League One

Its been a crazy few weeks since the referee's decision to end the argument that they haven't got playing experience against Walsall

Firstly, we've played matches between Walsall and now. Plymouth Argyle were felled during the mid week fixture, which sums up our season. It was a result we weren't expecting to get. Maybe a close draw or loss, outside chance of edging it.

Realistically though, not many thought we'd play them off the park in the manner we did. Yes, they threatened but really we were comfortable enough. We got our rub of the green (pun intended) and took a valuable three points.

Especially vital to our promotion push given the 0-0 draw with Carlisle on the Saturday before.

And finally, a week before, a home tie against Mliton Keynes Dons, a 2-0 win with goals from Lua Lua and Murray.

Secondly, despite actually being old news, fans of both Brighton and Hove Albion, and the National Sports Centre Minnesota Stars have an informal link!

How?

NSC is the abbreviation of National Sports Centre, but also of the Internet message board NorthStandChat—the Albion board. One poster called Mendoza found The Stars and suggested we adopt them, and they returned the favour.

Scarf, shirt, and signature swaps have been a-happening the last few weeks, and its finally my turn. One NSC Stars fan has adopted Gary Hart—a long time favourite and great servant to the club. I'm hunting down Harty's "John Hancock" while in return I receive former MLS goalkeeper Louis Crayton's autograph.

This fan-made link, I think, shows how truly multi-cultural and wide football spreads and with humanitarian crisis become more and more apparent, it's nice to know people can rally, unite and make peace under the banner of football.

Gary Hart's autograph shall be obtained when Oldham Athletic visit Brighton, tomorrow at 3 pm.  

Oldham should, on paper and in footballing theory, be an easy three points. However, this fixture is not one to be taken lightly.

For starters, we've played the second longest round trip in the football league only a week ago, which was quickly followed up by a four- to five-hour trip to Plymouth, before the same four- to five-hour trip back to Sussex.

Fatigue kicks in and will play a role in not only how the team's mental state is, but also how Gus plays this potential banana skin match. Will he play a more attacking 4-4-2? Will he play a lop sided 4-5-1 with a striker playing winger allowing him to drift in to support and change to a lop sided 4-4-2?

Who will he play? Baz, the Argentine? And/or Kazenga Lua Lua, the Tongan loanee who scored his first ever senior goal for us against the MK Dons only a fortnight ago? And/or Elliott Bennett, who is arguably the best player we own right now.

Our strike force poses the same question. Barnes—who got a goal vs Plymouth. Murray who is our most proven striker. Sandaza who is unproven in the English game although has had a spell at Dundee United scoring 14 goals in 34 games. Any combination of one or two could potentially ruin Oldham's defence.

Centre defence is the third area which Poyet needs to consider. Tommy Elphick and Adam El-Abd have been solid. Good clean sheets at a hard away on Saturday and a very good clean sheet against a very good, recently relegated side mean that during club captain Gordon Greer's absence, we've not looked out of place in second.

El-Abd in particular, a player often slated for his technical ability with the ball, is seen as a cover for Greer (and any other defender such is his versatility). However, Poyet said he was Brighton's best defender when he joined in November.

From Poyets arrival, a very passionate player—who is a product of our youth system—but not the most talented of player has seen a major overhaul of his game, and we now play to his strengths. Albion play almost school boy tactics and use Adam as a tackling man.

He doesn't do fancy passes. He's not going to put a through ball from 80 yards away, that means we score a stunning goal with pinpoint precision. He'll pass back, pass along or hoof it clear. Not the "tippy tappy" football Poyet seems to like but every good team has a balance.

Adam is to "tippy tappy" football what the free role is to rigid 4-4-2 formations. Looking like it doesn't quite match up, yet working in perfect harmony with the rest of the team and getting us up to second in this early stage of the season.

Finally goalkeeper Kasper Ankergren could lose his place to Peter Brezovan. Ankergren has been a mixed bag, mixing up Rochdale Athletic and Brighton players to clear his lines with a botched punch when he needn't, yet puling off stunning saves and keeping a fair few clean sheets this season.

Very few positions are safe nowadays for Brighton players. Centre midfield can be populated by four or five class players when we are at full fitness and without suspensions.

With all these options, it's likely that, come kickoff, Poyet will pick his third team in only seven days.

Leon Knight has lifted the lid on his nightmare at Conference side Rushden and Diamonds, accusing them of making death threats in the on-going row over his registration.

The 28-year-old from Hackney sent out a stream of Tweets to his 3,500 followers on Monday, informing them: “I haven’t been paid since 2008. I have kept quiet for two years but now I am going to tell all.

“They gave me money, then said if I don’t give them back the 30k I’ll end up in a box.

“You say I’m throwing away my career on Twitter—but you can’t get punished for telling the truth. I’m not telling no lies here.”

Knight also accuses the club of taking back the two Mercedes they had given him—and reporting the vehicles stolen, which resulted in the arrests of his father and a friend.

The former Chelsea trainee, who has also played for Brighton, Swansea, MK Dons, Wycombe Wanderers, QPR and Sheffield Wednesday, said: “They gave me two SLK Mercs.

“When they knew we wasn’t good enough to go up, they ask for the cars back then reported them stolen. and got my old man and my mate knicked.

“They still have my 3k Cartier watch in the car and my 350 quid Marc Jacob glasses. I might call the police on them!

“For two years, I held my mouth but no more, I’m telling all.”

Knight insists he has the bank statements to back up his claims against the club, who spent three years in the Football League before returning to the Blue Square Conference, where they are currently 16th in the table.

He said: “I can prove all I have said. I have bank statements, arrest forms, the full Monty.

“If Rushden give me my registration back, I’ll stop, if not I’ll go to the end and beyond. I have kids to feed, I had to cancel my contract at Darlington cos of the stunt they pulled—so now I'm fighting back which I think is only right.”

Controversy has dogged Knight’s career. During a brief spell at Hamilton Academicals in Scotland last season, he was sent off for his role in a tunnel brawl after a win over Hearts, despite being an unused sub.

So far, in 10 years as a professional, Knight has played nearly 300 games for 14 different clubs, including  three for Thrasivoulos Filis in Greece last year whilst in dispute with Rushden.

He returned to England and was all set to sign for Darlington at the start of this season but his transfer was blocked by Rushden, who had held onto his registration after making 12 appearances for them in 2008. Rushden demanded £30,000 to release him.

Knight has produced an on-line petition (http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/leonknight/) demanding the right to be released by Rushden. Knight claims he was sacked by the club after signing a two-year contract. He claims the club have since extended his contract to keep his registration—but are not paying him.

Knight was transfer-listed by the club on 29 October, 2008, along with Lee Tomlin, Curtis Woodhouse, Andy Burgess, Phil Gulliver, Sagi Burton, Lee Phillips and Dean McDonald.

He recalls: “You will not be getting paid this month—we got told this in the middle of the training ground car park.

“And they said, if anyone has anything to say come see me in my office. Lee Phillips then pipes up and the chairman walks towards Phillips and shoves him so Phillips pushed him back.

“Hahahahahaha so funny, just one of the many things I’ll be exposing.”

Brighton 2
Barnes (68), Murray (81)

Walsall 1
Macken (90) - Assisted by the referee

That is a fair and accurate representation of the scoreboard. However, often "assisted by the referee" implies some shoddy decision. This wasn't a shoddy decision such as a bad penalty decision or a shock red card (although Walsall had received one on 72 minutes for an off the ball incident - it wasn't a bad decision).

The referee got in the way of Kishishev's pass towards either Painter or Dicker and deflected the ball in to the path of Walsall. 

Credit to Macken who, although unfairly gifted the ball just outside our box, scored a well-taken goal. 

I said in my last report Walsall were our bogey team. In the first half, despite poor football from both sides Walsall probably had the edge with a few more clear chances than us. It was a pretty poor affair though for the first 45 without a doubt.

However, the second half, Brighton came out and Walsall...well...didn't. The Walsall that had Brighton panicking at times at the back were no where to be seen. 

The Brighton that I saw at the end of last season, with fluid, attractive and attacking football did come out and was capped by a 68 minute Barnes goal, scored from about six yards out after a very good bit of play and a cross by Glenn Murray.

The red card was missed by many but a gesture by the referee to other players indicated and elbow by Nicholls. Straight red. 

Painter scored another crossed goal with his head, to make it 2-0 and with only nine minutes to play, Brighton looked comfortable

The the referee, clearly not satisfied with judging the match, decided to get involved in the play.

What happened was a bit of a blur, but the ball was passed by Kishishev with the referee running in the path of the pass and subsequently to the feet of the former Albion loanee Matt Richards. 

Richards slotted the ball to Macken who finished a good, if a little bit artificial move. 

Over all a good performance by Brighton, and with the international break meaning Plymouth are able to call our game off for having three players away, a chance to rest and recover before League business continues.

Being away for a week meant I missed Rochdale at home, so although this is in reality the second home game of the season (and the fourth league game, fifth competitive this year), for me, Walsall will be my last first home game of the season—at Withdean!

Its a strange mixture of excitement and sadness. I'm excited because lets face it, Withdean is pretty awful, and Falmer—sorry the American Express Community Stadium—is amazingly beautiful. 

However, even though Withdean is an utter mess, it will always have been our mess. Walking over the London-Brighton mainline railway track after stumbling along a muddy path from Preston Park station to the stadium, and hearing the low din of thousands of like minded fans is something I really quite like. 

But, Walsall. 

Four points from nine this year so far. Out of the league cup. Greer and Sparrow still suspended.

Its not all bad though...

The Albion have got a chance tomorrow to make it seven from 12, a much more respectable looking tally, and puts us roughly where we want to be—pushing for promotion via play offs/automatics. 

It won't be easy though, because Walsall are our bogey team. 

Last year on the opening game of the season at Withdean, Slade saw his men get shot down after mass spending, a goal to nil thanks to an Andy Whing own goal.

Fast forward to the 2010-2011 season and although its not a year to the day, its still an early chance for three points

With a lack of money to spend, at least before the sale of James Milner this week, Aston Villa have started their 2010/11 Premier League campaign with the inclusion of a number of youngsters in their first two competitive games.

Their 3-0 victory over West Ham United on Saturday to kick off the campaign saw first Premier League starts for youngsters Ciaran Clark and Marc Albrighton, while Andreas Weimann and Barry Bannan made appearances off the bench. The result was a 3-0 victory, albeit against one of the weaker sides in the division who gave a poor showing.

Marc Albrighton

Following James Milner’s departure, Stewart Downing could be tucked inside with Stiliyan Petrov in midfield, opening up a space for Marc Albrighton to become a regular starter on the wing, switching sides with Ashley Young. Despite being one of the stars in pre-season, Albrighton may be pushed for a place in the starting lineup when Gabriel Agbonlahor returns from an injury that kept him out of the opening game. Agbonlahor, another product of Aston Villa’s successful youth system.

Fabian Delph

Another injured midfielder absent for the start of Aston Villa’s current campaign is Fabian Delph. Still only 20 years old, the former Leeds United star signed for Aston Villa one year ago and is still recovering from a cruciate ligament injury picked up towards the end of last season.

Barry Bannan

Barry Bannan is another player looking to break into the Aston Villa first team. Playing just a handful of seconds as a substitute at Villa Park on Saturday, Bannan scored Aston Villa’s goal in their 1-1 draw with Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday evening. He’s had successful loan spells with both Derby County and Blackpool in the Championship over the past 18 months that boosted his push for a first team place at Vlla Park this season.

Ciaran Clark

Ciaran Clark debutised in the centre of defence alongside the experienced Richard Dunne on Saturday. Clarke’s first start for the team was handed to him with the injuries to both James Collins and Carlos Cueller. His chances of becoming a regular in the Villa side this season seem unlikely at this point and a full season out on loan may benefit him in the long run.

Nathan Delfouneso

One other player looking to become more active with the first team this season is striker Nathan Delfouneso. The former England under 19 star has been tipped for a bright future, but needs to remain patient in the Aston Villa side. He’s main experiences have come in cup competitions for Aston Villa so far, featuring and scoring in both the Europa League and FA Cup competitions. His opportunities to play in the league remain limited, below Gabriel Agbonlahor, John Carew and Emile Heskey on the pecking order.

Keving MacDonald

Aside from injuries to regular first teamers from last season, current caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald has been the decision maker for playing the kids. The reserve team coach since 2003 knows these youngsters well enough and has shown good judgement so far in giving them first team opportunities.

Premier League

Aston Villa travel to Newcastle on Sunday for their second Premier League game of the season. It will be interesting to see how many and which youngsters Kevin MacDonald goes with, should he remain in charge for the weekend’s game.

It became news last week that League One's Southampton F.C. was going to try to make money in an entirely new way.

What they did was place a photography ban on all news outlets and websites for any game featuring the club.

Should media outlets want to use a photo of the game, they must buy them from one photojournalism outlet, Digital South.

Following the team's first game this weekend, where Southampton fell 1-0 to Plymouth Argyle, newspapers took shots back at the club.

The Herald (Plymouth) opted to send one of their cartoon artists, Chris Robinson, to the game instead of paying the fee to buy a few photos.

For the latest sports news, follow on Twitter @MWSsports

Thierry Henry is going to sign with Leeds United at 4 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, according to someone at Barcelona who drinks in my local pup.

Coincidentally, this person was drinking at the same times as I was.

Also, my best mate's brother's nephew went out with Thierry Henry’s third cousin, twice removed and she said it’s true too.

 

Leeds United are preparing for life in the Championship league following their dramatic promotion from League One, and the “Silly Season's” s transfer speculation is well and truly in full force.

 

To seriously assess what moves Leeds’ might make in the current transfer window and to speculate around the likelihood of what kind of players may be coming or going, you would need to start by studying some of the detail surrounding the club's finances.

 

In 2009, Leeds reported a £15,000 profit which was largely subsidised through profits made by player sales.

 

Leeds will report a more significant profit in 2010 based on the sale of Fabian Delph to Aston Villa. Also, the team had four bumper cup ties against Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur (twice), and each tie yelds about a £500,000 profit.

And Leeds United's share of the TV money increases from the £375,000 allocated to League One and Two clubs to the £1,000,000 for teams in the Championship league.

In addition to all these added revenues, Leeds will probably receive another £1,000,000 from increased attendances in the higher league and inflated ticket prices.

In short, Leeds probably have or will profit approximately £5,000,000 over the last season.

 

Not all of this money will be available to spend, however.

Players' wages will increase and the running costs of a Championship side are potentially greater than in the lower leagues (i.e. policing larger crowds, more away fans, and so forth).

It’s probably reasonable to surmise that this will munch away over £2,000,000 of Leeds’ 2009-10 profit, if not more.

 

These are all uneducated, “back of a fag packet” calculations but at a rough guesstimate, Leeds transfer kitty is likely to be in the £2,500,000 bracket, although it wouldn’t surprise me to learn there was a £1,000,000 variance either way.

 

Simon Grayson has been busy acquiring a decent array of free signings and snapping up Neil Collins for an undisclosed fee.

Kasper Schmeichel has arrived on a free transfer representing the most notable arrival. Billy Paynter has also arrived on a free transer to bolster the attacking options, as has Lloyd Sam, brings some much needed pace to the wings.

Paul Connolly and Fede Bessone, the other “freebies,” bring some much needed cover and competition to the right and left full back positions, respectively.

 

We’re not sure how much the club had to pay to secure the signing of Neil Collins but this looks like a cute piece of business.

Maybe it was not the best piece of marketing by the clubs official website to herald his arrival with a picture of the central Defender in action at Gillingham (where Leeds were 3-0 down after 25 minutes)!

 

All in all, Simon Grayson has moved pretty effectively to add depth to the squad, but it’s probably his next few signings that will give the biggest indication of the club's ambitions in the forthcoming 2010-11 season.

 

With six players already acquired, it would be fair to ask, “How many more players do the club need?"

 

In the second half of last season, the defense had become as effective as a chocolate fire guard and with Patrick Kisnorbo absent until October and Richard Naylor certain to miss the start of the season, the central defensive options are limited to Neil Collins and Leigh Bromby.

It may well be that Simon Grayson will look to bring in a loan man, but given Richard Naylor's alarming loss of form last season, the Leeds' boss might be well served to seek a permanent signing.

 

The central midfield is taking shape with the likes of Jonny Howson, Neil Kilkenny, and Bradley Johnson, and the jigsaw will probably be completed with the signing of a ball-winning midfielder.

Speculation in the local Coventry media suggests that Leeds United's interest in Michael Doyle is cooling and rumours that Daryl Russell will be brought in on a free transfer from Norwich have also died away over the last week.

Peter Eustace was set to sign but changed his mind during the physical exam (maybe he didn’t like having a thermometer shoved up his backside?).

To be fair, that decision is reasonable enough on the basis it is preferable not to have a player sign, take his wages, and subsequently produce half-hearted performances each week.

 

Another area of concern and the subject of most speculation is the acquisition of some firepower up front.

Gary Hooper is the subject of feverish speculation on various forums and websites, but not once has this subject appeared from a source that one might regard as even remotely reliable.

Some would like us to believe a £3,000,000 package has been agreed for Hooper, but the alleged sticking point is a 20 percent sell on clause that Scunthorpe United F.C. would need to pay to Southend United (potentially £600,000).

 

All sorts of other players' names are cropping up in various price ranges but none from reliable sources.

Billy Sharp is rumored to cost £1,000,000; he was from Sheffield United until he signed for Doncaster.

Scott Sinclair is rumored to cost £1,000,000 from our good buddies at Chelsea.

Ade Akinfenwa is supposed to have had a trial (being out of contract with Northampton).

Adam Le Fondre from Rotherham is rumored to cost £1,300,000.

Gillinghams’ Simeon Jackson, Leroy Lita of Middlesbrough, Rob Hulse from Derby, Shanchez Watt on loan from Arsenal … the list grows by the day.

 

Those who follow the club's interests know that transfer dealings are usually kept very hush, hush.

Fede Bessone, for instance, came out of nowhere. Well he came from Swansea actually but the point being that there was no speculation to precede his arrival.

The likelihood is that when any of the above vacancies are filled, it will occur without much forewarning in the media.

 

These are interesting and exciting times and, for the time being, the Leeds faithful will need to place trust in Simon Grayson to bring in the right calibre of player to build a squad that will keep Leeds in the Championship at the very least.

 

Oh, and just to clear matters up with regards to Thierry Henry, there is no truth to my frivolous speculation, as far as I am aware, that he will be joining Leeds.

Super Brighton! From the South!

Wow. Its been a few weeks since I've written anything. A combination of reasons, mostly because its entering Exam Prep time.

However, my undying love for Brighton has bore fruits of labour, even in the cold and wet conditions. Not only did we win at home against Exeter, we won by two goals to nil !

Swindon came and, I am not afraid to admit, I dreamt of two home wins on the fly. Yet there would be no party for me because we would get shot down by a single goal. I again admit, I thought that our form may have deflated after the game. Upon stewing however, my thoughts changed.

And so did the Albion, who won 3-0 vs Brentford. The cold on that Tuesday evening didn't penetrate, because that was a result worth celebrating. And I did in fact, all the way back to Preston Park station, singing and shouting.

Swindon soon disappeared into the distance as nothing more than a blip in form, as we entertained Tranmere Rovers, with the return of "Mr. Moonwalk" himself, Bas Savage. What do we go and do then?

No prizes for guessing:

An unprecedented this season, third home win in a row. Murray is scoring at home again too. This is starting to get too much now!

So that's where we're at.

Tonight, we host our south coast rivals, Southampton. In the earlier away leg, which was Gus Poyet's first game in charge, we won 3-1, on two goals by Murray and one by Crofts.

Dare we, as Albion fans playing at home and holding what must be the second or third worst home record in the League until a few weeks ago, dream of four home wins in five home games?

I'd love to have some sort of personal story to tell of Brighton vs Southampton, but aside from being at the respective game earlier this season (November 21st to be precise), i've got nothing.

What is interesting is how even with our tiny, awful athletics track surrounding stadium, we are looking at a sell out game, or near enough. 7500+ is my prediction.

Doubts have been raised on our forum NSC over our ability to fill Falmer to at least half full capacity. But the fans are there, hiding amongst the suburbs of BN and beyond.

One pair of fans I know, a mother and daughter, travel all the way down from Tunbridge Wells. Against Wycombe and Aston Villa, I took the supporters coach and waited at Conway Street where I saw them both, dressed in Albion shirts looking buzzed for the match.

If even at Withdean, we can attract "hard cores" who are willing to catch a coach that leaves at 7:30 from Hove, after comming down from Tunbridge, surely we can attract five or six thousand fans locally, plus those from further afield.

Roll on Falmer, and roll on Southampton!

Quite literally, Sky is the limit.

Last night saw Brighton and Hove Albion play Colchester United, at the Community Stadium (which happens to be a similar official name for Falmer) and it was shown live on Sky.

As tradition, I went to the best mate's house (also my fellow season ticket holder at Withdean) to watch the game, since I no longer have Sky, and we had the customary pizza.

However, before hand, something highlighted the general apathy of the Albion, and I know that my last article was highlighting this, so I won't give it much thought, but its still worthy of a mention.

ESPN was showing Liverpool vs Wigan, while Sky Sports One had the Albion game on.

Both children and teenagers alike had no idea we were playing!

I had to explain in my limited knowledge what, why, and who has made Brighton a lower league, "tin-pot" side.

However, what is more important is the game and something called "Late Kick Off."

Brighton played some fairly good football on what could be described as a dogs dinner of a pitch. The Community Stadium is notorious for having an appalling surface, and it shows.

As a game of football, I was left questioning Sky's choice of football, because the match was moved from the Saturday to the Monday for Sky coverage so the precious premier league wasn't losing coverage.

As a Brighton fan I was over-joyed to see us on T.V. Last time I saw us on T.V was the Johnston's Paint Trophy 1-1 draw (and subsequent penalty shoot out loss) against Luton Town last season.

Southampton away was shown on T.V this season, and was a fine game too, but we both decided about half an hour before the coaches pulled out, that we would go to it instead of watch it at home.

However, the pitch was awful, and the football was not a joy to behold. Sticky and grinding. All to often we had players not hitting their passes, sliding about or tripping over.

So as a football fan, much was left desired.

No goals either. Hardly fantastic. It was, however, nice to see the match I couldn't go and see because of a lack of money on T.V.

A quick note on a T.V show called "Late Kick Off" on BBC 1. I'd never heard of it, but last night they did a special report on Brighton's struggle to get Falmer.

I've realized now just how many teams we owe a debt of gratitude to for showing support right from the start of the Dark Days.

Those at Fans United, people as far flung as Madrid and Germany came. Fans of other teams who signed petitions, came on marches for Falmer. Even Crystal Palace fans were supportive of our plight to end the longest running public inquiry in to a stadium!

At Fans United, a special game where fans descended from all over the country to the Goldstone, for a game against Hartlepool, a poem was written on a blank sheet and hung at the ground.

It read:

Rovers are Red, BHA are Blue, The FA love 20 Clubs, But the Fans love all 92.

Something that I, and all fans of teams who have been in the lower leagues, who support the Brightons and the Stockports—who have their own money troubles and are not being helped by less than suitable administrators—will relate to and probably agree with.

Yeah, I was there.

You see the image, those who don't support Brighton and are ignorant of our cup run this year? That was from Aston Villa away. And I was there.

Something that strikes me about fans of my own tender age, is that they often are attracted to the big games, claiming that that is what success is based on, whether you beat big teams.

If you're not aware of the football situation in Sussex, relatively few younger people support Brighton. Its all about the Big Four or Spurs.

Possibly, and indeed probably down to the fact that Archer and Bellotti and the board in charge before Knight took over and saved us, sold the Goldstone to developers and left us dead. I've never seen Brighton play at a proper stadium for a home game.

Yet, given our recent run of away games, Leeds (where we drew 1-1 but were 1-0 up till the 95th minute and probably deserved to win) and Charlton (where we won 2-1, and their goal was a late consolation goal), I was much more looking forward to a vital league game than maybe going to Villa, realistically.

Yes. I'd rather sit in Villa Park, with 6,000 or so of us singing our hearts out and being proud to wear the badge on our chest, but in terms of what I want to see us do both come May this year, and the next year or two, three points on Saturday was much, much more important to me than an amazing performance.

However, come college tomorrow, Liverpool fans will be satisfied with their ground-out 2-1 victory over Blackburn, Arsenal fans will be lively when discussing their 3-1 victory over Stoke, both games, where the team that should have won on paper, did.

Yet, as soon as I mention how Brighton kept a clean sheet, how Gary Dicker (the player in the picture) scored an absolute stunner, and I mean, it was a stunner even from a non-Brighton fan stance, I'll be given scowls.

All three games, where the better team on paper won, yet only two are deemed acceptable and the third was a "**** win, from a **** team" as one fan of the aforementioned Liverpool, would put it.

Oh well...