Today's guest post was written steven. of Paisley Gates fame. Also, today will be a little different as four new polls will be running simultaneously on the four participating blogs. So along with voting here, please head to Oh You Beauty to vote on Worst Loss, Paisley Gates to vote on the Performance of the Season, and Anfield Asylum to vote on the Goal of the Season.
In a season filled with tippy-toe highs and rolling around in the gutter lows, by the time the end rolls around each match blurs together like those 72 hour binges you used to have back when you were still "fun." Just like when you were trying to remember where you left your pants and/or dignity, sorting through the pieces can be a wee bit difficult when you’re looking at the big picture, or in my case, a collection of unpaid parking tickets.
Usually, the worst part of gathering those thoughts that just splintered off into the nether regions of your sub-conscious is finding the beginning; but when you're debating Liverpool's best win of the season with whomever you may be, things aren't all that bad. Come to think of it, there's nothing wrong with it at all, so, continuing on with the cross-blog extravaganza that's spanning the humble Liverpool Offside, Anfield Asylum, Oh You Beauty, and my home sweet home, Paisley Gates, let's (t)roll off another poll:
The first half of the season may have only been punctuated with a smile here and there but since the January appointment of Kenny Dalglish, the cramping in my jaw has become unbearable from twisting my face into this "smile" everyone seems to be so fond of. If the King wants to keep on winning, I may need some Crest White Strips™.
Best Win you say? Right, we'll leave oral hygiene for another day and get down to the matter at hand. Drum roll please...
Liverpool 2 - Chelsea 0 (h)
The undisputed pinnacle of the short lived Roy Revolution, a semi-comfortable 2-0 win over our other Blue nemesis saw the 'Pool claw its way back into the right half of the table. A Fernando Torres brace, an iron-clad performance from MOTM Lucas Leiva, the owners signing You'll Never Walk Alone and the first major capitulation of the year from Carlo's men. The lone Hodgson inclusion is a big one and also begs the question that if Roy could have kept the momentum going from this win just how different things could have turned out.Liverpool 5 - Birmingham 0 (h)
When the Carling Cup winners came calling, we ignored them for a bit. We turned up the television to drown out that incessant pounding before answering the door with a whopping 5 unanswered goals. Anyone who says that "there ain't enough scorin' in soccer" should try tuning in now and again. This massacre saw Maxi Rodriguez score a hat trick, Dirk Kuyt continue in his rich vein of form and Luis Suarez make a mockery of an entire team. With the back line barely troubled, Dalglish made yet another case for his role as permanent manager. You can sit there and argue that McLeish's side just rolled over but no one is going to listen: It was 5 freakin' goals.
Liverpool 3 - Manchester City 0 (h)
It's hard to snicker at another team's wage bill when we're currently pumping a reported £90,000 a week into Joe Cole's bank account but with City's payroll department working overtime just to slap all the zeroes on the cheques, a kick in the pants from the boy's in Red was in order. Record signing Andy Carroll put a spring in his step with his first Liverpool goals and Kenny Dalglish gave Roberto Mancini the worst tactical pantsing since the over stressed, over paid Italian tucked Roy Hodgson into bed without reading him a story. Time will tell whether the big Englishman will be the right fit for a Liverpool side on the upswing but 2 goals in the bag against the eventual FA Cup winners won't hurt his case one bit. Revenge? Duly noted.
Liverpool 1 - Chelsea 0 (a)
It could have been one of those bad sports films starring just about any bad actor and directed by Micheal Bay, but you know what? With Dalglish and Clarke surprisingly deploying three at the back it turned out just lovely. The Reds do the double over last seasons champions with a Raul Meireles volley sealing the deal and ruining former team mate Fernando Torres' first day in Chelsea blue. Instead of the goal he wanted, he got an elbow in the mouth from Daniel Agger and a rousing rendition of "What's the score?" from the travelling Kop. The Blue faithful once again show their history by leaving the gates on top of their shiny new El Nino banner before realizing "Hey! That's not ours!" and reverting back to calling their new £50mil signing a girl and screaming for Carlo's blood.
Liverpool 3 - Manchester United 1 (h)
For some reason, coming up against Man United brings the best out of people. New signing Luis Suarez was a one man wrecking crew, beating players and creating chances at will. A quick check of his blood would have showed that his metaclorian levels are through the roof but Kenny Dalglish didn't need the force or any other hocus-pocus to mastermind a resounding demolition of our oldest foes. The Red side of Manchester may be celebrating another league title but that day it was nothing but frowns hidden in green and gold scarves after Dirk Kuyt's first hat trick in a Liverpool shirt signalled that the revolution would indeed be televised.
If you've been keeping up with the happenings in this end of the year cross polling/cross posting/cross carrying extravaganza, you don't need me to point out that you can vote once a day, which means that you can re-visit Signing of the Season and Young Player of the Season if you're so inclined. Thankfully, we have a team working around the clock to keep the hanging chads at a minimum. We don't need another one of those fiasco's...