Welcome to Issue 286 of Red All Over The Land.
After winning the Community Shield, we looked forward to another Premier League campaign but after just three games, two draws and one defeat the mood around Anfield has gone from expectation to doubt. Back in a different age nobody bothered about the league table after three games with quite a few eminent managers quoting it as the silly season. And we shouldn’t be worried after three games but our concerns are not just about the football but what seems a tidal wave of injuries. I don’t like to look totally on the dark side of life [honest] when it comes to football but from where I sit, I feel shades of the Covid season are hovering over us. After winning the title in 19/20 with season halted and then restarted. In the light of the pandemic there was a very short close season before the football recommenced behind closed doors.
We started getting players injured, two by sheer brutality at Goodison but there were others as the season progressed. You all know the story as come January Jürgen needed new players, but FSG kept their purse strings very tight and in the end, we got two central defenders who would hardly play and we sent out players in strange looking positions and would lose six homes game on the spin. Let me say that I don’t see the situation at this moment as bad as it was then, and we did get out of that hole reasonably satisfactory. Only it does do look as if a couple of extra pairs of feet might give Jürgen a booster. Yet as I get this issue ready to go to the printers there seems very little likelihood of that happening with the manager hinting, he’s not in charge of the Liverpool spending money.
I looked at our bench at Old Trafford and whereas last season it looked strong now it doesn’t and as gets pointed out elsewhere in this issue our starting eleven in recent weeks has been somewhat aged. Jürgen can only pick from who is available and at this moment in time that’s not a lot. The fixture list wasn’t being kind when it deemed, we’d have to play at Old Trafford, Goodison, Stamford Bridge, The Emirates and the new White Hart Lane in successive away games. Throw in home games against the new kids on the block [financially] Newcastle and then Manchester City life’s not going to be getting any easier. With a full-strength squad available it would be daunting. With our current injury list, it’s bloody frightening. We can’t go through a make do and mend period like we did eighteen months or so ago.
Because of the fixture list I had to get this to the printer before the Champions League draw was made [just heard we’ve got Derby at home in the League Cup] and the Champions League could add even tougher trips for Jürgen and his troops to contemplate. Overall, I’m trying to take one game at a time but by the time the first international break comes our situation could have become critical unless appropriate actions have been taken – or Fabio Carvalho and Harvey Elliott have taken things by storm.
In this issue there’s news about a planned event on November 26th when at 23 HOTEL ANFIELD, RAOTL will be staging, in conjunction with 23 HOTEL ANFIELD and John Keith a JAN MOLBY night. The details of how to get tickets have been emailed to subscribers etc; and for those who pick the Fanzine up at a game just turn to the centre pages or look at the back cover and you will see what we have planned.
JJP: I’m Walking Down A Long Lonely Road Babe, I Should Have Caught The Bus!