Who was Liverpool’s best manager ever?

How many times have we asked this question? The answers are usually either Paisley or Shankly but no one can really say for sure.

I recently read Paul Tomkin’s latest book Dynasty and if you are a Liverpool fan you have to read it and analyse it.

Paul does an outstanding job in rating all the Liverpool Managers since Shankly in the areas that they were responsible for such as games and transfers. It is very interesting to look at the statistics and what you will see will surprise you.

I will not give any of the book away but please do give it a read, it will make you a more complete Liverpool Supporter and will make you think beyond just the weekly or bi-weekly game, it will make you see the bigger picture.

Great job Paul.

Y.N.W.A.

Antoine Zammit
antoine@empireofthekop.com

i had a dream: my way to Anfield Road.

I dreamt last night that i was traveling to England. The plane was shaking for the wind changing and my mind was in need to get used to the Europe hour set. I was alone, reading some book that i can’t remember and i could feel myself nervious. With all this thing of the AH1N1 virus was the less i could feel right?, well, i just were traveling to London.

My handback was the whole baggage i brought, some money and all my will to get Liverpool quickly, because in my dream, even that there were weeks before the big day, was the last game that Steven Gerrard would play for the club, and i must to be there no matter what i takes. I just could bought the plane ticket so the rest of the trip toward the city was going to be done by asking people to carry me.

After many hours, walking most of the time -i don’t know why british people doens’t trust other ones…i don’t think i look like a psycho killer or something ja ja ja- but i did it. I got into Liverpool.

I got lost. I’d never been in the city, neither meet  in real life  anyone from there. But with my poor english and british accent i could finally ask how to get to Anfield Road,  and it was even bigger and most beatiful that i could ever imagine, it was just perfection itself. I got therewith time enough before the last match of Steven, so i could buy ticket. I never cared about how was i suposse to live throughtout the time left to that day, but i just was so damn bloody excited that that doesn’t even really matter at this moment.

I dreamt in parks, avenues, i ate selling portrait drawings in differents squares through the city, like abercrombie square, but definitly i earned more money selling drawings outside the walker art gallery. For take a shower and clean my hands (Something i do nearly 20 time at day) i went to service gas stations, for eating too ja ja ja!.

And then, after many painful experiences, was THE day.

I took a loooong shower, i dressed up with black pants normal shoes and my first Liverpool Jersey,  I fixed my hair like Fernando, we have like the same face, it just that i haven’t got his huge body ’cause my body complexion is further slim. The guy in charged at the gate cutted off my ticket, and smiling says: enjoy it. You have the less idea how am i going to enjoy it!!!

I went up stairs, it was like a black gaingway that suddendly became into a flashlight, a green field, thousands off people walking around to take them sittings, and it was real, it was so real; I was in Anfield…

Manure: the “perfect” team.

Is quiet funny how manure fans are around here in this country, all of them loving Ronaldo like he was the best (the best actor?) , and saying that Manure is the best ’cause in the last twenty years have been the leaders of premier league.

I was talking minutes ago with a friend of my bro and he’s in love with manure and the only thing he says is: we won premier league, we won this, we won this, etc. & i answered him:  slow down, you haven’t got what we already got many years ago,  your manager believes He’s the best and still can catch us all, and the most important, all of you believe your players are something like gods, but they just human beings and they are going to fall down, because Liverpool Empire is just taking a little rest for renew people and army.  He just said, no you’re fucking wrong ’cause Manchester is the best and the other England teams are just secondary groups. We’ll, if we are secondary team, then how can you explain me that Manure haven’t got what we’ve already got? there’s just one explanation: Manure, is just Manure, and no matter how classy and stylish they wants to get dressed, they are just manure, thinks like manure, and smells like manure. But Liverpool was, is, and it’s going to be always the real truly world king.

Then he just shut his mouth up and I laughed.

I wanted to tell you this ’cause I know many of you have fought or arguing with manure fans.

Steven Gerrard and his inspiration belongs to us too.

Last night i was watching to some tv news and one of them caught me hardly. Claudio Bravo, goal keeper from Chilean national team and the Spain sub division team Real Sociedad made a huge thing: He received a handwritten letter from an 8 years old little poor child that he wrote in September 2008,  and he just got it yesterday. The little boy asked him to write him back, and Claudio didn’t just think about that, he called him and meet him, shared a few time and gave his goal keeper gloves to the little child. I was so excited watching this incredible gesture toward children and sent a message to the people saying that we’re not just different from each other, they just sporting people. Off course the little boy was so so so excited that his tears were not hidden, he just never expected that Claudio would even get the letter. (i wish so hardly watch players like Claudio Bravo playing for reds, check this video out and you tell me http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiHzM8hkEg4&feature=related&pos=2 , he’s a real good player…)

Thinking about this, i remembered Steven Gerrard inspiration: His cousin dead in Hillsborough tragedy. I just can’t imagine how hard that might be, how painful for the family, and he as a football player, i imagine he felt quiet responsible of it, i would… But, he has worked so hard through the years and showed  he’s one of the mos skilled football players, and he has become the real inspiration for all of us, for the team mattes, and for the new generation of young players that are arriving to the team. I really wish i could someday be the inspiration for anyone, at least my unborn childrens, ja ja ja.

But, in the meantime, as he and Fernando (and Sammy too) are my inspiration, i wanted to share with all of you other drawing i made, this time, just for Steven, the captain, our captain, and my inspiration. He’s the big leader we got now.

Sami Hyypia’s Farewell Lunch

While surfing around the internet I landed on the website of Jamie Carragher’s restaurant Cafe Sports England and found some pictures of a recent party Jamie had for Sami. Below are some photos I grabbed from there (hope Jamie will not mind) :-)
Nice to see all the players having fun off the pitch, I noticed that Stevie is not there probably he had to join the England squad as Don Fabio was likely cooking up some spaghetti. If you have been to Carra’s restaurant please share your experience in the comments below.

There are more pictures at the Cafe Sports England website.

click here for more pictures

Fernando

Fernando Torres compilation shown on Sky Sports during the UEFA Champions League pre-match against Chelsea.