The Soccer Blog: Tuesday

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Sunday, 15 May 2011

Almost as fun as a cold Tuesday night in Glasgow

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Wayne Rooney’s inability to score in anything other than a Manchester casino with £1,200 in his back pocket once again left England frustrated last night, as a five year-old nation that can call on a population smaller than the city of Leeds for its talent battened down the hatches at Wembley.

With Jermain Defoe taking the much more preferable option to have ankle ligament damage, Fabio Capello opted to use a 7ft broom handle to partner Rooney up front. Granted however, in England’s last 14 games, said broom handle has managed to score five goals compared with Rooney’s one.

When it was clear that such an approach was going to be ineffective against a side ranked below Gabon, Burkina Faso and even the Republic of Ireland, Capello chanced his arm and threw on Kevin Davies for his first England cap, just reward for the 33-year-old’s ability latch onto 56 hoofs up field from the Bolton left back in 254 Premier League games since 2003.

In truth, the only thing resembling any sort of excitement from last night amounted to little more a credible England penalty claim, Montenegro hitting the bar and the East Stand food kiosk needing an emergency change order after the till ran out of 10p coins.

It was all too much for the Club Wembley suits, who found the spread in the VIP lounge far more entertaining whilst the fans in steerage voiced their discontent. Even Adrian Chiles’ dulcet West Midland’s tones seemed downbeat at the full-time whistle.

Those viewers with the full glory of Sky Sports could at least console themselves with the knowledge that there was something far more entertaining going on in Glasgow.

Scotland the Brave battled back from 2-0 down against Spain, champions of ticky-tacky football, to level the match with 25 minutes remaining at Hampden.

However, with Scotland mastering the art of perennial disappointment even more so than England, their brave, committed performance ended like so many of their other brave, committed performances – with a winner for the opposition 10 minutes from time.

Have the wheels fallen off the England bandwagon? Of course they haven’t. There will be plenty of opportunity for England to prove that 2012 will “definitely be their year” in a month’s time when they face a France team that have most of their side sat on the naughty step.

View the original article here

Wednesday, 6 April 2011

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Xabier and Other Tuesday Notes

By: Ed | April 5th, 2011
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xabi With it being entirely obvious that all Spaniards are leaving Liverpool, at least in the gospel according to the People, sometimes it’s nice to be able to reflect on departures that weren’t so painful. Ones that didn’t involve sinking ships, mutual consent, or alice bands of a distinctly different shade.

We first heard from Alvaro Arbeloa, he of pile-jumping, FIFA-playing, “aw shucks” spouting fame. And now, as though you weren’t already emotionally vulnerable enough after Saturday…

* Xabi Alonso speaks of his love for Liverpool and the hopes he has to transmit this love to his son in an interview with Tony Barrett from the Times. For those of you who have a subscription, the full article is available now over at the Times website. For those of you like me—poor, down on your luck, yet still handsome as ever—without a subscription, the official site has the excerpt to make you swoon:

“I am still a Liverpool fan and will be forever, absolutely. The things that I have lived and the experiences I had during those five years are deep in my heart and the passion and respect I had for the club and its supporters are still the same. Hopefully I can transmit to my son what Liverpool Football Club means and how special it is, as he was born in the city and he will visit it in the future.

“I think they have regained their confidence and despite being knocked out of the Europa League (by Braga) their form in the Premier League has improved a lot. I think they can rebuild a competitive team, especially as it looks like there is now stability at the club again. Now they have to think about the sport side and create a plan for the following years.”

Reading this obviously sent me into a nostalgic spiral that ended in an argument with my wife about naming our soon-to-be-born child “Xabi,” which I lost. After the tears subsided and the compilations ended, I also thought about how long ago the 2008-2009 season, arguably his best with the club, seems. It really was a different side; one that, in hindsight, had very few holes in it and a surprising amount of depth in numbers and in quality.

And of course, I also thought about how regardless of the style of exit or the time that’s passed since, Xabi Alonso seems to have a manner of conducting himself that strikes a perfect balance of personable and professional. He knew he wanted to leave (or was no longer preferred) and wasted no time in doing so, but has managed to remain a favorite of supporters and falls all over himself to be complementary of the time he spent at Liverpool. Even though he finally went to a big club. Go figure.

* In news that’s less apt to make you weep, newly re-titled Director of Football Damien Comolli managed a sit-down with LFC Weekly. The interview was kindly swiped by one of the lecherous thieves at Sky Sports for our perusal, and it includes the Frenchman’s thoughts on the aspirations of John Henry and the Fenway Sports Group:

“I share the fans’ optimism because the owners said things when they arrived and stuck to their words in January. They have shown their commitment and their backing and everything they have said they will do, they have done.

“I never had any doubts about that but I think for the fans it has given them reassurance that the owners will stick to their words and that they are ambitious. When you talk to John Henry and ask him what his plans are for the club, the only thing he says is: ‘I want to win’. When that’s the starting point, everybody has to make sure that everything we do is geared in that direction. That’s the bottom line.”

I’ll be curious to see when the time arrives that the skepticism Comolli mentions is completely washed away. I think those at the club and supporters alike have plenty of reason for caution, and there’s an allowance on the side of the newly-arrived for the damage that the previous owners had done. But for me, the steps Henry and FSG have taken so far indicate exactly what Comolli’s referencing—they’re here to make the club successful, they’re willing to extend themselves when they feel it’s appropriate, and they’re more than capable of following through.

All that being said, though, this summer is still going to be make-it or break-it time, with the general consensus more or less laid out by redtrev73 earlier in the day:

Well said man. A summer that sees Kelly, Agger and Jonno get fit and be joined by at least 2 quality defensive buddies and a world class wide-man will leave the magazine fully reloaded!!

But then alabamabob got a chubby and things got weird, so now I feel compelled to talk about Jonjo Shelvey.

* And it’s good news, as the young midfielder made a return to action in the reserves’ 3-1 loss at Villa Park yesterday evening. The hosts got goals from Marc Albrighton and Gary Gardner, and Toni Silva gave Liverpool their only goal of the night with a fine run and finish. Both sides had a decent blend of youth and experience, with Villa fielding Albrighton, Gardner, and Michael Bradley and Liverpool giving minutes to David Ngog, Suso, Andre Wisdom, and Shelvey.

There’s also potentially good team news involving Fabio Aurelio, but when he’s involved there’s a certain amount of restraint required. He’s rumored to be close to a return to action, which would obviously be of great benefit to Kenny Dalglish after a weekend that saw two successive left-backs hit the floor. There’s also mention of call-ups to first-team training for John Flanagan and Jack Robinson, which, at this point, is the next logical option until the summer.

That’s all the Liverpool news worth mustering for the day, unless you’re heading to Twitter to get in an argument about why you’re a better fan than someone else. In that case, good luck, and spoiler alert—you’ve probably got me beat by a long ways, but only because I shoot with this hand:

Some Related Liverpool Posts:The Final Countdown and Other Tuesday NotesFake Plastic Chelseas, Raheem Sterling Makes Europa Squad, and Other Wednesday NotesMoving On, Losing the Plot, and Other Tuesday NotesRyan Babel Leaves, Joe Cole’s Still Here, and Other Tuesday NotesYouth Cup Wrap, A Deal for Dalglish, and Other Sunday Notes

Category: Miscellaneous, Team News

Tags: Damien Comolli, Drink Until the Hurting Stops, Fabio Aurelio, FSG, Jack Robinson, John Flanagan, Jonjo Shelvey, Kenny Dalglish, Luis Suarez, Miscellaneous, NESV, Painful Memories, Team News, Xabi Alonso
Tweet « The Fullback Dilemma | Home | KatieBe still, my beating heart. Xabi was by far the most painful loss I have experienced as a Liverpool fan. He just keeps on getting classier and classier. He is welcome back at Anfield anytime. Unlike another Spaniard. Or two.

Since Ed is clearly a lost cause in the naming-children-after-LFC department, I will take the lead. If I don't name one my children Anfield or Steven Gerrard, I will consider my life to have been a failure.

Also, Ed- Good luck to you and your wife with the baby!EdThese are all excellent suggestions. I'm hopeful you're all equally responsive in providing referrals for divorce attorneys.YannEd, I just heard The Smiths "Frankly, Mr. Shankly" on the radio and it got me thinking. Obviously such an iconic surname for us all. Maybe your child could be the first to carry it as a first name. So long as your last name isn't Frankly.EddyYou can name your kid IstanbulYannBig John Henry - "Success is winning championships. It is nothing less than that. And when you win a championship – and we will – success isn't measured or accomplished by winning once." Music to my ears and I am developing a serious mancrush.NoelWell, there's the fullback problem solved for the first fifteen minutes of the City match, then. And when it comes to names, I say if you can't get Xabi, you go with the first names of all the 2005 CL winning side as middle names for the kid.blog comments powered by Disqus

Harry Redknapp, England manager? (Awful writing) Is It Too Early to Get Excited About Sturridge? Denmark 1 - 2 England (Via Hamlet) more news...

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Tuesday, 29 March 2011

The Final Countdown and Other Tuesday Notes

By: Ed | March 29th, 2011
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In honor of counting down the final minutes of international duty…

At the time of writing, we’re only a few short hours away from getting back to business for Liverpool in the Premier League. Between here and there is plenty busy, though, with only the Czech Republic and Liechtenstein underway in Euro qualifiers. That leaves six matches in which Liverpool players could feature, three of which are glorified ticklefights and, in an ideal world, shouldn’t tax the body too much, even if you are a booze-swilling English forward. The quick rundown:

Ways to Watch:

Fox Soccer Channel/ESPN2/ESPN3.com in North America

Sky Sports/ITV/BBC in England

Streams: MyP2P/Atdhenet/FromSport

Tuesday Euro Qualifiers:

Estonia v. Serbia 2:30PM EST/1830GMT
Netherlands v. Hungary 2:30PM EST/1830 GMT
Lithuania v. Spain 2:45PM EST/1845 GMT

Tuesday Friendlies:

Slovakia v. Denmark 2:15PM EST/1815 GMT
England v. Ghana 3:00PM EST/1900 GMT
Portugal v. Finland 3:45PM EST/1945 GMT

With that settled, we can move along to a few assorted pieces of news to round out the day before we launch into the build up for the match we’ve all been waiting for. Not really because it’s Hodgsonpalooza, though, just because it’s an actual Liverpool match after slogging through what seemed like an eternity.

Anyway, the news:

* Luis Suarez has made a few headlines today—first for winning the club’s Standard Chartered Player of the Month award after he played a significant role in both of Liverpool’s wins in league, and left us wondering what could have happened had he been available for the Europa League tie with Braga.

His exploits on both occasions were well documented around here, with Noel kindly assembling posts focused on his massive performances in the wins over Manchester United and Sunderland. The only worrying aspect of his performances came in the latter match, and that’s only because he limped off in the dying minutes. There hasn’t really been any sort of discussion from the club regarding the injury (and he’s not listed on the official Fabio Aurelio injury tracker), and all we know right now is that he hasn’t taken part in any international duties over the past week and a half. Here’s hoping he’s ready for Saturday.

The other Suarez-centric bit of news is a short blurb that Sky Sports stole away from LFC Weekly, in which the new signing discusses the impact mentioned above:

“I’ve only been here a month-and-a-half and it’s good to see the fans are happy. I came here to work hard for the team and to do my absolute best. If they are singing my name maybe it shows I’m doing my job well. But there are a lot of games and there is a lot of time to go before I am a real hero. It’s too early for that. I think the fans at this club play a major role, bigger than at some other clubs.

“The only part of the song I can recognise is my name. Although I might not understand what exactly they are singing, I know my name is mentioned. That’s important to me.”

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Liverpool supporter who isn’t enamored with the early performances he’s turned in, and there’s little more to say than we’re all hopeful it—both the performances and the humility displayed above—continues. The more time that passes since the January window, the better off Liverpool looks, and Suarez is almost solely responsible for that. Now it’s just a matter of keeping that giant Standard Chartered champagne bottle away from Andy Carroll.

* Elsewhere we’ve got a nice Martin Skrtel puff piece, wherein the stern-looking but apparently kind-hearted Slovakian speaks of the influence of Kenny Dalglish. Typically I’m over these sorts of things before I even read them, but I have to say that, even knowing the status of Dalglish at the club, it’s fascinating to hear the outpouring of player support. I think most of the squad members have done the same to an extent for the most recently departed manager, but it’s largely the same stock “nice man, tough situation” quotes. With Dalglish they all roll out the red carpet and unanimously call for his permanent appointment, which is enough to make me have serious hope that we can look to a future with Dalglish at the helm.

“He knows how to take the pressure away and protect the squad. A lot has changed at the club recently, but the most important thing has been confidence. Kenny has given us that. With confidence in football you can achieve great things. Everybody is happy now, looking forward to every single training session, every match.

“If he gets a contract for a long time, I’ll be very happy. Every day he makes work interesting and enjoyable. We are winning games now. You can tell Kenny is a winner.

“Why would I go anywhere else? I know I am at a huge club – one of the biggest in the world, with a history and a set of supporters that no other club can really match. We have great player like Stevie Gerrard, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. Not everybody gets to experience this. I am very proud to be here. I have a contract for the next three-and-a-half years. I am happy here, so if the manager and people at the club are happy with my work, I’m happy to be here too.”

Less certain, maybe, is Skrtel’s future at the club. He’s had arguably his most difficult season in a Liverpool shirt, with more shaky performances than sturdy, and the calls for a young, more consistent central defender have increased as the summer approaches. Always nice to hear players speak of their pride at playing for Liverpool, but in Skrtel’s case he’s probably going to need to see the season out at a high level.

That’s it for Tuesday, so hopefully we can all enjoy seeing out the rest of the internationals relatively safely. Noel will be along tomorrow to carry us all through to the preview on Friday afternoon, which is when I’ll plan to make my return. Until then, occupy yourself by trying to figure out who GOB’s wife is really in love with.

Some Related Liverpool Posts:The Final Countdown, With More Rolling UpdatesMoving On, Losing the Plot, and Other Tuesday NotesMore Renovation Rumors, Saturday Recap, and Other Sunday NotesRafa’s Return, Suarez’ Injury, and Other Phallic Friday NotesRyan Babel Leaves, Joe Cole’s Still Here, and Other Tuesday Notes

Category: Euro 2012, International Duty, Miscellaneous, Team News

Tags: A Man Named GOB, Euro 2012, International Duty, Kenny Dalglish, Luis Suarez, Martin Škrtel, Miscellaneous, Team News
Tweet « Blog Pollin’: Andy Carroll, Fabio Capello, and Booze | Home | DavidIts Tobias!EdI'm afraid I just blue myself.Tom FooleryThink Ed said it best during the ManU game.
"Dirk Kuyt knows the secret to life".Tom FooleryI just love Dirk Kuyt. His face after he scored the (accidental) lob is of its usual brilliance.
...I love GOB as well.
And booze, so I'll be having one or two for Andy C's goal today.
Maybe more like 4 or 5 for all of the aforementioned cool cats (do people still use that expression?).cheekyfellowHard to remember when Skrtel's decline started. He seemed pretty formidable under Benitez before his last season with the club.arn00bI don't remember exactly when it was, but there was that day when he got away with some atrocious tackle and then injured himself in the same game.RJBGA nice smash from Andy Carroll after Stewart Downing nearly skewed the ball away. Now hopefully Capello let's Andy jump ship for a pint at half time, now he's done his part.blog comments powered by Disqus