1. Kenny Dalglish has let his club down just as much as Luiz Suarez.
The fallout from Saturday’s match has been such that Liverpool felt compelled to release three separate apologies on their day off to try and quell the storm that threatened to engulf their season. Suarez’ actions on the day were indefensible, a childish and offensive gesture that once again told us how petulant and pathetic so many professional footballers are. Suarez’s action though wasn’t just racist, it was indicative of a person who has been made to believe that he is the wronged party here. One man has to take responsibility for the stance of his player and that is Kenny Dalglish. A legend amongst Liverpool and football fans generally, Dalglish has had amble opportunity to stamp this issue out at the source and has failed again and again to do so. His apology yesterday is frankly, too little too late and this whole incident has sullied the reputation of a man so many held in such high regard. Dalglish should have backed his player privately and said in public it was up to the FA to decide and until that happened nothing would change (see AVB’s handling of the John Terry situation). When the mountain of evidence stacked up against Suarez, not to mention the contradictions in his and his teammate’s testimonies, he should have again backed his player privately and released a statement accepting the FA’s verdict. He didn’t. He implied he was going to fight the charge saying it was “unjust”, before changing his mind and accepting it, only to openly criticize it, describe it as “baseless” and maintain his player had been wronged. He then had a chance to heal the wounds caused before the FA cup game, where he could have released a statement to the Liverpool fans asking them to treat Patrice Evra, a clearly innocent man, with respect. He didn’t, they didn’t and he then dropped his biggest bomb of all by describing the systematic booing and persecution of a player for being black as “harmless banter.” When Suarez returned, again he had the chance to draw a line but instead released a subtle statement saying that he was sure Suarez would shake Evra’s hand, again implying that somehow it was Suarez and not Evra who had been wronged here. Finally, in perhaps his lowest moment, all be it in the height of passion, he claimed not to have seen the event on Saturday, before then implying he’d been told they had shaken hands and then ranting about how dare people blame Suarez!? Apologies may be accepted, but Liverpool football club, led by Dalglish, has dragged itself through the mud over the past 3 months and remains a long way away from healing the damaged reputation. That their recent & American owners had to eventually step in to diffuse it all says everything about how out of control the situation has become. Everybody already knew Luiz Suarez was a wanker, but for Dalglish, there will be no faultless character eulogies anymore. Neither person has been fit to represent this great club; and Liverpool FC have a long way to go before they can hold their heads up again.
The fallout from Saturday’s match has been such that Liverpool felt compelled to release three separate apologies on their day off to try and quell the storm that threatened to engulf their season. Suarez’ actions on the day were indefensible, a childish and offensive gesture that once again told us how petulant and pathetic so many professional footballers are. Suarez’s action though wasn’t just racist, it was indicative of a person who has been made to believe that he is the wronged party here. One man has to take responsibility for the stance of his player and that is Kenny Dalglish. A legend amongst Liverpool and football fans generally, Dalglish has had amble opportunity to stamp this issue out at the source and has failed again and again to do so. His apology yesterday is frankly, too little too late and this whole incident has sullied the reputation of a man so many held in such high regard. Dalglish should have backed his player privately and said in public it was up to the FA to decide and until that happened nothing would change (see AVB’s handling of the John Terry situation). When the mountain of evidence stacked up against Suarez, not to mention the contradictions in his and his teammate’s testimonies, he should have again backed his player privately and released a statement accepting the FA’s verdict. He didn’t. He implied he was going to fight the charge saying it was “unjust”, before changing his mind and accepting it, only to openly criticize it, describe it as “baseless” and maintain his player had been wronged. He then had a chance to heal the wounds caused before the FA cup game, where he could have released a statement to the Liverpool fans asking them to treat Patrice Evra, a clearly innocent man, with respect. He didn’t, they didn’t and he then dropped his biggest bomb of all by describing the systematic booing and persecution of a player for being black as “harmless banter.” When Suarez returned, again he had the chance to draw a line but instead released a subtle statement saying that he was sure Suarez would shake Evra’s hand, again implying that somehow it was Suarez and not Evra who had been wronged here. Finally, in perhaps his lowest moment, all be it in the height of passion, he claimed not to have seen the event on Saturday, before then implying he’d been told they had shaken hands and then ranting about how dare people blame Suarez!? Apologies may be accepted, but Liverpool football club, led by Dalglish, has dragged itself through the mud over the past 3 months and remains a long way away from healing the damaged reputation. That their recent & American owners had to eventually step in to diffuse it all says everything about how out of control the situation has become. Everybody already knew Luiz Suarez was a wanker, but for Dalglish, there will be no faultless character eulogies anymore. Neither person has been fit to represent this great club; and Liverpool FC have a long way to go before they can hold their heads up again.
2. How much longer can Mick keep the Wolves at bay.
You sense that if Mick McCarthy was going to be sacked, it would probably be after a 5-1 home defeat to your local rivals. Fortunately for him, he has a more loyal chairman than most clubs who has not forgotten the good work the Irishman has done on a limited budget over the past few years. I would never call for a manager’s head, I merely ask that Steve Kean be put out of his own misery from time to time, but Wolves are in a real dogfight and are fast heading into the Championship unless McCarthy can get his team playing again. Just two points now separate the not so famous five clubs at the foot of the table and it’s impossible to see any other teams getting involved in the scrap. The worry for Wolves is that their home form is truly risible at present. They’ve conceded more goals at their own ground than anyone and haven’t won in over 2 months. The most disturbing thing for the fans has been the lack of fight, which isn’t something you can normally say about teams managed by Mick McCarthy. Not for the first time this season, Wolves just gave up yesterday once the game seemed beyond them. To do that against your local rivals, who they could have dragged into the relegation fight themselves with a victory, was simply inexcusable. Mick has work to do to get players and fans believing again. Dropping the utterly useless Ebanks-Blake would at least be a start.
You sense that if Mick McCarthy was going to be sacked, it would probably be after a 5-1 home defeat to your local rivals. Fortunately for him, he has a more loyal chairman than most clubs who has not forgotten the good work the Irishman has done on a limited budget over the past few years. I would never call for a manager’s head, I merely ask that Steve Kean be put out of his own misery from time to time, but Wolves are in a real dogfight and are fast heading into the Championship unless McCarthy can get his team playing again. Just two points now separate the not so famous five clubs at the foot of the table and it’s impossible to see any other teams getting involved in the scrap. The worry for Wolves is that their home form is truly risible at present. They’ve conceded more goals at their own ground than anyone and haven’t won in over 2 months. The most disturbing thing for the fans has been the lack of fight, which isn’t something you can normally say about teams managed by Mick McCarthy. Not for the first time this season, Wolves just gave up yesterday once the game seemed beyond them. To do that against your local rivals, who they could have dragged into the relegation fight themselves with a victory, was simply inexcusable. Mick has work to do to get players and fans believing again. Dropping the utterly useless Ebanks-Blake would at least be a start.
3. Re-signing Thierry Henry was worth it.
3 goals in six games have, in itself, made Henry’s return to Arsenal’s colours a worthwhile move by Arsene Wenger. The fact that two of the goals were match winners, with Saturday’s one securing three vital premier league points, have meant his return can now be deemed an unqualified success. Henry may lack the pace or tricks of old, but old habits die young and his movement and technique at the weekend to latch onto a perfectly weighted cross gave Arsenal a massive victory against a very good Sunderland team. With all three of their rivals for 4th losing, it was the perfect result for Arsene Wenger and the topsy-turvy battle for the final Champions League spot took yet another unexpected twist. Henry now declares himself a fan of the club first and a player the second, but he has not only lifted the mood at the club upon his return but has paid them back in the best possible currency. Whatever happens in Milan on Wednesday he can go back to America proud of his efforts. One only hopes that he may have left behind any sort of a “how to score goals” guide book for Marouane Chamakh to read in his stead...
3 goals in six games have, in itself, made Henry’s return to Arsenal’s colours a worthwhile move by Arsene Wenger. The fact that two of the goals were match winners, with Saturday’s one securing three vital premier league points, have meant his return can now be deemed an unqualified success. Henry may lack the pace or tricks of old, but old habits die young and his movement and technique at the weekend to latch onto a perfectly weighted cross gave Arsenal a massive victory against a very good Sunderland team. With all three of their rivals for 4th losing, it was the perfect result for Arsene Wenger and the topsy-turvy battle for the final Champions League spot took yet another unexpected twist. Henry now declares himself a fan of the club first and a player the second, but he has not only lifted the mood at the club upon his return but has paid them back in the best possible currency. Whatever happens in Milan on Wednesday he can go back to America proud of his efforts. One only hopes that he may have left behind any sort of a “how to score goals” guide book for Marouane Chamakh to read in his stead...
4. Watching Aston Villa is actually more dull than watching paint dry.
Mildly hungover and clinging to the small belief that maybe, just maybe, Man City might not win... I made a terrible mistake yesterday afternoon by voluntarily watching Aston Villa try and play football. Alex Mcleish’s teams are never fun to watch, but he has sunk new lows at Villa this season by stifling what little creativity his team did have and relying instead on a 8-1-1 formation which is leaving Darren Bent so lonely he must be getting a complex by now. Villa decided to have a go at City as we ticked into injury time, not so much leaving it late as hardly bothering at all. Happily playing for a nil nil against the best team in the league is one thing, but happily playing for a 1-0 loss at home to them for 30 minutes is something else entirely. Mcleish has a broken squad, discontent fans and is playing the worst football in living memory. His appointment was a mistake from the start and remains a mistake now. Villa are redefining mediocrity with every torturous 90 minutes we are subjected to. I just want them to go away...
Mildly hungover and clinging to the small belief that maybe, just maybe, Man City might not win... I made a terrible mistake yesterday afternoon by voluntarily watching Aston Villa try and play football. Alex Mcleish’s teams are never fun to watch, but he has sunk new lows at Villa this season by stifling what little creativity his team did have and relying instead on a 8-1-1 formation which is leaving Darren Bent so lonely he must be getting a complex by now. Villa decided to have a go at City as we ticked into injury time, not so much leaving it late as hardly bothering at all. Happily playing for a nil nil against the best team in the league is one thing, but happily playing for a 1-0 loss at home to them for 30 minutes is something else entirely. Mcleish has a broken squad, discontent fans and is playing the worst football in living memory. His appointment was a mistake from the start and remains a mistake now. Villa are redefining mediocrity with every torturous 90 minutes we are subjected to. I just want them to go away...
5. It’s not a taxing choice, just give it to Harry.
Let’s make it clear, if most people could take their pick from anybody in world football, the belief that the majority would genuinely want Harry Redknapp as the next England manager is surely wide of the mark. But, like him or loathe him, the FA needs a hit to get the country back onside and as a result mainly of the media, people have been whipped up into such a froth of cockney love that not offering Redknapp the job would now been seen as a massive fuck you to the fans. Devoid of any tactical nous whatsoever, not to mention being completely illiterate, ‘Arry at least possesses fine man management skills and has played the British press expertly for years. I don’t go along with the theory that we need a British manager, but accept that right now the country probably needs one to get behind and there are no real candidates out there who can make a better claim to the job than ‘Arry. Anyone expecting him to come in and radically change things though should be very wary. The man has already declared “Stevie G” or “Lamps” as his captain elect and vowed to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement. I guess we’ll have to wait a bit longer for that “reimagining” then as we look forward to the same players failing in the same way come July. The alternative of course is to listen to Ollie Harris and give the job to Rafa Benetiz. But given you’ve all just spilt your morning coffees after reading that, I’ll leave you with that harrowing prospect as you clean up. After all, how much more Pete Tong can it really get...
Let’s make it clear, if most people could take their pick from anybody in world football, the belief that the majority would genuinely want Harry Redknapp as the next England manager is surely wide of the mark. But, like him or loathe him, the FA needs a hit to get the country back onside and as a result mainly of the media, people have been whipped up into such a froth of cockney love that not offering Redknapp the job would now been seen as a massive fuck you to the fans. Devoid of any tactical nous whatsoever, not to mention being completely illiterate, ‘Arry at least possesses fine man management skills and has played the British press expertly for years. I don’t go along with the theory that we need a British manager, but accept that right now the country probably needs one to get behind and there are no real candidates out there who can make a better claim to the job than ‘Arry. Anyone expecting him to come in and radically change things though should be very wary. The man has already declared “Stevie G” or “Lamps” as his captain elect and vowed to bring Paul Scholes out of retirement. I guess we’ll have to wait a bit longer for that “reimagining” then as we look forward to the same players failing in the same way come July. The alternative of course is to listen to Ollie Harris and give the job to Rafa Benetiz. But given you’ve all just spilt your morning coffees after reading that, I’ll leave you with that harrowing prospect as you clean up. After all, how much more Pete Tong can it really get...
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