On June 16^th 2004, the Liverpool football club board made a bold and slightly unconventional move when they signed Spaniard, Rafael Benitez, to manage their club. In his first season that proved to be an inspired signing as he won the UEFA Champions League. He followed this success with the FA Cup in his second campaign. These two trophies bought him time to build, time to experiment and time to bring back the league title to Anfield. That time has expired - Rafael Benitez should now be sacked!

The performance the Reds served up at the Stadium of Light would have had Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley reaching for a wee dram or ten. It was listless, uninspiring and completely out of character for a club with the pedigree of Liverpool FC.  Credit to Sunderland for making it difficult but please, even without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, the Black Cats should be swept aside with ease. It feels like Rafa has lost interest in the Premiership, he's content with the Reds being a cup team and at the end of the day there is a whiff that he's, treading water, just trying to survive and it's not pretty.

For LFC to scale the heights of English football again they must go back to basics, to a time of long sideburns, bad haircuts, T-Rex and the culture of the famed 'boot room'. This is where Liverpool ruled football for twenty-five years and this is where the Merseysiders will find the answers they need. To make things even easier the answers to all their prayers lie right under their noses at Anfield and on this side of the Atlantic.

Owners George Gillette and Tom Hicks need only look towards the Melwood Academy and the stadium that bears one of their names in Foxborough, Mass. for the two men capable of leading the Reds back to the 'promised land' - Kenny Dalglish and Steve Nicol.

For those of you who maybe a little young let me refresh your memories about what these two men brought to LFC.

Before there was Sir Alex Ferguson there was Kenny Dalglish and before there was Roy Keane there was Steve Nicol.

As a player and manager Dalglish won eight League titles, yes EIGHT League titles, three European Cups, yes THREE European Cups, three FA Cups, four League Cups and a cabinet full of assorted trophies, need I go on. 

Nicol was his teammate for four of those League titles while being runners-up another four times. Throw in two of the FA Cups and the European Cup triumph in Rome and surely a picture laden with silverware is beginning to emerge.

These two men are so steeped in the culture of the club that they'll immediately right the most obvious wrong currently swirling around Anfield - namely they'll have the 100% backing of the fans because in my book Rafa has lost them. Secondly they'll instill in the players the passion that made Liverpool the most feared club in the world. Thirdly, only SAF at Old Trafford knows more about winning League titles than Dalglish and Nicol and these men will make that their first priority.

Dalglish is only 58, Nicol a sprightly, feisty 47, both are Scottish and both men have a yearning to be back in the dugout.

Dalglish has said that he walked away from Anfield too soon and that all he needed was a short mental and physical sabbatical away from the game. When you consider what he'd been through, one could hardly blame him. When he did return, it didn't take him long to win another title with Blackburn.

Nicol has said on Fox Football Fone-In that he'd swim back to Liverpool if they offered him the job. After turning water into wine for seven years with the New England Revolution, imagine what he could do with a squad of international players.

I sometimes think that the Premiership and certainly the big clubs get consumed with their own self-importance; they think that only a 'BIG' name could manage their teams. Sometimes though the most obvious answers lies right in front of you and I can guarantee you the following: Kenny Dalglish and Steve Nicol will not rest until they knock Ferguson of his !@#$ perch!

Messrs Hicks and Gillette, heed my words. Pay Benitez off and get two legends of Liverpool FC back to Anfield doing what they've done best throughout their Liverpool careers - win trophies especially League trophies!

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.

Statement Matches There are ‘must win’ matches, there are ‘can’t lose matches’, there are ‘massive’ matches and then there are ‘statement’ matches. At Stamford Bridge on Sunday, Chelsea made a statement that the will be heard long and loud around the English Premier League.

Do you remember this time last season when the Blues were riding the crest of the wave? The football was glowing, the goals were flowing and they seemed unbeatable. Then they hit a speed bump in the form of Liverpool. The Reds waltzed into the Bridge and ended the Londoners magnificent unbeaten home run. Revenge was sweet as that Merseyside speed bump was not just driven over, it was completely flattened with a display of power, hunger and swagger that I’ve not seen from a Chelsea team since the Jose Mourinho era. What a difference a year makes - and that difference is Carlo Ancelotti!

To manage a club like Chelsea you need to be a big manager - a manager that inspires - a manager that know how to win - a manager who you can look his players in the eye and say ‘I’ve been there and I’ve got the medals to prove it.’ Ancelotti is all that and more.

If you examine what the Italian has achieved in his four months at the club since taking over from Guus Hiddink, you’d be tempted to say ‘he’s changed nothing’ - and that my friends is the genius at the heart of this story. How many times have you seen new coaches move to a stable club and change everything to satisfy their own egos? Ancelotti correctly realized that this was a squad that had rediscovered its passion for football towards the end of last season. What he needed to do was to keep this fire stoked. Contrast that to the arrival last season of Luis Filipe Scolari. The Brazilian was insistent that for Chelsea to move beyond Mourinho, they had play fantasy football. What ‘Big Phil’ failed to recognize is that fantasy football may win one-off matches but it doesn’t win league titles, a mistake I guarantee that Ancelotti will never make, emotionally or tactically.

I’ve always admired Ancelotti along with his X’s & O’s and other than the Istanbul miracle his record in big matches is second to none and lets not forget that Chelsea were coming into this match on the back of two poor performances. What he correctly figured out was that Liverpool would come to Stamford Bridge intent on not losing the match as opposed to trying to win it. With this knowledge transmitted to his players there was only going to be one victor. All you had to do was look at the difference in body language between the two sets of players and that was even before the Blues took a deserved lead.

Ashley Cole looks like a different player and is my early candidate for player-of-the-season - credit Ancelotti. Michael Ballack has the enthusiasm of his younger Bayer Leverkusen days – credit Ancelotti. Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka, two forwards who supposedly could not play together are the most potent double act in the Premiership – credit Ancelotti. It is not by accident that all this is occurring and it won’t be by accident when John Terry lifts the title in May – credit Ancelotti. A

s for Liverpool and Rafael Benitez, the lack of adventure was a real problem for me. If this club wants to win the title they can’t be afraid to lose. It’s no use thumping the likes of Burnley and Hull if you can’t compete with the Chelsea’s and Tottenham’s.

I would love Benitez to have more trust in his team but at the moment they are too rigid and almost predictable. They lack the ability to express themselves in the big matches and it feels like there is no plan B. Stop Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres receiving any kind of service and they resemble a poor man’s Aston Villa. Also questions must be raised about the loyalty being shown to Jamie Carragher who continues to struggle. Does the Spaniard have the guts to do what Sir Alex Ferguson did to Rio Ferdinand and send him to the bench? The answer right now is now and if he can’t make that decision, then his legendary hard headedness knows no bounds.

Ultimately their rivals will have looked at this match and come to the conclusion that they do not pose the greatest of threats. With United and City on the not to distant horizon another couple of losses would signal the end of their title hopes before Christmas!

The final word though must go to the Blues and Ancelotti. Together I think they are the perfect combination of experienced, hungry players tied to a coach who still thinks that he has plenty to prove.

Until then, I’ll see you at the far post.

I'm often asked the following question...'what makes a club big and who qualifies to be mentioned in that breath? For the last decade or so the 'B4' have been automatic nominees in the 'big club' stakes followed by the likes of a Newcastle, a Leeds, even a Manchester City however these clubs pale in historic comparison to a side that wants more than ever to be taken seriously, Tottenham Hotspur.

So what make a big club and do Spurs have the required credentials?

History, check - Honors, check - Passionate & loyal fans, check - Money, check - A big stadium, negative (but due to change) - Belief that you are a big club, negative!

For far too long there has been a culture of underachieving at White Hart Lane and no amount of Carling Cup success is going to change that. Ultimately there has to be a belief that runs throughout the club. They have to feel in their every fiber that the club, from the tea lady, to the captain, that they are 'B4' material. When this happens, I have no doubt that Spurs will achieve it. If you look to London neighbors, Chelsea, for an example, they didn't have that 'belief' until Jose Mourinho instilled it and Roman Abramovich bought it. Spurs are lucky enough to have their own mini-Abramovich in the form of Daniel Levy but one can't but help wonder if Harry Redknapp brings that same Mourinho aura.

I'm tempted to ask whether the crafty cockney can get the same performances from Carlo Cudicini and Heurelho Gomes as Mourinho inspired from Petr Cech. Will he get the run of games and passion that makes Ledley King one of the most respected center backs in the Premiership in the same way John Terry produces every week for the Blues. Does he have the same confidence in Tom Huddlestone that the 'Special One' displayed in Frank Lampard? Is the love he feels for Jermain Defoe comparable to the affection bestowed on Didier Drogba. Most importantly - can he motivate his team to the heights they produced against Liverpool on the opening day of the season on a consistent basis.

The answer to date is probably no!

Back to back losses against Manchester United at home and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge have shown me that in spells they have the quality but overall they lack the belief. Only by consistently putting quality performances together can that mystical state be attained and the up-coming schedule couldn't be kinder to the North Londoners in that regard. Portsmouth (a), Stoke (h), Arsenal (a), Sunderland (h), Wigan (h), Villa (a), Everton (a), Wolves (h), Man City (h), Blackburn (a).

30 points on offer - what would a United, a Chelsea, a Liverpool consider adequate? At a minimum, 24-25 points would be considered a decent return and even then, Sir Alex would probably have a moan! For Tottenham, this has to be a realistic target and there cannot be a Spurs fan alive that doesn't agree with that assessment.

After seven league matches of this campaign there are plenty of reasons to be cautiously optimistic. Under Redknapp, the ninth, that's right, the ninth manager of this decade, Spurs are finally playing the kind of champagne football that they've so long been associated with. I'm tempted to wonder if Harry has had the old-Spurs captain, Danny Blanchflower's, famous quote inscribed in the dressing room as an inspiration to his players -"Football is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom"

Boredom is not something you'll experience with this current Spurs XI as the goals are flowing in both directions and only Liverpool fans enjoy a higher aggregate per match in the elite division! The key for Harry has been the ability to pick a settled team as eight of his first teamers have been ever present to date, a far cry from last season when Redknapp joined the team from Portsmouth and his injury list resembled a MASH unit. In fact the riches at his disposal have enabled him to build one of the finest squads not just in England but in world football however doubts persists as to whether this is a club capable of making the leap from pretenders to contenders.

When I look at the characters within the team, I see superb footballers but I don't see players that I'd take to war with me. Perhaps over the course of a season, Redknapp, who has never been short of belief, will by osmosis give his charges the right stuff. If he does, look for Tottenham to finally attain 'big club' status.

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.

Albert Einstein once said "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results".

I'm tempted to ask Liverpool boss, Rafa Benitez, what he's thinking when it comes to his team defending set pieces. Since the Spaniard moved from Valencia to Anfield, the major Achilles heel has been their inability to stop the one play in football that has an air of predictability about it.

To date Liverpool has conceded goals on set plays against Tottenham, Aston Villa, Bolton and most recently, West Ham. Twice it has cost them victories and when you consider that the Merseysiders only lost two league matches all last season, this has got to be a tactical consideration that must be addressed especially as the club moves into European play.

Benitez believes in zonal marking at set plays and he also doesn't position players on the posts at corners. His defensive leaders, Pepe Reina, Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel are supposedly taking charge of the penalty area and yet opposing player's week-after-week are finding space and seams to create havoc and to score goals. Surely by now, it must be obvious to Benitez that he should use the tried and test method of man-to-man marking. It doesn't get any simpler - there is your man, stop him from getting to the ball, end of story and the end of Liverpool defenders looking at each other wondering what happened as once again the ball ends up in the back of the net. In all honesty I'm surprised that the likes of Steven Gerrard and Carragher, senior players, haven't yet said 'boss, we need to change the system.'

There is a major hurdle to cross if this is to happen because if Rafa were to climb down it would entail eating a not so small portion of humble pie. The Spaniard is way too stubborn to admit failure in this department though, so Liverpool will soldier on and continue to put themselves in danger of losing matches they should win comfortably.

With a thrilling victory over West Ham on Saturday, Benitez will point to the table and say that the assembled media corps that they should focus on the result - good point - but this is yet another victory that I believe papers over cracks. Liverpool has not looked 100% defensively or offensively this season.

In the back line I applaud the attacking verve of Glenn Johnson and Emiliano Insua but isn't their first job is to defend. I admire the never-say-die spirit of Jamie Carragher but against pace he's looking increasingly past it. I like the steel of Martin Skrtel but I am constantly reminded of the grace and consistency of an Alan Hansen - the return of Danny Agger cannot come soon enough. As for Pepe Reina, at times he's flapping about like a bird learning how to fly - not a back-four confidence booster!

At the other end of the pitch, sixteen goals is a healthy return however when you delve a little deeper there is a frightening lack of center forward fire power once you get past Fernando Torres. The Spanish hit man is currently the most electrifying forward in world football but and I better whisper this...'what if he gets injured and who replaces him?' Ryan Babbel - I'm quaking, David Ngog - I'm trembling, Andrei Voronin, I've gone positively weak at the knees. It'll be interesting to see what Benitez has up his sleeve with the fabled 'Plan B.'

Red fans will point to the emergence of Yossi Benayoun (never a Benitez favorite) and Dirk Kuyt as goal scorers but I think that they're getting more opportunities as clubs focus more of their resources on stopping Steven Gerrard. Like Torres it's tempting to ask...'what happens if'

As for the Liverpool bench, it is so completely underwhelming, I'm almost embarrassed for the club when the substitutes names appear on the team sheet compared to other members of the 'B4'. Whether Alberto Aquilani can give the impression of more depth remains to be seen and I wouldn't be surprised if Benitez made some moves in January.

For the time being though, third place in the Premiership is a position from which they can build but with nineteen years of frustration stinking up Anfield, one wonders if Einstein's quote will someday replace 'you'll never walk alone' as Liverpool's motto.

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.

Since the beginning of the millennium there have been very few contenders capable of gaining membership to the fabled 'B4'. Newcastle United gave it a stab earlier in the decade (and look what happened to them), Everton snuck in once (and immediately got bounced from the UCL), Aston Villa had designs well above their station and Tottenham, well, the less said the better especially if you're a fan of lasagna. This season though, we've got the real deal on our hands and if you like your Chelsea impersonators, you're going to love Manchester City.

When it comes to nouveau riche I thought that the Blues had the market covered but with Roman Abramovich losing billions here and there, a gap emerged and City have filled it in some style. Since September of 2008 the Abu Dhabi United Group has been like kids in a candy store gorging themselves on football's tastiest treats. Some may say they've overpaid for a bunch of 'B' list stars but to date they're looking like Hollywood's finest. However when you're trying to turn the American equivalent of the Chicago Cubs into the New York Yankees, you do have to speculate to accumulate

I'm finding myself in a bit of a quandary though because I'm not jealous and disgusted by City's flaunting of wealth like I was by Chelsea's. I'm wondering whether it because I'm enchanted by that lovable losers tag and the manner in which they would always manage to find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Or perhaps it's because their neighbors, United, finally have something to worry about or and I think this is perhaps the real reason - I'm happy to see someone serious about breaking up the 'B4' cartel.

From a pedigree standpoint...City used to have plenty but that was way back when football was still played in black & white! They last won the old 1^st Division in 1968 thanks to the legendary management duo of Joe Mercer and Malcolm Alison. Their best Premiership finish, 8^th in 2004/05 when they finished a mere 43 points away from the champions, Chelsea. With the addition of the following players, Shay Given, Wayne Bridge, Robinho, Roque Santa Cruz, Sylvinho, Gareth Barry, Joleon Lescott, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Carlos Tevez, Vincent Kompany, Nigel de Jong and Craig Bellamy the belief from the blue half of Manchester is that this gap may be closer come next May.

To date, Mark Hughes, the man responsible for leading these mercenaries has produced the required results after a shaky start to his City career. My initial fear was that with a dressing room full of egos, the Welshman wouldn't have room for his own but you can't knock perfection and to be fair, as a player, he was a winner. The early City results reminded me of his management tenure at Blackburn, grinding, stifling, but with the shackles released against Arsenal, I saw another side to his management. Trust is one of the main components to management and he threw the keys of his Ferrari to the boys during the 2^nd half at Eastlands. The results were impressive to say the least as very few teams have battered the Gunners as convincingly as City did during that 11 minute 'purple patch.'

It will be interesting to see how he deals with 'Adebayorgate' once he reviews the tape of the Togolese striker performing plastic surgery on his ex-Arsenal teammate, Robin van Persie' face. Adebayor may claim innocence but anybody who has played any kind of contact sport could see the intent. If I were Hughes, I'd sit him down and fine him a hefty sum in an effort to curry favor with the Football Association who are probably going to throw the book at him and deservedly so.

At the end of the day, City has the talent to be a good football team, whether they'll blossom into a very good team is open to debate. We all saw how the Galactico experiment eventually blew up in the face of Real Madrid however what we have in Manchester is Galactico minor and that maybe the difference.

It has been said that money doesn't buy happiness but if you spend it wisely it sure can buy titles. Chelsea is the obvious example but United who City face next aren't shy about buying the players they need to dominate. Personally I can't see the Blue half of Manchester winning the Premiership this season but if they break up the 'B4,' which I'm positive they will a new era will finally be upon us.

Until then, I'll see you at the far post.