YOU take the red and white striped pill, the story ends. You wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the Anfield pill, you stay in wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes…
I thought I would open with words taken from the only Matrix film that actually counts as they seem rather relevant! We took that red and white striped pill at 3pm and were subjected to a less than Saintly performance all too familiar from our more recent darker days leaving us as optimistic for the future as Dave Lister’s Paranoia persona (Red Dwarf reference – check!). Don’t you just love football?..
Mirroring Neo, prior to the Southampton game we were meandering through the 2013/14 life quite happily with 3 wins, a battling draw in a tough location and progress in a cup to our name. Yes our nerves were slightly frayed in light of some rather peculiar second half performances and a continued inability to kill off a game, but that unbeaten aura wallops things like this into insignificance. The old mantra of 3 points is 3 points sufficing, but that story ended with the metaphorical red and white stripy pill. Unfortunately, said pill brings some rather ugly side effects causing fans to turn on fellow fans and the hanging out to dry of individuals at a time when they need us the most.
Defeat effects people in a number of different ways. Personally I’m a sulker, removing myself usually to the porcelain throne if I couldn’t make the game, or waiting for the crowds to disperse before I leave my seat and trudge slowly back to my car. Off the top of my head I can identify other losing persona’s such as the Volcano, End of the World Eric, the Sadowitz and the Egyptian (I will happily explain each if you want! Can you think of any more?)
Undoubtedly defeat brings the worst out in us all, yet a worrying trend in the modern world seems to be utter devastation at a slip and like a lion identifying the struggling gazelle, setting upon an individual to vent their wrath. We have seen the likes of Lucas, Henderson and Allen the epicentre for anger and the current trend appears to be Iago Aspas, but that’s a piece for another day. As the opening paragraph stated, the red and white stripy pill has well and truly been swallowed and people are believing what they want to believe and in some quarters the castigation of the team and individuals is the Modus Operendi (yeah that’s right, Latin!)
It is here that I want to, as it were, push the Anfield pill and together lets explore the rabbit hole (in no way do I condone drugs or pushing…rabbits are ok). Without doubt 10 points from 5 games is an excellent start to the season, that sort of strike rate would see us be extremely unfortunate not to be in the Champions League mix come May. Throw into that a win over United and there should be an element of happiness in all Reds. The Southampton game was undoubtedly atrocious and clearly unacceptable in all elements of the performance, yet this type of result and performance is possible in any given 90 minutes by any given club, and we would be remiss to think it hasn’t happened to the greats of this wonderful club even in our peak (and to be honest not the first awful result against Southampton!). What is important is the reaction. Just have a look at North London and the team that got hammered by the Villains on the opening day bare little resemblance to the Ramsey-led marauders we are currently seeing.
What’s done is done, unless anyone knows a Dr E Brown there is little we can do about it but learn. It is a harsh but necessary lesson for the players, the team and Rodgers (and in reality the owners ahead of January). It is something that in reality has been coming after our second half performances this season so far, and as supporters it is our time to step up to the plate.
It is easy to support when your team is winning and if that’s all you want I would suggest it is an expensive hobby as all those different Premier League shirts will be costly! No, it is the role of the fan, and I apology for using such a rubbish term, to be that 12th man. Whether you have played in front of people screaming you on or experienced it from the stands, it provides that extra effort, and from the opposite point of view can suppress the opposition. The most obvious example of this is Istanbul 2005 and the half time YNWA that helped inspire that result. I think Twitter would have imploded had it been about then!
I am not suggesting that anyone at the club is infallible, and it is healthy to question when questions need to be asked whether it be about formation, transfers or performances but it is a very fine line between discussion and derision. I can tell you for a fact that the players and Rodgers will be hurting just as much as we are but when the chips are down you come together and come back stronger. The rabbit hole is deep my friends and we have more battles ahead, together we are strong, divided we fall.
Would love to hear your comments, come find me on twitter @timdibs
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Rubbish article . Poorly written and full of nonsense . Reality has kicked in and it’s time for the dreamers to wake up
Gary,
If you’re going to be such a miserable *, keep it to yourself and you’re in no position to criticise how the article is written when you don’t even know where to put a full stop!
Hear! Hear!
Thanks Gary, I’m glad you read it! Feel we connected
Read 2 paragraphs and couldn’t be bothered with any more . As I said it’s poorly written
You made 2 paragraphs? Thank you!
I only wanted BR be sacked as soon as possible. No more excuses. Top 4 is not achievable with squad members like Aspas, Luis Alberto, Henderson, Sterling, Toure, Sakho, Wisdom. Even I believe Mignolet and Gerrard are LFC liability. Gerrard should be preparing for management roles in LFC. The future is not so good for LFC. The only positive thing is Man Utd will down with us 🙂
Replace him with whom?
Nope, what makes me angry is that we are stuck for at least another season .
As for the reality pill, I woke up November 2012 after watching BR closely to try and figure out if he was indeed a genious or taking us for a ride! The answer is somewhere in the middle. I mean miss table !!! That’s as far as he can take us.
Can you honestly say you have seen no progression??
Yes I can. Honestly, there has been very little progress for the money spent. We have consolidated another top 10 finish. This season, has been one of good fortune rather than a great start. agaist Stoke, we deserved to win but they missed a 99% goal scoring opportonity. the penalty. against swasea, second half we colapsed . not a sign of progress is it? Villa, peppered our goal in search for an equaliser. The counter attack seems poorly organised. And the control in mf, when we are winning is not there.
Your sign of progress is a sample taken from feb I guess! Sturridge , coutinho look good. But that’s 2 out of many!
Aspas is going to take a long time (with positive thinking thrown in the mix) Borrini and Alen are poor, Alberto will take time and is a gamble (not against it)…
Where do you see the progress and how do you measure it? We were out of all cups by feb last year, with nothing to play for. No pressure and the team was alright. Add a crucial game and we fail.
What’s happenened to youth development? Stirling looks poor, Kelly won’t get a game, wisdom –see Stirling.
I take my marker for progress from when he took over to now! Quite evident as a club we have moved forward! We have won games this season we would have thrown away last! Southampton game, whilst awful, shouldn’t blind you to how we have moved forward! Nothing was ever going to be overnight, these things when done properly take time, look at Dortmund!
Youth development??? Seriously? Our squad is far younger than when he took over with more opportunity awarded to our own product. Players need time to adapt and settle, some take longer than others
I’ve seen a progression but think we have a long way to go. As for fsg…….fans won’t be happy unless they bankroll us like the arabs have at man city. Would you want to see us end up like citeh? Financial cheats with no soul anymore and a team of foreign mercenaries. Personally I like fsg running it as a business
Oh yeah Stevie. You would rather be struggling with no top players coming in , no hope of winning the league…
…than city – top players , trophies , world class stars and champion league football
Kop on you socialist dimwit
Unsurprisingly Pas I think you are missing the point I think Steve is trying to make! I’m surprised you can see the keyboard to type when that red mist descends!
I don’t think anyone would be annoyed if we were bought by sheiks and flooded with top players, yet given the choice there are 2 roads to take! You could take the city road or the Dortmund road! Personally I would rather take the Dortmund road! I wouldn’t go as far as Steve in saying I like FSG running us as a business but I certainly think they are improving.
Take no notice tim. At least you took the time to write it. Far easier to take a swipe at you than actually write something themselves
People take a swipe at his stuff because it’s idiotic. It’s called criticism. These blogs are open for comments you know . Other writers don’t get slagged because they know what they are talking about
You see the difference is Pas, I write specifically for you! You are my favourite!
You have to love the frame of mind where should an opinion differ from your own it makes though other an idiot!
what pains me most is 4 tins no1 is that Br doesn’t learn no2 is that he waits until everything is down b4 he makes changes no3 is that he is so stupid to have one no10, no4 is that he does favouritism so clearly we are being conned, he always boasts when a few results starts going his way,so i for one don’t believe Br will take us to CL until i see with my 2 eyes.Always boasting and letting people know his tactics is very wrong.
Where are all those fanboys who were saying ‘good work BR’ on here when he signed Aspas?! All gone pretty quiet.
How can you judge a player after 5 appearances? Not even 90 minute appearances?
I can and will, Aspas is the worst player in years, Ngog looks class compared to him.
Very short sighted! Good job Rushie wasn’t judged so quick eh!
What are you on about ? Rush spend the first season in the reserves until he was ready .
Aspas is already in his mid twenties, if he cannot do it now then he never will. Wake up and assess what is going on instead of just showing blind loyalty.
Damn right. Allen , aspas Borini and Assaidi = all awful rubbish.
We don’t need to be giving these clowns loads of games.
Geoff, Rush had a very slow start to life for Liverpool an needed time to adapt. Much in the reserves as it was a different game back then.
Also Geoff, your damnation of players who have had limited opportunity to play and find form through injury and the like is what is wrong with modern football! Some players may never make it at the club, but this should only be judged once they have left.
‘FSG Out’, it’s not blind loyalty I am showing, it is a refusal to condem a player with 5 appearances! Age I irrelevant, different people settle into life in the PL or a club like LFC differently, not everyone can hit the road running. shevchenko is penning the best strikers I have ever seen never made it at Chelsea as never adapted! Suarez did it in his first game.
Still here mate, FSG saved our club or have you forgotten already?
Progress has obviously been made. How many games/points did KD win, especially at home in his last season? Pretty sure Rodgers record surpassed KD, again I’m sure that’s progress, just not as much as some want.
I suppose some would want a team of Andy Carrols playing every week, as long as KD is back in charge!!!
I’m a big KD fan and am not dissing him, just illustrating what progress is.
Tim mate I fear your flogging a proverbial dead horse, you describe in your well written article the ‘boo boys’ who slate the side at every opportunity, these are the sorts who comment on these blogs etc. The doom mongerers who think we never had a bad game in the 70’s or that Dalglish/Rush or Heighway never had a sh*t game…..Progress takes time, we are making it and we will get there (not by sacking a manager every bad game) ynwa
Tim williams i guess u’re a manu fan wishing us mid table by supporting Br,Guys here’s what we will do, let us stop praising Rodgers cos he seems to use proudness and praises to do absurd things even when he’s doing fine cos if we had all been against Aspas he should have brought Rakitic with aspas,Aspas is a good player but it seems that br is forcing him to play no 10 cos in that saints game he switched to right wing.Br please play aspas top9 to help him cos this guy knows how to trick defenders please u will all we see how good this guy is please
Yes you are clearly right, I must be a Man U fan! My word!
I shall bite slightly, BR goes…..who comes in? How long do you give them?
Tim Williams is just a lame fsg apologizer , and a rubbish author too
How am I apologising for FSG Geoff?
Rubbish author is a matter of perspective mate, but thanks for reading 😉
Houllier built a strong team within 2 years and without spending too much money… Hyppia was a great buy and as good as any defender we currently have. GH was also a great tactician. BR needs to step up because he’s been given decent cash and his tactics have been worrying at times.
Aspas is already 26, i guess Tim Williams thinks he’ll come good in a few years! Ha ha haaa
Hilarious, but with a name like ‘FSG Out’ I don’t expect much better, unless your parents gave you that name then I an truly impressed you can use a computer at such a young age!
I am not casting any assertions on Aspas as I know little about him, I am just refusing to write him off after only 5 appearances! Which apparently makes me an FSG apologiser!
I’m glad you are not in charge of the club, our player turnover would be huge
Moron
Bit harsh Pas, ‘FSG Out’ is allowed his opinion 😉
Pas……ever considered going on an anger management course?
You know little about Aspas ?
That says it all . Maybe you should educate yourself a bit better before writing pieces like this ?
If you had more knowledge maybe your articles wouldn’t be such tripe
Have you got up on the wrong side of bed this morning Pas, you seem very angry! Have a nice cup of tea mate!
I’m being honest, I know little of aspas as a player, never really seen him before. Now if you bother to read anything I have said rather than chucking toys wildly out of your cot you will see I am not judgin him as a player I am stating that to write off a player after 5 games is pathetic!
‘FSG out’ is an opinion and informed judgement that i have, is this Communist Russia where people dont have an opinion now? Others wanted H&G out and many have condemned David Moores for bizarre decisions like making Houillier/Evans joint managers. But i guess Tim thinks all fans should be blindly loyal to those previous owners too eh? And current clowns FSG?
Entitled to your opinion fella, as is everyone, I’m not making a presumption on who is right or wrong, am just bemused by they apparent contempt held against the current owners.
You state you opinion is informed judgement? I would love to hear it! The editor of this site is always look for new people to contribute! Why don’t you write a piece and open yourself up to scrutiny?
Just because I happen to hold certain opinions on our ownership which doesn’t agree with your mantra doesn’t make me a blind follower! I have written pieces in the past posing questions of FSG! But I look forward to reading your points
@fsg out . You are damn right. Tim and one or two other deludes dont have a clue.
By the way – another stupid article devoid of reality. You really are the joke of this site Tim
Ahhh Dennis, being offensive to someone really is a good way of getting your point across, well done you!
You don’t like my opinion, and that’s fine! As I said to ‘FSG Out’ the editor of the site is always looking for new authors so why don’t you write a piece so it is ion to scrutiny? Or do you prefer taking anonymous potshots!
Thanks for reading though 😉
It will be interesting to see if either Dennis or ‘FSG Out’ write a piece to present their views! I’m not sure it will happen, but hope I’m wrong
To whoever keeps commenting fsg out . They bought the club when it was going bunkrupt and saved the BUSINESS ! Yes people football may be a religion to you but is business nowadays. No Arabs, Chinese etc came forward . We were on the brink of collapse and were owed by RBS!
There has been Arab style investment . 110 million on players like downing, Carrol, Adam, Henderson was not their fault. It was those who wanted the king back! Yearning for the good old days. FACT
As we are stuck with Rogers, I was thinking. Why don’t we get a football coach for Rogers? I am serious. It’s clear to me that he needs to develop. Companies, multybillion pounds companies hire coaches for their directors , like a sort of mentor. Not someone who will take over etc…. I was thinking Yup heinke! Or aragones? Someone who has been there and done that? Someone to tell Rogers that you need a back up plan if things don’t go according to plan.
Just an idea.
Guys,why are you directing anger towards each other with superficial comments about owners, managers, and players. Remember, “the whole is more than a mere sum of its parts” We as a Liverpool family need to find a way towards success with what we currently. There are lots of positves to take from the 5 matches we have played thus far. There are also many negatives which we have to deal with in oder to take the club to where we want it to be.
On the positive side we have developed better options at the back this season. With Lucus in the holding role, Gerrard and Courtinuo in the middle and Sturridge with Suares up front, we have ateam that isvery formidable and definitely capable of a top 4 finish. We must also credit the manager for the acqistion of Toure, Coutinuo, Sturridge and Moses. As I indicated the defense looks very resolute with Mignolet using his height to deal with crosses. There is also a positive team spirit that prevails in the team. The statistic that we amassed more points from January this year than some of our rivals makes us prime contendersfor top 4.
On the negative side however, the managers tinkering with the back 4 was most disappointing. When you have a combination that have developed a relationship , you only change players that are injured without tampering with combinations. Toure and Agger formed a combination at centreback position, yet BR changed that in a crucial game. Playing players out of position is totally absurd. It is frightening that our manager has done that intentionally. The lack of dept in the midfield is also frightening. We dont have the players in this part of the field to take the ball to our forwards. The absence of Courtinuo is going to be a mager factor in the 6 weeks he recovers from injury. Against Southampton , the manager should have pushed Gerrard to the no 10 postion and played eithe Allen or Sako in Gerrards position. The team would have retained its shape and style that brought success in the first 3 matches. The most alarming aspect of Liverpool’s play , is their selfishness in front of goal. This for me is the managers lack of control of his players. All our rivals seem to have better discipline in front of goal than we do. A manager must coach his team to deliver a goal from properr interplay and not from shooting from angles that are virtually impossible to score from. This has Dauglishe’s downfall as well. The reason Liverpool hit the woodwork so often has been their poor decision making when shooting rather than chosing to pass to players innbetter positions. This is the most crucial area of coaching instructions that players must follow. Asene Wenger and Alex Ferguson get their players to follow their instructions especially in front of goal. Liverpool players seem to have a freedom that the manager cannot contain.