Fuente : Liverpool F.C.
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LIVERPOOL FC: MCATEER ON WHY SATURDAY WILL BE SPECIAL

/noticias.info/ Jason McAteer kicks off our new Thursday column 'Talkin' LFC' by looking ahead to the meeting of two of his former clubs on Saturday and the coming together of two of the most passionate sets of fans in the game.



Two of my old clubs go head to head at Anfield this weekend when Liverpool entertain Sunderland in their first home game of the league season.

I don't know what the final score is going to be, but I do know that the stadium will be a sea of red and a sight to behold when two of the best sets of fans in football gather together to support their team.

Everyone knows that Liverpool fans are special but I can also tell you from experience that the Sunderland supporters really get behind their team with a passion as well. There will be some noise at Anfield on Saturday, that's for sure.

It's the first time Liverpool have played at home in the league since they won the European Cup and so the atmosphere is bound to be amazing. I've spoken many times before about the lift it gives you as a player when you walk out of the dressing room at Anfield, go down the steps and onto the pitch and then look to the Kop on your right hand side and see all the fans singing 'You'll Never Walk Alone'.

It's so hard to put into words how that makes you feel as a player. All I can say is that if you could bottle that feeling and sell it then it would make for the best birthday present ever. To say the hairs stand up on the back of your neck doesn't begin to do the experience justice. It's just magical.

The overriding passion in both areas is, of course, football.

I feel honoured to have played for both clubs at different stages in my career and that's why I'll be eagerly looking for the result as soon as my game with Tranmere is over on Saturday afternoon.

As everyone knows, I am a Liverpool fan but I still have a lot of friends at Sunderland. I know all the players up there and wish them the best of luck for the season. Mick McCarthy did a brilliant job in taking them up last season and I'm sure his main aim this year will just be surviving in the Premiership. If they can manage that then it'll be a magnificent achievement.

My only worry is that they might not quite be ready for this league. The difference between the Premiership and the Championship is huge and I do wonder whether a young side like Sunderland's can stay up.

Mick McCarthy has a lot of experience and he'll be confident about the challenge ahead for his team, but I can't help feeling that they got promoted before they were ready for the bigger challenge.

Liverpool, of course, will be setting their sights much higher up the league table and will want to really challenge for the Premiership. Can they do it this season? I really hope so. If the manager can fine tune his squad and bring in another couple of players then we can hopefully challenge this year and then make the next step by winning it next season.

Chelsea are going to be the team to beat but I don't think they will necessarily have a happy ship there this season. They have bought so many players and have so much quality allover the field that it will be impossible for the manager to keep them all happy. Sometimes you can have too much of a good thing and if a sense of disharmony sets in there then it could lead to problems.

If that happens then it's up to the other clubs, including Liverpool, to win games and take advantage. Hopefully we'll be up to the challenge.

During my time at Liverpool we challenged for the championship, but my one regret is that we never managed to win it. We always seemed to be the bridesmaids. We knew we were a good team and we knew we were close to being good enough to win it, but for whatever reason we just weren't able to take that next step. It was so disappointing.

We maybe just needed to bring in one or two extra players and that would have made the difference for us and would have completed the jigsaw. I feel we were as good as Manchester United but they always seemed to be the ones who finished the season on top of the league. They seemed to move forward while we went backwards.

I still keep in touch with many of the lads who played in that team and we often reminisce about the good times and the good games we played in. I have loads of fond memories from my time at Anfield, but unfortunately I think that we'll always be remembered as the nearly men - the team that were nearly good enough but never quite made it.

He is well on his way to bringing the good times back to Anfield and the biggest difference I can see so far is that players want to play for Liverpool again. I have had the feeling over the past few years that the top players maybe didn't see Liverpool as an attractive club to join, but that has all changed now thanks to Benitez and what he achieved last season.

I don't think any of us will ever forget where we were when we won the European Cup last year. I was working in the studio for Sky Sports News and reporting on the game for them. Like every other fan, I've never known a mixture of emotions like it. After the first minute you were down, then you were very down and at half time you were distraught. Then the events of the second half and the rest of the night will live in the memory forever. It was the sort of occasion which only comes along once in a blue moon.

As Liverpool fans, we're all hoping for more great occasions to savour and celebrate over the coming seasons. I don't think we'll ever see another night like the one in Istanbul, but I have no doubts that more trophies will be coming to Anfield over the next few years.

The European adventure was brilliant and I'm sure they'll want to do well again this season, but the Premiership is the trophy the fans want to win most now and we're all looking for signs this season that we can be genuine contenders.

This weekend's game with Sunderland is an important one because, even this early in the campaign, you can't afford to be dropping points.

I'm predicting an entertaining game, a brilliant atmosphere and a Liverpool victory.

Every Thursday a different celebrity will write the 'Talkin' LFC' feature. Make sure you tune in next week to read another great column. notas_de_prensa_archivo