After a season in which Liverpool finished eighth with horrific league form, it’s clear that domestic cups in England ain’t what they used to be and spending that much money in the transfer market only to see Andy Carroll stumble (yet he’s getting better), Jordan Henderson look confused, Charlie Adam be the weakest link in mid-field, and Stewart Downing not have a league goal or assist to his name is too much for Fenway Sports Group.
Since we’re all in new kit mode at TWG these days, here’s Liverpool FC’s home kit for next season — the first under the sponsorship deal with Warrior, which has been pretty much a hockey and lacrosse outfitter up to this point. (Please insert your preferred joke about Kenny Dalglish, Champions League, and kit deals here.)
As an LFC fan, here’s my two cents:
You can see the full kit at the club’s web site. Your thoughts?
Luis Suarez has had a hell of a topsy-turvy season. The racial taunting of Patrice Evra, a Liverpool side that’s well below expectations, and a personal goal drought as I’ve lost count of how many times he’s hit the woodwork this season.
But today he scored his first hat trick for the Reds against Norwich City (0-3 win at Carrow Road). The first was a pinpoint pass from Steven Gerrard. The second was a laser strike. The third was an incredible 45-yard bomb that can only be described in the parlance of the Guardian’s James Richardson: WOOF!
Enjoy them in their glory before the clip gets yanked off YouTube.
Luis Suarez [Hat Trick] vs. Norwich City (28.04.2012) (by SuarezGoals)
The Everton defender’s miscue led to a Luis Suarez goal to level up the Merseyside Derby semi-final of the FA Cup at Wembley — and Andy Carroll sealed the winner with only a few minutes to go.
Liverpool beat Everton 2-1 and await the winner of tomorrow’s Chelsea-Spurs semifinal.
(via GIFULMINATION)
I wanted to write the absurdity of this match up, but I think linking to the Guardian’s live-blog will encapsulate it nicely.
One LFC keeper sent off, a second probably should have been (and Reina unavailable from last weekend’s red card), two of the worst-taken penalty kicks I’ve ever seen thanks to Yakubu, an ungodly number of yellow cards to go with Doni’s red, two gorgeous goals by Maxi Rodriguez (the best coming from an incredible Skrtel pass to Bellamy), Bellamy’s horrific attempt at diving (without Suarez LFC can’t even dive right!), and the most improbable, stupid game-winning header from Andy Carroll not too long after he nearly put it in his own net.
This picture of Andy Carroll tripping over his own feet is a microcosm of Liverpool’s day at YOUR NAME HERE PARK (formerly known as St. James’s.) Two goals by Papiss Demba Cisse, another day of wasted attack by the Reds, keeper Pepe Reina sent off for a scuffle with a Newcastle defender post-corner kick, Carroll walking off in a huff as he’s serenaded with a chant of “What a waste of money,” and Dalglish hearing a round of “You’re getting sacked in the morning!”
Newcastle now level on points with Chelsea in fifth; Liverpool’s merely struggling to remain top half.
Pestilence, War, Famine, and van Persie.
FT Liverpool 1-2 Arsenal
Football is a family affair between cousins Steven and Anthony Gerrard, and the former comforted the latter on his miss on the final spot kick before celebrating the Carling Cup victory with his teammates.
“It’s always cruel when it comes to penalties, but there has to be a loser. It was always going to be that one of us was sad and one celebrating. I’ve got mixed emotions. Obviously I’m delighted to win the cup for our supporters, but I feel for Anthony and Cardiff. It doesn’t matter what I say to him - he’s going to be down. I’ll be there for him and all the family will be behind him.”
(via Dirty Tackle)
Liverpool FC won the Carling Cup despite an incredible profligacy in attack at Wembley and an outstanding effort by a Cardiff City team that not only notched the opening goal, but took it all the way to penalty kicks thanks to Ben Thomas nailing an equalizer after Dirk Kuyt put the Reds up 2-1 in the first period of extra time. (Joe Mason scored Cardiff’s first and Martin Skrtel the first equalizer in the second half.)
After that display, I hope Cardiff can make a run at promotion to the Premiership.
The penalty shootout was an ugly one. Cardiff keeper Tom Heaton made a wonderful PK save on Steven Gerrard, but the rest was about who missed (Charlie Adam and Kenny Miller should not be omitted, horrendous PK takes), and cruelly, Anthony Gerrard (the Liverpool captain’s cousin) was the one to miss the kick that earned the Reds the trophy.
This is probably one of the more tone-deaf defenses I’ve read in some time. Pulling out the “black family members”, i.e., the “some of his best friends” are black card is probably the lowest route you can go in defending Luis Suarez.
The problem for Suarez is that he apparently copped to using the word “negro” and it’s hard for a Westerner to see that in any context other than racial abuse. It gets worse when the Liverpool statement essentially blamethrows at Evra (no matter how much of a prat you think he is, he doesn’t deserve to be racially taunted.)
The big and valid objection is that there’s been no outside corroboration of Suarez’s alleged behavior toward Evra — it’s pretty much Evra’s word against Suarez’s — but while LFC emphasized that at one point, all the other stuff involved undermines them and Suarez.
And here’s video of that lousy call against Jack Rodwell in the Merseyside derby. Judge for yourself, of course, but I don’t know how that’s even close to straight red, let alone a card.
Jack Rodwell red card v liverpool (by AiidddR)
The Basque derby wasn’t the only derby across the pond last weekend. Most eyes were on the Merseyside derby Saturday morning, as Everton hosted rivals Liverpool at Goodison Park. The Reds won 2-0 after goals by Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez, but the match will be remembered for an absolutely odious red card given to Everton’s Jack Rodwell by ref Martin Atkinson for a tackle on Suarez that wasn’t even a yellow to Liverpool fans.
Everton vs Liverpool 0-2 All Goals & Highlights - 01/10/2011 - HD (by VisterGoalz)
This is something all football fans should be able to get behind — and did. More than 100,000 fans signed the online petition, which prompts parliamentary debate.
Justice for the 96.
If you are (like me) trying to follow and discern some pattern out of Liverpool’s snatching up of what appear to be center mids (Charlie Adam, Jordan Henderson), then Paul Tomkins has taken a gander at it that makes some sense.
An early wake-up call for LFC fans in the U.S. (4 AM Pacific for yours truly) paid off as Liverpool outshined a Newcastle United squad that’s actually thinner than the Reds have been this season (at least post-Carroll transfer.) Maxi Rodriguez opened up the scoring with a shot that bounced off Danny Simpson; Luis Suarez was responsible for the other two goals (he was dragged down in the box for a PK converted by Dirk Kuyt and scored the third himself.)
Most importantly, with yesterday’s loss by Tottenham (on two Chelsea goals that shouldn’t have been allowed, honestly), Liverpool are in fifth place on goal differential, a far sight from any supporter’s expectations after the lousy first half under Nice Roy Hodgson.
(via Liverpool 3-0 Newcastle United | Premier League match report | Football | guardian.co.uk)
