Kop Not Top

By AM Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Share Tweet Share Share Email

A 4-0 thrashing at Spurs. Few Liverpool teams of old would have suffered that humiliation. Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur clashes are more memorable for the total command exercised by the Merseyside men. The 7-0 steamrolling of Spurs in 1978 in which Terry McDermott scored one of the finest goals in the history of the club is surely history now after Sunday’s display. 

To make matters worse, on the day they failed to score, the player they transferred to Chelsea, and who looked as if he had left the Midas touch at Liverpool,  (under lock and key it seems as nobody at Anfield has yet found it), Fernando Torres, managed to find the net even if he later reverted to his Chelsea form and missed a sitter when it seemed easier to score.

As surely as Manchester United is banging in the goals the Liverpool last line of defence is breached with ease and rather than looking well sealed is leaking like a sieve. Even Ryan Giggs can score somewhere other than the Big Brother house and looks likely to lift trophies as well as skirts. While United ‘walk on’ Liverpool can’t get up on its feet. 

Nor can Sunday’s defeat be described as a blip. In the opening match of the season Dalglish’s new ensemble managed only a draw with Sunderland. It beat Arsenal 2-0 but then Arsenal is the team that lost 8-2 to Manchester United despite having the advantage of the United goalie assisting the Londoners. A further 1-0 loss at Stoke prior to the Spurs debacle has only served to erode confidence.

The current squad is a long way off from being championship contenders. In spite of big money transfers, up to now it has only flattered to deceive. Quality individuals, strength in depth maybe, but they still don’t function as a unit. Is Andy Carroll too fond of the booze as strongly hinted by Fabio Capello? Dalglish denies it but for the money invested in securing his services he is not playing like a man at the height of his sobriety. Getting rid of Raul Meireles was a retrograde move. To lose a player of his talent while keeping Steven Gerrard, whose career is lit up these days by a dimmer switch, seems a sop to the Kop. But is it worth keeping a player just to have a scouse accent around the boot room? Jamie Carragher can provide that.

I have told my ten year old I shall take her over to a game in the not too distant future. I want her to see a victory. In order to be sure I might just buy tickets for a cup game against a non-league side.