Topic: Liverpool 2 - Sunderland 2 : Match Commentary & post-match stuff

[DonkeyWan]

Cause his football depends on engraining his idea's in training.And it will work,we will go back to GH's days.We will get better,however we won't get near the top four.That's what Roy will bring.

Agreed. Roy sees problems that don't exist because he wants the players to play in one fixed way. He is a dinosaur trying to get footballers to be long ballers. This fascination with 442 in a period when it is defunct as a formation is mind boggling. He talks about cohesion but really means 'play a long ball 442'. We need an antidote for poison while he is busy trying to take pearls and make them into a quartz necklace.

[Not funny reecehenebry]

seemed pretty happy when kuyt scored

Looking at Spain play and how they react to goals...goalscorer will always go to the creator of the goal to celebrate.I think Torres was really pissed with Gerrard.

[steveeastend]

It is what it is and it won´t change. I cannot imagine Roy lasting longer than christmas...

[Neil D]

He is not my least favourite yes man.

I hated the football being served up by these overpaid, so called 'stars'. Rubbish.

What a surprise. Who is your least favourite Yes Man? Tony Blair?

I used to enjoy your posts, but this Hodgson apologist act is tiresome. Blaming Rafa at every opportunity and now the players (most of whom you would sell) for the pitiful tactics, playing style, putting people out of position, failing to change a game and the shocking results only one man must be held accountable for.

[timiano]

gerrards ego is in hyper space.. its his team now he got rid of rafa

I really hate to say this. I feel so ungrateful and spoiled, a complete heretic. But...

I agree to an extent. Apart from being a clearly gifted player and providing us with some wonderful goals, I think he's had a more negative effect than some people would like to consider. Just saying like.

[Mingle]

We need WINGERS, not just wide players.

we need help... !!

[Not funny reecehenebry]

Agreed. Roy sees problems that don't exist because he wants the players to play in one fixed way. He is a dinosaur trying to get footballers to be long ballers. This fascination with 442 in a period when it is defunct as a formation is mind boggling. He talks about cohesion but really means 'play a long ball 442'. We need an antidote for poison while he is busy trying to take pearls and make them into a quartz necklace.

Totally agree.made this point before and HBHR made it today.We needed a manger that could take the players we have and make more of them.That meant looking at a similar manager to Rafa,but one that could motivate the players now.Roy is so far from that it frightening.

[Nano]

Steve Bruce: "The pleasing thing was the way we dominated possession,". "I've been in sides that have done it [here], but never managed one before."

 

[cashmere pringle]

i wanna cry

[redrockydennis]

Steve Bruce: "The pleasing thing was the way we dominated possession,". "I've been in sides that have done it [here], but never managed one before."

 

fucking hell, i never saw the game, was working and listened on the radio, was  it really that bad?

[Samee]

Pathetic. Should've lost 1-2.

[Pheeny]

fucking hell, i never saw the game, was working and listened on the radio, was  it really that bad?

No

[smicer07]

fucking hell, i never saw the game, was working and listened on the radio, was  it really that bad?

Other than the first 5 minutes and last 10 minutes, yes.

[Pheeny]

Pathetic. Should've lost 1-2.

won 3-2

[redbyrdz]

Agreed. Roy sees problems that don't exist because he wants the players to play in one fixed way. He is a dinosaur trying to get footballers to be long ballers. This fascination with 442 in a period when it is defunct as a formation is mind boggling. He talks about cohesion but really means 'play a long ball 442'. We need an antidote for poison while he is busy trying to take pearls and make them into a quartz necklace.

Thats exactly what he's doing. I wonder if we could've found a more stubborn manager if we had tried. I really don't get it, i think every sunday league manager looks at his players and thinks: what are these lads good at, lets play in a way that suits them. Hodgson got some of the world's best out there and he can't see what they can do.

[Hazell]

No

Other than the first 5 minutes and last 10 minutes, yes.

?

[GODS LEFT BOOT]

Well done to all who answered the call to stay behind.
Don't think anyone has mentioned it, but a big THANKS to Steie G and Carra who both applauded the stay-behind protestors whilst doing their warm down. A good gesture I thought, probably as far as they can go in their situation.

Good on em - does anyone have any footage of it - could be used against the support the team zombies

[redbyrdz]

fucking hell, i never saw the game, was working and listened on the radio, was  it really that bad?

The quote is accurate, we never dominated possession. If it was as bad, i don't know. It was on par with every other league game so far this season. We had no control, no shape, no ideas and didn't seem to do anything about it.

[DonkeyWan]

I am not apologist because I have criticised Hodgson plenty this season. But the fact is that he has only had a handful of games and I guess my defence mechanism against people wanting him out already and not wanting to give him more time is to do the same thing with what Rafa defenders used to do, which is attack everyone else. So in that regard, I am behaving as badly as some of the people I am arguing against on here.

In my opinion though, I think the players really have been given an easy way out. Rafa is/was not terrible and Hodgson is not terrible. Yet last season under Rafa they were playing awfully and this season they are playing awfully. Clearly this ownership situation is affecting them and thats why they are playing so awfully. It has to be the case.

I think we need to define awful. Last season we played poorly and still were competitive for the CL spots. More importantly, despite some bizarre subs, the team as a whole played cohesively. This season we are in danger of relegation and more importantly the formations, tactics, players used and the directions they have been given make no sense. This is a whole different level of awful compared to last year. Hodgson is magnifying the problems of last year by using the players he has badly. Worse still, with his negative attitude and continuous harping about the owners and players he is making a bad situation at the club into a bad situation on the pitch. Benitez last year was very clear in demarcating between club and team. Hodgson is using the situation at the club as an excuse for the poverty of football o display. Let me be very clear here; Hodgson is using our crisis to mask his own  failings on the pitch. This is having a negative impact on the players and their esteem and we will rue letting him carry on with this behaviour if key players decide they have had enough and leave.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

fucking hell, i never saw the game, was working and listened on the radio, was  it really that bad?

They controlled the game for 60 mins until Roy woke up, took the woeful Poulsen off and moved Meireles into central midfield.  After that we were much better. 

[Captain Haddock]

and you can fuck off as well..

Quality moderating.

Not.

[steveeastend]

Steve Bruce: "The pleasing thing was the way we dominated possession,". "I've been in sides that have done it [here], but never managed one before."

 

This is the banging nail on the head. The fucking consequences of having no organisation, no modern game plan.

You get dominated by fucking SUNDERLAND. They don´t grab a point, or a lucky win. No, they DOMINATE us.

After only 87 days Roy has turned us from a side that hasn´t been dominated in the PL for almost 4 years into a joke.

But hey, they like us now, Bruce and Mr Alex Ferguson and all this wankers. I hope Carra is happy now. And Purslow, who fucking hired this cluess manager.

Thanks for turning Liverpool into Newcastle.  A likeable nice PL club with a new tradition of getting dominated by everybody and his sisters idiot club.

Please Stevie, Carra or Kenny or whoever had a say in all those decisions lately.... Mark the words of Steve Bruce, be embarresed to the bone and wake up. Now. Please.

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Did he play alongside Gerrard in central midfield?

Central midfield would be pushing it.  Five yards in front of Carra and Skrtel would be a better description of Gerrard / Poulsen for 60 mins.  Meireles was dreadful on the right.  When Poulsen went off Meireles came inside and started to link with Gerrard and we gained some forward momentum for the first time.

[Brentieke]

Right got in an hour ago just in time for Match of the day.

First off, I thought we were good for the first 10 and the last 10 minutes. In between we were absolutely dog shit and the saddest thing is that not only did Steve Bruce's Sunderland outplay us, they out passed us. They looked lively and full of ideas and pinged the ball about, while we dropped towards our area, waited for them, misplaced countless 5 yard paces and then hoofed the ball forward.

We're so far away from a "football" team at the moment its scary. Our attacking play is non existent. We had no width yet again today, Joe Cole kept coming inside from the left and why Raul Meireles was playing in the right wing I'll never know. So far, Roy's started him in consecutive league games as our central attacking midfielder and then right attacking midfielder. Did he actually watch him before signing him? Becasue Meireles is obviously not a right sided winger.

No pace or creativity in the final third. Joe Cole was busy. Kuyt was useless but can be excused as he was coming back from injury. Meireles was out of position but tidy. Ngog injected a bit of life into the game but was bundled off the ball a few times.

Torres' body language really suggests that his time is up. He just looked so fed up today. No service at all, Gerrard miles way from him, pushed off the ball easily, didnt celebrate the second goal at all either and went straight down the tunnel after the game. He's got the air of a man countign the days until his release from jail.

Gerrrard was good but playing way too deep especially in the last few minutes. He was behind Carra at one stage in the centre. Poulsen awful and Johnson absolutely gash yet again- yet it speaks volumes that he was the only player who got past his full back and put a cross in all game.

All in all, thought we deserved no more than a point and Im pretty open in saying I wouldnt be too fussed if Roy left tomorrow and the King replaced him. I dont hink he has any idea how to get this bunch of players playing some attacking football. And thats all I ask for this season. Ive accepted we aint gonna win fuck all and struggle to reach the top 4, but Id like to see some signs that we can be entertaing and skilful in our play. As it stands, the football we've watched has been awful all season, yet in contrary to last season, we've been outplayed at home as well as away so far.

Sad saying this, but ill take 1 point from the next 6 if it meant Roy getting canned and Kenny coming in.

[DM Red]

gerrards ego is in hyper space.. its his team now he got rid of rafa

who got us the point today then?

[Chivasino]

They controlled the game for 60 mins until Roy woke up, took the woeful Poulsen off and moved Meireles into central midfield.  After that we were much better. 

I really hope Roy learns something from that.

[steveeastend]

Sad saying this, but ill take 1 point from the next 6 if it meant Roy getting canned and Kenny coming in.

The next manager has to be from the very top, there´s no room for a mistake anymore. If not we be become Newcastle, mark my words.

[Pheeny]

Quality moderating.

Not.

having a laugh or not?

[hesbighesred]

Heh, just listening to the post match interview. Another classic:

'People sometimes do have their hands up in the air when they're running...'

Yeah they do Roy - if it's fucking Scooby Doo...

[hoonin]

Yes I understand that, but overly controlling by barring comments during matches and consequently late in opening or closing threads.

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[steveeastend]

They are about to destroy everything what has been built up over the last decade, started with Houllier, in order to establish us back at top 4.

We are looking good in term of merchandising and value concerning world wide fan base? You´ll be surprised how quick all of that is gone when we become mid table regular or even worse.

[its cold in the stands]

This is the banging nail on the head. The fucking consequences of having no organisation, no modern game plan.

You get dominated by fucking SUNDERLAND. They don´t grab a point, or a lucky win. No, they DOMINATE us.

After only 87 days Roy has turned us from a side that hasn´t been dominated in the PL for almost 4 years into a joke.

But hey, they like us now, Bruce and Mr Alex Ferguson and all this wankers. I hope Carra is happy now. And Purslow, who fucking hired this cluess manager.

Thanks for turning Liverpool into Newcastle.  A likeable nice PL club with a new tradition now of getting dominated by everybody and his sisters idiot club.

oh stop being so melodramatic, todays game was no worse than last years game against birmingham at anfield where we needed a blatant dive to get a draw.
things are shite at the moment but it isnt exactly like roy took over the league champions and turned them into also-ran`s, this team was shite last season too, it lost 19 games and turned in some of the most turgid performances in living memory.
shankly lost his first game in charge 4-0, and that was at anfield against cardiff, things improved in his second game though, we only lost 3-0 away at charlton...........we want phil taylor back!!

[Pheeny]

whoopee more beer...

[redbyrdz]

They controlled the game for 60 mins until Roy woke up, took the woeful Poulsen off and moved Meireles into central midfield.  After that we were much better. 

I really wonder if that was only because Poulsen was useless or if it was because, with Kuyt on the right, Cole on the left and Gerrard and Meireles in midfield, we resembled something of our line-up of last season, and old habits kicked back in.

Also thought Ngog did really well, he was constantly finding space and offered options to pass to. Thought he wouldn't been able to play with Torres as he did quite well as a lone striker, but he didn't look too bad playing as a second striker today.

[Walshy7]

Seriously, were my eyes deceining me or was the old idiot playing Meireles on the right and kuyt in the hole for nearly 70 minutes??

And Gerrard in holding midfield? I suppose Richard Keys and Stevie himself told him that he is better off there, well he isnt, he is wasted.

Raaul FUCKING Meireles on the right!!!   A simple rotation of positions of Meireles , Kuyt and Gerrard would have made us look a lot better

Gerrard looks like he is running the club these days

[Veinticinco de Mayo]

Its good though that Gerrard and Meireles linked well in the centre though, alongside each other. It bodes well should the manager see the light and play them together. I know people worry about having 2 attacking minded midfielders in the centre but if they link up well together, I don't know why anyone should. Somehow over the past few years, it seems to be the rule that you need a defensive midfielder in there.

Surely 2 box to box midfielders who link up well together can be just as effective?

We may as well go for it because the deep lying Poulsen / Gerrard partnership isn't actually protecting the defence anyway.

[Hazell]

oh stop being so melodramatic, todays game was no worse than last years game against birmingham at anfield where we needed a blatant dive to get a draw.
things are shite at the moment but it isnt exactly like roy took over the league champions and turned them into also-ran`s, this team was shite last season too, it lost 19 games and turned in some of the most turgid performances in living memory.

Can't remember the team playing at home like this. And the Birmingham game was actually one we played well in and should have actually won consider the number of chances we had, so it's strange of you to mention it.

[The Jackal]

In my opinion though, I think the players really have been given an easy way out. Rafa is/was not terrible and Hodgson is not terrible. Yet last season under Rafa they were playing awfully and this season they are playing awfully. Clearly this ownership situation is affecting them and thats why they are playing so awfully. It has to be the case.

you say it like the performances this season are comparable with last season's. They're not. Our home performances in  the league were decent last season. We battered Sunderland at home last season. Absolutely battered them. As I've said before, there wasn't a  great deal that neede fixing. Unfortuantely Hodgson's changing things that didn't need changing, and in the process is making things worse.

[Phil M]

We may as well go for it because the deep lying Poulsen / Gerrard partnership isn't actually protecting the defence anyway.

If Danil Agger started I'd be quite happy seeing Meireles/Stevie but right now the Carra/Skrtel partnership is nothing
to write home about. Saying that I thought Skrtel was quite decent today and wasn't at fault for the second goal.

[Brentieke]

Oh and if Hodgson thinks that "In many ways its the performance we were looking for" than he he really has fucken lost the plot.

Along with the " famous win in Trabzonspor" line yesterday, it really makes him seem delusional.