Up to now, I haven't really paid too much attention to our pre-season games. I watched the Leverkusen game, and listened to the game in Singapore on the official site, but other than that I haven't been that interested. It didn't concern me in the least when we lost to Ajax, as apart from the fact it's pre-season and doesn't matter, it may also have been the best thing that could have happened. We hadn't lost a game since Good Friday, and it would only be natural if a bit of complacency was setting in. The game against Wolves was not exactly make or break, let's be honest, and had we lost I wouldn't have been unduly alarmed about it, but at the same time a win was important because a) It was our last pre-season game before the Champions League qualifier, b) The players needed to bounce back from the Ajax game, and c) I'm sick to death of hearing the panic merchants writing off our chances this year because we lost a pre-season game to Ajax!
The reaction from some people was laughable. Apparently our defence isn't good enough because they conceded three to Ajax. The midfield is also not up to standard because they've looked a bit static in the warm up games and give the ball away too cheaply. Absolute bollocks. This back four kept clean sheets in the Nou Camp, Rome and at Old Trafford. And our midfield was good enough to help us win three trophies last year, contributing a hell of a lot of goals in the process. Yet people are writing them off on the strenght of a few meaningless kickabouts designed to get the players fitness right ahead of the real business which starts next Wednesday. Still, by their 'logic' now that we've beaten Wolves and kept a clean sheet, we're obviously going to win everything this year!
Anyway, that's the rant over with. What of the game? It was actually a pretty good match. I expected it to be more tedious than that God awful Big Brother (incidentally, if I ruled the world Big Brother would be the second thing I'd ban, the first obviously being Mexican Waves), but it was quite the opposite. Wolves certainly weren't treating it like a friendly, and were putting in some meaty challenges.
The reds lined up in the first half with the usual back four playing in front of Pegguy - who was wearing shorts as opposed to his trademark tracky bottoms. That pleased me I have to say, not because I was keen to see the French keepers' legs you understand, I'm not that sort of boy, but it's just that keepers in tracky bottoms conjure up images of dodginess (is that a word?) in my head. As it turned out, Pegguy was excellent, and added further weight to my theory. Shorts from now on Pegguy my son.
But anyway, I appear to have gotten a bit sidtracked there. Back to the line up. The midfield was Barmby and Riise on the flanks, with Hamann and Paddy in the centre. Berger is excellent in centre mid, and it's a shame he doesn't get to play there more often. He was everywhere, and looked a constant threat. Jari and Emile were up front, with the Finn showing his usual array of classy flicks and lay offs, and Emile posing a big threat to the Wolves back four.
The reds started quietly, and were relying a bit too much on set plays and the long throws of Riise. Once they took the lead though, it was one way traffic. The goal came out of nothing really, with the ball being lobbed into the danger area and Big Sami outjumping the keeper to head into the empty net.
After that we took control, only for Wolves to be handed a lifeline when the referee ludicrously awarded a penalty following a perfectly executed tackle by Henchoz in the box. "It's okay" I said, "Pegguy's ace on pens, he's probably the best in the country when it comes to saving spot kicks." It's not often I'm so perceptive, so I decided to indulge in a few "I told you so's" for the next few minutes!
Just after that it was 2-0 when Hamann hit an absolute cracker into the top corner from 25 yards. He tends to do this in pre-season, but when the real action starts in a couple of weeks his shooting will once again be as accurate (and no less dangerous to the crowd behind the goal) as a Bjornebye cross! Litmanen and Heskey (twice) both wasted good opportunities, and Berger - who was running amok at this stage - also went close.
At half time Gerard replaced his entire midfield and strikers, bringing on Owen and Fowler up front, Gerrard and McAllister in midfield, and Biscan and Murphy on the flanks. Gerrard was in awesome form, and Owen scared the life out of the Wolves defence every time he got the ball. It was from his electric run that the third goal arrived, when Owen raced clear from the halfway line before cutting the ball back for strike partner Fowler who drilled home and unstoppable left footer into the roof of the net.
A few minutes later Owen would deliver a carbon copy cut back, but this time Robbie leaned back and blasted it high over the bar. Murphy hit the bar with a dipping 30 yarder, Stevie G almost caught the keeper out with a clever lob which just went over, and Igor was blocked by the keepers legs after racing clear. Wolves had their chances, most of which arrived through the linesman's generosity in not flagging the most blatant of offsides, but on the whole, 3-0 was a fair reflection.
I read a piece in one of the national papers last week about how the mancs and Arsenal may be planning on using two different teams this season. One for big league games and Europe, and another for the cups and league games against the smaller sides. The thing is though, their 'second' teams would get hammered if they used them in the Premiership. The mancs had the likes of Wallwork and Stewart (?) in there for God's sake! We on the other hand, can field two teams of almost equal strength. We're a little bit short in defence maybe, but tonight we changed the midfield and forwards at half time, and still have Redknapp, Diomede and Smicer to call on as well.
All in all it was a good night. The result was pleasing, but even more satisfying was the fact that I managed to make it home in one piece despite travelling on a "Happy Al's" bus with Barnes Travel. Coach trips to away games with Barnes' really are the 'journey from hell.' As usual, there were a load of pissed up wankers at the back of the coach disgracing themselves and Liverpool fans in general. They went through the full repertiore: Harold Shipman, Munich, and even songs about 'Stubbsy only having one ball' and how George Best will be 'dead by Christmas' I fail to see what's funny about cancer, serial killers or George Best's ill health. Not content with that, they then began to hurl racist abuse at every black and Asian they spotted on the streets of Wolverhampton, and then stole two crates of lager from a Supermarket. Sometimes I feel really ashamed to be a scouser, and I only hope the people of Wolverhampton realise that these were just a few pissed up scumbags and that we're not all like that. Somehow I doubt if they'll see it that way, and I can't really blame them to be honest.
TEAM: Pegguy Arphexad; Markus Babbel (Vegard Heggem), Sami Hyypia, Stephane Henchoz , Jamie Carragher; Nick Barmby (Igor Biscan), Dietmar Hamann (Steven Gerrard), Patrik Berger (Gary McAllister), John Arne Riise (Danny Murphy); Jari Litmanen (Michael Owen), Emile Heskey (Robbie Fowler):
