The date: 8th December 2007. Reading 3 Liverpool 1.
It’s said that insanity is the act of repeating the same behaviour and expecting different results.
Arsenal doesn’t count. It was a painless night out. We were on a hiding to nothing thanks to playing a mixture of first teamers and various developing stages of pupae. The sight of Plessis and Spearing in the centre of midfield and the burgeoning collective goal threat of Voronin and Babel must have told Wenger to book hotels for the next round.
I say painless as something odd happened. Firstly we scored (a beauty too) which is more than most expected and secondly, there was a time when we ignored the hype and decided Arsene’s Adolescents or whatever they’re called these days (The Myopic’s Minors?), weren’t quite the pre-pubescent version of Brazil’s 1970 team we were led to believe. Sadly, our usual suspects played like Alan Brazil’s pub team and the threat disappeared. Still, Aquilani came on and the pies were nice. Glass half full, that’s me.
And so to Fulham. A decent, even likeable side but one that should struggle against our might. Last season Rafa was criticised after our 0-0 game at Anfield but yesterday such a result would have practically be seen as progress. Voronin’s starting place alongside Torres’ and Yossi’s substitution formed the unholy trinity of Rafa’s mishaps and, as in 2007 where Gerrard, Torres and Carragher made way, the capitulation was complete. He can explain the Torres’ move with talk of injury (guaranteed ninety minutes on Wednesday then) but Yossi and Voronin’s roles would take something more, something only lithium could explain. Both subs left the pitch muttering under their breath which has led some to believe that Pennant’s interview was spot on. Rafa talks of control, which is fine, but he also refuses to put his hands up when he’s wrong, which is not. We can’t afford to have him and the senior players fall out. That scenario worried me more than the result. If Torres trips over his lip, something of which he’s capable judging by his derby moans, we really have had it. At the moment I’d rather lose one than the other. Guess which?
I’ll fight Rafa’s corner wherever possible. He is, after all, one of the best managers in the world and has given the Reds some glorious moments. I’ve stuck with him through thin and thinner but…but…what is he up to? Seriously, what is it about his make up that can turn him from the man who genuinely scares Ferguson’s (no mean feat, posturing aside) one minute and then commit tactical hari-kari in a must-win game the next? Six defeats in seven. Not draws which was the problem last season, but defeats, most of them limper than a bone-crushing Babel tackle. I don’t want to shout Rafa Out as it would be a bootless task anyway. The club could never find the money to pay him off following his long term catch-all contract nor could they find a worthwhile replacement. What’s Alan Curbishley doing these days? Some of the radio phone-ins suggested Kenny as interim boss and then a proper appointment in the summer. A romantic idea but Kenny wouldn’t want it having walked away before and his health comes first. I, for one, wouldn’t want him back anyway. It would be like The Beatles reforming in 1979 and then being shit. Why take the risk with his legacy?
Shout all you want but Rafa’s not going anywhere. We’re all in this for the long haul and it’s not going to be pretty. Instead we’ll have the anti-American talk (the swines even took Benayoun off yesterday) and the call will be for more money for Rafa and to ‘get behind him’. Anti Rafa and Pro-Rafa schisms emerge every day and I’m still on both sides of the fence but, suffice to say, on Saturday night I was looking up Alan Curbishley CV on Wikipedia. Nothing will change. Nothing can change. We’ll all meet here next week and re-assess the rollercoaster ride. Sometimes we too are guilty of repeating the same behaviour and expecting different results.
Incidentally, in 2007 we went to France and battered the opposition. Surely it’ll be exactly the same story this time. Won’t it?