A great day for Liverpool fans

Great day in Balla!


Walter Tuffy
Red

PASSING by Balla on a glorious Spring morning last Sunday, I happened upon a family on their way home from service. The father was sporting a Liverpool away strip, and gave me a clenched fist salute when he spotted my regalia. And so it was sorted. Balla it would be for the afternoon to watch the match.
Apprehension was quickly followed by dread as the hostelry to which I ventured was full of middle-aged gentlemen in their best Sunday going to Mass’ clothes. This could only mean one thing – Mancs. And there was plenty of them. Needless to say, the Dutch courage that flowed from the taps was needed as appropriate roars at the television ensured my presence was felt.
The match itself was fairly high-octane stuff – as you would expect – but in the end, Pepe Reina had very little to do.
Be of no doubt, this a a very poor Man United team. I know, I know, it’s a very poor ‘top-of-the-table’ Man United team, but football people know rubbish when they see it, and the Mancs have plenty of average players in their line-up.
The fact that they will probably go on and win the league is a mystery, but then again, Stoke are 12th with an even more primitive style of football.
The January window saw our hero Fernando leave to chase the pound. Even though the rebuttal was hard to take at first, it might turn out to be a magnificent piece of business in the end, Certainly Luis Suarez seems up to it, and the huge gamble on Andy Carroll might also look rather tame when we see what the Chavs, Mancs and City do in the summer, as all three will spend big.
The Chavs and the Mancs need same serious rebuilding, whereas City will just keep spending as they possess a bottomless purse. Looking at Torres’s displays for the Chavs so far, it seems his supposed petulance at Anfield has followed him to London. That other money-grabber, Rooney, also looks out of sorts. City must be thanking their lucky stars that little Wayne had a change of heart, kissed (the badge) and made up.
The arrival of Kenny Dalglish has certainly seen a huge improvement in Liverpool’s fortunes, with the drubbing by West Ham the only real bump in an otherwise smooth road. The defeat of the Chavs was earned with little sweat, and our progress in Europe – while not spectacular – is also well on track.
In fact, Liverpool and City might be the only English teams to make an impact in Europe this year, as the Spanish sides in the Champions League look much superior. But I suppose it will be all down to the draw, and if Barcelona can be avoided, who knows who will end up at Wembley?
The title race is going to be a tight affair, with Arsenal best placed with an apparently ‘easier’ run-in than their opponents. But they lack steel, a Tony Adams-style character, whereas the new Wimbledon have plenty of Dennis Wises in their armoury, and I fear that this will be the telling factor when push comes to shove.
Meanwhile, the battle for fourth will be equally hard to call. Tottenham will not be easily swept aside by the big spenders – City and Chelsea.
Both Tottenham and City have to come to Anfield yet, so if slip-ups happen, then we are in a position to profit from them. Here’s hoping.