18 Oct 2002
Liverpool Red Diary - part 9
Joel RookwoodI've been going to Anfield since 1984, and not once have I missed a goal at a match.. until Sunday. Ironically I was leaving Anfield early for a meeting with my boss about the coaching timetable at Liverpool FC for the coming weeks. As I was in my car making my way to the meeting, the news of Owen's last minute winner came on the radio, and I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Whatever emotion I expressed on hearing the news though, it certainly terrified the woman in the car next to mine at the Everton Valley traffic lights.
But my nightmare day started earlier than that. A couple of hours before kick off I arrived in the Albert pub to watch the Old Firm game, when a scally approached me for a spare ticket. At that point I realised I had left my season ticket at home - another first. Had I been as local as many of the fans in the Albert at the time, there's no way I'd have made it home to collect my ticket and get back to the ground in time for kick off. But within half an hour I had returned for the second half of the Glasgow derby, well before the Liverpool game was due to start. If ever there was an argument for supporting your local team...
The first Old Firm game of the season was as entertaining as ever, with the majority of the pub singing in support of Celtic, including a large number of Irish Liverpool fans. A few of us "Proddies" made ourselves heard though against the boisterous rat catchers, as the Liverpudlians among us sang our 'Rangers Celtic' song, with the Celts entertaining us with the Celtic (and original) version of 'The Fields of Anfield Road' - 'The Fields of Athenry.' After hearing the live version in Japan over the summer, it almost brought a tear to the eye, and is undoubtedly the best Irish song I've heard.
A late Rangers goal gave what we thought would be a victory for the blue half of Glasgow in the Champions' back yard, but Celtic duly equalised to ensure the points were shared. In true Liverpudlian style we had a good laugh, drink and a sing afterwards, before entering fortress Anfield in time for Gerry Marsden's rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone', which booms out over the tannoy as the players come out of the tunnel.
Chelsea came to Liverpool fresh from a humiliating UEFA Cup defeat at the hands of the lowly Norwegian outfit, Viking Stavanger. The Scandinavians echoed the achievements of Hapoel Tel-Aviv and St Gallen in the last two seasons, subjecting Chelsea to another embarrassing early European exit. As you can expect, they were a different proposition at Anfield, desperate to make amends for their disastrous European venture.
Chelsea Manager Claudio Ranieri was keen to win the psychological battle and get the travelling support behind the team. According to the pensioner I sit next to at the game, an hour or so before kick off Ranieri brought the Chelsea squad down to where their fans were sitting to talk to them and reassure them. It was a ploy that obviously worked as the Londoners sang all afternoon. Unfortunately, all they sang was 'Chelsea, Chelsea, Chelsea'. I could still hear the monotonous droning in my head until right up until the moment I heard of Owen's last gasp winner on the radio some time later.
Chelsea
always seem to play well against Liverpool. They have a side packed full
of quality European players, who fare better on the big stage than in
less glamorous surroundings. And it doesn't get much bigger than Anfield.
With Zola, Hasselbaink and Gudjohnsen they're always a handful up front,
and whilst they have wasted some money in the purchases of Zenden, Lampard
and Petit in midfield, the central defensive partnership of Gallas and
Desailly is the only one in Britain that comes close to matching Liverpool's.
Though with both midfield quartets looking bereft of ideas on Sunday, it was always likely that the defences would prove a more prominent feature of the game than the attacking players. Clear-cut chances were few and far between, and those that were created seldom looked destined to be met with a successful execution. It was a tactical affair, a battle of wits between two sides who fancy themselves capable of matching anyone in the league and grinding out a result. Gallas and Lampard came closest for the visitors, with Gerard and Hyypia responsible for Liverpool's best efforts, but in truth the game had 0-0 written all over it. That is, until the final minute. According to Davey, the unfortunate lad who has to accompany me to the match, Owen's goal came from an interchange between Diao and Heskey with Owen following up Heskey's resultant shot from half a yard after it rebounded off the inside of the post. I'm too disgusted with my absence to consider the reliability of this information. We won one-nil, Owen scored and the details are an irrelevance.
Whilst Owen's winner was a massive boost for the club, the injury to Henchoz's calf that is likely to rule him out for five weeks could have a seriously damaging effect, with some big games looming. We can only hope that whoever replaces him, a burden likely to fall on the shoulders of Traore, performs adequately in the absence of the Swiss international. It's a big void to fill, as the underrated Henchoz is fast becoming a world-class footballer.
The performance again served to substantiate the fact that we're not in the best of from at the moment, yet in truth we haven't really been tested. Chelsea presented the biggest danger to our bid for three league points on Sunday, and thankfully we passed the examination of our Premiership credentials, albeit belatedly. Subsequently we've sent out a clear warning to champions Arsenal. The Mancs may falter, but Liverpool will be on their tails.
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Evertonians have bombarded me with abuse about 'lucky Liverpool' over the past week, and how unfortunate Chelsea were not to get a point. I have little sympathy as you might expect. Newcastle picked up an undeserved late equaliser at Anfield a couple of weeks ago, but we refused to complain. People who bemoan poor fortune in football more often than not are involved with a team simply not good enough to succeed. As with poor refereeing decisions, you're as likely to be a beneficiary as a victim. Factors such as fortune tend to even themselves out over the course of a season.
Another reason I have no sympathy for Chelsea is that having won the toss before kick- off, they again deliberately denied Liverpool the chance of attacking the Kop end in the second half, a Liverpool tradition that's been going for donkey's years. It was another psychological ploy from the Chelsea boss, I'm sure, and they paid the price. For the second season running Liverpool scored an injury time winner at the Anfield Road end, in front of the Chelsea supporters, to prevent the game ending 0-0. How I wish I had seen their faces. Last year that alone was worth the entry fee. Maybe next season, they'll know their place and allow the mighty reds to attack the Kop end in the second half. Otherwise I fear a heart renching winner will stun them at the death for the third season in succession.
In the meantime, it's the dreaded international week again, or should
I say weeks. Thirteen days without a Liverpool game
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