Barclays Premiership
Liverpool v Birmingham City
6th November 2004 at 15:00
SkyDaz Match Preview
‘Lovely friendly city, Liverpool, we always welcome visitors and show them great hospitality’. Every Scouse thinks that the North West is a shrine to neighbourly love. Any football fan that has been there will often regale tales of the opposite. To be fair I’ve been many times to both Everton and Liverpool and never encountered a problem but I have heard horror stories from other fans. I remember going to Liverpool once and the large group of eight year old mugger wannabes gathering around the car as I parked. ‘Mind yer car mate for a quid’ they sang in unison in that silly comical accent. I declined their offer by stating that there was no need for anyone to watch my car as I intended to leave my large Alsatian dog in the back. ‘Ok fair enough, but is he any good at putting out fires?’ came the reply and the swift handing over of a shiny pound coin!
The horrific injury to Cisse would have lead to a momentary sigh of relief at the removal of a huge striking threat. The relief is short lived though as the replacement is probably Harry Kewell, another international player, albeit an underachiever bound to reach a season high against us!
The Old Liverpool of swift flowing one touch football has been consigned to history and a new workmanlike red machine has started to rumble and threaten the big three stranglehold. In light of honours won, their assault is long overdue and the loyal scousers are desperate for their team to be a major player in top flight football. The surprising rejuvenation of Everton has no doubt spurred on the rivalry although the famous ‘we can all sit together during a derby match’ mentality means they should, in theory at least, be pleased with the overall promise of things to come.
As for the Blues …. The suggestions and the theories regarding our current plight are more prolific than Kennedy’s assassination conspiracy. In simple terms Steve Bruce had a clever plot unfortunately, like Baldrick’s cunning plan, there was an unforeseen hitch. Heskey was cast as the Terminator, carving a pioneering path down the middle like a battering ram with the classy swashbuckling D’Artagnan Forssell alongside him providing the finishing touch with an air of panache. The roles of the other musketeers would be filled by Gronks, Stan and Robbie. All with their own inimitable style but ultimately bit players to the Dream Team Star Wars Desert Storm attack. In true BCFC style everyone failed to read the script. D’Artagnan got caught with a low blow, the Terminator turned out to be one of the early SkyLab models that got turned into scrap and the Three Musketeers were more reminiscent of the Three Stooges.
But before we panic and call for the head of the producer of this B movie just remember that we are far slicker and in a far better position to recover a cherished top ten spot than ever before. The actors are of a more distinguished background and players of that ilk do not lose their ability to impress overnight. Given time the performances will have them standing in the aisles and cooing ‘bravo’. We, the audience, must retain faith in the best producer we have had for years to get the optimum performances from his own selected cast. One thing is for sure, it’s going to be an epic with some heroes and some villains. Let’s hope we are all standing at the end showering the producer with plaudits rather than rotten fruit.
I don’t expect the lads to get much from Anfield and predicting anything other than a Liverpool victory would be my heart ruling my head. I’d love to be wrong though.
Keep Right On.