That Bloke In The Big Smoke

Arsenal 1 - 1 Liverpool [Van Persie 22'; Keane 42']
Everton 0 - 0 Chelsea
FULHAM 3 - 0 Middlesbrough [Bullard 41', Murphy 54', Dempsey 59']

"If we can finish this Christmas period at the top of the table, we have an 80% possibility of winning the title." -Rafa Benitez

Bold words coming from a man who's struggled to come to terms with the Premiership since arriving on Merseyside in the summer of 2004. Bold words for a team that hasn't won a league championship since 1990. But bold or not, we're top at Christmas and let's hope he's right about the 80% possibility. Unfortunately, history is not on our side. Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, only six times have clubs gone on to win the league title after leading at Christmas. Manchester United achieved it three times in '93/94, '00/01 & '06/07; Chelsea twice in '04/05 & '05/06; and Blackburn once in '94/95. OK, so what if we're up against history? At least we're moving in the right direction. Not only have we secured pole position, but we've also qualified for the knockout stages of the European Cup and procured a delicious encounter against the competition's most successful team in the New Year. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. And let's not kid ourselves. This season has been an absolute clanger as far as Manchester United and Chelsea are concerned. Not only have they both lost vital points in matches they used to win easily, but they have repeatedly allowed Liverpool off the hook and lost several opportunities to go top of the table, tonight included.

The London and Mancunian clubs have really flattered to deceive. Not once or twice but at least a half dozen times. (Though depending on how you look at it, United may have the advantage of two games in hand.) And to make matters even more confusing, Arsenal have had an even more topsy-turvy half-season. Five losses within the first fourteen-or-so games is not title challenger material, especially when the opposition reads like the Who's Who of Premiership relegation for the last few years. But then again, deserved victories over Manchester United at home and Chelsea away. God knows what's going to happen to The Gunners in the second half.

Who'd've guessed that all of the Big Four would regularly slip up this season. Some said Liverpool had used up all their good luck by the end ofthe first month after a series of comeback victories, topped off by the stunning 3-2 revival at Manchester City after going two-down at halftime. Then the naysayers said we'd run out of our good luck with each listless draw that opened up golden opportunities for the other Big Three to cash in on. But they didn't. Not once or twice but nearly a half dozen times. Somehow the season's script hasn't panned out as usual. And I can't understand why. Is it because the gap between the best and the rest has closed down? Or have the big guns lost the hunger and desire to claim English football's top prize? I hope it's not the latter.

Amidst all this confusion, what is certain is that this season has hardly had a dull moment and with the Cinderella-like run of Hull City holding its own at Christmas, and Aston Villa threatening to breakup the Big Four's dominance, we're in for possibly the best-ever second-half to a Premier League season. I think it's fair to say that though the three favourites to win the title are Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United, it's not too late to close the door on Arsenal. Unfortunately I don't think Arsenal have the resources or stamina to inflict a Manchester United-like second-half-of-the-season assault upon the title, and in fact I might even tempt fate in proclaiming Aston Villa the dark horses to emulate their title run of 1981. At the very least, I expect a place in next season's European Cup.

As far as the rest of the table is concerned, it's been an incredible season for The Cottagers. When I became a Fulham season-ticket holder weeks before the pitch-battles commenced I didn't give them a chance to finish in the top-half of the table. Especially since they had only managed to secure a place in this season's Premier League with a late winner on the last day of last season. But boy has it been worth it. Ever since witnessing my first match at Craven Cottage, courtesy a 2-for-1 deal from Transport for London last March, I am yet to see the London club lose a match! In that time I have seen them defeat no less than Everton, Arsenal and Newcastle, as well as Bolton and Middlesbrough. And not to mention, the nil-nil draw at Anfield in my homecoming. Infact the video above is one I took this weekend of the second goal, a penalty, scored by former Liverpool midfielder, Danny Murphy, as The Cottagers ripped apart The Smoggies, three-nil. With performances like these and a stunning home record, Fulham should easily survive this season's adventures and with a few more away victories, they might even secure a place in Europe. Let's hope they do!

And finally a few words about the rest. Everton and Portsmouth seem to be slowly but surely working their way back to the part of the table which they've made their own: just below the Big Four but good enough to stay above everybody else and consistently qualify for the UEFA Cup. The middle of the table is congested with Northern clubs, while the two remaining London clubs (Spurs & West Ham) find themselves precariously above the relegation zone. The Gaffer at White Hart Lane appears to have already built himself legendary status there without really achieving much, and ironically enough, their useless former manager has now become the big man at Real Madrid (our opponents in the next round of the European Cup!). Small world. And then the last three. Manchester City (hahaha), Blackburn (shit happens) and West Brom (life is cruel on those who least deserve it). It looks like West Brom and Blackburn will go down but City should survive, though they really need to sort out their shit defence. Spurs should end up in midtable safety and they remain the only club to have defeated Liverpool in all competitions this season, and what's crazy, they've done it twice - in the league and in the League Cup. But that's the thing, it don't matter if you lose to a club that's only won the league title once. At the end of the day, it's the daddy on top who matters and this Christmas, it's us. Season's greetings! COME ON YOU REDS!!! YNWA!!!

This is the most emotional video I have ever taken. Tears were shed. It doesn't get much better than hearing 40,000+ Scousers belting out the most famous anthem in the footballing universe. Absolutely electrifying. It was surreal. Magical. Everything I had dreamed of and more.

The match result was hugely disappointing but the match itself was highly entertaining. Fulham played out of their skins and produced their best away performance this season, surprising considering all their victories have come at home and their record on the road going into this match was as bad as it gets. But not today. The Cottagers gave an excellent account of themselves and fought hard not to give an inch to The Reds. The way Fulham constantly and consistently hounded down our players reminded me of the way we out-thought and out-fought Manchester United earlier this season. The London club continually sought to press home the advantage and if it wasn't for a rock-solid defence and the ever reliable Pepe Reina in goal, it was easily conceivable that Fulham could've snatched all three points.

Luckily for us that didn't happen. We were easily second best in the first-half and though there was a distinct improvement at the start of the second-half, our players seemed jaded from their midweek international duties and were simply inept at finishing off several goal-scoring opportunities. The worst of the lot was Robbie Keane firing a shot straight into the keeper from all of eight yards with nobody but the goalie to beat and all the time in the world to fire us ahead. Alas it was not to be and we were left to pray that other results would work to our advantage. Our prayers were answered as none of the teams in the top half of the table secured a victory today.

Both Chelsea and Manchester United were held to goalless draws against Newcastle United and Aston Villa. In an ideal world The Toon and Villans would've defeated our fellow title contenders and enabled us to move clear at the top. Nevertheless thanks to all the other results, nothing much changes at the top except for Villa's exciting leapfrogging of Arsenal into fourth place after the North Londoners suffered their second defeat in a row and fifth overall this season. The Gunners were thrashed three-nil by Manchester City. Other winners today included Stoke City and Bolton Wanderers. They beat West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough respectively. These were crucial victories for The Blues and Trotters as the pressure was mounting on their respective managers to overturn their recent dips in form.

As for the whole day itself, I woke up at quarter to five this morning. It didn't help that I only got a couple hours worth of tossing-and-turning-sleep. I was just too excited to get a good kip. Ah well, I should sleep like a baby tonight. The morning consisted of an hour and a half's worth of public transport travel to Craven Cottage (the home ground of Fulham) where my fellow season-ticket holder mate and I would catch the coach to Liverpool. By the time we arrived at Earls Court we knew we would be cutting it close for the 8am departure. After waiting for nearly fifteen minutes for a bloody train to Putney Bridge we decided to take a cab and prevent a traveling disaster.

The journey to Liverpool should've only been five hours (with an hour's break on the way at a service station). Unfortunately due to a variety of circumstances we didn't pull into Anfield Road until an hour and a bit before the 3pm kickoff which meant we were only able to have a pint-and-a-half at The Arkles Pub opposite the stadium. The journey itself was uneventful. The stop at the service station in Stafford was interesting (to me) because there were dozens of other football fans inside. Most of them were Liverpool supporters but I saw one Gooner, a couple Potters, a City fan and a few others I didn't recognize. It is safe to say that until I stepped into the service station, the sense of the occasion had yet to sink into me. But the moment I saw a sea of Liverpool fans in their red jerseys my knees went wobbly.

For the rest of the journey to Anfield we watched a DVD titled The Great Escape (but not the one you're thinking of) that showed all the goals scored for and against Fulham last season as they literally put on a great escape to survive the Premier League on the last day of the season. With five matches to go Fulham had been written off by every Tom, Dick and Hari in the country but somehow they stitched together four victories, including three consecutive matches on the road. Needless to say, The Cottagers owed Liverpool a tiny slice of their successful pie as their season-saving goal on the last day was scored by a former Liverpool legend, Danny Murphy.

Once we arrived in Liverpool we rushed to the nearby pub which is within a stone's throw from the stadium's entrance. It was so nice to hear a pub full of Scouser accents. It felt like I was listening to a crowd of Jamie Carraghers. It's gotta be one of the most different nicest sounding accents out there, but I might just be biased. After our 1.5 pints of lager and cider we headed to the chippy around the corner. What a fucking incredible choice of food they had and what exemplary prompt service. I had a curry and chips. Think poutine but with an Indian-styled gravy instead. Fucking mint. Anyways by this point we were counting down the minutes to kickoff and took our seats.

The worst part of the match was having to sit with Fulham fans throughout the match and even during the eleven hours in the coach. During the coach ride I had to be very careful not to blatantly give away my Scouser-supporting identity and I'd like to think I did a decent job of it except in one or two places when I might've professed my love for Steven Gerrard a little too loudly. Nevertheless, I managed to survive in one piece throughout the day and avoided any nasty confrontations. I was surprised however how quiet the Liverpool fans were for long periods during the match. It's something I had been warned about by other away fans who had been to Anfield for other similarly low-key Premier League matches. Apparently the real vocal drama is saved for the big guns, the major derby rivals and the Champions League. I can't wait to witness one of those occasions one day. Hopefully it'll happen sooner rather than later. Inshaperumal...

Overall, an emotional experience and one that I will never forget. I will cherish it for the rest of my life and even though the result did not go our way at least we can take heart in the fact that Fulham have still not ever won at one of the world's greatest footballing venues. YNWA

Saturday 21 February 2004. That was the last time Chelsea lost a league game at home. Claudio Ranieri was still the manager and the victors were Arsenal. The Gooners went on to win the title and remained unbeaten. Chelsea finished second. Fast forward four years and eight months. Sunday 26 October 2008. Liverpool become the first club in 86 league games to defeat The Blues at Stamford Bridge. It's been a long time coming and though the goal was deflected, it's the end result that matters. We defended with passion and came out trumps. We've defeated Man Utd at home and now Chelski away. We're three points clear at the top and what's more, we've beaten our only two title-challengers (no disrespect to Hull City) within the first ten games. And both victories were achieved without Fernando Torres. Imagine how good we'll be when he returns from injury. And we're the only unbeaten Premier League club in all competitions this season. There's still a long way to go, but we've made our title credentials very clear. Numero 19, here we come! COME ON YOU REDS!!! YNWA!!!

Away tickets to watch Fulham at Anfield on November 22 go on sale on October 30. I hope I don't forget to book them...

This video was broadcast in 1964 as part of a BBC Panorama special on The Kop, the famous stand in Liverpool's Anfield stadium. The programme investigated the other major Merseyside beat and discussed what made the average man act in unison with thousands of others. This of course was in the days before all-seater stadiums and given what happened two decades later in Heysel and Hillsborough, it seems remarkable that such disasters did not take place earlier on the evidence of the video above. Nevertheless, it used to be said that in the 60s & 70s, the Kop were so loud and thunderous that they could suck the ball into the net when The Reds attacked that end. The Kopites are famous the world over and have a wide selection of songs which they sing regularly. The video below is particularly remarkable because it was taken at the height of Beatlemania and includes a passionate Kop singing She Loves You. And to put the icing on the cake, the video was taken during Liverpool's final game of the 1963/4 season in which they thrashed Arsenal 5-0 and with it, won their first league title under their legendary manager, Bill Shankly. RIP. The rest as they say is history. Between 1964 and 1991, Liverpool did not finish first or second in the league only seven times. Between 1973 and 1991, they did not finish first or second only once. That ladies and gentlemen is history. No club before or after us has come close to emulating that incredible achievement. Not even Manchester-fucking-United. Videos like these are precious. They take you back in time to an age when football had not yet crossed the seven seas and was the preserve of the place or area where the clubs were located. Notice how many football fans in those days were wearing ties and jackets even though it was a sunny April afternoon. It's the opportunity to see videos like these that make modern-day fans like myself feel closer to the club that we've adopted as our own. COME ON YOU REDS!! YNWA!!

"In one point I fully agree with the gentlemen to whose general views I am opposed. I feel with them that it is impossible for us, with our limited means, to attempt to educate the body of the people. We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern; a class of persons, Indian in blood and colour, but English in taste, opinions, in morals and intellect." -Thomas Macaulay, Minute on Indian Education (1835)
Last night was Dave Pearce's last Dance Anthems show on BBC Radio 1. It's the end of an era. Since 2005, rarely have I gone a week without listening to the two hours of cheesy electronic dance anthem music goodness. As everybody expected, Dave whacked on some of his (and our) all-time favourite rhythms including: Minimalistix's Close Cover, Delerium's Silence, Faithless' Insomnia (the anthem that got me hooked into electronic music in the first place), Paul Van Dyk's For An Angel, Paul Oakenfold's Southern Sun and possibly the greatest dance anthem of all-time, Ferry Corsten's remix of William Barber's Adagio for Strings. He now moves on (or was he demoted?) to Radio 6.

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Meanwhile, I've finished my first week at Law School. It's beyond awesome. I can't believe how much I'm enjoying learning everything dished out so far. I've got a hectic schedule but it's like I don't care because when you love your work, it becomes work no more but sheer enjoyment. That's exactly how I feel about the law. English law is so vast, so unrefined, archaic and generally very messy, carrying with it several centuries of excess baggage. Despite all its rough edges, the most important thing is the incredible manner in which it has evolved and continues to evolve. Even in a society that is developing at such an unbelievable rate, English law has done well to try and keep pace with it. Finally, I've discovered a field of study which values the ability to amass vast tracts of information and then combine it with craftily constructed arguments. The law is neither an art nor a science. It's exactly the sort of career I have been looking for all my life. It encompasses everything I've ever wanted out of life. I cannot wait to learn anything and everything about it. This is my calling...

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And finally, the footie. After last weekend's disappointing draw against new boys Stoke City, order in the footballing universe was restored by the world's greatest striker, Fernando Torres, as the lads from Anfield painted the city of Liverpool red by defeating fellow Scousers Everton two-nil. Both goals were scored by the Spanish international, ending a six-game drought in some style. The result gives us our best start in the Premier League after six games and takes us back to the top of the table, albeit temporarily depending on other results.


To the tune of 'The Animals go in Two by Two'):
His armband proved he was a red - Torres, Torres
You'll never walk alone it said - Torres, Torres
We bought the lad from sunny Spain
He gets the ball he scores again
Fer-nan-do Torres Liverpool's number 9
(bounce, bounce)

Steven Gerrard is a Liverpool legend and he scripted another fairytale (though lucky) victory with a trademark right-boot belter into the top right corner in front of the Kop in the dying seconds of a match in which we found ourselves losing until the 87th minute... Need I say more? The Arab commentator captures the mood and expresses himself in a way that only Stevie G can evoke. YNWA! COME ON YOU REDS!!

His armband proved he was a red - Torres, Torres
You'll never walk alone it said - Torres, Torres
We bought the lad from sunny Spain
He gets the ball he scores again
Fer-nan-do Torres Liverpool's number 9.
(to the tune of 'The Animals go in Two by Two')

MATCH REPORT

Fernando Torres! I'm so glad I wore my Torres Liverpool jersey today. And after tonight's victory, there's a good chance I'm not going to take it off until after I get back from Spain next month. The Spaniards have finally won a major footballing trophy after a very long time. So much promise, so few returns. They asked Arsenal's Fabregas why previously talented teams had not succeeded while this team had succeeded. He didn't have an answer. He didn't really care. And why should he? It's a night to celebrate. I wish I was in Spain. Even the firefighters were dancing on their trucks. Truly magical. And to top it off, ze Jahmans were defeated. By 2010 it will be at least 14 years without a major trophy. At this rate they might even catch up with our lack of success... :P Viva España! Viva Torres! Viva La Bonita Juego!

Ronaldo missed a 2nd minute penalty and Barcelona maintained the vast majority of possession. That pretty much sums up the match. Barcelona and Chelski will go into the 2nd leg with the advantage, but the 1st leg results were so tight that both Liverpool and Manchester will fancy their chances of nicking an only goal to send them through. A lotta people expected a goal-fest at Camp Nou tonight but it was not to be. Chelski and Manchester play each other on Saturday which is good for Liverpool because they'll hope their North-Western bitter rivals will run the London team ragged for the return leg. Chelski on the other hand haven't lost a domestic competition game at home since going out on penalties in the 2005 League Cup to Crystal Palace. In European competition however, Liverpool can take heart from Barcelona's victory at Stamford Bridge two years ago. There's still a lot to play for next week. Will the Red(s) (Devils) set up an all-English final?!

Later tonight, Liverpool take on Chelsea for the third time in four years at this stage of the world's greatest club football competition. In 2005, Luis Garcia's "phantom goal" took Liverpool to the final and last year, Liverpool destroyed Chelsea in the penalty shoot-out after the two legs ended one-all. This year's duel will be significantly different. Instead of playing at home in Anfield in the 2nd leg, Liverpool will play at home first. It might throw a spanner into Rafa Benitez's preparations but let's hope it doesn't. I'm not really sure how we're gonna approach tonight's match. We definitely don't want to concede an away goal so there will be at least five to six defensive players on the pitch. Will Rafa continue with the 4-2-3-1 formation that has brought us much success this year, or will he change things like he did against Arsenal a couple weeks ago to go all-out for victory? Either way, it's gonna be a boring game that'll probably result in a stalemate. The best news is that Gerrard is going to play. Can we make it three times lucky? Tune in at 1845 GMT to find out. COME ON YOU REDS!!