He's still the man

Just a quickie.

Benitez is still the man. He's still a top rate manager. He's still relatively new to the league.

He's still the man.

We lost to barnsley.

12 Shots on target
11 Shots off target
8 Blocked shots
15 Corners
1 Offside
58% Possession

How can anyone say this result was Benitez fault? He set the team up well, picked a team that should have comfortably beaten barnsley, they dominated the game in all but the goals. There's just no explanation sometimes. This is certainly not an opportunity to blame Benitez. You have to look at the players in a game like this. We had to take our chances. We didn't. We lost. Freak results like this just happen. The explanation is certainly not manager related.
End of story.
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HOME

Home. Honey I'm home. Isn't it time we were going home? Are you going home this weekend? Are you going home after class? Driving home for Christmas. Make a house a home. Home is where the heart is.

Home is where the heart is.

What the feck does that mean? Really, what does it mean? My heart beats regularly, pumping blood around my body. It's complicated, I don't know much about it except that if I don't treat it well, someday it'll just give up and I'll die. Where is it? This seems to be the key question in my investigation into what or where a home is. Well, truthfully it's located somewhere roughly in the upper half of my body, surrounded by my sternum, my ribs and a whole bunch of other stuff down there. Not much good in my search of the notion of home.

What is home? It's not where the heart is anyway. Unless of course we're talking about the romantic notion of a heart. The notion that your heart can be given away, broken, warmed, cold, loving... Not your physical heart, but a romantic notional heart. I think we're onto something.

I guess I've started this because I feel a little "homeless" at the moment. It's the weird period of transition when you go to uni in Belfast, go home most weekends, and end up not really feeling "at home" in either place. I also reckon I'm just ready to be done with this time of life. I'm not a wanderer. I'm not meant to be homeless. I love the feeling of contentment, and I'm just struggling at the moment with the "unsettlement" I'm going through at the moment. But I guess maybe it's all pointing towards October when I start a new chapter in my life, and I form a new home with my new wife. But then, are we supposed to be settled?

Jesus never settled. He never had a house, and certainly during his "ministry years" he didn't spend a significant time with his family, or "at home". Is that supposed to be the way of it? Is the idea of being settled, with family, in familiar surroundings maybe the product of our cushy westernised church society? Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I have this sorted. I want to be settled and content with a family and a home just as much as the next person. But what I'm suggesting is that maybe this desire is misplaced.

Discontentment is constructive. Frustrations birth vision out of which futures are shaped.

The home is not the pinnacle. Maybe the pinnacle in life is discovered in the abyss of unbelonging. Please God let me find a pinnacle in my wanderings at the moment.

What's home?
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We're playing WHERE this weekend?!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHAHA...

that's my (slightly understated) reaction to the "39th game" crap.
that is all.
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Generally annoyed with the soccer world.

and football365 in particular. The amount of anti-Liverpool bias in the media at the moment is simply unbelievable. Mind you, it's not just at the moment is it? We've been getting rotation in the neck all season, and last season too. Anyone who believes in "Rafa's rotation policy" I urge you to please read this article. So, yes, Rafa's excessive rotation is a myth, but then, who let's a few facts and figures get in the way of sensationalist reporting?!

Now, if we're not getting bashed on the head with rotation then it's Rafa's spending. Since he took over Rafa has spent £132,796,000. Almost £133m since he took over, on 46 players. You'd think that should be enough spending to buy the league. That's in the Chelsea realm of spending (except it's not, but let's just pretend so this newspaper sells better). Let's just look a little closer. Now, Benitez has bought his fair share of turkeys, but who hasn't? (Except Arsene Wenger apparently, a quick glance at his spending 2-3 years ago reads pretty much like today's team sheet). But of those turkeys, there really aren't very many who Benitez has lost money on. Notably recently Sissoko was sold for £8.2m at a profit of £2.6m. Thank you very much Juventus. Benitez first purchase at Liverpool was Josemi. £2m. Rubbish. He was exchange for Jan Kromkamp. Rubbish. He was sold for £1.5m, that money went towards buying Daniel Agger who is awesome. I'm not saying Benitez doesn't get it wrong sometimes with players, but rarely rarely rarely does he waste money.

We've made money on Sissoko, Bellamy, Antonio Nunez (who remembers him? Think Carling cup final v chelsea), Gonzalez, Barragan. And that's only those who have been both bought and sold by Benitez. He also raised funds selling the likes of Baros, Cisse, Owen, Diouf, Cheyrou, Traore, Kirkland, Pongolle, Mellor etc.

What's the bottom line?

£133m spent. £71.6m made.

Net Spending: £62m

Two Shevchenko's. One Juan Seba Veron and one Rio Ferdinand.

So don't give me that crap. I'm done hearing about it. Don't tell me our squad overhaul hasn't been good, we're in a much better position now than when Benitez took over. Young talented squad. Benitez deserves another 3 years. At least.
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Wedding Blog!!!

Check out my wedding blog, linked on the right. I'm gonna try to keep it as informed and as frank as possible. It's good for me to write this all down, I'll have forgotten everything by Christmas...
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That's karma, K-A-R-M-A.

So far in the FA Cup, Man United have been drawn against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur and now Arsenal.

You have no idea how much of a smile I have worn on seeing every draw so far. Karma indeed. Makes a change from united being given a bye into the final every year. Does this really mean that the FA Cup draw ISN'T fixed, maybe, or maybe they just fixed it wrong this year.

United are still in the cup. I haven't checked but I'm fairly confident they are favourites to win it. If they do, it'll be the hard way.

But I really really hope they don't. I think we might just nick it against Barnsley.
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Havant and Waterlooville

Let me clear this up.

Havant played particularly well on saturday afternoon. This is not to say Liverpool played terribly badly. They played well.

Now the Liverpool line up as well. Only Steve Finnan and Mascherano can be remotely considered first team regulars, with a possible argument to be made for Yossi Benayoun. Other than that a complete set of reserve team players. Our keeper was poor. Idtanje is not a top class keeper, a long way short of what Liverpool ever expect of a goalkeeper, certainly from what I've seen of him, but if Reina stays injury free, there's no reason for Idtanje to be required for the next 8 years. Our defence. It was Skrtel's first appearance for Liverpool, and he made a couple of mistakes in the first half, but he made a great recovering tackle in the second. I'm sure he'll be a great player, but it's easier for a debutant in any other position outside centre half, so far from being a disaster I think he shows promise. Sami is done. Completely and utterly. He was absolutely at fault for H&W's first goal, seeming to lapse out of zonal marking and preferring to mark the man, missing the ball, leaving a free header.
It was an experimental lineup for Liverpool. Because they could afford to. Lucas is one of the most promising talents in the league, and I am positive his reputation will grow and grow as he more and more becomes an influential figure in the Liverpool team. Ryan Babel was given a bit more free rein to go where he liked and use his pace, power and skill to change the game. He too will become an imposing figure for Liverpool, he's got the works, pace, strength, a fearsome strike, and he has shown glimpses of his deft skill. Ronaldoesque without being as near the finished article as the Portugese winker.Now I am not one to make excuses. Havant played well in the first half, they had a number of chances to make it 2-0 and 3-1. but the tie was never in doubt. The fitness of the premier league players was always going to tell in the end. Liverpool did win comfortably in the end. 5-2 is comprehensive no matter what way you dress it up. So next time you are talking to a Liverpool fan, if this weekend's cup game comes up, don't mention it with those raised eyebrows that everyones gives. They didn't come close to winning the match. Give the credit to Havant and Waterlooville. They played the game of their lives and they scored 2 goals in front of the kop. Well done to them. Don't do them the disservice by saying Liverpool were terrible. Liverpool won 5-2. Well done Havant for grabbing 2 goals.
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