Topic: Man Utd 3 - Liverpool 0 (FT)

[Stussy]

yeah we made chances. We did have good sides to our performance, just wasted it all because of defence and poor finishing. I can handle losing to United even three nil, if we hadn't lost to everyone else and were still in with a shout of finishing above them at the end of the season and getting in the Champions League. And if we hadn't had the lowest points total after 16 games for 50 years.

[Les Willis]

Top four is fading fast. We need another 14 wins. Now from 22 games. Everything but title winning form from now on, and top four is completely out of the question. It's not impossible, but I wouldn't bet any money on it.

What we need to do now is get back to basics. Shape how we want to play and go with it. Prepare our game for next season. We might as well begin now, so this season has a purpose.

It's not gonna happen is it? Not the way we have been playing this season. I can't see Sturridge making that much of a difference even if he does get fit.

Sad, but we are looking at finishing outside of the European places again and may be lucky to get top 8.

[WelshMike]

Also, according to Infostrada (https://twitter.com/InfostradaLive/status/544157312332869632), this is our worst points total after 16 games for 50 years. So when people talk about it being as bad as under Hodgson - particularly considering the dreadful performances, ridiculous amounts spent and even the public comments, rifts, etc. - they're not exaggerating. Last season's performance might buy Brendan some time until May - perhaps rightly so - but he's under serious pressure now.

[jDJ]

I thought we were comfortably the better side personally.  Tactics and team selection was ok.  It's not ideal playing as average a finisher as Sterling up front but made a world of difference having a mobile forward who's prepared to run the channels.  I've been longing for us to play Coutinho, Sterling and Lallana together.  Gerrard didn't influence the game positively aside from one nice through ball to Moreno.  We need to sign a mobile forward to cover for Sturridge and a specialist defensive midfielder and obviously a goalkeeper and we'll be fine.

[rushyman]

Our worst start to the season in 50 years.

Is there any more good news?

[TheTeflonJohn]

So are the scouts who recommended him.

Things is though, he was a very accomplished defender last season. This season, you would think he was a 10 year old trapped in a mans body with no fucking idea on what a football is and what the concept of a defence is.

"Thats our goal, and we must stop the ball going into goal, got it Dejan?"

"eeerrrrrr can you repeat that please boss, because I think I`ve got a kebab and some a couple of jalapenos  lodged in my frontal lobe"

[livesound]

You cannot win fuck all without a good defense, so when Sturridge comes back people think were gonna be blowing teams away you will have a rude awakening.

Is right. They'll deserve it as well.

[U13]

Daniel Taylor ‏@DTguardian 18s18 seconds ago

Brendan Rodgers in press conference here saying that Brad Jones will continue in goal and Simon Mignolet "has accepted it"

Wow.

This suggests that he's come to the end of his tether with players he once entrusted to repay his faith in them by performing, hopefully this is a sign of things to come and we'll start seeing more players picked purely on merit.

[firing squad]

The most depressing thing is that we have a midweek cup game against a high flying Championship team, a kind of event that hardly ever finishes without drama of some kind when it comes to LFC and then we have a match against Arsenal a few days after.

If we lose both Brendan might be sacked and the club would be in complete turmoil IMO.

[Motty]

You missed out a DM mate. I wonder why.

Is it

A) The owners.

B) The owners.

C) The owners.

Answers on a postcard to

Agenda house,
Miserable fucker lane,
Twatsville.

[Red Genius]

jesus christ.  Well i hope that means we are buying a new keeper in january.

You'd hope so if he's lost faith in Simon. We can definitely improve in that department in terms of ability. I can't see Jones being the answer until the end of the season.

[Walshy nMe®]

Judge the man at the end of the season, not before.

Lets be fair, we weren't exactly setting the world alight this time last year, so there is always room for improvement. 

[Twitter.com]

Also, according to Infostrada (https://twitter.com/InfostradaLive/status/544157312332869632), this is our worst points total after 16 games for 50 years. So when people talk about it being as bad as under Hodgson - particularly considering the dreadful performances, ridiculous amounts spend and even the public comments, rifts, etc. - they're not exaggerating. Last season's performance might buy Brendan some time until May - perhaps rightly so - but he's under serious pressure now.

Liverpool points after 16 games:
Hodgson 2010-11: 22
Souness 1992-93: 22
Rodgers 2014-15: 21

After spending 120m.

[Il Capitano]

Top four is fading fast.

We aren't getting top four mate, that's a fucking pipe dream

Like you said, all we can do now is get our game back.

[Gnurglan]

Can we stop doing a lap of honour for last season? As Bob Paisley used to say:"You get nothing for yesterday".

We need more of that mentality. Yesterday was yesterday and we need to find a way forward.

[litliper]

Is there any more good news?

Spurs just scored.

[Michel]

Is there any more good news?

It's easy to fix this,don't worry be happy.

[gatcliffe]

Our worst start to the season in 50 years.

Wow what a stat and we are to accept that personally can see no way back for Brendan sorry.

[Trendisnotdestiny]

This. They are mentally soft & get bullied. We need bullies not wimps.

What are you?  8 years old?  They had four yellow cards, about 20 unforced errors, and were ripe for the taking. 

This was not about physical effort.  They have clinical finishers we do not (at least not today).  They have a world class GK, we do not.

[tommy LFC]

Is there any more good news?

Spurs are winning.

[Johnny B. Goode]

Daniel Taylor ‏@DTguardian 18s18 seconds ago

Brendan Rodgers in press conference here saying that Brad Jones will continue in goal and Simon Mignolet "has accepted it"

Oh, dear. We'll risk the little defensive stability we have to apparently 'prove a point' to Mignolet, since there is no chance in hell anyone at this club thinks Jones might be good enough for us at all.

Plus this is a bit out of time after Simon actually had a pretty decent game against Basel and, for better or for worse, kept clean sheets at Anfield in the league lately.

[Welshred]

Things is though, he was a very accomplished defender last season.

With Wanyama and Schneiderlin stationed in front of him...

[Kansti]

Our worst start to the season in 50 years.

Astounding really.

[ecu]

Best we've played in a long time, created numerous good chances. They didn't deserve to win never mind by 3. Like 3 at the back, stick with that for a while.
Strange game, unfortunately the better team lost.

[Redman0151]

Daniel Taylor ‏@DTguardian 18s18 seconds ago

Brendan Rodgers in press conference here saying that Brad Jones will continue in goal and Simon Mignolet "has accepted it"

Ah so it's Mignolet getting thrown under the bus this time

[Liverbird27]

When do we say Rodgers can't fix us?  Let's be honest he's not sorted out our defence in 2.5 seasons if anything it's getting worse after his buys come in, this can't go in into perpetuity.

Coutinio is a complete waste of space away in this league we all know that yet it still happens.

This cannot go on, I can't see how FSG can release funds in January for Rodgers his signings are car crash stuff.

Stop coming out with rubbish. Coutinho can be hit and miss, but has been among one of our better performers in recent weeks. I can understand the logic behind trying to get him in the line-up.

[walshys_mullet]

Everyone wanting Rodgers to go.

Realistically if he was dismissed tomorrow, who would there be better to take us over? 

Frosty the Fucking Snowman

[Robinred]

The best we've ever played while losing 3-0.

Fuck off with that accurate common sense.

Don't you know it's time for ott hyperbole?

[kennedy81]

It may sound silly to say this but we have far bigger issues at the moment than the striker situation. Into his third season here now with money to buy the defenders he wants yet Rodgers seems genuinely clueless on how to organise a defence. That is what is going to cost him going forward.

8 shots on target today, 11 off target.
I'd say the striker situation is a fairly big issue to be honest.

[TrueNorthRED]

There is so much to criticize today but it amazes me that anyone is getting caught up in 'Rodgers talk'. We missed an open effing net today when we were 1 nil down! AN OPEN NET. That Sterling chance is a microcosm of our deep rooted issue. We don't have anyone who can score. Sterling has massively regressed. It's clear he can't go it alone. To get the best out of him we need a world class finisher around him. Until that happens the kid is adrift.

So the real argument is "why the #%&# don't we have a decent striker to replace Suarez and an injury prone player?". Who was responsible for that colossal mistake? If you can answer that question and find out who is to blame (beyond a reasonable doubt) you have the name of the person who needs to hold their hand up and take the blame. But therein lies the rub. Nobody knows for sure.

[The G in Gerrard]

Wow.

This suggests that he's come to the end of his tether with players he once entrusted to repay his faith in them by performing, hopefully this is a sign of things to come and we'll start seeing more players picked purely on merit.

Why did Allen start / stay on pitch if that's the case?

[Ste08]

I'd love to hear the official explanation on how today wasn't Rodgers fault. He changes keeper after persisting with Mignolet for how long in a away game at Old Trafford. It's 3 years and we still can't defend if anything it continues to get worse. Who's fault was it that our best defender was left on the bench whilst the teachers pet Lovren plays and what a splendid job he did. Why did we go 5 at the back inc playing Johnson who's barely competent at FB central? No Lucas. Lallana your big money £25m signing hooked again after 45 minutes? Line up with no strikers and the dependence on a 20 year old. Borini who even though you had coached him before you didn't realise wasn't good enough for Liverpool but now can't make the bench when we have no one.

But yeah Brendan couldnt have done nothing better today.

[killer-heels]

Judge the man at the end of the season, not before.

Lets be fair, we weren't exactly setting the world alight this time last year, so there is always room for improvement. 

We can certainly improve Walshy but the situation is so, so bad. We need to go into Championship winning form to come 4th and lose to Arsenal next week and we are at minimum 10 points of Utd and 8 points off Arsenal. Top 4 will be gone so effectively the league season may be done.

He has to be kept as manager until the end of the season however.

[Snail]

Daniel Taylor ‏@DTguardian 18s18 seconds ago

Brendan Rodgers in press conference here saying that Brad Jones will continue in goal and Simon Mignolet "has accepted it"

What?!

[AndyMuller]

Judge the man at the end of the season, not before.

Lets be fair, we weren't exactly setting the world alight this time last year, so there is always room for improvement.

Wasn't we top at Christmas last year which is only a week and a half away now? So something tells me we were playing a whole lot better this time last year.

[rushyman]

Also, according to Infostrada (https://twitter.com/InfostradaLive/status/544157312332869632), this is our worst points total after 16 games for 50 years. So when people talk about it being as bad as under Hodgson - particularly considering the dreadful performances, ridiculous amounts spent and even the public comments, rifts, etc. - they're not exaggerating. Last season's performance might buy Brendan some time until May - perhaps rightly so - but he's under serious pressure now.

Brendan is a far more likeable man then Hodgson. Thats why people argue against it with such rigour

But theres also the fact that Brendan was nearly the man to bring home the league title last season. However much of a ride you may think he took on Suarez Sturridge combo

[Kingstopic]

Our worst start to the season in 50 years.

The seasons nearly halfway.

[walshys_mullet]

The disrespect show towards Brendan Rodgers in here is embarrassing and pathetic. 

What disrespect? He's falling on his own sword. No one else is creating this problem for himself but him and him alone.

[Kansti]

No, but he never had Suarez in his team.

Can we stop doing a lap of honour for last season? As Bob Paisley used to say:"You get nothing for yesterday".

Hear hear.

[Giono]

Realistically if we still had Suarez i wouldn't want anyone else. With these players? Rafa would do better, obviously. Because he'd drill the team, lots of repetition, he'd sort the defense out and have us playing with a clear shape and discipline. He'd basically maximise the strengths of the team, not the inidviduals.

That is an interesting comparison.

Talking about other managers is a dead end. Bendan is our manager. But I would love to see Brendan be more pragmatic and play more to our strengths as a team. As for the individuals, which one is showing their strengths consistently?