This is becoming quite the season of interest. I can’t remember a season when one of the “Big Four” weren’t in the FA Cup final. With the Mancs losing to Portsmouth and Barnsley proving that lightning can be carried around in a bottle by beating Chelsea, it looks like this could be an all Championship final. Which is not good for business.
With a battle royale up top, and now that all the domestic cup ware is all accounted for, three of the top four squads in the Premiership are mining Europe for the last of the silver. Liverpool under Rafa’s command are probably touted to be favourites amongst the English contingent, having reached the final twice in the last three years. And so say all of us….
But first they will have to beat Inter Milan in the Italian fortress of San Siro tomorrow. Liverpool is looking to become only the second English team to win there in this competition since Arsenal dismantled AC Milan there last week.
We will turn a blind eye to history. We’ll have to. The 1965 semi-final still stings the retinas a bit. Having a 3-1 lead at Anfield and then losing 3-0 in the return leg is enough to have anyone put their own eyes out.
It is also shaping to be one hell of a domestic home stretch. With a poor result on Sunday from Arsenal, Man U can jump into first spot with a win against relegation-threatened Bolton Wanderers. Chelsea has a couple of games in hand and play Derby mid week to put some distance between themselves, a resurgent Liverpool and resolute Everton.
Villa and City are losing some ground on their European push, but as this season has already proven, anything is possible. Wigan has been a surprise package too this year, currently sitting in 13th spot. But they are far from spotting any daylight through the trees, and they still very much breathing all the fumes from the congestion at the drop zone. Two points separate six teams, any of which can fall precipitously from Premiership grace.
And here is the news. According to reports,
DIC has agreed to take a 49% share in Liverpool Football Club with the intention of one day having the whole pie to itself. This means that Liverpool will enjoy the directorship of PCP Capital Partners manager and Prince Andrew’s ex-girlfriend
Amanda Staveley. We could use some intellegent blonde blood in boardroom leather.
DIC are already saying all the right things with fan angst-assauging comments like: "DIC wants to see the club put onto a firm financial footing and for the emphasis to shift from the boardroom to the pitch.” Of course they have the luxury of coming in hot on the heels of one of the worst PR displays ever. Laurel and Hardy could’ve done a better job. At least they would’ve been amusing while failing miserably.
As giddy as the fan base seems to be at the prospect of new foreign ownership, I will still maintain that this is simply trading one snakeskin oil salesman for another. If it had ever been about the good of the club, DIC would’ve bought when they had the chance instead of looking for the best possible deal. Their e-bay approach to buying the club is a loud-and-clear indication that this will always be a business transaction first and best-interest agenda second. So when the better offer does come, and it will, watch as DIC does what it came to do – make tin.
‘Nuff said.
And as an interesting side note,
Sepp Blatter has spoken in favor of the fan discontent over the Liverpool owner/fan spat regarding unfulfilled promises and stagnating expectations. My question: who voted this muppet into power? And more importantly, how is it that they did it more than once?
He single-handedly proves why FIFA is the NATO of football. Asinine comments compounded by worthless initiatives doomed to failure have riddled his time at the helm. It might be time for him to step down, and if not, for someone to knock him down before he turns himself into a complete caricature and takes FIFA with him.