Not much - how 'bout you?
You oldsters remember that song?! Going to say that's David Gates, Dan Fogelberg or some such but I honestly don't recall and can't bother to Google. Post the answer and show me up if you like - I'm not (too) precious.... :-)
Just checking in - between trying to move email accounts and sheer laziness, I've obviously not been keeping up on here. But as the flesh has been weak in terms of posting, the mind has been willingly active, plotting and ready to give some sh*t. It has been the worst of seasons - for reasons both on the pitch but mainly off. And I hope to give vent to many of my "insights" within the next few weeks. What you've not seen all season long will instead be one great burst of glorious "Red Rant-asia". Ohh...yes.
So just giving a heads-up - at least, what I plan/hope is one, vis a vis getting back on here and saying what is what. But tomorrow is Manc day, so that's the focus right now.
As is sitting here drinking way too much red wine and watching Jack and Meg White in the recently-dropped "Under Great White Northern Lights" DVD as I type this. Yeah, a team of Jamie Carraghers is more than alright...but I'll tell you: a team of Jack Whites and world domination is a done deal, you better fucking believe it.
Roll on tomorrow and god bless the good, faithfull and true Reds everywhere (and you know who you are). Bring on - and smite!!! - the auld enemy.
See you soon.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
You shake my nerves...
And yes, you rattle my old brain...
I don't recall the last time I was so nervous. Probably just last season if I'm honest but I don't remember the level of tension seeming so high. It no doubt stems from the fact that it's out of our hands today, and to their credit, some are using that as a means to be sanguine about what happens. Not me.
I had a day out at Coney Island during the summer where I threw myself out there amongst the waves as I usually do. But pretty quickly it hit me that this time was different and whether I made it back into shore was not going to be completely up to me. Now obviously I did (as I wouldn't be writing this otherwise), but I'll confess that it did pull me right up. And now as a result, when something's out of my hands, it makes the control freak in me even more anxious.
It's not that I'm particularly upset over the possibility of the Europa League. Why not play to win it if we're in it? But it will wreak more than a little havoc on our weekend league and FA cup fixtures...and, let's be honest here, Monday hangovers are not fun. But as has been noted, Dortmund was one of the best nights (or afternoon, here in NY) in recent history. Who wouldn't want to relive that?
But it's more that you know it just kills our Rafa. Even if we run out with the best laid and executed plan tonight, he can't plan or control what happens in Florence.
In any event, let's hang on for the ride. It's gonna be one hell of 'un.
COME ON YOU REDS.
I don't recall the last time I was so nervous. Probably just last season if I'm honest but I don't remember the level of tension seeming so high. It no doubt stems from the fact that it's out of our hands today, and to their credit, some are using that as a means to be sanguine about what happens. Not me.
I had a day out at Coney Island during the summer where I threw myself out there amongst the waves as I usually do. But pretty quickly it hit me that this time was different and whether I made it back into shore was not going to be completely up to me. Now obviously I did (as I wouldn't be writing this otherwise), but I'll confess that it did pull me right up. And now as a result, when something's out of my hands, it makes the control freak in me even more anxious.
It's not that I'm particularly upset over the possibility of the Europa League. Why not play to win it if we're in it? But it will wreak more than a little havoc on our weekend league and FA cup fixtures...and, let's be honest here, Monday hangovers are not fun. But as has been noted, Dortmund was one of the best nights (or afternoon, here in NY) in recent history. Who wouldn't want to relive that?
But it's more that you know it just kills our Rafa. Even if we run out with the best laid and executed plan tonight, he can't plan or control what happens in Florence.
In any event, let's hang on for the ride. It's gonna be one hell of 'un.
COME ON YOU REDS.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Liar, liar.....
Pants on fire...
Ok, now that I've gotten the post-Manc jubilation post out of the way, back to business. :-)
Didn't I say I'd post more regularly? Smack my head. I worry that I let you down but then remember you good folks (those that do actually read this stuff) already know where to look for regular updates, match reports and the like. If you had to wait for me for those things, well...we'll have a new stadium before then!
But I'm well-intentioned at least - we all know the difference between a white lie (where the truth is in there but is maybe covered with a little padding to avoid hurt feelings), and the outright baldy-faced, sh*t-stirring lies.
It's really been a miserable couple of weeks. Before Sunday, four losses on the bounce, an(other) international break that's done the usual job of returning our players to us in physical/mental pieces, George Gillett talking sh*te and fans even talking more so about what's Rafa really accomplished, are we really any better than when he took over, etc. etc.
I'm not quite sure why people were surprised there'd be some growing pains as players got used to slightly different roles. I'm not quite sure why people don't think players flying halfway across the world with no/little time to train with their teammates is *not* going to have impact on form and fitness (assuming they're even able to play at all). We've had a central defender who came through a serious injury last season and just recently recovered from a hamstring injury this preseason get clocked by a teammate in the opening game against Spurs. A distracted national team captain whose squad - once (and still likely) favorites to win next year's World Cup - were on the brink of missing out on the tournament altogether.
When things go wrong, it becomes far too easy for people to start hyperventilating and wanting to rip apart everything that gotten us where we are, especially if they were skeptical of players or methods to begin with. Was last May really that long ago? You know, when we finished 2nd, having conceded fewer goals than anyone and scoring more than anyone? Did it really all turn to sh*t just because Xabi Alonso left? Come on. But no, the poor start was all down to Xabi's absence, to zonal marking being useless, to becoming a team that's got no creativity and no goal scorers besides Nando and Steve, and blah blah blah, blah blah and blah.
Out came the fans who openly dismissed Benitez's achievements and crucified him over transfers, tactics, global warming. And out came those same fans with proclamations that now consecrated St. Gerard Houllier. If nothing else, it was a stark reminder of just how short attention spans are these days. (And trust me, this is not meant as a GH-bashing rant either. He took us forward from the Evans era, just as Rafa has done from those last bad years of Houllier's, and yes people - they were bad).
If the argument was that Benitez has taken us as far as he can, that'd be one thing. But that isn't the argument (and I'd disagree, if it needs to be said). It's that we're no better off, which is a porky of Pink Floyd dirigible-sized proportions.
The pundits tell lies on a regular basis. Some - in total, wilful ignorance of the Laws of the Game, came out with complete crap during the Sunderland game. "It's Reina's responsibility - no one to blame but himself for not clearing his area", some said. Making it sound like the rules that govern when the ball (the actual football, I mean) plays off the referee should also extend to a f*cking beachball thrown onto the pitch.
Mr. Ferguson was at it, too - how much Benitez has spent since his time at Liverpool: "ooh more than us, so I dinnae what Benitez is complaining aboot." Well, thanks very much for weighing in, you redfaced sot, but no one asked you, did they?
Can we get this straight, please? Having to rebuild the squad, the infrastructure of the club, will obviously cost a lot of cash. But Mr. Ferguson has routinely dropped upwards of £18-19mm on each purchase over the last few years, some costing double that. People seem to have forgotten that purchases on that scale are still a huge struggle for us and that we've still only spent that much on only 5 players in our history?
You expect lies from some of these quarters as there are still loads of people with axes to grind against Liverpool the team, Liverpool the city and Liverpool its people. But we've also had to put up with lies from within - from our so-called "custodians". These two hits on the 2009 "Lies about our Club" hitlist cannot be ignored as they come from those who are charged with our future:
But in the midst of all the lies are those who diligently try to get the truth out, despite usually being slapped down over and over again for their trouble.
Lies are so easy to start and spread simply because they require NO substance behind them to get them going; just open your mouth or sit at a keyboard and go. Getting the truth out and fighting to make it heard above the din takes a hell of a lot more work. You have to research, you have to double-check and you have to be diligent as you'll constantly be questioned if not shouted down. You have to lay yourself on the line as you'll be the target of indifference at minimum, abuse and ridicule at the opposite end. But you keep fighting the good fight as you hope - you *know* - truth will win out.
All I want is some.
Ok, now that I've gotten the post-Manc jubilation post out of the way, back to business. :-)
Didn't I say I'd post more regularly? Smack my head. I worry that I let you down but then remember you good folks (those that do actually read this stuff) already know where to look for regular updates, match reports and the like. If you had to wait for me for those things, well...we'll have a new stadium before then!
But I'm well-intentioned at least - we all know the difference between a white lie (where the truth is in there but is maybe covered with a little padding to avoid hurt feelings), and the outright baldy-faced, sh*t-stirring lies.
It's really been a miserable couple of weeks. Before Sunday, four losses on the bounce, an(other) international break that's done the usual job of returning our players to us in physical/mental pieces, George Gillett talking sh*te and fans even talking more so about what's Rafa really accomplished, are we really any better than when he took over, etc. etc.
I'm not quite sure why people were surprised there'd be some growing pains as players got used to slightly different roles. I'm not quite sure why people don't think players flying halfway across the world with no/little time to train with their teammates is *not* going to have impact on form and fitness (assuming they're even able to play at all). We've had a central defender who came through a serious injury last season and just recently recovered from a hamstring injury this preseason get clocked by a teammate in the opening game against Spurs. A distracted national team captain whose squad - once (and still likely) favorites to win next year's World Cup - were on the brink of missing out on the tournament altogether.
When things go wrong, it becomes far too easy for people to start hyperventilating and wanting to rip apart everything that gotten us where we are, especially if they were skeptical of players or methods to begin with. Was last May really that long ago? You know, when we finished 2nd, having conceded fewer goals than anyone and scoring more than anyone? Did it really all turn to sh*t just because Xabi Alonso left? Come on. But no, the poor start was all down to Xabi's absence, to zonal marking being useless, to becoming a team that's got no creativity and no goal scorers besides Nando and Steve, and blah blah blah, blah blah and blah.
Out came the fans who openly dismissed Benitez's achievements and crucified him over transfers, tactics, global warming. And out came those same fans with proclamations that now consecrated St. Gerard Houllier. If nothing else, it was a stark reminder of just how short attention spans are these days. (And trust me, this is not meant as a GH-bashing rant either. He took us forward from the Evans era, just as Rafa has done from those last bad years of Houllier's, and yes people - they were bad).
If the argument was that Benitez has taken us as far as he can, that'd be one thing. But that isn't the argument (and I'd disagree, if it needs to be said). It's that we're no better off, which is a porky of Pink Floyd dirigible-sized proportions.
The pundits tell lies on a regular basis. Some - in total, wilful ignorance of the Laws of the Game, came out with complete crap during the Sunderland game. "It's Reina's responsibility - no one to blame but himself for not clearing his area", some said. Making it sound like the rules that govern when the ball (the actual football, I mean) plays off the referee should also extend to a f*cking beachball thrown onto the pitch.
Mr. Ferguson was at it, too - how much Benitez has spent since his time at Liverpool: "ooh more than us, so I dinnae what Benitez is complaining aboot." Well, thanks very much for weighing in, you redfaced sot, but no one asked you, did they?
Can we get this straight, please? Having to rebuild the squad, the infrastructure of the club, will obviously cost a lot of cash. But Mr. Ferguson has routinely dropped upwards of £18-19mm on each purchase over the last few years, some costing double that. People seem to have forgotten that purchases on that scale are still a huge struggle for us and that we've still only spent that much on only 5 players in our history?
You expect lies from some of these quarters as there are still loads of people with axes to grind against Liverpool the team, Liverpool the city and Liverpool its people. But we've also had to put up with lies from within - from our so-called "custodians". These two hits on the 2009 "Lies about our Club" hitlist cannot be ignored as they come from those who are charged with our future:
- Christian Purslow with the easy listening MOR tune, "Rafa Had £20mm to Spend This Summer"; and
- George Gillett with the "in yo' face" defiant thrash rocker "We've Invested £120mm Out of Our Own Pockets (So Stop Blamin' Us)"
But in the midst of all the lies are those who diligently try to get the truth out, despite usually being slapped down over and over again for their trouble.
- Paul Tomkins with the brilliant writeup on his meeting with Rafa, laying bare some worn out myths
- Brian Reade and Tony Barrett exposing the seriousness of our current situation in their newspaper columns
- SOS with their 3-part "George is Telling Lies" video series on their website
Lies are so easy to start and spread simply because they require NO substance behind them to get them going; just open your mouth or sit at a keyboard and go. Getting the truth out and fighting to make it heard above the din takes a hell of a lot more work. You have to research, you have to double-check and you have to be diligent as you'll constantly be questioned if not shouted down. You have to lay yourself on the line as you'll be the target of indifference at minimum, abuse and ridicule at the opposite end. But you keep fighting the good fight as you hope - you *know* - truth will win out.
All I want is some.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Chasing rainbows...
Chasing internet streams is more accurate...god, I hate this! Yeah, they're illegal but of course you want to see the match when it's on. And while I do try to keep my nose clean and firmly believe in the principle of rights holders getting paid, $9.95 for a stream off the UEFA website is a f****** joke.
I've many things to write about - the whole "charm offensive" (or "offensive charm" as a friend aptly pegged it) being laid on by Messrs. Purslow, Hicks and Gillett very much at the top of the list. While I get as excited as the next person about the match - the paragraph above demonstrating my desperation! - the future of LFC is more important and it's hard not to get wound up, especially as you feel the owners just take the whole affair as a big joke.
How can they be vested in it when they've got none of their g.d. money in it? I've probably put more of my own cash into the club over the last two years than they have.
Anyway, onto happier topics and notching up two wins on the trot in the league and this without Torres being anywhere near his best. (Nora proving too much for him at the moment?) In any event, we're scoring and creating chances, so I'm happy. And would you believe we just scored before halftime in tonight's match - I at least got to see a piece of it before the stream died. Thank heavens for small favors.
Back in a bit.
I've many things to write about - the whole "charm offensive" (or "offensive charm" as a friend aptly pegged it) being laid on by Messrs. Purslow, Hicks and Gillett very much at the top of the list. While I get as excited as the next person about the match - the paragraph above demonstrating my desperation! - the future of LFC is more important and it's hard not to get wound up, especially as you feel the owners just take the whole affair as a big joke.
How can they be vested in it when they've got none of their g.d. money in it? I've probably put more of my own cash into the club over the last two years than they have.
Anyway, onto happier topics and notching up two wins on the trot in the league and this without Torres being anywhere near his best. (Nora proving too much for him at the moment?) In any event, we're scoring and creating chances, so I'm happy. And would you believe we just scored before halftime in tonight's match - I at least got to see a piece of it before the stream died. Thank heavens for small favors.
Back in a bit.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Can we breathe now?!
What a difference three days makes, huh?
I wonder - well, I don't really - if the first chapter in the '09/10 edition of "RAFA'S OFF" was true. Perhaps we should want more of these: I mean, two 4-0s as a result of the reported discord? Tempting, but I'll take a 1-0 and less stress any day.
In my opinion, everyone's looking a bit shaky bar Spurs (and do we really expect them to keep going like this?). I just know with all the hand-wringing about on-the-pitch affairs the last couple of days, I know who's probably feeling the more upset between us and Manc fans right now. The champeens (with 80m in the coffers that Fergie was supposedly free to spend before anyone forgets) couldn't muster a goal from its far-from-bargain basement strike force, and "the best central midfielder in England" [or is it Europe? Sorry, I forget] missed a penalty. You have to laugh - mainly because it is funny but also because you know we'd never hear the end of it.
I mean, Whiskynose should just resign right now as clearly their season's over as ours was Sunday night ... right? Uh huh.
Anyway, outstanding team performance today - as good as Sunday's was lackluster. Ayala did well in his first senior start (though it sounds like that might be it for him with Kyrgiakos on his way) and we kept the clean sheet. Tons of movement - tons of short crisp passes and some cheeky clever ones as well (Masch's to Gerrard for the 3rd was fab) - and we generally played like the title challengers we were last season. Oh except that we *beat* Stoke this time...
And Glen, you are definitely winning me over.... But I am a sucker for a man with dreads who does a mad Peter Crouch imitation.
Bring on the Villains.
I wonder - well, I don't really - if the first chapter in the '09/10 edition of "RAFA'S OFF" was true. Perhaps we should want more of these: I mean, two 4-0s as a result of the reported discord? Tempting, but I'll take a 1-0 and less stress any day.
In my opinion, everyone's looking a bit shaky bar Spurs (and do we really expect them to keep going like this?). I just know with all the hand-wringing about on-the-pitch affairs the last couple of days, I know who's probably feeling the more upset between us and Manc fans right now. The champeens (with 80m in the coffers that Fergie was supposedly free to spend before anyone forgets) couldn't muster a goal from its far-from-bargain basement strike force, and "the best central midfielder in England" [or is it Europe? Sorry, I forget] missed a penalty. You have to laugh - mainly because it is funny but also because you know we'd never hear the end of it.
I mean, Whiskynose should just resign right now as clearly their season's over as ours was Sunday night ... right? Uh huh.
Anyway, outstanding team performance today - as good as Sunday's was lackluster. Ayala did well in his first senior start (though it sounds like that might be it for him with Kyrgiakos on his way) and we kept the clean sheet. Tons of movement - tons of short crisp passes and some cheeky clever ones as well (Masch's to Gerrard for the 3rd was fab) - and we generally played like the title challengers we were last season. Oh except that we *beat* Stoke this time...
And Glen, you are definitely winning me over.... But I am a sucker for a man with dreads who does a mad Peter Crouch imitation.
Bring on the Villains.
Friday, August 14, 2009
And so it begins again...
With a bunch of Saturday matches to get through in the meantime...oh well. I can wait another 24 hours.
I've no idea what to expect on Sunday - I've done no post-mortems on Xabi's and Big Al's departures but obviously both will require some adjustments. I'm certainly not comparing Arbeloa to Alonso in terms of overall quality - I'm not that crazy - but a solid defender who got forward as often as possible (with a decent cross no less) who could also play anywhere along the back if needed is nothing to take lightly. (And don't think it didn't cross my mind once or twice when both Martin and Danny got crocked - chances would've been pretty good I think that we'd have seen AA partnering Jamie this weekend.)
I wish them both well and thank them for their service - particularly Passmaster Xabi - while hoping Real win absolutely NOTHING this season.
I look forward to a big season from "Number 21, Lucas Leiva" (a RAWKite-penned song that hopefully makes its debut at WHL this weekend) - no, he's not Xabi. (The fact he's shorter and blonder should be a giveaway for most.) His inclusion makes us a different team and I am frankly chomping at the bit to see how the interplay between him, Kuyt, Benny and of course Steven, develops over the season. Yes, I know the other AA is waiting in the wings but imo, Aquilani's signing does *not* signal the end of Lucas - it will just open up "more possibilities", no?
Head is telling me draw against the Spurs but I'm going to say 1-2 anyway with Kuyt and Torres opening their accounts. I expect some defensive nerve-jangling but if we get through this and Villa next week without shipping goals, I think we can start feeling very good about our chances, especially as we'll soon be welcoming some of our injured players back into the fold.
I didn't really think I was ready - a few more weeks of responsible behavior would've been nice and greatly appreciated by those nearest and dearest - but now that it's here, bring it on.
COME ON YOU REDMEN!!
I've no idea what to expect on Sunday - I've done no post-mortems on Xabi's and Big Al's departures but obviously both will require some adjustments. I'm certainly not comparing Arbeloa to Alonso in terms of overall quality - I'm not that crazy - but a solid defender who got forward as often as possible (with a decent cross no less) who could also play anywhere along the back if needed is nothing to take lightly. (And don't think it didn't cross my mind once or twice when both Martin and Danny got crocked - chances would've been pretty good I think that we'd have seen AA partnering Jamie this weekend.)
I wish them both well and thank them for their service - particularly Passmaster Xabi - while hoping Real win absolutely NOTHING this season.
I look forward to a big season from "Number 21, Lucas Leiva" (a RAWKite-penned song that hopefully makes its debut at WHL this weekend) - no, he's not Xabi. (The fact he's shorter and blonder should be a giveaway for most.) His inclusion makes us a different team and I am frankly chomping at the bit to see how the interplay between him, Kuyt, Benny and of course Steven, develops over the season. Yes, I know the other AA is waiting in the wings but imo, Aquilani's signing does *not* signal the end of Lucas - it will just open up "more possibilities", no?
Head is telling me draw against the Spurs but I'm going to say 1-2 anyway with Kuyt and Torres opening their accounts. I expect some defensive nerve-jangling but if we get through this and Villa next week without shipping goals, I think we can start feeling very good about our chances, especially as we'll soon be welcoming some of our injured players back into the fold.
I didn't really think I was ready - a few more weeks of responsible behavior would've been nice and greatly appreciated by those nearest and dearest - but now that it's here, bring it on.
COME ON YOU REDMEN!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
