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| AND IIIIIEEEEEEIIIIIIIEEEEEIIIII... |
"Anfield is a temple. That may seem an exaggeration, but for me it is the most wonderful stadium in the world," he said.... "Liverpool is infused with the character of its people, mainly workers, tough people who suffered greatly during the Thatcher years when the shipyards closed.... People are used to fighting for what they believe in, and it's contagious. I felt very good there."--Xabi Alonso, from El País
In a another display of how foreign players just don't understand Liverpool, Xabi Alonso recently did a lengthy interview
with Spanish outlet El País where he spent some time talking about his time at the club. Unfortunately it's only in Spanish for now, but if a full translation comes along I'll pass it along. In the meantime, just read the above a few times and try to get your head around a former player dropping the specter of Thatcher while talking fondly of his time with the club to a foreign language media outlet with an audience one would expect to find few Liverpool supporters in--that is, his words are about as far from being tailored for a Liverpool-obsessed audience as you could possibly get, and yet he's still talking about the club and grounds in such glowing terms. While he always talked fondly of both the club and its supporters it's still a bit of a surprise to come across something like that out of the blue, though it's certainly a pleasant one.
It's also the kind of thing that makes you look again at our current midfield situation with more than a bit of sadness.
So it goes. Your move, Danny Murphy.
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In other news, if you don't read the comments (and if you don't, you really should) you may have missed that a nine point deduction if the club enters administration could scare off NESV if it comes to that.
Not a pleasant thought, though I'll risk breaking the space-time continuum by quoting myself in full from the aforementioned comment thread, since I really have nothing more to add:
They could be making a fuss as PR, or even trying to put down a public record of "this is what will happen if..." to prop up the forthcoming court case. Not only did I get the best deal available, your honour, but if Hicks gets his way the club will only be worth half as much to any potential investor.
If it actually did end up with administration then with the debt being on the holding company and owners lined up I expect loopholes would be found and--for all that we talk of the Mancs getting preferential treatment--used with a purpose not seen for your average Pompey. Liverpool getting relegated isn't in the league's best interest at the end of the day, and if there's a way to get around a deduction with new owners in sight I expect it to be found--though the talk in the run up may be all doom and gloom in part even to help avoid things getting to that point.
If the universe is still intact, I'll be along in a few hours with your Monday Mega Post Spectacular. No tactics this week, but instead a look back at a bit of the history of Liverpool and Everton as we begin to look ahead to next weekend.
In the meantime, try not to get the following stuck in your head. You're welcome.
p.s.: Today's "We want your love, dearest Google" phrase is "Cheryl Cole sex tape."