"A funny and enjoyable read" Jamie Carragher "A must read for every Liverpool fan" Tony Barrett, The Times "An essential purchase for all LFC fans" Chris Bascombe, Daily Telegraph

 

The following is an extract from 'Like I Say...the Story of the 2012-13 Season' by David Usher. It is taken from a chapter entitled 'Being: Rodgered' and features the author's take on the TV documentary 'Being: Liverpool'.

 

 

 

I'm a Rodgers guy, I have been since day one when he nailed his very first Anfield press conference. Even so, there were still some things in "Being: Liverpool" that made me squirm. They didn't make me question his suitability for the job, but I definitely wished it were possible for me to 'unsee' some of the things I'd seen.

Top of that list was the 'envelope' episode. In a team meeting before West Brom he ended his briefing by taking out three envelopes which he said each contained the names of individuals who would 'let us down' this season. Uh-oh I didn't like the sound of this. It got worse, as he then said "make sure you're not one of the names in the envelopes". Right, and how are they going to do that then if you've already written them down? Let's say for example one of the names was, oh I don't know, Stewart Downing for example. Even if he went on to score 15 goals and get twice as many assists (don't laugh) his name would still be in the envelope as it had already been written down and put in there! Except it hadn't, there were obviously no names in the envelope and the whole thing was ridiculous and cringeworthy. We know the stereotype of the footballer, but seriously, who is going to fall for that?

What's even worse is apparently this was something Ferguson did at United 20 years ago. SERIOUSLY Brendan, what the hell were you thinking? Again though, for all we know every other manager in the league may have done something equally as daft. We would never know about it though because they aren't being made to do some stupid fly on the wall documentary. Ferguson wasn't filmed when he did it for instance. Of course it also helps when you're winning titles, that gets you a lot of leeway and you could even have polaroids of player's wives in those envelopes and get away with it when you're successful. Alan Pardew is probably just waiting for that first title so he can break out his own collection of trophy snaps.

It wasn't just the envelope incident though. "It will take something incredible for him to leave this football club" he said of Andy Carroll, before allowing him to join West Ham on loan, although I guess you could say allowing a striker who had cost £35m 18 months earlier to leave on loan is pretty incredible. I cringed at the team talk before he game at the Hawthorns too, "there's only one thing you can trust, and that's yourself. And the fans.  And your family. So three things". Now that was pure David Brent, even I can't defend that. I can sympathise though. What probably happened is he said "you can only trust yourself" and then realised the cameras were on him and thought "Shit, the fans are watching this. And so are our families!!" and then tried to dig himself out of the hole he'd dug. If the cameras weren't there though, the fans nor the families would have been any the wiser and he wouldn't have felt the need to mention them.

It's easy to mock, but if there was a camera following me around and recording my every move, I daresay there'd be all manner of embarrassing shit that I wouldn't want people to see. In fact, no word of a lie, I'm sitting here typing this in just my boxers because my office is in the loft and the sun is beating down through the skylight and it's like a sauna in here right now. Thankfully there's no camera on me as that's a sight no-one needs to see.

Back to the subject at hand though, even managers who are held in high regard probably say this kind of stuff from time to time, but the difference is Brendan has been exposed in a way none of the others have. Take Moyes for example. He blew a big transfer he thought he had in the bag because when he met the player he came across as such a knobhead the player opted to join Blackburn instead. Moyes brought the player and his agent to his house and was referring to himself in the third person and laid down a big list of rules. The player left the house and immediately told the agent there was no way he was signing for Moyes. The player later ended up at Liverpool, twice, so I'm sure you can figure out who he was. And if you can't, he has since mentioned it in his autobiography, which is called "Craig Bellamy: Goodfella".  If you still can't figure it out, I'm afraid I can't help you. The point is, imagine if Moyes was having to do a show called 'Being Everton' back then.  He probably wouldn't have survived the ridicule.

A lot of the negativity I've seen from fans towards Rodgers has this documentary at the heart of it. I'm not suggesting that had the show not been made then Brendan would have spared any criticism, but it would have been less snidey and personal. It's perfectly understandable that some fans were sceptical about his appointment, it's up to Brendan to win them over and in some cases he has done that. For others, the gun was loaded as soon as he was appointed, and "Being: Liverpool" just gave them the bullets to fire. When Joe Allen's form dipped, he was sarcastically referred to as 'the Welsh Xavi' as we saw on TV that was how Rodgers greeted him when he arrived at Melwood to complete his move. Admittedly that did Joe no favours, but it was obviously tongue-in-cheek.

What it came down to is that if you weren't a fan of Rodgers and were looking for things to use against him, "Being: Liverpool" provided plenty. From his constant use of "Ok" and "Like I say" (which prompted the title of this book!), references to 'philosophy' and 'the group' and of course, those envelopes, his detractors had a field day. However, if like me, you were already in his corner, then watching him at close quarters will have re-enforced that opinion as when you cut through all the above nonsense there was a lot to admire about how he was going about his business.

It was similar with Ian Ayre I guess. I didn't particularly like him before (more out of distrust than anything else to be honest), and this show merely re-enforced that. Offering Joe Allen the number 69 shirt made me want to eat my own face out of sheer embarrassment. There was the motorbike thing as well, and watching him going home early on deadline day, leaving us without a striker to back up Suarez wasn't good either. Actually it's not similar at all, as unlike Rodgers there wasn't really anything positive from Ayre at all.

I didn't think much of John W Henry either. Both he and Tom Werner were fairly economical with the truth whilst discussing the King's departure, and whilst generally I don't mind Werner so much, JWH seriously rubs me up the wrong way. As I watched him walk around the dressing room and say to the players; "So you guys know who I am?" I was dying for one of them to say, "yeah you're that arl fella who sits in the Directors Box with his hot daughter." Sadly none of them did. Where's Craig Bellamy when you need him eh?

That meeting took place in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, who are of course also owned by FSG. When the two teams were introduced to eachother it was excruciatingly uncomfortable, but brilliantly funny. They probably should have just scrapped the rest of the show and just had six episodes of various LFC players hanging out with their Red Sox counterparts. Rodgers and Sox coach Bobby Valentine could have had an episode all to themselves, the little exchange between those two was brilliant. Valentine was most enthusiastic about it, a little too much so in fact, as he 'out-Rodgered' Rodgers if you like. If some of our fans think Brendan's a bit full on, they should count themselves lucky Valentine isn't our coach. He too was a controversial appointment, but unlike Rodgers he wasn't a young up and coming coach, he was an old timer that they actually brought out of the commentary box to take over as manager. He alienated players right from the off and fell out with fellow coaches on the way to leading the Sox to their worst season in 47 years. He lasted one season before FSG fired him.

'Bobby and Brendan' would have been an ace sitcom though. I especially liked the bit where he playfully taunted Rodgers by saying that footballers 'just roll a ball out and go and play' but his 'professional athletes really must get ready for their game'. Those would be the same 'professional athletes' that got their previous manager fired by eating pizza and drinking beer in the locker room during games.

Even funnier than the two managers' little back and forth was when Charlie Adam and Red Sox player Cody Ross had the most awkward conversation you'll ever see. Ross asks him "Do you play cricket? Have you ever played cricket?" "No I've never played cricket" answers Charlie. Ross looks like he's really struggling to come to terms with this shocking news, and follows it up with "Just soccer?". Charlie corrects him "Yeah, just football". Ross smiles, "Er..football. Yeah...". Amazing stuff. Like a modern day 'Odd Couple'. In hindsight, if Ross was looking for common ground he would have been better off asking Charlie about pizzas and beer.

And then there's Dani Pacheco. That lad is definitely a few butties short of a picnic. The camera shows him holding a baseball, and then he asks someone out of shot: "What is this?" Someone replies "A ball". Dani seems a bit sceptical about this revelation, and stares at it for a few seconds with a daft grin on his face. He didn't look at all convinced. I know we don't play much baseball in Europe but fucking hell, we've all seen a baseball before, haven't we? Has Pacheco not seen 'Major League' with Charlie Sheen, or any of the dozen baseball movies Kevin Costner has made?

I actually felt a bit cheated that there was so little footage of when the two sets of players got together as it was by far the best part of the show and the producers definitely missed a trick by not showing more of it. Instead of all the self indulgent slow-motion footage of pre-season games no-one gave a shit about, they should have just paired up some of our lads with the Sox players and followed them around town. That kind of shit always makes for great viewing, people from different backgrounds with little in common who are thrown together and get into all manner of escapades, 48 Hours, Rush Hour, Lethal Weapon etc

And who wouldn't have wanted to see how confused poor little Pacheco would have been if they'd taken him to the home of the New England Patriots and shown him an American Football? "What's this?" "It's a football" "Get the fuck outta here!!" "No really, it's a football" "Do you think I was born yesterday?  Seriously what is it?" "A football" You could easily get 15 minutes out of that. Like I say, I feel cheated. Ok.

 

 

Praise for 'Like I Say'

 

"'Like I Say' is a really funny and enjoyable read. If you enjoyed 'the King's Last Stand' then you'll love this too."

Jamie Carragher, Sky Sports & ex LFC

"An authentic and expert view of Brendan Rodgers' first season as Liverpool manager. A must read for every Liverpool fan."

Tony Barrett, The Times

"Truthful, witty and with a reverence for Anfield nostalgia which never descends into over-sentimental bullsh*t, Dave Usher is a go to writer for all Liverpool fans."

Chris Bascombe, Daily Telegraph

 

"'Like I Say' is the most comprehensive, insightful and amusing review of the 2012/13 season you'll find anywhere. Dave's LFC match reports are perceptive and detailed, whilst his weekly take on the rest of the Premier League fixtures is often cutting, occasionally cruel and always hilarious! A must read for any Red"

Neil Mellor, former Reds striker and current TV and Radio analyst

"In an era where conjecture is often presented as undisputed fact across a variety of media platforms, the Liverpool Way is a fanzine that reliably reflects accurately what is really going on at Anfield. Now in its third decade as a publication of high standing, there are - indeed - few independent writers that can claim to have the endurance of its founder, Dave Usher. 'Like I Say' is chock-full of the kind of humour and perceptive analysis that has characterised Usher's work in the fanzine"

Simon Hughes, LFC official Magazine

 

"Dave Usher's fanzine, The Liverpool Way, has long been essential reading for Reds fans. His latest book, 'Like I Say', is no different. Few writers capture what it means to be a Liverpool supporter as well as Usher."

Ben Thornley, Daily Post



"Honest, witty, and with no punches pulled, the reports and roundups on The Liverpool Way website have become essential reading for many Reds. I would also imagine fans from other clubs find them interesting, and occasionally offensive, particularly those who happen to support Stoke City! Dave Usher is a fan who knows the soul of the club and on the terraces, and being independant does not need to hide behind any sort of protocol. For anyone who follows the mighty Redmen, you'll be hard pressed to find a better account of the 2012/13 season than 'Like I Say'"

Torbjorn Flatin, The Kopite

"If you are looking for the thoughts and opinions of a writer who perfectly captures the mood of Liverpool supporters, Dave Usher certainly provides that. Throughout the season I look forward to Dave's reports - he sees the game with perspective and superbly details this in his writing. Funny, honest and balanced, you can feel the frustrations and passion in his words. The phrase 'nail on the head' perfectly describes my thoughts after reading Dave's descriptions and views on Liverpool games and issues"

Matt Ladson, This is Anfield website

 

'Like I Say' is available in paperback (£10), digital (£6) and also in kindle format on Amazon (£6).

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