History: 2003-2004 Season Review

SEASON SUMMARY

The 2003-2004 season was one of some absolutely sizzling goals, but more than that it was one of some horrific results and absolutely dreadful football. The highs of 2001-2002 had faded in 2002-2003, and many of us hoped it was just a fluke season rather than a new trend… but this was all just unrealistic optimism. In reality, Houllier was losing the plot and was making some seriously misguided choices in both the transfer market and with his team selection. Injuries certainly complicated matters- nobody would dispute that- but there was an overall sense that Liverpool was a sinking ship. As a supporter, it was difficult to watch Liverpool regularly lose to the likes of Tottenham, Birmingham City, Portsmouth, and Southampton AND all of the other big sides. We were just rubbish, pure and simple.

The season began with 2 points out of a possible 9, but seemed to be swinging upwards once we defeated Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park and went on a nice little run of wins after beating Blackburn and Leicester. After that, though, our poor form continued to “blossom,” with three consecutive losses against Charlton, Arsenal, and Portsmouth. This would become a theme throughout the campaign, with little streaks of wins, draws and losses coming and going more frequently than Marcus Bent in the transfer window! (footie nerds across the globe may POSSIBLY get this one… otherwise… forgive me!) Throughout it all, though, there were a few consistently steady performers: Steven Gerrard and Sami Hyypia. These two men would at times single-handedly carry this mediocre squad on their shoulders, and would ultimately lead them to fourth in the table. Michael Owen and Danny Murphy, having both just had some of their best seasons for the club, both had sub-par seasons with individual but infrequent moments of brilliance… and then there was El Hadji Diouf and Emile Heskey, who couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn.

The sad thing about this season was how it all began so promisingly. The signings of Harry Kewell and Steve Finnan seemed to indicate smarter purchases in the summer, and both looked like decent players. People figured that Owen was over his injury problems, and his strong start suggested that this was indeed the case, as 2002-2003 was relatively injury free. And nobody would predict that Riise wouldn’t score a single goal and that Milan Baros would only score twice (thanks to injuries, mainly). All of these unpredictable and unfortunate events came to a head in a season that is definitely looked back upon as our worst in my time as a supporter. At the end of it all, though we finished 4th after heroic wins over Manchester United at Old Trafford and grabbing 11 out of 15 possible points in the last five matches, Gerard Houllier was given the sack after being at the club for six eventful seasons. He went from 7th to 4th to 3rd to 2nd to 5th to 4th. It was clear we were an upside down parabola, and it was unlikely to reverse itself. Though we did manage some trophies under his reign, the obvious warning signs were there. Biscan at central defender? Diouf, Diao, Cheyrou? Playing Sinama Pongolle and Le Tallec without any consideration that they were not that good in this division? Buying injury prone players? GAME OVER.

TOP 5 MOMENTS

5) Bruno Cheyrou gives us first win at Stamford Bridge in a dog’s age…

There are certain “bogey” grounds in football… one of which is Old Trafford for Aston Villa. Another is Craven Cottage for Everton. For Portsmouth, it just so happens to be Anfield. For Liverpool Football Club, Stamford Bridge has often been a ground where results are extremely rare. In fact, they had never won at Stamford Bridge since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, often times losing without scoring a goal. The previous results were particularly appaling, with 1-2, 0-4, 0-3, and 0-2 scorelines. So when Bruno Cheyrou slid in a goal from 6 yards after only a few minutes ticked off of the clock, there was a massive feeling of “WTF?” amongst the Stamford Bridge faithful. Not just the score, but the SCORER. Cheyrou was not one of our more heralded players, in fact he was generally considered a dud and a bit of a nancy. It was to remain a fairytale result for the Frenchman, who would go on to manage a few more goals within the month, only to fade off into oblivion (Ligue 1).

4) Michael Owen inspires Liverpool to 3-0 Goodison Park victory.

Two points from the first three matches was not the start that was expected of Liverpool, but many people were beginning to think that perhaps we had permanently lost our grip from the top 4… which at that time included Newcastle United, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Man Utd. Michael Owen restored a sense of hope, however, and scored two and provided one to Harry Kewell to give us a much-needed 3-0 victory at Goodison Park against our friendly rivals Everton. Both goals were products of great play from teammates (Kewell for the first, Baros for the second), but needed good finishes. If he may not have been prolific in 2003-2004, Owen at least was able to score some fairly good goals at important times in the season.

3) Sami Hyypia’s header defeats Wolves 1-0 in dying seconds.

On the day I graduated from college, I remember signing onto the computers to see how we did against Wolves and being ECSTATIC. I had been able to watch the first 60 mintues but had to leave to go the ceremony, and was pleasantly surprised to see that Sami Hyypia had scored a belter of a header, towering high above the defense off of a corner to give us a much-needed 1-0 win. Glorious moment!

2) Danny Murphy’s penalty sinks Man Utd. at Old Trafford 1-0.

Another season of UEFA Cup football was on the horizon for Liverpool, as Aston Villa and Newcastle were pipping us out of the 4th position with only five matches left to play. Liverpool could only muster a draw against Fulham, and we were now in a spot where the other clubs would need to drop points because we were about to play Manchester United who would most likely pummel us into pieces. Fortunately for us, Gary Neville decided to trip Gerrard in the box despite Gerrard’s run truly not leading us anywhere important. Danny Murphy, who never missed a penalty for the club in any shape or form, stepped up and curled it beautifully over the reach of the keeper and into the net. Three points to LFC after the 1-0 victory, and we were on our way to snagging 4th from the jaws of dispair!

1) Gerard Houllier sacked.

It is truly sad that the best moment of the season was the firing of a manager who had actually done quite a bit for the club. The problem was that we were sliding backwards at such a rate that there was really no way out for us. If all we could hope for was to PERHAPS finish 4th, how could we compete for trophies? How could we get the players we needed? And would those players be like Diouf and Cheyrou, or would they be of the quality of Gerrard and Owen? It was blatantly obvious that it was the first, not the second, because a good player who was POSITIVELY impacting the club on a regular basis had not been purchased since John Arne Riise in 2001-2002. Steve Finnan would eventually come good, but one player in three summers who actually made a difference was not the sort of record one would hope for or expect from a historically WINNING club. Houllier had indeed lost the plot and was slipping, losing control, and lost all confidence from players and supporters alike. Upon being sacked, Rafa Benitez was snapped up. Things have improved and developed ever since.

TOP 10 BEST GOALS

10) Owen v. Blackburn

In a 4-0 romp over Blackburn, Michael Owen had a typical performance from perhaps seasons past, scoring two beauties. The second goal was a truly great one, though, racing onto a bouncing throughball from Diouf which he smacked with ferocious intent into the far side netting. The way he struck it made one wonder why he didn’t do that more often, but then again we were talking about an Owen who was about to fall off of the face of the “great player” map. Credit to him, though, this was a fabulous goal.

9) Baros @ Leeds

Milan Baros was not known for BRILLIANT goals during his time at Liverpool. Usually he was known as a player who scored in bunches, and was a prolific scorer when his attitude allowed for it. In this match, Baros equalized against Leeds when were down 1-2… and what an equalizer! He dribbled through several players in tight corners, and ripped a lovely laced strike into the far side netting from 20 yards at the apex of the 18 yard box. Having been injured for about 6 months, this goal meant a lot to Baros and to Liverpool supporters. Sadly, this did not start an avalanche of goals for the Czech international, but it DID make for a great highlight!

(watch me! Start it at the 5:00 mark… it is the #1 goal in this top 10 Baros goals list)

8 ) Kewell v. Birmingham City

Brave headers are often ignored in top goal countdowns, but this one was of particular skill and bravery that I had to include it. Tied at 1-1, Harry Kewell THREW himself at this one from about 12 yards out and placed it gloriously into the lower far corner. It was one of those goals that just looked extremely pretty, and the celebration was classic. For a guy with so many injuries in his time at Leeds and at Liverpool, Kewell still managed to be extremely useful in the air, once again scoring a classy goal with his head.

(watch me at about minute marker 1:50)

7) Owen v. Manchester City

In his pomp, Owen was well-known for being able to turn defenders inside out and then finishing perfectly into the far side netting. In 2003-2004, this was seen a bit less than normal, but in a match against Manchester City at Anfield, Owen rewound the clock and showed off his ability to make defenders look silly. It was one of those “ankle breaker” goals that are so cherished by supporters.

6) Kewell @ Leeds

Harry Kewell scored some delightful goals for Leeds United when he played there. So how fitting was it upon his return to the club that he scored one of absolute quality in front of their home supporters? Collecting the ball at the apex of the 18, Harry Kewell took a touch and wasted no time in curling a magnificent goal into the far top corner, cementing the keeper’s feet directly into the ground. His reaction said it all… “holy crap, I just scored a sublime goal against my old team and I shouldn’t celebrate, but my GOD what a goal!” And yes, it was quite lovely!

(watch me! I’m about 45 seconds into the video…)

5) Gerrard v. Levski Sofia

A goal of the highest ability, let’s start there. His celebration of it might be remembered more than the strike itself (running over to Houllier and hugging him amidst all of the sacking rumors), but the goal really was quite brilliant. Levski Sofia had headed the ball out of the area after a corner kick, and Steven Gerrard was there to take a stride and volley it mid-air low with his left foot into the near post corner from about 25 yards out. It was a piece of undeniable skill, and a goal that would help elevate Gerrard to that next level.

(watch me! I’m 50 seconds into the video)

4) Heskey v. Birmingham City

Sadly I was unable to find video for this goal (increasingly common scenario as I head into the older years of the club), but it was one of genuine quality. We were up 2-1 in the dying minutes against Birmingham, whom Heskey would sign for in the following summer, when a ball was floated to him in the 18 yard box about 10 yards from goal. Heskey chested it up in the air, and then proceded to perform an acrobatic overhead kick into the near post top corner. Marvelous stuff from the English international striker.

3) Kewell v. Levski Sofia

Steven Gerrard scored a beauty in this same game, but this strike from Kewell was definitely a much more difficult one. Not often do players score from outside of the box, but ESPECIALLY not often do they do so from the SIDE of the 18 yard box… and even less frequently into the far upper corner with the keeper not rushing out at them. Kewell struck a curling shot as if it was on a zipline into the upper corner in this match, and it was a goal of pure class and perfection. One of the prettiest goals you could ever hope to see. Take a look!

(watch me! I’m about at 1:13 in the video)

2) Hamann @ Manchester City

What a goal. From 25 yards out, Hamann trapped a clearance from Manchester City’s defenders, let it bounce a few times and then took a wild strike at it with his unfavored left foot and into the upper far corner past a lunging David Seaman with only minutes left to play. In a rain-soaked encounter, Hamann displayed a rare moment of raw emotion with his celebration. Not that he wasn’t used to celebrating against the Citizens… it was the team he scored against most. Check out this clip, but also remember his classic volley in similar fashion back in 2000-2001!

(watch me! I’m 25 seconds in. The whole vid is worth watching, really…)

1) Hamann v. Portsmouth

Perhaps the best goal I’ve ever seen, full stop. Didi Hamann’s strike from the top of the D was just pure perfection. To take a volley in mid-air like that with a ball that was looped quite high requires a tremendous level of timing, technique, and composure. The vast majority of living creatures would have sailed that ball far into the stands or even would have missed it altogether. Not Hamann. He cranked on it with the coolest of composure and into the top corner. I have rarely seen a goalkeeper look so confused. It was a truly bamboozling effort, one in which must be heralded as one of the best goals in Premiership history, and certainly in our own illustruous history.

(watch me!)

TOP 10 MOST IMPORTANT GOALS

10) Owen v. Newcastle

In a season where the word “important” certainly revolved more around the future of the club and on events occurring outside of league position and trophies, Owen’s goal versus Newcastle encapsulated the motto of the season… “good, but not good enough.” The goal was quality, yes, but the final result was 1-1. We were ahead of Newcastle in the final standings, but we finished 4th and were DISTANTLY behind the top 3. And as a result of all this, Owen was off to Real Madrid. The “importance” of this goal is precisely in its moment as the last goal of a season that was the end of an era, as well as being Owen’s last goal at the club.

9) Gerrard @ Bolton

It may have seemed a relatively meaningless away fixture at Bolton, but Gerrard’s late equalizer was important for the confidence and helped spurn a decent run of results. Down 1-2, Le Tallec chipped a ball over to the stride of Gerrard, who took it down and curved it into the far side-netting, which led to fist pumping celebrations in front of the Liverpool supporters at the Reebok. Maybe we weren’t rocking it in the Premiership, but we had pride to restore and a point to prove. Gerrard’s goal went some way in doing this.

8 ) Murphy @ Fulham

Not for the first or last time, a Danny Murphy penalty would prove to be the difference in a match where we really looked like not winning. After Heskey gave us a 1-0 advantage at Craven Cottage, Louis Saha fortuitously levelled matters at 1-1. With only 5 minutes to play, Sinama Pongolle was taken down in the box by the lunging leg of Zat Knight, and Murphy stepped up to give us the win. There was no doubt what the result was going to be… this was Danny Murphy, after all… PENALTY GOD!!! The 2-1 victory was one of our most memorable of the season, and one of our few comebacks.

7) Gerrard v. Levski Sofia

Steven Gerrard’s left footed volley from thin air against a lower European opposition side definitely had more to do with importance off of the field than in on-pitch importance. It was clear we’d advance in the competition. What was unclear was the feeling towards Gerard Houllier from within the camp. When Gerrard scored and ran to the dugout to celebrate with Houllier, the message was loud and clear that he had the support from the players. This moment probably helped Houllier’s exit become much more graceful and calm… which was important in giving Rafa the time he needed, as people weren’t in a fury of pissed-offness, thus being patient. Therefore, this goal was important for the Rafa-lution more than anything else.

6) Cheyrou v. Newcastle

Cheyrou’s flying header to give us the 2-1 victory over Newcastle in the FA Cup ultimately led to nothing, but at the time it had the feeling of a crucial goal that could lead us to FA Cup glory. Sadly we’d be dumped shortly thereafter by a plucky Portsmouth side, but this match was a clasic. Cheyrou scored the first, Robert equalized with a stunning free-kick, and then Cheyrou’s second of the match gave us a very nice and well-deserved win. Winning breeds more winning, and it really helped us get our feet off of the ground and put together some results.

5) Owen @ Everton

Two points from the first three games sent ominous signs about how this season would go, so it was critical that we got a positive result in the Merseyside Derby. Michael Owen immediately achieved this for us, scoring two and setting up the third. The first is what got us going, however, and when Kewell brilliantly set him up, Owen did the rest by slotting coolly off of the far post and in from a relatively difficult tight angle. Owen was truly growing into a thorn in Everton’s side over the years, but would end up playing no part in the second derby, or indeed another derby for the rest of his career.

4) Cheyrou @ Chelsea

No win at Stamford Bridge in the league in over 15 years, so who breaks this streak? BRUNO CHEYROU? Heskey set him up, and Cheyrou did the honors by smashing it in first time with his left peg. We barely held on for the rest of the match, but eventually we grabbed the points. Crucially, this match came immediately after boardroom talks that stated that “4th place isn’t a prize, it is just a BARE MINIMUM TARGET,” setting the tone to Houllier that his pride in being 4th was simply not good enough. This win helped us at least achieve the minimum target, but wouldn’t be enough to keep Houllier’s job!

3) Owen @ Birmingham City

After defeating Manchester United and Middlesbrough, we took a trip to St. Andrews that would ultimately put us in pole position to finish 4th… or something else! A win would essentially guarantee 4th place and the Champions League position that would end up being the title-winning position! The match had been level at 0-0 for a while, and the nerves were building, but Owen gave us the crucial opener after 30 minutes. It was typical Owen, as well, running past a defender, and coolly slotting it to the far corner despite the angle not looking ideal. Where had this Owen been???

2) Hyypia v. Wolverhampton

Liverpool FC had FINALLY started getting results when THIS happened. 0-0 at Anfield against WOLVES? WTF! Story of the season, right? Wrong. Sami Hyypia was going to rewrite this awful script, and he’d do so in spectacular style. The corner kick flew his way, and Hyypia flung himself majestically into the sky, towering far above the worthless peons below him. He’d go on to smack the ball beautifully with his forehead right under the bar in the top corner to send the stadium into hysterics. Reading about this at my college graduation right before walking in the “Science, Math, and Technology Education” building (SMATE, for short) was perhaps one of my favorite non-watching memories as a supporter.

1) Murphy @ Manchester United

This match was the real swinging point in the race for 4th and the coveted Champions League place. Having had drawn to Fulham and losing to Arsenal and Charlton in the previous weeks, our run for 4th had taken a dreadful turn to “not likely.” With Manchester United at Old Trafford on the horizon, this was looking like the nail in the coffin. Rather, it served to be the unlikely catlyst to 4th. Gerrard won the penalty, and Murphy stuck it away. Far and away our only truly momentous “big game” occasion other than the Merseyside Derby in this torrid campaign, which is probably why it sticks out so much!!

SIGNINGS AND DEPARTURES

Signings:

The signings in 2003-2004 were actually not that bad, but the problem was the fitness levels in the players who were being purchased AND in their age. Steve Finnan and Harry Kewell were the two biggest names in the bunch, both of whom were known as pacy players who love to fly up and down the flanks. Finnan came with a reputation of being an attacking fullback, and this would allow for Carra to move to leftback and for Riise to become a left sided midfielder. This was a decent idea, except that Kewell was ALSO a left sided midfielder, so we were purchasing players in positions where we didn’t need to be making purchases (such as a second central defender, or perhaps a striker to partner Owen). Kewell and Finnan did alright for themselves, but both had major injury layoffs that truly hampered their progress.

The other two big signings of the summer were Sinama Pongolle and Le Tallec from Le Havre. These two “gems for the future” were certainly coming in with accolades… they had won the “player of the tournament” and the “top goalscorer of the tournament” for the U-20 world championships with France. The problem was that neither had been tested at a high level, and being brought STRAIGHT into the action was perhaps a jump too great for them… which proved to be a problem, as they weren’t ready for it yet.

The only winter signing was Paul Jones, a goalkeeper we took on emergency loan as Chris Kirkland AND Jerzy Dudek had gone down with injuries. He did well enough for us in his few matches, but come on… This alone made me realize just how low we had stooped as a club. Ugh. Either that, or the news that we almost signed Lee Bowyer! (!!!)

Departures:

Departures in the summer of 2003 were not nearly what they needed to be. Only Patrik Berger left, and he wasn’t even playing all that badly for us. Houllier was becoming a bit too soft in this department. Heggem, Diomede and Arphexad left as well, but nobody really noticed… and then in the winter, Abel Xavier and his crazy hair left the club. That meant Diao, Diouf, Biscan, and countless other flops were sticking around!

TOP 5 PLAYERS

5) Michael Owen

After three immensely productive seasons, 2003-2004 saw a major downturn in the effectiveness of Michael Owen. That said, he was still a force to be reckoned with, and scored 19 goals in all competitions… but it was still 10 less than the previous campaign. Owen’s struggle to stay fit also resulted in our team’s struggle to score goals, something that only seemed to be remedied once he regained his fitness. Owen started the season brilliantly, scoring 8 goals in two months, but his productivity faded after that and he seemed to grow as in increasingly frustrated and ineffective figure. Several missed penalties and some missed sitters went some way in demonstrating just how much his form had dipped… but fortunately he recovered his sense for goal and scored some crucial ones as the season came to a close. He also broke Ian Rush’s European goalscoring record, which would be passed by Gerrard a few seasons later.

4) Didi Hamann

In his last full-time regular season at Liverpool, Didi Hamann showed several moments of absolute class and quality. His goals over Portsmouth and Manchester City were simply divine, and it can be said without doubt that he probably has the best quality-to-goal ratio of anyone at the club since I’ve been watching (though Alonso would come a close second, as would Luis Garcia and Gerrard). Had it not been for injuries, Liverpool surely would have won more games with Hamann out there doing his defensive excellence. Alas, he was not healthy for crucial parts of the campaign where we were dropping points.

3) Harry Kewell

Unfortunately Kewell’s season came to an end as winter turned to spring, but his first 6 months at the club went fairly well. He scored 11 goals, all of which were quite special, and then had a horrific string of injuries that would plague his four next campaigns. Kewell’s goals also seemed to come in the big matches, with goals against both Arsenal and Manchester United, as well as important strikes over Birmingham and Leeds that gave us the lead in those respective matches. His quality was there to see, and often times was one of the only reasons we did not get stuck in midtable mediocrity.

2) Sami Hyypia

Not only was Hyypia scoring goals more than normal, he was scoring crucial ones… or at least ones that LOOKED like being crucial! Smashing headers over Bolton (twice), Arsenal, Wolves, and Levski Sofia saw Hyypia score five goals, and solid defensive performances from him saw Hyypia become the force he had been a couple years prior after a difficult 2002-2003 campaign. One negative blot on the season actually turned out to be quite the saving grace for Sami, and that was losing the captaincy to Gerrard. His performances, and Gerrard’s to be truthful, improved greatly as the change occured. Perhaps losing that weight off of his shoulders allowed for him to get on with what he does best: leading by example!

1) Steven Gerrard

Steven Gerrard was a well-respected figure before the 2003-2004 season, but perhaps this was the year that really saw him become a leader for the club, and therefore earn the plaudits he had truly deserved up to this point. Becoming captain midway through the campaign, Gerrard often had to drag Liverpool through the mud to get any kind of result. He didn’t score a ton of goals, but he created MANY and was often times the only player who truly had the heart to fight through the difficult times. Gerrard lost a bit of patience at times in this campaign, but ultimately he became the kind of leader we would all grow to know and love.

TOP 3 FLOPS

3) Igor Biscan

Once again, this might come across as more harsh to the player than what is deserved. Biscan ended up doing quite well in the following season for Rafa as a central midfielder, but Houllier’s incessant use of him at central defender despite it CLEARLY not being a position he was capable at was something that led to many a downfall for us in 2003-2004 (and indeed in the season prior). Biscan’s red card against Marseille conceded the penalty that ultimately knocked us out of the UEFA Cup, but like I said… HOULLIER is the man responsible for that, not Igor.

2) Anthony Le Tallec
Built up in the media and by Gerard Houllier as a “gem for the future,” Le Tallec only really showed that he was excellent at being bumped off of the ball and making a small impact on matches, if any at all. You can’t blame the kid, though, as he was only 19 and hadn’t played in such a physical league. It was really Houllier’s fault for rushing in a player who wasn’t ready and shoving this square peg into a clearly round hole… so to speak.

1) Diouf
The nickname “Dioufus” could not have been more fitting. A man who we had signed the year prior as a “serial killer’ in front of goal was more like a “serial killer” as far as blown points for the team and spitting on fans and being an all around jackass. In 2003-2004, as an attacking player that was critical to our lack of success, Diouf managed an astonishing ZERO goals in 33 appearances throughout the season. ZERO!!! No wonder the fans “loved” him. Probably my all-time least favorite Liverpool player.

STATISTICS

League Cup- knocked out by Bolton in the 4th round after a 2-3 loss at Anfield.

FA Cup- knocked out by Portsmouth in a 5th round replay, losing 0-1 in perhaps the match that sunk any chance of Houllier sticking around.