Liverpool v Unirea Post Match

[Leyton388]

It's nothing to do with not worrying over what you cant control, it's just about seeing what's staring you in the face. Not you personally i mean, just you as in 'one', generally.

I've spoken to a lot of old liverpool fans who have said its this new age LFC fan that is use to mediocracy and so think it is exceptable that we have under achieved for so long and finishing in the top 4 is some sort of achievement.

Also i think the killer is Cobra is Purple Ackie!

[calvoboy]

It's nothing to do with not worrying over what you cant control, it's just about seeing what's staring you in the face. Not you personally i mean, just you as in 'one', generally.

Yeah, but if you look at what we have played up front for most of this season, and on the wing while Riera has been out, I'd have gone mental long ago if I'd worried about it. We've had a nowhere near good enough squad on the left and up front all season (or for the last couple of seasons come to think of it). Rafa needs to be held responsible for that, despite the lack of transfer funds, given the spend on Johnson and Aquilani, but there's no point going over old ground again and again every single game. **** all we can do about it now. I thought tonight's team was pretty much our best available, it didn't work, and he made the right changes to get the win.

[Craig_H]

I've spoken to a lot of old liverpool fans who have said its this new age LFC fan that is use to mediocracy and so think it is exceptable that we have under achieved for so long and finishing in the top 4 is some sort of achievement.

Also i think the killer is Cobra is Purple Ackie!

That's probably a part of it. My own view is that, at the moment, i'd accept 4th as a worthwhile achievement. But it's not even where we finish or what games we win - it's how we play.

We cant always win and that's obvious. If we lose, we lose - but i'd like to come away thinking "we lost, but we tried everything and really went for it, we went down fighting". Unfortunately, that doesnt happen enough with this Liverpool.

[Craig_H]

Yeah, but if you look at what we have played up front for most of this season, and on the wing while Riera has been out, I'd have gone mental long ago if I'd worried about it. We've had a nowhere near good enough squad on the left and up front all season (or for the last couple of seasons come to think of it). Rafa needs to be held responsible for that, despite the lack of transfer funds, given the spend on Johnson and Aquilani, but there's no point going over old ground again and again every single game. **** all we can do about it now. I thought tonight's team was pretty much our best available, it didn't work, and he made the right changes to get the win.

Not a great deal wrong with that mate. I'm not 'worrying', i'm just reacting.

And read the rest of my post, i'd edited it and added some points which explain what my major gripes actually are. They're not about the personnel, they're about the style of play and mentality.

[Tatterdemalion]

bring back uncle roy, or kevin keegan

[calvoboy]

Not a great deal wrong with that mate. I'm not 'worrying', i'm just reacting.

And read the rest of my post, i'd edited it and added some points which explain what my major gripes actually are. They're not about the personnel, they're about the style of play and mentality.

And I agree with pretty much all of that There's a very similar debate going on at the moment about the Welsh rugby team, who I'm also a supporter of. In both cases. I'm in the camp that thinks it's the lack of key personnel that has caused the problem, and that we rely on them for the tempo and drive that is lacking.

How often have we been able to play Reina, Carra, Agger, Mascher, Gerrard, Kuyt, Torres and Johnson (prob our 8 best players) in the same game? I just think we've got too many passive players in the wider squad who haven't got the hunger or the desire on the pitch to turn a game, so we rely on our experienced players to provide the spark. Very early in the season we were scoring for fun, and played some very attacking football, until injuries began to decimate the squad.

[Craig_H]

And I agree with pretty much all of that There's a very similar debate going on at the moment about the Welsh rugby team, who I'm also a supporter of. In both cases. I'm in the camp that thinks it's the lack of key personnel that has caused the problem, and that any team relies on them to drive things forward.

How often have we been able to play Reina, Carra, Agger, Mascher, Gerrard, Kuyt, Torres and Johnson (prob our 8 best players) in the same game? I just think we've got too many passive players in the wider squad who haven't got the hunger or the spirit on the pitch to want to turn a game, so we rely on our experienced players to provide the spark. Very early in the season we were scoring for fun, and played some very attacking football, until injuries began to decimate the squad.

Very good description, that.

[Exiled_red]

And I agree with pretty much all of that There's a very similar debate going on at the moment about the Welsh rugby team, who I'm also a supporter of. In both cases. I'm in the camp that thinks it's the lack of key personnel that has caused the problem, and that we rely on them for the tempo and drive that is lacking.

How often have we been able to play Reina, Carra, Agger, Mascher, Gerrard, Kuyt, Torres and Johnson (prob our 8 best players) in the same game? I just think we've got too many passive players in the wider squad who haven't got the hunger or the desire on the pitch to turn a game, so we rely on our experienced players to provide the spark. Very early in the season we were scoring for fun, and played some very attacking football, until injuries began to decimate the squad.

I think we have too many players who are too much graft and not enough craft. I've nothing against hard work, but we need a balance between the two, we lack the craft at the moment.

[calvoboy]

Very good description, that.

It's why, much as I hate to say it, you look at the scum squad and they have some very limited players. In fact, I reckon they've got a less talented squad than us at the moment - there aren't many I'd swap with them from our first eleven anyway. But they all know exactly what they are expected to do on the pitch, and go out and give 100% to win the game no matter what. There's no-one passive there. Anyone slips and they're out. Villa the same with O'Neill.

I think Rafa is a better tactician than both of them, and we certainly play better football than Villa. But the 'everyone is a cog in the machine' mentalilty can blind Rafa at times to criticise those who might be drifting from their tasks but are giving everything to change a game, and to overvalue those who stick to their task but are mediocre.

I still think that we are building year on year though. Our first team this year is good, but all our key players have been out for long periods. And I'm excited by our young players for the first time in a while. Hopefully we'll have less injuries next year, have a few quid to spend in the summer, and Rafa will have learned a lot from this year...

[Exiled_red]

It's why, much as I hate to say it, you look at the scum squad and they have some very limited players. In fact, I reckon they've got a less talented squad than us at the moment - there aren't many I'd swap with them from our first eleven anyway. But they all know exactly what they are expected to do on the pitch, and go out and give 100% to win the game no matter what. There's no-one passive there. Anyone slips and they're out. Villa the same with O'Neill.

I think Rafa is a better tactician than both of them, and we certainly play better football than Villa. But the 'everyone is a cog in the machine' mentalilty can blind Rafa at times to criticise those who might be drifting from their tasks but are giving everything to change a game, and to overvalue those who stick to their task but are mediocre.

I still think that we are building year on year though. Our first team this year is good, but all our key players have been out for long periods. And I'm excited by our young players for the first time in a while.

[Mattshark]

I think we have too many players who are too much graft and not enough craft. I've nothing against hard work, but we need a balance between the two, we lack the craft at the moment.

I would agree with that, we could do with more flair in the team.

[SimonNo7]

i thought he played well, not brilliant mind, just better than some of the others, he put in his shift, he was always avaliable for the ball, tried to put crosses in, was taking players on. more than decent performance

...passed the ball straight out of play even though it was easier to pass to Carra.

Sorry Kuyt is a damn hard worker but he is not a LFC player (well obviously he is but you get what I mean).

Having said that I would of rather seen him as a striker than a RM, possibly even playing alongside Ngog, especially at home.

[Exiled_red]

...passed the ball straight out of play even though it was easier to pass to Carra.

Sorry Kuyt is a damn hard worker but he is not a LFC player (well obviously he is but you get what I mean).

Having said that I would of rather seen him as a striker than a RM, possibly even playing alongside Ngog, especially at home.

My one critisism of Kuyt would be that his right side role is not suited to these types of games. He's at his best in tight games which require hard work and fight, you'd have him in your team everytime for the big games, but in games where we have alot of the ball and need pace or flair to open up defences he's not as effective.

It's about the balance between graft and craft that I mentioned earlier. There is IMO undoubtedly a place for him in the squad, but today we needed more craft and less graft. We need to either adjust the balance of the two from game to game or develop a system where the two are balance in a given 11, with the players we have at the moment we are more suited to the former.

[RoadEnd]

Just managed to get home after an epic 4.5 hour journey up from south Birmingham. It was such a **** journey, my son thought we were going to the away leg in Romania.

And after all that, I had to sit through a load of dung trying to play football. Anfield was a morgue, reflecting the level of passion on the pitch.


2 hours to get back and I nearly wrote the car off on the M5 at Bromsgrove as the car tried to do a 360 degree turn as I hit the snow on the outside lane.

I'll be watching Solihull Moors in future.

....and finally - Riera is ****e. Jamie Carragher would be a better winger.

Goodnight

[Craig_H]

Glad you got back in one piece mate.

How on earth did it take you 4.5 hours to get to Liverpool from South Birmingham?

It takes me less than that to get there from London!