Liverpool vs Sunderland post match

[alunevans]

I may be being generous but I thought we were playing alright up until they scored, which was a bloody stupid handball to give away.

I don't recall them seeing much of the ball for the first 24 minutes.

Then they scored and we crumbled. We then showed no fight and no passion for 40 mins. It was utterly horrible, and they passed around us like we weren't there. Many of the team weren't there and were hardly busting a gut and we were second best to pretty much everything.

Then Gerrard equalised and we looked better again.

Am I being too kind?

The 40 mins from them scoring until SG equalising was possibly the most angering and turgid half hearted thing I've seen.

But either side of that we were alright I felt.

I thought Torres was shocking today and barely competed. Ngog made a real difference and put himself about. Poulson is scary from what I saw today. A real "don't pass it to him" sort of player. And Johnson is a shocking right back. Can't we play to his obvious strengths and put him right midfield? Maureles looks a decent player and it's probably no coincidence that we improved when he replaced Poulson at centre mid.

[Lee]

Ending the week on a high?! FFS.

We're pathetic, in fact we're so poor that mates don't even take the piss out of our results anymore. Really want to find my love of football again and look forward to our matches - but it's hard work at the moment.

Ending the week on a ****ing high?! Serious?!

[spud_gun]

[Shaggy]

Pinched off of Rawk:

Thread topic: Phil Thompson on SSN Today


Don't know if anyone saw him today but he made an impassioned argument against the owners today. He is one of the few pundits who really stand up and tell how he feels for the club, unlike some who seem scared to ruffle a few feathers or really condemn the owners. There was a long discussion covering a lot of issues and Thommo was so honest with his views it was good to see.

Here's a brief run down of what was said (sorry it's a bit long) -

"The Northampton loss was a massive shock. Whats going on at the football club at the moment, it's like an alcoholic, got to hit rock bottom. I hope that was rock bottom, we all know in October, with the refinancing, this is the whole package at Liverpool Football Club, what's been going on with the ownership and everything, it has consumed the whole of the football club.

We have often spoke, does what goes on in the boardroom does that impact on the players and what have you, this is all consuming, this is everything, this is going down to the girls who cook down at the training ground, the people who are there washing the kit, whatever, it's the whole package, everybody is so, so low. Honestly, it's absolutely dreadful.

Yes, it's about results and what has happened, because I am quite sure it would be the same at Manchester United with what's going on there, but they have had the results to go with it and so it's not as bitter.

This is Liverpool, a pride, this is their inheritance this football club, for the kids it's going to be left to them to be supporting the club its imperative that the Bank, when this comes up on the 6th October its a supporter issue it is not just a football issue. They cannot allow this football club, the owners to refinance this football club.

There's a demonstration going on after the game today

This is a huge thing."

Stelling "The owners didnt send that football team out"

"I agree, we went there with Benitez last year, look at the players and everything, he's not picking the team, he's not bought the players but this is all consuming.

Jeff, whatever you say about Rafa Benitez, the last 15 months, since last Summers transfer window, we're in profit, we shouldn't be in profit we should be spending money.

When you dont spend money, you get £50million in for Alonso and Mascherano and you bring in 2 players for £11million and £4million where are you going to end up finishing Jeff? We still have good players but we are lowering and lowering the standards all the time because of the owners, and I know what you are saying but it's quality in players which that brings about.

And this is a plea, for if anybody, sporting people who make decisions who watch this programme, they cannot allow this to happen in October, for the whole of football because it will kill Liverpool football Club if this goes on and it will kill football because if other people think that this can happen it is wrong and it is wrong because it is impacting on my football club."


JS - "Can LIverpool become the next Leeds United?"

"No they won't be. This has to be sorted out and it has to be sooner rather than later. I am saying no but there is a nagging doubt in the mind because of what has been done to my football club throughout the tenure of the two owners. It's absolutely dreadful, absolutely dreadful, and it's never going be, 98% of me is saying NO, it's not going to be a Leeds United, there's a structure there, but Leeds United fans were probably saying exactly the same things to themselves, so I am going it will not happen"

There was then a bit of a discussion about falling attendences and the reasons and Thommo said:

"People are beginning to say if you are go and support the football club, purchasing tickets then you are supporting the owners so No, I wont do it, I am not going to go because the more I put money into the football club I could possibly keep them there, there is a bit of that going on but again it's the whole thing and everybody people need to keep going.

This football cllub will keep going long after we have all gone, it will still be a very very proud football club.


There was a bit more discussion about how Hodgson got the team selection wrong against Northampton and should have had some of the big guns on the bench and how we shouldn't give Fergies comments any credence etc and in the end the panel all started singing

"Always look on the bright side of life"

Half of me does wish that we could have Thommo and Dalglish managing the side - one thing we wouldn't be short of then would be passion and belief in just how important the club really is.

[SimonNo7]

[Rich]

Roy's viewpoint: (I've put in bold the comments I can't believe he's come out with...)

"It wasn't the result we wanted, we wanted a victory, but in many ways it was the performance we wanted.

"We had a bright start and lost our way, but after such a bright start I felt we could have been two goals up because I thought Torres's goal that was disallowed for offside was incorrectly ruled out.

"So we did start well but then Sunderland got back into the game and evened things out. I think the penalty they got was fairly compensatory because I don't subscribe to accidental handballs, wherever a player's hand may be. For me, a handball must be intentional and there is no way anyone will persuade me that was.

"So we came in at 1-1 and then suffered the real cold shower of going 2-1 down very early in the second half. But I thought the reaction of the players was extremely good. I thought we dominated the game totally after that and created lots of good chances. But unfortunately we only scored from one of them."

He added: "I think over the 90 minutes we were certainly more than worth the point we got. I thought it was a very exciting second half, and I'm pretty sure the fans will join me in appreciating the effort, spirit and determination of the players. That in itself is another little step forward."
Liverpool's opening goal was met by loud protests from the visiting players after referee Stuart Atwell adjudged Michael Turner to have taken a free-kick that gifted the ball to Fernando Torres, allowing the Spaniard to race clean through and tee up Kuyt to steer home.

However, Hodgson felt the award of the goal was the correct decision.

"I don't know if we were gifted a start, I thought it was a good bit of quick thinking from Torres and Kuyt," he said. "Like I said, we could have been 2-0 up because I don't think the first goal should have been ruled out.

"But we were at home, we wanted to win the game and hoped to build on that - unfortunately there is an opponent to play and they had something to say in that matter.

"We need to work more together, we have a lot of new players coming into team. We haven't had that much time with matches in the Europa League and the league. but I think that the more we work and the more the team plays together, the better we will become.

"It's quite simply the 'Rome wasn't built in a day' adage. There's lots of things I see in the game that I think we need to work on. But I have a group of players here who will work at it, will get better and I think you saw that during the course of the game today."

Quizzed by journalists as to whether he thought it was a game Liverpool needed to win if they have aspirations of challenging at the top, Hodgson said: "Look at the results today - Chelsea, Tottenham and Arsenal all lost.

"These are games we all need to win, but the league is very, very tight. If we had won today we could have found ourselves in fourth or fifth place. I don't think we are playing like a team in fourth or fifth just yet, but that's how close the league is. There's not a lot between teams and it should be seen as how hard the Barclays Premier League is."

Asked about the fans' protest following the match, Hodgson said: "I don't think anybody at the club wants anything but a solution to the ownership problem.

"The fans here are very passionate and care an awful lot about this football club. You cannot criticise them for showing their displeasure about the situation, because like ourselves they want to see the club moving forward and not sort of stuck with owners who are trying to sell the club."

[SimonNo7]

Fair enough, and hopefully he can but the early signs dont look good

No they don't but we have to give him time, we mustn't become like other teams that just chop and change.

[Pablo]

Stelling is an utter cunt

http://www.twitvid.com/KXWCQ

[Fredo]

Those are extraordinary comments from a Liverpool manager, it's beyond belief.

[Shaggy]

Stelling can **** himself, kin moron.

[Fredo]

Stelling is an utter cunt

http://www.twitvid.com/KXWCQ

There was a link on the right with Rafa dancing with a replica of our CL. This was depressing. I miss the man.

[Lee]

Those are extraordinary comments from a Liverpool manager, it's beyond belief.

Wrong isn't it mate?

I never wanted Rafa to go - said all along to people to be careful what they wish for because the grass is rarely greener. I was behind Roy when he joined as he was probably the best of what we could realistically get - but some of his interviews / comments in recent weeks...?! Well, it's just not good enough.

Actually, it's ****ing disgraceful.

[ronanm]

Like someone said the other day.

Im sure roy misheard when he got the job.

We said steady the ship not scuttle it.

[mick the click]

Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson on his side's 2-2 draw with Sunderland:

"There are no easy home wins in the Premier League, you have to fight for everything. The way we came back from 2-1 down was very commendable and towards the end of the game we were creating a lot of chances. We deserved our point."

I was all for giving uncle Roy the benefit of the doubt for a few more games. Quite frankly, this attitude isn't good enough. In fact it's ****. I'm even getting annoyed thinking that he might even believe what he's saying.

[vonk]

what i dont get is people who really wanted rafa out now defend this.

why could you not defend rafa but can defend this?

I don't see anyone is defending it. We are playing **** at the moment and it's the managers job to correct it of course, but calling for a managers head after 6 League games smacks of a new Sky generation of Liverpool fans who have no patience and a complete lack of a grasp of reality.

Liverpool Football Club are not going to sack a manager after this amount of games and no amount of forum rants are going to change that. We're not ****ing Newcastle United. He will get time, even if we get new owners. This is not the time to call for a change of manager. The club is in turmoil and we need to support the players, the manager, and the board members who are trying to stop the fat Texan getting control of the club.

Back to football. The reason we didn't win today was because Gerrard and Poulsen were completely bossed in midfield by Cattermole and Henderson. It was only when Meireles came back to play alongside Gerrard and Torres had a partner that we controlled the game. I hope Roy learns from this. Time will tell.