Football: Liverpool lacking spirit

Glenn Moore
Monday 17 March 1997 00:02 GMT
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It takes more than talent to win championships: it takes desire and nerve as well. Watching Liverpool throw away victory on Saturday at the City Ground, where they were held 1-1 by Nottingham Forest, the mind went back to Wembley in August.

Manchester United had just beaten Newcastle United 4-0 and Alex Ferguson was holding forth. "The thing that really pleased me about this performance," he said, "was that it showed the players are still hungry."

Liverpool's players have everything young men could want. Fame, riches, fast cars, adoring supporters (both male and female) - everything except concrete evidence of achievement. Most of them have an FA Cup runners- up medal from last year's insipid final, several have a Coca-Cola Cup winners' medal from the previous season and there are a handful of 1992 FA Cup winners' medals. But a League championship medal? If they want to look at one of those they have to ask John Barnes to bring his collection, vintages 1988 and 1990, into training, or ask to see Michael Thomas's brace from his Arsenal days.

When Liverpool were losing a 3-0 lead to Newcastle a week ago Anfield went spare. "Spineless" was one of the kinder adjectives being used. Robbie Fowler's injury-time winner temporarily dispelled such criticisms but there remains a suspicion that this Liverpool side, for all its talent, lacks the hunger of United as well as their experience of a championship run-in.

Outside interests are blamed: they may be models, but are they model players? Indeed, one wonders about personalities. What kind of person spends eight hours playing a Nintendo Game Boy as David James has admitted to? If ever there was an example of footballers having too much time on their hands.

Their passing is pretty, but too often leads nowhere. Yet Jamie Redknapp, Patrick Berger and, when he plays, Stan Collymore are not afraid of shooting from outside the box. The problem is accuracy, which may reflect poor concentration, or insufficient practice.

"When he plays"... the Collymore conundrum is at the heart of Liverpool's problems. Nottingham, where he became estranged from team-mates, management and fans, was an appropriate place to consider his contribution.

His 13 goals from 26 appearances, only 16 of them lasting the full 90 minutes, seems a fair return, especially as he is only scoring support to Fowler, who has 26. But statistics only tell part of the tale. His public querying of his position, and the missed training sessions, cannot help his standing within the club. Judging by his now-infamous reaction to Fowler's winner against Newcastle (he sat motionless on the bench, then slowly clapped, while all around him leapt in the air) he does not feel a part of the team either.

He has often been the scapegoat for bad or goalless performances, yet he could hardly play worse than Patrik Berger did for most of Saturday's game. Admittedly, Collymore was largely anonymous when he came on (or would have been had his few touches not been greeted with jeers) but he nearly won the match with a late cross-shot.

It would appear that Collymore's comment when he first arrived - "what other industry would pay pounds 8.5m for a piece of equipment without first working out what to do with it" - still applies. The team selection for the next match, against Arsenal at Highbury on Monday, will be interesting.

United's hunger comes from Ferguson who, though not actually obsessive, is certainly driven. Roy Evans, though a decent and honest man, does not appear to have the same fire in his soul. On Saturday he would not speak beyond the obligatory platitudes, an indication of his frustration with his talented dilettantes.

It would be unfair to tarnish all Liverpool players with this criticism. The Norwegians are solid while Fowler, Jason McAteer and Steve McManaman, the native Scousers, are as hungry as any Manchester United player. But at the heart of the team United have Roy Keane, Nicky Butt and David Beckham, Liverpool have John Barnes, Redknapp and McManaman. Good players but without the spite which gives United their edge. Only McManaman seems to take failure personally.

Liverpool should have slaughtered Forest on Saturday. Fowler, having skilfully lost Nikola Jerkan, put them ahead on three minutes after McAteer had brushed by Ian Woan and crossed from the byline.

Fowler, astonishingly, then miskicked in front of goal when set up by Berger four minutes later. That would have been game over, as it would have been if any one of a half-dozen Redknapp shots had been on target.

Instead Forest were reprieved and, slowly, they came into the game. Pierre van Hooijdonk looked a useful addition, linking well with the eager Dean Saunders and giving the attack a focal point. His height enabled Forest to mix their game and play more long balls than usual (an indication, perhaps, of the Dave Bassett influence).

One deep cross, from Stuart Pearce's free-kick, drew James far from goal; too far, for he spilled the ball. It came to Alf Inge Haland, who teed up Woan for the equaliser.

James partially atoned by denying Van Hooijdonk a home debut goal but needed McAteer's brave goal-line clearance to keep Steve Chettle's 50th- minute header out. Liverpool had already lost their way and the subsequent enforced departure, with a bad head wound, of the excellent McAteer confirmed their sloth.

Even so, had the linesman not twice mistakenly erred on the side of caution, both Fowler and Collymore would have had a clear run on goal. That would have been hard on Forest who deserved a point. Whether it will prove enough for either side by the time May arrives is another matter.

Goals: Fowler (3) 0-1; Woan (30) 1-1.

Nottingham Forest (3-5-2): Crossley; Chettle, Jerkan, Pearce; Phillips, Haland, Lyttle (Clough, 85), Gemmill, Woan; Van Hooijdonk, Saunders. Substitutes not used: Roy, Moore, Blatherwick, Fettis (gk).

Liverpool (3-4-2-1): James; Kvarme, Wright, Matteo; McAteer (Harkness, 55), Redknapp, Barnes, Bjornebye; Berger (Collymore, 75) McManaman; Fowler. Substitutes not used: Ruddock, Kennedy, Warner (gk).

Referee: L Dilkes (Mossley).

Bookings: Liverpool: Kvarme, Wright. Man of the match: McAteer.

Attendance: 29,181.

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