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Preview Percy’s look at the visit of Liverpool. Possibly the only match preview you will read this weekend which contains the word “litotes”...

Next up we lay host to Liverpool at the Olympic. Lord knows what day it is but I am reliably informed that match kicks off at 5:15 pm on what, scientists are hypothesising, may well be Sunday, though they are waiting for the results of the latest solar observations.




No engineering works in the immediate vicinity of Stratford to worry about, though lots outside London so check before you go. There may well be extra ticketing checks as week for obvious reasons as well. Good job it doesn’t kick-off until 5.

Well it seems like they are the only team who have taken advantage of the fact that Man City appear to have taken a season off. They are top and following Chelsea’s last minute slip against Fulham they are seven clear.

Isn’t it odd that the most corrupt clubs always seem to be at the top? No, when you think about it probably not. It would be interesting though if they had been surreptitiously having talks about another so-called “Super” league thus activating the 30 point suspended penalty they are sitting on at the moment.

They were, of course, at the centre of the “Cootegate” scandal which kicked off when the aforementioned ex-referee called Klopp a rather rude word. Although the description was accurate, Coote’s outburst broke two longstanding PGMOL rules, firstly, “Never, ever, do or say anything that upsets Liverpool, either on or off the pitch” and secondly “if you do anything wrong try not to get caught”.

Daisy was overjoyed to discover that they made only one signing during the summer, that being the £10m arrival of Juventus winger Frederico Chiesa. He was widely considered to be injury-prone back in Italy so it was a bit of a gamble to bring him in – he’s only made one Premier League appearance this season having been out with various niggles.

He made a return to the side during the League Cup win down at Southampton but then was absent ill for the humiliation of Spurs – a game which most people wanted both sides to lose. He’s not listed on the sicklist at present so there may well be a bench place for him.

All the talk about them has been on contract talks between them and Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Salah was the subject of a massive bid from Saudi Arabia a while ago and may relish the new challenge of finding a new set of legs to dive over out there.




Alexander-Arnold strikes a good dead-ball but despite the BBC talking him up all the time he remains one of the most overrated players ever to gain an England cap.

I’m not including Jordan Henderson in that group – nobody thought he was any good in the first place, apart from the Liverpool Echo who once ran an article asking how long were England going to persist with picking Declan Rice over Jordan Henderson, thus destroying the last bit of sporting credibility that dreadful paper ever had.

They will be missing Dominik Szoboslai this weekend, the player having managed the pretty unique feat of picking up 5 yellows before the end of December in a side for which PGMOL normally require some form of armed assault before even thinking about a card. No doubt they will make it up to them.

With only one signing, there really isn’t much to say about this most unpleasant of clubs so I’ll move on to this week’s wild and wacky world of Association Football. Prize for sending off of the week goes to Watford’s Kwadwo Baah’s after match dismissal against Portsmouth.

Having gained a penalty after a foul from none other than Freddie Potts which had clearly taken place outside the box, at full time he ran the length of the pitch to do a series of “Fortnite Dances” (no, me neither) in front of the Portsmouth fans who had given him stick after the incident.

He was chased down by the Portsmouth players who had to be restrained from dishing out the good solid kicking the player would arguably have deserved, before the ref stepped in and brandished a second yellow to Baah. Watford boss Tom Cleverley staked his own claim for football litotes of the year when asked about the red card. “We have to admit he’s deserved that one”, being the manager’s considered opinion on the punishment.

And so to us. Three points. Not pretty but three points nonetheless. Their main threat was the awkward Paul Onuachu, who was as good at making a nuisance of himself as he was poor at finishing.




The win came at no little cost to the side. Kilman’s shoulder faces a late injury test, for which the prognosis is not good. Fabianski will miss out having been knocked out, the various concussion protocols meaning he has to rest up. Soler was carrying a knee injury into Boxing Day’s match and is another major doubt. And of course we will be missing Mickey.

We also have two suspensions under the five-yellow rule with both Tomas Souceck and Guido Rodruiguez being unavailable. Rodriguez can feel particularly miffed, being the victim of a spectacularly obvious bit of backside covering by PGMOL at Southampton.

Having received the most ludicrous of red cards, referee Smith was sent over to the screen by Stuart Atwell. Now consider that for a moment. Here was a decision so bad that even Atwell knew it was wrong.

However, such is the “protect the incompetent at all costs” culture at PGMOL, instead of cancelling the card and apologising they elected to split the difference and call iy a yellow so the rookie ref could escape with his dignity – if not his honesty intact.

I’ll move on to the prediction. Well it’s a hiding to nothing isn’t it. Injury and suspension ravaged even if we give a good account of ourselves any promising break will be dealt with cynically ten yards either side if the half way line as is their wont. And they will of course be given every advantage by the match officials – in an ever changing world the iffy decisions that go in favour of Liverpool is a comforting constant in life.

So the £2 that was going to be spent on a bet on the number of dives in the game from the visitors (couldn’t find a bookies who would take the bet even at odds on) will instead be going on an away win. Mr Winstone make it 3-1 to them.

Enjoy the game!




When Last We Met At The Olympic: Drew 2-2 (Premier League October 2022)

Anthony Taylor had a bizarre game – a re-run showed that Antonio was fouled no fewer than 14 times over the course of the match. However he received his first free-kick for the 13th of those in the 92nd minute. Bowen gave us the lead,

Referee Anthony Taylor

Oh good the worst of all possible worlds. His performance in the Arsenal game was an utter disgrace. So stupid he actually thinks he’s good. Any last lingering thoughts thay you may have had about getting something out of this game – bid them a fond farewell.

Danger Man: Mo Salah

Coupled with Taylor watch him go down faster than one of those Acme anvils that used to get dropped from a great height on Wile-E-Coyote.

Percy and Daisy’s Liverpool Fact Of The Week Type Thing

When the Queen passed away and silences were held up and down the country, the Liverpool Echo actually praised Liverpool fans for “leading the way for other supporters” – by not booing too much during the silence. Class.

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