[Archived] Liverpool Away Preview

[Rover Down Under]

BRFCS Liverpool Away Preview

Liverpool:

Manager: Rafael Benitez, appointed 1/07/2004, 49 years old

Transfer balance sheet 2009/2010

Transfer revenue: £ 44.9 million

Transfer expenditure: £ 39 million

Transfer balance: £ +6 million

Number of players: 25, Foreign players: 20 (80%)

Rovers:

Manager: Sam Allardyce, appointed 17.12.2008. 55 years old

Transfer balance sheet 2009/2010

Transfer revenue: £ 29.5 million

Transfer expenditure: £ 11.6 million

Transfer balance: £ 17.9 million

Number of players: 26, Foreign players: 22 (84.6 %)

Total squad purchase price:

Liverpool: £ 161 million

Blackburn Rovers: £ 31.5 million

Cost per point:

Liverpool: £ 3.6 million (44 points)

Blackburn Rovers: £ 1 million (31 points)

Cost per goal:

Liverpool: £ 3.7 million (43 goals)

Blackburn Rovers: £ 1.2 million (26 goals)

Cost per win:

Liverpool: £ 12.3 million (13 wins)

Blackburn Rovers: £ 3.9 million (8 wins)

With recent circumstances surrounding Portsmouth and it looking increasingly likely the club will go into receivership this preview will have a bit of a financial slant (rather than reminiscing on 14/5/95 etc.). Lets kick off with a look at the relative costs of Rovers and Liverpool, who are, probably, the next in the list of clubs in serious financial difficulties. We are far better off financially and it’s not hard to see why. Liverpool’s squad cost five times more than ours and with 44 points, 43 goals and 13 wins. It costs them three times what we spend per point, per goal and per win. Add to that a much higher wage bill, despite having one less player than us, erratic, careless owners a new stadium that’s not being built and a new player in the big bucks game in the form of Man City and being a Liverpool fan ain’t so rosy anymore. It’s good that reality is finally catching up with these teams, unfortunately we all know that should the worst come to the worst some Dubious Dubaiers will cough up for the club. Champions League football is looking increasingly unlikely next season for the reds which will see a further reduction in income and with the club already looking for 100 million just to finance debts and rollover loans this fact won’t sit comfortably with any potential new investors.

Self-delusion was usually the stronghold of Newcastle United fans but Liverpool fans have easily filled those shoes this season. One bunch propose that 100,000 Liverpool fans cough up 5,000 each to buy the club. Riiiiighht...lets see 100,000 ‘Pool fans, well I’m sure there are far more than that worldwide but the group clearly overlooked one or two obvious flaws in their plan. Firstly, the 50,000 odd Scousers in Liverpool would have to nick the 5 grand off each other and the other 50,000 “fans” (complete with knock-off shirts) overseas all live in countries where 5 grand is the median annual salary. Not surprisingly this plan resulted in an epic failure. So the hunt for someone to finance the clubs debts – just read that again – yes, finance the clubs DEBTS, not finance the club – is still underway.

"Liverpool football club is about paying down debt and not winning trophies and that is simply not good enough for a club of Liverpool’s standing," a spokesman for Spirit of Shankly recently said, welcome to the real world mate, you must be exhausted after 2 decades in the clouds onboard Cloud Cuckoo Airways.

The farce of the Premier League is best summed up in this quotation:

"What’s changed since the Premier League broke away from the Football League in 1992? Everything. If you won the First Division title, you were the best team in England. If you win the Premier League, you owe someone £500 million.”

All too true. Trouble is when you have 5 teams all trying to win the league that’s 5 teams who will owe 500 million, each.

Anyway, I’m getting carried away, what’s happening on the pitch? Well the form guide isn’t favouring anything for us; 12 points for L’pool from last 5 home games, 0 points for Rovers from last 5 away. We only have a few Big 4 games left and for once this season I would just love us to put up a fight for once. It’s made me sick to the stomach to watch us being shafted so badly every time we play Big 4’s (apart from Chelski away when we were, actually, sick to the stomach.) From the little I’ve seen this season L’pool aren’t so good in the air, a di Santo / Kalinic partnership could cause them a few problems but Sam will probably go for one up front again. Reina has been in good form, Carragher not so, Skrtel is a weak link and about the only player I really rate is Babel. L’pool score a lot in the last 15 minutes, much as we like to score in the first 15, then throw it away. Trying to score early then defend would be a bad move, I think Sam will bring Hoilett and Kalinic on late in the game to try and nick a win and hold things steady with di Santo or Roberts up front until then. Having Dunny back will be a boost and hopefully he can show his counterpart why they might be team mates this Summer.

Gerrard is, in my opinion, the most overrated player in the Premier League. Having seen him play dozens of times against Rovers or for England I completely fail to see why he is considered to be one of the world’s best. He is very good, don’t get me wrong, but he is by no means as outstanding as everyone makes out. This is not necessarily his fault, he is the victim of todays videobite, YouTube clip, media driven and football cult of personality oriented society. One of the best Rovers team goals of the past decade was against Liverpool in 2006 (1-0) Tugay turned Gerard inside out making him look like a Sunday league amateur before threading a ball to Peders who squared for burger boy to score. I’d be interested to see if he makes it in Spain when L’pool are forced to sell him and Torres this Summer (I hope).

Optimistically we might nick a win by a goal, we drew with them at home earlier this season (our highest home gate) so we know they are not as invincible as their fellow Big 4. Pessimistically, they find form and we’re on the receiving end of another thumping and more pain in the goal difference column. Realistically, we will huff and puff and not do very much and they will grab a goal in our ever-present “let’s go to sleep for a few minutes in defence” period.

I’m generally an optimistic kind of person though

[Steve Moss]

I like the stats. If we beat Bolton, I figure we can beat Liverpool, 2-1. If we don't beat Bolton, then a 0-0 draw.

[philipl]

Interesting preview!

I doubt any Dubious Dubaiers or even a Shady Saudi are going to be terribly interested in talking to the Awful Americans of Anfield. Those guys have completely burnt their bridges with so many potential benefactors that they have not only screwed Liverpool under their ownership but screwed Liverpool in terms of who will next own it as well.

Two mega-games today: Rovers can practically assure PL football with a win today whilst Liverpool's recent remarkable run in the PL which has kept them in contention for coming 4th will be severely tested at City today. Press reports linking City to a double swoop for Torres and Gerrard won't be helping any but Liverpool will be buoyed by the continuing report of unrest over "sporadic" training at City- whatever that means!

Let's see how the world looks after today and hope that Liverpool have a Romanian nightmare in Unirea midweek as well.

[CrazyIvan]

Just a quick point, we have 2 draws in our last 5 away games. Wigan and West Ham...

[slough_rover]

I like the stats. If we beat Bolton, I figure we can beat Liverpool, 2-1. If we don't beat Bolton, then a 0-0 draw.

When was the last time we beat L'Pool away? Also we have one of the worst away records in the league and probably the worst record against the top 4. So your basing this on?...

[Steve Moss]

When was the last time we beat L'Pool away? Also we have one of the worst away records in the league and probably the worst record against the top 4. So your basing this on?...

My crystal ball.

Seriously, our form is improving, Kalinic is coming along, Liverpool are not at their best, and there is no reason why we can't be competitive.

[1864roverite]

Lets just hope Sam sends out a team to compete rather than just roll over.

Hope for a point but the reality is Liverppo will get all the luck and Torres wil come and plunder a brace or more.

Defeat for Rovers.

[philipl]

After Liverpool's grim grim draw at City, I have to say I am fancying this one a bit, especially as the game in Romania is on Thursday evening, not Wednesday as I originally wrote- that means a very late arrival back for them despite the 18.00 start and with a bit of luck, some extra time as well...

[Mr. E]

Is Samba suspended for this one as well?

And if Nelsen is injured too....what are we gonna do?

[CrazyIvan]

Is Samba suspended for this one as well?

And if Nelsen is injured too....what are we gonna do?

Samba is back. Two game ban only.

[Mr. E]

Samba is back. Two game ban only.

Ok, that's good. Hopefully he'll return on-form as well.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Just have a good go Rovers..we cant ask for more.

[Iceman]

Samba is back. Two game ban only.

Have no fear Crazy I, we have Super Keef.

[martmitch]

for me this will hang on how sam sets us out to play, I'd rather see us have a go at em and get spanked like at arsenal than try and defend for 0-0 and get beat anyway like at old trafford, hopefully the boys will be confident going into this given liverpools stuttering season and our current run of form of which we are now up to 2nd in the league on form only behind everton!

[unluckymorton]

Kalinic to frustrate Skrtel so much he gets sent off and we get a pen. Skrtel is a liability and IO think Nico is just the man to make him snap.

[braddock]

good preview

i would like to see a full league table of cost per point, cost per goal and cost per win

any takers?

[Pedderz0912]

I am just so glad we beat bolton and we don't need expect much from our next 2 games - I can only see this goin 1 way 2-0 to liverpool. Kuyt and Torres.

[joey_big_nose]

We could be near full strength for this one. Be quite interesting to see what sort of team we put out? Maybe:-

-------------------Kalinic

--------------------Dunn

Pedersen---Grella---NZonzi---Diouf

Olsson-------Givet---Samba---Salgado

-----------------Robinson

I am a bit annoyed that Olsson is going to be relegated to LB, but with the way things are going it seems he will be stuck there for a while as Nelsen is injured. I would love it if Basturk could make an appearence at some stage.

Feel oddly optimistic that we can put in a decent performance in this one.

[Pedderz0912]

We could be near full strength for this one. Be quite interesting to see what sort of team we put out? Maybe:-

-------------------Kalinic

--------------------Dunn

Pedersen---Grella---NZonzi---Diouf

Olsson-------Givet---Samba---Salgado

-----------------Robinson

I am a bit annoyed that Olsson is going to be relegated to LB, but with the way things are going it seems he will be stuck there for a while as Nelsen is injured. I would love it if Basturk could make an appearence at some stage.

Feel oddly optimistic that we can put in a decent performance in this one.

I would go with the exact same team as above if Dunn is fit if not i would try Olsson LM and chimbonda Left back.

However not feeling too optimistic Heres hoping though

[philipl]

I am just so glad we beat bolton and we don't need expect much from our next 2 games - I can only see this goin 1 way 2-0 to liverpool. Kuyt and Torres.

So unlike Liverpool and Spurs away you have high expectations for us against Chelsea- our third game?

Only joking but we are running into an interesting group of fixtures now.

[Pedderz0912]

Infact Philipl i do have high expectations of the home game v chelsea - you have to have were at home, Current best home form in a long time and look at chelseas last couple of away games you maybe surpirsed ;-)

They got beat at Ewood in late december in the cup (What a night!!!)

Then got beat 2-1 at city

Then 1-1 draw at west ham - Chelsea got a penalty awarded for next to nothin here and lampard retake 3 times

Then drew 0-0 at birmingham.

then scraped a 2-1 win at burnley

Then drogba rescued a point for them at hull

Then everton (Saha) beat them 2-1

Then beat wolves 2-0 this weekend..

That is P8 W2 D4 L2 (And this is including counting there game v us a Draw not a loss) - The 2 they have won are both promoted teams also so I think we have a better chance at home v chelsea than away to liv & spurs, I would accept 2 points out of these 3 games and anything+ is a bonus

[Amo]

Based on Sam's tactics, I feel this would be our strongest set-up:

ROBINSON

SALGADO - SAMBA - GIVET - OLSSON

DIOUF - GRELLA - NZONZI - HOILETT

PEDERSEN

KALINIC

[Montfort]

Great preview. Thanks.

How did you work out the transfer revenue ? Is it gate receipts ? plus television revenue ? all annual income?

[SamTheShrew]

let's see if Rovers actually turn up for an away game and suprise us all.

surely on the back of a 3-0 win in a local derby confidence must be relatively high.

liverpool aren't exactly unbeatable either, lets really go for it.

but ill say 1-1

[mellison24]

Based on Sam's tactics, I feel this would be our strongest set-up:

ROBINSON

SALGADO - SAMBA - GIVET - OLSSON

DIOUF - GRELLA - NZONZI - HOILETT

PEDERSEN

KALINIC

Agreed. The only change I MIGHT make was if NZonzi needed a rest (in which case, I'd put Reid or Emerton in there). But the Dubai-break appeared to have refreshed him (and all the squad) yesterday so perhaps he'll be the better choice!

I was feeling confident of a WIN until Torres came off the bench against Citeh. Now I'm hopeful of a draw, but if Torres plays, we sjuld hope for the best, but not expect it.