Liverpool 2 – Blackburn 1: Impressive or Impressive?

I wrote how Liverpool, or should I say Roy Hodson, were extremely fortunate to be facing a meekly Blackburn team that’s languishing around the bottom of the table — meekly because most of it’s combative players are out injured.

And of course I believed that a win was on the cards for us, but I also believe that the owner won’t be too pleased with the manner of our conceded goal by ex-Liverpoolman, El-Hadji Diouf.

You gotta give it to Roy Hodgson for having the cheeks and guts to claim the owner’s inevitable elation, oh really?

Thanks to Rover’s lack of pressing by it’s midfielders, Liverpool received plenty of invitation to test their makeshift defence, and they were sparred the horror of a thrashing only by the nearly impressive Robinson.

Also nearly impressive, yet again, was Joe Cole and Meireles’ constant running and prodding, as well as Jamie Carragher’s and Kyrgiakos’ forays into Rover’s penalty box.

You could say that the Liverpool backline was never really tested by the lone Kalinic, and the isolated Benjani, and yet we managed to concede the softest of soft goals.

The ball trickling towards the center of the penalty area, before Diouf’s shot was blocked and deflected into the goal for the equaliser, despite Reina’s palm getting a little bit of action along the way.

And before you know it, Torres drifts away from his makeshift marker, and cooly slots it past a helpless Robinson for his first goal in many, many games.

Funny, I actually couldn’t recall when his last few goals for the club were~

Ahhhh, finally a decent attacking performance as that winning sensation creeps back and you could never really argue when it’s 3 points in the bag.

Then again, with the tough-tackling, physically demanding team in the shape of Bolton next, you wonder if enough is being done here, and if we’ll slip back into our shells?

Hmmm, I can’t help but wonder why we didn’t exactly tore Rovers apart.

Everton 2 – Liverpool 0: A titanic Denial.

Tim Cahill summed ‘We showed what we are all about with our fight and our spirit’, and I just wished that I could say the same of Liverpool’s players. What made it worse is when the Manager, Mr Roy, thinks it’s his team’s best performance and then throws the bus at them. This Red Ship is sinking, and instead of getting the boats and lifejackets out asap, he’s playing musical choir and amuses himself. Becuase everyone else is just not amused.

Denial is not just a river in Egypt — will somebody please mention that to Roy, please?

Please?

Especially after an abject performance (personnel-ly and tactically yet again) and a titanic loss of two goals to nothing against Everton, sworn enemies by pious supporters who sit on either side of the fence.

Dear affable Roy, how can a loss to your derby rivals be branded as “best performance“?

Dear amusive Roy. how can a return of 6 points out of a possible 24 be quipped as “I don’t feel it to be a crisis” ?

Dear readers, it is just not right anymore, isn’t it – at least not for supporters of Liverpool FC and definitely not for the new American owners, who decided to sit in a week earlier than planned, only to witness a massacre and a crisis in the making.

That’s right, a crisis indeed, and I hope Roy is reading this (Hmmm, why I do get the feeling that even if he ever did, he’ll probably brush it off with ‘The team is performing really well and I won’t get too excited nor lose sleep over the situation. I’m disappointed, but we did well.’ ?)

Lightweightpool, I mean Liverpool were easily brushed aside for both of Everton’s well taken goals, but Roy had other muses “I refuse to accept that we were in any way outplayed or inferior.” and if this is not a clear sign of a man who’s both in denial and isolation, then what is?

It was disheartening to see Lucas and Meireles getting decked by a plundering Yakubu or a scintillating run by Cahill.

Gone are the days when going past a Liverpool player meant getting hacked down or getting stolen off the ball, where a certain Mascherano would harass you, or a certain Alonso/Hamman most definitely professionally-fouled you, or a certain Riise/Hyppia that was simply just impassable.

What is this Schadenfreude that Roy and Co are basking in, and are they undercover agents, Evertonians in disguise, because by the weight (or lack of it) of their performance, this IS how a relegation contender looks like.

Goals by Tim Cahill and Mikel Arteta shed light on Liverpool’s misery and false dawn, after an exhausting (and still lingering) acrimonious takeover, but it’s good to note that both goals were conceded after a poor headed clearance.

Did you take note Roy, because I remember Rafa loved taking down notes — that’s what good students do right? Good or bad, who knows, but at the very least, we see action being taken, and they don’t wait until the 71st (Ngog for Lucas), 79th (Babel for Cole) and 84th (Jovanovic for Maxi) minutes to be taken.

If we can’t defend (13 goals conceded in 8 games!), then why aren’t we attacking with intent, and this much I’ll bargain with you, that offence is the best defence, that if you play to Torres and Gerrard’s strength, they’ll win you games.

Worry less about losing and care more about winning, that’s all I can ask for as a Liverpudlian.

Let me quickly share with you the theory of denial that consists of the stages:
1. Denial and Isolation
2. Anger
3. Bargaining
4. Depression
5. Acceptance

Depressedly, I have reached acceptance that this team is not as good as it should be, and that there are utmost priorities to be taken care of (like having an attacking manager for once, and there’s one who happens to actually idle within the Liverpool youth setup~).

Most people are unprepared for grief, since tragedy strikes without warning, but this is a case where the tip of the iceberg is glaringly staring you in the face, and yet little is done to change the course of this Red ship.

Oh Dear Roy, if perhaps you’re thinking that the ship won’t sink, then may I remind you that Denial is indeed not just a river in Egypt.

Who the hell is John W Henry?

Good or bad, I don’t know and probably don’t care at the moment, and such is my sentiment as his coincidental nationality with Tom and Gillett, althought the latter brings about more bad than good.

John W Henry is the poster boy of New England Sports Ventures, or NESV, and let not the inclusion of ‘England’ in the name fool you into thinking that it’s an English company, but this wiki article should satisfy all your questions on the man himeself.

However I’ll tell you this much, that this news of LFC’s agreed sale to NESV is damnedly the best news I’ve heard in weeks, it’s like free music in my ears, like bad-boy Napster (before it became good-boy Napster).

So what if Roy Hodgson and his ‘small club’ mentality is staying on, the Texan tumour has been operated on and removed, and while we recuperate, perhaps there’s more time for the manager to weave his magic.

But the best piece of news that I’ve read of John Henry, is that he is a big sports fan, and he’s a 1 club sports fan, which means he truly undestands what it means to be a supporter of a great club.

And from a sports fan to another sports fan, cheers~

On another note, it seems Martin Broughton and Christian Purslow ain’t so bad after all, although I’m still bitter at the way they handled Rafa Benitez’s exit.

Anyway, can’t stay grumpy for now. Gotta celebrate the exodus of the Texan Tumours.

Liverpool 1 – Blackpool 2: Just walk on Roy, walk on.

When Blackpool lost to Blackburn last week, Ian Holloway apologised for his team’s poor defensive tactics.

Aww, he shouldn’t have, but kudos for having the guts to even talk about it.

What form of apology have we heard from Roy Hodgson for these past 3 months huh?

Diabolically lazy and insipidly uninspiring, Liverpool’s first half was best forgotten.

Losing Torres to a 10th minute injury, is not a reason for another lost, as he’s yet to hit any semblance of a goal-scoring machine this season.

I wonder if he spent his time on the field pondering on his fortunes had he chose to jump ship pre-season.

Glen Johnson’s lazy defending meant Varney was allowed to sneak towards the middle, fouling him in the process, conceding the penalty, which Reina guessed correctly and nearly saved yet again.

When it rains, it pours, as Charlie Adam mammothly scored against a backdrop of stunned, and possibly angry, Kopites.

Just when you thought Blackpool had done enough to weather the storm until half-time, Varney’s unchecked run through the middle doubled their lead, as the half ended seconds later with boos ringing around anfield.

In the build up to that goal, Liverpool’s ambling midfielders and defenders ambled nonchalantly.

Last season at Fulham, you’d see players diving and blocking at every opportunity, so what’s the story, eh?

The boos were starting to get as common as Liverpool’s resurgence after the break.

Liverpool responded well and gave Blackpool, whom were now retreating into their less attacking mode, a few scares.

Ian Holloway may acknowledge that his team’s defending frailties needs no suggestion from the maulings received at the hands of Arsenal and Chelsea, but against a toothless Liverpool attack, they shined.

When Ngog sent his header wide and Kyrgiakos powered a bullet into the back of the net on 53 minutes, you’d think that Liverpool was well on their way towards another comeback.

It’s a cause for concern when your center-back is arguably your most potent attacking option.

It’s also a major cause for concern when you put the club’s most trusted centerback on the left, considering that you have a certain Martin Kelly on the bench.

Liverpool may have gained ascendancy from the goal, but I’ve lost count of the number of wasted chances, mistimed passes and the fortunate occasions where Blackpool failed to grab their thrid goal, not undeservingly of course.

I wonder if Ian Holloway will apologise for his team’s poor conversion of chances now?

Wait, who’s the one who played attacking midfielders as wingers, centerbacks as leftbacks, and brought in defensive players when the team is crying for that 1 single potent goalscoring machine or goals-assisting toy?

Who’s the one that decides on a 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1 formation when the team is clearly in dire need for goals?

Who’s the one that sits in the press conference room on a cushy chair within an air-conditioned room, lashing out at the media claiming “maybe six points isn’t so bad after all.“?

Being a Red’s fan myself, I’ll hold my heads up high, still, when we walk through the storm.

Wait, this is not a storm at all, it’s a catastrophe, but it’s okay, no apologies required Roy, and though I offer no knee-jerk reaction (like changing managers and such) to this result, I have to say that I do miss a certain Spaniard’s battling and unrelenting enthusisam.

But it’s okay Roy, it’s okay Hicks and Gillett, it’s okay.

Just walk on..