Wigan Post Match

[Robster007]

I don't think sparing Gerrard the final 5 minutes will do him that much good against Chelsea.

Our best players should be starting every match. There's 4 days until Chelsea which is about as long a break as you get between games these days. Playing a similar side against Newcastle 2 days after beating Bolton didn't do us much harm.

We could argue about Rafa's comprehensive data driving decisions that save a player 5 minutes. Or maybe he was trying something completely unexpected and different. Maybe Rick Parry signed Gerrard all that time ago and Rafa's upset he wasn't consulted.

I'll watch his friday press conference with added interest this week.

Wouldn't it be lovely if we beat Chelsea. Maybe we'll all feel a lot better. Here's hoping eh.

[pondus]

Moronic? Do you know what the word means? I challenge anyone on this site to try and think of a nasty word to describe tonights events, that sounds so out of context and ridiculous.

Even ridiculous would sound less, well.....ridiculous.

Stupid, idiotic, asinine, dumb, fatuous, foolish, lumpish, oafish, ridiculous, silly, thick etc etc.

Pick one yourself then, I think what I meant was pretty clear?

[vlahka]

Hey look another draw! Good times.

[Icon]

Wouldn't it be lovely if we beat Chelsea. Maybe we'll all feel a lot better. Here's hoping eh.

We'll play for a draw.

[pondus]

Benitez laments 'crazy' half
Published: 28/01/2009

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was at his cryptic best after blaming a "crazy" second half for his side dropping two points in the 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at Wigan.

Despite dominating, Yossi Benayoun's 41st-minute goal from a narrow angle was all the visitors had to show for their efforts and it was not enough.

In the closing stages Wigan sensed they had a chance and when Brazil midfielder Lucas needlessly brought down substitute Jason Koumas debutant Mido, signed on loan from Middlesbrough last week, converted the penalty.

It condemned Liverpool to their seventh draw in 10 Barclays Premier League matches and their fourth on the bounce in all competitions.

They dropped down to third in the table after being overtaken by Chelsea and are two points behind leaders Manchester United having played one match more and only one point ahead of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

"We have lost two points. We were much better in the first half. We had control of the game. We didn't kill the game," he said, in a thinly-veiled reference to what he thought went on after the interval.

"The second half was a crazy game and when it is a crazy game you cannot control things."

When he was pressed as to what was the crazy element of the second half the Spaniard refused to comment.

There was a suggestion Wigan midfielder Michael Brown's over-physical treatment of opposite number Steven Gerrard had upset him but he refused to comment.

"No I am disappointed with a number of things but no, the Wigan approach I will not talk about them," he added.

"It has happened in the last three games. They have something in common I don't like. I know why but I cannot say anything.

"The players were okay. They were working very hard in the first half but the second half changed because it was crazy.

"I was talking with my players about what to do on the pitch but there are things that you cannot control."

Benitez accepted the recent run had damaged their title bid but he felt there was a long way to go in the run-in.

"When you are top of the table you know that every single game is really important so when you lose two points you have to be disappointed," he said.

"But we have an important game on Sunday (against Chelsea) and if we play like we played in the first half we can beat anyone.

"All the games will be important until the end of the season. It depends on the other teams too but we have to try to play well and try to win."

[brightred]

Lads

You can write as many adjectives as you want but it all boils down to one thing:

we were ****e and the fault lies at one man's door- Rafa

[pondus]

We could argue about Rafa's comprehensive data driving decisions that save a player 5 minutes. Or maybe he was trying something completely unexpected and different. Maybe Rick Parry signed Gerrard all that time ago and Rafa's upset he wasn't consulted.

I'll watch his friday press conference with added interest this week.

Wouldn't it be lovely if we beat Chelsea. Maybe we'll all feel a lot better. Here's hoping eh.

Would be great to beat Chelsea, let's just hope there aren't any crazy periods during that game.

[Kenneth]

Benitez laments 'crazy' half
Published: 28/01/2009

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was at his cryptic best after blaming a "crazy" second half for his side dropping two points in the 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at Wigan.

Despite dominating, Yossi Benayoun's 41st-minute goal from a narrow angle was all the visitors had to show for their efforts and it was not enough.

In the closing stages Wigan sensed they had a chance and when Brazil midfielder Lucas needlessly brought down substitute Jason Koumas debutant Mido, signed on loan from Middlesbrough last week, converted the penalty.

It condemned Liverpool to their seventh draw in 10 Barclays Premier League matches and their fourth on the bounce in all competitions.

They dropped down to third in the table after being overtaken by Chelsea and are two points behind leaders Manchester United having played one match more and only one point ahead of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

"We have lost two points. We were much better in the first half. We had control of the game. We didn't kill the game," he said, in a thinly-veiled reference to what he thought went on after the interval.

"The second half was a crazy game and when it is a crazy game you cannot control things."

When he was pressed as to what was the crazy element of the second half the Spaniard refused to comment.

There was a suggestion Wigan midfielder Michael Brown's over-physical treatment of opposite number Steven Gerrard had upset him but he refused to comment.

"No I am disappointed with a number of things but no, the Wigan approach I will not talk about them," he added.

"It has happened in the last three games. They have something in common I don't like. I know why but I cannot say anything.

"The players were okay. They were working very hard in the first half but the second half changed because it was crazy.

"I was talking with my players about what to do on the pitch but there are things that you cannot control."

Benitez accepted the recent run had damaged their title bid but he felt there was a long way to go in the run-in.

"When you are top of the table you know that every single game is really important so when you lose two points you have to be disappointed," he said.

"But we have an important game on Sunday (against Chelsea) and if we play like we played in the first half we can beat anyone.

"All the games will be important until the end of the season. It depends on the other teams too but we have to try to play well and try to win."

Are you Houllier in disguise?

[Icon]

Deflecting?

[vlahka]

"The second half was a crazy game and when it is a crazy game you cannot control things."

Well that explains it then. The local commentator here was saying that his meds from his operations were possibly affecting him slightly. This past month. I think he's onto something.

[tomasjj]

Players are as much guilty as Rafa. Both manager and team seem to be unable to cope with the pressure of being in the league race.

[Robster007]

Players are as much guilty as Rafa. Both manager and team seem to be unable to cope with the pressure of being in the league race.

Is, for me, the most plausible explanation by a country mile.

I would imagine it's incredibly intense. The weight of pressure, the expectation of such a passionate community, people you can't let down. A feeling very few will ever experience.

[Joe King]

Benitez laments 'crazy' half
Published: 28/01/2009

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez was at his cryptic best after blaming a "crazy" second half for his side dropping two points in the 1-1 Barclays Premier League draw at Wigan.

Despite dominating, Yossi Benayoun's 41st-minute goal from a narrow angle was all the visitors had to show for their efforts and it was not enough.

In the closing stages Wigan sensed they had a chance and when Brazil midfielder Lucas needlessly brought down substitute Jason Koumas debutant Mido, signed on loan from Middlesbrough last week, converted the penalty.

It condemned Liverpool to their seventh draw in 10 Barclays Premier League matches and their fourth on the bounce in all competitions.

They dropped down to third in the table after being overtaken by Chelsea and are two points behind leaders Manchester United having played one match more and only one point ahead of fourth-placed Aston Villa.

"We have lost two points. We were much better in the first half. We had control of the game. We didn't kill the game," he said, in a thinly-veiled reference to what he thought went on after the interval.

"The second half was a crazy game and when it is a crazy game you cannot control things."

When he was pressed as to what was the crazy element of the second half the Spaniard refused to comment.

There was a suggestion Wigan midfielder Michael Brown's over-physical treatment of opposite number Steven Gerrard had upset him but he refused to comment.

"No I am disappointed with a number of things but no, the Wigan approach I will not talk about them," he added.

"It has happened in the last three games. They have something in common I don't like. I know why but I cannot say anything.

"The players were okay. They were working very hard in the first half but the second half changed because it was crazy.

"I was talking with my players about what to do on the pitch but there are things that you cannot control."

Benitez accepted the recent run had damaged their title bid but he felt there was a long way to go in the run-in.

"When you are top of the table you know that every single game is really important so when you lose two points you have to be disappointed," he said.

"But we have an important game on Sunday (against Chelsea) and if we play like we played in the first half we can beat anyone.

"All the games will be important until the end of the season. It depends on the other teams too but we have to try to play well and try to win."

Shifting the blame? Nice one, take the pressure off yourself. Instill a streak of nastiness in your side and you will reap the rewards.

[Robster007]

Shifting the blame? Nice one, take the pressure off yourself. Instill a streak of nastiness in your side and you will reap the rewards.

Oh how I miss the heady days, filled with nastiness, when we looked adoringly upon the like of Julian Dicks, and the big man himself "Razor"

[Baldemort]

Its all the foreigners we have in the team. Look at United, loads of British players, Ferdinand, Brown, O Shea, Carrick, Scholes, Rooney, Giggs, Fletcher.

We have Carragher, Gerrard and Keane.

It's never stopped Arsenal before. When they were winning with their foreign legion, it didn't seem to cause them much of a problem.