Topic: Great Liverpool Moments Part 3: Yossi wins Number 19

[rossipersiempre]

I can honestly say I didn't even bother watching that. I sat through the penalties, just so I could watch some twat get crushed. I couldn't be fucked with any of the rest.

Exactly the same here mate but it didn't stop me wishing for some sort of Biblical cataclysm to engulf the entire venue. The closest it got to anything Biblical sadly was that cockroach crawling all over Ferguson.

[Haemogoblin]

[rossipersiempre]

If only we hadn't lost to fucking Middlesbrough. A shocking performance that seemed to come from nowhere.

Skrtel still has nightmares about that match as he was forced to play RB (we all know why of course). Downing took full advantage.

[rossipersiempre]

More like this for me...

[Suarez7Carroll9]

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

The best team I have witnessed in my time as a Liverpool fan...

My recollection of what happened on the 4th April 2009.

I listened on the radio, miss after miss after miss. You could sense it was going to be one of them days again. I had to leave the car on the 82nd minute and go into the pub with my dad (he owns the machines at pubs)... I thought the game might be on there but it wasnt. My dad was finished and it was time to enter the car and turn on the radio. I listened to the post match talk on TalkSport, there was no mention of the Liverpool win, all I heard was the fact that we kept missing all those chances. I anxiously waited for the score to be announced... My dad and me both thought it was a draw by the way they were talking, and they finally said, "Fulham 0-1 Liverpool"... That was it, the league was ours. We were finally going to win the Premier League.

The next day, Aston Villa vs Man Utd... 2-1 to Villa!! My dad rang as I played outside... Yes!! I go home at 5pm, check Sky Sports News and see Aston Villa 2-3 Man Utd... Federico Macheda grabs a late winner at Villa Park. From that moment on, the pendulum swung to those the other end of the East Lancs Road.

Then Man Utd vs Tottenham.  We beat Hull 1-3 earlier in the day. 0-2 down, yet again my dad rings to tell me the score. Soon after he rings me to say Man Utd are winning 5-2... "Are you taking the mick dad?" Since that moment we have never been the same.

What a great season that was... How we never beat Spurs at WHL along with Babel's miss vs Portsmouth? and so many other great moments... I miss those days as a young kid.

[Lenin]

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

The best team I have witnessed in my time as a Liverpool fan...

My recollection of what happened on the 4th April 2009.

I listened on the radio, miss after miss after miss. You could sense it was going to be one of them days again. I had to leave the car on the 82nd minute and go into the pub with my dad (he owns the machines at pubs)... I thought the game might be on there but it wasnt. My dad was finished and it was time to enter the car and turn on the radio. I listened to the post match talk on TalkSport, there was no mention of the Liverpool win, all I heard was the fact that we kept missing all those chances. I anxiously waited for the score to be announced... My dad and me both thought it was a draw by the way they were talking, and they finally said, "Fulham 0-1 Liverpool"... That was it, the league was ours. We were finally going to win the Premier League.

The next day, Aston Villa vs Man Utd... 2-1 to Villa!! My dad rang as I played outside... Yes!! I go home at 5pm, check Sky Sports News and see Aston Villa 2-3 Man Utd... Federico Macheda grabs a late winner at Villa Park. From that moment on, the pendulum swung to those the other end of the East Lancs Road.

Then Man Utd vs Tottenham.  We beat Hull 1-3 earlier in the day. 0-2 down, yet again my dad rings to tell me the score. Soon after he rings me to say Man Utd are winning 5-2... "Are you taking the mick dad?" Since that moment we have never been the same.

What a great season that was... How we never beat Spurs at WHL along with Babel's miss vs Portsmouth? and so many other great moments... I miss those days as a young kid.

You are Fred Savage and I claim my £5.

[Stussy]

Everytime I try to type something, all I do is sigh.

[Lean Dewtas]

Fuck sake why post this? Was tempted to put my foot through the monitor 

It does seem a bit "Come and see what you would have won" on Bullseye to be honest.

[rastaferio]

just watched Yossi's goal vs. Fulham, again, and it brought a chill to my spine.

[S]

Reina
Arbeloa
Carragher
Skrtel
Aurelio
Alonso
Mascherano
Kuyt
Gerrard
Benayoun
Torres

[Brentie]

Everytime I try to type something, all I do is sigh.

Took me 3 years to write that!

[Rafa_La]

Brilliantly written.

What a great team we had then. Agonising.

And we can still do it...  ...if when we get our shit together....if. when.....

Slight correction.

Will happen

[thechulloran]

Instead of just taking these inferior teams on and twatting them with our better players, Rafa afforded them far too much tactical respect and very often we limped about with an overly cautious formation when a bit of 'lets go for it these are shite' attitude was needed.

Couldn't agree more. Most of the Jan-Feb period was devoid of a jugular approach. Alot of the team selection was mind-boggling and frustrating.
Forget about Macheda's goal, we lost the League in January.

[rossipersiempre]

Slight correction.

Will happen

That's what my old man said 20 years ago.

[rossipersiempre]

Couldn't agree more. Most of the Jan-Feb period was devoid of a jugular approach. Alot of the team selection was mind-boggling and frustrating.
Forget about Macheda's goal, we lost the League in January.

Rafa's biggest flaw in my opinion. Risk-averse nature.

[Crosby Nick]

Another thing I thought of last night - we all torture ourselves about 'just 4 points' and blame those 0-0's at home etc. For me, the two most frustrating draws were the ones where we actually led and were pegged back in. Everton at home and Wigan away where we were one up in both and gifted late equalisers in both. We'd done the hard work by getting ourselves in front.

So many fine lines. I think that's my quota of wallowing done for the day, I'll try and stay out of this thread for a while now!

[Lothairio]

Can't see us winning #19 until ginsoak retires - he seems to be the psychological demon we need to overcome.

[alonsoisared]

Skrtel still has nightmares about that match as he was forced to play RB (we all know why of course). Downing took full advantage.

Yeah but feel free to repeat it for the thousandth time.

[Suarez7Carroll9]

Reina - Reina
Arbeloa - Johnson
Carragher - Skrtel
Skrtel - Agger
Aurelio - Enrique
Alonso - [New CM]
Mascherano - Lucas
Kuyt - [New RM]
Gerrard - Gerrard
Benayoun - Suarez
Torres - [New ST]

CM, RM, ST and possibly another squad player to come off the bench if we need a goal or two... Wouldnt be too far off that 08/09 team... Would need some more time to gel but the spine of the team is there, we just need those 3 or 4 players in the positions I mentioned.

Martinez, Lavezzi and for ST, I dont know that many top strikers who might want to join us at this present time.

[aggerdoo]

the opening post literally summed up what it felt to me. it was grand national day if i remember correctly. mon mome won 100/1 outsider. we then raced home from aintree to get our tea and watch the game. when that goal went in i've genuinely never witnessed a feeling like that in the league. even the day after when man u were 2-1 down it meant so much. i'm spiritually scarred from that season which culminated in july 2009 sat there in a hotel room somewhere with the long and winding road on my ipod literally crying at the fact that alonso had gone and so had the team rafa'd spent years building. one more year of stability was all we needed.

key moments from that season for me: macheda's 6 days where we got 2 or gerrard hitting the post vs stoke away/gerrards free kick disallowed vs stoke at home.

[Shabby]

Best Liverpool team I've ever seen. I felt that starting XI could have taken anyone!



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[Passmaster Molby]

Fucking hell, what might have been.

We were a boss side who scared the shit out of anyone we played, would kill for us to back to somewhere near that level right now. In another year (like this one!) that squad would have won the league - we were awesome on our day.

[rastaferio]

Reina - Reina
Arbeloa - Johnson
Carragher - Skrtel
Skrtel - Agger
Aurelio - Enrique
Alonso - [New CM]
Mascherano - Lucas
Kuyt - [New RM]
Gerrard - Gerrard
Benayoun - Suarez
Torres - [New ST]

CM, RM, ST and possibly another squad player to come off the bench if we need a goal or two... Wouldnt be too far off that 08/09 team... Would need some more time to gel but the spine of the team is there, we just need those 3 or 4 players in the positions I mentioned.

Except, Gerrard now isn't at the level of 08/09.

[Kashinoda]

Utterly depressing.

Not sure how you stomached to type that Brentie, that season for me is very hard to comprehend. I was in tears the day we beat Fulham, after screaming for a good few minutes when that peach from Yossi went in. I felt we could beat any side in the world after that, it all felt like the league was destined to be ours, for many fans like myself it would have been our first as well.

Maybe if not for Macheda and Arshavin, players who have done fuck all before and since then, then who knows? That's four points right there.

Off to comfort eat me thinks.

[On Axis]

That was such a frustrating season, but thinking what could have been makes me even more distraught. Even with Alonso's departure, there was such a sense of optimism going into the season with title ambitions. However, the first couple months of that season coupled with the ownership debacle really put a damper on things.

[over the line an far away]

My 1st post on here.... My god those were good times, i will never ever forgive Macheda for that goal the next day!! Broke my heart!! A deflected winner at sunderland after that and his work was done!! vile little twat! Oh 2 be back beside the Thames as Yossi pulled the trigger...... a great day!

[Gerrard[LFC]]

thechulloran
Couldn't agree more. Most of the Jan-Feb period was devoid of a jugular approach. Alot of the team selection was mind-boggling and frustrating.
Forget about Macheda's goal, we lost the League in January.

Rafa's biggest flaw in my opinion. Risk-averse nature.

this is the reason, not Mancs winning with last minute winner or comebacks.
all we needed was to keep the pressure on and concentrate on the league lineup. No need for trial lineups and different tactics. Also the stubborness of Rafa as he kept the system which didnt work for whole game when early subs would and could have changed the game in favour of us.
Rafa often rested in form players due to rotation system which was effective at times I admit but also
disrupted the team balance and attacking flair. all in all, season to forget for me.

[stevieG786]

Great read pal, any chance you could write the rest of that  season up? 

[over the line an far away]

thechulloran
Couldn't agree more. Most of the Jan-Feb period was devoid of a jugular approach. Alot of the team selection was mind-boggling and frustrating.
Forget about Macheda's goal, we lost the League in January.

this is the reason, not Mancs winning with last minute winner or comebacks.
all we needed was to keep the pressure on and concentrate on the league lineup. No need for trial lineups and different tactics. Also the stubborness of Rafa as he kept the system which didnt work for whole game when early subs would and could have changed the game in favour of us.
Rafa often rested in form players due to rotation system which was effective at times I admit but also
disrupted the team balance and attacking flair. all in all, season to forget for me.

  where to start......

[Sat1]

Wasn't there 2 games that season where ronaldo kicked opposition players and never got sent off. Think he scored in one and assisted in the other.

I feel bitter about that season.

[U13]

That video has put a massive smile on my face that could only have been bettered if you'd have used the video with the arabic commentary, I had no idea what the fuck he was saying at the time but he captivated the significance of that goal perfectly through his delivery.

You know, it just doesn't tally. Or maybe it does, in a life is mysterious but you still get screwed kinda way...if that was the beginning of Macheda a global superstar I could understand it but no. He turned up, got them a last minute winner and made assorted other significant contributions, and then disappeared into mediocrity. It's the equivalent of a Nemeth doing that for us during that league challenge.

In a sense similar to Arshavin who was on the whole diabolical for Arsenal but that night against us put in one of the most ridiculous performances I've ever seen and then resumed normal service afterwards.

We won nothing that year but it is unquestionably my favourite season, stranger than that the moments after the 4-4 with Chelsea were probably my proudest moments as a Liverpool supporter.

[ConorYNWA]

I look upon that season fondly if I'm honest. Yes, we could have won the league or another form of silverware, but the memories I have from some of the games and trips that season I will always hold with me. There were so many moments that brought pure joy. Winning at the Bernabeu; stuffing United in their own back yard, the comebacks, the late goals. Non football moments also. The treatment we received from the Atletico Madrid fans that year was superb. The Hillsborough memorial that year was something to behold too. I had only been back from Chelsea from the night before (another night of huge pride) for a few hours. I made my way to the ground and just couldn't believe the sheer numbers that had turned up. Hugely emotional.

Its weird but from what I remember, I felt that our best performances were against Spurs away and Arsenal at home. We didn't win either. I knew once we didn't beat Arsenal that it wouldn't be our year. We played some really fluid football that season. Kuyt and Arbeloa had an almost telepathic connection down the right hand side that season. Something which is often overlooked.

How much did Chelsea improve under Hiddink by the way? We outplayed them in February and after half an hour of the first leg in the Champions League, I was expecting the same thing. Not to be. They matched us which at the time, they were probably the only side in Europe able to do it. I fully believe that had we not faced them at that time, we would of won the European Cup.

[1021]

thechulloran
Couldn't agree more. Most of the Jan-Feb period was devoid of a jugular approach. Alot of the team selection was mind-boggling and frustrating.
Forget about Macheda's goal, we lost the League in January.

this is the reason, not Mancs winning with last minute winner or comebacks.
all we needed was to keep the pressure on and concentrate on the league lineup. No need for trial lineups and different tactics. Also the stubborness of Rafa as he kept the system which didnt work for whole game when early subs would and could have changed the game in favour of us.
Rafa often rested in form players due to rotation system which was effective at times I admit but also
disrupted the team balance and attacking flair. all in all, season to forget for me.

Oh, vey!
Difference between Rossi's assessment that Rafa was risk averse in his nature, which he was served us well for the most part but there were occasions when we would have all liked us to go for broke (and I'm sure if Rafa had his time over he'd have gone for it a bit more that season) and simply not understanding his footballing philosophy - and your post suggests you don't.

[Neil D]

Quite unbelievable really isn't it?

Way way too soon to be "reminiscing" over such a painfully excruciatingly defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, and I honestly don't know how anyone could relive it in such a positive light, especially after such a short time. It makes me wince just thinking about it, even now. Robbie Keane on his arse. Dirk Kuyt's impotence, those fatal 11 draws, that spotty Italian kid's 15 minutes of fame, Carragher's refusal to play RB etc.

As for the thread title "Great Liverpool moments: Yossi wins No.19". 

I know it's meant in the alternate universe sense of what could of been, but seriously, fuck off. I don't know how any Red-blooded fan could even go there, even if just for editorial 'flair'.

Give it a rest! No matter how many times you spout this nonsense it doesn't make it true. Dirk was boss that year and did his bit, setting up and scoring 21 vital league goals, including many that snatched important points. 21 goals. He was one of our best players that season. Yeah, he had a spell when he went off the boil, like most players do over the course of a season, but no way does he deserve to be listed immediately after Keane as one of our biggest failures that year or a key factor in us not winning the title. Not even close. He did his bit - why didn't others step up to the plate? What about Riera on the opposite flank, who despite starting well and playing decently in patches contributed hardly any goals or assists? Or Babel, who never did enough with the chances he got? If either of them or Keane had contributed anywhere near 21 goals and assists the league would have been ours. Or how about the real massive factor when Keane's genuine "impotence" came to light during the period when the team (and Dirk) struggled with draws in autumn and early winter - the injuries to Torres and Gerrard. Or the odd tactical decisions Rafa made in January and February - like leaving Xabi on the bench at Wigan when we desperately needed another goal and were losing our grasp on the game, or settling for a 1-0 win at home against Everton, taking off Torres if I recall and getting stung late on with their equaliser. Or the silly defensive mistakes we made on occasion and our reluctance to use Sami, mistakes such as in our defeat at Spurs (after Keane missed sitter after sitter) or against Arsenal at home, where we dropped five vital points?

You cannot rewrite history. Dirk Kuyt is not one of the reasons why we didn't win number 19 that year. He is one of the reasons why we nearly did.

[You'll Never Walk Alone]

The Macheda goal the next day well and truly knocked the stuffing out of me. As a 19 year old it's definitely the best Liverpool side I've had the pleasure of watching, unbeatable at times. 

At this moment in time, I'm wondering how long it'll be until we challenge again... Money talks after all and we will never be able to match City for spending power. 

[Redline]

This subject? Is vicious Brentie with a Capital fucking V in some ways but in others? I love remembering that season partly due to the quality of football we destroyed near enough everyone with at times & partly due to a Very special personal reason which  I'll detail in a minute.  Some may not like you raising it all but  I know just what you meant though. Remember That weekend though? Like no other especially since it was only about 6 weeks from the birth of my first & thus far Only Child - The Little Boy who changed my life forever who came along that year - A month or so later in fact.  Anyway the missus was really pregnant back then & moaned like mad about me having the football on & my mate round to watch it.  That? Was nothing compared to the complaining she did after the Wave of Sheer Noise that erupted when that goal went in mind - Me & my mate went absolutely mad - Shouting at the top of our voices with Loads of swearwords, "get in's", "have that's" & a few "we'll win the league now for sure" thrown in amidst the pandemonium there was beers, noise & cheering all over the shop IIRR. Great night & memory in terms of celebrating - Awful one in view of How that season ended.  Will always remember that game & the Truly wild/Utterly Mad celebrations that went off when that goal went in during the late sunshine of that early spring evening though - Both at the ground & at my Flat.  Good topic - Awful ultimate ending. But I can never really hate that year & indeed will always love it for one reason in particular.  My son was born a few weeks later (on the day of the 0-2 win at West Brom to be precise) & has been the light of my life ever since.  In a way?  Good memories - Shame about the ending.  It's OK to remember the past once in a while - Just don't get bogged down in it as we have for far to long now.   Anyway, Here's to us making our own title history from now on.  It's way past time we did & soon? I think we will...........

[Redline]

To those complaining about the Middlesbrough performance that season? It wasn't that which derailed us ultimately - I've always thought the loss at Spurs on 1st November when we absolutely fucking Battered them, smashed them to bits without mercy or respite & just basically? Completely Pulverised them for nearly 80 odd minutes yet could only get a one goal lead through a Kuyt shot that screamed past Gomes like a missile from miles out wide IIRR & then somehow? Contrived to lose first the lead in dismal manner (OG?) & then the game in truly gutting fashion was Far more crucial to us in the Final Reckoning of that most heartbreaking of seasons.  That was a game don't forget which came just after winning at Stamford Bridge & putting away Portsmouth a few days later to stay Top & If you ask me? That was the one that Really knocked the stuffing out of us confidence wise - IIRR? A Lot of those bloody Home draws that were the Real reason we didn't claim the 4 points which were all we needed for the title to Finally return to Anfield? came after that game.  Or to put it another way on How close we were? United were only 2 Home wins or a Home win & a draw better than us - Had we been level with them by May? We would have won the league on Goal Difference & that rout at OT? Would indeed have proven crucial to the end outcome of the Title Battle between the two of us we had all seen coming for years & which they eventually won by the barest width of a nose.  BTW? Four Bloody Points!! Four measly, fucking miniscule, run of the mill, little points - How long until we Ever get This close to it again? - As I said? Most of the draws at Home? Came after That defeat as Spurs.  Games like West Ham, Fulham, Hull & Everton at Home that year & Stoke a bit earlier just after taking the Manc's to the cleaner's with Babel's goal at Anfield our First winner against them there in Seven bloody years!!.  Those are the Real Reason they & not we ended up claiming the league by the narrowest of margins but we pushed them to the Very fucking limit to Make them do it - They Had to fight to the Very last to get it & ended up racking up 90 points IIRR? Not much consolation but I doubt They (or the English League In General?) Will come anywhere Near Those standards again anytime soon....................

NB YNWA? You weren't alone on That Macheda goal mate - I was listening on the radio incredulous that Villa were winning 1-2 going into the last quarter hour & I knew, Deep down? I just Knew they'd find some way to blow it - Not even I who normally expects the very worst would have thought they would do in quite so utterly gutting & soul-destroying a fashion as That mind.  Even with a 2-2 draw counting down at OT I thought "Great, one more draw for them? And we've done it - We've got the intiative back" And what's So much worse? It Would have been crucial - They Did draw again - With Arsenal on the day they won it (the one before my boy was born on May 16th 2009 IIRR) Had they Only drawn with Villa? We Would have won it & it looked like? After being smashed by us & losing their rag & nerves down at Fulham? Like they were Finally going to make that One Crucial mistake that would change everything here & now.  I thought they Would draw it & we would be good enough to go on & win it - Had That happened to Mr Alex Ferguson then? Us getting 19 like that? There would have been No coming back from that if you ask me - He'd have gone, it would have been the Death Blow to all he'd been trying Since 1993 against us & then that Young Italian lad came on, got the ball near the area & span & shot; The rest is sadly history......................

[Prossimo]

Shit went wrong when Rafa went on that rant.

[Redline]

Prossimo? The so-called 'rant' was fine - Dalglish has said far more obliquely about Ferguson & others since he started here & we've loved it.  Rafa' was just doing the same & only got picked up on it due to his not being English or having our accent.  A good deal of bosses back then IIRR? Actually said in private according to various sources that they fully agreed with Rafa' but didn't want to upset Ferguson & company for fear of retaliation of some kind.  Seem to remember Roberto Martinez backing him & then? Completely changing his tune a week later & retracting all he'd said/implied - Hardly surprising - He'd just had a dinner with Ferguson, Moyes, Allardyce & his own Chairman IIRR.  Probably The biggest Anti-Liverpool Group you could (and can) get...................

The rant was a media invention much like the utterly Pathetic assertion that Suarez is a Racist when we All Know he's not. It was used by them to explain away Rafa' 'bottling' the title & not winning it when it was seemingly at our mercy but against The outstanding team for The outstanding league side of the past 2 decades in this country with all the knowhow of winning leagues that we once had & a manager who made it (much as Kenny will once more soon enough) his business to collect Leagues for them like others buy sweets? Not to mention with our club falling apart behind the scenes - Despite all that? We put up one Hell of a fight - Better than any second placed side before or since - We took it down to nearly the very last game & got more points in history whilst losing less games than Any runner up.  We destroyed all within our path for long periods of that season & were the best team in the country by a distance - If we lost? It was by a Technical Knockout & nothing more than that.  United were in no way a better team than us that year & knew it hence their virtual collapse in the run-in with Us of All clubs hovering behind them like the phantom they thought they'd exorcised 2 decades ago only to turn around? And find us there & ready as ever to go for their throats.  We never faltered in the runin as Keegan's Newcastle to whom We were compared (due to said rant) did - We never lost games we should have won (bar the Boro' one).  We never even lost to United that season & Newcastle did twice in '96 & in the end? United's tongues were hanging out, their lungs burning & they? Had barely enough breath to make it over the line ahead of us - Fight them? We damn near destroyed them that year.   In the end? If that's failure/bottling it/getting it wrong? I'll take it over our current team any day unless This side goes on to Win the damn thing once more at long last.  Failure? That of all seasons? We were about as Far from it as you can get & if it was failure? It was a truly glorious failure - So near & yet so Far & we've not been remotely close since.....................

NB BTW Just to go against the Prevailing opinion for a minute? The Very worst moment of that Villa game for me? Wasn't the Macheda goal as it was almost inevitable thinking about it - It was when Villa gave away a Free-Kick at the start & despite having something like a 10 man wall? The Portuguese Greaser Still managed to score with a shot of thumping power.  I think I knew then that Villa would Have to score twice to get anything out of the game which credit them they did but even then? Always had the feeling that once United knew they could score against a side like Villa? That even That would not be enough in the face of the consequent inevitable prolonged barrage & the sheer level of bombardment their goal would face.  In short? Once one goal had gone in against them? I knew they'd crumble in the end.   Sadly so it proved.  Had that First goal of Ronaldo's come near the end when Villa were 2-up? Then United might just have not enough time to recover but when it came first? Let's just say I wasn't to confident of things going our way in the league via that game - Sadly I was right to be worried..........................

[El Campeador]

Airy feek Nadim. You're making me very fucking sad.

Go to your inbox and read the PM dated March 30, 2009.