"You love this shirt. It says everything you want to say."
Such is one of my favorite lines from a movie that increasingly doesn't stand the test of time, Almost Famous. That's how I feel about yesterday's disaster. Because as much as it hurt, as stupid as it was, it would have to assure that Paul Konchesky will never see the field in a match that matters again, unless in an emergency. I have to believe that. If I don't, then the sharp objects around the house seem like a very plausible option.
Paul Konchesky was basically swapped in for Emiliano Insua. Think about that. While Insua wasn't a great defender either, he didn't become a synonym for the word "calamitous" either. And he was the best crosser of the ball we had. And he was shipped out. For this. Nothing smacks of Roy Hodgson's mid table mindset than thinking this guy was worthy of being in the first 11. He can't defend, he can't attack, and these days I'm sort of amazed he can stand upright for a full 90 minutes. Yesterday, he was roasted by Aaron Lennon for the entire match. Finally, it some downright cruel twist of fate it was he, and pretty much he alone, falling asleep to let the one point we minimally deserved slip through our fingers. It was a school boy error. The one player you're most in charge of accounting for in the right sided midfielder, Aaron Lennon. And you had all the awareness of a dead sloth.
If we get nothing else from this torture, let it be Paul Konchesky getting out of my life forever.
Other thoughts:
-My biggest worry about Jamie Carragher's injury is Daniel Agger being made of balsa wood and thus depriving Liverpool of the perfect opportunity to transition from Carra as the foundation to Agger-Skrtel. While we love Carra for his last ditch, face-first defending, he's bordering on a liability these days. He could have been called for about 8 penalties yesterday, and Luka Modric went by him so easily for Spurs' first he might as well have spun in place like a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Skrtel's skittish-ness is in part due to his partner's unpredictability, and it's not helping. Sadly, Kyrgiakos is only worse, and we may want to start building bomb shelters.
-I think the only thing I've gotten right as far as predictions in the past two years was that Raul Meireles would look better in the center, and that wasn't that hard. But he and Lucas ran the show from there, and oh how things would have looked if his Hammer of Gods left-footed drive at the death we two feet to the left. What to do when Gerrard comes back? At this rate, someone will be hurt anyway.
-I'll hand it to Maxi Rodriduez, he finds the most interesting ways to biff scoring chances.
-While everyone wants to lambaste Torres for not finishing his two breakaways, would we have cared if Maxi had finished off his sublime pass, which would have been easier than missing it?
-This is the first loss that I wasn't mad at Hodgson for.
-While the draw to United in the FA Cup Third Round will almost certainly lead to another embarrassment, I look at the small chance that it might provide was highlight of a result this season, and I hope they do too. So far, it's Chelsea at home and that might be it.
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