Luis Suarez 4, Chile 0: He’s Pretty Good

Agreed Lis, a TOTAL Webb.... although you couldn't argue with either red card or the pen, on the whole he was the opposite of a 'homer'. I reckon you guys might win in Dublin, just not by enough probably. Anyhoo...Come on the Redmen!!

"...the only match of the day that really counted". Well, how very dare you Ed!! What an impertinent affront to the likes of myself, Ravenilli, Seanster and JPR with Irish blood coursing through our Liverpool and Alcohol-laden veins...our 4-0, ahem...'comprehensive' away-victory in the WC Qualifiers was surely the result of the day, no?! Commiserations to Lis, we weren't 4 goals better.

Thank you for you condolence and congratulations on the win. I hope we will at least be a bit better at  Dublin and save some face. Although, the ref was a total Webb if you ask me. 

Fairly certain you just birthed an archetype for horrible officiating, or at least put the most sensible surname to it.

Good to see you are keeping an eye out for us Irish boys Trev. One foot and three toes into Euro 2012 qualification is relatively unimportant, I guess. I only got to see the first half. Let me also point out that Ed threw down a late like on a new commenter back on Noel's British Bust post. Hal (top of comments) is very critical of the British boys and KD. We may be plastered 20% of the time, but the other 80% we're watching close.

I was about to cry foul, and then I went and looked, and have no idea what the fuck I must have been thinking. I claim ignorance or trying to hit reply or something. It will forever haunt me.

It's OK, you can cry foul... I'm sure I deserve it for at least some of my comments. It did interest me when I saw it, though. Thought you may be somewhat unhappy with KD, and I had not noticed those leanings before. We all know you and Noel have the magic eraser.

Ah, nope, not unhappy at all. Not shy about voicing any concerns, but not even close to what Chan had written. 

I'm now going to erase any evidence that contradicts what I just said.

Uh, meant Chan, not Hal.

Well in Trev, if I wasn't still plastered I'd be offended.

For Liverpool players! Obviously the Irish victory is huge for most of Liverpool Offside readers. And stuff.

Better?

yeeeeaaaaaahhhh, that's....better......only joshing anywhoo, as well you know Ed. Redmen with a gripe about Kenny need to walk a mile in an Irish footy fan's shoes as he tries to reconcile the dross Trap has us playing with the likelihood of qualification.....

I just can't seem to get enough Suarez! 

What a fantastic player. If only we had Cavani alongside him at Liverpool rather than Carroll. Still I shouldn't complain we have £20 million (no goals, no assists) Downing!

dr. optimism over here - take off the rose tinted glasses, already!  ;) 

nah, but cavani wuda been crazy nice...

I admire your optimism! But for the last 2-3 years I have never felt as pessimistic as a Liverpool fan. Hicks and Gillette First then the reign of Hodgepodge and the absolute disaster that was! Then great news as H&G were forced out and King Kenny becomes manager! Then the despair seeing us buy mediocre players like Carroll, Downing, Henderson and Adam!
 
There is a very real danger that we are becoming a club that settles for mediocrity and sees 4th place as success!
 
We desperately need more like Suarez, Dagger, Pepe, Kuyt, Lucas, Kelly and a lot less of mediocrity like Adam, Carroll, Henderson and most of all Downing.
 
Now i'm realistic after the shambles of Hodgson and Hicks and Gillette we needed major work. King Kenny immediately revitalised us. However, watching us this season we are a million miles away from where we want to be and more importantly should be.
 
Be honest. Before Downing was a Liverpool player did you ever worry about him when he played against us? Of course not, because he is mediocre.
 
A player who is given a free role in a team that got relegated and has had one decent year in the Premier League. Is that really who we want as our creative force in midfield?
 
A half season wonder with a questionable off field lifestyle becomes our £35 million striker?   
 
A neat and tidy unproven youngster is brought for £16 million and replaces one of our best players?
 
Now with finances, wages and champions league football. I know we can't sign an Aguero or Silva. But we have signed a Suarez and Enrique. The players are out there for good prices as long as you avoid the overpriced English options.
 
I've said this before but the ONLY British players who have been a success for our great club since our last league triumph have been scousers brought through the academy (Carra, Gerrard, God, McManaman, Kelly, Rob Jones). Look at the money spent on British players transfers and wages over the last twenty odd years (Pennant, Johnson, Crouch, Heskey, Carroll, Downing, Adam, Bellamy, Henderson, McAteer, Babb, Ruddock, Scales, Collymore, Thomas, Walters, Wright, Konchesky, Joe Cole, Barmby, Kirkland, Ince, Clough, Stewart, Saunders etc.
Can anyone call any of these players a real success?
If Liverpool want to get back to the top we should build our team with a mixture of scousers (Kelly, Carra, Stevie G, Spearing and more as they come through the academy) and top class foreign players.
Buying British has, is and always will be a disaster.
 

what liverpool fans need is the drums tambourines we in Uruguay have fun at the games, not only cavani but ramirez...its a british league and lots of pride goes with it.

we'll take cavani, suarez and coates, you keep the drums and vuvuzuelas.

"The players are out there for good prices"

Of course, and we all want more like Enrique, Coates, Suarez.

What I thought about Carroll, Downing, Adam, and Henderson is they were not bought with the idea that they could win the title, but that they could quickly get us to 4th by being good enough to consistently handle the lesser teams. They haven't done that so far, but it's been damn close. 

However disappointing and unsatisfying these players have been at times, we are separated from 4th by inches, literally... Just hoping we are still within range at the end of the month, but the point is Kenny's gamble has not missed by much!

Add into the mixer a healthy Stevie G. and a January addition to replace Meireles.

I'm nervous about Chelsea, City, Chelsea. Please Stevie, be healthy.

A healthy Stevie G is a bit like a white Christmas. Great if it happens, but the odds are against it!

Come on now, LSD. Don't be like that. Christmas is in January this year. You'll see. And, Hendo did look good against, uh, uh, yea, uh, Iceland's, uh, uh,  U21's. Me, I want Spearo. But expecting to see that will be a lot like wishing for a white Christmas. 

Hi LSD, it's always tempting for me to swat away apparently negative comments as the needy rantings of a 'i-want-it-now' type, because that's normally what they are...however you obviously know and understand the club and I respect that.
 
Your extensive list of post-1990 Brit-buys is fairly damning and speaks to the logic of your thesis (especially when weighed against a list containing Hamann, Alonso, Torres and Masch).
 
All I can say is that it is simply TOO SOON in the evolution of this new side under Kenny's tutelage to make pronouncements about success or failure. If we aren't in the top 4 come May, well then such observations will have real validity. In the interim I would encourge you to try and find the good in the current playing staff. Constantly pointing out the perceived failings of the men with Liverbirds on their chests will give you a coronary. I know this because it is something I struggle with as a rabid Redman and supporter of the Irish national team!
 
I would love to be watching Flanno, Kells, Spearo, Carra, Stevie, Robbo and the likes of Sterling, Wisdom, Suso and Morgan far more regularly, supplemented by undisputed quality like Suarez and Enrique. Hell, if we could go totally 'Athletic Bilbao' on it and field a team of Scousers I'd love that too!! 
 
At the same time there is no way in hell I'm going to write off Carroll, Downing and Hendo as some have (I'll get back to you on Chaz!). These guys are excited to be Redmen and really want to do well. I believe they have genuine quality and that Kenny is still groping about for the way to utilise that talent. Surely they all deserve our patience...
 
Fowler knows I ain't preaching and I'm not asking for blind faith either because that's as idiotic as mindless whining and if someone has been shit well then it needs to be said... but for the sake of our collective mental health let's stick with them for the season...

Hi Redtrev,

Fair point. A whole team of scousers would be great (as long as we can adopt Pepe, Suarez, Lucas, Enrique and Kuyt as honorary scousers lol!).

I think the plan is to give the new guys more time but I just wonder where we may be by the time they do (if they do) settle in!

firstly, i disagree with your assessment of those players, but that's a whole other discussion...

ptb mentioned this already, but, the idea that buying british is always a disaster is ridiculous.  what about bale?  cashley? rio ferdinand?   sol campbell?  rooney?  phil jones? glen johnson?  Besides, you can easily put together a list of british players liverpool has bought that fared more or less ok:  kenny dalglish?  ian rush?  barnes? keegan?

so dont give me that nonsense about it always being a terrible idea.  you hit and you miss in the transfer window, thats just the nature of the game.  but your success rate doesnt hinge on where the players are born...

and its kind of sad you seem to see our aim is to settle for mediocrity and being happy with 4th, because its been the stated aim of everyone at the club for the past year, from henry down to the academy, to bring LFC titles on the reg again.

so, save yourself the doomsday pessimism.  its gonna be a long hard battle back to the top, why?  cuz its a long way to the top if you wanna rock n roll, bud.

'blanca, I have no doubt wee Henry's aspirations for Liverpool do not end in 4th place. neeee way. His minimum expectations this year are 4th. Great point about the nature of bringing players in; "you hit and you miss in the transfer window". Birthplace is irrelevent. And, as the pundits like to say, the gulf between 4th and 1st is wider than the one between relegation and 4th.

Hi Latortillablanca

Great point about Dalglish, Barnes and Beardsley. But that was a different and dare I say it better era. Football has changed so much since those days.

If only our current £20 million winger had even 1/10 of the ability Digger had in his prime!

the liverpool fan in me is over the moon with his form and continued health.  the chileno in me is wondering if letting bielsa go is gonna cost us a second consecutive cup appearance... phooey...

no te das cuenta tortilla que luis se va encuato la moneda de otros cuadros se abren.chelsey milan ahora lo quieren lee el diario el pais, otros como el barsa o real.

no lo creo... por lo menos hasta que el gane algunas cosas en la camizeta roja... claro que cuando el barca llama, casi todos contestan, pero ahora con alexis, cesc, pedro, messi, villa, thiago, iniesta barca ya a usado todo su credito para un par de anos... bueno, mejor dicho, espero que sea assi...

Are you part chileno? That's great. I love Chile and do business there. 

Bielsa is a genius and sad to say it, but it may be a long, long time before Chile is that good again. Borghi got the carry-over effect for a little while, but it's only a matter of time before he crashes and burns.

 ya, half my family's in santiago.  ya, thats kinda the way it goes with chile, but be a shame to waste the talent in the squad currently, they could prolly do some damage in brazil.  bielsa is incredible, i cant believe they just let him walk like that. 

So much space and gaps there which you cant find in the EPL.

This is how he can play when he gets quality support! Alas, that is something he is NOT getting at Liverpool.

is it possible to just import the entire Uruguay squad?

anyway, there was some transfer gossip a week or two ago that Chelsea were looking at Cavani...  if that is true, you'd hope that Liverpool were also doing the same.  

What a player. Now we just need some wingers and another top striker to help him out. Lol!

It's such a different culture in Uruguay, absolutely fascinating. I just can't see England fans rioting if Rooney didn't play, but Uruguayans act like they would scalp small honey badgers if it pleased Suarez so. 

our culture when it comes to the flag is by far the most patriotic in the world and just think we only have 3and a half million people in Uruguay, wish lp to go on to glory once again.

What's different, you say? Suarez is a national hero and future legend who just led them to the Copa America and semifinals of the World Cup the last 2 summers. 

Once Rooney does that, then bangs in 4 goals at home in a WC qualifier, you'll see a nice ovation from the England fans as well.

Is it just cause England sucks overall that no one cares if the best in England play at every international game? I know the difference between Rooney and Suarez, so forget the Rooney thing, just the squad in general. But it doesn't seem like Suarez would be able to pull a Landon Donovan and skip a game due to exhaustion or cause of a more important club matches. If Suarez has blood circulating in his body, he must play for Uruguay, at least that's from what I've seen. The fans and coach demand it sortof. Different culture. I don't know, maybe I'm just blabbering. The South American countries always come across to me as being way more passionate about their own country's players. 

The short answer is yes. England has no national heroes like Forlan and Suarez.

The long answer is to consider that the clubs in South America don't get to play in the Champions League, nor sign the world's top talents left and right, and actually most of their best talents leave for Europe and they can only see them on TV other than the national team. That creates a lot more expectation, demand, and excitement.

Suarez in particular is an amazing story, as his WC handball and performance when down a man in Argentina embody his country's national spirit:

"Uruguayans refer to themselves as "charrúas" when in the context of a competition or battle against a foreign contingent. In situations in which Uruguayans display bravery in the face of overwhelming odds, the expression "garra charrúa" (Charrúan rage) is used to refer to victory in the face of certain defeat."

Also, I would absolutely love to hear Agger's honest opinion on Poulsen, seeing that they have to know each other so well. Must be aggkward, havin' to see him after the continental divide...er, his sale to Evian Thonon Gaillard F.C..