Topic: The Anfield Wrap

[Kashinoda]

I know the podcast is the main deal but I really wish they'd do more writing because a) I find podcasts generally difficult to listen to because my brain is weird like that b) they have some really, really good writers - Neil's post-match reviews especially help me shift my thoughts into place when I'm not sure what to make of a game. Even if they are probably written by an extremely drunk man, idk.

Neil's ability to turn into Lord Byron when he's 6 pints deep is truly something.

[fridgepants]

The Paul Morley of football, and I am very here for it.

[Kenny's Jacket]

The Paul Morley of football, and I am very here for it.

Did you get the article from Karl Coppack?

Spoiler

  I DIDN’T watch it.

The Manchester Marathon, the vagaries of BBC Sounds and a slowly dying phone were all I had. I thought I'd just watch it later. Then I knew I wouldn't.

Reactions differ over time. Frustration to fury, to fuck it all, to some sort of muddied perspective.

Arsenal helped with the latter to some extent, but they were never the issue. This was always about us and Manchester City. Hats off to them, though. I always thought they'd cough first in the title race, but we beat them to it.

There's no way around it. The last few weeks have been awful. Two terrible games at Old Trafford, the Atalanta travesty and now Crystal Palace. The Reds doubting themselves, being shaky where we were once solid and showing an inability to finish chances. A rising underperformance in - God, help us - xG.

The title race isn't over, but we've not so much as handed over an advantage to City - we've hurled it at their feet.

I know, I know. No runners and all that, but I'd feel a lot more confident if we were in any semblance of form. The bottom line is, at the moment, I'd rather play us than City.

The biggest worry is that this season - and it's been an incredible one - will somehow be written off as a failure, particularly when it ties in with Jürgen Klopp's departure. It's nothing like a failure. It's just that we've performed brilliantly without being especially brilliant and that's hiked up the expectation. Expectations were unlikely to match.

Maybe that's harsh. We've certainly had glimpses and the mental strength has been astonishing, but we've gone behind 21 times in 51 games. That has to change.

What's worse is that we tend to concede early, so any game plan is replaced by panic. Oh, we can patient if we're only playing the opposition on the pitch, but in recent weeks every game is shot through the prism of the title race ('what does that mean for the league table?!') and that comes with added pressure.

Still, we've nothing to lose on Thursday so maybe we'll see a performance and a result. This side can certainly do that. Take the pressure off and we might release ourselves from our own minds.

It's not over, though the pit of my stomach feels heavier after that. But this is when we show our colours. This is where we pay.

Keep going, boys and girls. Dig in. This is where they need us the most.

And, after all, you never know.

Karl   

[close]

[bradders1011]

"damp squid"

[red_Mark1980]

"damp squid"

It's actually a firecracker Gibbo

[Dench57]

"damp squid"

i'm so glad Gutmann pulled him up on it, doing my head in 

[smicer07]

Aren't all squid, by their very nature, damp?

[Crosby Nick]

Aren't all squid, by their very nature, damp?

Zombies by their very nature are inconsistent.

[Alisson Wonderland]

"damp squid"

Hi Internet    

Bafta nomination worthy episode of the Gutter this week.  Tennis Hag was a highlight too 

[redgriffin73]

Hi Internet    

Bafta nomination worthy episode of the Gutter this week.  Tennis Hag was a highlight too 

Proper LOL moment that Tennis Hag gag was!