My Captain

This post was a long time coming, its dedicated to all of those who said he was no good, the ones who said he doesn't have what it takes, he doesn't have the mentality, he doesn't have the passion, the desire, the stomach to lead such a big club, echoed in history such as Liverpool. This is for those who said Jordan Henderson wouldn't cut it, well, I'm here to tell you to go and look at him now.

When Steven Gerrard left Liverpool, it was more than just a player leaving, he was the club because for so long he was at the forefront of everything, in defeat and in victory he was there. When we were down, he lifted us up, he was the heart beat that gave the team life. He was formidable in attack, partnered well with many superstars who joined the club, he was the one constant we became used to and when he left, he left a huge void that many felt that could not be filled. Hence when the arm band was passed down onto young Jordan Henderson, many felt he wasn't the right man for the job. After Stevie, could there be anyone that would have been right? No!

There was a divide, some who trusted the decision by Brendan Rodgers and those who slated it. He was just 24 years at the time, only been at the club for about 4 years, not even from the parts, how could he be captain of one of the greatest football clubs of the world? Well, I was part of the divide that welcomed him, there was just something about him that I liked. He gained my respect as a player as he challenged for a place in a hotly contested midfield since he got to the club in 2011 to instill himself as a regular in the starting 11 and he gained my respect as a person, when he was pictured in the crowd of Sunderland supporters, at Wembley in 2014, watching his boyhood club Sunderland, take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup. That is passion and love for you, opting not to sit in a corporate box, or the FA allocated seats, but being there as a fan.

Yes, he was not born and raised in Liverpool, but he's English and that counts massively now in the league. He was given a raw deal under the Rodgers reign and this came to show as it was exposed recently how Rodgers told Jordan that the door was open for him to leave, which left the captain devastated and even said he was in tears later that evening. While he was at a top level, he always had age on his side and I'm glad he chose not to take that option and continued to push with the club. I didn't think much of Rodgers, especially since he had a hand and forcing Gerrard out, still a few years from him calling it time on his career. I think Stevie could have managed another season or two with us. The good thing was during that time, Gerrard helped mold Hendo into the player he is today. 

Since taking over as captain, he didn't have it easy, as I said many doubted him, it was tough but he knuckled down and kept at his job. People don't seem to take notice of the hard graft he puts in because he's not always on the score sheets or not making that telling run down the line or tricking the defenders, he's in the middle, keeping things tidy. Making sure the front players get supplied and the defence doesn't get any unwanted surprises. He's the sweeper, the guy doing the dirty work and never was this more prolific than the opening 20 minutes at Anfield during the first semi-final against Roma. The opponents tried to beat us at our own game, hard pressing, fast pace and all out attack. This did catch us off guard, especially the youngsters, but you could hear Jordan commands his troops, yelling at Robbo and Trent, making sure things were tight in the center with him and Milly. It was because of him we overcame that storm and went finally could get our game into gear. The rest is history. 

So while many might still ponder his abilities, let me tell you now, that if you are a true supporter, a genuine supporter who watches the games, the players, you will know that Jordan has every right to. Come Saturday night, whether he lifts ol big ears up or not, he will have nothing to prove to the faithful, as we know the quality he has, and the trust the manager has in him. Next season will be interesting though, with new signings coming in to bolster the midfield, it might see the shape of the team change and players sitting out some games, bringing back the old rotation which minimizes the fatigue come the crunch end of the season. The future only looks positive though, with Klopp and owners both happy, the players happy and most importantly, us the fans being happy!

Why, Phil?

This past weekend, many Liverpool supporters were left asking themselves this very question, why Phil? Why did you leave us? I, like many others were angry, but also it wasn't the best kept transfer secret and everyone knew it was bound to happen but for us Liverpool supporters there still remained that glimmer of hope the Philippe would see the bigger picture and stay with the club a little longer but alas it wasn't to be. The rumour mill started from the new year with his sudden thigh strain which kept him out of 2-1 win over Burnley and then the 2-1 win over Everton in the FA Cup, concerns were growing, all eyes were on Twitter to see the latest in terms of the on goings of this transfer. When news of him having not traveled with the rest of the squad to Dubai for some summer training, the writing should have been on the wall for us but yet, like the blind some of us refused to speculate. Then the news came, late Saturday night, Liverpool have accepted a bid from Barcelona for Coutinho. It was done, he was leaving us for Spain, for a club that is no stranger from hijacking our star players, as they did not so long ago to Luis Suarez. But why? Did he not see the bigger picture that was unfolding at Anfield? Was he fed up with the cold miserable weather? Did he not get enough hugs from Klopp? What was it? Why did he leave?

Well, I have a theory, well not so much of a theory but it makes a lot of sense. Hailing from South Africa, we for some odd reason love the English Premiership, and hold it in high regard as on of the best, if not the best leagues in the world. Many other countries share the same sentiments even though 90% of the die-hard supporters will never get a chance to see their team play live, we still cherish the weekends when they play. Much like how our fanfare with the English league is, down in South America, they love the Spanish League. Perhaps it has to do with the culture, the language, the style of football. The appeal is there and and there's many a kid in the street playing football with a dream to play in the La Liga. Philippe was one of those kids, Born and raised in one of the biggest cities in South America, Rio de Janeiro, he showed great promise in Vasco da Gama's youth system and was eventually signed by Inter Milan, he didn't have an easy time in Italy but it was a stepping stone into Europe and a step closer to achieving his dream of playing for Barcelona. After a few seasons being loaned out to various clubs, eventually in 2013 he was signed by Liverpool. Under the guidance of Brendan Rogers, he didn't take that long to settle down and fans saw glimpses of what the kid could offer. 

"Little Magician" as he is fondly called, he started making his way into the league, with some acute passing, masterful trickery and that deadly curling shot at goal. He soon became a fan favourite and won numerous awards with the clubs but sadly no trophies, In his 5 year spell at the club, he became a fan favourite one player that we hoped started every game. Just before the 2017/18 season could start, speculation came in that a bid for him was received from Barcelona. With him being integral to the squad, you could understand the clubs decision to turn down any sort of bid for the player but for Philippe, this was his moment. That kid playing in the dusty streets of Rio, dreaming of playing for Barcelona one day was now a reality. Hence he submitted a transfer request, which the club also shot down. Now, whether or not the he could see it, Liverpool are on a long term building program with the manager and the owners for the first time on the same page. They both trust each other and they both want success, while I understand the player must be frustrated for one, not winning and silverware in his time, and two, finally having his dream move in place only for the doors to be shut, which made him oblivious to the bigger picture at hand. 

While for him at that time as a kid, LaLiga was the be all and end all of football, times have changed and English football is highly regarded in Europe and it shows on its center stage with all 5 teams now in the knock-out phase of the Champions League. But I suppose if you have to take into account the language barrier, the weather and the style of football, you can see why his mind was still dead on making the move. After what seemed to have been ages for the summer window to close, he still remained at the club. Whether he was unhappy or not, we couldn't tell as he still played well for us, scored some amazing goals, none more so than what proved to be his last for us against Swansea. What a pearler that was and just the right way to remember him. 

His decision to leave the club in January may be odd, we're not sure what sort of agreement he made. maybe if the club were still challenging for the title he would have stayed till the end but whatever the case is, he's gone now and with that he became the second most expensive player in world football. That burden of the price ta won't bother him though, he's going to shine at Barca, with Messi and former partner in crime Suarez its only evident that he will. At the same time, while over the last 3 games, we've proved we can win without him, and we no doubt have the fire power, he still will be missed for created chances out of nothing and scoring some cracking goals. 

Bye Philippe. 

Here comes the Klopp

We all knew going into the month of October that Brendan Rodgers days as Liverpool FC manager were numbered but like many, I thought the owners, FSG would give him till the end of the month to prove his worth at the helm of one of English footballs most prestigious clubs. Little did we know that his fate was already sealed come the day of the derby between Merseyside's biggest two teams. Regardless of the result, the time on the Anfield clock was up for Brendan, even though his team put on a fantastic first half and should have went in at half time in the lead thanks to a Danny Ings goal, only for a shoddy clearance by Emre Can, who I feel was played out of position to find its way to Lukaku off Martin Skrtel to which he cooly slotted past goalkeeper Simon Mignolet to level the scores before half time. 

Brendan's career at Anfield was a roller coaster of note, whether or not he was fit for the position was questionable but after witnessing the drastic fall of the team after that dramatic season in which we narrowly finished second, it was clearly evident that Rodgers was batting above his weight. In time I suppose he would turn out to be a stellar manager but in today's game, many are not afforded that luxury as results are needed almost immediately. When hearing his closing comments after the decision was made to release him from his duties at the club, you can see that the man is passionate about the game, about the club and understands the values that go along with it. It's with this I wish him nothing but the very best for the future and in time he will become a manager that is ready to take on a role at a big club.

Now with FSG taking the decision to relieve Rodgers of his duties, it would be stupid of them to do so without having a plan in place. Everyone knew that there were two contenders for the position, Jurgen Klopp and Carlo Ancelotti. Jurgen was always the favourite with rumours doing the rounds that FSG had always been chasing for his signature even prior to Rodgers but he stayed true to Borussia Dortmund and had a magical 4 seasons with them, not so great in the last one which saw him take a sabbatical from the game. He said at the time he will take a year off but with the timing in place, I'm sure there was an approach from FSG which had to be behind closed doors as it would be in breach of their contract with Brendan to lure him back into the game. 

FSG announced that a manger would be in place before the end of the week and they were true to their word. Negotiations took place in Germany with Jurgen and by Wednesday he was on a plane to England. With half of England in a scurry to get pictures of the German on English soil you could sense there was a new buzz not only in Liverpool but in England as a whole. A new life as such that has reignited the flame on the red half of Merseyside and has instilled belief in the supporters again. Jurgen is no miracle worker but it's the first time the club has brought in a manager of such high calibre. Hence one has to commend the owners on securing the signature of such a highly sort after manager with a club that's performing mid table with no Champions League football and no superstar players. 

Jurgen's first presser with the club on Thursday was even more enlightening to the faithful as he gave us a brief view into his vision of the next 3 to 4 years in which he said he is confident we can win the elusive Premiership in that time. Like I said, he is no miracle worker but he is a worker! If one has to look at his playing career in which he called himself an average player and what he did at Dortmund, it speaks for itself. He works hard and expects his players to work as hard, it's like that old saying, hard work pays off in the long run and that's the mentality he will bring to the club. The kind of stuff that motivates players again and in term motivates the fans in the stands. His first game in charge will be against Spurs in London, a tricky game but we've had a good run there. He has quality players at his disposal but we will have to wait and see the strategies he will use with the players and the formation he chooses. 

It's exciting times at the club once again but I urge fans not to expect us to turn things around with immediate effect as it will take some time but not as long as we would think. He is a quality manager, one that's already got the others fearing because they know what knowledge he brings to the team but apart from that, he has and understands the passion that it brings to Liverpool. He has experienced this with Dortmund as it is a very similar setup between the clubs with the fan base also being identical, so he knows how much it means to the people of the city for the club to be doing well. He is a winner and with that winning mentality in place, it's very hard to stop a person. It won't be long when Klopp will be King of the Kop. 

Rodger that

With 5 games played in the English Premiership so far, some might say that I'm panicking over nothing as a team takes time to regroup after the long summer break. Yes Liverpool's start to the season hasn't been disastrous like some other top team *cough* Chelsea *cough* but the thing is, Chelsea have the players and management to steer them back to the top, meanwhile at Liverpool, the management still seem to be like scientists experimenting on various theories. The trouble is, doing that every weekend might just end up blowing ourselves up. 

There's been one major problem at Liverpool FC for the past 3 seasons, that no one can seem to find a solution to, our defence. Even when we had the lethal SAS partnership upfront that helped us score over 100 goals in one season, we still conceded over 50 goals which ultimately cost us the title. Last season nothing really was done to mend it, we did purchase Lovren for a massive fee. Did the acquisition make sense? Yes, he was a top rated footballer with knowledge of the league so he should know what he's in for from day one but to date he looks like a horse on roller skates. 

Skrtel, our once Slovakian warrior, everyone feared him, he ate nails for breakfast! Skrtel Smash! Seems like someone swapped the nails for Fruit Loops because he's been anything but terrifying of late! This past weekend, he gave Athony Martial the headlines as he just stood and watched him run through to the box and slot it past a helpless Mignolet. Everyone (Man United fans) hailed the brilliance of their highly priced winger but in actual fact, Skrtel should have down what even a league 3 defender could have done and attacked the ball and clear it. 

I'm not entirely sure if Sakho is 100% match fit and I'm guessing that is why he hasn't been starting but I feel he and Sktel would be the preferred starting centre backs. Sakho for me is the better of the two and deserves a sport in the 11, he's a hard worker and no nonsense defender. Our surplace being Kolo seems to just be there for moral support and in case of emergency, break glass, hopefully no shards of said glass hits Sturridge as he just resumed training so we can't afford having him out for another year. 

The two new signings of Clyne and Gomez as our wing backs have proved to be a good move but with Gomez being so young and its his first Premiership season, this past weekend showed why he could be vulnerable as he gave away a penalty out of nothing really. All he had to do was press the player to the line but he chose to dive in and give away the foul. Clyne seems sharp, solid at the back, loves to go forward and take a crack at goal but at the same time tracks back quickly. 

Brendan and his crew need to go back to the drawing board because whatever they're think they doing isn't working. We've had a mixed bag of results and in certain periods we played some damn good football. I still think our best game so far was the match at the Emirates against Arsenal, we could have won that one but a point was adequate at the time. Maybe it's time the team went back to basics, start with the back and then work their way forward. I know our attack hasn't been all that great, with the key move being "give the ball to Coutinho and let him do something" but now that he's injured we showed we can muster up some decent moves going forward. If it were not for the super human acrobatics by DeGea on Saturday we could have easily been level. 

Like I said, it's a bit early to be complaining but if anyone can't see we have a serious problem in defence, then they need to start reading braille. Teams will pick up on this flaw and take advantage of it like Crystal Palace did before the international break. If we start to remedy the situation now, maybe a top 4 finish is possible for us come May.

It's On!

Yup, in little under 3 days time the most important football league in the world will kick off the 2015/2016 campaign to see who will be crowned Champions of England. Yes while the competition might be just for teams in England, it's fan base knows no boundaries as I'm sure if there were intelligent life out there in the universe, they to would have vested interest in the Barclays English Premier League. 

Anyway back to matters on earth and particularly, England, it's very hard to say if current Champions Chelsea have what it takes to retain their title. Yes, manager Jose Mourinho still has a very strong squad and the spine that turned out to be his winning formula is still very much intact, their summer signings aren't one to make the headlines apart from the signing of United flop, Falcao. Now we don't want to delve into why the Colombian wasn't a success in Manchester but Jose obviously feels that it had nothing to do with the league but rather the team and management. Time will tell whether he would be a worthy acquisition and if history goes to show anything, Jose gets out the best in the players he wants. 

Moving things across to Manchester, starting off with the biggest side, Manchester City... (see what I did there), their ever flowing cash reserves continued to flow during the summer transfer window with their biggest signing to date being Raheem Asswipe, I mean Raheem Sterling. Okay, take nothing away from the kid, he is a quality player and has a lot to offer any team, and he's British but I still think he is an unfinished product, he might have felt that he was wasting his time at Liverpool but no one knew him better than Brendan Rodgers and maybe just one more year at Anfield could have sharpened those skills he needed to be that great of a player but he and his dumbass agent chose to move on and things didn't start off too badly for the lad with him scoring within the first 5 minutes of his Citeh debut. City do have a strong squad that could prove to be one of the main contenders for this seasons title but this year might not be a two horse race, because the Wenger Boys are coming to the party. 

Yup, Arsenal of late are starting to show a lot of promise, besides beating Chelsea last Sunday in the Community Shield, they really did prove the doubters wrong last season, one of them being myself. Arsenal always get off the mark really well but fall down in the second half of the season, credit to them, even though they had a bad patch they still kept fighting till the end and with that in mind, I can see them pushing Cheslea and Man City all the way till the end. They have a young squad, they play some beautiful football and they have a manager that is out there not only to prove a point but to save his job! Whilst winning the FA Cup might have been a life line for Arsene, he knows he has to deliver again this season or he might find himself out of favour with the fans and the club board. 

Now that we got the certain top 3 out of the way, it's time to talk about who will take 4th, last season those Manc's pipped it and with that made it in to Europe. Their season wasn't the best and the star signings they made last season have all gone, in Falcao and DiMaria, their drunk manager van Gaal has however added another two big names during the summer break in German Midfield sensation Bastian Schweinsteiger and Morgan Schneidelin. Both very talented midfielders but is that what they really needed? Their defence is currently in a mess and with the departure of Rafael, it's not looking any better, hence the biggest thing for them is keeping the services of DeGae in goal. Then again the window is still open and they'll be fighting harder than the Nights Watch at the wall against the white walkers to keep him there!

Next up my beloved Liverpool, I honestly don't know what is going to happen this season, from the total collapse of all things last season to the emotional goodbye to our stalwart Steven Gerrard and then Brendan completely formatting the backroom staff, who knows what to expect this season? It's going to be a fresh new look for sure as coaching styles will differ with the new men in charge, new players coming in the likes of Danny Ings, Christian Benteke and the man that everyone is looking forward to see play in Red, Firmino. I still think our key players will be Henderson, Coutinho and Skrtel with James Milner coming into play a pivotal role in midfield. Lovren needs to up his game this season, our defence has been shocking for the past two seasons but last season our lack of goals was more worrying. Hopefully with the new look strike force and a fit again Sturridge things might change and we will contend for 4th. 

Other teams that will cause a headache for these teams are Spurs, who with Harry Kane in the front could do damage to anyones goal average. Ronald Koeman still seems to be working wonders at Southampton, so they're another danger side. Alan Pardew and his Crystal Palace team will want to upset a few and at his old club Newcastle, long lost manger Steve Mclaren will want to prove he still has what it takes to manage in the Premier League. Another Premier League oldie returns, with Claudio Ranieri to Leicester City, but I doubt they will be a thorn in the side just yet.

One things for sure, given what happened last season, it's going to be an open race, if Chelsea have the start they had last season, they could runaway with it again but nothing can be predicted in this league, BRING IT ON!

The Italian Job

There's a saying "don't go looking for trouble, trouble will find you" but in the case of Liverpool FC, they might have went and did the  exact opposite. Having already disposed troublesome star striker Luis Suarez to Barcelona for a fine fee, one would have thought Ian Ayre and Brendan Rodgers would've looked for a replacement that wouldn't capture headlines for all the wrong reasons. It was never easy to replace a striker of Luis calibre, he is the ultimate striker, while many won't agree with that statement, there is no denying his quality upfront and any team would kill for a player like that. So the search began, after securing the services of Ricky Lambert, many thought he was the guy. 

Whilst fans of Liverpool FC received taunts from supporters of other teams that we replaced Suarez with Lambert, we really didn't know what the management had up there sleeve. Take nothing away from Ricky though, I always thought he was fantastic striker for Southampton, he has been consistent over the years and deadly at free kicks, so having him in the squad would keep the flow of goals going should Sturridge have a bad day at the office. Also what we've come to learn from Rodgers style of play that while bulk of the goals did come from up front, we did rely on players from other positions to chip in when they can. 

Then came the bombshell, when rumours started about Balotelli, they weren't just hearsay, they were strong ones coming from all the right people in the know. Next reports of him saying his final goodbyes to his team mates at AC Milan surfaced from Italy. Reports of him being spotted at Manchester airport the next day were rubbished by some but when pics of him surfaced of him arriving at Melwood, there was no denying that Mario was on the radar for LFC.

Why though? We know his track record and on and off field antics, did we really need another trouble maker in the squad? After all the misery Suarez dragged the club through for things unrelated to football, did we really have to add another potential problem to our squad?  Well, like Luis, there is no denying the quality of Mario, he is superb and at times leaves you dumbfounded at his skill. He aint no Suarez but he is his own brand of player. One that focuses on getting the job done, as he said once in an interview on why he doesn't celebrate after scoring "When a postman delivers letters, does he celebrate?". He has the right mentality but occasionally strays from the path but I have faith in Rodgers guiding him to glory. 

Last season after Luis returned from serving the rest of his 10 game suspension, he went an entire season without doing anything controversial, as soon as he joined up with his Uruguayan team for the World Cup, he lost it and bit a player...again. Whether it was bad management from his countries side, I feel a lot of his good behaviour had to do with Rodgers. He guides players a lot and devotes a lot of one on one time with all of them, I think his influence on Suarez was lacking at the World Cup and that probably caused him to snap. Whether Rodgers has the same effect on Mario, it remains to be seen but I think I speak for most of us when I say I cannot wait to see what he can do for us. 

You'll Never Walk Alone

Let the games begin

This weekend marks the start of the 2014/15 Barclays Premier League season, like every year everyone, many fans go into the season with high hopes for their team but like always, we want to win the race before it has even begun. The first two months of the season are important but in no way decides how the season will go on. We've seen it many a year where teams who peak too early fall hard towards the end, last season saw Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal fail at the final hurdle and Manchester City walking away as champions. 

This years season will be an interesting one, apart from the top four from the last campaign wanting to prove a point, the Premier Leagues most successful club Manchester United will have something to say. After a dismal season which I'm sure most fans of theirs wanting to forget, they come this season with a new manager, some new players and a fresh outlook. As far as whether they will challenge for the league title, it remains to be seen but they wont be pushovers like they were last season. 

Manchester City have made some smart buys during during the transfer window, the most surprising signing from them has to be ex Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. With City already having such a commanding midfield it will be interesting to see what Pellegrini has lined up for the England midfielder. Their squad is a pretty strong one and they have plenty of depth to see them through till may next year. With captain Toure leading them, they will be a force to reckon with, just as long as the club remember to wish Kolo a happy birthday. 

Chelsea, always the dark horses and with the Special One at the helm you know its going to be hard to get a result against them. Unless the premier league ban parking the bus, sides are going to find it tough to break down the double decker that Jose has employed last season. It's been an interesting preseason for them, they let go of two long serving players in Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard , then sold striker Lukaku and opted to keep two left feet Torres, I suppose they realised their error, hence they then re-signed ex striker Drogba. We know he knows where to find the net. Another note worthy buy for them was Cesc Fabragas, that won't go down well with half London but see if he cares. 

Liverpool, or should I call my team Liverhampton/ Southpool? Yes we've been the butt of many jokes seeing that Brendan Rodgers practically raided Southampton for our first 3 signings in Lallana, Lambert and Lovren. Like always Brendan has a plan though, the money from the Suarez deal is being used wisely to strengthen our squad and also provide depth. With Champions League now on the offering the team doesn't have the luxury like last season to just focus on one competition. Other signings of Can, Markovic,Manquillo and Moreno are exciting as they bring fresh new qualities that our side lacked, especially in defence. 

Our preseason tour to the USA provided a mixed bunch of results but we rounded off the last of our friendlies quite nicely on the weekend with an empathic win over German side Dortmund at Anfield. The player that's stood out by far the entire preseason was Coutinho, the kid just keeps on getting better. maybe being left out of the Brazilian world cup squad was a blessing for Liverpool. Rahim Sterling was also running circles around defenders and it was good to see Sturridge get a goal. With Suarez gone, we need all the goals we can get from all areas of the field. My aspirations for Liverpool? Many already writing off their top 4 chance but I reckon we'll be in the mix for the title again, we may not have signed big name players but Rodgers instills the right mentality in the players to make them winners.

There are many other clubs with points to prove this season and it could be very open for a long time which makes for a very tantalizing prospect. We all can't wait for kick off on Saturday as the banter has already begun between the supporters and its good to have that back. May the best team win!