Topic: The Sunday Papers 12/9/04

[Rushian]

Garcia fashions a more sophisticated Liverpool

by Dan Murphy, Independent on Sunday

Life under Rafael Benitez took a decided turn for the better yesterday as a new-look Liverpool swept aside West Bromwich Albion with a convincing display of swift passing and intelligent movement. Luis Garcia, playing in the hole behind Djibril Cissé, was the chief architect on his home debut, delighting the home fans with his quick thinking and bright play ....

Rampant Garcia has Kop in raptures

by John Aizlewood, Sunday Times

LAST season, it would have been impossible to conceive of, but yesterday afternoon, as Liverpool breezed past West Bromwich Albion, The Kop gave a standing ovation to an expensive import, substituted in triumph rather than shame. Perhaps, in the mercurial, stylish and feisty Luis Garcia, The Kop has the bought-in hero it has craved since Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush ....

Gerrard imperious as he leads the way

by Helen Jones, The Observer

Steven Gerrard emphasised just why Rafael Benítez moved heaven and earth to keep him at Liverpool earlier this summer with a majestic goalscoring performance that added weight to the belief that too often the England midfielder carries his Anfield team-mates on his shoulders. Propelled by Gerrard, Liverpool left West Brom still searching for their first victory of the season and secured their second home win of the campaign ....

Gerrard shows no mercy to West Brom
 
By Derick Allsop, Sunday Telegraph

La Ligapool began to take shape under the paternal gaze of the ever-prowling Rafael Benitez, but it was the influence of an incomparable Englishman that left the most significant impression. Steven Gerrard carried Liverpool through much of last season almost single handedly and he continues to accept the responsibility of plugging the gaps and chasing lost causes, as well as providing the sublime and the inspirational ....

Kop hails new hero

by Press Association, Soccernet

Liverpool fans have lost a glut of heroes this summer but now have a new star to idolise in Luis Garcia after a 3-0 home win over West Brom. Michael Owen may have gone to Spain but, coming the other way, Liverpool have acquired a clever, mobile creative force from Barcelona who stole the show with an outstanding display ....

[Kop4]

Fair reviews, but there is always somebody watching a different game...

I don't have a link, so I have written some excerpts from The Mail on Sunday below.....

 Mark Ryan, The Mail on Sunday
It was third time lucky for Luis Garcia who scored on his home debut to spare his own blushes.

Two truly embarrassing misses from the little Spaniard had left his Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, looking more than a little frustrated………

……… it was Garcia who finally stole the show to put an end to what had been an uncomfortable home debut.

Twice he squandered glorious opportunities, the worst when he headed a 34th minute effort from Gerrard's delightful cross shockingly wide from just 6 yds.

His accuracy was no better in the 55th as he blasted away wildly with Gerard begging for a simple, scoring pass.

So it was ironic that the Spaniard was rewarded for what was essentially an act of greed on the hour.  When a cross looked more productive, he attempted an ambitious near post shot, which Albion keeper Russell Hoult failed to hold.  Luckily for Garcia, the ball rolled straight back into his path and this time he made no mistake.

It put a gloss on a less than convincing display, and even Gerrard opener owed more to the generosity of the Albion defence than the midfielder's own control…………

But a better team than West Bromwich Albion would have given Liverpool serious problems…………


Hey ho, so much for a decent performance from a new team playing new tactics.

[Paul Tomkins]

From the Mail:
But a better team than West Bromwich Albion would have given Liverpool serious problems…………

I fucking hate this shite. We beat a team 3-0 and it's because they were crap; ignoring that playing poor teams at Anfield has been a problem for us in the past.

Of course a better team would have given us more problems. Derrr!!!  But you also get different problems playing poorer teams, as they tend to pack their defence more. It's also harder to rouse yourself against poor sides: people said after Graz "a top team would have hammered Liverpool" but we'd never play so casually against a top team - we'd be going at them. The fact that now we've gone at, and beaten, West Brom, should be cause for celebration. You can only beat what's in front of you, and we did that comfortably.

As for Garcia, it was one embarrassing miss. The one in the second half, where he should have laid Gerrard in, was hardly embarrassing.

[hoonin]

Fair reviews, but there is always somebody watching a different game...

I don't have a link, so I have written some excerpts from The Mail on Sunday below.....

 Mark Ryan, The Mail on Sunday
It was third time lucky for Luis Garcia who scored on his home debut to spare his own blushes.

Two truly embarrassing misses from the little Spaniard had left his Liverpool captain, Steven Gerrard, looking more than a little frustrated………

……… it was Garcia who finally stole the show to put an end to what had been an uncomfortable home debut.

Twice he squandered glorious opportunities, the worst when he headed a 34th minute effort from Gerrard's delightful cross shockingly wide from just 6 yds.

His accuracy was no better in the 55th as he blasted away wildly with Gerard begging for a simple, scoring pass.

So it was ironic that the Spaniard was rewarded for what was essentially an act of greed on the hour.  When a cross looked more productive, he attempted an ambitious near post shot, which Albion keeper Russell Hoult failed to hold.  Luckily for Garcia, the ball rolled straight back into his path and this time he made no mistake.

It put a gloss on a less than convincing display, and even Gerrard opener owed more to the generosity of the Albion defence than the midfielder's own control…………

But a better team than West Bromwich Albion would have given Liverpool serious problems…………


Hey ho, so much for a decent performance from a new team playing new tactics.

Kinell mate, thats shocking, but hardly suprising coming from Woman Own The Mail. They're not exactly renowned deep thinking in terms of footballing coverage.

[Paul Tomkins]

"Perhaps, in the mercurial, stylish and feisty Luis Garcia, the Kop has the bought-in hero it has craved since Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush"


Of course, John Barnes wasn't much of a hero, was he? 

And of course, another bought-in hero was Istvan Kozma...

 

[Hinesy]

Kinell mate, thats shocking, but hardly suprising coming from Woman Own The Mail. They're not exactly renowned deep thinking in terms of footballing coverage.

 

I hate the Daily Tory - it's unbelievably right wing and shit




Ta for the links by the way - alwasy enjoyable on a winning Sunday

[Mighty_Red]

And of course, another bought-in hero was Istvan Kozma...

 

One of the best if not THE best I'd say 

Wonder what happened to him then? 

[Paul Tomkins]

"Liverpool fans have lost a glut of heroes this summer..."

 

Michael Owen, and...?

Heskey and Murphy? Hardly heroes, more like decent but ultimately under-achieving pros. Cheyrou and Diouf? 

If Houllier is included, he was certainly a fallen idol having seen his stock lower considerably over his final two years...

[hoonin]

I'm pretty certain that if Garcia had played that same match in an Arsenal shirt then that muppet from Womans Own would have been ravin about him and congratulating Wenger on another master stroke in the transfer market.
 
Nothing wrong with using Arsenal and their players as a benchmark, but when you are so far from the mark you make a David Beckham penalty look a near miss then nobody will really take you seriously as a writer (except for those housewives enjoying their morning cup of tea )

[Kop4]

And if we beat the Scum next week, the stories will tell of their turmoil rather than our improvement.

Call me cynical.

[Junkle]

who is Mark Ryan, from The Mail on Sunday
The man is so negative i just can't believe it. but may it is the nature of his work to see negativity where there is optimism.

This is what the man has sad... i don't think there is anything wrong with what he says but i may b he should be more balanced. Rafa said he wants a more balanced team. Even journalilsts should give a balanced opion... MOST people are giving the us good marks for the performance and the man called MARK RYAN gives us... less than pass. May be we should start losing to make the man happy.


THE MAN WROTE
So it was ironic that the Spaniard was rewarded for what was essentially an act of greed on the hour.  When a cross looked more productive, he attempted an ambitious near post shot, which Albion keeper Russell Hoult failed to hold.  Luckily for Garcia, the ball rolled straight back into his path and this time he made no mistake.

It put a gloss on a less than convincing display, and even Gerrard opener owed more to the generosity of the Albion defence than the midfielder's own control…………

But a better team than West Bromwich Albion would have given Liverpool serious problems…………

[MightyReds]

I'm pretty certain that if Garcia had played that same match in an Arsenal shirt then that muppet from Womans Own would have been ravin about him and congratulating Wenger on another master stroke in the transfer market.
 
Nothing wrong with using Arsenal and their players as a benchmark, but when you are so far from the mark you make a David Beckham penalty look a near miss then nobody will really take you seriously as a writer (except for those housewives enjoying their morning cup of tea )

Agreed. Arsenal is the benchmark now. But the worst is the papers still treated Manu as someone who deserved the praise more. Imagaine if Garcia played for them and with his saturday performance, I'm pretty sure the papers will run out of any imaginable superlatives in this world to use. And saying of that, i haven't come across papers that dwell on their poor start to the season, and for them it's justify due to the extent of their injury. How about comparing this to our stuttering start last season, and does anyone still still remember the sticks we got?

[khalilur]

"When a cross looked more productive, he attempted an ambitious near post shot, which Albion keeper Russell Hoult failed to hold."

Was this guy even watching the same game? Luis Garcia was the ONLY Liverpool player in the box. Who was he supposed to cross the ball to? Mickey Owen?

[Olly]

Was this guy even watching the same game? Luis Garcia was the ONLY Liverpool player in the box. Who was he supposed to cross the ball to? Mickey Owen?

Thats exactly what we said at the time. He was all on his own.