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Well, I’ve spent the last few days avoiding anything football-related but I guess it’s time to get stuck in again. I watched our game at the Bridge on my TV at home last Sunday but once the second goal went in I just switched it off immediately. I was in no mood to hear all of the usual clap-trap that was sure to follow our defeat so I decided to give it a miss for awhile. I was tempted to climb naked on to the roof and throw myself off, but I live in a bungalow and the last time I tried that it ended up a bit messy when I landed in next door’s dust bin with an old stick of celery stuck in a place where God never intended it to go!
The game itself reminded me of one of those encounters we used to have with the chavs a couple of years ago which basically amounted to us getting all the possession and them getting all the goals! Masch had one of his better games but unfortunately got caught in possession for their first goal and I thought Carra also had one of his better games recently but really should have done better for their second.
 But it was one of those performances where it is hard to be too critical of any individuals. For us I thought the stand out player was Skrtel and while Masch received some praise for playing a lot better then he has done recently, I actually thought Lucas played better and deserved more of a mention. Overall the team worked hard and were the better side up to the chavs scoring. The thing I found most frustrating about the game was that despite having the edge in possession and control, we never really threatened their goal enough especially as they had Hilarious between the posts.
I had hoped that we might bang in a few more long range efforts and float a few more crosses into the danger area to put him under as much pressure as possible but we didn’t do nearly enough of that. Not having their first choice keeper between the sticks was a potential weakness that we didn’t do enough to expose in my opinion and in the end the guy had a pretty comfortable game.
I mentioned in the last blog that Steven Gerrard’s position could prove to be the key factor for us on the day and from early on in the game it was clear that he wasn’t going to be having the kind of influence in the attacking area that we needed. Torres and Gerrard are a great partnership in attack for us in most games but as I mentioned last time, in the bigger games I think there’s a strong argument to play Gerrard in the middle and give Torres another partner upfront.
Against the better sides Gerrard is too easily picked up in the advanced central midfield role and ends up playing too deep. Added to that on Sunday we also had Riera and Kuyt playing as much defensively as in attack and so we ended up with the most lethal striker in the world having little support and little to work with.
I just think that in such games we would be better off playing Gerrard in the middle alongside Lucas or Masch and sticking Benny or Kuyt up top with Torres. This would give the opposition more to worry about and sometimes the best form of defence is attack. We reverted to something similar to this after the chavs scored but by then it proved to be too late and while I accept hindsight is a wonderful thing, I would have liked to see us starting the game with the set-up that we finished with.
Obviously the loss is a big disappointment as in general has been our start to the season but while we may be down we are by no means out. I still believe our job now is to be in a decent challenging position by Christmas and take it from there. Things change so quickly in football these days with the media writing teams off and on almost on a weekly basis.
The chavs are a perfect recent example of this. They had made a perfect start to the season before losing against Wigan a couple of weeks ago and suddenly the media were raising all kinds of question marks about Lancelotti. Then they beat us on Sunday and suddenly they are red hot favourites for the title! It’s incredible how the bullshit these clowns put out there can completely change on a game to game basis but what’s even more incredible is the amount of people who buy into this nonsense and allow their opinions to be formed by these morons.
I’m not a great believer in stats because they can be twisted to suit any argument and can bring hope or despair depending on how you choose to read them. Some say we have the same points total now that the mancs had at the same stage last season and they went on to win the title, while others will point out that we have played four decent sides so far this season and lost against them all etc, etc, etc.
It’s all a lot of meaningless crap as far as I’m concerned. The only stat that really matters is the league table and the fact that no matter how you slice it we’ve got to get our act together quickly and start rattling off a few wins. Going into an international break on the back of a loss sucks big time but we’ve got some big games ahead of us when the players get back and it’s time for them to ante up and start consistently performing at the level we know that they are capable of.
 In other matters, as my head was buried in the sand for a few days I only recently read about that bullshit George Gillett is supposed to have spouted to a member of the SOS group. It’s incredible how such a little fart like him can generate such a large amount of complete and utter shite. Honestly it makes me laugh how both this clown and Hicks go on about the progress they are supposedly making in reducing the club’s debt when it was them that created the vast majority of the debt in the first place. The mess is very much of their own making, so do they really expect us to pat them on the back for cleaning some of it up?
These pair of clowns continually insult our intelligence with this garbage and it’s pathetic that they think any of us would be stupid enough to believe a single word they say. They may be experts in the business world but despite being the owners of the club for almost several years now it’s pretty damn clear that what they know about Liverpool Football Club and its supporters would fit in the crack of my arse!
For him to say that Rafa was given £20+ million plus the money generated through players sales over the summer to spend on players and improving contracts etc, is clearly a blatant lie. No matter how you calculate it the figures don’t even remotely add up but there again their figures never do, perhaps they think we can’t count!
Another thing they constantly come out with is that we are supposedly in less debt per “dollar” then any other Premiership club but so what? All that says to me as a football fan is that other clubs have backed their managers more than they’ve backed ours. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the best way to reduce your debt is to reduce your spending and that’s exactly what these guys have been doing.
To a certain extent you can understand that clubs who generate a bigger income through the larger capacity of their stadiums or through the extremely deep pockets of their wealthy owners, would have more money for their managers to spend then we do. However, what’s far more difficult to explain is how, particularly in the years since these two morons have been in charge of our club, we’ve been outspent by the likes of Spurs, Villa, Sunderland and even Newcastle among others.
These are sides that we should be ahead of in terms of spending but while our boss has had a certain amount to spend, he clearly hasn’t had enough. They say these other clubs are now spending more because of the increased revenue coming into the game from television etc, but we also get this money and yet our spending has largely remained the same as it was under our previous owners.
Figures, just like the stats I mentioned earlier, can be twisted to read anything you want them to. So while the owners can say they’ve given our gaffer a certain amount of money to spend, the fact of the matter is that our spending in relation to our income has actually decreased in the time that these two lying morons have been in charge. The rest of the money has been used to pay interest payments on a loan the club has been saddled with just so we can have the pleasure of their company.
Which is I found it very amusing when Gillett and the new Chief Exec recently called for fans to stop their protesting because it might put off potential investors, hasn’t anybody told them that, that’s the whole bleedin point! I mean why should any of us be interested in helping them attract new investors to pump in more money in to pay off a debt we never should have been lumbered with, that was taken out by two people we want even less?
 Liverpool fans are no mugs and if they thought that at least some of this money would be used to strengthen the team sheet rather than the balance sheet, then I think they would be a lot more accommodating but as things stand that’s never going to happen. Reds supporters are sick of being lied to by these cowboys and as the old saying goes, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
Anyway on a final note, I was sorry to hear that Liverpool Legend John Barnes and his assistant Jason McAteer have been sacked by Tranmere Rovers. Granted they only managed three wins from 14 games but it hardly seems enough time for them to get their idea’s across. I have a lot of sympathy for Barnes as it seems he was expected to do the job with one arm tied behind his back.
Apparently most of the assurances he was given before taking up the reins there were reneged upon and the transfer budget he was promised was dramatically slashed. Finally the owners used him as a scapegoat to cover their own shortcomings and to appease a section of dissatisfied fans. Hmmm, sound familiar?
Keep the Faith
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 #1 |
SamUL
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 1:58 am
Had similar reaction to the defeat, can’t bear to listen to Sky pundits at best of time but in the wake of two defeats in a row, I think not!
Overall not too worried by the defeats all the same. In the Champions league our home form will surely carry us through the group, as it has done in every one of Rafa’s campaign’s. I didn’t really fancy us against Chelsea despite our free scoring record in the league prior to the game and was kind of hoping for a draw as a good consolation prise but alas no.
On a positive though the scum only took one point at home to Sunderland so it could have been worse.
I think there is an obvious imbalance in the side after Alonso doing one but we’ve been here before and the gaffer seems to always be a few steps ahead in the bigger picture so i’m prepared to trust his judgement once again and can’t wait to see what this Aqua dude is all about. The pundits have been siting Benitez’s decision to allow Alonso to leave as one of the main problems this season but this simply translates as we hate Rafa and we’re paid to take digs at him so this is the most obvious thing we could think of. As we all know the only person who decided Alonso was leaving was Alonso and fair enough at the end of the day, its water under the bridge.
The day the likes of Paul Merson’s opinions carry water in Liverpool’s circles is the day we start selling replica shirts with ‘ we love the Yanks ‘ on the back…
I’m looking forward to many more enjoyable matches ahead..
SL
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 #2 |
akka
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 2:49 am
Great Blog Gerry,
Ive had the same issue with the owners talking bollocks about the amount of money they have given Rafa etc. What a load of crap! Considering we had a massive chunk disappear into thin air and had to resort to buying a 30yo AEK defender for a snickers bar.
What shits me the most is how fellow supporters, those are less educated, buy into this shit.
On top of that, the media take what Hicks had said, and taken it for gospel and spreading it on their medium, so even more supporters are starting to belief it.
I was watching ESPNSoccernetpresspass the other night. The brought up that story about Hicks adressing the SOS and all the so called pundits agreed that clearly Rafa has been given enough money to get a descent team. (obviousaly the cunts did no research).
Now I dont care what others think, in fact, those who believe the media crap i stay away from when discussing football. What shits me is the more fans that buy into this garbage and start going against the manager, the more support Hicks & cO have to sack him.
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 #3 |
donalfromthegap
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 3:30 am
Thanks for the blog Gerry
It made me feel a lot better about our defeat
Now lets get on with the rest of the season
Co’mon you redmen (and the boys in green on Saturday)
Over and out
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#4 |
akka
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 9:06 am
Kuyt in sydney for a friendly against the aussies. Suprised rafa allowed it
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 #5 |
Lurgankop
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 9:36 am
Great blog Gerry.
I think that I am correct in saying that Rafa’s net transfer budget equaled the borrower’s entertainment bill for 2009, which, of course the club paid for.
As Akka pointed out more and more lfc ‘fans’ and starting to believe their crap and this is truly worrying.
Akka, Babel also made the trip to the other side of the planet for a fucking friendly. Rafa said that he could do nothing to stop them! They should arrive back on Thursday with enough time to recuperate. The south american lads don’t come back until Friday. How are these guys going to be ready to play the next day?
A second cheer for the boys in green tonight.
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 #6 |
Sambo
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 9:48 am
Nice one Gerry.
Couldn’t agree more about Gerrard dropping back to partner Lucas or Masch against certain teams, if not all of them, at least until Aquaman shows what he can do. Don’t mean to have a dig at the manager here, but frankly it seems obvious and I can’t help wondering if Rafa’s stubborn nature gets in the way of making obvious changes which are contrary to his original plans. For example, he never makes half-time substitutions, no matter what’s gone on in the first half (except Didi in ’05 of course).
Let’s face it, we’ve lost the creativity of Alonso. Everyone can see that. This isn’t the same ‘Pool that pissed on everyone at the end of last season. We’ve got a highly acclaimed replacement reaching fitness, and I can’t wait to see him in action. In the meantime, what’s the sense in leaving the midfield devoid of creativity? One look at that teamsheet before against the Chavs was enough to tell me that Torres was in for a frustrating afternoon with no service. I’m no football genius, but I know that a midfield of Gerrard, Masch, Kuyt and Riera/Babel, with a front pairing of Benny and Torres looks like a team capable of beating anyone. Gerrard pulls the strings, Masch cleans up the scraps, the wingers work their arses off with overlaps from the full-backs, and Benny does what he does best behind the world’s best striker. Isn’t that obvious? I don’t know. I feel like it’s staring me in the face. Maybe it’s just that I’m a huge Benny Onion fan and I reckon he’d do the job behind Torres.
cheers
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 #7 |
knight
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 11:04 am
Great blog as always, Gerry. I like the hilarity as well.
George Gillet is as famous and smart as the other George er, Bush. He says so much funds have been given to Rafa without saying how Rafa had to sell first before he could buy. Even then, back in mid 2008, they bought him a lampshade (Robbie Keane)when he asked for a table(G. Barry).
And how the ESPN Pundits all agree with GG about so much had been given to Rafa is totally so shameful.
Nevertheless, as you said we are down but not out.
What we need to do is boot out the two owners and replace them with new ones with money and commitment to invest in the club.
YNWA.
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 #9 |
KeithSA
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 1:26 pm
Great Blog Gerry
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#10 |
Lurgankop
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 1:58 pm
12 fuckin’ quid to watch the Ukraine England match live on the internet.
It’s the start of a slippery slope I tells ya!
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#11 |
donalfromthegap
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 2:52 pm
12 fucking quid badly spent bud!
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#12 |
akka
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 3:05 pm
Thats a joke lurgan 12 quid. I think that covers my entire sports package on cable.
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 #13 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
As shanks said about the bluenoses,I if Ingerland were playing out me back garden today i`d pull the cutains never mind pay 12 quid to watch them on me laptop.
Sky..Beware the nets coming to get ya.
Super stuff Gerry as far as the Chav game goes we`ve done that to death but good points made nevertheless.
As for our custodians(not) i`m sick of going over old ground with these idiots.They will nevr learn will they?Outside all the financial mess they`ve put us in,Gillete in particular(dosen`t mean i hate Hicks any less)keeps coming out with negative comments about the manager.He is doing no good for LFC for a club or as a business.Inviting the media to have another field day off the club is uncall for.It`s not the first and probably won`t be the last.
To keep the trend a big shout for the boys in green tonight!(except John o shea) 
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 #14 |
steve the red
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 4:32 pm
Rest assured lads, I think you’ll find that it’s only a very small amount of LFC fans that actually believe what G&H tell them. The other 99.9 per cent of us don’t believe a word the lying pair of bastards say.
I agree with you Akka, they would love to turn the suporters against Rafa so they could boot him out, but they know the supporters are not stupid and that’s why they are trying to hoodwink the gullible few. Fuck them, they’ve got no chance.
They wouldn’t dare to sack Rafa because even they are not THAT stupid!
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 #15 |
Sam Wanjere
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 4:32 pm
I have my fav no., 13!
This is the first I’ve posted anywhere – football wise – since our loss at the Bridge.
One thing I’ve learned as a Red is to find positives even in defeat. The commentating was mediocre and as usual, anti-(all things) LFC. I can’t control any of that crap. Next I listen to Monsieur Gillette blame Rafa for ALL that’s gone wrong…………of course I presume this includes our massive debt and expenditure of phantom funds Messrs G & H give Rafa every season (did I mention our imaginary New Anfield that’s currently under construction?)!
We definitely played (WAY) better than at La Viola. We controlled the game and had a very good first half (all things considered). None of Reina or Hilario was too busy in that half. In fact, Carra reemerged for the first time this season, and Skrtel was outstanding at the back too. While worried about set pieces, we weren’t too threatened here either.
Masche did give away the ball, leading to their first, but even that wasn’t catastrophic. We had superb chances on the other end but without being clinical. Benayoun, even Gerrard didn’t look too confident from observation.
I noticed too that the ref kept giving the Blues basically all 50-50 balls, and Drogba’s famed talent for theatrics was at its clinical best. I just wonder how the FA and refs fail to notice the Drog’s quick (if not miraculous) recoveries immediately a decision goes his team’s way.
While bad to say, I didn’t exactly have a good gut feeling on this game, yet I didn’t find myself too gutted at the end. While this might anger some, I feel we’re now beyond any pressure to repeat much of last season’s invincibility, yet on the other hand it’s now wins or losses too. It’s long since we played gung ho, going all out for a win. We remain a dangerous side to play, much more now that everyone has seemingly written off the Reds.
Man U finished last season with four to five losses, but kept winning all they had to win. I feel we ought to drop Gerrard deeper this season, at least until we beef up our front. Pairing Gerrard-Torres is devastating when it works but too easily predicted and picked out. Playing trickier Benayoun is a mismatch for most defenders, which is also true playing Kuyt off Torres. Kuyt’s work rate and endless movement would be pure hell to most. The gaffer could also try the direct paciness of Babel off Torres, a similar attribute N’gog brings to the fore.
I feel slightly more confident after posting this, and even though our next game is against the “dreaded” MUFC, I still sing:
WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH A STORM
HOLD YOUR HEAD UP HIGH
AND DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK
AT THE END OF THE STORM
IS A GOLDEN SKY
AND THE SWEET SILVER SONG OF A LARK
WALK ON THROUGH THE WIND
WALK ON THROUGH THE RAIN
THO YOUR DREAMS BE TOSSED AND BLOWN
WALK ON, WALK ON
WITH HOPE IN YOUR HEART
AND YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE
Let’s keep the faith. Siempre es posible!
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#16 |
steve the red
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 4:58 pm
Sorry Sam, you got one of my favourite numbers, 14 and I got your favourite number 13 which I hate! Shall we swap?
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 #17 |
Aitch
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 7:24 pm
“The other 99.9 per cent of us don’t believe a word the lying pair of bastards say.”
That may be true of reds fans at Kopblog, but it certainly isn’t true of all reds fans, Steve. I wish it were, but it just isn’t.
I’m blanking on the movie right now, but in response to the statement “People are smart” the other character responds…
“People? No, A PERSON is smart. People are stupid.”
It’s mob-rule, kneejerking and bandwagon jumping and as a species, oh don’t we love it?
G&H know exactly what they are doing. I constantly see the question posed in here, “do they think we are stupid?”
The answer is simple… yes they fuckin well do.
You only have to look around internet forums to realize G&H aren’t targeting their statements to your average Kopblogger.
They are targeting all the disgruntled older fans, desperate for success after 20 years of being promised the next great hope, season after season.
They are targeting all the middle-age fans who have endured enless missing pieces of the jigsaw that were supposed to, but ultimately never helped a reds captain lift the Prem trophy.
And they are targeting a younger generation of success-at-any-cost, want-it-now, media-driven fans, who seldom stop to think about the endless diet of utter bullshit they are fed and seem to willingly digest without stopping to question it.
Yeah… a person in Kopblog might be smart… but your average reds fan…. not so sure!
And unfortunately they outnumber us… they are the ones G&H are speaking to…. and ultimately, G&H don’t even care if THEY believe them… coz they can drive their agenda simply by generating a media cycle.
As for “They wouldn’t dare to sack Rafa because even they are not THAT stupid!”
… well I have two words for you… Jurgen Klinssman.
They dropped that idea NOT because of the reds fans’ protests, but simply because they didn’t have the muscle/clout to do so and get away with it, to ride the ensuing storm. As soon as they are in a position to do so… rest assured they’ll dow hat the fuck they want regardless of how “we” feel.
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#18 |
steve the red
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 7:48 pm
Don’t forget though Aitch, they also know most Reds fans are in support of Rafa and they think that by keping him in as manager they are keeping the fans happy (in their eyes)
You may be right about the amount of other fans beleving their bullshit, you may be wrong but one thing for sure is the eividence staring all LFC fans in the face. The evidence of their empty promises, the new stadium is the prime example and their lies about funds available for players. They might get some joy on the latter example because none of us actually get to see the balance sheet, but the new stadium? they can blame it ont the “downturn in economic growth” but my bet is that most LFC fans know the real truth about that.
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 #19 |
somnath07in
Posted on October 10, 2009 @ 8:06 pm
Great blog Gerry.
I am also surprised with some of the comments made by our owners. I was hearing Richard Keyes of Skysports(Hope i named him correctly)the other day with ESPN’s John Dykes and he was saying that in last 3-4 years Rafa actualy has spent more than his rivals.
A general feeling in the media is that we are simply not good enough to win the title given the squad we have.
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#21 |
knight
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 5:57 am
And Man Shitty is putting a record Stg65 million bid for Frank Robbery. It well extends their spending to well above STg300 million nin just over 20 months. What a contrast to our spending.
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#26 |
knight
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 8:26 am
From another LFC blog. Results are quite interesting:
“Friday, October 09, 2009
REVEALED: Two surprising new facts about Javier Mascherano and Lucas Leiva
OPTA’s latest statistics have revealed some surprising facts about the effectiveness of two of Liverpool’s key midfielders.
According to OPTA, Javier Mascherano is the top passer in the Premiership this season, with 547 completed passes and an accuracy rate of 87%. Chelsea’s Michael Essien has the same accuracy rate but has completed a lot less passes.
That’s a fantastic result for Mascherano, and I must admit I would never have guessed that the Argentinean would be right at the top, ahead of the likes of Steven Gerrard.
OPTA has also revealed that Lucas Leiva is one of the Premiership’s most effective tacklers, with a 69% success rate! Hard to believe, but the stats don’t lie, and given the fact Lucas has been playing a more defensive role this season, that’s another great result.
Even more impressive is the fact that Lucas is seemingly more effective than Mascherano when it comes to tackling. Food for thought.
There are few positives to take from Liverpool’s current run of form but those stats are very promising.”
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#27 |
Lurgankop
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 9:10 am
Should rename this to knightblog! Only messing Knight 
Some good links there mate and I found this from one of them.
http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/10/tony-cascarino-and-his-band-of-fucking-eejits/
Shows a different side to the man.
I see that Dagger made it thru 90 minutes last night. Since Denmark have now qualified, I hope that he does not play another 90 minutes during the week. Can’t wait to see him back in a red jersey.
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#28 |
KeithSA
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 9:53 am
The buyout of the little fart with the big mouth will still take some time. The obvious delay being the shareholders agreement with THicks. He will fight tooth and nail to retain parity, not from a financial perspective but shareholding perspective if the Saudi’s do buy in. They can afford to pour money into the club and to build the stadium and THicks would have to match/ borrow in order to allow him to retain parity and not be diluted to a minority stake. That will be the key agreement not the buyout of the poisoned dwarf, though getting rid off at leadst one of them is a step in the right direction. For all his lies and foot in mouth pronouncements THicks at least, on the surface supports Rafa in the media, so he is not that stupid, unlike Minnie me.
Knight my friend those stats mean as much as the support coming from our owners. The only reason why Masch’s completion rate is high is because he make the short safe passes and not the defense splitting ones. I do however think Lucas has played better them Masch from an overall perspective and Lucas’s forward distribution has been very decent most of the time and keeps us going forward. On the other hand Gerrard has not had the best of starts and seems to lack that bit of inspiration at times as well as trying to be too clver with his flicks and back heels. However he will come good that is one thing that we can bank on.
I wonder how serious Kuyt’s injury is; maybe this is the chance that Babel needs to take to get a good run in the side. I wouldn’t mind seeing Gerrard partnering Masch or Lucas in the midfield and dropping Benny in the hole, especially against the weaker and mid table teams until Aquaman is fit, I think that gives us a more attacking look.
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#29 |
Sambo
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 11:14 am
Is there anyone (except the boss) who doesn’t want to see Gerrard drop deeper?! You’d soon see those stats change if only he could see a bit more of the ball. All those short, accurate, ultimately pointless passes from Masch, would be going straight to Stevie, who could then do something worthwhile with them. Also, I love Yossi in the hole (almost as much as toad-in-the-hole). He’s already set Torres up a few times this season, and he’s done more probing dribbles into the box than a Swedish porn star. For all our stats on tackles and pass completions, we’re not breaking down good defenses and we don’t look likely to without incisive service and running from the middle of the park.
Got high hopes for a Babel renaissance by the way. I reckon he looks up for it (finally).
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#30 |
steve the red
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 11:41 am
Sambo, loved your Swedish porn star line, nice one. You are on to something there and it would be nice to see that formation given a try, perhaps at Arsenal in the Leauge cup? Who knows?
In all seriousness, as much as I would like to see Yossi in the hole, nothing can actually compare to Toad-in-the-hole. Thinking about it (and going way off subject here) How did anyone come up with that name for a suasage dish?
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#31 |
knight
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 2:54 pm
Sorry to have monopolised the blog. I was bored with nothing much to do, as you can guess.
On the stats, it did surprise me that Masch pass rate is so high. From the games it looked like Lucas was palying a more active game and was better than Masch.
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 #32 |
alec_the_red
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 7:02 pm
ha! of course sky is just reporting that rooney is out of the belarus match with a calf injury, but gerrard, who had to come off for his groin at halftime against ukraine, will remain with the squad.
old fungus face at it again.
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 #33 |
bhavster
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 8:07 pm
you lads seen maradona celebrating after argentina beat peru – the tummy slide. thats what i expect rafa to do the day we win the league.
ttp://www.101greatgoals.com/videodisplay/3621448/
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 #34 |
dougle
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 10:34 pm
The point a few of you have been making about Kuyt and Babel (and Gerrard and no doubt Torres) travelling off to play meaningless games bugs me big-time. One assumes, at this stage, that Rafa can “do nothing about it”. It puzzles me why so many players go for these jaunts. I mean Torres is not going to be dropped because he takes a week off. In fact he and Pool and Spain will probably all benefit from a fitter, recovered Torres.
I gotta say that I think it comes down to the players and I reckon it’s the chance to go on a “holiday” of sorts and keep out of Rafa’s clutches for 10 days. OK Ukraine ain’t exactly Rio, fair enough. But Aussie sounds like a blast with your mates for a meaningless game. If you think they are all night and day holed up in their hotels and focussing on the game to come well dream on.
Some people take this 20year quest more seriously than others. Footballers…. I’m not so sure.
Steve Bruce is sitting up in Sunderland with how many of his squad I’d like to know. I don’t like this one bit, half the team arriving in less than 48 hours before a serious run-around against a team managed by someone who’d be very happy to share a glass with Mr Ferguson on the back of sticking another spoke in our less than over-whelming title challenge.
My opinion only!
Otherwise life’s great eh !
Top blog again Gerry. Between sticks of Celery and George Gillett the crack of your ass has been having a bit of a work-out eh ! Apologies to all the ladies out there.
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 #35 |
Diggerno.10
Posted on October 11, 2009 @ 11:34 pm
Agree 100% Dougle. At the end of last season I said in here that Torres should ‘pull’ his hamstring during the last ten mins of the Spuds game and say bye bye to that mickey mouse confederations cup tourney and hello to a summer of rest and rehabilitation after a season plagued by injury. So it amused me no end when Nando said before the Hammers game that his patchy form was down to fatigue and a long season including the Confederations cup. Yeah? No shit Nando. Gotta start looking after yourself lad….
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#36 |
akka
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 7:00 am
Bit nervous at the moment lads.
Cant have too many injuries, especially to Nando and Stevie ahead of critical games coming up
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 #37 |
Puchong Red
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 7:47 am
Me just became a dad . . .
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#38 |
Puchong Red
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 7:48 am
ps: Ace blog as usual Gerry.
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#39 |
KeithSA
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 8:23 am
Congratulation Puchong, cherish and enjoy. If you think flying 20 hours plus to Oz is an enjoyable break think again. The jet lag alone is a nightmare, never mind the dehydration factor of altitude. All in all, to do this mid season for a friendly borders on criminal.
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#40 |
Lurgankop
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 8:53 am
Dougle, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Was in the Ukraine a few weeks ago and had a great time.
The women are as fit as a butcher’s dog. Maybe they should take up refereeing?
Congratulations Puchong Red. Note that time, as you currently now it, will cease to exist. 5 years will pass in the blink of an eye, so remember to take a pause from time to time and enjoy it.
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#41 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 10:01 am
Congrats Puchong.Enjoy it buddy,it will put all of this doom and gloom in here into perspective.
Not much to talk about during the international break so i`ll have a moan at the effect it will have on our squad.
No matter what happens wednesday,if Gerrard and Torres have picked up groin problems while away,there is no way they can be 100% fit for saturday.I`m not sure what happened with Dirk(never knew that lad got injurys) but obviously he has been playing a needless friendly.Why fly half way across the world to play the Aussies when a lot of them are European based?
Answer $$$$$$$$$$$$$
Common sense gentlemen,common sense.
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 #42 |
An Linn
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 10:02 am
Good morning all,
Don’t know if you remember me saying in the last blog about the guy who was paid to put a curse on Ronaldo…..
I’d say his phone is ringing of the hook,
Good to see that there are no reports of any Liverpool players being injured
I also seen that Heskey wants an move from Villa -how long do you reckon before he’s linked with liverpool
Congratulations also the Puchong Red – perhaps we will see you little chisler playing for Liverpool in a few years
Hard luck to the boys in green – they can’t seem to hold onto a lead
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#43 |
Lurgankop
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 10:18 am
Not too long An Linn, I have just seen a ‘report’ that LFC want to buy Heskey for 3 million. Crazy!
No injuries though? What about Kuyt (who traveled with an ankle knock), Torres and Gerrard who all picked up knocks/injuries. Just about 3/4 of our attack. Not bad for another useless international week.
Agree that Ireland lost the plot after scoring the second goal. A shame but probably would not have matter in the long-run. Italy’s last match is at home to Cyprus.
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#44 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 10:26 am
We don`t have 3 mill Lurgan!
This seeding business is a kick in the teeth for the smaller nations Lurgan.From an Irish point of view they would want to avoid France and Russia.I think Potugal wouldn`t like to play the Irish.Outside the wanker they haven`t much.Greece would be beatable too.
God i hate international football!
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 #45 |
roarin-red
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 10:39 am
congrats puchong, hope the baby is fit an healthly. This injury news was not want i wanted to wake up to this morning. Its just bloody typical,however that was a good point by dougle no:34 i’m navie enough to believe that the players sit an think about winnning 19 24-7 like me. When ya think of all their money an lifestyles im sure its an easy distraction for some of them. next three games are gonna be crucial but we wouldnt want it any other way.
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 #46 |
burgerman
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 11:29 am
Key Manc players such as Bruce, Pallister, Cole,Cant etc never bothered with pointless friendlies.Rafa should dock wages from players who are travelling thousands of miles needlesly.Masher is more committed to the Argies than to us.Time to sell him.Same for Benny and the rest.No one is irreplaceable.Can’t see us winning against the Sunnies.
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#47 |
steve the red
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 11:30 am
If Gerrard is struggling with a groin strain, you would think that Capello wouldn’t even contemplate selecting him to play against Belarus – England have already qualified for South Africa.
Let’s see what happpens!
Same goes for Spain and Torres.
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#48 |
steve the red
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 12:00 pm
Ever the optomist aren’t Burgerman?
A trip to Australia for a friendly durung the Football season does seem very pointless though, and I’m sure some of the players thought the sam. But with a world cup coming up they are not going to refuse playing fot their countries, are they?
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#49 |
burgerman
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
Optimist, not optomist.The world cup is a waste of time.Why did Torres play in SA last summer?.Disgraceful, Hansen and Barnes were 100 % committed to LFC.Same goes for the Kennedys, Thommo etc.
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#50 |
Lurgankop
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 12:23 pm
TT, forgot about that small factor called money.
Here what about this for a headline today:
Liverpool owners Gillett and Hicks agree to split up – ‘for the good of the club’
which is believable as this one:
Daniel Agger on German radar as Borussia Moenchengladbach weigh up loan move for Liverpool defender
Both from the daily manc, so what do you expect. Give me a chuckle anyway.
Didn’t know about the rankings for the play-offs. WTF is that all about? Anyway, so it looks like it’s between Russia, France, Greece and Portugal. Hope we get France and knock the fuckers out 
We would be doing them a favour in the long run as it would put the final nail is Domenech’s coffin. The man is as useless as tits on a bull!
Have to find that glass for you burgerman.
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#51 |
KeithSA
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 1:02 pm
Bugerman you could always write for the mirror your comments are about as meaningful as Collymores.
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#53 |
An Linn
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 1:42 pm
Didn’t see that about the injuries – although none look too bad (they haven’t been sent home) – hopefully Gerrard and Torres will be rested for Wed matches,
Don’t know why he played Kuyt – he was already injured apparently
Can’t see Masch being ready for Sat either, so maybe we will get Gerrard in the middle
Lurgan – was dissapointed alright but you are right couldn’t see Italy losing at home
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#55 |
dougle
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
Way to go Puchong ! Happy days and congrads to yourself and your lady. As Lurgan said prepare to say hello to a new version of time. Every day is an eternity and the years pass in a flash. But I’m sure you’ll love it !
Well there you go Ukraine (women) isn’t so bad after all and Gerrard comes back with a slight groin strain. Not that I’m inferring anything by that !!
Keith I don’t doubt that the trip down the time tunnel to Aussie is a pain. Why the hell go in the first place ? To be honest with you if Babel had any (great) ambition about making it at Anfield then this trip in particular would have been a great one to miss and get in a bit of one on one with Rafa. Nothing like sucking up to the teacher. Naw, fit tanned aussie women 1 liverpool 0 I reckon.
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 #56 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 2:23 pm
I don’t think players can pick and choose what international matches to play in and what matches to miss. They get selected by their country and have to go it’s as simple as that. FIFA rules stipulate the clubs have to allow the player to leave. End of story, we all just have to get on with it. If a player comes back injured tough shit. It’s just one of those things. Crying about it helps nobody.
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#57 |
Lurgankop
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 2:34 pm
Not to tarnish my already tarnished reputation further, I was in the Ukraine for a business trip.
Just happened to notice that there were quite a few fit birds
PS, if you plan to go to the 2012 European championships, there is a great ‘pub’ called the ‘lucky split’ in Lviv. Also, the road sweepers are a good source of information, at 5am, if you get lost going back to your hotel.
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#58 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 2:44 pm
Lurgan what kind of business were you taking care of in Ukraine?
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#59 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 4:36 pm
Any jobs at your place Lurgan?
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#60 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 4:52 pm
I think LB is right,there is no point moaning about the internationals.Thing is,there isn`t much else to talk about during these breaks so i guess guys just go on about their fear of players coming back injured.It`s the same for every big club.I couldn`t see any players spoof an injury to get home and to be honest i wouldn`t want to.It wouldn`t say much for a players character if he was puling stunts like that.
It`s world cup year and everybody is bursting to be a part of it.Whatever we think of international football this is still the be all and end all of a players careers.As young`uns every oy dreams of playing in the world cup.So a player carrying a niggle will still be determined to travel in fear they might lose their place if they didn`t.
It will always be like this but we`ll still have a moan anyway!
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#61 |
Aitch
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 7:19 pm
That’s sort of one the unique things about Liverpool lads though timmy.
I never dreamed of playing for England in the World Cup when I was a lad.
The number of times I dreamed of playing in the Red at Anfield, or at Wembly in an F.A. Cup, or in my teens in the European cup…. well they outnumber the times as an adult that I’ve dreamed about being locked in a hotel room with Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Jenna Jameson a mega box of condoms and a weeks supplyu of viagra!
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#62 |
steve the red
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 8:22 pm
Thanks for the spelling lesson, Burgervan!
You may know how to spell “optimist” but you sure as hell don’t know how to be one.
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#63 |
dougle
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 9:29 pm
A classy riposte sir Steve the Red !
Londonbarnes I know there are “rules” about being picked for friendlies etc… and we all know that as far as FIFA goes the bottom line is making money i.e selling their international series with the best “productline-up” possible. It’s not about playing for your country,(so much as partying for your country).
And now, get ready, I’ll throw my ace card, Ryan Giggs who happens to be about 137 years old, the current PFA player of the year and winning games for Manure. Now we all know how he shaped his international career. It’s not as if he put his club first, or himself (Steven Ireland), no, he balanced his appearances with Wales, cutting out the crap/ sorry FIFA friendlies and meaningless qualifiers. He’s completely injury prone for nearly ? long and he continues to play. Do you think Nando is going to make it to 37 ? Bloody 27 if he’s lucky.
My point is players can do it if they want (despite the rules), they don’t and that just makes me wonder why !
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#64 |
Aitch
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 10:21 pm
It ain’t rocket science dougle… they simply have a stronger connection to playing for their country than they do their club.
Our own Stevie G is a prime example. for all the noises he makes about how important playing for LFC is… you only have to read his biog to know how important playing for England is to him.
Torres seems like a genuine lad and has said all the right things about being an LFC player, but at the end of the day, he isn’t a scouser and so he’s not gonna pass up a chance to play for his country.
Now Carragher on the other hand… well I can fuckin relate to that lad… he’s a rare gem ain’t he!
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#65 |
Aitch
Posted on October 12, 2009 @ 11:20 pm
Ask yourselves this question
Would you rather play for England at the World Cup, or in a midweek, mid-season league game at Burnley?
Is your answer different if the choice is: playing for England in the world Cup or playing for Wolfsburg against Karlsruhe in a midweek Bundesligue game?
My answers are -
1. LFC hands down every day of the week.
2. ..er… who gives a fuck about either (probably still opt for the German league game… but I’m definitely in the club before country camp)
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#66 |
akka
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 2:20 am
The thing is, Gerrard and Torres are going to be at the world cup regardless. They are not fringe players who will be fitting for a position in a sense.
I can understand them playing competative games. But FFS, if they have already qualifieid and carrying a slight knock, then fucking rest them.
I dont get the logic of national coaches. If you have qualified, try some lesser known players. Last thing i would want to do as a head coach is play someone like Torres in pointless games knowing he will be playing fuck loads of Liverpool and have the lad burnt out before the world cup even starts
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#67 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 2:27 am
Aitch i`d rather play for accrington stanley than play in the world cup for that shower!
I can understand where you are coming from regarding people from Liverpools feeling towards the England team.Just ask the Evertonians what was the bggest event at wemley in 1966 and they`ll tell you it was the day everton won the cup!
As for Carra he gave Ingerland the elbow because he wasn`t getting a fair crack of the whip there.If he was their first choice centre half for them today wouldn`t he be still playing for them?
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#68 |
Aitch
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 5:19 am
Agreed timmy, but compare Carra’s situation to SG (and I’ll get accused of having an axe to grind against SG here, but take it or leave it, it happened…)
There was a time when SG wasn’t first choice for England, and I’d argue that Carra quit at the height of his performance, so probably would have gotten games eventually (well he would have given the injuries that subsequently occured, but he wasn’t to know that at the time) but he still made a decision he thought best, not for his club, but for his club football. At the end of the day, he’s still making the decision for him, it just happens to be the right decision for us too!
When played right wing for LFC, SG bitched and moaned about it being “the graveyard shift” despite having one of his best seasons to date (at least from a goals haul perspective)… even by some reports, supposedly “refused” to play there again.
… but when fielded for England on the right wing one week, the left wing the next week, while central midfielders in poorer form, held their positions inside, did he utter a single fuckin word?
No… it was all “proud to wear the 3 lions and I’ll play anywhere.”
Does me fuckin ‘ead in!
And I agree, the coaches should be testing out their back-up prospects in these games, not grinding their stallwarts into the fuckin ground… can’t understand that meself…
…but none of these players will risk someone else playing their way into the managers mind/plans, so they’ll whore themselves around the planet for meaningless friendlies.
Shit… look at Masch and his quest for Olympic Gold.
I mean seriously… okay, you’ve got the medal… but how much of an accomplishment is an Amateur sports medal won by a full-fledged professional. The Olympics are a fuckin joke… but thats another whole can of worms.
End of the day its all about their bank balances and medal collections and the rest of us be fucked.
Thus endeth my sharp right turn onto a soapbox and into cynicism!
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#69 |
knight
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 7:58 am
Puchong Red, heartiest congrats. with this birth, will come good tidings for LFC!
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#70 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 9:32 am
I suppose International managers want to see their strongest team play together as much as possible in the lead up to a big tournament. They don’t have many games during the year to do that so whenever they get the chance they’ll go for the strongest side.
Ryan Giggs and Stephen Ireland – on the surface it don’t look like either are or were too interested playing for their country. Giggs is English – a born and bred manc and Wales are hardly going to be going to world cups or european championships. Stephen Ireland is a bit of a tit. Can’t explain his reasoning. Carra retired from England because he was being hauled all over Europe with the squad and was sitting on the bench. So he said “fuck this”.
We might think some of the matches are meaningless but the players clearly don’t. It’s something that will always be there so whats the point moaning about it every single time there is an international break?
Only way around the problem is to support a League 1 club. Nothing to worry or moan about then.
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 #71 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 10:10 am
On a slightly seperate note – with the Man Utd game fast approaching (and me hoping to get tickets to it!!!) do you think Owen (if fit and on the pitch) will get a REALLY hostile reception? I’m in two minds about this. Am actually still smarting from the fact that he left us when Rafa just arrived – really think he was a fool for leaving when he did – considering Madrid at the time had Ronaldo, Raul and Morientes ahead of him. As for joining the Scum – he really had no choice – Rafa clearly didn’t want him back so where else could he go?
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#72 |
akka
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 10:27 am
Arthur you make it seem like it was all Rafa’s fault that he left us in the first instance and then joined united.
As for leaving us, i reckon you should do some research. As for joining united, its not that Rafa didnt want him, its that NO ONE wanted him
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#73 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 11:01 am
Akka – you got me all wrong. I was angry at Owen for leaving us in 2004. He should have stayed and seen how Rafa got on – he should have given Rafa at least a season. Apparently he, Gerrard and Carragher had all had some input into the who the new manager should be – so it was disappointing when he decided to head to Madrid in the end.
As for NO ONE wanting him – ah, someone did…..Utd! . Anyway my post was more about asking people here what they thought would happen if Owen played against us …should he receive stick or should his achievments be respected and be given a good welcome?
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#74 |
akka
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 11:12 am
I personally felt hurt when he left Arthur considering the manner in which he left us.
There will be boo’s and maybe a few cheers.
Not sure actually.
I think at the start there wont be cheering/booing necesserily. But when the game is in full swing then I can see the booing starting.
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#75 |
burgerman
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 12:21 pm
How about swapping Torres for David Villa in January?.The latter pulled out of the Spanish squad and seems much more dedicated to the fans who pay his wages.Imagine losing Torres for 2 months because of injury.Rafa should start calling the shots.
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#76 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 12:55 pm
Burgerman, you think David Villa would be more dedicated to Liverpool than to his Country? If so then I think you need a reality check, mate.
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 #77 |
rome77
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 1:24 pm
Will Owen be boo’d ? i think a better question would be,will anyone run on the
pitch and smack him ?.I mean if he really wanted to play for England wouldn’t
he have been better off playing more first team games for Hull because i don’t
think Cappello gives a f*ck about which team your play for,it’s more about how
you play and how often with him.( Which is how it should be.)
LB Giggs was born in Cardiff and doesn’t even have any English grandparents
which is why he played for Wales. He could have played for Sierra Leone but i
don’t think he’d have travelled all that way for meaningless friendly’s.
How about swapping Burgerman for Liverpoolfan
YNWA
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#78 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 1:50 pm
Burgerman: I assume that last post yours was sent in jest!
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#79 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
I stand corrected Rome. But still I always considered Giggs more of a manc than Welsh. Didn’t he play for England school boys? Anyway had he been playing for England I think he would have played in a lot more friendlies.
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 #80 |
Rafalution
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 2:14 pm
Seeing that Gerrard ‘limped out of the England training session’, will/should Rafa risk him on Saturday? Obviously depends on the extent of the injury, but (from past experience), groin strains don’t go away easily. FFS, hope it’s not too bad. And Nando has a niggle as well, and Masch (with the Argies) have a pretty NB fixture on Wednesday as well. BTW, where is FS? Missing his comments & insight. Must be jet lag from the Big Apple trip, coupled with these shite Int’l breaks?
And Knight, aren’t you off to the UK (Sunderland game) soon?
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#81 |
dougle
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 2:19 pm
LondonB … not being a nit-picker but why would Giggs have played more games for England than he did for Wales ? More glamour ? Don’t know.
You’re right, we’re just having a moan, but also putting forth a proposition.
I don’t buy the Country before Club I think it’s a week off for a bit of craic. But that’s said ‘n’ done now.
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#82 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
I think Rafa has to risk Gerrard for Sunderland game to be honest
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#83 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 3:21 pm
Just saw, Gerrard out of England game – doubtful for Sunderland game..brilliant!
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#84 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 4:07 pm
Dougle I think Giggs would have played more for England because there would have been more chance him fulfilling his dreams at international level. Such as playing and having a chance to a Euro championship or world cup. That’s just my opinion. His injuries leading up to Wales games could have been genuine. Who knows.
Not sure about the week off for a bit of craic as I don’t know what these lads are allowed to get up to when on international duty.
Realistically thought – during a world cup year no player is going to turn down the chance to play for their country.
I see Gerrard has been ruled out with a groin problem. I can’t remember the last time he had an injury free season.
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#85 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 4:09 pm
Apart from Stephen Ireland that is. He lied about his Granny being dead in order to skyve off international duty so he could spend time with his girlfriend.
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#86 |
dougle
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 4:59 pm
Fair enough LB. We’ll leave it at that! Another day we can trade stories about who got up to what when they should have been etc etc…
Steven Ireland in his most recent interview stated that he just made up every kind of story ‘cos he didn’t want to play for Ireland at all. Can’t see the point. His stories go way back to underage.
Puchong, you got any grannies around ? Be nice to them, You are gonna need ‘em !
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#87 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 6:08 pm
Will owen be boo`d?..he`ll probably be injured.
Risk stevie?Absolutely not unless fit for the most obvious reasons.
Stephen Ireland? A strange one and always has been.I know a couple of guys who used to play with/against him in the local league.Said they`re not in the least surprised with his behaviour.Cracking little footballer though.
Swap torres for villa?Ya sure,why not stick in stevie too,he`s no good to us either,injury prone.While were at it Burgerman they can have Aquaman too..and Agger…ah fook it give them the whole Liverpool Football Club and Athletic Grounds!
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#88 |
Diggerno.10
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 6:50 pm
I agree Arthur. Our strongest 11 is a must on Saturday. Psychologically a loss would be devastating and in effect end our title hopes. I cant remember the last time we lost 3 games in row. If at all possible both he and Torres must play. This is why I laugh when people say ‘those 3 losses mean nothing, we’ve 15pts, same as utd had at this stage last yr’. Yeah, well, they do mean something. They mean that games like these are now ‘must win’ and they mean we’re risking semi-fit players to save our yr already.
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#89 |
steve the red
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 8:39 pm
Groin injuries can take up to 2 weeks to heal properly, maybe less it, depends how severe it is.
If SG is not 100% on Saturday, then he shouldn’t be risked. The Lyon game could even be too early, but I’m sure we would all want to make sure he is raring to go to face the Mancs?
As for Owen, he got what he deserved when he missed out on Istanbul!
Looking at it from his point of view, you cannot blame him for going to the Mancs from Newcastle, but if he was playing for virtually any other team he would be given a good reception but he is playing for our most fierce rivals, one of the greatest rivalries in world football so he will be given dog’s abuse for that. And he will be expecting it too.
Hope I have spelt everything correctly, Burgerman!!
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#90 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 10:24 pm
I’m not a believer in playing unfit players. If Gerrard is not 100% he should be left out. Don’t fuck with injuries coz they can always lead onto more serious injuries. Imagine he ruptured his adductor muscle against Sunderland – that’s a 2 month out deal. Gerrard doesn’t play well when he’s injured anyway. The sore groin could be a reason as to why his form has been patchy. I’m leaning towards leaving him out of the Sunderland game and I’d put him on the bench against Lyon.
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#91 |
akka
Posted on October 13, 2009 @ 10:38 pm
Have to agree with you LB. If they are injured, leave them out. Last thing you want is for the injury to get worse.
We won plenty of games without Gerrard and Nando last year, not saying they arent valuable or crucial, just that its not worth risking them for one match and losing them for 4-5.
One reason that I think we did alright last year without the two lads is that the other team werent sure on how to play us. In one of the games against the mancs they knew we wouldnt always be going to one player everytime, so they had to think a little (Rio trying to use his brain, no chance).
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#92 |
Diggerno.10
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 12:13 am
Fair points LB and Akka, I guess I’m just depressed that its come to this already. A draw at Spuds and a home win against Villa would make a draw or loss far more palatable on Saturday. As it stands either or spells a mountain of psychological pressure, real pressure (9pt deficit), not to mention the shit the media will spout. I think mypost put it best in the pre-game thread: ‘winning is not an option, its mandatory’. And for us to maintain an interest in the title race, I think hes right. Heres hoping…
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#93 |
Aitch
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 12:33 am
Way to have a little faith in the squad Digger
I think our problem for this weekend lies not in the possible unavailability of Torres and SG, but in the question that hellacious journeys pose on the fitness of Isua, Masch and Lucas, and Kuyt and Babel.
On the upside…
The Chavs have a potentially difficult away game at Villa and the Scum have what should be (but probably won’t be) a tricky one hosting Bolton… given the Scum have their own “key” injury problems.
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#94 |
Diggerno.10
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 1:15 am
I know Aitch, I know. Look, I’m hoping for the best but I just cant help the ominous feeling I have for Saturday. Maybe its just a protective mechanism my brain has installed and I’m way wrong, we run out 3 nil winners, freakin sweet! But our form, injuries and preparation (internationals) tell me this is not gonna be one of those Hull/Stoke/Burnley wknds. But as I say, heres hoping. See Aitch? I’m trying damn it man!
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#95 |
Puchong Red
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 2:33 am
Thanks everyone fer their wishes & kind words of encouragement.
So far, it appears me newborn kiddo times his tantrums from 11pm onwards.
This sat will be the first test of LFC-on-the-telly vs Newborn-Son-wanting-attention . . .
ps: Honduras – what a bunch of wankers fer caving in to the USA.
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#96 |
donalfromthegap
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 6:30 am
Congrats Puchong hope it doesn’t interfere too much with your liverpool watching!!
Although with the times that the games are played in Malaysia it will probably be feeding time anyways.
What a headline
‘Crocked Steven Gerrard risks Rafa rage by staying with England squad’
Yeah Rafa’s gonna ‘crush his childrens testicles’ (Mike Tyson quote not mine) then go on a murder spree because Gerrard stayed on with England FFS.
Fuckin jammy bastarding Italians……..well atleast our boy Nemeth got some revenge against their young’uns
Im being swamped by Koreans ….gotta go
Over and out
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#97 |
knight
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 10:12 am
Donal, Rafa has only two daughters. There are no sons to squeeze testicles. he may have to ask his wife to squeeze his own. haha
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#98 |
burgerman
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 12:10 pm
If Gerrard and Masher don’t make it, Agger could be moved into midfield along with Lucas, Aurelio and Babel on the right.We need some spine (hence Agger) and Plessis lacks pace.Maybe SG reckons he has a better chance of winning a trophy with England than LFC.The next 6 games will make or break the season.
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#99 |
steve the red
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 1:22 pm
Having said that no player (including SG and FT) should play unless they are 100% fit, I have finally used my brain and realised that Rafa would never risk an unfit player anyway, no matter how valuable he is to the team! There, nothing to worry about then.
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#100 |
Arthur G. Posis
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 4:49 pm
That is a fair point if SG and Torres aren’t fit no real point in risking them – I reckon Torres will make it but probably not Stevie – so it’s a no frills midfield of Masher and Lucas on Saturday so…
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#101 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 14, 2009 @ 9:05 pm
Just watched Spain beat Bosnia 5-2. Torres was rested. Riera played and looked pretty good.
I see Gerrard in the stand at Wembley wearing his favourite grey jumper. I thought he was supposed to be back on merseyside getting treatment? Maybe theres an evening party tonight that he don’t want to miss.
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 #102 |
michaelthomasmademecry
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 12:20 am
LB, It said during the commentary that Capello invited all the players who took part in the qualifying campaign to come along. Hence why Gerrard was surrounded by Walcott, J. Cole, M. Owen etc.
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#103 |
akka
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 1:10 am
Good to see Nando and Stevie not playing. I have a feeling rafa will start with one (probably stevie) and keep nando on the bench.
Actually, ill go with a bold prediction and say both will start on the bench.
Good to see argebntina qualify. Maybe mascher will come back full of energy/excitement and get back to his best.
Being captain is a hard task, and maybe he was having sleepless nights
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#104 |
Puchong Red
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 4:37 am
Aye, will concur with akka on that last view.
Let’s hope masch is able to focus at the task at hand.
Can imagine he must have been getting some stick from rest of the lads fer their poor form.
Masch & Aquilani in midfield?
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 #105 |
gazmaninaus
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 4:51 am
Scrolling the boards, has it been 5 minutes yet. Are we selling or are we not, this is driving me nuts. I can’t even imagine what it’s doing to the players, Manager and back room staff.
.
Players like Voronin for example. If we’re skint he’s staying, if we’re loaded he’s on the bus.
.
Mash if we need cash he’s gone.
.
SG if we really need cash he’s a big ticket item.
.
Torres another one.
.
Rafa in demand elsewhere, big ticket item.
.
His backroom staff, will they be wanted if he goes.
.
It has to be affected them somehow. How many takeovers have come and gone since dumb and dumber took over.
.
Anyway onwards and upwards, lets do Sunderland and all smile.
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#106 |
LondonBarnes
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 10:08 am
Gillett in Saudi looking to sell his shares…. I doubt this affects the players in the slightest.
Gerrard has a slight tear in his adductor. If anyone is to blame it’s him in my opinion. He has a history of groin tears. Every season he has one. So he injures it in the Ukraine game limps off. But then takes part in full training and aggravates it. Surely he knows his body by now. Anyway, I think he should be given 2 weeks of rest as he’s not been playing well anyway. We have big matches in those 2 weeks but that’s just our hard luck. Go to 4-4-2 and go for it.
Reina
Johnson, Skrtle, Carra, Aurelio
Benny, Masch, Lucas, Riera
Kuyt, Torres
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#107 |
akka
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 10:36 am
Id go with the same team LB.
However, id have:
Reina
Johnson Skrtle Carra, Aurellio
Masch Lucas
Benny Kuyt Riera
Torres
In this formation i would have Benny/Kuyt/Riera interchanging and overlapping (kind of like arsenal play) This allows benny to get free easier and Kuyt to cover if need be
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#108 |
knight
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 11:20 am
Puchong Red. Boy or girl?
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#109 |
burgerman
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 11:53 am
Masher and Lucas together is too negative.If they both play, a draw is the best we can hope for.Riera goes awol in away games and will be substituted if he starts.
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#110 |
steve the red
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 12:28 pm
Everything will be done to get Gerrard fit to face the Mancs in ten days time. I will be very suprised to see him in action before that.
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#111 |
burgerman
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 12:37 pm
I assume Krygiakos’s wages will be paid by the Greek FA until he plays again.Short and sweet Anfield career.
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#112 |
alec_the_red
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 1:13 pm
i would be surprised to see masherano start. not only did he have to travel across the half the world, but his team just qualified for the world cup on wednesday night… so who thinks he went right home to bed and got a good night’s sleep, ate and drank with good nutrition, and rested his body for a long flight home?
yea, me neither. i doubt he will start. with him and gerrard doubtful, i would not be surprised to see spearing in a holding role against sunderland with lucas out in front, riera on left, babel on right, benayoun and torres up front…
who knows, really? my only point is that while i thought monster played well against the chavs, i think given what he will have gone through in the last 48 hours or so up to the game will not have him match fit…we will see!
YNWA
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 #113 |
Dizzy
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 3:49 pm
Gerrard and Torress missing out on training today and will be assessed again tomorrow ….
Hmmmmm … I think saturday’s game gonna be more difficult than it was ….
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#114 |
timmytorres
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
So Gerrard and Torres could be out.
Doomsday has come.
The day every Liverpool fan has dreaded.What is Rafa going to do?
The media hacks are waiting in the wings with the “I told you so” banners!
Is Rafa is going to find the nearest bomb shelter go in to it,curl up and whinge like a schoolgirl!
Like hell he is.
So we could be without our best two players.All of a sudden an already tricky game for us has become a walk in the park for the mighty Sunderland.
Whatever team we put out there on saturday will be a stronger 11 than anything they have to offer.If we apply ourselves right and play with the right attitude we will win the game.We are the better side with or without FT and SG.
I`d much rather they sit out this game and be right for the more difficult challenges next week.
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#115 |
Dizzy
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 5:33 pm
We cant write off sunderland as an easy game… and wid gerrard and torress possibly missing out plus masch coming back after a long journey, we will need the rest of teh squad to step up their game … Sunderland have been putting up an impressive show recently… the most recent being their draw against manx.. thats definitly wud have their confident qiute high .. and also their striking duo of bent and jones are scoring quite easily… a tough test for our defense as well …
We can win without gerrard and torress.. as we proved last season … but i agree, for that to happen again, we need other players to apply themselves and keep their attitude rite …
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#116 |
Aitch
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
I agree Dizzy,
We are NOT a 2 man team and the worry is not SG and Torres. We have more than capable replacements for them.
The worry for this game is the midfield. How knackered are Masch and Lucas gonna be after both playing late Wednesday games and 15 hour flights through 5/7 time zones, followed by 1 day to prep for the game?
Same for Insua, though it would seem Aurellio is now fit enough to take his place.
Sort of puts some perspective on the timeliness of the article yesterday where Spearing revealed how Rafa has instructed him to become more like Masch?
Whatever team Rafa fields, I’m gonna chose to have faith in them… rather than predicting we’ll slip up simply coz we’ll be without Torres and SG.
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#117 |
Rafalution
Posted on October 15, 2009 @ 9:01 pm
I’m gonna put my balls on the block here, and leave myself open for ridicule & being labelled ‘Burgerman II’. But I think Voronin should start, if SG & Nando are unfit. My reasoning? Well, no vision from Lucas (although I do think he has a future at LFC) or Monster. And after their trip around the world, one or both of them might not be up to playing anyway. Maybe start Masch & bring on Lucas after 60 (when we are ahead, of course). So, basically those 2 would share the defensive midfield role. The other ‘central’ role should go to Spearing (would relish the chance & would run his balls off, + good enough?). And to add a bit of attacking flair, Dagger should start – 180 mins in 5 days, not bad! Keep Carra the General, and have Aurelio (rested compared to Insua) and Glenda as the (attacking) full backs. Out wide, Benny and Reira with The Pimp (the guy DOES have football intelligence)sitting behind Eggnog (or even Babel). Give Onion, Voro & Riera ‘carte blanche’ to move around/swap at will, and we should surely have Sunderland beat? Dunno, I’m trying to be imaginative here, and realise at the same time: We do actually have a bit of depth!
Rafa has had 10 days off, and I’m sure he has been tinkering with his selection(s). Let’s rather leave it to him – but I still think MY team could beat Sunderland?
L
Keep The Faith
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