By James Carroll - 15/02/2008 18:04 [ShanklyGates]
Liverpool face Barnsley in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday with supporters of the Championship club hoping for a repeat of their last visit to Anfield.
On a bleak November afternoon at Anfield, relegation favourites stunned the Premiership by beating Liverpool by an Ashley Ward goal to nil.
With this in mind, and the fact that non-league Havant and Waterlooville were able to strike twice at Anfield in the last round, are the Barnsley fans quietly confident of a shock result?
We spoke to TotalTykes.com editor Mike Richardson to find out...
How have you done so far this season?
Very well compared to last year. We've bought a lot of players, some poor ones, but on the whole we're a lot stronger than last season. If we can finish in a mid table position I think everyone would be delighted with our progress.
Who have been your star men?
Heinz Muller, Stephen Foster and Jamal Campbell-Ryce have probably been the best three.
Muller has been outstanding all throughout the season and if he hadn't got injured, many thought he would have moved to the Premiership in the transfer window.
As for Foster, well he won't be a man who's going to change a game, but he's probably the most consistent defender we've had for some time. He rarely gets beaten and rarely makes a mistake and it'll be interesting to see how he plays against Premiership opposition.
Campbell-Ryce could be an interesting one tomorrow as he's been another great buy. Very quick, shields the ball well and has scored one or two great goals this season.
In general, how have Barnsley performed since being relegated from the Premiership in 1998?
Very up and down, fortunately more up in the last few years. We featured in the First Division play off final and lost to Ipswich and from then on it all went wrong. We were relegated to League One (and then nearly again into League Two) and then went into administration.
In recent years there's been a new regime and after staying up last season, hopefully we can build for a push for the play offs in the next few years.
What are your main memories from our two league meetings in 97/98?
Gary Willard, just that.
The win at Anfield was incredible, but in the meeting at Oakwell that guy just ruined everything. I've never seen such a blatantly biased referee and as a lot of people have said, it was probably that day and his actions that were the turning point in our season.
What was your initial reaction to the cup draw?
It came at a perfect time really. We were in a poor run of form and it was the ideal thing to lift our spirits. I've never been to Anfield and this will probably be the last time we play there, so it should be a good day out.
How much are your players/fans looking forward to visiting Anfield?
We sold all 6000 tickets in the first day so it's safe to say everyone's excited. There's a big screen at Oakwell where another 3000 or so are expected to see the game there, so a lot of the town is involved and looking forward to it.
What have you made of Liverpool and the off the field problems this season?
I don't really know much about their off the field problems, although I think the criticism at the American owners seems a bit harsh.
From the outside it seems they've given Benitez more money than he's had before, yet they're the ones getting criticised! Like I say, I don't know much about it and I'm sure there's other reasons why they're the ones who the fans want rid of though.
Which three Liverpool players would you like to have in the Barnsley team and why?
I think any Liverpool player would be welcome! From what I've seen it would have to be Torres, Gerrard and Riise.
I don't think I need to say anything else on Torres and Gerrard as they're both world class, but
I've always liked Riise as well and it would be great to have someone in our team with a left foot like that!
What chance of an upset?
Depends on what sort of side Liverpool put out I suppose. We've been awful away from home this season and if we concede early, I'd hate to think what the score could be!
Prediction for tomorrow?
Perhaps if our away form was better we may be in with a shout of a replay. I know Liverpool will take this seriously though so I don't expect anything other than a defeat. 3-0 Liverpool.
Liverpool face Barnsley in the FA Cup fifth round on Saturday with supporters of the Championship club hoping for a repeat of their last visit to Anfield.
On a bleak November afternoon at Anfield, relegation favourites stunned the Premiership by beating Liverpool by an Ashley Ward goal to nil.
With this in mind, and the fact that non-league Havant and Waterlooville were able to strike twice at Anfield in the last round, are the Barnsley fans quietly confident of a shock result?
We spoke to TotalTykes.com editor Mike Richardson to find out...
How have you done so far this season?
Very well compared to last year. We've bought a lot of players, some poor ones, but on the whole we're a lot stronger than last season. If we can finish in a mid table position I think everyone would be delighted with our progress.
Who have been your star men?
Heinz Muller, Stephen Foster and Jamal Campbell-Ryce have probably been the best three.
Muller has been outstanding all throughout the season and if he hadn't got injured, many thought he would have moved to the Premiership in the transfer window.
As for Foster, well he won't be a man who's going to change a game, but he's probably the most consistent defender we've had for some time. He rarely gets beaten and rarely makes a mistake and it'll be interesting to see how he plays against Premiership opposition.
Campbell-Ryce could be an interesting one tomorrow as he's been another great buy. Very quick, shields the ball well and has scored one or two great goals this season.
In general, how have Barnsley performed since being relegated from the Premiership in 1998?
Very up and down, fortunately more up in the last few years. We featured in the First Division play off final and lost to Ipswich and from then on it all went wrong. We were relegated to League One (and then nearly again into League Two) and then went into administration.
In recent years there's been a new regime and after staying up last season, hopefully we can build for a push for the play offs in the next few years.
What are your main memories from our two league meetings in 97/98?
Gary Willard, just that.
The win at Anfield was incredible, but in the meeting at Oakwell that guy just ruined everything. I've never seen such a blatantly biased referee and as a lot of people have said, it was probably that day and his actions that were the turning point in our season.
What was your initial reaction to the cup draw?
It came at a perfect time really. We were in a poor run of form and it was the ideal thing to lift our spirits. I've never been to Anfield and this will probably be the last time we play there, so it should be a good day out.
How much are your players/fans looking forward to visiting Anfield?
We sold all 6000 tickets in the first day so it's safe to say everyone's excited. There's a big screen at Oakwell where another 3000 or so are expected to see the game there, so a lot of the town is involved and looking forward to it.
What have you made of Liverpool and the off the field problems this season?
I don't really know much about their off the field problems, although I think the criticism at the American owners seems a bit harsh.
From the outside it seems they've given Benitez more money than he's had before, yet they're the ones getting criticised! Like I say, I don't know much about it and I'm sure there's other reasons why they're the ones who the fans want rid of though.
Which three Liverpool players would you like to have in the Barnsley team and why?
I think any Liverpool player would be welcome! From what I've seen it would have to be Torres, Gerrard and Riise.
I don't think I need to say anything else on Torres and Gerrard as they're both world class, but
I've always liked Riise as well and it would be great to have someone in our team with a left foot like that!
What chance of an upset?
Depends on what sort of side Liverpool put out I suppose. We've been awful away from home this season and if we concede early, I'd hate to think what the score could be!
Prediction for tomorrow?
Perhaps if our away form was better we may be in with a shout of a replay. I know Liverpool will take this seriously though so I don't expect anything other than a defeat. 3-0 Liverpool.
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