By LFC Vancouver member Keith Perkins, 05 March 2008.

There?s an old adage that in terms of the weather, March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. That?s just a sort of poetic way of saying that the weather at the beginning of March can still be nasty and miserable, but by the end of the month the corner has been turned and it?s suddenly spring-time with milder weather and longer daylight hours. From there it?s only a short time until summer comes along, and all is sunshine and warmth once again in the never-ending seasonal cycle that we are all so used to. That may be true for the weather, but in terms of the seasons that mean much more to us, how does the month of March look like shaping up?

In actual fact, it could easily be said that March came in like a lamb, but may go out like a ?, well who knows? We had a very quiet lead-in from our February 23rd home match against Middlesbrough, where we came away with a 3-2 win by courtesy of a Torres hat-trick. Then it was a restful eight day break, with no mid-week fixtures to worry about, until our first match of the month, away at Bolton on Sunday March-2nd. That was a terrific result, with Rafa?s first win at the Reebok in his fourth attempt, and in fact it?s the first time we?ve even taken the lead against them on their turf.

We only had a couple of days of rest after that win until we were up against West Ham on March 5th. At least this was at Anfield, and was deservedly a much better result than the disappointing last minute loss at Upton Park just over a month ago. This was our game-in-hand, and we absolutely had to pick up all three points to take fourth place away from Everton, even if it is only on goal difference (for now!). The 4-0 demolition of The Hammers was one of the best ways to put the rest of our opposition on notice that we intend to be ruthless for the remainder of the season. Torres was magnificent, with three well taken goals for his third hat-trick of the season, and second in the Premier League. Gerrard?s strike in the later moments was a real screamer, and was reminiscent of the two he scored against West Ham in the 2006 FA Cup Final. Our next test comes up quickly, against Newcastle next Saturday, where Kevin Keegan would ?love it, just love it? if he could get a result for his Magpies against us. Nothing is easy when you?re competing at the highest level, but it could be said that those two home fixtures are just the calm before the storm.

March 11th will see us at the San Siro to get our revenge for a wrong that occurred more than forty years ago. We have the comfort and the confidence following our 2-0 result at Anfield in the first leg, but Inter will do everything in their power to show us why they are currently the best in Italy, if not in all of Europe (I know quite a few who would give them a good argument about that, but it?s probably best left at that for now). If we hold on through that match, we?ll be off to the quarter-finals which are just beyond the end of the month. That might as well be next year, since even if we are in a celebratory mood as we return home from Milan, we don?t have much time to relax before we get to the real stormy patch in our Premier League campaign.

Fortunately there?s a period of relative calm before the real storm kicks into high gear, with a home match against Reading on the 15th. That?s another one that should be a foregone conclusion, but let?s not forget that they embarrassed us 3-1 back in December, which was just ahead of our crucial Champions League match at Marseille. Fortunately we shouldn?t have any more mid-week matches before the end of the month, but we do have a trip to Old Trafford on the 23rd to consider. That could be where Man U loses the title race to Arsenal if we can manage to get a good result there.

The one match that could make or break the season for us, as far as finishing in the top four is concerned, is obviously the derby on the 30th. We?ve been in a tight race for fourth spot with the Blues for months, and that makes it even more dramatic for this encounter. We are the hosts for this one, but we won?t be concerned about being gracious to our guests (more likely to be hospitals than hospitality).

That?s not the end of the story either. If we are successful against Inter in a week?s time ? and why shouldn?t we be? ? then we can look forward to starting the quarter-final first-leg in the first week of April. We also have a trip to the Emirates at the end of that first week of next month to see if Arsenal really are Premiership contenders, and then it?s a run-in to the end of the season with a mere five remaining Premier League matches to wrap up the season. Of course we hope to have plenty of Champions League action to consider along the way, but it?s probably best not to think too far ahead. It remains to be seen whether we?ll be roaring like lions at the end of this month, or if we?ll be bleating like lambs who have lost our way.

What do you think? Give Keith your comments at keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.

By LFC Vancouver member Ste Speed

Of all the Liverpool players over the last decade there is nobody who divides supporter?s opinions as much as Michael Owen. He seems to be a player that fans either love or hate, often passionately. I fall very much into the former category and I have had plenty of heated debates with Owen haters over the last few years. Over the course of this article I?m hoping that my reasons for my support of Michael Owen will be clear. I understand why there are plenty of people out there who dislike Owen, especially since his departure to Madrid, but I still cannot find it in myself to feel anything negative about him.

Michael Owen was born in December 1979 (the day before my second birthday!) in Chester, which is on the border of North West England and North Wales. His father, Terry, was a professional footballer who once played for Everton. Therefore like many other future Liverpool players (Carragher, Fowler, McManaman) Michael grew up as an Everton fan. He was a well known player as a kid in North Wales and went on to break a number of local goal-scoring records.

When he was thirteen, Michael became eligible to sign schoolboy forms for a professional club. After being courted by the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Man Utd, Michael signed for Liverpool in 1993. When he was fourteen, he was accepted to the prestigious FA School of Excellence in Lilleshall, which he attended for two years. Upon his return from Lilleshall, Michael signed youth forms with Liverpool and graduated to the youth team, coached by Steve Heighway. Michael was the star player of the youth team during the 1995/96 season in which Liverpool won the FA Youth Cup. The side contained other future first team players such as Jamie Carragher.

Michael signed professional forms with Liverpool in December 1996 as soon as he turned seventeen. He made his debut in May 1997 in an away game against Wimbledon, coming off the bench to score a goal in a style that became a trademark. He used his pace to run on to a pass before clinically beating the keeper in a one on one situation. It was a dream start to his first team football career and from that moment on the goals seemed to come naturally for him. Michael went on to be Liverpool?s top scorer in every season from 1997/98 until 2003/04. In his first full season with the club he hit eighteen league goals and was voted the PFA Young Player of the Year. Unfortunately this wasn?t enough for Liverpool to win any honours during what was Roy Evans final season as sole manager.

In the summer of 1998 Michael became a football superstar thanks to his performances for England at the World Cup in France. He made his World Cup debut as a substitute in the final group game against Romania. He made an immediate impact by scoring the equaliser for England and then hitting the post before Romania went on to win the game 2 - 1. It was in the quarter final game against Argentina that Michael scored the goal that changed his life. It was one of the best goals ever scored by an England player and a superb individual goal. Michael used his pace to beat the Argentine defenders before chipping the keeper. Unfortunately for England, they went on to lose the game on penalties and David Beckham had stolen all the headlines by getting sent off for childishly kicking Simeone (who made a real meal of rolling around on the ground afterwards).

After the World Cup ended, Michael had become a sporting superstar and at this stage he became a public property. His popularity with the British public was reflected in his award for BBC Sports Personality of the Year for 1998. It is my opinion that it was at this time Michael lost some of the support from Liverpool supporters who began to think of him as more of an England player than just a Liverpool player. In the pre Beckam mania era, he was without any doubt the most popular footballer in England and he seemed to lose a lot of rapport with a section of the Liverpool fans. Once he became popular with fans all around the world he somehow seemed, to a lot of Reds fans, to cease to be the sole property of the Kop.

Michael has made no secret of the fact he was hurt that sections of the Liverpool fans never sang a lot of songs for him and take him to their hearts like they did with other players such as Robbie Fowler. I?ve heard people suggest it?s because he wasn?t a local lad like Fowler, but I completely disagree with that one. Michael comes from the same area as Ian Rush and Rushie is clearly one of the most popular Liverpool players of all time. I also feel that had Michael remained at Liverpool and stayed injury free he could have been the player to get closest to Rush?s goal scoring record. In recent times I?ve lost count of the number of arguments I?ve had with people about Michael Owen caring more about England than Liverpool. The amount of goals he scored for Liverpool, especially in major games and the enjoyment in his face every time should be more than enough evidence to support the fact that he loved playing for Liverpool.

During the 1999/2000 season Michael started to have injury problems that would go on to blight the rest of his career so far. He suffered hamstring problems that season which would hinder him throughout the campaign. In the summer of 2000 he finally got proper medical help and was placed on a weight routine to strengthen his hamstrings. After a disappointing European Championships in the summer of 2000 (during which he scored against Romania again) Michael came back to Merseyside like a man on a mission to improve on the disappointing previous season for Liverpool.

2000/01 was Michael?s best so far in his career as he scored 24 goals as Liverpool won the incredible treble of League Cup, F.A. Cup and UEFA Cup. Robbie Fowler spent periods of the season out through injury and Michael formed a prolific partnership with Emile Heskey who scored 23 goals. Michael missed the League Cup final victory over Birmingham City when Robbie Fowler was chosen up front. The 2001 F.A. Cup Final is often called ?The Owen Final? thanks to his two late goals to win the trophy for Liverpool.

Arsenal had battered us for the majority of the game and were deservedly 1 ? 0 in the lead with just minutes remaining. Unfortunately for Arsenal these were the days before Michael Owen became injury prone and was an incredible match winner, especially in big games. He scored from a corner to level the game and then came the winner with one of my favourite goals ever.

I barely had time to discuss the goal with my mates when Berger hit a long ball over Arsenal?s midfield. We saw Owen sprinting onto it but thought that clearly Adams and Dixon easily had him covered. How wrong we were as the entire season flashed before our eyes when the ball crept past Seaman and into the corner of the net. It is moments like this that will always make me a Michael Owen fan no matter who he plays for (except when he plays against Liverpool).

We barely had time to finish celebrating when just four days later Liverpool faced Deportivo Alaves in the UEFA Cup Final in Dortmund. Liverpool won the game 5 ? 4 with an extra time golden goal in what most people agree was the greatest UEFA Cup Final of all time. Michael played well in the game and his most important contribution was in winning the penalty for Liverpool?s third goal. He was put clean through on goal when the Alaves keeper came rushing out of his area and grabbed at Michael?s legs. Owen brilliantly managed to remain on his feet until he got inside the area and then went down to force the penalty. How the goalkeeper managed to stay on the pitch I will never know.

Michael started the following season, 2001/02, the same way he had ended the previous one (domestically) by scoring at the Millenium Stadium as Liverpool defeated Man Utd in the Community Shield. Michael then went on to score just seconds after the second half kicked off in the Super Cup Final against Bayern Munich. Liverpool won that game 3 ? 2 to hold an incredible five trophies at the same time. Just a week later Michael tormented the Bayern Munich goalkeeper Oliver Kahn again, by hitting an amazing hat-trick as England beat Germany 5 ? 1. There were three other Liverpool players in the England side that night, Steven Gerrard, Emile Heskey and Nick Barmby. Gerrard and Heskey scorered the other two England goals and this prompted many Liverpool fans to dub the result afterwards, Liverpool 5 Germany 1.

Michael?s incredible year was completed in December 2001 when he was awarded the prestigious Balon D?Or to become the first ever Liverpool player to become European Player of the Year. His year was completed on December 21st when he scored his one hundredth goal for Liverpool in a league game against West Ham Utd. Liverpool went on to finish second in the Premiership in 2001/02 and Michael hit a career best 28 goals in 43 games.

He scored two goals during the 2002 World Cup in Korea and Japan, despite playing through the pain of injury. In his autobiography, Michael talks about receiving pain killing injections before every game.

He repeated his best goal tally the following season, 2002/03 with another 28 goals including his one hundredth Premiership goal against West Brom. He also scored in the League Cup Final when we defeated Man Utd 2 ? 0, with Steven Gerrard scoring the second via a David Beckham deflection.

Michael?s final season for Liverpool, 2003/04 was interrupted by injuries and speculation was constant about his future as he only had one more season remaining on his contract. Despite all the distractions he still managed to finish as Liverpool?s top goal scorer with 19 goals. During this season Michael also broke Ian Rush?s European goal scoring record in September 2003 during a 1 ? 1 draw with Slovenian side Olimpija in the UEFA cup. During his final season Michael was linked with a number of other clubs as contract talks seemed to be stalling. Michael stated publicly that he wanted to stay at Liverpool and yet no announcements were coming from within the club regarding a contract extension. At the end of the season Gerard Houlier was fired and Rafael Benitez was appointed as Liverpool manager.

Rafa?s first task as manager was to fly to Portugal and meet up with Michael Owen and Steven Gerrard who were there with the England squad for the 2004 European Championships. Gerrard was being heavily linked with a move to Chelsea at the time and Michael?s new contract had still not been signed. After a last minute change of heart Gerrard chose to stay with Liverpool but unfortunately Michael Owen was to depart in August 2004 when Real Madrid came in with an offer which he chose to accept. A lot of Liverpool fans still feel that Michael had screwed the club by not signing a contract before leaving. As he only had one year left on his contract, Liverpool were in a weaker bargaining position than Real Madrid and they only received £8 million (plus Antonio Nunez) for a player who was worth at least double that amount. In my opinion I don?t feel that Liverpool did enough to convince Michael to stay and perhaps they should have been quicker to sort out the contract earlier than they did. Steven Gerrard has since stated the problems he had with the Liverpool board to sort out his contract in 2005 and I have a feeling that Owen may have had the same problem the year before. I have heard plenty of people describe Michael as being ruthless and this is something I disagree with. He is an ambitious person and opportunities to sign for Real Madrid don?t come around too often, and the chance to test himself in a different country must have been too tough to resist.

Despite spending most of his time at Real Madrid on the substitute bench I would consider Michael?s one season at The Bernabau to be a success. This is because he finished the La Liga season with the best ratio for goals scored against minutes on the pitch. He scored 16 goals overall, with 13 in the league.

In the summer of 2005 Michael was once again in the news with speculation that he would be leaving Spain after Real Madrid signed the Brazilian strikers Robinho and Julio Baptista. It?s an open secret that he wanted to rejoin Liverpool and that Rafa Benitez was keen to bring him back to Anfield. The main stumbling block appeared to be the transfer fee with Real Madrid rumoured to be asking for a fee in excess of £11 million. Liverpool were unwilling to pay that much for a player they let leave for less just twelve months earlier. According to the journalist Guilleme Balagne in his book ?A Season on the Brink ? A Portrait of Rafa Benitez?s Liverpool?, Rafa and Michael were in secret negotiations right up until the last day of the summer transfer window. By this time Newcastle Utd had offered £16 million for his services and Real Madrid were putting the pressure on to get him to accept that offer. Realising it was too late to sort out the transfer at that late stage Rafa asked Michael to wait until January when Liverpool could reopen negotiations. However fearing he would be left on the Real Madrid bench, hindering his chances with Liverpool (and the England World Cup squad) Michael made the decision to join Newcastle Utd instead.

Michael has now spent almost three seasons at Newcastle Utd with most of it being spent injured. He broke a metartarsel bone in his foot on New Years Eve 2005 and missed the next four months, only returning for the last two weeks of the season. At the 2006 World Cup in Germany he seriously damaged the cruciate ligament in his right knee in the first minute of England?s final group game against Sweden. This injury kept him out for the majority of the 2006/07 season, with his comeback game not until April 2007.

Michael Owen scored 158 goals for Liverpool in seven seasons which is a terrific return considering he regularly suffered with injuries. He scored goals that won us trophies and he gave us all plenty to cheer about during periods when there was nothing else to get excited about. These are the reasons why Michael Owen will always remain one of my LFC heroes. Despite many people not appearing to appreciate him as much as I do, he was still thought highly of to be voted in at number 14 in the series ?100 Players Who Shook the Kop.?

Video clip of Michael Owen HERE.

What do you think? Give Ste your comments at stespeed [at] lfcvancouver.com.

By LFC Vancouver member Keith Perkins, 05 March 2008.

Somewhere in my house, hidden away in a shoebox, is a small collection of medals that I earned through various athletic endeavours when I was a lot younger. They?re not worth anything in terms of money, but they are a genuine source of pride to me and always bring back so many great memories whenever I happen to open that box and look inside. I?ve had them now for many years, and they?ve been carefully packed and unpacked every time we?ve moved house from one place to another. There?s no way I?d ever get rid of them, even though as I admit, they aren?t really worth much. But, if they were ever to be lost, or stolen, or otherwise taken away from me, I?d be heartbroken. I?m sure many of you have some similar items around your houses or apartments that have a similar meaning for you and you?d be equally heartbroken if you lost your special possessions. I?d like you to keep that feeling in mind while I tell you about one of Liverpool?s heroes from the late 1970?s and early 1980?s who could do with some help from all of us.

Ray Kennedy was a talented young amateur footballer in Northumberland (way up in the far north-east corner of England) where he was spotted by an Arsenal scout in 1968. He?d previously given up on a career in football after he lost his apprentice position with Port Vale and was told by manager Stanley Matthews that he would never be good enough to turn professional. When that judgement comes from a man who was a legend throughout the country, then you might as well pack up and go home. That?s just what Ray did, returning to the north-east and taking a job in a sweet factory. But, what the legendary Sir Stanley had missed was soon paying dividends for The Gunners.

Ray had a brilliant career with Arsenal, winning the Inter City Fairs Cup in only his second season with the club, and then the famous League and FA Cup ?double? a year later in 1971. Yes, that?s the year that Liverpool were on the wrong end of a 2-1 extra time result at Wembley, as Shankly was in the process of rebuilding his squad. Ray was also Arsenal?s top scorer that double year, and then went on to be their top scorer two more times, in 1972 and 1974.

At the end of the 1973-74 season, Liverpool won the FA Cup, and then came the shock announcement of Bill Shankly?s retirement. Somewhere among all the fuss over those two events, was the ?small? matter of the transfer of Ray Kennedy from Arsenal to Liverpool for a fee of £180,000. That?s a bargain by any standard, and was the beginning of an even brighter period for Ray.

Bob Paisley used Ray in his normal striker?s role to begin with, which seemed logical enough, especially when Ray scored after only 22 minutes in his Liverpool debut. But, he was competing with Kevin Keegan and John Toshack up front, and would possibly have been pushed aside by that dynamic duo if it hadn?t been for Paisley?s masterstroke. Ray was moved to a left sided midfield position, which not only allowed the Keegan-Toshack partnership to develop but also let Ray show his sublime skills in providing the balls for the front pair to use to such devastating effect.

Ray Kennedy and Liverpool went on a run that has not been equalled since and may never be. By the time he retired from professional play (after short stints with Swansea and Hartlepool) in 1984, he had amassed 5 Division One titles, 3 European Cups, 1 UEFA Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 League Cup, and 4 Charity Shields. Add to that no less than 5 runners up medals and you can see the record of a magnificent career. But that?s not all! He already had 3 winners? medals and 2 runners-up medals with Arsenal, and added more with Swansea. There should be no surprise that Ray was also capped for England, 17 times in 4 years.

After all that success, it came as a supreme shock when Ray revealed in 1985 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson?s Disease. His form on the field had been slowly falling off, and was initially put down to him just not trying hard enough. His condition gradually worsened until a specialist made the diagnosis, and Ray was left to wonder what the future may hold. After retirement, Ray tried his hand at coaching with Sunderland but was unable work much as his condition deteriorated.

Parkinson?s Disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills and speech. It can come on slowly, but it?s a chronic progressive disorder that gets more severe with time. In many cases, the disease will take away any ability of the sufferer to work or hold any kind of employment, which is not surprising when so many jobs depend on motor skills and speech in one form or another. For Ray, this must have been like the end of the world. Many players turn to coaching or as media pundits, but neither of these careers were possible for someone with this disease.

In those days, players were relatively well paid, but not anywhere near the levels of today. In his prime years, Ray would have earned somewhere around £30,000 per annum, which is a lot less than a week?s pay for top players in the Premier League. It was a good living while it lasted, but it didn?t last long enough to set Ray up for all that he would need in the future.

As time went by, Ray worked at publicising the disease and helping to raise funds for research and treatment of the condition. In 1991, Arsenal played Liverpool at Highbury in a testimonial for Ray, where proceeds went to the cause. Now, so many years later, Ray is confined to his home where he leads a very private life. He?s not one to complain about his condition or how unfair life has been to him, which is no surprise for a player who just quietly went about his job on the field. Unfortunately, his condition not only means that he is unable to work, but that his house has to be specially modified and equipped to allow him as much of a normal life as possible. That costs a lot of money, and Ray?s only way of raising it was to sell his medals, caps, shirts, and other souvenirs to raise the necessary funds. We can only imagine how hard that must have been, and it?s heartbreaking for me just to hear about it.

Ray provided so many great memories for so many of us as a member of one of Liverpool?s best ever squads. We cheered for him as he worked hard and played his heart out to bring us cups galore during his time in a Liverpool shirt. Now it?s our turn to give something back to him. The Ray of Hope Appeal was launched on January 21st of this year, and is in the process of raising funds to purchase essential equipment and services for Ray.

The Appeal is also intended to raise funds to help all sufferers of Parkinson?s Disease, and not just Ray. As a victim of this vile disease, Ray is in company with such famous people as Muhammad Ali, Pierre Trudeau, Michael J. Fox, Jeremy Thorpe, and General George Patton. It can strike anyone, the causes vary from genetic mutations to head trauma, but in most cases the specific cause is simply unknown. Treatments can be in the form of drugs or gene therapy, which can alleviate the symptoms but sadly cannot cure the disease.

LFC Vancouver will be collecting donations to the Ray of Hope Appeal on Tuesday March 11th at the Inter match, and again on April 5th during our match against Arsenal. Please give generously for the cause; all donations no matter how small will be greatly appreciated as we let Ray know:

You?ll Never Walk Alone

What do you think? Give Keith your comments at keith [at] lfcvancouver.com.

Standings as of 01 November 07. (note: standings to be updated soon, sorry about the delay (Paul Gill, standing in for Andy))
Dennis and Pat both get points from the Carling Cup tie ... good job boys!

Rank	Member	Points
1	Dennis	21
2	Pat	17
3	Ste	14
4	Kevin	9
5	Keith	8
6	Dan	7
7	Richard	4
7	Glenn	4
9	Mark	3
10	Andy	1
10	Luvdeep	1
10	Chris	1
13	Blake	0

To enter the members contest see the rules below.

RULES:

• Only open to paid LFC Vancouver Members.
• You list the names of the players you think will start the next LFC match.
• You must submit your list to lfcvancouver [at] gmail.com at least 12 hours before kick-off.
• This contest will include every match that LFC plays this season.
• The member(s) that correctly guess the starting XI will be awarded 5 points.
• At the end of the season the player with the most points will win the prize.
• What is the prize? It is a surprise!
• The standings will be included in each week’s newsletter.

Scoring System:

• 11 Correct picks = 5 points.
• 10 Correct picks = 3 points.
• 9 Correct picks = 1 point.
• 0-8 Correct picks = 0 points.

YNWA/JFT 96