Liverpool had to travel further up north to honour their commitments against Newcastle United, with kick-off a mere forty-three hours after the final whistle at Anfield during the Bolton rout. The Bolton match was deemed one of the better displays of the season, but today was not a mere geographical ascendancy as Liverpool completely massacred Newcastle United, with a final score of 5-1 leaving the latest Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear having no complaints to register and probably secretly thanking his predecessors for leaving him with Shay Given as his goalkeeper. Very rarely hat-trick heroes end up on the losing side, but even rarer a five-times beaten keeper leaves the pitch with his head held up high. Today was one of them though. At the other end of the pitch for Newcastle it was a stark reminder for their captain, that you might geographically move further up north, but eventually in footballing terms you can only go down after leaving Liverpool.

Rafael Benítez, still convalescing after his kidney stones operation, called three changes from the starting eleven that has beaten Bolton so comprehensively. It was deemed as superfluous by many, a case of rotating for the sake of it, as Xabi Alonso, Albert Riera and more controversially the finally on-form Robbie Keane made way for Javier Mascherano, Lucas Leiva and Ryan Babel, thus leaving Dirk Kuyt as the lone front-man. The deemed superfluousness of the manager though gave the side a superfluidity effect as the red men attacked the Newcastle goal with ease, with the Geordies in no man’s land, properly undone by the incisive passing and single mindedness of the Liverpool midfield to attack at every opportunity.

It took Liverpool and particularly Steven Gerrard half an hour to open the score, and till then the only worry that was admittedly nagging me was if Liverpool would pay a heavy price for the missed chances. My worry was as unfounded though as much as my worries earlier on this year of whether Barack Obama would win the U.S. presidential elections. Five minutes later, Steven Gerrard from scorer turned provider as he curled in a corner-kick which Sami Hyypia simply deposited through his head into the net. Another unfounded worry arose just before half-time when for the till then comfortable Liverpool rearguard switched off to allow David Edgar to head home and flatter the Geordies with a 2-1 half-time score.

Ryan Babel though restored Liverpool’s two goal lead, only five minutes after the restart and gave the result a further sense of credibility. Defending or maybe better trying to defend high up soon left Newcastle more exposed and once again the captain made the most of it as he ran on a Lucas Leiva pass and rounded the advanced keeper.

Shortly before the once again very effective Yossi Benayoun made way to Xabi Alonso, and again Rafael Benítez could afford to tinker with his side without tempering with Liverpool’s momentum as the twice on the score-sheet Steven Gerrard made way for rookie David N’Gog and Martin Skrtel returned into the side for the first time after his horrendous injury at the City of Manchester Stadium for Dirk Kuyt. It took David N’Ggog only seven minutes to make his mark on the game as he made his way into their penalty area only to be upended, and thus giving the opportunity to Xabi Alonso to test his penalty capabilities in the absence of the captain, a test he passed with flying colours.

With Rafael Benítez high in the stands, Liverpool confirmed their lofty position, and this time rather than through their doggedness and resilience, it was with aplomb. Christmas was spent on top of the league, and so will be New Year’s Day. It is now unequivocal that after twenty games, Liverpool are more than good value for their position, the ‘top of the league’ chant couple with the ‘we shall not be moved’ one. The later Chelsea slip at Craven Cottage was a simple reminder that it is the reds of Liverpool that are the team of the moment.

While Liverpool spent Christmas day on top of the league, they kicked off on Boxing Day knowing that they must win to keep that position and prolong the feel-good factor that only such position can render. With such imperative ahead of them, the redmen forgot the previous three consecutive draws and just embarked on a journey towards the Bolton goal that gave the match a one-way traffic scenario that admittedly is usually more seen at Anfield by the turnstiles before kick-off rather than on the pitch during the match. And once again, contrary to what was the case in the previous three matches and in a one-way traffic situation, the play was flowing and dynamic, with the whole width of Anfield being used purposefully.

The deadlock duly did not take long to be broken. Twenty-six minutes since kick-off, Steven Gerrard directed a second successive corner towards Albert Riera, whereby the Spaniard met through his stretched left leg to beat the opposing keeper on the first post. Riera was already showing the better side of himself on the day, as he was stretching the Bolton back four time and again. On the other flank, Yossi Benayoun only replicated the Spaniard’s deeds, sometimes apart from the goal, being even more direct as he was cutting inside their penalty area with ease that his skill can afford him.

The confidence oozing into the reds seems to have finally rubbed on Robbie Keane, who for the first time this season, he has now scored in back to back matches. Steven Gerrard picked him up with a sublime pass, but he still was left with work to do. Keane only obliged though as he raced into the penalty area and just smashed the ball into the only place that strikers mind of. Five minutes later, Liverpool were given the rare task of defending a set-piece, but the rarity of the task was soon transformed into the old Liverpool adage of pass and move with the Irishman finishing off. Pepe Reina, who was probably dying of boredom since then, quickly picked up the pieces of the aforementioned and rolled towards Xabi Alonso. The latter ran most of the pitch with Benayoun and Keane zigzagging before him. Alonso played the former in, only to pass to Keane to just slot in his second of the day. The monkey should now be finally off his back and if yesterday was any sign of anything, it’d be more plausible to see him walking one in the park amiably rather than fighting it off his shoulders.

Bolton admitted their situation as a junction, while Liverpool continued with the confidence of a driver that has done the same route for years and years. Gears were changed and while on the straight, the driving abilities of Nabil El Zhar, Lucas Leiva and David N’Gog were given a try out.

Being Boxing Day, the Kop was in full festive spirit but there was no time for Christmas carols, as the cry of ‘top of the league’ echoed around Anfield with authority.

Top of the league

On top of the league on Christmas day. This has been unchartered territory for Liverpool at this time of the year for a good twelve years. Furthermore, this position has been unchartered for Liverpool come May for a good other eight years, in which four different managers including the current Rafael Benitez have tried but eventually came short to charter. Just before these years, such position and territory was not only not unchartered for Liverpool, but Liverpool seemed to have a permanent title to it.

Liverpool have been now occupying the first position consistently since the first day of December. Ironically enough though, from the first day that Liverpool did climb to such position there have been more questions to the credibility of Liverpool’s title challenge than in the beginning of the summer. It was a lame score-less draw against West Ham at Anfield that let Liverpool shadow themselves above Chelsea with one point. It may also be apt to remind that since the first day of the season back in August, Liverpool have never had an inferior tally of points to the same Chelsea, and subsequently to any other side. Thus, it is only natural to argue that Liverpool have kept a high degree of consistency in the league so far, coupled with an excellent European campaign in which out of six matches they gathered fourteen points, qualifying to the last sixteen with a game in hand and eventually winning their group, which ironically once again, pitted them against the might of Real Madrid come February. But then again, irony apart, the magic of the European Cup might have decided that it is now high time that these truly European pedigreed clubs meet and give the same cup a bit of glitter that has been sadly lacking in the group stages.

Bafflingly rather than ironically, it has been the home form that has left Liverpool quite vulnerable to criticism. They are still unbeaten, but out of nine matches Liverpool failed to win four times. The four sides go with the names of Stoke, Fulham, West Ham and Hull. Two of these sides have been swept aside in the past with unnerving ease in the past. They are usually sides that notwithstanding their limitations they come over to Anfield and usually play their game thus leaving space to the Liverpool forwards to duly exploit. Spaces were once again left this time but they were not used at all, or at least not to the maximum. On the other hand, what was Benitez’s Achilles heel in his first couple of seasons, has now been transformed into a spring step – the away form. From the same number of matches as at Anfield, Liverpool acquired twenty, one point more than from home. In the grander scheme of things, this has made up for the dropping of points at home. Ewood Park and The City of Manchester Stadium were both conquered, six points won, with six goals being scored at, when last year Liverpool failed to score in both and only got two points at.

What though owes a lot to Liverpool’s first position are the excellent displays and results against Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal, the former two away from home. Winning such encounters, mean you get the three points when your opposition get none. It sounds rather puerile, but had Liverpool lost to say Chelsea away from home as most critics expected, and then beat both West Ham and Fulham which once again was as expected by both critics and fans, Liverpool would be one point better off today, but then would be trailing Chelsea by one point. The Premiership is indeed a marathon, but here the track differs all the time and you can’t simply put your head down and race against time. The hurdles here do move uncompromisingly and it is all in the spirit of a title race. Tthe psychology involved is much more than a simple war of words. And as a fan, there is few better feelings than beating the likes of Chelsea in their own pad and them bastard Mancs whether at home or away.

Some of the times Liverpool have been admittedly short of inspirational. Considering they have been deprived of the services of Fernardo Torres who can inspire the grumpiest and the most immobile due to a gigantic beer gut into a constant bounce while claiming him as Liverpool’s number nine. For that though Liverpool have more than made up with resilience, character and doggedness. They have knocked on the door a couple of times and unmanaged to get in. But when they found themselves locked inside, they made sure that they unhinge the front door rather than escape through a window. Liverpool have turned a defeat into a victory four times, and salvaged a draw after going down twice.

On a more personal level, Steven Gerrard has been in his consistent superlative form. Xabi Alonso has transformed himself, forgetting us his past couple of seasons and remind us of his earlier seasons in Liverpool’s red. He chose to forget the summer transfer speculation and relive Spain’s European’s victory. In summer he has put aside the Basque region where he hails from and ultimately remembered he is the holder of a Spanish passport. These past few months, he forgot that yes, Benitez wanted to offload him and remembered that the same Benitez was the same manager that parted ten million sterling and close to half his budget to get his services back in 2004. I will also choose Dirk Kuyt who is miles away from his difficult second season at Anfield and seems to have put his personal grievances aside. Kuyt strikes me as a true gentleman, who unlike many of the current generation would have not looked out of place had he arrived into the football scene twenty, thirty years ago. Personal tragedies hit him more than others. This season so far he has been in his consistent workaholic mode on the flank, while he has chipped in with five goals.

After his brilliant goal against Arsenal, I think Robbie Keane deserves his quest to pass judgement on him at the end of the season to be respected. My two disappointments have been Ryan Babel and Andrei Dossena. After a promising debut season, Babel looks like an elected minister unable to deliver the promises that elected him in the first place. He has hardly been in the starting line-up but when he was thrown into the fray he not only failed to divert the current of the game but even sometimes looked disinterested, giving away possession cheaply. Last season he had the biggest impact when coming from the bench. He even asked for a loan transfer. I can suspect that lately Benitez, being what he is has given him the cold shoulder but I think that a son of an immigrant family who has done well for himself is made of sterner stuff. And then, Dossena, who Benitez brought as a left-back. He has looked handful when attacking the flank, but when you bring a guard dog you don’t want a playful canine.

On the grey side reflecting the current away kit stands Javier Mascherano. He has been by no means poor, but he has not been the real Argentinean beast who can also play as he has showed since his loan move turned permanent from West Ham. The real exception has been against Manchester United at Anfield back in September. I believe he needs and will eventually step up his game and make Liverpool’s midfield more of a power plant.

This has been one of the tighter leagues for a number of years. In the relegation zone, there is a side that contains the likes of Robinho and Wright-Phillips. Aston Villa are threatening the hierarchy and exclusiveness of the top four. And like the Masch, Liverpool may need to step up their game further, but once again like the Masch, I believe Liverpool do have more in reserve that is yet to be unleashed.

For now and Christmas day, I will raise a glass to the league leaders.

The red shorts looked out of place with the grey shirts, probably thanks to an over meticulous referee who was afraid Liverpool’s usual away grey shorts would confuse him with Arsenal’s white shorts. As much as the red shorts looked out of place though, by the end of the match it was the grey Liverpool tops that looked spot on the verdict of the match. Neither white nor black. Such is life, far from a tabloid headline, there are an awful number of ways to look into this 1-1 result at the Emirates. And such has been the constant verdict of the so far life on top for Liverpool. An excuse has always been forthcoming to excuse Liverpool’s name at the top on the black on white table.

Alongside Rafael Benitez, Javier Mascherano stayed at home. Lucas Leiva filled in admirably, even though like the former’s messages on a mobile phone could never be the same as the real thing. Such a game would have been tailor made for the qualities and spirit of the Argentinean. Dirk Kuyt though once again proved in concrete terms that such a game is his perfect type, as much as a queen bee stinging an intruder, there sweating it out, helping his left-back while harrying the opposing right-back, that at one time looked to bring the goods if only Steven Gerrard connected properly with an open goal at his mercy, with his diagonal pass after winning what would be in the Emirates an unorthodox ball.

As much as I am talking of hard work though, it was two moments of superlative footballing ability that gave the score-line credence. Firstly it was Van Persie who arrested a ball sublimely while taking neither Daniel Agger nor Jamie Carragher as prisoners. After such chest control he let the ball bounce and coolly smashed beyond Pepe Reina. Sometimes you have to make do with geniality.

Robbie Keane’s goal was not too far from the exquisiteness of the Dutchman’s, even though containing a couple of handmade touches. Daniel Agger looked to clear overboard that prompted the usual ‘hoof’ cry from the usual quiet Arsenal crowd. With the ball though bouncing over his shoulder Keane showed the single mindedness of a hungry beast getting its prey. Surrounded by a couple of Gunners he outpaced them, forgot them and with his eyes firmly on the ball he connected perfectly to outshoot the keeper. It was one of those moments where all the doubts of the previous months were forgotten and for a split second we believed that there would be only one outcome and eventually it did happen with aplomb.

The half-time whistle only postponed Liverpool’s ascendancy. Coming back from the dressing-room, Liverpool continued where they have left and forced the usually flamboyant Arsenal looking for their shells. It didn’t last till the end though and it slowed paradoxically when Arsenal had Adebayor sent off, admittedly harshly. The Liverpool substitutions showed a will to get the full points from the fixture but objectively they were rather late and all three lacked the ability to have a stamp of authority that could wrap up such a fixture. Ryan Babel was decidedly wasteful in his first touches, and improved too late, while N’Gog and Nabil El Zhar look more as lucky charms than bankers.

It has been then been declared a grey result, but like yesterday’s Liverpool away top, the grey is very light and the sweat could be easily traced. What cannot be argued against though that is the seventh point from three matches in the exclusive league of the English Champions League’s representatives.

Good Enough?

We have drawn four times at home already. With the score level against Hull at home, Javier Mascherano was taken off, only to be substituted by Lucas Leiva. In the meantime the twenty million signing Robbie Keane has spent most of the game warming up. A chance to build a four point gap over Chelsea has now been squandered. We are not good enough to win the league.

Only May will give the final verdict of whether Liverpool are good enough to win the league. Till now, we are good enough to be on top of the league. The table never lies. The stark reality of it has been hurting our eyes for years. The same stark reality of a table after seventeen matches can now be used to glee at. This is not a look from a different angle. This is the same view from the same angle, only with a different object at the focal point. All we asked for in the summer was a proper challenge for the top position. It is now us who are being challenged for the top spot.

The home record does leave questions. The familiar surroundings of Anfield has not lately bred confidence and swagger. It has bred doubts and over-trying. The away record is only second to Chelsea. The Achilles’ heel of Rafa’s first years has now been turned into a spring into his step. The sum total of the home and away record is the best we’ve had for years. To put everything into perspective, at this stage of the season, we are seven points better off than the last title-winning campaign. Things have changed since then. It could be argued the twenty-two sides were more evenly balanced back then. The so-called top four did not really exist. The cash afforded by the Premier League and even more Champions League football did not create the distinction between the haves and the have-nots.

Failure to win at home is rightly considered as the loss of two points. Equally we have won away from home, games that we didn’t have any right to win. We are sometimes getting blinkered too much. The draw against West Ham at Anfield was considered as almost as a catastrophe and a sign of not being good enough. The same side has just travelled to Stamford Bridge and got a draw again, this time after going ahead. Liverpool had six shots on target on the day against West Ham’s two. Today Chelsea managed eight, whilst West Ham managed the same as they did at Anfield. I can’t see Scolari claiming any massacre or feeling too hard done by.

Against Hull, Liverpool found themselves two goals down in twenty-two minutes. They leveled the score in no time. A comeback against the surprise package of the season has been watered down by the failure to get the three points. Maybe the frustrations of two consecutive draws at Anfield took its toll. I am the first to admit to feeling dejected straight after the final whistle.

This is a season that has so far given us more than we have been expecting. The undisputable star of last year is currently on the sidelines, and has been for the bigger part of the season so far. Liverpool miss Torres as much as a handle is missed from a mug. Sometimes we felt like getting burnt due to the lack of handle. The tea is still there though, and we should simply enjoy it on this cold December night.

It all started with a frenetic pace that would have looked more in place at a shopping centre on Christmas Eve rather than on the 13th day of December. Liverpool were spraying the ball around with ease, and arriving into Hull’s penalty area swiftly, an urgent attitude replacing the accustomed patient one. On the other end, Hull did not just sit back, but replicated such approach in their own way, finding holes, unguarded lanes or maybe better sleeping watchmen in the Liverpool rearguard. And in such unguarded lanes and holes, they did not find walls but openings that with some unexpected help gave them a two goal advantage in twenty-two minutes. The lately custom of clean sheets at Anfield was discarded and breached in no time.

While a recent custom was being breached, Liverpool looked to revert to the start of the season custom of coming back with vengeance and claw back the deficit. And as has been the custom for most of these last years at Anfield, Steven Gerrard was at the very thick of it when in eight minutes he found the net twice and leveled the score. The early shock was numbed, and more than that Liverpool looked into the ascendancy, with the third goal hanging in the air. It was not to be though, and the referee’s whistle to signal the end of the first forty-five minutes gave a verdict of a level score, similar to the latest Anfield matches against Fulham and West Ham, but contrary to the latter saw Liverpool far more colourful than the recent blankish one.

Liverpool came back for the second forty-five minutes looking to follow where they left in the prior forty-five. Hull looked menacing when they had a go at Liverpool but were equally shaky when having to defend Liverpool’s attacks. As the clock was winding down though, more urgently than Liverpool’s approach was suggesting, the ideas were getting mixed up and while Sami Hyypia particularly went very close as he hit the post from one corner, the now air of frustration and dread that it is going to be another two points lost at home took centre hold. The final whistle only confirmed such feelings.

By the end the frenetic pace of the start of the match felt like a distant memory. In most other matches at home, two goals would have meant a comfortable victory but Liverpool paid the price for a negligent start at the match. Looking further into it though, it might have been the price for going to the jugular from the onset, after dropping too many points when starting patiently.

Home at the moment is not the cozy place you would think of in a cold day in December. With expectations very high, and a very good away record, it seems the basics are going bereft. The familiar surroundings of Anfield seem to be breeding contempt rather than security. If the league is our bread and butter, home should be the plate where it is all served on. The plate is not yet cracked but it does look damp.

With Liverpool’s name already in the pot of the last sixteen, Rafael Benitez earned the right to shuffle his pack on his travel to Eindhoven while even affording to keep some of his favourites back home in Liverpool. It was one of the most rotated side in his five years at Anfield, but once again the boss showed how well he knows the pack on his favoured table, a table that has seen him consistently defy the odds.

Admittedly, there was nothing against the odds yesterday. This was no repeat of Olympiakos in 2004, or even for the matter, last year’s Marseille at the Stade Velodrome. Still he managed to make the most of some of his lads that this year have been constantly getting the wrap, and also were part of a side that was hammered just a month away in the Carling Cup exit at White Hart Lane. This time though, having just a couple more of old heads alongside them, most notably Jamie Carragher, they looked miles better from that forgettable night. Simultaneously, their confidence and aptitude soared. Some might argue the difference might have only been a weaker opposition. It might be the case, but still the called up lads all gave up a very good account of themselves, and the three goals were all well taken goals that will give them a shoot in their arms, or in this case better in their feet.

Robbie Keane was once again absent from the score-sheet but his work rate and sublime pass that paved the way for N’Gog’s first goal is enough on a night like yesterday in my books. Ryan Babbel showed glimpses of last year’s much better campaign, while Albert Riera showed a left peg that so far has mostly paraded skill and sleekness. Yesterday, it showed a more sinister side to it, and I for one would be looking forward to see this powerful side of it more often.

Liverpool’s name was already in its pot, but with a makeshift side, Liverpool ensured their name to be in the more exclusive pot of group winners. It will take us ten days to learn the next opponents, and I am sure in these days a certain old friend, will have a few sleepless nights as deep down he will be dreading the red shirt, the red flags and the red bricks of Anfield.

They tried to make us feel like bastards. Painting our existence at the very top of the table, as a mistake that bore an illegitimate being. As if we have to answer for why our total points amassed so far had the cheek and temerity of surpassing all the other teams’. And at times yesterday admittedly, in the first forty-five minutes Liverpool did look like a dysfunctional family, all over the pitch having a run around so as to keep away from the house. While running around, most of the possession was being kept, but effective forays towards the Blackburn defence were as scarce as Paul Ince’s wins in the last ten matches. The only real effective foray of note had Yossi Benayoun beating their offside trap, winning metres towards goal but had a brilliant tackle by the ex-red and Academy graduate Stephen Warnock thwarting him while pulling the trigger.

While Liverpool kept possession in the first-forty five minutes, it was Blackburn who went closer to open the score. Steven Gerrard gave up possession through a sloppy pass that was intercepted by Gamst Pedersen, who after a few steps unleashed an almost unstoppable stop. Pepe Reina was as alert and effective as ever, as he pulled one great save and thwarted the ball against the crossbar. Having very little to do, Reina must even find it hard to keep warm in such temperatures, but yesterday once again he proved his worth for the side as he prevented Liverpool going one goal down, and the already fragile morale of his team-mates crash to the floor.

Liverpool were adjusting better in the second forty-five minutes and Xabi Alonso tested the once England number one. Ensuing this test of their keeper was another test of Liverpool’s luck as Paul Robinson’s save journeyed into the path of Benayoun, whose instincts had him lurking around. At a point blank range he tried to scramble the ball in, but inexplicable the ball slipped away from the net and Blackburn got away with a corner. Shortly after though, Alonso swapped power to precision, and this time the only result was a goal. Liverpool finally broke an iceberg that has prevented them to score in two consecutive games and looked to have been blocking their minds. Ten minutes later, it was Benayoun who looked to have secured Liverpool the three points. Unleashed on the right by Dirk Kuyt, Benayoun this time had the better of Warnock, and from a pretty narrow angle he managed to get the better of Robinson and the logic of protractors.

Soon Liverpool found themselves in a smooth territory but like most of the times, this was too much for them. Six minutes from times, they let in a goal for the first time in league football since Pavulychenko did it for Tottenham back on the first day of November. This time though, while a certain air of tension returned back, Liverpool did not give up any points and the same tension was diffused by the captain Gerrard, as with an open goal at his mercy, just outside the penalty area he side-footed home. Albert Riera started it all as he let Nabil El Zhar free and committed Robinson to block from outside his area through his feet. Riera quickly picked up the pieces to then pass to Gerrard for the wrapping up of points and the top position.

And for now, till next Saturday I will enjoy that, along a couple of Christmas parties.

A bit of media whoring today, as I was put on the official website, under the feature, Reds Around the World.

My original script read like this:

Everyone in Liverpool is either born a red or a blue. It is a destiny chosen for them, and they carry their colour through their life, whether they stay in their city of birth or if they uproot. It is as natural as the family you are born into. It is obviously seen as the most natural in Liverpool, where it is the natural habitat of Liverpool F.C.’s support and rightly so. For a lot of people around the world, the fandom that fills in your life is closer than you might ever think. I was born in Malta, an island, some three hours and a half flight away from Liverpool. It was 1980, a year after from when the British troops had officially left the island after gaining independence, fifteen years earlier. Red or blue back then at home was more of a case of your political allegiance which was equally ferocious as the football divide back in Merseyside.

A lot of people who are impressed or probably more accurately bemused by my fanaticism on Liverpool, ask me when did you become a fan. I honestly don’t have an answer. I believe I was born a red. Some people expect me to say that I was won over the bright red shirts in one particular F.A. Cup final in the eighties, the decade of my childhood. Hand on hear though, it can never be the case, as back then in our humble home we only had a black and white television set. Still thinking about it, I do remember the 1989 Cup Final. Over here it used to be transmitted through an Italian channel called TMC, that thanks to the geographical proximity we used to get for free on our television sets through a poxy aerial on our roofs. Peter Frampton’s ‘Which Way the Wind Blows’ should have been the soundtrack to the match itself though rather than an Italian pundit getting beyond himself every now and then, as every now and then with a slight change in the direction of the wind or even worse an occasional gust of wind would seriously affect the picture offered to us. And I think that day in May might have been sunny in England, but it was surely windy back home. In the greater scheme of things it was only a hurdle through a marathon as eventually by the end of the match I was beyond myself with excitement and happiness. And then on Sunday I completed my celebrations by waking up as early as possible to get to the newsagents to get the paper and thus would be the proud owner of a few pictures of the reds celebrating the F.A. Cup victory, which once again, needless to say were still in black and white.

Since then a lot changed, cable television became the order of the day and local papers started printing in colour. My days in school and college changed into a job in banking, with the main perk being a salary that meant I could now afford the first trip to Anfield. It was a tour organised by our local supporters club, which by then I was only a member and later I served as a secretary amongst other posts. I was on the phone to put my name in the second I received the newsletter. I had a few sleepless nights thinking that if the club wouldn’t get the numbers I will only get my deposit back. But it was one of those induced fears that had no base at all, like when you lately see Steven Gerrard prepping up to take a penalty area. There are doubts but there is only one outcome, be it in the first or the ninetieth minute of the match. It was against Bradford when the Titi Camara mania was hitting full scale. Still, the thing that still sends shiver down my spine till this very day, nine years after is the green, green grass of Anfield. It was a Monday night game and the floodlights were shining on what Bill Shankly once called professional grass of Anfield but it was one sight to behold. Maybe am boring and next time I will tell you about how intriguing watching paint dry is but that was my baptism when entering Anfield for the first time. My fears of not actually making it into Anfield have now changed into being a bad omen for the side as Bradford went up. Once again my fears were unfounded as Titi Camara quickly made it 1-1, Jamie Redknapp scored from the spot and lately Vegard Heggem nailed the score 3-1.

The local supporters club that by fate have the premises a five minute drive away from home has by now became my second home. The Liverbird outside must have brought the attention of a few Liverpool fans holidaying in Malta, at least enough to at first make an apprehensive step in. The apprehension though soon changed into confident storytelling about the mighty reds as they feel at ease in the place with Bill Shankly looking all over them and a replica of the European Cup taking pride of the place amongst other innumerable memorabilia. Before we would be probably sitting there trying to make heads or tails of the situation through the buffered voice of Stephen Hunter. Now the match on the box is practically guaranteed. Phone numbers and emails are then swapped, tickets are promised and most importantly a friendship is forged through the lure of the mighty reds. I am proud to say that some of my best friends are actually from Liverpool and they are another main reason why I travel to Liverpool regularly.

Anfield was soon not enough though, and the away European trips become another annual fix, starting from Sofia, when apart from the 4-2 score-line, we all talk about the cold that our Mediterranean bodies could hardly take during the match. Coruna was next, and then Leverkusen. For Leverkusen though we stayed in Cologne the night before and one of my happiest anecdotes happened there. I was all in the mood singing along with fellow reds with one eye on the Chelsea v Barcelona match. At one particular moment I was making my way through a mass of bodies, when am struck by a familiar face. A face you know you know but can’t put your finger on where. It was actually the then Rafa’s assistant Pako Ayestran. As we crossed each other I asked him if am right to think that it’s him. He confirmed me but told me to keep it quiet. And then I see Rafa. I thought am daydreaming, and like Scousers do when somebody tells them to keep quiet, I rushed to tell a couple of mates that Rafa’s in the pub. I was believed as much as an email which informs you that you are the lucky winner of the lottery. This time though, the email was not spam but as hard as it is to fathom had arrived from a secure server. I had no camera on me to record such anecdote, but my word has been backed by every other red in the pub.

A year after, Big Ears came to our club in Malta. There I had it before our eyes, shining as ever, trying any move possible to look as if you’re nervously scratching your brow when really you just want to make contact with her, who is closely supervised by two big men in black, while posing for a picture with her.

This year I spent the first three months in Australia, and I realised more than ever what Liverpool F.C. means to me even though being born nowhere near Anfield. I managed to follow the reds almost every match, but watching it on your own at two in the morning, is nowhere like being with your mates, having a couple of drinks steaming off a long day or even a long week at work, with the reds being the real focal point, the one thing that bonds together. When I was at the Nou Camp the day before another great trip and experience I could not help but be intrigued by the ‘Mes Que un Club’ (More than a club) written through different colour seats. In the case of Liverpool F.C. what should be written to make this club justice? ‘More than a club, an institution with Scouse values at its heart that fascinates all kinds of people around the world’. But then again, neither the Centenary, nor the Main Stand are wide enough for that to be inserted.

Liverpool are now on top of the league, with same matches as Chelsea but one point to the better. As I made way to home over here, I just looked absent mindedly at the sky. It was clear and full of stars. It looked nice, but really I was really feeling cold and there was no sign of the sun that can warm me up. Or at least it has a few hours to rise, and send a few rays to overcome the coldness of it all. And it’s not the coldness of someone sitting high up on his own, but rather more of someone that who is up there but is far from satisfied. The glass is more than half full but the water is murky and is doubtful how good it is to drink it up. Well actually, nobody is bothering to as nobody dared celebrate that we are on top of the league.

Another clean sheet, but equally evocative another blank upfront. Against a side that is known for its water tight defense as much as a net that has got more holes than a dirty tart’s tights. But sometimes it does happen and you just have to ride it all up. Liverpool dominated possession as it was expected from them. The stage was all set after Chelsea’s defeat against Arsenal. And Liverpool worked well hard on it in the first forty-five minutes and time was on its side. Sami Hyypia made an unexpected return, and this lad, or rather now more aptly this gentleman was there, moving the ball forward from the very back, and when a set-piece occasion presented itself he got up there and went pretty close on more than one occasion. The other unexpected call up was equally impressive. Yossi Benayoun was presenting himself and stretching the West Ham defense and for most times only the hands of Ilunga were getting in his way. Equally impressive he won tackles when very occasionally West Ham ventured forward. In the middle of the field, Steven Gerrard was passing around and bossing around but on the day he seemed to forget his shooting boots. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, some might say. Yes, in one particular moment in an FA Cup Final against the same side, the same person scored one of the best goals ever and practically drove Liverpool to a penalty shoot-out that as the custom goes, Liverpool won. Today, he was there, much better balls were being laid for him but something about his cohesion and balance was seriously letting him down as he either flung the ball into the far corners of the terraces or else he just didn’t connect with the subject that could have turned one point into three.

Upfront, Kuyt was his usual busy self, and got out one of the better saves from Green. It all ended there though. Robbie Keane was still probably green with envy as he didn’t even manage that. He got subbed by N’Gog on the 66th minute. N’Gog was equally helpless and while he’s getting his chances at the start of the match by the boss and the one who splashed out close to twenty million on him, it is equally damning that during a stalemate, he was subbed by this one million signing who looks simultaneously comfortable on the ball and assured upfront as a rabbit before the green lights for the pedestrians but with headlights glaring on him. Keane has been getting his chances, Rafa has been putting him in the starting-line up for most of the times, but in his allotted time he is simply not proving his worth.

And the story continues. One Monday night that at times felt more like a Monday morning after a heavy Sunday afternoon. But at least the joys of the Sunday afternoon which could have also been much better if chances were taken, is still very recent and not too far-fetched.