Post-mortem Northampton

[Fredo]

Gerrard's just gone out in the Echo saying the players will 'get it right' in the end. We've been waiting for a long time Stevie.

Link

[kris90210]

Not really. There'd be arguments anyway, there always is.

You can hardly blame those who didn't want Benitez out for complaining. Many of us expected a massive downgrade and downturn in results and performances. And we've got one. Why should we sit back and take it? The anti-Rafa people were so ****ing mouthy, loud and obnoxious for the last 12 months....I'd expect them to be able to cope with getting a little bit back. Seems they can't though. Swings and roundabouts eh.

Well said

[SimonNo7]

Well said. There has to be question marks when it comes to all of those players. The sad thing is that we've gone from being a side who needed fine tuning (a couple of years ago) to a rebuilding job. Even with new owners with a best-case scenario (rich), we're 2-3 years off challenging for the title.

And when it comes to some of those players, the ones who are first team squad players, is it that they were just being spoilt brats, ie 'I can't believe I'm playing in the Carling Cup, I should be in the first team', or is it they just thought it was going to be so easy and that they didn't really have to try their hardest?

[Tee]

Not really. There'd be arguments anyway, there always is.

You can hardly blame those who didn't want Benitez out for complaining. Many of us expected a massive downgrade and downturn in results and performances. And we've got one. Why should we sit back and take it? The anti-Rafa people were so ****ing mouthy, loud and obnoxious for the last 12 months....I'd expect them to be able to cope with getting a little bit back. Seems they can't though. Swings and roundabouts eh.

So ****ing true.

[BobTheCharmer]

Not really. There'd be arguments anyway, there always is.

You can hardly blame those who didn't want Benitez out for complaining. Many of us expected a massive downgrade and downturn in results and performances. And we've got one. Why should we sit back and take it? The anti-Rafa people were so ****ing mouthy, loud and obnoxious for the last 12 months....I'd expect them to be able to cope with getting a little bit back. Seems they can't though. Swings and roundabouts eh.

of which I am one.

What are you saying I can't take exactly?

Thats a hell of a generalisation you've made there, all people who wanted Rafa out were/are mouthy, & obnoxious. ****ing hell get over yourself . For the record I probably do fit your stereotype, on here at least but there's many others that don't and just because they wanted a change they shouldn't be vilified.

Come back with the smugness in December if we're below 10th.

[Lecter]

Thing is Shaggy, most the Roy hatred are the ones who also hated Rafa and wanted him out. The fact some have since changed their minds doesn't, however, suprise me in the slightest.

I must admit to being thoroughly non-plussed by Roys appointment and everything that has subsequently followed

I did not want Rafa replaced in the first placed

My point was always two things

No point in replacing a manager if you cant find anyone better

Also that no manager would work as well as Rafa did under the conditions currently at our club

But no, we were assured that the flaws in the side were down to Rafa and that a new man would get the best out of an underperforming squad

[SimonNo7]

Not sure you can include Kuyt in that list?
but apart from him and an Injury prone Aurelio all the rest are turd and lots of us think that......Ok Ngog is young but he is soooo erratic world beater on occasions, awful on others.

Molby said that Babel's performance was one of the worse he has ever seen, only once he beat us man and he was just constantly losing possesion that 11m we got offered, lucky if we get 3 now. Lucas and Spearing got outplayed in the centre mid by a 4th divison team, if either cant stamp there authority on them what hope have we got.


The fringe players show no desire, what a platform that was last night and they blew it.

Well for me he fits into that list perfectly. When he signed I thought excellent we've got a striker that scored more goals in his league than RVN (and we all know how good he turned out for United) so he should do more than alright for us and then he started playing on the right and for me he's just not that good. So he goes on the list of players who don't seem to be able to create, attack, play as part of a team. Great workhorse able to run up and down a pitch but anything else...

[Fosterbloke]

I wonder at what point do you laugh at the results and go through that odd stage of *wanting* teams to beat you just to drive home the ****eness on display?

Football is cack these days. It's all $$$ and prostitutes.

[Chrono]

Not really. There'd be arguments anyway, there always is.

You can hardly blame those who didn't want Benitez out for complaining. Many of us expected a massive downgrade and downturn in results and performances. And we've got one. Why should we sit back and take it? The anti-Rafa people were so ****ing mouthy, loud and obnoxious for the last 12 months....I'd expect them to be able to cope with getting a little bit back. Seems they can't though. Swings and roundabouts eh.

These "Rafa haters" had absoltely no bearing on him losing his job nor did they have any bearing on who was to be his replacement, what budget they would have and what replacements they would go on to make. Because the reality is we are owned by crooks. There is nothing to suggest that things would have been any better now under Rafa.

The Rafa sycophants always outnumbered those that question him by at least 10-1, so what do you propose given that this situation is upon us and that we, as fans, clearly have some influence in all this? Is it the fault of those that questioned Rafa that we are in this position?

[kris90210]

And when it comes to some of those players, the ones who are first team squad players, is it that they were just being spoilt brats, ie 'I can't believe I'm playing in the Carling Cup, I should be in the first team', or is it they just thought it was going to be so easy and that they didn't really have to try their hardest?

Probably a bit of both.

It's hard to put your finger on it. Take Lucas as an example. MattShark would argue with you all day about what a great player he is, but for me he plays the type of 'safe' game that it wouldn't make much difference whether he was playing Man Utd or Northampton. He'd still be the guy working hard in midfield, closing space, playing the simple ball.

Shame about Babel because he does have the ability. At best you could point to the fact that he hasn't played much football this season, but it was Northampton. He should should have tore that team to shreds.

[Fredo]

There's nothing 'sycophant' about people taking the same position as a manager.

[Slinky Skills]

he said that - brilliant.

it just gets worse - thinking about the performance - oh my word.

ryan babel for a start can **** off - the cheeky ****ing cunt is a millionaire footballer. He cant get in the team, and last night he should have been thinking, right, i'm going to play out my skin and ****ing rip these *******s apart and give the manager something to think about.

and don't get me started on the rest of the cunts who played

I'll forgive the youngters that started - wilson (out of position) Pacheco (out of position) Kelly (wasn't that bad) - the rest though, including spearing who clearly is not good enough and streets behind the younger shelvey and ngog who even though is young has played enough first team football now - should be refunding the tickets of those that went

[billy_mac]

am i the only one who doesnt really care about last nights result?

all i care about right now is new owners and getting top 4 in the league.

we had a reserve team out last night as did citeh and chelsea and we all paid price. who cares? move on and letsa look towards saturday and the games that actually matter.

I'm with you on this. I've read through a few pages of Rafa Roy stuff and fast forwarded to find this sensible post.

Performance was not good enough, result was terrible. What matters is the league and a performance on Saturday. If the shambles of last night and the spell of good football at united aren't enough to motivate and direct the team towards a good performance and a win on saturday then we have a problem. Until then we're out of the least important competition with a hummilating defeat, we just have to take it and move on.

[danperkins]

So ****ing true.

You'd think reading some of these comments that we support different clubs, unreal.

[Shaggy]

I care. It was our best chance of winning a trophy.

Echo:

PATHETIC. Absolutely pathetic. The abomination of a story that is the modern day Liverpool Football Club has reached its most depressing low.

Worcester City in 1959 is widely regarded as the most cataclysmic result in Liverpool’s 118-year history but last night 22,577 hardy souls saw Northampton Town achieve a result that must rank alongside it.

How the once mighty have fallen.

Never mind the fact there was late drama.

Ignore that Liverpool mounted a frantic push to save themselves in the second period of extra time and their proud penalty shoot-out record has taken an unexpected battering.

There is only one fact that matters today: Liverpool have been knocked out of the Carling Cup by a side from League Two after a performance that was shameful in so many ways.

Results such as these plunge clubs into a crisis.

Roy Hodgson took a gamble last night by making 11 changes to the side that had been beaten 3-2 by Manchester United on Sunday, but it backfired spectacularly.

As a result, the disaffected natives are becoming even more restless with their lot.

Normally when Tom Hicks and George Gillett were up to their antics or there was trouble and strife in the boardroom, you could depend on Liverpool to pull out big results and big performances, but now the only thing that follows the Reds is embarrassment.

“We have been here for a very long time and the club will be here for a very long time,” said Managing Director Christian Purslow in his much publicised interview yesterday.

“Our raison d’etre hasn’t changed. We exist as a football club to win trophies. That’s never going to change.”

Yes it is.

When a club gets sucked into a maelstrom such as the one Liverpool have inhabited for the past 12 months, things start to change dramatically and there is no doubt whatsoever that their rivals will have surveyed this result and howled with laughter.

But there are more ramifications.

Losing in such a bitter way impacts on spirit around the training ground; imagine how Jamie Carragher, Dirk Kuyt, Pepe Reina, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres et al felt watching this, knowing another route to silverware has just been wrenched away.

You get the picture. This was Liverpool’s big chance of winning something this season.

A number of rivals for the pot they have lifted a record seven times all fell at the first hurdle and for them to do the same is careless beyond words.

Among the many hot topics that were posted on Liverpool’s official website yesterday, the title of one story leapt off the screen – “Does this cup matter?”

It may be the done thing to poke fun at the Carling Cup, but every Red answer should have been “absolutely”.

It had all started so routinely.

With just eight minutes having elapsed, Daniel Agger rolled the most inviting of balls through Northampton’s defence for Milan Jovanovic to scamper on to and the Serbian forward duly applied the finish that was demanded.

Having given an interview to a television station in Denmark when he stated that he would not sacrifice his principles, here was Agger providing proof of what a talented footballer he is – it was the kind of pass some midfielders at the club could not think of making.

Sadly it was the only flash of quality Liverpool mustered in an opening 45 minutes that was just not good enough; laboured and lethargic – you will have read those words once or twice already this season – they never fashioned another chance to test Northampton keeper Chris Dunn.

Just read that again.

A Premier League side – one of the greatest names in football history – failed to put any kind of pressure on a club whose most recent piece of silverware was the Fourth Division title in 1987 – there can be no bigger indictment.

Full credit to Northampton. Determined, disciplined and knowing they had a stage to make themselves heroes, Ian Sampson’s men gave everything they had and more; for that reason, they absolutely deserved to draw level just before the hour.

Billy McKay was the man who sent the 5,000 visiting supporters into raptures, hooking the ball past Brad Jones from eight yards, but it was utterly shocking for Liverpool to concede – that the defence was undone by a simple chipped ball into the area defied belief.

Then again, most of what was produced – or should that be what wasn’t produced? – defied belief. Other than the goal, Liverpool did not have one single shot on target in normal time and the failure to impose themselves as an attacking force was incomprehensible.

The more Liverpool staggered, the more it became apparent they were in grave danger of being jettisoned from the competition and they were fortunate that the killer blow did not arrive in injury time when Northampton mounted another attack. It proved only to be a temporary reprieve.

Within eight minutes of extra time getting underway, the Cobblers had got the second goal which they had been threatening, Michael Jacobs sweeping the ball past Martin Kelly with Jones stranded.

Though Ngog got them back into it, heading in via a Kyrgiakos flick on, it was impossible to escape the feeling that Liverpool had got away with it.

But their luck ran out after Kelly had made an astonishing goaline clearance from Nathaniel Wedderburn in the penalty shoot-out.

Don’t single Nathan Eccleston out for censure for missing the crucial kick – at least he had the courage to step up and take one. The blame must be shared around from top to bottom. Something, after all, is rotten in the state of Anfield.

THIN RED LINE: Manager Roy Hodgson prepares his players for a penalty shoot-out – only the second Liverpool have lost in a senior first team match in the history of the club.