West Brom post match

[Riche]

I had a bad feeling just before the game started because Suarez did not touch the Anfield sign in the tunnel on his way out. Done my nut in that did and I have gone right off him.

On a side note respect to Youssuf Mulumbu who was walking down the tunnel alongside Suarez and did touch the sign.

I thought Mulumbu had a very good game against us lastnight and seemed very strong in the challenge and confident on the ball.

Liverpool of Old would buy players like him. Players who excelled playing against us. Players with desire and strength.

On Rogers, This isnt the first time hes made amazingly poor substitutions and started out with some bad choices in the starting lineup.

Shellby seems to have either really good games or really bad games, Sadly I don't think his long term future is at Liverpool.

I thought Downing had decent game too.

Rich

[The Birdman]

Pretty sure WBA picked up Jacobson and Mulumbu (the 2 centre mids) for about 250k combined.
It's very easy to trott out the old if Ferguson was in charge of this squad line, what the Ferguson of now, 30 odd years in or the Ferguson who struggled his arse off for 7 years when even then he was much more experienced than Rodgers is now??

FWIW I thought Rodgers got the starting team wrong but I also think he picked pretty much the only team he could with Thursday in mind.
Borini has been out injured for 3 months and his injury aside Sturridge can't play Europa so I presume Borini starts v Zenit.
I'm hoping Rodgers picked the team he did with 1 eye on Thursday.

If he didn't then I will start to worry, even so doesn't excuse not playing Henderson central behind Suarez and Shelvey off the left.
No Sturridge and Shelvey central meant no pace, no energy and no-one threatening to run through and beyond.

[Tee]

Don't want to sound too harsh on the lad but for me Borini completely bottled that chance where it was near enough an open goal. Proper strikers put themselves on the line and make sure they reach the ball, and he should have used his left foot not gone in half-heartedly with his right. He seemed more concerned about being clattered than putting the chance away.

[Bender]

just for Arguments sake how does everyone here feel an experienced manager would have done so far with our strongest 11,a manager like say Ancelloti or Klopp? we are really under achieving and so inconsistent

[Captain Stu]

just for Arguments sake how does everyone here feel an experienced manager would have done so far with our strongest 11,a manager like say Ancelloti or Klopp? we are really under achieving and so inconsistent

I personally think with, let's say Klopp, we'd be doing better... but not "top four" better because whoever the manager was would have had the same problems:

- A squad bogged down with mediocre player.
- Bloated wagebill that NEEDS to be trimmed in order to be healthy.
- Impatient fans with unrealistic expectations.

We'd still have been starting at square one with a new manager, new backroom staff, new formations, tactics and ideas.

[The Birdman]

Don't want to sound too harsh on the lad but for me Borini completely bottled that chance where it was near enough an open goal. Proper strikers put themselves on the line and make sure they reach the ball, and he should have used his left foot not gone in half-heartedly with his right. He seemed more concerned about being clattered than putting the chance away.

'Bottled it' isn't the term I would use to describe it.
He snatched at it, was too eager to score so lunged/slid in with his right instead of taking an extra step and finishing with his left.

You've got to be in the right place to miss them though, I thought his whole performance smacked of a player trying desperately hard to impress and he was too anxious.

[Mattshark]

'Bottled it' isn't the term I would use to describe it.
He snatched at it, was too eager to score so lunged/slid in with his right instead of taking an extra step and finishing with his left.

You've got to be in the right place to miss them though, I thought his whole performance smacked of a player trying desperately hard to impress and he was too anxious.

I thought Borini did great with his shot that was saved.

[Captain Stu]

I thought Borini did great with his shot that was saved.

Snap.

Good reaction shot, did well to get it away.

[Pablo]

'Bottled it' isn't the term I would use to describe it.
He snatched at it, was too eager to score so lunged/slid in with his right instead of taking an extra step and finishing with his left.

You've got to be in the right place to miss them though, I thought his whole performance smacked of a player trying desperately hard to impress and he was too anxious.

Just trying too hard, which is understandable.

Needs a tap in or something ASAP to get him up and running.

[Baracus]

We've been in transition for four years

Longest 'transition period' ever.

For what it's worth, last night's starting XI contained no Rodgers signings - not one. All Kenny/Rafa players.

Reina - Rafa
Johnson - Rafa
Carragher - N/A
Agger - Rafa
Enrique - Kenny
Lucas - Rafa
Gerrard - N/A
Henderson - Kenny
Downing - Kenny
Shelvey - Rafa
Suarez - Kenny

Borini + Allen = £26m on the bench. Assaidi, nowhere to be seen.

3 years on since Rafa and we are still in Transition on and off the pitch

[Baracus]

I disagree with the soft in CM discussion. The majority of last year we had the same back four and Spearing and Adam in the middle, yet this season we have Lucas and Gerrard and have shipped in more goals. Its the Set up of the team and tactics.

[Carras_Shin_Pads]

I reckon - and it's only a hunch - that Rodgers' rather limp TV interviews were a facade. He didn't show up for the print press conference after the game. My guess is he's ****ing furious and tore into them again - privately.

Really hope so - far from good enough!

[Kenneth]

If we were getting out played every week I would be really worried, but we aren't. Our problems should be fixable.

[Yozza]

I reckon - and it's only a hunch - that Rodgers' rather limp TV interviews were a facade. He didn't show up for the print press conference after the game. My guess is he's ****ing furious and tore into them again - privately.

Not what Henderson is saying - but then again he could be a ****ing liar after all he plays in the same team as the Devil incarnate Suarez

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/liverpool-midfielder-jordan-henderson-turns-attention-to-russia-8492004.html

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson turns attention to Russia

Liverpool play Europa League tie against Zenit St Petersburg


Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson believes Thursday's Europa League tie in St Petersburg provides a chance to put their surprise defeat to West Brom behind them.

The Reds dominated at Anfield - Steven Gerrard having a penalty saved by Ben Foster - but were stung by goals in the last nine minutes from Gareth McAuley and Romelu Lukaku.

That ended a run of three successive home victories, in which they had scored 12 and not conceded, and came after encouraging back-to-back draws against Arsenal and Manchester City in their previous two matches.

With the confidence bubble burst and hopes of a top-four finish in tatters, trailing Tottenham by 12 points with a dozen games remaining, Henderson believes a return to European action can provide an important boost.

"We just have to keep going, keep our heads up and bounce back from this," the England international said ahead of tomorrow's trip to face Zenit St Petersburg.

"We just have to stay positive and think about the next game now which is Zenit in the Europa League on Thursday night.

"We know the European game is important as well but I think every game is important to be honest.

"We will keep improving and make sure we keep going in the right direction.

"Hopefully we can improve, get some better results in the league and look to close that gap.

"We have to take each game as it comes and play well every week and hopefully we will get better results than last night."

West Brom arrived at Anfield with a gameplan to press and stifle and they achieved that to a greater extent, although they were indebted to Foster for a string of saves to keep the scores level.

Liverpool missed the cutting edge provided by £12million January signing Daniel Sturridge, who was sidelined with a thigh injury after scoring four goals in six appearances.

"Daniel is a quality player and everyone has seen that since he's come in," added Henderson.

"You obviously miss good players and that was the case.

"We're all very disappointed. We had a few chances in the game but we just couldn't take them.

"We just have to stay positive and concentrate on the next game.

"The manager didn't have much to say after. We all know we didn't play particularly well but we have to move on.

"I don't think we passed the ball as well as we could have done. We didn't play particularly well.

"We had a lot of the ball but we didn't create as much as we have been doing.

"It's a game we could have won but it just wasn't our night.

"It's frustrating but that's football. You have to take these things on board and learn from it."

Forward Fabio Borini is looking for a personal boost from the Europa League having struggled to get up to match sharpness after his return from a broken foot in recent weeks.

The Italian has made just one start - in the shock FA Cup defeat at Oldham - and three substitute appearances but is likely to be given a chance in Russia.

His only goal in 15 appearances since arriving for £10.5million from Roma in the summer came in August's Europa League qualifier against Gomel.

Borini feels he has benefited from gaining European experience and hopes to build on that further.

"It has been very helpful to my career," he told Press Association Sport.

"I played a couple of games in the Europa League before I got injured and it has been really good because it is a different way of football to the Premier League.

"You have to be organised. You have to take care of not conceding first and then you think about scoring because not to concede away goals is important."

[calvoboy]

3 years on since Rafa and we are still in Transition on and off the pitch

During that three years we were a day away from administration at one stage, under owners that sacked the manager and ripped the heart out of a potential title winning side to desperately pay off debts. We're heading in the right direction but we are still (just) paying for the Hicks and Gillet disaster.

If FSG keep investing steadily at the rate they have done then we'll keep progressing. We need our new scouting set-up to start paying off though, as Sturridge is the only one of the Rodgers signings who really looks the part (though Allen did to begin with too).