Spreadbetting: We got to love King Kenny

This Wednesday sees Fulham travel to Anfield in what could prove to be a very interesting encounter. Have Liverpool turned the corner with the return of King Kenny?

Watching Liverpool play this weekend was like watching an entirely different team compared to the one that performed so woefully at the start of the season. It seems that Liverpool fans still miss Benitez, and judging by him moving back to Liverpool, he misses them too. The fans put the blame for their recent problems squarely at the door of the former American owners.

It also seemed neither the fans nor the players took to Roy Hodgson. Why? I think Liverpool has a huge love-in with itself. Players and managers who show passion and commitment are loved by the fans. In return, the players and managers love the fans back. Its all a big, romantic Red-fest.

This can also very much be to their detriment. If you’re not part of the love-in, your time at Anfield is limited. Take Roy for example. Following on from the passion of the much loved Benitez, Roy had to make a big impact and quickly. He definitely made an impact. By October the 3rd, he’d already lost to arch rivals united, Man City, Blackpool and Northampton.

Fans were starting to question his tactics too. The capture of Raul Meireles was a definite plus for me. I thought he was one of the players of the tournament at the WC, eclipsing the terrible Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Roy decided he was going to use him either as a wide midfielder or in some sort of holding role. A terrible waste. The signing of Paul Konchesky also riled fans who deemed the player “Not good enough for Liverpool”

Another thing that I believe has hamstrung Liverpool over the last couple of seasons is their undying devotion to Steven Gerrard. Yes, in his day there were few better players. But, all those years of sprinting from box to box and crunching tackles have clearly had an effect on him. What happens then is whoever plays next to him in central midfield becomes greatly inhibited. See Lucas, Xabi Alonso, Momo Sissoko, Aquilani and Meireles. Much in the same way Roy Keane had an effect on Veron, Carrick et al.
It will be very interesting to see if Meireles is allowed to continue his excellent form when Gerrard returns on Wednesday.

Don’t be fooled by the “New manager effect” though. Statistically there isn’t really any proof that this exists. Just ask Woy.

Fulham on the other hand continue to be fairly inconspicuous in the league. It seems the “Hughes out” calls have died down for the time being. It’s difficult to really form an opinion on the cottagers. It just feels as though 14th in the league is business as usual. You also have hoped that after netting a nice chunk for Harrods, Al-Fayed would have invested a bit more in his team. Is there a lack of ambition there?

As a bookie, we’ve loved Liverpool this season. They’ve busted more than a few coupons!
It’s a tough game to pick, but there will be plenty of value on Wednesday night at Extrabet, where we offer a stop loss on all spread bets but no stop wins!