Is that the sound of desperate Koppites?

Last night I ate my way through almost a full tub of M & S ‘Extremely Chocolaty Mini Rolls’, one bag of cashew nuts, one bag of Walkers ‘Gary’s Lamb Curry’ crisps and an eight chunk Dairy Milk such was my apprehension watching Liverpool struggle to a 1-0 extra time victory against Standard Liege.

Dirk Kuyt eventually bundled home Ryan (not Marcus) Babel’s cross after 117 agonising minutes. Ironically it was probably the first time in 210 minutes of both legs that a Liverpool player had proffered a cross from wide. Hernandez reflects the commonly held opinion that Liverpool needs a winger, fast.

I wholeheartedly agree and I also endorse his contention that Albert Riera will not suffice. Stuart Downing has Premiership pedigree and is available for around £14 million. If Liverpool cannot muster such a sum in order to launch a realistic challenge, there is something seriously amiss at Anfield.

Comments

deiseach said…
Markus Babel. Freudian slip? Wishful thinking? In joke? Chocolate poisoning?
28 August 2008 at 16:56
Owen Polley said…
Whoops Ryan of course.
28 August 2008 at 17:00
Hernandez said…
You definitely get the sense that the Americans have underestimated the amount of investment required to win titles. The failure to cough up an extra £2m for Gareth Barry speaks volums. But then, perhaps deep down they aren't really interested in winning titles.
29 August 2008 at 10:07
Owen Polley said…
Because I don't believe that Barry is where the investment is needed most I wasn't too upset about the failure to get him, failing to get a winger is a different matter. What about Silva from Spain? As you say they simply don't appreciate that it takes sustained investment in top quality players, rather than bringing in one (perhaps two if Keane shows his worth). I'm dreading two weeks time.
29 August 2008 at 11:19
Anonymous said…
It isn't the Americans or money that are the problems it is Benitez.
29 August 2008 at 13:17
Hernandez said…
So if we got rid of Benitez who would step in? Allardyce? Curbishly? Moyes? The truth is theres not a lot out there. Mourinho, a proven Premiership winner (twice) would have been good but he is taken now.
29 August 2008 at 13:40
Owen Polley said…
Certainly I don't think that there has been much progress under Rafa. Champions League aside, have we actually got any better since the Frenchman left? I'm not too sure. Certainly the brand of football we're playing is pretty dreadful to watch. I take the point that there isn't an obvious candidate to replace Benitez, but I suspect that the fractiousness caused by Hicks & Gillett has actually deflected criticism away from the manager. Certainly getting rid of them is a priority, but will Rafa ever bring the title to Anfield? I have my doubts.
29 August 2008 at 14:43
Hernandez said…
I doubt whetehr ANY manager will bring the title to Liverpool until Ferguson retires.
29 August 2008 at 15:53
Owen Polley said…
It isn't down to Ferguson alone. Arsenal and Chelsea have done it. There's no reason why Liverpool couldn't launch a challenge. None whatsoever.
29 August 2008 at 15:57
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Football fever in Russia

Russia Blog is getting excited about Euro 2008. Indeed it is drawing parallels between Guus Hiddink and Peter the Great in terms of successful Russo-Dutch exchanges of expertise. Meanwhile, in Moscow, fans have been taking to the streets in order to celebrate the national team’s achievements.
Read more

Shia Revival

The Iranian author, Vali Nasr, has written an interesting book called The Shia Revival: How conflicts within Islam will shape the future .  Its argument is exceptionally pertinent at a time when European governments are edging toward arming Sunni extremists in Syria. Nasr portrays Shiism as the more liberal, palatable strand of Islam and a religion for underdogs.  He makes his point persuasively, although putting a progressive gloss on the regime in Iran and Hezbollah does undermine his thesis. A lot of the material is focussed on Iraq, where there is a Shia majority, which was suppressed during the presidency of Saddam Hussein.  The leading cleric, Ayatollah Sistani, is depicted as a moderating influence, who opposed retaliation as Sunni extremism threatened to cause sectarian civil war. The book’s opening chapter provides an erudite and fascinating history of factions within Islam.  The split dates back to the origins of the faith and a dispute over the prophet Mohammed’
Read more

Walker loada rubbish

Former BBC employee Brian Walker has overrun Slugger O’Toole lately with countless poorly structured, poorly written posts. It is possible quickly to recognize and avoid these by subjecting each Slugger piece to a cursory inspection and identifying those which feature characteristic lack of paragraphing and a tenuous grasp on the technicalities of linking source articles. Although I generally evade Walker’s posts by this method, occasionally (and unfortunately) I have persevered and found that their content is as unrewarding as the style in which they are written. Today, for instance, I inflicted upon myself Brian’s thoughts on a mooted Fianna Fail / SDLP merger . In actual fact, he is right to welcome news that the Southern Irish party has dropped this proposal from its agenda; however, the logic by which he arrives at this conclusion is parochial nonsense. To summarise, Walker believes that pursuing realignment with larger parties, whether they are from the rest of the UK or fro
Read more