THE dead of winter doesn’t hold a candle to the dead of summer if you’re a Liverpool, Premier League, or football fan living in North America.
Although, in Canada, the temperature may dip to minus 40 degrees Celsius in January, those of us who live for European football can expect some amelioration in the form of league games, derbies, internationals and friendlies; in the summer we have North American sports and MLS soccer.
Which brings me to the difference between our sporting communities.
Now that the Premier League has crowned its champion, whose name escapes me for the moment, speculation over summer transfers is igniting conversations all over Britain, Europe, and, more topically, Liverpool.
Will Liverpool find a replacement for Carragher? Will we find someone for the left side who can give us that all important width as well as serviceable crosses? Will Brendan Rodgers ever sign a player who’s taller than he is? Will Tottenham outbid us for Ince?
In Canada we are deeply immersed in the Stanley Cup – a yearly event that allows owners to extract more money from hockey fans who have just experienced (and paid for) an 82 game season whose purpose is to eliminate 14 of 30 teams. This six week silly season will offer up a champion who may be the best in the league but, more likely, will win supremacy on the basis of a goaltender playing in another dimension or lady luck up to her blind shenanigans. Does the FA Cup spring to mind?
Liverpool experienced some bad luck in losing games where they outplayed the opposition but, on the whole, finished about where they deserved. Everyone finished about where they deserved (except perhaps the eventual winners whose name still escapes me). North America doesn’t work that way. Its obsession with underdogs and miraculous finishes has it totally obsessed with playoffs and bestowing crowns on the basis of flashes of brilliance or good luck or both.
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As such, American sports promote the prima donna and six days’ wonder out of all proportion while downplaying the team aspect and standards of excellence that characterize European football.
That is not to say that European football doesn’t have its prima donnas, it’s just the way that the two cultures react to them that is different. In North American football and baseball, the show-boaters and narcissists are emulated and celebrated, whereas in Britain they are often scorned and ridiculed.
Although the English fan will indulge the self-centred player, your El Hadji Diouf for example, the players that really attract the adulation of fans are the selfless warriors and unselfish playmakers (I hear that Diouf had the stuffing beaten out of him on Tuesday – somebody get a mop).
So from now until the end of August, I will endure interviews with the toothless, monosyllabic refugees from Road Warrior and cringe at the “in your face” rants of the hyperkinetic “I owe it all to the Lord” American football nonsense. And I will be grateful that curling rocks and brooms have been safely sequestered for the summer.
But most of all I will be poring over the pages of Live4Liverpool for some news of the beautiful game and its most beautiful club.
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The only team we finished above, that hasn’t been in a lower league in the past 10yrs is Villa. In Rafa’s first season he brought us Alonso(£10m) and Garcia(£6m) for a total of £16m, which is what BR spent on Allen alone. In 7months at Chelsea, Rafa has reached 2 semi finals and 2 cup finals, one which he won. All this was achieved with no support from the fans, pure PROFESSIONALISM! What is he going to with supporters that love him, like we we do? Please don’t waste the clubs time and money, sack Rodgers and Bring Rafa home…
RAFA failed at Inter and will probably fail at where ever he goes. Liverpool are building a long term project as opposed to just winning cups of little significance(europa). he did nothing specially football wise at chelsea, he met the minimum standard. He is a cup specialist at best.
What a joke . Rafa is a winner . Rodgers doesn’t even know what a trophy looks like .
It’s insulting to Rafa to even be compared with a trainee hopeless manager like BR
Just get over it Rafa’s gone, support the club and back the manager and the players!
When we get a proper manager we will support him . until then – BR OUT
That is such a silly comment john. So untrue. Rafa has succeeded everywhere he has been. Even at inter he won 2 trophies.
It’s time to stop living in the past its time to move on, we went back to Kenny and look what happened. As much I love Rafa going back to him would not be the answer, he would demand more money which he won’t get and once again the club will through a massive overhaul in players. For someone who tries to sell Alonso to get Barry is just plain poor. There are many positives to take from this season also plenty of negatives but we need stability, I’m prepared to give BR one more season, we all know he ain’t going nowhere. As a fan it’s my duty to support the team and whoever is in charge and the board will make the managerial decisions. Come on you Redmen. YNWA.
Going back to Kenny was always a bad Idea, cos he’d been out for 20yrs, so quit that comparison. Rafa has just again proven at Chelsea, with no fan that he is a true great professional. Every single manager lost to Fergie this season, Rafa played Fergie 3x, won2 drew1. Match that….
I felt bad for Benitez at Stanford Bridge. He handled himself as a professional should and didn’t deserve the season long derision of the fans. That being said, I have never forgiven him for leaving Carra on with a broken rib and punctured lung. Jamie was so obviously hurt and Rafa ignored him for a good ten minutes while he concentrated on . . . whatever. I also agree that he would, in his arrogance, start the rebuilding from scratch.
Just a quick reminder, Carra was just a squad player when Rafa arrived. Huollier’s back 4 was Finnan, Hyppia, Henchoz and Riise. So please start off by acknowledging that Rafa turned Carra into a true LFC Great
Well said Kay . Some people need a bit of education
Yeah, just pick out what suits your arguement, what about blowing 20m on Aqualani? Going 4 years without a trophy, finishing 7th in his last season etc..
Fact is rafa is a top manager who has won trophies everywhere he has been . Rodgers is not a good manager . So surely we should have the best man ? And if not rafa then there are aplenty out there better than rodgers .plenty !
Benitez is an idiot who does well initially with other proples already assembled squads, Hector Cooper, Houllier, And the recent expensively assembled Chelsea side. See a pattern? When left to his own devices the Fat One ruins clubs big-time. Move ON.
Ha ha ha . What a ridiculous comment . Do you understand anything about football ? No. Benitez is 1 million times better manager than Brenda
Of course he’s a better manager than Brenda but i want a manager who’s better than both these sh**house idiots.
Earlier this season Brendan Rodgers stated “If we finish higher than last year’s eighth place it will be fantastic”.
In reality, it has been arguably the worst season for 20 years and the question is whether progress has been made. Definitely not.
Abysmal exits in both domestic cups due to inept starting line-ups, failure to qualify for Europe, a defeat to a mediocre Russian team and the failure to record a solitary victory against any of the top four in the Premier League, confirm that this season has been a dismal failure.
There is currently a Champions League winning manager unemployed, twice La Liga winner in Spain, UEFA Cup, Europa League and FA Cup winner who lives on Merseyside, loves the club, the fans, and the city.
Are we really going to ignore an opportunity to bring him back to Anfield?
Err yes as he already had blooming SIX FREAKING YEARS
And achieved quite a bit of success under difficult circumstances. Rafa is not my first choice but hell.. He is a chunk better than Rodgers
LOL . whats the matter kopter ?
Does being in the latter stages of the champions league every season , and beating the likes of barca and madrid not float your boat ????
– oh i get it . you would rather being mid table with rodgers . smart
Winning 2 trophies in 6 years is not Liverpool standard, benitez had his chance, move on now
Brendan has till xmas