Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid: Steven Gerrard On The Right and Dirk Kuyt On The Left?

Volcanic eruptions may have darkened the skies for many but the horizon still looks bright for Steven Gerrard and his team as they speed across country towards Madrid in the hope of booking their place in the Europa League final.

Confidence was lifted by Monday's relatively easy 3-0 victory against an absent West Ham team at Anfield, but confidence will need to be much higher if Liverpool hope to contain a dangerous Atletico Madrid side.

Pepe Reina Signs New Six Year Contract: The Future Liverpool Captain?

Pepe Reina has finally agreed a four year extension that will see his contract run until 2016 ensuring Liverpool have one of the very best 'keepers in the world for a long time to come.

It's testament to Reina's long term commitment to the club as the Spanish shot stopper makes his decision during what looks set to be an unusually poor season under the tenure of Rafael Benitez.

Rafael Benitez vs Sam Allardyce: What Round Are We On Now?

Sam Allardyce knows how to bring entertainment to football. Not on the pitch (unless you like your footy peppered with moves from a UFC bout) but from the pervasively fixated pantomime act he insists on continuing with Rafael Benitez.

Just in case followers of football hadn't noticed the subtle indications given by Allardyce over the past five years, the Blackburn manager thought he would make his feelings perfectly clear on Benitez once and for all: "I just don't like him."

Liverpool - Wigan: Some Good, But Mostly Bad - Especially if Benitez Leaves

Nobody should defend the lackluster performance served up by a Liverpool team bereft of (*delete as applicable)
Passion/Inspiration/Consistency/Professionalism/Quality/ Leadership/Goals/All of the Above

However, despite some players seemingly forgetting the character that helped them get close to the league title for the first time in 20 years, there was still some- albeit a few - signs of the attacking unit that scored more than any other last year.

The Interview: Gareth "RobboHuyton" Roberts Talks About The All New Well Red Magazine

Football fanzines you can hold in your hand as you scream at the ref are now as rare as a decent journalist. The Internet has paved the way for any Tom, Dick, or Parry with a computer and an opinion to get their voice heard.

Websites, blogs, Tweets, forums, smart phones, and social networking have all contributed to a decline of the paperbacked handheld opinion created by fans for the fans.

LFC Fans Speaking on Behalf of the Deceased, Mystic Meg Mind Reading Abilities and Using Stan Collymore's Expertise as a Font of Knowledge

Something that always makes me wonder is why fans vehemently against Benitez always believe they know exactly how someone is thinking just by watching them on TV.

Not only do they second guess the emotions of a player or manager they have never met, but they seem well within reason to pronounce the opinion of someone who passed away some years ago.

"Shanks would be turning in his grave if he knew what Benitez was doing to this club"

Rafael Benitez is Building Liverpool Football Club Not Destroying it

The clock is ticking for many Liverpool supporters as they must surely feel time is running out to win the Premier League.

Listening to some fans as they foam at the mouth, you would wager your house that we only have two or three years left before English football ceases to exist.

Win Over Spurs, Draw Against Wolves: A Different Way to Look at The Situation?

Let's rewind to the disapointment of the recent Stoke draw. After back to back wins for the first time since mid September, there was optimism going in to the match.

But like so many times already this season, a 90th minute equaliser broke hearts; the team - and the supporter's - confidence had obviously taken a knock.

Steve Bruce, Rafael Benitez, Kenwyne Jones, and The Media Shit Stirring

It would seem the constantly "disrespectful" Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, is up to his cunning tricks again.

According to Sunderland manager—and ex-Manchester United legend—Steve Bruce, Benitez is playing games at the expense of Kenwyne Jones.

Ryan Babel Twitter Attack on Benitez: Poor Hoax or Hopeful Provocation?

Rafael Benitez is under attack from pretty much every angle at the moment. The fans, the media, the uninformed, the easily led, and those who just love to jump on the bandwagon.

Ryan Babel has possibly added his own name to the rapidly increasing list of Benitez baiters.

David Ngog: Starting to Show His Potential and Proving to Be A Bargain

In the summer of 2008, Rafa Benitez spent £1.5million on the relatively unknown 19-year-old, David Ngog.

Supporters questioned the Liverpool manager's purchase of a striker with a goal return of just one in his previous 18 games, but as the French youth international registered his sixth of the campaign, it's looking like quite an astute buy from the Spaniard.

The Interview: Paul Tomkins Talks About LFC, Being Compared to Joseph Goebbels, and His New Fiction Novel

At a time when the media representation of Liverpool Football Club is at its lowest and most vile, and all around supporters seem to be losing their way.

It's reassuring to know that at least some people out there are still able to judge the situation with honesty, common sense, integrity and a welcome dash of humor.

That is why Paul Tomkins is currently one of the most critically acclaimed, and closely followed Liverpool writers around today.

In Response To...Matthew Fearon Writing for The Times Online

This is an article in response to the piece written by Matthew Fearon for The Times Online.

In this misleading piece of journalism, Matthew believes Rafael Benitez has wasted £14m on Djibril Cisse; that he spent £41m on eight players in his first transfer window, who are no longer on the team; and that Chelsea are the only club currently in the Premier League who can outspend Liverpool.

Matthew also kindly suggests that the Liverpool manager should turn to some more imaginative excuses, because The Times sports correspondant feels with this piece he has vindicated the bemoans of Benitez, and quashed this apparent myth created by the Spaniard that Chelsea, Manchester United, and Manchester City can outspend Liverpool, if they choose to.

My Hatred for Hypocrisy, Lazy Debaters, and The Media

Rant: A rant is a monologue that does not present a well-researched and calm argument; rather, it is typically an attack on an idea, a person, or an institution that very often lacks proven claims.

Outburst: A sudden, violent expression of emotion.

Tirade: A long angry or violent speech usually about one theme.

Rage: Violent, uncontrolled anger.

Outburst, rant, tirade, rage—just a few leading suggestions used by major media outlets on TV and in the papers today.

However, watching the press conference involving Rafa's statement about Alex Ferguson and the FA, you can see there was no outburst or rant or tirade—just some facts that pretty much everyone all ready knew, presented without rage.

Andy Gray, Rafael Benitez, and the Zonal Marking Myth

After a disappointing result at home to Chelsea in the Champions League, it is no surprise to see the Liverpool forum boards filled with complaints about the zonal set-piece system that Benitez—and many other highly regaurded managers—has championed since he joined the club in 2004.

Last night (08/04/09) the Liverpool players conceded two goals from two corners against a dominant Chelsea team—which has given The Reds a very difficult trip to Stamford Bridge if they hope to proceed in the competition—and unsurprisingly the papers and sports-news channels are now filled with the recycled zonal marking debate.

Why We Have to Continue The Fight Against Propaganda

"If you do not read the paper, you are uninformed. If you do read the paper, you are misinformed."—Mark Twain.

As we get older, we start to notice things that probably would have passed us by in our youth. We would listen to football pundits tell us their opinion and there would be no indication of anything untoward. For many of us, things reported on TV and read in national newspapers were considered to be fact.

It was almost like the belief as a child that everything our parents told us was the truth.

Psychology and Football Support: The Negativity Bias

Since the dawn of time, evolution has helped mankind develop techniques, habits, and systems to maintain the survival of life.

Scientific study has highlighted that one of those techniques was put in place to act like an early warning system. To help make the avoidance of danger more likely, the brain has learnt to be more susceptible to negativity than it is to positivity.