The alienation of Xabi Alonso by the demoralizer, Rafa Benitez...

Xabi Alonso seems certain to leave Liverpool for Real Madrid this summer, which comes as no surprise given his demoralizing treatment at the hands of Rafa Benitez over the last 2 years..

The latest in this summer's most predictable (and regrettable) transfer saga is that Alonso has allegedly told Benitez that he wants to leave Anfield. As much as I would hate for this to happen, I don’t blame him for wanting to leave at all - Benitez has done his best to demotivate Alonso over the last couple of years and he has clearly had enough.

Here are few examples of how Benitez has used his fabled man-management skills to alienate the Liverpool playmaker:

1. 2007-08 – In the first months of this season, Alonso had (inexplicably) been an early victim of Benitez's rotation policy, starting 4 games and warming the bench for 3, including being an unused sub in two Champions League encounters with Toulouse.

With Steven Gerrard out injured against Derby, Alonso seized his chance and proceeded to run the show as Liverpool battered the rams, with Alonso scoring 2 of the 6 goals that day.

Then disaster struck: Alonso was injured against Portsmouth on September 15th 2007 - a devastating blow for the Basque maestro, who was clearly high in confidence after his Derby heroics.

So Alonso was injured. It happens to most players at one time or another, so need for alarm. The fatal blow came 43 days later, when Benitez inexplicably rushed him back from injury and put him in the starting line up against Arsenal.

It was gamble by Benitez that spectacularly failed to pay off. Alonso aggravated the same injury he had suffered against Portsmouth and was forced off. Just for the sake of clarity, here is the proof that it *was* the same injury:

Portsmouth Injury Report: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2007/sep/20/N157043070920-0839.htm

Arsenal Injury Report: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2007/oct/29/N157487071029-1303.htm

Alonso was rushed back after just six weeks, which was a major mistake considering every player in world football who has had the same injury has taken much longer to recover. Examples: Wayne Rooney - 14 weeks. Steven Gerrard - 10 weeks. Daniel Agger – almost three months!

As a result of that catastrophic decision, Alonso missed a further 5 weeks of the season. When he returned from injury, he was in and out of the team, with precious little time to build up any rhythm or consistency.

2. February 2008: To add insult to injury, Benitez proceeded to publicly criticise Alonso, stating the following:

"Xabi needs to step it up. When you are not 100 per cent fit, you want to play every game because you need to play more games to build up your fitness…Xabi knows he needs to work harder if he wants to have a place in the team."

What possible benefit did Alonso gain from these needless comments? And if, as Benitez stated, Xabi knew he had to work harder' then why was it is necessary to say the same thing in public?

He had only been back in the first team for a month or so after his 11 week lay-off; of course it would take him time to find his momentum again. What he didn’t need was his Manager suggesting he was not putting in the appropriate effort.

3. Summer 2008 and the Gareth Barry fiasco. Benitez's ‘idea’ to replace Alonso with Barry was cretinous to say the least, and he pursued the player with barely concealed zeal and absolutely no respect or consideration for Alonso. This was all compounded by Steven Gerrard - his supposed 'team' mate, who rubbed salt in the wounds with his embarrassing public tapping-up of Barry.

What goes around comes around, however, and Benitez’s gross lack of loyalty towards Alonso last year is coming back to haunt the club at exactly the wrong time.

4. Failing to utilize Alonso properly and play to his strengths.

5. Shunting Alonso around to accommodate Gerrard.

6. Forcing Alonso to change his game from skilful, creative playmaker to defensive midfielder tasked with doing all the donkey-work for Gerrard.

7. Signing Javier Mascherano and Lucas, thus marginalizing Alonso’s role in the team and making the competition for midfield players too intense.

With all this in mind, is any wonder that Alonso wants to leave?

That Alonso was outstanding last season is a testament to his ability, dedication and professionalism; it has nothing to do with Benitez’s managerial skills.

It would be a tragedy to lose Alonso, as he is one of Benitez’s finest signings and is blessed with an essential skill that no other current Liverpool player possesses: the ability to intelligently dictate the pace of play.

Alonso is a quintessential Liverpool-type player, cut from the same cloth as the likes of Jan Molby and Ronnie Whelan – an exquisite passer of the ball and an asset to any team serious about challenging for honours

He is a joy to watch, and Liverpool should be pulling out the stops to keep him, but the truth is, Benitez actually wants to sell Alonso. He proved this last summer, and he proved it again in April 2009 with the these comments in response to interest from Juventus:

“If Juventus were asking for him at the right price – in football everybody has a price”.

This was after Benitez publicly claimed that he didn’t want to sell the player this summer. It’s clear though that his comments basically represented a form of subtle, public negotiation with Juventus, along the lines of “Come in with the right offer and he’s yours".

Replace Juventus with Real Madrid and nothing has really changed.

Having said that, after last season’s performances, I’m sure Benitez finally realises Alonso’s true value to the team and secretly hopes that he will stay.

It’s too late though – the damage has already been done. Sooner rather than later, Xabi Alonso is leaving Liverpool, and the responsibility for losing such an important players rest solely on the shoulders of Rafa Benitez.

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It could’ve been Old Trafford! How Liverpool beat Manchester United to the signing of Kenny Dalglish

The thought of club legend Kenny Dalglish signing for Manchester United is enough to make any Liverpool fan sick to the stomach, but it could have happened in the 1970s. Thankfully, there was only one club for which Dalglish wanted to play, and that was Liverpool FC.

1977: Liverpool had just beaten Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1 to win the European cup for the first time. Amid the triumph, the reality was that Kevin Keegan was leaving for Hambur SV and needed to be replaced.

Liverpool had their eye on Celtic's creative maestro Kenny Dalglish as potential replacement for Keegan. Bob Paisley had contacted Jock Stein a year earlier when he heard that Dalglish wanted to leave for England, but Stein had said that he was going nowhere.

Stein added that Paisley would be the first he would contact if he couldn’t talk Dalglish into staying at Celtic. Stein kept his promise, even though he was disappointed to be losing a player of this calibre.

Manchester United actually offered Celtic more money for Dalglish, but, luckily, the player had set his heart on Anfield.

Liverpool and Celtic eventually sat down to discuss the deal. An initial £300,000 was offered but legendary Celtic Manager Jock Stein rejected it as ‘paltry’, despite it being only £50,000 short of the British transfer record Everton paid Birmingham City for Bob Latchford.

In private talks prior to negotiation, the Liverpool party had agreed to keep adding 10%, with £400,000 being the final offer. That figure was reached, but Stein once again rejected the offer, but for some reason suggested that a further 10% may tip the scales.

A simple nod of heads sealed the deal; Stein had lost his man, and he would remain silent on the matter after the deal, only ever stating that Liverpool got a better player than Kevin Keegan (Dalglish’s predecessor) and still made a profit.


Negotiations had taken all day finally concluding at midnight but neither Bob Paisley nor John Smith were in any mood to leave until their target had agreed the transfer. Personal terms were much easier to settle. Dalglish was located at his father-in-law's pub and called Parkhead. Within minutes, John Smith, Bob Paisley and Kenny Dalglish were shaking hands on a deal.

Smith was delighted with the deal, enthusing: "There's never been a better bit of business than that”.

Bill Shankly couldn’t believe his ears when he heard that Celtic had allowed Dalglish to leave.

"I understand that like Kevin Keegan, Dalglish wants to get on but I would have moved heaven and earth to keep him. I would rather have quit and got out of the game altogether than sold a player of his brilliance."

Paisley later told Kenny that it wouldn't have mattered if Liverpool hadn't sold Keegan to Germany, Paisley would have still tried to sign him.

From Kenny's perspective:

"Bob told John Smith he wanted me. Liverpool had such a simple way of handling transfers. Old Bob would just pick the players he wanted to bring to Anfield and John Smith and Peter Robinson would sort out the deals.

"They were brilliant at deals. So I walked into the boardroom to meet my next employers. Bob was there as well because new players like to talk to the person who is going to be looking after them. They informed me that the two clubs had agreed a fee. We talked for a couple of minutes. After two years of wanting a move, it was all happening in minutes."


Dalglish's love affair with Liverpool and its fans is unprecedented and from day one it was evident:

"My Anfield debut came against Newcastle, who counted Tommy Craig, amongst their number. I had grown up with Wee Tam, playing Glasgow Schools, Scottish Schools and Scottish Youth with him.

"Before kick-off, I found Tam looking up at the sign that declares 'This Is Anfield'. 'How are you?', he asked. 'I'm all right, I think', I told Tam, 'but you see that sign there? It's supposed to frighten the opposition. I'm terrified by it and it's my home ground.'

"Fortunately the game worked out well. Just after half-time, Ray Kennedy started wandering off down the inside left. I raced towards the box. Ray's pass came in and I clipped the ball past Newcastle's keeper, Steve Hardwick, as he came out.

"The goal was at the Kop end and I nearly finished up in amongst them. Their appreciation was magnificent. It really touched me. That was the start of the relationship between the Kop and me. It was a special relationship, hard to articulate how strong the bond was. We would share great success in England and Europe."

Further reading: Liverpool's forgotten heroes: John Smith

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Selfish; Inspirational; King of the Roost - Bob Paisley on Emlyn Hughes

Emlyn 'Crazy Horse' spent 12 fantastic years at Liverpool FC and captained the club to consecutive European Cup victories in the 1970s. Here, in his own words, Bob Paisley provides an insight into how Hughes - never the most popular player at the club - fitted in at Anfield.


The following is taken from 'Bob Paisley - My 50 Golden Reds (1990)'.

"They called him 'Crazy Horse' on The Kop, but that was one of the more complimentary nicknames that Emlyn Hughes won for himself during his time at Anfield. I’m not giving away any great secrets of the Boot Room when I say he wasn’t – and still isn’t - the most popular former player to have left Liverpool.

"Some of his team-mates weren’t that fond of him and one of them, Tommy Smith, absolutely hated him. Smithy and Hughes never spoke to each other. I had to speak to them both when all the trouble was brewing up but it never mattered to me if players got on like a house on fire or if they couldn’t stand the sight of each other, as long as they didn’t let their personal feelings spill over onto the pitch.

"In fairness, neither of them did let their personal problems affect their games when they vere playing for each other and, at the time, their dislike of each other was something we managed to keep within the dressing room.

"I certainly don’t think the fans who were watching them play alongside each other had any idea of the feud that was going on. And Emlyn never, ever let his feelings overshadow his respect for his team-mates’ playing abilities, and his inspirational quality as his predecessor as club captain.

"Even in his own autobiography Emlyn paid a glowing tribute to Tommy, writing:

'He is the greatest captain I have ever played under. Although I never particularly got along with him as a man, I had nothing but admiration and respect for him as a captain on the pitch. He had powerful qualities of leadership.'

"I can assure you, that is the biggest compliment that Tommy Smith will ever hear from the most unexpected source. Emlyn always struck me as a player who could have been an even better one if he had been a slightly different personality. He always liked to be King of the Roost. He wanted to be a charge hand".

"Shank signed him when he was still in his teens. But he was already an established first teamer with Blackpool and, in those days, they were in the First Division. Shank had been looking to find someone to replace Willie Stevenson at left half and when Ron Suart was sacked as the Blackpool manager that was the time to make a move.

"Ron had virtually promised us first refusal on Emlyn and once he had gone we knew we would have to go in if we wanted to make sure he joined us. One funny incident happened on the day that the deal went through as Shank decided to drive Emlyn back to Merseyside and had an accident on the way home. The rear light of Shank’s Ford Capri was smashed and he was later stopped by the police in Preston for driving without a rear light.

"Emlyn tells the story of how, when stopped, Shank turned round to the officer and asked him: ‘Don’t you know who is in this car’. When the policeman said no, Shank told him: ‘There sits the future captain of England’, as he pointed to Emlyn. I’m not sure if it is true or not but it would be a typical Shank reaction and, equally, one that Emlyn would love to relate!".


"Emlyn was always very open about how he felt, very much the way he was when he appeared every week on Question of Sport. He wouldn’t hide his feelings and you only had look at his face to know what sort of day he had been having.

"He wouldn’t let anything nestle and would always be talking on and off the field. That helped to make him a good captain which is something he always wanted to be and didn’t mind who knew it. As captain he was always very selfish and was single-minded about anything, as long as he got it. He certainly wasn’t bothered about anyone else!

"But alongside all this, he was a useful player and you couldn’t say anything else. That was a verdict shared by three separate England managers, all of whom used Emlyn as captain at one time or another. The late Joe Mercer, in his short spell in charge of the national team, made Emlyn his skipper and he also led out the side under the reign of Don Revie and Ron Greenwood".

"Since leaving Liverpool, at a time when he thought he should have still been in the first team, he had a successful spell with Wolverhampton Wanderers, taking them to a League Cup Final victory at Wembley; an unsuccessful time as manager at Rotherham United and now he’s built up a name and reputation as a television and newspaper personality.

"It wasn’t that surprising that he had a hard time in management. Sometimes it is a lonely job, and Emlyn always gives the impression that he is happiest when he has an audience. He loves the limelight, he laps up the praise and enjoys being a personality with all the trappings that brings.

"But don’t ever underestimate his worth to Liverpool as a player, as a wing-half, as a full back and as a central defender. His father Fred had played Rugby League for Barrow Schools in the 13-a-side code but always showed more talent at soccer.

"Barrow gave him trials when he was only 15 but decided he was too small and it was only as a favour to his father that Ron Suart gave him a second chance with Blackpool, although at first they weren’t too impressed.

"Even then he was on the small side but after 18 months of steaks and youth games he was taken on as an £8 a week professional. He had set off on the long road that, eventually, was to lead to him captaining Liverpool in an European Cup Final and leading his national team onto the pitch at Wembley!".

Further reading: Iron Man vs. Crazy Horse: The truth about Tommy Smith's 'hatred' of Emlyn Hughes

Click here for more articles by LFCHistory.net

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CONFIRMED: Liverpool’s first 5 live games on Sky Sports next season

Sky Sports have confirmed the first 31 live Premiership games for next season, 5 of which are Liverpool games. And they're all potential crackers!

August

Sunday 16: Tottenham v Liverpool (1600)

October

Sunday 4: Chelsea v Liverpool (1600)
Sunday 25: Liverpool v Manchester United (1400)

November

Saturday 21: Liverpool v Manchester City (1245)
Sunday 29: Everton v Liverpool (1330)

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The chain-smoking pig-breeder: Is this Liverpool FC's most legendary goalkeeper?

Liverpool have had many great goalkeepers down the years, but for sheer character and ability, few can compare to 'Silent' Sam Hardy, who many football experts regard as one of the greatest goalkeepers to ever grace the game.


Born a miner's son in a house on Highfield Lane, Sam first came to Chesterfield's attention as a member of the Newbold White Star side that beat their reserves in the 1902 Byron Cup final.

Legend has it that, when manager Jack Hoskin was tipped off about Derby's reported interest in him, he rushed to sign Hardy, finally getting the man's signature under a lamp post in Newbold, but not until Hardy had forced Hoskin to increase his offer of five shillings (25p) a week to eighteen shillings (90p).

His on-field performances reflected his character off it, for he was an even-tempered, down to earth man. Considering his great talents, it was only a matter of time before he moved to a bigger club.

Liverpool put six past Sam Hardy while in goal for Chesterfield in January 1905, but remembered that, but for Hardy, it would have been closer to twenty on the day.

Four months later, the Reds came in with an offer of 300 pounds plus a friendly, and the 21-year-old Sam was on his way to greatness after keeping 30 clean sheets in 71 league appearances for Chesterfield. The friendly never took place, and Liverpool topped the fee up with another 40 pounds.

Hardy replaced Ned Doig, who had been the club's No. 1 for the opening 8 fixtures of the 1905-1906 season. Liverpool had been struggling for consistency until that point, but Hardy's debut saw Liverpool beat Forest 4-1 and the Reds went on a terrific run, beating Middlesbrough 5-1; conquering champions Newcastle at St James' Park 3-2 and burying first-placed Aston Villa 3-0 at Anfield, with Hardy saving a penalty from William Garratty.

After winning 9 out of 10 games, Liverpool were top of the table at Christmas, one point ahead of Aston Villa and with a game in hand. Hardy and his strong defence keeping four clean sheets. Liverpool didn't falter and finished four points ahead of Preston. Liverpool had won the League championship for the first time in Hardy's first season.

A 10-year-old by the name of Walter Dutton was so impressed by Hardy's performance in goal that he put together a little poem for publication in the Liverpool Football Echo in April 1906.

I know a good goalie called Hardy
And when the ball comes he's not tardy
He belongs to the 'Pool
And he's been to school
Has that jolly good goalie called Hardy

Walter was not the only youth in Liverpool whose imagination Hardy had captured as T. Ellis' story records in the same issue as the poem above:

"While walking through one of our parks the other day I met a youngster about the age of three walking along by his father's side. 'Eh, daddy,' said he, 'there's Hardy.' 'Where and what Hardy?' asked the parent. 'There he is, daddy - him as keeps goal for the Reds.'

"The father looked and I looked in the direction indicated by the youngster's pointed finger, and there stood, between two piles of coats and caps, a ragged barefoot lad, about ten, engaged might and main in resisting the earnest attempts of other lads to force a penny soft indiarubber ball between the said piles of coats and caps. This is true."


Looking through old copies of Liverpool Echo, LFChistory found some few curious facts about Hardy

* He was a smoker. Here's a description of Hardy after a game: "Silent Sam, enjoying his cigarette whilst having his after-the-match bath at Anfield, is a picture of contentment."

* Hardy was missing from Liverpool's starting line-up in the game between Blackburn and Liverpool on 10th September 1910. Hardy was in the stands smoking away...
* Hardy was a pig-breeder on a very large scale in Chesterfield, clearly keeping himself busy outside of football.

* He was originally a centre forward.

On 17th of April 1911, Hardy got his much deserved benefit game when Liverpool faced Woolwich Arsenal at Anfield. The club and the Anfield crowd showed Hardy their appreciation:

"Twenty thousand throats cheering the silent custodian to the echo. The band departed decorously, and the rival captains took the centre, Hardy proving fortunate with the coin, at which the generous crowd cheered again."

Sam Hardy was firmly first choice at Anfield for 7 years until the 29-year-old was replaced by 20-year-old Scotsman Ken Campbell at the end of the 1911-1912 season. Manager Tom Watson was clearly not afraid of putting his faith in his keepers while they were young.

The Echo agreed with the management: "The change has been beneficial for the club, for whereas Hardy was beginning to show signs of inability to get to a shot with that electric speed that made him famous." Even though Hardy left Liverpool he continued to have an illustrious career.

Incidentally, Hardy's last game for Liverpool was on 6th of April 1912 vs. Aston Villa. A month later he joined The Villains who paid 1500 pounds to Liverpool. As in his debut season at Liverpool, Hardy was victorious in his first season with Villa. Villa won Sunderland 1-0 in the 1913 FA Cup final. Villa finished four points behind Sunderland in 2nd place, but Liverpool with Ken Campbell in goal finished a disappointing 12th.

The following season Hardy suffered FA Cup heartache at the hands of his former team. Villa played Liverpool in the 1914 FA Cup semi-final and Jimmy Nicholl scored two goals past Hardy. Liverpool had finally reached the FA Cup final, but lost 1-0 to Burnley. Hardy won a second FA Cup winners' medal in 1920, when Villa beat Huddersfield 1-0, but a year later he was on the move again after 183 games for Villa.


In 1921, he took over the pub Gardener's Arms on Glumangate in Chesterfield. His return to town fuelled fierce speculation that Chesterfield were going to sign him for their impending return to the Football League, but Villa, who had upset the player by insisting that he travel every day to Birmingham to train, were not taken in by Chesterfield's suggestion that a free transfer might be a fitting reward for his services.

Villa got 1000 pounds out of Nottingham Forest for him as the season started which was a gamble considering Sam was a few days short of his 38th birthday.

Of course, Hardy became a key member of Forest's team, helping them to promotion to Division One in his first season. He paid scrupulous attention to his fitness which allowed him to keep playing in the First Division until just before his forty-second birthday, in an era when most players were clapped out at thirty.

Hardy played 109 games for Forest before retiring in May 1925. Hardy played 551 league games in 22 years and would have played many more if WWI had not intervened where he served in the Navy. He won one championship medal and two FA cup winners' medals in his brilliant career.

"Safe and Steady Sam" was one of the outstanding English goalkeepers of his time. He made 21 England appearances between 1907 and 1920, at a time when England usually played only three games a season and the nation went to war for four years.

Any keeper enjoying a fourteen-year spell as his country's first-choice at the end of the twentieth century would have earned around 140 caps, knocking Peter Shilton's record easily of its perch. Hardy won his last and 21st international cap for England against Scotland on 10th April 1920. England won the game 5-4.


Legendary player and later co-founder of the Football Writers' Association, Charlie Buchan, had plenty of praise for Hardy's abilities.

"Hardy, I consider the finest goalkeeper I played against. By uncanny anticipation and wonderful positional sense he seemed to act like a magnet to the ball. I never saw him dive full length to make a save. He advanced a yard or two and so narrowed the shooting angle that forwards usually sent the ball straight at him."

Sam Hardy was a man of strong principles and was aware of the good that a man of his profile could do towards improving the lot of his fellow professionals; accordingly, he became a prominent member of the P.F.A. Sam also was a hotelier in Chesterfield and ran his own billiard hall in Alfreton in Derbyshire. Sam died in Chesterfield on 24th October 1966.

Special thanks to historian Stuart Basson for allowing LFChistory.net to use his research into Sam Hardy's life and times before and after Liverpool.

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What's the big deal? Sell Mascherano and sign THESE two players

Javier Mascherano allegedly wants to leave Liverpool for Barcelona and the club is apparently desperate to keep the player. If he wants to go then let him go - there are two inexpensive, readily-available players out there that Rafael Benitez could sign with the money who would instantly improve the club’s chances of landing a first ever Premiership title.

Mascherano is not irreplaceable; far from it, and I will explain my reasoning for this in another article. Liverpool should sell him for as much money as possible (hopefully somewhere in the region of £20-£25m; ideally £30m+), and use the money to strengthen in other areas.

As for on whom to spend the money – there are two experienced players out there who would be *perfect* for Liverpool, and it astonishes me that Rafael Benitez has (seemingly) not even considered either player.

The players I’m referring to are Barcelona’s Alexander Hleb and AC Milan’s Mathieu Flamini.

To me, the signing of these two players this is a no-brainer, and I cannot understand why the club – with its comparatively limited resources – is not moving heaven and earth to sign them.

Prior to Hleb's move to Barcelona last year, I argued last year that Liverpool should sign him:

http://www.liverpool-kop.com/2008/04/alexander-hleb-is-apparently-for-sale.html

Much to my frustration, it didn't happen.

I’ll now outline why I believe Liverpool should sign these two players.

1. Flamini is a natural replacement for Mascherano.
2. Both are already experienced in the Premiership with Arsenal, so no settling-in period.

3. Both are very experienced players.
4. Both are strong characters with a winning mentality.

5. Hleb cost Barcelona a mere £11.8m. He has barely featured for them and that is not going to change. Liverpool could probably get him for between £5 and £10m.

6. Flamini went to Milan for free. He is not a regular at the San Siro and the club is in transition with a new manager. Could probably be bought for £10-£12m.

7. Flamini is still only 25; his best years are ahead of him.
8. Hleb is only 28.
9. Both players were excellent performers for Arsenal.

10. Having played under Arsene Wenger, both players have excellent technical skills and like to play football the right way.

11. Hleb is an excellent creative option, and would add much-needed flair to the team

12. Both are versatile: Flamini can play defensive midfield and across defence (as he proved with Arsenal); Hleb can play on the left, right and as a link-man.

13. Hleb has publicly indicated that he is receptive to a move away from the Nou Camp.

If Liverpool really went for it, both players could probably be bought for less than £20m, with money left over to buy a second striker in the £8-15m range.

In terms of line-up and formation, we could be looking at something like this (using current players):

--------------------------- Reina

Johnson ---- Agger ---- Carra ----- Insua

--------------------- Flamini

Hleb -------------- Alonso -------- Riera

-------------------- Gerrard

------------------ Torres

Hleb could alternate with/provide cover for Gerrard in the role just behind Torres, and could also play out wide. With Flamini protecting the back four, Gerrard could still be free to roam, and he and Hleb could do serious damage together.

I personally believe that Flamini is a better all-round option than Mascherano - he has a better range of passing; is faster more dynamic; is more direct with his play; is just as good at breaking up play, and offers more of a creative threat.

This is a Premiership winning side!

Come on, Rafa – why are you not doing everything you can to sign these two players? You already allowed Andrei Arshavin - a player who *should* be playing for Liverpool - to go to Arsenal. Don’t waste this opportunity – sign these players now!

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VIDEO: Mathieu Valbuena - A potential replacement for Xabi Alonso?

Reports in France suggest that Liverpool are keeping tabs on Marseille midfielder Mathieu Valbuena as a potential replacement for Xabi Alonso, should the Spaniard leave this summer.

So - what does Rafael Benitez see in the player? Take a look at the following footage and decide for yourself...



I'm not quite sure how he would be a replacement for either Alonso or Javier Mascherano, but he seems to be quite skillful.

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VIDEO: Unique, long-lost footage of Liverpool FC in action!

This unique footage of Liverpool playing Newcastle and Everton in 1901 and 1902 is from the Mitchell & Kenyon Collection courtesy of the British Film Institute.

For around seventy years, 800 rolls of early nitrate film sat in sealed barrels in the basement of a shop. Now miraculously rediscovered and restored, the Mitchell Kenyon Collection is an amazing visual record of everyday life in Britain at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is the most exciting film discovery of recent times and promises to radically transform British film history.

This is the earliest footage in existence of a Merseyside derby. The game took place on 27th September 1902 at Goodison Park. Everton beat Liverpool 3-1 with Sam Raybould scoring Liverpool's only goal from the penalty spot.

.

This was Liverpool's fourth game of the season and second away defeat. Liverpool won the championship in 1901, but this season ended up in 5th place, but amazingly relegated the following season.

What completed these rollercoaster years were two championship wins in the 2nd and 1st division in 1905 and 1906. In Liverpool's team this day were four Liverpool legends: Alex Raisbeck, Arthur Goddard, Sam Raybould and Jack Cox.

1 Bill Perkins
2 John Glover
3 Billy Dunlop
4 Maurice Parry
5 Alex Raisbeck
6 William Goldie
7 Arthur Goddard
8 George Livingstone
9 Sam Raybould
10 Richard Morris
11 Jack Cox

Footage analysed:

0.36 - Goalkeeper William Perkins in his penalty area and then takes a goalkick.
0.52 - Everton score!
1.33 - The referee in action.
2.05 - Everton score their third goal

Liverpool had celebrated winning the championship for the first time in the club's 9 year history the previous April. Leading up to this game the Reds seemed to be hitting form after an indifferent start to the season where they won only 1 out of their 9 opening games, drawing 5. Liverpool had won two games in a row, Manchester City 3-2 and Wolves 4-1 when they took the stage at St James' Park.

1 Bill Perkins
2 John Glover
3 Billy Dunlop
4 George Fleming
5 Alex Raisbeck
6 William Goldie
7 Jack Cox
8 Charles Satterthwaite
9 Sam Raybould
10 Andy McGuigan
11 Tom Robertson

Footage analyzed:

0:40 - LFC's first superstar and skipper Alex Raisbeck gives the ball to the referee.
0:58 - Second half kick-off. The ref tries his best to stay away from the ball
1.10 - LFC shown attacking the Newcastle goal in the second half

LFCHistory.net is one of Liverpool-Kop.com's new contributors, providing detailed, in-depth articles and interviews focusing on the club's glorious history. For more great articles, please visit their fantastic site, which also has the most comprehensive LFC statistics on the net.

Profile - LFCHistory.net

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Loner, Psychologist, Scientist, Fanatic - Bob Paisley on Bill Shankly

It's safe to say that outside family, nobody knew Bill Shankly as well as Bob Paisley. They worked side by side for 15 years and Shankly trusted him implicitly to take over as manager of Liverpool. But what was Shankly really like? What made him tick? This insightful tribute from Bob Paisley reveals lots of interesting information about the most revered figure in Liverpool FC's history.

Upon Paisley's appointment as Manager of Liverpool, Shankly had this to say about his great friend:

"In my place you have a man, who, like me, is basically honest. Without having basic honesty you are nothing. I hope that Liverpool will be successful for a long time to come and that Bob Paisley and his staff will do a great job.

"He's been a very loyal man to me. When I decided to go I said to the chairman he should be very careful about bringing somebody in from outside the club, because there is a very capable staff inside who, over a 14-year period, have laid down a system and pattern of playing which some Fancy Dan might come along and break up with fancy phrases. Bob Paisley, of course, is the number one man - so I recommended him."

"Bill Shankly put steel tips on his shoes so people knew he was coming,
whereas I'd be happy in my slippers."

Bob Paisley, in his own words...

"It was such a shock [Shankly's resignation]. I told him: 'You can't pack it in, it will kill you', and sad to say it eventually did. I knew this more than anyone else, because I was the closest to him in the game, and I tried harder than anyone else to persuade him to stay.

"I must have asked him a hundred times what was getting him down, but he wouldn't say and to this day I can't tell you why he retired. I used to say: 'Bill, what are you going to do with yourself if you retire?'

"You see, he was a real loner; he didn't knock about with anyone. I'd go round and see Nessie to try and find out what was up, and she'd beg me to persuade him to change his mind. She was frightened of him lying round the house with nothing to do.

"I did my best, but he'd made his mind up. If I was pushed to give an opinion about why he went, I'd say maybe he was frightened of having another lean spell. He'd just won the cup and I think he'd made up his mind to go out at the top like a class boxer. He was a boxer at heart".

"Bob and I never had any rows. We didn’t have any time for that.
We had to plan where we were going to keep all the cups we won." - Bill Shankly

"And his retirement didn’t work. He went to places like Tranmere to advise, but he was on the outside of things and that wasn’t good enough for Bill. He needed to be at the centre. Without doubt he made a big mistake going so soon. He should have known it wouldn’t do him any good, and of course it all got a bit too much for us at Anfield.

"He started going to games and being a bit critical of things, saying he wouldn’t have done this and that if he’d been there. I’d say to him: 'Do what you want, Bill. If you want to come training, come training'.

"I took a risk and it all got too much for him. He’d come down to Melwood and the lads would be a bit overawed by his presence. I didn’t mind at first, but it got ridiculous. Sadly, for the benefit of the club, he had to stay away".

"When Bill first arrived at the club, he upset a few people because he was a very straightforward man. But he knew his business; he was a great manager. But, as I say, not everyone liked his style, especially the directors.

"You see, in the late 50’s we were a happy-go-lucky, slap-happy crowd. The height of the directors’ ambitions was to get into the First Division and they’d have been quite happy just to get there and go along three or four places off the bottom. But Bill was determined to change things and so was I.

"We talked a lot and made our plans. We got on like a house on fire. You see I always gave Bill a straight answer and he liked that. He’d always ask my opinion and respect it because I was straight with him. We never once had an argument".

"Bill always accepted criticism from people he respected. He was good at his job and he expected other people to be the same. So we both decided in the early days that Liverpool were going places under us. And Bill would tell the board this, and his ambition would frighten them.

"They didn’t want the boat rocked and they didn’t know how to handle Bill. But Bill was so dedicated to football and Liverpool that they just had to give him a chance. Football was the only thing he’d seen. He couldn’t relax; It was all football, football, football.

"The board would try and knock down some of his ideas, but he’d convince them they were wrong. He always got his own way and when he got the success they had to leave him alone".

Shanks lights a cigar for Bob Paisley at Bob's celebration party
after being awarded the 'Manager of the year trophy' in 1976

"The players loved him of course. He was a real rabbit and all the funny stories and the jokes were right up their street. He’d have them in stitches but there was always a serious message there and that’s how he got it across.

"And of course he was a great psychologist. He’d tell the lads how pathetic the opposition were and 90 minutes later tell them they’d beaten the best side in the country, and they’d take it week after week because of his personality. That was what made him such a great manager.

"He was a great motivator. Sometimes it would backfire on you, mind. You see, he used to encourage all sorts of lads to come down to Anfield and receive attention for injuries.

And I’ll never forget one day I was in my room and I heard Bill in the corridor telling this lad: 'Ah, that’s no problem, son, Bobby Paisley will sort you out. He’s the greatest trainer in the world. He can fix anything. There’s his room, there. Tell him I sent you'.

"And then a few moments later this poor young fella wheels himself in a wheelchair. It was so sad. I couldn’t do anything for him. But that was Bill. He’d think just by telling people something it would make them believe in themselves and they’d be alright and it rubbed off on lots on them and made them better people".

Shanks was one of those who surprised Bob
on Eamonn Andrews' "This is your life" on 12th November 1977

"He had a great knowledge of the body and it stood me in great stead as a trainer. Training was very planned. We’d discuss it every morning and then put our plans in effect right to the last detail. It was science under Bill, training".

"If I have one criticism of Bill it was that he didn’t break up the great team of the 60’s earlier. He was content with what he’d done and kept faith with the players. He was a very loyal man, but I was keener to get back to winning things again.

"But I picked up a lot of knowledge from Bill that stood me in great stead as manager. I’d pick up stuff out and store it away. You had to learn from Bill. He was football crazy, and I mean crazy. He was fanatical, like no-one else I met.

"If I had to sum up Bill’s effect at Anfield it’s quite simply that he got the whole thing going. We were nothing before he came, and look at us now...

"He’s very sadly missed".

LFCHistory.net is one of Liverpool-Kop.com's new contributors, providing detailed, in-depth articles and interviews focusing on the club's glorious history. For more great articles, please visit their fantastic site, which also has the most comprehensive LFC statistics on the net.

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Why Nelson Mandela is to blame for Liverpool's failure to win the league for 19 years

Liverpool FC’s inability to win the title since 1990 has been blamed on a various people over the years, including David Moores; Rick Parry; Graeme Souness; Roy Evans, Gerard Houllier and, most recently, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. The real blame, however, for the club’s abject failure to bring home the trophy Bill Shankly famously called ‘our bread and butter’ lies solely at the feet of one man: former President of South Africa and anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela.

As I will illustrate with cold, hard facts, Mr Mandela’s negative influence on the club simply cannot be denied. Indeed, the startling confluence of events that have led me to my ultimate conclusion will make even the most ardent Liverpool fan reconsider their ingrained opinions about who or what is to blame for the club’s league demise over the last 19 years.

So, let’s consider the facts:

In 1959, Bill Shankly took control of a club that was languishing in the English second division. At this time, Mr Mandela was a free man.

In 1962, Mr Mandela was arrested and imprisoned after being on the run for 17 months. The same year, Liverpool won promotion to the first division.

In 1964, Mr Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment for, amongst other things, his alleged involvement in a conspiracy to help other countries invade South Africa.

That same year, Liverpool won the league for the first time in 17 years, a number that matches the length of time Mr Mandela was on the run.

Coincidence? I think not.

Over the next 27 years, Liverpool became the most successful British football team of all time, winning a whole host of trophies, including 12 league titles, 4 European Cups, 4 FA Cups and 2 UEFA cups.

In 1990 - after 27 years behind bars - Mr Mandela was released from prison. Three months after his release, Liverpool won the league title for the last time.

At the time of writing, Mr Mandela has been a free man for 19 years; In that time, Liverpool FC have failed to win the league title.

The facts speak for themselves: Liverpool’s dominance of English football began with Mr Mandela’s imprisonment in 1964 and ended with his release in 1990.

Coincidence? Once again, I think not.

I don't think it is too much of an exaggeration to suggest that Liverpool FC's league success is inextricably linked to Mr Mandela's liberty, or lack thereof.

As I have shown, Mr Mandela's freedom pre-1964 and post-1990 has coincided with Liverpool's barren run in the league. The inarguable conclusion must be that the club can only be successful in the league if Mr Mandela is in prison.

It is clear that after 19 painful years without league success, the insidious influence of Mr Mandela must be addressed NOW.

With Manchester United only one title away from potentially overtaking our precious league record, desperate times call for desperate measures. As such, it is our duty as fans to address the damaging impact Mr Mandela's freedom is having on the club's ability to win league titles .

To that end, I have hired a team of the world’s top lawyers to examine the terms of Mr Mandela’s 1990 release documents in the hope of discovering evidence of any legal loopholes/procedural inconsistencies/Judicial improprieties that would retrospectively invalidate the release.

Liverpool fans can do their part by campaigning for Mr Mandela’s immediate re-imprisonment and signing this online petition:

www.sendmandelabacktoprison.com

Upon collection of as many signatures as possible, the petition will be delivered to current South African President Mr Jacob Zuma for (hopefully) immediate action.

Back in 1990, people around the world - including millions of Liverpool fans - were shouting 'Free Mandela!' as they campaigned for the great man's release. Hindsight is a wonderful thing; little did those fans know that they were effectively sabotaging their own club.

19 years later and the chant has changed: 'Jail Mandela!' must become every Liverpool fan's mantra for the coming season, and every premiership ground must reverberate with the power of the Liverpool faithful's commitment to the cause.

The needs of the club outweigh the needs of the individual; with the greatest fans in the world working together in the spirit of 'The Liverpool Way', the goal of having Mr Mandela returned to prison can be achieved, and Liverpool FC can be restored to its rightful place at the pinnacle of English football.

JAIL MANDELA!!


* Just in case anyone misunderstands (!) this article is purely tongue in cheek and meant as a bit of fun.

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Full-backs don’t win you things...do they? (+ VIDEO)

It seems increasingly clear that the signing of Glen Johnson from Portsmouth is a nailed on certainty. But he's just a full-back; not really the attacking signing Liverpool FC need and not not really the type of player who can take the club to the next level. Or is he? Mark Jones seems to think so...

It was late and we’d had quite a bit to drink so I’ll forgive him. We’d enjoyed the Merseyside sunshine for most of the day but now the bell for last orders had long gone, and people were staggering towards the exit door when my mate uttered the above phrase.

We were, like thousands of other people in thousands of other cities, discussing football, and namely Liverpool’s imminent signing of the Portsmouth right back Glen Johnson for a sum that can only be described as ‘princely’, even when you take out the £7m or so that the Reds are still owed for Peter Crouch’s relocation to the South Coast last summer.

Full backs don’t win you things? Well Liverpool’s do. If you include penalty shootouts, Phil Neal and Alan Kennedy found the net five times between them in European Cup Finals between 1977 and 1984.

Phil Neal



Alan Kennedy v Real Madrid



Markus Babbel headed the opener in the 2001 UEFA Cup Final:



Djimi Traore - in an often forgotten moment - cleared off the line from Andriy Shevchenko at 3-3 in Istanbul; Fabio Aurelio and Andrea Dossena fired the bullets that shot down Manchester United in March.

Eyebrows will be raised at the fee that the Reds are set to pay for England’s first choice right back, as they always seem to be whenever Liverpool splash the cash on any player (£18m for Anderson anyone? Anyone?!), but the signing would indicate that Rafa Benitez is placing a priority on his full back positions for arguably the first time in his reign.

The gauntlet was thrown down to Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa last season, the first of Benitez’ five years without the two full backs he inherited from Gerard Houllier; Steve Finnan and John Arne Riise.

Perhaps inspired by the challenge to see off newcomer Andrea Dossena, and certainly helped by his first largely injury-free campaign, Aurelio was one of Liverpool’s most consistently impressive performers last season, while Arbeloa overcame early jitters to reach levels of performance that surprised many people.

As good as Arbeloa has been, in an ideal world he would be (and read on for the most blatant example of damning with faint praise you’ll ever see) Liverpool’s version of John O’Shea; a steady if unspectacular performer capable of coming in and performing well as and when needed.

If the rumours of Real Madrid’s supposed 1/10 of a Ronaldo - also known as £8m - bid are true then he could be offloaded to generate funds, especially with just a year left on his contract.

Johnson would represent an improvement at first choice, with the physio’s friend Philipp Degen and maybe Stephen Darby as backup. This would leave Aurelio and the encouraging Emiliano Insua to fight it out on the left, with Dossena heading back to his homeland with nothing but his tail between his legs and stories of how he single-handedly saw off Real Madrid and Manchester United.

Despite recently wowing the crowds as England flat-track bullied their way to the brink of the World Cup finals, it is Johnson’s Premier League form that should have Reds fans feeling optimistic.

Picked in virtually everyone’s team of the 2008/09 campaign - a season where he’s played under three managers and camped in the bottom half of the table - Johnson has impressed everyone with his ability going forward.

Most point to that stunning, dipping volley against Hull – Match of the Day’s goal of the season – as evidence of the right back’s attacking prowess.



A better example came in a 3-0 win at Everton in the third game of the campaign. Johnson’s pace and power forced him to the edge of the Blues box before an exquisite one-two with Jermain Defoe ended with the full-back poking home in front of the Gwladys Street.



If you were looking for another reason to like him then there it is.

Liverpool’s occasional inability to navigate their way past packed defences at Anfield last season was one of the main reasons that the title went to Old Trafford. With Johnson on board, the Reds will possess a full back who loves to get to the by-line, get in crosses and even pop up on the scoresheet himself.

Sure his defensive abilities might not be quite up there with the best yet, but he’s got time on his side to improve them, and Liverpool spend less time defending than most teams.

At 24, Johnson could conceivably be Liverpool’s right back for the majority of the next decade, surely rendering the outlay for his services as money well spent.

Liverpool admittedly need reinforcements in other areas this summer but Johnson’s talent, coupled with the Crouch debt, means that this can be viewed as a relatively inexpensive gamble from Benitez, and the first time that he’s signed a proven Premier League full back.

Liverpool have had enough ‘missing pieces of the jigsaw’ to fill Stanley Park over the last few years, and it would be wrong to pressurise Johnson by claiming that he is the latest, but he’s a huge step in the right direction, regardless of the price tag.

Full backs don’t win you things? Glen Johnson is joining a club where he’s well placed to prove my mate wrong.

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Forget the Rafalution: This summer needs to be about evolution.

With Rafa’s 5th season at Anfield at a close, the summer ahead looks to be a crucial one in the eyes of many of our fans. So many times I’ve seen ‘Rafa’s Revolution’ splattered across the pages of the press, but this summer needs to be about evolution over revolution.

The departure of Sami Hyypia is more than just a farewell to a legend; he is the last signing of the Houllier era to leave the club.

In 5 years our team has been completely transformed; this is Benitez’ team and this season we’ve played like a Benitez team: Plenty of goals; a resolute defence; the best goal difference in England; a record points total and an undefeated Anfield record.

We’ve certainly had a successful year – the lack of silverware is disappointing but I don’t hear many reds complaining because we’re rightly proud of our season.

So with the future in mind, the topic of transfers is unavoidable. Obviously, a lot of people get carried away in a Football Manager fantasy world, but after 5 years of Rafa signings we should know how the manager works by now.

He will already have his mind made up and his priority targets identified in order of preference. All eyes should be on the American owners, they’ve come in and caused a lot of controversy but they have Rafa to thank for delivering on the pitch and once again improving Liverpool for the 5th consecutive season and effectively taking them out of the firing line from the fans.

After the progress we’ve made in the last few years we find ourselves in the fortunate position of not needing to overhaul our squad, something that’s regularly been required over the last 20 years!

After gaining 86 points - and with no key players set to leave - Rafa needs to enhance the squad with players who’ll get us that extra 5 points that would surely secure the title. That means two or three big additions, and youth players aside, I don’t expect Rafa to sign any more than that.

We’ve been given a pretty clear indication of how Liverpool will play next season – the 4231 formation will be key no doubt. Like most others, I expect a right back, a versatile forward who can play on the left and as we’re all aware we could be looking at Barry or Alonso in the centre.

The real proof of the Benitez squad will be in the blooding of young talent and the first steps of our Red evolution.

Rafa has had 5 years to work on the academy and a lot of money has been spent. Next season, with most of our budget being spent on key players, I expect to see younger players being given more of a chance.

Emiliano Insua looks to be very promising; Jay Spearing, David Ngog, Kristian Nemeth and Stephen Darby have found themselves high up the pecking order, so hopefully Rafa will have the confidence to use them, saving on money that’s usually spent on squad players.

The Academy has been under intense scrutiny lately - Piet Hamberg left this season and was quickly replaced. There have also been rumours of Kenny Dalglish coming back in an Academy role, which suggests Rafa isn’t at all happy with the academy.

At the moment though, we don’t need stars, we need squad players. After 5 years, the fans are expecting players to start coming through. Rafa knows the side more than anyone so I trust his judgment and don’t expect him to put people in who aren’t ready.

The key to Liverpool’s title ambitions next season will the depth of our squad. If we can put players in who have the confidence of the manager and, crucially, the supporters, then hopefully we will see a few more steps toward greatness, leading to greater squad ability, character and, finally, success.

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Should Rafa think twice before letting this youngster go?

With the season finally over, speculation is rife about which players are on their way out of Liverpool. Eoin Sheridan makes a case for one particularly promising young player to remain on the books at Anfield.

After Rafa Benitez won the Champions League in 2005 he pledged to re-build the Liverpool squad, with a focus on developing a stream of young talented players for the youth and reserve teams that could come through into the first team and improve the quality of the squad.

True to his word Rafa proceeded to bring in a string of young signings from around the world. One of the first of these signings was Paul Anderson.

Signed in November 2005 aged 17, the pacy winger was brought in from Hull City in exchange for John Welsh, a player who failed to make the grade at Anfield having come through the youth system himself, but was nonetheless highly regarded, and valued at about £1m at the time.

Anderson excelled at youth and reserve level in his first season, culminating in the F.A. Youth Cup victory of 2006. This highly talented team included future first team graduates as Jay Spearing, Stephen Darby and Jack Hobbs.

It proved to be these three youngsters who have since been given a chance in the first team (although Jack Hobbs has now been sold to Leicester City), it was Anderson at the time who was seen as the star player in the team, the one people compared to Michael Owen due to his pace and skill on the ball.

Loan moves to Swansea and Nottingham Forest have followed meaning he has been away from Anfield for the last two seasons, limiting his appearances in the Reds’ senior team to a couple of pre-season friendlies, and a single call-up as an unused substitute against Benfica in 2006.

Despite this, most Pool fans have been impressed with Anderson, and those who have followed his development at Swansea and Forest will have been encouraged by his performances in League One and the Championship.

Indeed, Forest’s upturn in form and escape from the relegation zone in the Championship coincided with Anderson’s return from injury. The fact that both clubs are now knocking at Rafa’s door asking to take him back permanently speaks volumes about the professionalism and attitude of the now 20 year old Anderson.

Surely Anderson therefore is exactly the kind of player that Rafa would be looking to keep at the club, to use as cover for Dirk Kuyt next season, who he has already stated is an automatic pick on the right side of midfield, so one assumes he will not spend any of his precious transfer kitty on a player for this position.

Instead Rafa is reported to have accepted a bid in the region of £750,000 - £900,000 for Anderson’s services, and it seems he will likely be on his way to either Forest or Swansea on a permanent basis.

I think this could prove a big mistake on Rafa’s part - Anderson has the potential to make a break-through at Anfield and become at the very least a useful member of the squad, and if sold will one day return to the Premiership with a rival team for a fee much higher than we will receive for him.

Ultimately, I think Anderson represents for Rafa a chance to prove the effectiveness of his longer term transfer policy, and could show his detractors his ability to get value for money from his transfer dealings.

Time will tell if Rafa is making the right decision, but for the sake of less than £1m I think Rafa should hold onto Anderson for one more year and give him a chance to show Anfield what he can do.

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The ten reasons why Liverpool FC are not 2008/09 Premier League champions

Manchester United’s win over Wigan means that they are now just one point away from regaining their Premier League crown, and given that they next face an Arsenal side with their minds already on a beach somewhere, it’s a fair assumption to think that they’ll get it. With this in mind, Mark Jones takes a look at the reasons why Liverpool are not ending the season as Premiership champions.

Credit to United - it is the best team in the division that wins the league title, but there remains a nagging doubt that this year, finally, it should have been Liverpool.

It was the Reds’ best league season since a second placed finish in 2001/02 and was the closest Liverpool have got to the trophy since the start of the Premier League era, but once again that Championship flag will be flying over Old Trafford next season.

Here, in no particular order, are the ten reasons why:

Home discomforts

When analysing the difference between United and Liverpool this season, and ruing those points that got away, Rafa Benitez is likely to look at the seven home games between November and February, from which Fulham, West Ham, Hull, Everton and Man City all escaped Anfield with a point.

The Reds lacked the inventiveness to get in behind their opponents (Gerrard and Torres started only one of the five together), with Fulham and West Ham holding out for clean sheets with comparative ease.

That old fighting spirit was evident in some games, such as coming from two goals down against Hull, but a lack of composure cost the Reds dearly. Only Bolton and Chelsea were beaten over the period, meaning that 10 points were dropped.

Had all been taken, Liverpool would be champions. Never has the two point difference between a win and a draw seemed so important.

Robbie Keane

First things first, the Irishman is a quality player, his short-lived stay on Merseyside shouldn’t detract from that, but sometimes things just don’t work out. Keane’s style often depends on slowing things down and playing with his back to goal, the exact opposite of what much of Rafa’s Liverpool is about.

Certain factors conspired against him. For example, Torres’ injuries strangled all hope of a strike partnership; but it became painful to watch Keane at times.

Lacking the confidence that his game so clearly depends upon, and carrying the immense weight of expectations - both his own and the supporters’ – on his shoulders, Keane was visibly shrinking under the pressure, choosing the easiest option every time and failing to express himself in the way that his tremendous talent allows.

Liverpool’s form in front of goal became markedly improved after his exit. Now back at Tottenham, it was a return home that benefitted all parties.

Stoke City

There is something quite likeable about sticking to your principles in the face of fierce criticism, which is why neutrals have been queuing up to praise Tony Pulis for keeping Stoke in the Premier League.

It’s an understatement to say that they are not pretty to watch, but their approach is pretty effective, and Stoke fully deserve their place in next season’s top flight, ahead of many clubs who have spent much more money than them.

Liverpool’s two goalless games with the Potters weren’t classics, and it could easily be argued that the Reds were unlucky in both - Gerrard had a goal wrongly chalked off early in the first clash, and hit the post late in the second – but defeat would have been harsh on Stoke in both.

Their direct approach might not be pleasing on the eye, but they play to their strengths, something that is as admirable as it is difficult to face.

‘The Spirit of Istanbul’

He gets talked about every now and again, the Spirit of Istanbul. The ghostly figure – half Gerrard’s whirling arms, half Dudek’s wobbly legs – frightens Liverpool’s opponents into believing that, once again, the impossible really is possible.

He was busy this season, turning draws into wins and scaring Chelsea to within an inch of their Champions League lives, but is there a darker side to the Spirit? Liverpool love being the underdogs, and played their best football of the season when they were chasing Manchester United at the top of the table.

Installed as title favourites at the beginning of the year, the Reds wobbled under the pressure, drawing their first three league games of 2009. While the media focused on Benitez’s comments about Alex Ferguson, the real problem lay with a squad of players not used to leading from the front.

A draw with Man City saw the Reds’ hopes written off in late February, with title obituaries being written after a defeat at Middlesbrough six days later. Liverpool went to Old Trafford as massive underdogs in a win or bust situation.

The Spirit got to work again, spooking Nemanja Vidic in particular, and kicked off the Reds’ best spell of the season; a spell that sadly came too late.

1-0 to the U-ni-ted

While Manchester United rightly received widespread praise for the success of their attacking football last season; this campaign has been based mainly on defence.

Between late November and early February United won an astonishing eight out of 11 games by one goal to nil, with three of those wins coming via late goals. Keeping clean sheets seemed second nature to them - they kept an amazing fourteen in a row – but this could often be put down the opposition not being courageous enough to attack the champions.

Turning goalless draws into wins however is a more admirable quality, and United were just doing enough to win every time. Football is a game of fine margins, and the proof that Liverpool are not too far away from deposing Ferguson’s men can be found in these games.

Andrey Arshavin

How close would Liverpool have got the title had the little Arsenal forward only scored three goals at Anfield? It’s impossible to tell, but on a night when Liverpool played their very own version of Russian roulette, the two points dropped ensured that the Reds had shot themselves in the foot.

Perhaps we should be grateful that almost all of our defensive mistakes were made in one game, to get them out of the way, and that stunning fighting quality was again evident in the fight back to claim a point, but Arshavin’s special feat is (hopefully) unlikely to be repeated for some time yet, and proved to be the most fatal of self-inflicted wounds.

Fernando Torres’ hamstrings

Of all the stats to come out of this Premiere League season, surely the most staggering is this; Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have started just a third of Liverpool’s games together.

Sure, the Reds picked up some fantastic results with just one, or neither, in the starting line-up – beating Manchester United at home, Chelsea away and a famous win in the Bernabeu just for starters – but being unable to pair up arguably two of the top five players in the world is sure to affect performance.

Liverpool dropped fourteen points in the games that Torres didn’t start this season. Now of course its too simplistic – and plain wrong – to suggest that Liverpool would have recouped all of those had the striker been in the team, but its safe to assume that some of the fourteen would have been gathered had Torres’ goals been added to the occasions.

The forward hasn’t played on a losing Premier League side since the 3-0 loss at Old Trafford last March, and although his absence has seen the likes of Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt up their game, a fit and firing Fernando Torres is vital to Liverpool’s chances next season.

Federico Macheda

Torres had rocked United by robbing Vidic and clipping in an equaliser in March, Liverpool then floored their opponents thrice more that same afternoon, Danny Murphy and Fulham set the foundations shaking with a win a week later and Gabriel Agbonlahor almost brought Old Trafford crashing down when he put Aston Villa 2-1 up in early April.

Enter a young Italian that no-one had ever heard of. Ronaldo’s equaliser still meant that United would drop another two points, but Macheda’s late, late winner – coming just a day after Benayoun had done the same at Fulham, the defining ‘we’re going to do it!’ moment of the season – was as gut-wrenching a blow as any goal Liverpool have conceded in recent years.

With one swing of his right boot, the youngster had blown away all of the vulnerability of the previous weeks. United have won every game since. Other players may have contributed more to United’s season, but Macheda’s moment restored the swagger and confidence that was so clearly lacking.

The late, late horror show

Liverpool were rightly praised all season for their stirring comebacks and late winning goals. Middlesbrough, Man City, Portsmouth and Fulham were all beaten with the vital strike coming in stoppage time - with countless other goals coming late in the day – but the Reds were also on the receiving end of late drama.

Roman Pavlyuchenko’s stoppage time winner inflicted a first defeat of the season upon Liverpool at White Hart Lane (ironically on a day when they’d probably produced their best performance of the season up until that point); Tim Cahill headed a late equaliser in the Anfield derby when Liverpool switched off from a free-kick and Mido converted a late penalty after Wigan broke from a Liverpool corner to steal a point.

Obviously the pros far outweigh the cons when talking about Liverpool and late goals in 2008/09, and this may be nit-picking somewhat, but who knows what would have happened had the Reds held on to those five points that were dropped in the dying moments?

Ryan Babel

In an excellent season for Liverpool collectively, there were few disappointments, but one of them was undoubtedly Babel. After a very good first campaign for a young player in a foreign land, this was to be the season when Babel kicked on and elevated his game to a new level.

It didn’t happen. The signing of Albert Riera and the improved form of Yossi Benayoun admittedly limited his chances, but Babel simply didn’t produce when he needed to.

An unforgettable Kop end winner against Manchester United was the highlight, but the fact that that came in September tells you that there was little to speak of after it (although his display at home to Real Madrid on a rare 90 minute outing was encouraging).

With Keane’s troubles and Torres’ absence, Babel had the chance to establish himself as a top striker, but Benitez has always been reluctant to use him as one, now seemingly preferring rookie David Ngog in the position to his £11m signing.

Now reduced to the role of ‘impact player’ Babel needs to have more of an impact next season, if indeed he’s still at Anfield. It’s wrong to single out anyone for too much criticism, and there is a very good player lurking within the Dutchman, but whether we’ll ever see it in Red is doubtful.

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Liverpool shouldn’t be too downhearted at Manchester United’s success this season. The Reds have shown remarkable progress in a very short space of time. The 4-1 win at Old Trafford should blow away the inferiority complex that Liverpool often felt when facing their old foe, and the football they produced after that display was arguably their greatest of the Premier League era.

Liverpool are just as good as United now. The extremely odd behaviour of Alex Ferguson – desperately grasping at anything that can unstable or damage Benitez, a man finally not afraid to challenge him – suggests that he knows it too.

With a couple of additions, those small cracks ironed out and maybe Benitez slackening his grip on his team’s leash more often, there is a good chance that we’ll be discussing the reasons why Liverpool are 2009/10 champions on these pages in a year’s time.

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Bill Shankly’s legacy - The psychology of football

There are certain angles of the game that I think often get overlooked by the average football fan. For example, football psychology is of particular fascination to me, but it often gets swept under the carpet, or else ridiculed a la Glen Hoddle and his faith healer. But it should be of great interest to us, especially since the first really great football psychologist was one of our own.

People often like to argue over who was the greatest manager our great club has ever seen, and while I don’t really like to hold one above the other, I find it hard not to place Bill at the top of the pile.

While he achieved less in terms of trophy returns than Bob Paisley, he did what very few mangers can do - he created an aura around the club. He built up a living, breathing legend, with the ultimate aim of creating a ‘bastion of invincibility’.

And this legend lived on after him. Indeed, even through the relatively dark days of the Souness era, Anfield was still a special place, and that was down to Shanks. But how did he do it? The answer lies in psychology.

I’d like to digress briefly by drawing on two apparently unrelated examples. First, let’s go back to our childhood and think about the Incredible Hulk. The story goes that Bruce Banner was involved in a car crash, and while he was able to escape from the car, he was unable to get his wife out.

He concluded that this was due to a chemical imbalance in his body, as there were many reported cases of people drawing on resources of superhuman power in situations of real stress, an example of which being people lifting up cars single-handedly following a crash.

And this is where fiction borrows from fact, as there are indeed cases of this very occurrence. But how can humans, who ordinarily would be completely incapable of such a feat, suddenly rise to the task? Let’s look at my second analogy.

There are people across the world that are capable of walking on burning hot coals, driving nails through their hands and pulling lorries with their... well, use your imagination.

Like the example above, they rise to a task apparently beyond human capacity. But how do they all achieve it? Three words: mind over matter. In the case of Bruce Banner, it’s a subconscious thing fired by a stressful environment; the others consciously reach a heightened state of awareness.

The end product is the same – apparent superhuman feats, for which there should, realistically, be no chance of achieving.

Now, if I may stretch the analogy and return to the matter at hand: how on earth did Djimi Traore get a Champions League Winners medal?

I’ll tell you how. A moment of tireless endeavour, built on the foundation of a firm belief, led to a kernel of hope, which in turn led to another goal, which then led to a snowballing belief that the impossible was possible.

This groundswell of positivity reached a pinnacle, as the majority of the Ataturk crowd sensed, and then willed on, that third goal. The collective Liverpool overpowered Milan for a brief time, built firmly on belief.

It was, after all, the same team that had dejectedly walked off at half time three nil down. But there was more to come.

Football commentators often talk of “chasing lost causes” or “running down blind alleys”, but this persistent and some may say misguided belief that you can reach that ball first, or get that block in is based on psychology.

How else can you explain that save by Dudek, that cramp-inducing tackle from Carragher? They believed that they would make the save/tackle. If they didn’t believe, there’s no doubt in my mind that they wouldn’t have made it.

And here’s where we come back to Shanks - he was able to make a man of diminutive stature feel six feet tall; he instilled unwavering belief in the players, the fans crammed into Anfield and the people of Liverpool, convincing them that they were superior to the opposition in every way.

If there was a tackle to be made, they’d make it. If there was a goal to be had, they’d get it. In effect, he made the 50:50 balls into 60:40 balls in Liverpool’s favour. Sounds simple, but you try convincing your Sunday League left back that he’s Premier League standard.

I and others firmly believe that Anfield (or rather, the Anfield faithful) is Liverpool’s proverbial 12th man, and Shankly was so very, very shrewd in the way he drew on this huge resource.

Indeed, it’s still evident today that a hostile home crowd can destroy the confidence of their own side if the vitriol is aimed at them.

Shanks ensured that the players knew who they were playing for, and that the fans knew their idols were playing for them. It was just one aspect of his psychological armoury, but a vital one; and it’s an aspect that is close to being lost in the current age.

It’s hard not to lose that connection when you have players earning movie star wages, while the man in the stand continues to struggle to afford the ever-escalating season ticket price.

But sometimes, just sometimes, that special Liverpool spark returns, and the players remember who they’re playing for. The fans remember that their collective voice can make the difference, and Liverpool explode into life.

That’s why we had Istanbul. And that’s the legacy left behind by Shankly.

Billy Fisher is one of Liverpool-Kop's new writers. You can view his profile here

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