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2009-10 Football Thread

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Looking at the (threadbare) Liverpool starting XI, I feel a sense of dread. Somehow they've managed to patch Gerrard up and get him on the field...

We need a win.

AH! nice block by Reina just there....looking shaky in defense yet again, we are.

Gerrard off after 24 minutes.... he wasn't making much of an impact but still not good news at all...one would have to think he won't make the United game this weekend.
 
Fizzoid said:
They didn't do a very good job, he's off already
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Indeed - though his substitute Aurelio put in the cross that just led to Benayoun's goal. I'm hoping they are just saving him for the United match <crosses fingers>

A second early substitute as Lyon defender Cris goes off. He took a nasty knock to the head from Dirk Kuyt's knee. It was sickening to watch the way his neck got compressed in slo-mo. Hopefully he's just a bit groggy and not injured.

Liverpool have come to life towards the end of the half, but Lyon are still creating good chances.
 
Wow. Amazing results today!

Lyon gets an extra time winner at Anfield!
Kazan shocks the Camp Nou!
Alkmaar gets an equalizer at the death against Arsenal!
Unirea clobbers Rangers at Ibrox.
Inter barely scrapes yet another draw.

That Debrecen / Fiorentina match looked pretty exciting, too.
 
Ugh.

A relatively even game, Liverpool had a couple tantalizing chances to score a second but could not, and the French made them pay. People will cite the loss of Gerrard and Torres, but we are conceding too many goals and I think that's a bigger problem. But the squad is looking very threadbare at the moment.

Only Kuyt and Benayoun looked like any kind of offensive threat, which is very worrying...apart from Torres I don't really rate any of our other strikers. But we can't be conceding two goals at home like that.

What's that now, five losses in a row? Not good, not good at all.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
What's that now, five losses in a row? Not good, not good at all.
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Four consecutive defeats in all competitions – the last win being the 6-1 victory over...

Anyway... Manchester United next. A tough match at the best of times, but with the extra pressure these defeats have brought and lacking your two best players it couldn't really have come at a worse time.
 
Jaffa Cake said:
Anyway... Manchester United next. A tough match at the best of times, but with the extra pressure these defeats have brought and lacking your two best players it couldn't really have come at a worse time.
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At this point I would think we are simply in damage limitation mode - forget the competitions, just try to rebuild the squad, get some momentum and finish in the top four so we stay in the Champions' League.

Right now I would trade N'Gog, Voronin, Babel and whoever else we might call a "striker" at the club for a Darren Bent (as long as he brings his beach ball) or, hell, Peter Crouch for that matter. Too bad Windass retired, I'd put him in a red shirt tomorrow. We need another striker.

I could be wrong, but I think the big four collectively look the weakest and most beatable they have in the last several years. Liverpool are definitely the weakest though.
 
Liverpool really seem to lack strength in depth, certainly when compared to the other big clubs. Granted, any team would miss players of the calibre of Gerrard and Torres, but look beyond them and the squad is seriously lacking in true quality.

Benitez can have no excuses though. He's been the manager of Liverpool since the summer of 2004 – that's five years, and ten transfer windows. He's had more money to spend than most other managers can only dream of, and if Liverpool haven't recruited effectively in that time then the buck has to stop with him. That's more than enough time to build a good squad, and also to start to nurture some young talent through. He looks to have done neither.

Lord Blackadder said:
Too bad Windass retired, I'd put him in a red shirt tomorrow.
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Hey, he's available. Offer him a player/manager position and he might take you up on it. 😉
 
Just me who notices that the start of Liverpool's poor run coincides neatly with them getting battered at Elland Road?

😎
 
smwatson said:
Just me who notices that the start of Liverpool's poor run coincides neatly with them getting battered at Elland Road?

😎
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Nope, we lulled them into a false sense of security by getting battered by them at Anfield.

I'm here if any Manchester United, Arsenal, or Chelsea supporters want to publicly offer their thanks. 🙂
 
Rangers scored 3 goals in Europe tonight!
Unfortunately two of the players forgot that we switched ends at half time 😕 so we've gone down 1-4 and fat bird now in corner warming up for end of European campaign.🙁
 
It's a strange one, Southgate and Gibson have always had a good relationship, publicly at least. One would have thought that if he was going to go it would have been over the summer following relegation. There may well be something going on behind the scenes at the Riverside...

Miss Jaffa Cake is in Middlesbrough today, she's going to keep an eye open for any out of work managers hanging around the place.
 
any guesses on todays matches ?

i'll be watching Bayern vs. Bordeaux because of the lack of other free TV showings
 
An interesting rumour has come out of Grimsby Town – word has it that one of the contenders for the managerial hotseat is none other than Hope Powell, current manager of the England Women's team. If there's any truth in this and Powell gets the role it would certainly be a watershed appointment – it would be the first time a female manager has been appointed in the Football League, and I can't think of any other women who've managed a professional mens team elsewhere in the world.

It would be particularly ironic given that she'd be replacing Mike Newell, who landed himself in hot water with his views on women in football. 😉
 
Jaffa Cake said:
It would be particularly ironic given that she'd be replacing Mike Newell, who landed himself in hot water with his views on women in football. 😉
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True. Sepp Blatter is the only guy in football who's allowed to be sexist, unless you count Berlusconi. 😉

NathanCH said:
If Liverpool lose this weekend, will Rafa get sacked?
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No. Despite the fact that he has not (as Jaffa pointed out) created the best transfer/development record, I think we should keep him on for the foreseeable future. The club has enough instability to deal with concerning its owners; Rafa provides stability on the pitch and at the training ground and that is important. I am not a big fan of hiring and firing managers at the drop of a hat. There is a lot to be said for sticking with a gaffer as opposed to always thinking the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.

Besides, what would the football world come to if the major criteria for firing a manager was a loss against Man Utd?
 
It would also be foolish to sack him without a suitable replacement lined up. Are there any managers of a suitable calibre actively looking for work at the moment?

Apart from Deano, obviously. 😛
 
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