The international break might have taken proper football away, but it’s not stopped Jim Boardman and Jay Reid from finding stuff to talk about for this week’s Scouser Tommies.
Plenty to look forward to, as the League season gets back going again this Easter weekend after being so rudely interrupted, and for Liverpool it starts with the visit of Brighton. A huge game for the Reds, especially when you look at the fixture taking place after full-time at Anfield.
Since the last episode there has been one game to forget, the FA Cup game down the East Lancs, but, as Jay and Jim say, as gutting as it felt at the time, that disappointment was more about who it was against than what the result really meant. For once the break might have done us a favour.
With a certain sports ‘news’ channel seemingly putting something slightly less impressive than Coventry did the day before on a par with solving world hunger, it was best to avoid the papers and all national sports outlets for the week. Stick to the safety of your favourite LFC fan media. Especially when realising that those national outlets would soon be shelving their Manc love-in to fawn over everything Ingerland.
Sadly, the evil Nike corporation did something so evil that, no matter how hard you tried to avoid it, sooner or later you were bound to hear about the UK’s national team (or so it always seems, fans of the other UK national sides must think). The outcry over the colour of a cross on the back of an overpriced shirt was quite bemusing to watch from the sides for anyone who cares like Jim, Jay and pretty much all of Liverpool do. Of course it’s all Nike’s fault, it’s not like England’s FA get any say in the shirts they make so much money from.
Talking of money and blaming the wrong people, more progress was reported on the Everton takeover, although nothing exactly official which makes you wonder if anything is actually going to happen. The Premier League have (reportedly) said they are “minded to allow” the deal to go through, based on a number of conditions that effectively add up to demanding 777 put their money where their mouth is. Jay and Jim are kind of astounded at how long it’s all taken, at why 777 haven’t just got the deal done and taken Everton out of limbo if they’re good for the cash, at how much debt Everton are now in, at how that compares to what FSG paid to buy LFC not that long ago, and at how it’s all the Premier League’s fault. Only kind of astounded though, of course, this is Everton.
This week:
• Look ahead to LFC v Brighton
• One game at a time but the start of an important run of games
• Dangerous opponents, but surely we’ve learned that by now?
• International break – how have Reds players fared?
• How many will be coming back with new injuries?
• Robbo is one, we await news of a scan, but are we as worried about him missing as we used to be?
• Plenty of goals from Reds on their travels
• Brief look back at the FA Cup exit
• We’re over it now, but what can we learn from it?
• Maybe get better at turning control and possession into goals?
• The reaction to that game laughable, do they know it wasn’t the final?
• The reaction to England’s shirt laughable, do they know it’s only a shirt that will soon be replaced by another?
• Do the leaders of the main political parties have nothing more important to try and get fixed?
• Everton’s takeover – what will happen if it doesn’t go through, and soon?
• Would we miss them?
• LFC Legends game – great to see Sven given such a memorable moment.
• Could Liverpool do one more thing for him?
• Premier League Hall of Fame – two ex-Reds nominated.
• One an obvious pick for Reds fans, we’re not sure we could vote for the other
• Maybe a mural means more anyway
