Riise!!!

Holy smoke. The man who recently received of a hit in the legs by a golf club by Craig Belamy – John Arne Riise -  just put Liverpool up 2-1.

If this continues i suggest Liverpool have some sort of Golf club swing down every week.

Gone Tomorrow, Hero Today.

Last week, Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy hits hit teammate John Arne Riise in the legs with a golf club.

He’s to be fined, and accounts say his future with the club is “uncertain”.

(No pun on club intended.)

Today, however, Craig Bellamy just scored to tie Barcelona 1-1. The game is still going on, but i’m sure Liverpool supporters won’t be as sad to hear that the club wielding goon has given Liverpool life in the Champion’s League.

Crouch and Turkey.

Just want to admit that Peter Crouch did okay the other day when he scored two against Galatasaray for Liverpool in the Champion’s League.

Liverpool won 3-2 in Turkey, which you might think ought to count for something in light of all the “welcome to hell” banners, flares, and flying goat innerds you’d expect around that Galatasaray stadium in Istanbul.

But Liverpool didn’t play their game at that infamous Galatasaray Stadium – Ali Sami Yen.

The Champion’s League game was played at Ataturk Olympic Stadium.

Here’s something that doesn’t make sense to me.

Galatasaray (I’ve just learned how to spell it correctly – You can too. Just sound it out and then keep hitting “a” between the consonants. It gets really fun after a while.) have this advantage of playing in a stadium that supposidly is the most intimidating in Europe.

And yet, what have Galatasaray done this year? They’ve booked their Champion’s League games in friendlier confines. And, if you believe the hype, anything is friendlier confines than the “hellish” Ali Sami Yen. And, in doing so, have given their opponents a little advantage.
So yes, even though they stormed back to lose 3-2, I’d argue that Galatasaray lost something when they decided not to hold their games at “home.”

Returning to Crouch, sure the scissor kick against Galatasaray looked impressive – but he did nothing against Bolton earlier today.
Kuyt is for real. That is all.

The Derby (dar-bee)

It’s taken me a while to accept what happened.

Liverpool lost 3-0 (that’s three – nil for the purists out there) to cross-town rivals Everton on Saturday.

Not growing up in Liverpool or anything, and being a fan come lately. (As in i’ve only followed the team from the time  when my friend Andrew brought me a jersey back from Liverpool in 1997. Then in 1998 the phenomenum of Michael Owen solidified my allegiance… anyhow i digress)…

what i was going to say was, i know i’m supposed to hate Everton as a Liverpool fan, but there’s been a couple of things i’ve liked over the years. Actually, only two:
1. John Collins. The scottish mid-fielder who played most of his games in France, but he also had a stint for Everton. And

2. Tomasz Radzinski. Yes, i was always happy to see Tomasz do well for everton – even though i wanted Everton to lose. Say he’d score two on a 3-2 everton loss – that sort of thing.

So those two players have lessened my hate for Everton – the supposed hate i’m supposed to have for them.

Well, this year it’s easier for me not to like Everton.

First, they just beat liverpool 3-0. Liverpool outplayed them most of the match. Yes, yes, yes- how can i say that liverpool outplayed them and they lost 3-0? it seems stupid. but ‘pool took it to them with shots. They just didn’t connect with anything.

I have to put the blame on one guy – besides Crouch – it was the inability of Jamie Carragher to stop a ball, any ball, that came near him or to his part of the field.
He’s usually pretty good. On Saturday he was terrible.

Yeah, i’m done. i don’t want to talk about it anymore.

Except to say that Gerrard is the only thing going right now for Liverpool. I also loved the energy of Dirk Kuyt. That guy took some shots, ran around like a crazed Dutchman, and brought some energy to the field.

On to the things i don’t like about Everton. the one thing that makes it really easy to hate them in 2006 is their Neville brother.

Now, to be fair, i’m not even sure which neville brother they have – phil or phil’s brother.

They’re both terrible. I don’t even think their mom likes them.

For years I hated those guys on United. Just couldn’t stand them. I could never see what Sir Alex saw in them. Then, they kept getting picked to play for England.

Sheesh. The Neville brothers reminded me of the queen’s corgis. loud, useless, and -i guess- english.

Anyhow, they have a Neville.

Strike three is Tim Howard, their goalie.

Now, i don’t really have that much against tim howard – i’ve just made it standard policy to dislike american goalies.

i blame it on kasey keller.
I can’t stand Kasey Keller. The image of him doing the “guns” when he stopped all 5 of Canada’s penalty kicks at the last gold cup. makes me ill.

Liverpoo used to have an american keeper named Brad Friedel. Again, nothing against him personally – he just sat on the bench and collected a paycheck behind David James. He just wastn’ that good. at the time i didn’t have an opinion about him – since seeing keller rub it in Canada’s face – yeah, i’ve come to think Friedel wasn’t too good.

And now there’s Tim Howard. Again, like the Nevilles, a Sir Alex find – Howard being taken from the NY/NJ Metrostars and thrown onto the crazy pitchforked pitch that is “THEATRE OF DREAMS” … then cast aside.

What is THEATRE OF DREAMS anyway? It’s a 70s prog-rock nightmare is what it is. It’s pink floyd played to an empty planetarium with a broken strobe light that annoys the audience – and the theatre door is jammed shut, and the auditorium smells vaguely of bleach and pool chemicals.
It’s no dream, it sucks is what it is.

Oh, Tim Howard. It’s not you Tim, it’s just that you’re a yankee goalie – and you guys stand in the way of Canada making it to the world cup, is all.

So there are my reasons everton are terrible. And now that Radzinski is gone to Fulham, i have no reason to wish any good upon their team.

All i have to say is, they’ll get theirs when they visit anfield.

The Dirk, the dork, and the doctor

August always flys by. It’s sad to see the summer come to an end. One of the ways that it’s noticeable is that my soccer games have earlier start times.
But that got me thinking… soccer games!
The english premiere league starts again!

Liverpool look good again this year. (Though in my mind they look good every year.)
Heck, they’ve already beat Chelsea thanks to the header of the dork, Peter Crouch.

I’m just not a big crouch fan. I seem to have the same conversation about crouch every time his name comes up in soccer conversation. I admit – Yes, he’s got passable skills for a big man, – how could he not? He’s playing in the premiereship – just like NHL players, at some point you have to admit that even the worst professional sports players (like peter crouch and mike craig) are good enough to play SOMEWHERE.
I’d just prefer that somewhere not to be liverpool (in the case of crouch – i’m perfectly fine with mike craig continuing his hockey career in liverpool if that is a possibility)
Who i really want in a liverpool shirt is michael owen.
The doctors say, however, that he’s likely going to miss the entire premiereship season. Bad news for newcastle.

Liverpool do have a new stiker – Dirk Kuyt – who comes by way of Feyenoord. (He’s Dutch, isn’t that weird?)

So putting all this together – another striker means that ‘pool don’t have THAT much faith in Crouch. Good.

Now to get Owen back for next year…

This year’s fun begins saturday.