21/8/02
Unashamedly Liverpool, Joel Rookwood kicks off his Red Diary with a visit to Villa Park. He's optimistic this is to be Liverpool's season. We'll see.
Red Diary - Week One 20th August 2002
I have a theory. Call me paranoid, call me pathetic, but I think that someone is adding a week to the football close season each year. There can be no other explanation, the summer break just seems to get longer and longer. So when last weekend's curtain raiser approached after what seemed like years of waiting, there was a real sense of both anticipation and relief in my stomach. It's been a long time but the big kick-off has finally arrived. And so it was at Villa Park, Birmingham, where my beloved Liverpool began their assault on the much coveted Premiership crown. With Manchester United and Leeds picking up three points the day before, we obviously couldn't afford to slip and after travelling the 100 miles south, Gerard Houllier's men certainly didn't disappoint, as if we ever thought they would!
The fans of both teams were in good voice, as you'll find at any ground in the country on the opening day of the season. Whether you're six or sixty-six, everyone's missed their football. And in the August sunshine that always seems to beat down on the opening weekend, you could sense the expectancy. The game wasn't a classic, Aston Villa looked disjointed and clearly lacked self-belief. By contrast, Liverpool took control and kept it. Solid in defence, assured in midfield, and creative enough in the attacking third to have made the eventual 1-0 score line look a little more convincing.
But it's points not goal tallies that count, and the solitary goal from John Arne Riise goal did us very nicely. Villa, however, failed to look threatening. A long season ahead for them I fear.
Liverpool's new signing, Senegal striker and World Cup star El- Hadji Diouf infuriated the home crowd with his amateur dramatics, going to ground far too easily when challenged. He will need time to adapt to English football. Evidently, Michael Owen too needs some settling in time. The England hit man missed a penalty and looked a little out of sorts. But the mighty reds are off to a winning start and look promising, particularly in midfield, considered by many 'experts' as our weakness.
With Arsenal and Newcastle recording comfortable victories following Liverpool's Midlands clash, the pressure is already on to produce the goods. The title will inevitably end up at Anfield, Old Trafford or Highbury come May, but Newcastle and Leeds will be on the heels of the 'big three' for the majority of the season, one suspects.
As the Premiership increasingly challenges La Liga for the unofficial title of Europe's best league, England will no doubt be a very exciting place to watch football this season. My fellow Liverpudlians and I will be there every step of the way to see what could be our first title success in thirteen years.
I may have been born on Friday 13th but I'm not a superstitious man. Still,
I can't help but believe that this could be our season. I suspect however
that fans of all ninety-two English clubs will be entertaining similar
thoughts at this stage of the season. But no matter how we do, the faithful
will return week after week, home and away, and in good voice. (Though
as fans of less high profile clubs frequently remind me, it's easy for
Liverpool fans. Success is a real possibility, as opposed to a mere fantasy!)
We've finished fourth, third and second in the last three seasons. Surely
we're only going in one direction. Never mind the 'worthless' Cup, or
the 'romantic' FA Cup. We want to bring that title back to it's rightful
home. It's been too long.
An uncompetitive Aston Villa weren't the team to give us an indication of how we've progressed this summer and in truth, the team from the red half of Liverpool will face far sterner tests in the coming weeks.
But the first hurdle has been jumped, and if we can clear the next thirty-seven, Liverpool will shut down for a week and party like it's 1984. Bring on the Saints.