James Baldwin once wrote that "perhaps home is not a place but an irrevocable condition." People, by nature, attach a massive significance to the concept of where we belong. We struggle all our lives with trying to reconcile the spectrum of emotions that our native place can evoke in us. Indifference, hatred, fierce pride...
Over the last few years I’ve started to enjoy non-footballing weekends like the last one. Sure, the match-day sense of expectation with the accompanied stomach cramps of anxiety and dread are always welcome, but every now and then time off is a nice thing. A stress-free couple of days to end the week.
Thanks to...
First, an acknowledgement - every game between now and season's end, the whole baker's dozen, will be dubbed HUGE. If Jürgen Klopp's Redmen go on a winning run, the potential for comparative success will drive the hysteria. If they are patchy, the need for players and coach to PROVE THEIR WORTH AND AVOID THE...
There are a number of notable players currently enjoying spells away from Anfield, but with only three months left of the season, will they be welcomed back into the squad come the summer or will they be shipped out again, temporarily or permanently?
There are currently 13 senior players out on loan; ranging from former...
In the tragi-comic dystopia that passes for the 21st century, maintaining a world-view that is both realistic and positive is quite the mental and emotional workout. The gloomier types amongst us often claim realism for themselves and, quite understandably, given the hellish state of the planet, they insist that positivity is the preserve of...
The way in which Sadio Mane tore Tottenham to shreds in that first-half at Anfield truly was a sight to behold. Liverpool’s returning hero was almost unplayable, scoring twice and coming very close to notching another couple before half-time.
It was an individual performance that perfectly highlighted what the Reds have been missing in Mane’s...
Any back-line - let alone the back-five of Liverpool's - will face adversities in the form of the high initial press in trying to lay the foundation for attacks. Jürgen Klopp's system for Liverpool works in a multitude of ways in order to overcome these adversities as mentioned in Part 1 here, but nevertheless, football...
Liverpool's win against Spurs was Jurgen Klopp's men putting the league on notice.
The Reds went into the evening kick-off on Saturday having not won a game since the turn of the year. Swansea City, Wolves, Plymouth and Southampton had all turned to Anfield, frustrated the hosts and walked away with something to show for...
When is it going to end? The run of form that Liverpool are currently on is not in keeping with the squad at their disposal or the quality of their coach. You have to go back to the 31st of December to find the last league victory for Jurgen Klopp's side. Since then we...
Farewell then, Tottenham Hotspur.
They came, they saw, they met a frosty-faced Senegalese who wanted a word.
Despite a dislike of them which has survived decades and has no basis – though maybe it had something to do with Glenn Hoddle’s louche hair and tight shorts – I do find them fascinating. In the 90s they...