The Soccer Blog: Notes

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Saturday, 9 April 2011

Saturday Grab Bag: News, Notes, and Open Thread

By: Ed | April 9th, 2011
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Not quite the grab bag I had in mind.

With Liverpool not in action until Monday, this has all the makings of a slower than usual weekend, even though there’s a full slate of matches kicking off shortly. But if we’re wearing the rose-tinted European qualification glasses, there’s a good possibility bad things could happen to people that we don’t like. Spurs are playing Stoke City after a tough loss midweek at Madrid, where Harry Redknapp’s side were left with only Ray Wilkins’ brilliantly generic jingoism to console them. And if I know Tony Pulis like I think I don’t, there’s a good chance he’ll be wearing a tracksuit and an ill-fitting cap, and his side will come to White Hart Lane expecting to get something out of the match.

Of course, there’s also the likelihood that much like recent news of Liverpool’s fitness, you’ll be left massively disappointed and unsure that life as you know it can carry on. The upside is that, in a season like this one, your ways of coping are already finely tuned. Your liver maybe not so much.

Anyhow, as usual, a couple bits of news floating around as the day kicks off from a Liverpool perspective:

* After Noel’s piece about Kenny Dalglish yesterday afternoon, which included the usual quality both from Noel and the folks that joined the discussion, come this bit from Rory Smith at the Telegraph (who really is very good when he’s not sending our readers into near catatonic states about the possibility of missing Liverpool’s 19th league title) regarding the transition of Dalglish’s role as caretaker to permanent manager:

It had been feared FSG — who had been expected to confirm Dalglish’s ascension after promoting Damien Comolli to director of football and Ian Ayre to managing director last month — were wavering over whether to hand Dalglish the post, but Sam Kennedy, the group’s president, insists nothing could be further from the truth.

“The conversations are happening now with the appropriate people,” he said. “Ian Ayre, Damien Comolli and the ownership. But I do think [Dalglish] has provided a great lift. He is a wonderful man, passionate about the club.”

News that, while still somewhat far from being final, was more or less on the horizon. Even if there’s been times at which it seemed like FSG were dragging their heels, I don’t know that I’ve ever sat back and thought that they’d consider any other candidate after the way the last few months have gone. Yes, there’s rightly questions to be asked, as there should be of any manager at any club, but in many regards Dalglish’s presence has been immeasurably important in a season that was destined to go down as one of the more troubling and chaotic in the club’s recent history.

* There’s some thoughts from Dirk Kuyt about Andy Carroll that are a few days old but relevant nonetheless as Monday creeps nearer, and they’re focused on the need for the front man to receive fairer treatment:

“I thought the referee was right with the two penalty decisions but it appears that referees have problems with things our strikers are doing – it was the same with Fernando [Torres]. Every time they go up in the air, they seem to have free-kicks given against them and I don’t think the way Andy was treated was very fair.

“It is very frustrating as you see strikers on other teams doing exactly the same thing yet they don’t get punished. It’s difficult to understand sometimes and referees need to look at the situation. That’s why Andy was so frustrated during the game. He felt he should have got a couple of free-kicks. We spoke to him just to try and help him calm down.”

There’s little to argue over in what Kuyt’s saying, particularly that bit about Martin Atkinson being a wormy-looking little twat and a horrible referee. Or maybe that’s a bit of a stretch. Point being, Andy Carroll did get the shit kicked out of him on Saturday, and he’ll continue to be on the receiving end so long as: a) he reacts angrily to it, and b) there’s a lack of consistency in the manner in which fouls are called in aerial challenges.

The first point is obviously the one that Liverpool and Andy Caroll are more in control of, and it’s the one that was fairly concerning last Saturday. Prior to disappearing (with an assist from Atkinson), it looked as though he’d have a second yellow, his walking papers, and a good chunk of Jonas Olsson’s flesh before the 35 minute mark. It’s nothing to panic over just yet, but certainly an area of growth for a young player with an established reputation as a bit of a hothead that also happens to be carrying a decently healthy weight of expectation.

So that’s that, and please feel free to use the rest of the day to knock around in the comments section if you’re so inclined, and if you find yourself without TV on the day and still want to watch any of the day’s matches, pay a visit to MyP2P, Atdhenet, or FromSport. If anything else on the Liverpool front rears its head later in the day I’ll stop back by, but otherwise I’ll be back for the preview tomorrow morning.

Until then, I’ll be riding in my Fiat, you really have to see it:

Some Related Liverpool Posts:Everyone Who’s Anyone is Injured and Other Wednesday NotesInjury News and the Last Few Internationals. Hopefully Unrelated.This Is Not and Other Wednesday Notes, and Other Wednesday NotesMore Renovation Rumors, Saturday Recap, and Other Sunday NotesRafa’s Return, Suarez’ Injury, and Other Phallic Friday Notes

Category: International Duty, Miscellaneous, Premier League, Team News, Transfer News

Tags: 2011-2012 Season, Andy Carroll, Blackouts, Drinking Your Feelings, Glen Johnson, International Duty, Kenny Dalglish, Luis Suarez, Martin Kelly, Miscellaneous, Premier League, Steven Gerrard, Team News, Transfer News
Tweet « Questioning The King | Home | bro(we defo got the right man for the job) but i think we need to take a look into are medical staff and physio and how were training are players not for skills and game play with tactics but for fitness as to many injurys are happing at a far irregular amounts AND bundles. we only have to look at aqua and see he was a injury prone player with us i no when we got him he was injured but he kept getting bouts. now look at him playing a full season injury free. were not doing somthink right we have the biggist record of players with it happing.paulI doubt we're the worst for injuries, ask Villa or the Hammers, and just think back to the Souness/Boersma days for real injury lists! Rafa wouldn't play Aquaman when he *finally* recovered, and when he did get a game, it was clear he had something resembling skill and vision, something Rafa wasn't so keen on in the end, and something Hodgson wouldn't recognise it it drove a tractor up his bottom! I doubt Aquaman will return, someone will get him on the cheap as he's the same kind of player as Raul.

Our problem is the pathetic depth of quality in the squad, something that precedes the Wubbish Wun. Reina may be off, our defense is pretty poor now, Agger, our best at the back is a permanent crock. Midfield is slow, soft and fluffy with no bite, and our captain doesn't tackle but will be out for more games than in. We have no attacking width, Kuyt is the first on the list and the first to give the ball away.

Suarez is now our key player, but like that Spanish chap before him, Torry, Turry, Toilet(?), he can't do it all. Carroll is an unknown factor. Unless we get the ball to his feet and cut out the rubbish HOOOOOOOOOOF crap orchestrated by the incredibly slow Carra, we'll ruin the man. Have you see how hard Carroll kicks the ball!? BOFFFF! No one will want to be in the way of those rockets!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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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