Penaltygate ...

[Reece]

What interested me most with this was Can clearly telling both Henderson and Sturridge to come back and celebrate properly. Can will be our captain.

I'm a big fan of Henderson and thought he was nailed on for captain, but over the last few weeks I'm really starting to think that Can is the best candidate long term.

[Chiccada]

Pile o nonsense. If Hendo was confident of scoring he would have taken the pen. Ffs Mario needs all the goals he can get right now! Let the bloke take em all.

[kev776]

Hendo should be sacked as Captain for being a wuss.
Mario and Sturridge should be thrown out of the club for going against team orders.
I should never be allowed near the decision making process at Liverpool.

[poorscousertommy]

Thought Henderson handled it excellently. Gave the ball up when he saw Mario wanted it, if somewhat reluctantly. His interview afterwards was spot on.

I'd rather Gerrard hadn't said anything personally but believe he was just trying to back Henderson.

The big point to be made is why on earth Henderson would be our main penalty taker at any point that Balotelli is on the pitch???

I don't think Sturridge wanted it but if he did I can understand why Balotelli took the ball of him. Last time he took one he nearly hit me with it and I was in row 57 of the kop!

[Pablo]

Thought Henderson handled it excellently. Gave the ball up when he saw Mario wanted it, if somewhat reluctantly. His interview afterwards was spot on.

I'd rather Gerrard hadn't said anything personally but believe he was just trying to back Henderson.

The big point to be made is why on earth Henderson would be our main penalty taker at any point that Balotelli is on the pitch???

I don't think Sturridge wanted it but if he did I can understand why Balotelli took the ball of him. Last time he took one he nearly hit me with it and I was in row 57 of the kop!

Yeah that's all I care about really. Balotelli should clearly be our 2nd choice penalty taker behind Gerrard when on the pitch. Why he's not is baffling and needs correcting.

It's not nearly as big a deal as the papers will try to make it anyway. It happened at Everton (and he missed) and even that was soon forgotten about.

[Assassin]

I never saw the Henderson interview. What did he say?

[Leyton388]

I was at the match last night on the kop and was watching the team take shots at the keeper as they do whilst warming up before kick off and Henderson's were atrocious. He kept either missing the target or scuffing his shot.

Just because he's captain doesn't mean he should be the penalty taker. IMO Mario did the right thing by taking the ball and scoring a high pressure penalty. Henderson should be last on the list of takers.

[James P]

The most depressing thing about all this is that the press are making almost as much of this as they have of the racist Chelsea fans. So 'man takes bag of wind from another man and kicks it into net' is suddenly as important as 'racist scum kick man off train and chant about how racist they are'.

I'm going to lie down in a darkened room until it all goes away.

[marcus50bucks]

Even after their disagreement you'd have thought as soon as Balotelli put the ball on the spot and walked back ready to take it that would be it, but no, Sturridge had to go back and have another go at him. At that point Mario told him to "get the **** out of here" well not quite but still. It's ok sticking up for your mate but no need to keep going on about it when you can see your fellow teammate trying to compose himself ready to take a big peno. He didn't even celebrate either just gave him a half hearted tap on the back. You could see Can fuming at him and Henderson to come back to celebrate. He'll be the future captain down the line imo.

[Vermilion]

Gerrard asserting the premacy of the captain role and supporting his successor makes him a prick and a c*nt, oh and Henderson is a cock too basically just for being the captain? **** me I think I've woken up in a parallel dimension

Everyone moaning how the 'press' will make a big deal of it! Think it's us who are doing that tbh.

oh dear me, Liverpool have bad press over a penalty squabble! How will the club ever live this down!

[Assassin]

Sack Ayres

[meffin]

Here's how I see it;

Hendo may have been captain but his shooting is dire and he's not a penalty taker. Shouldnt have even been an option him taking it.
Sturridge was having a stinker and is also **** at pens. He should only take pens if there's nobody else on the pitch who can take them.
Mario is a very good penalty taker- if he's on the pitch, he should take it.

The players needed/need to have a clearer message from the manager about who takes them

[McDermotX]

Everyone moaning how the 'press' will make a big deal of it! Think it's us who are doing that tbh.

oh dear me, Liverpool have bad press over a penalty squabble! How will the club ever live this down!

To be fair, casual glance at the three big football websites carry Balotelli/Gerrard headline and you can be guaranteed it'll be mentioned more than once this weekend.
Brendan will reinforce to the players to appear 'together' the next match and then something else will become the big football story........probably Rooney caught goat-****ing.
Save for any exclusive interview with one of them involved between now and then which may throw more on the fire, we'll move on, but until then its going to be talked about in the mainstream, as the most relevant football newsworthy 'moment'.

[dizzycat]

Nothing worse than a bruised ego in modern football, such a tragic injury, can be career defining..

[Vermilion]

To be fair, casual glance at the three big football websites carry Balotelli/Gerrard headline and you can be guaranteed it'll be mentioned more than once this weekend.
Brendan will reinforce to the players to appear 'together' the next match and then something else will become the big football story........probably Rooney caught goat-****ing.
Save for any exclusive interview with one of them involved between now and then which may throw more on the fire, we'll move on, but until then its going to be talked about in the mainstream, as the most relevant football newsworthy 'moment'.

Totally agree, it's the reaction from our fans while it's being talked about that i was more on about.

Talk about it sure, but don't lets help blow it out of all proportion.

edit: There was a time when we'd have had the on field malarkey last night and then gone on to miss the penalty, so rejoice!