Liverpool Don't Usually Do Cup Finals...

...in the last five years or so, that is.



But when we do, we probably put up the best cup finals in the world.

Wembley, London 2012

Millenium Stadium, Cardiff 2006

Ataturk Olympic Stadium, Istanbul 2005 (the mother of all cup finals!)

Westfalenstadion, Dortmund 2001

Long may the party continue!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Luis Suarez: Balancing the Probabilities

It's hard work being a Liverpool supporter these days. During the Benitez era, most of us were forced to take crash courses in the merits of posession/pressing football and zonal marking. Well, at least the ones who actually bothered defending the Liverpool manager against the seemingly countless bumbling buffoons schooled in football by the likes of Andy Gray and Richard Keys.

The knowledge proved beneficial when gauging the Spaniard's replacement. It made it easy to see that Roy Hodgson was clearly out of his depth, even if the press and the LMA were telling us the exact opposite. Give him more time, eh? Bah...

Then, as the club was dragged through the courts and financial circles by Hicks and Gillet, we again had to don our thinking caps and devour all the legal/financial mumbo-jumbo just so we could better understand what was happening with our beloved LFC.

If anything else, the whole farce makes us appreciate John Henry and what he has done for the club to date.

Now, just as things appear to have calmed down a bit, Liverpool supporters are once again faced with the prospect of getting out their reading glasses, highlighters and digging out the number of their nearest lawyer friend or relative.

On New Year's eve, the FA issued their much awaited full written statement explaining the reasons as to how and why Luis Suarez was charged with using abusive language towards Patrice Evra.

Although not a court of law, the burden of providing proof of the alleged offence still remained with the FA's Commission and Suarez's accusers. In this case, all they needed to do (according to the FA's own rules) was to prove that there there was a probability that Suarez actually commited the alleged offence. Probable, that's all.

The problem with this is firstly, the Commission didn't need to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Suarez actually used abusive language, just probably did it and secondly, it falls foul of the FA's own rules on the matter. The written statement itself asserts that the FA and Commission agree that Suarez's alleged offence was a serious matter and on that basis, warrants a greater burden of evidence. Yet, this doesn't seem to have been the case when the Commission concluded that Suarez actually did commit the alleged offence. No real evidence. Just one man's word against another and a whole host of probabilities.

It gets even more interesting when looking at the facts. The report appears quick to point out that language experts were used in making the decision. Although I'm no expert on language experts and therefore don't have any evidence to the contrary, I just find it strange that both experts utilised are affiliated with the University of Manchester. Both. Manchester. As is in Manchester United. But hey, there's also Manchester City...?

I'm not saying that the two experts aren't totally independent and free from bias but isn't there a probability that they aren't to start off with. Surely, these two can't be the only South American Castellano Spanish language experts in the whole of England?

And then, there's the evidence itself. Although it's made out to be a clear conclusion from the experts (by the Commission and the media), when one reads the report in detail, it's clear that their findings are itself based on assumptions and again, probabilities.

Then, there's the fact that not one other United player heard Suarez using racially abusive language towards Evra especially when video evidence showed that the likes of David De Gea (clearly a native Spanish speaker who would've understood what was being said) was only an earshot away from where one of the alleged incidents happened. Was this seriously taken into account?

Probably not.

As a result, Luis Suarez remains guilty of an offence he probably did commit. Or was that probably not?

Radio Killed the Video Star

On a day when three former Liverpool players in the Chelsea squad looked more likely to score (well, at least on paper) against their former employer, it was ironically, the single former Chelsea player in red who settled things at the Bridge this evening.

This fixture a few seasons ago would have been akin to watching a mind-numbing game of chess with both sides trying their utmost to choke their respective opponents to a premature footballing death. The underlying principle behind both teams being something along the lines of, if the other team can't score, we can't be beaten.

None of that today though. Today, it was as if both Dalglish and Villas-Boas were intent on outscoring each other on the pitch. The result of that was unsurprisingly, the most exciting Chelsea-Liverpool game in ages.

And, the other ironic thing about it is, I didn't get to watch a single live minute of the match. Yes, I followed the whole thing live but without an expensive cable subscription or a decent computer (my old laptop officially died a few weeks ago which also explains my recent blogging hiatus), I had to resort to different means of following Liverpool - good old radio.

Thanks to BBC 5 Live an a random radio app that popped up on the App Store, I managed to hear every minute of the match without any sudden crashes or suffer lengthy waits while the streaming thing buffers. It feels awkward but nice at the same time. Sort of like reading a book where you'd have to picture what you're reading. Not bad I suppose as a last option.

The Halloween Horror Show That Never Was

After a week or so (some might say SIX plus ONE days) of making life a living hell for some of my misguided friends, colleagues and acquaintences (plus the odd random dude), it was time for the wheel of (mis)fortune that is the Premier League to turn yet again.

As a Liverpool fan, I am well aware that karma hasn't actually been on our side of late. Yes, we get lucky enough to sign a master tactician of a manager and almost immediately after tasting the miraculous joy of Istanbul, we're sent to the depths of footballing abyss thanks to the previous American owners. Now, we're back afloat again although still no where close to where we'd like to be.

So, prudence was a key skill to survive the weekend especially since there was a visit to The Hawthorns who just happen to have a former Liverpool manager organising things.

The vultures (or should I say Devils) were hanging around looking to pounce on news of a conceded goal or even worse, dropped points. Anything really to re-gain a bit of lost pride while at the same time, inflict some pain on their bitter rivals.

Thankfully, that never happened and Liverpool walked away with three points, two goals and nothing conceded.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The (Not So) Friendly Derby

Most of us are well aware of the Friendly Derby. Although matters on the pitch are far from friendly, it makes the casual observer wonder why in the world the Merseyside derby is given the Friendly label. Look a little closer and you'll realise that it's the fans that give rise to the derby's name.

Football fans in blue shirts mingle freely with their counterparts in red be it at Anfield or across Stanley Park at Goodison. As far as I know this happens no where else in the football world. Yes, other football clubs might have sets of fans where the father supports one club while the son supports their cross-city rivals. The same goes with brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles and the best of friends - all separated because of their differing choice of football club. It's a normal enough situation worldwide but it's only in Liverpool that one can see the two sets of fans mingle almost freely on match day.

It doesn't mean the rivalry is of a lesser grade though. Far from it, the familiarity and closeness with the other side is what makes the pain of defeat so much harder to take.

So, what about the non-Merseyside based Liverpool fan?

The same applies but with a key difference - the taunts come from those in red shirts too. Not from down the East Lancs but from faraway places like Malaysia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Japan, etc. where like on Merseyside, fans from the other side can be those close to you.

And, the rivalry in this case is seldom friendly.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Suarez Sideline Storm

The problem with geniuses is, they're all a tad bit insane. It's probably just nature's way of balancing things out a bit.

This clearly applies to Liverpool's own Luis Suarez what with the ear-chomping thing in Holland and to an extent, the unashamed celebrating in South Africa.


The thing is, it's not a carefully hidden secret so, the little Lucozade-kicking tantrum that happened on Saturday shouldn't come as a surprise to all especially Damien Comolli and Kenny Dalglish.

The King indicated that he had the issue well under control during his post-match "happy days" comment on Suarez so here's hoping that all this is just what it comes across as - an emotional response from an extremely committed player who wants to give his all to the team.


Who won't even think of heading off to sunnier climes in the south come January...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Déjà Vu

Watching the Brighton v. Liverpool match last night, I felt a sense of déjà vu. I came to the conclusion that after the horrible result against Spurs, even if Liverpool could do everything right, things would still be all wrong.

If we won last night, it would just be against a Championship side. Nothing worth shouting out loud about. God only knows what would've happened if Liverpool actually lost that match. We won the game scoring two in the process - the first one from Craig Bellamy and the second from the now oh-so clinical Dirk Kuyt. One brought in on a free while the other one isn't actually a spring chicken. But even that was seen as a negative with Suarez not scoring (even though he did provide the assist for Bellamy's goal) and Andy Carroll playing the role of benchwarmer.


Useless. Useless all of them. They wouldn't be fit to polish Vincente's boots.

Then again, it must be a good sign. Reminds me of the days under Rafa Benitez when no credit whatsoever would be handed Liverpool's way no matter how well the club was doing. It was Liverpool against the world (well, most of the media actually and some idiotic people who call themselves fans).

And you know what? I kinda like this feeling. In a strange way, it somehow seems right.

Red Card Lane

Heart break lane? Most certainly too. Must've certainly been for Pepe Reina. God only knows when was the last time he let in four in a single match. Maybe none in the League during his time with Liverpool. I vaguely recall once in a Champions League encounter against another London club a few seasons ago but we ended up scoring a couple ourselves. I need to check the stats on that.


Today's stats though were like this: 1-0 down and 9 men left. The scoreline at full-time was inevitable. Spurs didn't actually look like they were in the mood for being merciful earlier today.

Was it a referees' conspiracy in response to the King lashing out at their current standards after the Stoke game?

Was it a combination of an ageing/constantly-injured back two combo?

Was it the absence of Stevie Gerrard?

It didn't matter. The result was a bad one and there can be no excuse. Absolutely none.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carra On

A few years ago, I would've been apalled by today's result, a 1-0 loss at the hands of what most would deem to be a lesser team. Today, I accepted the result as unfortunate. It wasn't anything to be ashamed about. A draw would've been preferrable. A win, delightful.

Yes, things change. More so in football especially its players.

Even players like Jamie Carragher who has had such an illustrious career with Liverpool. In the match against Bolton, there's no denying that his error allowed Bolton to pull one back late in the game. Then, it was all good. Liverpool had a three-goal cushion and Bolton weren't actually worrying the Liverpool defence. We'd still end up victors. It was a once-off anyway and would most likely not happen again. Or so we thought.

Today, Carragher committed what can only be described as a rookie error in the penalty box of all places. Liverpool were duly punished. If Carragher was a rookie it would've been totally acceptable. One could blame inexperience for the error but that just isn't the case here. It's not experience that's lacking, it's plainly just age that's catching-up on those legs.

The good thing is, the decision on whether Carragher starts or not isn't actually his to make. That decision belongs to the man who in recent weeks has relegated the club's under-performing record signing to the subs bench without much fuss.

So, I have no doubt im mind that if any amount of ego needs to be put aside and the right decision needs to be made at European-level, it will be made.

Rue Britannia

This Saturday, Liverpool will be paying a visit to one of the most intimidating grounds in the league, the home of Stoke City, the Britannia Stadium. I used to despise Stoke solely because of their boring, park-the-bus, one-dimensional incessant aerial bombardment of their opponents, especially my beloved Liverpool. But, over the years, I've grown to respect the club, its fans and its manager, Tony Pullis for what they've achieved over the years. After all, they only play route one hoofball because they have to, against the (ironically-labeled) bigger teams. I'm sure they do play good football whenever they can.

That however, doesn't change the fact that a visit to the Britannia normally equals an agonising amount of frustration. And, it doesn't get any more frustrating than a mere two points extracted from visits to Stoke-on-Trent in the past three seasons. A mere two points.

Added to that, we've lost the Anti-Stoke himself to Wolfsburg during the summer while Stoke have strengthen their midfield with added drive from Honduran Wilson Palacios and even more aerial prowess via Liverpool old boy, Peter Crouch among others.Yes, Crouch has been criticised for not taking full advantage of his height but at 6 ft 7 in, Jay Spearing will still need to jump another three feet to stand a chance of getting to a static Crouch's forehead.

Fortunately, Liverpool these days have a far different side and there's no question that it's a more physical squad. Also, interestingly Daniel Agger has never had the chance to feature in this fixture since joining Liverpool so if selected on the day, he definitely would offer a different option to the Liverpool back four. If that doesn't work, there's always Sebastian Coates who might feature at some stage if Rory Delap's throw-ins get increasingly threatening. He certainly looks like he can at the very least, do a Kyrgiakos with ease.

If the win at Arsenal shows that this season's Liverpool can mix with the big boys then, taking three points at the Britannia will send a message to Premiership that this Liverpool side are potentially real contenders and won't make the mistake of stumbling so easily when faced with lesser clubs as the club has often done in the past.

In the meantime, I'll be reading and analysing a Liverpool legend's new personal website. Should definitely be a good and very enlightening read.

Five-a-Side Fluidity

Watching Liverpool matches since the King himself, Kenny Dalglish took over has without a doubt been extremely refreshing compared to the dark days that immediately preceded it (and to an extent, bar the Benitez era, even the previous decade).

I'm sure it's much more than a case of "go out there and play ball lads" but it certainly seems like that - the five, six and some times up to eight offensive players look like their enjoying themselves playing five-a-side footie. It's not yet Barcelona-type 1,000 passes football but once the players gel, I'm sure it would pretty much get quite damn close. I'm sure it also gives the opposition some headaches. In the previous match against Bolton, Suarez constantly dropped deep with the space being filled inter-changeably by Downing, Henderson, Kuyt and Adam. The movement off the ball was fluid and almost instinctive, it was an absolute joy to watch. Hell, even Martin Skrtel who must've liked what he was looking at in his unusual rightback role, joined in the action and looked like a completely different player.

On the other hand, being a fan of the Arrigo Sacchi approach employed by Benitez, I do feel a bit uncomfortable with the deep-lying defensive line. It's not an issue when the team is playing well but against opponents  who are pro-active and are good at carving-up space (normally the bigger clubs and clubs on the continent), it can get a bit nervy and in theory, without a good link player can isolate the team's offensive element resulting in hoofball. Of course, this is just my preference on the matter. When implemented well, this safety-first approach with the defence has been proven to be effective i.e. Chelsea in the Mourinho era. Clearly, Steve Clarke has had some influence on Dalglish's tactics with regard to this but could it also be because of Jamie Carragher's lack of pace these days?

It'd be interesting to see whether a different high-line/compact approach would be taken should there be a difference in personnel.

Talking of personnel, it's good to know that Liverpool have signed Sebastian Coates. The player himself looks like at a steal at the price being reported but what's more important is the fact that Liverpool appear to be getting the type of players that the club actually wants. No more third or fourth choice players because we have had to sell first or plainly because we didn't have enough funds in the first place.

Will

I've had this buried in draft among my other posts for a couple of months. I'm glad I came across it a few days ago. This time it's being published so at the very least, it'll be sort of a little reminder for me not miss the movie come this October (hopefully).

Even if the movie turns out to be of the B-grade and straight-to-DVD variety, a good dose of that miraculous match in Istanbul should help prop things up.

Going British: The Story So Far

Turn the clock back to this time last year and the buzz among football fans was that Liverpool were back on the right track by appointing an English manager to replace Rafa Benitez. Fast forward a couple of months later and it soon became clear that English doesn't necessarily translate into a good thing. At least not automatically when it comes to Liverpool.

A change of manager and another couple of months later saw Liverpool continuing the Go-British policy albeit with players by spending vast amounts of money on new acquisitions. Luis Suarez aside, most of Kenny Dalglish's big money acquisitions since his appointment have hailed from the British isles.

This is not necessarily an issue as each manager would have a preference on where he sources his players. Like Arsene Wenger, Gerard Houllier preferred French or French-based players. Understandably, Benitez would come to rely on Spain and South America when looking for talent. It's only human nature, I suppose and so, if Dalglish wants to look for his players in every corner of Britain (with a well-known soft spot for Ireland) then why not?

The matter appears to have reared its head during yesterday's match against Arsenal. Stewart Downing aside, Liverpool's big money British players on the pitch appeared to have been quite disappointing. Worse still, it all appeared to have been at the cost of Liverpool's foreign contingent with the obvious ones being Luis Suarez and Raul Meireles both of whom were eventually directly involved in Liverpool's two goals that afternoon.

Things however need to be put into perspective, starting with the two players mentioned above. If one were to do the math, it's quite clear that the only break that Luis Suarez has had this year is the two weeks between the end of Copa America and the start of the season. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that Suarez needs a bit of a rest. Even if that means being reduced to 10-20 minute cameos for the next games. The same would apply to Meireles who unlike Suarez, didn't play in the Copa but appears to be turning into a midfield version of Danny Agger when it comes to injuries. Both Meireles and Agger bounce back well after their respective injuries but still, the situation needs to be managed. After all we'd definitely prefer if they weren't injured at all.

Then there's the British players themselves. Carroll clearly isn't a centre-forward in the Torres and Drogba mould so, without any close support (the type that Suarez and possibly even Gerrard can offer), he can at times appear to be a bit lost. Not entirely his fault is it? Speaking of support, Jordan Henderson appeared to have been given that role against Arsenal. Although he didn't do anything spectacular, he didn't do anything particularly wrong either. So, if supporters were patient with Lucas at the early stage of his development, then why shouldn't they be equally as patient with Carroll and Henderson?

All Filler, No Killer

Word on the street is Arsenal are there for the taking tomorrow. At the last count, the team that will represent the London club tomorrow would have at least three inexperienced teenagers in it. The club's captain has finally gone back to his Catalonian home, his ready-made replacement of sorts is on the verge of heading north while the club's most high profile acquisition during the summer will not even be on the bench, having just met Joey Barton recently. All does seem to be in quite a mess there. Or so it seems...

Of course, Liverpool supporters should know better. Applying a modest degree of caution would be wise as after all, this is the same Arsenal whose manager appears to have the knack of finding replacements for his lost key players almost immediately after losing them. This is the same Arsenal that will probably have Andrei "I-scored-four-goals-in-front-of-the-Kop" Arshavin in its midfield tomorrow.

For Liverpool, the time for filling-up the squad is over (OK, preferably bar one or two additions in defence). It's time to go for the kill.

******************

Even more important than tomorrow's match is the quest to reveal the truth of what happened in Hillsborough over two decades ago. Basically, if you are reading this and happen to be a UK citizen or UK resident (there must be a good bunch of UK-based Malaysian Reds that fall into this category), please do your bit and sign-up to the petition here. If you've had your head buried in the sand lately and  haven't heard what's been going on around this matter, you can get some background information here.

It All Begins (Sort Of)

I knew there was something not right this afternoon. It was just all too good to be true. Even before the season started I knew the opener against Sunderland wasn't going to be available on the telly (except for Setanta Sports) and so, had accepted the fact that it was either the local pub or freely available (but not entirely reliable) online streaming.

Considering the pub was out of the question (at least for the next twenty days or so), a bunch of us were resigned to watching the match online - buffering or no buffering. This was certainly the case until about half an hour before kick-off where we were reliably informed that we could watch the match on our iPhones via the Setanta Sports Ireland app. It would cost me the princely sum of €7.99 for 1-month subscription but taking into account the fact that Setanta were going to show three Liverpool games over the next month, the amount didn't seem too expensive.

No, nothing didn't seem too expensive especially since I was paying to watch a new and improved Liverpool. On paper, in all my years of supporting Liverpool, I've never seen a Liverpool squad with such depth, width and balance. Surely, this would be one of those rare, frustration-free seasons where I could just sit back and watch the Red men pound the opposition into submission especially at Fortress Anfield. Surely...

Unfortunately, even before a Liverpool player could kick a ball, things started to turn pear-shape. Instead of  a panel of football pundits discussing the upcoming match, I was greeted with a puppet Mourinho yapping away on my iPhone screen with a vague message...

Unfortunately the scheduled content is unavailable due to mobile broadcasting rights

WTF? Now you tell me? After I've forked out my hard-eared money? An outright swindle by Setanta.

Needless to say, it was a mad rush to the closest laptop to find a decent streaming site. Ten minutes later and after some start-stop buffering action, I was right on time to catch Charlie Adam's peach of a freekick and Suarez's finishing touch. Goal!

From then on, everything seemed to have gone to plan except after the break. As if to echo my disappointment with Setanta, things were beginning to look bad on the Anfield pitch as well. It appeared as if every single man on the pitch simply switched off for the second half. Of the new signings, the previously athletic and composed Henderson went missing. Adam who before the interval was spraying passes all around the pitch like a Xabi Alonso in tartan, struggled to complete 10-yard passes to next player in red. Stewart Downing who started working on proving his doubters wrong within the first couple of minutes of the match appeared lost. Instead of keeping the team's width he drifted ineffectively in and out of the centre without any real direction. Jose Enrique who looked solid as the solution to Liverpool's leftback woes was beginning to appear shaky an uncertain in the tackle.

Dalglish must've spotted the downward trend in performance as he opted to steady things with the introduction of some experience in the form of Kuyt for Henderson and soon after, Meireles for Suarez. Maybe it was opening day nerves or maybe it was lack of match fitness (or sheer exhaustion for the South American contingent in the team). Whatever the reason, a 1-1 draw against the likes of Sunderland at Anfield just isn't good enough.

Not for Liverpool. Not this season.

The Final Countdown

Less than a week to go before Liverpool's official start to the season. Although I keep reminding myself that preseason friendlies don't mean much (accurately described as akin to messing with blow-up dolls as opposed to the real thing by Paul Tomkins) it was still refreshing to get a win against the likes of Valencia.

Can't wait for the real thing now...

Explaining Liverpool's Latest Acquisitions (Through Baseball)

Moneyball, based on Michael M. Lewis's book of the same name should be essential viewing for the Liverpool supporter (and all football fans interested in the way the game is managed) whenever it's released later this year. 


What's baseball got to do with the beautiful game and especially Liverpool's recent acquisitions?


Not much really except that Liverpool's current owners are avid followers of the basic principles employed by Billy Beane, the main focus of the book. Like baseball, football is also an unfair game and this is where Liverpool stands at the moment. At present, the club is clearly losing out to clubs that have the financial upper-hand so, a bit of objective thought could just be what the club needs to punch above its weight. It certainly paid off with the Red Sox when in 2004, they won their first World Series since 1918.


And, even if the principles of Moneyball don't actually win Liverpool its first championship in over two decades, then at least, we'll know that the club will always act responsibly and not buy a previously homeless Bébé based on a very subjective hunch.


Anyway, just in case anyone gets the wrong idea, the movie isn't about Liverpool but it will give the average Liverpool supporter (who might not have the time to read the book) some insight into this re-thinking that's happening in Liverpool's football management. Questions like why Downing is still considered undervalued over the obvious options like Young or Mata might be more explainable. Or, why Charlie Adam is preferred over the someone somebody's seen on YouTube and thinks he could do the job Xabi Alonso once did for Liverpool. Well, at least to most of us.

Will He Stay Or Will He Go?

Not Aquilani

Red or violet? What shirt will Alberto Aquilani be wearing come the official start of the season? The question has been annoying me (along with a large enough number of the Liverpool fanbase) throughout the summer. Like an itch on my back that I just can't seem to reach.

Stay, and despite having an overly active agent who makes Alberto seem like a very indecisive boy, Aquilani would still be welcomed by the Kop. His qualities are there for all to see. Well, most out there who aren't completely blind.

Leave, and not many would shed a tear. Whine and mumble something maybe but there will be no evident frustration among the support. The money saved from his loan or earned on his sale would certainly help. He never did seem to cut it in England anyway. Always a fraction too slow, they say. But that's the same thing they said about Lucas...

Whatever it is, let's get it sorted ASAP.

Liverpool: Dodgy Headline Week

As one that's been following Liverpool for quite some time now, I can safely say that I'm used to seeing sensationalist and wild headlines in the news about my beloved football club. The worst of these has to be during the club's darkest hour when it had to be dragged through the courts to get rid of its cancerous problem - otherwise known as Hicks and Gillett.

Recently though, it's been rather different. Here's a few examples to help clarify my point.

Mark Lawrenson backs Luis Suarez to shine for Liverpool

Maybe I'm way off the mark here but didn't that like already happen last season? What sort of prediction will Lawro come up with next? Backing Dalglish to be proclaimed King of the Kop? Classy defender, horrible pundit.

Bruna to step out of Messi’s shadow

Yup, it seems that former Real Madrid and Liverpool trainee, Gerardo Bruna has a master plan. What better way to step out of a famous compatriot's shadow than to stay away from the limelight and enter a darkened room (a.k.a. English football's second tier), no? Am I missing something here?

Kenny Dalglish splashes cash but Liverpool spirits rise

But? Shouldn't the "but" in the headline be "and"? Let's see, let me think of a time when spirits have been dampened when your favourite football club is out spending some cash on quality players? Hmmm...It doesn't end there though. Of course it doesn't. With a headline like that, one is surely assured of at least a few gems. Here's one...

Unless my eyes fail me, Dalglish is organising a staged recovery.

Errr...no shit, Sherlock? Damn. I didn't see that one coming. Staged recovery, eh? Who would've thought...

So, as you can see, good as it may be for the club, the players and the supporters, from the examples above, it's clear that the return of the Liverpool Way has been quite disastrous for the the more lazier bunch in the press. Long may it continue!

Luis Suarez pic by: Paulblank

Idiot of the Week: United Fan Goes Shirtless at Bukit Jalil

Seen this doing the rounds on Facebook...

The wannabe male stripper for the night was with fellow family members who appeared to be proper Liverpool supporters. They were watching Liverpool's training session at Bukit Jalil and were fine up to the moment where the star of the YouTube video decided to openly declare his allegiance to United. Apparently, he stood up among the 38,000 or so Liverpool fans on the night and did something along the lines of kissing the badge. Obviously, he isn't the brightest light in the harbour.

The rest of the tale as you can see, didn't end too well for him and his family.

Update 18 June 2011: As the PC police have waved their censorship magic on the video above, I've now sourced a new video (from a much better angle and video quality). Thanks to Ken for pointing this out and to Ardy for supplying the altenative video.