All manner of theories abound when a player loses form. Particularly when he descends from the lofty height Jamie Carragher occupies.
Though he has possessed an edge which has made him imperious at the back Liverpool's vice-captain has so rarely been lauded outside the confines of L4. He was overlooked by a succession of international managers while a media which gnashed its teeth when centre halves fell victim to inconsistent form or injury never called for his name to top the list of alternatives let alone become a first pick.
However, England's loss has most certainly been Liverpool's gain.
Pundits only now taking note of his name would not usually concern the unassuming Bootle born defender. That would be unless their column inches and hot air were not concerning a lack of form which has bedevilled his season so far.
The term started average at best for Carragher who though a Blue while in short trousers has typified a spirit any boyhood Red would have brought to the team. His performances in arenas across the globe exemplify the character and standards of being a Liverpudlian. Some fans have identified with him more than the club captain.
Not all of Jamie's near 600 appearances have been as high profile as a magical night in Istanbul back in May 2005 but as a precis of the player and man it points to an absolute quality - sheer defiance, pure courage and heart.
These assets have seen him outlast and eventually see off a host of challengers to his place in the side.
Many thought he could have given so much that a 13 season career had stretched just a few months too far - at least at the highest level.
Typically honest and frank about his contribution as well as that of others Carragher has pointed a finger squarely in his own direction for part of Liverpool's travails. He has confessed to neither relaxing or sleeping after a game as he needed to pour over videos and stats.
Causes or reasons for the blip - as that what it now seems to be rather than any form of downward slide - experienced have not been easy to ascertain and even less clear to explain.
A desire for full-backs to thrust forward at every opportunity has been identified as unbalancing the usually rigid Liverpool defence. Though what seems certain is that Daniel Agger's return may just have arrested any further slide.
Liverpool lost at home to Lyon and errors were made by the rearguard but with the Dane amongst their number Carragher looked far more assured than he has done so far alongside Martin Skrtel.
Emiliano Insua was in no small way culpable for the French champion's winner which may have hinted at a continued lack of organisation amongst the four on duty. However, move the clock forward a few days and though the young Argentine made a couple of early errors he along with the overtly disciplined Glen Johnson were otherwise faultless.
Johnson certainly nailed the that lie he has no ability as a defensive full-back even if he does lack a few of the basics. His display against Manchester United was, though largely restrained, little short of consummate. Though not exactly unique.
On Sunday each defender and the unit remained compact and were superbly marshalled by the man with the armband which in turn set a template for the entire XI - front to back and from one flank to another.
It allowed the ball to be won in the engine room where Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes - though particularly the latter - had their usual rhythm disrupted. With play fired up towards the front two - something of a surprise to Alex Ferguson - Fernando Torres and Dirk Kuyt exploited the doubts and fallibilities evident in Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic.
Up top the visitors were starved of the same type of service with Wayne Rooney isolated and Agger in no small measure responsible for Dimitar Berbatov's 74 minutes of toil.
There was no more creditable choice for Man of the Match especially with Steve Bruce not making the selection.
A man who has made Liverpool tick since Rafael Benitez asked him to turn out as a specialist centre back rather than something of a utility man was blocking and whether on the floor or in the air hunting down trouble with the same verve and force of nature in the challenge he displayed in Istanbul most notably - but many other less illustrious venues and occasions.
Thursday 29 October 2009
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Stanley maintain battle to stay alive - just
Accrington Stanley's battle to stay alive has just seven days to be realised.
As previously reported the club who lie 14th in League Two owe HM Revenue and Customs £308,000 and were given a winding up order by the High Court in June.
A timescale by which they should pay the debt was established.
The club had hoped to meet their obligation by today - 28 October 2009 - but as of 48 hours ago the Save our Stanley (SoS) campaign had raised just under £117,000. Less than £100,000 is thought to have been handed to HMRC.
At a hearing of the companies court a stay has been granted of seven days after assurances that all unpaid taxes would be honoured within that time.
Delays in sources of funding were cited as the reason and registrar Mr Simmons felt able to adjourn the proceedings on that basis. But this is something akin to chasing a game you are well adrift in during injury-time.
The massive fund raising effort assisted by Premiership clubs such as Burnley, Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool has been a success but time is ticking. Though the club remains confident of meeting their new deadline nothing can be taken for granted.
In fact there remains doubt that the week given will be sufficient. Nobody connected with the game should wish to see Accrington Stanley's history repeat itself.
It is a bleak week for the game. Southend United of League One have also been given a week to settle a £690,000 bill owing to HMRC or face a winding-up order.
For more information on the club and their unique history see: http://aredcorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/accrington-stanley-who-are-they.html
As previously reported the club who lie 14th in League Two owe HM Revenue and Customs £308,000 and were given a winding up order by the High Court in June.
A timescale by which they should pay the debt was established.
The club had hoped to meet their obligation by today - 28 October 2009 - but as of 48 hours ago the Save our Stanley (SoS) campaign had raised just under £117,000. Less than £100,000 is thought to have been handed to HMRC.
At a hearing of the companies court a stay has been granted of seven days after assurances that all unpaid taxes would be honoured within that time.
Delays in sources of funding were cited as the reason and registrar Mr Simmons felt able to adjourn the proceedings on that basis. But this is something akin to chasing a game you are well adrift in during injury-time.
The massive fund raising effort assisted by Premiership clubs such as Burnley, Blackburn Rovers and Liverpool has been a success but time is ticking. Though the club remains confident of meeting their new deadline nothing can be taken for granted.
In fact there remains doubt that the week given will be sufficient. Nobody connected with the game should wish to see Accrington Stanley's history repeat itself.
It is a bleak week for the game. Southend United of League One have also been given a week to settle a £690,000 bill owing to HMRC or face a winding-up order.
For more information on the club and their unique history see: http://aredcorner.blogspot.com/2009/09/accrington-stanley-who-are-they.html
Tuesday 27 October 2009
Beach balls, Man United & Ian Callaghan - the new look Liverpool Football Fancast
Fellow Reds Richard Buxton, Gareth Roberts, Michael Owen and Darren Phillips have teamed up with footballfancast.com to help create an all new podcast.
All contributors are newcomers to the medium. The first episode of the new-look LFC FanCast has been released. Click on the link below or subscribe via iTunes.
In the broadcast the month of October and the games against Sunderland, Lyon and Manchester United are reviewed. Squad strength, youth policy and ownership issues are discussed. As, in passing, is a certain beach ball.
There are also exclusive interviews with defender Martin Kelly after his superb debut in the Champions League and Anfield legend Ian Callaghan.
http://podcasts.footballfancast.com/liverpool_fancast/296715/beach-balls-man-united-and-ian-callaghan-liverpool-football-fancast-031/
The show is broadcast twice a month when a panel of experienced writers and match-going Reds will look back at games and the news coming out of Anfield.
With the resident panel including:
Richard Buxton - Matchday reporter and Liverpool correspondent for ClickLiverpool, FootballFanCast blogger, Mirror Football columnist and Kop season ticket holder.
Darren Phillips - Acclaimed author of several Liverpool books; including ''Liverpool's 40 Greatest European Nights', 'Better Than the Brazilians' and 'Liverpool FC: An A-Z'.
Michael Owen - Empire of the Kop writer and co-author of 'Tales From The Travelling Kop'.
Gareth Roberts - National sports writer, blogger and Anfield season ticket holder.
During the podcast we will also be hearing from supporters across the world about following the club from far foreign lands as well as providing you with exclusive interviews with ex-players from Liverpool's glorious past amongst other things.
Website - http://www.lfcfancast.tk/
All contributors are newcomers to the medium. The first episode of the new-look LFC FanCast has been released. Click on the link below or subscribe via iTunes.
In the broadcast the month of October and the games against Sunderland, Lyon and Manchester United are reviewed. Squad strength, youth policy and ownership issues are discussed. As, in passing, is a certain beach ball.
There are also exclusive interviews with defender Martin Kelly after his superb debut in the Champions League and Anfield legend Ian Callaghan.
http://podcasts.footballfancast.com/liverpool_fancast/296715/beach-balls-man-united-and-ian-callaghan-liverpool-football-fancast-031/
The show is broadcast twice a month when a panel of experienced writers and match-going Reds will look back at games and the news coming out of Anfield.
With the resident panel including:
Richard Buxton - Matchday reporter and Liverpool correspondent for ClickLiverpool, FootballFanCast blogger, Mirror Football columnist and Kop season ticket holder.
Darren Phillips - Acclaimed author of several Liverpool books; including ''Liverpool's 40 Greatest European Nights', 'Better Than the Brazilians' and 'Liverpool FC: An A-Z'.
Michael Owen - Empire of the Kop writer and co-author of 'Tales From The Travelling Kop'.
Gareth Roberts - National sports writer, blogger and Anfield season ticket holder.
During the podcast we will also be hearing from supporters across the world about following the club from far foreign lands as well as providing you with exclusive interviews with ex-players from Liverpool's glorious past amongst other things.
Website - http://www.lfcfancast.tk/
Sunday 18 October 2009
Life’s a beach with the second balloon boy
The second balloon, or strictly speaking beach ball, boy to hit the headlines this week may opt to climb inside a box in the attic rather than take his place on the Kop or any of the other stands at Anfield on Tuesday evening.
However, focussing on the freak nature of Darren Bent’s goal deflects fans from the point. Rafael Benitez did of course mention it after the game but refused to be drawn in for a comment on the official. Not even in a “non-malicious and humorous manner”.
He quite rightly dealt with his team’s performance and Sunderland simply being better on the day.
There were no excuses. No mention of game’s laws which everyone can be sure he knew down to the punctuation marks. An acceptance of the decision and that it was probably right at least in these circumstances.
But while there is no doubt the course of Bent’s strike was altered enough by the inflatable by offering his right foot towards the trajectory but missing Glen Johnson put Pepe Reina on guard for a ball coming towards him that way rather than any other.
Though that was merely the means by which the ball had trundled its way through and hit the net.
Luck plays its part.
From being discarded the ball made its way towards the pitch then into the back of the net before the wind sent it rolling forward at some point during the attack which culminated in the winner. It was unfortunate that players come back from international duties tired and travelled or occupying various parts of the casualty list.
The rub of the green and certainly the run of the ball - both of them - was against Liverpool.
However, Sunderland who are well organised under Steve Bruce deserved their spoils. Bruce brought some very capable hard working players in and has instilled a work ethic in them and those he inherited.
The winner should have been disallowed under the foreign objects rule which states a goal should not stand if it goes in off something which should not be on the pitch - i.e. anything other than a player or referee and their attire. A flag post or goal frame - which alters the ball‘s course or speed and then impedes a player discharging the danger.
Unfortunately that failure to find at least an equaliser in the 85 minutes that remained is what will keep the manager and everyone else’s thoughts occupied. Johnson apart there was so little sustained threat and certainly not enough incision to truly trouble Craig Gordon until the very closing stages.
As with last year the Reds’ limitations are all too obvious though revolving thoughts around the absences of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres is far too convenient.
This is not a one man team and without the same duo as starters Liverpool beat Manchester United - albeit it home - but also drew home and away at Stoke.
Fulham, West Ham, Manchester City and Hull all came away from Anfield with something despite facing either Gerrard and Torres or one of the pair.
On the road Wigan Athletic got a draw against similar personnel managing to emulate Arsenal and Athletico Madrid in the feat.
Middlesbrough took their won at the Riverside with Gerrard amongst the XI
The above exercise is of course merely one of picking fixtures out with no regard for performance.
Liverpool played well at various times during the 2008-09 campaign yet emerged without points or just one to show.
Tottenham were battered at White Hart Lane with those on duty putting on - Old Trafford and Real Madrid at home aside - one of most impressive performance of the entire season.
This term Villa won at Anfield but were by no measure the better side on the night. Same with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. However, taking these games out and doing as the critics do focussing only on results ruins the pattern many believe is there.
Fingers have been pointed at all manner of directions.
The manager’s lack of empathy with players - ignoring the fact that Alex Ferguson and Fabio Cappello are little different in their outlooks. Ferguson may know how to woo a player or gee a dressing room up not to mention create a siege mentality but unlike his Liverpool counterpart has more rage about him than calm. Various drinks receptacles and teacups not to mention boots fly around his inner-sanctums and once someone comes to the end of their useful service they are often jettisoned in the cruellest way.
Over the past five years many professionals have left Anfield after short spells. It’s ruthless weeding of purchases often bought at budget rates but many of those who do file through the exit door bid goodbye far better players.
Rotation has had its airing each season and eventually will in the months to come despite the fact each manager does it and to a greater degree than has ever been seen at Anfield.
Add to that zonal defending not to mention squad size and the damning picture some like to paint is heading towards completion. Often from the same pundits and journalists who had Liverpool down as decent championship bets in August.
Over the past few seasons there has been a lack of quality in depth about Liverpool’s squad and that remains the situation. Even the classic submission about allowing Xavi Alonso to depart in the summer wouldn’t have lanced that particular boil.
There are all manner of important players but too little depth once the top layer is scraped away and no matter how well a side plays most weeks or how much luck is enjoyed such matters are cruelly exposed over the long hard slog of a whole season particularly 38 league games is simply not present.
Once a season ends the natural order is usually established. The table can lie but it is usually a good pointer.
Matters are made even harder by contributing factors such as summer competitions and too little give in the purse strings before a competitive ball had been kicked.
Those at Rafa Benitez’s disposal are - when all names are considered - marginally worse than that assembled at Stamford Bridge at a huge sum and below the standard at Old Trafford where again the manager has been no stranger to the waving of a substantial cheque.
Despite both squads being weakened by departures or other influences this basic equation remains the same.
It is tellingly Manchester United have no need to push round pegs in square hole. Chelsea have at times but never to the extent the Reds have done. When someone comes out be that through injury or at the manager’s behest a player who sees the role he takes as his natural place on the pitch slots in.
Though there may be players of varying ability the same is true now at places like Tottenham and Manchester City.
Does that mean all is lost? Far from it. Matters are difficult and have become more so on the back of a poor month meaning victory over Manchester United especially at home, while not exactly a must has seen its importance raised significantly but there are a huge number of points up for grabs.
Success is not necessarily gauged by winning trophies especially in the shape of a Premiership where it remains about the challenge which is still alive despite coming under earlier pressure and hitting difficulties.
All the Big Four are liable to lose games and not just to each other. Arsenal, Chelsea. Manchester United and of course Liverpool have conceded points to teams which should be beaten - no change from last season for the Reds though now those points are being shed in a very different but no less disappointing manner.
However, in previous years Manchester United would have already been dancing away with this race and been so far over the horizon by Christmas that the chase would be no more than literally playing out time.
At this point no one has grasped the league by the scruff of its neck and there is so much to play for.
Had Liverpool lost four games or even more last term the 11 draws being halved and turned in to wins would have landed the championship crown
Unlike many title races of the Premiership era this one threatens to be a very old style battle where as many as half a dozen or more games are lost by the eventual winners rather than just the more standard four or five.
However, focussing on the freak nature of Darren Bent’s goal deflects fans from the point. Rafael Benitez did of course mention it after the game but refused to be drawn in for a comment on the official. Not even in a “non-malicious and humorous manner”.
He quite rightly dealt with his team’s performance and Sunderland simply being better on the day.
There were no excuses. No mention of game’s laws which everyone can be sure he knew down to the punctuation marks. An acceptance of the decision and that it was probably right at least in these circumstances.
But while there is no doubt the course of Bent’s strike was altered enough by the inflatable by offering his right foot towards the trajectory but missing Glen Johnson put Pepe Reina on guard for a ball coming towards him that way rather than any other.
Though that was merely the means by which the ball had trundled its way through and hit the net.
Luck plays its part.
From being discarded the ball made its way towards the pitch then into the back of the net before the wind sent it rolling forward at some point during the attack which culminated in the winner. It was unfortunate that players come back from international duties tired and travelled or occupying various parts of the casualty list.
The rub of the green and certainly the run of the ball - both of them - was against Liverpool.
However, Sunderland who are well organised under Steve Bruce deserved their spoils. Bruce brought some very capable hard working players in and has instilled a work ethic in them and those he inherited.
The winner should have been disallowed under the foreign objects rule which states a goal should not stand if it goes in off something which should not be on the pitch - i.e. anything other than a player or referee and their attire. A flag post or goal frame - which alters the ball‘s course or speed and then impedes a player discharging the danger.
Unfortunately that failure to find at least an equaliser in the 85 minutes that remained is what will keep the manager and everyone else’s thoughts occupied. Johnson apart there was so little sustained threat and certainly not enough incision to truly trouble Craig Gordon until the very closing stages.
As with last year the Reds’ limitations are all too obvious though revolving thoughts around the absences of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres is far too convenient.
This is not a one man team and without the same duo as starters Liverpool beat Manchester United - albeit it home - but also drew home and away at Stoke.
Fulham, West Ham, Manchester City and Hull all came away from Anfield with something despite facing either Gerrard and Torres or one of the pair.
On the road Wigan Athletic got a draw against similar personnel managing to emulate Arsenal and Athletico Madrid in the feat.
Middlesbrough took their won at the Riverside with Gerrard amongst the XI
The above exercise is of course merely one of picking fixtures out with no regard for performance.
Liverpool played well at various times during the 2008-09 campaign yet emerged without points or just one to show.
Tottenham were battered at White Hart Lane with those on duty putting on - Old Trafford and Real Madrid at home aside - one of most impressive performance of the entire season.
This term Villa won at Anfield but were by no measure the better side on the night. Same with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. However, taking these games out and doing as the critics do focussing only on results ruins the pattern many believe is there.
Fingers have been pointed at all manner of directions.
The manager’s lack of empathy with players - ignoring the fact that Alex Ferguson and Fabio Cappello are little different in their outlooks. Ferguson may know how to woo a player or gee a dressing room up not to mention create a siege mentality but unlike his Liverpool counterpart has more rage about him than calm. Various drinks receptacles and teacups not to mention boots fly around his inner-sanctums and once someone comes to the end of their useful service they are often jettisoned in the cruellest way.
Over the past five years many professionals have left Anfield after short spells. It’s ruthless weeding of purchases often bought at budget rates but many of those who do file through the exit door bid goodbye far better players.
Rotation has had its airing each season and eventually will in the months to come despite the fact each manager does it and to a greater degree than has ever been seen at Anfield.
Add to that zonal defending not to mention squad size and the damning picture some like to paint is heading towards completion. Often from the same pundits and journalists who had Liverpool down as decent championship bets in August.
Over the past few seasons there has been a lack of quality in depth about Liverpool’s squad and that remains the situation. Even the classic submission about allowing Xavi Alonso to depart in the summer wouldn’t have lanced that particular boil.
There are all manner of important players but too little depth once the top layer is scraped away and no matter how well a side plays most weeks or how much luck is enjoyed such matters are cruelly exposed over the long hard slog of a whole season particularly 38 league games is simply not present.
Once a season ends the natural order is usually established. The table can lie but it is usually a good pointer.
Matters are made even harder by contributing factors such as summer competitions and too little give in the purse strings before a competitive ball had been kicked.
Those at Rafa Benitez’s disposal are - when all names are considered - marginally worse than that assembled at Stamford Bridge at a huge sum and below the standard at Old Trafford where again the manager has been no stranger to the waving of a substantial cheque.
Despite both squads being weakened by departures or other influences this basic equation remains the same.
It is tellingly Manchester United have no need to push round pegs in square hole. Chelsea have at times but never to the extent the Reds have done. When someone comes out be that through injury or at the manager’s behest a player who sees the role he takes as his natural place on the pitch slots in.
Though there may be players of varying ability the same is true now at places like Tottenham and Manchester City.
Does that mean all is lost? Far from it. Matters are difficult and have become more so on the back of a poor month meaning victory over Manchester United especially at home, while not exactly a must has seen its importance raised significantly but there are a huge number of points up for grabs.
Success is not necessarily gauged by winning trophies especially in the shape of a Premiership where it remains about the challenge which is still alive despite coming under earlier pressure and hitting difficulties.
All the Big Four are liable to lose games and not just to each other. Arsenal, Chelsea. Manchester United and of course Liverpool have conceded points to teams which should be beaten - no change from last season for the Reds though now those points are being shed in a very different but no less disappointing manner.
However, in previous years Manchester United would have already been dancing away with this race and been so far over the horizon by Christmas that the chase would be no more than literally playing out time.
At this point no one has grasped the league by the scruff of its neck and there is so much to play for.
Had Liverpool lost four games or even more last term the 11 draws being halved and turned in to wins would have landed the championship crown
Unlike many title races of the Premiership era this one threatens to be a very old style battle where as many as half a dozen or more games are lost by the eventual winners rather than just the more standard four or five.
Thursday 15 October 2009
Heskey should stay a Villain
When Emile Heskey left Liverpool in the summer of 2004 it was a move to both his and the club’s benefit. But a player who had it all simply lost his way at Anfield.
Even at a club record £11 million fee his purchase by Gerard Houllier didn’t seem a bad piece of business at all.
The Reds who had invested a comparatively modest amount for a player at the peak of his powers when other transfer fees were spiralling and the domestic record set four years earlier in 1996 was some 36% higher. Rumours which proved well founded suggested defenders were set to change hands for almost £20 million at the time.
Heskey had pace, power and stamina. Not to mention immense strength which gave him an ability to hold the ball. Allied to this was an intelligence to draw defenders out which meant he was able to dovetail perfectly with two the deadliest strikers in domestic football - Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler.
He could be criticised for not finding the net often enough but most of his goals no matter how short in supply were top class finishes. It was hoped that his prowess could be harnessed better at a club like Liverpool and for one season at least it was.
Emile made an outstanding contribution to the treble cup win in 2000-01 then the next campaign when the Reds finished Premiership runners-up. A tantalising - or so it seemed then - seven points adrift of champions Arsenal.
The type of player Didier Drogba is held to be is precisely what Heskey could have been viewed as.
To some extent he would be, though there are unfortunate comparisons about their respective ability to stay on two feet when challenged - but for very different reasons.
Unfortunately allied to those doubts about his own abilities there were disappointments with the physical side of Heskey’s game. For such a huge man who had in the past proved he had abundant strength he was often pushed off the ball and found earth with great regularity at the merest touch.
After that it could often take him time to make a recovery. He made 176 starts for the club and was substituted exactly 50 times. A statistic which often told its own story.
With that to battle against the goals which he plundered with sufficient if not immense regularly for most of his career dried up. One barren stretch lasted 18 games which was too long for any forward player, regardless of his role, not to find the score sheet.
A skilled player when everything was going for him suddenly lost his touch ands within a couple of seasons his confidence - such an important factor to most players’ games but crucial to Emile - had plummeted. So had his value. His initial cost had more or less halved over four seasons as was his stock within the game.
Now not only is Emile Heskey back and established in the England squad. Despite notions to the contrary he is set to be a prime candidate for a berth in the party to leave for South Africa in the summer. Though worries held by Michael Owen and David Beckham who are each lacking regular top class games are beginning to affect him.
Aston Villa and Liverpool were the most realistic destinations when it became clear he would run his contract with Wigan down almost a year ago. Rather than allow him to walk away as a free agent the Latics sought to recoup most of their initial investment. And did so.
Liverpool would not have paid the £4.5 million it took to establish a link up with former Leicester manager Martin O‘Neill.
Heskey thrived under the former Northern Ireland international during his time at Filbert Street where he acted as a selfless target man and revitalised the career of Tony Cottee. The Foxes without a final since 1969 won the League Cup twice in a few seasons.
Initially O’Neill’s use of a 4-5-1 formation suited Heskey for much of the final months of the last season even if the Midland side were not able to hold off Arsenal for a Champions League spot and eventually hauled in by Everton to finish sixth.
No doubt experience and reflecting on what he may have achieved but for a little more confidence had he remained on Merseyside have helped the player work out those problems which saw him struggle and finally become recognised as a player of genuine quality.
Anyone who spoke to Emile during his time with Liverpool was rarely left in any doubt about his passion for the club - he really did seem to have been a boyhood fan - and desire to pick up not just silverware but the biggest prizes the game has to offer.
The most satisfying thing for Heskey must be that although he has finally managed to get many of those missing dimensions in to his game he is still a player prepared to graft not only for his own benefit but that of those around him.
However, Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew have been preferred options so far this term and in the former’s case there is no argument to make given his performances and goal scoring.
Though one start all season does not necessarily mean minutes on the pitch will be at a premium.
Heskey never worked under Rafa Benitez who it is said would have retained his services if
amongst the pool of players inherited from his predecessor.
That may be true but how long that association would have lasted is another matter. At that stage the then 26 year old needed an arm around his shoulder and reassurance about his contribution to the club plus the security of his first team place.
Rafa would not have been that comforting figure and rotation would have been unbearable half a decade ago but by leaving Anfield he may just have had a future in L4 - had he returned last year.
Denial of the quotes attributed to him now he is back from national service have been issued but transcripts of his turn on the press conference rota clearly show he admitted he had worries about adding to the number of caps won and it was therefore a situation he would have to address in the New Year.
There may have been no clear statement that he would leave or issue a transfer request but it fuelled more speculation and created stories about a possible destination. Once more Liverpool came into the reckoning - so too a return too Wigan. Or possibly Birmingham now there is a £40 million "war chest" at Alex McLeish's disposal.
Now 31 and with not just experience but having displayed he can ride the blows life throws at him Emile Heskey has probably shown he has the mental toughness to play for a club challenging for the major honours though for all he could contribute a second spell at Anfield remains a distant possibility.
Possibly inadvisable even if Heskey could fit well into the template and bring more from a marauding Steven Gerrard, a swarming Alberto Aquilani -when fit - and a vibrant Fernando Torres amongst others.
Liverpool are struggling to make a full transition from a side that has been understandably cautious at times into one that unleashes a high tempo pressing style from each angle due to new personnel and it is causing some teething problems.
Heskey has made Rooney prolific on the international stage and for that reason alone would probably be considered a safe bet to remain in Fabio Cappello’s plans despite less starts than he would prefer at club level.
The England coach has continued to select him for games that count and not only has he benefited Rooney. Gerrard and Frank Lampard have - also with Beckham’s almost wholesale exclusion - found a way to not only play in the same side but exert their respective influences.
Peter Crouch's recent double against Belarus is unlikely to change Capello's game plan and the coach has proved he makes no selection based on sentiment though unlike Rafa Benitez is lauded for the approach.
In any case there remains every chance that more starts will come at Villa Park and the comments made simply filled a vacuum a lack of club football has left.
Liverpool would also be best advised to place the money his signing would cost to one side - presuming it is there in any case - and use it for more urgent needs.
Even at a club record £11 million fee his purchase by Gerard Houllier didn’t seem a bad piece of business at all.
The Reds who had invested a comparatively modest amount for a player at the peak of his powers when other transfer fees were spiralling and the domestic record set four years earlier in 1996 was some 36% higher. Rumours which proved well founded suggested defenders were set to change hands for almost £20 million at the time.
Heskey had pace, power and stamina. Not to mention immense strength which gave him an ability to hold the ball. Allied to this was an intelligence to draw defenders out which meant he was able to dovetail perfectly with two the deadliest strikers in domestic football - Michael Owen and Robbie Fowler.
He could be criticised for not finding the net often enough but most of his goals no matter how short in supply were top class finishes. It was hoped that his prowess could be harnessed better at a club like Liverpool and for one season at least it was.
Emile made an outstanding contribution to the treble cup win in 2000-01 then the next campaign when the Reds finished Premiership runners-up. A tantalising - or so it seemed then - seven points adrift of champions Arsenal.
The type of player Didier Drogba is held to be is precisely what Heskey could have been viewed as.
To some extent he would be, though there are unfortunate comparisons about their respective ability to stay on two feet when challenged - but for very different reasons.
Unfortunately allied to those doubts about his own abilities there were disappointments with the physical side of Heskey’s game. For such a huge man who had in the past proved he had abundant strength he was often pushed off the ball and found earth with great regularity at the merest touch.
After that it could often take him time to make a recovery. He made 176 starts for the club and was substituted exactly 50 times. A statistic which often told its own story.
With that to battle against the goals which he plundered with sufficient if not immense regularly for most of his career dried up. One barren stretch lasted 18 games which was too long for any forward player, regardless of his role, not to find the score sheet.
A skilled player when everything was going for him suddenly lost his touch ands within a couple of seasons his confidence - such an important factor to most players’ games but crucial to Emile - had plummeted. So had his value. His initial cost had more or less halved over four seasons as was his stock within the game.
Now not only is Emile Heskey back and established in the England squad. Despite notions to the contrary he is set to be a prime candidate for a berth in the party to leave for South Africa in the summer. Though worries held by Michael Owen and David Beckham who are each lacking regular top class games are beginning to affect him.
Aston Villa and Liverpool were the most realistic destinations when it became clear he would run his contract with Wigan down almost a year ago. Rather than allow him to walk away as a free agent the Latics sought to recoup most of their initial investment. And did so.
Liverpool would not have paid the £4.5 million it took to establish a link up with former Leicester manager Martin O‘Neill.
Heskey thrived under the former Northern Ireland international during his time at Filbert Street where he acted as a selfless target man and revitalised the career of Tony Cottee. The Foxes without a final since 1969 won the League Cup twice in a few seasons.
Initially O’Neill’s use of a 4-5-1 formation suited Heskey for much of the final months of the last season even if the Midland side were not able to hold off Arsenal for a Champions League spot and eventually hauled in by Everton to finish sixth.
No doubt experience and reflecting on what he may have achieved but for a little more confidence had he remained on Merseyside have helped the player work out those problems which saw him struggle and finally become recognised as a player of genuine quality.
Anyone who spoke to Emile during his time with Liverpool was rarely left in any doubt about his passion for the club - he really did seem to have been a boyhood fan - and desire to pick up not just silverware but the biggest prizes the game has to offer.
The most satisfying thing for Heskey must be that although he has finally managed to get many of those missing dimensions in to his game he is still a player prepared to graft not only for his own benefit but that of those around him.
However, Gabriel Agbonlahor and John Carew have been preferred options so far this term and in the former’s case there is no argument to make given his performances and goal scoring.
Though one start all season does not necessarily mean minutes on the pitch will be at a premium.
Heskey never worked under Rafa Benitez who it is said would have retained his services if
amongst the pool of players inherited from his predecessor.
That may be true but how long that association would have lasted is another matter. At that stage the then 26 year old needed an arm around his shoulder and reassurance about his contribution to the club plus the security of his first team place.
Rafa would not have been that comforting figure and rotation would have been unbearable half a decade ago but by leaving Anfield he may just have had a future in L4 - had he returned last year.
Denial of the quotes attributed to him now he is back from national service have been issued but transcripts of his turn on the press conference rota clearly show he admitted he had worries about adding to the number of caps won and it was therefore a situation he would have to address in the New Year.
There may have been no clear statement that he would leave or issue a transfer request but it fuelled more speculation and created stories about a possible destination. Once more Liverpool came into the reckoning - so too a return too Wigan. Or possibly Birmingham now there is a £40 million "war chest" at Alex McLeish's disposal.
Now 31 and with not just experience but having displayed he can ride the blows life throws at him Emile Heskey has probably shown he has the mental toughness to play for a club challenging for the major honours though for all he could contribute a second spell at Anfield remains a distant possibility.
Possibly inadvisable even if Heskey could fit well into the template and bring more from a marauding Steven Gerrard, a swarming Alberto Aquilani -when fit - and a vibrant Fernando Torres amongst others.
Liverpool are struggling to make a full transition from a side that has been understandably cautious at times into one that unleashes a high tempo pressing style from each angle due to new personnel and it is causing some teething problems.
Heskey has made Rooney prolific on the international stage and for that reason alone would probably be considered a safe bet to remain in Fabio Cappello’s plans despite less starts than he would prefer at club level.
The England coach has continued to select him for games that count and not only has he benefited Rooney. Gerrard and Frank Lampard have - also with Beckham’s almost wholesale exclusion - found a way to not only play in the same side but exert their respective influences.
Peter Crouch's recent double against Belarus is unlikely to change Capello's game plan and the coach has proved he makes no selection based on sentiment though unlike Rafa Benitez is lauded for the approach.
In any case there remains every chance that more starts will come at Villa Park and the comments made simply filled a vacuum a lack of club football has left.
Liverpool would also be best advised to place the money his signing would cost to one side - presuming it is there in any case - and use it for more urgent needs.
Wednesday 14 October 2009
Fit and proper for the family silver
Earlier this week the government announced a sale of some £16 billion worth of public assets to reduce the nation’s deficit and mitigate the spending cuts which will be needed to reverse the country’s economic downturn.
Albeit in his later guise as Lord Stockton commenting on the privatisations of the Thatcher government one of Gordon Brown’s predecessors in the office of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once warned against selling the family silver. Intoning that it could only be done once.
Maybe it can be done at least twice.
Another notable sale seems in the offing with the family silver that was Liverpool Football Club likely to see another investor coming in.
Tom Hicks and George Gillett always had an exit strategy in mind. Anybody borrowing money from banks to fund a purchase has to - it is written in the plans presented to any financial institution and informs part of their decision.
It requires a time and a price when the asset bought has reached a value at which sell on becomes not just profitable but because of the nature of leveraged buy out inevitable.
Banks and those they funded make a huge profit and move on to the next deal. It is their measure of success.
A similar mention of possible strategies in their leaked proposals saw DICs bid create no small measure of concern outside the Anfield boardroom then rejected. Though the Dubai based sovereign wealth fund would not have been relying on banks they need such plans laid out to their shareholders and other financial partners.
The American duo - carpetbaggers with intentions and principles so low that they could make their way under a snake’s belly with Stetsons on - somehow managed to escape that same scrutiny.
They were at the time of their arrival embraced by an overwhelming majority who believed their presence not to mention dollars would be welcome and help the club catch up with title contenders who were disappearing into the distance.
However, just as when Manchester United gained Plc status once Liverpool were put up as a going concern by David Moores they, like that team from the other end of the East Lancs, were and remain on sale.
Talks with Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud’s F6 group may only be with one of the joint owners and may only concern up to half of the club but no one should be under any illusion that each and every percent of ownership is up for grabs.
Also Hicks may have lifted his veto against Gillett bailing out with his pockets stuffed but no one should believe the Texan will necessarily make things easy for his prospective new partner or anyone else.
His ability to prohibit, limit and make things as difficult as he wants them to be remains huge.
A fit and proper person test may only see the Premier League check whether you may have the wherewithal and no outstanding parking tickets - though it’s probably not even that stringent judging by some who have passed - but for Liverpool Football Club a fit and proper person needs to make the grade in a more rigorous test and the very fact that Prince Faisal is neither Hicks nor Gillett is not sufficient.
Nor, though Tom and George especially may differ, is the level of his wealth.
It is his ability to be a fit and proper custodian of Liverpool FC which is the most important and as it should be demanding assessment
The consequences of our club - in whole or even part - being passed into more bad hands doesn’t bear thinking about.
Albeit in his later guise as Lord Stockton commenting on the privatisations of the Thatcher government one of Gordon Brown’s predecessors in the office of Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once warned against selling the family silver. Intoning that it could only be done once.
Maybe it can be done at least twice.
Another notable sale seems in the offing with the family silver that was Liverpool Football Club likely to see another investor coming in.
Tom Hicks and George Gillett always had an exit strategy in mind. Anybody borrowing money from banks to fund a purchase has to - it is written in the plans presented to any financial institution and informs part of their decision.
It requires a time and a price when the asset bought has reached a value at which sell on becomes not just profitable but because of the nature of leveraged buy out inevitable.
Banks and those they funded make a huge profit and move on to the next deal. It is their measure of success.
A similar mention of possible strategies in their leaked proposals saw DICs bid create no small measure of concern outside the Anfield boardroom then rejected. Though the Dubai based sovereign wealth fund would not have been relying on banks they need such plans laid out to their shareholders and other financial partners.
The American duo - carpetbaggers with intentions and principles so low that they could make their way under a snake’s belly with Stetsons on - somehow managed to escape that same scrutiny.
They were at the time of their arrival embraced by an overwhelming majority who believed their presence not to mention dollars would be welcome and help the club catch up with title contenders who were disappearing into the distance.
However, just as when Manchester United gained Plc status once Liverpool were put up as a going concern by David Moores they, like that team from the other end of the East Lancs, were and remain on sale.
Talks with Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud’s F6 group may only be with one of the joint owners and may only concern up to half of the club but no one should be under any illusion that each and every percent of ownership is up for grabs.
Also Hicks may have lifted his veto against Gillett bailing out with his pockets stuffed but no one should believe the Texan will necessarily make things easy for his prospective new partner or anyone else.
His ability to prohibit, limit and make things as difficult as he wants them to be remains huge.
A fit and proper person test may only see the Premier League check whether you may have the wherewithal and no outstanding parking tickets - though it’s probably not even that stringent judging by some who have passed - but for Liverpool Football Club a fit and proper person needs to make the grade in a more rigorous test and the very fact that Prince Faisal is neither Hicks nor Gillett is not sufficient.
Nor, though Tom and George especially may differ, is the level of his wealth.
It is his ability to be a fit and proper custodian of Liverpool FC which is the most important and as it should be demanding assessment
The consequences of our club - in whole or even part - being passed into more bad hands doesn’t bear thinking about.
Tuesday 13 October 2009
PIK a number
Like spades, or as George Gillett certainly said back in February 2007, shovels in the ground within 60 days there was an awful lot of hyperbole when two Americans pitched up and took “custodianship” of Liverpool Football Club.
At that same time their compatriots the Glazer family were held up as an example of how not to do things when arriving in a Premiership boardroom.
Yet it seems every note and move dreamed up by the Old Trafford hierarchy has been followed.
Well there is of course one possible exception. Sir Alex Ferguson has been relatively unhindered in the transfer market even if the fans have seen increases in their ticket prices and other methods of squeezing the pennies out of pockets from Stretford to Singapore.
At the same time that details of 8% ticket prices rises were leaked the world was also informed that Rafael Benitez could possibly, for the next five years at least, receive less than his current annual net spend of £20 million. This sum would include not only transfer fees but wage increases.
A little deeper in the reports our dysfunctional duo had drawn up separately by investment bankers Merrill Lynch and Rothschilds during the spring was something a little harder to explain within newspaper columns and broadcasts - payment in kind loans. PIKs for short.
If no extension of their borrowings could be negotiated a further debt of £50 million would be placed not on each owner or the Kop Football Holdings company they set up to purchase the club. They would like much of the £350 million debt they used to leverage the purchase be placed squarely and firmly on the shoulders of the club.
Manchester United’s £680 million worth when they were taken out of Plc status attracted a massive interest or service charge. It is now even higher than initially projected and PIKs were largely responsible.
They also meant that even when the Champions League and Premiership trophies were secured in 2008 and all the riches those two competitions bestow upon the winners were tallied up the Red Devils reported huge losses.
A PIK arranged in the summer of 2006 - two years earlier - totalling £138 million with annual interest of 14.25% was responsible. And it has kept on running as the loan needs to be either repaid or the debt it relates to - that original purchase cost - refinanced.
Liverpool’s £50 million over its projected five years course would have seen the debt double and then some as interest is charged on a compound basis.
Imagine a sum running on a mortgage or credit card debt which if you structure a plan to pay nothing in return for higher rates of interest over half a decade and there is a practical idea of how it would constrict finances.
Hicks and Gillett who have a lesser burden than their fellow countrymen were able to extend their arrangement with Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia so the PIK road was never travelled down.
However, if city sources are to be believed there is no chance of a further refinancing unless additional funds from whatever source are injected. But with the level of debt scaring off potential investors it’s a vicious circle.
Despite reporting a record turnover for the year up to 31 July 2008 of £159.1 million and a pre-tax profits of £30.2 million there simply is not enough money coming into the club to cover the interest already accruing.
Hikes in admission prices, further constraint of transfer and other budgets plus PIKs could be the tip of a very big iceberg.
At that same time their compatriots the Glazer family were held up as an example of how not to do things when arriving in a Premiership boardroom.
Yet it seems every note and move dreamed up by the Old Trafford hierarchy has been followed.
Well there is of course one possible exception. Sir Alex Ferguson has been relatively unhindered in the transfer market even if the fans have seen increases in their ticket prices and other methods of squeezing the pennies out of pockets from Stretford to Singapore.
At the same time that details of 8% ticket prices rises were leaked the world was also informed that Rafael Benitez could possibly, for the next five years at least, receive less than his current annual net spend of £20 million. This sum would include not only transfer fees but wage increases.
A little deeper in the reports our dysfunctional duo had drawn up separately by investment bankers Merrill Lynch and Rothschilds during the spring was something a little harder to explain within newspaper columns and broadcasts - payment in kind loans. PIKs for short.
If no extension of their borrowings could be negotiated a further debt of £50 million would be placed not on each owner or the Kop Football Holdings company they set up to purchase the club. They would like much of the £350 million debt they used to leverage the purchase be placed squarely and firmly on the shoulders of the club.
Manchester United’s £680 million worth when they were taken out of Plc status attracted a massive interest or service charge. It is now even higher than initially projected and PIKs were largely responsible.
They also meant that even when the Champions League and Premiership trophies were secured in 2008 and all the riches those two competitions bestow upon the winners were tallied up the Red Devils reported huge losses.
A PIK arranged in the summer of 2006 - two years earlier - totalling £138 million with annual interest of 14.25% was responsible. And it has kept on running as the loan needs to be either repaid or the debt it relates to - that original purchase cost - refinanced.
Liverpool’s £50 million over its projected five years course would have seen the debt double and then some as interest is charged on a compound basis.
Imagine a sum running on a mortgage or credit card debt which if you structure a plan to pay nothing in return for higher rates of interest over half a decade and there is a practical idea of how it would constrict finances.
Hicks and Gillett who have a lesser burden than their fellow countrymen were able to extend their arrangement with Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia so the PIK road was never travelled down.
However, if city sources are to be believed there is no chance of a further refinancing unless additional funds from whatever source are injected. But with the level of debt scaring off potential investors it’s a vicious circle.
Despite reporting a record turnover for the year up to 31 July 2008 of £159.1 million and a pre-tax profits of £30.2 million there simply is not enough money coming into the club to cover the interest already accruing.
Hikes in admission prices, further constraint of transfer and other budgets plus PIKs could be the tip of a very big iceberg.
Sunday 11 October 2009
Twitter Ye Not
A Red Corner has embraced twitter and will be linking blogposts when they restart after a period of book editing and proof reading is completed. Along with 813,219 "twits" at the time of writing the blog is following Stephen Fry amongst others.
http://twitter.com/DarrenPhillipsJ
http://twitter.com/DarrenPhillipsJ
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