RAWK Preview Liverpool v Stoke City 12:45pm August 17th
Posted by Hinesy on August 12, 2013, 09:01:52 pm
And so it comes around. The close season seems shorter every year, the ever increasing desperation for 24 hour rolling news on multi-platforms, means that not a day has gone by where the silence has exceeded the digital babble. Be it about Luis, Danny, Pepe, the in's and out's, the might be ins and who knows out's, Liverpool, as they usually seem to these last few years, have been in the media spotlight, a glare more harsh than sun bouncing off pre transplant Rooney's bonce.
Almost thankfully, then, the silly season is over, and comes the match. No more posturing, preening and pretending, its down to brass tacks as we kick the whole season off, on BT Sport and at lunchtime against a team who are the very definition of brass tacks: Stoke. No longer Tony's Stoke but Mark's Stoke. Mark Hughes, a man more granite faced than a lump of er, granite. And with a great reputation. Great at taking teams and fucking them up.
Be'hatted Tony, bless him. He of the tracksuit and long throw. About as elegant as a fart. But they did what they did well and got results again teams above them, pushing their physical attributes to the fore.
Stoke must hope they've signed the Hughes that did ok at Fulham, not the Hughes that moved across London and humped QPR.
They have had transfer requests from Nzoni which were rejected. Mind you so did we....
They've got Pennant playing for them after being rehired and Crouch, nice to see a couple of ex players popping back and Cameron Jerome was done for betting by the FA. I can't imagine where he learnt his love of gambling. In other news Michael Owen retired.
Meanwhile, Belford, Coady, Mukendi and Stephens have all moved on. I'm on about Liverpool now in case you were wondering. The team thinning continues. And in comes Hughes' old player Toure. And a new goalie.
So can we, a team without Carra, Pepe and who knows with Agger, hold off against a physical, wound up Mark Hughes team that will place emphasis on aggression and muscle?
Of course we can. Well, we should. Be bloody nonsense if we don't take 3 points off these. Yes they can be difficult to play against. But I was Rodgers to re-instill that attitude that was "We're Liverpool, fuck you."
Yes, I'm tired of the close season shenigans and yes I'm tired of being held to ransom by certain players and the press enjoying our difficulties. But is my appetite whetted or jaded when it comes to Saturday? I can't bloody wait. I really can't.
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