Welcome to Issue 298 of Red All Over The Land.
The games we cover in this Issue produced a mixed bag of results. We all hoped that things like the performance at Luton and again in Toulouse were a thing of the past but evidently not. We got out of Luton with a point and in all probability the result in Toulouse may not matter in the grander scheme of things. Rude awakenings, however, they were. If Liverpool want to get back on the Champions League gravy train, results, and performances like that at Luton could end up derailing ambition. The result in Toulouse showed the team is still short when it comes to options to cover the raft of injuries we seem to be constantly bogged down with, but only the club and Jürgen can sort these things out.
Despite what it shows on the front cover I do have an ounce of sympathy with Everton and the ten-point deduction. Both the Premier League and the FA come across as weak-kneed bodies who like to bark loudly but when it comes to the bite, they’re toothless. If they had genuine grounds to act on Everton, it should have been done last season when it would have had a real impact. A ten-point deduction this season won’t make any difference because of the poor quality of the Premier League. What may make Everton tremble is if the relegated teams of last season decide on some course of action, especially Leicester City who would have stayed up if Everton had been punished then.
What remains to be seen is whether the Premier League and the FA have the courage to act against Manchester City or Chelsea. Most football fans have known what Chelsea, under Abramovich, got away with and because their current ownership aren’t members of any Desert group, they could still face sanctions. Manchester City are a different animal and whether the Premier League and the FA have the balls to take on the Saudi state is something that they may not possess.
Our anniversary night with Kevin Keegan turned out to be a great success and a good sum of money will have been raised and handed over to the Spirit of Shankly to help fund their function for those who require some assistance over the Christmas period. In the next Issue I hope to be able to bring you a full detailed account of how it all worked out. In the meantime, thanks to all who supported us.
Once again, this Issue filled up very quickly and a few pages have been held over until the December issue which should be out for the games against Manchester United, West Ham, Arsenal, and Newcastle at Anfield. That will be a bit of a catch-up issue and depending on how the team performs it could be upbeat…or not.
My usual thanks to all who have contributed articles and to all who have either subscribed or simply handed over two quid outside Anfield.
JJP: When you reach a certain age and go to bed; you don’t know whether to say goodnight or goodbye.