Sunderland v Liverpool match thread

[el matador]

i think there are several issues that we will face each year until institutional changes are made.

1. we always seem to make 5 or 6 signings each season and usually 3 or 4 of those are for the first team. How can you introduce 4 new players into the fold and expect them to gel quickly especially when rafa insists on never actually playing his first team in preseason games. How can you expect torres and keane to play well together if they've only played together 2 or 3 times in total ?

2. the key signings are always delayed until the last few weeks of the season thus giving new players little or no time to begin to understand our tactical systems. Our new players always look confused as to what they should be doing. We've been trying to figure out rafa's tactics for 4 seasons so how can a new signing get them within 2 weeks ? The barry saga is a case in point.

3. this bull**** with the owners, parry and rafa just cant go on. Its absolutely ludicrous.

Against liege we just plain ****, and against sunderland we were lucky not to be out of it by half time. The new players need time to gel and until they have more time playing together our season will always start slowly and our team will look like its made up of strangers.

[Rashid]

godo point el Matador. Every season Rafa makes about 10 signings, for what reason? I'd have not minded if we signed nobody this summer if only to have some consistency/team spirit etc.

[Craig_H]

i think there are several issues that we will face each year until institutional changes are made.

1. we always seem to make 5 or 6 signings each season and usually 3 or 4 of those are for the first team. How can you introduce 4 new players into the fold and expect them to gel quickly especially when rafa insists on never actually playing his first team in preseason games. How can you expect torres and keane to play well together if they've only played together 2 or 3 times in total ?

2. the key signings are always delayed until the last few weeks of the season thus giving new players little or no time to begin to understand our tactical systems. Our new players always look confused as to what they should be doing. We've been trying to figure out rafa's tactics for 4 seasons so how can a new signing get them within 2 weeks ? The barry saga is a case in point.

3. this bull**** with the owners, parry and rafa just cant go on. Its absolutely ludicrous.

Against liege we just plain ****, and against sunderland we were lucky not to be out of it by half time. The new players need time to gel and until they have more time playing together our season will always start slowly and our team will look like its made up of strangers.

How could they have put us 'out of it' when they didnt actually have clear cut chances?

[Craig_H]

godo point el Matador. Every season Rafa makes about 10 signings, for what reason? I'd have not minded if we signed nobody this summer if only to have some consistency/team spirit etc.

You would have complained that we hadnt strengthened.

[slimbimjim]

Man Utd drew their first game with Newcastle.

We got all 3 points away from home. Shut the **** up and look forward to the next 37 league games.

[Johnny]

It`s a bit early to be saying we`ve no chance off winning the league.
We always start slow and then finish the season stronger than most.
We`ve new players,new formation,players missing and won our 1st game of the season against a team that we probably would have drawn against last season.
Keane`s performance this season is pivotal to our success this year.

[Laz]

You can't build practically an entire squad in 4 years by buying one £20+ million player at a time. The players for the youth/reserves will hopefully yield a few diamonds that will save us some money on transfers in the future and thus allow more than the odd luxury signing.

Each year he's 'upgrading' the first team and occasionally even making a profit when selling on his own signings. All he can do is pass the list on to Tom, Git and Parry and see if they come up with the goods. It would be fairer to judge him on the players he gets rather than those he doesn't.

Anyway, back to the thread. Not a classic game by any means, too many long balls from defence and not enough service to the front two. I'm grateful for the 3 points and know that we will play a lot better this season and not be so lucky. A win is a win is about as much as you can say about that match. Things will get better.

[Johnny]

Finally, hats off to Xabi for shutting up the muppets today.

Aloysius Snuffleupagus

I was hoping somebody would ask me why I posted this as a reply.
Anyway I`m going to tell you.I called Rashid(jokingly) Aloysius Snuffleupagus because Aloysius Snuffleupagus is the biggest of the Muppets.
Obviously it went over everyones head.

P.S. I welcome Rashid to Est just as I did DJS because he livens up the place and I hope to see him eat humble pie some time in May.

[Johnny]

You can't build practically an entire squad in 4 years by buying one £20+ million player at a time. The players for the youth/reserves will hopefully yield a few diamonds that will save us some money on transfers in the future and thus allow more than the odd luxury signing.

Each year he's 'upgrading' the first team and occasionally even making a profit when selling on his own signings. All he can do is pass the list on to Tom, Git and Parry and see if they come up with the goods. It would be fairer to judge him on the players he gets rather than those he doesn't.

Anyway, back to the thread. Not a classic game by any means, too many long balls from defence and not enough service to the front two. I'm grateful for the 3 points and know that we will play a lot better this season and not be so lucky. A win is a win is about as much as you can say about that match. Things will get better.

Good post.