Utd - Liverpool post match

[CJ]

Looking at Benitez, he would have struggled to get any more points than Hodgo has imo. He's trying to shape a team that he inherited, integrating new players into the squad while he's at it. It was an incredibly tough schedule in the PL and was always going to be tough. Hodgo all the way for me (at least until the end of the season)

i dont think we would have conceded so many. the chances are one or two points more max.

however it is possible that his was of doing things was starting not to work. Ballague does say that he thinks rafa needs players to move on after 3 or so years.

i do think we would be better defensivly under Rafa maybe even had a point or two more but would that add up to lots at the end of the season?

[DannyMan2006]

Cole was played out of position to accommodate Merieles.

He needs to get used to it, because he's going to have to do that all season.

I thought Cole did well. But he's played there for Chelsea and England for god knows how long so it's hardly a strange position to him.

I don't think there's any chance we suddenly develop this type of consistency after the start we've had, even if we play Blackpool five times. Time will tell.

If a team plays worse teams they do better. It's hardly rocket science. Get a good points haul going and that can influence the Chelseas game we have at home after the next 5 games. Chelsea are in top form atm, whilst we are at a low ebb. By the time we play them we could be high in confidence and they may have dropped out of form slightly.

[SimonNo7]

In the previous thread, people were arguing that we were going backwards...

I'm not sure that we are going backwards. Whenever you get a new manager you have a period of uncertainty where players aren't sure of their roles, and the manager isn't sure how to get the best out of the players. When Rafa took over, we conceded some soft goals from zonal marking while the players got used to it (until Pellegrino came and sorted it IIRC), and we're conceding soft ones now from man-marking while the players get used to it.

Similarly, it's clear that the players aren't yet used to the patterns of play that Roy wants. We are playing some good stuff in spells, but at times are looking totally lost. I'm not sure this is going backwards though - to me it looks like just a transitional phase while we adapt to a new manager with new ideas.

The league at the moment is meaningless. If we are still in the bottom half in 6 games time, then I'll start to worry. But at the moment we've played City and United Away, Arsenal at home, and Birmingham are a tough side to beat at St Andrews too. By contrast Chelsea have beaten the might of West Ham, West Brom, Wigan and Stoke before today's formality against Blackpool.

We need to win our next two home games, against Sunderland and Blackpool, and hopefully build from there. It's far too soon to be making some of the ridiculous comments that some have made on here though, regardless of our disappointment at losing to THEM.

I'm worried that Roy seems to think that Skrtel is better than Agger, and I hope he never, ever, plays Poulsen and Lucas together at CM again, but otherwise, I think we should give him the time to develop his side.

Agree with that and I can't believe I'm going to say this but I wouldn't be too concerned if Poulsen and Lucas play together* as long as the latter is given the instruction to try and get forward where possible.

*This pairing should only play in the Premiership when Miereles is not available.

[DannyMan2006]

i dont think we would have conceded so many. the chances are one or two points more max.

however it is possible that his was of doing things was starting not to work. Ballague does say that he thinks rafa needs players to move on after 3 or so years.

i do think we would be better defensivly under Rafa maybe even had a point or two more but would that add up to lots at the end of the season?

I'd go along with this. We haven't beat Birmingham since they've been back in the premiership so it's hard to see a win there.

City away was always a tough ask, as is United away. Arsenal at home is again a very tough fixture, think we lost it last year.

[Mattshark]

I'd go along with this. We haven't beat Birmingham since they've been back in the premiership so it's hard to see a win there.

City away was always a tough ask, as is United away. Arsenal at home is again a very tough fixture, think we lost it last year.

We drew with Arsenal at home last year. Arsenal very rarely win at Anfield. City last season was a draw and we probably should have won.

[DannyMan2006]

Agree with that and I can't believe I'm going to say this but I wouldn't be too concerned if Poulsen and Lucas play together* as long as the latter is given the instruction to try and get forward where possible.

*This pairing should only play in the Premiership when Miereles is not available.

I think in those situations Cole should play behind Torres and Gerrard go CM.

[DannyMan2006]

We drew with Arsenal at home last year. Arsenal very rarely win at Anfield. City last season was a draw and we probably should have won.

Ah, I stand corrected then.

So far we are 1 point worse of than last season then.

[CJ]

remember on the other thread i was saying about manc mate who said scum 3 webb 2

obviously he didnt say scum but he should have

well his reply to my they were fouls and the defenders played the percentages and it turned out not to work oh and you could have got one sent off well here is the reply just in

Webb was diabolical he gave you all the decisions, even you couldnt be that biased, well ...

they never ever think their players do anything wrong do they.

[Kenneth]

If we'd played Wigan and won, we would be right in the mix. It's far to early to worry about league positions, or even relative points with last year.

[fatkid_lovescake]

Hate this feeling!
Try sitting in amongst the scummy fans with your mate who's a manure fan and seeing us get beat and wanting to sing and celebrate with the away fans

[SimonNo7]

True the media do love him, but I have to take issue with the bold bit..this season more like it

Hodgson was brought in to facilitate the downgrading of the playing squad, i.e. systematically asset stripping to pay the interest on the debt put on the club to purchase it.

They can't sell it so what do LBO professionals do? Sell off the more valuable assets and hope that increased revenue streams (new TV deal) will be in place so that net present value (NPV) of the club shows a sufficient profit on their personal liens to the club.

Hodgson is clearly not good enough for LFC under normal circumstances but he is perfect in the yanks eyes because he is doing as he is told..Benitez smelt a rat 2 years ago and unfortunately his last year being poor (haha if you think last year was poor...) got the heave ho for being too difficult for the yanks to orchestrate their plans of hanging on until the new revenue streams are on line demonstrable etc to attain the asking price that ensures a profit.

Thats why I dont like Hodgson the yes man because he is the chummy face of the whole LBO plus he is clueless

Where has he asset stripped?

If you are talking about Mascherano, the guy wanted to leave. I agree we maybe haven't brought in as good a player but we haven't bought in a complete dud in Poulsen plus we have brought in Meireles. If you are talking about Benny we've brought in Cole, Insua we re-signed Aurelio and brought in Konchesky (IMO a better player than Insua although I would of rather Insua stayed as back-up) and finally Riera who sealed his own fate but I would agree we haven't exactly replaced him. The only place I can see asset stripping is clearing out some of the reserves who weren't really good enough.

Now if you go to the profit on transfers then because of the state the club is in (because of the owners not Roy Hodgson) what we have actually done makes perfect sense.

I'm afraid your idea that Hodgson is just a yes man could be cast on any manager that took the job. They are professionals who look at the job on offer and do what they need to do.

[SimonNo7]

We drew with Arsenal at home last year. Arsenal very rarely win at Anfield. City last season was a draw and we probably should have won.

I thought we lost 2-1 at home to the Arse after being 1 up?

[SimonNo7]

I think in those situations Cole should play behind Torres and Gerrard go CM.

That maybe an idea but who plays on the left, Babel?

Also, and I'm not a big fan of Lucas, in the couple of games he has been allowed to go forward where possible, Thursday and one of the European games last season, I have actually liked what i've seen and think he looks a better player than when he's made to play the holding role.

[DannyMan2006]

That maybe an idea but who plays on the left, Babel?

Also, and I'm not a big fan of Lucas, in the couple of games he has been allowed to go forward where possible, Thursday and one of the European games last season, I have actually liked what i've seen and think he looks a better player than when he's made to play the holding role.

When paired up with Poulsen this season he's had the chance to break forward before but he never did.

I think the only way he'll support the attack is if you put him behind Torres, but it's asking a lot of Lucas for him to be good enough in that position off Torres.

I think personally I'd just keep him at DM and alternate him with Poulsen as a bit of competition for the deeper lying role.

[DannyMan2006]

I thought we lost 2-1 at home to the Arse after being 1 up?

Ah, thought we lost.

If that is the case we are so far no worse off than last season. Not great as last year we finished 7th, but taking into account it's a new manager with new players it does show how tough a start we've actually had.