Fowler Takes Over, Dalglish Praises Owners, and Other Friday Notes

By: Noel | October 13th, 2011
   
robbie fowler Muangthong United

It’s been a fun week to follow Liverpool, with the crushing boredom of another international break coming along just as the things were starting to pick up followed by the kind of ridiculous insanity in the press that seems to come along before every United match. And by fun I of course mean absolutely hideously unbearable. Unless of course you happen to be a blogger, in which case at least the later will have given you something to write about in spite of the former…

* Last week, we asked who people would rather see at right back for Liverpool against Manchester United in the expectation that both Glen Johnson and Martin Kelly would be fit and ready to go by Saturday, and today the club has confirmed that both players will be available from the start when the match rolls around. This is good news for the Liverpool Offside, as we wouldn’t have looked half foolish devoting an entire post to who should start against United only for one or both of the offered options to end up lame after all. And it’s also probably good news for the club.

In any case, last week 61% of respondents thought that Martin Kelly was the right choice to start, while the remaining 39% stuck with Glen Johnson. Assuming Liverpool doesn’t manage to kill English football before kickoff, we’ll get to see if Kenny Dalglish and the coaching staff are on the same page as the fans come Saturday afternoon.

* Speaking of Dalglish and killing English football, apparently nobody gave Liverpool’s manager the memo explaining how Liverpool’s new owners are in fact killing English football. Otherwise it would seem to make very little sense for him to say nice things about them as he looks back on their first year running the club:

The greatest compliment I can pay to them is that they’re as good as the people who ran the club the first time I was here. That’s a hell of a statement because the people who ran the club then, Sir John Smith and Peter Robinson, were two of the best any football club could ever have had.

John [Henry], Tom Werner, and the rest of the investors that have supported this football club have been absolutely fantastic. Since I came in January they’ve been nothing but supportive towards what we have to do. Their ambitions and aims are exactly the same as our most ardent fan—they want to have the success that everyone craves. And they’ve started off very encouragingly.

High praise indeed from Liverpool’s legend of a manager. Unless of course you believe the London press, in which case it’s probably just PR spin to deflect from the unforgivable evils being undertaken behind the scenes.

* Most will recall that Robbie Fowler headed to Thailand earlier in the year, the striker looking to keep on playing just as long as possible, but what most won’t know is that last week he added manager to his list of duties for Muangthong United. After wrapping up his contract with Australia’s Perth Glory, he had been considering retiring—and heading back to England to earn his coaching badges—before being approached by the Thai club. Fowler, though, struggled to settle in his new league, finding playing time hard to come by for a side that were domestic favourites and expected to go far in Asia’s version of the Champions League.

As for the club’s fortunes, they performed to expectations in the league but found themselves knocked out of both domestic and international cup competitions, leading to the sacking of their sixth manager in five years. Fowler will be in charge until at least January—unless, judging by the club’s track record, he loses two in a row—and has now recorded one win against no loses and no draws in his managerial career. He’s also given Robbie Fowler the player one start so far in said managerial career, with an assist from his best performance so far in Thailand to show for it.

Ed will be along in a little while to preview the big match, but in the meantime, while you try to figure out what nefarious doings John Henry might be getting up to on the eastern shores of North America…


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  • NotTooXabi

    Bits and bobs from a hangover and cold pizza breakfast:

    Really enjoyed this read/idea --> Carroll as trequartista

    http://www.theanfieldwrap.com/...

    Will never happen but what about this to snuff out manure on the wings and over-run (literally) vidic and company?
               
                  Reina
           Kelly Carra Agger
    Johnson   Lucas       Enrique
           Gerrard  Downing
           Kuyt      Suarez

    A fully-fit squad...does the 18 look like this?

    Reina/Doni
    Johnson/Kelly
    Carra/Agger/Skrtel
    Enrique/Auerlio
    Lucas/Gerrard/Adam/Henderson
    Kuyt/Downing/Bellamy
    Carroll/Suarez

    I might be more exited to see our bench than the starting XI. Granted, Kenny seems hellbent on not making changes until the 72 minute. Much to my liver's chagrin.

  • JPR

    Not too Xabi lineup. Would let Kuyt, Jonno, Kelly (and Stevie at times) stopper Young and Evra on United's left; DAgger, Enrique and Downing stopper Valencia and Nani on the right. It would also be a ready made solution to stop Nani if he moves left. Lucas and Stevie could just kick ass on Fletcher and Anderson. And Carra would have help with Chicharito and Rooney. Would also allow 9 guys to bring the O. Then again, I'm partial to any sides that have Charles and Hendo as impact subs at 72, if needed. Too bad Jonno and DAgger are not yet fully fit. 

  • kenny

    There should be a post, or just some info. on how we do after international breaks... Good idea? Bad idea? Just wondering, there might be some trends.

  • ejbauer11

    Nate, over at ohyoubeauty, wrote a great post about it earlier this year: http://ohyoubeauty.blogspot.co... - I believe Noel and Ed linked to it when it went up.

  • ejbauer11

    Ummm, apparently my sh-t doesn't refresh quite as fast as everyone else. 

  • Think we linked to it at the time, but either way, Nate covered it a few weeks back: http://ohyoubeauty.blogspot.co...

  • kenny

    Thank you both. Very insightful.

  • Seanster

     
                        Suarez

    Downing       Gerrard         Kuyt

                  Adam       Lucas

    Enrique    Agger     Carra     Kelly

                         Reina

    I'd be loudly confident of returning their arses on a platter with this line up.

  • Latortillablanca

    i fucks widdit...

  • redtrev73

    I, too, fucks widdit Seanster.....'blanca's teaching me to talk street, I'm not sure I'm doing it right.

  • Latortillablanca

    good take, but for future reference, ive found that grammatical correctness is best left by the wayside when tapping into your inner Stringer Bell.

  • JPR

    HRH Charles is still MIA in Spain, trying to find the right bus to get home.

  • Latortillablanca

    #1 in the hood, G.

  • Suarez from the car park...

    Can't help thinking that Thai team was ManThong Utd but Fowler made them change it.

  • justin

    Just wondering how nice it'd be for Vidic to return and earn his customary Red card whenever he plays against us? It always seems to happen that I kind of take that for granted now...

  • Ryan

    My gawd. I laugh every time I read the name of that club. Poor Fowler, what would it cost to get him to come back and...help, clean stuff at Anfield? Or draw on the whiteboard for Kenny! We all know he's allergic to that expo shit. Or he demands Liverpool use chalk because that's what Paisley used to show him how to kick ass. 

    Benitez is fightin' the good fight, Dalglish is holdin' us together, Fowler is doing something with Asians, Gerrard is fit for United, we've got all our fullbacks kickin', we've got the media thinking we are insane when we are really just fucking ANIMALS ready to tear shit up and do crack, its THE PERFECT STORM!!! DUN DUNDUN. Redtrev, kick it with the positive vibes!!

  • redtrev73

    I am currently doing crack and drinking ethanol with Fabio Capello and Andy Carroll, Ryan. After a lunch of small babies with John Henry during which we intend to plot the downfall of the British economy, I need to get to Melwood for a hypnotherapy session with Carra to help overcome his predisposition for 'emptying it'....only then, after a quick visit to Sky tv studios to make Saturday's broadcast watchable by locking rat-boy Neville in a closet, only then, will I be free to focus on sending our boys some positive vibes...

  • Seanster

    Try one of those Rentokil traps for the Neviller Trev, else keep you eyes peeled for a hole in the floor, thats how they usually get in, especially during inclement weather.

  • Guest

    I'm guessing you guys have read the book on Gary Neville?

  • JPR

    Send a pound of that crack over to Dave Whelan so he can get his head straight.

  • Suarez from the car park...

    Go madRedDog.  

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