Can Liverpool take the next step?

As a Liverpool fan, I think I speak for many in saying that if, in August, someone said we'd be a point clear at the top come December 1st I'd had said "yes please". Even so, it is not surprising to see some frustration creeping in following draws at home against Stoke, Fulham and just last night West Ham (no disrespect to any of those teams.

There are three obvious points which I see as recurring themes. I think Rafa has to make decisions on these, if Liverpool are going to be there until the end:

1 - The one up front policy isn't working
Especially at home where teams come and put 11 men behind the ball. Whatever your thoughts on Keane he has been working his socks off with little direct support. Why not play him with Babel in Torres' absence.

2 - The Robbie Keane substitution policy
It's a self-fulfilling prophecy. Keane is going out knowing he has 60-65 minutes so he is already under more pressure than he should to perform/ score. (Add to that the previous point re: support up front). If Rafa believes Keane is going to be a key part of the team and a key provider of goals than he needs to start giving him 90 minutes every now and then - especially when Nando is out.

3 - Babel cameo role
Why the hell is N'Gog coming on after 65 and Babel not until 80?!? Babel showed glimpses of his quality again in ten minutes last night and while I don't think he's the finished article, he's close. N'Gog didn't look like the business yet again. I said it at White Hart Lane (Carling Cup R4) - he takes too many touches to control the ball and isn't physically strong enough to battle with centre-backs despite his height.

This isn't a wholesale criticism of Rafa as I think he's got it 90-95% right this year. But these are recurring issues that I believe are costing the team.

Some Friday humour...

...from the excellent http://www.studs-up.com/

Poll time: Future of the news...

OK, so time for a bit of reader interaction. I recently did a post on my company's blog about the future of media. Specifically, whether the Christian Science Monitor's decision to publish online only from April 2009, was the first step towards online only news. Click here to have your say.

Speaks for itself....

By illustrator Patrick Moberg

Liverpool Legend: John Barnes

A friend alerted me to the Rio Ferdinand article on the BBC website, in which he picks his all time home grown XI. Picking himself is a bit rubbish and aside from the fact Roy Keane was 20 when he signed from Cobh Ramblers for Cloughie's Nottingham Forest and is therefore not exactly home grown, it's an excellent team.
The thing that really grabbed my attention was the description of John Barnes, who was my favourite player as a youngster. For anyone who questions Barnes' genius, I direct them to the youtube clip below. The skills he had we immense and when comparing to modern wingers, the diabolical surfaces should definitely be taken into account.



From that clip I couldn't help but indulge myself by watching the Match of the Day clip from the 1988/89 season when they ran a Liverpool only Goal of the Season competition. It's completely partisan, but it brings back some of my early football memories, from a time when Liverpool were a supremely confident team.



Here's hoping Rafa can continue the journey to bring those days back, with a new contract this month.

It's just a dream Homer...

This one was doing the rounds recently. I didn't want to post it for fear of tempting fate, but now that tyhe election is done and dusted, it's worth another look...

Prediction time

OK, so I'm back and the wedding is all done. I had to get this quick post out as I wanted to put a prediction on paper before voting tomorrow in the US presidential election.
I am not one of those who fear the Bradley Effect hugely - I think it will be balanced out by increased black turnout.

So with a hint of caution - I predict an Obama win in the electoral college by 318 to 220. And this is how I see it happening...This is my map from the Real Clear Politics website, where you can go and make your own prediction. And I'll go for 51%-48% in the popular vote.
Some wider margins are being predicted out there though. Electoral Vote's map is predicting Obama to win 353 - 185 and the BBC suggest 311 - 160 with 67 still in play.
Let's wait and see...

Election? Who cares...

Today Now!: How To Pretend You Give A Shit About The Election

Supreme Court quash Washington gun ban

I posted in January about the news that gun control was going before the US Supreme Court for the first time in 70 years. Whatever way the gun lobby choose to dress up the stats it's clear that more guns equal more people being shot. I'm not anti-gun per se, but I do think the ease with which they can be obtained in the US is a problem.

Justice Antonin Scalia said "Whatever the reason, handguns are the most popular weapon chosen by Americans for self-defence in the home, and a complete prohibition of their use is invalid". This isn't a surprising ruling from a conservative bench.

I'm still not convinced though that the popularity of guns as a method self-defence is a good enough line coming from senior legal figures. Most people don't like wearing seat-belts or obeying speeding laws, so lets do away with them too (I know New Hampshire is an exception).
The constitutional reason behind the right to bear arms is murky at best. Common references are made to the 'as part of a regulated militia' part of the amendment and my personal favourite take on this comes from Toby in the West Wing, who suggests this doesn't include "three guys in a Dodge Durango".

Interestingly, both presidential candidates have agreed with the ruling. For McCain it's no surprise as he tries to secure the right which he has never been particularly favoured by. It's also a chance to jump on Obama's previous 'guns and religion' comment.
Obama's support is a surprise and, in my opinion, a risk. By flip-flopping on issues like this he is making himself vulnerable to GOP attacks. And many a past candidate (Dukakis springs to mind) will testify to the excellence with which the Republican party exploit such vulnerabilities.

For Washington however I don't know what this means. Once the US' most crime-ridden city, it has undergone somewhat of a renaissance over the past 10 or 15 years. It may not make any difference, but I'd be interested to see some gun crime/ deaths statistics in 5 years time. I'll be there in October myself and don't' expect it to make any difference to me.
Must admit though, I'd feel a little bit safer if it was still in place.

Second vote would be a farce too far.

"The Irish government has been given four months to devise a strategy resurrecting Europe's grand reform project, with President Nicolas Sarkozy of France suggesting that the Irish may have to stage a second referendum on the incendiary issue." - The Guardian, 20 June 2008
It cannot happen again. Following Denmark having two bites at Maastricht and Ireland having two votes on Nice, we are now in a situation where the EU is likely to be undermined, by a policy of 'we'll keep asking until you say yes'.

The Irish political parties have a responsibility for the result, as do the people, but maybe it 's time (and this is controversial I know) to take EU treaties away form ratification by referendum. While I have reservations about this myself, at least it would remove the ability of groups to spin the treaties into things they're not and boost the 'no' vote with scare tactics and half-truths.
The lack of trust in politicians and the political process, and the impact it had on the treaty, has been well documented over on Dossing Times and it certainly played its part in the no vote. It's also a major obstacle to people accepting parliamentary decisions on such issues.

But when it comes down to it, who thinks we'd really be better off without Europe? Who thinks we'd have had the Celtic Tiger or the half decent road network that now exists? Who thinks the lowly Punt with its over reliance on FDI in the form of the $USD and £stg could have fared better in this slow economy than the support and relative stability of the Euro?
If you still think Ireland should be better off without Europe then the EU is entitled to a refund on the investment it made in Ireland over the past 35 years.