Why are we so negative?

[The_weatherman]

you taking the piss

[Shaggy]

you can jog on out here mate! - mr "i don't give a **** about x factor yet have watched it ever week and posted about 100 times in the x factor thread" - you need x factor, you want x factor, stop lying to yourself and face up to it, without x factor your music is worthless.

[Shaggy]

The worst thing in my book is we are already acting like this and we're not even half way through the season. I could understand the desperation and mounting anxiety if we were coming into the business end of the season but not now.

We all need to take a step back and *ahem* calm down. Sure we should have more points on the board then we currently do and could have a comfortable cushion at the top of the league but Chelsea fans, and Mancs to an extent, can say the same thing. No one side has been outstanding this year, we are top of the league without playing particularly well.

We may or may not win the league but we are at Christmas and have given ourselves a good chance which is a hell of a lot better than what we've done in the past few years. Now let's stay and stay reasonably positive and balanced or else we'll all be propping up the A&E department in the New Year with multiple heart attacks.

Yep you're absolutely right. If we're there at the business end then...well, it doesn't bear thinking about.

[Harv]

good good...thought you were losing it for a second there

[JPK]

Football is just weird at the moment. Top 4 in England and the old firm all draw on the same weekend. Either the small teams are getting alot better or there is massive pressure on the big teams and they are getting cagey. I think the latter.

The team who shows the most bollocks will win the league this year. I dont mind Rafa playing 4-5-1 as long as the front 4 are very good attackers. Kuyt is not good enough to play as the lone striker, but is good enough for the right. Yossi is not good enough for the bench in my opinion and Babel should be used as the lone striker with Keane behind him. Get your best players on the pitch and give them freedom and we will get the results. You can tell alot about how we will do by the starting X1 and that was proved again saturday and the likes of V and others called it in the match thread.

Sunday's line up will be interesting. We have to go there for the win.
Lucas, Masch, Xabi, Gerrard, Riera, Keane, Kuyt and Babel should be the players in contention for the front 6 places. They all have quality and I would be suprised if that team got beat. Dossena and Sami out of the back 4 and Agger and Insua in too.

[Kenneth]

Arsenal line-up needs to be positive but not gunhoe:

Reina

Arbeloa Carra Agger Fabio

Mascherano Xabi

Gerrard

Kuyt -------------------Rieria

Keane

?

[Slim]

I think our conduct as a collective during this title challenge has been ****ing embarrassing, and it's solely down to inexperience and sheer desperation. Booing at Anfield, forums in meltdown after we draw...it's a shambles but I suppose it highlights just how long it's been - some young adults have never seen us win the league so maybe I shouldn't be surprised. We need to start being positive, have some belief and most of all try to enjoy it - this time last year (and the year before, and the year before, and the year before...you get the idea) we were out of the running.

[wiw]

The worst thing in my book is we are already acting like this and we're not even half way through the season. I could understand the desperation and mounting anxiety if we were coming into the business end of the season but not now.

We all need to take a step back and *ahem* calm down. Sure we should have more points on the board then we currently do and could have a comfortable cushion at the top of the league but Chelsea fans, and Mancs to an extent, can say the same thing. No one side has been outstanding this year, we are top of the league without playing particularly well.

We may or may not win the league but we are at Christmas and have given ourselves a good chance which is a hell of a lot better than what we've done in the past few years. Now let's try and stay reasonably positive and balanced or else we'll all be propping up the A&E department in the New Year with multiple heart attacks.

(and shags post)

I think this is just the worst time. If we were a few points clear we may be a bit more confident as a club (fans/players) but at the same time we'd maybe **** ourselves. I think if we're still in contention after the Christmas period, which I can't see not being the case, the fans will really come into their own and push the team on.

Baffling subs etc aren't helping though.

End of the day we just need to take our chances better. Can't wait for Torres and Keane to link up again

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

But if we expect to win the league we can't draw against teams like Fulham, Hull and Stoke at Anfield.

That's why supporters are so negative!!

And when you see a formation 4-5-1 vs Hull, what can you say more?

We are first only because Manure drew away vs Villa, Chelsea, Spurs and Everton but I can't expect them to draw home vs Stoke, Fulham and (they won already vs Hull playing 3 youngsters)

Still I really think that if by January we remain first, we still have a good chance of winning the league.

Chelsea played 4-5-1 against West Ham mate it's not just Rafa, 442 is pretty much dead with the "big" teams across Europe. At the end of the day Hull came out and played and will feel they deserved a point.

Another season, we might have won the games we haven't but so would have Chelsea and United. The key difference is we have been to the Bridge and won and came from behind to been United. Oh and the derby was a great result too.

[dww]

so what your saying is - that neither kuyt/keane do enough as long striker so they need the wingers to get more involved, but they aren't doing enough either so therefore, like i said, playing 4-5-1 without torres is totally pointless cause neither the wingers or the lone strikers are good enough to step up and give that extra something we lack without torres

so why don't we play 4-4-2 and then that way, at least by having two up front it will give the opposition defenders something to think about.

I don't think that two up front does necessarily give defenders more to think about. We would certainly need to rearrange a lot of the successful parts of our team (the defense and central midfield ahead of them) to accomodate it and not leave a big whole between midfield and attack, unless we ask the wingers to attack in a not dissimilar fashion to the way they are not doing enough of in the 4-5-1 based formation. The biggest advantage of a front two for me (without a targetman) is to prevent the opposition back four from coming forward and in games like that against lower down the league opposition this is rarely the problem we have.

I thin runs from midfield are harder to mark and the problem with Kuyt + Keane is that neither are really capable of dropping deep and bursting forward. So unless Babel steps up I think that 4-4-2 would only highlight our existing problems while possibly taking away from our strengths.

[lfc1394]

I don't think that two up front does necessarily give defenders more to think about. We would certainly need to rearrange a lot of the successful parts of our team (the defense and central midfield ahead of them) to accomodate it and not leave a big whole between midfield and attack, unless we ask the wingers to attack in a not dissimilar fashion to the way they are not doing enough of in the 4-5-1 based formation. The biggest advantage of a front two for me (without a targetman) is to prevent the opposition back four from coming forward and in games like that against lower down the league opposition this is rarely the problem we have.

I thin runs from midfield are harder to mark and the problem with Kuyt + Keane is that neither are really capable of dropping deep and bursting forward. So unless Babel steps up I think that 4-4-2 would only highlight our existing problems while possibly taking away from our strengths.

You wanna know what the problem with 451 is? Gerrard. I've watched him closely when he plays with Torres and he anticipates Torres getting the ball and doing something with it so he gamble on running in to / around the box, to the left of him to the right of him, basically he sees Torres as an equal and trusts him.

Watch him when he plays with Kuyt, he anticipates him losing the ball so stays 15 yards deeper than normal in case Kuyt ****s it up. Kind of a self fulfilling prophecy.

[bobbyfallon]

You wanna know what the problem with 451 is? Gerrard. I've watched him closely when he plays with Torres and he anticipates Torres getting the ball and doing something with it so he gamble on running in to / around the box, to the left of him to the right of him, basically he sees Torres as an equal and trusts him.
Watch him when he plays with Kuyt, he anticipates him losing the ball so stays 15 yards deeper than normal in case Kuyt ****s it up. Kind of a self fulfilling prophecy.

****in spot on

[dww]

You wanna know what the problem with 451 is? Gerrard. I've watched him closely when he plays with Torres and he anticipates Torres getting the ball and doing something with it so he gamble on running in to / around the box, to the left of him to the right of him, basically he sees Torres as an equal and trusts him.

Watch him when he plays with Kuyt, he anticipates him losing the ball so stays 15 yards deeper than normal in case Kuyt ****s it up. Kind of a self fulfilling prophecy.

It is definitely a problem I have seen in previous seasons. Not seen enough of Kuyt/Gerrard this season to comment but it seems likely.

[Craig_H]

As I've posted a few times before either that's bull**** or go and tell the scummy fake reds this so they didn't get the title last season!

They won 17 out of 19 home games last season mate.

At the end, all I wanna say is that no doubt this maybe a BIG year for us but there is alot of work to be done from now till May. We need to get behind the team and not moan and groan during matches. That is counter productive!

Just with regards to the initial post, i dont know if you go to the games or not mate, but the crowd at Anfield are usually very vocally supportive of the team.

Your post seems to be as a result of things posted on here, which is fair enough but you have to recognise that there's a difference between posting on forums and being at the game. Just because people complain on here, doesnt mean they dont support at the ground. Just wanted to make that point.

jesus christ respect them ????
lets ****in beat them then shower them with praise eh
i cant believe some of the things you lot post

You speak sense as usual fella.

It boils right back down to something i pointed out the other day. LFC, the club AND the fans, do not have a winning mentality.

It's always a case of telling ourselves failure is ok, and then finding an excuse for it. Some people call it being positive, fair enough.

It's not a ruthless winning mentality though and it's so characteristic of LFC in recent years, not just the team, but a lot of fans too. We used to smash everyone and nothing but 1st was acceptable. Now, 3rd is seen as success.

No one wants to give them an 'honour guard' as you put it and I think everyone agrees that we need to start beating the teams lower down the league. However to make the assumption that we will do it every time and give them no credit for their performances seems arrogant, intellectually lazy or out right dishonest.

Come on mate, it's not every time, is it? There's always gonna be days where it goes wrong, but 4 times out of 9 is terrible.

[Craig_H]

No it's not nonsense at all. I can't understand why fans boo; it's a disgrace irrelevant of the fact they paid their hard earned money to go to the matches. If they have the slightest chance of getting frustrated and don't like our style of play, or Rafa or whatever, then they should seriously consider putting their money elsewhere and give some proper fans the chance to be there and support the team.

As for 'not going to matches' well on TV you can easily sense if the atmosphere is good or not. I haven't seen a good atmosphere (and that for a team competing for the league and being top of the table) at Anfield for a long time. Not once this season .... maybe away at City which says it all.

Shankly would have been outraged. Fans were much more passionate and loved their team back in these days. Nowadays it seems they just go to matches because it's a tradition and they are bored at home.

That's the impression I have anyway. We're not the best supporters in the world anymore.

I've been to all the home games and there's been some pretty decent atmospheres so far this season, so from someone who's been there live AND watched it on tv, i can tell you you're mistaken.

Making a judgement from so far away is always going to leave it open to misinterpretation.