Foggy Delight

For a while the fog seemed to lift and Anfield started to buzz. The atmosphere was beginning to build although not in such a frenzied way as it had been a few weeks before. A short while later the teams came out onto the pitch led by several members of one of the services who placed a giant poppy on the pitch in memory of our war dead. This I think was better than the poppies on the shirt idea. I had watched one of the games over the weekend and to be honest the poppies that had been sewn on the shirts had very little impact. It was announced that there would be a minute's silence, which as always on Merseyside was observed impeccably.

The match finally started with Liverpool kicking off and defending the kop end. The lads started very well with good passing play. Although the match had not been on for long I began to wonder if perhaps this was the game that would set the team on the road to rediscovering their form. There seemed to be a lot more heart and effort from each one of the players and things were going well. Birmingham finally managed to win the ball and Lee Bowyer tried for goal but thankfully missed. Birmingham very quickly relinquished the ball and Liverpool appeared to walking all over them, Benayoun had a chance but missed. The lads were by now crowding into the goal area with Benayoun getting the ball which he passed to Mascherano, who finally passed it to Ngog for a shot at goal that was saved by Hunt. The ball now back in play was quickly picked up by Johnson who had an amazing run before passing it to Ngog who hit the back of the net and Liverpool were 1-0 up.

Although the game was only half through the first half, Birmingham made their first substitution of the evening, which to be honest had little effect on the game, which Liverpool now seemed to be in complete control off. Johnson had found a hole in the Birmingham defence and was running rings around them. Then shock horror it happened again, yet another mistake by our lads and a young man called Benitez levelled the score line. It was now 1-1 and for the next ten to fifteen minutes Liverpool seemed to lose their nerve. My mind was now in a whirl and I thought Oh no, here we go again, something I think the Anfield crowd also felt as it had gone quiet. Play was continuing with both teams now fighting for the ball and then suddenly Riera went down. Rafa in a moment of madness when picking the team decided that Riera was fit to play. What happens he has now aggravated his hamstring and will be out for at least a month - just what we didn't need at this point in time! His replacement was Stevie G which seemed to lift the mood on the pitch and in the stadium immediately. Suddenly the kop was singing and urging the lads on but then shock horror, Jerome had a wonderful kick and Birmingham were 2-1 up as the half time whistle went.

The fifteen minutes passed quickly and both teams were soon back on the pitch and in the thick of the action. Liverpool appeared to be all over Birmingham although the score line told a different story. They were pushing forward all the time and having chance after chance at the goal, but as luck would have it, the back of the net just could not be found. Stevie G as always was doing his best and urging the team on. The play continued with Stevie letting loose a wonderful shot which unfortunately hit the post. I will admit to fighting back the tears at this point because I honestly did not know what more the team could do to try and score. Fate stepped in and Ngog did something, I believe out of pure desperation. He went in for a tackle with Carsley and I hate to say somehow managed to a get penalty. I am no expert, but you could tell
Immediately that it was a dive. Although Birmingham protested, the ref would not budge and Stevie G lined up on the spot and did what he does best. The score now stood at 2-2. Ngog was eventually booked for his stupidity and Carsley for his protesting.

This is seemed to wake Liverpool up a little and they began to bombard the penalty area but the third goal would still not come. Suddenly Benayoun, who had played extremely well pulled up. It appears that he too has now damaged his hamstring and will be out for several weeks. Babel came on as his replacement and I must admit seemed to play with a little more purpose but still no goals. With ten minutes to go, Aquilani was finally introduced to the Anfield crowd, replacing Lucas, who had also had a great game. I watched with interest and I must admit although he was only on for ten minutes, I saw a lot of promise in the way he handled and kicked the ball. I just hope that he can remain injury free. The match finally came to a close. We had gained a draw, although it still leaves a lot of unanswered questions hanging over Anfield.

The main problem is still our defence. They just don't seem to be able to stop the opposition. I know Jamie was suspended last night, but that should not have made an iota of difference. The players on the Anfield pitch are supposed to be world class and ready for anything. The amount of injuries that the team seems to be sustaining at the moment makes me wonder if the fitness regimes that the players undertake are designed in the right way. I know that different things can cause the injuries but these players are supposed to be at such a high fitness level that their bodies can cope with a lot. It seems that as soon as a muscle is stretched to a certain degree the hamstring goes or in the case of Stevie G and Torres a problem develops elsewhere.

Why we are not performing as we should be, I honestly don't know. At the end of last season, we showed so much promise, but now it is as though a different team is on the pitch altogether. I know we have lost two players, but if Rafa had bought wisely then they should have been replaced immediately with players of the same calibre. This has not happened and we now being vilified in the press because the team just does not have the desire to play and wear the red shirt of Liverpool.

Because of this last night, a Liverpool player cheated to ensure that the score line was respectable. This is not acceptable - If you play for Liverpool you go out onto the pitch and play your heart out. If the score goes against you, you await the next game and hope that fate will be good to you.

We are having a terrible run of results at the moment and I hope with all my heart that things will turn around. I want to have tears of joy running down my cheeks and not tears of frustration because my beloved team seems to have lost its way. I certainly do not want to have to explain to people why a team as good as Liverpool Football Club resorts to cheating - That is not the Liverpool way.