Freezing
Can't move at all
Screaming
Can't hear my call
I am dying to live
Cry out
I'm trapped under ice

Frozen soul, frozen down to the core
Break the ice, I can't take anymore

I don't know how to live trough this hell
Woken up, I'm still locked in this shell

Back from a small vacation, and with a couple thoughts.

-This will be the last time the blog talks about this, I hope. I know it'll be the last time I talk about it, even if there is news concerning it in the future. But quite simply, this whole Suarez affair is maybe the only time, other than the reign of Messrs. Statler and Waldorf, that I was sort of embarrassed to be a Liverpool supporter. Not that the other side of this didn't act like total children as well, but at some point someone has to be an adult, and it's too late to do so after everything has boiled over.

As I've said before, most of us think Suarez was harshly dealt with. It seemed the FA was piling on to an already unpopular player to win points. But that doesn't mean Suarez wasn't in the wrong at all and that the club enabled this feeling, which it did. As soon as LFC decided not to appeal, they should have made Suarez apologize for the incident. If you're accepting the punishment, you're accepting blame. You can't half ass that. Whether Suarez feels he did anything wrong or not, he's an employee of the club and they should have made him offer an apology right there and then and take the air out of this balloon. While cultural difference is something of a valid excuse, Suarez is still in England where what he said would be frowned upon, and he should have said sorry and learned from it. He didn't until it was too late. And now we're left with unhappy sponsors, the club looking foolish, and a player who may always be uncomfortable In the country, which may lead to an early departure.

This was a time for Liverpool to set an example on how to be mature in a tough situation, and they completely biffed it. I'd like to believe this is the last time this will ever happen.

-As for the match on Saturday, I can't tell you how thrilled I am that I decided to just burn right through until 4:30am on the West Coast to watch it. Decision of the weekend, let me tell you.

While I'm not as hard on Kenny as others, he got it all wrong on Saturday. No way that Kuyt and Downing should have been starting in midfield. Whatever Patrice Evra is, the one thing we can be sure of is that he's been getting torched recently defensively. Giving him a winger with no nous to deal with was not the way to take advantage of that. If Craig Bellamy could have walked, he should have been out there. Shift Gerrard out wide to give him something to deal with, anything.

As for Downing, I've been his last defender even though I was never keen on his purchase, but I've given up hope at this point. He looks completely shot, and Liverpool don't have the time or a less important match left for him to work it out in any other case than every other midfielder being tired. He doesn't provide crossing, trickery, or pace from the wide area, but other than that he's just fine. When Liverpool go shopping again in the summer, wide midfield is still going to be an area of need. Because on a Champions League or even a Champions League-chasing team, Downing is at best a squad player.

That's all for now.

First, let me say that everyone should read CNS Fanpost, because it might make you feel a slight bit better. It'll at least tell you where the main problem, and the main problem by many miles, lies.

Look, we've all spent the past couple days pretty much serving up everyone to the man in the black mask's axe the past couple days. Even I joined in on my compatriot McClure's call for Q's head, and I'm still there. We've asked for everyone under the sun to be traded and traded for. The answers aren't Burish, Eager, Khabibulin, or a lot of other names tossed out by those who struggle to breathe or think.

And it's probably folly to wonder about solutions from outside the organization, until they actually arrive. As for the coach? Well, the vote of confidence came today, so it's more likely we're dealing with Quenneville and his antics for at least the rest of the season, and almost certainly more (unless it really goes tits up in which case I'll be in rehab for all of July). Whether I or you or all of us think Q has lost this team and/or is just out of solutions, I think there are a couple things that can be done with this current squad to help things turn around.

Continue reading this post »

Not a Liverpool story, but a huge story nonetheless. Fabio Capello resigned amid the John Terry silliness today, and it looks like Harry Redknapp is the favorite to take over. Whether that's on a part time basis until the Spurs season is finished or full-time, we'll just have to see.

You can't help but laugh at the FA. This Terry business, much like the Suarez affair, could have been handled months ago. But once again, they dragged their feet, and now are waiting for the actual courts. What silliness. Now they've lost a manager, created a divide in the squad -- there's no way Terry would be a popular man in the dressing room -- and pretty much once again torpedoed their chances in a summer tournament.

England lose here, because Capello is a wonderful manager. Sure, the World Cup was pretty much a disaster, but how many defenders were hurt? And how much talent does he really have to work with, when it gets right down to it? How would any manager do when Wayne Rooney pretty much didn't care?

What gets me is how John Terry managed to be captain when I don't think he even should be an automatic pick for the starting 11. He's nowhere near the player he was five years ago, and it's debatable how good he was then. At the top level, when ball possession means so much, Terry's ICBM launches up the pitch don't do anyone any favors. His lack of pace gets exposed consistently. Cahill, Dawson, King if he could stand up, eventually Smalling and Jones, Jagielka, even Lescott could arguably be picked ahead of him, as well as Rio Ferdinand if his back wasn't made of balsa wood these days. Why did this have to be an issue? He could have been stripped of the captaincy when he didn't make the team, which he very well might not have.

But this is England, where sense never gets to enter.

Don't know if this will be a regular feature or not, but we'll try it for now and see where it goes.

-I hope people have had a chance to calm down a little bit, though there should be a level of seething that won't go away for a while. I know I have it. But there is something I'd like to shoot down, or at least fill with a modicum of buckshot. On the twitters and comments in various places, I've seen a lot of "Stan Bowman is a complete moron who has no eye for talent" sentiment. I just can't agree with this.

His eye for talent is at worst incomplete. He's had two drafts, and none of those players have made a serious impact on the team. But it's not like he's had a top five pick. And his drafts have been generally well regarded. Both Hayes kids, McNeil, Saad, Danault, and maybe a couple others, while they may not be stars one day, all are regarded as having an NHL future. While Nick Leddy has obviously struggled, I still think he has a big NHL future. As for other trades, look at the player Stalberg has become and remember that he was acquired when Bowman had his hands completely tied in a cap purge. Jeremy Morin hasn't taken a step forward this year, partially due to injury, but no one's ready to give up on him yet. Everyone's favorite, most of all Q's, little fire-plugging turnover machine Andrew Shaw is a Bowman pick.

Ok, the offseason pickups have come in for criticism. At the time, we liked them , and I don't know that the disappointments they've been is due to wrongful signings more than coaching mishandling and a disconnect between the coach and GM -- which I'll get to in a bit here.

His midseason trades were Campoli, Frolik, and the corpse of Kim Johnsson. We never got a verdict on Johnsson due to injury (maybe), and Campoli was at least useful (or why would some be calling for him to be re-acquired?). Frolik has been a mess this year, but again, that could just as easily be coaching and use as much as actual talent.

To say that Stan simply has no idea what he's doing? I don't think that's fair, and very well may be factually incorrect.

Continue reading this post »

I kind of feeling like Porky holding on by a thread to Planet X after Daffy and Marvin blew it up at the moment, that planet being the sanctuary of rationality and logic. My fingers are definitely slipping through the grease of rage and disappointment. But I'll try.

Before I get to the crux of this post, first this thought. I had remained reasonably assured this slide would stop because it hadn't really infected the top of the roster. While Kane hadn't scored, and neither has Hossa, they were still noticeable. Seabrook and Keith were reasonably assured, while the rot was incubating below them. But tonight, Toews had a turnover that led to a goal (though he was given a tough pass by Kane, though if there's one guy you'd trust in traffic...). Duncan Keith tripped the light fantastic on a bouncing puck which he probably should have just gloved forward or something. Brent Seabrook was on birding for Landeskog's winner, though obviously wasn't done any favors by Stalberg's turnover at the blue line. Then again, not every turnover at the blue line should go in the net. If whatever fungal infection has spread to those the Hawks count on and pay most, then it is absolutely panic time and a fight for just a playoff spot very well may be on the cards. However, they'll need to be bad for more than one game before we conclude that.

Ok, on to the main crux. While the frustration and disillusionment with Joel Quenneville has grown in some circles to the point of calling for his head -- at time spearheaded by compatriot and colleague McClure -- I'm not there yet. But I think I see how I people got there.

Continue reading this post »

Made the choice to go away
Drink the fountain of decay
Tear a hole exquisite red
Fuck the rest and stab it dead

Lick around divine debris
Taste the wealth of hate in me
Shedding skin succumb defeat
This machine is obsolete

So impressed with all you do
Tried so hard to be like you
Flew too high and burnt the wing
Lost my faith in everything

While it is tempting, and certainly wouldn't be incorrect, to lament yet another draw that probably should have been a win, most supporters probably aren't quite as dejected as some other performances at home where the Reds couldn't get it up and left their companions unsatisfied and underwhelmed, wondering why we didn't choose more stout and youthful partners for the night.

Yes, Liverpool's attack was blunt and uninspiring for long stretches. But there are few teams that can boast the shield of Michael Dawson, Ledley King, and Scott Parker. There's a reason for Spurs' position in the league, and while Gareth "I like it on the ground" Bale gets a lot of the headlines, he couldn't do that without the platform that this simply magnificent trio provide. They, and the rest of the Tottenham team defended brilliantly. This was clearly their plan, what with all the injuries they're carrying. Shame they had to get it so right on this day.

Yes, you have to be able to break even the most solid of defenses down if you want to claim a spot among the league's elite. That doesn't make it acceptable, just easier to deal with. Liverpool ran out of ideas, and even a solid Plan B or C would have still crashed against the white wall that those three provided.

Of course, crossing to an actual body or getting more than one or two guys in the box might have helped.

Continue reading this post »

Just another manic Monday, right?

Or alternatively, why I may be a grinning idiot. But you probably all knew that.

I know that a lot of us will be watching the next six games through our fingers, or from behind the couch, or perhaps in a bomb shelter. It is a scary proposition, because the Hawks could very easily lose touch in the division race and be staring down the gauntlet of a sticky and probably sickening playoff path (though in the West, there probably isn't going to be an easy path for anyone, especially if the Kings continue their dalliance with an #8 seed. As much as they've struggled, does anyone really want to face them in a seven-game series). The warts are growing and pulsing, and they're looking farther and farther from being solvable. Questions are coming at a much more frequent rate about the coaches and GM, and what they can or will do to arrest the slide.

But I'm eager to see what happens in these two weeks, because to me, after they're over we're going to know exactly what kind of team the Hawks are.

Continue reading this post »

I waited a couple days to write this post, because quite simply it didn't need to be done on time. Liverpool were quiet, signing only one youth player, and nothing for the first team squad. In a normal year, that may have upset some people. Sure, there were rumors about a Demba Ba-Carroll swap, and then maybe a Tevez-Carroll swap, but I wasn't on board with either of those. The latter because a club doesn't really need an utter twat on its hands, who will give you maybe a season of sublime play and then start bitching uncontrollably. Ba certainly would have been intriguing, but we're talking about a striker who has had a decent run for all of 27 Premier League games. He had a decent scoring record with Hoffenheim, but not something that will make anyone tumescent. Didn't we learn our lesson about splashing out for strikers who haven't scored regularly for a whole top flight season?

And as I've said before, with the formations Liverpool like to play, another striker might not be necessary. Lately, it's just been one up top, with Suarez returning. Either Suarez is going to get a majority of those starts, or Carroll will join him, or Bellamy. Without European competition, there aren't enough games for a new striker to A)build any sort of chemistry without dislodging a member of the first team and B) simply play at all. It's far better to wait until the summer, when there's more time, when there might be some form of European football to offer, and to get a better idea of what assets you have.

Central midfield? Well-stocked there. Whatever player was brought in would immediately be chucked down the depth chart when Lucas returns next season, and the club probably still wants to develop Jay Spearing into his deputy, as they should. While Spearing can be a toddler after his first soda at times, you can see the seedlings of a very effective defensive midfielder one day.

The defense has hardly been the problem, and there are capable deputies at each position (with the assumption that Fabio Aurelio will continue to intake oxygen for the next couple minutes).

The only place I could have seen adding something was in the attacking wide positions. Not a winger, per se, but someone to score from those positions. Only Bellamy has done so regularly. Downing has simply been a disappointment, where his out and out winger tendencies haven't meshed with Liverpool's need for that to combine with a scorer out there. Kuyt only recently has been a regular starter, and before that didn't deserve to be. Maxi had his inexplicable spasm of goals, and then the normal town drunk wandering down Main St. Performance. Only Hells Bellamy has provided a threat from the wide midfield role. And this is the area I expect Liverpool to address in the summer first, especially if Carroll has a strong close to the season.

After last year's stroke-inducing activity, it was a bit of a hard come down in this transfer window. But teams that have to really wheel and deal in January are either managed by Harry Redknapp and his shark like need to not stand still just to be noticed or breathe, or they're in some serious trouble. While Liverpool's league position isn't what we'd want, it can't be described as "serious trouble" either. I'm all for the sensible approach this time around.

It's funny. I went to the doctor today for the first time in years. Naturally, he informed me I needed to quit smoking. On nights like this, it seems the most ridiculous suggestion possible.

Ok. I think it's important on a night like this to try and separate what matters from a lot of the silliness we saw tonight, which delved into the ridiculous and unfathomable. Some of it felt like when the cast of Monty Python during their live shows would just run from offstage left to offstage right for no reason. Simple silliness for the sake of it. I mean, we definitely got into fun-bad territory there.

The thing is, I'm not angry. I know a lot of you are, and you have every right to be. But the whole thing felt like watching a toddler throw his pants over head and run dangerously close to the street (which is incidentally the defensive plan the Hawks employed tonight) -- you have to be angry at the parents who let him do so but can't help but produce a smile at the entertainment factor.

Do we know anything different? No, not really. The problems are still the same as they were after the Hawks put forth a fine performance in Vancouver.

Is our view of them different? Maybe. The main conclusion of all this, and it's not even a conclusion, is that the Hawks may be, repeat: may be, at end game with Corey Crawford. Quite simply, his dog-trying-to-grab-a-basketball act tonight cost the Hawks momentum and then the game. Taylor Hall's goal shouldn't have gone in. For the umpteenth time this year, when a player wraps around the net from the circles Crow lost his net, costing the equalizer. It only got worse.

There are only 30 games left. The string of games Crow would need to have confidence rebuilt might simply not be on offer now. Sassone was right, it felt like those games in Columbus in March of both '09 and '10 when Huet melted down and handed the job to Khabibulin and Niemi. Is the job handed to Emery now? The thing is, we know what Emery is. Or we think we do. Maybe it doesn't mean much, but if you take out the two Edmonton games and the Philadelphia loss when the team was basically a Gwar sound check, Emery's save-percentage is .921. So maybe?

Before we trade everyone, which will happen between now and the puck drop tomorrow in Calgary, the needs are still the same, and they're all jaded by the goaltending behind them. The second pairing still has question marks. Raging, pussing, bleeding question marks that require a balm, but question marks. But would that pairing look better with solid goaltending? It probably would. So would the penalty kill.

On a night like this, there's a tendency to call for major changes. It makes everyone feel better. But there are little options for the second pairing and goalie situation to be found.

To me, before it all became something out of Tim Burton's soiled toilet set ablaze, other than the goaltending the other serious issue are the special teams. They still are. The kill gave up Whitney's goal. But before that, the power play had a chance to take the lead and turn the tide. It didn't, for the same reasons it hasn't all year. Poor entry, whacked structure, predictable tactics.

Because of that, and some other things (like say, a second mauling at the hands of one of the worst teams in the West), some serious focus must be brought on the coaches. The power play hasn't changed other than for injury. The penalty kill still has faulty parts (though most of it goaltending). Yet John Scott gets ahead of Montador to kill some time? More importantly, this wasn't a team out to avenge anything. This team wasn't prepared to set things right from the last time they were here. Is that the leadership in the team, or behind the bench? I don't really know.

As ugly as it was, the status of the team is pretty much the same. One of the best in the West, but with holes that need addressing. They seem bigger now. I doubt the answer is a Kane for Ryan Miller trade, but I fully expect that to be suggested.

No one escapes blame, obviously. That tight structure we were encouraged by on Tuesday was hanging out where the buses don't run tonight. But I don't think that's what this team is. It's more than just a bad night, I can't dismiss it there. But it's not a season killer either.

There will be calls for blood. They would be justified. But I bet the response from those in charge is a deep breath, and a few more games on this trip before making any decisions. That's probably what it should be. It should probably be ours as well.

Maybe that all doesn't make sense. I wouldn't be surprised. My brain turned into goo like yours, I ran out of my beer and had to resort to the Hamm's that a buddy left here during a poker night a few weeks ago. I think this is the best I can do right now.

Steal them back for me, love...

You don't own the green pines, the blue sky or the smoke. You don't own the dust in your big brown eyes, when you keep them closed...

You don't own the road boy, better kick up a storm. You don't own the big city lights, better kick out on your own.

While your suggestions are all going to be employed, and thanks for making them, of course we'll start with something I thought of. Because that's just how I roll.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to take the player you voted man of the match from every game and study his performance through the chalkboards (sadly we can only do this in the league, but whatever). For Tuesday's match, you rightly selected Andy Carroll. After some perusing, here was the most interesting thing I found, his tackling:

by Guardian Chalkboards

To me, this shows a higher level of effort from Carroll than we've seen, and also what he's been maligned for. It's more of a shift put in than Luis Suarez in his last three matches before the ban. Now, I'm not trying to make the argument that Carroll is the dervish that Suarez is, or anything even close. But just trying to illustrate Carroll's upped effort level. No, he didn't win them all, but strikers rarely do.

The worrying thing, or something to keep an eye on, is his positioning. You'll notice how many of those tackles come around the center circle, and check out his heat map on his passing.

by Guardian Chalkboards

It's only one match, but Carroll isn't spending that much time near the box. It makes me wonder if he can really spearhead a 4-2-3-1 formation or a 4-3-3 if he's going to be floating between the halfway line and 18-yard box this much. Or is he going to need a partner at all times to get ahead of him? Can Liverpool provide wingers or withdrawn forwards who can get beyond him enough? Suarez and Bellamy would be the perfect candidates, but we've seen that not work before.

Yeah, more pop culture references. We tried to get away, but you can't run from who you are.

Anyway, I felt like complaining and swearing, so I have a grab bag of assorted thoughts and things that are kind of burning my ass right now.

Look people, a crazy man is yelling!

-I'm beginning to think Pat Foley actually is the guy in the section next to mine who owns a Scott and Carcillo jersey and yells the biggest meatball shit in the world. Has a game gone by where Foley hasn't mentioned the hit stats on the team or player in the past month? He wasn't alone last night, as Adam Jahns and others got in the act on Twitter.

Let's ignore that the tallying of these things vary wildly from arena to arena. I get it, the Hawks get outhit in almost every game. Meanwhile, while these wildabeests are getting into a fine lather and froth about what a bunch of pansies the Hawks are, last night they were providing a perfect example of how they can have the best of a hockey game without trying to pulverize everything that's in the other color. And that's on defense too.

The Hawks used the amount of speed they have to basically squeeze the Canucks on the backcheck into their defense waiting on the blue line. As McClure mentioned last night, the Canucks do kind of play into the Hawks' hands because they like to carry the puck into the zone with speed. But against a lot of teams, when the Hawks are as determined to work that hard in their own end, they gobble up space for other teams to make plays. They don't have to run around making boards rattle when they can do it with their feet and then make a play with their hands.

Would I like the Hawks to be a little bigger and a little nastier? Of course. Do I need them to be the Blues? No, I don't. There are different ways to win a hockey game. The Hawks showed you how they can do it best last night. Yes, smart guy, I know they didn't win last night. And if every goalie the Hawks play from here on out is as good as Schneider was last night, they'll probably lose a lot. You'd get pretty nice odds on that.

-Not every play that happens during a game warrants yet another trade suggestion. This is getting ridiculous. It seems like with any turnover, that guy's gotta go for this guy. Good god. It is most likely that the guy the Hawks bring in to shore up the defense will not be a name that will set your balls on fire. It'll be just the right sized piece to fill the hole(s) the Hawks have (by crackee!). That name doesn't change with the score.

-Ah, the John Scott rant. I won't go in depth on this one, because I don't need to. By now, everyone has seen through the protection argument. What last night was Q being pissed off at Sean O'Donnell's performance against Nashville and benching him for it. And it was Q deciding that dressing no one was better than dressing Sami Lepisto. And make no mistake, when he plays Scott, he's playing no one, because 5 minutes of time does not constitute an actual human. Was Lepisto so bad that he's worse than an empty slot? If Quenneville thinks so, then he might as well have stuck with O.D. If he's trying to make a point to his GM, that point has already been well made.

-I decided to have some fun with numbers because I'm a huge loser. The Hawks are spending $36k or so for every goal from Viktor Stalberg. They're getting goals from Captain Marvel at a rate of $138K per. Kane's come in at 338K. League leader Steven Stamkos is about the same as Toews. Obviously, this is a stupid way to measure things, the only point I'm trying to make is just how much the Hawks are getting from Stalberg for his contract and expectations. This was the goal and point total I expected from him for 82 games, not 51. While the bile for him probably isn't as high as I think it is in my twisted little mind, I just wish more people would pay attention to what Rattlehead is instead of isn't. And last night, he was the best player on the ice. For either team, and I've got emails from some Canucks bloggers who wholeheartedly agree with that.

-In the time Patrick Sharp missed, the Hawks scored six power play goals in eight games. They came from both units. That's not a revolutionary rate, but it's hardly bad either. They did it with two d-men on each unit, both playing the point, if you can believe that. It had Dave Bolland floating from combining on the goal line with Andrew Brunette to the high slot. So did Toews. So why when Sharp comes back from injury does Bolland go back to the point and Sharp return to the point as well?

Ok, think I'm done now.

The first step is admitting you have a problem, right?

Anyway, while I'm thrilled with how this site is growing and how people seem to be enjoying the small but building community we've got here, I know that it can be more. I wish I had full time to devote to it, but with every other blogging thing I have going I don't. I've been trying to think of ways I can grow this and give it more content, and I've got one idea.

So, if there's someone out there who would be interested in doing a weekly reserve team/youth team update, I'd like to hear from you. Whether you're actually over there or have the time to watch the games on LFC. tv, or just have the time and inclination to read all the reports on them, which I don't, it doesn't matter. We could even split it up into two jobs if someone is willing to just do youth team regularly and one do reserves. But we should all know what's going on with the club beyond the first team.

If you have any interest, please email me at committedindian@gmail.com. Also, in the comments if you have suggestions for other things we could be doing on a regular basis with the blog, feel free to do so. Bromantic has done a wonderful job with the player ratings, and Joe has helped fill in too. But there's more to be done, and though it's overdue, I'm finally getting to doing so.

Thanks for your help.

Focusing on nowhere, investigating miles. I'm a seeker I'm a really desperate man.

I learned how to raise my voice in anger
Yeah, but look at my face, ain't this a smile?
I'm happy when life's good
And when it's bad I cry
I've got values but I don't know how or why

I asked Bobby Dylan, I asked the Beatles. I asked Timothy Leary, but he couldn't help me either...

Let's keep it simple tonight:

I looked under chairs, I looked under tables. Tried to find the key to 50 million fables...