Martinez leaves for pastures new, Moyes brings in his own brigade and Suarez is looking for the easy way out.

Roberto Martinez leaves Wigan

Roberto's Martinez's decision to leave Wigan this week will come as a huge blow to the Latic fans as they come to terms with what has been an up and down few weeks when it comes to tugging the football heartstrings. In all honesty it has been a few years of emotions being pushed to the limit, never mind these last few weeks. As neutrals we have looked on as March turns on the calendar and Wigan have plotted their great escape, often up until the last game of the season. As a club they have entertained us since that first game against Chelsea at home, when Hernan Crespo grabbed a heart breaking last minute winner to welcome then manager Paul Jewell and his new premier league recruits to the league.

Since then it's been an incredible journey, so wonderfully capped off with a Ben Watson 90th minute header at Wembley in front of the dedicated support Wigan have held on to all these years. All fairy tales come to an end though, and it was to be a few days after that dream win over Man City, in a sodden Emirates Stadium, that their Premier League story came to an end.

With or without Martinez, owner Dave Whelan will still be the voice that bellows from that small town in the North West and I think most fans would love to see them come straight back up into the big time, albeit with a few less episodes of 'March Madness' which has often graced our televisions.

David Moyes right to appoint new staff

David Moyes is set to take the reigns as Manchester United manager in the next few weeks, and already there has been scrutiny over who the former Everton man is bringing in as his backroom staff. In a clear message to the potential critics, an admirable message in fact, he has brought in his own trusty sidekicks to begin the new regime in the Manchester hot seat . Steve Round, Chris Woods, Phil Neville and Chief Scout at Goodison, Robbie Cooke, all are expected to be drafted in as replacements for the men Sir Alex Ferguson worked so closely with during United's years of dominance.

Steve Round, who will become David Moyes' number two, just like he was at Everton, is widely regarded as one of the finest young British coaches in today's game. Since his career was cut short at 25 he has worked his way up the coaching ladder and has been Moyes' assistant since Alan Irvine's departure in 2008. Along with Moyes and the other Goodison backroom staff, Round will be hoping for a successful time at the hub of the most coveted jobs in the world.

Luis Suarez transfer talk

As a huge fan of one of the most gifted footballers in the world right now, it came as a shock to me that Luis Suarez made the comments he did on a Uruguayan radio show recently. Whether or not there has been a mix up in translation from the press, I can't be certain, but if what he said is true then as Liverpool fans we have the right to feel let down and aggrieved by these comments.

When Suarez had everyone, and I mean everyone, on his back during the the racism controversy and most recently the biting incident, the only people that stuck by him were the fans that pay good money to watch his talents. To go on a radio show back home and say what he did shows, in my opinion, an incredible lack of respect towards the very people who have supported him through the thick and thin.

Fans like to see players stick around, to build towards something, to work as a unit to win competitions, to share special moments with fans and teammates. I believe he owes the fans at least another year of playing in red, and not sell out to the Madrid club who have always got the player they wanted, just because they can.

If he isn't 'prepared to continue suffering at the hands of English journalists' then that is the easy way out. And may I remind him that 'suffering' in football terms is driving to Stoke on a freezing December night , and watching your team get hammered 3-1 after paying an extortionate £42 for a ticket, and then realising you have to fork out another £30 to fill up your car with petrol (after paying £10 to park on a piece of tarmac). You get my drift.

So my message for Suarez is to stay and fight. To take the cowards route towards southern Europe shows weak character in my opinion. We have put up with a lot of your shenanigans these last few months, yet if you stay the Kop will still continue to shout your name from the first whistle of the first game. Money and sponsorship may come your way at the Bernabeu, but loyalty and a sense of belonging as we work towards trophies will always be around at Anfield.

Borussia Dortmund vs Bayern Munich- Fussball is coming home.

The biggest stage in the world is set to host the biggest game of the football calendar this today when the German North takes on the German South in a mouth watering tie which has finally got it’s chance at the top of the European pedestal for the first time in history.

On paper we are set for a monumental battle between the two best teams in Germany for the past few years. Borussia Dortmund have lit up this year’s competition and their yellow tide of dedicated fans will have the majority of the footballing world on their side as the London sunset creeps away on Saturday night.

Their opponents and arch rivals Bayern Munich have once again efficiently graced their way through a competition which has saw them fall so often at the last few attempts. They now have the chance to rid the demons of that Chelsea loss last year at their home ground, The Allianz Arena and to send out a message to the rest of the world that they aren’t the ‘almost’ team many often label them as.

Dortmund come into this game shaking off their disappointment as a mediocre domestic season comes to a close. The 2012/13 season has saw them surrender their Bundesliga title to their very opponents this Saturday, and after seeing their star player Mario Gotze recently decide to jump ship and venture toward Munich as of next season, a sense of double injustice will surely add fire to the belly’s of this ever so talented Dortmund side that has the ears of Europe perked up and watching.

We all know Bayern Munich to be the super power of the game since the mid 70’s but their recent inconsistencies has given them nothing but fresh air to lift in this last decade or so. Twice since 1999 have they lost the European Cup to utter heartbreak, both at the hands of English sides, and both at the hands of teams that at the time were seen as the weaker squad going into the game.

Jupp Heyneckes, Bayern’s 68 year old coach, carries all the experience in the footballing world though, and with his last game being concluded by the referee’s last game at the famous new Wembley, the players will surely want to play and win for him as much they want to rid the ghost of their own European past.

A tantalising final is most definitely on the cards and I’m sure every football fan will want to mourn the end of the football season with an end of season Champions League classic. It certainly has the alarm bells of one and let’s hope the Wembley of new can create some memories to match the glorious past of the old twin towers.

Joining the German party

A personal fixation with Borussia Dortmund has led to booking a train down to London for the weekend to go and join in with the football celebrations going on in the city. You would think I have a front and centre Willy Wonka golden ticket to the final itself with a ‘meet the players’ party afterwards I’m that excited.
In fact I don’t even have entrance to the fan parks that will surround the stadium with its UEFA sponsored advertising hoardings and expensive merchandise. I do hope, however, that when taking a lap around this architecturally beautiful stadium, a ticket just floats from the air and into my ever so grateful hands, like an auburn leaf descending from its branch in deep autumn.

Tickets are hard to come by nowadays in many of the popular sports. The days of turning up to the turnstiles and paying for your ticket are over. Memberships, fan cards, season tickets, and waiting lists are the norm, more so than ever in football. The difficulty at acquiring match tickets today is equalled by the steepness in the prices. Things are being done to counteract such an increase in prices though, and this is something I will look at as the new season approaches. But for now I’d like to make comparisons. Comparisons from the early days of paying tupence for a ticket or just jumping over the wall thanks to a knee up, to today’s football marketing profit machine.

As I consider ways in which to get into Wembley tomorrow to watch my beloved second team Borussia Dortmund, I consider the consequences to attempting such an act, when 30 years ago you were most likely given a clout round the ear by the superintendent and told to pay next time round, and that would be the end of it. Whether you see me on the news or not, here’s my small take on what 30 years in football does to society:
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I read a book once by a Liverpool fan who told his tales of trips and games all across Britain and Europe in the 70’s and 80’s, known to most as the era of British club dominance on the continent. He would write how during the run up to the game against Roma in 1984, Liverpool’s first embrace with the Trevi Fountain and Italy’s capital city, there was a sea of red in the streets, bars and squares that shaped this beautiful city.

As he and his mates hopped of their bus they saw a ticket tout with a number of tickets, a poisonous leech looking to make a quick buck or two by ripping off the loyal fans who’d ventured across the lands of Western Europe to watch their team conquer all football had to offer.

As he approached the man, he asked how much, and before the man could say ‘250 Lira’ he swiped them from his sweaty grasp and ran off as fast as you could say ‘der’s ya change lad’. And with that he’d handed them out to the other grief stricken Scousers who were yet to acquire a ticket after making the arduous journey south.
Another tale told of a game at Wolves and the travelling Anfield faithful had once again showed up in their thousands towards Birmingham. As they arrived they were hastily told that without a ticket they weren’t getting in (having no ticket in those days was a common occurrence).

So a quick Scouse brainwave followed by a sledgehammer suddenly popping into the equation, the story ended in the Wolves ground having seven shades of Liverpool kicked out of it and a free invitation to the biggest party in Birmingham that weekend. By the time the stewards had realised, they had joined the masses and became a needle in a haystack thanks to the sold of crowd in the Midlands.

A strange couple of stories if we compare the impact to what would happen should anyone even try such a feat. I imagine a personal vindication by the Daily Mail would take place, as I’m stereotyped as a ‘yob’ or ‘hooligan’.

This is closely followed by an ASBO, for carrying a sledgehammer around as well as being offered counselling for scaring the general public like some sort of psychopath in the making. Add this to a trial for ‘trespassing’ the stadium as well as a potential assault charge because the guy I’ve violently stolen the ticket off is recovering in the hospital with a bout of ‘paper cut’. Injury Lawyers For You would be on the phone and I’d be bankrupt in no time as he struggles to recover from his horrific injuries.....on holiday in Marbella.

I digress.

You see my brief, albeit exaggerated version of what isn’t really that far from the truth. So tomorrow when you’re tucked up in the pub or at home, consider me in two potential scenarios. One of utter devastation at missing out on even watching the game thanks to being locked in a London cell, or the other of me, slap bang in the middle of the Dortmund army as Marco Reus scores an absolute screamer in the last minute.

I can dream.

Jamie Carragher- The last of the bellowing voice from a genuine football legend.

Often we see days of celebration at Anfield. Players and their families walk around holding the trophies and medals of games and competitions they have won that season. A lap of honour to show the people what the support has given them. Liverpool’s last home game of the 2012/13 season wasn’t a day of celebration so much. It was a day of appreciation. An appreciation for a player that has optimised his position, a dying breed of a defender that the next generation may only see on ‘Premier League Years’ in the future, Jamie Carragher.

Tika Taka Football is revered around the world as THE best way to play the game as we know it today. Beautiful Barcelona are a team to admire, so stunning in their conviction with which they grace the game of football. The channels of play with which the Catalans create a moment, a movement and deft touch of brilliance is a special happening.

Modern day football determines that teams and players like the ones Barcelona churn through their unrelenting academy system, La Masia, like a large scale factory production line is the future. These are the new breed of footballer, slick, lean, quick footed and a master of ball control. We’ve embraced these times, these glorious days of exquisite football, of 21st century heroes whose exploits on the pitch are unfortunately followed as much off the pitch.

I deliberately digress.

What we often don’t appreciate anymore is the player I like to define as the ‘just clear the ball, and we’ll discuss the rest later’ type of professional, and the type of player the boy turned legend from Bootle was. Bob Paisley once famously said, "If you're in the penalty area and don't know what to do with the ball, put it in the net and we'll discuss the options later” whilst at Liverpool. These words seem to have rang true for Carragher since he set off on his Liverpool journey on the 8th January 1997 as a substitute in the League Cup at Middlesbrough.

What has gone before Carragher and what will come after is an astronomical gap in terms of style of play, mind set and arguably, passion. In all that’s changed in football, Carragher has kept his head throughout. He has stayed true to himself, and stuck to his guns. A one man army of red faced defence. He has told the people who needed to be told what they needed to hear and instilled passion and belief into the many that played beside him. His character has oozed grit, determination and fight for a real cause, even at times when it felt lost, even at times when change was too much.

Many players only serve an ounce of a fans expected efforts when on a football field. Most pass us by in only a brief conversation in the local pub, down the park having a kick-a-round. In today’s world of playing contracts, agent so say, flash cars and model girlfriends. Carragher’s presence seemed to always to be one of working class, a grafter who wouldn’t have looked out of place sitting in a plasterers van at lunchtime.
His devotion and tactical know-how for the game were second to none, characteristics which may not have catapulted him to the pinnacle of Europe had he not possessed them. He’d be the first to tell you his talents on the ball weren’t as good as other top defenders in Europe. But his awareness of his surroundings and traits as a leader stood him out from the rest.

His voice could be heard from the farthest echelons of the Spion Kop, a foghorn to warn ships of an incoming mist, a bellow to his comrades that the opposition were on the attack, a scream to organise the teams shape, like a roman shield formation in battle.

The words ‘transition’ and ‘progress’ have hung over the steel beams of Anfield since Brendan Rodgers made the offices of Melwood his own last summer. Liverpool are re-growing, rebranding, trying to click through the gears to steady a ship and move it onwards. Carragher has been through many a transition as well as a glorious period of unbelievable European domination, when he arguably stood among the best in the world. It’s just a shame 737 games couldn’t have ended with a shining, Barclays sponsored, gold tinted Premier League Medal. Still, the other haul of medals weigh enough to see him with a satisfactory memory of it all.

So thank you, Carra. Thank you for believing when all seemed lost, thank you for clattering into players we all dreamed of taking a whack at over the years, thank you for guarding the famous red line at the back, thanks for Istanbul, for Cardiff, for all the other cups you so brilliantly won. Thank you for showing others players the right direction, thank you for clapping the fans every single game, thank you for THAT clearance in extra time on a steaming hot night in Turkey, thank you for defining passion, thank you for defining a generation, for defining a city and making the people happy. Thank you for everything.

Happy retirement.

Borussia Dortmund vs Real Madrid

As if the romanticism and simmering brightness of an evening sunset couldn’t delight and inspire you more, the 65000 strong Dortmund faithful continued to light up the night long after the sun had gone down over the Signal Iduna stadium. It was a sweet embrace in a corner of Northern Germany, a wave of emotion from each stand, a night to behold, a statement to the rest of Europe.

The flags waved, the deep German voices bellowed out their heroes and one perplexed Portuguese manager looked on at Robert Lewandoski as if he’d just taken his homework and tore it up like rampaging pitbull. This was a night when the classical number 9 striker came out to play, when the definition of ‘that boy can turn on a 5 pence piece’ was epitomised in one....two....goal.

Whatever it is that might happen to this incredible Dortmund side in the near future was left somewhere far from the archaic stadium that was beamed around the world last night. They ripped into this Real Madrid team full of world class talent and individual brilliance right from the off, controlling the tempo, pushing high up the pitch and finding channels which at times sent the Madrid defence into a blubbering mess.

Dortmund’s first chance, a mazy run through the middle by the outstanding Marco Reus after the first few minutes, should have sounded the alarm bells for Mourinho’s men. Instead it set the tone for the night and a couple of minutes later Dortmund’s early pressure paid dividend. Lewandoski lost Pepe in the box as the departing Mario Gotze whipped in a delightful ball from the left and all the Polish international had left to do was poke it home with his outstretched right boot.

Madrid’s only real attack of the night came from a Mats Hummel’s mistake. He was too casual in attempting to knock the ball back to Dortmund keeper, Roman Weidenfeller. This came at a critical time in the game as half time approached. After they missed out on a penalty claim a few moments before Gonzalo Higuain squared to Ronaldo to slot home, they could have gone into the changing room at half time with heads bowed and a negative attitude for the remaining 45 minutes. In fact they did the opposite, with Hummel’s in particular looking fired up for the second half as they entered the field of play.

Dortmund seemed to use their setback as a mere stepping stone to greater things. And my did they create great things in what turned into a rout by the time the referee blew the final whistle. Ilkay Gundogan will no doubt be missing from all the big headlines but he churned out an incredibly patient and powerful midfield performance, setting off Dortmund’s forward play as well as cutting off the balls up to Mesut Ozil and Ronaldo, and along with the returning Sven Bender, stopped any of the attacks Madrid attempted.

The German side had the lead back 5 minutes after the restart with Sami Khedira lazily keeping Lewandoski on side, for the striker to turn and finish in one slick movement. If you thought that was slick then his third was perfection. An immaculate combination of touch, turn and close control gave Pepe a dizzy spell, matched by a clinical finish into the roof of the net to send the famous Subtribune behind Madrid keeper Diego Lopez’s goal into utter pandemonium.

Madrid looked stunned, and even more mystified when the magnificent Gundogan ran through 4 or 5 Madrid players only for his shot to be expertly save by Lopez. They need not have worried as to whether Dortmund would score a fourth, when in the 66th minute Xabi Alonso bundled into the back Reus. Alonso had been poor all night and was rarely given a chance to pass the ball the way he has done so efficiently for both Liverpool and Madrid. A clumsy takedown of an opposition player gave evidence to Alonso’s frustration and Lewandowski happily made the Spaniard rue his mistake with a thunderous strike into the roof of a net now worn down thanks to the 24 year olds right foot. In all honesty he could have tapped that ball at snail’s pace for it only to go the same speed as a rocket thanks to the yellow sea of fans pulling it towards their goal. 4-1 and Dortmund were in dreamland.

They saw out the game professionally and Weidenfeller was briefly reminded of what he faces next week at the Bernabeu when scrambling to block Ronaldo’s shot two minutes before time. Madrid are certainly capable of scoring three but the question is can they shut out this incredible attacking line Dortmund possess. A small miracle requires both Madrid and Barcelona to progress to Wembley on May 25th as the F.A celebrate their 150th Anniversary. Football (or should I say Fussball) is most certainly coming home in celebration of this, and it’s more than likely Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich will be at centre stage for it.

The Vampire Witchunt

“He did not murder anyone. He did not conduct an armed robbery, or rob a car before driving 120mph down a motorway. The wrong way. Suarez did not beat up an old lady, fiddle his tax returns or misread the signs of economic recovery costing investors in a worldwide conglomerate hundreds of millions of pounds. Suarez did not do any of these things.

In fact, the more time we spend together compiling this list, the closer we might be to confirming that Suarez is, in fact, a thoroughly wholesome, law abiding individual who just happened to make another one of those daft mistakes he is prone to in a football stadium from time to time.”

I must have scoped through endless articles of the last few days before finding the quote above, many times close to opening my back door and launching the laptop at my little white West Highland Terrier who was minding his own business in the late April sunshine barking at the pigeons harassing him in his territory (don’t worry I didn’t).

What you should take literally from the above is my anger. And where is that anger coming from you ask? Well if you have seen any (and I mean ANY) news channel, twitter feed, Facebook video, new game alert pop up or a man at the bottom of your road screaming bloody murder then you’ll be aware that we on Merseyside are in the middle of a ‘lock your doors, there’s a cannibal on the loose’ phase in our lives.

There have been various sightings of this mad man as we peer around each corner to check if his blood dripping nashers are targeting us next, not knowing whether we will make it to the end of each day.
It’s all been too easy these past few days for the media as well as the wet lettuces at the F.A. It was a strange incident, one many will say ‘And just when you thought you’d seen it all, he bites someone’. It’s true that it was strange and it’s true I am not condoning what Luis Suarez did to Branislav Ivanovic. What he did was immature, selfish and all round stupid and its part of his persona that he must work on.

From what I do know, he is a family man, with a young daughter and a childhood sweetheart of a wife who keeps himself to himself off the pitch. His passion is unrelenting so much so that Jamie Carragher puts him almost alongside himself in that category. Something within Suarez ticks when he steps out over the white line, in front of the camera’s and the thousands of fans. In the heat of the moment his decision to react to whatever emotions he has felt in that instant was a bite. We are used to seeing a horror tackle, or an elbow, even a punch when a player reacts in their heat of the moment. A bite is strange behaviour, and it’s right that he should speak to Liverpool’s top psychologist, Steve Rodgers. And as Carragher said ‘we should help him, not hound him’.

To criticise Liverpool is unfair. My Evertonian friends may tell me I’m speaking through rose tinted glasses but they will also agree with me that the furore around this is quite ridiculous. Add this to the fact that it became all very easy for that fantastic institution of ours, the F.A to ban Suarez and you are in for a period in which the whole club is ridiculed.

And for those who say that two footed tackles, elbows and other such aggressive acts are ‘part of the game’, them I’m afraid you need to check your glasses........rose and tinted. These are acts added to an already aggressive game and acts that are fowl and in my opinion disgusting. I’d much rather be nibbled on the arm than on the receiving of a malicious high tackle. Football is a contact sport and I’m sure many who have the joys of playing football at any level love nothing more than a mud filled all out tackle that’s fair and ‘game-worthy’. And an elbow, well that’s just GBH.

For those who also say our children will be affected by this biting incident is completely ridiculous. When David Beckham kicked Diego Simeone in the 1998 World Cup and was sent off I was 8 years old. The week following that incident I’m relatively certain my friends and I did not produce savage ‘kicking attacks’ on other kids our age. Ironically what I remember the most is the effigy of Beckham hanging outside of a pub, printed by the media and for the people like some heroic act of righteousness. Funny how it all works isn’t it. What I would put it down to, the fact that some kids can be affected by such a baron attack on another human being, is poor parenting. The brutal truth I know but I’m not the only one thinking it.

The likelihood is that come September he will be tearing up defences in towns and cities near you, hated by the home support like a pantomime villain in his golden years, a caricature created by the media and F.A, heralded by the Liverpool fans like a returning hero, whose act of treachery is now a thing of the distant past.

And maybe that’s what it’s supposed to be; maybe this is the character Luis Suarez was destined to play since his days as a street baller on the streets of Montevideo. He’s made a mistake, and attempts to rectify it as well as making sure it won’t happen again are in place. Whether it works I’m not sure, but his footballing abilities are why I paid my ticket to watch Liverpool and Chelsea on Sunday. And that will never change.

A pocket of reflection......Justice for the 96.

Hillsborough- 15th April 1989

I slowly walked across the gravel car park outside Hillsborough Stadium, a bunch a red flowers in hand that offered the most inferior of sympathies. It was my third and final year at Sheffield Hallam University but the first time I had been in Sheffield for the anniversary.

I walked through on the right hand side of Leppings Lane end, a lone steward pointing the direction towards which I was to lay the flowers. As I turned the corner and walked a few more yards I saw two men in their late forties sitting 5 or 6 rows up, eyes as red as the Kop on a European night at Anfield.

The stadium lay silent, the brisk spring breeze of South Yorkshire swirled around the stadium. These two men sat close together, they looked tired, crestfallen at the events that had unfolded here all those years ago.
I didn’t say a word to them but I knew they were Liverpudlians, I knew they were there that horrendous day and I knew they had lost and suffered. I didn’t know them personally, I’d never spoken to them before that day and I’ll most likely never see them again. But I felt a connection to their misery, to whatever heartache that besieged them over two decades ago.

As I lay the flowers behind the goal, I took a minute to pay my respects, to remember the names of those who’d lost their lives. The last image I have is of those two men, still in the same frozen position as when I arrived and that is something that will stay with me forever.

As a Liverpool fan you feel part of something more than a football club, it’s an archaic institution that represents the lives of so many. Stories are passed down of games, players and journey’s gone by. There’s a part of you that feels like you were there. The story of Hillsborough however is the one story that I’ll remember the most.

I wasn’t even around in April 1989, I was 11 months away from coming into this world. It would be 5 or 6 years before I’d begin to think of Liverpool as my team. It would be a few more years later when, on a school trip down to London I accidently and shamefully bought the Sun newspaper without realising the extent to which it had enraged a city.

Since then I’ve grown up, become part of the clubs tradition and paid my ticket money. But most importantly I’ve listened. I have listened to those who were alive that day, who had witnessed it in person or watched as it unfolded on television. I even met a Yorkshire woman who, after the bodies of the dead had been removed from the temporary morgue in the stadium, had the horrifying task of cleaning the room where hundreds had lay injured and others had taken their last breath.

Learning the history of something, not just a football club, acts as a model for you as a person to develop your own life, to follow the ways with which you deem to be the correct ones. Sometimes those stories are good, sometimes, like Hillsborough, they are utterly gut-wrenching in every sense of the word. Sometimes they make you stop and appreciate what you have and who you have, and it makes life all that more special.

For anyone reading this who doesn’t know what Hillsborough is, consider this; this tragedy happened before my birth, but it has given me more lessons in life than most things ever will. It has given me an added determination to succeed in my chosen career field. Through watching the relentless search for justice these families have undertaken for the past 24 years puts everything into perspective. There is something deeply ingrained in humans beings to search for justice, to search for the truth and these people have gone past epitomising that. It has given me admiration for them beyond any stretch of recognition.

Let’s for a second forget the politics of this, I don’t need to remind you of the controversies in the aftermath of Hillsborough. And if you don’t know what I’m talking about, look it up. Look it up and prepare to be astounded, ashamed, disappointed in our system. Astounded that a story like this is true. Ashamed that our countries institutions acted like this when human life was involved. Disappointed that 96 were not given a chance to live and to breathe, to love and to feel again. The words and phrases we associate with this disaster; ‘Justice for the 96’, ‘Don’t buy the Sun’, ‘24000 fans travelled that day, 96 never came home’, will never get old, will never cease to offer as powerful a message now than it did 24 years go.

This was nothing more than a monumental cover up. If you think moral, think the opposite. If you think truth, think the opposite. If you think clarity, think the opposite. If you think life......think death, and your heart will break. This is a relentless heartache that has spanned the course of my whole life. An agonising campaign for justice that should have been answered long, long ago. But for a reason unbeknown to me, these families, these tired people who wake up every morning and fight for a cause that would bring most to their knees, when they shouldn’t have too. They should NOT have too. Not anymore.

They are the inspiration. They are the beaming light coming of a city knocked down on countless occasions. They are the reason we remember this injustice, this tragedy, and I’m selfishly appreciative of the perspective they have given me on life as they continue to keep alive the memories of their loved ones who have moved on. Remember them, and remember what they have done and continue to do in their fight for the truth.

Justice for the 96.

'Venturing over to the dark side'

'If Everton were playing at the bottom of the garden, I'd pull the curtains.'

The 8:40 Virgin train careered towards London Euston through the greenery and ice-ridden flatlands of England. The journey from my home on the Wirral, just outside Liverpool, to the heart of England’s capital city had taken a mere couple of hours. My thoughts often sidetracked to the quote above and others like it, as my friend and I made our way to North London and the home of Tottenham Hotspurs, White Hart Lane.

We were due to sit in the 27th row of the away end section for Tottenham’s home game against Everton. My friend, Sharpy had asked me a few weeks back if I wanted to go down with him and watch this important tie which could have had significant impact on who plays in Europe next season.
For those who are unlucky enough to know me, their knowledge tells them I’m a Liverpool fan and have been since I received both Liverpool and Everton shirts during the Christmas of 1995 and deemed the Crown Paint sponsored red shirt as my lifelong colour.

The way football works, particularly nowadays were it all seems to matter that little more, is that your club are your sole focus and that every other team doesn’t matter. Everything about them is alien to what you, your fellow fans and your club are about. So for me to travel so far from home for an Everton game is an eyebrow raiser in itself to say the least. My personal feeling though......Well, I’m just off to watch some Sunday football with one of my best mates.

As we rolled into Euston, you’re immediately hit with a sense of the multi cultural Britain that isn’t so obvious back home. Before I’d even walked out of the main doors to the station I’d heard 2 or 3 different languages, all stood looking at the departures board, confused at our running of public transport and unaware of the experiences they were about to have on board one of our ‘fantastic’ national trains.

After a brief shake of the head and a huge puff of despondent breath towards the 30p charge for being allowed to go the toilet, and with Euston stations very own ‘toilet monitor’ guarding the entrance to the cubicles like the Orcs of Mordor in Lord of the Rings which meant I couldn’t jump over the barrier, we went underground to the London tubes.

We were due to meet an old friend in Finsbury Park so our detour meant a couple of different lines before our final stop at White Hart Lane. Making our way down the 25 escalators before getting to what felt like the core of the Earth in the heat of the underground, we spotted Everton’s very own legendary striker Graeme Sharp. My friend, the Evertonian and season ticket holder at Goodison Park almost dropped the can of Kronenbourg he was carrying about the place as he meandered his way through the disgruntled Londoners awaiting their train. It’s safe to say the Cheshire Cat would have been proud of his smile, and after a brief conversation with his hero and 5 more minutes on the tube with his mouth gawping as wide as the Mersey Tunnel entrance staring at him, we arrived at Finsbury Park tube station.

My friend Karl, who we had just met, informed us that no pubs were open till 12pm, so being the excited away day travellers we were, stood outside the pub down the road from the station 10 minutes before opening time, eager to get our lips on the first proper pint of the day. We were greeted by a barmaid who seemed disgruntled to the fact we were keen to drink so early, but our awkwardness towards that particular situation was shared by the 7 or 8 others also waiting to enter the alehouse, so it wasn’t so bad. It seems our capital is a city of alcoholics and we were happy enough to get on board with that for the day.

Some pints later and a couple of expensive shots of Jager, we said goodbye to the creepy barmaid who was definitely high on something (and it wasn’t life) as well as arranging to meet Karl for a couple more drinks after the game. We merrily made our way down towards our tube station with Sharpy belting out a couple of Everton songs as I laughed and apologised to every passer by who’s eardrum had suffered thanks to his version of ‘Jela-Jelavic’. On the train we leapt and White Hart Lane was a few brief stops away.

Mini match report

The game itself was an enthralling one, with both teams having dominant spells throughout which created some fascinating counter attacking football. Both sides had players missing after injury or suspension sidelined them for the afternoon’s activities. Both though played like they deserved those coveted European spots and both had fantastic support from their respective fans on a fresh mid afternoon in North London.

Kevin Mirallas was the pick of the players for Everton as he created and scored the Toffee’s second with a couple of twists and turns to send Stephen Caulkner into a defenders nightmare. Victor Anichebe worked tirelessly but to no avail as he squandered a one on one with Hugo Lloris right at the death. Nikica Jelavic needed to find form in this one but found himself on the bench at the start of the game. He got his chance in the 52nd but didn’t do enough to convince the Everton faithful his form was returning. The Croatian’s 8 goals in 36 games this season is a poor return in comparison to the 11 he bagged in the 16 played after his January signing in 2012.

Tottenham at times looked tired, and with their Europa League fixtures continuing to pile up it almost felt like the late Gylfi Sigurdsson tap in was something of a surprise. 1 point in the last two home games has given the Spurs fans a minor cause for concern and this was pretty evident as we chatted to a couple of them on the walk back to the tube station.

They lacked pace, particularly on the wings with Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale both out. Scott Parker isn’t the fastest and as much as Dembele has controlled games on many occasions this season, he didn’t have his usual impact and was replaced by Tom Huddlestone in the second half. Tottenham though have a certain resilience about them that hasn’t been around in years before, and watching up close I got the feeling Andre Villas Boas has really moulded his team into what he’d tried but failed to do at Chelsea. Next season I have no doubt they will be one of the favourites for the Champions League places, and with added signings to go along with prospects like Lewis Holtby as well as Sunday’s goal scorer Sigurdsson, they look a potential force to be reckoned with.

With the game finished, we met Karl for a couple more drinks near Euston before getting on the wrong train back to our connecting station Crewe, and found ourselves on a four and half hour local stopping station train instead. This didn’t scupper my satisfaction at a great day of football and ‘away day’ travel. I’d ventured out of many people’s comfort zones and gone almost against the grain of what most believe shouldn’t be done in football. On the other hand, as an aspiring Sports Journalist, I’d gotten everything I’d wanted and when on that sloth like train crawling back to the North I couldn’t wait to get back and write this on my site.

Part of what football and sport is about is that of competitiveness, of people coming together and celebrating it, of cheering on the teams and the competitors we are lucky enough to be able to watch, to form a rivalry that’s respectful and not resentful of others. More often than not we see the negative side to what football has created, the vile chants, the abuse of players from fans, the abuse of fans to other fans. It’s a side I’ve never liked and will never have time for. One of the reasons I travelled down to London to watch Everton was to gain a simple understanding of fan culture. Many see going to watch another football team at another ground other than theirs as an act not even the devil can conjure up.

I can tell you right now that these 3500 Everton fans I stood in the middle of don’t have 3 heads, purple slobber and webbed hands or feet. They, like everybody else, spend incredible amounts to cover all corners of the country, of the world sometimes, to watch their team. They drink the same beer, sit on the same train, debate the same debates, read the same articles, sing the same songs (albeit with a couple of different words) and most importantly, they go to watch the same sport.

This article won’t change the minds of every rival hating supporter; this isn’t the angle I am trying to take here. I’m not a pushover fan either, I have one team and that will never change. I will happily go for a pint with a level headed Manchester United fan before they play against Liverpool. The debates can ravage on for hours, with healthy talk about best teams and great managers, and no bitterness towards past incidents of chants about Hillsborough or Munich. But once they enter their away section the rivalry (albeit respectful) begins. Unfortunately that isn’t the case for everyone, and that’s the unfortunate part of our sport. Maybe people should disagree with Bill Shankly, and open their curtains to any game, and enjoy it for what it is. I certainly did, and feel all the better for it.

Changing Times in the Champions League.

The general consensus is one of disappointment for British teams this season, with holders Chelsea and Premier League Champions Manchester City crashing out in the group stages. Celtic found the might of a reinvigorated Juventus too hot to handle and as we all know, Manchester United went down to Real Madrid in two fantastic ties, if not with a controversial ending.

The quarter final draw was recently unveiled and here are the match up’s for the first and second legs starting on the 7th and 8th April respectively.

Tuesday 2nd and Wednesday 10th April

• Bayern Munich vs Juventus

• PSG vs Barcelona

Wednesday 3rd and Tuesday 9th April

• Malaga vs Borussia Dortmund

• Real Madrid vs Galatasaray

As we now move towards the business end of the Champions League, I give a little inkling into the who’s who, what, where and how in terms of the chances of winning the competition for the remaining teams:

Juventus

Juventus have quietly gone through the motions in this year’s competition and eased past Celtic to gain their first Quarter Final spot since being knocked out by Liverpool in the 2004/05 season. Since that they have failed to qualify for the group stages in 4 out of the last 6 years, and the 2 times they did qualify they fell at the last 16 and group stage respectively.

Juventus’ off the field problems haven’t helped over the past few years with relegation from the Serie A in 2006 as well as league titles from 2005 and 2006 being stripped from them after the match fixing scandal that shook Italian football found Juventus guilty of involvement.

Recent time however have somewhat woke the sleeping Italian giant and after going throughout all of last season unbeaten, conceding only 20 goals in the process on their way to winning Serie A, there’s no doubt Juventus pose a threat in this year’s competition.

We are yet though to see Juventus against one of the big boys of European Football. With all due respect to Celtic, Juventus made slim pickings in both matches but Bayern Munich will provide a stern test which I imagine both players and fans will relish. It will take a lot to prove to Europe and the rest of the world that this famous ‘Old Lady’ is back in the big time but maybe this year’s Champions League can be the perfect starter in bringing back the glory days.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: After returning from incredible controversy they have rebuilt the old Italian force that I used to watch with intent as a young lad watching channel 5 on a Sunday afternoon. That force though is still building and although I believe they will provide some great moments when the Germans visit them in the Juventus Stadium, I don’t think they will progress any further than the quarter finals.

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich showed up in North London with an air of swagger about them as they ripped into Arsenal with a sublime first half display to take a 3-1 lead. They did however make difficult work of the return leg, reaching the finishing line with a limp, quietly applauded along by 66 000 very nervous Germans.

Munich’s form this year, particularly in the league is frightening, conceding only 13 goals this year with only 2 away from home. A quite phenomenal statistic considering they had fallen by the wayside over the last couple of years to Borussia Dortmund.

Munich are a staggering 20 points clear at the summit of the Bundesliga and are looking to bury the demons created in last year’s final at home to Chelsea, losing on penalties in what was an enthralling final. Up to now they have done just that with ruthless efficiency, both domestically and in European competition. Conceding only 7 in 6 group games early on as well as scoring the most goals in the group games with 15, Bayern Munich are up there with the front runners for this year’s prize at Wembley.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: Before their second leg against Arsenal, my personal opinion was that Munich were on a speeding steam train across Europe to London. Then I was reminded of the inconsistencies (against Arsenal) that have to often haunted them. So my prediction for the South German giants is the Semi Finals.

PSG

David Beckham may be the media’s talking point currently but in all honesty he isn’t the player who could be taking the Paris based club to the heights of European football. PSG haven’t been anywhere near the level they are now expected of with their last Champions League appearance being in the 04-05 season when they crashed out at the group stage.

9 years on and some heavy investment by Middle East company Qatar Investment Authority they have become a leading force in the race for the French Championship this year with players in the calibre of Thiago Silva, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Ibrahimovic providing the backbone to a club who are expected a lot of this season.

Their two legs against Valencia gave them a real European test and they came through that with a notable 2-1 away win in Spain. The rest of Europe will now take note as they progress into the quarter finals and are looking good for next year’s Champions League as they currently sit five points clear ahead of Lyon with 10 games to go.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: I don’t believe this year will be PSG’s year thanks to the quarter final draw revealing Barcelona as their opponents, but everyone should take note of this club as they rise into the echelons of the European competition.

Malaga

Malaga are somewhat of an unknown quantity as they head into unfamiliar territory in the form of a quarter final draw against Bundesliga Champions Borussia Dortmund.
This year saw them enter the Champions League for the very first time, and they did it in style by topping a group which contained AC Milan. Eventually they finished top with an impressive 12 points and joined Barcelona and Real Madrid in the quarters after knocking out Porto in the last 16. This marked the first time that 3 Spanish sides have reached the quarter finals in 10 years, another sign of growing dominance from the other top European nations.

Since 2010 Malaga have had significant investment put into the club, helped in part to Sheik Abdullah Al-Thani, a businessmen from the Qatari Royal family who took over officially in July 2010. Youth development has been their main focus, as well as their manager Manuel Pellegrini, a Chilean national and former Villareal and Madrid player.

Along with a certain Arsenal middle man in Santi Cazorla, Pellegrini led Malaga to a top four finish on the last day of the season last year. This year the star man is Isco, a 20 year old Spanish attacking midfielder who has scored 11 goals in all competitions this season for Malaga, the most notable one being the 43rd minute opener against Porto in the last 16 which helped them progress.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: Malaga are the definite dark horses and have almost crept up from nowhere in this seasons Champions League. They did however top their group and come back from a 1-0 aggregate scoreline against Porto, so they fully deserve their place against Borussia Dortmund. My personal feeling however is that the German giants will provide too much. With Malaga having the home advantage first it’s important they stop the threat of Dortmund’s attacking force. They have experience though, with the like of Roque Santa Cruz, Javier Saviola, Martin Demichelis and Joaquin Sanchez all providing vast experience which could sway the tie in the Spanish clubs direction. Hopefully a close and exciting encounter to look forward to.

Galatasaray

Turkish side Galatasaray are appearing in their first Champions League Quarter Final since the 2000/01 season but come into their tie against Madrid in fantastic form. Losing only twice league game since January, they currently sit top of the Turkish Super Lig on 53 points. They stumbled a little at the start of their Champions League campaign, losing their first two games but they recovered to finish 2nd behind Manchester United on 10 points.

Galatasaray’s front man Burak Yilmaz, a 27 year old Turkish international is the man to watch currently. Relatively unknown in Europe until recently, he has scored 28 goals in 35 game s for club and country this season. Most notably he has bagged 7 in 8 Champions League games which earned him this season ‘UEFA player of the group stages 12/13’. His last goal came against Schalke and since then interest from the Premier League has been hot. At a tall, lean 6ft 2” he will provide all sorts of problems for the likes of Sergio Ramos at the heart of Madrid’s defence.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: Galatasaray’s home stadium the Turk Telecom arena will provide the fiercest of atmospheres for Madrid in the second leg. This stadium and atmosphere is famously greeted by the home fans with bannerx to the away team that read ‘Welcome to Hell’ and in fact holds the Guinness World record for the ‘loudest crowd roar at a sport stadium’ at 131.76 decibels.

The Turkish team do have firepower with the recent signings of Wesley Sneijder and Drogba providing experience and a goal threat. Whether or no they can make it past the might of Madrid is another question though, my personal opinion is that the midfield talent that they possess will be too strong, even in an atmosphere that can potentially blow your eardrums to pieces. An honourable quarter final exit is my prediction and they won’t let Real Madrid walk past them either, not with those fans signing the way they do!

Real Madrid

Without European glory since the 2000/01 season, the Madrid faithful have grown more and more impatient as the years go by in their team’s quest to make it 10 European victories. 6 years on the trot from 2004/05 to 2009/10 has seen them drop out of the competition at the last 16 hurdle. Improvements have be made though over the last couple of seasons, but both have ended in frustration with 2 semi final exits, one to their bitter league rivals Barcelona and the other with a penalty shootout loss to Bayern Munich at home last season.

Redemption seems to be the cries this season as they look to end what they would consider a ‘baron spell’ in the Champions League. They came out of the cleverly titled ‘group of death’ (although nobody did die) 2nd to Borussia Dortmund on 11 points with 15 goals and only 1 loss.

Their league form has been inconsistent for a team who took the title off Barcelona last year so clinically. They have only won 7 games away from home compared to 16 last season. Their 5 losses and 3 draws away from home also, gives further evidence of their league position, 13 points behind leaders Barcelona in second.

They did however come through a difficult, if not controversial tie against United. Mourinho did admit that United deserved to go through over the two legs but they have been given a second chance in a competition that wouldn’t be the same without them involved. The calibre of players they posses from defence to attack would give you reasons enough to hand them the trophy now but that isn’t how this competition works.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: With the league pretty much wrapped up and handed to Barcelona, Mourinho will now give all his attention to this competition and I believe there is a place in the Wembley final for Madrid. As I mentioned before, Galatasaray will provide a stern test in both legs and should Madrid overcome it, I predict a shot at glory in London come May.

Borussia Dortmund

With a third Bundesliga looking more and more unlikely thanks to Bayern Munich’s incredible season, Dortmund are further looking to stamp their authority on the Champions League and add a first European Cup to their cabinet since 1997.
Dortmund topped their group ahead of Real Madrid with 14 points from 6 games, winning four and drawing two. After going out in the group stages last year, they will see this as a perfect opportunity to attempt to go all the way, and this begins with a Quarter final draw against Malaga.

Robert Lewandowski has got the cream of Europe snapping at his heels to join their club at the moment and with 5goals in this season’s Champions League, he will be the man the Borussia Dortmund fans will be hoping can guide them to Wembley.

Dortmund boasts a further array of talent however with the likes of Marco Reus and Mario Gotze scoring 28 goals between them in all competitions this season. Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic give a solid defensive line to a well balanced team and although they have fallen by the way side in the Budesliga this year, they have potential to join the group of Champions League heavyweights everyone wants to be in.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: With the Champions League draw not revealing who plays who in the Semi-Finals, my prediction of Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund in the final is a bit of a wild one. But it’s one I’m going to stick by as the Germans look to make swift work of Malaga in their Quarter Final match up. A tough game it will be, yes, there aren’t ever easy ones at this stage of the competition, But Dortmund have such fluidity throughout their whole team, and I believe this will be too much for Malaga over these next 2 legs. A final appearance for Dortmund is on the cards in my Personal Hunch Paragraph.

Barcelona
You might think I’m a complete idiot for not putting Barcelona in this year’s final at Wembley, a place they know well after previously downing Manchester United in the 2010/11 final. And you’re probably right looking at Barcelona’s record in this competition over the last few years. Champions 3 times in the last 8 years with 3 Semi-Final places to add to that, they are the team to beat and continue to be a European force.

Like Bayern Munich, they lost their League Champions status last season to their nearest rivals, and like Munich they are set to retain it with admirable efficiency. Their only loss in La Liga since January 19th came at the hands of Real Madrid. They have only lost one other game all season and with a 13 point gap between themselves and second place Madrid, only an incredible dip in form will stop them regaining La Liga once more.

Personal Hunch Paragraph: Barcelona’s draw against PSG is certainly the glamour tie of the round and although PSG will want to have their say against the giants of European competition, I believe the Catalans will be too much for the French side. Lionel Messi’s 7 goals in 7 games in the Champions League will forever pose a threat in any game he plays in. Backed up by the two midfielders Xavi and Iniesta, the possession game and speed at which Barcelona hit teams in the final third will eventually lead to PSG crumbling in my opinion.

So there you have it, my take on this season’s ‘Big 8’. Just because there isn’t any British involvement in the Champions League this season, doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it and pick a team to follow. Hopefully next season I will be looking into the chances of some of the Premier Leagues elite, and I’m sure they will be unhappy about missing out on the business end of this great competition this season. A blip in form from the British sides indeed, one which shouldn’t affect them too much......or so we hope.

Champions League Nights and Away Day goings on!

Champions League Nights

Tonight’s game represents the chance to see arguably the competitions best two teams go head to head once again in the last 16 2nd leg. As we all know the tie hangs in the balance at 1-1 thanks to a couple of brilliant headers at the Bernabeu Stadium last month with Welbeck and Ronaldo getting on the scoresheet at either end in an enthralling tie.

It was always going to be enthralling though wasn’t it, a combination of media hype, the Cristiano Ronaldo effect and the two teams whose presence in this competition is admirable at the very least, provide Sky and other channels enough evidence to stand outside every building these players are in and talk about tonight’s game.

My personal opinion and prediction in my gut is a United win and a quarter final place. I’ve always believed games like these though are too difficult to forecast, so I may being eating my previous sentence. But a combination of United’s attacking presence in Rooney and Van Persie as well as what I imagine will be a syllable breaking atmosphere in Manchester, and the thought of a Real Madrid taking home the glory goes past me and my silly early predictions. But who knows, anything can happen. From late 2004 to mid 2008 I witnessed some games played by Liverpool in the Champions League that even Gary Neville and his ‘MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!!!’ touch board would fail to analyse.

I’m well aware of Cristiano Ronaldo and what his stature is within football and if anybody doubted that check every single back page in the British tabloid and they will bring you up to date. What many of these journalistic institutions forget sometimes though, in all the hype and excitement, is that football is actually played by 11 players, and I think I’m right in saying the other 10 at Real Madrid are ‘ok’...just!

Players with the calibre of Ozil, Benzema, Higuain and Alonso will have somewhat of an opinion on how the game will go tonight, and I can guarantee it won’t be a 100% conversation on Ronaldo, so United will need to be ready for this and Sir Alex Ferguson will have made them well aware of the fact it won’t just be the ‘Ronaldo show’. There’s also the large matter of French big man Raphael Varane, the 19 year old who Madrid eyed up on the basis of Zinedine Zidane’s advice. This advice now seems seismic in terms of Varane’s impact and he is someone who can further etch his credibility into supporters’ minds as he looks to add his Nou Camp goal last week to his ever growing popularity.

These games are the games we remember, whoever we support, a spectacle we appreciate, as the big guns in the television channel world use their best presenters combined with their best music to tug our heart strings with some brilliant pre match montages. This, combined with the next 90 minutes of what we all hope will be some unbelievable football, will all unravel itself out very soon.



Away Days are the best days.


I was lucky enough this weekend to once again grace the presence of another Premier League ground as Liverpool visited Wigan in a late Saturday kick off. Now away days are something that often exists in folklore in any type of fan, particularly in Britain. They carry the stories and tales of days gone by and I’ve always been someone keen to create my own as we ventured 40 minutes up the map with Facebook statuses in our hand and rum in our pockets.

There’s a certain element of chance to away days. Your day to somewhere away from your usual ground often entails an expensive hit on your bank account. So when you turn up and your team gets beaten you question EVERYTHING about your team and yourself and why you bought 8 cans of shady beer instead of just the four.

But winning.....wow. Winning doubles your beer count at the till and trebles your morning headache as well as giving you a lifetime of memories, even if they did all come from a short trip to Wigan.

The toothless man with a box of frosties, ‘partying when Suarez gets a pen’, Downing scoring an actual goal and chocking on the red smoke of a flare as Suarez bagged his hat-trick down our end provide me with a Saturday I don’t really remember, but one I’ll never forget. It means everything even when it doesn’t in the league, and I can’t wait for the next one. Hopefully that time I’ll be able to actually tactically analyse the game.

Commitment crumbles in Eastern Europe

There was a point in the match in St Petersburg last night where the ball was pulled back to Stewart Downing after Jordan Henderson was unable to get his shot away. The likelihood is that the shot would have probably not gone in or blocked by a Zenit player near his goal. Downing actually got to the shot and it would be fair to say got about 40-50% of the desirable contact when a ball comes out to you 6 yards from goal.

It wasn’t this that bothered me, the weak contact bit. It was the feeble attempt he made at trying to get to the ball. It was the jump he made after half striking the ball that any girl playing hopscotch or jumping over their skipping rope in the playground would be proud of.

Liverpool were 2-0 down at this point, about 85 minutes into the match on a pitch my local referee’s would deem have deemed ‘shocking’ even for a Sunday morning game. They needed that away goal to give them a chance at Anfield in the return fixture. As you may well know now, that scoreline stayed at 2-0, and now Liverpool are left with a bit of a mountain to climb, and it feels like Mount Everest with the way they played the rest of that second half after going 1-0 down.

What I’m doing in this article is something I rarely do as a fan, as I believe in trying to take the positives from any game, I believe in not letting the frustration of losing or drawing get the better of me. I often say to myself that there’s time to improve, that the team will come back the next game fighting harder than ever before to make whatever it is they’ve done wrong previously. Not today.

What I’m doing Mr Enrique, Mr Henderson, Mr Sterling, Mr Allen, Mr Johnson and Miss Downing is calling you out. I’m asking in what realm of footballing performance was that. At what point in that last half an hour warrants those 300 fans not to turn up to Melwood at some point today and ask you personally for their money back in what I imagine was a £1500 trip to a country that is essentially a freezer. A freezer they had to stand in for 2 hours, singing their hearts out about players, matches and stories of days gone by, and watch you crawl to a 2-0 defeat without even making a quarter of the effort us as Liverpool fans expect from you. Tell me, does what you earn weekly warrant the percentage of effort you put in? If that’s the case then you all need a serious reality check.



You will be wondering why I’m not calling out Gerrard or Carragher or Suarez (although he missed some INEXCUSABLE chances last night). It’s because next week, when once again our 12th man will attempt to come to your rescue and literally push you towards that Zenit goalmouth, those are the 3 players who will more likely than not be the players who make the important tackle, pass the decisive ball or clinch the goal that matters. And lets face it, Gerrard and Carragher have done enough already, you haven’t.

If by some miracle somebody sends this on to your twitter account or posts it through your door, this isn’t just I telling you this, this is thousands of frustrated fans sick of believing that Liverpool are the ‘team very much starting and growing again’, a phrase I’m frankly sick of hearing. This may well be the case, and I’m very aware we have fallen by the wayside recently, but that doesn’t mean to say when you go 2-0 down in Russia you suddenly drop your commitment levels.

I’m by no means claiming I’m an expert in all fields of football here, I don’t see you all in training, I don’t work with you everyday and see the camaraderie between you all and I most certainly don’t possess the footballing ability you have, but I am someone who, as young as I am, have supported this club for longer than you ever will and will continue to long after you’ve got your final pay check and jetted off into the sunshine.

And I, along with all the other reds, young and old, expect more. I didn’t grow up listening to all the tales of Emlyn Hughes and Graeme Souness flying into tackles and throwing everything including the kitchen sink into every single minute of every single game. And I imagine our modern Souness, Jamie Carragher, doesn’t want his career and what will be his 100th European appearance to dwindle out with a mere puff of smoke. Someone of that calibre doesn’t deserve that and I’m very anxious that this will happen.



So read your books, watch your videos, stay behind for an extra hour after training, stop talking to the media about how you’ve worked so incredibly hard to break into the team and how you’ve always loved Liverpool and its fans and actually go and do something about it. The stage is all there for you, ready and waiting. Anfield, the Kop, 45000 people, millions watching around the world, 2-0 down with 3 to get, a couple of tricky Brazilians and a hefty goal bonus. Walk on that pitch and stick your foot, head, elbow and neck into anything that tries to get past you. Sweat buckets till your 6 stone piss wet through and maybe you’ll get the adulation these fans want to give you, and maybe you’ll walk off that pitch to a standing ovation.

Liverpool stutter yet again...

Liverpool stutter yet again...

The game against West Bromwich Albion last night was a chance for Liverpool to continue on from all the positives taken from the two recent and impressive away games at Arsenal and Man City. So much was said about how Liverpool had performed maturely and in a disciplined manner at two of the toughest away grounds in the Premier League. Disappointingly, they failed to capitalise on what was a great opportunity to close the gap on Everton to 3 points and give Tottenham a worried look over their shoulder as we move into the last few months of the league.

I’d go as far to say that the chase for fourth is now over and a struggle for sixth is now on the cards. As hard as that is to accept, when games like this aren’t finished off, that is the underlining fact.

The momentum for Liverpool going into this game was brilliant. A feel good factor has been up and down around Anfield this season with our inconsistent results but it was growing again due to the week previous.

The game itself was dominated by Liverpool, but all credit must go to West Brom for their smash and grab performance which their pocketful of fans based in the Lower Anfield end delightfully took back to the midlands with those hardened Brummy smiles.
Mulumbu and Yacob for me were the pick of the bunch. They guarded the defence with great composure and used the ball well when they won it back, with the possession game of Liverpool not being as successful of late thanks to those two as well as third middle man, James Morrison.

Brendan Rodgers said after the game of the ‘setback’ this has caused and how the ‘effort was terrific, but the ball never fell for us’. I’m not one to look to criticise the major specificities on a regular basis but when that ball fell for Borini, you hit that with you left, not kick it away from goal with your right.

The chances came, there’s no doubting that and many raised the issue of Sturridge being injured as a reason for Liverpool not taking the points. Correct me if I’m wrong but prior to this 26th game of the season Liverpool were playing, we had played another 25 right? Sturridge’s impact has been fantastic and the new system with him up top and Suarez behind in the free role is beginning to have an impact but when one player gets injured that doesn’t mean we can’t play the other systems that have gotten the reds within touching distance of the Champions League places.

This wasn’t a result because one player was missing, this was the score line it was because the players who are expected to deliver the quality expected for a game like this, did not do that. Jonjo Shelvey has found himself out of the frame since a couple of disappointing performances over the Christmas period and he had his chance last night. He almost looked like he wasn’t sure where he was playing and his touch seemed a little jaded in the early stages which set the tone for the rest of his night.

Furthermore, Johnson and Enrique produced their most disappointing showing all season. The flowing pass and move sequences they have created down their sides of the field, particularly Johnson, seemed to stutter last night. This was partly due to West Brom’s resolute defending but with Enrique’s strength and speed as well as Johnson’s persistence in going forward, I would have expected more from them last night.

Without Sturridge, Liverpool were previously successful at winning at home, with wins against Fulham and Sunderland respectively in the past few weeks. You’d go as far to argue that at the time Sunderland arrived at Anfield they were on the up, and after a tough Christmas. They’d beaten Man City at home, came out of a tricky test away at Southampton with a 1-0 victory thanks in part to in form Steven Fletcher and been narrowly beaten by a top quality Tottenham display at the Stadium of Light.

West Brom’s visit to Anfield came with their current record standing at six games without a win, five of which they has lost. They walked onto a pitch which so often in games like this has a hill, rolling steeply down towards the Kop end (metaphorically, not literally), and no matter how many teams played with 10 or 11 men behind the ball, Liverpool would always find a way through. Last night that hill made an appearance but for some reason the ball rolled the other way into Pepe Reina’s net and the red men were left to stand to rue the copious amounts of chances they potentially could have put away but never.

At the moment it feels like 2 steps forward and 2 steps back, jiggling in between that mediocre 8th and 9th position nobody wants to be in. Games like last night were once the reason Rafa Benitez’s 2008/09 Liverpool team lost the Premier League that season. They feel just as disappointing, if not more disappointing than results against Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham and often leave our heads scratching more.

It’s a tough result to take, particularly because it’s the result that almost certainly rules us out of challenging for the coveted 4th spot and it also leaves us questioning future games at home against teams like West Brom, games were a win should be the outcome.

Swansea are up next, a team arguably better than the Albion and with one of the in form strikers of the Premier League in Michu . Let’s hope Brendan Rodgers can do to his old team what Steve Clarke did to his old team last night. I’d take that smash and grab right about now, wouldn’t you?

Borussia Dortmund- Success as a club and a business

"It is a true team built from a club’s youth system with a young manager, rather than assembled hastily with the riches of one shady boardroom figure. Their rebirth has come about from financial caution, and sensible, long term planning, both on and off the field. It is difficult to imagine a similar story unfolding in the free for all world of the Premier League. There, debt is covered up with more debt."

There are certain teams that pass you by as a football fan, certain teams you admire for a game or two, when it’s their time in the limelight on a bitter January night, mid-week, for an F.A Cup replay. There are certain teams you talk about, whether that is a reason to loathe them or respect them. Certain teams you pay no attention to at all, because there is nothing different about them, nothing about them that goes against the grain of modern football.

A team who do not fall into the above paragraphs category is current Bundesliga champions, Borussia Dortmund. So impressed have I been with this club in recent times that I spent 2 and a half hours watching YouTube clips of just their fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K-KNLfhsCs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZnUlEJFPjs

Dortmund’s rise to the top hasn’t been pretty, it’s only recently that they have found stability, gained respect from Europe’s elite and balanced their books so well their piggy bank cracks open a healthy profit. They are a force to be reckoned with, and a business model to be studied and adhered to.

They began life 1909 and have since gone on to win 8 German championships, three German cups and one Champions league title. Their first league title came in 1956 and then 10 years later in 1966 they became the first German club to win a European title, winning the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup against Bill Shankly’s Liverpool at Hampden Park.

The 1970’s will be remembered as a time of financial difficulty for the club which also saw there relegation in 1972, the opening of their stadium the Westfalenstadion in 1974 and then a return to the Bundesliga in 1976. A golden period in the 1990’s followed with 2 league titles in 1995 and 1996 respectively before their 1997 Champions League final win against Juventus which saw none other than Aston Villa’s present manager Paul Lambert take an assist as well as keeping the irrepressible Zinedine Zidane quiet during a memorable 3-1 victory.

Last year Dortmund won the Bundesliga for the second time in two years, asserting their dominance in German football once more. They also asserted themselves in the record books too. They broke the point’s record in the Bundesliga by gaining 81 points in 34 league matches as well as going 28 games consecutively without losing, another record. Furthermore they have the youngest squad in the Bundesliga, a young squad that also boasts the fairest playing team in the league, and, just to add to that jar of ever growing jealousy many fans must be getting, their average attendance stands at 80 521, the highest in Germany and Europe.

Dortmund’s financial side has also improved vastly since near collapse in 2005. Their revenue has almost doubled in the last two years from £103million in 2010 to £199million in 2012. This is due to the increase in the TV pool for German teams and Dortmund have saw their revenue increase threefold from 21million Euro’s to 60 million in the last 2 years.

If we look further into their finances, in particularly their Champions League earnings for this season, Dortmund are set to earn a minimum of 41.8 Euros thanks to getting to the last 16 as well as topping their group. If they were to go on to the final and win, their potential earnings can rocket to around 80 million euros (including ticketing for home matches). This shows around an 50million Euro increase from last season when they exited at the group stage. Enough of the stats because Dortmund, basically, are in dreamland.

This further highlights the Bundesliga’s increased reputation and growing revenue. Tim Rich of The Independent said of the Bundesliga in general that it ‘enjoys the largest football economy in the world. They carry less debt, produce more profit, their stadiums are fuller and their ticket prices lower than any other major league’ (an average of £15 compared to £41 for the Premier League).

Dortmund’s morals seem also to have followed their growing success, when asked if City’s owner Sheikh Mansour, ever wanted to invest in Dortmund, the clubs managing director Hans Joachim Watzke, said he would refuse to meet him and remarked, “We want to keep our soul”. An admirable answer in front of Dortmund’s ever growing media spotlight.

The idea that another club, another set of fans, another teams way of play on the football pitch is better than the team I follow used to be absurd to me. As football fans we are often fickle and narrow minded towards our opinions. At times we waver from what is true and what is real. Growing up Liverpool was this perfect ideal, this perfect institution that everybody should bow down to, should appreciate. Reality kicks in, as does adulthood, and along with adulthood, for most anyway, comes level headedness.

Without meaning to stir some petty fan banter, I’ve been lucky enough to experience some of the best atmospheres in any stadium in Europe as a Liverpool fan. Teams often have devout fans whose inner circle of support is one to be admired and Liverpool’s falls into that category. But I can honestly say that this club and these fans are the best I’ve ever seen. To get a mix of such passionate fans coupled with one of the best teams in Europe in the most up and coming league on this planet is a rarity, and something I’ve felt compelled to write about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwcWccVrXZw

The last 16 comes next for Dortmund, something they have been rather unfamiliar of in recent times. Since their victory over Juventus for European glory in 1997 they have fell short of the high expectations a competition like the Champions League demands. With their league fortunes stuttering somewhat this season, a run in the knock out stages could well stamp their authority on Europe further.

Every team, every league and every country has their own culture, their own way of doings things when it comes to the life sentence of supporting your team. But this growing institution, this global brand whose motto “Echte Liebe” (True Love) is a statement as proud as any mother is with their children, whose 80 000+ capacity Signal Iduna stadium is so overwhelming the shivers down your spine would turn to full on cold sweats and whose fans are so passionate that I challenge anyone to rival them when it comes to stadium, fans and success. This holy trinity, is truly the definition of “Echte Liebe”.