It might have been asking for too much for the Reds to break a second goalscoring Champions League record within a couple of years: the first, beating Besiktas 8-0, and the second would have been 22 consecutive scoring games. For a ‘boring, cautious, negative’ side, that would have made pundits’ heads explode. It also brings [...]
This is an excerpt from Above Us Only Sky (2007) for Premium members. The book was withdrawn from print after I felt I could no longer stand by some of the things said in certain chapters relating to the direction in which the club was heading. Buenos Aires, Argentina. A port of passion on the [...]
The following is a free-to-read series of excerpts from Chris Rowland’s forthcoming book, “From Where I Was Standing: A Liverpool Supporter’s View of the Heysel Stadium Tragedy”. Chris, now in his mid-50s, has attended all of Liverpool’s last ten European finals. The book covers the travels of a motley crew of Reds to Brussels, before [...]
“When has a zone ever scored a goal?”, cynics ask. “But when has a player ever scored when not in a zone?”, I’d reply. After all, it’s the ball you have to stop crossing the line, not the man. The following article is an in-depth look at zonal marking – a one-stop shop, if you [...]
This is not an article, but somewhere Members can help me keep tabs on some of the tripe we’ve come to expect from the media, and to vent spleen on those who defy logic and/or contradict themselves in order to disparage the Reds. I’m also more than happy to hear examples of media perspicacity, especially [...]
So when he shakes off his supposed lethargy, just how good will this Torres fella be? His record for Liverpool almost defies belief, especially as he doesn’t take the free shots at goal that are penalties, unlike many other major goalscorers. That, along with his all-round game and the nature of his goals, already elevates [...]
Five wins in a row, and yet it’s not like the Reds are firing on all cylinders. So that’s a good sign, in many ways, even if we’re not jumping for joy right now. I rarely enjoy games where the result means far more to the opposition, because often it shows in Liverpool’s performance. Given [...]
“If you can stop, stop. If you can’t, you know you’re a writer, and that’s just your bad luck. Join the club.” Nick Hornby, September 2009 The past few weeks had proved incredibly frustrating for me, as I made known on my old blog. I received a lot of emails of encouragement, and suggestions about [...]
As is the case following any birth, it’s early days. But the past week has shown a new Ryan Babel – intent, direct, and happy on the right. His body language, and body shape, looks ten times better already on this side of the pitch, with Benítez having shown he has underrated man-management skills in [...]
When a manager has less money to spend than his main rivals, and/or less time to build his dynasty and bring through the players his own youth system has helped develop, he needs a point of difference if he is to succeed. Copying the methods of a rival –– especially doing so with lower resources [...]
