I WROTE a piece during the last international break saying I’d be excited if we were within six points of Manchester City. Well we can go back and read that and laugh at my pessimism, can’t we?
What a shame that we’re a full seven points better off than I’d have been happy with. We’re top of the league, we’ve got the Guardian robbing Steve Graves’ abacus and using it come up with another alternative league table that no one really understands. All that I understood about it was that we were top, so, well in lads, hope you win that podcast award.
We were absolutely great on Sunday, weren’t we? Overhearing the Watford fans on the train back down to London on Sunday was really enjoyable. They were waxing lyrical. I may have said last week I was going to start ignoring opposition fans but when they’re being as complimentary as these lads were how can I?
I was a little bit concerned after 15 minutes or so, though. I thought they organised themselves well and made us resort to lashing balls up to Roberto Firmino’s head and, while he was willing, it didn’t really work. After about 12 minutes I was bang up for bringing Divock Origi on and using him to bully them. And that people is why I pay money to get in and Jürgen Klopp gets free clothes and a really comfy seat.
I’m really looking forward to this weekend and watching the Red Machine.
Oh wait, we’re having a weekend off so England can play some pig farmers in meaningless game of football no one really cares about. I don’t even know who they’re playing, or what country they’re playing in, or who’s in the squad.
What’s the point in all of this? Well, I know that strictly speaking it’s to qualify for the World Cup, but can we not get a better way of doing this sorted out?
I’ve done some research into it and discovered that England are playing Scotland and then playing a friendly. A friendly?! They haven’t got another game until March and they’re playing another friendly then. What exactly is the point of all this?
England v Spain in a training session, when England have two competitive games between now and next September. Surely even the ardent England followers, who spent a month getting chased around by Russians, think this is crackers.
I’ve just had a look at the South American games and at least they’re actually playing meaningful football. Brazil v Argentina sounds quite good, as goes Argentina v Colombia but these lunatics play 18 games each to qualify – one of them will play 20.
We’ve got Southampton away a week on Saturday, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho will be playing football in Peru while you’re in bed on Tuesday night. How’s this helping Liverpool win the league? How are Willian, Oscar and David Luiz doing the same helping Chelsea win the league?
We forked out over £100k last time to get them on a private jet home as quickly as possible and we were only alright then because we played Manchester United on a Monday night. The previous international break saw Coutinho given the day off against Leicester after a late return from Manaus.
Yes, Manaus. Brazil decided to make a difficult turnaround for all their players by deciding to have the game in the middle of the amazon, in a rainforest, in conditions that are hard to recover from on a Tuesday night. Cheers lads.
Something needs to change. We’re paying hundreds of thousands of pounds a week to two footballers who absolutely cannot be at their freshest to play a really tough-looking Premier League game at Southampton.
Why do we have to have three international breaks before Christmas? Why can’t we just have two or one? It would be a hard graft but I think I’d prefer a three week or so break in the middle of October, where they can bang out five or six games and people like Firmino and Coutinho would save themselves two trips across the Atlantic Ocean. Give them less travelling and there’s less need for an international break.
It might actually make it a little bit more interesting as well. Who knows? Maybe it wouldn’t, but it couldn’t get any duller than it is right now.
We’re nearly one-third of the way through the season and it doesn’t really feel like it’s actually started. Three games. See you in two weeks. Then four. Then two weeks. Then another four. Have another two weeks off, lads.
Praise be to FIFA that this is the last one we’ve got until March. Four months without any meaningful break in the action – paradise. A chance for the Reds to build up a head of steam and kick on with a set of favourable fixtures.
When we walk on to the pitch against City on New Year’s Eve I’d be quite happy with a nice round figure of 40 points. That’s 14 points from our next seven – I’ve even factored a defeat into there. Four wins, two draws and a defeat between now and City and we’ll have 40 points after 17 games. It would be pretty difficult to see a team being above us in that case. I’d take that.
There is of course the possibility that this is all academic and Donald Trump is given the nuclear codes between me writing this and the Tricky Reds sauntering down to Southampton with a swagger, but what can we do?
I think being top of the table in April and old Donald deciding he wanted to nuke the Clinton’s vegetable patch, thus ending the World, would be the most Liverpool thing ever.
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Well, since the threat of imminent armageddon was diminished in 1990 we’ve not won the league. Maybe the reds are just better than everyone else when everyone thinks we could be obliterated instantly at a moment’s notice?
Up the apocalypse defying reds.
So so so so so so so so so so so so so gutted about Trump. Most of us Americans (well shit, I guess less than half of us) can hardly get out of bed. Disgusted, angry, embarrassed. There has to be a new left movement starting now.
Your solution is more left wing politics? There might lie the problem.
Serious progressive people EVERYWHERE need to start working together now to find a better way, better platforms, and better representation both inside and outside of ‘the establishment’. As I continue to recognize my own absurd privileges in this country (the States), I will do more and I will do better.
(Note: not an American, but benefited greatly from US education system and a year of work placement)
Half the country voted for a Revolution (a movement) — drastic change, a leap into unknown, for something that they think a lot but didn’t openly talk about – jobs, income, immigration, income gap, racial/religion divide.
The other half (and a few more) voted on Evolution — stability, continuity, and gradual change and progress.
The decision has been made (not necessarily majority). Give the Revolution group four years to make it work and not screw up. If it works, it will be drastically positive, at least for the American people. If not, Evolution team will come back stronger with a clear majority (hopefully lead by a newer version of modern and energetic top person like Obama with a future outlook)
Anyway, up the Reds (no matter what Trump may bring).
Yeah…
Actually, a bit less than half of eligible/registered Americans did not even participate in the election (apathetic or disenfranchised). A quarter went for Trump, a bit more than a quarter went for Clinton. Such is the horror of our electoral college.
Up the reds, one of the only thing that gives me escape and a glimmer of hope at the minute. :)
Josh K, I’m sorry, but I just have to say…no. Your characterization of Trump as a vote for revolution is simply ill-informed. Trump represents nearly every bit of bigotry this country has to offer. His ‘revolution’ is a backtracking to the 1950s, pre-civil rights era, but with US capitalism rampaging globally, trampling whatever is in its way…and no social progression whatsoever. This is a candidate that has responded to revolutionary movements with the slogan “Law and Order” (and if you know the history of that slogan and what it means in the US, you should be terrified). Trump is a climate change denier, and an outright sexist/racist. Trump is the anti-revolution, anti-change reversion to the worst parts of our history…your analysis is so far off the mark.
More left wing politics? There’s been hardly any in the last 20 years. Unless you’re one of those people who think Clinton and Obama are left wing. They’re not, they’re just a little to the left of the other lot.
You’re correct.
Hope so mate. Maybe this is the wake up call people need. Keep your chin up.
FIFA chopping up the league with international breaks? Let them. Internationals being played in the forest? Great idea. Let them come up with obligatory weekly meet-ups in a tree in Kongo. Nukes flying in from all directions? Great, fireworks. Lallana and Phil in another Nivea ad? Enough’s enough, lads..
Bitching about these things isn’t going to help win this league. Besides, the lads really enjoy playing for their countries. If Bobby and Phil don’t have the legs for it, send Sturridge and Origi out against Southampton. They don’t mind St Mary’s.
As a sports bar manager, I can’t condone a three week international break, two weeks Why not have a mini tournament, three weeks, in the summer before. 4 games, three weeks. Call it international fest and get it all out the way with.
Alternatively fuck off international football. It’s shit anyway.