The balanced view (at last!)

[Jazzmaster]

Yes, 2-1 but not thanks to Sissoko who was back defending space that didn't need defending.

I have watched the game a few times, I always do that. Sissoko didn't offer us anything attacking after Gerrard went off.

Lucas was the one who changed the game together with Babel, not Sissoko.

Lucas and Babel are two of our most creative players........

Yes but can lucas and gerrard play together or would they get in the way of each other? Rafa knows.

[Woobus]

If we failed to win the title for the next 20 years I bet Tomkins would find something positive to say every season.

What is wrong with looking for positive things to say? This season there has been negative aspects but there has also been a lot of positive ones. To many people in the media and on here just home in on the negatives and cast aside the positives.
Fingers crossed Rafa and the team look at both as if they only looked for the negatives then the Samaritans would be at Anfield every day trying to talk Gerrard of the roof. If only look at the positives then there is a good chance you will fall in the trap of not improving your bad points.

[The Glove]

Ah, but y'see, to me - at my age - this is more like writing a (short) letter to the Corinthians or St Paul or some such rather than textin'.

Fr...Sorry.

Actually, the real reason is that on KopTalk I was Ednamillion - and I liked to sign off as Edna to keep the gender thing a little ambivalent. I won't do it ever again - the sig, not the ambivalence...you know what I mean....

Just put Frank in your sig.

[PTP]

Jesus christ we won the derby. Say what you like but we won it. We won. Thanks to lucas' shot at the end. So why exactly is the article ****?

I've watched the match 3 times on LFC tv and each time rafas decision becomes clear no? We opened the 10 men up at will when lucas came on (often difficult to do against 10 men) and it paid off in the end.

Well in rafa.

He knew he'd take a load of stick for the decision but did it anyway. Big cohones.

I think people's opinins are so goddam coloured by the media spin that the reality gets muddied in peoples heads. Fupping hell we were off form before the match, win in the last minute in dramatic style and people slate rafa for his correct decision?!?! - it beggars belief.

IMO Rafa left sissoko on to get the ball back quicly when it was lost to the other side. Lucas was there to calmly distribute the ball when in possession.

fair enough mate, but i wasn't having a go at the article, just slagging off the author for kicks and ****

[kewellnthegang]

Ah, but y'see, to me - at my age - this is more like writing a (short) letter to the Corinthians or St Paul or some such rather than textin'.

Fr...Sorry.

Actually, the real reason is that on KopTalk I was Ednamillion - and I liked to sign off as Edna to keep the gender thing a little ambivalent. I won't do it ever again - the sig, not the ambivalence...you know what I mean....

[Manofthebog]

Yes, 2-1 but not thanks to Sissoko who was back defending space that didn't need defending.

I have watched the game a few times, I always do that. Sissoko didn't offer us anything attacking after Gerrard went off.

Lucas was the one who changed the game together with Babel, not Sissoko.

Lucas and Babel are two of our most creative players........

So we did win, ah, I thought for one horrible minute we'd lost.

[Frank Leroux]

Just put Frank in your sig.

Good idea...probably.

[akjs123]

and Gerrard will be a bigger goal threat in 100 games out of 100 than Sissoko and we needed to score goals and not keep two defensive midfielders on the pitch and one of them is a very poor passer. Everton at the same time had two attacking players on the pitch and we had six defensive players. I don't think you need six players to take out two average strikers.

I like Tomkins but this article is ****.

Sissoko should have gone off instead of Gerrard.

Gerrard can create a goal out of nothing, Sissoko can destroy the other teams play. Everton didn't had any play left to destroy. The only tactic they had left was hoofing the ball and hope for the best.

I am not an abusive offensive person but this **** has gone on long enough. It seems to me that the point of ranting on these forums is not on Gerrard being substituted but on why Momo not being substituted instead of Gerrard.

I would like to quote a little story Swami Vivekananda once told as a part of his speech somewhere.

There was a frog who had lived all life in a well.
One day another flog that lived in the sea came and fell into the well.
"Where are you form?"
"I am from the sea."
"The sea! How big is that? Is it as big as my well?" and he took a leap from one side of the well to the other.
"My friend," said the frog of the sea, "how do you compare the sea with your little well?"
Then the frog took another leap and asked, "Is your sea so big?"
"What nonsense you speak, to compare the sea with your well!"
"Well, then," said the frog of the well, "nothing can be bigger than my well; there can be nothing bigger than this"

It seems these idiotic football fans are no different. They feel their knowledge of football is as much as Rafa for they cannot acknowlegde the fact that Rafa's reason for substitution could be beyond their contemplation.

Gerrard will be a bigger goal threat in 100 games out of 100 than Sissoko and we needed to score goals and not keep two defensive midfielders on the pitch and one of them is a very poor passer

Ya I'll make sure to pass on the message to Rafa because the way these fans have gone about it makes you feel whether Rafa was the only person on Earth not aware of it when he made that decision. Why it is so hard for people to understand that Rafa might have thought something they couldnt, which is why they are fans and he is a manager. Yes fans have footballing knowledge but how many of you are club managers. If not then why not. Because you know you are not good enough or because you didnt want to.
Even if an actual premiership manager was asked to try to explain Rafa's decision, he wouldnt be sure why but these fans act as if not only do they completely understand his decision but actually say his substitution was incorrect.

This post is not aimed at just you AFII but such morons in general.

[CAD]

But surely the point is that we weren't exploiting the situation until Rafa made the change?

I can't believe so many here thinks we actually won this game because SG came off and Momo stayed on. Don't believe the hype!!

We had two big chances before SG came off. Riise had one and there was another that I can't remember. What if we had converted those?

Everton were broken down over a 40 min period and they were hurt with every tick of the clock. They would have come apart either way. With or without Gerrard. Rafa knew this. It only stands to reason, surely? Lucas did fine but I'm most confident that we could have done better if Rafa had taken Momo off instead.

I believe that Rafa wanted to show SG that we could cope without him. This was the perfect opportunity.

Do you believe that we play better possession football with Momo/Mascher/Lucas than we would with SG/Mascher/Lucas in the middle?

I don't know whether SG needs to be manhandled like Rafa did this weekend. Maybe it's just what the doctor ordered. Nobody here knows that

[CAD]

I think your response makes the article seem even better than it already is

I have no idea who you are. Did I offend you at some point?

[Manofthebog]

I can't believe so many here thinks we actually won this game because SG came off and Momo stayed on. Don't believe the hype!!

We had two big chances before SG came off. Riise had one and there was another that I can't remember. What if we had converted those?

Everton were broken down over a 40 min period and they were hurt with every tick of the clock. They would have come apart either way. With or without Gerrard. Rafa knew this. It only stands to reason, surely? Lucas did fine but I'm most confident that we could have done better if Rafa had taken Momo off instead.

I believe that Rafa wanted to show SG that we could cope without him. This was the perfect opportunity.

Do you believe that we play better possession football with Momo/Mascher/Lucas than we would with SG/Mascher/Lucas in the middle?

I don't know whether SG needs to be manhandled like Rafa did this weekend. Maybe it's just what the doctor ordered. Nobody here knows that

conspiracy theories........................Gerrard got subbed, nothing more, nothing less................shall we all move on?

[CAD]

I like Paul, talks sense that lad.

Were you the dude with the Bono avatar on kT?

[Manofthebog]

Were you the dude with the Bono avatar on kT?

In a different life, aye.

[Pacman]

Were you the dude with the Bono avatar on kT?

That's him.

He's a good lad is Boggy.

His wife is pretty good as well.

[Manofthebog]

That's him.

He's a good lad is Boggy.

His wife is pretty good as well.

Well ta very much.................tell eveyone don't you.