by ste123lfc » Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:15 pm
Just found this article on the sportingo website. It just goes to show that the football writers of the gutter press no f*ck all.
One day the Anfield boss was running scared; 24 hours later the newshounds had lost the scent completely. Who can you trust?
'The reaction to both results has illustrated the changing nature of the debate currently surrounding the Merseyside giants' Perhaps it is because we live in a knee-jerk world with 24-hour coverage of football, but the past few days have made a mockery of the English football press, considered by many to be among the best in the world.
Of course no-one could have predicted that Liverpool would get beaten by Barnsley at home in the FA Cup and then four days later overcome Serie A leaders Inter Milan. But the reaction to both results has illustrated the changing nature of the debate currently surrounding the Merseyside giants.
Nowhere was this better illustrated than by James Lawton in The Independent, one of the most high-profile and respected football journalists in the English media. Prior to the game at Anfield, Lawton wrote: “The brutal truth is that Benitez, with ever diminishing success, appears to have been attempting to impose his own increasingly bizarre version of reality. The more emphatic he becomes in his self-belief, the further his team seems to slip away.”
On Wednesday, Lawton changed his tune. He writes in the same newspaper that: “Rafael Benitez is, yet again, back from the deepest crisis. How, his American owners must now ask, can you fire a man who has just beaten the masters of Italian football? Benitez may yet, against all odds, still have a few improbable moves to make.”
Following the shock home defeat to Barnsley, numerous columnists were lining up to have a go at Benitez. Ian Wright in The Sun wrote: “Rafa Benitez has surprised us before in this competition. But I think Inter will be too strong and I certainly don’t think we’ll see Liverpool making another shock appearance in the final. As we saw against Barnsley, the Liverpool team is like a wounded animal. Maybe there has been too much rotation with the players not knowing who they will play alongside from match-to-match.”
The former Arsenal striker wasn’t the only one writing off Liverpool’s chances. Des Kelly in the Daily Mail was particularly scathing. He claimed that: “The only rotation Rafa Benitez needs to concern himself with right now is the speed with which he will soon be spinning out of the Anfield exit.”
But following the win against Inter, Liverpool’s Spanish manager is the toast of Fleet Street. Henry Winter, in the second paragraph of his match report in the Daily Telegraph, says he wasn’t surprised by the result. “Although Barnsley's players must be tempted to get on the phone to the San Siro this morning and challenge Roberto Mancini's men to a match, the truth is that Liverpool are a completely different proposition when they take to the European stage. No-one changes clothes from domestic rags to continental top hat and tails as quickly as Liverpool, whose season could end in mid-table and Moscow.”
Oliver Holt in the Daily Mirror also claimed he he knew Liverpool would inflict defeat on the Italian champions. “Come on. What did you expect? It’s the Rafa Benitez way. Don’t tell me you’re surprised, don’t pretend you’re shocked. It’s just how the man manages his resources. The FA Cup or the Champions League. Take your pick, because that’s what the Liverpool boss does. So moan about defeat to Barnsley all you want but if you do, don’t celebrate this win over the runaway leaders of Serie A.”
The last four days have been a sad indictment on the English press. On Wednesday no-one was surprised that Liverpool beat one of the best sides in Europe. Yet, the previous day no-one believed they had a prayer.
If anything, this proves the importance of sites like Sportingo. If the professionals can't get it right, it gives the rest of us a chance.
From Shankly to Brendan we follow our team, Rome to Istanbul we've all lived the dream. Our journey is long, our goal stays the same, to keep for our children the famous red name.