Seagulls are nasty birds

[Dixie Flatline]

13th of September 2008

Premier League – Game 7: Coventry v Portsmouth

With our seventh game of the campaign coming hard on the heels of our sixth, I decide that the time is ripe to rotate the squad. So I rest Stuart Giddings, Shinji Ono (back from Japan after earning a man of the match award against Pakistan), El-Hadji Diouf and Henok Goitom. That means that Castrillon continues to operate in centre midfield, and he is joined by Stefan Ishizaki, having recovered from his knee injury and chafing at the bit to make his first competitive appearance of the season. Pedro Marti and Chris Brunt make their competitive debuts for Coventry.

On 36 minutes, we take the lead when Crouch takes control of Taylor’s long clearance, brings the ball down and gives it to Stefan Ishizaki. The Swede threads the ball through the Portsmouth defence to Crouch, who confidently hits his shot past Lobont, notwithstanding that Lobont does everything in his power to cover the near post. It’s only what we deserve for the way we control the opening period of the game, passing the ball confidently.

However, Portsmouth have designs on a top five position early in the season and in the second half, Portsmouth looks to strike back and take at least a point. Their dogged persistence is rewarded when on 54 minutes, Gudjonsson loses possession in midfield to Elmander who passes it left to LuaLua. LuaLua takes the ball down the left flank before passing it back in-board to Elmander. The Swede hits a first-time pass into the path of Dirk Kuyt, who skips past Dawson and slots his shot past Taylor to level the scores at 1-1 apiece.

Portsmouth’s players sense blood in the water and try to press home their advantage but a combination of poor finishing and good goalkeeping from Stuart Taylor keeps the score at 1-1 apiece at the end of the game.

Coventry (4-1-4-1): Taylor; Marti, Dawson, Dunne, Whing; Gudjonsson (Addo 54); Brunt (Job 71), Castrillon, Ishizaki, Barrett ©; Crouch (Helguson 71).

Portsmouth (4-4-2): Lobont; M. Taylor, Stefanovic, Hunt, Song; Barry (LuaLua 45), Neill (Mezague 54), O’Neil ©, Solli; Elmander, Kuyt (Horsted 70).

Final score: Coventry 1:1 Portsmouth

MoM – Michael Dawson

After the game, I’m surprised to see Stefan Ishizaki speaking to the press. He knows that the club handles all media inquiries and briefs players on their media commitments. As far as I’m aware, Ishizaki was not meant to be speaking to the media. His reasons become clear as I watch the evening sports bulletins. Ishizaki claims that he feels he is being neglected under my management and sees that he should be playing regular first team football with Coventry but if that doesn’t happen, then he’s prepared to shift clubs.

Stefan needs to realise that he’s only just returned from a fairly serious knee injury and he needed to build match fitness due to his interrupted pre-season before I could seriously consider him for regular competitive football. Now that he’s served some time with the reserves, he will be in the mix for more regular selection. It’s as simple as that, really.

[Dixie Flatline]

14th of September 2008

I note with interest that my former club, Brighton, has elected to sell James Beaumont to Swansea for £1.1 million. That’s a fair profit made on the investment I made to bring the midfielder to the Seagulls, as I had paid Forest £220,000 for him back in 2006/07, when we were still trying to climb out of League One. Brighton hasn’t started the season very well, being 20th after 9 games and sitting only two points above the relegation zone. Surprisingly, my former boss still has not appointed a replacement manager.

15th of September 2008

Andrew Whing will miss a week of football after straining a wrist.

Michael Dawson is named in the Premier League Team of the Week.

16th of September 2008

Coca Cola Cup – 2nd round: Coventry v Blackpool

Blackpool manager, Mr Colin Hendry, and I exchange pleasantries a couple of days before the match and, to their credit, Blackpool have a number of opportunities to put some pressure on us with a goal, but Graham Stack does well to block those shots on his debut.

The tie is settled in our favour when we score twice in the second half. Ishizaki waltzes through the Blackpool defence, exchanging passes with Diouf and Helguson before rounding Coyne in goal and passing the ball into the empty net on 63 minutes. The second goal, on 82 minutes, is a model of simplicity. Brunt comes down the left flank and swings in a long cross to the other flank where Diouf has broke free. The Senegalese international crosses into the box and Helguson is on hand to power a header past Coyne to seal our passage through to the third round.

Coventry (4-1-4-1): Taylor; Giddings, Dawson ©, Collins, Spector; Gudjonsson; Job (Brunt 64), Ono, Ishizaki (Addo 82), Diouf; Helguson.

Blackpool (4-4-2): Coyne; Hills ©, Shackell (Evatt 73), McGregor, Clare; Parry, McPhail (Keegan 73), Thirlwell, Whitaker (Whitley 63); Murphy, Grabovac (inj. 78).

Final score: Coventry 2:0 Blackpool

MoM – El-Hadji Diouf

We bank £20,000 as prize money for advancing into the third round of the Coca-Cola Cup.

[Dixie Flatline]

21st of September 2008

Premier League – Game 8: Bolton v Coventry

This game is shown around the country on live television, but it isn’t one for the archives. The match, played in pouring rain, however is saved by a moment of genius from our captain, Graham Barrett. With the game in injury time at the end of the second half, Barrett plays a superb, defence-splitting pass to tee up Heidar Helguson. The Icelandic international still has a lot to do, with Jaaskelainen trying to cover the angles, but our super-sub has no hesitation in finding the far bottom corner of Bolton’s net to give us a 1-0 lead with just moments to play. The referee plays a moment or two of injury time, then blows full-time.

Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen; O’Hare, Ben Haim, Tihinen ©, Maybury; Gardner, Di Siena, Kelly (Oleguer 74), Ferrarese (Foy 62); Javi Guerrero, Dobie (Abbiati 62).

Coventry (4-1-4-1): Taylor; Giddings, Dawson, Dunne, Spector; Castrillon; Goitom (Job 72), Ono, Diouf, Barrett ©; Crouch (Helguson 63).

Final score: Bolton 0:1 Coventry

MoM – Shinji Ono

The victory comes at a little cost, with Taylor suffering a knock early in the game and copping a case of concussion. He should, however, recover in time for our next match to play Newcastle at the Jaguar Arena.

The victory over Bolton lifts us into sixth position and amongst the competitors for European positions, although the season still has a long way to run.

22nd of September 2008

Michael Dawson, Jonathan Spector and Shinji Ono are all selected in the Premier League Team of the Week.

[Dixie Flatline]

27th of September 2008

Premier League – Game 9: Coventry v Newcastle United

Newcastle United has had an unbeaten start to the season and Gianluca Vialli’s men are determined not to let an upstart club like Coventry end that unbeaten start. With Stuart Taylor not quite at full fitness, I give a league debut to Graham Stack and a mistake from the Irishman on 21 minutes gives Shola Ameobi a simple goal on 21 minutes. It’s no more than Newcastle deserved, really, as they were all over us in the first 20 minutes of the game and could have had at least one more on the board before Ameobi scored.

We have trouble simply holding on to the ball in midfield and Peter Crouch ploughs a lone furrow up forward by himself. I take off Diouf and Crouch in the second half, bringing on Thomas Job and Heidar Helguson. Job creates one final opportunity to score an equalising goal when his corner is powerfully headed towards goal by Shinji Ono. However, the Japanese midfielder’s shot at goal is off-target and we suffer a 1-0 defeat.

Coventry (4-1-4-1): Stack; Giddings, Dawson, Dunne, Spector; Castrillon; Goitom, Ono, Diouf (Job 57), Barrett ©; Crouch (Helguson 57).

Newcastle United (4-4-2): Given; Gonzalez, Taylor, Ferrari, Carr; Reid (Babayaro 76), Faye, van Bommel ©, Ambrose (Chopra 67); Forssell (Milner 67), Ameobi.

Final score: Coventry 0:1 Newcastle United

MoM – Stephen Carr

After the game, I’m approached by the agent for Hungarian striker Sandor Torghelle with a video of his hat-trick for Burnley against Doncaster in League One. Torghelle, I’m informed reliably by his agent, is desperately keen to join Coventry. His three goals are all poacher’s goals from well within inside the penalty box and requires his teammates to do all the hard work in creating the opportunities. I’m not desperately keen to sign Torghelle as I think there are better players elsewhere.

1st of October 2008

I confer briefly via teleconference with the board of Coventry’s directors to discuss my performance. Unsurprisingly, the board is very happy with the way which the club has performed in the opening stanzas of the season. The meeting is happily short as I need to prepare my players for tonight’s mid-week clash with Spurs at White Hart Lane, in London.

Premier League – Game 10: Tottenham v Coventry

The tenth league game of the season is fairly unremarkable, with the defences of both clubs dominating proceedings. We make 11 shooting opportunities for ourselves in the 90 minutes, but only six test the reflexes of Jan Lastuvka, which is sufficient to permit the Czech goalkeeper to earn a man of the match award. However, most of our shots at his goal are from long-range and aren’t particularly troublesome.

For Spurs, this game also isn’t anything much to write home about, with our defence – marshalled well by former Spurs defender, Michael Dawson – dealing adequately with the threat posed by Robbie Keane and his cohorts. Indeed, the match is noteworthy only for the fact that it marks Gary Caldwell’s first appearance of the season. He played the full 90 minutes at right-back, in the absence of the still-injured Andrew Whing.

Tottenham (3-5-2): Lastuvka; Wright, Bunjevcevic, Madlung ©; Wood (Cross 61), Marney (Simpson 61), Parker, Huddlestone, Ifil; Yeates (Mills 72), Keane.

Coventry (4-1-4-1): Taylor; Giddings, Dawson, Dunne, Caldwell; Gudjonsson; Goitom, Ono (Castrillon 86), Ishizaki (Job 86), Barrett ©; Crouch (Helguson 63).

Final score: Tottenham 0:0 Coventry

MoM – Jan Lastuvka

[Dixie Flatline]

So, the first ten rounds of the Premier League have been played. This is how the competition is shaping up as we approach the completion of the first third of the season.

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

Pos Team Pld Won Drw Lst For Ag GD Pts

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1st Newcastle 10 7 3 0 22 5 +17 24

2nd Chelsea 10 7 2 1 24 11 +13 23

3rd Blackburn 10 7 2 1 18 7 +11 23

4th Man Utd 10 6 2 2 13 6 +7 20

5th Arsenal 10 5 2 3 26 10 +16 17

6th Middlesbrough 9 5 1 3 13 13 0 16

7th Portsmouth 10 4 3 3 16 15 +1 15

8th Everton 10 4 3 3 12 12 0 15

9th Coventry 10 4 3 3 11 12 -1 15

10th Tottenham 10 3 4 3 8 9 -1 13

11th Southampton 10 4 1 5 12 17 -5 13

12th Birmingham 10 3 3 4 18 19 -1 12

13th Liverpool 9 3 2 4 17 14 +3 11

14th West Brom 10 2 5 3 8 8 0 11

15th Aston Villa 10 3 2 5 13 20 -7 11

16th Charlton 10 1 5 4 8 14 -6 8

17th Leicester 9 1 4 4 9 15 -6 7

-----------------------------------------------------------------

18th Bolton 9 2 1 6 8 16 -8 7

19th Man City 10 2 0 8 11 26 -15 6

20th Sunderland 10 1 0 9 5 23 -18 3

</pre>

As the table shows, we’re comfortably in mid-table and really, we could be as high as sixth if an ounce of luck had gone our way in some of our previous matches. Already, it’s looking tough for Manchester City and Sunderland in particular to avoid the drop this season. The position of Liverpool, in thirteenth (accounting for the game in hand), is troubling the Anfield faithful and that, in turn, has caused the Liverpool directors to issue a public statement of support for the under-fire manager, Mr Sam Allardyce.

4th of October 2008

It’s World Cup qualifying weekend, so no games are played in the Premier League. Instead, the country’s focus is upon Baku, where England have travelled to play Azerbaijan. Despite England’s overwhelming superiority, the Three Lions succumb to a single goal from Vugar Zeynalov.

In other fixtures involving Coventry players, Jonathan Spector played the first 54 minutes in USA’s 6-0 win over Grenada. Richard Dunne and Graham Barrett tasted success as Ireland defeated Iceland 2-0. Barrett scored the second goal as he was a 60th minute substitute. Joey Gudjonsson and Heidar Helguson played for the losers. Helguson, however, had an appalling game. Gary Caldwell made an impressive return for Scotland as a single goal from James McFadden helped the Scots defeat Belgium 1-0 in Brussels.

[Dixie Flatline]

5th of October 2008

Liverpool terminates the employment of Mr Sam Allardyce with immediate effect

Liverpool chairman, Mr David Moores, has acted to remove Mr Sam Allardyce from the position of manager at Anfield after reports grew that the players had lost confidence in their manager’s ability. With the once-powerful club languishing in thirteenth position after 9 completed games, Liverpool have determined that in order to give the club its best chance of playing European football in 2009/10, it was necessary for the club to find a new manager. In a short statement read to the press, Mr Moores thanked Mr Allardyce for his contribution to Liverpool and wished the former Bolton and West Bromwich Albion manager every success in the future.

Mr Allardyce was appointed to the position of manager at Liverpool on 29th of June 2007 and he finished ninth in 2007/08.

The bookies have put Manchester City manager, Mr Sammy Lee, at the top of the list of likely candidates to take over the vacant position of manager. Other names in the frame, according to the bookies, include Coventry manager, Senor Dixie Flatline, Lazio’s assistant manager, Signor Alberto Zaccheroni, and Espanyol assistant manager, Senor Jose Antonio Camacho. None of the leading candidates could be contacted for comment.

It’s certainly very flattering to be mentioned as one of the candidates for taking over the position of manager at Liverpool, perhaps one of England’s most famous clubs. It would certainly be a very big challenge, but if I were successful, then the rewards would be just as huge. It’s fair to say that, at this stage, I’m neither ruling anything in nor out.

6th of October 2008

Gary Caldwell’s return to competitive football is marked by selection in the Premier League Team of the Week.

8th of October 2008

More World Cup qualifiers are played this evening. At New Wembley, a chastened England sets about putting Belarus to the sword. Goals from Alan Smith, James Beattie, Kieron Dyer and Scott Parker allow the Three Lions to record a very easy 4-0 win over Belarus, who were never in the hunt, really.

In games involving Coventry players, Gary Caldwell played the full 90 minutes for Scotland as they disposed of Azerbaijan 4-0 in Glasgow. Stefan Ishizaki earned his first full cap for Sweden and made an instant hero of himself as he scored the winning goal in Sweden’s 3-2 win over Ireland in Dublin. Ishizaki came on in the 51st minute. Graham Barrett was introduced in the 66th minute, while Richard Dunne played the full game for the Irishmen.

Joey Gudjonsson earned his 50th cap for Iceland, and Heidar Helguson also played, but the Icelanders were no match for Holland, who prevailed 1-0 in Reykjavik. Jonathan Spector played 71 minutes for USA, who won 2-0 over Trinidad and Tobago in Los Angeles.

[Dixie Flatline]

11th of October 2008

Four more Coventry players are involved in World Cup qualifiers today. Thomas Job earned an assist in his appearance for Cameroon, who triumphed 3-1 over Malawi. Job was replaced after 63 minutes. Eric Addo came on for Ghana after just 22 minutes, but was not very effectual as the Ghanaians were held to a 1-1 draw by Zambia. El-Hadji Diouf created a goal for Souleymane Camara to help Senegal take the lead against the Republic of Congo, but the Republic of Congo fought back to prevail 2-1.

Jaime Alberto Castrillon came on for the last 13 minutes as Colombia trounced Bolivia 4-0 in Bogota.

15th of October 2008

The deal had been done so quickly, it almost made my head spin. After hearing that my colleague, Sam Allardyce, had been dismissed by the board of directors at Liverpool, I had instructed my agent to sound out those men on the possibility of being appointed as his replacement. My agent had taken it from there, with my imprimatur, to discuss possible terms should my application for the vacant position be accepted. Obviously, with the pressures of day-to-day operations at Coventry making it difficult for me to escape the Midlands to go to Merseyside to have a chat with my potential employer, I breathed a sigh of relief when the FA had decided to postpone Coventry’s weekend fixture due to the number of players involved in World Cup qualifiers. That had allowed me to make an excuse to my chairman that I needed to have a brief spell to ‘recharge the batteries’, so to speak, before resuming battle.

With my current employers none the wiser, it was also necessary to give the media the slip. Using an assumed identity and paying for all expenses through my wife’s credit card meant that the media didn’t seem to be tipped off by my presence in Liverpool, as I caught up with my potential employer over lunch in a non-descript restaurant on the outskirts of the city. There was no time for a guided tour of the facilities that would be at my disposal should I be successful, but having taken Coventry there last season, I had a fair idea of what I could expect. El-Hadji Diouf was also a Liverpool alumnus, and he often spoke about the facilities that were available to players, often in the context of trying to persuade me to speak to the board about upgrading Coventry’s facilities. Little did he know that he was giving me intelligence about what I could expect should I make the move.

I told Mr Moores that should I be considered the successful applicant, it would need me to be appointed in time for Coventry to send up my assistant managers to take my place in the dugout as Coventry played Birmingham at the Jaguar Arena. To their credit, Mr Moores and his group of directors delegated the responsibility of appointing the replacement to Mr Allardyce, negotiated a compensation deal with Mr Mike McGinnity to allow me to escape my obligation under contract to manage Coventry against Birmingham and to take me immediately to Liverpool.

[Dixie Flatline]

The contract that Mr Moores pushed across the table towards my agent and myself was consistent with the terms I had named to him when I met the chairman of Liverpool for the first time in the flesh the previous weekend. There could be no turning back now. This was real, it was scary. To take charge of one of the world’s greatest football clubs and have the responsibility for the hopes and dreams of so many supporters around the world was something I had never faced before. Could I handle this responsibility? Would I end up like my predecessor – sacked for failing to meet heavy expectations? At Coventry, I was given the brief of rescuing the club from almost certain relegation and nobody expected me to pull it off. When we escaped the trapdoor on the final day of the season, it was only through goal difference that we managed it. Everybody was so relieved, and yet so surprised when we had managed it – right down to the chairman himself.

However, Liverpool is different. Walking through Anfield’s corridors, you can smell the history. The great managers of English football plied their trade at Anfield, managing some of the world’s great players – Keegan, Dalglish, and Rush are mentioned in whispers in these corridors. Shankley, Paisley, the whole Boot Room concept is something beyond the grasp of the common man, and to be initiated into this environment made my hair stand up on end.

Moving from Brighton to Coventry required an attitude readjustment, but this was beyond just an attitude adjustment – this was a major transition for myself and my young family. I needed the opportunity to discuss this with my wife. With two young children to look after, it was hard enough for my wife to cope with my frequent and long absences from home. We both knew that it was going to be even more difficult for us to function as a family if I was constantly away from home – as the job of managing Liverpool would demand (especially if I was successful). However, my wife was pragmatic enough to realise that this was the realisation of my ultimate ambition (except, perhaps, for managing Spain – but that job was taken by Rafa Benitez, himself a refugee from Anfield).

With Coventry informed of my decision through my agent, it was time to briefly thank Mr McGinnity for the trust he had shown in me less than 12 months ago to appoint me as manager of his club and to therefore allow me to showcase my skills to the rest of the Premier League. Just as Mr Knight had helped me rehabilitate my reputation after the Sheffield Wednesday debacle, having the opportunity to manage (successfully) at Coventry helped me build up my reputation to the point where I could seriously make an application to take over the reigns of Liverpool. Although my managerial record, by its numbers, wasn’t flash (only eight wins in my tenure as Coventry manager), it was enough to give them at least another season in the top-flight.

Little needed to be said between us, and after some perfunctory platitudes from the remainder of the Coventry board, I took my leave from the boardroom and headed out to the training pitch, where the players were warming up for the evening’s game against Birmingham. To be honest, they weren’t really surprised to see me take the opportunity proffered to me. Most were understanding, while some (especially those that had failed to cement a place under my management) seemed to be glad that the slate would be wiped clean. Privately I felt that unless Coventry appointed a person of similar calibre, they could easily slide back into a battle against relegation, but I hoped that the platform I had laid at the club would stand it in good stead, at least for the remainder of this season.

And then there was nothing left to do but to take away my possessions from my office, find my car and drive back home, where Liverpool had instructed me to wait for collection. In less than three hours, I was on the Mersey and on my way to Anfield, where I knew that a massive media contingent would be waiting for me…

[Dixie Flatline]

Liverpool unveils its new manager, Senor Dixie Flatline

Liverpool chairman, Mr David Moores, today announced that Coventry manager, Senor Dixie Flatline, had accepted an invitation from the board of directors of Liverpool to assume the vacant position of manager at Liverpool, replacing sacked manager, Mr Sam Allardyce with immediate effect.

Senor Flatline, previously manager of Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield Wednesday, appeared at a specially convened press conference to confirm his appointment, having resigned as manager of Coventry earlier in the day. Senor Flatline had guided Coventry to safety at the end of the 2007/08 season on the final day of the campaign, after previously achieving promotion from League One to the Premier League with Sheffield Wednesday and from League One to the Coca-Cola Championship with Brighton.

Senor Flatline made this brief statement to the press: “Obviously, this is a momentous occasion for me. Liverpool’s reputation as one of the world’s greatest and most historic clubs precedes it, no matter where you are in the world. I was obviously flattered to be linked with the position when the vacancy arose and I’m thrilled to be appointed manager by the board of directors at Liverpool. There is much to be done in order to honour the history that this club has made in this great game, and I intend upon making a fresh start as soon as possible.â€

Mr Moores said: “We’re delighted that Senor Flatline chose to accept our offer to become Liverpool’s manager. We have carefully watched his progress over the past twelve months and it’s patently clear that Senor Flatline is very talented manager. We are confident that Senor Flatline is the right man for the job and we hope that he can harness the talent in the squad to improve Liverpool’s position in the league in the very near future. Obviously, the details of Senor Flatline’s appointment are confidential between the club and the individual, but we are delighted to announce that Senor Flatline has signed a contract to manage Liverpool until the end of the 2010/11 season, and we expect that he will fully honour his commitment to the club.â€

After the two men made these statements to the press, there was a short time for question and answer.

“Sid Lowe, from the Guardian. Senor, first congratulations on your appointment. This is your fourth job in three seasons. Should Liverpool’s fans have any concerns that should a better job offer come around, will you abandon the club in favour of the new offer?â€

“Thank you for your question, Sid. No, Liverpool’s fans should have no concerns on that score. Managing Liverpool is the realisation of a dream of mine that I have held since childhood. Being in the Premier League is a remarkable story in itself, but Liverpool is beyond the wildest dreams of many in my position and, trust me, I’m not going to throw away this opportunity lightly.â€

“Tom Davis, from the Daily Mail. Senor Flatline, with Liverpool being in twelfth position as you assume the position of manager, do you think it’s a question of the wrong tactics being used with the players, or the talent in the squad not quite doing justice to the players? Where do you see improvements emerging?â€

“Obviously, Tom, I have only just arrived in Liverpool, so I do not yet have that intimate knowledge of the players and their suitability to my preferred systems to make a proper answer to your question. However, the club has expected that the position on the league ladder be higher than it currently is, so it’s my responsibility to diagnose the problems with the club and find an immediate solution to those problems. You can be assured that I will work night and day until the issues with the club’s performance are resolved.â€

“Phil Ball, ESPN Soccernet. Senor Flatline, do you have any targets in mind for future transfers?â€

“Phil, at this stage, because I’m not yet fully across the player roster in all its details, I do not yet have a list of players that I might or might not be interested in acquiring for the club. However, there are some players which you think would be nice to have at a particular club. Over the course of the next few days, I will be examining all options for improving the performance of Liverpool in the league and restoring the club to its rightful place.â€

[Dixie Flatline]

The media obviously wants its pound of flesh, so the press conference continues for a good 10-15 minutes after those questions are asked and answered. Eventually, however, Mr Moores decides that enough is enough and calls time on proceedings. This allows me to escape the pressures of dealing with the media and jump into the pressures of dealing with the players. The first task at hand is to meet the players with whom I’ll be working closely over the next few weeks, months and maybe years.

Goalkeepers

Jerzy Dudek (35 y/o, POL 76 caps, GK): 1 app, 1 clean sheet, av. rating: 7.00

Chris Kirkland (27 y/o, ENG 7 caps, GK): 20 apps, 22 conceded, 11 clean sheets, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.25

Melvin Mukrab and Michael Roberts are young goalkeepers in reserve, but the likes of Scott Carson are on loan away from the club. Unfortunately, Chris is currently injured and will miss 2 months with a hip injury, so at this stage, Jerzy Dudek would be favoured to take over the gloves between the posts until Kirkland is right to resume. Dudek is a veteran of many campaigns with Liverpool, but Chris Kirkland, once fit, is definitely the no. 1 keeper at Anfield. Determining whether I try to find a third goalkeeper who can keep pressure on Dudek while Chris recovers from his injury and regains match fitness is a big issue. My new assistant manager, Paco Herrera, thinks that it is imperative that we find a new keeper – though we can’t buy anyone until the transfer window opens on the 1st of January 2009.

Defenders

Carl Medjani (23 y/o, FRA, SW/D C): 9(1) apps, 1 assist, av. rating: 7.00

Jamie Carragher (30 y/o, ENG 12 caps, D RLC): 14 apps, av. rating: 7.21

Paul McShane (22 y/o, IRE, D RC): 4 apps, av. rating: 6.50

Danny Smith (21 y/o, ENG, D L): 2(5) apps, av. rating: 6.71

Daniel Agger (23 y/o, DEN 6 caps, D C): 6(3) apps, av. rating: 7.00

Sami Hyppia (35 y/o, FIN 92 caps, 12 goals, D C): 12(1) apps, 2 goals, 3 MoMs, av. rating: 7.54

Antonio D’Alessandro (19 y/o, ITA, D/DM RL): 0(1) app, av. rating: 7.00

Joseph Yobo (28 y/o, NIG 53 caps, 3 goals, D/DM C): 12(1) apps, av. rating: 7.23

John Arne Riise (29 y/o, NOR 69 caps, 7 goals, D/M L): 19 apps, 2 goals, 4 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.32

Surprisingly, given the resources available to Liverpool, I do not think that there is much strength in depth amongst the ranks of defenders at the club. Paul McShane and Antonio D’Alessandro are recent acquisitions, and are obviously aimed at the future, but at present, it appears that notwithstanding his age, Sami Hyppia is still a first team player. I’m also concerned that there is not much cover on the right flank of the defence, with Jamie Carragher really my only option – unless I trust to the teenage D’Alessandro to take up the slack. I think some money will need to be spent in the winter transfer period to strengthen the club’s defensive stocks. Daniel Agger is currently on the transfer list and is attracting some interest. In my view, I don’t think I’m quite so prepared to let the Dane leave without that much of a fight, and I may be persuaded to remove him from the transfer list in the near future. Joseph Yobo appears to be a tower of strength at centre half and his ongoing fitness will be a great asset to the club.

[Dixie Flatline]

Midfielders

Teemu Tainio (28 y/o, FIN 51 caps, 3 goals, DM RC): 1(6) apps, 1 assist, av. rating: 7.29

Sebastian Kehl (28 y/o, GER 24 caps, 3 goals, DM C): 8(3) apps, 1 goal, av. rating: 7.09

Steed Malbranque (28 y/o, FRA 24 caps, 3 goals, AM RL): 3(9) apps, av. rating: 7.00

Juninho (33 y/o, BRA 47 caps, 4 goals, AM RLC): 0 apps

Thomas Broich (27 y/o, GER, AM RC): 9(7) apps, 2 goals, 3 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.13

Harry Kewell (30 y/o, AUS 53 caps, 10 goals, AM LC): 18(1) apps, 1 goal, 3 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.37

Aliaksandr Hleb (27 y/o, BLR 28 caps, 8 goals, AM C): 16 apps, 1 goal, 4 assists, 1 MoM, av. rating: 7.88

Kevin Nolan (26 y/o, ENG 6 caps, AM C): 13(6) apps, 4 goals, 4 apps, av. rating: 7.42

Anthony Le Tallec (24 y/o, FRA, AM/F RC): 6(8) apps, 3 goals, 4 assists, av. rating: av. rating: 7.21

Having a look at our midfield stocks, I note that there are a number of players of the same age bracket. Juninho is really only depth and will probably leave the club at the end of the season on a free transfer, if not earlier. However, beyond Hleb and, to a lesser extent, Kewell, there doesn’t really seem to be much pure quality in the midfield stocks. I think that in order to improve the club as a whole, the midfield will need to be overhauled to provide further and better support to Hleb and Kewell (who, at 30, cannot be expected to perform at the highest level for more than a season or two).

Forwards

Julio Baptista (27 y/o, BRA 13 caps, AM/F C): 7 apps, av. rating: 7.00

Lukas Podolski (23 y/o, GER 3 caps, F C): 9(2) apps, 9 goals, 3 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.73

Djibril Cisse (27 y/o, FRA 33 caps, 11 goals, S C): 14 apps, 8 goals, 5 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rating: 7.71

Michael Owen (28 y/o, ENG 85 caps, 36 goals, S C): 8 apps, 6 goals, av. rating: 7.25

I don’t think there needs much work to improve Liverpool’s strike force. Cisse and Owen have done very well through the season so far, with 14 goals between them, while Lukas Podolski has been very dangerous from limited opportunities. Baptista is a recent acquisition by my predecessor and is still adjusting to life in England, and the English style of football.

I have approximately £20.5 million at my disposal. I think we’ll see some of this being used in the winter transfer period as I try to reshape the squad in accordance with my philosophy regarding football.

My departure seemingly unsettles my old side, with Coventry suffering a 3-0 loss at the Jaguar Arena to Birmingham, with all three goals coming in the first half.

My new assistant manager, Paco Herrera, informs me that Julio Baptista played the last 33 minutes of Brazil’s 2-1 win over Ecuador. Brighton striker, Agustin Delgado (my former player), put Ecuador in the lead on 48 minutes, but Brazil struck back through Ronaldinho 9 minutes later and Alex scored the winning goal on 67 minutes.

[Dixie Flatline]

16th of October 2008

UEFA Cup, Group H - Game 1: Sevilla v Liverpool

Profligate finishing costs Liverpool victory

New manager Senor Dixie Flatline’s first game in charge of Liverpool ended in a 1-1 draw that will feel almost like a loss to his players after they wasted numerous opportunities to put away a defensive Sevilla in the opening game of the group stage in the UEFA Cup.

Senor Flatline, hampered by injuries to key players Chris Kirkland, Djibril Cisse and Michael Owen, adopted his familiar 4-1-4-1 formation, with Lukas Podolski leading the lines for the Reds. On 9 minutes, Malbranque and Podolski played a give and go manoeuvre which allowed Malbranque to get goal side of Sevilla left-back Ashley Cole. The French international had no difficulty in easing the ball between the legs of Sevilla goalkeeper, Michael Rensing, and Liverpool had a 1-0 lead inside the first ten minutes. The Reds created a number of opportunities to extend the lead, with Harry Kewell, Alex Hleb and Malbranque particularly prominent, but Kevin Nolan must have left his shooting boots back on the Mersey as he failed to test Rensing on a number of occasions. Podolski was leading the lines with confidence but his long-range efforts never truly threatened Rensing.

Sevilla weathered the Liverpool storm thereafter and the clubs reached the interval with the score still reading 1-0 in favour of the English club. However, as expected, Sevilla came out looking more attacking in its outlook and Dudek did well on a number of occasions to deny the Spanish club its equaliser. Yet there was nothing the Polish goalkeeper could do to stop Sevilla equalising on 76 minutes. Yobo cleared the ball off the foot of Xisco from Ashley Cole’s long throw, but the ball fell nicely for substitute Jaimy Bakkenes, who without hesitation took a shot at Dudek’s goal. The ball grazed Yobo just slightly, but the deflection was enough to completely wrong-foot Dudek and the ball ended in the back of Liverpool’s net.

Liverpool changed formation, bringing on Djibril Cisse for Sebastian Kehl, in the search of a deserved winner, but Sevilla held out to ensure that both clubs took a point from the opening game in Group H.

My debut game as manager of Liverpool is also my introduction to European football. With only a light training session in Spain, just to blow out some cobwebs from the flight to the Continent from Liverpool, it’s difficult to work out which is my best eleven and I’m curtailed by slight injuries to Djibril Cisse and Michael Owen, which means that Podolski is my lone striker by default. I rely heavily on my assistant managers to help with team selection.

However, having seen my players at close quarters in a competitive match for the first time, I was very impressed with the capabilities of Kewell and Malbranque down the flanks, while Hleb was also very creative in midfield. Unfortunately, Kevin Nolan will need to do a lot better than tonight to ensure that he has a place in my midfield going forward. I already hold the view that Nolan is not the class of player that should be playing at Liverpool and he did himself no favours by spraying 80% of his shots well off-target.

We can go back to England to prepare for our match against Bolton Wanderers, struggling hard against relegation, happy with the point but disappointed that we didn’t take all three, which is what we deserved, really.

Sevilla (4-4-2): Rensing; Cole, Rodriguez, Van Buyten, Michel Salgado (Sanz 73); Xisco, Casquero ©, Farinos, Jesus Navas (Bakkenes 60); Antonito (Aganzo 60), Aranda.

Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Dudek; Riise, Hyppia ©, Yobo, Carragher; Kehl (Cisse 74); Kewell, Hleb, Nolan (Broich 62), Malbranque; Podolski.

Final score: Sevilla 1:1 Liverpool

MoM – Xisco

The other game, between Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Bregenz finished in a 2-2 draw. Legia Warsaw, the other club in our group, was not active on this match day.

[Dixie Flatline]

18th of October 2008

Coventry’s woes continue following my departure, being on the wrong end of a 5-1 hammering at the hands of Everton at Goodison Park.

19th of October 2008

Premier League – Game 11: Bolton v Liverpool

Liverpool scores first win under new manager

A comfortable 3-0 win over relegation struggler Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium gave new Liverpool manager, Senor Dixie Flatline, something to smile about in the post-match press conference.

As soon as Belarusian international midfielder Aliaksandr Hleb put the Reds in front on 12 minutes, Liverpool seemed destined to win this game. Harry Kewell took the ball from one flank to the other on a mazy run, dragging his marker with him and opening up plenty of space behind him. The Australian passed the ball in-board to Kevin Nolan who quickly spotted the unmarked Hleb, and from 25 yards, the Belarusian let fly with an unstoppable shot that rippled the back of the Bolton net.

Liverpool’s second goal arrived on 41 minutes and was the model of simplicity. Jamie Carragher, at right back, cut out a Bolton sortie forward and cushioned his header nicely for the advantage of Steed Malbranque. The French international spotted the run of Brazilian Julio Baptista and curled a magnificent through-ball that left the Bolton defenders no chance. Baptista coolly measured the angles and slotted his shot past the Bolton goalkeeper, notwithstanding the presence of Spanish defender Oleguer.

Senor Flatline substituted Baptista at half-time as a precaution against a knock the Brazilian picked up in the first half and his replacement, Lukas Podolski, had a magnificent second half, culminating in Liverpool’s third and final goal of the afternoon on 74 minutes. Riise ripped the ball away from Foy in the Bolton half of the pitch and passed in-board to Podolski. The German flicked the ball right to Thomas Broich, a substitute for Harry Kewell, who immediately threaded a through-ball to the advantage of the German striker. Podolski had no issues in beating the Bolton keeper at the near post and celebrated a great goal with his teammates.

After the match, Senor Flatline said: “That was a satisfying result for us. Taking three points against a relegation struggler is sometimes a difficult affair, and our nerves were settled by Hleb’s goal on 12 minutes. We probably made some heavy weather of our we approached the game after that, and I’m sure that there are quite a few areas of improvement left in us. Nonetheless, we played some good football and I don’t think that there would be many here today that would say we were not worth the win, or the scoreline.â€

Bolton manager, David O’Leary said: “Clearly we were beaten by a better side on the day and we need to embark on some soul searching after this game to ensure that we’re not sucked further into a relegation scrap. Liverpool are a team on the improve and we need to emulate their philosophy in order to give ourselves the best opportunity of securing survival this season.â€

The final score probably reflected the opportunities we created for ourselves yet, as I watched the game unfold before me, I felt that there are still many areas where we can improve. I am not particularly satisfied with the quality of our midfielders, particularly Kevin Nolan who I believe wastes too many opportunities. Baptista and Podolski worked very well, though not in tandem, and I’m going to have some selection issues when Cisse and Owen are fully fit. I also believe that I’m going to need Chris Kirkland fit as soon as possible because I do not believe that Jerzy Dudek merits the goalkeeper’s jersey any more. He was somewhat flat-footed when Bolton attacked and was saved by the width of a post on one occasion. We will receive a stern test next weekend, because we host Newcastle United at New Anfield on Saturday afternoon.

Bolton (4-4-2): Jaaskelainen; Gardner, Ben-Haim ©, Oleguer, Delaney (inj 89); Foy, Di Siena, Kelly (Etherington 60), Ferrarese (Dobie 60); Javi Guerrero, Davies (Mitchell 72).

Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Dudek; Riise, Hyppia ©, Agger, Carragher; Tainio; Kewell (Broich 67), Hleb (D’Alessandro 78), Nolan, Malbranque; Baptista (Podolski 45).

Final score; Bolton 0:3 Liverpool

MoM – Lukas Podolski

The victory lifts us into the top ten (ninth, to be precise) and we still have a game in hand over most of our closest rivals.

[Dixie Flatline]

20th of October 2008

Hyppia, Carragher, Tainio and Podolski all feature in the Premier League Team of the Week.

21st of October 2008

Our chances of defeating Newcastle are dealt a blow when Harry Kewell is ruled out for a week after slightly damaging his foot during training.

24th of October 2008

Our midfield is weakened further when Aliaksandr Hleb is sidelined for a week with a damaged neck muscle. In the meantime, Newcastle had tuned up for its clash with us by thrashing my old club Coventry 3-0 in the third round of the Coca-Cola Cup.

25th of October 2008

Premier League – Game 12: Liverpool v Newcastle United

Under-strength Reds defeat in-form Magpies in a thriller

Liverpool, still coming to terms with the new management style of Senor Dixie Flatline, fired four goals past Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given, to bring the Magpies back to the pack and put Liverpool within striking distance of a European Champions’ League berth.

Liverpool, missing Harry Kewell and Aliaksandr Hleb through injury, brought back Joseph Yobo and Anthony Le Tallec, whilst Lukas Podolski was given the opportunity to start the game as Djibril Cisse sat on the bench. Liverpool should have opened the scoring inside the first ten minutes when the referee, Mr Steve Bennett, whistled for a penalty after finding that Podolski had been pushed inside the penalty box by defender Steven Taylor. However, Le Tallec failed to beat Shay Given and also failed to hit the target with a header as Malbranque collected the ball and sent in a cross.

The match remained goalless at half-time, but exploded into life three minutes into the second half. Le Tallec sent over his corner for Kevin Nolan to crash a bullet-like header past the unsighted Shay Given to give Liverpool the advantage. On 66 minutes, Cisse scored a contender for goal of the season as he collected Baptista’s pass deep in his own half of the pitch and dribbled the full length, including nutmegging Steven Taylor, before placing his shot past the outstretched fingertips of Given to make it 2-0.

But a foul committed inside the Liverpool penalty box by Kevin Nolan on Amdy Faye gave Mark van Bommel the opportunity to halve the deficit on 70 minutes, and the Newcastle captain duly dispatched the penalty past Jerzy Dudek. The gift goal galvanised Newcastle and they were soon on level terms with Liverpool as Andy Reid found acres of space down Newcastle’s left flank to send in a cross to the near corner where Shola Ameobi beat his marker and powered his header past Dudek.

With 15 minutes left to play, the game could have gone either way. There were five minutes left in the game when Thomas Broich passed the ball down the line to Cisse, who headed for the by-line and curled a low cross into the Newcastle penalty box. Before anybody could react, Brazilian forward Julio Baptista tapped the ball into the net, with Given unable to reach the shot and suddenly Liverpool was back in the lead. Liverpool made the points safe in injury time when Teemu Tainio cut out a desperate Newcastle foray and sent the ball forward to Cisse. The French international striker, played on-side by Matteo Ferrari, took the ball towards Given’s goal and from an acute angle, curled his shot into the top far corner of Newcastle’s net to send his teammates and the home crowd into rapture.

After the game, Senor Flatline paid tribute to his French striker: “Djibril Cisse was magnificent today. He took the opportunities that he made for himself, and he also made one of the other goals we scored today. In the form that he is in, we’re confident that we can take on and beat any club in England today. It was a superb performance.â€

Signor Gianluca Vialli said: “That was a great game for the neutral to watch, but as manager of Newcastle, I can tell you that there are a lot of gutted players back in the dressing room. We gave up two goals and did well to fight our way back to level terms. With 15 minutes to play, the match could have gone our way, but Liverpool made the important chance that we weren’t good enough to stop and that was that. Cisse’s goal at the end of the game was the goal of a supreme striker at the top of his form and there was nothing really that we could have done about that goal. We need to remember that we’re in second place and that there is still much to play for this season. We’ll bounce back.â€

Having seen a penalty gone begging and then a 2-0 lead wiped out with 15 minutes to play, I thought we had done our dash of winning this game. However, the players responded magnificently to the challenge set for them by seeing the lead evaporate to score two further goals and to record what was, in the end, a fairly convincing victory. Cisse was, of course, the difference between the two clubs. Although Podolski had done a good job in the first half, including winning the penalty that Le Tallec had spurned, it was clear that once he was on, Cisse was unstoppable. With Michael Owen still to return, I’m going to have a difficulty handling all three strikers, who each have a claim upon the position to lead the lines.

Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Dudek; Riise, Hyppia ©, Yobo, Carragher; Tainio; Le Tallec (Broich 76), Baptista, Nolan, Malbranque (D’Alessandro 86); Podolski (Cisse 62).

Newcastle United (4-4-2): Given; Edman ©, Ferrari, Taylor, Carr; Gonzalez (Jarvis 70), Faye, Gilberto (van Bommel 64), Ambrose (Reid 67); Forssell, Ameobi.

Final score: Liverpool 4:2 Newcastle United

MoM – Julio Baptista

[Dixie Flatline]

26th of October 2008

Things were going from bad to worse for my former club, Coventry, losing 2-0 in a televised game to Manchester City. Going into the game, City had been 19th but the three points brought them out of the relegation zone. Coventry was in 15th.

In the Championship, Brighton is definitely in a relegation battle, being just one point and one place above the trapdoor. Sheffield Wednesday is faring much better, being third and two points behind second-placed Hull.

27th of October 2008

Sami Hyppia, Julio Baptista and Djibril Cisse are all part of the Team of the Week.

30th of October 2008

UEFA Cup, Group H – Game 2: Liverpool v Maccabi Tel-Aviv

A pleasing 7-0 win to kick-start our campaign, after drawing 1-1 with Sevilla in the first match day. I decided to go for a much more attacking line-up against an inferior opponent, so I switch to a 4-1-3-2 formation, with Lukas Podolski and Djibril Cisse paired up front and Michael Owen on the bench. In midfield, I use Steed Malbranque on the left, Julio Baptista through the middle and Anthony Le Tallec on the right, while Sebastian Kehl earns a start as the defensive midfielder. Carl Medjani comes in for the rested Joseph Yobo.

We open the scoring in the tenth minute when Malbranque has acres of space down the left flank to tease a cross into the box and Podolski out-muscles his opponent to head powerfully past the Israeli club’s goalkeeper. Our second goal comes 8 minutes later when the goalkeeper commits an awful howler. Le Tallec’s shot, from within 10 yards of the half-way line, should have been grasped by any competent goalkeeper, but our opponent only succeeds in pushing it into the path of Steed Malbranque, and the French winger calmly and gleefully sticks it in an unguarded net. Our opponents never recover and Podolski has his second goal on 30 minutes when Julio Baptista cleverly flicks Sami Hyppia’s pass into the path of the German who has no compunction in thrashing it past the Israeli goalkeeper.

The half-time score of 3-0 is extended to 4-0 when we win a penalty just before the hour mark and Sebastian Kehl has no difficulty in converting the penalty. With time running out, we score three goals in the space of five minutes. The first comes on 88 minutes when substitute Michael Owen reaches the by-line unhindered by an Israeli defender, meaning he has sufficient time to pick out Anthony Le Tallec. The French winger beats the Israeli goalkeeper at his near post to make it 5-0. Then substitute Kevin Nolan scores twice in the space of three minutes. His first goal arrives in the early stages of injury time, thanks to a searing drive teed up by a pass from John Arne Riise. Michael Owen creates the opportunity for Nolan to score his second goal in the 93rd minute, almost from the same spot – right at the edge of the penalty box. Shortly thereafter, the referee blows time on a thumping 7-0 win to Liverpool, sending the vast majority of the spectators home very happy.

Liverpool (4-1-3-2): Dudek; Riise, Hyppia ©, Medjani, Carragher; Kehl; Malbranque (D’Alessandro 76), Baptista (Nolan 61), Le Tallec; Cisse, Podolski (Owen 61).

Maccabi Tel-Aviv (4-4-2): Eleven amateur Israelis.

Final score: Liverpool 7:0 Maccabi Tel-Aviv

MoM – Julio Baptista

Sevilla does the business over Legia Warsaw 1-0, so we top the group on goal difference from our Spanish rival. Courtesy of their 1-1 draw on the first match day, Bregenz is third, followed by Maccabi Tel-Aviv. Legia Warsaw, with a game in hand, brings up the rear on 0 points so far.

The night was a very good tune-up for a much tougher assignment coming up next on our agenda – a trip to London and a game against Tottenham Hotspurs, who are one place behind us on the Premier League ladder.

1st of November 2008

Having been in the job less than three weeks, my meeting with Liverpool’s board of directors, chaired by chairman, Mr David Moores, is relatively short and cordial, as they emphasise that they look forward to a long and successful era under my management. The Football Association has determined that Sami Hyppia is the runner up in the player of the month, while Djibril Cisse’s second goal against Newcastle United is the third best goal of the month. Thierry Henry took out top prize in both categories.

With that out of the way, it’s time to concentrate on our forthcoming game against Spurs.

[Dixie Flatline]

1st of November 2008

Having seen Coventry fall 3-1 to Southampton at St Mary's Stadium, my former boss, Mr Mike McGinnity presents Coventry's new boss to the media today. Taking the reigns at the Jaguar Arena is former Bolton and Liverpool manager, Mr Sam Allardyce, who is charged with the challenging task of restoring Coventry's pride in itself and arresting a form slump that has seen the club score only two goals since I left and concede more than 10 goals. I don't envy Sam his job.

2nd of November 2008

Premier League - Game 13: Tottenham Hotspurs v Liverpool

Today's game underscores my feeling about the squad. Due to the exertions against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in mid-week, I'm forced to rest a number of key players. Therefore, players like D'Alessandro, Broich and Nolan are given starts when I don't think that they're best 11 material. Kewell is back in full training, and Hleb will resume full training tomorrow, but they're not fit enough to take part. To be truthful, that could be said about quite a few of our team.

Spurs are a hard-working outfit and they try to take advantage of our leaden legs by running us off our feet through slick passing. It's no wonder that they create the better opportunities and Jerzy Dudek rolls back the years to keep the game scoreless through the first half, though it's not for lack of trying by the Spurs players. I'm forced at the interval to replace D'Alessandro with Riise. The young Italian full-back is clearly hampered by a knock he took in the first half and, although I wanted to rest Riise, we would be a better team in the second half with the Norweigan playing and the Italian off the ground.

We look a better team in the early stages of the second half and create some useful opportunities of our own, but Nolan fails to have his radar adjusted for the conditions and continuously fails to make the keeper work for his clean sheet bonus. In disgust, I decide to take him off at the hour mark, along with Podolski, who is feeling the effects of two games in the space of four days. Le Tallec and Cisse replace them. However, the match is decided in the last seven minutes when Scott Parker and Robbie Keane work the ball down Spurs' left flank, opening up acres of space in to which Alvaro Novo ghosts and the Spaniard gleefully lashes his drive past a despairing Dudek to make the score 1-0. Novo's goal is sufficient to decide the outcome of today's game and I suffer my first loss as Liverpool's manager.

Tottenham Hotspurs (4-4-2): Lastuvka; Ziegler, Wright (Simpson 60), Madlung, Ifil; Downing (Bunjevcevic 60), Carrick ©,

Parker, Davies (Novo 70); Keane, Defoe.

Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Dudek; D'Alessandro (Riise 45), Hyppia ©, Yobo, Carragher; Tainio; Malbranque, Baptista, Nolan

(Le Tallec 60), Broich; Podolski (Cisse 60).

Final score: Tottenham Hotspurs 1:0 Liverpool

MoM - Stewart Downing

[Dixie Flatline]

8th of November 2008

It's a weekend for international friendlies. Melvin Mukrab earns his first cap for the Dutch in a 2-0 win over Ireland. Jerzy Dudek is on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline as his Poland lose to Serbia & Montenegro. As instructed, Joseph Yobo played the first half as Nigeria drew 1-1 with Austria.

Similarly, Harry Kewell only played the first half, but he scored as Australia defeated the Maldives 2-0. John Arne Riise also played just the first half, with Norway losing 2-1 to Portugal.

Sami Hyppia had an unimpressive 45 minutes for Finland, but they were good enough to defeat Slovenia 3-0. Steed Malbranque and Djibril Cisse both played the first half for France, with Cisse scoring for Les Bleus, but it was not enough to see off Croatia, who triumphed 2-1.

12th of November 2008

John Arne Riise played the first half in Norway's 3-1 win over Northern Ireland in Belfast. Jerzy Dudek kept a clean sheet for Poland as they defeated San Marino 3-0. Harry Kewell played a half for Australia in their 2-1 win over Bahrain. France suffered a 3-1 loss to Denmark with Djibril Cisse and Steed Malbranque playing the first half only. Melvin Mukrab was awarded the man of the match as Holland defeated Cameroon 2-0.

[Dixie Flatline]

15th of November 2008

Premier League - Game 14: Liverpool v Birmingham

Going in to the game today, we're sitting in eleventh position, just one place higher than our opponent. I decide to go with a more attacking formation, so I switch the players into a 4-1-3-2 formation. With Harry Kewell and Aliaksandr Hleb back to full fitness, I have some tough decisions to make regarding the personnel. I'm also hamstrung by an injury during the training to Jamie Carragher, which means that I promote Paul McShane from the reserves to fill in at right back. In the end, I decide to name Kewell, Julio Baptista and Steed Malbranque as a trio, ahead of Sebastian Kehl at the anchor midfield role. Djibril Cisse and Michael Owen are named as the strikers, with Lukas Podolski and Aliaksandr Hleb on the bench (along with Anthony Le Tallec, Carl Medjani and Melvin Mukrab).

The more attacking lineup is rewarded with more attacking play and we have the ball in Birmingham's goal on 6 minutes courtesy Steed Malbranque. But the referee correctly calls the goal off, finding that Malbranque had infringed Simpson in the act of scoring, so the goal doesn't count. We don't let that deter us and we continue to attack Birmingham's goal, eventually for some reward on 41 minutes. Malbranque's corner is headed away, but the French international winger picks up possession and finds a completely unmarked Michael Owen in the penalty box. That's not a situation conducive for not conceding a goal and the English international striker does not hesitate in lashing a scoring drive past the Birmingham goalkeeper, Mark Grant. A minute into injury time at the end of the first half, and we double our lead. Malbranque's cross from the right flank finds an unmarked Cisse and the French striker is left with a relatively simple finish to lift our spirits nicely at the interval.

17th of November 2008

Steed Malbranque is Liverpool's sole representative in the Team of the Week.

18th of November 2008

Sandor Torghelle's agent again approaches me, hawking video of his client playing for Burnley in League One. If I didn't want to sign him for Coventry, what makes him think I would sign him for Liverpool. I don't bother watching the video compilation.

[Dixie Flatline]

19th of November 2008

Julio Baptista is a second half substitute for Brazil and caps a good evening for the Samba Boys, scoring their fourth goal in injury time at the end of the game, as they trounce Uruguay 4-0 in Rio.

Young attacking midfielder Chris Campbell agrees to a move to Southampton in a transfer that will net Liverpool 825,000 pounds, plus a sell-on clause.

20th of November 2008

UEFA Cup - Group H, Game 3: Bregenz v Liverpool

I expect nothing less than three points against the Austrians and Aliaksandr Hleb's goal on 5 minutes sets us on our way. The goal arrives on 5 minutes when Hleb dodges a half-hearted tackle and drives into the penalty box before letting rip with a drive that beats Bregenz's keeper at the near post. That seems to provoke the goalkeeper into playing decidedly well. We pepper him with a number of shots from that point onwards - Djibril Cisse and his half-time replacement, Lukas Podolski, are in particular denied by a string of good saves - but with Bregenz failing to really trouble Jerzy Dudek, a second goal is just a matter of time. Substitute Anthony Le Tallec delivers it with almost embarrassing ease on 84 minutes. We put pressure on the Bregenz defence and their hurried clearance is coolly picked off by Sami Hyppia. The veteran Finnish defender realises that Le Tallec has been played onside by a Bregenz defender but is only five yards out from goal. Le Tallec cannot miss and we have our second and final goal of the game.

Bregenz (4-4-2): Pichler; Berger, Schwarz (Wallner 28), Krenn (Schenk 71), Krautschitz; Wager, Hofer, Morgenstern ©, Hoffmann; Kocever, Weber (Gasser 45).

Liverpool (4-1-3-2): Dudek; Riise, Yobo, Hyppia ©, D'Alessandro; Kehl; Kewell (Le Tallec 61), Hleb (Nolan 61), Malbranque; Cisse (Podolski 45), Owen.

Final score: Bregenz 0:2 Liverpool

MoM - Michael Owen

The win comes at a cost, with D'Alessandro picking up a knock to his shoulder that will keep him out of action for five days. He picked up the knock after I had made my last set of substitutions, so I couldn't replace him. Unfortunately, the Merseyside derby is our next game, and D'Alessandro is not likely to be available to play. He was playing for the injured Jamie Carragher and his recovery may not have been completed by kick-off. I might have some troubles filling the right back role.

[Dixie Flatline]

23rd of November 2008

Premier League - Game 15: Everton v Liverpool

Liverpool hammers Everton 6-0 to whitewash the Merseyside derby

Just over 40,000 spectators at Goodison Park witnessed a one-sided thrashing as a hat-trick from French international striker Djibril Cisse, plus goals to Aliaksandr Hleb, Julio Baptista and Harry Kewell, engineered Liverpool's massive thrashing of fierce cross-town rival Everton.

Hleb opened the scoring on 7 minutes when he received a cute pass from Australian winger Kewell, who had dribbled down the left channel before turning in his cross. Hleb beat Everton goalkeeper Axel Keller at his near post with a shot, in hindsight, the Toffees keeper could have done more to prevent crossing the line. Kewell and Hleb then combined on 17 minutes to set up Cisse for his first goal of the afternoon as Liverpool hit Everton on the counterattack. Riise broke up an Everton set piece and headed the ball to Cisse, who spread it wide to Kewell. Given licence to run, Kewell attacked the Everton defence, dragging players away from their positions, before slipping it to Hleb. The Belarusian spotted Cisse's run into a dangerous position and from 10 yards, the French striker could not miss.

The scoreline remained 2-0 to Liverpool at the half-time interval, and it would be another ten minutes before it changed. Julio Baptista curled a dangerous drive at Keller's goal, and the keeper could only parry the ball in front of him. Before any Everton defender could react, Cisse, who had laid on the original opportunity for Baptista, pounced and placed the ball in the unguarded net for his second goal of the afternoon. Cisse completed his hat-trick on 62 minutes courtesy of another textbook demonstration of counter-attacking football. Liverpool were being pressed by Everton but cleared the ball out of its danger zone. Substitute Anthony Le Tallec passed the ball forward to Cisse, who spotted the unmarked Harry Kewell coming down the left channel. The Australian kept possession until Cisse was through on goal, but played onside by both Justin Hoyte and Alessandro Pistone. The French striker took possession of Kewell's pass and easily drove it home past a hapless Keller.

The punishment was not yet complete, however. On 66 minutes, another Everton move was quickly quelled and Le Tallec's defence-splitting pass was perfectly placed for Julio Baptista to run on to. The Brazilian international made no mistake in adding Liverpool's fifth goal of the afternoon. Harry Kewell completed the nightmare afternoon for Everton when his snap-shot was deflected in off Keller on 77 minutes, but by then most of the home supporters had already left Goodison Park in disgust, with the cheers and jeers of the Liverpool supporters ringing in their ears.

It was an afternoon that neither set of supporters would forget in a hurry.

After the game, Everton manager, Herr Jupp Heynckes, told the media: "Clearly, what we served to our fans today was unacceptable. We failed to create any meaningful chances to test Dudek in goal for Liverpool and we defended very poorly. We must and shall improve."

Senor Dixie Flatline, Liverpool's manager, was jubilant: "A derby is always full of passion and today was no exception. The way we quelled the crowd with the early goal was key to setting up this victory, as I know that games with such passion and rivalry often involve the home crowd as a 'twelfth man', so to speak. Cisse this afternoon was tremendous, as was Harry Kewell and, in fact, most of our players. We played very well as a team and we closed out the match in style. I was concerned after our UEFA Cup game that we wouldn't have the petrol in the tank to take on such a match so soon after playing away from home in Europe, but it's a testament to the fitness of the players that they were able to come to such a hostile environment and play so well. I'm very pleased with today's performance but, in the end, it is three points and we must look forward to the next game."

What a tremendous victory! It was definitely celebrated by the players in the rooms afterwards, though I gently remind them that they need to focus on our next game as quickly as possible - home to Manchester City next Saturday. This is not the time for complacency, as we move into sixth position on the ladder and a tilt at perhaps Champions League football next season.

Everton (4-4-2): Keller; Pistone, Gerrard (Gardner 62), Hoyte, Butterfield (Francis 56); Kilbane (inj 90), Cahill ©, Diarra, Osman; Fowler (Hopkins 56), Beattie.

Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Dudek; Riise, Hyypia ©, Yobo, McShane; Kehl; Kewell, Hleb (Podolski 67), Baptista, Malbranque (Le Tallec 45); Cisse (Owen 67).

Final score: Everton 0:6 Liverpool

MoM - Djibril Cisse

[Dixie Flatline]

24th of November 2008

The Premier League Team of the Week features Sami Hyypia, Harry Kewell, Julio Baptista, Anthony Le Tallec and Djibril Cisse.

After reading some press about the position of Dudek, I decide to release a media statement praising the Polish keeper for his recent work between the sticks for Liverpool. At his age, once Kirkland is back to full fitness, he shouldn't expect to be first choice, but he has been competent and is deserving of respect from the media.

27th of November 2008

It's our turn to sit out UEFA Cup action this evening. Bregenz defeats Legia Warsaw 2-0 in Warsaw, whilst Sevilla disposes of Maccabi Tel-Aviv 3-1 in Spain. We still top our group, albeit by significantly better goal difference, from Sevilla. Both our clubs are through to the next stage of the UEFA Cup. An eye-catching result comes from the Walkers Stadium, where four minutes of sheer brilliance sees Leicester City defeat Real Madrid 2-0 in front of some very happy Foxes supporters!

29th of November 2008

Premier League - Game 16: Liverpool v Manchester City

Liverpool goal glut continues unabated

The Reds, fresh from handing out a 6-0 drubbing to Everton last Sunday, followed up with another 6-0 whitewash of hapless Manchester City at New Anfield this afternoon, with four of those goals coming in the first half.

Senor Flatline tinkered with both playing personnel and tactics but it seemed to make no difference, with Steed Malbranque's corner being headed home with only 90 seconds elapsed by Sami Hyypia at the near corner. Liverpool, buoyed by the opening goal coming so quickly, continued to pile the pressure on Antonio Doblas' goal, making plenty of shooting opportunities but generally failing to hit the target. So the score remained 1-0 to Liverpool until the 31st minute. A forlorn forward thrust from City was cut out easily by Carl Medjani and the ball fell nicely for Hleb to run at the City defence. With players streaming forward in support, the Belarusian passed the ball right to Anthony Le Tallec, and the French winger had no hesitation in driving towards goal and beating Doblas with a powerful drive at his near post. Le Tallec's goal triggered an avalanche of goals, with Owen adding Liverpool's third goal on 35 minutes courtesy of a trademark drive placed in the far corner following Malbranque's cushioned header into the path of the England international. Owen doubled his output on 37 minutes when Djibril Cisse reached the by-line and cut the ball back into his path. A simple tap-in was all that was required.

The teams headed for the locker rooms at half-time with the score 4-0 and the match finished as a contest. The only interest in the second half was how many more goals could Liverpool add, and the answer to that question was 'two'. Julio Baptista came on as a substitute (along with Harry Kewell) on 62 minutes and had an immediate impact. The Brazilian international forward latched on to Pamarot's hurried clearance of Medjani's long ball and lashed a powerful, swerving drive that left Doblas with no chance, even though Baptista had taken the shot a clear 25 yards from goal. It was a stunning goal. His second, and Liverpool's sixth goal, was a much more measured affair, with the Brazilian flicking Malbranque's corner into the far corner of Doblas' net, with the Spanish goalkeeper standing surprised on his line. With four minutes to play, it was a fitting end to a day dominated from start to finish by Liverpool. Manchester City had not even managed to make one shooting opportunity in 90 minutes of football.

After the game, a forlorn Sammy Lee fronted the media: "That was a football lesson, make no mistake about it. In my view, given the way they played, I think that Liverpool could play - and defeat - anyone in this league easily. They have some great players and the goals that they made and scored were simply outstanding. We, unfortunately, had no answer to the questions Liverpool asked, and I'll be asking some questions of the players myself when we get back to Manchester."

Senor Flatline said: "I took the opportunity today to play some players that haven't had a lot of first team football recently, and to rest some players who needed a little break. I also tinkered with the formation to test our players' capacity to adapt to changing circumstances. As you can see from the final score, I am very pleased with the way we handled the challenge. Manchester City can be a dangerous team with some good players, and we were fortunate in a sense to have that early goal, which unbalanced the visitors. It's not easy sometimes to concede that goal and keep your focus, because the plans that you've devised for the game don't always take into account that early goal! But I congratulate our players on playing through the full 90 minutes and not letting up. In this league, you need to be ruthlessly efficient and today, we were. It's a good sign for the remaining matches this year."

Well, what can I say? I certainly didn't expect to be fronting the media after another 6-0 whitewash. I'll tell you what though - the last two games have been very handy for our goal difference. Although we are now fifth in the league, our goal difference is second best - only the league leader Chelsea has a better goal difference. As we reach the end of November 2008 and look forward to the glut of fixtures that marks the Christmas-New Year's period, those goals that we hammered home so memorably this afternoon might just push us over the line in the chase for a Champions' League spot next season. We have a full week to rest up and prepare for Southampton at St Mary's Stadium, so I hope that we can deliver another performance like we did today. It was good to get games in to the likes of McShane, Medjani, Le Tallec and Michael Owen, whilst I took the opportunity to rest Yobo and Kewell, who both have done a power of work in the last month or so. It'll keep them fresh and the others hungry for more.

Liverpool (4-1-3-2): Dudek; Carragher, Hyypia ©, Medjani, McShane; Kehl; Malbranque, Hleb (Baptista 62), Le Tallec (Kewell 62); Owen, Cisse (Riise 81).

Manchester City (4-4-2): Doblas; Nilsson, Boulahrouz, Pamarot, Lee-Matthews (Hartley 60); Sibierski (Richards 67), Diop, Brown (Barton 60), Flood ©; Vaz Te, Bowditch.

Final score: Liverpool 6:0 Manchester City

MoM - Michael Owen

After the game, Liverpool's chairman, Mr David Moores, could not restrain his emotions after the size of the drubbing we handed out to Manchester City.

I'm also advised that squad player David Raven has agreed to move to Millwall, meaning that we can bank 1.2 million pounds for the transfer.

[Dixie Flatline]

1st of December 2008

The monthly meeting with the board of directors of Liverpool, chaired by Mr Moores, is short and perfunctory, as they continue to wish me all the best as I adjust to managing one of the biggest clubs in England. With the transfer window set to reopen in a month, they ask me about my plans for the upcoming transfer period. Having observed the squad in close quarters for more than a month, I believe that we're a little short of quality depth in the flanks - particularly in the full-back area, with Riise and Carragher the stand-out first choice defenders. However, my physio is concerned that the number of games I'm asking Riise and Carragher to play will affect their fitness and he's advising me to rest them as much as possible. Unfortunately, their understudies are not cut out to play Premier League football regularly, so I'm loathe to trust them to the big matches. Hence, I'm keen to reinforce my defence. I'm also concerned that Harry Kewell is our stand-out left winger and if he's not available, then I'm forced to swap Malbranque to the left flank - which leaves us short on the right flank. Broich and Le Tallec are good, honest players, but they are not world beaters, and with the resources available to the likes of Manchester United and league leader, Chelsea, I need to improve that area.

If anything, I probably have too many attacking central midfielders and forwards, with the likes of Kevin Nolan, Alex Hleb, Julio Baptista and Lukas Podolski all having their chances to impress me in that role. So far, Nolan has probably ruled himself out of contention, but I probably have too many players for that one position and I could do with rationalising their numbers and putting the resources to better use elsewhere.

It's safe to say that it's going to be a busy month in the lead-up to 2009, in more ways than one.

For my efforts in the month of November, I'm named third in the race for manager of the month, with Monsieur Arsene Wenger taking the honours for November 2008. Julio Baptista also takes out second in the goal of the month award.

The FA draws the third round fixture list for the FA Cup and we avoid the big names early on, with a trip to Bristol City's Ashton Gate on the 3rd of January 2009.

6th of December 2008

Premier League - Game 17: Southampton v Liverpool

Cisse hat-trick powers Liverpool to fourth straight victory

A hat-trick from French international striker Djibril Cisse enabled Liverpool to record a fourth straight Premier League win over a determined Southampton. Cisse, operating as a lone striker this afternoon, scored his first goal when he took possession from Malbranque's short pass, turned his marker, van Damme and powered his drive into the far corner of Niemi's net on 17 minutes. Liverpool dominated proceedings thereafter, but found Niemi in rare form, determined not to let Liverpool build upon its lead and as the half wore on, the tension levels amongst the visiting team rose as they failed to add to their lead. But it was all for nought and at half-time, Liverpool led their unfancied opponent 1-0. Eleven minutes into the second half and Southampton had a deserved equaliser when Seric brought the ball deep into Liverpool territory before opening up the defence with a nice pass into the path of Wallis-Taylor. Rather than take the shot, Wallis-Taylor recognised Castelen rampaging down the right flank and, unmarked, the Southampton midfielder fired past Dudek to tie the scores at 1-1 apiece.

But Cisse then proceeded to assert his class upon the match and stamped it as his own. Two minutes later, from an almost impossible angle, the French international had his second goal of the game after exchanging passes with Harry Kewell. The French striker found the back of Niemi's net from the edge of the penalty box and level with the 6 yard box! It was a magnificent goal and ended Southampton's resistance. Cisse had his third on 66 minutes when he was on hand to turn in the rebound from Niemi's smother on Lukas Podolski's shot, following excellent work from Kewell and Tainio.

Senor Flatline substituted his star striker, bringing on Michael Owen to cause problems of a different kind to the Southampton defence and Owen almost added Liverpool's fourth goal when his drive from long range hit the bottom of the post and bounced out, rather than into the net.

Southampton made us work hard, although we don't help ourselves by missing some relatively easy opportunities. Niemi certainly earns his wage this afternoon but is still required to pick the ball out of his net three times, courtesy of a vintage performance from Cisse. His second goal was one of absolute skill and determination and is surely a contender for goal of the month, even this early in to December. I hope that his rich vein of goalscoring continues for a long time to come.

Southampton (4-4-2): Niemi; Richards (Noon 58), Van Damme, John-Baptiste, Albrechtsen; Seric ©, Wallis-Taylor, Lunt (Baird 67), Castelen; Rasiak, Burke (Ormerod 56).

Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Dudek; Carragher, Hyypia ©, Medjani, McShane; Tainio; Kewell (Riise 67), Baptista, Podolski (Hleb 85), Malbranque; Cisse (Owen 67).

Final score: Southampton 1:3 Liverpool

MoM - Djibril Cisse

After the game, I'm again congratulated by Liverpool's chairman on a good result. Although most of the league has to play later in the day and tomorrow, we're now up to third on the ladder, but still a fair way behind the leading pair of Chelsea and Arsenal.

[Dixie Flatline]

9th of December 2008

Paul McShane, Harry Kewell and Djibril Cisse are selected in the Premier League Team of the Week.

11th of December 2008

UEFA Cup, Group H - Game 4: Liverpool v Legia Warsaw

The fourth game of the group phase in the UEFA Cup won't alter the fact that we've already qualified for the next phase. However, we are level on points going into the game with Sevilla, so I would like to give ourselves the best chance of finishing on top of the ladder in our group and setting ourselves up nicely for the next match. With Paul McShane ineligible for selection, I'm forced to bring back John Arne Riise at left back, notwithstanding my physio's advice that he should be rested, as Jamie Carragher has to swap to the right side of defence. Although Chris Kirkland has resumed full training after his hip injury, I'm determined to allow him to come back to full fitness first, which means that Jerzy Dudek - who signed a contract extension (at reduced wages) during the week - retains the keeper's jersey for the game. Malbranque picked up a slight knock in training, so I take the precaution of resting him for the match, giving Thomas Broich an opportunity on the right flank. Unfortunately, there is no rest in sight for Harry Kewell.

The match is dominated completely by Liverpool and, in particular, Djibril Cisse and Lukas Podolski, who finish the game with a hat-trick apiece. Podolski strikes first when his sheer determination not to let Legia clear their lines easily allows him to win the ball from the Polish defender and lash home a powerful shot from close range with only 67 seconds elapsed. Cisse responds quickly, scoring his first goal of the game after just 4 minutes, courtesy of a fine ball from Julio Baptista that opens up the Legia defence like a tin of sardines. Legia pull a goal back on 18 minutes through a free kick that Dudek does not do enough to cover, but that's only a blip as we hit back on 27 minutes. Cisse loses his marker completely and is fed by Baptista once more. The French international has no issue in burying the ball in the corner of the Legia keeper's net to make it 3-1 and game over. In injury time at the end of the first half, Kewell's run down the left flank draws the Legia defenders to him and when Julio Baptista takes possession of his cross, the Brazilian tees up Podolski for a powerful drive into the middle of the net, and the German doesn't let him down.

The second half is a formality and Cisse wins the race to the hat-trick when he scores from the rebound from his partially blocked shot on 55 minutes. But, undeterred, Podolski completes his hat-trick just a few minutes later courtesy of a long-range effort that curled into the top corner of the Legia Warsaw net. An easy 6-1 win in the end.

Liverpool (4-1-4-1): Dudek; Riise, Hyypia ©, Medjani, Carragher; Tainio (Yobo 46); Kewell (D'Alessandro 60), Baptista, Podolski, Broich; Cisse (Nolan 60).

Legia Warsaw (4-4-2): Zaremba; Wlodarczyk, Duchnowski, Lech, Zawadzki; Mantorras (Kaczorowski 80), Szeliga (s/o 90), Majewski (Szewczyk 71), Wozniak (Giza 71); Madejski, Lukasik.

Final score: Liverpool 6:1 Legia Warsaw

MoM - Lukas Podolski

[Dixie Flatline]

12th of December 2008

I'm informed by UEFA that Liverpool will play Bregenz in the first knock-out round of the UEFA Cup. The draw for the second round is also held this evening and it appears that the winner of our tie will proceed to a game against either Real Sociedad or CSKA (Sofia).

14th of December 2008

Premier League - Game 18: Liverpool v West Bromwich Albion

We're not as polished this afternoon against lowly West Brom, but we nevertheless get the job done with a comfortable 3-0 victory. All the goals come in the second half, with Sebastian Kehl putting us on our way courtesy of a magical 25 yard strike which curled through the air and gave the West Brom keeper no chance. On 76 minutes, Cisse doubles our lead when he flicks Le Tallec's short pass over the fingertips of the West Brom keeper and into the net. Substitute Julio Baptista finalises proceedings two minutes from full time when he hits home Kewell's cross from 12 yards. West Bromwich are so overawed by proceedings that they don't even register a shot at target (whether on target or not) and their fortunes were not assisted by an injury to striker Jon Macken in the first half, courtesy of a strong (but fair) tackle from Kehl.

Liverpool (4-1-3-2): Dudek; Carragher, Hyypia ©, Medjani, McShane; Kehl; Malbranque (Kewell 70), Hleb (Baptista 77), Le Tallec; Owen, Cisse.

West Bromwich Albion (3-5-2): Esteban; Labonte (Dyer 61), Gaardsoe, Doherty ©; Clement, Bowyer, Koumas, Landzaat, Sun Jihai (Davenport 61); Hodges, Macken (Bradshaw 37).

Final score: Liverpool 3:0 West Bromwich Albion

MoM - Aliaksandr Hleb

Our 11th win from 18 league games pushes us into fourth position, with a game in hand, just a point behind Manchester United. Chelsea and Arsenal are in a two-horse race for the championship even though we've only just reached the half-way point of the season.

[Dixie Flatline]

15th of December 2008

Ahead of our clash in 48 hours, Charlton boss Peter Taylor tells the press that he admires my work with Liverpool and hopes that the best team prevails when we face off at New Anfield. I decide to reciprocate the public affectation of admiration, telling the Liverpool Echo that I believe that Charlton would do well to hold on to Taylor for as long as possible because he is such a talented manager.

17th of December 2008

Premier League - Game 19: Liverpool v Charlton Athletic

The half-way point of the league campaign is reached with another comfortable victory, this time by four goals to nil. In reality, Charlton never stood a chance in the form that my players are currently exhibiting, even allowing for the rotation of players to give some of the more seasoned campaigners a rest before we hit the busy Christmas-New Years part of the season.

We commence the avalanche on 9 minutes when my stand-in captain, Sebastian Kehl, taps in following a scramble in the Charlton box following Malbranque's accurate corner. Kehl then takes the ball off the toe of a Charlton player when they try to break clear from a throw-in and gives the ball to Le Tallec. The French midfielder quickly puts the ball ahead of Podolski and although the German is rapidly narrowing the angles by taking the ball to the byline to escape the attention of the Charlton defender, he nevertheless finds sufficient space between the far post and the goalkeeper to squeeze it home for our second goal on 38 minutes.

Our lead becomes 3-0 on 48 minutes when Yobo takes clean possession from a Charlton set-piece and plays a delightful through-ball which is perfectly weighted for Julio Baptista, playing today as a striker, to run on to and take possession. The Brazilian leads his marker into the box and before the goalkeeper has the opportunity to close the angles, he rifles a powerful drive into the far corner, ending the contest (such as it is). Just for good measure, Le Tallec heads home Malbranque's corner on 56 minutes and it's a final scoreline of 4-0.

Pleasing for me to see, however, is the return of Chris Kirkland in goal for Liverpool. This is the first real opportunity he has had since I joined the club as manager for him to impress me and while Dudek has done a good job, it's clear that Kirkland is the no. 1 keeper at this club. He makes a number of good saves and is vocal and supportive of his defence (particularly important in the absence of our captain, Hyypia). It's good to see him come through the 90 minutes unscathed.

Liverpool (4-1-3-2): Kirkland; Carragher, Yobo, Medjani, McShane; Kehl ©; Malbranque, Nolan, Le Tallec (Kewell 67); Baptista (Owen 67), Podolski.

Charlton Athletic (4-4-2): Zieler; Vaughan, Hreidarsson ©, Leacock, Cole; Thomas, Kishishev, Antar, Pennant (Young 69); Earnshaw (O'Brien 56), Lisbie (Elliott 56).

Final score: Liverpool 4:0 Charlton Athletic

MoM - Sebastian Kehl

[tenthreeleader]

Welcome back! Gotta catch up now.

[Richey]

Yay!!! Woohoo!!!!