Good Game Bad Game [vs Everton]

There was a lot of talk before the game whether this fixture might be regaining the 'friendly' tag of old but, if that were the case, then the players surely didn't notice. Both sets were eager to make their physical presence count and, thanks to a weak referee, this resulted in a series of dangerous tackles.

Sotirios Kyrgiakos ended up being sent off for one of these but in truth there could easily have been two or three more sending offs.

Shorn of the Greek defender, who has been such a huge presence in recent weeks, Liverpool might have been expected to struggle but in reality they did not. Apart from the goal there was the bar that Steven Gerrard hit in the first half that can be noted down as a clear cut chance but even posession wise it was Liverpool who held control despite missing a man.

I have to admit that I have a lot of respect for David Moyes - he has built a good team on a very tight budget - but on this occasion his limitations were exposed. With Everton a goal down and a man up, he couldn't come up with a different tactic other than lumping the ball into the box. Their hope seemed to be Liverpool's defence messing up or crumbling under the pressure. To be fair, that has happened on a number of occasions this season but not on this day. So the end result of all that was two real threats on goal (Cahill's header and Yakubu's shot) throughout the ninety minutes.

Good Game
He flapped at one cross but otherwise Pepe Reina was impeccalbe, with that last gasp save on Yakubu proving to be the pick of the bunch. Daniel Agger's return to the side was something of a surprise given that Martin Skrtel had been playing decently well in recent weeks. Still, it was a decision that worked as he effectively took hold of defence.

He started the afternoon at right-back but then Jamie Carragher was forced to go into the centre because of Kyrgiakos' dismissal. Not that he had been troubled too much before but once back into his more natulral position he grew in stature.

Skinned once by Landon Donovan and then surprised by Victor Anichebe's strength: that is what will go on Emiliano Insua's sin card for an afternoon where he was very good once more. The worst seems behind him and, with his confidence picking up, he is looking more like his old self with every game.

The sending off of Kyrgiakos meant that Javier Mascherano had to drop back into the right-back slot where he did a fantastic job. My man of the match.

Scorer of the only goal and a veritable Duracell bunny on the right, Dirk Kuyt exemplified all that was missing from Everton's display: commitment, determination and belief.

Not exceptional but this was still a good display by Steven Gerrard who on occasions was pivotal as Liverpool tried to catch Everton on the backfoot in the second half.

He has his detractors but yet again this was a very positive display by David N'Gog. Ever willing to run, his control of the ball has improved tremendously and gives defenders a constant headache. His biggest fault, ironically, lies in not being able to do the simple things well enough but every mistake he makes seems to fuel his desire to improve. Not to mention that it was a corner that he brought about from which Liverpool scored the winner.

Bad Game
It could be argued that Maroune Fellaini stamped on him with the sole purpose of hurting him, yet the fact remain that it was a bad tackle by Sotirios Kyrgikos which left his teammates with will over a half playing with ten men.

His inclusion was something of a surprise but whatever tactical benefit Benitez wanted to exploit from including Maxi Rodriguez from the start didn't work. Indeed, the Argentine looked lost most of the time.

Substitutes.
At the time, Ryan Babel's instroduction made sense as his added speed could help unsettle Everton's defence. Unfortunately, he showed nothing of the commitment that N'Gog had been before him and ended up wasting what was a wonderful opportunity to re-establish himself inthe team

Martin Skrtel and Fabio Aurelio were last minute additions aimed exclusively at winding down the clock.

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Sold Too Young and Too Soon?

"A disgrace if true". "This decision will come back to bite us". "Simply disgusting." Of the reactions from across the internet which greeted the sale of young German left-back Christopher Buchtmann to Fulham, those were among the more presentable and even they had to be doctored a little. Most simply threw out expletives, aiming them either on Rafael Benitez or the American owners with the choice of target being largely down to personal opinions on either one.

Such a response was hardly unexpected. A member of the German side that won the European Under 17 championships - a tournament during which he was among the best players - Buchtmann had shown signs of genuine promise not least in the FA Youth Cup final when he was one of the few to emerge with any credit. Those two games against Arsenal hinted that he was ready for a tougher challenge which is what he got when he was promoted to train at Melwood rather than the academy. It wouldn't take him long to nail down a spot on the reserves team, was the general opinion, but instead all he got was a transfer.

The surprise and the resulting expression of displeasure were therefore understandable. Yet this does not mean that Buchtmann will turn out to be as good as some of those who have spoken about him these past few days are expecting him to be. Just as there is no guarantee that any other young player will be as good as his early promise indicates that he will be.

A look at recent history should be enough to prove that. Twelve months ago, Marvin Pourie was sold to Schalke 04 in a move that generated a similar reaction to that of Buchtmann. Pourie had been one of the academy's leading scorers with goals figures that brought about easy comparisons with the likes of Robbie Folwer. Then suddenly he was sold.

It was a move that Liverpool would live to regret, or so was the public verdict. A year down the line, however, and that prediction doen't look like coming true. Pourie has spent most of that time on loan, twice going to 1860 Munich and then to TuS Koblenz. But that's not all: his second spell at 1860 Munich ended abruptly due to indiscipline whilst in his current loan he will be playing for the Under 19s. Hardly the actions of someone who was supposed to be so good.

Still not convinced? Well, there's more. In the same week that Liverpool were selling Buchtmann to Fulham, Nathan Porritt saw his contract at Middlesbrough being cancelled. Having never played for Liverpool, not even the youth sides, it isn't surprising if his name means little to you. Yet three years back, Porritt was at the centre of a controversy when a BBC Panorama's programme "Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets" revealed that a number of clubs - one of which was alleged to be Liverpool - had made an illegal move to sign the then fifteen year old Porritt.

Whether those revelations were true or not (and the fact that they were never followed up would indicate that they weren't), what is most relevant to the argument being made here is that a player who at fifteen looked so good that so many high profile clubs risked getting sanctioned by the FA to try and get him is considered not to be good enough for a Championship side three years later.

Of course, all of this doesn't mean that Buchtmann isn't a good enough footballer and his career won't get anywhere. Liverpool could indeed end up regretting letting him go, and doing it so cheaply, but much of that depends as much on what happens next as it does on his talent. It could be that at Fulham he ends up playing in the Premier league earlier and under much less pressure than he would have at Liverpool. It is, after all, what happened to Stephen Warnock who had the luxury of playing away from the limelight at Blackburn and is now showing that he is a decent player at Aston Villa.

Talk of Warnock in a piece like this is inevitable for he, more than anyone else, has been used as an example of players let go to soon and for far too little. Yet, without going into whether he is good enough to be a regular starter for Liverpool, the fact of the matter is that Warnock has developed as he has precisely because he was allowed to leave. Had Benitez insisted on keeping him at Anfield as a squad player, then the likelihood is that he would have regressed than gone on to make the left-back slot his own.

It is such considerations that a manager has to take in when deciding on the future of a player. Talent is an important part of the equation but then there are other factors like attitude, tactical awareness and development that have to be considered. And not all of these factors will be as clearly evident to those watching games as they are to those who see the players train on a daily basis.

Sometimes it isn't easy to make a decision and on other occasions you might end up making the wrong one - let's not forget that Liverpool once had a young Scot by the name of Kenny Dalglish on trial but decided that he wouldn't be good enough - but they are decisions that have to be taken nevertheless. The fact that there are so few instances of players who turn out to have been sold prematurely, however, is as good enough an indication that most of the time the decision made is the right one.

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Good Game Bad Game [vs Bolton Wanderers]

After the ineptitude of midweek came a game where Liverpool showed the kind of conviction and determination that is to be expected from them every time they play. Bolton did occasionally cause some problems - none more so than when Lee waltzed through the defence - but overall they were no match for Liverpool in every aspect of the game. True, both goals were quite lucky, but no one could deny that Liverpool deserved to win. It was not only the ideal result but also the best possible performance ahead of three very tough games that have to be won.

Good Game
Didn't really have much to do but Pepe Reina handled Bolton's crosses with relative ease and rarely did they overly trouble him. This was largely due to another excellent performance by the central defensive pairing of Martin Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos. His distribution still seems to be haphazard when he is pressurized but Skrtel is nearing last season's level of performance and this was probably his best game all season.

AS for Kyrgiakos, he was simply immense, providing Liverpool with the physical presence to repel Bolton's approach. Every time the ball came near him, he gobbled it up in his third consecutive impressive performance, one where the highlight was that ball cleared off the line. My man of the match.

Another player who, like Skrtel, seemed to have suffered a massive crisis of confidence was Emiliano Insua. But he too bounced back on this occasion as he linked up well with Albert Riera and provided the kind of crosses that had been missing from him throughout the season.

On the right, Jamie Carragher looked as uncomfortable as ever in that position but at least he did push forward more than he had done at Wolves in mid-week and took a significantly more positive approach.

Javier Mascherano did his usual mopping up service with extreme efficiency but he was also more confident with the ball at his feet and always seemed to know what to do with it. Something that hasn't been too apparent this season.

Having been so ineffective in midweek, this was much better from Steven Gerrard who seemed to be back to his old self without this having any negative impact on the rest of the team in the form of over dependence on him. That said, he must stop taking every corner and free-kick that Liverpool get.

There were those who thought that Albert Riera was terrible against Bolton but, personally, I though that he had a good game where, despite clearly not being fully match sharp. His crossing and skills provide Liverpool with a creative bite that is missing elsewhere.

Lucky to see his goal go in, Dirk Kuyt provided the graft that the side needs. Not an exceptional game from him, but he did his job well.

THAT miss in the second half will probably what most will take away from David N’Gog’s game which is quite unfair on him considering how much he ran. Every time there was a loose ball you could bet that he would be going down to chase and pressurize the Bolton’s defenders. Not only that but his link up play was often very good: what he lacks is the experience and coolness to put away any chance that comes his way.

Bad Game
There was little surprise when Alberto Aquilani was taken off after sixty five minutes because the Italian's game had only been marked by a series of sloppy passes and gifted posession. The only positive that can be taken from this game is that he seems to be willing to get stuck into tackles, a clear sign that his injury has left no psychological scar.

Substitutes
Had anyone else other than Lucas delivered the pinpoint cross-field pass that he did minutes after coming on, then everyone would be talking about it. With the Brazilian, however, it is a completely different story where most refuse to admit that he has improved dramatically. Given a slightly freer role than usual, it was nice to see his attacking drive and runs into the box that could easily have resulted in a goal.

Maxi Rodriguez doesn’t really look comfortable out left but at least he is starting to get to grips with the physical nature of the English game. Seeing that it now looks certain that he’s going to stay at Liverpool till the end of the season, it was only apt that Ryan Babel should be given a chance even though the few minutes that he was on the pitch were in reality too little for him to make a mark

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Looking Back at a Dark Chapter in Liverpool's History

Book Review: From Where I Was Standing by Chris Rowland

No one more than Liverpool fans knows that the grief over losing someone you love at a football match never goes away. It might appear that it has quietened down but then all it takes is one image or word and all the emotions start flooding back.

It is for that reason why no one really likes to talk about what happened at Heysel. There seems to be a fear to mention it, an ingrained reluctance to re-open that chapter for fear that what is said might be seen as hurtful to those who lost family and friends in that tagedy.

It is that responsability that Chris Rowland has decided to shoulder in his book 'From Where I Was Standing: A Liverpool Supporter's View of the Heysel Stadium Tragedy'.

Inevitably, it isn't an easy book to read, just as it must have been a difficult one to write. The early chapters, those which are lighter and describe the fun of planning for a trip to a European Cup final are hard to take in because of the reader's knowledge of what lies ahead, something that the author was oblivious to at the time. But, they are just as necessary as the ones that describe what actually happened in the stadium because they help push home the fact that on that night, whatever innocence Liverpool fans had before was lost.

Rowland accepts that much of what happened in Heysel was due to the Liverpool fans and does not pull back from saying so. But at the same time he also mentions the shortcomings over which Liverpool couldn't do anything, the oversights and lack of preparation which UEFA and the authorities conveniently swept aside.

Given its subject it is unlikely that 'From Where I Was Standing' will be a best seller. Indeed, it had been due to be serialised by the Liverpool Echo but then Hillsborough came along and the project was shelved.

This makes the decision by Paul Tomkins to go ahead and publish it all the more courageous. The truth is that, for the library of Liverpool books to be complete there has to books even about dark chapters such as this one. Certainly deserves to be a must read book for all Liverpool fans, up there along with Hillsborough: The Truth.

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Good Game Bad Game [vs Wolves]

Having played with such determination and passion in his absence, Steven Gerrard's return should have boosted Liverpool to build on last week's win over Tottenham. Instead, it had the opposite effect. Whatever momentum had been built was lost and the rhtym of the side thrown off key. That is not to say that the team no longer needs Gerrard but, rather, that his inclusion from the first minute when he was coming back from an injury is simply sending out the (wrong) message that the team is reliant exclusively on him to do well. That is what they tried to do yesterday - witness him taking all free-kicks and almost all corners - despite the fact that nothing was coming off for him.

More than that, this insistence in playing Gerrard so high up the pitch is mystifying. The system worked last year when there was a fully fit Fernando Torres alongside him and Xabi Alonso pulling the strings behind them. That isn't the case this season but still the same tactic is adopted.

Talking of mystifying, the fact that only one player was taken off in a match where Liverpool were playing so poorly cannot be explained. Surely it was worth risking taking either Lucas or Mascherano off in order to put in Aquilani? Or Maxi to replace him with Degen?

For some reason, Benitez saw it differently and the result is another two dropped points. After the hope that came out of last week's win, it is back in the depression zone this time round. With games running out, Liverpool finishing in the top four is looking increasingly unlikely, no matter what guarantees are given.

Good Game
Constantly booed by the Wolves fans, Pepe Reina had his usual good game. He didn't have to make any major saves but he did have to be well placed in order to thwart a couple of half-chances Wolves had.

Two of the only players who kept up last week's level were Martin Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos. They might not be the finest of defenders with the ball at their feet but they make sure that nothing gets through them which, at the end of the day, is the most important thing. Indeed, the Greek defender was - for the second week running - my man of the match.

Emiliano Insua wasn't exceptional by any stretch of the imagination but he was always alert to possible dangers and was in the right place to clear serious danger on a number of occasions.

Taking off Albert Riera was a surprise choice because up till that point the Spaniard had been one of the few giving Wolves at least some problems with his crossing and his shooting. Unless he was injured, he should have stayed on the pitch.

Forced to work on scraps, Dirk Kuyt did his best to get something going but far too often he looked ahead of him to make a pass or cross only to find that no one had made the run.

Bad Game
Played at right-back, a position he clearly doesn't like, Jamie Carragher struggled especially as he had to deal with a player who was way faster than him. He did his best as always but ultimately had a poor game - one where he offered Liverpool nothing going forward - and whatever reason Benitez had for sticking with him for ninety minutes, it plainly didn't work out.

Javier Mascherano is a fantastic player but it is difficult to imagine why he stayed on for all the game, and not only for tactical purposes: his passing was attrocious. Similarly, this wasn't that bad a game for Lucas Leiva only that Liverpool needed at least one of their central midfielders to create something, to get hold of the game and start dictating the pace.

Apparently not fit enough to play anything more than a few minutes the week before, Maxi Rodrigues suddenly got his first start and saw the game till the end. Unfortunately, he showed little to justify that faith and, if anything, the feeling is that he was a step backwards from Philip Degen.

Nothing he tried on the night seemed to come off for Steven Gerrard. Indeed, he seemed to blunt Liverpool's attacking movements. Even worse was his corner or free-kicks that never got to a red shirt. A night to forget for him.

Substitutes
Benitez opted for just one change and in all fairness David N'Gog did add something else to the Liverpool game with his pace and work rate even though he, like Kuyt before him,only had scraps too feed on.

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Top Grounds to Visit

Living as I do away for the heartlands of football, most of my consumption of the game is through television. And whilst the spread of football’s popularity is such that today it is practically possible to watch any game that takes you fancy, it is still merely a shadow to the experience that is seeing a game with the fans who are there in the ground.

This thought has been gnawing away at me over recent months, which is what first brought me to draw up a list of grounds that I would like to watch a game in. And seeing that most self-help manuals suggest that the best way of making sure you follow through with your goals is to share them with people you know, I’ve decided to publish my list here.

Excluded, for obvious reasons, is Anfield: there is no need to state the desire to watch every Liverpool game in the flesh. Similarly, the choice of stadia does not take into consideration the size and stature of the club but rather the passion of its fans. It is why some of the world’s best known football chatedrals have been excluded.

For this reason, some of the choices might surprise as will some of the omissions. It is not my intent to be controversial but rather to be honest to myself for it would be impossible to get through this list if I were to do otherwise.

San Mames (Atletico Bilbao)
Part of the attraction here is down to Atletico Bilbao’s insistence on having only Basque players. This has undoubtedly hampered their progress and is a policy that will come under increasing stress the more they fall back in Spanish football but it is impossible not to admire given the current climate where there regularly are games with no home born players on either side on the pitch. Other than that, the San Mames is a fantastic little stadium with, as you would expect, a seriously passionate set of fans.

Stadio Marassi (Genoa / Sampdoria)
For the most part Italian stadia are huge, soul-less bowls where athletics tracks impose barriers between the fans and the players. Whilst the exterior to some might be impressive – the San Siro – and fans might still manage to light others up with their passion – Napoli and Roma spring to mind – there is no Italian stadium that can match the attraction of Stadio Marassi.

With Genoa proud to be considered a club with British roots – despite Benito Mussolini’s best attempts to eradicate this – it is hardly surprising that its ground has a distinct British flavour to it. It is this, and the resulting relationship that is fostered with the players, that makes it so alluring. Both Genoa and Sampdoria have endured some tough times in recent years but the hardcore elements of fans always stood by them and the Marassi was still regularly filled up. Is there a better sign of loyalty than that?

Bombonera (Boca Juniors)
There is something special about Argentine football. Despite the fact that European clubs are increasingly depriving the local clubs of their talents, the passion of the fans remains undiminished. The name of the ground – which means fruit bowl – is part of the fascination here but in reality it is largely down to the atmosphere that the fans create on a weekly basis that spikes my desire to see a game here.

Stade Velodrome (Olympic Marseilles)
As with Feyenoord, Olympic Marseilles fans don’t really have a reputation for being among the more friendly but, given what they’ve had to endure over the past couple of decades, a certain degree of mistrust for outsiders is perhaps understandable. With Marseilles being a port, there is a lot of resonsance with Liverpool since the fans hail from similar background and that, if I’m being honest, is probably why I’d like to go there. Not to mention that they can make a fair bit of noise as well.

Celtic Park (Celtic)
Perhaps the only ground on this list that would make it into most conventional top ten lists, the soft spot that I, as most Liverpool fans, have for Celtic plays a significant role. But, aside from that, this truly is a fantastic stadium.

Gelsenkirchen (Schalke 04)
My admiration of Schalke 04 began in 1997 when they managed to win the UEFA Cup final against Inter. Hearing about the history of the club and what it meant to the people of a city that is largely working class – mining being the main industry – again struck a chord given the similarity to Liverpool. The arena itself, a huge bowl that is regularly packed with fans who have witnessed their side snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on countless occasion but who keep going on nevertheless.

De Kuip (Feyenoord)This is a highly personal choice. Feyenoord fans do not exactly have the best reputation and the sort of antics that they get to normally are a trigger to loathe rather than respect. The thing is, however, that when I was much younger I had a Dutch pen-pal who was a mad Feyenoord fan who would regularly write to me about his club and their games, something that left me with a soft spot for them. Much as I try, I cannot remember his name yet to this day every weekend I still make it a point to try and find out how they are doing. Watching them play at home would very much be the fulfilment of a childhood dream.

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Forever in our Hearts: Patrick Berger

He might not have reached the heights he originally hinted he could aspire to but Patrick Berger was still a fine player. Criminally wasted early on in his Liverpool career - with Roy Evans never really certain of where he should play him - it took Gerard Houllier to really get the best out of him. His creativity and technical skill lit up many an afternoon, much more so when he let fly one of his trademark shots. Ultimately, his persistent injuries cut short his Liverpool career but the passion that he always showed on the pitch made him a fans' favourite.

And that passion didn't go away when he left the club: his public advice for Gareth Barry to join Liverpool killed off his career at Aston Villa.

The times and sides he played in mean that Patrick Berger can never be tagged a Liverpool legend. But in an era that delivered so little, he was one of the few bright spots that made watching Liverpool that much more bearable.

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