Half term report... So, 19 games have come and gone, as well as the league cup... so what can we say? Well, before the season began one or two may remember a little outburst from myself (based, imho, on some sound logic reasoning) that what we could expect would be this... 1. Given the points tally under Kenny’s 18 games at the end of last season and his career average, added to the ‘improvements’ in terms of signings (will return to this...)we should be aiming for 70 points... 2. With a fit Gerrard and a more settled Andy Carroll, added to the genius of Suarez, we could even shoot for 75 3. With the players we signed having experience in the league we could expect a better points tally away from home than we had last year... (in a different post about expectations for the season ahead...) Well, 19 games have passed and we are just behind what I thought it was realistic to expect... at present we are on course for 68 points... so, what is there to roar about now...? Here goes.... 1. Signings... a) Enrique and Bellamy have been unmitigated successes, especially given the price tag. No shadow of a doubt both have improved us immensely and Bellers at the end of the transfer window now looks like a stroke of genius. Enrique can have that spot for years to come... Bellamy I’m afraid is giving us the last of whatever is left in those legs... b) Henderson... let’s not worry too much about this kid. He’s got talent, can spot a pass, and will grow in confidence and learn so much from Stevie it’s unreal. He’s only 20 and in his first season. We need to learn from expectations of Lucas, in latter years, and even Molby, in the 80s and give a young player who obviously has talent, the time to grow... c) Adam... plays like a player bought for £7-8 million. In an odd way any highlights reel of this season will show him to have been quite involved in many of our goals and better periods of play, but really misses the platform Lucas gives and not imposing enough to really control a game. A decent squad player and for the money spent we are getting the sort of return we could expect... d) Downing... started well and then lapsed back into being the sort of player he had always previously shown himself to be. Of all the signings he is the most puzzling, given his age and the outlay there seems little prospect of a return in the ‘moneyball’ sense. I thought he might bring a steady balanced Reira like presence to the left hand side and provided he retained possession and supplied a decent supply of crosses we might have a level of return from him...but it seems quite an expense to achieve simply that and it seems unlikely we will get anything more explosive from him. Bellamy shows him up when he plays on the left for sheer effort and pace and leaves Downing showing some neat play on the right without ever really contributing in terms of goals and assists... this is a puzzle the management are going to have to work on... e) Carroll... here is a lad desperately in need of a goal. His cause can only be helped by the sheer efficiency of Gerrard in terms of the quality of final ball Andy is likely to receive compared with everyone else, including Luis... I have a strange inkling that it can still come good for him. Again, like Henderson, he is young, and we used to give such players time... at the very top even players like Drogba, Pires and Henry needed it... Stevie is the key for Andy here and he can get him up and running... With all that said and done it would be a surprise, but not a massive body blow, if for instance the club decided to sell and replace even this January. With Suarez suspension coming it is crunch time and, ya know, I really hope he makes it... So, as far as signings go the jury is still out. The simple truth is that at the 20 game mark last year we had 25 points. We could possibly have 37 this time (though 35 is more likely...). We have bought a 10-12 point improvement but we need to better the second half of last season if we are to feel they have truly rewarded the investment put in... 2. Sellings... all, bar Mereiles, have been good moves (though in my heart I still pine for the sort of forward line that would have had seen Suarez and Torres link up, backed up by Gerrard...). Really felt Raul gave us intelligence on the pitch and knew how to operate in the right places (kinda like Maxi and I have always been a fan of these type of players...). 3. Team... it is clear that we are playing so much better in a significant number of games. Clark has us oh so sweetly solid at the back and we do create a lot... our wastefulness in front of goal has been shocking, especially compared to the end of last season. But back then our play was dominated by the aforementioned intelligent players, and so, for me, it has been frustrating that they have been used less. We still lapse, for some whole games, and particularly in the second half of other games, into playing a pedestrian game and we have to hope Kenny and the staff are working on our cohesion and confidence as a new group of players gel. At the moment we are a good enough team for the opposition to come to Anfield and fear us enough to play for a draw, but not an explosive enough force to truly blow that same opposition apart... we need this injection and hopefully Stevie can bring this to bear... 4. Hopes... I thought 70 points would be a realistic target and dared to dream for a little more if the combination of a fit Gerrard, a confident Carroll, and a menacing Suarez could come together. We’ve never had all 3. Can we hope for this? A fit Gerrard alone would give us hope that we could obtain more points in the second half than the first so 70 is still on. What will come of Luis though is hard to know, given the potential ban etc. A confident Carroll, well, this is more of a hope than an expectation... but if Stevie can stay fit then everything is possible... In the past 70 points would have brought us CL football but this year we cannot be sure. There is a top 6 but the league is not stronger. That’s why a United side that has nothing on some of Slur Alex’s past incarnations has a better points tally at the same stage as those far superior teams... unfortunately this means that whereas in the past the title would be a two horse race, with 3rd guaranteed, and really only one legitimate challenger for 4th and an annual pretender... this is not the case this year... 70 may not be enough. If it isn’t enough then we are in a tricky situation whereby we need to invest again quite heavily to make the breakthrough but without the carrot of the CL football that players other than Adam, Downing etc are wanting... so c’mon lads... lets... - Keep Stevie playing - Get andy scoring - Keep Agger and Skrtl doing what they’re doing - See Henderson, wee Jay and Kelly improving - Get the absolute best out of Adam... - Convince Downing that we’re happy if he plays like Albert - Start converting those missed chances into goals (any one of which would have us on 36 points right now and ahead of target....) - Smash City in the league cup (having done so in the league...) - Keep our heads high - Avoid allowing the media frenzy around Suarez to distract us from keeping the main thing the main thing... - Make the Lev proud... - Keep a smile on Kenny’s face... - And let’s push for what we know and can see is possible... 38 points from the next 19 is possible given the 34 we’ve taken from the last 19... get to 72, a cup final and who knows what in the FA... and then see if what we all hoped for has come to fruition... Trust Kenny Sing our hearts out Get behind the men in red The second half is about to begin For 25.05.05 read 2012... Believe... Dream... Ynwa... Chewie
