José drops a clanger with team selection

SO WHERE do I start? I am gutted. Even more disappointed than after the Champions League game, because I really wanted the FA Cup, and my desire to see us beat Liverpool was even greater.

The team selection was wrong, picked to contain a Liverpool side which we have brushed aside whenever we have chosen to attack them in the past. Most supporters thought that José had dropped a big one as soon as the side was announced at Old Trafford.

Ferreira in midfield? Why? Del Horno selecting Liverpool alongside Barcelona as one of those big matches in which he likes to go missing. Joe Cole, who seems to terrorise Liverpool every time he plays, left on the bench. Essien at the tip of the diamond.

The result ... we even made the feckless Harry Kewell look like a reasonable player.

Unlike at Fulham, where Cole and Wright-Phillips were humiliatingly hauled off after 23 minutes Mourinho didn’t come to his senses until half-time.

The last 35 minutes we made a game of it and you could almost smell the fear emanating from the Liverpool half of the ground. Their supporters went silent fearing the worst, but our finishing wasn’t up to it.

Although José did get the formation wrong, the players have to take some responsibility. Even in the first half the players that were fielded should have been good enough to beat Liverpool. This slow start business has cost us a lot this season (FA Cup and Champions League) and it needs to be sorted for 2006/07.

The whole day was far from pleasant. As I have told you on more than one occasion, I am not a great fan of Liverpool supporters, and last Saturday did little to change that opinion. Many of us had to endure being spat at by the red hordes down Matt Busby Way which is pretty despicable and disgusting behaviour as it is. Also there is a difference between banter and personal abuse and some should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

I suppose we should be ‘grateful’ that it was only spittle that we were subjected to; Everton and United fans have had to endure worse this season. What is it with Liverpool fans and their bodily functions? Those loveable scallies also smashed up the toilets at Old Trafford and scrawled Munich references on the walls. So classy.

Through some really intelligent forward planning on someone’s part, our disabled supporters were positioned in the Liverpool end — they too received constant abuse from the best supporters in the world. Of course this would all be front page news had it been the other way round, but the Liverpool myth has to be perpetuated doesn’t it? All this ‘history’ bragging does make me laugh.

Is it a co-incidence that Liverpool’s ‘golden era’ just happened to follow when one of Britain’s wealthiest families started bankrolling the club? I think not. Also, how can a club celebrating its centenary not have any history, or does history mean success then? That sounds awfully like glory-hunting to me.

A little-known fact is that when Liverpool won the title in the 47/48 season, their average gate was 44,299 whereas Chelsea finished a lowly 15th yet our average was 47,592. In fact our attendances averaged more than the historical Liverpool right up to the 1960’s — those less informed may now look up when it was that the Moore family exactly started funding Liverpool.

Do you believe in coincidences? Nah, neither do I. But enough bile.

Of course, what makes the loss even worse is the Hammers claimed the other final place. One of the worst teams we have played. Ho-hum ... there’s always next year. I wanted to win it at Wembley anyway (no, I don’t believe me either).

It’s been a bad week all round to be honest. Arsenal taking a step towards the Champions League final (I’m assuming that they got through last night). Getting knocked out of the cup by the Scousers ... just the loss of the title to United to go then! The United game this weekend is now huge. I know it sounds a strange thing to say, but not only do we need to win the league, but we have to do it with some quality as the Cup has left a very bad taste for the supporters. I’m sure Old Red Nose can smell blood, so Mourinho and JT need to crank up the motivation to its peak. I’d like to see Joe Cole start. I can only imagine what he must have been thinking seeing Ferreira ahead of him in the midfield.

I don’t understand what Mourinho is playing at with him. It’s the one question I would love to ask. Not that I imagine I would get a straightforward answer!

If we do manage to win the title it will still be an amazing achievement. However, this was our best-ever chance of doing the double, something I have only ever dreamed of accomplishing, and it does hurt. But pain is good, it helps you appreciate the good times even more, ensures that there is still a level of excitement there, and that, hopefully, complacency is kept at a minimum.

Finally, I was asked today if I had to choose, who would I want to win the cup? Can’t answer that one. It’s like being asked which choice of disease you might prefer.

Contact Trish on Trizia_f@ hotmail.com