Liverpool FC Forum

by **Sabre** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:15 pm

What do the people of newkit think about Tomkins as a journalist?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but many moons ago I do remember this guy being given quite a lot of stick, with words close to dellusional and things like that.

by **JoeTerp** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:24 pm

I am not sure I would call what he does "journalism." His stuff seems to read more like a well written blog than stuff you read in the newspaper. He certainly seems to write with an agenda, one that defends the manager. I find it refreshing sometimes, annoying other times depending on how happy/annoyed I am with Newkit

by **account deleted by request** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:43 pm

supersub wrote:A very good article which doesn't appear to have brought any response from the "Rafa out brigade"....

We are still stunned that Tomkins can go through the whole team and yet fail to mention that we have no credible replacement for Torres, and this fact alone has cost us points this season.

I have posted a lot of Monty Python quotes in the last few days but Tomkins makes their song "Always look on the bright side of life" seem quite negative and depressing compared to his articles.

Blind, deluded, biased and totally inaccurate rubbish, are just some of the words that spring to mind where Tomkins is concerned.

by **Sabre** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 3:50 pm

JoeTerp wrote:I am not sure I would call what he does "journalism." His stuff seems to read more like a well written blog than stuff you read in the newspaper. He certainly seems to write with an agenda, one that defends the manager. I find it refreshing sometimes, annoying other times depending on how happy/annoyed I am with Newkit

I'd agree it cannot be considered journalism exactly.

I even agree he has an agenda defending the manager and he focuses on the positive, but he does write his stuff with argumentation.

But then, having an agenda is something that the rest of journos also have in my view, and often with an anti Rafa agenda. The labels I'd put to that kind of anti Rafa and or Liverpool journalism would be biased, :censored:

stirrer, unsettling, unaccurate and more often than not, clueless about football.

The rest of the writers of the media are pretty opportunistic too, now they don't have shame to praise Benitez and give some stick to Ferguson when 2 months ago they gave stick to Rafa and licked the árse of the Scott. They're just opportunistic.

So, in a nutshell Joe Terp, as much as I accept the sins you see on Tomkins, I think the rest of the journos have as much sins as him.

by **account deleted by request** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:00 pm

I would be more inclined to believe that the person that can see no faults, and believes that leaving a squad without adequate cover in vital areas should pass without comment, is more clueless and is basically a know nothing idiot, that slavishly supports a manager without thought or reason as to their faults.

While a reasoned argument would surely mention the many mistakes Rafa has made that have not only cost us points but indeed vital momentum at key moments in the season.

Obviously idiots and know nothing so called football fans, who blindly support the view that nothing the manager does can be considered wrong or the sky will fall in cannot or indeed will not appreciate this view of course.

by **supersub** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:05 pm

s@int wrote:
supersub wrote:A very good article which doesn't appear to have brought any response from the "Rafa out brigade"....

We are still stunned that Tomkins can go through the whole team and yet fail to mention that we have no credible replacement for Torres, and this fact alone has cost us points this season.

I have posted a lot of Monty Python quotes in the last few days but Tomkins makes their song "Always look on the bright side of life" seem quite negative and depressing compared to his articles.

Blind, deluded, biased and totally inaccurate rubbish, are just some of the words that spring to mind where Tomkins is concerned.

Well perhaps for a more balanced assessment of Liverpool Fc and recent events may I point you in the direction of Brian Reade. It still won't make good reading for the miserable sh.its that like to show an affinity to Liverpool, without having to give any real support.
:;):

by **Bad Bob** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:12 pm

Tomkins clearly has a strong agenda in these columns. How many times has he made passing comments about 'reading Kuyt bashers' or 'hearing about how much money we've spent'? He says that kind of stuff loads and it suggests that his columns are intended to be a happy clappy counterpoint to some of the doom and gloom stuff he no doubt encounters on RAWK or whatever other LFC boards he haunts these days. That's fine because he makes his points well (and without abuse!) but he's undoubtedly selective in his presentation. Add to that the fact that his opinions get posted on the club's official website and I can see why some people might get a little vexed about his journalistic integrity. Although, to be fair, he has published several books on Liverpool so he's hardly just some bloke who posts on message boards (like the rest of us mugs!). Personally, I think .tv should hire Big Mick to write a counterpoint column. That way, both pros and antis would get their views represented on the official site and we'd see a very fascinating debate.

by **account deleted by request** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:12 pm

supersub wrote:
s@int wrote:
supersub wrote:A very good article which doesn't appear to have brought any response from the "Rafa out brigade"....

We are still stunned that Tomkins can go through the whole team and yet fail to mention that we have no credible replacement for Torres, and this fact alone has cost us points this season.

I have posted a lot of Monty Python quotes in the last few days but Tomkins makes their song "Always look on the bright side of life" seem quite negative and depressing compared to his articles.

Blind, deluded, biased and totally inaccurate rubbish, are just some of the words that spring to mind where Tomkins is concerned.

Well perhaps for a more balanced assessment of Liverpool Fc and recent events may I point you in the direction of Brian Reade. It still won't make good reading for the miserable sh.its that like to show an affinity to Liverpool, without having to give any real support.

Brian Reade is a good writer, who gives a more reasoned and balanced view than maybe some of the happy clappy idiots would prefer. Maybe the miserable sh!ts as you call them prefer to be realists rather than pie in the sky t0$$ers like some seem to want to be.

If closing your eyes to problems on and off the field is what you mean by showing "real support" maybe you are a "real supporter" and not what I think you are. :;):

by **heimdall** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:14 pm

s@int wrote:I would be more inclined to believe that the person that can see no faults, and believes that leaving a squad without adequate cover in vital areas should pass without comment, is more clueless and is basically a know nothing idiot, that slavishly supports a manager without thought or reason as to their faults.

While a reasoned argument would surely mention the many mistakes Rafa has made that have not only cost us points but indeed vital momentum at key moments in the season.

Obviously idiots and know nothing so called football fans, who blindly support the view that nothing the manager does can be considered wrong or the sky will fall in cannot or indeed will not appreciate this view of course.

What he said.

by **taff** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:46 pm

maybe just maybe some people kept faith in Rafa and thought he would deliver the goods over time with his crazy rants and mistakes. Football tends not to be a mathematical factor.

Maybe some people had their eyes open and still decided to back and support the team

For the record Tomkins has lost it IMO over the last few years but after the last three games Im surprised he hasnt exploded

by **account deleted by request** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:51 pm

Never Walk Alone? Liverpool chiefs are pulling in different directions By Brian Reade 31/01/2009

The people at the top of Liverpool Football Club never tire of telling the world how special their fans are.

They’re fond of quoting, even miming, those famous Rodgers and Hammerstein lyrics about never walking alone. But behind the sentimental smokescreen lie warring factions so obsessed with personal victory they long ago ceased to care about the misery they’re piling on those same fans.

From the team-sheets to the balance-sheets, from the manager’s head to the owners’ objectives, Kopites no longer have a clue what’s going on at Anfield.

At the very point in history when the club cries out for unity, the blows from above rain down harder.

It’s as though Manchester United being one title away from equalling their own record of 18 has made the management more intent on playing out their civil war.

As though Liverpool’s seven-week presence at the top of the table didn’t just give their fans a chance to rekindle past glories, it gave the men in charge a platform to cement their own futures.

The absentee American cowboys are only united in one goal: To suck as much money out of Anfield and forget they ever heard of the place.

The life president and the chief executive are lame ducks, wallowing in the shame of selling the club so badly and so cheaply. And an increasingly stubborn manager, who refuses to sign a new contract until he’s handed full control of all football matters, seems more intent on all-out attacks on Rick Parry than opposing teams.

There’s schisms and plotting, lying and leaks, inexplicable outbursts and bizarre decisions wholly unbefitting a great club which is now five months away from being repossessed by banks. And in between are a group of players, some awaiting new contracts, others acceptance, many simply bemused at what’s going on around them.

Forget the awful draws, the anti-Fergie rant and the Press leak which forced the Kuwaitis to walk away in anger, what most sums up this unseemly shambles is the treatment of Robbie Keane.

Last summer, Benitez fancied him, but not as much as he fancied Gareth Barry. Parry fancied Keane so badly he paid over the odds, leaving Benitez without sufficient cash for Barry, and fuming.

Almost from day one Keane has felt unwanted, a feeling confirmed by regular substitutions, exclusion from the team and eventually, in a home derby, from the bench. And this week he’s all but been encouraged to leave.

So instead of watching a proven striker winning games, the fans stare dumbfounded at a £20million pawn in a long-running power struggle. Nothing exposes the divisions at the heart of the club more.

I’ve been a staunch supporter of Benitez and I still believe he can make Liverpool great again. I even think he can win a trophy this season.

But right now he seems so hell-bent on winning his own personal battles he’s alienating everyone around him. Tomorrow Tom Hicks and George Gillett will sit a dozen seats apart in the directors’ box, in some fake show of love for a club they’re killing. Equally distant will be Benitez and Parry.

No doubt, if Liverpool win, all will try to claim credit, when it will probably be down to a flash of brilliance from the usual suspects and the passion of the fans they claim are so special.

Well here’s a message from one of them: This year sees the 50th anniversary of Bill Shankly’s arrival at Anfield and the creation of modern Liverpool.

Never in his worst nightmare would he have envisaged his precious club being run in such a destructive and undignified manner.

You love Liverpool? Put away your egos and prove it.

A good article by Brian Reade

by **Owzat** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:31 pm

S@int - you're over the hill, what's up there and can you see the reds coming?

No matter what we do, we still need teams to do us favours. Maybe we'll run it close, maybe we'll win it, but I know if we come close then we'll look back regretting silly dropped points. Half a dozen home games dropping two points, all of them winnable. No prizes for second place, no guarantees we'll get as good a chance next season, or the season after that, or..........................

by **heimdall** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 7:04 pm

Owzat wrote:S@int - you're over the hill, what's up there and can you see the reds coming?

No matter what we do, we still need teams to do us favours. Maybe we'll run it close, maybe we'll win it, but I know if we come close then we'll look back regretting silly dropped points. Half a dozen home games dropping two points, all of them winnable. No prizes for second place, no guarantees we'll get as good a chance next season, or the season after that, or..........................

The last three games have proven we can play some fantastic football. If Rafa is given some money in the summer then he will have no excuse not to mount an even more serious title challenge, if he doesn't I will be baying for his blood much louder than I have this season. But I'm still dreaming of winning this one. :buttrock

by **Scottbot** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:56 pm

Really good read this, from Timesonline Fanzone...

Liverpool: make no mistake we are the underdogs

Gerrard_360_507883a_2Last Saturday morning, I woke to the sound of my son banging on the bedroom door, hungry, and with his nappy overflowing. I was hung over and just wanted to shy away from the world, but there are some things you just have to do. Dragging myself out of bed to feed him and change him was one thing; having to go to Old Trafford later that day and face the music was another.

They were 7 points clear at the top of the league, with a game in hand, and closing in fast on our haul of 18 league titles. Even if we beat them it would be meaningless, and would just have to stand there and take it. Put on a brave face and stand proud in our club, no matter how much they rub it in. Well, I didn't expect what was to happen next....

It wasn't so much the 4-1 scoreline that surprised me, but the way the United fans slowly disappeared into the sunset without so much as a whimper. I thought they were supremely confident in drawing level on 18 titles no matter what the result that day? Where was that confidence and arrogance from the current League and European champions in the stands? There wasn't any. Could it have been the first signs of nerves creeping in?

As far as the vast majority of Liverpool fans are concerned, the league title had gone. We were still 4 points behind having played a game more, and there's no way United would lose another few games and let us back in; then they went to Fulham. But it wasn't the defeat that urged me to sit upright; but more the behaviours of Rooney, Ronaldo and co. The signs were there for all to see; the first signs of frustration, desperation and pressure were beginning to surface. They didn't look so unbeatable all of a sudden did they?

Inter Milan were the better side at Old Trafford and should have been 3 up by half time. We played them off the park a few days later, and now Fulham have beaten them. Are they a tired boxer that has taken a punch too many, or merely caught off guard briefly before fighting back? I guess we'll soon find out, but there's still a long, long way to go. United still have that point advantage, and still have that game in hand, but for me, the cracks are finally starting to appear

We're still the massive underdog in this title race, make no mistake about it; but it's a role we thrive on. Once we had our noses in front after Christmas we became uncomfortable. We looked scared to lose rather than looking to win games. Expectation demanded more and it just didn't suit. Write us off, backs to the walls and watch us fight. That's what we're all about.

Before last Saturday, it was a similar position to being 3-0 down in Istanbul; we were dead and buried. As it stands now, Gerrard has just scored his header and given us a squeak at 3-1. Can we beat Fulham next time out hope Villa take something from Old Trafford and get it back to 3-2? Momentum is a wonderful thing, and if we can get to within one dropped point of taking them, you just never know.

The "Rafa's Cracking Up" chants seemed to have dried up a little in recent weeks. I wonder why? If any manager looks like buckling under the pressure of a title race, then it's the man refusing to give interviews, stating "we were the better team" after being beaten 4-1 at home, and the man criticising Phil Dowd at the weekend. Notice how Ferguson has escaped punishment for his comments as well? That "Rafa's Rant" wasn't too inaccurate after all was it?

It's going to be an interesting few weeks ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts and enjoy the ride!

Paul Jones

by **Sabre** » Tue Mar 24, 2009 11:04 pm

The "Rafa's Cracking Up" chants seemed to have dried up a little in recent weeks. I wonder why? If any manager looks like buckling under the pressure of a title race, then it's the man refusing to give interviews, stating "we were the better team" after being beaten 4-1 at home, and the man criticising Phil Dowd at the weekend. Notice how Ferguson has escaped punishment for his comments as well? That "Rafa's Rant" wasn't too inaccurate after all was it?

Good read that.

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