upon the greatest English football team ever. Fenway Sports Group are sincere and have a belief that mirrors our own, they are echoing the sentiments that so many fans shout from the terraces.

The decisions made by FSG so far have been considered, reverential and, dare I say it? modern! The inclusion of a Director of Football is something many fans would have resisted, but I have to say it is both refreshing and reassuring. Too many times we have been burnt at the hands of the transfer market. Damien Comolli seems adroit at bringing in talent and his handling of the Hodgson situation seems quietly impressive. Reluctant to change, but changes when the need is recognised.

As a fan I feel content yet excited by the explosion of Dalglish onto the scene. His immediate impact upon the psyche of the players was evident to see in probably the happiest 1-0 defeat of my life. We played well as a team, great defending and good going forward. You could see the passion return, like a body being coloured back into life. The formation seemed odd to me and belied the rigid structure instilled by Hodgson. A 4-5-1 that sometimes progressed to a 4-1-4-1 was at best hard at the back and at worst stilted in midfield. I do firmly believe, though, that Dalglish will reinvigorate an attacking mindset. His return is like that of The Lord of The Rings, in the shade for many years, away from the club before coming back as the overseer of the youth, but the Coronation of the King is now complete. I can sleep with the belief that my team now has a fire in the belly and suddenly hope abounds across the Fields of Anfield Road.

Liverpool. Out In The River's Currents

     Thursday 21st October 2010. The date that most Liverpool fans are feeling may be a turning point for the team. We played OK. No goals scored, none conceded. No sending off, one yellow card. Many fans happy, optimistic and ready to face Blackburn on Sunday.
     Did I miss something? Did I watch a different game? For me, the team were sluggish, contained within the midfield and toothless in attack. The one chance for a clear goal, Babel managed to fluff it, his career at Anfield in a nutshell. My immediate reaction was one of slight relief, at not having conceded, but overall, frustration, again.
     You do not need me to tell you that Roy Hodgson stands upon the edge of the precipice, falling off it already if you believe some of the rumours doing the rounds on the Internet. Hodgson has rested key players for tonight's game, time will tell if that was correct. God knows there isn't much of a supporting argument as to who should play anymore, every squad player seems to be way below standard. However, it isn't the end of the world for the Europa League competition. It is now 5 points from 3 games, a much better return than the Premier League. Still something nags at me.
     Subbing Carragher at half time for Kyrgiakos. Apparently, according to the itv4 commentators, this was the plan all along. Something just doesn't ring true to that. Why at half time? Why bother playing Carragher at all. It was refreshing to see Hodgson even making subs before the 80th minute mark, something he hasn't displayed before.
    So, tonight, a frustrating performance, but optimistic by some. I can see both sides. If we win on Sunday then the points may start rolling along. The pressure will surely lift on Hodgson, his shoulders may seem lighter, the tie may be tighter, the buttons on his collar fastened and the nails on his fingers unsullied.
     Even though we took a point from the Napoli game, I feel that Hodgson still has immense pressure upon him. The smiling, genial face that greeted the camera on the Napoli field, was slightly bemused, almost knowing in its comic appearance. Does Roy know something we don't? Is he, like the rumours dictate, on the verge of being sacked, regardless of the result tonight? If so, are the rumours true about his replacement? Frank Rijkaard is an excellent manager but he needs the right back room staff. Henk Ten Cate, a key component of Rijkaard's back room staff,  is currently managing in the Arabian Penninsula. Hiddink is currently doing good things with the Turkish national side. Pelligrini is, apparently, in talks with the Qataris. Martin O'Neill is another name touted with the Liverpool job.
     Normally Liverpool is a club that does not court the attention of its managers precarious situations. However, Hodgson is drowning so evidently that the new owners will be forced to make a change soon, and they are not prone from immediate changes, the manager of the Red Sox lasted only a week. The outstanding favourite with the fans would be Pellegrini, not too sure on his European pedigree, he hasn't won any trophies nor has he impressed at a high level. Martin O'Neill can run a team on a tight budget and select decent players under the £15 million mark, however, he also lacks the high level experience and success. Hiddink would only ever be a short term option. He would be expected to get a European place and even 4th, possibly a trophy. His management style does not gel well with boardrooms and player ego's. That leaves Rijkaard, I can only see him come to Anfield if Ten Cate is drawn away from the money of Arabia. His success is evident, yet his last few moments at Barcelona were marred by loses and poor football.
     I think a change has to come, whether one of the above managers fills the void or a different, unconsidered name is chosen. Liverpool are not a team that should appear as if drowning, rudderless or out at sea. They are the team by the river, who play fluid football, who whet the appetite. We need someone to steady the ship and steer us onto the safest route back to the Champions League. Whoever that is, has a huge task ahead, but under the new owners, NESV, they seem to have a backing that was lacking from the previous owners.
     My wish is to see a bright and fresh faced manager being unveiled at Anfield on Monday 25th October 2010, who can fulfil Liverpool's vision of how football can be played. Sorry Roy, you're a lovely man but not a great manager.

"As we all form one dark flame"

Its obvious that Liverpool are in freefall. It's obvious that world class players are underperforming. It's obvious that the manager........you get the message. But should we turn on them? Do we eat ourselves from the inside like a cancer? Why do fans call for one manager to go after seven games, we aren't Newcastle.  
     I think the answer from a small section of the fans is no, evident from the marches and the sit in protests, yet there are many fans who immediately turned on the players and the manager after the Blackpool loss. Twitter and Facebook were alive with the calls for sackings. Let's just pause here for a minute.
     Yes, Roy is not the manager we want, nor is he any good with a team down the bottom of the table, only escaping relegation with Fulham by results going his way. Yet, he is our manager. We need to help him give the players the best possible opportunity to get back in the table. He is the leader of this club and we must give him our support, we should get rid of this manager hate that has rubbed off on us from the media during the Benitez era. Roy, I admit, was not the best choice. But let's face it not many really good managers went for the job, not many managers who could 'walk through the storm'.
     The players deserve a lot of flak, this idea that they need an arm around their shoulders is preposterous. These players are paid professionals, they are doing a job, if I was asking for an arm around my shoulders at my job, I'm sure I would be told where to go. That said, they can only play in the system they have been forced into. Miereles on the right? Cole on the left? Jovanovic on the left? Poulsen?! I think Roy needs to look at his positioning. 
     So we have established that Roy is not the best manager for the job, but we would find a replacement very very difficult to come across. We have established the players are underperforming, yet not being given correct instructions. Let us turn to the board and the owners
     Hicks and Gillette, the double act that has virtually forced Liverpool to their knees. Gillette is willing to walk away, at a loss, from our club. Hicks, however, is busy scouring the globe for the money to refinance his £300 million debt on Liverpool. We cannot let this happen. The board are trying to keep Hicks and Gillette away, but have not found a sufficiently acceptable bid. The board and the owners have failed at every time, every turn and every decision. We must hold them to account! They cannot get away with this. With some more money maybe Hodgson would have found his striker, maybe Benitez would have gotten Barry. Maybe pivotal moments would have been reduced to trivial ones. 
     After the assessment, which I think every fan knows to be true, we are left with five people who we need to protest about! Purslow, Broughton, Ayre, Hicks and Gillette. 
     We need to invade Anfield! We need to fight in the stands! We need to scream war-cries of protest! Wear our black of mourning! Show the world we are having a slow death happening at our club! Get the Standards Corrupted shirt on and believe in better! Better football. Better management! Better owners!
    As we do this we need to be like an army. A mass of protestations! A seething body thinking like one! We need to form one dark flame! The black of our shirts and the black of our moods! The darkness of the times dictate our black actions!
   "As we all form one dark flame"!! 

Hits Around The Midriff

Think we can safely say we won't be winning any significant silverware this season. The drive and passion that have always flowed through a Liverpool side is certainly prevalent, but the talent, the sheer, raw quality is absent. We have it. In abundance, yet we fail to capitalise on the chances we are giving ourselves.
This isn't a doom and gloom blogpost. It's optimistic by being realistic. We simply can't recreate that glorious 08/09 season without a season of rebuilding. That's what this season is all about. Getting Torres fit and firing again, not trashing him and his 'commitment'. The midfield is looking very tasty with Cole having another outstanding match in Europe last night. Mireles and Lucas seem to be settling down and Spearing was very close to being Man Of The Match for me. No, I don't think the problem is a lack of talent but a lack of how to use it or tease the best out of it.
With the off-field news taking a sinister twist with the news that Hicks is trying to garner more cash to oust Gilette. This is the last thing that Liverpool FC need as that would prolong the inevitable ownership issue that plagues us from season to season.
Fans who grow consistently irritated with below par performances are more likely to be the same fans who are less likely to be sympathetic to the rebuilding process. Ask yourself the basic question. Would you still support LFC if we were even worse? Why does this current Liverpool squad warrant such harsh criticism? It isn't the same squad as 08/09. We, as fans, are placing far too much responsibility on the shoulders of players who are either coming back from injury or are new.
As a fan I see us finishing 5th or 6th. Unless we hit a
good vein of form I just cannot see this squad doing any better. But I most certainly don't expect them to win against everyone.