Singapore Reds react to Sunderland draw
ESPNSTAR.com was with Liverpool fans through the night as they endured a 1-1 draw against Sunderland on Saturday.
There was the unmistakable hint of uncertainty in the air at the Uncabunca bar on Circular Road as a Liverpool supporters' group in Singapore digested the news of more dropped points in the new Barclays Premier League season.
Saturday - very early Sunday morning in Singapore - saw the Reds play out a 1-1 draw at Sunderland to leave the Merseysiders near the foot of the league table after collecting just two points from their first four matches.
This is the first time in over 100 years Liverpool have failed to win any of their first four league games of the season and ESPNSTAR.com was with East of Anfield as this supporters club in Singapore took in the latest developments of their beloved club.
With the backdrop of the independent report on the Hillsborough disaster still fresh in every supporter's mind, it was an electric atmosphere on Saturday both at the Stadium of Light and in a certain bar in Singapore.
Traditional rivals Manchester United were in action before the Sunderland-Liverpool game and the Red Devils registered an impressive 4-0 victory over Wigan. With star striker Robin van Persie not even featuring in the starting XI, it provided an interesting point of conversation given the Anfield outfit's own struggles in the striking department of late.
"Look at that. They're 3-0 up and they can bring on Robin van Persie. Wouldn't it be awesome if we [Liverpool] only needed Suarez to have a run-out in the 70th minute?" lamented Abhinav Ullal, 24, a copywriter with Whybin TBWA.
When I enquired about his predictions for the Sunderland game, he answered, "I don't know. I saw how Liverpool struggled to find a way to score against Arsenal last time around and I'm not sure they can win this one."
It was just about the right call to make. Less than 30 minutes after the Reds kicked off, Liverpool went 1-0 down to the Black Cats thanks to a Steven Fletcher goal. Cries of "Liverpool! Liverpool! Liverpool!" rang out through Uncabunca as the Liverpool fans tried to rally the team for the fight back.
And it seemed to work in the second half as the excellent Raheem Sterling did his part in the build-up to Liverpool's equaliser by Luis Suarez in the 72nd minute. However, the Reds could not close out the win and there was a mixed assessment of manager Brendan Rodgers' management of the club in the aftermath of the game.
"This season is one about development. I think we have a very young average squad. You have to build your way to success and at least qualify for European competition so that we can attract the top players," commented 24-year-old Elias Jonathan.
"It's too early to tell. Rodgers was brought into the club with a long-term plan in mind. The squad hasn't gelled yet.
"If you look at Sir Alex Ferguson in his first season, you'll find that the media reported that he was one game away from being sacked but he ended up beating Newcastle in 1987 and stayed on to become a successful manager."
East of Anfield regular Meyrick D'Souza is certainly one Reds fan in Singapore who has seen the ups and downs over the years. He has been supporting the Reds since 1974.
"I'm from London but I hated the London clubs. They were all about flash and arrogance but I enjoyed Liverpool's style of play and their attitude. I watched them beat Newcastle in the 1974 FA Cup final even though everyone, even the commentators, kept saying they would lose and were biased against them," he said.
"I liked Bill Shankly and the values he brought to the club. To a certain extent, it's the ethos that Manchester United have now about promoting youngsters and playing attractive football. For Shankly, football was supposed to be an expression of how we should live and he got it just right."
D'Souza sees troubling times ahead for Liverpool.
"It'll be tough for Liverpool to catch up and we'll have to live on the few little lights that appear on the horizon."
Liverpool fans will be hoping one of those lights on the horizon will resemble a first league victory of the new campaign next weekend when the team returns to Anfield. The visiting side? Manchester United, of course.
Liverpool don't make things easy for their supporters these days but one thing is for sure - the club will continue to be backed by a very colourful supporters' club in Singapore.