The Red Yank Think Tank: Edition #4 – Suffering From Patheticitis

The Red Yank Think Tank: Edition #4 – Suffering From Patheticitis: "I cannot help it; I’m gutted and I’m pissed off. UEFA has another $10 of mine which entitled me to spending two hours of my Thursday a..."

Edition #4 – Suffering From Patheticitis

I cannot help it; I’m gutted and I’m pissed off.  UEFA has another $10 of mine which entitled me to spending two hours of my Thursday afternoon watching Liverpool play Braga on a bad internet feed, and playing pathetically.  Had the boys in Red walked away victorious, propelling us into the next round of the Europa League, then it would have been well worth all the investment.  Hell, who am I fooling?  If we had gone down fighting, with a sense of urgency and understanding of the importance of the moment, I would have been heart-broken but I would have considered it another modern miracle and blessing that I was able to watch my beloved Reds in European competition, live, from the comfort of my home in middle Alabama, and playing for the shirt.  But, alas, it was not to be.

And if I could figure out WHY we were so bad, then maybe things wouldn’t be so bad but the honest-to-goodness-answer is that I can’t.  This is a poor team, with little quality.  And thanks to our exit from the Europa League and the fact that it is highly unlikely we’ll catch Tottenham for 5^th place, all Reds fans must soon start recognizing the ugly truth…..we will be without European competition for the foreseeable future---at least through the 11/12 season.  That means it will be August of the 12/13 season before we can get excited about any form of European football at the earliest!  

Are you okay with that?  I’m not, but there are lots of blogs, articles and internet site comments out there from lots of Liverpool “fans” who claim they gladly traded this season’s successful for the guaranteed exit of the Evil Twins.  Well, do you mean that?  Will you honestly accept not being in Europe for that long and ALL of the consequences of the void?  Think about it?  Are those fans ready to lose out on the viable talents that might have otherwise graced Anfield in our colors but will now chose other paths in order to get into European competitions?  Will they gladly accept the loss of revenue that will come from the gates, television, expanded market presence, etc.?  I won’t!  See, when we do accept those conditions then people like the Evil Twins win.  Under these conditions unless we start producing from within we will fall further and further behind the growing number of teams who threaten the very existence of our legacy unless John Henry is willing to pay above the odds for money-hungry “stars” who will serve the club well as long as they’re receiving fat paychecks.  Maybe then we will get back to a prominent position in the league again.  Even if he is willing and able to do that, after all, it was confirmed that he has re-entered the billionaires club recently, where does that money come from?  Something has to give.  And that giving will likely happen at the expense of the stadium---whether we’re talking about re-development of Anfield or something new, with or without Everton, across Stanley Park.  And if that doesn’t happen then we continue to fall further and further behind the likes of Scum United, City, Tottenham and the likes of Chelsea—as long as the Great Russian Tycoon is willing to open his checkbook. 

Yes, all of these thoughts popped into my head as I watched Braga out-hustle us and show bigger heart over the course of the last 90 minutes.  I had concerning observations throughout, both on the field and on the bench.  Though Danny Wilson showed more positively there were moments of absolute horror at some of his decisions.  Lucas was invisible again, as was Maxi.  Meireles showed none of the magic that has been his calling-card since King Kenny’s arrival.  More concerning was that we created nothing and tried nothing new throughout the entire match, even when it was obvious that Andy Carroll having the ball pumped to him over and over was not working.  It seemed like we latched onto that one mechanism even at our own detriment; sort of like we used to back in the day when Michael Owen could run by anyone and we would just pump the ball into open field and let him run onto it.  I rarely got excited by anything I saw Thursday; it was horribly reminiscent of Uncle Woy days, almost as though we never left them.  In addition to the players on the field, what King Kenny did scared me.  He didn’t adjust to an obviously failing plan and he stubbornly waited way too long to change things up with fresh players who could have brought something different to the game.  Additionally, Joe Cole is shit; let’s just face it.  He should never wear our colors again…ever, yet he starts in a vitally important European survival game!!  What?!  Or how about something even more elementary like lining up with just one striker in a game where we needed a goal?  It was almost as if King Kenny set out to win 1-0 and go to penalties.  That’s not the Liverpool way.  Taking a step further back, we have only scored 16 times in King Kenny’s 14 games in charge, and only 10 goals in the last 10 games.  This with the likes of Suarez, Meireles, Gerrard and Carroll you’d think we could do more than a goal per game.  What started out so promising, with a change of formation and a flowing football, has mutated recently and I have to wonder if that is because King Kenny is trying to secure that contract and is taking that well-trodden path of “playing it safe”.  I, for one, hate that kind of football.

And before we look too far ahead we have a tricky game at the Stadium of Light and Tottenham still has a game in hand.  We cannot slip up again this season; that’s a fact.  If we do, my hope is that King Kenny does the right thing and sits some of the over-paid, under-achieving players.  Maxi, Lucas, Cole, Carragher, Skrtel all need to step aside for the younger guys to come up and get some experience in hopes that they can help us for the long road ahead.  It might sound like sacrilege but it is what needs to happen for the future health of the club.

But I still haven’t given up hope.  There’s a part of me that thinks we could recreate the miracle of Istanbul over the course of 9 games and I believe it….until I look at what lays ahead.  All Reds fans would be best served to realize what we’re faced with and prepare for a bleak time to come.  I dearly hope I am wrong about this but unless the likes of Pacheco, Suso, Sterling, Ayala, Wilson, Kelly can lay a solid foundation for the imported superstars and Henry can get focused on the task at hand, I just don’t see much light ahead.

Until we meet again,

The Red Yank

Edition #3 – The American Perspective of Being Red

You’ve got it tough, right?  You work your ass off, live in a country with little sunshine, narrow streets, congested cities and reportedly (though I’ve never eaten it to know) bad food.  All of that rain must be an utter bummer (or is that ‘bum’ to my British brothers and sisters of the Red army?).  Anyway, I digress.

I’m not being facetious for the sake of it; I think those of you across the pond are some of the luckiest bastards in the world.  Think about the similarities between those of us who follow Liverpool in the States and the core in England.  We all plod the same trail in life, with few exceptions.  We all went to school, started collecting a family and kept those jobs that would support our growing requirements.  Very few of us wake up in the morning thanking our higher power that we get to spend the next 10 hours of our lives with fellow miserable people and office politics.  We may be thankful that we have a job, but that doesn’t mean we are thankful for the very job itself.  So we need a break, a release, something that will get us through those dreary days.  And for thousands of us that thing is Liverpool Football Club. 

When Saturday comes our worries and concerns are washed away, even if just temporarily, by the boys in Red.  We lose ourselves in that fantasy world, that wonderful place where we don’t have to worry about money or responsibilities and we can sit back, get in touch with are barbaric roots and lose ourselves in the simplicity of being a football fan.  It’s a beautiful thing; tainted with the emotion of the glorious wins, nail-biting draws or the heart-breaking losses.  It is life’s perfect paradox; it is “just” a game that means nothing in the worst moments of life but yet to us, to the die-hard, it means everything….and, sometimes, more. 

Yes, for us American football fans, it is that as well.  My overseas brothers and sisters in the Red Army get to transport to the stadium and take the atmosphere in; it is a source of envy for those of us on this side of the big, blue pond.  We envy that you can stand in the Kop, that you get to sing the songs or, for those lucky few, you get to pounce down to the advertising boards when Gerrard scorches a Champions League winner from 30 yards against Turkish opposition in the dying moments of a game.  Though your American brethren can rarely do that, we do the best we can for game days.

To date this season, Liverpool have played 29 games and, because of the incredible football television coverage here, I have watched all of them live---something I understand is unheard of on British television.  It’s a magnificent way to be intimately involved in the season.  I can’t sleep well the night before a big game and countless Saturday or Sunday mornings have passed where I’ve risen before the sun to catch the game live.  There are numerous Liverpool fan clubs all over this great country; I am a member of one which is two hours away from me in Atlanta, the LFC Redmen & Liverbirds, who I have just found.  The group uses the power of the internet to organize meets in downtown Atlanta pub to watch our beloved Reds together and, though I cannot wait to catch up with them, rest-assure I will report the experience here to share with those of you on the other side. 

American Reds are just as invested in this club as our overseas brethren.  We do everything we can to support our team, both on game-day and monetarily speaking.  We are in this with our British Red family; we all have the same objective—to see our beloved Reds be successful as they can be and, hopefully, return to a position of brilliant dominance of British football….oh, and to make the Stupid Drunk Scot sit down and shut the hell up forever.  Know this, the American Reds are just as passionate as any Red….6,000 miles of water be damned!

Until we meet again,

The Red Yank

The Red Yank Think Tank: Edition #2 – Carroll’s European Dream, Layoffs and...

The Red Yank Think Tank: Edition #2 – Carroll’s European Dream, Layoffs and...: "So the travelling contingent to Portugal will include our 35-million-pound man. Word on the street is that Andy Carroll is travelling ..."

Edition #2 – Carroll’s European Dream, Layoffs and Youth

So the travelling contingent to Portugal will include our 35-million-pound man.  Word on the street is that Andy Carroll is travelling but will not be walking out onto the pitch for announcements.  Instead, he’ll occupy a similar spot on the bench and support his teammates—but you must imagine that will only be for the first 60-or-so minutes; though King Kenny seems to have an interest in using available substitutes later in games (but that probably comes from the fact that we have way too many players who seem to be made of glass).  Either way, it will be great for Carroll to get some game time, to work with the midfield and see what he can do with the wayward crossing that comes from our wings.  Seriously, as an aside, how can we look at ANYTHING in the next transfer window but wingers and defenders (I do not want to hear anything about another striker or central midfielder)?  Back to Braga: so Carroll will make the trip and I’m hoping he’ll get a 30-minute run-out and maybe steal a late away goal for us.  We’ll probably need it; Braga will counter attack and we’ll be without Suarez; I’m not excited about our prospects in the game and honestly think we’ll need the work rate of Kuyt and Meireles to keep us in the tie for the 2^nd leg back at Anfield.  So, Carroll’s time on the pitch will be critical, I feel for this 1^st leg.  Let’s hope he starts his legacy-building Thursday night.

Suarez isn’t happy that he’ll have to wait so long for another run-out, and who can blame him.  Because of his own “passion” he served a long lay-off in the winter (because of biting an opponent) and has just been getting back into his form—and what fine form that was against the Scum—and now he finds himself sitting around until we return to Premiership action after two legs of European ties sandwiching an FA Cup weekend.  What kind of impact will this have on our new class-act?  We have to hope so; the promise of things to come was glaringly evident against the Scum.  His performance makes it much easier to forget Torres (who?).  Seriously, would Torres have been able to split two defenders, beat another two and PASS the ball?  NO—Torres would have shot, hit Van Der Saar in the gut and not tracked back to help stem Scum United’s counter attack.  It’s my hope that we see Suarez just as sharp as he was on Sunday when we return to the Premiership; we’ll need his unique vision and touch to get through the Sunderland defense.  I have to admit; it’s twelve days away—that’s another almost two weeks of Suarez and Carroll working together…..I’m just saying.

Did any of you see that Suso and Pacheco and Sterling are at it again?  Their combined age is still almost a decade younger than King Kenny; I cannot help but get excited to think about the things to come from these young men.  Just think about it; if we keep building in this direction, we sign King Kenny to a long-term contract, keep Clarke on board and keep the Academy under the Barcelona-esque “Liverpool way” of training, the things to come can only be promising.  All three are attacking players and should be ready for first team football within the next 2-3 years, just when Stevie G and Meireles’ careers will be seriously winding down.  Imagine if they truly are magical…we’ll still have Jonjo—don’t forget how ripe he is either; maybe, just maybe, we will finally stop spending millions in transfers per year on midfielders and use those funds to expand Anfield…ah, to dream.

Lastly, central Texas now has roots to Liverpool.  Paul Daglish has helped establish an approved Liverpool Academy right here in America---reportedly the ONLY approved international Liverpool Academy.  Probably not newsworthy in itself beyond the fact that there is another tie between my beloved club and my home shores.  Who knows, 10 years from now maybe I’ll be watching an American kid run out in that gorgeous red kit to the songs of the Kop…..dare to dream!

Until we meet again,

The Red Yank

Edition #1 – Death to the Scum!

What better time to start a blog than following a dominating win over the Scum?  How glorious a Sunday morning was it to watch the men in Red trample all over our most hated rival?  I don’t know about you all but it felt damn good and well-justified.  My Sunday was made by early morning.

Being a “Yank” as my cross-ocean Red brethren would probably call me; I can’t explain how good I felt waking up that early and having my day made before 11 am.  Thanks boys!!  And, since this is a new blog, I don’t want to hear disparaging comments about a yank blogging about the Reds.  I’ve been following this club since 1995---yes, not as long as many, but long enough to have learned and read as much as possible about my beloved club without setting foot in Anfield---a life-time dream.  I’ve never witnessed us win the league, but I’ve seen us win everything else.  I’ve been there for the highs of Istanbul to the fun of the UEFA Cup-treble season, to the lows of the end of Rafa and Hicks and Gillette.  I even remember us with two managers….at the SAME time.  I remember beating Arsenal in the FA Cup through some of the ugliest football known to man and I’ve been there watching Stevie G going ballistic at Goodison park as a young man, wearing a different number.  I remember multiple strikers from Spain and their different levels of success and even a guy named Titi.  So please, don’t criticize me for building this blog or putting my thoughts out there.  Hell, I’ve seen all 29 of the league games this season---there are some benefits to living in the States in 2011.  I love my Reds

Now, with that out of the way:  everywhere I looked on the pitch yesterday I saw pride.  Excellent performances abounded, even from those who tend to let us down.  Hell, when I can say (out loud) that Lucas played well, you KNOW things are great for the boys.  The midfield did what they needed to do; the backline pretty much impressed in a season of weak performances.  Think about it; how many times to you remember Rooney or Hernandez or Berbatov being in any sort of dangerous position?  But, all the kudos must go to two men, Suarez and Kuyt.  Suarez’s performance was so strong that I honestly found myself THANKING Torres for leaving so that we could be blessed with this little man who create something out of absolutely nothing---how many times did you rewind those sequence in the box on the 1^st goal?  I know I watched it at least 10 times before I could move on in the game.  And the endless-pit-of energy was always there where he needed to be.  Kuyt is so tireless; working hard from our third right up to the opponent’s goal.  Yesterday it finally paid off for him.  After all these years of faithful service wasn’t it just great to see him get those breaks? 

The introduction of Carroll was nice; I wish he’d had longer with Suarez but there were moments where you had to lick your lips.  That header back to Kuyt or his trap along the touchline indications that he’ll bring something new to the team that we’ve been missing for a long, long time.

The time is soon coming, if it is not already here, that no one will be able to say that Liverpool are a 1-man or 2-man team.  With the new dimension, dynamics and flexibility created by King Kenny and Steve Clarke in addition to the obvious (Suarez, Meireles, Carroll, Gerrard) times are definitely looking up.  This is a first post so I won’t discuss my worries about the backline or Pepe leaving or just what the hell Lucas does for us (yesterday’s performance truly was an aberration, I’m sure of it).  No, instead I’m going to celebrate my entrance into the blogging world lavishing in the glory of yesterday and the promise it brings for the future.

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Until we meet again,

The Red Yank