I had a bad feeling about this Derby. It wasn’t that I thought our players couldn’t do the job, but I never felt like we would win. The reason why was that Blues’ attitude was “Yeh, we’ll get hammered” whereas most Reds’ had the attitude of “Will it be six or seven?”
It took Radzinski’s goal to make the Reds wake up, and if we could have played how we did for the last twenty minutes, it would have been six or seven. Southampton, Fulham, Blackburn. All teams title chasers should win. We have the players, but why can’t we break down teams that come to Anfield to defend? For the first 45 minutes the midfielders where bypassed, as a defender would pump long balls to Anelka and Owen. Who would you back to get a long ball- 5”10 Owen, 6”0 Anelka, both with nothing of them, in physical terms, who don’t have great heading ability on their CV that’s for sure. Or, David Weir and Alan Stubbs, both of whom posses heading as probably the only thing on their CV? Now, what if we were to put a ball 5 yards in front of Owen along the floor with Weir next to him. Or Anelka and Stubbs. Both times, a Red shirt would end up with the ball.
What would a neutral rather watch? Liverpool versus Everton, one of the most famous games in footballing history, in front of a full passionate crowd or Aston Villa laying down to let Man United get three points? Guess what Sky picked? That’s right, Man United versus Aston Villa. The again, 3pm on a Saturday is what football is about, not 7.45 on a Sunday or whatever other god-forsaken time they can come up with. You can’t even come up with the excuse that Sky would think that Everton are crap now, hence we’d win easy, as they’re showing Sunderland-Newcastle, with Sunderland not exactly challenging for the title.
Reading the papers today, you’d be forgiven for thinking ‘’Is there a derby today?’ The match got a page, the same amount as Man United-Villa and the same as Arsenal-Fulham. Has the Merseyside Derby lost it’s appeal to the TV companies and national rags? The game that we look for first on the fixture list. If we win, it’s six months of sheer bliss. If we lose then for six months you’ll get that rammed down your throat everyday for six months. I’m sure Man United fans feel the same about them versus Villa!
Over the past few years the “Friendly Derby” has deteriorated to a hate campaign from both sides. Now, the image built up by the media of being able to stand or sit in the Gladwys and shout for Liverpool and not get hassled is very wrong. The same with Blues in the Kop. I do remember two lads celebrating in front of the Kop, and later on, after they wiped all the food & drink thrown at them down, a few Reds went down and congratulated them for having the bottle to do it! A bit of fuel was added to the fire when Nicky Barmby joined us, especially when he told us he had supported us all his life! But, on the whole Reds and Blues still get on the same.
Last years Derby at Goodison (April one) was amazing. How can some Blues disrespect the memory of the 96? I’m sure the majority of Blues knew someone who lost their life at the Derby, and in all fairness 98% kept silent. In fact it was probably around six or seven who shouted. That game was hate fuelled, with Jeff Winter probably not doing much to help. I read on a forum last week about someone’s brother, who is a Blue, coming home after being punched for challenging the grounds of an Evertonian’s “Heysel” shouts. If a Red was seen celebrating in the street he was either spat on, or beat up. It’s never been a friendly Derby, as none is. It probably was carved out like this, as it wasn’t as bad as Manchester derbies or something.
This year’s ditty from the Blues was the very classy “Who’s had a heart attack- Hou-Houllier”. Again, minority rather than majority but the image of Everton FC is being tarnished by this scum. Scum is a harsh word, but the right one when describing the idiots who sing stuff about a man, who they have never met and has done nothing to them, dieing. The above-mentioned song is a bit censored when compared to some songs they’ve come up with. There’s Blues who for 363 days of the year are sound, and gives all football credit, including Liverpool’s and then on the two Derby days turns very bitter. And there are those who spend 365 days of the year despising Liverpool, LFC employees and LFC fans. They’re the ones who come on internet forums with anti-Liverpool names and come up with the very funny ditties for Emile Heskey (yawn). Then there are those who realise that actually this game is in fact just that- a game. Obviously, it means a hell of lot to us, but when fans sing “Die, Die Nicky” do they realise how stupid they are? They don’t know Barmby, but want him dead. Lovely bunch, eh? I’m not saying Liverpool fans are Saints, but there isn’t the same amount as Everton fans who sing songs that the majority are embarrassed are sung by fellow fans. I mean how can anyone (and this is football fans in general) sing that they want someone dead? Or celebrate the fact someone has a life threatening disease? These are scum, and I’m not just talking about Everton fans.
No doubt the media and TV companies will make it out that Everton dominated and deserved it all, but they never. Two chances that I can remember, one was the Radzinski mis-hit that went in, the other a fine save from Kirkland, who had a good game. Anelka and Owen started up front, with Dave Maddock’s brilliant pre-match observation that Owen would be rested totally wrong (Bet, you’ve never heard about Maddock being wrong, eh?). Anelka and Owen were the dream partnership when Anelka signed, but today proved that they don’t have the same understanding that Heskey and Owen do. Obviously, that can only be achieved through playing together, but will they get a chance? Only time will tell. And Xavier discovered the meaning of hate today. Sorry, but a few boos that stopped after half time from the Anfield Rd end, are not hate. The Kop boos Ginola, but do LFC supporters hate him? Nicky Barmby is hated, but I don’t think the day where a Blue could go to the Reds
And no one would care would ever come. Unless we bought Unsworth..
The first half flew by with little (any?) incident, the Reds best player being McAllister in my view. In fact, EFC's goal woke the Reds up and after that Liverpool played like Champions. Unfortunately they don't do it from the start. If we did we would be Champions by now. In fact, why don’t we give the opponents a one goal head start and then we’ll be unstoppable!
What do Man United, Arsenal, Leeds and Newcastle have that we don't? Nothing. So, why when teams go to Anfield and defend they are almost certain of a share of the spoils, and when teams go to Old Trafford, Highbury, Elland Rd and Highbury and defend do they nearly always go home nursing a heavy defeat? Is it due to our game of defending and counter attacking forcing us to run out of ideas when teams beat us at our own game? Is there a way, and maybe it's all part of GH's plan, to get us to play our way away from home, and attack at home? I mean we have the players, but it’s the style that won us the treble that's turning into a bit of a downfall. I won't say the tactics are crap, because they were successful last year, but if we want to win the league, we need to improve on the 'bread and butter' games against the Southamptons and the Leicesters.
Our remaining games are:
March
2: Fulham v Liverpool
6: Liverpool v Newcastle
16: Middlesborough v Liverpool
23: Liverpool v Chelsea
30: Liverpool v Charlton
April
7: Liverpool v Blackburn
13: Sunderland v Liverpool
20: Liverpool v Derby
27: Tottenham v Liverpool
May
11th: Liverpool v Ipswich
All, with the exception of Tottenham and Chelsea, are the “small” games that are our downfall at the moment. We can win these games. Why people write off our title challenge now is quite remarkable, but let’s get some things into perspective: We have lost our inspirational manager for the majority of the year. Our assistant boss, who has done a great job, had no experience of managing a team, bar a stint as Reserve manager. If we don’t win the league this year- so what? We’ll win it when GH is back. I’m not starting excuses, but how people can put it as a disaster is beyond me. How would Man U do without Ferguson? Arsenal with Pat Rice in charge? I tell you not half as well we have done without the inspiration of GH. Yes, he’s helping to pick the team now, but how many times has a Houllier substitute changed a game? A word of wisdom to a player and they’re back to full form?
Galatasary captain, Bulent Korkmaz, has come out and sayed this:
“When we beat Liverpool in Istanbul it will boost our chances. We are 90% through.”
This lad obviously knows about spitting into the wind, especially when Liverpool are involved. I mean, hasn’t he ever heard of Clinton Morrison?! This by the way is the same Bulent Korkmaz who was outpaced by 38 year old Gary McAllister and out-classed by Didi Hamann.
“Walter Smith's Everton produced a heroic performance to steal a richly deserved point from the Merseyside derby at Anfield.”-ananova.com
So, when Liverpool go and put 10 men behind the ball, and get a breakaway goal they’re “lucky”. When other teams do they’re “heroic”. How where they deserving? They got a mis-hit goal, and defended. Fair play to Everton they did the job, but we deserved to win, and Everton never deserved it, and weren’t heroic.
“And from persistence more than class, Liverpool finally clawed their way back level.”
So, Van Nistelrooy’s goal earlier in the day wasn’t through persistence? How more obvious can they make it that they listened to Sky Sports and think they’re in a position to comment. So, all we need to do is be persistent and we’ll win each game? Who needs class? Oh, wait we were persistent against Arsenal but never won.
So, in one article I’ve talked Everton, Sky, Maddock, GH, Galatasary and the media- not bad, eh?
Mark Piercy
Justice For The 96
