A Year on the Liverpool Offside: Banding Together and Moving Forward

By: Ed | December 31st, 2011

lfcgoal

For better or worse, much of the early going in the 2011-2012 campaign found itself played under constant comparison to the season gone by. So much was different that it made such comparisons easy—new ownership, new management, nearly new squad, and success that, at least when directly contrasted with the way Liverpool played for the first five months of the 2010-2011 season, couldn’t really be compared. It wasn’t a flawless opening to the season, but December brought with it cautious optimism about Liverpool’s prospects.

The basis for that optimism included the aforementioned changes, but was also boosted by three results in the last two weeks of November. Two wins at Stamford Bridge and a home draw with league leaders Manchester City, which, like many of Liverpool’s home draws this season, saw the hosts put in a dominant display, and all of a sudden the month of December was one in which Liverpool could make a push for the top four. Six matches against a mix of opposition, but all seemed winnable, and if Liverpool started to put it all together, we were in store for a fantastic month.

There were two main factors tempering that optimism, though, and on the first day of the month, we got the news we were all dreading—Lucas’ knee injury against Chelsea in the League Cup was worst-case scenario stuff, with a torn ACL and confirmation that the midfielder, Liverpool’s best player on the season by a mile and one of the best in the game at what he does, would miss the remainder of the season. It was a crushing blow to the hopes that the last two weeks of November created given that the Brazilian was the cog that drove Liverpool along in those three matches, marking David Silva into oblivion and covering nearly every inch of the Stamford Bridge turf in the 150-odd minutes he featured.

The other hot-button issue was the pending investigation of Luis Suarez for racial abuse of Patrice Evra, which started after the teams met in mid-October and had dragged out in neverending fashion. That cloud loomed over both Suarez and the club in the media, with seemingly no discussion of player or club complete without mention of the charges. The firestorm around Suarez only got worse when, after a disappointing loss at Craven Cottage to start the month, Suarez flipped off a braying home crowd that had pelted him with chants of “cheater” and “racist” every time he touched the ball. It was a foolish move by a frustrated player, and one that, almost impossibly, made him an even easier target for a press collective that had narrowed their focus to lambast a foreign player for racism with work that reeked of hypocrisy and xenophobia.

Despite trouble on a few different fronts, Liverpool rebounded from the Fulham loss to slog through a 1-0 victory over QPR at Anfield and a 2-0 win at Villa Park. In the former Luis Suarez put in another brilliant display, shrugging off the controversy and netting his first league goal since the derby on the first day of October. And two goals in the first twenty minutes continued Liverpool’s terrific form on the road, again drawing comparison to a season in which away wins, particularly in the early part of the campaign, were few and far between.

Two days after the Villa win, though, the FA finally delivered their verdict, and like the news on Lucas’ injury, it was brought with it strong emotions—eight-match ban, £40,000, and confirmation both in the court of public opinion and a three-man disciplinary panel that Luis Suarez was no good for British football. Without any definitive justification as to what they based their decision on, the FA only complicated an already complex issue, and it very quickly turned into Liverpool and its supporters against the world.

There weren’t any immediate repercussions for Suarez, and judgment on the offsensive gesture had been delayed until after the three-ring circus had ended. He was available and selected to start against Wigan and Blackburn, and the squad showed their backing for the player in the form of pre-match t-shirts at the DW that were, depending on who you asked, either one more reason to love the club or a cringe-worthy gesture that missed the mark. And whatever the feeling, that sense of unity and togetherness didn’t translate into results, with a dismal draw in which Wigan had an answer for everything Liverpool put together and another two points dropped at Anfield five days later.

Among the few positives to be gleaned from such a rocky stretch was the return of Steven Gerrard, who replaced Charlie Adam against Blackburn and immediately lifted the club’s spirits. His quality was evident from the moment he stepped on the pitch, giving Liverpool the lift they had so badly been missing. The Suarez debacle brought the club together against any number of enemies real or imagined, but at no point was any of the situation uplifting. The captain’s return was, at least on the early evidence, exactly what the club had been missing.

And as he is wont to do, the man was at it again yesterday, coming on to help orchestrate a comprehensive and encouraging 3-1 win over Newcastle, lifting Liverpool into fifth place for a brief period and helping the club get more than two goals for only the second time this season. It was in many ways the perfect tonic for a stormy month—Liverpool learned about life without Luis Suarez, the home crowd was finally buzzing, and there was a sense of togetherness around a positive effort rather than spending their time on the defensive, both on the pitch and off.

There’s no telling if the final result of a tumultuous year will spur the club on to bigger and better things. There’s no telling what happens with Luis Suarez and his stormy relationship with the FA and British football. And after the last two transfer windows, there’s certainly no telling what happens in January.

What we can say is that it’s been a dynamic year following Liverpool Football Club, and it’s been absolutely terrific to be a part of the community here on the Liverpool Offside. We’ve been through a little bit of everything around here over the past twelve months, and we’ve managed to enjoy nearly every part of it in one way or another. And like Liverpool, there’s not really any telling where things go from here.

We can offer our thanks for all the support, insight, and humor in 2011, and more of the same in 2012.

Note: During writing, the FA released their report on the Suarez ruling, and it can be read here. As has always been the case, we’re fully behind any consequences for acts of racism and prejudice. Despite the fact that we’re all prejudiced, bias, or even racist in some way, there’s no place for acts of overt racism or bigotry in sport or society. And had the FA published anything that provided clarification, we’d be backing them without question. For now, though, there’s not a lot of sense to be made from what’s been released.

The rest of the year in the review:

A Year on the Liverpool Offside: Roy Hodgson’s January
A Year on the Liverpool Offside: The January Window Closes
A Year on the Liverpool Offside: Bigger Than Any One Player
A Year on the Liverpool Offside: The Upward Spiral
A Year on the Liverpool Offside: Falling Back to Earth
A Year on the Liverpool Offside: The British Experiment
A Year on the Liverpool Offside: Starting Over, Settling In
A Year on the Liverpool Offside: Failing to Finish

Some Related Liverpool Posts:

Category: Team News

« Liverpool 3, Newcastle 1: Here He Comes to Save the Day | Home | Video: Steven Gerrard v. Newcastle »

lfc80uk

Happy new year all! A new year brings new hope. Will the team begin to take their chances that their possession and passage of play deserves? Will Stewart Downing start to justify his outrageous transfer fee? Will Andy Carroll finally get the service he has been craving for and start banging in the goals? Will Charlie Adam begin to perform consistently as opposed to a player who seems ready for his testamonial. Will Steven Gerrard finally start a run of games (nobody mention the *cough* groin or *cough* ankle) And will the pesky FA finally leave Suarez alone, and start acting like a august organisation befitting their stature. As opposed to the incompetent shambles that they have become. Agreed! The last one does seem doubtful! As for the rest.... Hope so :)
Ishaan Krishna

Much love from India, amigos! I get that everyone's trying to be politically correct and all blah blah blah but really, i love the chap anyway. He was a bit of a cunt, but who isn't? Fuck that shit, i say. Hopefully, he'll come back smarter and hungrier.
CharlieFineman

Happy New Year, LFC Offside! Not a Liverpool fan, but you still keep passers-by entertained, have a great year!
Andy

Racism is not on but it appears this case was handled very poorly, and the prosecutors had it in for Suarez from the beginning. Most of their evidence is based entirely on the word of Evra over Suarez. Some outtakes:

"Mr Kuyt said that he was very close to Mr Evra and the referee at this time. He said he was "absolutely certain" that he heard Mr Evra say that the referee was only booking him because he was black... We found the evidence of Mr Marriner on this point to be credible and plausible. He recalled Mr Evra telling him that he was being called black. This is consistent with Mr Evra's evidence of what he told Mr Marriner at that time, and also with Mr Giggs' evidence of what Mr Evra said to him shortly afterwards. In light of this, we reject Mr Kuyt's evidence that Mr Evra said that the referee was only booking him because he was black, however certain Mr Kuyt was that he heard it." – Why was this fact completely ignored despite his absolute certainty?

"The experts who were instructed are Professor Peter Wade and Dr James Scorer who are both affiliated to the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the University of Manchester." – Could they not have chosen an impartial university?

I don't know how they conducted the interview, but from the looks of this outtake, Suarez could barely understand the questions:

"MR GREANEY: Mr Suarez, the first thing I would like to ask you, now that we have seen those again, is: is it correct, as you say in paragraph 27 of your witness statement, that you were trying to defuse or calm down the situation in the goal mouth?
A. That's why I was explaining to him that it was a normal foul.
Q. Let me be as clear as I can. Was your aim, when you were in the goal mouth, and speaking to Mr Evra, to calm down the situation?
62
A. I wasn't thinking about speaking to anyone. He was the one to come to me and speak to me.
Q. What we want to know, or at least I do, is what was in your mind? Was it in your mind to try to calm down the situation?
A. He was asking me, "Why did you kick me?" Those were football conversations, and I replied, "This is a normal foul. What do you want me to do?"
Q. Do you see paragraph 27 of your statement? Does it read: "I was trying to defuse or calm the situation"?
A. By the gesture I was doing with my hands, I could show that I was trying to explain the situation, because these are conversations that you have in the field.
Q. Mr Suarez, I have to suggest to you that my question is really a very simple one. In the goal mouth, and in particular as you pinched the skin of Mr Evra, do you say you were trying to calm the situation?
A. Not after the pinch, because he was saying that he was going to hit me.
Q. I'll just make one more attempt, and then we will move on. In your statement, over which we have understood you took some care, you have said of the pinching: "I was trying to defuse the situation." All I wish to know is whether that is true or not.
A. I was not trying to calm down the situation, but trying to explain to Evra why I was doing this foul, and when - then he replied, "I'm going to hit you", and I was trying to show him that he was not untouchable, not in the foul and not by the gesture that I did with the - by the pinch I was doing to his arm, that he wasn't untouchable."

Suarez deserves to be punished, if only to be educated that even though it might be ok in Uruguay it's not ok in England. But The punishment is harsh and based on a corrupted trial.
brother jon

happy new year to the whole LO fam.
be safe, be merry, be ready.
we're going to europe.

and FA: f'n 'ell, or should i say concha de tu hermana, for dumping 115 pages of hackery on nye. really....classy?
Antonio

Look very interesting after yesterday games on the Top of the table. United beaten at home, so was Chelsea, Spurs manage (only) a draw(hope they lost though), only Arsenal won.
We are within distance from top 4. We had drew 7 games altogther in 2011 which is 2nd place in term of team that draw the most game, that could cost us.
In Newcastle game, we scored 3 goals (4 include own goal), I hope it carry over the new year, we haven't score that much goal in a game, and did it without Suarez.

On Suarez case, though being a Liverpool fan, we can be bias as Ed said. Suarez despite a awesome player, IMHO, on a neutral view, has some negative side of him, such as getting to the ground too easily (South American player habit?), complain too much to the ref when decision not go his way, and the current off field incident, middle finger as well as racist mis-conduct(yet to be proven). If I am not wrong he did bitten opponent player's ear when his was at his former club. Anyway I hope it serve a lesson for him.

As much as we don't want to loose him for another 8 matches, but if it stand, we have to deal with it. Think on the bright side, it is a chance for Carroll to prove his worth and we have our Skipper back. All the best for the coming 2nd half of the season.

Happy New Year to every one.
redtrev73

A big sentimental Happy 2012 to all the top folks circulating in this rarified zone of LFCery created by Ed and Noel's consistently excellent writing and the quality commentators it attracts. I love you all...in that appropriate way.

Now, COME ON YOU REDMEN!!!!!
Ed

Thanks for the kind words everyone, and keeping it relatively civil around the Suarez/Evra stuff. Sort of strange to have a year-end post right at the time of that, but happy the discussion has been fairly balanced.

Hope you all have a happy and safe New Year's, and that this is the last moment I'm sober.
Luis Suarez dentist

Happy New Year everyone!

Beer O'clock!
Ryan

Ya, you guys are alright. I started reading around the time of those Europa league qualifiers last year, but didn't start commenting til...whenever I started commenting. I think I just casually read what Ed and Noel said without reading the comments until about January.
And of course, I thought this Ed guy didn't know anything and was probably a 17 year old FIFA11 player until January as well. It was all because of those big words and big posts Noel always did, made everybody look high, even more so when some of us were high. After January, the blog seemed different. It's like through the shellshocked horror that was the transfer window, We came out of the twilight zone looking something like the most credible offside blog, with the best community. Those Italian blogs get in the thousands of posts, but it's usually up for a week and no one actually talks about what the author originally wrote about. Ed and Noel post 1 or 2 times a day, and always get between 20-100 sincere, thought out comments. Unless they do one of those international matchday threads. They were the worst times, they were the really bad of times.So hurray, yippie-yay-fucking-turtles-and Happy New Year! Cheers to all the voyeurs who don't say anything but just "like" shit from time to time. I wish a good 2012 to Mr. Redtrev, JPR, Mr. Singapore(he's not a girl), That Purified Guy, Everyone who chose to name themselves after player's body parts and associates (the Bicep, the Buckteeth, the Dentist), LucasLeiva21 (wherever he is..he disappeared after the knee injury), and everyone else who will feel left out that they didn't get mentioned, and everyone who is not too xabi. Ed and Noel, thanks for all the hard work. The comments can only be half as good as the writing, and the comments are really good, so, turn this into something sounding sincere. It's all in how you look at it. I think.
Ed

Thanks for the comments, and for ending up with something resembling being sincere despite my apparent pubescent lexicon. But yeah, in comparison to Noel I'll readily acknowledge that I sound like a buffoon. Having him come aboard has been far and away the best thing that's happened to the blog in the four seasons I've been around. If that hadn't happened, there's no way I would have made it to January of this year given everything I had going in real life during the start of last season.

So I'm with you. And thanks again.
jpr

I'm very sorry. Mr. Singapore might actually be a girl living in London. But Trev, no. He's certainly not a girl, I think, maybe. And if I have to write any more posts on this stupid little iPhone, I'm going to throw it in this 20 mile lake.
Luis Suarez dentist

Disgraceful. It is impossible to win a case when the prosecutor is also the judge.

Liverpool need to take this to a court of law and outside the kangaroo court of the FA.

YNWA Luis Suarez.
Waiting for Sterling

HAHAHAH with Evra's new trendy haircut I would trust someone with a mask on and a gun pointed at my head before I trusted him.

Btw, while watching the game against Blackburn I noticed that Luis didn't seem to flop around as much. He goes down when there's contact and no way out, but he does it usually when necessary which I can say just about every other player does.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it looked like Luey was trying to get his act together.
Seanster

Happy new year folks. Only got on to this site in late 2010 and have been a daily reader since. Thanks a million Ed and Noel for the quality of the writing, wit, analysis and intelligence you've given us this past year. The amount of work that goes into this is immediately apparent by the quality of the articles and is much appreciated. The level of quality contribution from posters is a testement to the standards you've both applied to this site. All the best for 2012.
Lis

Found this blog during the end of the Hicks & Gillett era and it has been a fucking lifesaver. Best LFC related blog out there. Ed and Noel, you are at the Pepe Reina level of awesomeness.
Happy New Year to everybody!!! Here's to a glorious return to top 4 at the end of the season!
Suarez from the car park...

Newspaper's have only written about anti Suarez bits of the report. Make it sound really bad. They want him strung up.
Mike

You're absolutely right about this. I read the BBC for crying out loud, and they made it seem like such an open and shut case that I almost wanted to string Suarez up.

Still, expecting the press to take a nuanced and careful view of things, what was I thinking?
purify_the_body

Yup. Serious hatchet job.

The ridiculous thing is that in the report they describe how Evra could not even recall which color he called on the coin toss, so he thought he had won the toss when in fact he'd lost it!

Talk about an unreliable witness...
jpr

The year has ended really well for Liverpool and us, the fans, from so many perspectives. Finally got a comfortable win (and fully deserved) at home and were able to play the last 20 minutes or so "for fun" without having to push on for a goal and ending with that empty feeling of having played well but come up short. Stevie G comes on for a 2nd half cameo in two games in a row and single handedly transforms a somewhat average looking team into world beaters. Probably won't get the start for City, but we really could use him. He has to! stay healthy for the entire second half of the 2011/2012 campaign. Chelsea and United lose and Spurs tie, only Arsenal/QPR doesn't go our way.

Thought Bellers looked great against the Geordies. His corners really were of the $20 mil variety, driven in with pace and purpose into dangerous areas and his direct kicks were tremendous. What a shot/goal on that DK. He has delivered that type of quality now numerous times. Two goals, fabulous. I think even LSD must have his rating upgraded to well above "average" now. For me he's "tremendous". I loved the way Stevie backed away from that Newcastle DK when Bellers waved him off it. No Prima-donna's here. A real team all playing for each other and one common goal, to check off the W at 90 minutes.

Best back line in the Prem. Period. We're the only team that can score on us. And even then not easily! Skrtel's clearance of Ba's deft touch was magical. Never gave up, was never going to let that ball cross that line. And just how damn good did wee Jay look against Newcastle?

Bellers, Stevie G., wee Jay, Jonno, Hendo, Big Andy, Stewie. The "New" British experiment for 2012. Get ready to get impressed. Pepe, Enrique, Luis, Maxi, Coates to add a little Latin/Spanish flair. DAgger and Dirki for a little Dutch determination. Skrtel to add some steel. Charlie to add an extra dimension and Carra for some intensity and organization. Get ready people, Kenny's boys are gearing up "The Steamroller" for 2012. Gonna steamroll all over you.

Allrighty then. New year's eve. Time for some 4 pound Maine lobsters, a little filetignon and some massive quantities of Belgian beer with family and friends. Party time is here.
Luis Suarez dentist

Fair play. Bellers was excellent against the barcodes.

May have to admit I was wrong on that one..............

Perhaps there is hope for Downing yet! :o)
jpr

The barcodes? ROTFLMFAO.

If I have you giving Stewie some room, I must have won the lottery.
Seanster

Lovin the optimism JPR, enjoy the lobster you lucky git.
jpr

Lucky git it is. Happy New Year Seanster.
purify_the_body

Wow, reading this and the FA just love Evra and hate Suarez. Unbelievable.
justin

No interest in continuing the who's right who's wrong debacle with regards to LS and PE. No one's gonna win from it and I'd really like for some closure just to be able to move on from it.

On the other hand, as a LFC fan i'm just thankful that the club has been returned to safe hands and that the club is united on all fronts, from top to bottom, moving in a purposeful direction with pride in it's identity. It certainly has been a rarity for the past 2-3 years or so.

God Bless Ya'll. YNWA.
3PhDs

NEGRO is not a racist word. The United States Census Bureau announced that "Negro" would be included on the 2010 United States Census alongside "Black" and "African-American" - does that mean the US government promotes and condones racism?
The trouble here is the judgement has been made by 3 individuals who probably have never experienced a second of true racism in their lives. They are a joke and disgrace to the United Kingdom.
THE FA OF ENGLAND IS THE RACIST PARTY HERE, NOT LUIS SUAREZ!
jpr

Noel/Ed, we have the really smart guys calling out the Engkish FA. Allrighty then, whatever.

I'm not sure if we can call the English FA racist. They have admittedly never actually seen a black person. Might be a bit of a stretch then.
Jose Enrique's Bicep

Just wondering why Mr. Evra wasn't punished too
purify_the_body

section 222 "the decision is limited to the Charge brought."

There would have to be a separate charge brought against Evra -- not sure whether Liverpool would have to file a complaint first.
Reba

Seriously though....I've just been reading the report and it's shocking what Evra admits to. HE started the conversation in the goalmouth with "your sister's cunt"?!?!
jpr

Your sisters cunt is the way The French say I Love You. The FA actually know this. They are secure in the knowledge of that and the certainty that JT will lead England to the Euro finals.
fastrail

And he gets away with it..wow just ..wow
purify_the_body

Yeah, I'm only halfway through it but so far it looks like Evra went on tilt, tried to start a fight with Suarez in Spanish, misunderstood what Suarez said because of his poor Spanish, then went to his manager and said "Suarez called me a n***** five times."

I don't see too much wrong with Suarez saying "dale negro" if Evra has offered to punch him in the face -- it's like saying "go for it, pal" and that's what you say to bullies/assholes when they threaten you.

Nothing in there so far to justify 8 games.
Michael Lloyd

I think that sounds like a fair assessment. In retrospect, Suarez should have responded with something like, "Fuck off dickhead", and the FA would have been OK with it.

However, reading the reports in the press about the new FA report, there is no way LFC or Luis Suarez can win now. Both have been tried in the court of popular opinion via the media, something which, in a criminal case, the law courts are very keen to avoid. This, though, is the FA, the holier than thou body which defends Rooney because it is in their best interests, bleats about bribes in granting of World Cups, yet is willing to hand out self regarding decisions based on "probability of evidence", not proof beyond reasonable doubt.

It looks like LFC will have to swallow this and move on, or else the dear FA will find other things to investigate/decide upon. What? It's the FA, they can do anything they want.....

(Anger over now, sorry for prolixity)
purify_the_body

The report is quite interesting. They definitely have it in for Suarez the whole way.
purify_the_body

Also, Suarez' lawyer did a bad job with his written statement.
PDubz18

I think what it comes down to is Suarez's lawyer. A good attorney would have said "Luis, if you make any indication that you used any language that could ever be considered racist, you will be crucified."

Instead, his lawyer let him say that he did use "negro" but not in the way Evra took it. The way it happened, it wasn't Evra's word against Luis' (which would be very subjective), it was Luis' meaning against Evra's. The rules clearly state that meaning doesn't matter.
jpr

What crap. How does Liverpool not get Luis the most brilliant Bulldog attorney imagineable? Never admit anything. This is not about honesty, it's about intelligence in testimony.
Jose Enrique's Bicep

Yea, it seems like his lawyer wasn't exactly the best around...