Preview Percy has not been as impressed by the Independent Regulator as its chairman seems to be despite the fact that it hasn’t done anything yet. For once – and we don’t say this very often – the old sod may have a point. Here’s his look at this weekend’s trip to Anfield so you can judge for yourself...
Next up we zoom up to the north west where we will be hosted by Liverpool. Kick-off on Saturday is at 3pm. All trains to Stratford seem to be running ok, which is a shame given that we are away. Watch everything close down next time we are at home.
So Liverpool, then. This season they’ve gone from being the most average team to win the Premier League to being the most average team to sit on the fringes of European qualification. Their results have perked up a little of late but they’ve not really impressed in getting them.
Their last six saw them hold Burnley at home (1-1), lose 3-2 down at Bournemouth before beating an out of sorts Newcastle 4-1 at Anfield. Then came a glimpse of the past as they took the lead against fellow so-called Super League merchants Man City. Yes the bloke whose name I’m not going to try to pronounce’s free-kick was superb.
It was also probably the 2,000th time that they have scored from a free-kick that should never have been given at Anfield. The match descended into high farce as a breakaway goal for Man City was disallowed, a decision that, whilst technically correct, was wrong on just about every other level you could mention.
The win over City was followed by two 1-0 away wins, the first against a Sunderland side whose honeymoon period seems to be beginning to wane. The second win was a far from convincing effort against Forest that saw Anthony 'Top Six' Taylor nearly in tears when he had to disallow a freak goal that went in off an elbow.
He must have been sweating at the end when Van Dijk looked for all the world like he was offside in the build-up to what turned out to be the winner. Thankfully the semi-automated system was in Liverpool mode and was able to find a molecule that might have been onside so that’s ok then. Even the BBC, whose in house rules prohibit them from even thinking about saying critical things about them, described the result as a “heist”.
All of that has left them in sixth place with 45 points from the 27 played so far. As for the transfer window, whilst they made a couple of signings, Daisy is refusing to do the research as they are deals to bring players on board at the start of next season, her reasoning being that since we won’t see them at the weekend, there’s little point in wasting her time and yours mentioning them. The woman, for once, has a point.
Of those that did arrive in the summer, the expensive tapping-up of Alexander Isak is something that has failed to pay off to any great extent. He’ll be missing with a calf problem that will keep him on the sidelines until mid-April. Florian Wirtz, who pulled up lame in the warm-up at the City Ground, is unlikely to feature according to Arne Slot, whilst Endo joins Bradley and Leoni on the long-term sick.
On we move to the Wild & Wacky World Of Association Football. And the new Independent Football Regulator Chairman David Korgan, whose position as Chair is totally coincidental to his history of donations to the party in government, has been letting us all know that he exists.
The fact that the Premier and Football Leagues have yet to come to an agreement on the distribution of cash down through the pyramid has come to Korgan’s attention and he has hinted that the Regulator might impose a settlement. Which is all well and good, but, despite their cosying up with the fat orange moron in the White House, FIFA have rules on government involvement in football, namely that unless your name is Infantino, it’s not allowed. It will remain to be seen just how “independent” FIFA reckon the Regulator is. Meanwhile look out for Trump being brought in to settle the dispute.
Korgan has been busy boasting that had he been in position earlier, the plight of Sheffield Wednesday, who were relegated last weekend, wouldn’t have happened. Note that he didn’t go so far as to say what he would do to rectify the situation.
On a brighter note, Scottish fans heading off to the World Cup this summer have been told that they will be able to wear sporrans when attending matches wearing kilts. In theory, the traditional accessory to the tartan skirt would probably breach the bag size-limit for stadium entry. However, a spokesman said “what the heck, it’s only for a few days”. Or at least they would have done, had they thought of the joke first.
And so to us. Well £300k was our fine for the shenanigans at Stanford Bridge the other week. Chelsea were fined £325k, presumably in recognition of the fact that, on their own admission, they engineered the whole thing. Meanwhile, Anthony Taylor and his VAR accomplice Michael Salisbury who managed to find just the one out of the three red card offences that took place go unpunished for their appalling performances throughout the game.
Since the media seem uninterested in looking into the wider picture on the dreadful state of officiating in this country, preferring instead to look surprised at the weekly catalogue of disaster, as if nebulized by one of those gadgets they use in Men In Black, maybe the Independent Regulator might take time out from telling us how much better things would have been had if they had existed at the time when whatever it was went wrong and actually do some investigating into PGMOL which continues to fiddle while Rome burns.
Meanwhile, last week we had another drawn game that we probably ought to have won. We had the better of the chances and might have even had a penalty at the end had the same laws applied across all of last weekend’s games, the late stamp on Bowen’s ankle receiving yellows and reds elsewhere.
Ref Barrott had a poor one, the page of his book of the laws of the game containing part 3 of Law 5 (Advantage) having presumably got stuck together. Thankfully other results were favourable meaning that, whilst the narrowing of the gap may be slower than we might have liked it did at least narrow a bit.
The Ludo tribute was heartwarming, though one should point out that the centrepiece of the whole thing was of a size that rather poured cold water on the club’s dubious claim that supporters were banned for health and safety breaches rather than the content of what was, by comparison, a rather scrawny banner.
The usual absences will apply, Freddie Potts is suspended, Pablo is injured and, lovely chap though he may be, Fabianski’s signing appears to have been right down there with any of the best answers on Pointless – Rutherfordium is usually a good bet.
So to the prediction. Well it’s usually hiding to nothing territory, isn’t it. No matter how well we play there the scandal that is the refereeing at Anfield which is probably too insurmountable an obstacle. Thankfully Winstone The Turf Accountant has a special bet for Anfield – your money back if the ref is dishonest. So more in hope than expectation, the £2.50 that the Independent Regulator tells me would have been worth a tenner had they been in charge earlier, will, more in hope than expectation, be going on a 1-1 draw.
Enjoy the game!
When last we met at Anfield: Lost 2-1 (Premier League April 2025)
Bent refereeing once more. An offside goal, and a winner from a corner that shouldn’t have been given featuring a two-handed push that even dung for brains Carragher hinted was dodgy.
Referee: Tim Robinson
There is a theory that research into genetically engineering vertebrae to give to referees officiating at certain grounds has taken place but has been supressed by the big five and Tottenham. Whatever the truth it’s a fair bet that Robinson hasn’t had one installed.
Danger Man: Hugo Ekitike
Seems to be the recent form pony.
Percy and Daisy’s Amazing Liverpool Fact Of The Week Type Thing
The Liverpool Echo recently published a question on its website asking where was the most surprising place the readership had met a scouser. Hats off to the person who responded “The Kop”.
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