Bring on your Internazionale,
Bring on your Roma by the score,
Barcelona, Real Madrid,
Who the fuck you trying to kid
Cos Liverpool are the team that I adore….
Come on you yellows….
Well we’ve had the bells ’n’ whistles. The return of the Reds to battle for the League, The Holy Grail. The massive highs of coming home, to the heartlands of Anfield, to the people. The glad rags, garlands and garnishings of a major Champions League showdown with AC Milan. Rattling the bones of memories, songs of spirit, of the tribe, echoing round the old ground. We’re bouncing already, we’ve already had another great comeback.
But enough of that. Arguably the most pointless game of our season happens on Tuesday night. Lucky me.
This week we've got Norwich City in The League Cup. Or is it the League Cup which used be The Capital One Cup ? The Carling Cup, Worthington Cup, Coca Cola Cup, Rumbelows Cup, Littlewoods Challenge Cup and, at a time when we were dominant, the good old Milk Cup.
Liverpool’s run, in the era of The Milk Cup was formidable. Between 1980 and 1984 Liverpool played 42 matches in this competition, losing just one leg of a double header along the way. We won it 4 consecutive times. It really mean’t something (to me) then. There were many battles, replays, even second replays. Mud, mist, mentality and muscle. They beat good teams in the finals, twice going to replays to do it. Everton, Manchester Utd, Spurs and West Ham.
Kenny’s equalising goal, a fantastic volley from a sublime chip from Terry Mac in the replay against West Ham is, for me, one of the great goals. Treat yourself, find it. The game was at Villa Park, a proper ground, proper atmosphere, a tight, tough game, proper teams.
Funnily enough we met Norwich City in the competition on that run. On 30th of November 1982, in the fourth round, 13,235 souls probably froze while watching The Reds win 2-0. It was Thatcher time, The Falklands War, recession, unrest, intentional degradation. If ever the city needed a boost it was then. Can you guess the 12 that played that night for Bob Paisley’s Reds ?
Bruce in goal, Phil Neal, Alan Kennedy, Phil Thompson, Alan Hansen, Mark Laurenson, Kenny Dalglish, Craig Johnson, Sammy Lee, Rushey and one Graeme Souness. The twelfth man was David Fairclough, whirling spindles himself. He scored, as he often did, coming on as a sub for Mark Laurenson, the other scorer. Real footballers one and all.
George Sephton was up in the Gods that night, spinning. Even the music of that era has endured. I checked the top 50 that week. Here’s my George top 5 playlist that night,
Back on the chain gang (The Pretenders)
Mirror Man (The Human League)
Mad World (Tears for Fears)
I don’t wanna dance (Eddy Grant)
Pass The Dutchie (Musical Youth)
Those were the days my friend. We thought they’d never end.
So to Tuesday’s Sky’s soccer-ball match-up. It’s safe to say Jurgan hasn’t gone balls out for this particular competition. Under him, in 5 seasons we’ve managed 12 matches. (In 1983-84 it took The Reds 13 matches alone to swig milk from the Cup). True, we’ve beaten the mighty MK Dons, hammered Lincoln and thrashed Southampton in 3 of our 4 victories. We generally draw and go out on pennos and we have been dumped out by a few of the big hitters. Not stellar but often fun.
Checking through Jurgan’s teams, in fairness, when he can, he does put out interesting talented, mixed teams. So who’s gonna play on Tuesday. Before yesterday’s game I thought maybe Milner plays and captains….
Kelleher,
Neco ? Joe, Konaté, Kostas ?
Curtis
?? Naki
Taki Big Divock Ox
But now I doubt Milner plays on Tuesday. Nabi’s on a hot streak so he starts for me, as do Ox, Taki and Curtis, Left fullback Kostas played yesterday also so now I am not so sure. I hope Fabinho does not play. It could be we get an U23 player or 2 at fullback. Over to you folks….
As for our hosts. Tucked in comfortably in 20th place in the league with 2 goals scored and 14 conceded, it’s business as usual for Norwich.
I checked on Farke and the teams he has put out in this competition while playing top flight football. Unsurprisingly he’s gone full rotation both times. Mind you they whacked Bournemouth 6-0 in round 2 with a team full of players none of whom I recognised beyond Brandon Williams. So somewhere in this squad there are goals. Perhaps it will be a reunion of a sort for Mr Kavak who quietly impressed in his brief mother Theresa trip to Anfield’s centre half vacuum last season.
My wild guess is he will likely go with the same(ish) second team and try and get a few players to give it a go, live on Sky, to force themselves into the first team.
In reality it’s a bit of a free hit for both managers because, let’s face it, beyond manic Pep and his puppet masters, this is a fun night out for everyone these days. Times have indeed changed.
I am, all the same, looking forward to it. I just love watching this team, whoever is playing and, in fairness to Norwich, they do tend to want to play football too. So 7.45pm, Tuesday night, live on Sky there’s going to be goals and a kit change.
Enjoy.
Ref, Darren England,
Linesmen, Harry Lennard and Peter Kirkup
Fourth Official : Andre Marriner and a flock of seagulls
I’ll leave you with a blast from the past .. Chrissie Hynde and some of the sounds that boomed around a half - empty, dark, early winter’s night at Anfield, when King Kenny reigned. Shadows from the past circling out there in the dark beyond the glowing glitz of the show.
I found a picture of you, oh oh oh oh
What hijacked my world that night
To a place in the past we've been cast out of? oh oh oh oh
Now we're back in the fight
We're back on the train
Oh, back on the …….