The Blog Files #3 – Just Football interviews Oh You Beauty

In Part 3 of the Blog Files we speak to creator and editor of the Liverpool blog Oh You Beauty on blogging, the travails of being a US-based Liverpool fan, Rafa Benitez and shit on a stick:

First, tell the readers of Just Football a bit about yourself.

I’m nate, I’m 27, and I’m a Yank (sorry). Please don’t hold it against me. I’ve lived in England before, I swear.

How did your love affair with Liverpool begin?

Say it quietly, but Michael Owen. I’ve played “soccer” as long as I can remember (still do), and I’m just old enough to have started following the sport before the US had a viable national team. Italia ’90 was where I got hooked, despite the outcome. I remember Gazza’s tears, Psycho’s penalty saved, and Waddle’s airball that’s still travelling somewhere over Italy.

Fast forward to 1998. England are back in the World Cup (somehow I wasn’t converted by USA ‘94), and a striker not much older than me pops up with a wonder goal to beat the Argies. I had to find out who he played for. At the same time, there was this wonderful invention called the Internet which allowed me more insight into European football, and to even buy videotapes and DVDs. Since the turn of the century, the game’s actually caught on in America, making it possible to watch almost any league in the world. It was all over.

And what inspired you to create your own blog about the club?

I’m a writer by trade, and needed to be writing more often. In 2006, I was in a dead-end job in a field I didn’t want to be in. Starting a football blog had been rolling around in my head for a few months and with the season having just started, it was the right time. I was always going to focus on Liverpool, but I didn’t think I’d almost exclusively write about the club. My Liverpool obsession just overrode everything.

How would you rate the team’s performance so far this season?

Obviously not good. Basically, everything that could go wrong has. Lying, skint owners meant the squad still had too little depth, early injuries to the backline meant Benitez couldn’t institute a more attacking philosophy to compensate for the loss of Alonso, key players were either injured or completely off-form, and it all went downhill from there. That Liverpool hasn’t completely gone under and is still almost in the hunt for fourth is at least a testament to their grit.

In your opinion who have been the team’s 3 standout performers and why?

This is easy, because there have only been 2 or 3 consistent players this season. Reina and Mascherano top the list by far. Reina is the best keeper in the league by a country mile, and has single-handedly kept Liverpool in games. He’s a peerless distributor and shot-stopper, and has gotten far better on crosses. The mark of a great keeper is making the one save required, and Reina almost always does.

Mascherano had a tough spell while Argentina struggled to qualify for the World Cup, but he’s been a revelation since. The best defensive midfielder in the world; I’m convinced he draws a line on the pitch before kickoff and refuses to allow anyone past it. Whether Liverpool will be able to keep Barca’s grubby hands off him is one of this summer’s biggest questions.

Finally, Torres. He’s been injured off and on all season, more so than last year, but is still Liverpool’s top scorer by some distance with 18 goals. As with Reina at the other end of the pitch, Liverpool would be screwed without his goals.

Most football fans, and particularly bloggers, think deeply about their club. What are the key issues facing Liverpool right now, both on and off the field?

Ugh, there are almost too many to name. First and foremost, the owners, who are the root cause of most of the concerns. They simply have to go. They’ve lied about the debt, lied about the new stadium, and lied about transfer funds. They’re threatening the existence of the club.

Tactically, I still worry about Benitez’s teams on the field, although I have a higher tolerance for “shit hanging from a stick” than most. Liverpool are often too conservative, especially having gone “back to basics” during the tough winter stretch. We’ve seen the reins loosened recently with Aquilani and Lucas getting forward to good effect, and that needs to continue.

I’m also concerned about the dressing room given the discord we’ve seen in some games – and Riera certainly hasn’t helped – but the last two have abetted that concern a little as well.

How do you see the race for fourth panning out?

I’m still incredibly nervous, and have been since the 0-1 loss at Wigan. Spurs, Villa, and City will all drop points, but so will Liverpool, and I can’t imagine all three clubs dropping enough for Liverpool to sneak in.

Steven Gerrard has been making headlines of late for his amazing ability to never be punished for anything. But how do you rate his performances on the pitch this season?

Hit and miss, and more miss than hit. To be honest, he’s appeared jaded, frustrated, and focused on the World Cup during Liverpool’s struggles, often with a face looking like it’s just been smacked. The recent headlines for an elbow on Brown and a gesture at Marriner exemplify that frustration.

But he’s still Liverpool’s talisman. And when he’s on and scoring Liverpool almost always wins.

Gillett/Hicks, ‘Yanks Out’, Spirit of Shankly. What are your opinions on affairs behind the scenes at Anfield, and what do you see as the solution?

It’s hard commenting on this as an American, because it feels as if you’re automatically grouped in with your countrymen, but the solution’s simple. Gillett and Hicks have to go. They’ve damaged the club’s financial situation, hopefully not irreparably, lied about the debt, and failed to fund any transfers outside of what Rafa’s recouped for three windows now.

On the other side of the ocean, I honestly wish I had more knowledge of and involvement in Spirit of Shankly, but as far as I can tell, they’re doing God’s work.

Rafa Benitez. Should he stay or should he go?

Stay. It feels a lot safer saying that after wins over Pompey and Lille, but I’m a huge fan of Benitez, even if his conservative methods can infuriate. At times it’s looked like he wouldn’t survive the season, and even I was questioning whether he could still lead the team, but I think he’ll still be in charge come next season. At least I hope.

Unsung hero?

Probably Reina, but summer signing Kyrgiakos has been a cool head in defense, absolutely necessary after Hyypia’s exit.

How do you see the club evolving over the next few years & are you optimistic about the future of the club?

Who knows? It all depends on the owners and Benitez. Liverpool could win the league or pull a Leeds. I vacillate between optimism and pessimism daily, if not hourly.

Onto Oh You Beauty. How have you found blogging since you began & what have been the biggest challenges?

It’s been fun, and I’m stunned I’m still doing this after almost four years. I’m an awful self-promoter, so the blog’s grown slowly, but it’s grown, and I’m amazed at the traffic and interaction. Of course, I still worry whether (and wonder why) anyone wants to read what an American writes about Liverpool and football. The Internet is a wonderful thing.

What does the future hold for Oh You Beauty?

Just keep on keeping on. The longer I’ve done this, the more I’m able to analyze in-depth, whether it’s increasing knowledge of tactics, familiarity with the team and manager, or adding things like detailed stats and infographics. The plan is for more of that.

And, with journalism and media struggling post-recession, what do you think is the future of sports journalism?

It’ll sound incredibly arrogant, but this is the future of sports journalism. Digital media is the future, and it’ll include “professionals” as well as “amateurs.” Given the state of media and the economy, there’ll probably be more amateurs than professionals, which will require consumers to be smart about what they consume. There are no gatekeepers anymore; I can write in-depth about an English football team from New York. It’s a whole new world, and it’s ours.

For more great Liverpool analysis get yourself over to Oh You Beauty. Next up in the Blog Files – Real Madrid Talk. Literally.

Fan Culture, Liverpool, The Blog Files