The Mercury Is Rising At Anfield
Trusting your mental well-being to others is a precarious activity at the best of times. Placing your happiness in the hands, or error-prone feet, of a group of talented but notoriously flaky professional footballers, is surely a sign that you are, on some level, quite mad - as mad as a hatter, even.
For another writing project, I had been researching the origin of that expression and it turns out that it relates to the mercury poisoning suffered by milliners …
Is Momentum Building Again Under Klopp?
International breaks are a bit of a curate's egg. Now, that is supposed to mean that there are both good and bad aspects to them and yet the origin of the expression yields a meaning far closer to this columnist's opinion of the all-too-frequent Premier League interruptions. Apparently, the turn of phrase comes from an 1895 Punch cartoon which depicted a meek and sycophantic curate, who, despite being given a stale egg at the bishop's dining table, obsequiously assured his …
Liverpool's Defensive Midfield Search - Part 1
Remember the days? Javier Mascherano staring a charging midfielder dead in the eye, and stopping him right in his tracks, before his over-zealous rampage through the heart of Liverpool’s defence could even gain the slightest bit of traction.
Remember how good it felt when the ball left Xabi Alonso’s foot, soared through the air and seemed to land in the perfect space for Steven Gerrard to bury into the top corner? Or for his blonde compatriot #9 to latch onto, …
Coutinho Stepping Up As The Playmaker
We've all seen the flashes of brilliance which Philippe Coutinho can bring to a side. But since he arrived, the first few couple of seasons we didn't see his full potential - this year, however, we're starting to see the glimpses of a superstar.
Coming to Liverpool as a youngster, it's very rare that you see a player from overseas make an impact straight away. Even though he didn't set the world alight in his those first 13 appearances, you …