Taking Sides: Liverpool vs Everton

Liverpool are back.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N146075040919-1115.htm

Everton will bounce back. It is probably right that Redknapp gets a ban.

Today I found myself thinking of Trevor Steven, and how he never convinced me. I guess I always came at him from the wrong angle.

So far, so 02-03. EFC grinding out victories (though our rampaging first-half performance was for nought last Saturday) and LFC useless away from Anfield.

What differences has Jellybean made to LFC's playing style, if any?

Mike: I fear that JB'n has made LFC less effective.

Its too early to judge Benitez's effect on the team but he couldn't make them much worse than the last couple of Houllier seasons surely?

I can't quite work out how Everton are doing it - they aren't impressing me much, but they are getting results. I'll be surprised if it lasts, and expect them to finish outside the top 6 or so.

('Gerrard')

Cahill has proven a very smart buy indeed and it's good to have Chadwick back in the ranks to provide non-pensionable support to Bent. Outside top 6, yes. But inside top half, I'm increasingly convinced.

hit the woodwork twice though* = only a matter of inches.

(*think the second time was later in the match but...)

One-Nil

There's always an unlikely team up there at this point in the season, but I'm starting to think that barring a major injury crisis, Everton could actually go the distance. Unlike, say, Charlton last year, Everton don't have a Scott Parker who's up there making everything happen* but who's going to be hoovered up by the more powerful clubs during the transfer window, and that's a big, big thing in their favour.

*Maybe Gravesen, but the sort of clubs who'd go for him are Villa, Charlton and Fulham, and why would he want to go to any of them?

The Madrid want Stevie G...

Most people here seem to think it is Urgent and Key to live in London, so Gravesen will probably want to sign for Charlton or Fulham for that reason alone. And it'll be no use any London-residing Everton supporters crying about it, either.

Morientes = good in the short term I think, I still think there may be a very cheeky bid for someone else as well (so long as it's not Kanoute)

Robert? I blooming well hope not.

11-4-3 remains our best start since 1978 when another slightly jammy effort from a midfielder outside the box won us the Goodison derby. That season we faded to a distant 4th - I'd settle for that this time.

I doubt we'll lose anyone significant next month (Gravesen gives the impression of loving it on Merseyside - God knows I didn't, but I didn't cultivate the accent like he has) and Parker is, funnily enough, someone we've been linked to. Beattie too.

Off-topic, but interested to hear what people think - looks like Souness has had no effect at Newcastle. Despite his bleatings about needing a centre-back, the guy is a terrible man manager and a poor tactician. Can they improve?

I hope they win it, or at least break up the big three, for the reasons Doctor C said.

I am getting a bit sick of EFC seemingly never being the commentary match on Five Live - it's always some entirely predictable Gunners/Chelski romp (or else it's Alan Green grumbling about another naggingly unconvincing Liverpool/Man U performance). I imagine we'll get the full VIP treatment on the airwaves this Saturday as Defoe tears us to bits.

We can't get that transfer window open quick enough (someone should throw a brick); no cover at all and major injury #1 has just arrived: Nigel Martyn out for a month. Rooney, Radzinski, Jeffers, Pembridge, Alexandersson, Unsworth, Gemmill, Linderoth - all gone. It's very threadbare below the first-choice XI. It's for this reason that I find the general tone of condescension towards our achievements thus far in 04-05 a bit irksome but also kinda understandable. We could keep checkmating teams in one-nilness if everyone remains magically fit but that's not going to happen; Chelsea would still average 2pts/game if they had eight internationals kidnapped.

otm!

I am looking forward to the transfer window. The Nun has given the board a list of four players. Robbie Savage denies all responsibility for his future. Etc.

I'm trying to rationalise this little blip in terms of things that were long overdue - the Tight Game Lost Late On Through Indecision And Indiscipline (quite a few last season, but none before the Charlton game in 04-05) and the Thrashing By Side With Glut Of Attacking Flair (used to happen a lot under Smith, not this season since the opening day). Also slated to make an appearance before long: Agonising Home Reverse After Dominating Possession (plenty of these in 03-04, just the Spurs game in September so far this season) and Bright Start Ends Game As Contest Inside 30min With Surprisingly Good Finishing (did this vs Fulham, Leeds and Spurs last year but never this season - Beattie might change this).

Bit worrying that Martyn can keep 10 clean sheets in 19.5 games and Wright concedes seven goals in 140 minutes. We might need to score five vs Portsmouth.

I think 65pts is still a realistic target: 7-4-6 would do this. That's been good enough for a top six finish in each of the last nine seasons and a CL position in '98 and '04. I think it might be between LFC and Spurs for 4th spot ultimately.

how weird!

Well, they had eight shots on target if the BBC stats are correct. So, Wright did OK considering the shambles going on in front of him. I saw the highlights and, yes, Spurs were rampant.

I think the presumption is we that can't be that fragile again, but we can and we will as injuries accumulate. I wonder about the wisdom of spending two-thirds of our apparent transfer budget on a talented but inconsistent big-name striker with a sub-1-in-3 goalscoring record.

I once saw an article about James Beattie and he was a robot in the pictures, you could see his wires and stuff. I think he was jumping over rooftops too.

No, I don't believe it either.

It increasingly looks as if TG isn't going anywhere near a new EFC contract so the question is - get £2m for him now off Real or let him go for free in July. £2m = about four Premiership places, I think. TG = probably the difference between top four/six and top half or Europe and no Europe.

I see Super Kev left for WBA last week. Walter Smith's Small Number Of Good Ideas will soon be history.

Just reading this morning Henchoz is on his way out, to Celtic or Rangers, supposedly. He's really deteriorated so much, though obviously Liverpool need a new central defender and have done for some time. Be interesting to see how Pellegrino does.