The Great Swindle

The Great Swindle, 21 November 2010

Thirty-nine pounds for a ticket at the Anfield Road end, sixty-six pounds for an open train ticket on Virgin Trains and probably twenty or so pounds for sustenance on the day, not bad by anybody’s standards.

But with a club like ours, its history and pageant, it’s not just fans who turn out to watch the matches, but football supporters and tourist just happy to visit the hallowed ground that is Anfield.  With that in mind why is the club not thinking more about the fans than lining its own pockets?

Before the West Ham match myself and a friend, tried to make preparations in case we missed the final train (the 19:48) from Lime Street Station back to London Euston.   During our previous visit to Anfield (the Blackburn game), we made some enquiries at the Holiday Inn (across the way from Lime Street Station) and were told that bookings on the weekend of a game could only be made for two nights!  Before yesterday’s match we saw prices of up to £400 for a hotel within a fifteen mile radius of the ground from our research on the internet!

This brings into question whether LFC, the council and the hotel owners are in cahoots.  During the West Ham match, part way through the second-half an announcement was made to West Ham fans reminding them that the final train was at 19:48.  Many Liverpool fans also come from London or have to go through London on the way home – as with the fan from Washington DC who we made acquaintance with and was attending his first match. He was going back home on Monday and had to get back to London that night. Thus the fact that the match started at 17:30 meant that it would end at 19:15 at the earliest, yesterday 19:20 approx.

We left after 85 minutes or so, knowing that we had to get a black cab to the station to stand any chance of getting the train, because neither the local bus service nor the bus service laid on by the club would get us to the station on time, especially taking into account the usual queues for buses after the game.  Thus, we, with countless others had to run as far away from the stadium as possible to stand a chance of hailing a cab.  Our new found friend from Washington DC remarked that there is no way fans in American sport would put up with this.  I wonder if our new American owners know that fans are being treated this way!

Why can’t the club work with the transport authorities and Virgin Trains to put on a later service around 20:48 which could get fans to London on time to get trains to elsewhere and before the London Underground closes without having to leave the match before the close? Conspiracy…? One hopes not!

It would be interesting to know if anyone else has experienced similar travel problems?

KP  21 November 2010

Liverpool v West Ham

Liverpool v West Ham; Saturday 20 November 2010

The crowd were in a pensive mood before the match. Would Hodgson instil some pace and width in the side with Gerrard now missing for a month and with Lucas serving a one game suspension would Meireles finally get a chance in his more accustomed position in the centre? We got one wish at least.

Meireles moved to the centre to play alongside the much maligned Poulsen, with Kuyt and Rodriguez providing the width and Ngog the support for Torres.  Glen Johnson in his first game back since the very vocal and public criticism from Roy Hodgson slotted back into the right-back position with Skertel, Carragher and Konchesky making up the back-line in front of Reina.

Liverpool started the game in high tempo, with Meireles and Poulsen controlling the midfield and in the absence of West Ham’s midfield general Scott Parker, West Ham did not pose any significant problems in squeezing the midfield areas.  Glen Johnson, was involved in most of Liverpool’s best moves, being prominent, probing intelligently and it was he who scored the first goal, driving home a ball which broke to him in the area.  Poulsen had his best game since his arrival, constantly using the time given to him by the West Ham midfield to keep the game flowing and often stepping in with well time interceptions.

Dirk Kuyt, Liverpool’s trusty deputy penalty-taker was on hand to slot home the penalty after Gabbidon had handled.  This was followed by a gloriously taken glancing header by Maxi Rodriguez, after Paul Konchesky got down the line to deliver a superb whipped in cross to take Liverpool in the break three-nil up.

West Ham enjoyed far more possession in the second-half, partly because Liverpool sat back on their laurels and partly because Avram Grant may have given them the kind of half-time salvo which stoked them into putting some pride into their performance, not that they were a lot better quality wise.

Disappointingly, Hodgson didn’t try to stop the Liverpool malaise in the second-half as a bigger score was there for taking, especially as another two goals would have taken us above Stoke with West Ham not providing an attempt of any note on Reina’s goal.  With this in mind an earlier introduction of Ryan Babel may have been the order of the day.

Liverpool have delivered some pretty tepid performances this season, but they will have to go some to match that delivered by West Ham, who were by far the worst team to have visited Anfield this season.

But three points gained after disappointing performances against Wigan and Stoke, with crucial games against Spurs and Aston Villa approaching will at least instil confidence, especially in Poulsen, Meireles and Johnson (man of the match) and a Liverpool side showing that they can score goals without assists from the dynamic duo of Gerrard and Torres.

KP,  20 November 2010

Glen Johnson and beyond

Glen Johnson and beyond – 14 November 2010

The recent open criticism of Glen Johnson by manager Roy Hodgson has put the spotlight firmly on the England right-back. Whether it turns out to be a great piece of man management or more likely, it highlights the fact that a Liverpool manager is openly criticising one of his players in a way which Shankley, Paisley and Daglish would never have dreamt of is open to question.

Johnson’s game has always been based on his attacking prowess and it was certainly the reason why he struggled to breakthrough under the strict regime at Mourinho’s Chelsea. His game flourished at Portsmouth where he was often seen more on the right-side of midfield where he developed the devastating habit of cutting in from the right and shooting on goal.  He is equally adept when tried on the left, because unlike most modern day footballers he has the confidence to use his weaker foot.

After Steven Gerrard, Johnson has arguably the best delivery at the club and with the lack of wide-men giving him a run further up the pitch wouldn’t be a risky call.  A comparison with Gareth Bale is not wide of the mark. Bale’s defensive capabilities have been called into question at left-back, but freed of the responsibility with the solid Assou-Ekotto in behind Bale’s game has flourished to the point where we are now hearing of interest from the likes of Barcelona.

The problem here lies with Hodgson being one-dimensional in most aspects of his management.  He picks the same rigid formation home and away and seems to lack the flexibility to make use of the creative elements in his team such as Gerrard, Torres and Meireles who is playing out of position on the right.  Liverpool are in the position now where the club must make use of any creative talent it has at its disposal and it for this reason players like Johnson and Babel must be used to help Gerrard and Torres as a creative force.

The time surely has come for Hodgson to give Babel and Johnson their heads and play Meireles in the middle with Gerrard.

KP

14 November 2010