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A Good Week to be a Red

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Liverpool FC v Norwich CityBEING a fan of Liverpool FC is a full-time occupation.

It’s there when you get up in the morning and switch on Twitter and it’s still there when you go to bed at night and lie awake agonising over the most recent defeat, the ongoing transfer sagas or simply trying to quantify your hatred for Alex Ferguson and everything he stands for.

Simply put, the emotions involved with being a Liverpool fan cannot be switched off.

Over the last 20 odd years since the formation of the Premier League, being a Liverpool fan has had its fair share of peaks and troughs. The agony of not having won a league title since 89/90 interspersed with moments of ecstasy gleaned from several successes in the domestic cups, a UEFA cup, a cup treble and, of course, the glory of a fifth European Cup success in Istanbul 2005.

During this time period the Reds have, for the most part, kept up with the pace-setters (usually Manchester United) at least to a degree and, during Rafa Benitez’s time in charge, had firmly established themselves as a mainstay of “the big four”. However, over recent seasons Liverpool have slipped out of this fabled category of teams and have found themselves becoming accustomed to finishing in the bottom half of the top ten.

This journey south has come at a cost, as Liverpool’s once united fanbase has gradually begun to split and turn inwards on itself, with sections of disgruntled fans venting their anger on those who have been more positive about the situation at Anfield, particularly this season.

This is to be expected, I suppose, as it is in times of hardship where loyalties are truly tested, and God knows, times have been tough at Anfield in the recent past. A League Cup trophy and a run to the FA Cup final couldn’t paper over the ever increasing cracks in the Reds’ last league campaign under Kenny Dalglish and, after a poor start in the league, the knives have already been drawn on Brendan Rodgers in some quarters.

Granted, the season hasn’t been wonderful, not by any stretch of the imagination. There has been inconsistency, both as a unit and individually. We have lost twice against United, results that matter massively to the fans, and we’ve not yet managed to achieve victories against any of the teams above us in the league – a stat which has caused a mild panic amongst some. However, on the whole, the consensus is that Liverpool are slowly on the rise again and last week’s result proves it.

It has been a good week to be a Red, of that there is no doubt. The performance and result against Norwich has played a significant role in lifting the mood amongst the fans, however it isn’t the only factor. 5-0 is a cracking result, no matter what the opposition. Norwich were poor, granted, but the ferocity with which Brendan Rodgers’s side dispatched them was a sight seen all too rarely at Anfield in recent times.

The result against Norwich looks impressive in isolation, however when taken as part of a sequence of the last few results at Anfield, you can immediately see that it was part of a pleasing trend. Going back to the November 17th, The Reds have won five out of six league games at Anfield, scoring seventeen and conceding just three; while the last three home games have seen Liverpool score twelve without reply as the “lesser teams” have been dismantled.
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Yes, the sceptics now say that we’re “flat track bullies” only capable of seeing off weaker teams, however any real fan will tell you that seeing off the “lesser teams” has been a specific problem for Liverpool and that the Reds inability to do so with any level of consistency, has been their Achilles’ heel in numerous campaigns. Defeating the teams in the bottom half comfortably is certainly a big step forward and, all being well, the confidence gained from crushing these opponents will lead to success against the teams above us in the second half of the season.

The performances of Jordan Henderson and Stewart Downing, as well as Lucas Leiva, against the Canaries provided me with further reasons to be cheerful. I recently wrote an article (published on this site) praising Rodgers for his man management in regards to Henderson and Downing. Needless to say, I was verbally battered by the more pessimistic sections within the fanbase; however both put in top performances again, both highly involved in the game and both making key contributions with either goals or assists.

This is great to see because it is almost like having two new players, given the extent to which both looked to be on their way out of the club. Now Stewart Downing looks a player who has something to offer when called upon and Jordan Henderson appears to have a bright future at the club.

Lucas had a fantastic match. The Brazilian has struggled for form, quite understandably, since coming back from a long injury lay off, however on Saturday he looked almost back to his imperious best, reading the game like a book, snuffing out attacks at source and setting us on our way on numerous occasion. Having Lucas back to full fitness and effectiveness is vital if we’re to climb the league. When he’s on top of his game, you’d be hard pushed to find a better holding midfielder anywhere in the world.

There’s been much talk of Daniel Sturridge since his arrival at Anfield, particularly in regard to his three goals in three matches, and why not? Sturridge’s goal against Norwich was another reason to be happy this week as he once again proved, with the most simple of finishes, that he’s exactly the kind of striker the Reds have been missing. His goals, however, are not the only cause for optimism.

Sturridge has already displayed in his short time at the club, that he has a fantastic almost telepathic understanding with Luis Suarez. His dummy for the second goal was sublime and highlighted the burgeoning relationship between two players who read the game at a higher level than most. Sturridge and Suarez both have quick minds, quick feet and great movement, add Fabio Borini into the mix and, all of a sudden, our front line for the latter part of the season looks much stronger.

So to round off, things are starting to look up and so can we as fans – up the table that is. The Reds have won eight of the last eleven in all competitions, three in a row at home, have equalled the Anfield win tally from last season already, are the fifth highest scorers in the league, have the fifth best goal difference in the division (both joint with Tottenham) and are steadily climbing the table.

Daniel Sturridge has been successfully added to the squad, Joe Cole has gone and the club are negotiating hard to bring in Coutinho from Inter Milan – an extremely exciting prospect and a deal which I fully hope becomes reality. Truly, this has been a good week to be a Red.
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20 comments

  • PositiveLiverpoolFan says:

    Great article. Better to be optimistic anyway and confident for the future than bemoning the constant progress made this season. There will always be throwbacks, but in the end the are many positives too.
    YNWA – looking forward for the last part of the season, starting with tomorrows FA Cup game

  • Higgs Boson says:

    Great article indeed! Hear. Hear.

  • Judgestevep says:

    Absolutely spot on. Great article

  • Neil says:

    Good article but I’m sorry I have to disagree with your views on downing….the guy is a bloody ghost and I don’t mean like terry mac…goes missing for 85 minutes….we play with ten men every time he’s on the pitch…and before anyone says anything..season ticket holder here, been trying to find the guy on the pitch for almost two years….wtf

    • deane fitzpatrick says:

      Downing is starting to come good,yea maybe its a bit later den we’d wanted buts him an Jordan are showing now,its more a case of when joe Allen is on d pitch we are ten men

      • Higgs Boson says:

        Ya and you said the same about Henderson last year. Did you not see it yet……..It’s about giving them a little bit of time.

        • Dave says:

          bull bull bull total bull . Allen is never going to be a Liverpool player , he doesn’t have the physical ability to play at highest level . Worse than Christian Poulsen and thats sayin something

          Even if Allen performs well , he is still not good enough . Complete waste pf money

  • James says:

    Maybe slightly over optimistic in my opinion but still a good, enjoyable article.

  • Peter 143 says:

    Yes a very good article, the missing factor I feel was Lucas. With him holding midfield it gives Downing, Gerrard, Henderson the chance to nice forward. People also knock Joe Allen who I feel will be a very good player in time. Remember how some “real fans” berated, booed and heckled Lucas when he started first. All players need time to settle and gel so onwards and upwards.

  • TaintlessRed says:

    It’s nice to read such a sunny article Neil, it honestly made me smile.

    I certainly see some of the positives you talk of, however I can’t forget performances like the one against Villa and managerial mistakes like the playing of Allen as our furthest forward midfielder against ManU. Remembering mistakes, disapointments and the difficult moments that come with being a Reds fan isn’t being negative (though blandly name calling or insulting a positive post or article is). We focus on things that have gone wrong so we can put them right (or at least discuss what the manager, owners or players ‘should’ do to put them right). It’s this not settling for mediocrity, relentlessly ironing out mistakes, using dissapointments to spur one on that makes a good player/team a great player/team and that’s where we want to get to.
    I agree the Norwich game was an excellent result (regardless of the opposition) but it’s the performance and result against Arsenal (given how easily they outplayed us at Anfield) that is the better measure of progress.

    • Dave says:

      i agree , there is little point in just looking at the positives as the author always does , any article needs to see both sides , which is why articles like this seems like bull . We have many problems at LFC right now , pretending they dont exist is not the solution

  • Jayg says:

    Another positive note from last match was Joe Allen’s starting position: bench

  • Ebri says:

    love this article.

  • Neil Patterson says:

    Thanks for all your positive comments, much appreciated YNWA

  • Jeff says:

    Good article, mate. And no comment section would be complete without the one douche trolling people. Thank you for that, Dave.

  • King Kenny II says:

    Idiocy…. Sheer Idiocy

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