Christmas is coming and, with it, Dickens’ famous tale. But what is it Liverpool look at when they study Newcastle United, the ghost of Christmas future?
The parallels between the two are starker than you may have thought. Just six years ago, these two teams were competing on the final day for the last Champions’ League spot. Liverpool won it and a year later had won the competition itself. Up until recently a firmly established top four side, their supporters were one of many that enjoyed the Schadenfreude of Newcastle’s relegation- “stayed on the tele,” they sang at Alan Shearer as the side he was temporarily in charge of surrendered meekly at Anfield in the series of meek surrenders that ended in their relegation.
Since then, a resurgence of sorts for Newcastle, though one that has been thrown in to severe doubt by the events of the week. Meanwhile, at Liverpool, the old hated owners have been replaced by new owners making discouraging, Scrooge like noises about the amount of money to spend on luxury, an experienced English manager is in but struggling to build a rapport with the fans and with this latest defeat surely his prospect of holding on to the job past Christmas look about as dead as Marley. The season will not end in relegation for Liverpool as it did for Newcastle, but this was a surrender which spoke to a tentativeness from some, a lack of interest from others and the similarities with the Newcastle team of big name under-performers that made the plunge two years ago will make for discomforting viewing on Merseyside.
Now they’ll know how Martin Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos feel at least. Utterly dominated from first minute to last by an Andy Carroll, Liverpool’s centre backs were cowered and ran over long before the end- Carroll’s goal may have been the perfect way to cap Newcastle’s win from their point of view but he was allowed the opportunity to shoot by a pair of centre backs who had dropped off criminally. To be generous, you may say they were egging him to shoot and backing their keeper, in reality they just seemed ragged and waiting on the final whistle.
Accompanied by the eye catching Barton- who scored the crucial second with a committed charge and finish at the Gallowgate End- and the industrious Tiote, Carroll tore in to Liverpool like Tiny Tim at a Christmas ham. His power and aerial ability is well documented, his poise and balance deserves some notice too. Last week West Brom were able to nullify him, a strong physical performance from Scharner proving there is some chinks in his armour, Liverpool never got close. It’s no wonder he’s been named by new manager Pardew as the one imperative not to lose in the Janurary transfer window. As Stephen Brown, a season ticket holder in the Gallowgate End put it: "Liverpool's defenders looked genuinely terrified. Even when Shearer played for us, I've never seen that before."
And what of Pardew? He would have been happy that the crowd at least seemed receptive of him, if not warm, and his gracious praise of Hughton afterwards will have went some way to appease doubts about his integrity in taking the job on: “Chris Hughton is very, very unfortunate not to be sitting here discussing this win but this game is not easy and it can be cruel. I had a similar situation at Southampton. To get a win like this has hopefully earned a tiny bit of respect for myself and the group and we can grow and make that respect a lot stronger. I think the win had everything to do with the attitude of the players and staff,” he said.
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