Random Thoughts and Feelings Ahead of Carling Cup

With the Cup coming up and the race for fourth in full swing, a mad jumble of thoughts and ideas have spawned into my head. I'm sure you all are experiencing the same symptoms of a common disease called anticipation. Let me try to make sense of some of these things and hopefully help spark more good thought from the community. If I miss anything feel free to put it in the comments section for discussion.

I'll start with the biggest and most exciting thing-the Carling Cup. I have been a sports fan my whole life but a soccer fan for a relativly short period of time. This is the first time I'll ever see a live final that Liverpool have been in my lifetime and I can't wait. Come Saturday night I won't find sleep. That's okay. I imagine that we'll come out with a win but one can never be too sure. The whole team including Kenny really need this and I'm sure they want it as bad as we do (if that's possible).

I also can't wait to see Anfield Asylum as a blogging community come to life. This will be the first time we've had a shot at Liverpool glory in the blog's existence. Watching the game is one thing but the experience can be taken to a new level with some good discussion and the big pot of emotions which is the gamethread. If you are someone who is an inconsistent member or is usually quiet don't be afraid to join the fun.

This is a big swerve in the topic but I have to share my thoughts on Andy Carroll. I don't want "Big Andy" to become a "Big Excuse." I'm tired of hearing myself giving reasons for why he only has six goals this whole year (bad crossing/injuries/lack of chemistry/etc.) no matter how valid they may be. I'm willing to let him start clean on Sunday and from then on judge him only on his performance and not his pricetag. For Carroll to get a fair chance he must be given a fair chance so I would like to see him start the next 4-5 games in an unaltered system so he can prove himself. I like a Bellamy-Carroll-Suarez with Gerrard supporting combination which has yet to be tested.

Champions League action has been very suprising this week with Basel beating Bayern, Chelsea continuing to slide, and Marseille beating Inter. A ton of late goals too.

If we win the cup then I'm optimistic about top four. This is partly because of the struggles of both Arsenal and Chelsea.

I heard Rafa might succeed AVB at Chelsea. He wouldn't stand a chance.