Liverpool v Everton Post Match

[Baracus]

I though he was decent in the 1st half when we had zero pressure on us and ****e in 2nd half and he got completely over run by everton's midfield and overrall average

He played ok without the ball. With the Ball he was ****e, misplaced passes, xabi-esq style mis placed long ball passes. I give him kudos for getting into very good positions to recieve the ball. But he is just not good enough

[danperkins]

I though he was decent in the 1st half when we had zero pressure on us and ****e in 2nd half and he got completely over run by everton's midfield and overrall average

He played ok without the ball. With the Ball he was ****e, misplaced passes, xabi-esq style mis placed long ball passes. I give him kudos for getting into very good positions to recieve the ball. But he is just not good enough

thought we we were on the front foot in first half, he was fine. When the tide turned and Everton put some pressure on Spearing buckled, tried but ultimately ran around like a headless chicken.

He done ok but never going to make in the premier league IMO.

[Baracus]

Kenny on Agger: -

"I knew he had a stomach problem, I went to the toilet after him"

I love the kanny witty-isms from Kenny. Brilliant

[alunevans]

11 shots on target.

When did that ever happen under Roy?

The club has moved forward swapping Roy for Kenny.

The spotlight is now solely on the players. Many are not good enough.

We need reinforcements asap by the owners getting their chequebooks out.

But I'm feeling very good about LFC at the moment to be honest. We're going in the right direction in my view at last.

[Mattshark]

I must have been watching a different game to all you doom mongers slagging us off.
We battered Everton in the first half, Torres looked back to something near his best and if it wasn't for 5 mad minutes after Agger had to come off I think we would have gone on to win.
Skrtel was at fault for both goals, Spearing isn't good enough, Kelly is now 1st team regular not a squad player.
Get Gerrard back in off Torres, buy a player or maybe 2 and we will be back up towards top 8 which is all we can ask for from here

Spearing I thought was often anonymous in midfield and meant that we couldn't really control the game, good effort and determination, but out of his depth and he was carried somewhat.

[Craig_H]

To some extent, i think we need to go back to basics and learn how to defend again. And remember how to be hard to beat again.

If we can do that, the rejuvenated Torres can win us games, while the boys at the back keep it solid.

Love the Andy Gray stuff....before the game:
"Kenny cant influence that much, if i was David Moyes, i'd be saying to the players 'whatever you've read in the papers, Kenny isnt playing"

At half time:
"There's obviously the Dalglish factor, that's evident from the way they've played"

[SB]

To some extent, i think we need to go back to basics and learn how to defend again. And remember how to be hard to beat again.

If we can do that, the rejuvenated Torres can win us games, while the boys at the back keep it solid.

Love the Andy Gray stuff....before the game:
"Kenny cant influence that much, if i was David Moyes, i'd be saying to the players 'whatever you've read in the papers, Kenny isnt playing"

At half time:
"There's obviously the Dalglish factor, that's evident from the way they've played"

Are we playing zonal or man marking (as I haven't been bothered getting out of bed at ungodly hours to watch us play)

If the style of defending has changed that would explain some of the goals being scored no !

[Craig_H]

Are we playing zonal or man marking (as I haven't been bothered getting out of bed at ungodly hours to watch us play)

If the style of defending has changed that would explain some of the goals being scored no !

Man marking

[SB]

Man marking

Cheers. Skertel not suited then ?

[Craig_H]

I dont know what the problem is with him really. I dont think he's 'not suited' to man for man marking, it's very common and he must have done it plenty throughout his time.

He has a habit of not watching the ball and instead trying to block his man off, as the cross is coming in. This, in itself, is daft. He's plenty big enough to go and attack the ball and leave it there.

His confidence is shot to pieces IMO and the whole issue is magnified by the way the team is playing. He's panicking on a regular basis and needs to regain some confidence and composure, somehow.

[CJ]

11 shots on target.

When did that ever happen under Roy?

The club has moved forward swapping Roy for Kenny.

The spotlight is now solely on the players. Many are not good enough.

We need reinforcements asap by the owners getting their chequebooks out.

But I'm feeling very good about LFC at the moment to be honest. We're going in the right direction in my view at last.

now that roy and his silly ways has gone we are seeing improvement. the first half was a sign that we can climb the table. however looking in the second half we saw why this team isnt a top 4 one.

however we are more positive on the pitch and whilst results arent great i know care and want to watch as opposed to the general meh before. look at the attacking improvement in one week. just need some better players hopefully this window and in the summer and the next window and next etc etc

[Rudo]

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish needs to find star signings...not more local heroes

By Dominic King

Kenny Dalglish probably had others in mind when he threw down the gauntlet on Friday afternoon.

Ahead of the first Merseyside derby in nine years which Liverpool had contested without Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard, Dalglish demanded his team be brave, take responsibility and show the leadership qualities which set his captain and vice-captain apart.

While Dalglish wanted senior players to carry the burden in an entertaining spat with their neighbours, he will have taken great satisfaction from the performances of 22-year-old central midfielder Jay Spearing and 20-year-old right back Martin Kelly.

Both, like Gerrard and Carragher, are local boys who graduated from Liverpool’s Academy to fulfil childhood dreams.

Their efforts yesterday would have gained their role model’s approval. Kelly set the tone for Liverpool’s vibrant first half. His surging run after 11 minutes to win a corner lifted the mood of the home crowd and his eagerness to push forward ensured Everton remained on the back foot.

Spearing, meanwhile, recovered from a careless pass that almost sent Jermaine Beckford bounding through in the fourth minute and became a midfield gremlin — tackling, harrying and scampering to protect the defenders.

‘Jay had a game in midweek for the reserves and did particularly well,’ said Dalglish, explaining his decision to omit Christian Poulsen.

‘If you like what you see, you give them a chance. He deserved to play and Jay can feel proud of himself.

‘Did we miss Stevie? On that evidence he might struggle to get back in! But I thought Martin was excellent, too. He has been as good as anyone in the three games we have played in the last week. The two lads have done OK.’

Liverpool’s new owners, Fenway Sports Group, are determined to keep investing in youth and, of the pair, England Under 21 player Kelly looks capable of a significant a role.

Yet it is the here and now that needs addressing and it would be wrong and unfair to expect novices with a combined total of 35 appearances to drag Liverpool off the canvas.

Principal owner John W Henry and chairman Tom Werner must invest to stop this rot.

Both men took front row seats for round 215 of this local squabble and while Liverpool’s play was positive in the first half — Fernando Torres, for one, looks invigorated by Dalglish’s arrival — there is no doubt major surgery is required.

The ease with which Everton turned a half-time deficit into a 2-1 lead within seven minutes of the restart left Dalglish shaking his head in disbelief. Had his side possessed greater gumption, David Moyes would have celebrated a first win at Anfield in nine attempts.

Liverpool have made contact with Ajax regarding a move for their Uruguay forward Luis Suarez, while director of football strategy Damien Comolli is also looking for a wide man with pace and a left back

With only another two weeks to go before the transfer window closes, however, urgent action is needed. The discussion Dalglish will have with Henry and Werner at some point over the next few days will potentially shape the remainder of this campaign.

‘I’m not planning to do anything,’ he said.

‘I’m not saying that to be disrespectful. We will sit down and have a chat. Hopefully they might buy us a bit of dinner. If they are going to ask me how it’s going, I will give them an answer.

'But I am not going to tell you.’

Dalglish doesn’t need to — the evidence has been piling up for far too long.

[SB]

I dont know what the problem is with him really. I dont think he's 'not suited' to man for man marking, it's very common and he must have done it plenty throughout his time.

He has a habit of not watching the ball and instead trying to block his man off, as the cross is coming in. This, in itself, is daft. He's plenty big enough to go and attack the ball and leave it there.

His confidence is shot to pieces IMO and the whole issue is magnified by the way the team is playing. He's panicking on a regular basis and needs to regain some confidence and composure, somehow.

Maybe having Masher in front of him led us the believe he was Ok ? Plus the lack of confidence you mentioned = ordinary performances this season ?

[SB]

http://paisleygates.com/?p=2326

Posted: 17th January 2011 by steven. in Match Reaction, Premier League
Tags: Daniel Agger, Dirk Kuyt, Fernando Torres, Jay Spearing, Jermaine Beckford, Kenny Dalglish, Martin Kelly, Raul Meireles, YNWA


A 2-2 draw with Everton at Anfield yesterday saw the two sides stay static in their league positions and another wasted opportunity to start moving up the table but those of us keeping our heads out of the clouds knew nothing was going to change in the drop of a hat. Kenny Dalglish is still looking for his first win as Reds boss and yesterday would have been the idealists perfect start. A fantastic atmosphere from the time You’ll Never Walk Alone rung out all the way to the final whistle was a welcome change and after a match like that, if you still need to look for positives, then try this on for size: at least we didn’t lose.

That expression of underwhelming gratitude may sound hollow1 to some but for me anyways, it’s nothing short of genuine. After so many years following the Reds, you can tell when a point is going to be good enough. Raul Meireles broke his Liverpool duck with an 18 yard drive that put the Reds firmly in the first half drivers seat until the after the break when Everton scored two goals to take a surprise lead. Under Hodgson, you could visualize piece by agonizing piece where we would have fallen apart completely.

David Moyes2 was having dreams of sugar plum fairies3 and winning at Anfield until a Tim Howard blunder let Dirk Kuyt step up to the penalty spot to coolly slot home the equalizer. Back on level terms this scrappy affair didn’t get any prettier but a point gained is better than 3 points lost. Torres looked as lively as he has all season4 and was absolutely everywhere making runs and trying, if only in vain, to get the Kop to bounce. The Spanish striker has been recieving a lot of flack for a supposed lack of interest but it was apparent today that when he get’s the service he needs, he’s as a dangerous as ever.

Local lads Jay Spearing and Martin Kelly both put in worthy performances and showed their bottle in a crunch game under immense pressure. Spearing was the engine room in a Gerrard-less line up and Kelly’s assured runs on the overlap5 were a constant bane on the right. If it weren’t for a shocking 10 minute spell and another less than assured performance from Martin Skrtel after Daniel Agger was mysteriously substituted, that point gained could have been a much needed 3. Instead, we can take solace in the fact that we now have building blocks instead of stumbling blocks. Roll on Wolves…

-steven.

[Lecter]

To some extent, i think we need to go back to basics and learn how to defend again. And remember how to be hard to beat again.

If we can do that, the rejuvenated Torres can win us games, while the boys at the back keep it solid.

Love the Andy Gray stuff....before the game:
"Kenny cant influence that much, if i was David Moyes, i'd be saying to the players 'whatever you've read in the papers, Kenny isnt playing"

At half time:
"There's obviously the Dalglish factor, that's evident from the way they've played"

I always remember years back Andy Gray was presenting an award to Kenny on telly shortly before he joined Newcastle (cant remember what award it was)

Andy Gray "Would I be stupid enough to think you're on the way to Newcastle"
Kenny "Well you're stupid I'll give you that"