2008-09 Football Thread

[Jaffa Cake]

Anyway, the Amber Tigers actually seemed to have the better of them from time to time and kept the ball in the attack zone... Man City made the best of some very good scoring opportunities. The Tigers kept me completely frustrated though by turning the ball over with some pitifully soft touches and weak passes. Anemic to say the least.

We gave away the ball far too often and cheaply in midfield, which – coupled with the fact we had a right back at left back and at right back we had a mental Frenchman – was a recipe for disaster, especially as our three man midfield didn't give us the width to cope with Manchester City's runs down the flanks.

I would have started with McShane and Doyle as full backs with Mendy on the right side of midfield where he'd have licence to be bonkers. I thought that when Phil Brown brought Doyle on and moved Mendy up we looked better, certainly only a goal apiece were conceded in the second half.

Given Aston Villa's counter attacking pace, it's something that needs to be addressed before Tuesday. At least then Ricketts will have served his suspension so we've got an extra defensive option.

I was there, and frankly it was hilarious!

Ah, but at least he didn't get a flip chart out, à la Russell Slade. Now, that would have been a photo opportunity for you.

 

[és:]

Good away performance today and a brilliant result. I hope Fulham can hold out and take some points off of Chelsea. It's not an easy ask because Chelsea will throw it all at them in this second 45 minutes.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

And indeed they did take points off Chelsea - 2-2 it finished. We could have done with Fulham losing, to be honest.

 

[és:]

And indeed they did take points off Chelsea - 2-2 it finished. We could have done with Fulham losing, to be honest.

I'm chuffed. After it was 1-2 I couldn't see any chance of Fulham getting a point. Good times.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Clint Dempsey!

My favorite US international, especially when he scores against Chelski.

 

[és:]

My favorite US international

And, if only by default, he's now mine

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Mystified as to why Keane was left on the bench. Is this some sort of punishment? He played well on Boxing Day, and his reward is to ride the bench for a winnable game in which he was almost sure to have scored and increased his confidence. What is going on in Rafa's head? I can see an under-performing player being benched, but isn't Keane being paid a lot of money to score goals, especially in Torres' absence? His performance on Friday should justify another start.

In the event, he wasn't needed today against Newcastle, but I don't see a reason not to start him unless it's the dreaded rotation thing. At least Liverpool finally took advantage of a rival's slip-up. Three points isn't a big lead but it's bigger than a one-point lead!

 

[XIII]

Mystified as to why Keane was left on the bench. Is this some sort of punishment? He played well on Boxing Day, and his reward is to ride the bench for a winnable game in which he was almost sure to have scored and increased his confidence. What is going on in Rafa's head? I can see an under-performing player being benched, but isn't Keane being paid a lot of money to score goals, especially in Torres' absence? His performance on Friday should justify another start.

In the event, he wasn't needed today against Newcastle, but I don't see a reason not to start him unless it's the dreaded rotation thing. At least Liverpool finally took advantage of a rival's slip-up. Three points isn't a big lead but it's bigger than a one-point lead!

Keane played at Arsenal on Sunday, then again on Friday - it's not unreasonable for him to be rested for another game on Sunday, especially when the next one is so close. Unless he's injured (most probably) then that's what Arsene was doing with van Persie too today I think.

 

[és:]

What is going on in Rafa's head?

As numerals says in the above post, he has played a lot of games. Can I give you a peice of advice that my brother once gave to me (and I mean this in a nice way, not in a condescending way - although in written word it will sound very condescending) stop listening to what the commentators say. A lot of your comments are just repeats of what they say.

Rafa knows what he's doing and we've got a lot of games coming up - we need to keep players fresh. The day to criticise Rafa's selection isn't when we've just won 1-5 and could have won by double that.

but I don't see a reason not to start him unless it's the dreaded rotation thing.

What's dreaded about rotation?

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Fair enough. Unfortunately, a lot of my view of the premiership necessarily comes through commentators. I might never get to actually watch a match live, ever () so I don't get uncolored accounts most of the time.

Most of the pundits seem to be questioning Rafa's decision every time he benches the 20 million pound Keane, though looking at the stats it's true that he's played a lot. Still, Torres and Gerrard play nearly every game when healthy, so as a high-profile signing in an area where Liverpool are a little weak I would expect him to start more often than many other players.

As to the rotation thing, Liverpool does have a big squad so they do have the luxury of not having to play the same players all the time to have a decent chance of competing. But it does seem to me that Rafa (who I think is a top quality manager) does have a penchant for tinkering. His results can speak for themselves, certainly - and I know that the commentators have labeled him as a manager who constantly over-thinks his tactics, which is an exaggeration. Last season I disagreed with his decision to bench Crouch in favor of Kuyt. Kuyt has done well on the wings, but I thought (and think) that Crouchy did better than Kuyt as a forwards.

Anyway, I'm just a punter, so what the hell do I know? I guess questioning the tactics of a premier league manager sounds idiotic. Like you said es, Liverpool won today, so they certainly know what they're doing at the moment...I didn't mean for my post to sound like an attack, I was just puzzled at the team selection. Now Keane will probably fail to score in the next couple matches and I'll look even more ridiculous.

I want to see Torres back, but I'm worried about the hamstring.

Some good games over the last couple days though. I watched Arsenal-Villa and today's Blackburn-Man. City match, and both were pretty exciting. I bought my brother a jersey of his choice for Christmas (he chose a USA national team jersey), and I'm thinking I'll order one for myself. Thinking about the Liverpool away kit - the grey is growing on me a little.

 

[Savagestorm]

As the above poster said, when people just repeat what the media says, it is highly irritating. I'm sure Keane is very happy at the club, with the exception of 1 or 2 games he's been playing well and he's being treated just like any other player. You don't hear anyone mentioning Riera being taken off pretty much every game, just like you didn't hear it last year with Kewell/Babel. Rafa likes to direct much of the play down a particular flank, then sub that player on the 60th minute.

Oh and above poster, don't buy the grey kit! The fit is horrible, and I thought it may just have been me, but it's not.

 

[és:]

Still, Torres and Gerrard play nearly every game when healthy

Don't you remember the beginning of last season when Rafa was getting hammered for benching Torres?

But it does seem to me that Rafa (who I think is a top quality manager) does have a penchant for tinkering.

It's not tinkering. I could trot out comparative stats between Mourinho, Fergie and Rafa - The first two made exactly the same amount of changes as Rafa - but they won the league. The difference isn't the amount of rotation, it was the people that were being rotated. Until last season our squad was not close to the same quality of Chelsea and United - so it effected us when we rotated. However, we always finish the season strongly (touch wood) - and that's why we've been so good in Europe and finished the league so strongly.

Now we've got a good enough squad and we'll also be fresh - Torres should be ready for a good second half of hte season (again, touch wood) which could help us in our quest for number 19.

Try this - watch the game with the sound down (or just crowd noise if you've got that service) and make your own conclusions about it - because commentators know **** all.

 

[pknz]

Yes, if we followed everything commentators said, Lucas would have no future in professional football, and Rafa's head would have rolled several times by now.

A 5-1 win without Keane or Torres is quite impressive.

Good to see N'Gog given more time and Babel a start.

 

[XIII]

As the above poster said, when people just repeat what the media says, it is highly irritating. I'm sure Keane is very happy at the club, with the exception of 1 or 2 games he's been playing well and he's being treated just like any other player. You don't hear anyone mentioning Riera being taken off pretty much every game, just like you didn't hear it last year with Kewell/Babel. Rafa likes to direct much of the play down a particular flank, then sub that player on the 60th minute.

Oh and above poster, don't buy the grey kit! The fit is horrible, and I thought it may just have been me, but it's not.

At Arsenal the other weekend they appeared to be wearing the grey shirts with red shorts. It was truly gruesome!

Commentators talk so much ****, I hate it. I know **** all about football really, when it comes down to it - a fair bit about Arsenal but not a huge amount about everything else, but I swear I could do a better job than at least half of them.

 

[és:]

.

A 5-1 win without Keane or Torres is quite impressive.

Even better is a 1-5 win without starting Torres, Keane, Riera, Aurelio, Arbeloa, Skrtel and Alonso.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Don't you remember the beginning of last season when Rafa was getting hammered for benching Torres?

I thought he was hurt, and people were just complaining that Torres wasn't being brought back quick enough. Now that you mention it, I do remember see him on the bench a couple times. I have to say though, this season so far Liverpool seem to be able to grind out results regardless of who is playing. I was glad to see Babel out there, every time I've seen him play I thought he was impressive.

I've been thinking the same thing about Tevez and Man United though too. Seems like he's on the bench an awful lot, even though Fergie has a glut of options.

Try this - watch the game with the sound down (or just crowd noise if you've got that service) and make your own conclusions about it - because commentators know **** all.

Competence is not a requirement for a career in punditry. I certainly don't have competence, but I do have an opinion!

Sound off - that's actually how I was watching the matches this weekend. We had the sound turned down because we were having some family over and it was all I could do to avoid shouting at the TV a few times. Never heard of this crowd noise-only service, but that would be very nice.

Too bad about that grey jersey, I might have to get a USA jersey instead, but I want to wait until out World Cup kit is finalized.

 

[és:]

At Arsenal the other weekend they appeared to be wearing the grey shirts with red shorts. It was truly gruesome!

We used to do that back in the day. I don't know why - it looks daft. I really like the Grey kit, but it's ***** with red shorts.

 

[Savagestorm]

We used to do that back in the day. I don't know why - it looks daft. I really like the Grey kit, but it's ***** with red shorts.

The fa ruled we had to do that, because they thought the grey shorts would clash with arsenals white. Why couldn't we just wear the european kit?

 

[Jaffa Cake]

At Arsenal the other weekend they appeared to be wearing the grey shirts with red shorts. It was truly gruesome!

We used to do that back in the day. I don't know why - it looks daft. I really like the Grey kit, but it's ***** with red shorts.

I imagine either the Premier League or the referee decided that the grey shirts/grey shorts combo was too close to the home team's kit, so the away shirt was paired to the home shorts to help provide a contrast. It could have been worse, you could have ended up having to wear Newcastle's shorts or something similar.

Oh, and pundits – they know nowt. We'd be relegated before Christmas with an all-time record low points tally, remember?

EDIT:

The fa ruled we had to do that, because they thought the grey shorts would clash with arsenals white. Why couldn't we just wear the european kit?

It would maybe depend if the 'third choice' kit is actually registered with the League – if not, and it's only been registered for use with UEFA for their competitions, then Liverpool won't be able to wear it in domestic fixtures. But that's just conjecture on my part...

I actually quite enjoy hearing TV commentary on our matches, if only so I can keep track of how many times they get our players' names wrong and how often they mention Humberside...

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Oh, and pundits – they know nowt. We'd be relegated before Christmas with an all-time record low points tally, remember?

I do. Further proof of their incompetence is not necessary - Not even I would make such silly predictions.

In MLS news, Columbus center back and Defender of the Year Chad Marshall is not going to Europe. He had trained with 2nd division Bundesliga club Mainz but decided to stay in MLS. Not sure why - I don't want to see him leave Columbus but I think he is good enough to play in Europe.

EDIT ...and now Gerrard has gotten himself arrested. WTF is he doing?

 

[Jaffa Cake]

EDIT ...and now Gerrard has gotten himself arrested. WTF is he doing?

Assault in a nightclub, it would seem.

Paul Jewell has served his time, though.

 

[ChrisN]

I wonder who's gonna fill the coaching spot, I know Cowher was thinking about it then he stopped because he couldn't bring in his own personnel or something. I would of liked Cowher .

ChrisN

 

[garybUK]

Assault in a nightclub, it would seem.

Paul Jewell has served his time, though.

HAHAHA i'm reveling at the news! they set a president with Joey Barton, 12 match ban... if he is convicted which i sorely hope he is!

 

[Lord Blackadder]

I wonder who's gonna fill the coaching spot, I know Cowher was thinking about it then he stopped because he couldn't bring in his own personnel or something. I would of liked Cowher .

ChrisN

Accrington Stanley!

HAHAHA i'm reveling at the news! they set a president with Joey Barton, 12 match ban... if he is convicted which i sorely hope he is!

I haven't followed Gerrard's career since the beginning, but hadn't seen any indication of this behavior from him before. I'm shocked, to be honest.

 

[Jaffa Cake]

I'm prepared to back Cowher for the Derby County job. Make it happen, Sir Adam.

On the Gerrard controversy, I remember a few years back John Terry 'wasn't considered for selection' while he had an assault charge hanging over him. I wonder if a similar line will be drawn with Gerrard?