by Joel Rookwood
Somewhat unexpectedly the week's football viewing began watching a team just relegated to the third division, with Mansfield Town the unlucky fatalities falling victim to a 3-1 defeat at Tranmere's Prenton Park.
But whereas preparations for some games I watch commence months before they are due to take place, the decision for the seven of us to cross the Mersey for this largely redundant encounter was made an hour before kick off.
It was an announcement on a local radio station that alerted us to this fixture, and in light of none of us having anything better to do, at a moment's notice I decided to join the group for my second visit to Tranmere Rovers of the season. And what a mistake it would prove to be.
Ten and a half thousand flocked to the Wirral, the highest gate of the season, which could have had something to do with the fact the club had decided to make the game free to enter for supporters, after the initial contest between the two sides was abandoned on Saturday.
During half time at the weekend more than seven thousand fans were ordered to leave the ground after a drunken man climbed a floodlight pylon before jumping onto the roof of the Cow Shed, adamantly refusing to come down. Forty-two year old Stephen Anglesey of Tranmere, has since been charged, after leaving the referee with apparently no option but to clear the entire stadium for 'public safety reasons.'
It took the fire services twenty-five minutes to get the man down, but the referee didn't want to wait to resume the game. In a statement he said he didn't want to be late for his tea, so he picked up his ball and said he wasn't playing anymore and ran home to his mum. He muttered under his breath that he wouldn't be coming out to play again, but that his ball could be used again on Tuesday if someone got him a 10p mix.
At the time of abandonment, Tranmere were still in with a shout of promotion and struggling Mansfield had not been by then relegated, so the majority of the seven thousand who turned up was not best pleased when the referee halted proceedings. But nevertheless, due to scores elsewhere over the weekend, Mansfield had been relegated, with Tranmere's chances of promotion having already dissipated before this rearranged, largely meaningless game took place.
West Brom fans must have listened on in envy on Saturday night, wishing the intruder had instead chosen the Hawthorns to display his half time lunacy, thus ensuring their game with Liverpool had been abandoned at one - nil instead of six - nil. At half time in this game I was hoping some idiot would repeat the feat and put us all out of our misery, for it was hardly the most enthralling footballing display I've ever witnessed.
When we arrived on the Wirral, even though it was free and a chance to see 'another game of footy', we weren't really sure what we were doing in this foreign place. For when you think about it, North West England is a funny old place. Pretty much wherever you are, a ten minute car ride is likely to land you in a totally different world, surrounded by people who dress, think and speak differently, as well as - most importantly of all - follow a different football team. It took less than ten minutes to get from my house to Prenton Park, and when we arrived we found ourselves immersed in a completely alien society, almost immediately falling into a state of desperation to return home.
We spent the game queuing for food and counting fans, with our most impressive survey revealing the fact that 151 Mansfield fans made the trip for this rearranged fixture. The game was that boring and irrelevant that I'm not going to tell you the score, or anything else about it, other than the fact that it finished 3-1 to Tranmere. We resisted the urge to invade the pitch with the kids following what was Tranmere's final home game of the season. The only running we did on the final whistle was towards the car, in a bid to return to the homeland as quickly as possible.Anyway, more relevant service was resumed on Saturday, with Liverpool's final league game of the season at Anfield against Man City. This was the story of the boys of the old brigade, as three of the finest strikers ever to wear Liverpool red returned once more to the Kop. Keegan, Fowler and Anelka had very different playing careers at Liverpool, but all left in slightly strained circumstances. Keegan departed after the 1977 European Cup win, claiming he was leaving to "further his career", only to be replaced by Dalglish, arguably Liverpool's finest ever player. Anelka enjoyed a productive season on loan at Anfield, but couldn't convince the management he was worthy of a permanent contract. Fowler, however, despite being plagued by injury for much of his career, is and always will be our hero.
We're used to seeing Keegan around, so this game was almost inevitably all about the return of Fowler, Anfield's forgotten son, for his first game back at Anfield since leaving for Man City via Leeds United last season. But amidst all the emotion and excitement, we forgot about another former Liverpool striker who plays under Kevin Keegan at Man City. For Anelka, by far the more dangerous of the two, had looked determined to score against Liverpool in the previous two meetings between the sides at Maine Road this season. And the Frenchman, despite having been thwarted in the past, clearly had a point to prove, deciding at Anfield on Saturday that he would no longer be silenced.
It was a miserable day in north Liverpool for this the last home game of this frustrating campaign. The weather was dire, the performance was shocking, and the result was simply unthinkable. I managed to squirm my way on to the Kop, hoping to experience a stirring atmosphere and a rousing performance to end the Anfield season on a high. Little did I know as I burst excitedly through the turnstiles, that on both counts I was set to be disappointed in spectacular style.
Former Manchester United 'keeper Peter Schmeichel thwarted our two only real efforts of note in the first half, keeping out first a Steven Gerrard free kick and then a long range effort from Didi Hamann. City however were similarly uninspiring in the opening period, with a lackluster midfield providing little service for Anelka and Fowler, the latter looking seriously short of match fitness.
Both strikers had efforts in the second half, as City attacked the Kop end, but neither found the target in the opening stages. This threat should have sparked the home side into life, but Liverpool were painfully slow to react, with one exception. If Liverpool are to bounce back next season then one of the catalysts for the reëmergence is likely to be El Hadji Diouf. He torments just about every defence he comes up against, and City were the latest side to become victim to his attacking prowess.
Diouf took on the Man City defence before crossing for Milan Baros who made no mistake, volleying home to notch his twelfth of the season. The goal creator then almost became goal scorer, but his venomous drive minutes later was superbly knocked onto the underside of the bar by Schmeichel, who subsequently cleared the danger for City. But after having no luck in front of goal the Senegalese international returned to his former role, and found Baros again with a clever through ball. But the former United 'keeper was once again on hand to deny Liverpool going into a more commanding lead, blocking the Czech striker's effort.
With Liverpool failing to add to their lead, City were frustratingly allowed back into the game. And with fifteen minutes remaining, Traore brought down Anelka in the area, the Frenchman making no mistake from the spot to silence the disbelieving Kop. But Anelka did not seem satisfied with a single goal, as he tirelessly searched for a second. And in the final minute his endeavor was to reap a considerable reward, as City's top marksman grabbed the winner. The goal saw him finish off a good move after clever interchanges with Fowler and Wright-Phillips, to send the Manchester faithful into a fit of wild hysteria, and leaving serious question marks over the future of one or two at Anfield.
The papers were quick to emphasise 'Anelka's revenge', but we all know that one game does not mean anything. Whilst Nico was and is an awesome talent, he could well have proven a disruptive force in the dressing room. For this reason alone, Houllier was justified in not signing him on a permanent deal, and a couple of goals against his former employees, no matter how damaging they may turn out to be do not convince me otherwise. But nevertheless fresh blood is undoubtedly required at Liverpool. Houllier is no fool, and will not effect wholesale changes. Our league campaign has been embarrassing at times, but the foundations are in place to rebuild. To criticise the players would be futile. Some of them aren't good enough, some of them deserve to play with better players in a bid for Premiership honours. But I would bemoan few for their effort.
Yet we do undoubtedly require an influx of talent. For this defeat means we have dropped a staggering twenty-two points at home, not to mention two shocking cup exits at Anfield. It was fitting for us to succumb to a second defeat of the campaign by a mediocre Manchester team. The Man City affair was representative of this exasperating season, and after it no one was in celebratory mood, last home game of the season or not.
I stayed in my borrowed seat for the most pathetic, least heartfelt end of season celebration I've witnessed in quite some time. The players didn't want to be there, nor did the fans, but nevertheless we all stayed and went through the motions together. The only consolation, and considerable consolation it was too, was that our rivals for the final Champions League place, Chelsea, also lost, having been beaten by West Ham by a goal to nil. So despite this infuriating defeat, we are now in the same position we were in after the mauling of West Brom. Win every game and we qualify for the Champions League. The only problem is, our one remaining fixture this season is a trip to Stamford Bridge next Sunday. It's make or break time.
Back in August I predicted that this Chelsea game would carry huge significance, and sure enough the encounter is now vitally important, and equally so for both teams. But I'm not going to embarrass myself by reminding you what I thought could be at stake going into the final game. With Man United sixteen points clear with a game to go, it looks fairly unlikely we will finish the season as Champions. But was I not justified in predicting a title win? With the previous three seasons seeing Liverpool finish fourth, third and second, the expectation was surely understandable, particularly given the summer's investment.
We may have won more times away from home than anyone else in the league, but we have also lost seven times on the road. Those defeats alone are enough to cost a team the chance of winning the league, but in conjunction with our laughable home form, we didn't even give ourselves a chance. "We have gone ahead five times at home and not won the match. That's where at least ten points have gone, that's why they are missing and why we are where we are," reflected Houllier after Saturday's game. Regarding next Sunday's showdown, he went onto say ".....we do well away from home and we know if we win at Stamford Bridge we qualify. My players like cup finals, we win them, so we can win this last game." And I don't doubt that we can win our final game. Whether we will or not is another matter. In this season of antitheses, it all comes down to whether the team that won 6-0 at West Brom turns up at Chelsea, or whether instead the side that were embarrassed by City on Saturday decide to make an appearance. If the latter sorry outfit represents us at the Bridge, then I'll see you in Liberec in September.
Southampton, Blackburn, Preston & Newcastle, Birmingham City, Valencia, West Bromwich Albion, Spartak Moscow, Chelsea, The Fields of Anfield Road, Leeds United, West Ham, Middlesbrough, Fulham, Ipswich & Charlton, Vitesse, Sunderland & Villa, The Derby, Blackburn & Arsenal, Newcastle, Man City, Sheffield Utd & Villa, Southampton and Sheffield Utd, Crystal Palace & Arsenal, West Ham, Auxerre, Manchester United, Bolton, Spurs, Man Utd Again, Hillsborough Remembered, Everton, Charlton.