Topic: Everton 1 Liverpool 0 - post-match comments, analysis, reports

[liverpoolpaddy's son]

Tell that to the Marriage councillor 

Any marriage counsellors about 

[MichaelA]

Everton are a well-organized team who have been together for a couple of seasons, and have added British-based players in the last year or two. That will get them only so far. They are playing above their level, and we all know it can't last. Credit to them for now, but he who laughs last laughs longest. The cream will rise to the top, and shit tends to sink.

We have far greater aspirations, and we are starting from scratch. We have better players, but we need to gel into a team. Everton can gloat over beating us, but look at the Champions League. We are having a transitional season; if we finish below them this season, we'll finish 20 points above them next season - at least.

Of Everton, Martyn is having an Indian Summer to his career. I rate Graveson very highly - he's a class all-round midfielder. After that, I wouldn't touch one of their players with a barge-pole. A load of average yard-dogs playing for each other. Second half of the season they'll all tire, just as we hit our stride.

What he said. Player for player we have a better squad, but tactics and desire let us down today.

Perplexing team and substitutions though. 

[liverpoolpaddy's son]

She's not a bitter is she?

nah she's no interest in footie, if she did maybe she would give me a bye ball, fucking hate getting beat though

[Hightown Phil]

Speaking of petulance, what about Cahill. As well as his wayward challenges, his moaning & gesturing to the ref to book players blighted the match. Stupid little shit - How he got through the match still on the pitch is beyond me.

Imagine being in the Upper Bullens (our bit) , abusing him, then you get tapped on the shoulder, "What's wrong with Cahill?" "He's a blue and he used to play for Millwall." Lad then whips out his drivers licence, was called Cahill and was infact his brother. Didn't I feel like a retard.

Oh, and Cahill's actually a red.

[Drobs]

We are lucky to have Chris Kirkland and i'll stand by that statement always.

[Mighty_Red]

Bitters -

Looks like all the childish antics have been already played out. Still havent seen the match yet (had to work ) but to be honest we were so made up on wed nite, we cant jus piss on the team after a loss a few days later

Everton have had no midweek games to play, have had a settled team, and are admittedly in good form

tho I dont agree with putting Josemi & Diao in the team Rafa had to change the team, and  the fact is we're extremely stretched at the moment, and we know we're short of players so I guess they were the only options apart from the kids

Rafa's on-screen berating of Josemi on wed nite should prove that he knows his limititations/weaknesses. Finnan MUST start on Tuesday without fail

We're now waiting for Jan to improve much further

[Jules01]

nah she's no interest in footie, if she did maybe she would give me a bye ball, fucking hate getting beat though

Oh well hope you make it up mate. 

[Chris.]

Nice shot of Chris. looking miserable there at the end.  Always turn away from the cameras when we lose   

 

[Paul Tomkins]

Give them credit, nothing spent, 2nd in the league and just beat our superstars!

Our superstars?

No Owen. No Alonso. No Baros.

Gerrard was the only 'superstar' out there. 

[RazorRat]

We're now waiting for Jan to improve much further

whats molby got to do with it? 

[redforlife]

whats molby got to do with it? 

He's making a comeback didn't you know. 

[Barney_Rubble]

Nice shot of Chris. looking miserable there at the end.  Always turn away from the cameras when we lose   

 

[Mighty_Red]

He's making a comeback didn't you know. 

He's been pressed into action after seeing Alonso impersonating him in our midfield and wants his crwon back 

[Chris.]

quick question @ the end the commentator said somone was on the pitch who shouldnt be? Who were they like a red an blue what did they do? took up a full minute ref blew 10 seconds later

It was a blue, he grabbed the corner flag and was waving it about

[Paul Tomkins]

It was a blue, he grabbed the corner flag and was waving it about

Just sums them up. They won their cup final.

Whereas we are in the last 16 of the Champions League, and have a semi-final against Watford coming up.

Them doing so well now will make it all the better when they implode.

[hoonin]

Usually a new player will show flashes of something good. Nunez can control the ball well and keep possession, but he has no pace, no trickery and can't get to the byline. I don't think he's of sufficient quality for us, when the Partridges, Potters, Smyths and Foys of this world are begging for a chance.

But they're getting their chances. Potter even made the CL squad for the Graz away game. Its not as if they're stuck rotting in the rezzies. Rafa is giving them chances against strong teams on the League Cup, which now seems to be an ideal proving ground for young players.

Be honest, would you have put any of those youngsters in today game, against the likes of Carsley, Gravenson and Stubss? They'd have been battered into submission against such physically strong opposition players. The one benefit (on paper) is tha Nunez is quite well built, though on the evidence so far I think he's still not adapted to how physical the game is here.

[Fairytale of 2005]

Why is everyone so sure the bitters will implode? They seem to be boring the life out of their opponents, can't see any reason for that to change. Make no mistake, the league is poor & only two teams are any good.

On a positive note, Christmas do tonight 

[Hightown Phil]

It could be worse, it could have been the 94th minute, Everton could have had a free kick 44 yards out, and had a 37 year old curl it home.

Just think how bad that must have made them feel. 

[AdamL]

my thoughts and feelings...

i feel with derby games, sooner or later you're going to lose one. we cant expect to win every derby ever, and recently weve not done half bad in them. todays result isnt easy to take, wasnt very nice watching it. but everton will always manage to pull out a jammy result. like theres always one FA Cup 3rd round tie where a 3rd division side beats a premier league side, so it is that everton will always occasionally beat liverpool.

questions to ask, why was diao started is one that springs to mind. maybe rafa is putting him in the shop window, i don't know. but diao has no future at this football club.

i dont want to start shouting about this too soon, but harry kewell seems to be enjoying a sudden resurgence of form. he was good on wednesday night, perhaps the second best player on the park for us today. he was tricky, quick, gave them no end of problems. much more like the harry kewell we all know he can be and are desperate for him to become once again. as i say i hope this isnt me calling it too soon, but kewell in top form will do us well for the rest of the season.

mellor caused problems up front, last few games ive felt his confidence has grown immensely. he is a goalscorer, and honestly i reckon hed bag 15+ goals a season given the starts.

pongolle on the other hand i am afraid i am losing patience with. he was played out of position today. he isnt tough enough to be played like that, he gets knocked off the ball far too easily.

stevie g was... well... stevie g. driving, battling, passionate. typical gerrard.

full backs... the two that started today just arent good enough. Josemi lacks pace, Riise cant tackle and thinks of himself as a striker.

centre backs... carra has been one of the players of the season so far. sami is starting to look a little worn.

on the whole it was disappointing. but as i said earlier, sooner or later it happens that everton manage to scrape a win. we were beaten only on goals. its annoying because had we started with cisse, baros and garcia today it would have been very different. rafa supposedly has an extra 10m to play with in january now after wednesday night, so lets see what we can get. just remember, its not a sprint... its a marathon. time is on our side.

as for the bitters, 2 or 3 injuries and theyre fucked. i wont say theyre bound to drop sooner or later because with the jammy way theyre going i can see them scraping 4th place. but the effects wont be long lasting. class shows through eventually.

[Paul Tomkins]

But they're getting their chances. Potter even made the CL squad for the Graz away game. Its not as if they're stuck rotting in the rezzies. Rafa is giving them chances against strong teams on the League Cup, which now seems to be an ideal proving ground for young players.

Be honest, would you have put any of those youngsters in today game, against the likes of Carsley, Gravenson and Stubss? They'd have been battered into submission against such physically strong opposition players. The one benefit (on paper) is tha Nunez is quite well built, though on the evidence so far I think he's still not adapted to how physical the game is here.

Nunez was good enough for 11 games for Real Madrid last season. How many of our reserves would have been?

People slating him after what - a couple of games? - is just ludicrous, as he's not even 'match fit', is he? He's settling in, getting used to the game, etc. To single him out is just ludicrous.

Josemi we can assess more accurately, but Nunez deserves at least ten games before any negative comments are made. He's got a good touch, is good in the air, and will prove quick once he gets his sharpness. He has a good cross, too.

Nunez was never going to be as good as Alonso, but he's another handy option.

[Hightown Phil]

Did anyone else shit themself when Kilbane chased down Hyypia late on? I certainly did. 

[AdamS]

I almost feel like starting a word association thread

Knee jerk

Danny Murphy

Scapegoat

Kewell

Bandwagon

Nunez

 

[Drobs]

The bitters will implode because they are too predictable and are feeding on the confidence of the good run. Like Bolton they will be found out and when they do (which should have come already in fairness) they'll have to change their ways....they can only acheive results this way due to limited quality. Greece did it in a cup for a few games, the whole season is a different story completely. I am very confident they will come unstuck.

It could be worse, it could have been the 94th minute, Everton could have had a free kick 44 yards out, and had a 37 year old curl it home.

Just think how bad that must have made them feel.

Indeed, indeed. 

Im bothered about today but the season is a rebuilding process so i expect the slip ups.....i just wish we would be the same team away from home as we are at Anfield.

It'll come though, patience is a virtue.

[Kop4]

Why is everyone so sure the bitters will implode? They seem to be boring the life out of their opponents, can't see any reason for that to change. Make no mistake, the league is poor & only two teams are any good.

On a positive note, Christmas do tonight 

Agreed.

And I'm on my Christmas do tonight ................ At bloody Anfield.

Not in the mood for it........... yet.

[AdamS]

The Bitters play like Bolton and look at their demise after a good start!

[Pheeny]

Just in from the pub.Read the first few post on this thread then gave up.Fuck sake even the bluenose in the pub said we was unlucky.It was on the cards after so many years that the Bitters would win a Derby game.Get a grip folks.

[Andy.]

Is that the first time a club side has won the World Cup?

...and that tit at the end, waving the corner flag, just about sums them up.

Still, we had our chances. Too many poor final balls and general sloppiness cost us. Mellor should have buried his header in the first-half. Martyn made a great save but he shouldn't have been allowed to get near it.
They were there for the taking but we didn't really threaten them.

Josemi in place of Finnan was bizarre. Diao done alright after a poor start, but when he gets the ball, he looks lost. Beaten in the air far too many times by Cahill, though - for a man as big as him.
Bringing Traore on for the limping Pongo just highlighted how thin our squad is. No doubt we'll strengthen it in January.
Also woulda liked to see Stevie Warnock and/or John Welsh play some part. They know what this game's about and would've added some much-needed passion.

Carra & Sami were very good. Gerrard was average and looked tired. He wouldn't be out-paced and out-fought by Carsley & Graveson if he was fully-fit.

Riise was poor and looked nervous every time Osman got the ball. Kirkland looked a poor imitation of what he's capable of.

We've just outplayed the Champions and qualified for the last 16 of the CL. They're fucking garbage, with very little skill, yet they're 12 points ahead of us in the PL.

What a truly bizarre season.

[mobydick]

Get a grip folks.

Fuckin' right

Pheeny was that the Birthday piss up ? 

[Elisha Scott]

Gotta point the finger at Rafa's tactics today. I know, one minute he's sliced bread and the next he's a bollocks.

Maybe we had some tired players from midweek, fair enough. But today's game has clarified a few issues.

Xabi- he dictates our shape and our game plan. Our midfield was bereft of his guidance today and it showed.

Josemi - he should only start when Finnan's unavailable. Not good enough.

Riise - he should only start when Traore or Kewell are unavailable. Not good enough in either position.

Nunez - too early to judge.

Sinama - guff on the right, guff.

Dudek deserves a run of games again.

Carra, Sami, Didi, Stevie, Mellor all played in the right positons and all should've started. 

[Pheeny]

Fuckin' right

Pheeny was that the Birthday piss up ?

sort of lol

[hoonin]

People slating him after what - a couple of games? - is just ludicrous, as he's not even 'match fit', is he? He's settling in, getting used to the game, etc. To single him out is just ludicrous.

Absolutely agree. Wasn't knocking Nunez at all. Hope it didnt come across that way.

[mobydick]

Gotta point the finger at Rafa's tactics today.

Carra, Sami, Didi, Stevie, Mellor all played in the right positons and all should've started.

Err ?       Alright least said. I agree

[Pheeny]

Gotta point the finger at Rafa's tactics today. I know, one minute he's sliced bread and the next he's a bollocks.

Maybe we had some tired players from midweek, fair enough. But today's game has clarified a few issues.

Xabi- he dictates our shape and our game plan. Our midfield was bereft of his guidance today and it showed.

Josemi - he should only start when Finnan's unavailable. Not good enough.

Riise - he should only start when Traore or Kewell are unavailable. Not good enough in either position.

Nunez - too early to judge.

Sinama - guff on the right, guff.

Dudek deserves a run of games again.

Carra, Sami, Didi, Stevie, Mellor all played in the right positons and all should've started.

so much shite in that post its unbelievable.

[AdamS]

Gareth can you do something to block my access to this thread?

[The Red artist.]

Was very surprised to see the team selection today.Imo,Rafa got it wrong before a ball was kicked.Josemi is very average,Finnan is much the better player.Riise is one of the worst leftbacks i've seen in a Red shirt.Diao is strong in the tackle but that is all you get.The biggest fuckup was playin Stevie so far forward,it was a waste of his  talent.He should have been in the middle from the off.In these horrible games you need to win the battle first which we never did.Was gutted as soon as i saw the team sheet and even more so now.I think we have 4 home games comin up so we must win all of them,no question............

                                       .................Y.N.W.A...........J.F.T.96.

[hoonin]

Gareth can you do something to block my access to this thread?

Yes, but you'd lose access to all the others too

[Pheeny]

Yes, but you'd lose access to all the others too

I'm tempted to do that to a few of the muppets...

[realtarragona]

It must be great just sitting there saying everyone's opinion is shite without explaining why.

[hoonin]

Pheeny in "AdamS is a muppet" shocker

[AdamS]

I'm tempted to do that to a few of the muppets...

It'd take all fucking day!