We have unveiled our brand new Europa kit.
We played our first competitive match.
Our brand new manager has won his first real game!!!!
I'm really impressed with Roy Hodgson thus far. Just based on how he handled this first game really showed wat kind of a manager he is.
Being his very first competitive game, he must be under immense pressure - we're talking about Liverpool FC, not some small club. People say that new brooms sweep cleaner and he must have been under great temptation to show off a wonderful team and stamp his mark.
But no!!!! Surprise, surprise, he left out ALL OF HIS STARS!!!! The team was almost a brand new team too - look at some of the jersey numbers of the players who played last nite - no. 24, 26, 32, 34, 37, 38, 39 and even a number 46!!!!! Have you seen squad numbers like that for a first team?
Sure, the opposition was an unknown small club. All the more Roy should play his best team and start off not just on a winning note but an emphatic one!
Yet, players like Gerrard, Carragher, Cole, Reina, etc were not even on the squad list - they did not travel with the team. Why were they not brought along - just in case they are needed if the young players could not handle it?
Roy was saying that he really wanted to rest those players as they just had a long World Cup (some longer than others) - he doesn't want Gerrard to travel all the way just to play for 10 minutes.
So Roy has shown that he is a practical man. He was unhappy that the game was fixed so close after the end of the World Cup - but not being able to change it, he took a stand, resisted the temptation and made sure those who took part in the World Cup had sufficient rest.
Why go and thrash a small club with yr stars but risk tiring them further or even injuring them before the EPL even starts?
He must have been confident of his young team too - the opposition was indeed a small club but they were unknown. Still, Roy must have not worried too much about the opposition but focused on the ability of his own. After all, you can't do anything about the other side but you can make sure that yours is good.
Imagine how much confidence he must have given to the young players, having an opportunity to be on the starting line-up or to play as a sub in the first team!!!
All this bodes well for us Reds. With Roy at the helm, things can only get better - we hope! But no matter what, Roy knows that we'll never walk alone!
*The title song for his Grammy Award winning album.
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