Braga post match

[Qantaga]

And he's been out of form for nearly 2 years now.

C'mon that's a dick thing to say.

The game will be on when we play them at Anfieldfor sure. Simple as that really.

\Q

[Gibbo]

Agree with ya regarding Meireles
No doubt the bloke has really picked up in recent months - getting goals, looking like a classy player but when it's a tight, scrappy affair he tends to go missing in action.

Wouldn't that be fair to say?

The Meireles from Sunday and the Meireles tonight are miles apart, i know he wasn't the only one but even still, you expect better.

He looked tired and very uninterested tonight.

C'mon that's a dick thing to say.

The game will be on when we play them at Anfieldfor sure. Simple as that really.

\Q

[Rudo]

C'mon that's a dick thing to say.

The game will be on when we play them at Anfieldfor sure. Simple as that really.

\Q

Man, Gerrard had a shocker all of last season and this season he hasn't been much better.

Picking up these niggling injuries and what have you will obviously not help either. It's a worrying time in Gerrard's career in terms of his own form.

Would like to see a box to box man brought in this summer, a player like Gerrard in years gone by.

I hear alot of people raving about this Henderson lad at Sunderland but i'm not convinced - looks a tidy enough player but nothing special really.

[Gibbo]

Is anyone else a little worried about us simply playing route one football when Carroll is in the side? Yes when he came on he was our main threat and it seemed a good idea to smash the ball up to him but on sunday against the scum we played some great pass and move football, personally i would like to see this as well as just hoofing the ball up to Carrolls head and us trying to get players onto his knock downs.

[Qantaga]

Man, Gerrard had a shocker all of last season and this season he hasn't been much better.

Picking up these niggling injuries and what have you will obviously not help either. It's a worrying time in Gerrard's career in terms of his own form.

Would like to see a box to box man brought in this summer, a player like Gerrard in years gone by.

I hear alot of people raving about this Henderson lad at Sunderland but i'm not convinced - looks a tidy enough player but nothing special really.

I suppose you do have a point, he may be losing consistency but that goes for a lot of our players, we're only now slowly coming out of that pattern under Kenny. As such I think Gerrard will find his top form soon enough.

\Q

[rudedog]

Is anyone else a little worried about us simply playing route one football when Carroll is in the side? Yes when he came on he was our main threat and it seemed a good idea to smash the ball up to him but on sunday against the scum we played some great pass and move football, personally i would like to see this as well as just hoofing the ball up to Carrolls head and us trying to get players onto his knock downs.

not really too worried, that style of football isn't what Kenny is about and I think Carroll has the potential to become much more than just a target man.

[Rudo]

Is anyone else a little worried about us simply playing route one football when Carroll is in the side? Yes when he came on he was our main threat and it seemed a good idea to smash the ball up to him but on sunday against the scum we played some great pass and move football, personally i would like to see this as well as just hoofing the ball up to Carrolls head and us trying to get players onto his knock downs.

I suppose it is a worry alright, but tonight we were playing **** so it's easy to lump it forward to Carroll and hope for the best.

Newcastle didn't play hoofball with Carroll in the team and they still managed to get the best out of him.

Carroll needs the right service, but at the same time you can't hoof the ball up to him all game and expect miracles.

[SB]

the club needs to find a long term successor to steven gerrard as without him we were clueless creating anything.

meireles did his usual disappearing act and really there wasnt anybody else who could create.

Makes the decision to let aquilani leave on loan all the more ridiculous.

steven defour may provide some drive. Carroll is going to provide a different option altogether but we're going to have to stop giving carragher the ball or we may become the new stoke.

For summer, ashley young, lassana diarra (free), taye taiwo (free) and gary cahill would be a good start. A decent left back would also be positive.

That was my main concern when we were mooted to be in for him. I like the football we play with Suarez in the side and am worried the defenders will opt for the long ball game.

[SB]

Poor tonight.

Team selection was odd.

Poulsen in for Maxi? Why??

Also, I don't see the point of having Johnson at left back. Carra is a limited full back who stays deep and stays solid. Fair enough. So surely he can do that at left back as he has done before. agree with this

Then Johnson will at least be comfortable and natural down the right when he comes forward. He is never fluent coming forward on the left, and in fact him losing the ball led to the counter that produced their goal.

If he'd been on the right we'd have had more chance of better penetration from full back areas.

Poulsen - he must never play for us. He offers nothing. Play a kid instead if needs be. Our midfield, having lost Mash and Alonso is nonexistent without Gerrard.

I know I'm in a minority on Meireles but I remain unconvinced. He's scored goals and that's built him into something in many people's minds but for me he's too weak to be strong in midfield as a physical presence, and isn't good enough as a ball player to not have that other side of his game there.
I don't agree with this at all. He doesn't have to be a physical presence, it's just not his game. he's an intelligent play maker who hasn't played a full season in the Prem as yet but has done well recently.
Tonight he was terrible.Granted but he was hardly surrounded by other intelligent players was he !It's hard to soar with the eagles when your grounded with the turkeys mate

Joe Cole - he can only really do one thing well and that is the odd little trick that might unlock a defence. He has decent attacking vision with his little flicks. For me that's not enough, but if he plays, play him off the front man where that one thing he can do can have an effect, not hidden away in left midfield where he is completely ineffective.

Spearing right midfield???? I don't need to add anything to that do I.

As for the squad, it's piss poor. Take out Gerrard and Suarez and we're ****e. Simple as.

How many of those outfield tonight would you seriously fight to keep hold of if they wanted away? You could probably count out the answer on your nob.

[Pablo]

That was my main concern when we were mooted to be in for him. I like the football we play with Suarez in the side and am worried the defenders will opt for the long ball game.

I'm worried about this too

[Icon]

Fell asleep and woke up with 60mins gone.

Then fell asleep again WOOHOO!

[Darkon]

what an utterly ****ty game and especially by our midfield. Consisting of 3 DM in Spearing, Poulsen and Lucas is simply screaming at creating nothing. Poulsen and Spearing are just not good enough and offers nothing. With Kuyt up front in the first half, a striker-type that needs creative support and another anonymous performance by cole just amounted to creating nothing. Meireles did not reach his performances of late, and that is not least down to him not having the passing options around him he had in earlier games.

It just shows how poor our squad is in terms of depth, we have nothing of quality to put in the team when someone from the first 11 are not present.

This also highlights to me how important the purchase of Suarez is, at least we have 1 player than can create somthing on his own and out of nothing.

Only positive really was that we only gave away a goal on a poor piece of defending by the greek, and that Carroll looks to offer us quite a lot in terms of varying our style of play, he will come good for us.

[Darkon]

Also wanted to add that I'm surprised that we only made one sub last night considering how bloody poor we where, why not give N'gog or Pacheco a go in that match?

Was it to minimize the damages so we only need to get one goal at home? Or is it just because KK have very little faith in their potential contribution?

We could have done something IMO, and at least have gone more actively for the draw last night, and to me it signals that we won't have them in the squad for much longer.

[Pablo]

It showed how badly we rely on Suarez already.

[DeanoUK]

It showed how badly we rely on Suarez already.

Dunno, we were doing better with Carroll on. I'd say it shows how badly we can't rely on Kuyt - by himself at least.