The Soccer Blog: Matchday: Liverpool v. Newcastle United

Monday, 2 May 2011

Matchday: Liverpool v. Newcastle United

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Kickoff from Anfield at 1200 GMT, 7:00am EST. Read the rest of this entry »

April 30th, 2011Match Preview: Liverpool v. Newcastle, 05.01.11By: Ed |

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Alan Pardew and Newcastle head to Anfield for Sunday’s early kickoff. Read the rest of this entry »

April 29th, 2011Joey Barton, International Man of CriminalityBy: Noel |

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When he’s not attacking teammates or being jailed for assault or trying to put his cigar out on somebody’s jelly-filled seeing sack–that’d be an eyeball to you and me–or maybe just trying to snap Xabi Alonso’s shins from his legs from his ankles.

Well, when he’s not doing all of that.

Or something like that.

When he’s not doing something like that, Joey Barton looks to broaden his horizons, expand his mind, and generally become the worldly and well-rounded individual he swore to cell-mate Duke Chavington III he would become after finding god for a couple of minutes back during his fifth incarceration. Or his seventh. Honestly, it’s all a bit of a blur. Regardless, some habits are hard to break. Like a love for home-brew facial reconstruction surgery. But at least it might be an outlet for his demons that won’t make the front pages of the tabloids quite so often.

Why, just last international break, Barton flew to Victoria, Australia and changed a lightbulb. Read the rest of this entry »

April 29th, 2011Solving the Center Back Problem, One Fullback at a TimeBy: Noel |

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Liverpool has been on title challenging form since Kenny Dalglish’s January return, a 57% win rate enough to be nipping at United’s heels ahead of both surging Chelsea and fading Arsenal were it somehow stretched out over the entire season. Though of course part of that speaks to how poorly the clubs near the top of the table have performed at times, and that isn’t something that Liverpool can pin their hopes of future success on. Then there is what seemed an obviously, chronically thin squad that whimpered out of Europe to consider. A squad that as recently as last month faced having zero healthy fullbacks. A squad that has relied on Jay Spearing suddenly turning from a League 2 pumpkin into a competent top flight midfielder to keep their European dreams alive.

For all the recent success, for all that Liverpool has managed a title challenging pace, this is still a fearfully thin squad. One that needs reinforcements from front to back and side to side; one that over the season has seen a growing need for reinforcements at center back; and one that can’t move forward expecting unexpected revelations to carry them all the way back to the top. Read the rest of this entry »

April 28th, 2011No for Villas Boas, Joe Cole Resurrected, and Other (Late) Thursday NotesBy: Ed |

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villasboas Apologies for the delay in the usual daily rundown, as we’ve had a bit of trouble accessing our dashboard for most of the day. Typically I’m able to get things up and running pretty quickly and the magic just flows, but for whatever reason everything went wonky today and the website started acting like a bastard. Problem solved for the time being, even if I spent the last fifteen minutes uploading that picture of Andre Villas Boas. Looks good though, doesn’t he?

Anyhow, a quick look at the Thursday notes, since hitting publish will ensure that this thing goes up by kickoff on Sunday:

* A few weeks back there was a pretty healthy rumble around the internet that Andre Villas Boas had some sort of pre-contract agreement with Liverpool, which came to light after he turned down Roma. Given the talk earlier in the season about how he fit the FSG profile (young, likes stats, is successful, handsome, better looking than Roy Hodgson), it seemed like there were possibly shreds of truth in the original Gazzetta dello Sport report. Not so, says Villas Boas: Read the rest of this entry »

April 28th, 2011Blog Pollin’: Left Back for the Run-In EditionBy: Ed |

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When Fabio Aurelio’s contract wasn’t renewed in May of 2010, the sentiment was fairly unanimous, as he’s a likable guy, good for the squad, great when fit, but not a long-term option. He was a classy, composed, and technically gifted fullback that provided Liverpool with some fantastic moments in important matches, but his injury record got in the way of what could have developed into a very good career.

So when news broke in late July that he’d be coming back as part of a two-year contract engineered by Roy Hodgson, there was again a fairly positive consensus—great option to provide cover for a younger left back, experience and skill that strengthened the squad, and, as always, the promise that if he managed to stay fit, he’d have the type of season that could earn Liverpool a handful of points at the very least.

And then, unfortunately, this season progressed in a manner similar to his previous four at the club, Read the rest of this entry »

April 27th, 2011A Moment of Fortune and a Season to RegretBy: Noel |

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Wee Joe also got his reward when he came on to score and he has been doing fantastic in training as well. Maybe the goalkeeper made a mistake but the wee man has got a goal to his name and it won’t do us any harm and it certainly won’t do Joe any harm either.

–Kenny Dalglish, post-Birmingham press conference

Dalglish may well have been right when he said that. Right that it doesn’t hurt Joe Cole or Liverpool in any way; that it may even do some small amount of good for both. But it hardly marks the revival some were eager to bill it as immediately following the match. It hardly changes Cole’s status as the club’s biggest ever big-money failure. Read the rest of this entry »

April 27th, 2011Houllier’s Health, Adam’s Hoofs, and Other Wednesday NotesBy: Noel |

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Since we started off Monday’s news and notes with a bit of Chelsea, perhaps it’s fitting for United to kick things off today, as in the lead-up to their unfortunate victory over Shalke in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final Mister Ferguson mentioned his trophy-envy and that he wishes his club could be counted amongst the likes of Real, Milan, Liverpool, Bayern, and Ajax on the continent.

Such a shame that’s one perch he’s never getting to the top of. Though shame probably isn’t the word I’m looking for, unless it’s the shame I’ll feel if the world conspires to hand us a Champions League final where I find myself hoping for Jose Mourinho to succeed… Read the rest of this entry »

April 26th, 2011Reina, Kuyt, and Lucas Think the Future’s BrightBy: Noel |

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With a growing confidence surrounding the club, positive noises from the management and back room staff fueling hope for a return to glory, and talk of important summer signings to boost the current squad as they look to finish the season on the upswing, some of the more important member’s of this year’s team have been doing their best this week to add to both the short- and long-term positivity surrounding the club. With Liverpool managing title-challenging form since Dalglish’s return there would certainly seem to be solid cause for optimism, and that boost in form owes a great deal to Dirk Kuyt, Lucas Leiva, and Pepe Reina. That trio have arguably been Liverpool’s best and most constant performers of the season, and so it’s reassuring to hear of their hopes for the future. Especially in the case of Reina, who until recently many assumed was as good as gone: Read the rest of this entry »

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