Liverpool FC Forum

[Leonmc0708]

It's been a pretty hairy week for the lads this week. The game at the new Den was rough to put it mildly. Kevin Muscat was an absolute disgrace, trying to maim anyone in a red shirt. Now I can accept that there is going to be "hard men" in football. In fact, some of my favourite players have been labelled as such, Roy Keane, Stevie G, Steve McMahon to name but a few. But these players, as well as dishing it out where able to take it back. Muscat did exactly the opposite, and I think he comes as close to a cheat as you will get in the game.

Fast forward to Saturday evening, at Blackburn, and Tugay, a player I have often admired, did everything to prove he is past top flight football as I have ever seen a player do. Well off the pace, how he was not booked at least five times is beyond me. Now, I am not advocating players being booked or sent off, I am of the school that prefers to see eleven versus eleven as much as possible, but in a game where yellow cards where handed out at times for little, I felt Tugay should have got at least three.

Our visit to Ewood Park was a real eye opener for me. And as much as I felt Old Trafford was a welcome to the passion and pace of the English top flight for our new Spanish lads, then the journey to Darwen in Lancashire was a welcome to the physical and in your face qualities that sets the Premiership apart from all other leagues in the World.

The Spanish signings all fared differently. Josemi, whilst always sure to be a firm crowd favourite with his no nonsense tackling style of man and ball, (those where the days), still looked far from the pace of the Premeirship, and he will need to start learning quickly if his "snip at £2M" price tag is not to be viewed as a write off. For the third time this season, he has looked well out of sync with his other performances, and if I was asked to put my finger on it, I would say he is guilty of ball watching and being sucked into the ball, so needs to work on being more disciplined in his defending.

Luis Garcia looked lively as a sub, but he does need to sometimes try the simple lay off or pass. Too often he has tried the flick or nutmeg when a lay off and run would have been better. I like the look of the lad though, and if he keeps improving then he will be a superb player for the reds for many years to come.

Xabi Alonso showed yet again that he can be totally devastating given half a yard and a split second to spot and execute a pass. What impressed me about Xabi yesterday as well though was the sight of him throwing the tackles in when needed, and being able to turn and make himself time and a yard to execute the aforementioned defence splitters. Aside, another thing I love about the lad is his relentless shooting. Watch him next time, and he shoots from every angle, and one day the lad will score a real goal of the season contender from way out catching an opposition goalkeeper totally off guard.

I truly pee my pants at the prospect of him and Stevie in full flow in the middle of the park. Surely they will form one of if not the best central midfield pairing in Europe?

Following two seasons of singing the OOOH AH song for our Norwegian red head, it was great this last week or so to have been able to sing the song for the right reasons, following two good goals in two league games. By adding once again goals to his armoury, John is once again justifying his place in the side, and two like the ones in his first season ( Everton and Man U) will cement his place once again in the hearts of all Liverpool fans. If John can keep up the scoring, any failings in his game will surely be forgiven.

The reason for the venting of much fury on this forum, Gerard Houllier surely deserves the credit for the 'steal' of Milan Baros from Banik Ostrava.  At £3m, the player who went on to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2004 in emphatic style, (thanks Milan, £10 at 50-1 means I am still living off that particular feat) is now the leading goalscorer for the reds, notching 7 this season already. even the biggest Baros knockers, (Stu the red anyone?) must admit he looks like a real bargain.

As many have called for, Milan is finally getting an extended run in the side, and will surely now continue as the main or only attacker following the unfortunate injury to Djibril. Where in the past Milan could be seen to run head down in the past, and when thru one on one, or with a defender hustling him, you can almost put your house on Milan hitting the target now. Long may it continue.

The loss of Cisse, at a time when I felt he was really starting to find his feet, is in my opinion a huge one. Pongolle has the chance he has craved, (often foolishly discussing the fact with back stabbing journalists desperate to put the knife in). How ironic then that he too is currently on the treatment table, similar to Cisse, his pace and good close control always cause big clumbersome defenders problems. The question will always remain with Siname as to whether or not he is able to hit the target. His directness, similar to that of the unfortunate Djibril, can help Milan and the team, lets just hope he gets back soon.

Playing the likes of Garcia or Kewell just off or in a supporting role is an option, however I do think that you need to have two recognised strikers in the Premeirship, so I would advocate the promotion of young Neil Mellor. I know he will work tirelessly, and he did not let anyone down when given his first chance of first team football by the previous regime just over a year ago.

Back to the game, after taking the lead, and dominating large periods of the game, I would have felt hard done by had we not taken something from the game, but under the circumstances, with our record signing on the way to hospital with what was later proved to be a horrific injury, and trailing a draw was maybe the best we could have hoped for. To be fair to Blackburn, Barry Furgeson showed why we have been linked with him a number of times, with a solid display in a poor midfield quartet, almost single handidly running the Blackburn cause. Lest we forget that it was only with the help of the referee, (handballs are never more obvious than this) that the scum managed to steal a point from Ewood.

On subject, we are now above the Old Trafford boys, albeit on goal difference, with a game in hand. For me our target realistically this season should be to finish above United, so we are on track.

Djimi Traore, continues his good form, and although I would be the first to admit that the vote of confidence from Rafa by not letting him go across Stanley Park in the summer has done wonders for Djimbo, he was lucky to stay on the field following a dangerous lunge for the ball, a fault he can often be accused of. He does however remain the only genuine pace at our disposal at the back, and he is a great last ditch tackler, but I think he is the best of a bad bunch as opposed to the the best we have. He's cutting out the glaring mistakes that often let him down and also looks useful going forward, but I will still reserve judgement on him until we have seen at least six months of error free games. to be fair to the lad, most really good top flight defenders are at least 27/28, so maybe we will see the potential everyone has seen come to fruition.

The lack of genuine pace at the back, Traore aside, makes defending too far up the field a costly looking ploy. Sami Hyypia seems shot to peices confidence wise, and it is great credit to the lad (Carra) that I personally think it is Carra whom we should be looking to pair with a pacy partner and not Hyypia.

Steve Finnan still does an adequate job, but that is all it ever will be, and I admire his resolve but he is not good enough. I hope and pray that Nunez, the man who it would appear was simply a makewieght in the Owen deal, is all that Rafa thinks he is. The fact he was part of the deal that took our beloved Michael to the "Galacticos" however should not worry you. Can you name the second top scorer in the league right now? Well dont worry its not a quiz so I will do it for you, Andy Johnson. The same Andy Johnson who was the "makeweight" in the deal that saw Clinton Morrison move to Birmingham. Now I know who I would rather have in my team, so its not always the case that players that form part of a "bigger deal" are too bad.

Although I was jumping up and down like mad  with the lads when we leveled the scores, it was tinged with sadness as our kid had texted me with the news that he had seen the replays on TV at home, and confirmed that Djibril had indeed, as we had feared done some serious damage.

After watching the challenge on Football First on Sky, and MOTD, it made the injury worse for me due to the fact it turned out to be a pretty innocuous challenge, I personally would not have given a foul had I been referring the same game. I send my most sinceire heartfelt best wishes to Cisse. I hope he looks at videos and the like of Henrik Larrson, both pre and following his very similar injury, and draws strength from the fact that the Swede proved it is possible to not only get back following that kind of injury, but in fact improve your game.

If there is any consolation, it may be that Cisse can rest and recuperate safe in the knowledge that he has won a place in the hearts of all Liverpool fans, who always admire the bravery and courage of players who come back following serious injury. He will get plenty of time to watch our games on TV and learn more about both the league and our great club. Watching some videos of our previous number nines will help the lad as well.

Apparantly Djibril has a comminuted fracture, which I am told is not as easy to repair as other types, so I pray first and foremost that he can come back. If he does his leg will be stronger, as the break is always stronger as the bone grows thicker around the area. And also hopefully he will be stronger as a person, needing to sum up all his bravery to get thru a difficult period of his carear. Once again, my thoughts are with you Djibril, and I hope you come thru this lad. At least when you do come back, you will be doing so into a team that Rafa has had a real chance to put his stamp on, and int oa team wit halmost all of the peices of the jigsaw in place. One genuinley fighting for honours at the top of the English league, and in Europe.

Djibril, you will never walk alone as long as you are a red. We are with you, every step of the way.

[jonnymac1979]

Excellent Leon.

[Ciggy]

way to go leon baby well said

[A.B.]

During the summer Benitez said that he likes his midfielders to score. So far our midfielders have been chipping in goals and if they can continue to do so along with Baros we will be fine. Come January another striker is a must because injuries such as these are obiviously crucial.

I am not as concerned about us scoring the goals as I am about Hyypia and Josemi. Hyypia has let us down alot lately with sloppy passes and stupid mistakes. Yesterday it costs us. Josemi looked like a solid defender but recently he has been poor. I hope that Benitez can change that. We need to replace Hyypia in January. He's not the player he once was.

As far as Finnan is concerned he shouldn't be playing in midfield, he should take Josemi's spot until Josemi gets himself together as Josemi hasn't kept his head cool on the pitch.

Baros looks promising, he is improving in every game. Some of us don't like his comments about Barca but I don't think he will leave because we have a new manager. If Baros can continue to work like he has and score we will be fine.

It was quite gutting to see Cisse in pain yesterday, quite horrific. I feel sorry for Djibril and I truly hope that he can become an even stronger and better player after he recovers from this crucial injury.

[The Canadian Red Army]

I am not as concerned about us scoring the goals as I am about Hyypia and Josemi. Hyypia has let us down alot lately with sloppy passes and stupid mistakes. We need to replace Hyypia in January. He's not the player he once was.

As far as Finnan is concerned he shouldn't be playing in midfield, he should take Josemi's spot until Josemi gets himself together as Josemi hasn't kept his head cool on the pitch.

what are you talking about
finnan should take hayypia's spot
leave josemi in there to get better

[A.B.]

finnan should take hayypia's spot

Finnan is not a central defender.

[mistyred]

well said Leon nice one lad.

Walk On 

[murphy0151]

It's been a pretty hairy week for the lads this week. The game at the new Den was rough to put it mildly. Kevin Muscat was an absolute disgrace, trying to maim anyone in a red shirt. Now I can accept that there is going to be "hard men" in football. In fact, some of my favourite players have been labelled as such, Roy Keane, Stevie G, Steve McMahon to name but a few. But these players, as well as dishing it out where able to take it back. Muscat did exactly the opposite, and I think he comes as close to a cheat as you will get in the game.

Fast forward to Saturday evening, at Blackburn, and Tugay, a player I have often admired, did everything to prove he is past top flight football as I have ever seen a player do. Well off the pace, how he was not booked at least five times is beyond me. Now, I am not advocating players being booked or sent off, I am of the school that prefers to see eleven versus eleven as much as possible, but in a game where yellow cards where handed out at times for little, I felt Tugay should have got at least three.

Our visit to Ewood Park was a real eye opener for me. And as much as I felt Old Trafford was a welcome to the passion and pace of the English top flight for our new Spanish lads, then the journey to Darwen in Lancashire was a welcome to the physical and in your face qualities that sets the Premiership apart from all other leagues in the World.

The Spanish signings all fared differently. Josemi, whilst always sure to be a firm crowd favourite with his no nonsense tackling style of man and ball, (those where the days), still looked far from the pace of the Premeirship, and he will need to start learning quickly if his "snip at £2M" price tag is not to be viewed as a write off. For the third time this season, he has looked well out of sync with his other performances, and if I was asked to put my finger on it, I would say he is guilty of ball watching and being sucked into the ball, so needs to work on being more disciplined in his defending.

Luis Garcia looked lively as a sub, but he does need to sometimes try the simple lay off or pass. Too often he has tried the flick or nutmeg when a lay off and run would have been better. I like the look of the lad though, and if he keeps improving then he will be a superb player for the reds for many years to come.

Xabi Alonso showed yet again that he can be totally devastating given half a yard and a split second to spot and execute a pass. What impressed me about Xabi yesterday as well though was the sight of him throwing the tackles in when needed, and being able to turn and make himself time and a yard to execute the aforementioned defence splitters. Aside, another thing I love about the lad is his relentless shooting. Watch him next time, and he shoots from every angle, and one day the lad will score a real goal of the season contender from way out catching an opposition goalkeeper totally off guard.

I truly pee my pants at the prospect of him and Stevie in full flow in the middle of the park. Surely they will form one of if not the best central midfield pairing in Europe?

Following two seasons of singing the OOOH AH song for our Norwegian red head, it was great this last week or so to have been able to sing the song for the right reasons, following two good goals in two league games. By adding once again goals to his armoury, John is once again justifying his place in the side, and two like the ones in his first season ( Everton and Man U) will cement his place once again in the hearts of all Liverpool fans. If John can keep up the scoring, any failings in his game will surely be forgiven.

The reason for the venting of much fury on this forum, Gerard Houllier surely deserves the credit for the 'steal' of Milan Baros from Banik Ostrava.  At £3m, the player who went on to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2004 in emphatic style, (thanks Milan, £10 at 50-1 means I am still living off that particular feat) is now the leading goalscorer for the reds, notching 7 this season already. even the biggest Baros knockers, (Stu the red anyone?) must admit he looks like a real bargain.

As many have called for, Milan is finally getting an extended run in the side, and will surely now continue as the main or only attacker following the unfortunate injury to Djibril. Where in the past Milan could be seen to run head down in the past, and when thru one on one, or with a defender hustling him, you can almost put your house on Milan hitting the target now. Long may it continue.

The loss of Cisse, at a time when I felt he was really starting to find his feet, is in my opinion a huge one. Pongolle has the chance he has craved, (often foolishly discussing the fact with back stabbing journalists desperate to put the knife in). How ironic then that he too is currently on the treatment table, similar to Cisse, his pace and good close control always cause big clumbersome defenders problems. The question will always remain with Siname as to whether or not he is able to hit the target. His directness, similar to that of the unfortunate Djibril, can help Milan and the team, lets just hope he gets back soon.

Playing the likes of Garcia or Kewell just off or in a supporting role is an option, however I do think that you need to have two recognised strikers in the Premeirship, so I would advocate the promotion of young Neil Mellor. I know he will work tirelessly, and he did not let anyone down when given his first chance of first team football by the previous regime just over a year ago.

Back to the game, after taking the lead, and dominating large periods of the game, I would have felt hard done by had we not taken something from the game, but under the circumstances, with our record signing on the way to hospital with what was later proved to be a horrific injury, and trailing a draw was maybe the best we could have hoped for. To be fair to Blackburn, Barry Furgeson showed why we have been linked with him a number of times, with a solid display in a poor midfield quartet, almost single handidly running the Blackburn cause. Lest we forget that it was only with the help of the referee, (handballs are never more obvious than this) that the scum managed to steal a point from Ewood.

On subject, we are now above the Old Trafford boys, albeit on goal difference, with a game in hand. For me our target realistically this season should be to finish above United, so we are on track.

Djimi Traore, continues his good form, and although I would be the first to admit that the vote of confidence from Rafa by not letting him go across Stanley Park in the summer has done wonders for Djimbo, he was lucky to stay on the field following a dangerous lunge for the ball, a fault he can often be accused of. He does however remain the only genuine pace at our disposal at the back, and he is a great last ditch tackler, but I think he is the best of a bad bunch as opposed to the the best we have. He's cutting out the glaring mistakes that often let him down and also looks useful going forward, but I will still reserve judgement on him until we have seen at least six months of error free games. to be fair to the lad, most really good top flight defenders are at least 27/28, so maybe we will see the potential everyone has seen come to fruition.

The lack of genuine pace at the back, Traore aside, makes defending too far up the field a costly looking ploy. Sami Hyypia seems shot to peices confidence wise, and it is great credit to the lad (Carra) that I personally think it is Carra whom we should be looking to pair with a pacy partner and not Hyypia.

Steve Finnan still does an adequate job, but that is all it ever will be, and I admire his resolve but he is not good enough. I hope and pray that Nunez, the man who it would appear was simply a makewieght in the Owen deal, is all that Rafa thinks he is. The fact he was part of the deal that took our beloved Michael to the "Galacticos" however should not worry you. Can you name the second top scorer in the league right now? Well dont worry its not a quiz so I will do it for you, Andy Johnson. The same Andy Johnson who was the "makeweight" in the deal that saw Clinton Morrison move to Birmingham. Now I know who I would rather have in my team, so its not always the case that players that form part of a "bigger deal" are too bad.

Although I was jumping up and down like mad  with the lads when we leveled the scores, it was tinged with sadness as our kid had texted me with the news that he had seen the replays on TV at home, and confirmed that Djibril had indeed, as we had feared done some serious damage.

After watching the challenge on Football First on Sky, and MOTD, it made the injury worse for me due to the fact it turned out to be a pretty innocuous challenge, I personally would not have given a foul had I been referring the same game. I send my most sinceire heartfelt best wishes to Cisse. I hope he looks at videos and the like of Henrik Larrson, both pre and following his very similar injury, and draws strength from the fact that the Swede proved it is possible to not only get back following that kind of injury, but in fact improve your game.

If there is any consolation, it may be that Cisse can rest and recuperate safe in the knowledge that he has won a place in the hearts of all Liverpool fans, who always admire the bravery and courage of players who come back following serious injury. He will get plenty of time to watch our games on TV and learn more about both the league and our great club. Watching some videos of our previous number nines will help the lad as well.

Apparantly Djibril has a comminuted fracture, which I am told is not as easy to repair as other types, so I pray first and foremost that he can come back. If he does his leg will be stronger, as the break is always stronger as the bone grows thicker around the area. And also hopefully he will be stronger as a person, needing to sum up all his bravery to get thru a difficult period of his carear. Once again, my thoughts are with you Djibril, and I hope you come thru this lad. At least when you do come back, you will be doing so into a team that Rafa has had a real chance to put his stamp on, and int oa team wit halmost all of the peices of the jigsaw in place. One genuinley fighting for honours at the top of the English league, and in Europe.

Djibril, you will never walk alone as long as you are a red. We are with you, every step of the way.

fuknell Leon,  I no you have been reading them books of Evo but you never said you was writing your own fella. 

[Leonmc0708]

fuknell Leon,  I no you have been reading them books of Evo but you never said you was writing your own fella. 

I think I have been inspired lad 

[spud]

Great post Leon, some good points.

I'm guilty of calling Baros a "headless chicken" and I'm enjoying seeing him proving me wrong.  His ball control at close quarters has surprised me.  I just hope that he's as effective with (probably) Garcia playing just behind him.

Agree on Josemi, I didn't realise that his lack of pace was such an issue.  He's fairly slow and if you can turn him, he's left for dead.  Maybe that's why he dives in early and can look clumsy?  I still think he can improve and time is on his side.

Hypia and Hamman struggled for me against Blackburn.  Hamman was overrun, and Hypia needs his protection.  We need to make changes here.

Traore, Finnan, Alonso, Carra, Kirkland, JAR all looked good with some improving immensley under Rafa.

We're hoping for some new signings in January which brings me onto funds.  We have no real proceeds from players sales making progress in the CL even more important (£).  I don't know what the score is on investments, but the Board must give Rafa some wedge.  Maybe 3 players would be a good number.

I'd like to see a central defender, a wide midfielder and a striker come in.  Who knows?

Big match ahead on Wednesday, Baros will be tired come the weekend.  Respect to his work-rate, he was everywhere on Saturday.

Good luck to Cisse, nasty break.

YNWA Spud.

[stmichael]

It's been a pretty hairy week for the lads this week. The game at the new Den was rough to put it mildly. Kevin Muscat was an absolute disgrace, trying to maim anyone in a red shirt. Now I can accept that there is going to be "hard men" in football. In fact, some of my favourite players have been labelled as such, Roy Keane, Stevie G, Steve McMahon to name but a few. But these players, as well as dishing it out where able to take it back. Muscat did exactly the opposite, and I think he comes as close to a cheat as you will get in the game.

Fast forward to Saturday evening, at Blackburn, and Tugay, a player I have often admired, did everything to prove he is past top flight football as I have ever seen a player do. Well off the pace, how he was not booked at least five times is beyond me. Now, I am not advocating players being booked or sent off, I am of the school that prefers to see eleven versus eleven as much as possible, but in a game where yellow cards where handed out at times for little, I felt Tugay should have got at least three.

Our visit to Ewood Park was a real eye opener for me. And as much as I felt Old Trafford was a welcome to the passion and pace of the English top flight for our new Spanish lads, then the journey to Darwen in Lancashire was a welcome to the physical and in your face qualities that sets the Premiership apart from all other leagues in the World.

The Spanish signings all fared differently. Josemi, whilst always sure to be a firm crowd favourite with his no nonsense tackling style of man and ball, (those where the days), still looked far from the pace of the Premeirship, and he will need to start learning quickly if his "snip at £2M" price tag is not to be viewed as a write off. For the third time this season, he has looked well out of sync with his other performances, and if I was asked to put my finger on it, I would say he is guilty of ball watching and being sucked into the ball, so needs to work on being more disciplined in his defending.

Luis Garcia looked lively as a sub, but he does need to sometimes try the simple lay off or pass. Too often he has tried the flick or nutmeg when a lay off and run would have been better. I like the look of the lad though, and if he keeps improving then he will be a superb player for the reds for many years to come.

Xabi Alonso showed yet again that he can be totally devastating given half a yard and a split second to spot and execute a pass. What impressed me about Xabi yesterday as well though was the sight of him throwing the tackles in when needed, and being able to turn and make himself time and a yard to execute the aforementioned defence splitters. Aside, another thing I love about the lad is his relentless shooting. Watch him next time, and he shoots from every angle, and one day the lad will score a real goal of the season contender from way out catching an opposition goalkeeper totally off guard.

I truly pee my pants at the prospect of him and Stevie in full flow in the middle of the park. Surely they will form one of if not the best central midfield pairing in Europe?

Following two seasons of singing the OOOH AH song for our Norwegian red head, it was great this last week or so to have been able to sing the song for the right reasons, following two good goals in two league games. By adding once again goals to his armoury, John is once again justifying his place in the side, and two like the ones in his first season ( Everton and Man U) will cement his place once again in the hearts of all Liverpool fans. If John can keep up the scoring, any failings in his game will surely be forgiven.

The reason for the venting of much fury on this forum, Gerard Houllier surely deserves the credit for the 'steal' of Milan Baros from Banik Ostrava.  At £3m, the player who went on to win the Golden Boot at Euro 2004 in emphatic style, (thanks Milan, £10 at 50-1 means I am still living off that particular feat) is now the leading goalscorer for the reds, notching 7 this season already. even the biggest Baros knockers, (Stu the red anyone?) must admit he looks like a real bargain.

As many have called for, Milan is finally getting an extended run in the side, and will surely now continue as the main or only attacker following the unfortunate injury to Djibril. Where in the past Milan could be seen to run head down in the past, and when thru one on one, or with a defender hustling him, you can almost put your house on Milan hitting the target now. Long may it continue.

The loss of Cisse, at a time when I felt he was really starting to find his feet, is in my opinion a huge one. Pongolle has the chance he has craved, (often foolishly discussing the fact with back stabbing journalists desperate to put the knife in). How ironic then that he too is currently on the treatment table, similar to Cisse, his pace and good close control always cause big clumbersome defenders problems. The question will always remain with Siname as to whether or not he is able to hit the target. His directness, similar to that of the unfortunate Djibril, can help Milan and the team, lets just hope he gets back soon.

Playing the likes of Garcia or Kewell just off or in a supporting role is an option, however I do think that you need to have two recognised strikers in the Premeirship, so I would advocate the promotion of young Neil Mellor. I know he will work tirelessly, and he did not let anyone down when given his first chance of first team football by the previous regime just over a year ago.

Back to the game, after taking the lead, and dominating large periods of the game, I would have felt hard done by had we not taken something from the game, but under the circumstances, with our record signing on the way to hospital with what was later proved to be a horrific injury, and trailing a draw was maybe the best we could have hoped for. To be fair to Blackburn, Barry Furgeson showed why we have been linked with him a number of times, with a solid display in a poor midfield quartet, almost single handidly running the Blackburn cause. Lest we forget that it was only with the help of the referee, (handballs are never more obvious than this) that the scum managed to steal a point from Ewood.

On subject, we are now above the Old Trafford boys, albeit on goal difference, with a game in hand. For me our target realistically this season should be to finish above United, so we are on track.

Djimi Traore, continues his good form, and although I would be the first to admit that the vote of confidence from Rafa by not letting him go across Stanley Park in the summer has done wonders for Djimbo, he was lucky to stay on the field following a dangerous lunge for the ball, a fault he can often be accused of. He does however remain the only genuine pace at our disposal at the back, and he is a great last ditch tackler, but I think he is the best of a bad bunch as opposed to the the best we have. He's cutting out the glaring mistakes that often let him down and also looks useful going forward, but I will still reserve judgement on him until we have seen at least six months of error free games. to be fair to the lad, most really good top flight defenders are at least 27/28, so maybe we will see the potential everyone has seen come to fruition.

The lack of genuine pace at the back, Traore aside, makes defending too far up the field a costly looking ploy. Sami Hyypia seems shot to peices confidence wise, and it is great credit to the lad (Carra) that I personally think it is Carra whom we should be looking to pair with a pacy partner and not Hyypia.

Steve Finnan still does an adequate job, but that is all it ever will be, and I admire his resolve but he is not good enough. I hope and pray that Nunez, the man who it would appear was simply a makewieght in the Owen deal, is all that Rafa thinks he is. The fact he was part of the deal that took our beloved Michael to the "Galacticos" however should not worry you. Can you name the second top scorer in the league right now? Well dont worry its not a quiz so I will do it for you, Andy Johnson. The same Andy Johnson who was the "makeweight" in the deal that saw Clinton Morrison move to Birmingham. Now I know who I would rather have in my team, so its not always the case that players that form part of a "bigger deal" are too bad.

Although I was jumping up and down like mad  with the lads when we leveled the scores, it was tinged with sadness as our kid had texted me with the news that he had seen the replays on TV at home, and confirmed that Djibril had indeed, as we had feared done some serious damage.

After watching the challenge on Football First on Sky, and MOTD, it made the injury worse for me due to the fact it turned out to be a pretty innocuous challenge, I personally would not have given a foul had I been referring the same game. I send my most sinceire heartfelt best wishes to Cisse. I hope he looks at videos and the like of Henrik Larrson, both pre and following his very similar injury, and draws strength from the fact that the Swede proved it is possible to not only get back following that kind of injury, but in fact improve your game.

If there is any consolation, it may be that Cisse can rest and recuperate safe in the knowledge that he has won a place in the hearts of all Liverpool fans, who always admire the bravery and courage of players who come back following serious injury. He will get plenty of time to watch our games on TV and learn more about both the league and our great club. Watching some videos of our previous number nines will help the lad as well.

Apparantly Djibril has a comminuted fracture, which I am told is not as easy to repair as other types, so I pray first and foremost that he can come back. If he does his leg will be stronger, as the break is always stronger as the bone grows thicker around the area. And also hopefully he will be stronger as a person, needing to sum up all his bravery to get thru a difficult period of his carear. Once again, my thoughts are with you Djibril, and I hope you come thru this lad. At least when you do come back, you will be doing so into a team that Rafa has had a real chance to put his stamp on, and int oa team wit halmost all of the peices of the jigsaw in place. One genuinley fighting for honours at the top of the English league, and in Europe.

Djibril, you will never walk alone as long as you are a red. We are with you, every step of the way.

great stuff lad.

[banana]

Well said.

[JohnBull]

Good post Leon but don't credit GH with the Baros signing. The scouts forced it through and Baros would have been down the road years ago but for his own efforts in getting himself superfit.

He still has the headless chicken problem and doesn't look up nearly enough. Once the rest of the side comes together he will be the perfect selfish striker but at the moment he keeps losing the ball in dangerous situations when a simple pass would be perfect.

The Spanish connection is working out even better than I hoped for and Raffa really id THE Boss.

The Millwall incident was not helped by 60 Evertonians joining in to the Southdene and Huyton crews.
They went to settle old scores from years ago when the bad stabbing happened at Goodison. When it all came on top the Cockneys didn't want to know anyway.

[The Canadian Red Army]

finnan should take hayypia's spot

Finnan is not a central defender.

we could always experiment with him
he might work well there

[L-type]

lets try not to experiment when we have 10+ million pounds riding on it.