New owners should make a bid for Alonso

SOCCER ANGLES:Liverpool created a hole they still haven't filled when they released Xabi Alonso, as his midweek performance against Scotland highlighted

OF THE many reasons to like and admire Xabi Alonso, one is the simple pleasure that comes from X being the first letter in his name. X marks the spot. For a man known for his precision, that just makes you smile.

At Hampden Park on Tuesday night there were even Scotsmen doing that when Alonso eased his body over the ball. At international level Alonso is slightly overshadowed by the presence of Xavi alongside and Andres Iniesta ahead of him. David Villa causes a stir now and again too.

But in Xavi’s absence on Tuesday, Alonso ran the game for Spain against Scotland. A couple of his precise passes were works of art and it was a brilliant reminder of just what Liverpool lost when Rafael Benitez first marginalised Alonso by pursuing Gareth Barry, then sold him to Real Madrid.

Liverpool created a hole they still have not filled.

Plugging holes at Anfield has been the story of the week and much longer. But amid red wave after red wave of Liverpool news, Alonso’s trademark footwork at Hampden took you away from the Anfield boardroom and back to the pitch.

It has clearly gone badly wrong with the Americans upstairs but it could have been better on the field too.

There is something about Benitez’s commitment to Liverpool as a place and as a club that is, like Alonso, hugely likeable. Not only did Benitez make a symbolic £96,000 (€109,400) donation to the Hillsborough Fund on his departure, he had the wherewithal and the time to seek out Rhys Jones’s mother and offer her a cheque. Rhys Jones was the Everton-supporting boy caught fatally in the crossfire of one of Liverpool’s gang wars. He was buried in an Everton coffin.

Benitez says he regards Liverpool still as his home, even though he is in Milan. His house on the Wirral is the only one he owns and he isn’t selling.

Downstairs at Hampden on Tuesday night Alonso sped past the Spanish press and was heading for the exit when he saw a reporter from Merseyside. Alonso remembered his name, stopped and was immediately deep in conversation about all things Liverpool. He may have mentioned beating Scotland.

Along with Benitez’s attitude it was evidence of the way Liverpool as a town, and that includes Everton, gets under people’s skin.

Some observers will undoubtedly be bored by the high court saga and the whole American escapade of the past two years and more, but many are intrigued and irritated to the point of fascination.

Walking around the place these past two days, picking up the Liverpool Echo, talking to people, was a reminder that Liverpool is football daft. It has a Glaswegian intensity that is not matched in many cities.

Kenny Dalglish's new book, My Liverpool Home, reasserts that in the title. He of course links Glasgow and Liverpool, but it is a connection that pre-dates him, one that goes back to the very beginning of Liverpool FC.

Another book just landed on the shelves is Red Men, a biography of Liverpool FC, by John Williams. Williams is a sociologist who is unafraid to talk up the significance of the game. "People talk glibly about it," he says, "but football is important."

Red Menis a fine read. It takes you back to the fact Liverpool came out of Everton. And when they did, they were at first overwhelmingly Scottish. McQue, McQueen, McLean and so on, these were the surnames of Liverpool's first XI.

That connection has dwindled with the pool of Scottish talent (though that does not fully explain the oddness of some of Craig Levein’s managerial decisions). Under Gerard Houllier Liverpool began to acquire a French identity and when Benitez came in it was transformed into a Spanish one. It was too much for some at Anfield, even if Alonso, Pepe Reina and Fernando Torres were unquestionably worthwhile additions.

Then again, an Evertonian friend remarked in a bar on Thursday night that one of the features of Alonso was his Englishness. It was pointed out that three or four players – such as Joey Barton – were sent off for fouls on Alonso in his last season at Liverpool, yet Alonso did not once complain. He had adapted to the culture of the club and the country.

But he was sold regardless of this and his other qualities. So Alonso went to Real Madrid and then to the World Cup with Spain. A player can be judged by the gap he leaves and Alonso’s is still there at Anfield. How much better Liverpool would feel about themselves in general, and tomorrow at Goodison Park in particular, if Alonso were around.

Yesterday was another tortuous day in the life of Liverpool FC. There was more speculation about Torres leaving.

The new owners, whenever they get their feet under the table, could do worse than countering that by making a bid for Alonso. You just don’t know. Even trying to bring back the man with an X would earn a big tick.

Sharing the turf refuses to take root

IN THE 2009 edition of the Liverpool A-Z, there is a green space near Anfield with "Liverpool FC stadium" written on it. In brackets it says "Due to open 2009".

Which brings us to Dundee. The stadiums of Dens Park and Tannadice are even closer than Anfield is to Goodison Park and in the glory days both Dundee and Dundee United could fill their terraces.

But Thursday's confirmation that Dundee are back in administration for the second time in a decade makes you not only lament Scottish domestic football afresh, it makes some ask again the question about the viability of two grounds for two ever-fading powers.

It is all part of the debate in Liverpool and yet ground-sharing just refuses to take off.

Even the smallest of clubs will desire their own homes which they can control. In the case of Dundee this must seem strange to administrators, given the club is questionable as an economic entity. And with the British government cuts avalanche around the corner, there may soon be more clubs questioned as to whether they can afford to keep the lights on.

A load of Sam Allardyce

SAM ALLARDYCE has responded to Danny Murphy's comments about managers such as Allardyce sending out "pumped up" players who injure opponents.

"Danny Murphy doesn't know about Sam Allardyce because he's never been managed by Sam Allardyce or coached by Sam Allardyce," said Sam Allardyce.

Can that be described as a load of Sam Allardyce?