Stoke pre-Match Thread

[red g]

Thoughts behind Downing, Rich?

Reward his performance from last night? Hope he can build on it?

Downing was hardly stand out, although he did well for Stewart Downing. I am sure Suso doesnt want to hear that he is being dropped for Downing either that must be a terrible feeling.

[~LFCHistory~]

I think 3 points here would be a big achievement, yeah we looked great against Norwich but their defence was ****, completely different kettle of fish here. I'm sure Pulis will have his lads set up to stifle us and nothing more, it's going to be extremely difficult to break this lot down. We have dropped countless points in games like this over the last few years.

[dww]

I think the referee will be important for us. As will the ability of our defenders to deal with Crouch who seems to be hitting form again.

[souliv]

I think if we can get our fast pass and move game going quickly with the speed and mobility of a front 3 of Suso Suarez and Sterling backed by a midfield of Allen Sahin and Gerrars we could cause Stoke real problems.

The main thing is to concentrate on our own game hold possession and not get dragged a fight which suits Stoke.

[Yozza]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2213451/Michael-Owen-Liverpool--Mersey-Beat.html?openGraphAuthor=%2Fdebate%2Fcolumnists%2Fcolumnist-1068969%2FDominic-King.html

Owen ready for another uncomfortable afternoon back at Liverpool
By Dominic King

They will give him a generous ovation on Sunday. As is usually the case when a former player’s name is read out, the Kop will clap, sing his old song and recognise the service he gave.

Given he appeared in a European final, played a crucial role in helping Liverpool win an FA Cup and lead the line with distinction, becoming a crowd favourite in the process, it is only right that the Kop will look to acknowledge Peter Crouch when sets foot on Anfield’s turf once more.

What happens when Michael Owen does something similar, however, will be completely different.

He did all the things Crouch did for Liverpool and more but, for him, the best scenario for which he can hope is muted applause.

It is nothing new, of course. Michael 'Judas' Owen has been back to play at Anfield on several occasions since he left for Real Madrid in 2004 for both Newcastle United and Manchester United – he even pulled on a Red shirt during Jamie Carragher’s testimonial in September 2010.

Each time he return, though, it sharpens the focus of what could and should have been but now never will be. Owen, remember, was one of the greatest goalscorers of his generation. In 2001, he won the FA Cup final almost single-handedly and was named European Footballer of the Year.

During one of the many transitional periods Liverpool have endured in the past two decades, Owen’s emergence was genuinely thrilling and whenever the club had a big game, he could be relied upon to come up with the goods.

With a tally of 158 goals in 297 appearances, Owen, by rights, should receive the warmest of welcomes whenever he comes back to the place that was once his home but now all he can expect is indifference and ambivalence.

Now this is not a sob story on Owen’s behalf. Far from it. There are reasons – plenty of them valid – as to why the Kop have lost their rapport with the former England international and sympathy is not something he will ever get at Anfield.

Owen, after all, is accountable for the decisions he made.

For starters, there was the manner in which he left in 2004. Having indicated that he was ready to sign a new contract, he sat out Rafael Benitez’s first game against AK Graz in the Champions League and within days had signed for Madrid.

Then, when presented with the chance to re-sign for Liverpool 12 months later, he chose to join Newcastle instead at the last minute. When he headed back to Anfield that Christmas for a Premier League game, he was the subject of chants of, among others things, 'Where were you in Istanbul?'

‘I could see the deflation in his eyes and recognised how hurt he was,’ Carragher wrote in his autobiography about the incident. ‘To see a player who had played his heart out for us on the end of a reception so untypical of those that former Anfield heroes usually get was depressing.

‘Over the years I’ve seen players who didn’t contribute half as much as Michael, and some who were only here for a season or two, be welcomed back as if they had played 500 games and won dozen of trophies. It made no sense.’

Of course, any hope that bridges would have been rebuilt were extinguished when Owen went to Manchester United in 2009 but, given he was without a club at that time, it was hardly an offer he could refuse, particularly as Liverpool showed no interest then to bring him back.

There was talk about Owen being drafted back to Liverpool as an emergency measure last month but it lacked substance. Brendan Rodgers has a vision in mind and it does not include signing a 32-year-old who has not started a Premier League game for two years and three days.

Tony Pulis, though, has an idea in mind for Owen and the Potteries are where he will see out his playing days. But what happens then?

Will Owen ever return to Anfield and watch a game from the stands? Will he be welcomed back, say, if a reunion takes place for the treble winners of 2001?

To look at everything Owen achieved for Liverpool, those questions should not be asked. That they are tells you everything about a sad situation.

[Shaggy]

Forgot about him

[Kenneth]

If he were to play and get injured it would be such a terrible shame.

[yamiedo]

We can probably expect the same line-up as the Norwich game.

[Mostar]

Reina

Wisdom
Skrtel
Agger
Johnson

Gerrard
Allen
Sahin

Sterling
Suarez
Suso

The same lineup for me as well

Suso ahead of him every time. Every single time. I think with BR giving Suso a break last night that he'll start on Sunday.

[Mostar]

Rodgers Press Conference



[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7zzY4jQwog&feature=g-all-u"]Rogers: Refs Try To Make Good Decisions - Liverpool vs Stoke - English Premier League - ISNTV - YouTube[/ame]

[RedReet]

I think 3 points here would be a big achievement, yeah we looked great against Norwich but their defence was ****, completely different kettle of fish here. I'm sure Pulis will have his lads set up to stifle us and nothing more, it's going to be extremely difficult to break this lot down. We have dropped countless points in games like this over the last few years.

Absolute bollocks IMO. Suarez to get 3 or 4 and we wont concede more than 1.

[BigChief]

We will be all over them with our "style of play". But Walters is a sly player (in a good way) and will try to win clever free kicks or even a penalty. Wisdom could be in for a torrid time if he plays mostly on his wing. But this could also be the real making of Wisdom too.

Individual mistakes and ref will decide the ultimate result. Hopefully, we'll get some luck with both.

Edit: I really hope Brendan has told Sterling and Suso to roll around in agony on every foul. Fk fair play, we've hardly had it fair.

[SB]

I love the honesty of the author of this. tell us what ya really think.

Stoke City; I don’t think I can waste any more time writing soley about my disdain for this side. It’s cliche and I understand that. Anti-football, backwards thugs, shackling the beautiful game in an MMA octagon; I’ve heard them all and wrote at least half of them. It’s time to move on and accept the fact that we, and many other sides, have a hard time against the Potters. Despite the entire footballing world disapproving of how Tony Pulis chooses to play, the Potters continue to do it well and get the kind of results that, at this point, even we can be envious of.

There’s few young managers out there who wake up with dreams of being the next Tony Pulis, but you can give the man some credit; he knows exactly what he’s doing and he’s now dragging a decent amount of ex-Liverpool players to Anfield on Sunday. The recently sold Charlie Adam, former Kop idol Peter Crouch, the always controversial Jermaine Pennant and now — the coup de grâce — local boy Michael Owen. If there’s an old Red out of that bunch that can expect a frosty reception, it’s Mickey; he spurned his home town club for the bright lights of Real Madrid, then hardly dim lights of Newcastle before sitting on the bench at Old Trafford. That last one might have been the worst, but seeing him lay down roots at the Brittania isn’t all that appealing either and while he may not understand our displeasure, he never was all that sharp.

http://paisleygates.com/?p=10127

[cream]

I can't stand Downing but he was pretty effective last night and worked hard, so I'd reward him with a start to see if he can continue.

I'd use him to keep our shape with the view of bringing Suso on later in the game.

At whose expense though ?

Why should Suso be dropped ?

The team picks itself for me atm. Only question should be, which fullbacks we play. Coates is knocking on the door too, skrtel and Agger need to sort their **** out.

[destinydude]

Let's hope it's not yet another draw