Depressing facts

Following on from Rafa's very public future discussion, the club's financial accounts dated July 31st 2009 show the Reds in debt to a tune of roughly 351 million pounds, up from 299 million the year before. And all this after a relatively successful year with 2nd placing in the Premiership and a guarterfinal show in Europe. The current seasons' performances have provided ample evidence of a further rise in this debt level, if not the actual level. It is now dawning on the faithful that money to spend on new players will not be available preseason and might hasten Rafa's departure. Of more concern would be Liverpool's continued premiership existence and avoidance of a "Portsmouth" next season on the back of a thin squad, boardroom drama and mounting debt. It seems that the earliest we can expect to see the backs of the Yanks may be only in a few months. This is depressing.

Talk or walk

Rafa very recently held much-publicized talks with Martin Broughton on his immediate future at Anfield. Not surprisingly, not much came out of these as Liverpool would probably just stall and see what Rafa's actions will be soon. With an expiry date on his discussions with Juve, it won't be long now before the future becomes much clearer. If Rafa walks, Liverpool would be well-compensated and their search for a replacement would begin, if it hasn't already. If Rafa stays, well then, business as usual. Indications are, he'll probably walk as it's quite apparent there's no money to be had for buys. And who'll be coming in? Could be Dalglish.

Fragile hamstrings

The big issue this weekend, and it seems one of the largest this season, is "Do we give the title to Chelsea?". Opinion is divided, and at the end, bound to create controversy. If Liverpool lose against Chelsea, the title would most likely head to London, hence the dilemma of doing our best and beating them, as this would mean a record-breaking 19th Mancs title. This isn't a good position to be in.
It's quite clear for me: if either Aston Villa, Man City or Spurs win, putting 4th place beyond us, then we shouldn't worry too much about beating Chelsea. As Dara O'Brien from the Guardian said, the 12th man may be hamstrung this Sunday. One of the best sights from a forgettable season would be the look on Alex Ferguson's face. Almost as good as an Europa League final spot, methinks.

Travel travails for Reds

UEFA Europa League Semi Final 1st Leg
Atlético Madrid 1 Forlan 9
Liverpool 0

Liverpool's 16th European semi-final (a British record) saw a severely depleted side go down to a fired-up Athletico side intent on salvaging their season in the Cups. It was a difficult game from the beginning with David Ngog having too much to do try as hard as he might. An early onslaught from the home team got their only return, thanks to haphazard Reds defending, although a bit fortuitous thanks to a Soto slip. Again, luck held for them when Yossi's goal was wrongly disallowed for offside, but overall, 'Pool were on the defensive throughout.
In a match much hyped and documented for the novelty of land travel thanks to the Icelandic eruption,the lack of travelling support probably contributed, albeit a little, to the dispirited performance
Yet, all things considered, the deficit remains at one, and that is important for the return, where it is hoped that one of those special Euro nights return and we can all go to bed making plans to Hamburg.

If Rafael Benítez leaves Liverpool, he'll go fighting to the end

Paul Wilson
The Observer, Sunday 18 April 2010
Rafa Benítez's 50th birthday finds the Liverpool manager with half a dozen things on his mind before he can turn his attention to the Europa League semi-final with Atlético Madrid.
First he has to deny, or at least stonewall, persistent suggestions, including fairly detailed comments from his own agent, linking him with a move to Juventus in summer. Then he has to reaffirm that he is employed at the club in a footballing capacity, and any questions about Liverpool's present and future ownership should be addressed to the new chairman, Martin Broughton. Then he has Monday's Premier League game against West Ham to consider and the slim possibility that, if Liverpool win all their remaining games, they could still make it into fourth place.
But most of all he would like a progress report on his star striker, who has been unable to see his specialist in Spain because of all the flights being grounded due to volcanic ash. Fernando Torres has a chance of playing against West Ham tomorrow and would dearly love to play in Madrid later in the week, but on the other hand there is a real possibility that he may have played his final Liverpool game of the season already and even a fear he may need an operation.
"The situation is not yet clear," Benítez admits. "Fernando seems fine to me but he still needs to see his specialist and he has been unable to do so. There are a lot of things going on at the moment, it is normal for the end of a season but I am more worried about Torres and his injury than all the other things."
Benítez did not watch the three-way political debate last week and indeed says he would not waste his time with such things, yet he can evade a question better than many a parliamentarian – even the same question, posed about six times a week throughout the season. He is not going to talk of his future beyond Anfield, he is not going to disparage the outgoing American owners or speculate how much he would like any new buyers to make available for transfer purposes. He has played these games before and always the answer is the same. The important thing is to prepare the team for the next game.
Only one thing is certain, whether or not this turns out to be Benítez's last season at Anfield. He would like it to have an upbeat ending and the Europa League represents Liverpool's only chance of getting their hands on silverware. It may not be everyone's idea of success, and the very fact that Liverpool qualified by virtue of failing in the Champions League taints it in many people's eyes, yet no other European trophy can now be won by an English team and the two remaining domestic prizes could both end up at Chelsea.
So the trip to the Vicente Calderón is more than just an emotional return for Torres, should he play. It could be a chance to be one of only three Premier League clubs with a trophy to wave at the end of the season and, after the sort of season Liverpool have had, that has to count as an incentive. There is also, tantalisingly, a growing realisation that in the general scheme of things, winning the Europa League probably amounts to more than winning the Carling Cup, if that is all Manchester United end up with.
"The Europa League is a massive trophy," Benítez says, possibly overstating the case slightly. "When you look at the teams involved, just the teams still involved even, they are important teams, teams who could be in the Champions League." This may come as news to Fulham but one can see Benítez's point. Should Liverpool get past Lille, Benfica and Atlético Madrid home and away to reach the final, it will at least be comparable with United's route to Wembley that pitted them against Wolves, Barnsley, Spurs and Manchester City.
"We always try to win a trophy each season at this club. Sometimes it is not possible to achieve that, and you must accept it, but when you have a chance to win a trophy you should go for it."
Many were expecting Benítez, rather than Torres, to be facing his former club at the semi-final stage, though for the Liverpool manager it was no surprise that Atlético, in 10th place in La Liga, raised their game to knock out third-placed Valencia.
"Atlético are a good team, they have very good players but they are a little bit inconsistent," Benítez says. "They are out of the league so they have been focusing on the cups. Sometimes they can play really well – they have reached the final of the Spanish Cup – for instance, but they can also lose to Xerez, at the bottom, as they did this week. Maybe they lose concentration, or perhaps they know they cannot achieve anything in the league now and save their best performances for the cups. We won't be underestimating them, not with Fernando Torres and Maxi Rodríguez in our side. We know Atlético really well."

Same boat

So it has come to pass. The truth is out. It seems ManUare (this is not a typo) are in the same sort of muck 'Pool have been dropped into. According to the MU Finance prospectus plc launched in Manchester yesterday, the Glazers have taken up to 22 million pounds in undisclosed payment from the club. Having exposed the club to 700 million pounds in loans, the club is saddled with an annual interest of 45 million pounds, leading it to announce a profit in excess of 40 million, which would not have come about if not for the sale of one Ronaldo. In essence, they are in the red. Sounds familiar. It is quite clear that the Glazers are milking the club (all of them, including 1 daughter, are directors of the club) and are in it only for the money. This has led to rising ticket prices and little money to spend on player purchases. David Conn puts it aptly: "It is, quite simply, impossible to sustain the argument, to intelligent supporters stumping up their hard-earned cash for tickets at ever-increasing prices, that the £700m borrowings the Glazers have imposed, and £67m of interest payable last year, is having no impact." On the field performances have been mediocre this year, probably as a direct effect of a stagnating gene pool.
Despite lots of similarities between the 2 clubs pertaining to their current fiscal quagmire, it actually looks like MU are worse off than 'Pool. There doesn't seem to be another 80 million pound player sale to save them next year.
We should all work towards getting rid of these Americans from our lives.

Frustration down Reading way

FA Cup Third Round

Reading 1 Church 24
Liverpool 1 Gerrard 36
The Madejski Stadium, Saturday 2 January 2010

Liverpool's first game of the new year brought more frustration to the faithful. A drab and dour away draw to former Premiership compatriots currently languishing in the lower regions of the championship left many yearning for the smart and crisp performances (albeit patchy) seen in the preceding 2 games. One can't help but feel that the players weren't really as serious about this game as their manager, sitting back and letting the home team come at them, only being galvanised after the goal. Kuyt again seems poorly, his lack of confidence disallowing any goalward attempt throughout the match, discounting the fortuitous miss that lead to the equalizer. It's beginning to dawn on why Aquilani isn't starting games, as he again seemed out of sorts when eventually coming on in the second half, being slow and uncomfortable with the pace of the game. Looks like his orientation still isn't over. Gerrard could have done much better, constantly misplacing passes and excelling only in fits and starts. Lucas's reflex reaction seemed to be defensive, with most of his passes being backward rather than forward, implying that he's taking his defensive midfielder role too much to heart. as is usual nowadays, the defense's response to set pieces was abject allowing for anxious moments amongst the followers.
At least we live to fight again another day. The immediate concern is to overhaul those above in the League, and it is hoped that Spurs provide ample motivation to that end. A repeat of the result and the manner that win was procured in May 2009 would provide evidence of turning the corner.