They had a famous FA Cup run in the early 1990s, eventually being knocked out by Crewe 3-1 in the 3rd round. Roly Howard was manager for a record 33 years (1972-2005), although he will always be remembered by some fans as Kenny Dalglish's window cleaner. TV presenter Ray Stubbs once asked: "How's business, Roly?" to which Roly replied "Oh you know - ups and downs."
Former players include Michael Ball (Everton and Rangers) and Stephen Wright (Liverpool and Sunderland). The club motto is 'To Enjoy, Not Destroy.'
RAFA Benitez couldn't lose tonight's League Cup clash against Reading.
After resting, dropping or simply not picking Fernando Torres for Saturday's 0-0 draw against Birmingham at Anfield, the Reds manager got some flak. Quite right. It was a bad mistake which could cost Liverpool dear. Time will tell.
To compound his mistake he picks the Spaniard for a relatively trivial midweek cup clash and Torres almost single-handedly wins the match with a hat-trick.
Was it justification for resting him on Saturday? A 'tired' Torres might have had an off night? Liverpool could have stumbled at the first hurdle of a cup competition, damaging morale.
If Torres had not played well against Reading, Rafa could have suggested his inclusion against Birmingham may also have drawn a blank. His critics, who had proclaimed Torres as the answer to Liverpool's goalscoring problems, would have been silenced.
Or, was it proof that, in Fernando Torres, Liverpool have a matchwinner who could have buried Birmingham and pulverised Portsmouth seven days earlier?
The Reds would have been top of the Premier League and Arsenal, Chelsea and Man Utd players would have been reaching for the Diocalm Ultra.
After tonight's match, Rafa smiled as he shrugged off Sky Sports' questions about his selection policy. Asked if Torres will play against Wigan on Saturday, he replied: "We'll see. If he trains well and is not injured, maybe."
The Scottie Road lynch mobs will be heading for the dugout if he doesn't start, Rafa.
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csb wrote...
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, however, I do think Rafa was wrong on Saturday not to start with Torres. If we are serious about winning the title this year it is paramount that we take three points from games like Birminham at home. That said, the team we started with on Saturday should have been good enough to win the match easily and I can understand Rafa's frustration with performance and our inability to break down an average team.
Posted by: csb | September 26, 2007 10:14 AM