FORMER GIANTS LIVING ON BORROWED TIME - THE SLOW DECLINE OF LIVERPOOL

[Maldini]

Who is this clown?

 

 

From the Sunday Mirror

 

26 November 2006

FORMER GIANTS LIVING ON BORROWED TIME

THE SLOW DECLINE OF LIVERPOOL

 

Michael Calvin

 

LIVERPOOL are not used to scuffling on the undercard like a nightclub bouncer moonlighting as a six-round boxer.

 

Yet with the main event, the title fight, being staged down the M62 today, they are having to live with being little more than a makeweight.

 

An unsatisfactory victory, courtesy of the inevitable Steven Gerrard, failed to dispel a nagging sense of irrelevance.

 

Anfield is an old fashioned arena, a world apart from the corporate theme parks springing up around the Premiership. The anthems celebrate cherished traditions, legends forged in European combat.

 

This all disguised one unpalatable fact. As far as the Premiership is concerned, Manchester United and Chelsea are the only game in town. Liverpool are falling behind. Slowly, subtly, but surely.

 

The search for a sugar daddy has switched from Asia to North America, but it's still no nearer to producing hard cash.

 

 

 

Liverpool are hardly paupers. You won't find Rafa Benitez busking at Lime Street Station for a few coppers. But in the lunatic domestic environment in which they compete, they're being forced to settle for being the best of the rest.

 

 

Bearing in mind the £30m raised by the miracle of Istanbul, Benitez has spent around £25m net in his two and a half years in charge. That's small change for Chelsea, a significant yet manageable sum for United to invest on a single player.

 

 

Benitez spends around £5m on a player when he needs to invest £15m. That means a calculated gamble on unproven talent, or on the strength of character of men with a chequered past.

 

 

To emphasise the point, he waited until the 89th minute to introduce Craig Bellamy, currently on trial for assault. Interesting, that, on a day when Liverpool officials wore white ribbons to mark the UN Day for elimination of violence against women.

 

 

The mood was muted. No one would have felt that sense of emptiness more than Gerrard.

 

 

He's Liverpool's prisoner of conscience, trapped by the strength of his emotional commitment to his hometown club.

 

 

The Kop excused Michael Owen when he chose to walk alone. But Stevie G is one of their own.

 

 

In another life, he'd probably be one of the scallies who scam their way through match days by "minding" cars in the surrounding streets.

 

 

He's regarded untouchable, especially by billionaires bearing gifts. Losing him is something the local pond life do not wish to contemplate. Let's not forget that, when Chelsea's clumsy courtship ritual was revealed, Gerrard and his girlfriend were threatened.

 

 

He has appeared voiceless, distracted. But at least yesterday he had the compensation of playing in his favoured central midfield role.

 

 

His decisive goal carried all his hallmarks. He surged on to the ball and took two purposeful strides before unleashing a low drive. Technique perfect, the strike clean. Game over.

 

 

He can quite easily snuggle over the comfort blanket of being a local hero for the rest of his career. But he's only human.

 

 

I wonder whether as he sits in front of his plasma screen TV this afternoon he will watch the duel at the top and wonder what might have been.

Edited November 26, 2006 by Maldini

[anny road]

Who is this clown?

From the Sunday Mirror

 

26 November 2006

FORMER GIANTS LIVING ON BORROWED TIME

THE SLOW DECLINE OF LIVERPOOL

 

Michael Calvin

 

LIVERPOOL are not used to scuffling on the undercard like a nightclub bouncer moonlighting as a six-round boxer.

 

Yet with the main event, the title fight, being staged down the M62 today, they are having to live with being little more than a makeweight.

 

An unsatisfactory victory, courtesy of the inevitable Steven Gerrard, failed to dispel a nagging sense of irrelevance.

 

Anfield is an old fashioned arena, a world apart from the corporate theme parks springing up around the Premiership. The anthems celebrate cherished traditions, legends forged in European combat.

 

This all disguised one unpalatable fact. As far as the Premiership is concerned, Manchester United and Chelsea are the only game in town. Liverpool are falling behind. Slowly, subtly, but surely.

 

The search for a sugar daddy has switched from Asia to North America, but it's still no nearer to producing hard cash.

Liverpool are hardly paupers. You won't find Rafa Benitez busking at Lime Street Station for a few coppers. But in the lunatic domestic environment in which they compete, they're being forced to settle for being the best of the rest.

Bearing in mind the £30m raised by the miracle of Istanbul, Benitez has spent around £25m net in his two and a half years in charge. That's small change for Chelsea, a significant yet manageable sum for United to invest on a single player.

Benitez spends around £5m on a player when he needs to invest £15m. That means a calculated gamble on unproven talent, or on the strength of character of men with a chequered past.

To emphasise the point, he waited until the 89th minute to introduce Craig Bellamy, currently on trial for assault. Interesting, that, on a day when Liverpool officials wore white ribbons to mark the UN Day for elimination of violence against women.

The mood was muted. No one would have felt that sense of emptiness more than Gerrard.

He's Liverpool's prisoner of conscience, trapped by the strength of his emotional commitment to his hometown club.

The Kop excused Michael Owen when he chose to walk alone. But Stevie G is one of their own.

In another life, he'd probably be one of the scallies who scam their way through match days by "minding" cars in the surrounding streets.

He's regarded untouchable, especially by billionaires bearing gifts. Losing him is something the local pond life do not wish to contemplate. Let's not forget that, when Chelsea's clumsy courtship ritual was revealed, Gerrard and his girlfriend were threatened.

He has appeared voiceless, distracted. But at least yesterday he had the compensation of playing in his favoured central midfield role.

His decisive goal carried all his hallmarks. He surged on to the ball and took two purposeful strides before unleashing a low drive. Technique perfect, the strike clean. Game over.

He can quite easily snuggle over the comfort blanket of being a local hero for the rest of his career. But he's only human.

I wonder whether as he sits in front of his plasma screen TV this afternoon he will watch the duel at the top and wonder what might have been.

 

 

3rd time this bullls*** has been posted on this forum today

[Stevie H]

that's a nasty, agenda-driven piece that. perfectly timed ahead of today's latest installment of sky's 'showdown' bullsh*t.

[Tosh]

Obviously the fella has a short memory. What were we doing the night ManU played Juve en route to Barcelona?

 

Not playing well against Leicester, IIRC

 

MotD wrote of Arsenal's challenge last night leaving ManU and Chelsea to fight it out. Yep, Rafa has not got untethered purse strings and has done a stunning job with what he has.

 

Frankly, up to the Bellamy bit, it's a reasonable assessment of the situation, if you ask me. Harsh but not entirelly unreasonable. Let's be honest, other than a few on here, most believe that we are scrapping for 2nd-4th in the league this year. There's been many a thread on here

a) about sacking Parry for not finding the cash

b) ousting Moores for wanting to keep control

c) Rafa not "breaking the bank" to get Alves and getting Pennant instead.

 

Up til the Bellamy bit, and thereafter, it's not a bad assessment of the situation!

 

As for the last line, assuming he is watching, at least he'll have the balls to do it, unlike Neville who couldn't bring himself to watch us in Istanbul....I wonder how SGs mate, Mr Rooney felt that night?

[Maldini]

3rd time this bullls*** has been posted on this forum today

sorry, hadn't seen it

[Stanley Leisure]

Its been a while since we've had a hatchet job, its just par for the course.

 

Its one man's opinion - they get paid to write incediary pieces, its the equivalent of a gobsh*te fan talking loud so all other around him can hear his views - who gives a sh*t?

[slapnuts]

sorry, hadn't seen it

 

 

Your excused.

[Andy @ Allerton]

Who do you send written complaints to in regard to articles in newspapers?

 

I object to them calling the people of Liverpool 'Pond Life'

 

Ta.

[Clay Davis]

what an absolute c***.

 

stuff like that shouldn't even be allowed in the papers

[Andy @ Allerton]

I've sent a complaint to the editor

 

I'll see what he says

[JohnnyH]

Who do you send written complaints to in regard to articles in newspapers?

 

I object to them calling the people of Liverpool 'Pond Life'

 

Ta.

 

 

I actually was glad to see he said that, solely because anyone in the country who reads that now will get to the "pond life" part and just think what a disgraceful comment and what a totally anti-Liverpool idiot. Any of his other comments will be lost in such a pathetic comment. It just showed his true colours.

Edited November 26, 2006 by JohnnyH

[floyd]

I've sent a complaint to the editor

 

I'll see what he says

f*** the editor.

 

Press Complaints Commission

Halton House

20/23 Holborn

London EC1N 2JD

[Coyler]

He's clearly talking about the people who made the hypothetical threats, not saying that locals = pond life. Press Complaints Commission couldn't do much with that.

[floyd]

He's clearly talking about the people who made the hypothetical threats, not saying that locals = pond life. Press Complaints Commission couldn't do much with that.

Didn't that rumour also come from Charlie Sale, at the Hate Mail? Seemed he was pi55ed off that someone could turn down the new southern lovies, Chelsea.

[jfogarty]

What a motherf***ing c***sucker

[timbos goals]

Not sure where he's been in recent years but Calvin is pure, unaldulterated Daily Mail fascist bloodline. Like many of them he's actually a decent writer. It's just that he tends to deal in a right wing bile that was spawned during the Thatcher years and had Liverpool and Liverpudlians as its whipping boy. The man's a complete c*** with an agenda cast in the lump of stone beneath his breastbone.

[Stevie H]

Not sure where he's been in recent years but Calvin is pure, unaldulterated Daily Mail fascist bloodline. Like many of them he's actually a decent writer. It's just that he tends to deal in a right wing bile that was spawned during the Thatcher years and had Liverpool and Liverpudlians as its whipping boy. The man's a complete c*** with an agenda cast in the lump of stone beneath his breastbone.

i assume from the piece and your description that he's a chelsea fan then? the majority of daily hatemail staff are.

[timbos goals]

i assume from the piece and your description that he's a chelsea fan then? the majority of daily hatemail staff are.

 

Not sure. It's quite a few years since I've read anything of his. Possibly southern but could even be Yorkshire ala Alan bennett who also despises us. He's in the Wooldridge, Powell mode. Highly intelligent blokes but minds and agendas set in a concrete of contempt as far as anything Liverpudlian is concerned. I remember Powell once making an attack on Ian Callaghan - yes Cally - calling for him to be banned for a foul he'd committed - possibly the only one ever . It was totally ridiculous but borne on a deepseated hatred of Liverpudlians that just spilled over into his match report. I've sometimes wonder whether Cally or the club ever responded to it.

[Guest Scot]

Really no point getting het up about things like this

[Coyler]

Really no point getting het up about things like this

People from Liverpool send in a flurry of e-mails -> snide comment in next week's column.

[Guest Scot]

People from Liverpool send in a flurry of e-mails -> snide comment in next week's column.

 

Well yeah exactly. Especially when the article is about how Liverpool fans are moany and have a persecution complex and we respond with an email campaign. Reminds me of the Danish Islam cartoons: 'Muslims are violent', 'Take it back or we'll behead you!'

[Sion]

It's almost as if he wants 1000 angry liverpool fans messages in his inbox.

[Bailo]

Well yeah exactly. Especially when the article is about how Liverpool fans are moany and have a persecution complex and we respond with an email campaign. Reminds me of the Danish Islam cartoons: 'Muslims are violent', 'Take it back or we'll behead you!'

It's not though.

[timbos goals]

Really no point getting het up about things like this

 

To be fair, you're probably right for the fact is if these sort of scumbags had balanced, tolerant and receptive mindsets of any degree then they wouldn't write such bile in the first place. The simple fact is they will NEVER back down from their apologist standpoints.

 

That said, it is a perfectly natural human response to react angrily to such deliberate unpleasantness.

 

As a side observation, what I find interesting though probaby understandable is the broad difference in the interpretations of the Liverpudlian reds and Non-Liverpudlian reds to articles like this. For the most part the non-local reds find the slurs against the team being also-rans most upsetting. Most locals, in contrast, are mainly upset with the slurs against the city/people.

[floyd]

Powell

Remember that tw4t, being called in by Thatcher (is she dead yet), about the hooliganism problem in the eighties. Fvckin hell, he realy thought he was the cats cream then, if he eeded any encouragement. Now if their is anybody who typifies the antipathy of dislike towards us, it's that tw4t.

Edited November 26, 2006 by floyd