Are Liverpool the most boring club in England?
Richard Cutcher
Posted on: 01 October 2010 - 16:31
Football
Following Liverpool's dire goalless draw with FC Utrecht last night, Sport.co.uk is asking whether we have witnessed Liverpool quickly become the county's most boring club.
Particularly harsh you may shout. What about Blackburn Rovers? Or Stoke City? These teams don't come close. Although many take issue with their often direct, no-nonsense style, they make no apologies for it, use it in the main to great effect, and regularly provide shock results. Is there a more entertaining sight than seeing Arsene Wenger flailing his arms in the air as Sam Allardyce plants his latest obstacle in the path of Manuel Almunia? You wouldn't find one at Anfield.
With Fernando Torres continuing to perform a poor portrayal of an out of form Martin Dahlin, and Steven Gerrard struggling with a back infliction, Hodgson's two world-class performers have been hindered thus far. Joe Cole has had somewhat of an eventful but by no means world-beating start to his career on Merseyside, while Paul Konchesky and Christian Poulsen aren't going to add the touch of flair and guile they have been crying out for ever since the oppressive Benitez reign.
Crowded Midfield
Hodgson can claim to be unlucky that Cole's impact has been so stop-start. The trio of Gerrard, Cole, and Torres have yet to start a Premier League game together at Anfield and the 3-2 defeat to Manchester United was the first league occasion in which they emerged from the tunnel together. The arrival of Raul Meireles has added dynamism to the midfield and has settled in quickly. Liverpool fans will be hoping Hodgson doesn't marginalize the Portuguese by giving him the same graveyard shift that Dirk Kuyt has had to endure over the past three seasons.
The flanks at top clubs are often the primary source of invention, and Liverpool have had their fair share of flying wingers in the past. John Barnes and Steve McManaman immediately spring to mind. But ever since the Gerrard Houllier days the Merseyside giants have played with a distinct lack of width. The treble (of sorts) won by Houllier consisted of a midfield four of Danny Murphy, Steven Gerrard, Gary McAllister, and Dietmar Hamann. Many have tried and failed to make an impact out wide. Champions League Final goal aside Vladimir Smicer, Alberto Rieira, Jermaine Pennant, and Harry Kewell never produced the consistent quality needed to help mount a serious title challenge, while Dirk Kuyt, Joe Cole, Milan Jovanovic, and Ryan Babel are Hodgson's only credible options on the flanks for the 10/11 season. None – bar Babel arguably – are sideline hugging wingers who will stretch defenses and make space for the team's chief creators.
Board Room Bust Ups
The off-field fiasco at Anfield isn't helping the players or management at the club, and the predictability and repetitive nature of the distractions offer little entertainment to the neutral. West Ham can rival Liverpool in that department, but whatever your opinion of the two David's, at least their interventions are so absurd and controversial they can lighten up the dullest of weeks by simply wheeling out that wonderfully red smoking jacket. Hicks, Gillet, Gillet Jr, Purslow, Broughton, and RBS, have provided us with such a drawn out yawn fest that despite it being a travesty for such an illustrious club to be in financial meltdown, and in serious danger of finishing in the bottom half of the table, much of the football world would be happy if we could hear nothing but a pin drop from the Anfield club for the time being..
Back to the football however and we have come up with two rivals to Liverpool's unwanted (and unofficial) crown:
Nottingham Forest: The Reds have already clocked up six draws in nine games this season, none of which contained more than two goals. Anyone who witnessed Forest's emphatic counter-attacking football last season however, would struggle to label them boring. Who can forget their ruthless 3-1 dispatching of West Brom at the Hawthorns in January? Billy Davies teams traditionally start the season slowly but there have been hints they may be beginning to find their rhythm once more. They do have goals in them, and once the strict organization that Davies is famed for sets in, their attacking talents will continue to profit once more. The Reds have off-field bores of their own to deal with. As with Liverpool, it is repetitive and no quick solution is likely. Billy Davies shoots his mouth off regarding David Pleat and the 'Transfer Acquisition Panel', and in response Chief Executive Mark Arthur retorts with something along the lines of “Everyone's happy and understands their roles”. If Forest don't win convincingly this weekend expect this sequence to show itself at some point during the two week break.
Brentford: If it hadn't been for Brentford's pulsating run in the Carling Cup, fans of the club would be forgiven if they decided some early Christmas shopping would be a worthwhile cause rather than traipsing to Griffin Park. The Bee's have scored four league goals this season, and they haven't exactly been flying in their own net either. They have conceded just ten goals, which for a team that finds itself rock bottom of the league is mightily impressive. Hull City could rightfully challenge the Bee's austerity, having only enjoyed four goals at the KC Stadium, albeit coming in just two games, and all scored by their own team.