You all know my love/hate relationship with Liverpool (and my soft spot for scousers apparently). I can't give up a chance to poke a little fun. It's so easy: over emotional, over sentimental with paranoid victimisation complexes. That said, when they're doing well (or beating Manchester United) I can't help but cheer them on a bit for the same exact reasons.
So football365.com has given some shocking stats with regard just how much trouble Liverpool are in.
Liverpool
* Only six Premier League teams - Burnley, Wigan, Birmingham, Blackburn, Hull and Portsmouth - have lost more league games than Liverpool this season.
* Liverpool have conceded twice as many goals as at the same stage last season.
* Fernando Torres has scored 45 goals in 68 Premier League games for Liverpool at an average of two goals every three games.
* Liverpool had 64% of the possesion at Fulham but managed only one shot on target - Torres' goal. ...
* Bottom club Pompey have conceded fewer goals than Liverpool this season.
Ukrainian striker Andriy Voronin has said he could make an early return to Liverpool following the sudden departure of Robbie Keane to Tottenham.
HICKS WARNED TO STAY AWAY
Merseyside Police have advised the Liverpool co-owner to avoid tonight's Champions League semi-final first leg against Chelsea because of fears for his safety. "Advice was given to the club based on a standard ongoing risk assessment," a police spokeswoman said. "The safety of all those attending has been considered." The club still expect Hicks to attend. Well, he'd be mad to miss a European Cup tie at Anfield.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3797374.ece
Gillett offers Parry Support
Liverpool's co-owner George Gillett has thrown his support behind Rick Parry in the wake of Tom Hicks' call for the chief executive to resign.
Hicks is believed to be unhappy with Parry's ability to run the club. His main concerns are supposedly that Parry is slow and unresponsive when dealing with manager Rafa Benitez and the signing of players, and that he is disrespectful to fans, particularly over tickets for last season's Champions League final.
Benitez - Europe is simpler
Reds boss finds Premier League tougher than Champions League
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has admitted that he finds Premier League fixtures more problematic than UEFA Champions League encounters.
I only caught the second half of two champions' league matches yesterday.
Olypiacos v Chelsea -- YAWNNNNNN There were so few chances during this game, that at one point I just stopped watching it and only looked when the Chelsea fan sat accross from me made some sort of reaction. That barely happened.
Liverpool v Inter -- A lot of people are giving Liverpool a lot of credit today. The truth of the matter is they still have one tactic and have done for the past couple yester: "Wait til the 89th minute when Stevie G will knick us something after running around like an idiot". Of course they'll win the European cup.
Who Ate All the Pies has a rundown on who should be kept and who chucked at Liverpool over the summer. I agree 99% (I think Masch is a lot better than Anderson for example)
I wish I watched Roma that looked like a good match.
I'm facinated with Liverpool lately. Especially how they can have 2 decent players and still be considered a Big 4 club. I know that I'm not alone because of the stories in my fantastic google reader feeds this morning, the Lion Share's were about Liverpool. So here's a rundown of some things:
20 Handy Facts About Havant & Waterlooville Well not really Liverpool but the most exciting thing in a positive light to be happening at Anfield this weekend . Of course this game is not being shown in the US and I will hope it's on a sopcast site of some sort.
Reds 'complete' finance deal For the Liverpool faithful I hope that this part of some deal where The American Owners (tm) can still sell the club off to DIC and walk away with profit for not putting any money out at all. They really are poison.
Hobbs agrees to Iron Switch . Jack Hobbs showed some flashes of brilliance this season when standing in for Liverpool's constantly injured backline. I hope that this loan deal saves Scunthorpe from the drop into League One and gets Hobbs some first team play before going back to Liverpool next year. Maybe then they'll realise hoping for Agger to be fit is like bailing out a yacht with a thimble.
The Americans have to go," said Mackin. "They've let everybody down associated with the club.
"They've let the manager down by not backing him publicly, they've gone behind his back and undermined his position and in doing so, they've embarrassed the supporters.
"They've dragged the name of the club through the mud and made us a laughing stock."
"The administrator asked Liverpool about donating their share of the gate money," Blackwell explained.
"They probably said: 'We have to pay players £100,000 a week. You must be joking! Otherwise we will be like you!'
"You just have to accept it. There are people in life who have got a Rolls Royce while some people have a Mini.
"We are Mini drivers. We tried to live like a Rolls Royce but that's why we are where we are.
There is this interesting theory/fallacy in European football from an English perspective. Basically that in the Champion's League English Teams are infalliable, undestructable, and impossible to beat unless by one of the following teams:
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Barca
Inter Milan (swaps places with Roma depending on Italian Standings).
Liverpool advanced out of Group A in the Champion's League yesterday in second place. That means for the first round of the knockout they will face a first place team from any of the other groups provided that they aren't English.
First place in the other groups (sans English Teams)
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Barca
Inter Milan
(Sevilla if Arsenal don't win today)
If Arsenal don't win today, they are in the same situation as Liverpool. Though for some reason I imagine more people would back Arsenal to come out alive than Liverpool (despite the fantastic Golf Swing Celebration victory at the Nu Camp last year).
The other English teams have a pretty easy road to go as there are some especially weak second place teams from the groups. Though there a couple more undecided.
It's just funny I guess.
Liverpool co-chairman Tom Hicks has put manager Rafael Benitez in his place by telling the Spaniard to "coach the players we have" rather than complain about not being able to make new signings.
The American has spoken out further after originally issuing a statement with joint owner George Gillett which said they wanted all the focus to be on the forthcoming matches and not off-the-pitch issues
