Parry exit just the tip of the iceberg

The latest twist in the drama that is Liverpool Football Club has seen Rick Parry announce that he will be handing in his badge at the end of the season. It has been greeted with much relief by seasoned Kopites who don’t hold the outgoing chief executive in high esteem after his supposed dealings with transfers as well as the fiasco over ticket allocation for the 2007 Champions League final.

This week claims that he monumentally cocked up a deal to bring David Villa – Fernando Torres’ sparring partner in the Spanish national side – to Anfield in the summer surfaced. Rafael Benitez once said of his transfer dealings at Valencia, “I asked for a table and they bought me a lamp”. It seems that history came full circle when he asked for David Villa and ended up with Robbie Keane. It was only a matter of time before Benitez or Parry walked. Anfield is not big enough for both egos and one was bound to concede defeat at some point or other.

Unfortunately the issue of the manager’s future is now extending to the supporters which has seen infighting creep in amongst the famous ‘12^th man’. Those supporters who demand instant success have been rightly told where to go but the blind faith brigade are now turning on those who are disappointed that further progress hasn’t been made on the domestic front. This blind faith kicked in during last season and was justified to a degree after co-owner Tom Hicks admitted he and George Gillett were lining up Jurgen Klinsmann to replace him but this year those ardent Rafa lovers are clutching at straws. Saying that the club has made progress in the league under Benitez when the team is not nearer to the title than they should be under a manager of five years is baffling. If progress had been made then there would have at least been something in the last two seasons in terms of maintaining a serious title challenge.

Even more baffling is the criticism of those who questions that progress and mentions Manchester United on the verge of equalling the current record of 18 league titles this season. These people think that just because they saw the Reds win a league that they have the God-given right to tell those who didn't that they are wrong because these realists don't subscribe to their theory. I don't expect instant success like the spoilt brats that believe the gospel according to Sky. I grew up with watching the dross Liverpool played under Souness, Evans and the latter days of Houllier's reign so forgive me for expecting a bit of improvement for a team that's meant to be challenging for major honours.

Basically, in their eyes, the fact that Benitez dallied with mediocrity between 05/06 and last season whilst United were adding to their titles tally is irrelevant because they are now making progress? Also, why are the behind the scenes troubles being blown so far out of proportion as the main reason for the club’s failed title challenge? Granted it's a mess and admittedly things could have been run a lot better than they are but in terms of washing dirty laundry in public, things have improved on last season. The Americans are remaining relatively quiet with the exception of the incident between Gillett and a few hundred supporters before the Chelsea match. Benitez had to deal with a lot of difficulty last season but the manager is making himself look very foolish with the comments in the media about his contract and the war of words with Sir Alex Ferguson. Credit has to be given to him for the way he dealt with the speculation about his future this week but bleating to the press about his contract did both himself and the club very little favours.

On Sunday Liverpool drew with Manchester City to leave them 7 points behind United and all but out of the title race. They do not appear to be capable of staging an Arsenal-like resurgence nor are United capable of buckling like they did in that 97-98 season. However a victory over Real Madrid in their own back yard means the manager's authority can't be called into question? Wednesday night’s result cannot be dismissed because it was a major result but it cannot gloss over the multitude of sins that are the club’s domestic short fallings.

Too little, too late?

Liverpool’s performance against Manchester City really has summed up their season so far – plenty of promise but unable to step up to the plate. Languishing seven points behind league leaders Manchester United would suggest that the title race is all but over for the Reds. Despite United blowing a 12-point lead over eventual winners Arsenal in 1998, Sunday’s result put question marks over whether Rafael Benitez’s side can bridge the gap over one of their biggest rivals. The threat of Alex Ferguson’s side equalling a league championship record that has remained at Anfield for nearly 19 years is very much a reality and it appears to be all doom and gloom around the streets of L4.

Too much pressure was placed on Benitez to deliver after a fruitless record in the league since his arrival in 2004. The fact that many supporters see the success of this season as ‘do or die’ for the manager’s time at the helm is concerning as is the talk of potential replacements for the Spaniard. Idle gossip and paper talk has done more damage to the cause than Benitez’s self-righteous rants about referee bias towards United. The Daily Telegraph claimed last week that the title challenge had been derailed by the manager’s refusal to rotate players. Pardon my ignorance, but wasn’t the general consensus that Benitez rotated players too much in the past?

Those supporters who have been slamming Benitez and insisting that this season’s performance is not good enough should perhaps take a long hard look at what the situation was between 2005/06 and last season. Admittedly the squad was nowhere near to challenging for a league championship and finances were not exactly bountiful enough to bring in a player of Fernando Torres’ calibre but significant steps could have been made. In that season Liverpool were eliminated from the first knockout stages of the Champions League, a trophy they were defending after their historic success a year previous, and won the FA Cup. They finished third, nine points behind winners Chelsea but one point behind second-placed Manchester United. The following season they finished third again, level on points with Arsenal in fourth, 15 points behind Chelsea in second and 21 points behind first-placed United as well as losing in the Champions League final to AC Milan. Last season they finished fourth, nine points behind United and seven behind Arsenal in third with a semi final exit to second-placed Chelsea as their biggest achievement.

It seems that, domestically at least, Liverpool take one step forward and two steps back. Benitez’s obsession with reclaiming the European Cup appears to be a key factor. It is not about mind games with Ferguson or an uncivil war between the boardroom and the dugout that has been the downfall of the Spaniard’s side. His determination to emulate Bob Paisley’s three European crowns that sit proudly inside Anfield has distracted him from what Bill Shankly described as the club’s ‘bread and butter’.

It took two penniless Americans threatening to sack him before Benitez finally sat up and took note. Prior to this he always had one eye on Europe and that showed in his decisions. The club’s supporters remained blindsided by it, believing that by the time United were on the verge of stealing their crown as domestic supremacists that they would outwit them and be sitting on 19 or even 20 league championships. The days of lauding that 18-title record they held over their rivals should have been confined to the 1990s when fans were clutching at straws as United swept all before them. Half of their 18-5 bragging rights - 18 league titles and five European Cups – is most certainly going to be equalled this May with United’s 18-3, or even quite possibly 18-4 should Ferguson’s side lift the Champions League in Rome.

When those Liverpool supporters who adopted an all-or-nothing approach this season sit despondent in the pubs around Anfield following the visit of Spurs on May 24, having seen United equal their record, perhaps they should think back to that one night in May four years ago and how things could have been so different had their manager tried to replicate the domestic success he guided Valencia to.

UEFA insensitivity is nothing new

It appears that UEFA have decided to put Liverpool supporters through the mill yet again. Not content with labelling them the lowest of the low and changing the venue of one of the Reds' Champions League away fixtures at very short notice, they have now refused to rule out the possibility of forcing the club to play on April 15 - a highly emotional day for anyone associated with Liverpool Football Club.

On that date 20 years ago, ninety six Liverpool supporters set off to Sheffield for the FA Cup semi final with Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough stadium. Those same 96 people did not return home. They died watching the team they loved on terrace that was rammed beyond capacity in the Leppings Lane end of the ground. This was the darkest day in the history of the club. Red and blue stood side by side as the city of Liverpool was united in grief for the victims. Every year on April 15, supporters join survivors and the bereaved families of those who perished to pay their respects in a memorial service at Anfield. At 3.06pm, the exact time that the game was halted, a minute's silence is held. Local radio stations halt broadcasting for the moment of reflection followed by the playing of ‘You'll Never Walk Alone' by Gerry and the Pacemakers - the club's anthem.

Hillsborough is not just a painful memory for the survivors and those who lost loved ones as a result of the disaster, whether it were in the tragedy itself or the aftermath, its shadow still hangs over the Anfield and city of Liverpool to this day. It touched the lives of people not only in England but across the world. One of the most notable examples was during a European Cup semi final between AC Milan and Real Madrid - Liverpool's opponents next week - held four days after the disaster. Six minutes into the game, the referee stopped play and a minute's silence was held as a mark of respect. Halfway through it the home supporters in the San Siro began to sing ‘You'll Never Walk Alone'.

UEFA, however, do not care. To them Liverpool's past is irrelevant. They are now seen as a blemish on the good name of football. This animosity dates back to May 1985 and more specifically the Heysel disaster. Thirty-nine people, predominantly Juventus supporters, were killed following the collapse of a wall inside the stadium before the European Cup final between the two sides amidst violent confrontations on the terraces. UEFA laid the blame solely at Liverpool's door but days after the disaster their chief observer Gunter Schneider remarked 'Only the English fans were responsible. Of that there is no doubt.' Schneider's statement is backed up by several UK based Juventus fans who were at Heysel and claim that fans of several English clubs were in Brussels solely for the match that night and that they were not all Liverpool followers. Despite this observation Liverpool and their supporters were seen as the sole culprits and had the blame bestowed upon them by other English clubs who were banned from Europe for five years. Liverpool received an additional year in exile for their 'part' in the disaster.

Their love-hate relationship with UEFA has intensified as recent times have proved. Cynics have pointed to UEFA president Michel Platini - vice captain of Juventus and the only scorer in the '85 final - for the seemingly anti-Liverpool stance the federation has taken since his appointment in 2007. Scathing comments he made about Liverpool in 2005 shortly before the 20^th anniversary of Heysel have been highlighted to prove this theory. The comments came less than a fortnight after he had walked onto the Anfield pitch to a standing ovation before the Champions League quarter final between the two clubs to receive a plaque on behalf of Juventus from Liverpool as part of a series of apologetic gestures. In the days that followed Heysel, Platini himself was criticised heavily for his lack of restraint in celebrating the win given the circumstances in which the game had taken place.

Twenty two years on from the horror of Heysel, Liverpool and Platini came face to face again at the showpiece of his inaugural year as president. Athens' Olympic Stadium provided the backdrop for the Champions League final with AC Milan - a repeat of the final two years previous in Istanbul. As with Heysel, events off the field of play overshadowed the Italians' 2-1 victory. Basic facilities for accommodating a game of such magnitude were not in effect with no toilets inside the stadium and no turnstiles to admit fans in operation. This led to chaotic scenes outside the stadium with thousands of supporters with legitimate tickets stranded outside. Director of Communications William Gaillard claimed the next morning that the problems in Greece were typical of the behaviour of Liverpool's supporters, claiming that federation had 23 incidents on file of similar behaviour dating back as far as 2003. He also branded the club's supporters the worst in Europe despite previously stating that Liverpool had 'a tradition of good behaviour' and less than a fortnight after he had admitted that that the stadium was not built nor equipped to stage a showpiece final. In this scathing attack he asked, 'What other set of fans steal tickets from their fellow supporters or out of the hands of children?' He added'We know what happened in Athens and Liverpool fans were the cause of most of the trouble there'.

Club representatives and politicians all lobbied UEFA to retract their statement with evidence disproving the claims with the then UK sports minister Richard Caborn meeting with Platini to clear Liverpool's name. Following the meeting the Frenchman reneged on Gaillard's comments by saying, 'No they are not the worst behaved in Europe. It's official, they are not the worst behaved.' The retraction was a major embarrassment for UEFA and one that has seen them viewed in a questionable light ever since.

For the second time in eighteen months UEFA angered Liverpool's supporters this time with their decision to suspend Atletico Madrid - one of the club's opponents in this year's Champions League - from playing European games at the Vicente Calderon Stadium. The decision came after racist chanting by Madrid's supporters at Marseille players during their Group D match at the beginning of October. In addition to a €500,000 fine, Atletico were ordered to play remaining two home ties against Liverpool and PSV Eindhoven at a neutral venue at least 300km away from the Spanish capital with Valencia and Seville touted as the probable locations. The decision and its timing incensed travelling fans who had pre-booked flights and accommodation for Madrid. Atletico appealed on the ruling and due to the last minute change of venue inconveniencing the thousands of Liverpool's travelling contingent, UEFA wavered the ban for the game. Despite this the federation was severely criticized for announcing the initial decision to move the game eight days before the tie took place.

The possibility of Liverpool playing on April 15 is one that concerns the club who had to appeal to the Premier League over a similar situation in 2006 when their visit to Blackburn Rovers was scheduled for that date - 17 years to the day of the tragedy in Sheffield. Supporters believe that the club should never play on that day out of respect for those who died following the team they loved and were outraged by the league's decision. The game at Ewood Park was put back 24 hours and the situation was avoided. However it could rear its ugly head again after UEFA announced that the quarter final stages of the Champions League will be held on April 14 and 15. Should Liverpool beat Real Madrid in the knockout stages they may be forced to play on the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough. With this in mind the club have written to UEFA to ask for them to consider allowing the Reds to play any potential tie a day earlier as a march of respect. European football's governing body claimed they could offer ‘no guarantees' that the Reds will not have to play on April 15 which has upset and incensed the club's supporters.

Would UEFA demand that Juventus, Platini's former club, play on the anniversary of the Heysel tragedy? Would Olympiakos be told not to mourn those who died in the Karaiskakis Stadium disaster all for the sake of a game? Likewise with Manchester United and the Munich air disaster. It's hard to tell unless those clubs are in a similar situation to the one Liverpool could be in should they progress in the Champions League. Football is a game that is loved with a passion but remembering the loss of human life in a football ground twenty years ago is more important to some than the stellar names and epic draws that Europe's premier club competition now boasts.

Why age is just a number for Mr Liverpool

At the age of 31, and with 12 years of continuous service to Liverpool, Jamie Carragher can be forgiven for making the occasional error in the Reds' back line. But the centre back, described as by the club's official website as being ‘the ultimate one-club player with one of the biggest hearts in football', has come in for criticism in some quarters this season for making such errors. Many have suggested that he should hang up his boots with dignity and hand over the defensive mantle to Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger. However these critics have not been as vocal against 35-year-old Sami Hyypia - another Anfield veteran - who has been as consistent as ever when he has featured in central defence this season.

He may not be able to drag his side out of a hole at any given moment like fellow Scouser Steven Gerrard but Carragher embodies the spirit of Liverpool Football Club, both on and off the pitch. His love and affection for the club and its supporters knows no bounds. The defender has been described as being the club's fan on the pitch and he proved as much when he turned up unannounced at the club's supporters' union end-of-season party, just hours after he had played in his side's 1-0 win over Manchester City at Anfield. He is a modern-day Gerry Byrne - a local lad and a one-club man. Carragher draws further comparisons with Bill Shankly's legendary left back with his courage. Admittedly Carra did not endure a broken collarbone in a cup final but he did battle on valiantly with the pain of cramp in Istanbul four years ago and limped off with a broken leg in a league game against Blackburn in 2003. The pain barrier is something that rarely fazes the Bootle-born vice captain.

He really is a rare breed of a player in the modern game. Throughout every season half of Liverpool's first team are linked with moves away from the club, there is one name that never crops up in paper talk. Perhaps it is down to his no-nonsense style that stands out in a highly partisan Premiership or maybe it is his vocal and passionate loyalty to the cause but one player who isn't linked with anyone from Hull City to AC Milan is Jamie Carragher. Words cannot describe how much he symbolises the pride, grit, determination of Shankly's 1960s invincibles.

The Champions League, the Freedom of Sefton and even a league championship medal are more than fitting rewards for a man who has given his all to the club he has been part of since a very young age. He is still in the best form of his career and Mr Liverpool shows no signs of slowing down.

Make history, not war

Between April and August 1898, the United States and Spain were locked in military conflict over the liberation of Cuba. The battle extended across the Caribbean and Asia. A similar situation has been ongoing at Anfield since late 2007 between American owners and a Spanish manager that has spanned two continents also.

Since David Moores relinquished powers of Liverpool Football Club two years ago this month, the once proud footballing institution that still serves as a source of strength to its supporters in the city and beyond has become the battleground for personal disputes between the boardroom and the dugout. As Moores sits in the directors’ box at Anfield on match days under the guise of the club’s Honoury Life President, the title he now possesses carries little weight on the club’s board in comparison to the muscle George Gillett and Tom Hicks possess as owners.

Prior to the visit of Chelsea at the start of the month, the Daily Mirror’s Brian Reade – a lifelong Liverpool supporter himself – called on all parties involved in the far from civil war ongoing between Melwood and the United States and I apologise sincerely to Mr Reade in advance if this article cheapens his well-written piece.

The power struggle between Gillett, Hicks and Reds’ manager Rafael Benitez has been nothing short of tedious and embarrassing for all supporters of Liverpool, even if it has not been for the men at the forefront. The war of words that has been played out in the media since November 2007 doesn’t appear to show any signs of letting up, although Tom Hicks’ attempt to put a positive spin on affairs at L4 would make the great spin doctor himself Alistair Campbell proud. Despite previously confessing to approaching Bayern Munich manager Jurgen Klinsmann about the prospect of the then jobless German replacing Benitez in the managerial hot seat, Hicks insisted that the decision was only taken as an ‘insurance policy’ if the Spaniard had left the club for Real Madrid or Inter Milan – positions he had been linked to last season.

Prior to becoming embittered in mind games with Sir Alex Ferguson, Benitez had previously targeted the club’s owners with the uncomfortable and now infamous press conference where he repeated the phrase “As always I am focused on training and coaching my team”, eight times in total. This was in retaliation to comments by Tom Hicks that the Reds’ manager should, “quit talking about new players and to coach the players we have”. Clearly this wrangled Benitez who decided to transfer his gripe with the owners to his pre-match press conference. Several days later Benitez was on the touchline at St James Park to see his Liverpool side beat Newcastle 3-1. The manager was sporting a tracksuit, a rarity for the usually suited and booted Benitez. This was, according to rumour at the time, a final show of defiance against Gillett and Hicks with Benitez showing that he served the club and not its proprietors. Speculation intensified that the Liverpool manager had resigned and what had developed from internet hearsay was now making the back pages of national newspapers claiming that the Kop boss had walked. The Americans claimed there was ‘nothing new to say’ but would not comment on Benitez’s future aside from saying they would meet with the manager the following month to ‘to make decisions on the team's requirements’.

Benitez was very much still in limbo and four days on from the Newcastle game, thousands of Reds’ supporters marched on Anfield before the Champions League clash with FC Porto in a unified show of support behind their manager. Liverpool strolled to a comfortable 4-1 win against the Portuguese champions but there was only one thing on the manager’s mind that night. "I want to say thank you to our supporters because I think that they were as always magnificent," said Benitez. "The most important thing is the team so I say thank you for the support. To the players it was important as I said before the game and it was also for me, so I say a thank you, a big thank you." The warring factions sat down and came to an amicable agreement following a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United at Anfield in mid-December and all seemed to be right with the world again.

However a month later the Spanish-American war was reignited when Hicks revealed that the rumours he and Gillett had held talks with Klinsmann were true. “We attempted to negotiate an option, as an insurance policy, to have him become manager if Rafa left for Real Madrid or other clubs that were rumoured in the UK press,” he told the Liverpool Echo at the time. “Or in case our communication spiralled out of control for some reason.” It was also revealed that the owners would have tried to replace Benitez had Liverpool been eliminated from the Champions League as well as talks over a sale of the club to Dubai Intenational Capital stalling. A trophy less campaign ensued and Benitez began to strengthen his squad with £20.3 million Robbie Keane at the forefront of this. However Keane’s time on Merseyside was short-lived and he was sold back to Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window as he appeared to be second on the manager’s list of transfer targets. That top honour went to Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry.

Benitez had publicly courted a deal for the England midfielder but when Villa increased their valuation of him to £18 million, Reds’ chief executive Rick Parry indicated that the club would not be held to ransom by them. Despite publicly intimating his desire to move to Anfield, to a national newspaper no less, Barry remained at Villa Park. Benitez was yet again irate with the club’s hierarchy and, yet again, transferred those feelings to his pre-match press conference before the opening fixture of the season away to Sunderland. 'Talk to me about football and Sunderland,” he fumed, amidst questions about Barry and the future of Xabi Alonso – reported to be the fall guy for Barry to make way. “You can talk about other things with Rick Parry." This admission by the manager hinted that he had very little say in negotiations for the Vila captain. Days after the comments Benitez and Parry displayed a unified front but the precedent had been set, which is why reports that Benitez was demanding more control in transfer dealings as part of his new contract came as no surprise to Reds’ fans. Although he has dismissed these rumours, Benitez is still at war with the Americans.

However more pressing issues are unresolved at Anfield, most notably the small matter of winning a league championship for the first time since 1990. Liverpool have performed well so far this season to get where they are now and they could end that 19-year wait for the crown. However, as Brian Reade has said before me, the main players in the Spanish-American war need to set aside their difference for the good of the club.

Could this really be our year?

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Liverpool have launched several failed title bids with only two lasting longer than the rest in 1996/97 and 2001/02; the latter of which was the club's best ever finish in the league. The Reds finished second that season, seven points behind champions Arsenal, but in mid-February 2002 they lay in fourth place behind the Gooners, Newcastle United and then-leaders Manchester United. Two points was all that separated first from fourth. 

At that time Liverpool were suffering somewhat from vertigo having previously enjoyed a stint at the summit of the Premier League and were on a bit of a comedown with the touchline absence of manager Gérard Houllier and the departure of Robbie Fowler both key factors. Despite the FA Cup holders going out in the fourth round to Arsenal, the Reds had an enjoyable start to the year with a victory at Old Trafford, which secured a second consecutive league double over their rivals across the East Lancs Road, as well as high scoring wins at Leeds United (4-0) and Ipswich Town (6-0). The club's record between February and the end of the season was an impressive one with Houllier's men only losing once in the league, a 1-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur three games from the finish putting an end to that run.

 

In February 1997 they sat in second place, one point behind Manchester United at the top. Despite recording a second emphatic 4-3 win over Newcastle United at Anfield, the Reds finished fourth. As they did in 2002, they finished seven points behind the Old Trafford club, who were crowned champions, but level on points with Newcastle and Arsenal who both had a better goal difference. 

Of the 13 games Roy Evans' side played between mid-February and May 1997, they recorded five wins, four defeats and four draws. Prior to this they had led the table for most of the season but were overtaken by United and then undone by poor defending as well as the loss of Robbie Fowler for the final four games of the season through suspension. 

The game that best summed up Liverpool's title challenge that was a defeat at home to Coventry City at the start of April. The Reds were out of sorts at both ends of the Anfield pitch. Robbie Fowler's opener on 52 minutes was the only shining light in Liverpool's attack where key players failed to convert chances, whilst at the other end their defence was exposed with any hopes of a sustained title challenge effectively ended when Dion Dublin fired home in stoppage time after Noel Whelan had drawn the Sky Blues level.

 

This season Rafael Benitez's side are enjoying their best ever Premiership season so far, sitting two points behind Manchester United at the top who have a game in hand over their rivals. By comparison to previous seasons, Benitez has assembled a strong side. Granted they are lacking in depth a little and appear to be stretched at times with the occasional absence of Gerrard but in recent times there have been very few, if any, Liverpool sides that have staged so many successful comebacks as Benitez's team have this season. 

However the fear that lingers is that the team will crumble under the weight of expectation being placed upon them by the supporters. Alex Ferguson predicted the very same thing at the start of the year and it is hard to ignore his prophecy given Liverpool's performances against the likes of West Ham United, Fulham and Wigan Athletic to name but three of the clubs that have taken points off them already this season. The draw with Wigan in particular does feel more irritating than most for Reds' fans due to the manner in which Liverpool conceded the equaliser - a needless foul in the area in stoppage time. 

The same can be said for the free kick conceded by Yossi Benayoun on the edge of the area in the recent league encounter with Everton. However Benayoun is making amends for his previous failings by currently showing a rich vein of form, as does Fabio Aurelio. The pair appear to be enjoying their best form in a red shirt to date; something that is testament to the manager who is bringing the best of out of them. Comebacks seem to be the order of the year at Anfield with Saturday's result at Portsmouth being the team's fifth successful one this term. That is more testament to the resolve the Liverpool manager has instilled in his team than them riding their luck as they have done in several games in the past.

The title dream is very much still alive but it could be shattered within the next few weeks if Liverpool don't turn their upcoming ‘must win' games into ‘have won' games. If history repeats itself and Benitez's side suffer a similar fate to the classes of both 96/97 and 01/02 by crumbling under the weight of expectancy from both the media and their own supporters, there is a considerable chance that it could spell the end of the Spaniard's time at Anfield. 

George Gillett and Tom Hicks may decide that the internal politics over Benitez's future that have continued to dominate the headlines as they did last season have rumbled on for too long and may wield the managerial axe as they prepared to do when they approached Jurgen Klinsmann about the prospect of him replacing Benitez in the Anfield hot seat. 

The club's American owners are known for their fondness of playing out their feuds in front of the world's media and it would not surprise too many both in and outside Anfield if they did follow up what they failed to complete in late 2007. Whatever happens between now and May no doubt the dearly departed greats of the Anfield dugout will have been looking down with pride at the spirit and character shown on Saturday which has revived the dream of returning what Bill Shankly called ‘the bread and butter' back to Merseyside.

Big Phil, Small Club

The HTML is still warm on the press statement released by Chelsea FC this afternoon after they dismissed manager Luiz Felipe Scolari with immediate effect after which they pointed to the recent string of results and performances being 'deteriorating at a key time in the season'.

In addition Chelsea said 'In order to maintain a challenge for the trophies we are still competing for we felt the only option was to make the change now', and perhaps there is some validity to that claim after they drafted in Avram Grant to replace Jose Mourinho last season. However this is wholly different to the situation with Grant, who took the club's title battle with Manchester United down to the wire. Grant also took Chelsea to the Champions League final in Moscow where they held the Old Trafford club for 120 minutes before having their fate decided by penalties and a banana-footed John Terry. Despite this, Avram was given his marching orders and Roman Abramovich brought in Scolari.

As with Grant before him, disappointment and sympathy will be felt for Scolari in this situation but will there be any sadness felt for Chelsea? Not a chance. If the Emirates stadium is one of the reasons why football has gone to the dogs then Chelsea Football Club is the epitomy of the shambles that football is in in the 21st century. In an age where Sky, Setanta and Soccer AM rule the roost, the money men reign supreme and since Abramovich's buyout of the club in 2003, Stamford Bridge has seen an influx of the hangers on, the fickle and City-trading yuppies. Desperate to improve the atmosphere, the Russian oligarch's yes men gave out free flags at the start of the season to every seat at the Bridge and encouraged the 'fans' to wave the flags. A similar exercise was used against Liverpool in their Champions League semi final second leg. Whilst those assembled on the Kop of a Saturday afternoon are prompted by Gerry Marsden's dulcet tones booming out of the speakers at Anfield, Chelsea were prompted by a pitch side 'MC' who even counted the supporters in for their waving ahead of the semi final. "1...2...3...WAVE!" he bellowed. Quite simply, it was pathetic and small-time; akin to the antics of a lower league club experiencing their fifteen minutes in the spotlight. This is what Chelsea are - spoilt little rich kids who are pretending to be bigger than they really are. One day they will come unstuck as Leeds United did and invariably the same death knell Manchester City are predicted to endure in the not too distant future.

But onto Scolari's dismissal. Was it due to internal politics between the board and the dugout? No. Was it due to the team's performances as the club statement read? No. Was it that the manager was not good enough to manage in the Premiership? No. It was all because of this:

Scolari was dismissed because of fan power. The theatre-goers at Stamford Bridge were not content that Chelsea were not running away with the game and registering a 3-0 scoreline before half time so they booed and held up a makeshift banners. Perhaps they should consider that it took two season for Liverpool supporters to resort to such actions against Gérard Houllier during a barren spell on all fronts that showed no signs of improvement. Houllier was given his marching orders at the end of that season because the general consensus was that he had taken the club as far as he could and that it was time for a change. Sadly, Chelsea will never understand the concept of loyalty or persistence with a manager because as soon as things get even slightly difficult they offload said manager. Having one of the world's richest men at the helm does not guarantee your club the character traits of a normal, working class club. No doubt the supporters that where around in 1982 when the club was in severe dire straits will no doubt be wishing for a return to those days as they witness the latest act in the pantomime that is Chelsea FC.

Desire or desperation?

The air of sheer relief that I witnessed last Sunday evening at Anfield when Torres scored his brace against Chelsea was unlike anything I have ever witnessed in my 16 years of match going. It was not the usual chaos that usually greets a last-minute winner on the Kop, nor was it the obligatory mayhem celebrations that are associated with major victories. This was different, and a little unsettling if the truth be told. Unsettling in that this is Liverpool's first serious title challenge since 1996/97 and hopes are more raised than normal with Manchester United on their tail.

Benitez has assembled a strong side. Granted they are lacking in depth a little and appear to be stretched at times with the occasional absence of Gerrard but in recent times there have been very few, if any, Liverpool sides that have staged so many successful comebacks as Benitez's team have this season. However the fear that lingers is that the team will crumble under the weight of expectation being placed upon them by the supporters. Alex Ferguson predicted the very same thing at the start of the year and it is hard to ignore his prophecy given Liverpool's performances against the likes of West Ham United, Fulham and Wigan Athletic to name but three of the clubs that have taken points off the Reds already this season. The draw with Wigan in particular does feel more irritating than most due to the manner in which Liverpool conceded the equaliser - a needless foul in the area on in stoppage time. The same can be said for the free kick conceded by Benayoun on the edge of the area in the recent league encounter with Everton. However Benayoun appears to be enjoying a rich vein of form, as does Fabio Aurelio. The pair appear to be enjoying their best form in a red shirt to date; something that is testament to the manager who is bringing the best of out of them.

The title dream is still alive but it could be shattered within the next few weeks if Liverpool don't turn their 'must wins' into 'have wons'. For those of you wondering why I posted a picture of Kenny Dalglish with this article it's very simple. Dalglish was the last Liverpool manager to lift a league championship aloft at Anfield and, as the picture above shows, he was the last manager to lift a league championship at Anfield when his Blackburn team snatched the title off United on the final day in May 1995. Hopefully Benitez will join Dalglish in Anfield folklore by bringing homeh the club's first domestic crown since 1990 this May.

Indispensable?

As Liverpool prepare to face Portsmouth at Fratton Park this evening they may feel somewhat like a depleted force, all because of one man - Steven Gerrard.

The Reds have been described as a 'one-man team' for many years and such is the captain's contribution to the team that it is impossible to imagine what hole the side would be stuck in if they didn't have the Huyton-born midfielder dragging them out of almost every mess in which they find themselves at times.

In fact since 2003 the skipper has been the shining light of the side and Rafael Benitez wasn't lying when he said that he would build a team around Gerrard. Since his arrival in November 1998, Gerrard has grown into the driving force that pushed Liverpool over the line against the likes of Olympiakos, AC Milan, West Ham United and Olympique Marseille to name but four teams the Reds have defeated thanks to their inspiraitonal skipper.

Gerrard was substituted after just 15 minutes in Liverpool's FA Cup defeat to Everton on Wednesday night and a scan in the aftermath revealed that he will miss the games against Portsmouth and Manchester City with his absence for the visit to Real Madrid in the Champions League a distinct possibility also.

Liverpool have looked a shadow of their usual selves when Gerrard has been sidelined and it would be foolish to think that they will not be affected by his absence tonight at Fratton Park. One has to wonder how they will cope when the 28-year-old hangs up his boots such is his impact on the team.

Sorry seems to be the hardest word

When Robbie Keane arrived in Liverpool in last summer he must have thought that all his birthdays and Christmases had come at once. His lifelong dream of joining the club he had supported as a boy had finally come to fruition, over a decade after he had turned down overtures from Anfield in favour of a move to a smaller club where opportunities of first team football would be more frequent.

It was a move that paid off for the then 15-year-old who went on to score 24 goals in 74 appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers. From Molyneux he went to Coventry, Milan, Leeds and North London before he made a cross-country journey to what he considered to be home. From an outsider's perspective, Keane's arrival at Anfield would not only fulfil his lifelong dream but also give another dimension to Liverpool's attack.

Little did anyone know that Keane was to become to Liverpool what Andriy Shevchenko was to Chelsea - an unwanted player signed by the club's hierarchy against the manager's wishes. Both players returned to the clubs from which they were signed; Shevchenko was sold back to AC Milan last summer, shortly after Keane arrived at Anfield. This week Keane was resigned by Spurs after only five goals in 19 appearances - an identical statistic to Andriy Voronin who was sent on loan to Hertha Berlin by Rafael Benitez at the start of the season.

The Daily Mirror's Brian Reade summed up the situation surrounding Keane best prior to the Irishman's departure in his weekly column where he openly criticised the club's hierarchy.

Last summer, Benitez fancied him, but not as much as he fancied Gareth Barry. Parry fancied Keane so badly he paid over the odds, leaving Benitez without sufficient cash for Barry, and fuming.

Almost from day one Keane has felt unwanted, a feeling confirmed by regular substitutions, exclusion from the team and eventually, in a home derby, from the bench. And this week he’s all but been encouraged to leave.

So instead of watching a proven striker winning games, the fans stare dumbfounded at a £20million pawn in a long-running power struggle. Nothing exposes the divisions at the heart of the club more.

The player was used as a pawn in a power struggle between Benitez, chief executive Rick Parry and co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks however it appears that Parry sanctioned the deal, as Reade rightly pointed out. Reade also stated that Benitez seems to be so hellbent on winning personal battles with the club hierarchy that he was 'alienating everyone around him'. This seems to be the problem at the forefront of the manager's negotiations over a new contract. He wants to run everything from the shop floor. Whilst the transfer issue is a difficult area to clarify, Benitez's demand of full control of the youth set up at Liverpool will not sit right with the likes of John Owens and Hugh McAuley who have been at the forefront of it since the early 1990s when Robbie Fowler and Steve McManaman broke through the ranks.

Looking at this with hindsight, for all the times Robbie Keane complained to referees and lacked the qualities of the player that achieved cult hero status at Tottenham Hotspur it appears that his frustrations were boiling over rather than him acting like a spoilt brat. Genuine sympathy goes out to the player because as far as mercenaries go, Robbie Keane wasn't one of them when he signed for Liverpool. Now he is back to square one and having to rebuild his career at Spurs. It's highly demoralising as a supporter to know that a player with the love and passion for a club as Keane has, or had, for Liverpool has been toyed with all for the sake of a petty dispute between a manager and the boardroom.

Robbie Keane is now on the back foot. He has lost six months of his footballing career and at 28 his time is precious. No doubt he will see out his career at White Hart Lane and despite him being at the club for a relatively short time, his name will be etched into fans' folklore as the player who suffered most in this ongoing power struggle between Gillett, Hicks, Parry and Benitez.

All that there is left is to wish Robbie the best, hope he can rebuild his career and say sorry for this whole debacle. It's a pity that the men at the helm of this mess won't be the ones apologising.

Something's gotta give

Last night's cup exit summed up everything wrong about Liverpool under Rafa Benitez this season: poor selections and no game plan apart from total dependency on Steven Gerrard.

Everton manager David Moyes said: "We haven't won the cup tonight, although it feels a bit like it in there." You can't help but think that he had a point. A good number of his club's supporters acted as if they were non-league giant killers with their reaction to Gerrard's substitution. It wouldn't have come as a shock if their chairman Bill Kenwright had pranced down to the press box to preach to the media about how proud he was of his team. He did it after the tie at Anfield and you wouldn't bet against it. Nor would you bet against the Goodison Park marketing department unleashing another 90-minute DVD extravaganza commemorating their first victory over their local rivals since September 2006. Coincidentally they 'celebrated' that 3-0 league victory in the same manner.

But last night was not about the pettiness of the home support. Their team more than made up for that embarrassment with a well-fought performance in what was a very scrappy game. If alarm bells aren't ringing in Benitez's head this morning after that performance then something is seriously wrong. Jamie Carragher had previously stated that it was his and the team's personal goal to lift the FA Cup for the memory of the 96 Liverpool supporters who died at Hillsborough 20 years ago however on last night's showing it will only be the Bootle-born defender and Steven Gerrard, both of whom grew up with the aftermath of Hillsborough, that will have felt this more than most from the Reds' team that lost in extra time to Everton.

There shouldn't be any scapegoats for the performance but there is one that stuck out like a sore thumb before a ball had even been kicked. Lucas Leiva's starting role proved to be a decision that cost Liverpool a fifth round meeting with Aston Villa next weekend. The Brazilian was dismissed on 76 minutes after being shown a second yellow card. Despite two or three games over the festive period, where he was average at best, Lucas has returned to his usual self in at the turn of the year and shows no signs of improving. Benitez's selection of him is becoming as tedious as Gerard Houllier's persistence in picking Bruno Cheyrou during his time at the Anfield helm. But this isn't the first time Lucas has cost Liverpool victory in a Merseyside derby. His heroics at Goodison in October 2007 were well and truly undone with the sending off last night which has summed up his Anfield career.

Andrea Dossena was another player who has been consistently poor since he breezed through the doors at L4. His crossing was poor to say the least and his carelessness in putting the ball out of play unchallenged was simply baffling. If this is Italy's first choice left back and supposedly worth £7 million then no wonder the financial world is suffering because no player of his quality is worth even close to that amount.

Many pundits in the media have said that Liverpool rely on Gerrard and to a degree that is true. One player who relies on Gerrard more than the team is Fernando Torres who looked like a little boy lost on the Goodison pitch and was constantly in Leighton Baines' pocket. Since his hamstring injuries the Spaniard has looked off the pace and his first touch was shocking for a player who scored 33 goals last season. It is not a case of second season syndrome as some knee-jerk reactions pointed to last night after the game. Torres' main attribute was his pace and ability to turn defenders without a moment's thought but since his injuries he is a shadow of his former self. As a result his dependency on Gerrard for balls to latch onto has heightened. It was considered last season and for much of this current campaign that the Gerrard-Torres partnership has been key to the team's success. However Benitez will be sweating on the captain's hamstring scan more than any niggles Torres has, such is the importance of Gerrard to the club.

Benitez insisted after the game that there was still all to play for both in the league and Europe. After Sunday's late win over Chelsea that claim has considerable weight alongside a convincing showing in the Champions League group stage but the Reds might have to forefeit one one of their campaigns with a busy schedule which sees them face Manchester United, Aston Villa and Arsenal as well as a potentitally difficult visit to Fulham at Craven Cottage after their second leg tie with Real Madrid.

Judging by the reaction that greeted Torres' brace last Sunday, there can be no doubt what the fans want the team to strive for. The question remains whether Benitez's love affair with the European Cup will distract the club from that dream. Liverpool were forced to press for the Champions League last season after their title challenge derailed before Christmas. They are in a stronger position than they have ever been under Benitez at this stage of the season and there is no reason to surrender the title to Manchester United just yet. However, careless tactical decisions and the constant inclusion of players that have previously cost the side victories this season could inevitably spell the end of the Anfield title dream.

Time for reflection

With all the talk of supporters confronting owners, reports of a manager bidding to run the club from the shop floor, a title challenge that isn't over just yet and the departure of a boyhood Red who was used as a pawn in a game between the club's hierarchy, losing a familiar face and voice puts things all into perspective.

After all the ecstasy, delight and relief of the final five minutes of Sunday's game, City Sport held their obligatory post-match phone in. Charing the debate, as ever, was Phil Easton; a veteran of Merseyside radio and a regular fixture at Anfield for the best part of a decade.

For the past few years at half time you would always hear George Sephton, Anfield's resident DJ, say, "And now we go to pitch side and Radio City's Phil Easton". Never again will we hear those words uttered in our lifetimes because Phil died suddenly at his home yesterday afternoon of a heart attack.

As tedious as the Academy's Player of the Month awards he presided over were, and as half-arsed as the applause was, you can't help but think how different things will be now that he's gone.

Someone drew my attention to an article dating back to 2001 on a supporters' website which openly criticised Easton's duties as a matchday announcer. He came in for a lot of stick across the board for, amongst other things, playing Frankie Goes To Hollywood's 'Two Tribes' instead of You'll Never Walk Alone before Liverpool's opening game of the 2000/01 season. This was seen as a massive insult to the traditions of the club to remove our anthem from proceedings. A matchday at Anfield without You'll Never Walk Alone might as well be Liverpool without the colour red. It's part of our traditions and our heritage. Phil had made a lasting impression but not the one he'd hoped for as an unashamed Red.

Reading over the article again, one part stuck out more than most:

What infuriated me more was that afterwards, Easton was actually quoted as saying; “I wanted to try something different”. In fairness, it was a comment made in response to an understandably fierce backlash by some of the Anfield faithful, I just wish there were more who would register their dislike of this Phil Easton roadshow.

Perhaps Phil was trying to be his own man instead of toeing the party line. It's a pity that he decided on the one thing that wouldn't win him any favours and he won't be forgiven for it but no one would wish such a death on him.

He was one of those Merseyside broadcasters that seemed to be content with life in the area instead of moving onto pastures new. Voices came and went; Tony Snell and Simon Davies - to name but two, but you could always guarantee that come Saturday afternoon Radio City or (City FM as it was when I first knew it) that Phil Easton would be on air. Every weekend you could find him in the press box at either Goodison Park or Anfield, fielding the calls from the post match knee-jerkers to the likes of Barry Horne, Graeme Sharp, Ian St John and John Aldridge. No doubt I'll feel the same way about his opposite number at BBC Radio Merseyside, the dithering Alan Jackson, when he's gone. It doesn't matter how much you dislike these people, you can't help but feel some sadness about their passing.

There will be a strange air around Anfield for our game against Manchester City on February 22. There will be a few who will still be waiting to hear Phil announcing the teams before kick off, forgetting that he's gone.

You only have to look at the tributes on the websites of Radio City and Magic 1548 to see how much he will be missed.

Rest In Peace Phil

You'll Never Walk Alone