kOp LoG

I’m not the type who writes about the daily happenings of my life, but events of one particular day coaxed me to temporarily change my stance on that.

5th December 2009.

It was supposed to be the day I attended a college mate’s wedding reception in a town which I can only recall being mentioned during history classes back in high school, get stuck in the traffic on the way back & miss the first game of a futsal tournament my company participated in(risking the wrath of my team-mates in the process), eventually reach the place to play a couple of games before getting knocked-out in the group stages(it’s a new team by the way), get back home to get a power nap before going out to watch Liverpool crush Blackburn, continuing our recent winning run. Except, none of the above happenned.

Ok, I won’t exaggerate. I did attend the reception but nothing else went according to plan.

To begin with, I managed to reach home to grab my futsal gear in time(no magic wands, no flying brooms stolen from Hogwarts) on a day the phrase “traffic jam” was being uttered too frequently for my liking. Leaving home almost immediately, I sped off to the venue of the tourney picking up a couple of mates along the way. Upon reaching the venue I found out that beating the traffic to get there wasn’t really a problem but finding a space to park my fictitious BMW 5 Series Sedan 520D was, so I chose the easy way out(go figure out).

I rushed into the venue & to my surprise(and pleasure), discovered that the team has not played a single match yet. A few last minute entries meant that the organizers had to re-schedule the games. Barmy, but I didn’t care. Having got together with team-mates for the pre-match routine of warm-up, pep-talk & etc, my mind wasn’t entirely focused on the games ahead. The reason? A niggling shin injury suffered in a friendly match a couple of days before the tourney. The pain was quite sharp that I could hardly run but decided to carry on anyway. What followed next proved that the gamble was well worth taking(for now at least that is;keeping my fingers crossed there won’t be bigger repercussions)

SFFLA FUTSAL TOURNAMENT 2009 - SUMMARY OF EVENTS

Group Stage(C)
————–

Game 1 : vs Trinity Transport
Result   : Win(2-0)

After overcoming early match jitters, the team settled down & scored one goal in each half to help ourselves to a 2-0 win. It was not the best of performances but decent enough to give us a winning start. Hafiz & Ganesh got the goals.

Game 2 : vs DHL
Result   : Defeat(2-3)

Next up was the team that finished third last year & went on to finish 2nd in this year’s edition. We started brilliantly when we scored straight from the kick-off through a well worked move(practice makes perfect) that saw Adrian floating the ball into the penalty box & me applying the finishing touch. It didn’t last long as DHL came back to equalise & went ahead shortly after that. We didn’t give up though. After launching a few attacks that were thwarted by the opposing defence, Hafiz put Arvinth through, whose shot from an acute angle squirmed past the advancing keeper to finally draw us level. This goal got us believing again but unfortunately DHL had other ideas. They scored almost immediately, catching Diego, our keeper, napping in the process. That strike turned out to be the winning goal. We ended up losing 2-3 & I managed  to aggravate my injury.

Game 3 : vs Agensi Perkapalan Insan
Result   : Win(3-0)

It was a composed & clinical performance this time around from the whole team as we seemed to have picked up some kind of rhythm & form. We had to wait till the second half though to open the scoring. I set Hafiz up who finished amicably to put us in front early on. The quickfire second goal came from what was another example of a well executed training ground movement. I rolled the ball from corner kick to Hafiz who cut in to his left side & unleashed a powerful shot into the right bottom hand corner, replicating a set-piece trick we’ve been working on. Arvinth completed the rout with a composed finish towards the end as we ran out 3-0 winners.

Game 4 : Transprompt
Result   : Win(1-0)

Needing only a draw to get through, we went out looking for a win. And that was exactly what we got. Adrian scored the solitary goal with a neatly placed shot at the end of the first half & the team held on superbly for the remaining of the match to win 1-0, sealing our place in the next stage.

Knock-Out Stage
—————-

Second Round -

Game 5 : Total Logistics Solutions
Result   : FT-Draw(3-3), Penalty Shoot-Out-Draw(3-3), Coin Toss-Win

Easily our best(and most dramatic game). Having drawn to play the winners of Group D, we went out quietly confident of getting a result. However, that confidence took an early blow when TSL went ahead soon after kick-off. Hafiz equalised immediately but was forced to leave the pitch after pulling a leg muscle. TSL took advantage of his absence & scored their second goal. A clearly distressed Hafiz re-entered the fray but his uncomfortableness showed when he lost the ball at the edge of the box which directly resulted in TSL scoring their third goal & open up a 2-goal lead. Then, it all started. Spurred on by their very vocal supporters, TSL got a little over confident & this perfectly worked to our favor. Credit to us, we didn’t let our heads down at 3-1 & went looking for the goal that would put us back with a fighting chance. The hard-work paid-off when Hafiz went on a solo run & poked the ball into goal to reduce the deficit. A couple of minutes later, a revived a Hafiz beat a couple of players & laid on a perfect pass to me. Although in a lot of pain, I managed to keep my composure to slot the ball through the keeper’s leg to make it 3-3. It stayed like that till the final whistle although we had a couple of chances to finish the tie off in normal time. The match then went to penalty shoot-outs to decide the winner. Adrian, Ganesh & Hafiz converted their kicks & TSL responded by scoring all 3 of their’s as well. Marish had to step up to slot in the sudden-death penalty & did so with aplomb only for the goal to be cancelled out by TSL’s fourth kicker. After 14 minutes of open play & 4 penalty kicks failed to separate the teams, the referee had no choice but to resort to the difficult desicion(or rule) of determining the winner through a coin toss(or toin coss;P). Fortunately for us, Arvinth picked the correct side of the coin & we won the toss to continue our unplanned progress. Although we made it through via some luck, I’d honestly say that we deserved every bit of it for the way we played the game. With a never say die attitude that is.

Quarter Final -

Game 5 : Tuck Sun Logistics
Result   : Defeat(0-3)

The energy sapping efforts put in the previous games, especially the last one against TSL finally took its’ toll on us. We’re not a fit bunch I must say, so it was only natural that exhaustion & injuries took over as we fell 3-0 & went out of the tournament.

We left the pitch knowing that we had given our best. To be honest, we lost to a better & fitter team, so we didn’t feel down, only slightly disappointed of not making the next round. Instead, we gathered to celebrate the team’s progress, one that was only put together a couple of months ago. A few taps on shoulders & some words of encouragement later, we prepared to pack our bags & head home.

So(with long breath), after an unexpected lengthy day at the tournament & convincing myself it wasn’t a dream, I gathered whatever strength I had left in me & began making strides towards my car(the same fictitious BMW 5 Series Sedan 520D). With hundreds of bruises & knocks, it was a relieve to see the back of the tournament & I left the place feeling tired & happy at the same time. A short stop for dinner & I was on my way to a more familiar surroundings.

And of course, a day that was filled with futsal highs ended on a football low. Liverpool drew with Blackburn. Goal-less.

Special mention : Thanks to the girls for their support & to Zaidi for flying without wings.

The past Saturday saw Steven Gerrard make his 500th appearance for my beloved Reds & one game in particular will always be the match that marks out Steven Gerrard forever as a Liverpool legend.

The skipper reached the 500 game milestone for his home city club at Blackburn in the Premier League although the result was one that he would want to forget. It is with some irony to recall that it was at home to Blackburn, on November 29, 1998 that Gerrard made his Liverpool debut. Eleven years have passed and Gerrard now personifies everything that is the true heart of the club. From local boy to local hero, Gerrard is the single most identifiable image of Liverpool the world over(Torres fans might disagree here). And that reputation was established one night in Istanbul; and they have even written a film about it recently with that very same name. It was the night when Gerrard almost single-handedly won the Champions League final from an impossible position against AC Milan in the Ataturk stadium.

Wednesday, May 26, 2005.

The night(or early morning Malaysian time) I’d never ever forget for as long as I live. I still remember vividly feeling a little disappointed for not being able to join in with my fellow kopites to watch the game out as a result of chicken pox. But personal grievances aside, that night would be the one where Captain Stevie etched his name in Liverpool folklore, the man who not only inspired six amazing minutes when a lost final was saved, but the whole Liverpool performance of defiance. From the 40,000 fans on the Turkish terraces to the men in red on the pitch who were forced by Gerrard to believe they could be heroes. He was that inspiration.

The story of the game is now part of football history. The greatest ever European Cup final, the most amazing comeback and the making of a young midfielder from Huyton. Liverpool were 3-0 down at the break. Cut to shreds by a majestic, clinical Milan. The Italians thought they had won the trophy. Infamously they had t-shirts saying as much in their dressing room at half-time. They sung and roared their Italian songs of triumph next door to Liverpool’s shattered men in the depths of the Ataturk. Boss Rafael Benitez weaved his magic with calm, equally clinical, assessments of what could be done. No shouting, no bawling, but essential details to get a team to raise their heads.

When the players walked on to the pitch to begin the second half, I remember basically thinking, we should just play for our prides & the main aim would be not to ship in more goals, but to look for a consolation goal, to give the scoreline a more respectable look. A comeback was so far-fetched that it didn’t cross my mind one bit at that time. In fact, I’ve since come to learn that some of my fellow kopites were so distraught that they either switched of the telly and went to bed or just left the place they were watching the game at.

Then Gerrard took over on the pitch.

Throughout that half-time break, Liverpool’s travelling Red army had sung themselves hoarse, in defiance mainly. For those there that night, the noise was deafening and never to be forgotten. And that noise seeped down into the bowels of a horrible, concrete stadium. Gerrard responded to his own kind, Jamie Carragher who was bloodied and injured & not far behind.

Then it started. The comeback of all time. On 54 minutes, Gerrard heads home a John Arne Riise cross. His run back to the half-way line, waving at the fans to raise their volume, to be the 12th man, was memorable. Then it was 2-3. On 56 minutes, Vladimir Smicer in his last game for Liverpool, scored with a shot from the edge of the area. Then the equaliser. On 59 minutes, Liverpool won a penalty when the captain’s late surge into the box was too quick for Gennaro Gattusso that he decided to pull him down. Xabi Alonso stepped up to take the spot-kick. I could barely watch & my initial fear was confirmed when his shot got saved by Milan goalkeeper Dida but Alonso was the first to react & smashed the rebound high into the roof of the net with his lef peg.

Cue pandemonium. Liverpool were back in it, driven by some divine intervention. Milan were stunned, unable to believe what Gerrard’s energy, skill and sheer will had inspired. The game went to extra-time and then penalties. After Smicer scored Liverpool’s fourth penalty, Jerzy Dudek can give Liverpool the trophy if he saves Andriy Shevchenko’s penalty. The whole stadium went silent as Sheva put the ball on the spot. But back at home I was just waiting for Shevchenko to score. I thought he was 100% to score. He was so prolific back then.

Dudek did not agree. The Pole saved the penalty. Liverpool were European champions for the fifth time, winning the penalty shoot out 3-2 & I almost passed out! Not long after that Gerrard walked on to the podium & planted a small kiss on the trophy before UEFA president handed it out to him. And as they say, the rest is history. The singing, weeping, dancing and all.

For those of us who watched the whole football drama, the night is still crystal clear. Unsurpassable in the knowledge you had shared in something very, very special.

And for me, it will always be Gerrard’s finest moment, one in 500.

It was not something I was going to miss. Especially after following it from the moment I found out about it’s very existence.

The final game of National Junior Community League was played on 28.11.09 between the academies of PKNS & MBPJ at the Petaling Jaya Stadium in Kelana Jaya.

I made sure I was there early to watch the whole event, including the pre-final programme which included a match to determine the teams that finish 3rd & 4th as well as one between former national players & the coaches of the participating academies.

Rain started pouring down an hour or so before kick-off time but it didn’t put the teams off to come out for their warm-ups. Both sets of players were so determined to make this final chance count. Upon completion, the kids went in, got kitted out & came out to thunderous applause from both sets of fans. By the time they took the field, the skies had closed up a little.

MBPJ started as favorites & came out to prove their tag with all guns blazing which eventually helped them to take an early lead before PKNS managed to settle themselves down. They then went on to play on the offensive as the PKNS boys continued to struggle on a water-logged pitch. As MBPJ were eager to consolidate their position with a second goal, PKNS launched a rare counter attack which resulted in a free-kick just outside their opponent’s penalty box. The kick was floated into the box & the league’s top scorer, Shafizi Iqmal stretched his tiny right leg to poke the ball past the hapless MBPJ keeper. 1-1 & PKNS never looked back from then on. They continued to throw everything at MBPJ’s goalmouth for that elusive second goal until the whistle came for half-time.

The start of the second half saw PKNS beginning aggressively & their hardwork paid off when Shafizi again showed why he’s the deserving winner of the Golden Boot when he latched on to a loose clearance & prodded it home to send their fans into delirium. MBPJ were left in a state of shock & couldn’t respond to PKNS’ non-stop attacks. As the game was approaching it’s end MBPJ tried lauching last ditch attempts to salvage a draw but the last line of PKNS’ defence stood up resolutely till the final whistle to ensure they ended up as the first champions of this inaugral tournament. Although the MBPJ boys were gutted, they were gracious enough to reach their hands out to congratulate the PKNS players.

All in all, it was a great tournament & I enjoyed every minute of watching it from the preliminary stages. There’s a belief inside me that somebody from this tourney would go on to make it big in the future. I sure hope to see it return bigger & better next year & I’m convinced the organizers would do something about it.

NOJCFL ’09 Roll of Honour:

Champions - Akademi Bolasepak PKNS FC

Runner-up - Akademi Bolasepak MBPJ

3^rd Place - Academy Soccerkids

4^th Place - Gen Pro

Fair Play - Astaka FC

MVP - Mior Dani Armin (AB PKNS FC)

Man of The Match - Muhammad Adib Hakimi (AB PKNS FC)

Golden Boot - Shafizi Ikmal Md. Khirudin (AB PKNS FC)

Best Goalkeeper - Muhammad Haziq (Jasmine Junior FC)

Gua.com League MVP - Mohd. Rafieaddin (Gen Pro)

Celebration time : PKNS kids show off their trophy & medals

Why does the mere mention of Liverpool Football Club strike fear into some of the greatest names in the world game?

Is it because of the famous Spion Kop and the mythical spirit of Anfield’s 12th man?
 
Or is it the trophy-laden history that has seen the likes of Emlyn Hughes, Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Steven Gerrard secure glory both home and abroad? 
 

 
The answer, of course is never as simple as that, but one thing is certain; without the arrival of one man in particular, the incredible success story of the past 50 years would never have made its way onto the Anfield scriptures.
 
In December 1959, a Liverpool side languishing in the doldrums of the Second Division moved to install Huddersfield Town’s Bill Shankly as their new man in the dugout.
 
The Scot would go on to have the type of impact that has quite rightly immortalised him as what many still believe him to be to this day; the greatest manager the club has ever seen.
 
Indeed, it says much about Shankly’s standing in the game, that legends of the past have been eager to recall their memories of one of the sport’s great icons as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of his Anfield arrival.
 
To mark the occasion, the clubs official website, Liverpoolfc.tv has put together an extensive range of articles, from the views of those who knew him best through to an insight of how his influence still affects the current regime.
 
If you are unfamiliar with how our great club transformed its fortunes, or simply want to immerse yourself in the memories of the ‘good old days’, then stay tuned as I’ll be posting links of the articles in here for what promises to be a fitting tribute week to one of football’s most charismatic figures.

After all this time
I never thought we’d be here
Never thought we’d be here
When my love for you was blind
But I couldn’t make you see it
Couldn’t make you see it
That I loved you more than you’ll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

I would fall asleep
Only in hopes of dreaming
That everything would be like it was before
But nights like this it seems are slowly fleeting
They disappear as reality is crashing to the floor

After all this time
I never thought we’d be here
Never thought we’d be here
When my love for you was blind
But I couldn’t make you see it
Couldn’t make you see it
That I loved you more than you’ll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

After all this time
Would you ever wanna leave it
Maybe you could not believe it
That my love for you was blind
But I couldn’t make you see it
Couldn’t make you see it
That I loved you more than you will ever know
A part of me died when I let you go
And I loved you more than you’ll ever know
A part of me died when I let you go

I must say that I’m impressed with the organizers & Astro for taking football development at grassroot level very seriously & into another level. I take my hats off for both these parties. If one day in the future a player from this project makes it big, credit must also go to Astro & the organizers. Of course the parents & the respective academies play their part but for a huge & established cable television network to join in by throwing their support behind this project with the airing of weekly highlights is a bold move & must be respected. For example I’ve become a fan by watching these highlights & now I’m a regular at the ground on weekends. There is still room for improvement though & Astro could do better on the promotion but I believe the path has been set & it is the right one. Good luck to everyone involved & hope to see this league going strong for many years come.

If you do not know what I’m talking about, go to www.jrleague-malaysia.com or watch Astro channel 811 every Wednesday at 2200HRS.

In this second part of the tribute series to the 96 innocent lives lost 20 years ago, please find below for more links to articles on Hillsborough.

From official website :

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164017090415-1146.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163678090415-1146.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163520090415-1147.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163836090415-1148.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164019090415-1148.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163924090415-1149.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163677090415-1149.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164030090415-1421.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164032090415-1627.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164037090416-0909.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164039090416-1050.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/mediawatch/drilldown/MW14553090416-0919.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/mediawatch/2009/apr/MW14548090415-0042.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/mediawatch/2009/apr/MW14547090415-0040.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/mediawatch/2009/apr/MW14546090415-0036.htm

From other sources :

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1776_5194118,00.html

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1776_5190491,00.html

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1776_5188487,00.html

Let us all pray; continue to hope & fight for justice. 96 never forgotten. YNWA.

-proud to be a RED-

Liverpool Football Club would not be what it is today if not for its’ fans. And 96 of them lost their lives watching their beloved team play a football match on 15.04.1989.

Yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of the worst tragedy in the history of the club and to commemorate this, www.liverpoolfc.tv, the club’s official website, led the way by publishing articles honouring the “The 96″. Click on any of below links, to read those articles, each with it’s own tale of sorrow, sadness & pure anger as well as tributes.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/mediawatch/drilldown/MW14545090415-0029.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2009/apr/13/N163908090413-1802.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2009/apr/13/N163842090413-1800.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2009/apr/13/N163989090413-1024.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2009/apr/14/N163817090414-2359.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2009/apr/14/N163964090414-2356.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164021090415-0006.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164005090415-0007.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163825090415-0010.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163627090415-0013.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163927090415-0015.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163919090415-0016.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163835090415-0018.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N164016090415-0933.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N163949090415-1145.htm

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/mediawatch/drilldown/MW14549090415-0046.htm

Articles from other sources related to Hillsborough’s anniversary:

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=637196&sec=england&cc=4716

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=636850&sec=england&root=england&cc=4716

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=635507&sec=england&root=england&cc=4716

Thankfully, most media outlets seem to have seen the massive inaccuracy in Alex Ferguson’s figures relating to Liverpool’s spending.

That he should even choose to come out with such figures in the first place is interesting, given his rather undignified reaction to Rafa’s ‘fact’ press conference a couple of months back.
 
I’m also still smiling over his ‘we were the better side’ comments following their total humiliation a couple of weeks ago, which every neutral I’ve spoken to found hilarious. That United played so well was obviously the reason Old Trafford was so empty in the last 10 minutes. He’s also had a pop by excluding Rafa’s name from the best managers in the league, which seems a bit childish for a pensioner.
 
You can’t argue with Ferguson’s success as a manager, but you can with some of the things he says.
 
This season may be a learning curve for Liverpool, with the league United’s to lose even before their two main rivals were drawn against each other in the Champions League (which yet means the teams aspiring to catch United play each other in titanic, exhausting battles, as seen with Chelsea and Arsenal facing Liverpool last season while United get the easy draw.)
 
But the United manager is clearly worried, particularly as stability has been put in place at Anfield regarding the manager’s future.
 
That the United manager should already be talking about Liverpool’s future spending is fascinating. Why do so, unless he’s worried?
 
Ferguson talks about the young players United have signed, and bizarrely says that Rafa, a man who started out in youth development, does things differently.
 
Perhaps Torres, Reina, Alonso, Mascherano, Agger, Lucas, Babel and Skrtel weren’t all young players – aged 20-23 – when Rafa signed them after all, and all the teenage talent brought to the club, including Insua, Nemeth, Pacheco, Plessis and Ngog, is just a mirage?
 
How many players in their 30s has Rafa brought to the club? I can’t think of one before or after Pellegrino, at 33, in 2005. Nor one as old as Henrik Larsson or Edwin van der Sar.
 
Robbie Keane was the oldest major signing Benítez has made, and perhaps the fact that he turns 29 this summer was why he was shipped out so quickly; at that age, if it doesn’t look like it’s working, you can’t bide your time, particularly if a good offer comes in before the age-related depreciation takes place.
 
But the major flaw in Ferguson’s argument is the fact that he already had half of his squad in place in 2004 when Rafa arrived.
 
He hasn’t needed to rebuild an entire squad from scratch, merely add the £15m-£30m adornments. Rafa has clearly had to deal in quantity to cover all positions, but Ferguson has had the luxury of looking solely at quality.
 
So the two situations are poles apart. Ferguson had already spent big on players like Rio Ferdinand before Rafa pitched up.
 
He already had the players who emerged because of his youth system, which took almost seven years to bear fruit beyond one player (Giggs emerged in year five). Benítez would only be at that stage in 2011.
 
Indeed, if you add together every single player Rafa has bought (and there have been around 60, many of whom were mere kids), it still does not reach the total cost of United’s current squad.
 
Even if you also add the cost of those players Rafa inherited who are still at the club (and there are just three), it still does not reach the total cost of United’s current squad.
 
Including players out on loan (but not the full Tevez fee due this summer), United’s squad costs over £215m, compared with Liverpool’s £134m.
 
Let me remind you of what I said in my previous post:
 
“Unless Ferguson is banned from fielding players like Ferdinand and Ronaldo (which would be illogical), or forced to start from scratch in 2004 (again illogical), it is not a fair comparison, is it? – I mean, come on, use your brain for a second here.”
 
Benítez is trying to overturn an established superpower, one that still has a dozen-or-so players who predate his arrival in England. Rafa had just three who were good enough and young enough to endure (not that Hyypia was young, but like Giggs he is evergreen).
 
As well as buy players, Rafa has had to change the culture of the club to fit in with his ideas, as all managers do; Ferguson did that 20 years ago. It’s why it took him so long to win the title, as you cannot change things overnight.
 
Unless Benítez was going to try and compete for honours with the likes of Diao, Cheyrou, and Diouf, or players like Smicer, Dudek, Hamann and Henchoz, who are now all in their mid-30s (and therefore had a very short shelf-life), or injury-prone stars like Harry Kewell, Liverpool needed a fairly complete overhaul.
 
Particularly as Owen and Heskey had left, and Djibril Cissé was about to arrive, all of which had been pretty much decided before Rafa took the job. (Also, including Cissé as a Benítez signing only further skews the figures.)
 
So the inaccuracies are clear for all to see. But let’s switch things a little.
 
How did Ferguson overtake Liverpool? The situation was very similar to that now, even if it was a long time ago now.
 
Remember, both Ferguson and Benítez arrived aged 44, and inherited squads that had averaged 4th over the previous four seasons, and finished 4th the season before they arrived. All the fours, then!
 
Each had a massive burden of expectation, brought about by a desperately long wait for the title. Alex Ferguson’s average league position in his first five seasons at United was 8.6 (11th, 2nd, 11th, 13th, and 6th). Benítez’s, if Liverpool finish only 3rd this season, will be 3.6.
 
But Ferguson faced in Liverpool in the ’80s an established team with a top-class manager. He couldn’t get close to Dalglish during their time in the respective dugouts.
 
Ferguson spent more money between 1986 and February 1991 (£12.8m gross, £9.87m net) than Dalglish managed in his six seasons (£12.5m gross, but only £5.77m net), but got nowhere near to toppling the Reds in that time.
 
So United’s net spend was virtually twice that of Liverpool, and yet Ferguson still didn’t trouble Dalglish. The money Ferguson spent wisely in the late ’80s on players like Ince, Pallister, Hughes and Bruce took four years to have any effect on the league title. This is only Torres and Mascherano’s second season.
 
So why did Ferguson spend so much more than Dalglish?
 
Well, Dalglish (like Ferguson in 2004) had a lot of his squad already in place.
 
Grobbelaar, Hansen, McMahon, Whelan and Nicol all spanned the entire period when Dalglish and Ferguson managed the two English superpowers.
 
(Liverpool raised £3.2m from selling Ian Rush in 1987, but the Reds also spend almost as much to bring him back a year later.)
 
Those men formed the heart of Dalglish’s Liverpool.
 
They were five players who didn’t need to be signed between 1986 and 1991; the kind of quality that could cost a king’s ransom if they hadn’t already been snapped up before at the top of their powers.
 
Ian Rush, the sixth name, also had a Liverpool connection which meant that although he needed to be re-signed, it was a relatively easy deal because of his time at Anfield.
 
Of course, Rush’s initial departure led to the greatest influx of talent seen under Dalglish: the wonderful quartet of Aldridge, Beardsley, Barnes and Houghton. So Dalglish was partly ‘blessed’ in that Rush, whom he inherited, at least raised enough money to rebuild the attack upon his transfer.
 
Ferguson has enjoyed similar bonuses more recently: selling his best players for big fees as they approached their 30s (such as Stam, Beckham and Van Nistelrooy). Such sales now help keep Ferguson’s net spend down, but in his first five years he couldn’t get such impressive sums for Ron Atkinson’s flops. So his net spend was very high for the times.
 
Again, make the comparison with Benítez and the likes of Diao and Cheyrou, who raised nothing.
 
Benítez never had such a luxury. Owen’s value wasn’t great due to his contract situation, leaving £10m less coming in. The only seriously saleable asset was Steven Gerrard. 
 
The biggest profits Rafa has made have been on players he himself bought: Crouch, Bellamy, Sissoko. Of course, he hasn’t been in the job long enough to sell his real gems, in the way Ferguson and Wenger (with Henry and Vieira) have picked the perfect time to cash in on world-class players aged 29/30/31.
 
If Rafa wanted to sell Torres he could make a massive profit, but thankfully the striker still has five years before he even reaches 30. So it’s not relevant. Ideally, Torres would score loads of goals, win Liverpool titles, and return to his beloved Atletico no earlier than 2014 for a big fee.
 
Therefore you cannot ignore the way Ferguson overcame Liverpool – not by spending more, but by spending twice the amount.
 
So there you have it. It took the resignation of Dalglish to open the way for Ferguson, who had spent twice as much money but only averaged 9th place between 1986 and 1991. No wonder United fans wanted him out in 1990. But it just goes to show how difficult it is to overtake a side that already has the momentum, but that the best managers get there in the end.
 
If Ferguson is thinking back to how he did so, then no wonder he’s feeling worried.  I might sound biased, but these are mere “facts”.

* Courtesy of liverpoolfc.tv