vedderman

I never thought that I’d see the day when the Reds go top of the league and are booed off the pitch by a section of their own supporters. It capped off what was a frustrating night as we laboured again against average opposition, racking up our fourth 0-0 draw in the league this season.

Now we all pay our entrance fee and everyone is entitled to their opinion but to boo your own team after they have clinched their place at the summit of the table shows a lack of intelligence, support and impatience that nobody wants to see at Anfield. It’s ironic that many supporters feel it’s appropriate to boo their own side on a night when George Gillett, a man who is systematically raping our club financially was sat in the directors box.

The performance on Monday was typical of our form of late. West Ham quickly sat out their stall to sit deep in their own half and utilise the strength and pace of Bellamy and Cole on the counter attack. We started quite positively and as the first half developed Alonso began to dictate the play. It seemed only a matter of time before we’d make the breakthrough  but time and time again our moves broke down on the edge of the penalty area.

The man who bore the brunt of the blame for this was Robbie Keane. Keane’s confidence is at rock bottom at the moment, he’s come to the club with a big price tag and huge expectations on his shoulders and the pressures of being Liverpool’s number 7 seem to be really weighing him down. Unlike a lot of fans I have a lot of sympathy for him, at this moment in time Keane needs building up, he needs the manager to show that he believes in him. Rafa constantly hauling him off after an hour is doing nothing to help the situation, nor is his persistance in playing keane in the role of lone striker.

On Monday night Keane was completely isolated, on paper it looked as though we would be playing a 442 formation, in reality kuyt was playing so deep he was almost an extra centre midfielder. Throughout his career Keane’s strength has been his intelligent running alongside his strike partner, With nobody to play off he cuts a sorry figure. He was strong armed off the ball on a number of occasions and it was recorded that he only touched the ball 5 times in the first half. He was crying out for a strike partner yet the instruction to push Kuyt upfront was not forthcoming and typically on the hour he was replaced by David N’gog .As the board went up Keane was seen to be uttering the words “I bet It’s me” predictably it was and shoulders hunched Keane sloped off the pitch.

As the players toiled, the anxiety amongst the fans increased. It served to produce a fraught atmosphere which does nothing to help the performance of the team. Passes were rushed and there was a distinct lack of patience amongst players and fans alike. As each move broke down and time kicked on, the groans of disappointment became more audible. It’s been years since Liverpool Football club have been top of the league and this has brought a whole new set of pressures, the supporters are so desperate to see the club maintain their position that when the going does get a little tough, frustrations boil over. It’s a situation that does little to help the team, so fans need to suck it up and translate their anxiety into passion, sing the songs that will inspire the team to better efforts and support the players who are visibly struggling.

Those fans who boo the team, need to take a reality check, whilst all may not be rosy in the garden, Liverpool Football Club are top of the league. Stop acting like spoilt children and get behind the players, because your negative vibes could be more damaging than you realise.

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