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Liverpool: A Very Personal Great Sporting Moment

  By O-Posts Team | May 11, 2013 - 19:19 | , , ,
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Everyone has their own list of great sporting moments which is unique to them. For those who attend live sport regularly this list will probably largely consist of events at which they were present as somehow these are always more meaningful.

There will also always be occasions which may not seem terribly important to the world in general but which have special significance to an individual. I experienced one such great moment back in 1996.

 

The Player

I had been a fan of Stan Collymore for some time and was delighted when he signed for my club, Liverpool. His form had been a little up and down but it had become obvious that he was capable of great things. It is rare to see a player who is powerful, skilful with their feet, has great heading ability and is genuinely two-footed but Collymore was all of things and more. He was a bit of a riddle wrapped up in an enigma but every great team needs one of those!

 

The Match

I was having a serious debate on whether to attend the fixture in question as it had been postponed twice due to FA Cup replays and was now scheduled for a Wednesday night. When you are facing a 500 mile round trip that is a bit awkward but ultimately I decided that as I had tickets and that Liverpool were still in with a chance of winning the league, I should go. After all, sleep is overrated!

As I set off for the game I had a strange tingle of anticipation for no particular reason that I could fathom. It was a match between two teams at the top of the table which would normally produce a tactical and nervy game with few goals but somehow I felt this one might be different.

When I entered the stadium there was a real buzz about the place and an edge to the atmosphere that I had not felt for some time. I think this was a case of the crowd sharing my feelings, a kind of collective telepathy.

We all believed we were about to witness something special and we weren’t wrong!

 

The Moment

This was Liverpool V Newcastle April 1996. It was the game that would be voted match of the decade and for me it was the match of that or any decade! What transpired was a breathless end to end game of extraordinary quality with the stars on the pitch really showing what they could do and no quarter given. There was an extreme intensity to proceedings that I had never witnessed before.

By the time the 90 minute mark had arrived I was emotionally exhausted. The score stood at 3:3 and I was shouting vigorously for the final whistle not wanting an amazing occasion to be ruined by a Newcastle winner. Deep into injury time Liverpool broke forward and then entrance none other than Stan Collymore to smash the winner into the net! I was ecstatic and nearly peed my nudie jeans!

What a night!

 

Home

After a three hour journey I arrived home and immediately put the television on to watch the highlights of what I just witnessed. Since that day I have watched this match again and again and have never tired of seeing it.

In fact I think I am going to have to watch it again now!

 

Byline

Sally Stacey is a regular blogger and ardent football fan who has been following the game for over 30 years.She is currently writing on behalf of Jeanstore.

 

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The History of Liverpool Football Club

  By O-Posts Team | March 31, 2013 - 20:19 | , , ,
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The Liverpool Football Club has a long history that goes back to 1892. Let’s go back in time and see just how the football club began.



1888

The English football league was initially formed in 1888. In September of that year, Anfield had its first football game in its history. The home team was not in their red uniforms that you see today. A blue and white striped uniform was worn.

This was the beginning of a new name in the football world – Anfield.

The man who owned the Anfield ground was John Houlding. He was a local pub owner who served on the council, and later he became the Mayor of Liverpool.


 

1892

The football club had good and bad times. They continued to use Anfield for their games, and they had grown to develop a fan base all over the world. They have fans all the way from England to Scandinavia and Asia.

Fans all over the world were heard chanting “YNWA.” This was due to a phrase that motivated them during the football years. It meant “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

The song was played at all the games and when it finally stopped, the fans kept the tradition by singing it themselves.


 

Team Performance

Liverpool has been one of the top teams throughout their history, and they held the most Titles in the English game with 18. In the past few years, this team has fought hard maintain those titles and earn a few more. They face some tough competition with Manchester United.

Although Liverpool still maintains the most titles, it is a tough battle year after year with Manchester United. Because of their history, they have always been known to be a part of the “Big Four,” but the last few seasons have not been so good in holding them to that name.

At the end of the 2009-2010 season, they were way outside the qualifying spots for the Champions League.


 

2010/2011 Season

In July of 2010, a new manager was appointed to the Liverpool team. Roy Hodgson signed a three year contract. He was honored to take the job as manager of the team. The 2010-2011 season got off to a tough start for the team. Injuries were many on the team, the team had to learn the new coach, and there was a big feeling of dissent inside the locker room. The team was embarrassed when they lost to Blackpool. This was a huge disappointment to the team and the fans.

The fans began to turn on Hodgson. Later, the Liverpool fans came back around. None of the past mattered at all to the ever loyal Liverpool fans. The fans follow this team. The fans have all the faith in the world that Liverpool will continue to get better and work hard throughout the season. They feel another European Cup will be one to call their own again.

When the season ended in poor form and Liverpool ended up taking 12th place for the Premier League, Roy Hodgson packed it up and left Liverpool. It was a mutual agreement that allowed Kenny Dalglish to come back and step in as acting manager until the season was over.


Conclusion

The Liverpool team is dedicated to working hard, and the Liverpool fans will always be committed to their team as they strive to battle to be the best! If you haven’t made it to a game yet, even if it is across the pond, trust me – it’s totally worth the airfare, travel insurance & high exchange rate to see one (or a few, if you can afford it).

I save up enough to catch a match about every two years, and because of that, I really can’t afford to go much place else.

But still, with the people, the accents, the scenery, the history & the architecture, I could spend a decade in England, rather than the 10 days I usually manage. So anyway, if you haven’t made it there yet, go for it now!!

 

Author Jason Harter is a sports manager for several small football, or soccer teams, and obtained his online masters in sports management.

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The Worst Cars Driven By A Footballer

  By O-Posts Team | March 15, 2013 - 21:59 | , , , , , , ,
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Whether it’s a promotional stunt, a bit of Public Relations work or if the money and fame has simply went to their head, numerous footballers from all corners of the world have been spotted in what can only be called train wrecks on wheels.

Today, however, we’re going to look away from the expensive and flashy cars, bought by footballers who are as useless as their cars as ugly, and focus on the (cheap and nasty) footballer-owned cars that make us wonder why they would ever want to be seen driving in them.

 

Daniel Sturridge – Hyundai Santa Fe 2012

Now before we start, we’d like to say that in no way is the Santa Fe a bad or shameful car. However, we would expect a budding superstar like Daniel Sturridge, who has just completed a big-money move to local team Liverpool FC, to drive something a little flashier or sportier.

Sturridge became a Team Hyundai Ambassador earlier this year by supporting Hyundai’s activity around UEFA EURO 2012 and, due to this, it’s no surprise that the footballer was given the car as a ‘goodwill’ gift.

Daniel himself has confessed that the Santa Fe has a ‘special place in his heart’ after his mum used to own the older model whilst driving him around to his football games.

I think that it will soon have a ‘special place’ in the back of his garage, covered in a dusty sheet and only taken out when he decides to donate his ‘favourite car’ to a charity of his choice.

 

Wayne Rooney – Ford Ka

Now we can truly get to the ‘turd on wheels’ vehicles.

If turning up to your teams football ground in Nike tracksuit bottoms, Nike baggy t-shirt and, you guessed it, a Nike cap aren’t enough to make a seventeen-year-old lad look like he’s about to start a fire, then driving to said ground in an old-looking Ford Ka certainly is.

Not even a private license plate could turn this car into a polished turd, with the registration plate reading: ‘R00 N1’ adding to how bad the sight of Wayne Rooney and the Ford Ka actually was.

Then again, maybe Wayne thinks that’s how his name is actually spelt.

 

David James – Reliant Robin (of shame)

Way, way back when Portsmouth FC actually had the money to buy a meal deal at their local supermarket, then-manager Tony Adams used to force the player who he thought performed worst in training to drive a battered, old Reliant Robin to next-day’s training session.

Believe it or not, the player who ended up at the wheel most days was England’s very own ‘Calamity James’.

Over the years, however, the Pompey players chipped in on so-called ‘modifications’ for the three-wheeled eye-sore; finally culminating in a mutated, five-wheeled, A-team-themed abomination.

Some say that David James still rides his Reliant Robin around the streets to this day…

 

Thomas Vermaelen – Nissan Figaro

The Belgian rock may be able to drive an Arsenal attack from the back, but he certainly doesn’t know how to drive a decent car.

After penning a new contract in 2011, Vermaelen’s team-mate Robin Van Persie (who is regularly seen driving such cars as a Ferrari and a Cadillac Escalade) took to social networking site Twitter to congratulate his friend on his new contract, whilst also taking a light-hearted dig at the Belgian’s retro motor – telling him to finally upgrade after he’s earned a pay rise.

Only 20,000 units of the Nissan Figaro were produced, and we can see why. Although now considered to be a cult classic with owners in the UK and Ireland, we can be forgiven for agreeing with RVP and suggesting that Thomas buy a car more fitting to his stature in the football world.

‘I’ll be back’, said the Verminator, but hopefully not in this car.

 

Shay Given – Piaggio Ape

After being seen in this car, Irish living legend Shay Given lost his reputation quicker than he lost his Manchester City place to Joe Hart.

First produced in 1948, and still looking like it is from that era, the Piaggio Ape represents the bottom of the barrel when it comes to cars that footballers have been seen driving in. One can only hope that Shay drove this car to the nearest empty field and set it alight afterwards.

Not much else can be said really, for the car must be actually seen to understand how bad it actually looks – and you’ll never see Shay Given in the same light again.

 

This article was written by Glenn Doyle from MotorTorque, who produce automotive and motoring news and reviews in the UK, with buyer’s guides, research, analysis, galleries and videos.

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Liverpool: Who should take over the departing Carragher as the Reds’ vice-captain?

  By O-Posts Team | March 12, 2013 - 16:54 | , , ,
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For years, Jamie Carragher has been a key player for Liverpool in defence. Other centre back’s have come and gone, but Carra was always there shouting at his teammates and organizing the defensive line. But after years of loyal service to the club, Carragher has decided to retire at the end of the season. Liverpool now face the tough task of replacing him, and more importantly finding a new leader on the pitch.

With Carragher gone, the vice-captain role will be free. Here are the top candidates for that role:

 

Pepe Reina

The Spanish goalkeeper has been at Anfield since 2005, and knows the club better than anyone else on this list. Since joining the club, he has been a consistent performer and a fan favourite. Reina is also one of the major figures in the dressing room, and definitely has the influence to do the job.

The biggest problem, though, is if he is vocal enough to be vice-captain. While Gerrard has been leading the team by example, Carra was always the loud one. That is not only Reina’s problem, but the problem of every other player on this list.

 

Daniel Agger

Carragher’s defensive partner, Agger, may be the perfect choice for vice-captain. He joined the club for 6m in 2006, and has proved to be a top signing for the Reds. After a shaky first couple of seasons, accompanied with injury problems, Agger has finally found form and consistency and has become Liverpool’s best defender and one of the world’s finest left centre backs.

His love and passion for the club is undoubtful, which makes him the perfect candidate for this role. He is already the captain of the Danish NT, so he has experience in leading a team.

 

Lucas Leiva

The Brazilian midfielder has been a key figure at Anfield since joining the club in2007. After struggling with adapting to the English game in his first two seasons, Lucas has become a big fan favourite.

His consistent performances have turned him into a key player for Liverpool, which can be seen in the difference in results when he is not playing.

The problem is, he is a very quiet and calm person and doesn’t possess the “fire“ to replace Carragher.

 

Luis Suarez

The Uruguayan is currently Liverpool’s best and most important player. Since joining Liverpool in January 2011, he has scored 50 goals  for the club.

With lots of rumours linking him with other top European clubs, giving him the vice-captain role may be a key factor in keeping him at Anfield for the coming seasons.

 

Written by Ivan Stanic

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Luis Suarez: Red-hot Uruguayan steals the show against the Latics

  By O-Posts Team | March 3, 2013 - 16:31 | , ,
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Top of the match:
Luis Suarez

Flop of the match:
Arouna Kone

After the shock Europa league exit, a week ago Liverpool posted a commanding 4-0 victory at DW stadium on the Saturday night. Downing’s opener followed by Suarez’s hat-trick had earned comfortable 3 points for the visiting side.

Reading’s loss at Goodison Park had left something for the Latics’ to cheer about as they stand level on points with Aston Villa in the 16th position; the latter play the 2nd placed Manchester City tomorrow.

Roberto Martinez played the same team which had beaten Reading in the last match day, whereas Brendan Rodgers made a single change in his side which thrashed Swansea, 5-0 couple of weeks ago- Joe Allen replacing the unavailable Daniel Sturridge.

Plenty of actions had occurred in the opening two minutes of the game- Boyce’s cross from the left found the unmarked Kone, whose weak shot was saved by Liverpool’s long-time Spanish custodian Pepe Reina. Soon after Kone’s miss, there followed the Liverpool’s counter. Phillipe Coutinho, with his spectacular skills got past Boyce and his cross from the left found the unmarked Downing who headed perfectly past a helpless Al Habsi.

16 minutes later, Coutinho’s skills came into the fore once again. Skipping past Maloney, the 20-year old Brazilian’s through ball found Suarez and the Uruguayan made no mistake to put the ball beyond Al Habsi’s reach to earn the Reds’ second of the night.

When Liverpool were leading 2-0 twenty minutes after the kick-off, a golden chance was handed to Wigan to pull one back. But Boyce’s powerful volley was beautifully saved by Pepe Reina. Moments later, an unnecessary clash between Boyce and McArthur occurred as the latter’s foolish back pass went into the legs of Suarez, who failed to pounce on the error.

Minutes later, though, Luis Suarez was fouled near the edge of the box and the Uruguayan stepped forward to earn his second through a deflected free-kick which found the right corner of the net.

Moments later, after Liverpool’s third goal, Beausejour’s cross found the Argentine Di Santo whose powerful header from 8-yards out was saved by the Liverpool goalie. During the closing stages of the first half, Wigan were given a free-kick near the edge of the area. Once again, Reina made a spectacular save with his right hand to deny Beausejour’s powerfully struck free-kick.

Wigan’s condition went from bad to worse, soon after the second half kick-off. Glenn Johnson dribbled the ball past 3 defenders brilliantly near the centre line to break Suarez loose. The former Ajax man completed his hat-trick with a finely executed shot which struck the inner side of the net and through the legs of a bemused Al Habsi.

At around the 70 minute mark, Enrique’s mistake left the substitute McManaman free and the midfielders beautiful cross was shot just wide by McCarthy. No dangerous attacks came through either side after McCarthy’s shot and Liverpool gained a well deserved 3 points.

 

Written by Raghuvarman Sampathu

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Special Feature: The Top 10 Best Premier League Matches Ever

  By O-Posts Team | February 1, 2013 - 18:42 | , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Over the last 20 years, we have been privileged to see so many brilliant players and wonderful goals illuminate the Premier League, leading to a plethora of breathtaking football matches. But which of these games stand-out, leaving an ever-lasting imprint on our memories?

The following is a list of my top 10 games of the Premier League era. As with previous lists, there were a mixture of commodities to determine the rankings, such as how defining the game was in relation to the season, for one or both teams, the shock factor, the dramatic element and, of course, the goal-laden excitement.

 
10. West Ham 5-4 Bradford City: February 12, 2000

A memorable game that saw the talented, but controversial Paolo di Canio play the leading role.

The drama started after just 5 minutes, when the Hammers ‘keeper Shaka Hislop was stretchered off with a broken leg. He was replaced by third choice custodian, Stephen Bywater, who was making his Premier League debut. He went on to have a nightmare afternoon.

Bradford arrived at Upton Park deep in the relegation mire, but their attacking efforts were rewarded after 30 minutes, when Dean Windass headed home from a Peter Beagrie corner, with the young Bywater left rooted to the spot. Trevor Sinclair and John Moncur quickly reversed the scoreline, before the somersaulting Beagrie levelled it up for the Bantams on the stroke of half-time.

In a dramatic second half, the error-strewn Bywater gifted Jamie Lawrence two goals to give Bradford a 4-2 lead, but it was then that Di Canio stole the show. He was denied three penalties (and to be fair to him, he would have won all 3 on any other day) in the space of just a few minutes. After the third had been turned down, the Italian made his way over to the dugout in a petulant demand to be substituted by manager Harry Redknapp.

A few minutes later, West Ham were finally awarded a spot-kick, after a foul on sub Paul Kitson. Di Canio, who had now returned to the action, then engaged in a comical tussling match with a young Frank Lampard, who had the ball ready to take the penalty. After a minute or so of jostling, the reluctant Lampard stepped aside and Di Canio converted from the spot.

The promising Joe Cole made it 4-4 on 70 with his first ever Premier League goal, and Di Canio made amends to Lampard in the final minute by setting him up for the winning goal to cap an eventful day’s play!

Despite the defeat, Bradford went on to survive relegation (for one more season at least!) following their last day win over Liverpool.

 
9. Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City: October 23, 2011

City’s title-winning credentials were emphatically displayed as arch-rivals United were crushed in their own back-yard. And, like the previous game on this list, the mood was set by an enigmatic Italian.

City had started the campaign with a more attack minded mindset, and took the game to United. Mario Balotelli started the fireworks (not literally, thankfully, this time!) by opening the scoring on 22 minutes, before famously revealing his ‘Why Always Me?’ t-shirt.

Jonny Evans was sent off just after half-time for bringing down Balotelli 20 yards from goal, and City took advantage. Super Mario and Sergio Aguero both netted from close range following fine work from the brilliant David Silva, and although Darren Fletcher pulled a goal back for United, sub Edin Dzeko added a 4th, before City notched twice on the break in stoppage time; Silva and Dzeko completing the rout.

It was a significant statement of intent from City, who duly went on to win the title. The defeat was United’s joint worst in Premier League history.

 
8. Tottenham 3-5 Manchester United: September 29, 2001

In one of the best comebacks in Prem history, United stunned Tottenham with 5 second-half goals on a scintillating afternoon at White Hart Lane.

Spurs started strongly, and the late Dean Richards marked his debut in fine style with an early goal, before Les Ferdinand made it 2 with a clinical finish, following a fine through ball from Gus Poyet. Just before half-time, Christian Ziege headed home from close range, after being left unmarked at the far post by everybody’s favourite Sky Sports pundit, Gary Neville.

United were transformed in the second half, though. Andy Cole reduced the arrears with a header, before Laurent Blanc met a beauty of a David Beckham corner to score his first United goal. The visitors were rampant, and it was no surprise when goal machine Ruud van Nistlerooy made it 3-3, again with a header.

Spurs were stunned, even more so when United completed the turnaround; Juan Sebastian Veron, with probably his finest moment for the club, smashing home from inside the box following good link-up play with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The icing on the cake came with 3 minutes left, as Beckham made it 5 with a stunning strike from 25 yards.

 
7. Liverpool 4-4 Arsenal: 21 April, 2009

Fernando Torres (when he was good) was the catalyst for the home side, netting twice in a game that see-sawed like none other seen in the Premier League.

Andrei Arshavin, who also used to be quite good, outshone him with a 4 goal blast that was still somehow not enough to seal the 3 points for Arsenal. It was the Russian who put the Gunners ahead on 36 minutes, side-footing home a cut-back from Cesc Fabregas, though Torres levelled matters with a fine header just after half-time.

Yossi Benayoun scrambled Liverpool into the lead on 56 minutes, though Arshavin feasted on their defensive ineptitude with a quick-fire double (67,70). With one of his best ever Prem goals, Torres made it 3-3, superbly controlling a cross before twisting to hit a 25 yard strike past Lukasz Fabianksi, but Arsenal retook the lead in stoppage time, Arshavin combining with Theo Walcott on the counter attack to score his 4th.

That still wasn’t the end of the drama, though, as Benayoun hit goal number 8 of an eventful night just seconds later.

The draw did put Liverpool momentarily back on top of the table, but any realistic ambitions of winning the title had gone.

 
6. Man City 2-3 Fulham: 26 April, 2008

Fulham were mathematically relegated at half-time of this fixture, but a superb second-half comeback was the catalyst for a remarkable great escape.

City were yet to establish themselves as a force at the top of the table, but still had a bunch of talented players. Stephen Ireland opened the scoring with a fine 25-yard curler, and Benjani (remember him?), doubled their lead following a sumptuous through ball from Elano on 21 minutes.

Half-time scores elsewhere were not looking good, and with a woeful away record, the Cottagers looked doomed. But they continued to attack, and were rewarded when Diomansy Kamara scored from close range, past a fresh-faced Joe Hart on 70 minutes. Fulham were then awarded a penalty nine minutes later, following a shove on sub Erik Nevland, and Danny Murphy stepped up to score at the second attempt after Hart had saved his initial effort.

After Fulham ‘keeper Kasey Keller had miraculously denied Martin Petrov, the visitors came forward looking for a winner. In dramatic fashion, it arrived in the last minute, Murphy playing the perfect through ball to Kamara, whose rifled finish sent the away fans into delirium.

The win gave fresh belief to Fulham, who survived the drop with a last day win at Portsmouth. It was a fine achievement by Roy Hodgson’s men, who built on their escape to qualify for Europe the following season.

 
5. Wigan Athletic 3-2 West Ham: May 15, 2011

Wigan came from 2 goals down to relegate West Ham in this crucial relegation dogfight at the DW Stadium.

Going into the game, the Hammers’ survival prospects looked slim, but not insurmountable. Failure to win would be fatal, but Wigan themselves needed the points to keep their hopes of staying in the division alive.

It was the visitors who made the better start, Demba Ba glancing home a free-kick on 12 minutes. He doubled the lead on 26, notching on the goal-line after Thomas Hitzlberger’s free-kick has been headed towards goal by James Tomkins.

With Birmingham losing, West Ham fans began to believe, but their hopes were dashed after a second half-collapse. Charles N-Zogbia halved the deficit for Wigan with a wonderfully pinpoint free-kick, before substitute Conor Salmon equalized on 68 minutes.

With a point no good for either side, the finale was end-to-end, and it was Wigan who nicked the crucial 5th goal on 94 minutes, N-Zogbia cutting inside onto his left foot before firing underneath the body of Robert Green, to the delight of Roberto Martinez and the Wigan fans.

Wigan went on to secure survival on a dramatic final day with a win at Stoke. West Ham, at least, bounced straight back by winning the Championship play-off final the following season.

 
4. Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham: October 29, 2008

Two stoppage time goals gave Harry Redknapp’s Spurs a share of the spoils in this thrilling North London derby at the Emirates Stadium.

It was Redknapp’s first game in charge since leaving Portsmouth, and his new charges were off to a great start when David Bentley opened the scoring with a sensational 40 yard volley. Arsenal were level on 37 minutes, though; Mikael Silvestre heading home a Robin Van Persie corner, with the erratic Heurelho Gomes caught in no man’s land.

Arsenal took the lead a minute after half-time through skipper William Gallas, and Emmanuel Adebayor poked home on 64 minutes to increase the lead. Darren Bent capitalized on a Manuel Almunia error to make it 3-2, but the two goal margin was quickly restored through Van Persie.

The real drama came in stoppage time. With the Spurs fans flocking to the exits, Jermaine Jenas scored what looked so likely to be just a consolation with a fine left footed strike. But, unbelievably, just seconds later, a looping 30 yard volley from Luka Modric cannoned off the post, and Aaron Lennon was first to the rebound to send the home crowd into stunned silence.

 
3. Newcastle United 4-4 Arsenal: February 5, 2011

Newcastle became the first side in Premier League history to come back from a 4-0 deficit with a sensational second-half comeback against Arsenal.

The Toon were blitzed in the opening 10 minutes, with goals from Theo Walcott, Johan Djourou and Robin Van Persie, and the Dutchman netted his second on 26 minutes to put the Gunners in total control.

But the balance of play changed in an astonishing second period. Abou Diaby was sent off on 48 minutes, following a clash with the lovable Joey Barton, and it was he who scored from the penalty spot to give Newcastle a consolation on 68 minutes. After seeing a close-range strike wrongly ruled out for offside, Leon Best finally got on the score-sheet on 75.

The unthinkable became possible when Barton converted his second penalty, following a questionable Laurent Koscielny foul on Mike Williamson, with 7 minutes remaining to make it 4-3, and the unthinkable fight-back was complete with a stunning first time volley from 25 yards by Cheick Tiote with just 3 minutes remaining.

 
2. Manchester City 3-2 QPR: 13 May, 2012

“An amazing, amazing day, the like of which we’ve never seen!” – so said an understandably excited BBC commentator on the most dramatic afternoon of football in Premier League history.

Both Man City and QPR went into the game at the Etihad with something to play for. QPR needed a draw to cement their place in the Premier League, whilst City needed the three points to cap a remarkable turnaround in fortunes to win the title.

In a game of such magnitude, despite it looking, on paper, to be a home banker, no City fan was expecting it to be easy. But surely no-one could have predicted the eventual conclusion would play out as it did!

There was little goal-mouth action to speak of, until ‘keeper Paddy Kenny spilled a Pablo Zabaleta strike into his net 5 minutes before half-time.

To QPR’s credit, they started the second half well, and Djibril Cisse equalized following an error from Joleon Lescott. Despite going down to 10 men, when Joey Barton was sent off for a kick at Sergio Aguero, QPR moved into a shock lead on 66 through Jamie Mackie.

City continued to attack, but Kenny was equal to everything. It seemed destined that the title was going to elude them, as Man United were winning at Sunderland, but a headed goal from sub Edin Dzeko and a calm finish from Aguero, both in stoppage time, won the title and sparked mass hysteria on a truly unforgettable day!

 
1. Liverpool 4-3 Newcastle United: 3 April, 1996

This surely has to be the greatest game in Premier League history. Matches the City-QPR game for drama, and the quality of the two sides was of the highest standard.

Both teams went into the game with title aspirations. Newcastle had slipped from the summit after holding a large advantage for the majority of the season, but still had games in hand over Manchester United. Liverpool, meanwhile, were outsiders for the trophy but would increase the pressure on the top two with victory.

Liverpool struck first. Stan Collymore received the ball on the left wing, before crossing superbly for Robbie Fowler to head home at the far post for goal number 27 of his extraordinary season.

The lead was short lived, however, as Les Ferdinand equalized on 10 minutes. Faustino Asprilla waltzed into the box and squared the ball to Ferdinand, whose shot on the turn had enough power to beat David James in the Liverpool goal.

The visitors expertly hit Liverpool on the counter attack for their second goal just 4 minutes later. Upon receiving the ball in the middle of the park, Ferdinand sent David Ginola away with a superbly clipped through ball, and the Frenchman outpaced Jason McAteer to clinically convert past James, to the delight of Kevin Keegan in the opposing dugout.

Three goals came in quick succession in the second half. Liverpool equalized through a Fowler rocket after a cross from Steve McManaman, but Newcastle were soon back in front, Asprilla netting with a beautiful chip after James decided to rush 30 yards from goal. Liverpool were undeterred, and Collymore levelled an absorbing contest at 3-3, netting from close quarters following a teasing ball from McAteer.

Both teams chased a winner, and it was Liverpool who got it in the final minute. After a period of interplay between John Barnes and Ian Rush, the ball was laid off to Collymore, who smacked it past Pavel Srnicek to send the Kop into ecstasy, and leave Keegan slumped in despair.

The defeat had huge ramifications at the top of the table. Newcastle’s form suffered and Man United went on to reclaim the Premier League title.
Games that just missed out

There was a long list of games to choose from, meaning that some classic encounters have missed the cut. Man United’s dramatic 4-3 win over rivals City, their goal-filled 8-2 thrashing of Arsenal and their last gasp 4-3 win over Everton in 2004 were close omissions. Staying with United, their back-to-back defeats against Newcastle and Southampton in 1996 were considered, whilst Arsenal’s 9 goal North London thriller with Spurs, their 3-3 draw with Leicester and the Kanu-inspired 3-2 win over Chelsea were not far away.

Other close calls included Wolves’ dramatic comeback against Leicester in 2003, the 11 goal bonanza between Portsmouth and Reading, Spurs’ 4-3 win at West Ham in 2007 and the 4-4 between Norwich and Middlesbrough in 2005.

 

Written by Nick Wolf

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Manchester United vs Liverpool: The Big Clash Preview

  By O-Posts Team | January 12, 2013 - 19:45 | , , , ,
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Forget about EL CLASICO (Real Madrid- Barcelona), THE SUPER CLASICO (Boca-River), DE KLASSIEKER (Ajax -Feyenoord) etc. The biggest game in world football is MANCHESTER UNITED V LIVERPOOL and luckily for all of us, football lovers, it is going down this weekend at the city of Manchester (Sunday afternoon).

Matches of this magnitude are always feisty and hotly contested because of the history and pride involved. When Sir Alex Ferguson took over at Manchester United, his long time ambition was to knock Liverpool off their f-king perch as he termed it that time and domestically, he has done that, leading MUFC to 12 EPL successes. Now the red part of Manchester have one more domestic title than Liverpool….something that was seemingly unassailable 20 years ago. However, the Merseysiders still lead the way in Europe with 5 European Cups to their arch rivals 3; something Ferguson has remained distraught about.

But the most puzzling of all, is Liverpool’s failure to collect at least one of the 20 EPL titles since 1992 when the old English Division cup was renamed. A record that has astonished everyone connected with the reigning CAPITAL ONE CUP champions. This season won’t be any different as they find themselves a massive 21 points adrift of 1st place which is currently occupied by bitter foes, Manchester United….except Hiroshima repeats itself. The top 4 is some distance away.`

Manchester United go into the game on Sunday in fearsome form and will be determined more than ever to pile more misery on Brendan Rodgers’ men. Despite the absence of the talismanic Wayne Rooney, Sir Alex has the lethal Robin Van Persie to call on for the much needed firepower. A situation that would have been seen as problematic last season. Jonny Evans is in the form of his life and Nemanja Vidic is slowly getting back to his best.

Michael Carrick has been monumental this term and will hope to bring his best into this encounter. Rafa Da Silva has been a revelation and Patrice Evra’s four goals have come in handy. David De Gea is fast becoming that exceptional goal tender we all expected him to be and all in all, the team has what it takes to trouble Liverpool.

Liverpool and Steven Gerard know all about Manchester United and it will be no surprise that they are all pumped for this particular duel. Apart from the burning rage that emanates from Manchester United’s recent successes in contrary to their failures and near misses, the bad blood that exists between Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez might be rekindled on Sunday- despite all of us praying that it will not rear its ugly head.

Football wise, the team from the northwest of England haven’t done so well, so far. A club of Liverpool’s stature should be sitting among the elite of the EPL, but that has not been the case for a few years now. It has been more or less, a rotten last 2 or 3 seasons for them. They find themselves in 8th place which is absolutely disappointing.

But their consolation is the fact that Luis Suarez the Gunslinger is firing. The Uruguayan has 19 goals this season overall and his 15 strikes in the Premier League is 2nd only to the aforementioned Man United predator, RVP (16). Vidic and co. will have to keep a close eye on him if they are to claim victory on Sunday.

The game will be officiated by the controversial Howard Webb who is among the very best referees in the game. He officiated the ’10 Champions League final and later the World Cup final in the same year. Liverpool fans were infuriated on hearing the announcement as they have never fared well against their fierce rivals when Webb is in the center.

Martin Skrtel and his defensive partners will have to be at their best to tame the viciousness of United’s attack consisting of RVP, Chicharito, Kagawa etc to have even the slightest chance of claiming at least a draw at Old Trafford on Sunday. Jonjo Shelvey, if fielded, must behave much better than his previous outing vs the Red Devils a few months ago and learn to keep his mouth shut.

New signing, Daniel Sturridge will have one or two things to prove if fielded from the start. Jamaican-English teenage sensation, Raheem Sterling will also hope to impress a few more people with his trickery and outstanding brilliance.

The game will be keenly watched by observers all over the world and it has the makings of an extraordinary occasion and we sincerely hope that some unscrupulous tramps don’t spoil the fun.

 

PROBABLE STARTING 11 FOR BOTH TEAMS:

MUFC— DDG, Rafa, Evans, Vidic, Evra, Carrick, Cleverley, Valencia/Kagawa, Young, RVP, Chicharito

LIVERPOOL— Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Downing, Lucas, Henderson, Stevie G, Sterling, Suarez, Sturridge.

 

Written by Ohireime Eboreime

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Liverpool: Top 4 Hopes

  By O-Posts Team | December 27, 2012 - 18:11 | , ,
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Since Rafa Benitez left Liverpool FC in the summer of 2010 every one of his successors has had the same task: get the club back into the Champions League. Roy Hodgson was brought in to “steady the ship”, but he left the club after only 6 months in charge. Kenny Dalglish was seen by many as the right man, and after an impressive second part of the 2010/11 season he got the job full-time.

New owners FSG gave Kenny all the money needed to get the club back on track, but he overspent on average players and finished only 8th in the league. After such a disappointing league finish, Kenny’s future was clear.

After a long search, Brendan Rodgers was indentified as the man to take Liverpool forward and try to achieve the ultimate goal: return to the Champions League. So far the team has underperformed under his guidance, sitting in mid-table for the whole first part of the season. But the blame is not only on Rodgers, it is also on previous regimes and the owners.

When FSG first arrived they were willing to invest big to get Liverpool “back to where they belong.” But after a spending spree of around €120m, with 2/3 of that money wasted on overpriced and simply not good enough players, they seem to have tightened their belt. It is something most businessmen would do after seeing so much of their money wasted, but it’s not how things work in football.

The reason why they appointed Brendan Rodgers as manager is because he is young, hungry for success and has a long-term vision for the club. Their fault in this whole story is that they have failed to support the manager they have chosen as long-term solution. Rodgers has spent a little less than €40m in the summer, which is a small figure considering the amount of money Dalglish and Comolli had spent.

Rodgers needs to shoulder his part of the blame too. He needs time to get the team to play the way he wants them to play, but so far performances and results have been too poor and inconsistent. His signings haven’t really been huge successes either: Joe Allen has started brightly but has been very poor lately, Fabio Borini got injured at the beginning of the season, Nuri Sahin has been either dropped or played out of position and Assaidi has disappeared.

The biggest problem for Rodgers is that the team isn´t showing any signs of improvement. The defence seems to be getting worse every game and the team is still struggling to score goals. With January knocking on the door, Rodgers will have to make some very smart moves if he wants to get anything out of this season.

The first thing Rodgers and his staff need to do is choose which positions they want to strenghted in January. There are a lot of positions in need of strenghtening, but it can´t be all done in January. 3 positions most in need of strenghtening at the moment are the two wide forward positions and left back. The 2 players most linked with Liverpool so far are Daniel Sturridge and Tom Ince. And while both are solid young talents the question is how much can they improve the current team.

Daniel Sturridge seems to be a done deal, with a reported fee of around €15m. The English youngster had a good season for Chelsea last year, but has failed to break into the 1st team since RDM took over. Under Rafa Benitez he has fallen out of 1st team plans completely, and Chelsea were more than happy to sell him.

Sturridge..... reportedly set for January move to Anfield.

Sturridge….. reportedly set for January move to Anfield.

 

For many Liverpool supporters this is seen as another case of overspending on homegrown players, and it may well be the case. It is very unwise to use such a big chunk of the club’s budget on a young, unproven Chelsea reject.

If Liverpool are to get back into top 4 contention, they need to extend their market. Signing players with PL experience may have its positive sides, but prices for such players are very inflated and mostly don’t represent value for money.

€15m for Sturridge is a good example of that- it may pay off but there are some cheaper and probably better alternatives abroad. Players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Dries Mertens are top talents and would probably cost the same or even less than Sturridge.

If Liverpool manage to make some good signings in January and future transfer windows, keep their top players and give Rodgers the much needed time and money the club will get back into CL contention and maybe even achieve that goal by 2015. By then some of the youngsters will mature and Liverpool will have a good, young and strong team ready to return to Champions League football.

But if they keep overpaying on average players and sacking managers, Champions League football will only be a dream that will soon be forgotten.

 

Written by Ivan Stanic

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Liverpool FC: Flops, Youngsters and Striker Crisis

  By O-Posts Team | November 2, 2012 - 20:33 | , ,
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Liverpool-The-Kop

 

Since taking over from Kenny Dalglish, Brendan Rodgers has had a mixed start to his Liverpool career. League results have been disappointing so far, and the home loss to Swansea in the Capital One Cup proved the bad transfer business the club made in recent transfer windows.

Joe Cole, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson joined the club for a combined fee of almost £40m. All 3 were given a chance to impress the manager and get back into the 1st team, but all 3 failed to do so as Liverpool were knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Swansea. The worst of them was Joe Cole, a man who was brought in by Christian Purslow and is on around £90k per week. Cole has looked lost on the pitch, and at times it seemed like Liverpool were playing with 10 men.

Stewart Downing is another expensive Liverpool flop. He was signed by Kenny Dalglish for £20m more than a year ago, and since then has proved to be one of Liverpool’s biggest failures in recent history. Since Rodgers arrived his chances have been limited mostly to Europa League games. Rodgers has tried to play him in different positions to find him a place in the team, but Downing constantly failed to impress. Recent reports suggest Liverpool will be looking to offload him in the January transfer window.

Downing….. one of Liverpool’s biggest flops.

The failure of senior players to perform has led Rodgers to giving more chances to youngsters. Sterling, Suso, Wisdom and Shelvey are now key players for Liverpool´s first team. Jonjo Shelvey recently played his 50th game for the club, and seems to have everything needed to be a key player for Liverpool in the future. Raheem Sterling has impressed with his pace and skills, making himself a key player in attack and a fan´s favourite.

Young Spanish talent Suso is another youngster that impressed so far this season. His intelligence and technique are extraordinary for a player of his age, and his passing range and vision are a joy to watch. With more youngsters knocking on the 1st team door, the future is certainly bright for Liverpool FC.

Although youngsters have so far impressed and have played key roles in Liverpool’s attack, the team is still struggling to score goals. Liverpool currently have only one fit senior striker, Luis Suarez. Fabio Borini is injured and will be out until New Year at least, and even when he’s fit Liverpool still lack a proven goalscorer.

Liverpool’s failure to sign a proven finisher in the summer has come back to haunt the club, and Rodgers knows that bringing in a striker is a must in January. Although FSG have a strict transfer policy and are looking to sign young players with sell-on value, an experienced finisher should be preferred over a young striker in January.

Klaas-Jan Huntelaar will most likely be available as he’s in his last year of contract, and considering his age, price and experience he would be an ideal signing for Liverpool. He could share his experience and help develop youngsters like Yesil and Morgan, and his age would mean youngsters will get their chances in the future. Other strikers linked with Liverpool are Theo Walcott, Demba Ba and Fernando Llorente.

Hunterlaar…. a suitable acquisition.

Brendan Rodgers has so far done a solid job in changing the style of play and adapting his “tiki-taka” style of football. People need to understand that such changes don’t happen over night, Rodgers needs a lot of time and money to get the club back to where it belongs.

It will be a long and tough ride, but one Liverpool need to take to get back to the top of European football.

 

Written by Ivan Stanic

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Liverpool: More Problems for Rodgers

  By O-Posts Team | October 5, 2012 - 12:56 | ,
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Brendan Rodgers

Liverpool’s resounding win against Norwich City last weekend was supposed to be a catalyst for change. It was supposed to be the fixture that ended a terribly unlucky start to the season and start to the Brendan Rodgers project at Anfield.

The word project perfectly fitting because of the long term nature of the task that faces him. In his first few months in charge, noticeable changes have taken place. Rodgers wants to implement a style of play which proved so effective at Swansea, but to achieve this, a revamp is a must. Out with the old and in with the new has been the running theme over the summer in Merseyside.

Players like Andy Caroll and Charlie Adam, who were brought in during Kenny Dalglish’s period in charge, have been axed as the new manager seeks to bring in the right footballers for what he is trying to achieve. Changes to any team will always mean a time of transition, it will inevitable mean an unsettled time as new players adjust to their new environment.

Having said this, no one would have predicted such an unsettled start to Liverpool’s campaign. Before the weekend just gone, they had played five Premier League games, losing three and without recording a win. Performances have not been bad, but luck has been far from them, as Rodgers continues to reiterate.

A 5-2 win at Carrow Roadon Saturday changed that and finally gave Liverpool the domestic win they deserved, after harsh results against Man City, Arsenal and Man United. It seemed their luck had changed and their season had re-started.

Udinese did not read the script though ahead of their Europa League fixture with the Reds on Thursday. In particular, their striker Di Natalie who’s class and experience lent a hard lesson to an experimental Liverpool team. Luis Suarez and Steven Gerrard took their places on the bench before the game – a decision by the manager that will no doubt be argued by many – nevertheless it was a Liverpool team which included quality and more significantly a team of players keen to impress.

The first half saw Liverpool boss Udinese in front of an ignited Kop crowd. A 23rd minute goal for Jonjo Shelvey was the first of what could and maybe should have been a few first half goals for Liverpool, who failed to capitalise on their neat play. Their luck worsened within a minute after the break when the timeless classic that is Di Natale stepped up to equalise for the visitors.

Further pressure and unconvincing defending led to a second for Udinese via the headed own goal of Sebastien Coates on the 70th minute mark, and a third two minutes later from Giovanni Pasquale.

The result proved the hangover from Dalglish’s time in charge remains. The fact is it may not be a physical problem anymore than it is a psychological issue that Liverpool are not winning games that they should. They have often been without luck already this season but that will not hold up for very long with the Merseyside faithful. The issue may be a lacking winning mentality that has been left to linger like a bad smell over Anfield, a problem that Rodgers will need time to fix.

The question is, how long will he have before criticism is directed at him and the lack of luck excuse is no longer in place? Sitting 14th in the league as they go into the third month of the season, Rodgers will know results must pick up soon.

 

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Written by Alfie Long

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