Can we play you every week?

JJP reports.

It wasn’t just brilliant to be there it was another one of those days that you can look back on with pride and those present did the team proud and the team did us proud as well. I said before that I was warming to Gerard and this team well that warmth grew a bit more on this cold but wonderful afternoon in Islington. This team is far from the greatest ever but I’ll say this, this one is up there with the rest when it comes to fighting for the cause or the shirt or whatever we want to call it. The passionless sides of the 90’s would have waved the white flag had sulked off to their way of life long before the end but this fought until every ounce of energy had drained from their limbs and then they found something in reserve that I doubted they had a year ago.

I feared the worst when Steven Gerrard went off – but what a tackle get in the way of the attack. It was something straight from the Tommy Smith scrapbook. Then off went ‘Mad Erik’ and I thought that was going to be it. But as the odds mounted against us the hearts grew stronger and in truth it was us that could and probably should have got another.

The added time was hardy bearable but when that final whistle blew you only had to look around at the cavorting away end to know that this meant something. Not just the result, not just the points but the performance. Each and every man in a green shirt had given that bit extra and we travelled home third in the table.

To try and say that so and so was a star or so and so didn’t do much would be unfair after this because it was a team effort. But just to highlight a few I thought that Sander was magnificent. As one of his arch-critics at the start I hold my hands up now and say that he’s doing the job we wanted him to do. My main argument against him was that he played like a foreign keeper and didn’t catch crosses, something he almost admitted himself. But now he commands that eighteen-yard box like Clem of old. I also reckoned that our version of the SAS – Stephane and Sami – must have gone home with headaches the number of times they just headed to ball away. But if you forced me into a corner and said throw out one bouquet, who would it be to it would be to Dominic Matteo because he was superb. We take the piss but come on lads [and ladies] let’s be fair today cos Dom did okay ask Denis Bergkamp!

All in all, bloody brilliant and thanks to Stevie Wright for getting me the ticket and showing me that I’m not the only person out there who goes through the torture barrier when watching this team of ours. Oh yeah, and wasn’t it great to see the look on the faces of Houllier and Thompson at the end? Like I say, I’m warming to this lot and because it’s nearly Valentines Day I might even send  them a card [Ed’s comment – I think I’m going to be sick!]