A different kind of January signing

I DON’T think a single football fan would be surprised to learn that Liverpool have the worst chance conversion rate of shots into goals in the Premier League this season.

Courtesy of Opta Sports, it was revealed this week that the Red’s conversion rate now stands at an abysmal 8.9 per cent.

That means for every 10 shots a Liverpool player has taken on goal this term, less than one in 10 has hit the back of the net.

It’s a damning statistic - one that is reflected in the paltry 18 goals we have notched in 15 league games. Our Champions League rivals have all scored nearly double, around 30 or more, and Manchester City top the table with a daunting 49 strikes.

What makes even more depressing reading is that our 'goals for' column is also matched or bettered by Newcastle, Aston Villa, Norwich, Sunderland and the Premiership’s bottom two, Blackburn and Bolton. If it wasn’t for our miserly defence, which is the best in the league having conceded just 13 goals, we could be in serious trouble. 

In truth wastefulness has typified almost every game we have played this season – even the victories. Time after time we have kept it solid at the back, passed the ball well and worked great openings, but failed in the final third.

Personally I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve hit the woodwork. In the league I think it’s 13, in all competitions we must be approaching 20. It's a dubious honour we are winning by a landslide, and apparently we were also the top woodwork-hitters at the end of the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons. I’m not sure bookies take bets on the Crossbar Challenge, but next time our players are invited on Soccer AM they’ll have to reinforce the bar.

A fortnight ago I wondered if our lean spell was coming to an end when we found four goals to dispatch Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in both the league and cup. Yet even that notion was premature, as these results were sandwiched by our profligacy against Manchester City – a game in which we failed to take advantage of a team reduced to 10 men.

That afternoon Joe Hart made several great saves, but he was only able to do so because our efforts on goal were what I would call 'savable' strikes. Luis Suarez could have done better when put through by Lucas Leiva, but the Andy Carroll opportunity in the dying seconds best illustrates this – if he had put the header in the corner or headed downwards Hart would probably have been beaten. Instead he placed his header at a reachable height and distance, and while Hart's stop was one for the cameras, it was also a save any top keeper should have made.

It really annoyed me to see Chelsea end City's unbeaten run on Monday night in virtually the same circumstances, because they didn’t have more chances than us. They just showed greater composure. It also appeared to me that the supporting cast behind Didier Drogba, the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Juan Mata, had more quality than the players we routinely field in support of Luis. When they are presented with a chance, you expect them to capitalise. In our case you hope we will.

This frustrating trend continued a week later at Craven Cottage. Before I go any further I should say I was loath to write a blog following the defeat at Fulham, mainly because I was still seething days afterwards. I can almost accept watching us lose when we play badly, or when we go down fighting against tough opposition. But the feeling of being robbed is one that stirs up a different reaction altogether, one of incandescent anger directed at the assumed culprit responsible – in this case referee Kevin Friend and his abject assistants.

It has been debated back in forth but in my view it was a ridiculous red card for Jay Spearing that changed the game, as he played the ball cleanly with his instep, then caught a player running across his path with his trailing leg as he slid forward. It wasn’t a head-on collision, Jay didn't dive into him with malice, it was purely the by-product of a hard, fair tackle. A good referee should have realised that.

At worst Mr Friend should have blown his whistle, taken a moment to consider his options, and then handed Jay a booking. That way he wouldn't have unduly altered the outcome of the match. But given the ineptitude he displayed all evening, from the lack of protection he gave Suarez, the outrageous booking of Craig Bellamy for doing nothing but stand still when Clint Dempsey shoved his head in his face, to the failure to send off Phillipe Senderos for his repeated fouls, it was to be expected. As was the chalking off of Suarez’s stunning goal, which was registered after making a run that was clearly level and onside.

However, a couple of days later, when the dust had settled, I went back and watched the game again. And for all the circumstances that went against us, we were at least our second worst enemy. Carroll had two great chances in the first half, the first which he hit straight down Mark Schwarzer’s throat, the second which he completely miskicked. In between Luis blazed over the bar when Andy was free in the area and begging for a pass. In the second half Craig Bellamy spurned a good opportunity and throughout the game we failed to put Schwarzer under pressure with any of our 10+ corners.

Our conversion rate from corners doesn’t even bear thinking about. I read on the redandwhitekop forum that we’ve had something like 132 corners this season, resulting in one goal from a Martin Skrtel header and a Charlie Adam delivery – against Bolton Wanderers back in August. That is pitiful, but again, not a surprise. We have been dire at corner kicks for longer than I can remember, something that has continued despite the acquisition of Adam, a man whose corner kicks  were allegedly worth £10million alone…   

On Saturday I hoped we would find the goals to restore a bit of confidence. But the performance at Anfield against QPR didn’t put to bed any of the doubts about our aptitude in front of goal either. Yes, Suarez ended his scoring drought and we avoided a fifth successive home draw. But the home crowd was nervous throughout, and with good reason.

Sat in the Main Stand watching us face a newly-promoted side in a 3 o’clock kick-off, I hardly expected a repeat of the Champions League semi-final against Chelsea in 2005 atmosphere-wise. But the nerves experienced by the masses as the game developed were all too obvious, and when QPR won a corner in injury time and we were hanging on by just the solitary goal, I was biting my fingernails with much of the same fervour I applied before Eidur Gudjohnsen’s catastrophic miss in front of the Kop six years ago.

Sometimes it feels like we are watching the same game on repeat - the comfortable home performance that becomes a tightrope due to our inability to extend a lead. All it would have taken in the dying stages is one good delivery, one header, one fumble, one slip, and we could have been cursing dropped points yet again. As it transpired we were let off the hook and we recorded a vital win. But the sense remains that next time we might not be so lucky.

It must be said that we played some great football in spells and that Radek Cerny in their goal made several superb saves. And of course we struck the bar again. Twice. But we again sent in 10 fruitless corner kicks and somehow managed to miss around the same number of golden opportunities. Maxi Rodriguez was excellent in the main, but should have had a hat trick. Suarez could also have taken home the match ball.

After the game Kenny Dalglish backed our attackers, as you would expect and want him to, and insisted we wouldn’t change our approach or the way we play.

He said: “Irrespective of what I say, it’s not going to stop speculation we are going out in January to sign Joe Bloggs up front, or whoever. I don’t need to say anything. For us it was a fantastic team performance. We are quite happy. I trust the players implicitly when it comes to scoring, implicitly.”

However, Kenny went on to admit that we missed the goals to confirm our superiority.

He said: “If you look at home performances they have been fantastic, look at points... maybe not. There is not a game we have played here that we couldn’t have won, we shouldn’t have won.”

I agree with almost everything Kenny had to say, with the exception of trusting the players we have when it comes to scoring. But I have to admit I can’t see us dipping into the transfer market for a forward, be it a pie-in-the-sky target like Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao, a cut-price Anfield return for the misfiring Fernando Torres or an as yet unknown, up-and-coming prospect.

Falcao has settled well in Spain and would cost a fortune, while Nicolas Anelka departing Stamford Bridge will already leave Chelsea lacking up front when Didier Drogba goes to the African Nations Cup in the New Year. And even if we unearthed a gem, looking at our squad and the money we have spent in the past 12 months, I also can’t see why FSG would be willing to invest big in another striker. We spent £57m on two in January after all.

I feel we are hardly short in this department in terms of numbers, with Suarez, Carroll, Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt all recognised forwards, and we have a number of players who thrive in supporting roles, such as Maxi, Stewart Downing, the newly recalled Jonjo Shelvey, and of course, our one shoe-in as a world class second striker, the injured Steven Gerrard. Can we realistically expect us to bolster this contingent, or sign a player in these positions unless one of them is sold? 

It's difficult to know what kitty if any will be available, but let's say that Kenny isn’t looking to sign a goalscorer in January and genuinely does believe in this crop of players. How is he going to get the best out of them?

Personally, I’d like to see us make a signing of a different kind next month.

It’s not a new idea, and it’s one that might be dismissed as idealistic. But if our attacking players need to work on their finishing, the way they strike and head the ball or their movement in and around the box, and Kenny is looking to maximise the game of strikers already on our books, perhaps he could call upon an old friend or two. He could start with arguably Liverpool’s two finest goalscorers, Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler, and appoint one of them as an attacking coach. 

Gerard Houllier was first impressed by Ian Rush’s coaching ability and recruited him in 2003 to help the likes of Michael Owen and Emile Heskey. Some would say this delivered mixed results, but it's hard to quantify. Rushie could even have become first team coach under Rafa Benitez, before Rafa opted for Alec Miller. Such a role would not be new to him.

Despite his status at one of the finest British strikers of all time, Rushie also knows all about lean spells, having gone many months at Anfield when he first arrived without so much of a sniff of goal, before he became the legendary goal machine we sing about to this day. Who better to impart some of his experience and wisdom on underperforming attackers?

Robbie has made it clear he would love to return to the club as a coach, and is currently taking his UEFA coaching badges and coaching in Thailand.

To this day I have never seen anybody make such clever runs; darting along a line of defenders in triangles before racing forward and then checking back at the last moment to make space for himself, or a player who could finish so instinctively when presented with a glimmer of a chance. He is liked by the senior players, respected, and if working exclusively on this side of our game, could surely fit into the backroom set up.

Admittedly those two could be dismissed as sentimental appointments. So how about a man with a more intimate knowledge of our floundering number 9, another Geordie who Kenny made famous in his title-winning Blackburn Rovers side? Alan Shearer to this day holds the record for the most Premiership goals, and could surely find a couple of days a week to attend sessions at Melwood alongside his role as a TV pundit.

I think he could help Carroll become the barnstorming colossus he briefly appeared to be last season when still at their beloved Newcastle, as few know more about how to lead the line, how to use strength, size and aggression to win aerial battles (just within the rules of the game) and how to direct headers and shots unerringly into the back of the net. The physical aspect and controlled aggression is something I would like to see more of from Andy - he is only young but needs to impose himself more on opposition defenders.

Shearer has repeatedly said Kenny will get the best out of Carroll, but after a brief spell in charge at St James Park he might relish the chance to return to a training ground and help his mentor coach our forwards back to a more respectable conversion rate. I’m sure Kenny could convince him – it’s got to beat sitting on the Match of the Day couch with Mark Lawrenson.

If any of this trio (or indeed an alternative) could help coax our attackers and bring that statistic up by a few per cent, that improvement would surely be reflected in better results. If we had scored two of every 10 chances this year, our tally would be doubled to 36, and we might be the ones pushing City and Manchester United all the way in the New Year. We would certainly be much closer to our target of a top four finish and Champions League qualification. It would take the pressure off our defenders and goalkeeper, who can't always be expected to keep a clean sheet and will occasionally make mistakes (as we saw at Fulham) and it would put a smile back on all our faces. None wider than that worn by Kenny Dalglish.

Wasted opportunities

WASTEFUL finishing and brittle defending has characterised much of Liverpool’s season so far – especially the last two games.

Five vital league points had already been squandered at home against Sunderland and away at Stoke due to a combination of the above, and the narrow victory over Wolves would have been a far more relaxed affair if several glorious chances had been converted.

Before the Everton and Manchester United games many Reds including myself speculated that four points would be a good haul, and that is what we achieved, largely thanks to a fortuitous red card decision at Goodison Park.

At the time I thought the draw against United was a frustrating but satisfactory result against the reigning champions, who set out to snatch a point with a very negative game plan and a team packed pull of defensive players.

Alex Ferguson brought three top quality performers off the bench in Wayne Rooney, Nani and Javier Hernandez to try and change the game after we took the lead, one of whom scored his team’s equaliser, and then United rode their luck as we spurned four clear chances to extend our winning run against them at Anfield.

Our impressive second half performance and domination of proceedings was of course some consolation in the immediate aftermath of the contest.  

But in the wake of their humiliating 6-1 thrashing at home to Manchester City on Sunday, I’m sure I wasn’t the only Liverpool fan thinking about why in hindsight we failed to defeat a team that were there for the taking.

United’s goal from their solitary chance of note was clearly the result of poor defending from both Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel, Carragher allowing Danny Wellbeck to win the first header and flick on Nani’s corner and Martin completely losing Hernandez, who made a trademark clever run and nodded in the one opportunity he had. What we would give for a ruthless finisher of his ability and promise at this point in time.

At the opposite end Luis Suarez missed an excellent first half opportunity, and in the final 10 minutes Stewart Downing created two great chances, with crosses to both Dirk Kuyt and Jordan Henderson, the former which Dirk stretched for, producing a good save from David de Gea, and the latter that really had to be put away by our otherwise impressive substitute, but was sent sailing over the bar.

In between de Gea made another impressive stop from a long-range Henderson effort, and a goalmouth melee which saw Rooney out jump Suarez to win an initial header eventually fell to Skrtel (which is rarely a good thing) and predictably ended up in the Kop.

I found myself wondering after the game what would have been the outcome if our aerial behemoth Andy Carroll (yes, the £35million man, to get that out the way) had taken the place of either little Luis or Jordan. Surely he would have stood a far better chance of finishing those chances late on? I’m pretty sure he would have out jumped Rooney at least. Yet despite much-improved performances from Andy against Wolves and Everton and a goal in the derby, he sat unused on the bench.

It was an omission that I presumed was mainly tactical as we had decided to play three in midfield, and one that I thought was perhaps still justified, as we controlled this zone of the pitch and even late on kept creating clear openings.

However, on Saturday against Norwich with Lucas Leiva suspended I was shocked not to see Andy back in the starting line-up. It seemed the perfect opportunity for him to get 90 minutes under his belt.

The game was similar to so many already this season. When the halftime whistle blew a scoreline of 4-0 would not have flattered us, such was our superiority, but we went in just 1-0 ahead thanks to a late deflected Craig Bellamy strike.

Bellamy was very impressive, linking well with Suarez and using his scintillating pace to penetrate their defence. And he showed more out there in one match than perhaps Downing has so far this term. After all, Downing is yet to produce either a goal or assist since his near £20m summer move, and while he has struck a crossbar and produced crosses that should have been buried, he does not look like a direct goal threat. He was disappointing on the right, and seems to currently be ahead of Maxi Rodriguez in the pecking order on reputation alone.

Dirk Kuyt laboured to little effect, having one of those days when he works harder and harder as a result of every poor final ball or touch, and then makes even more mistakes. It was hard to see why he was selected ahead of Carroll, and why Carroll did not replace him shortly after the break.

It is true that we were producing some mesmerising football, yet while Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam both provided creativity in the first 45 minutes, the man who deserved nearly all the credit was again Luis Suarez.

The Uruguayan’s approach play is a thing of beauty, with his skill, control and ability to evade tackles and create chances from out of nothing testament to his unquestionable individual brilliance. He also possesses great vision, and tries and succeeds in doing things you would think he has no right to attempt. Until it is time to pull the trigger, he is possibly the best attacking player I have ever seen in a Red shirt.

Unfortunately, if we have learned one thing watching Luis this season, it is that he is either enduring a prolonged period of misfortune in front of goal, or that in fact despite all his positive attributes, he is not the clinical finisher we desperately need. I know he was prolific in Holland, and of course he will create and score a lot of goals. But he seems to miss a lot of chances - chances you would expect him to tuck away. I can recount many already this season, in more games than not, and we increasingly look reliant on him having a good day in front of goal to clinch victory, because few other players are proving to be a consistent goal threat.

This may sound harsh – after all he hit the woodwork twice against Norwich, and he creates the vast majority of his opportunities himself. But I read he had 11 shots on goal, and surely a player of his calibre should hit the net at least once or twice and make the keeper work more often. In this respect he is more akin to an erratic Rooney-type forward than a Hernandez - or indeed in his Liverpool days, Fernando Torres.

The obvious solution is to partner Luis with a top goalscorer, which is what Kenny suggested Andy Carroll had the potential to become, but again, he is not getting enough time on the pitch to develop his game with us. And when he did come on, and was handed the sort of headed chance I mentioned earlier, he too fluffed his lines. Last season Andy was prolific for Newcastle, scoring 11 league goals in just 19 league games for a newly promoted side. We need to find a way to get him back to that kind of form.

Harking back to our other flaw, we are now in the curious position after years of relative strength at centre back and weakness at fullback, of finding ourselves looking deficient at our defensive core and impressive out wide.

With Daniel Agger again absent Martin and Jamie did not convince with or without the ball, particularly in aerial duels, in contrast to Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson, although both fullbacks were culpable to some extent in Norwich’s goal. Enrique allowed the cross and Glen looking unlikely to win the header before Pepe Reina decided it was up to him to deal with it. Sadly even the usually unflappable Spaniard has begun to get the jitters, with an uncharacteristic mistake at White Hart Lane several weeks back followed up by a catastrophic attempt to punch clear the cross that led to Grant Holt’s headed equaliser. 

After the goal the lack of a combative central midfielder became very apparent, with perhaps Stevie yet to find full match fitness and Charlie Adam joining our captain in giving the Norwich midfield far too much time on the ball. With nobody to break up play and provide a calming influence, both resorted to audacious passing attempts, and when we did regain possession we started hitting it long. The fluid football seen earlier in the game gave way to a frantic approach during a spell that could have seen us concede yet again but for the acrobatics of Pepe. More chances went begging late on, and we recorded a disappointing third home draw out of just five games at Anfield.  

   

With our perennial bogey team Stoke City away in the Carling Cup next on the agenda, and then a trip to meet the unapologetic architect of our turgid start to last season, Roy Hodgson, and his West Bromwich Albion side on Saturday, we really need two victories. Firstly to boost morale, and secondly and more importantly to further our quest for silverware and Champions League qualification. Arsenal have now recorded back to back league wins and Spurs continue to look like the team most likely to clinch that coveted fourth spot having put their early season woes behind them.

I hope that to begin with we give Carroll an opportunity in both games, and try to solve our attacking riddle, as for now we may have to wait for a solution in central defence to emerge. If we cannot keep goals out, we must score more and ensure that we do not pay the price for defensive lapses.

This squad has so much potential, but as we approach the end of October, our team and style of play looks no more set in stone than it did on the opening day in August.

Raining Bottles

STANDING in the sweltering concourse beneath the Lower Bullens stand on Saturday, my Evertonian friend kindly offered to buy me a drink.

Gladly accepting a cold bottle of coke (and a rapidly melting Mars bar) I was surprised to find that plastic bottles complete with their caps are served at Goodison, rather than the paper cups dished out at most football grounds.

Turning to my long-suffering companion, I remarked that our neighbours must not share other club’s concerns regarding health and safety, or bottles being thrown by fans. He merely shrugged and laughed, and we made our way up to the old wooden seats at the back of the historic stand.

Something tells me plastic bottles will not be served when Everton host Liverpool next year.

The 90 minutes that followed had everything we have come to expect from the Merseyside derby: controversy, cheating, red and yellow cards, bad refereeing, passion, hatred and the obligatory vile chants. All of which was peppered by the aforementioned bottles raining down on the pitch whenever a Liverpool player ventured too near the blue hordes.

With Kenny Dalglish making just one obvious change in reinstalling our derby talisman Dirk Kuyt on the right hand side at the expense of Jordan Henderson, the Reds lined up with largely the same team that narrowly beat Wolves a week previously.

In the opening exchanges Everton looked the more dominant side, roared on by the ferocious home support and driven by an impressive midfield axis of Marouane Fellaini and Jack Rodwell.

Liverpool struggled to settle into any kind of rhythm, and it was against the run of play when Phil Jagielka's mistake gifted a chance to Kuyt. Controlling the ball with far more skill than his detractors suggest he possesses, Dirk then found Luis Suarez with an accurate cross, but Suarez headed tamely into Tim Howard’s arms from close range.

Everton launched an immediate counter attack, and arguably the best header of a ball in English football, Tim Cahill, nearly made it 1-0. Thankfully the Reds were saved by Pepe Reina, who tipped the Australian’s effort over the bar.

Everton seemed to grow in confidence, so much so that the ageing centre half Sylvain Distin was next to trouble our defence, twisting past Jose Enrique and going close.

Sitting in the home end when your team is playing away is never a pleasant experience, especially across Stanley Park, but it’s hard to turn down the offer of a ticket for one of the biggest games of the season. At this stage the blues around me were buoyed by their impressive start to the contest, and the smattering of red shirts dotted among the home support didn’t seem too much of a problem. It is the ‘friendly derby’, after all.

Predictably the atmosphere was set to change - from one of early optimism to one of seething rage. And the change in mood was brought about by every Everton fan’s favourite hobbyhorse – perceived injustice.

To be fair, in this case, they had an utterly valid point. The instant dismissal of Rodwell for a clean tackle on Suarez was one of the most baffling decisions you will ever see – the judgment of a man who has surely never played the game at any competitive level.

Whether Suarez was genuinely hurt by the follow through of Rodwell’s knee I don’t know, but his apparent histrionics and the complaints of Lucas Leiva may have helped Martin Atkinson make up his mind. Rodwell got the ball and in doing so made a tackle with the minimum level of commitment and aggression we demand from our players in a derby game, but Mr Atkinson brandished a red card.

From that point on as many people have observed, the game was effectively over as a contest. We may have defeated Everton with 10 men on more than one occasion in recent years, but such is the financial disparity and gulf in quality between the playing staff of the two clubs, it shouldn't really be a level playing field even when its 11 v 11. With 10 men Everton had little chance.

Saying that, they continued to work very hard, and while they surrendered territory and possession, they didn’t surrender the game. The Reds in contrast did not seem able to summon the energy to make our numerical advantage count, nor find the crispness in our passing to open up a resolute Everton defence.

Suarez was clever in winning a penalty from Jagielka, who should have known better than to make such a rash challenge and clip him just inside the box. Presumably he escaped a booking because Mr Atkinson was wary of incensing David Moyes further, and presumably that was the only reason one of the worst players in Premiership football, Tony Hibbert, escaped a yellow card for a lunge on Charlie Adam that was by far the worst foul of the day.

Previously when Dirk Kuyt stepped up to take a penalty the result had always been the same – a goal to Liverpool. But I have to admit I didn’t fancy him on this occasion, facing Tim Howard once again with the American surely having picked up a tip or two from the three penalties Kuyt has dispatched past him already in Merseyside derbies. By the law of averages I suppose even the ice-cool Dutchman was due to miss one eventually, and it was a cracking save by Howard. The penalty wasn’t struck hard enough nor cleanly enough, but it was towards the corner, and was far from a bad effort. I’d bet on Dirk tucking his next one away.

Charlie Adam then produced his first meaningful contribution of the initial 45 minutes, a delightful shot that soared past Howard’s flailing arm and crashed against the crossbar. As the half time whistle blew I started to wonder if it was going to be one of those days, and despite the odds being stacked in our favour, I can’t say that I was happy with things as they stood at the interval.

Perhaps sitting with blues riddled my brain and I am being overly negative – I’m quite willing to accept that I absorbed the overwhelming negativity that surrounded me through osmosis! But I was disappointed with the way the second half began, and it seemed obvious to me that Steven Gerrard was needed as a substitute for Adam, and Craig Bellamy’s pace should also be called upon. Carroll did go close twice with well-directed and powerful headers, and we had no real problems defensively, but we still weren’t dominating play and hadn’t forced a clear chance in open play.

The double change Kenny made shortly after the hour was the one the game was crying out for – with Stevie predictably replacing Adam and an ineffectual Stewart Downing making way for Bellamy. We immediately looked brighter, and the sight of Gerrard urging us forward really is enough by itself to give every Red a lift.

Bellamy’s direct approach reaped dividends, with Everton looking scared of his blistering pace. He played in Enrique, again a standout performer, and when he crossed Kuyt showed a lovely bit of awareness to duck out of the way. Carroll made a little bit of room for himself and powered home the goal we had been craving.

Running towards our stand, he clearly enjoyed shoving the ‘what a waste of money’ chants down the Everton fan’s throats. The response to his goading was predictable - the blue support erupted and a lot of bottles and coins were thrown in his direction.

I chose to sit on my hands, relishing in the head rush of the goal and that strange sensation of restrained excitement flowing through my veins. But one jubilant Red in front of me leapt for joy, and things quickly turned ugly, with half a stand trying to get at him, ‘murderers’ chants breaking out more loudly than before, and a couple of lads spitting in his direction until he was escorted out by police.

While I would be livid, I wouldn’t personally react in that way to an Everton fan celebrating wildly in the Kop. But I have little sympathy for the offender – you’re in the home end, so as far as I'm concerned you show some respect or accept the consequences.    

I briefly lost focus on what was happening on the pitch, perhaps distracted by the sight of one Red in front of me covering up his Suarez shirt by hastily donning a thick jumper... despite it being the hottest day of the year, and the Lower Bullens stand now morphing into one big, angry mass of sweat.

While I wondered whether the stewards would actually do something to try and stop the bottles flying around, we scored our second goal. Suarez’s strike was a result of comical defending, Distin and Leighton Baines so panicked by his presence that they somehow combined to hand him the ball just yards from Howard’s net. Luis doesn't let an opportunity like that pass him by. 

As Suarez celebrated in front of the Gwladys Street faithful even more bottles came his way, an assault which continued when Bellamy took a corner, when Kuyt went behind the goal to collect the ball and when Luis lined up to take another set piece on the opposite flank. The sight of all three showing no fear was a joy to behold, and it really would have been the icing on the cake if Gerrard had lashed home a chance he hit from distance.

In the end it was Suarez and Kuyt who almost provided the final insult. Suarez complained about the objects being thrown in his direction as he took a corner and then suddenly chipped the ball to Dirk, catching the Everton defenders unaware. It was wonderfully sly, yet when Kuyt flicked the ball with the outside of his boot it sadly struck the post. Carroll may well have profited from the rebound if he had followed the move and made a run into the box, but it didn’t really matter – the game was already won.

Watching our players celebrate at the end I yearned to be in with the away support, and following thousands of frustrated Evertonians as they trudged out of the ground I thanked my lucky stars for the thousandth time that I was not born into a blue family. Once a year I’m content to sit among them, but I don’t think I could ever belong to that tribe.

I can’t throw a plastic bottle that far for starters!

+|-

LAST Saturday’s 2-1 win over Wolves at Anfield was the proverbial mixed bag – a game with its fair share of both positives and negatives.

I went to the match with my brother, in what was probably the first game we’ve attended together in two years. We both had fairly high expectations, as since the drubbing against Spurs the Reds had produced a strong response against Brighton in the League Cup.

However, when the final whistle blew, moments after Andy Carroll squandered one last chance to open his account for the season; we both felt a little bit deflated – an odd sensation to experience in victory.

Discussing the action later over an Egyptian Molokhia curry at Kimos restaurant in Mount Pleasant, it was obvious to both of us that the positives had outweighed the negatives. Liverpool had won, and ultimately that is the only thing that matters. Football is a results game and we fulfilled our primary objective – obtaining three points.

Yet the performance, while a vast improvement on the previous weekend’s showing against Spurs, was still not a patch on the home wins Kenny oversaw last term.

Given their strong showing down on the south coast, many had expected at least two from the trio of Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy and Maxi Rodriguez to be included in the side. But the team sheet produced by the King showed virtually the same side that had struggled so badly at White Hart Lane – with only Martin Kelly replacing Martin Skrtel at right back and Skrtel moving into the centre to deputise for the injured Daniel Agger.

Defensive errors characterised our start to the game, as Skrtel, Charlie Adam and Jamie Carragher all offered Wolves the chance to take the lead.

Fortunately Wolves did not have the quality within their ranks to oblige, and even more fortuitously we in turn opened the scoring, when a Charlie Adam shot took a huge deflection off Roger Johnson and landed in the visitor’s net. Replays later revealed that Andy Carroll had fouled Johnson in the build-up, but for the first time in weeks, Lady Luck granted us a break.

Unsurprisingly, the biggest positive for the Reds was once again our diminutive yet dazzling Uruguayan. It was the first time my brother had witnessed the force of nature that is Luis Suarez in the flesh, and he along with every other man, woman and child in the Kop voiced their approval when Luis made a mockery of the Wolves defence. A piece of skill when he back-heeled the ball past the dumbfounded Johnson and almost provided Stewart Downing with the chance to double our advantage was worth the admission fee alone.

Doubling our advantage is exactly what Suarez did a short while later, collecting a lovely lofted ball from Luis Enrique (who impresses me more with every passing game) before tearing towards goal and turning the Wolves backline inside out. From our vantage point at the back of the Kop it looked like Suarez had made life difficult for himself by not shooting initially, but that is what the little magician excels at – making the arduous appear oh-so-simple. His finish was ruthless, and the second half now appeared little more than an opportunity for the Reds to rack up our ‘goals for’ column.

  

Whatever words the typically dour Wolves manager Mick McCarthy summoned at half time - a stirring Churchillian battle cry no doubt - certainly worked wonders after the break.

In the first half Wolves had seemed to find it too easy to outmanoeuvre our central pairing of Lucas Leiva and Adam, an issue that I have touched upon before. Lucas seems to sit so deep in order to provide the protection Charlie does not offer, and our Scotsman again faded in a game as it approached the hour mark.

Before this occurred Wolves reduced the deficit, as our fleeting luck departed us as quickly as it had arrived. Enrique cleared a Karl Henry cross but it bounced to Stephen Hunt, who set up substitute Steven Fletcher for a chance he finished with aplomb.

We responded with an immediate onslaught – led by our best performers on the day. Downing fed Suarez who had a shot saved from short range by Wayne Hennessey, then Downing found Andy Carroll with a fine ball at the back post.

Sadly, Andy’s header was wayward, and when it smashed against the post it was all the more frustrating because this game was a vast improvement from him, in terms of movement, application and his hold-up and link-up play.

He seems to often take up deeper positions than Suarez, rather than what I would have expected, which would be Luis dropping deep behind the targetman. I’d like to see Andy push further forward, or alternate more often, as the benefit of playing Luis on the shoulder is clear with his pace.

Downing then wasted a great chance, choosing to shoot when others were perhaps better placed to score, but by now we were not in control of the game.

Having spent the majority of the last five or six years watching Rafael Benitez’s Liverpool, and sides that especially at home controlled the midfield as a matter of course, it is concerning to see us surrender so much ground in the middle of the park as we drop deeper and deeper, a fault that springs from the defence as much as Lucas and Adam. What worries me is that this was not the case last year, when Jay Spearing and Lucas formed a very effective partnership, yet Spearing has mainly been a spectator this year.

Our other problem area in recent weeks has been the right wing, with Jordan Henderson really appearing to flounder out of position on the flank. You could have been forgiven for wondering if he was still on the pitch when he was replaced by Kuyt, and the reaction he is getting from some fans is not what the young lad needs. I’d like to see him taken out of the firing line, and used more sparingly in a central role.

Moving away from the negatives, surely there is no greater positive than the return of Steven Gerrard. He looked every inch the player we need, although we did not get to see the mouthwatering prospect of him combining with Luis, as it was our number 7 who he replaced. Suarez was not happy, but I like that about him, as he always wants to give more to his appreciative audience.

Gerrard looked like the beast of old, striding forward at every opportunity, as if determined to cast aside any doubts of him being affected by a lingering injury. 

But even the man whose magnificent career has seemed like one long, real life Roy of the Rovers tale could not help seal the victory, and the closing exchanges were a lot more nervous than they should have been.

Thankfully all those fears proved redundant, and now that the dust has settled, it’s perhaps easier to see the game for what it was: a decent win against decent opposition. Wolves are a tough side, who have proved resilient when facing big teams, and following an abject loss at home, they were not likely to roll over. 

The counterpoint is that once again if we had taken our early chances (like against Brighton) the score could easily have been 4-1, not 2-1. We must be more clinical, and with far better opposition and trickier ties in both the league and cup to come this month, we must raise our game. 

Let's hope the positives continue to outweigh the negatives.

Will & Kate

“THE last time Steven Gerrard played for Liverpool, Kate Middleton was yet to become a princess.”

Bill Leslie is one of the better commentators on Sky, but his choice of words when announcing the return to action of our captain on Wednesday night was strange to say the least.

There is no doubt Gerrard’s first appearance since the 3-1 demolition of Manchester United back in May was a sight for sore eyes – we have certainly missed him, as any team would miss a player of his ability and stature.

But was it a historic moment on a par with the Royal Wedding? It was a fourth round League Cup tie away at Championship Brighton, not a European Cup final. And did it need to be placed in context with one of the major news events of the year?

If so, personally I’d have preferred “the last time Steven Gerrard played for Liverpool, Osama bin Laden was still the world’s reigning Hide and Seek Champion.” Or maybe “the last time Steven Gerrard played for Liverpool, the best toilet paper on a Sunday was the News of the World.”

Nevertheless, the man they call Captain Marvel has returned, and after a 4-0 away drubbing at Tottenham, with both the derby at Goodison and the visit of Manchester United to Anfield on the horizon, it was a welcome boost.

More welcome was the victory, and the manner in which it was achieved. In the first half Liverpool were excellent, and but for wasteful finishing and the woodwork we could have gone in at half time at least four goals to the good.

It was great to see the free-flowing, attacking football we witnessed last year again under Kenny, with the key protagonists, Suarez, Maxi and Kuyt, reunited alongside Craig Bellamy, who was outstanding. Linking with Suarez he showed great movement for his goal, and a tidy finish. And of course, the last time he scored for Liverpool, Michael Jackson was still on good terms with Doctor Conrad Murray...

Highlights of the first half included a delicious through ball from Dirk to Suarez. Sadly our number seven was once again not wearing his shooting boots, having missed a golden chance against Bolton two week’s previously. Other than that however Luis was excellent, and it is surely a matter of time before he finds the net. Such are the standards he has set, three games without a goal seems like a crisis!

A stunning 35-yard free kick by Bellamy that crashed against the crossbar followed, along with a drive from Jay Spearing that clipped the post. But occasionally our recent defensive frailty was apparent, with Steven Gerrard’s favourite Scouse roofer, Craig Noone, denied by Reina and Martin Kelly making an important clearance.
 

In the second half Brighton upped their game, and Sebastián Coates, who was good overall considering he was making his first start, gifted them a chance with a slack pass. Fortunately, after a sustained spell of pressure, the arrival of Gerrard sparked Liverpool into life once more, and his movement and intelligence played its part in our second goal, Maxi playing in Dirk whose drilled shot bounced in off the inside of the post. Dirk gave the travelling Kop the expected baby-rocking celebration following the birth of his latest son, and the win looked to be secure.

Sadly that was not to be, as a poor error from Spearing, who appeared to try to keep the ball in play and slipped when he should have let it go out, again gifted Brighton a great scoring opportunity. Carragher, who was excellent until that point (having made a series of crucial blocks and interceptions) dived in to try and make amends, and conceded the penalty. He has come under some harsh and some justified criticism these past few weeks, but for me, this was one penalty that was not his fault.

While it was frustrating to see us concede late on, Brighton’s late goal did not take the shine off an impressive Liverpool performance. It was also a showing that threw up yet more questions ahead of today’s game at home against Wolves. Should Bellamy, Kuyt and Maxi retain their place in attack, and should Coates be selected again alongside Carragher despite Skrtel being back from suspension?

Personally I think Downing has been playing well, and should line up on the left ahead of Maxi. But if the squad operates along the lines of a meritocracy, Andy Carroll should really make way for Bellamy. It is a tough call, and I would be inclined as stated previously to play Andy into form and give Craig half an hour off the bench. On the right I think Kuyt should come in for Henderson, giving him another match before a crucial fortnight. As far as I am concerned Dirk with his mix of attributes, experience and ‘big game’ reliability should always be involved when we clash with Everton and United.

I’d like to see Coates given time to form a partnership with Carra, and with Kelly at right back and Enrique on the left, we really should keep a clean sheet today. Wolves are a decent, well-organised side, who started the season well, but successive, emphatic home defeats may have dented their confidence, and three points today is a must. Especially given their win here last year.

As for our captain, he may well have to settle for a place on the bench, and will hopefully take part in the second half with another cameo appearance. The last thing we want to do is rush him back and risk injury, as we cannot afford to have him endure another lengthy spell on the sidelines. 

After all, we’ve seen what happens when Gerrard gets injured. Celebrities marry, dictators fall, economies crash, and Currys and Dixons get ransacked. Who knows what political and cultural events could transpire during his next absence?