Guilty Because Charged (THEODORE DALRYMPLE|, 1/22/15, Liberty & Law)

Even the most thoroughgoing of penological liberals, I have noticed, has a category of crime – a favourite of sorts, I suppose – that he thinks ought to be severely punished. However much he may deny that punishment is justified, morally or practically, for other crimes, the crime he has selected as being of special heinousness deserves only the most condign punishment. All other crimes may in his opinion merit, and be susceptible only to, explanation and understanding, but this crime must, for moral reasons, be treated with exemplary harshness.

At present in Britain the crime selected by penological liberals for special severity is rape. While they are perfectly happy for other criminals to be treated with leniency, and are fierce in their support for every conceivable protection for the accused, they find the sentences given to rapists to be totally, even ludicrously, inadequate, and sometimes argue for a different standard of proof to secure conviction of the accused. The presumption of innocence ought in this case be abandoned or at least diluted; and because in this crime there can be no smoke without fire, they are distressed that so many cases end in acquittal.

This vengefulness, so ill-assorted with the rest of the penological liberal’s outlook, was succinctly expressed in an article in the normally liberal British newspaper, the Guardian, in a recent article about the case of Ched Evans. [...]

After his release on parole from prison, Evans tried to resume his lucrative professional footballing career. The football club for which he had played at the time of his conviction, Sheffield United, initially took him back, but public reaction was so negative that it soon reversed its decision. Another club, Oldham Athletic, agreed to take him on, but again reaction was negative and some members of the public sent menacing messages, including threats (here one can only admire the fineness of the logic) to rape the wives of some of the staff if he were employed.

Penological liberals would probably be outraged if, for example, a released murderer were refused access to the airwaves or permission to publish a book on the grounds that he was a murderer. But most of them would be equally outraged if a convicted rapist were permitted to resume playing football. Rape is thus a more serious offence than murder, or football a more important activity than broadcasting or writing.

However, it was the last paragraph of the article in the Guardian that struck me as deeply sinister. It read in part: Whether or not [his appeal] is successful, Ched Evans has a great deal more to do before he can find acceptance again as a professional footballer…

In other words, he is guilty even if he is found innocent. So the penological liberal adopts the great principle of totalitarian jurisprudence: guilty because charged.

Why even let prisoners out after their sentence if no one can employ them?

ALL ABOUT PACE OF PLAY:

Exciting times for Liverpool fans: How lightning quick attackers could fit in to the Reds' team (Carl Robinson, January 16, 2015, Talk Sport)

For those who didn’t witness the striker emerge at the World Cup, Origi is very athletic and uses his explosive acceleration to beat defenders trying to face him down one on one.

Origi has scored five goals for club and country this season – one goal more than Sturridge, Balotelli and Lambert have managed for the Reds so far this campaign.

Along with his two assists for the season, Origi can play either as the main striker or cutting in from either flank.

Rodgers will look to use this versatility in combination with the returning Daniel Sturridge.

Origi will add power and pace to a front line that will leave defenders looking foolish in their wake.
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Like Origi, Ibe has been gaining valuable experience on loan, notching up five goals and two assists for Derby County this season with some scintillating performances.

It is these performances that have led to Rodgers recalling the 19-year-old with a first-team role in mind.

Ibe has impressed more than just Rodgers, with Derby manager Steve McClaren saying: ““We wanted to bring players here who can get the crowd on the edge of their seats when they pick the ball up. That is what Jordon has done. He has lit us up when he has played.”

Rodgers may well look to add Ibe to an attacking four that will include Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Origi.

Raheem Sterling's greatest gift is his unmatchable speed, which is wasted at the point of attack.

HE HASN'T PLAYED THE NEWCOMERS ENOUGH:

Pick these players Rodgers! The stars Liverpool are more likely to win with (Talk Sport, 1/14/15)


3. Jordan Henderson has the third highest win rate percentage (45 per-cent) in the Premier League of Liverpool’s players this season [...]

2. Emre Can and Javier Manquillo have been on the winning side in 50 per-cent of the Premier League games they have featured in so far this season.  [...]

1. Lucas Leiva – 63.6 per-cent of Premier League matches won this season

There was a great statistical analysis a couple years ago showing that if you wanted to replace Stephen Gerrard, two of the players most like him in the world are Lucas and Joe Allen.

FORCED INTO PLAYING PROPERLY:

How the 3-4-3 Formation rejuvenates Liverpool (Ayo Anibaba, 12/27/14, Backpage Football)

Recently, due to injury and a run of bad results, Rodgers has been playing without a recognizable striker in a 3-4-3 formation. I believe that if Brendan Rodgers plays this right, he could turn around Liverpool’s season. This is because the 3-4-3 formation is a counter-attacking formation by nature.

When Liverpool broke with the ball last season, midfielder made penetrative runs into the opposition half, whilst the forwards stretched the back line with their runs, often into the wide areas. With the 3-4-3 formation, Liverpool can easily overload these wide areas and the opposition full-backs and cause confusion amongst centre-backs and full-backs as to who is marking who.

The 3-4-3 also offers pressing. The front three could press the centre-backs whilst the wide men of the midfield four could press the full-backs. If Rodgers wants to do this right however, he needs to select the right players and give players specific roles for the section of the pitch they are playing in.

The front three need to be the most energetic as they defend from the front. Sterling, Coutinho and Borini should make up the front three currently, and Daniel Sturrdige should replace the latter when he returns from injury.

When Sturridge returns, Coutinho and Sterling have to be on either side of him. They are clever players that will be in the space Jonathan Wilson calls, “that awkward pocket of space between the full-back, centre-back and midfielder.”

Sterling and Coutinho should be able to take advantage of this space to their full ability. Liverpool have many options for the wide midfielders, but I personally would go with Lazar Markovic and Adam Lallana, as they offer creativity in going forward.

The centre of midfield should be made up of Jordan Henderson and Lucas Leiva. Lucas will offer reliable defensive cover and Henderson’s energy will be useful in winning the ball back.



The point of Lambert and Balotelli was to break down Chelsea in the second half if you didn't score three in the first.

PLAING FOR '18:

GK Bill Hamid Is MLS' Best, Should Be USMNT's Next (JOHN GODFREY, DECEMBER 21, 2014, ASN)

 The 24-year-old Virginia native managed a 1.13 goals-against average despite facing 110 shots, helping Ben Olsen's side overachieve its way to the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

Hamid is a gifted shot-stopper blessed with agility, size (six-foot-three, 225 pounds) and solid positioning instincts. He also plays a position that tends to favor experience over youth, evidenced by the three 30somethings (Howard, Guzan, Nick Rimando) ahead of him in the U.S. national team pecking order. With Howard on hiatus, however, Hamid becomes the clearcut choice to join the American troika of backstops whenever the national team convenes.


It's also time to clear our Dempsey & Jones.

THE NATURAL:

Eight years after famous miss, New England Revolution's Jay Heaps on the brink of cathartic title (Andrew Wiebe, 12/06/14, MLSsoccer.com)

Jay Heaps knows better than most that fate can be cruel. In his case, repeatedly so.

Four times Heaps and the Revolution went to MLS Cup. Four times, New England left with nothing but second-place medal to show for it.

And while each game had it’s own agonizing moments - 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2007 - none was more formative for Heaps than the wild 2006 final that included dramatic extra-time time goals from the Revs and the Houston Dynamo and a decisive penalty miss that will live with Longmeadow, Mass., native for life.

#LAvNE | Sunday at 3 ET | ESPN, UniMas and UDN in the US; TSN1, RDS2 in Canada
Now, eight years after Pat Onstad saved his tame effort to give the Dynamo the first of back-to-back titles and almost three years since he left behind a career in finance to pace the sideline, Heaps has a rare opportunity at redemption.

If MLS were better at marketing this storyline would be getting more play than Donovan's final game.

BUT IF HE CAN'T ACCEPT BEING A SUB, SELL HIM:

What Liverpool should do with Steven Gerrard (JAMIE CARRAGHER, 11/28/14, THE DAILY MAIL)

If Liverpool had a penalty or a free-kick in a dangerous area, Steven is the only person I'd want taking it. He's proven that against Ludogorets and Everton this season. He is also the man I'd pick to play a killer pass and the one I'd back over anyone else if he was racing through on goal.

The issue, however, is that at 34, he doesn't get into those positions as regularly as he once did. Furthermore, the dynamic of the deep-lying role he occupied last season has changed as Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge have not been around to provide outlets.

After his outstanding efforts last year, he has yet to reach the same levels – who has in a red shirt?

Steven is not a great protector of a defence. He's there to start attacks from deep rather than shield a defence as Dietmar Hamann or Javier Mascharano did for me. [...]

Over the next 18 months, Brendan will have to start to take him off and leave him out for his own good. People have questioned whether the manager has the resolve to do so but history shows he makes big calls. Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez, Pepe Reina and I will testify to that.

But that isn't a bad thing for Steven. Can you imagine the reaction inside Anfield with 30 minutes of a tight game remaining and seeing No 8 getting stripped for action? With space to exploit and energy to change the game, he could be a lethal weapon.