Liverpool Banter Archive November 05 2014

 

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05 Nov 2014 22:24:28
I'm really confused about this site. The whole year everyone is complaining about the season and after last night everyone is commending a game worse than my Sunday league. The word delusional and a person in a straight jacket rocking back and forth repeating "we only lost by one" comes to mind

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Considering we expected to be hammered 1-0 was a relief or can't you see that?

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My buddy had a good point. Said the fact they took their foot off the gas so much in the second showed how little respect they had for us and our ability to put one past them. Much less get a shot on target

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05 Nov 2014 21:48:20
I am hearing Brendan was spotted earlier today at a motorway service station handing manuel pelegrini a rather large brown envelope.

YNWA

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It probably contained the names of the players he thought would let him down!

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05 Nov 2014 20:51:10
Any possibility of signing Doumbia? His contract expires this year. Thanks Eds.

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{Ed002's Note - No.}

05 Nov 2014 20:36:46
I've mentioned Seydou Doumbia here several times but met an overwhelming 'disagree'. He came on in the 1st leg against City and changed the game in CSKA's favour. He's scored a couple against them as I type.

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I agree I think we lose a few more Henry will say bye he does it all the time when he gives so much and nothing in return we lost dagger and suarez Southampton lost way more yet they play good we don't and it's so called settling in but also 100 mill wins you the league Rogers said so hopefully we get better because I like him or get Cara in as assistant manager he has the balls to drop and say things how they are to big players

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05 Nov 2014 20:31:47
The times we are in remind me off the good old Roy hodgson days.

Good performance because we didn't get battered.

Get real lads, the team is looking an absolute mess and I think if we don't improve this month it's bye bye Rodgers.

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Tbh the football under Hodgson was better than what we are witnessing right now. At least the likes of Babel, Torres and Ngog were able to muster 5-6 decent attempts on goal, right now the whole team cannot add up to those numbers. Where have all the goals gone?

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05 Nov 2014 19:25:28
To Ed002, Football is a game which grew from playing for your local town to beat the rival neighbours, to playing for your local League team, to play against other town teams. It has become a global phenomenon, but has it's roots in local culture. I am from Merseyside, and consider my club to be a community club. Yes, WE ARE LIVERPOOL. It has a meaning that goes beyond trophies and success, but goes to the very heart of what makes you a human being. It's a sense of belonging to something bigger than you are as an individual. It is tribal.

It would be the same if the club I supported was Tranmere Rovers, hopefully the same ethics, but with less trophies. No big deal.

That community spirit is at the heart of what I love about Liverpool FC, and why I sometimes despair of the antics which betray that. Things that the club has indulged in over the years which do not make me proud.

I believe to misunderstand that (and describe it as flakey) shows a lack of community soul.

Modern day football is less about your local community. I was massively proud of Celtic's achievement of winning the European Cup with a team comprised of 11 players from the vicinity of Glasgow.

But there has been a breakdown in society that has seen a decline in community spirit, more anti-social behaviour, more anonymous tweeting and posting that keeps us indoors instead of going out and doing some good. The lack of local community activity that has coincided with the internet age. The wider we can reach, the more inclined we are to not bother with proper social interaction with real human beings.

Ed002 seems to think that any such thinking is 'living in the past', when it is not so. Most of us realise that our major success was a while ago, and we are not as successful as some other English teams. But that does not stop us wanting it to be so. That is a desire to be the best. It is a good thing. Striving to be better, to make the most of what you have.

I do think that Ed002 has a general dislike of many things LFC based. I could of course simply go to another site, but I'd miss Waro's rants and Harry's lunacy, and EMS's well considered views from (I assume) a much younger supporter than I am.

Yes, I believe that We Are Liverpool. If that makes me a flake then so be it, I am proud to be a flake. Having said that, I always preferred a Ripple.

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{Ed002's Note - You are living in the past - citing not only the far flung history of Liverpool but a Celtic game from 1967. Liverpool may well be left behind as other teams plan the future - as you know Liverpool are not involved in that. As for me, it shows what a cretin you are to think I hate anything about Liverpool - why not read the posts from the posters that do nothing but grizzle about the owners, the manager, the players etc.. I think you will find that I have done nothing but given honest opinion that has subsequently been found to be correct. But still I have to put up with whining wankers like you who want to make it about me. You are a joke.}

You just have to laugh and move one what is the point

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05 Nov 2014 21:26:08
It's your fault Ed002. YOU DID THIS!!

2 weeks later: Ed002 was the hero we deserve; but not the one we needed. the dark knight.

I don't think Ed002 has anything against liverpool fc. Just some of the fans.

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{Ed002's Note - Post of the day.}

Shirt Seller, you need to let it go. You`re making the rest of us look small with your comments.

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That's the closest to a compliment I've had on here in over a year mate. Cheers!

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06 Nov 2014 04:08:05
Ed002 is Liverpool's reckoning

U can go to another page? And u think that gives u power over him?

He's a necessary evil

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Easy guys, I'll be back soon.

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05 Nov 2014 20:18:05
Does anyone else think we actually never replaced carragher! We should have gone and got someone who was a proven leader from the back.

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05 Nov 2014 20:41:09
He's been replaced. Lovren is.

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We've tried to replace him - Lovren has come in and taken the leadership role and has been the vocal organiser of the defense - in terms of performance he's been lacking with a few costly mistakes here and there

Give Lovren time, and I believe he'll be class

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We never replaced masc or alonso either sadly

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We never replaced Sami Sami Sami Sami Hyypia.
Since he left we have been weak in the air.

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05 Nov 2014 20:04:26
No knee jerk reaction - for me, all that was proved last night was that Liverpool Football Club is too big for Brendan Rodgers, he has a small club mindset.
Some managers can do the big club thing - Rodgers can't, all the pundits were right - he embarrassed LFC last night by giving up.
Real Madrid laundry team must have had a day off today, they didn't have to break sweat to dominate, in yet another poor Liverpool performance this season.
If he wanted to see how good his squad was, why didn't he play that team against Hull, West Ham, Newcastle etc, the fact is he has already given up on CL progression, he is probably thinking now of finishing bottom of the group so we don't have to go into Europa Cup.

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That may be your opinion but I suggest you wait and see b4 passing hasty judgement.

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I'm sick of this 'giving up' business

Rodgers put out a side that was always going to stay organised defesively and would probably have the opportunity to nick in a goal or two. based on the way we've been playing this season, why would we keep the same starting XI that took the pitch against Newcastle!?

Henderson (one of my favorite players) hasn't played well enough to keep his spot in the side

Balotelli obviously shouldn't have been in the side - until he figures out how to make dangerous runs and move the defense he'll be little more than a "plan B" option moving forward

Glen Johnson - . do I really need to say more?

Gerrard and Coutinho weren't in because of how the importance Rodgers placed on defense for the match

The only player that should have been in the side on form might be Sterling, but the lad's only 19 and has played an ungodly number of minutes. I don't understand how nobody remembers how his form dipped after being over-used in the first half of the 2012-13 season.

I think Can is class and gave a glimpse of what he has to offer

Markovic ran at the heart of Madrid's defense (something we've been severely lacking this term)

Leiva got the nod for defensive awareness

Lallana proved he could stay disciplined and also doubled as an attacking threat

Manquillo played because Glen Johnson is horrible

I think it's blatantly obvious that Rodgers had a game plan - try to make it out of the first half tied 0-0, then come out and try to steal a goal in the second half

Sorry for the rant - just sick of hearing people talk about Liverpool not trying to win the match

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05 Nov 2014 22:55:59
he is probably thinking now of finishing bottom of the group so we don't have to go into Europa Cup.
==================

I'd rather finish 4th than 3rd. I know the Europa money will come useful, but Thursday night football is a major distraction. Anyways we still have every chance of finishing 2nd in the group

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Have to agree. He had never trusted Borini in any capacity, so to claim he was being tactical is utter farce. I think he looked at the 1 - 0 loss as a real personal victory, but had the excuse in his back pocket that he was saving for Chelsea game had we lost by 6 - 0. I m worried he is getting desparate, and if he restores the starting squad from Newcastle game I will personally feel that he is lost. On up side, a win against Chelsea would potentially ignite the team. They are looking somewhat vulnerable at the moment. Too bad we aren't close to good enough to exploit that.

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Good post Liver Bird, I agree. Just a shame we didn't have someone up front who could work and hold the ball up, we may have nicked a draw.

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05 Nov 2014 18:55:19
I am quite surprised by the attitude of most of the Liverpool fans on here I must say, how anyone can have taken anything out of that game last night beggars belief.
Rodgers even before the game with his little interview looked embarrassed while arrogantly bullsh1ttin that the reason for the team selection was anything but giving up.Simply put he cannot believe his luck to only lose 1-0 mainly due to Ronaldo being poor, imagine for a minute Liverpool lost 8-0 he would have lost his job for his abject capitulation and downright arrogance before and after the match.
If that is how the owners of the club view Liverpool then you are in deep doo doo.
Ed001 I can imagine you sitting there typing replies appopeptically red faced and steam coming out of your ears.

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I would worry about your own team Pardoe, i'm sure your time could be better spent trying to think up your next banner to fly over someones ground if not your own.

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Hah The Sandon the banner crap is embarrassing and moronic, how come I cannot think logically about Liverpool are you like a lot of your fans, unable to think without letting your love for the club cloud your mind?

Anyway I need some light relief so coming here helps me get away from my own clubs failings

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I would like to respond but have nothing to say to fan who`s team is STILL below us in spite of the probs we have. Now that my friend, is just disheartening.

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05 Nov 2014 22:40:55
Is that banner still going over anfield this week lol. I would hope not after that statement mate 😜

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Redohio at least we can see a light at the end of the tunnel same cannot be said about yourselves

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05 Nov 2014 18:55:18
Hey lfc fans

I understand some of the fans . Getting a 1-0 defeat from real married against a young liverpool team that's basically liverpools first team (not reserves at all because they were bought for the first team) isn't so bad.

But the realistic part sets in and I agree with the eds.

It's liverpool football club. Happy with 1-0?

A Liverpool team full of young expensive potential seen as reserves who are not good enough?

What happened to going to Madrid to win and showing the world it's liverpool. and madrid are rubbing shoulders with them!

The team is so weak that the 11 on Tuesday are seen as the b team.

And because the manager has paid for dross the club hasn't progressed and has wasted countless millions on players which means it will take a lot now to full those slots with quality players for now not potential for five years time.

I just want to see a manager unhappy with a loss even against Madrid

Imagine bayern going to Madrid and losing 1-0 after losing 3/0 two weeks earlier. Would guardiola be pleased with the performance of his team playing out of their skin against a Madrid who were coasting for 90 mins!


So all I'm saying is . I want the lfc level back to where it was . I think managers and players need to watch. Those classic videos and create a winning mentality and not settling for less.

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05 Nov 2014 17:20:21
There's no chance of beating Chelsea. Costa/ Drogba versus Balotteli is complete mismatch. Rogers by stating he would like to manage abroad, confirms his long term commitment is not with LFC in the way Wenger and Ferguson have. I see him as talking a good job, going through the motions till the big pay off comes.

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I agree. We have no chance if Balotelli plays centre back!

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EMS well done sir well done

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EMS, you beauty!

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05 Nov 2014 17:06:45
afternoon guys, if BR is sacked (not saying he should or anything like that) would FSG then go for a more experianced so called big name or do you think they would go for another young manager.

just a thought on DOF, Joe Kinare (spelling) he can pick up the phone and call all clubs around the world you know, that was very much tongue in cheek

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They will prob bring someone in who can/will work w/ a DOF because that is what they`ve always wanted, IMO. Trust me they will NEVER give a coach full control again.

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They will prob bring someone in who can/will work w/ a DOF because that is what they`ve always wanted, IMO. Trust me they will NEVER give a coach full control again.

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Hiddink?

About to lose his job as Dutch manager.
FSG probably want Klinnsmann.

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05 Nov 2014 16:21:02
Hi All Now the dust has settled on an abysmal performance, I have to say that I'm worried for the team. Brendan's arrogance scares me, his blinkered, self delusional attitude is damaging the side, I can only hope he wakes up and see 's the problems before it's too late.

SPROUT

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Really don`t know what to think of las night`s seclection. On the face of it, it looks like we gave up. However, we were never going to beat RM even if we went for it because we are not playing well and we might have been given a true beating.We did that in the first leg and still got thrashed. If he played to contain them and not get beaten badly then it is what it is because a hiding would have damaged the team`s confidence that`s already down the toilet. B4 the game, it was clear that even with a defeat, we could still go thru so losing didn`t damage our chances, if that was his thinking. All I`m saying is that I don`t agree w/ not going for it BUT I understand why he did it. It`s a case of "damned if you do and damned if you don`t". Now he has gambled on getting ready for Sat and only he will suffer the backlash if it backfires. Really, hoping it doesn`t.

P/S: As for the hypocrite pundits (Lineker, Southall and their ilk) and trolls who want to use this moment of weakness to give us a lecture on ethics and morality, I would advise them to stick to what they do best i.e being wrong almost everytime.

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Really don`t know what to think of las night`s seclection. On the face of it, it looks like we gave up. However, we were never going to beat RM even if we went for it because we are not playing well and we might have been given a true beating.We did that in the first leg and still got thrashed. If he played to contain them and not get beaten badly then it is what it is because a hiding would have damaged the team`s confidence that`s already down the toilet. B4 the game, it was clear that even with a defeat, we could still go thru so losing didn`t damage our chances, if that was his thinking. All I`m saying is that I don`t agree w/ not going for it BUT I understand why he did it. It`s a case of "damned if you do and damned if you don`t". Now he has gambled on getting ready for Sat and only he will suffer the backlash if it backfires. Really, hoping it doesn`t.

P/S: As for the hypocrite pundits (Lineker, Southall and their ilk) and trolls who want to use this moment of weakness to give us a lecture on ethics and morality, I would advise them to stick to what they do best i.e being wrong almost everytime.

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05 Nov 2014 15:33:45
Ed001, any thoughts on Ian Rush? Met him last night at a screeining in Mumbai. He stayed on till very late night signing Jerseys of everyone present for the screening. Seemed like a real humble man.

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Sorry I clicked submit rather than to add a reply initially.

Rushie is a lovely guy, I can remember him at, what was then, Speke Airport, surrounded and hounded by journalists because Dalglish had just been named manager and they couldn't find him to hound. Rushie still took the time to speak to me, a small boy, and have his piccy taken with me.

He may not be blessed with the greatest brains in the world, but he is one of life's nice guys. What a predator on the pitch as well!

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A absolute gent, his boy was playing at the school I went to in Llandudno and the word got out he was on the fields watching him, so we all ditched Geography against the wishes of the teacher, ran down with a pad and pen and took the time to speak to all 7/8 of us individually and have pictures. Also, my uncle was up in Hollywell a few years back playing golf on his own and Rushie was there on his own, so he asked my uncle if he fancied playing a round, in which they did and enjoyed a beer after. My uncle heavily dis-likes lfc as a Utd fan but even he said what a real gent he is aswell

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I was right next to the press box in today's ISL game where Rushie was sitting and with the Overall level of defense in this league being more shocking than liverpool's, It just made me think that even at his age he could bang in a hattrick.

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06 Nov 2014 10:03:12
Rushie used to come down to my hometown(Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire) from time to time, being a welsh lad and all.
Always seemed lovely and didn't even refuse to sign the Utd shirts the kids would throw at him!

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05 Nov 2014 14:55:01
Eds if Sturridge had a fitness test before yesterday's match, do you think there is a chance that he could return against Chelsea?

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{Ed002's Note - I really can't help. If he is fit then I suspect he will be considered for the squad. Perhaps a place on the bench and a cameo?}

05 Nov 2014 14:35:49
Ed's 001, highlighting on what you said about Rodgers refusing help and not working with a DOF etc. If results don't improve how long do you think it will take FSG to react? Basically what I'm asking is in your considered opinion how many games has Brendan Rogers got to save his Job? Also you mentioned Biesla and Klopp as replacements. Both are merited choices but I can't see either coming mid season, especially Klopp. I think Klopp will leave BVB at the end of the season and then he will have his pick and I don't think he will choose us. Also Biesla is riding high with Marseille and again he won't leave. That leaves De Boer. Do you rate the guy? Also while I'm here I may as well ask, why are you so against a Rafa return? I would really appreciate your opinions fella. Have a great day reds and eds.

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{Ed001's Note - I expect Rodgers to get at least to Xmas, unless results are disastrous over the next few weeks, and then his position be assessed.

I said I would like Klopp or Bielsa but there is no chance mate. De Boer needs to prove himself, in my opinion, but he does seem the only manager out there with the right attributes for the Liverpool job. I am not sure if he is the right man, but there isn't really any other outstanding candidates.

Rafa spent far too much time playing petty politics behind the scenes, bought too many players each season and nearly put us out of business with his spending profligacy. Even worse, the football was awful to watch and far too negative.}

Excellent analysis, Ed!

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05 Nov 2014 19:03:12
Ed just a quick question is there a reason why we have no chance of attracting Klopp or Bielsa as manager if Rodgers leaves the club???
LMC

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{Ed002's Note - It is not going to happen - move on.}

05 Nov 2014 14:23:05
ed 01
I've seen a few times that you and a few other posters don't consider last season a success would just like to know why? because in my eyes going from 7th to almost winning the title, playing good football (granted with defensive frailties) is definitely a success. i know we fell down at the last hurdle and should of won it but you can't say its not a success for that.

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{Ed001's Note - of course I can say winning nothing is not success. That is failure. Sorry but an improvement is all it was, not a success.}

Last season was a huge success, i don't care what old fossil disagree's with me, we were out of the Champions League for 5 seasons and at last got back into the European elite.

That was a success, maybe not a trophy but i'd rather a Champions League spot than the League or F.A cup.

Slate the manager, cuss the players but last season was a massive success. Just my subjective opinion.

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Yes, very subjective, and false because there is no success in losing. We were first of the losers only, how is that success? Shows the attitude you have, when you start whining about old fossils, you deserve to be ripped apart for being happy with nothing.

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''How is that success?'' Quite simply because we qualified for the Champions League, that is the success in my eyes.

I'm a pragmatic guy, i think we had a goal of qualifying for the Champions League and we reached that goal. Which we failed to do for half a decade before. I see that as progress and i see that progress as a success.

My attitude is healthy, i didn't whine or put any emphasis or inflection on my descriptive words.

I don't deserve to be ''ripped apart'' for having an opinion which others may or may not like. That is an unhealthy attitude to have towards those that share differing and varied opinions on subjective matters. But cheers for taking the time in replying and putting forward a different viewpoint.

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I thought the objective was to qualify for the Champs League, and we did that so we succeeded, everything else was an exiting unexpected ride!

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{Ed001's Note - no, we achieved a minor objective, success is winning trophies, nothing else.}

Ed01 is old school and you have to respect that. Ed01 calls it improvement while others like myself, think it is success based on what he was asked to achieve going into the season, IMO. Now don`t get me wrong, I would have been chuffed to bits had we won the PL BUT i always told myself during that period that I would ONLY believe it when it happened and not before. However in my view, you are both correct and that is fair, IMO.

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So we won the league cup (success) and finished 7th under Kenny. That more successful than finishing 2nd in the premier league?

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Goes to show you, Ken. One`s idea of success is purely subjective and relative.

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05 Nov 2014 14:28:03
Last night's team was a bit of a shock, I'd heard the rumours of Gerrard being dropped/rested but was surprised to see the amount of changes BR made.

The players on their part did their best and I thought Kolo did a good job, Emre and Lucas were pretty decent too in fact I'd like to see Emre start against Chelsea.

Now BR is taking a lot of criticism over his team selection and rightly so but this just makes that Chelsea game even more important.He has basically taken the approach that the league game is of greater importance and whilst the team selection last night was a little insulting I can understand him prioritising the league at this time. We still have two winnable games I'd like to think in the group stages so our fate is in our own hands.

But now BR and the team have to deliver, starting with a win against Chelsea which has to be the bare minimum given how he rested key players last night. A win against this Chelsea side would really lift the mood around the club.

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A win against chelsea the bare minimum ? I think a rather large of reality is in order .

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That's just the way I see things. Brendan took the decision to rest certain players against Madrid knowing we have a big game against Chelsea this weekend. I'm not saying beating Chelsea is a given, it's actually unlikely with how we have been playing but Brendan has prioritised this game and so has to deliver.

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05 Nov 2014 14:15:55
why do people think that LFC has got God given right to go and smash Team like Real Madrid. we havnt been in the Champions league for while and won't set it alight straight away. don't listen to Mancs and Mourinho.

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Nothing to do with rights, all about attitude. No one expects a win to be a given, but want the club to actually try and get one, instead of throwing in the towel.

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05 Nov 2014 12:42:44
My team for last nights game would have been the same with the exception of Lovren for Toure, Henderson for Allen, and Sterling for Markovic. I would have picked that team because I feel that is the 11 that would give me the most energy and best defensive cover. Real Madrid (ATM) are the best team on the planet, and have the most expensively assembled squad, they are going to have the majority of possession at home. Just over a week ago a team that included the attacking talent of Messi, Neymar, Suarez, and Iniesta, went to the Bernabeu and lost 3-1. The aim before the game must have been to try and keep it tight. An expansive game would have suited RMs players more than ours. I don't think anyone can that say that RM weren't by far and away the better team, and didn't deserve anything other than the 3 points, but I also think Brendans team selection was justified by the performance and effort from all. I've seen posts pointing to the amount of shots they had, Etc, but does anyone really believe that if Gerrard, Coutinho or Ballotelli had played that that stat would not have been higher? And let's not forget, our 'best' team played against Newcastle last week and lost. Also, I bet almost nobody would have selected Kolo. After his performance, i'll be very disappointed if he doesn't start next game. Whatever his reasons, BR stuck his head on the chopping block yesterday with selections, I just hope he's as brave with his calls on Saturday.

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Agree with most of the post but Toure for me was the best player on the pitch . Deserves another chance against Chelsea. Markovic for Sterling is a good shout and Hendo for Allen ( that being said i Allen did ok .

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05 Nov 2014 13:13:33
Oh my god, why do people keep totally missing the point!

He didn't pick that team to win or at least get some kind of result, he picked that team to not get Gerrard Couthinho Ballotelli (why him I don't know ) and Sterling injured/rested for Sat.

He didn't expect to get anything from the game so didn't want to risk them, why are people not getting this.

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Uh? I think that's is what I said about Kolo.

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Allen was garbage, too lightweight and gave the ball away too much.
What did BR call him, the new welsh Xavi, more like the welch rarebit. lol

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Sadly I think Joe Allen is going to be just a decent player, nothing more.

He doesn't have the physical stature, nor the skill set associated with players of his size, nor the 'eye for goal' that could set him apart as a 'top, top player'.

Hope I'm wrong. maybe he could ask Oscar Pistorius for his blades. added height, speed and aid in his ability to take a decent shot and smash some doors down. .figuratively speaking of course !

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Waro, your reply is stating that we have 'missed the point' like its a fact. Its your opinion, and your opinion only.Personally, I believe it is you who is missing the point.

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Why are people so happy with last night's performance? We lost the game and that too without putting up any sort of fight. RM were like the top dogs, while LFC were the kinder gardeners just happy to be on the same playground as them. Is this what FSG would be happy with after shelling out over 200 million GBP in the last couple of seasons? We have been the worst team in the group behind Basel and world class Ludogorets, just let that sink in before trying to be blindly optimistic. The very fact that Toure and Migs had to get so heavily involved was bcoz the rest of the players failed to contain RM in spite of trying to play defensively. BR threw in the towel before the match even started. How he could even expect such a pathetic excuse of a defense to shut RM out is beyond my understanding. Damage limitation i think was the only thing playing in BR's mind, he knows he has screwed up and his laughable post match interview confirmed it.

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05 Nov 2014 14:34:20
markovic needs games to settle he has real talent some people forget that when suarez was marko age he was playing for groningen.
Can looked good and good on the ball.
Allen will always come short against top teams,allen lacks strength and the pace is too fast for him.
Lallana is a good player but never 25mil player ibe would do the same he does given a chance.
Last night we could really see why you always need a worldclass striker.
with suarez/sturridge up front we give anyone a game,balotelli/borini/lambert are not of their level.
Malta

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Tommy, fair enough I see what your saying but if you think anything other than Rodgers didn't think we'd get anything from the game so completely changed his normal set up then your very naïve.

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Waro, I actually agree with you, and think that BR picked that team because he didn't think we could win. It's just that I (mostly) agreed with his selections albeit for different reasons.

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05 Nov 2014 12:13:08
ED01 - to try & give you something different to answer this morning can i ask you what you think about Phil Thompson, both personally (if you know) & his sky job? many thanks

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{Ed001's Note - personally? I used to like him, he is a very passionate Liverpool supporter, but, personally, I find it difficult to forgive him for his role in selling Fowler. He is a nice guy and very much in love with the club, as anyone who is able to spend even a tiny amount of time in his company will soon see, and as a person he is very likeable. Unfortunately, taking Murdoch's money after forcing Fowler out of Liverpool, even though it was at his boss's behest, makes it very difficult for me to like him still. Putting that aside though, he is a genuine fan, probably too passionate about the club though, it does cloud his judgement.}

ED01 - cheers for that Ed, i have always liked him possibly because of who he is & how passionate he is but i do notice he seems to be the brunt of all the jokes on soccer sat which sometimes he brings on himself!!

hope the rest of your day gets better?

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05 Nov 2014 12:24:45
Some of the posts here seem to suggest that we shd be content with a 1-0 loss. we were abysmal last night. Whenever the midfield got the ball, they took a touch and slowed the play down. it is sad when Borini is seen as our saviour. in my opinion we need a change of formation. i still believe we have the players to do well in both leagues but they re not been played in their correct position. i would be interested to know other posters opinions.

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05 Nov 2014 10:58:09
Hi Ed001, a question if I may. Reading your recent comments it is obvious you aren't happy with Rodgers. What would your course of action be over the managerial situation?

Would you try and replace him now? (If so, who might realistically be available?) Would you force coaching and managerial assistance? Would you give him the season and re asses?

I, like most other Liverpool fans have been appalled by our level of football this season, but not having much information available I am unsure if there are better options available to us in terms of managers.

Do you know why FSG (as they were at the time) went for Rodgers without a DOF?

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{Ed001's Note - I would prefer to keep him and just give him the help he needs, unfortunately his arrogance is such that he refuses to accept any such help. So for me, it leaves just one alternative, sadly, he has to fix things quickly or go before the January window. He has had enough time to assess things, he simply isn't living up to his own mouth's promises. Time to realise that he is so busy talking about what he can do, that he hasn't actually the time to do it.

For me, there is only one realistic alternative, though I would love Bielsa or Klopp, it has to be Frank De Boer. I just don't see anyone else out there with any kind of record to suggest themselves for the role.

As for why no DoF, because all their choices, that were willing to take the job, refused a DoF. De Boer said he wasn't ready for the job, he would have taken it with a DoF, Rodgers and Martinez both were only interested if there was no DoF. So it was decided, based on the promises he made, to give Rodgers the chance to prove himself without one.}

BR will never adit he's wrong, an that's were the problem lies.
great/good manangers see were they go wrong and correct it.
He just falls further and further up his own arse.

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05 Nov 2014 13:56:24
BR's arrogance will cost him his job. What had he achieved in the game before becoming LFC manager? One top flight season with Swansea and he thinks he knows everything. Last season is looking more like a flash in the pan with very passing game, Ed002 was right about the job coming too soon for BR. He should have stayed at Swansea for a couple of seasons and built his own team there before being given such a huge job involving lots of money.

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05 Nov 2014 14:33:56
Personally I think it was a very honest assessment by FDB stating he was not ready. I would rather that the blind faith in yourself regardless of ability.
I have no problem with BR but agreed he needs help, firstly a defensive coach. Loren etc were decent defenders before they came and it can't just be expectation that is effecting their performances in a red shirt.
If FSG are unhappy with the situation and results they could force coaches or DOF on Rodgers, then he would probably walk away without the need to sack him.
Personally we can see it's not working so BR needs to accept help, or perhaps time to try to get FDB to take over with or without DOF

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Agree with all oster here. He ether needs to change, get help or prove himself. if neither of these are attainable then as much as I would hate it, he will need to go.

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05 Nov 2014 12:01:54
Really getin sick of everybody and their dog wanting to have a pop at Liverpool and Rodgers at the minute.
Last week owen, scholes and southall were all at it and now linekers at it, seems all are old adversaries are having a field day. Lineker seems to be sticking the boot in were Rodgers is concerned lately, firstly over the sterling, england saga and now questioning Rodgers team selection and motives against Madrid and then takes offence when Rodgers responds to his comments by sarcastically tweeting something like, oh the old he's never been a manager before. I don't think I have ever wanted someone to prove people wrong as much as I do Brendan Rodgers, I really hope Liverpool start to turn things around and start scoring goals and winning games and what better way to start than a good win against chelsea on saturday.

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We all hope LFC turn thngs around, you think we all like the crap results, team play and selection?
Beggars belief.

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05 Nov 2014 11:58:45
Massive test for BR now against Chelsea. If we don't win he will have nowhere to hide from the media or Mourinhio.

He will of course stick to his guns and say he didn't rest players but everyone knows that is not the case. A 0-1 loss won't wash even with a good performance. I just cannot believe how BR has set himself up here, is the pressure getting to him?

As form guides go we should lose this weekend but fingers crossed we don't.

Still don't see where goals are going to come from in our side so a draw is the best result I think we can get.

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Chelsea have a top manager, sold Mata when he was their star man.
Let Torres and Ba go, sold Luis for 50 mill (master stroke) who everyone raved about and replace them all with 3 astute signings.
That's the difference my friends, BR is dancing on ice with socks on.

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05 Nov 2014 11:58:12
Greetings all,

I had read all the posts and want to chuck in my 10pence worth.

Firstly last night wasn't great, but it was a much improved performance albeit against a team playing at 80%.

The shape was better across the team we gave the defence a better amount of cover and I thought Can, Allen, Lucas looked solid without creating much.

I think that Borini has proved how much the system that Brenda wants to play will not work with Balotelli change the .So pick different players or change the system.

We need pressure from the forwards, Borini for me had a good game .He got absolutely nothing from his team all game but never gave up, won the ball and did in my view make the system function better than Balotelli or Lambert would of . That being said I wish we had a genuine goal threat in the squad, it was embarrassing how toothless we looked.

I think in general with the exception of Manquillo the defence played well . Skrtel looked asleep at times but seemed to improve as the game went on.

I do think that Brendan went for energy, he accepted we would not have the game and looked to play a side that would keep the shape without the ball .I think this might have worked better if he had not played Markovic & Manquillo together . They were left for dead a number of times .Markovic looks great at times going forward but is a liability in his own half . 2 youngsters on the same side of the pitch was a mistake that ultimately cost us the game .

I don't think this team was picked because Brendan wanted to keep the score down, I think the problem was for me that he put 2 very inexperienced young players on the same side of the pitch who were both roasted numerous times inviting pressure.

I am not celebrating a loss, I am not stupid Madrid did have 27 attempts on goal, many though were speculative long range efforts .

I am feeling positive that by the looks of it Brenda has accepted that things may need to change on the pitch and that he has to stand up and make big decisions right or wrong he made big decisions last night .

If we had got the draw, would anyone here be seriously slagging Brendan for not winning?

I think that we need to understand that we have been generally piss poor all season and there were a few signs of progress, if we play like that against Chelsea we have a good chance.

The main thing about last night was the lack of quality we have upfront, I do not mean world class, marquee player is what we needed but players that are mobile, pacy and can tie down defenders that is what makes the system work 2 x big men and borini is weak by any ones book .

What made last night even more painful was the goal that Jordan Ibe scored for Derby, he would walk into the team at the moment .

Whether its the transfer commitee or Brenda someone should take responsibility for the lack of strikers that suit the system . We all knew Man Utd would struggle with that defence, but did we seriously think we would win anything with this attack?

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I agree with much of this, but have yet to see what Markovic offers going forward. Ibe seems at least his equal, but I may yet be wrong.

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No excuses, BR has wasted fortunes on very very average players to date.
And he talks like their world beaters, clueless i'm afraid.

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05 Nov 2014 11:53:37
i couldn't watch last night, my health is really bad, but i just want to say well done considering the way things have been lately, expected to be hammered and we did well, so well done and respect to BR for having the nuts to change the team.

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{Ed002's Note - You are aware that Liverpool lost?}

05 Nov 2014 13:57:01
Ed002, most LFC fans have lowered their expectations considerably over the last couple of months. Winning or losing does not matter anymore, as long as the players on their feet for 90 mins irrespective of the performance. Shame they cannot see the bigger picture which is from the owners' point of view. Supporting and blindly supporting a manager are two different things. Unfortunately, this difference escapes the minds of many LFC fans.

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{Ed002's Note - Maybe the "newer" Liverpool fans are of the opinion that winning and losing does not matter but there are plenty out there who still want to see Liverpool win.}

I don`t know about the Buzzer BUT I defo wanna see my team win and will go into every game hoping we can

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05 Nov 2014 11:49:41
I think the boys did a good job yesterday. In all areas, yes Toure and Moreno need to ask themselves questions over the goal, but they gave a good account. Whether Rodgers rested the deadwood for what ever reason, point of the matter is there was a change and it was a good change. we lost, yes, fair point. but we lost to a newcastle just over the weekend. difference is this was a full strength RM, at home, with Ronaldo on fire, the team free scoring based on form, and they managed to hit the net once, bar bale's offside goal. confidence is high right now in RM, Bale back from injury, you don't need to be a liverpool fan to see that was a decent performance from the lads. we are without our top striker and our team has barely played together except maybe in training. Kudos to the boys. BR may be suspect but I think we have decent players. Hoping there is a method to Buck's madness though, and this is a sign of good things to come.

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Ron, BR did what he felt was right and the so-called B squad gave a very decent account of themselves. That`s all I could take from the game. People can disagree or criticize him on what led to that seection or if we gave up or not BUTit is what it is. Here`s to hoping the gamble will pay off in the long run.

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05 Nov 2014 11:18:54
Hi eds and Reds
Thankyou for the kind messages of support for Ben last night. He appreciated them very much. Now if only we got something out of last nights game! Anyway thanks again.

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{Ed002's Note - Your welcome man. Keep us a breast of progress.}

05 Nov 2014 11:12:31
I am totally unimpressed by the squad rotation argument. Let me explain.

Yesterday, one of Europe's big sides played their full strength team against a team they had already comprehensively beaten once. Despite the fact that opposition would be weakened. They had played the same full strength team in an away match (over 250 miles away) on Saturday, and have an upcoming home game on Saturday. That team was Real Madrid. No squad rotation, no accommodating the fact that players might want resting, just play your best team.

Last night was a backs to the wall defensive performance intended for damage limitation. It was a team picked by a manager who has lost faith in his system and personnel. A manager who has probably been set performance targets that mean being 4th by Christmas is more important than getting out of the ECL group stages.

Of course Madrid are better than us, but it isn't all about money. Varane was £8m, Arbeloa £5m, Casillas and Nacho youth team products. Compare Isco (35m Euro buy-out clause) with Lallana (at £25m) and tell me who got the better value for money.

What was so disappointing is that we were the minnows. People talk about acclimatising to the ECL, as if it is a different game of football. We are as big a club as Arsenal, with as good a squad, having spent at least as much on players. Yet Arsenal seem to play OK in the ECL.

Unless we maximise our resources, managerial as well as financial, we will not eat at the top table again.

Rafa will have his detractors, but with arguably less backing from the owners than BR has had, we were in two ECL finals in three years, the top-ranked side in Europe and tough to beat by any of the financially better set-up sides. Rafa's failures included his inability to beat lesser sides with overly defensive displays, and some poor buys in the 'mid-range' player.

I am not advocating Rafa's return, simply pointing out that competing at the top level is possible with lesser resources. We have done it in the past.

I don't know if BR's inexperience will be an issue, as he can only gain experience by being in charge whilst we learn together. I don't think he has what it takes, but it is not me who makes the decision.

I do believe he has been tasked with a top 4 position by the end of the season, and he may well be performance-managed well before then. The signs are not looking good for him.

Having said that, a win against Chelsea would go a long way to papering over any of the cracks currently showing. Mourinho has already started his mind games (why is he commenting on us? Presumably he was asked to.). I am not particularly optimistic for the weekend. We showed no signs of breaking Hull down, and Chelsea are more than capable of defending to prevent us getting chances, whilst having enough quality to hurt us when they find the moment.

We are Liverpool, we expect more than we are getting. Whether we will ever get it is another question.

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{Ed002's Note - Another "we are Liverpool" flake - move on.}

Rafa ain't the answer, he was poor also, he bought a few good players, but about 100 came in and out so law of averages says you gona get some gooduns.
He played boring footy too, like watching paint dry half the time, and he had a big ego, believed his own hype to much.

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05 Nov 2014 13:29:05
Ed002, you may be missing my point. We are still one of the largest clubs in the world by revenue alone, notwithstanding our on the field failures in recent years. Our expectations are borne of historic success and therefore are sometimes in excess of the current reality.

I do believe we have the resources to compete if used correctly. I am certainly not a flake, but I do think you are a curmudgeon. Perhaps we can both live with our own very heavy crosses to bear.

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{Ed002's Note - (a) No longer in the top 10. (b) I understand that you are living in the past - a lot of the posters here were not born in the 1970s. (c) You are a flake as demonstrated by your embarrassingly typing the words "we are Liverpool".}

05 Nov 2014 11:07:58
Good day Fellow Eds and Reds,

Wow! I have always tried to remain positive, and am a great advocate of getting behind the team and the manager.

But seriously after last nights performance, I have been left speechless; it was nothing short of disgraceful, someone needs to tell Brendan that we are Liverpool Football Club. One of the greatest footballing institutions in the World; No disrespect to the following clubs, but we are not Reading and we are not Swansea. We are the mighty reds, 5 time winners of this very competition!!

(I remember Mick McCarthy doing something similar I think when he was at wolves against Man U quite a few years back; he admitted defeat before the game had even been played, justifying it by saying they would have lost anyway, and in doing so handing Man U 3 easy points.)

Only Real Madrid (10), AC (7), and Bayern Munuch (5); have the same European history and pedigree as us.

That you could embarrass us like this in the most elite club competition in the world is just pathetic; and the worst thing, celebrating a 1-0 loss!!! WTF, seriously???is this how low our stock has fallen??? How can you have such a defeatist attitude so early in the season! And how can some fans accept this mediocrity? Some of the posts below are just shocking! it seems we as fans are starting to accept mediocrity; May God rest their souls, but Sir Paisley and Sir Shanks would be turning in their graves at what is happening at the club at the moment.

How can we go from playing the breath taking football we played last year, to the drivel of steaming faeces we are witnessing this season? what has gone wrong?

Ed001 do you think Brendans off field antics are having a detrimental effect on his current illogical thinking?

Or do you think last season was a fluke due to the desire and tenacity of Suarez, and that Brendan is simply out of his depth? (sadly that is what I am feeling at the moment)

i would really appreciate a response.

Fuming at the moment!

Peace out!

JFT96
YNWA

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{Ed002's Note - Perhaps it is time to be less of a flake and get away from all of this "we are Liverpool nonsense" and expecting teams to kowtow to some 40 year old nonsense. Makes you are laughing stock - and one that will eventually be left behind as others move on.}

05 Nov 2014 10:58:39
SOOOOOO

A great deal on here have said that BR isn't a good manager, we got lucky last year finishing 2nd when the league was in disarray.
Then you expect us to go and win vs Real Madrid and are disappointed by a defensive performance where we showed no attack and that Liverpool are better than that.

Well given our recent finishes and last years failure and lucky 2nd finish, maybe we shouldn't be expected to be better than that performance suggest, and the performance is indicative of where our team is at.

All seems a bit contradictory to me

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LFC should never settle for mediocre my friend.

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05 Nov 2014 10:36:17
Mcgov
I was talking trash for saying we offered nothing offensively? Scroll on the Everton page.
Last nights game was one of the most boring games I have watched this season because we were playing the champions, created absolutely nothing and Rodgers attitude is appauling. His comments before and after the game just went acceptable. Without a reporter even suggesting we set up to lose Rodgers himself exclaimed " we aren't forfeiting the game" right before kickoff. No one suggested that so why say that? Utterly disgraceful. The owner's have given this man millions to achieve in the PL and CL and he's treating the game like a league cup game. Embarrassing statements and an embarrassing performance in the CL. I pity the fans that paid a fortune of their own money to travel to madrid and witness that and rodgers attitude about the loss.

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05 Nov 2014 12:31:09
Sorry Al, but since he said yesterday that he is considering sitting players people have been saying we don't care and are throwing the game. By the time he said that, it had been running on every major outlet for 24 hours!

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I am pretty sure if rodgers decided to start a more attacking lineup and went on to loose by 4 or 5goals, it would still be fans like you moaning why we didn't setup to defend

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05 Nov 2014 10:24:18
I read Borini needs to be motlre of a goal threat well obviously but what do you expect last night he was on his own doing a grave yard shift

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I think so too mate, he's obviously not quite at the technical ability level of Balo but he did a hell of a lot more in terms of offering movement and supporting runs whilst on his own upfront. For large parts of the game he was taking on 4 defenders and both Modric and Kroos all by himself.

In my opinion he's been getting an unnecessary about of stick for his performance last night. If Balotelli had been up there on his own the midfield & defence would have had literally no option but to hoof long balls up to him and hope he could win maybe one or two, whereas Borini came wide and repeatedly offered support for Markovic and Lallana meaning we had time for the rest of the team to push up. Admittedly he rarely looked like scoring but i think his & Sturridge's movement based style of play suits our system so much better and is realistically the only way we're going to beat teams.

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05 Nov 2014 10:20:37
Toure earned a place in the side along with can and borini they were the best of our player i'd like to see lovren and toure play for 5 game stint can to replace Gerrard just my view taughts

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05 Nov 2014 10:16:44
I have chartered an open top bus for today to celebrate our great evening in Madrid

I will be the be the wearing Garth Bales hairband( I swopped after the game thank you)

Brendan

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05 Nov 2014 10:03:17
I don't think I have ever come away after a loss and felt so positive. Not because we pushed them hard in defeat, but because it showed a few home truths in the Liverpool side.

Borini, although lacking in real quality, ran his socks off up top, and showed how Liverpool can play when you have someone pressing from the front. Suarez was incredible at dragging defenders away, and although I can't see Borini nutmegging two players and banging it in the top corner, it is this style of play that we have lacked since Sturridge got injured. I want to give Balotelli as much time as possible as I really want him to be a success, but he isn't the sort of player that fits our tenacious style of play. Until Sturridge is back, Borini must start.

I really like the look of Emre Can, reminds me of Tom Huddlestone in his pomp - but far more mobile and active. He has a good range of passing and can break up the play well. Lallana and Moreno both did a good job down the left, and this was probably where we looked most dangerous. Moreno is always going to bomb forward, and does track back well. He has made a couple of kicking errors which have resulted in goals this season, but overall he looks promising.

And what can be said about Kolo last night, he turned back the clock. He still looked vulnerable on occasions, but played with a lot of passion and heart. No more than when he made that last ditch block. I have never seen Ronaldo as quiet as he was yesterday.

Anyway, onwards and upwards. Team I would play against Chelsea would be:

Mignolet, Manquillo, Skrtel, Toure, Moreno, Can, Gerrard, Coutinho, Lallana, Sterling, Borini.

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Would you not start Lucas?
I would start with him and bring Gerrard on as a sub later on, worked against Madrid and Chelsea won't be expecting it.

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05 Nov 2014 10:36:07
Lucas was my man of the match , it is no coincidence that the defence plays well when he is in the team .

He is the only DM on the books so we either play no Defensive Midfielder against Chelsea or we start with Lucas .

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05 Nov 2014 11:22:55
My team would be mignolet, manquillo, skrtel, lovren, Moreno, Lucas, Gerrard, countinho, sterling, ballotelli, borini.Lalanna just misses out to countinho, sterling, but would be coming on at the usual hour mark for either of them who r tired prob sterling as he will be flat out tearing into chelseas defence and already has his hatrick.

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If we can get away with that against Chelsea I'd be well chuffed!

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05 Nov 2014 09:53:41
Wo wo wo, all is getting a little bitchy at the minute chaps. Firstly i'd like to congratulate Real Madrid on qualifying to the knockout phase, Bravo. I'd now like to remind you all we played the best team in Europe last night who recently 'tonked' another European great last week comprehensively. Whilst we contained Madrid reasonably well, we can't hide form the fact Mignolet saved us on many occasions, they had 27 shots on goal, they hit the bar & by their standards missed some glorious chances. We can't hide from the fact we lacked little to no creativity up top and looked like we completely run out of ideas, imagination and innovation. We can't hide from the fact we are bottom of what everyone called a easy group and now HAVE to win both of our games to qualify. We can't hide from the fact we have yet again failed to score a goal or even look like scoring one. The only positive I took was the fact Brendan had the balls to make some changes and revert from his stubbornness, gave Rodger Federer and Borini a chance to have a go because the way I see it none of our 'first teamers' so to speak have done any better this season including wonder boy Sterling. It was also great to see Lucas back in the team after being overlooked all season and to some extent Toure who had a relatively good game. Would our Balotelli's of the world made a difference last night? Probably not, so like lots of us have been saying all season give the others a go which to be fair he did.

Anyway, can't hide from the fact we lost and I can never be happy with a 1-0 defeat regardless of it being Madrid or the 1970's Brazil team, we play to win or at least get something.

Onto Chelsea. In all honesty, would you change the team that played last night?

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Well said on the most part. But yes regarding last nights team.

I'd put Sakho/Lovren in for Skrtel so Toure can play his preferred right centre back role.

I'd put Hendo in for Allen who was ineffective in that advanced role.

I'd put Sterling in for Markovic who was poor.

I'd put Coutinho in for Lallana who was also not up to the plate.

Other than that I'd keep the same team though unless Flanagan or Sturridge are fit enough to start.

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05 Nov 2014 12:32:55
I agree EMS, although possibly keep Lallana - Coutinho has an issue with fitness for me and offers a lot vs teams ground down for 60 mins and then opening up his pace for half an hour

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EMS, I do agree with you on this occasion which makes a change. It’s a real damn shame we let Ibe go out on loan, seriously do not get it! Sakho dug his own grave after the derby, could potentially be a world beater and when he leaves Liverpool I’m sure he will go on to prove that BUT the way we play in my opinion does not suit him & I don’t think the league suits him either. Flanno when fit will always be my first choice whilst we have Johnson and don’t have Wisdom. Rodger Federer reminds me of Baros, can only run in 1 direction and that’s normally towards the corner flag. Lallana runs out of steam, works his t******* off for 60 minutes but so much he becomes in-effective for the last third of the game. Whilst we have Henderson in the team, I personally don’t think Gerrard is particularly needed in every game, great to have but not a certain starter anymore.

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Sakho and lovren are overated.

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Agreed

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05 Nov 2014 09:38:33
Nobody covered themselves in any glory last night, there were a few players that gave the manager something to think about mind,
I was fairly impressed by Can, I think he could be a top signing,
Same with Moreno, he should have been tighter to Benzema for the goal, so defensively is a little suspect, but he was one of the few players even attempting to run at the Madrid defence, he didn't look quite as shell shocked as most,

Also, I know BR has changed the system but I'm not sure I see any need to do so,
Borini will give exactly the same level of tenacity as Suarez did, just drop him in next to Sturridge for me and the team can play the same style.

Obviously I know Borini is unlikely to score half what Suarez did, but are you really telling me that Borini isn't capable of say, 15 goals a season playing in the same position with the same amount of games?

Yes, the team is still down roughly 15 goals then, but with the likes of Lallana, Hendo and Sterling we should be able to claw that gap down again, to maybe 5 or 6 goals less than last season.

Finally, with the money spent on the defence, we really should be conceding less goals, so scoring a handful less shouldn't really matter if we can keep it a bit tighter.

Yes, I know football is very subjective, and 90% are unlikely to agree, but if you don't let's have an actual conversation about it,

I guess I'm looking at it from a 'taking it back to the basics' approach, and that being a system that several players thrived on last season.

Given a similar level of freedom, I do believe Borini could be very effective up front with Sturridge, and I say this because all I seem to read/hear is how our old system won't work with Balotelli Instead of Suarez.

At the absolute very least, Borini will struggle to be as poor as Balotelli has been so far this season,


So conclusion, scrap the new system, go back to basics and let Sturridge and Borini start pressing from the front, exactly how SAS did last season.

Let's face it, we can't get any worse.

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I've been thinking exactly the same myself - Borini is the only player we have who's even close to Suarez's style. Yes, huge gulf in class and all that, but a run of games (he seems to have earned the boss's trust a wee bit more now as he played and Lambert wasn't even on the bench last night) could bring out a side of Fab we haven't seen yet. Sunderland fans loved him last year, and I'm confident he has more than enough quality with the ball to not just be a runner. I'd like to see a front 3 of FB - DS - RS when Studge is back fit. That's how we played against Everton at home last year in probably what was our best performance of the season. Also, get Lallana in the midfield 3 as well - he's wasted out wide. Difficult with Coutinho hitting some form again but I'm not the boss!

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So you are advocating playing somebody who runs around a lot even though he can't go past a man, who's movement is poor, link up play is non existent, his first touch is a header and who couldn't finish his tea!

If that's your criteria for a Liverpool player then we are at polar opposites of what is the pre requisite of a Liverpool player, if running around and closing down people is all your after then surely there's plenty of kids at the Academy who could perform that for you.

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On current form he's still better than the other Italian Waro.

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I think you underestimate Borini, Waro. He isn't world class but he is a good player.

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05 Nov 2014 10:58:46
And I guess yours is a striker who doesn't care, doesn't run, doesn't touch the ball in the opposition half and still doesn't score?
Yeah, polar opposites mate.

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Borini has far more skill than you give him credit for.
And in time you will eat those words Waro.

Just hope he will still be wearing a liverpool shirt. The boy is good, bnot Suarez but hey even Sanchez isn't Suarez nobody is.

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05 Nov 2014 09:32:29
Some people have already written Rodger's "professional obituary" and whatever happens they won't change their mind until they get what they want.
In my world, manager getting sacked = results getting worse.
I don't want LFC's results to get any worse so I'm hoping the manager doesn't get sacked.

Just my perspective, I don't influence these decisions so please don't hate.

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Couldn't put it any better. Pure logic that

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My sentiments exactly

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05 Nov 2014 09:17:02
It's a bad sign when a 1-0 defeat makes you feel slightly optimistic.

I think Ed01 hit the nail on the head by saying, if they'd have finished a few of their chances, it would have been another embarrasment. A few last ditch tackles and some good saves by Mignolet kinda glossed over the levels by which we have fallen this season.

The worst thing for me, is we cannot even string more than 3-4 passes together. Everytime we got pressed, we lost it. It's shocking really. It was like candy off of a baby at times. Our outlet was Markovic doing a solo from the edge of our box all the way, dribbling past the entire Real team including the subs, and somehow putting in the back of the net.

It's poor, it really is. Let's hope something changes and quickly because it's dire.

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Finally, someone giving an honest assessment of what were witnessing and not looking at the game with there L.F.C. red tinted spectacles on! People being honest is what is needed on these pages, not one-upmanship on who's the best supporter!

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Surely the keeper and defenders are there to make saves and last ditch tackles. I'm not agreeing that we were good but we were better and yes if Real finished better we'd have have got tanked. They didn't and this is football. it's a funny old game!

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Surely if defenders are making last ditch tackles then it's bad positioning in the first place. They shouldn't be in that position.

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Mignolet's pish poor distribution led to reals goal, fair enough he made some good saves but he also forgot how to catch and tried to look better than he is dribbling around Rinaldo.

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05 Nov 2014 09:00:26
Two main issues which I noticed yesterday (there is more but these two I personally think are the worst.

1) did anyone notice the big arch the defence and midfield made whenever Real Madrid got the ball in our half? They seemed to timid to tackle so they planned such easy one twos and it's very lucky it wasn't more then 1-0 because they had a good few chances.

2) there was such little movement when we had the ball. If Rodgers wants to play the possession game so much surely it means everyone being confident enough to make them selves available to collect it. Everyone seemed to just stand still then the player would either get tackle or we pass backwards.

Yes we only lost 1-0 but we lost and we didn't play great I think people are forgetting how well this team can play because last season we would of ripped them on the counter attack and almost certain we could drew that and pushed on for a win.

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05 Nov 2014 09:35:59
On inception of kick-off, I watched our two players kick the ball. I think it was Borini and someone else.

They looked like they were cacking themselves and the fear on their face was obvious.

Although I'm very happy with certain individual performances, I think the team played to lose by as little as possible.

Still, credit to the manager who DID drop some players and whom put on a better performance than the one at Anfield.

Surely that's a good thing.

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Oh good god, Davey " the team played to lose by as little as possible ", WHO PICKS THE TEAM AND TACTICS? Then your next quote.

"credit the manager who DID drop some players and whom put on a better performance than the one at Anfield ", HE DROPPED PLAYERS BECAUSE HE DIDN'T THINK WE COULD GET ANYTHING OUT OF THE GAME, SO SAVED THEM FOR CHELSEA!

WTF are you talking about Davey, can I ask you one question, are you ok with the manager conceding defeat before a ball has been kicked?

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Waro, don't give me that shabite about the manager.

You spouted off about how poor he was from the start of last season and ended up looking a tool when we finished second.

I didn't hear from you for ages from your little hole.

Now, you've climbed out giving it loads again when things aren't looking too good.

I suspect you'll be back-tracking again soon.

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Waro's right Davy, its a bad state of affairs when the manager concedes defeat before the get-go !!

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Haha! More lies Davey, show me one just one post from the start of last season were I SPOUTED off about how poor the manager was, I said when he got the job that I didn't want him but will back him and give him the same time that Kenny received and only a few weeks ago I stated I couldn't believe people wanted him sacked, it's only since the Newcastle game that I said " sadly maybe people are right and his time may be up " and that was purely out frustration at yet another awful display and tactical ineptitude, so it is you who is talking out of his little hole and who is looking like a tool

So in summary Davey answer the QUESTION I originally asked and don't avoid answering the question by blatantly LYING, oh and stop using slang like shabite, your embarrassing yourself making stuff up already without using that kind of rhetoric.

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Davey, you have basically just said its o.k to drop players and play for a loss , not sure its Waro who looks a tool here.

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Waro, the tactics were to keep it tight and stay in the game until the 60-70th minute and then try to push for a draw or win by using sterlings pace and Gerard's passing on the counter Coutinho was there to unlock too. What would be the point of having your best players do all that running for 70 mins, bring on worse, and then have them knackered for a far more important game!Any person can see that's what we tried to do. Didn't work out that way but that's football. Don't know about you but getting 4th this year is far more important than getting to the group stages of CL. This year is at least.

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05 Nov 2014 08:58:20
On yesterdays squad selection, regardless of the match/performance, the only player who missed out on starting yesterday that probably deserved to was Coutinho. At a big stretch, you could say Hendo as well, but more on merit of him having been better than Allen than him being good. Sterling, Gerrard, Balotelli, Johnson, Lovren, Lambert etc all have done absolutely nothing to justify selection in their last 5 appearances for us. They have all been the lower end of average to extremely poor for an extensive period of time, have all show that for whatever reason they are not up for first team games, they are adding nothing to team cohesion and generally, having them on the field is pointless because they aren't going to do anything. Every single one of them deserved to be dropped.

Now the performance wasn't great, but I disagree that we got a hiding. Did Chelsea get a hiding at Anfield? They weren't wasting clear cut chances - Mingolet made some good saves but generally speaking we actually defended well, and although they got plenty of shots a lot of them were pointless shots into the body of well covering defenders. At one point late in the first half they had 5 or 6 shots in a 30 second window (when Lucas played us into trouble), and aside from the initial shot that was saved and pushed out not a single shot had any space, time or really anything to aim for - it was just attacking players having the ball in the box so feeling like they should shoot. The only time they really 'should have scored' was when Bale hit the bar completely uncovered. Otherwise they didn't score because they didn't carve that inch that they are used to, and you can put that down to their off night and Ronaldo being desperate if you want but I saw players who knew their jobs out there and a few brain farts aside, did them well.

Attacking is another matter and like I said, Coutinho probably deserved the nod over Allen (or at least coming on earlier). Ideally, Balotelli would have gotten the start over Allen and we play with 2 up front. We didn't do well there and we didn't do enough to worry them - although statements about Reals defense are wildly exaggerated. They have one of the most commanding Goalkeepers and 2 CB's that rank among the best in world football sitting there. They don't concede much, but that's no reason for the lack of effort we put into supporting Borini up front. The less said about that the better and it remains a real issue. That was an unmitigated wrong decision and he should by now know better, simple as.

But for the rest of the team, BR for the first time (possibly in his career but almost certainly in Liverpool) sat the big name players who didn't DESERVE TO PLAY and played the newer names and less well known players like Can and Borini who, by and large, had been doing the job asked of them at every time of asking. Would I rather he did that vs Newcastle? Stupid question, of course I would. But whenever it happened it had to happen sometime and now, just maybe, the so called big names might have a real reason to pick themselves up - because they know that no matter what the game is, they won't play if they don't deserve it. Some of the guys yesterday were not really good/confident enough for their roles, or at least not yet. But unlike the previous match, every one of them tried and that to me is a big boost.

I could be wrong. He could have just thrown in the towel, rested people for Chelsea and we got a little lucky. But I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here - I've wanted Can, Lallana, Toure and Borini to start for a few games on merit of what they've shown when they've played. I've wanted Sterling, Gerrard and Balotelli off the field on merit of their performances for some time as well. I got both those wishes and think the team yesterday came a damn sight closer to a cohesive performance than any XI we've put out since August. And I'm happy to wait and see if it's the start of a Rodgers picking his team on merit and some fire in the stomach of some of the assumed first XI, or just another pointless team experiment. I'm hoping the former.

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{Ed001's Note - sorry but they had much better chances than your rose tinted glasses allowed you to see! If Ronaldo had remembered to change out of his slippers into his boots he would have scored at least one of his chances.

As for the comparison with Chelsea, yes they did get battered, nonsense to suggest otherwise. We just weren't good enough on the day to put our chances away, unlike Madrid who did enough.}

05 Nov 2014 10:05:56
Call it rose tinted glasses or whatever you want - be stronger and call me and idiot of blind, doesn't bother me cause I know what I saw. I think they didn't finish their chances because their chances were not that good, and they didn't have that magic touch that a £300m+ attack (with every price tag pretty well justified) normally gives them. Yes, Ronaldo on his day would bury a free kick from the edge of the box if he got two attempts at it, but you can't say we're lucky cause someone who is capable of absolute magic didn't produce the magic for a game - it's a fact of life, and no-one every suggested teams like Villa were lucky last season because Suarez had opportunities from close free kicks or half chances from the edge of the area that didn't go in. I'm not for a moment suggesting that we left them with absolutely nothing to work with at all. But they are the worlds best team, no-one can restrict them to absolutely nothing! What I think we did do was close them down, put them under pressure and stop them getting the tap ins and easy chances that every team will bury. There were very few if any times when I suddenly though 'great, they've scored' and got a nice little present when they didn't. I was actually quite relaxed for most of the game!

Comparing to the Chelsea game, pretty much everyone in world football all agreed it was a Jose tactical masterclass and we were utterly naive. Plenty on here, in the streets etc all agreed. I literally know two (now 3) people who agreed we were actually better and battered them - everyone seemed to think they just let us smash into our brick wall and trusted the defense to smother any decent chances. If you think that we battered them then fair enough, we were battered last night. For the record, at the time I did agree but public opinion convinced me I was wrong and was just bitter. But the majority of people think that they outfoxed us and took away our teeth through deep play and organisation, and to me we did the same for about 85 minutes yesterday - the gap in quality was just that little bit too great to get the same reward Chelsea did! Just to be clear - this is not a Chelsea rant, LFC vs Chelsea is just the most similar game I can think of in terms of approach, playing an on paper weakened but much more defensive team etc - I'm sure there are plenty of others (Stoke must have had a fair few in their time, and I'm sure United have I just can't think of particular games).

I know you won't agree so I don't know why I'm bothering to discuss it. But ultimately, I thought yesterday, despite the result, was a kick up the backside for a lot of people who assumed they'd play every game they were fit, a great individual showing from a lot of individuals who don't get a chance to really show they are up to it, and something we can actually build on rather than our last game vs them or vs Newcastle which were just start to finish embarrassments. I'm feeling more positive about us getting a point or more at Anfield this weekend then I was Monday morning.

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{Ed001's Note - how did we take away Madrid's teeth when they were winning the match? We lost. The tactics did nothing to prevent the loss or to lessen the severity of it, they were finding it so easy that they were spending most of the game looking to set up Ronaldo to equal the record, rather than going all out to get an unassailable lead. That was just too easy for them, they never had to try and put the game out of sight because they knew we wouldn't score if we played all week.}

05 Nov 2014 08:50:34
I was pleased with Mingolet, Toure, Can, Lucas and Borini last night.

Mingolet made some good stops, Toure organised well rather than just shouting like Lovren. Can and Lucas were up against the best midfield in the world and they did enough to stop them getting an unpressured shot on goal. It's hard to get close to world class players but they did enough to put them off. Borini despite a complete lack of service or support never lost heart and defended from the front.

Lallana, Allen and Markovic were pretty useless tbh though. They pressed adequately but were completely ineffective going forward with the ball. It must've been so frustrating for Borini watching them turnover possession as soon as they got the ball!

Skrtel and Manquillo tried hard but positionally they're all over the place and I'm suprised Toure didn't punch Skrtel on a couple of occasions. Moreno was typically suspect defensively (should've stopped their goal) but his delivery into the box when we attacked was embarrassingly poor.

Carrying these 5/6 players made it impossible for the others to get a foot hole in the game.

I think that Toure, Can, Lucas and Borini should definitely start ahead of Skrtel, Gerrard, Allen and Balotelli at the weekend based on last nights showing.

I'm annoyed we set up to contain but it was obvious what Rodgers had planned. He was hoping to keep it at 0-0 or as close to that until the 70th minute when he then chucked on Coutinho, Gerrard and Sterling to try and snatch a result. It didn't work at all though and made him look like a defeatist to be honest. If Sterling and Coutinho had grabbed a goal each we'd all be calling it a tactical masterclass. It juat wasn't meant to be.

Let's be honest it wasn't by any means a great performance but a few of the lads showed a lot of heart and proved everybody saying we'd get tanked completely wrong. Not sure I agree with people celebrating a 1-0 loss, and Championing the entire team, but at least we didn't roll over and let them score 5 or 6. Beat Basel and draw against Ludogorets and we're through. I'd preferably like to see us win both though just to be sure!

Rodgers needs to get it together now. We won back a bit of respect with that resiliant display but it wasn't anything to shout about. Beating Chelsea will be though so let's go for the throat!

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{Ed001's Note - but we did get tanked! It was only that they didn't finish 26 of their chances that the score wasn't worse. Even more of an issue is that they never got out of first gear as it was that easy. I can't believe anyone could be pleased with a single performance last night, but in particular the team one. Not one player covered themselves in any kind of glory last night.}

Ed 01, did we get tanked? What 26 chances are you talking about? You, my son, if you're male, suffer from an chronic case of 'trying to be objective at all costs'. The boys did put up a fight where many a team would fold and give up. Madrid are not as great as you imagine and other big teams will prove that to you. As for Brendan, I'm glad he showed he's prepared to use the whole squad. Now to Chelsea. Don't be too upset if we went and beat Chelsea now.
This won't be published but here's hoping.

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{Ed001's Note - get those red tinted specs off and check - they had 27 shots. You are deluded if you can't see it. Objective at all costs? Is that meant to be an insult? Because that is the dumbest attempt to be clever I have ever read. Even your pathetic little dig at the end just shows what kind of 'person' you are.}

Fair enough Ed. I thought we deliberately sat back to soak up pressure and invite them into taking on difficult shots personally. It wasn't pretty but if we'd gone out and attacked Madrid it would've been embarassing and there is still a chance this group could go to goal difference. I don't think it was a great performance or result but it was clear what Rodgers had planned for me and it could've been much worse. There is no denying they were all over us, but we made it hard for them to score by putting them under pressure when they were trying to get a shot away.

I agree with you that nobody was outstanding but in some cases I don't think that was down to their own doing. You need quality around you to look brilliant and there wasn't enough for anyone to stand out in my opinion.

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{Ed001's Note - doesn't the head to head record decide ahead of goal difference? Unless they changed the rules just for this season it does, in which case goal difference against Madrid is irrelevant. Putting a team under pressure when they shoot is the least that should be expected of your team, it shouldn't be held up as something special. It shouldn't need specific all out defence to do that! It is like praising a player for working hard, sorry but I expect every player to work hard first and foremost, I praise them when they do more than just work hard. In the same way I expect them to close down every opponent around or in the box, I will not praise for them for doing the least I expect of a player.}

Fair points. I'm not disagreeing with anything you say mate. However I think a snatch and grab was the best we could hope for last night because let's be honest, Madrid are a far superior side on a 10 game winning steak (11 now).

I can see where you're coming from and I hope Rodgers was hoping to snatch a draw or 1-0 win because if he genuinely did just go into this game to keep the score down (bearing in mind that unlike me he would've known about this head to head rule) than it doesn't bode well for his future at the club.

Apologies on the Goal difference thing btw, it's just been so long since we were in the CL I didn't know the rules lol!

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To be fair ed it's one of the few occasions this season we have seen the bare minimum we expect from our players.

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05 Nov 2014 08:37:12
I love it when managers talk about resting players and needing a big squad - Brendan now has a big squad and finally used it tonight by dropping our 'big names' (or big earners). Remember when we won the double and played only 14 players all season. Now they were real players. Used to tackle properly but fair. The fullbacks used to come at you like butchers dogs and if they caught you right you'd be in the back of the stand. They were probably on next to no money as well. True greats!

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05 Nov 2014 08:15:44
Thought kolo was superb last nite as was can and lucas. I think we should get behind brendan. He DID NOT throw in the towel. I thinkalot of people owe him an apology. Gerrards legs have gone and everybody says balos poor so he drops them. Nobodys safe and everybody is in it together. We lost yes bt if we had snatchd a draw then he would b a genius!

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I know we lost, but not many teams go to Real and win.

We made it difficult for them and made a few chances ourselves.

I have been very critical of BR recently for not being pragmatic, but that was the way to set up against teams who are better than yours.

With a bit more luck we'd have got a draw.

The defeat was fairly meaningless, the performance and effort was the most important thing and that can't be faulted.

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{Ed001's Note - seriously? They had 27 shots, only scored one, hit the woodwork on a few occasions and you want more luck? People really are losing sight of reality after watching that utter dross last night! Are you all so desperate for anything to hold onto you are going to claim a 1-0 defeat against a team not breaking sweat is good???}

05 Nov 2014 08:14:20
Night been on here for a while.
My view is it's about time he picked his 1st 11 and stick with it which for me is the 2 spaniards at full back.
The other thing BR needs to do is have a system that suits the players rather than the other way round.
And finally I can't see how any player can say I should have played last night, forget reputation and that's Gerard for me, pick on form.
If you feel Gerard deserves another contract on the terms he is on now you must be mad. Loyalty. , he's been paid well for his loyalty, do what Chelsea did, give him another year and then review it.

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05 Nov 2014 08:05:02
What I thought about last night. Still not good enough, showed some promise for first ten minutes.
Markovic and Can showed glimpses of what they could offer. Toure took the old Carragher defensive duties. Allen just does not have the physical presence. skirts can be terrific one minute and an absolute shambles the next
I don't think we've got bad players, I think they are being badly managed and trained, the gaffer needs to swallow his pride and take in a defensive coach, and really how inexperienced is the coaching staff at that level.

The starting players showed just as much (and in some cases a little more) then the normal starters have been
I will never understand the mentality of having the ball maybe 20 yards in opposition half and playing all the way back when your losing and could just as easily pop the ball in the box and see what happens. Liverpool take all their risks at the wrong end of the pitch.

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05 Nov 2014 08:02:05
I would like to post a couple of BR's quotes after the Real game which truly baffle me!

"Every game for Liverpool is a big game and I didn't see this as a big showcase game where I had to play the so-called names and then not have a big game at the weekend."

What the hell is he talking about? So playing Real Madrid the champions of Europe, and also which, he likes to keep telling us are the greatest team in the world in their backyard isn't a showcase game?? WTF!

And then this nugget!
"They have got a really talented team. Right to the very end, my players put in a performance that befits the wonderful club that this is, and showed that the commitment and passion, quality and spirit was very much there."

What? The only reason he can spout this drivel was because the scoreline was only 1-0 when it could have/should have been more. We had one shot on target, and 4 attempts to Real's 27.

And I will leave you with a comment from Henry winter after last nights game.
"We can spin it either way and say that people like Kolo Toure and Alberto Moreno played well, but Liverpool leave here having slipped another place down the table and they have got to win their next two games. This was not the Liverpool way tonight."

Is this what befits a wonderful club like ours Brendan?

YNWA.

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Spot on, he's accumulating his own roy hodgson book of diabolical quotes, i'm still raging at him for what he did last night!

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A lot of people are unhappy with yesterdays team selection which I understand but can I put some perspective onto the matter. I went to the Newcastle game last weekend and was so p*ssed off with the team performance with all the "big" name players. In my opinion not one of them desered to play in the Bernabeu. They were truely awful, the worst performance I've seen in long long time. Yes yesterdays team wasn't Liverpoool standard but at least there was more energy and passion in last night. They were a 1000% better than the team that played NUFC. Obviously there are still problems and Brendan doesn't help with his comments BUT I was happier with last nights efforts by "lesser" players and I hope Brendan takes note when selecting the team for Chelsea

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{Ed001's Note - but he won't and that is the point. If he had been dropping Gerrard for playing crap, then we would have said well done. But he was being rested because Rodgers admitted defeat and wanted to save him for Chelsea. Save him? Save him to do what? He is so off form it would be better to save him for the easier fixtures!}

I would make one point, if we had played like that against Chelsea at Anfield and then shut up shop like that against palace, we'd probably have won the league last year.

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{Ed001's Note - no we would not, Chelsea would have ripped us to shreds if we had gone out like that. As for Palace, we wouldn't have scored any goals playing like that. People are so deluded it is embarrassing.}

05 Nov 2014 07:13:32
Well let's see if BR was telling the truth when we play out next CL game.

If he plays all the so called big guns it shows he threw in the towel last night.

We played well to a point in the fact we didn't get thrashed, we created 0 chances in the first half.

I like BR and I'm still behind him but last nights team could be the first nail in the coffin

Disrespectful from BR.

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05 Nov 2014 07:06:45
I agree with what is seemingly a surprising few that losing is just not a good pperformance when it's in that manner.

I suppose if you want to take positives then I would say toure deserves a chance along side lovren.

Borini showed what he's about but tough to judge seeing as she had no real chances to effect the game. think he could run the channels a bit better and more frequently with his energy though.

Lucas looked okay but I mean we were still dominated in midfield so hard to judge.

Lalanna again was a bit missing for the start but showed glimpses later on.

Markovic and can showed some promise that they had but I think markovic especially needs more time.

Apart from that much of a muchness I think toure and possibly borini depending on the formation should merit a start

I don't actually disagree with Rodgers on the team or style of play last night apart from we definitely had to give it a bit more in the second half and was dissapointed with the impact of the subs.

Oh and migs showed what he's all about! Even collected a couple of crosses!

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05 Nov 2014 06:27:15
couldn't watch the game last night but some comments summed it all up for me. the one where we were holding our own especially said it all. so this is where it has come down to? decent performances? not even decent i would say. if i want nights like these i'll just go and support a team that is happy to be in the champions league every once in a while and be happy i only got beat by real by 1-0! if you want to be a champion you better act like one and last night we did not and this mentality is what is making us a laughing stock in my eyes. this is not the club i love and support and i am not confident about the future. but hey, maybe i'm expecting too much

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05 Nov 2014 06:08:29
Often in the past, when we play mid-table teams in the PL, roles would be reversed and we would have played like Real and the opposition in the PL like us. Then, we all complained that the opposition came to get a point, were afraid of us and showed no attacking endeavor. If the mid-table PL team had even attacked a little, we would have run out 5-0 winner instead of the 0-0, 1-1, 1-0 score line we got out of the game.

I cannot believe what I was reading further down the page, accepting a 1-0 defeat without any real attacking intent. Casillas was never ever worried at any point during the game. Their full-backs had a night to enjoy themselves in attack as whatever tepid attacks we put forward were easily dealt with by Varane and Ramos.

We were easily got behind with a easy little one-two and then they would be in a very good position to score, but just by sheer luck (which seems to have contributed more to our results this season that some players), we were let of the hook. If we had lost that game 5-0, not single one of you would have complained.

It is truly disappointing to see such an attitude from our fans towards games, so much so that an ineffective, lackadaisical and fairly perfunctory performance is praised, decent performances from players elevated to "legendary" and "class" status. From what I saw, Toure, Borini, Lucas had decent games, nothing special but decent. Mignolet saved our blushes with some decisive short stopping skills.

I can only feel disappointment that we have settled for mediocrity. We have only SCORED 2 GOAL in our LAST 5 games, shown no sign what-so-ever of any sort of of improvement in performance or results consistently throughout the season. Despite being in the easiest group in the CL, we are pathetically poor and might actually finish behind the Bulgarian team!

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{Ed001's Note - well said.}

Very good post mate. It shows how much the club has fallen in the span of a few months. It seems Brendan was more than happy just to take a tour of the Bernabeu than go for a win. Playing one of Lambert or Balo with Borini could have actually got us a point or so, but Brendan simply will not see sense. Time is up for him imo, De Boer would be an excellent replacement. He has done some fantastic work with the Ajax youth academy and many of them feature for the the club's first team. At least the likes of Rossiter and Ibe will not go waste and get Brendaned.

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05 Nov 2014 09:03:38
Completely agree, hate this feeling of everyone celebrating mediocrity

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05 Nov 2014 04:04:55
Great performance from the lads. lucas, toure and borini were excellent. all three should start vs chelsea. borini's off the ball movement and constant pressure to their defence was praiseworthy and he desreves to start the chelsea game on merit. with toure our defence looked solid than it had been for much of this season. but lovren should replace skrtel. although he played better still he was making mistakes which could have been punished. hope sturridge is fit for chelsea game. if fit he and borini should start as both will compliment each other well.

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{Ed001's Note - seriously? Great performance? Have we fallen that low that now we see a game where the opposition miss an enormous amount of chances in front of goal to only beat us by one goal a great performance? A performance where we never even tried to attack them, despite only being one down and them having a defence nearly as dodgy as ours is now considered great? I despair! No wonder so many are celebrating the failure of last season as success if this is the modern thinking! We were completely and utterly outplayed and only Ronaldo's desperation to get that record stopped it being the hiding we deserved. It was simply not even a decent performance. It was a disgrace.}

Ed i thought Defensively we were great but contributed very little going forward. we were expected to lose this game comfortably and the starting lineup further provided the reason for the doubters. but we lost by a single goal but yeah we didn't push forward to get a goal and that was the biggest negative of yesterday. ED001 what is your opinion on lucas, toure and borini's performance?don't you think borini deserves to start the chelsea game on merit?and yeah forgot to point out moreno was excellent too. probably his best game in liverpool's shirt.

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{Ed001's Note - you forgot to point out that the only reason we didn't win this game comfortably is because Madrid messed up their huge number of chances. Mostly down to Ronaldo's desperation to equal the record, rather than anything good we did.

I love Lucas, but it is impossible to say he had a good game when we conceded so many shots on goal. Though that was not down to him, and he was the best player in our midfield, still it is not really a good sign that we gave up so many shots from his area of the pitch. He certainly did a better job than any alternative we have,

Toure was ok, but he is hampered by being uncomfortable over on the left and playing alongside Skrtel, who offers us nothing but a lack of communication. They just don't work together well, and that showed up in the goal, when Toure was unsure what Skrtel was doing and so got caught out. Though it must be said, the 'excellent' Moreno should have been closer on the cover, but he was not, as usual he was missing defensively.

Borini worked hard and did more last night than Balotelli has done since the Spurs match, but he offered no threat whatsoever. He is not a lone striker, any more than Balotelli is. Borini's hold up play is simply not good enough to play that role, there is only Lambert that is capable of that in our squad. Not sure that anyone did enough to deserve another start, unless we are now accepting mediocrity?}

05 Nov 2014 01:00:29
I think the sad thing is that as good as Lucas was (very) his chance of starting over Gerrard against Chelsea is about zero.

I love Gerrard but fairs fair, he's out of form and Lucas deserves to play. No one bigger than the team and all that Brendan!

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04 Nov 2014 22:51:48
I am fuming with the manager, people hear praising a manager who conceded defeat before a ball is kicked. No liverpool manager has ever done that, that may be ok for swansea but he should realise he is manager of one of the biggest clubs in the world.

You crowd on here make me sick, accepting mediocrity and a defeatest attitude, praise for the italian for running around. God how far we have fallen and what easily pleased so called fans we have!

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{Ed001's Note - I couldn't believe some of the things I read about how well we played! We got a hiding and were just lucky that Ronaldo had his slippers on instead of his boots last night, or he would have notched a few last night. We were negative and completely outplayed.}

Boys, the team is in a hole as we all know and has to find a way to get its confidence back. I too would have liked to give RM a real game but atm, this team is incapabe of doing that because we`re not playing well. Therefore, keep it tight, don`t get beat and hope for the best and that might help w/ confidence BUT your posts and opinions are valid.

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Completely agree waro. Lucas was good but toure? He showed some good feet in situations he shouldn't have been messing around mind you but why he left benzema and went toward the cross is beyond me. He also got let off the hook when he freaked out and chose not to play a cross. He looked like he was scared because it was in the middle of the goal and waist high. As far as the rest of the game. Show some drive and go at em losing 0-1 for crying out lou. They were happy to get it past half and pass sideways until Stevie started playing 40 yarders that weren't on. Not even a push in the final minutes. Terrible

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{Ed001's Note - to be fair to Toure, it is insane to play him there, especially alongside Skrtel, when it has been shown time and time again that the pair of them do not work together well. There is no communication between them at all.}

I think it is the sense of relief of the score not being 5-0 or worse that is making them use words like 'awesome' with reference to our performance.

On the team, not starting with Gerrard does not make the team weak. But Sterling should have started.

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This could well be about the first time I've ever agreed with Waro. Some of the individual performances were good (Lucas and Mignolet in particular), but overall how anyone can be pleased/happy/etc. by losing a game is beyond me.

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{Ed001's Note - I really can't imagine what Paisley and Shankly would think of that attitude! Can you imagine either of those being happy to lose?}

Shankly was a bit before my time sadly and Paisley when I was young, but from what I've read/heard/remember, no, I can't imagine it at all. Much less either selecting the starting 11 we began the game with (no disrespect intended as I love the lads).

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{Ed001's Note - exactly. That alone is bordering on a sacking offence for me. This is the biggest competition in European football, we are still in with a chance of making the next stage, so why admit defeat before kick off?}

Waro,

When you say no Liverpool manager has fielded a weakened team before, I take you back to the premier league match before the 2005 Champions league final.
If you are going to make bold statements and demand people lose their jobs, then you'd better make sure your facts are correct.

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05 Nov 2014 07:23:28
I agree with Waro about accepting being a mediocre team. We need a defensive coach and for Brendan to stop being stubborn with his tactics. The team is lacking confidence and leaves the likes of Suso who should have used his first goal for the club as a spring board.

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A taste of your own medicine Waro. Your drivel has been making most of us sick for years. Take a chill pill fella. Different opinions and all that.

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Ken, no sorry your not pulling that one lad, we were out of the running for the league/top 4 so the game from our point of view at the time was meaningless!

Last night we were playing a competitive game trying to give us the best chance to qualify to the next stage of a competition we've been desperate to get back into for the last 5 years. And where have I DEMANDED people lose there jobs. It's you who should make sure your facts are correct!

I can't stand it when people manipulate a certain situation to suit there argument and just flat out LIE!

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"I am fuming with the manager, people hear praising a manager who conceded defeat before a ball is kicked. No liverpool manager has ever done that. "

A direct quote Waro, which I have rebutted with one example picked off the top of my head. No manipulation of a situation, just facts. There are plenty of other examples, when we've already qualified for the next round or when we've already won the league. If you want to go back and change your statement you can before it gets embarrassing for you.

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04 Nov 2014 22:14:55
Ed001 how do you think Adam Lallana has played so far in his Liverpool career?

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{Ed001's Note - ok, no more than flashes of skill, mostly flattered to deceive. Hard to do much though the way we have been playing and being in and out of the side.}

05 Nov 2014 01:28:50
Lucas was fantastic today. I hope he was brought off to preserve him for chelsea! Borini needs matches like I said before. Lallana was also great today, so smooth and controlled on the ball. I'd start lucas, hendo, lallana, sterling balo and Borini myself. If lucas holds like today, it allows the freedom for the players either side of him, coutinho could be one of them. Just can't see gerrard being dropped, and if Lucas ends up leaving in January, I will be bitterly disappointed.

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05 Nov 2014 00:54:08
Interesting quote by Brendan on the official site, were players dropped?

'"Tonight gives me great food for thought, " he continued. "There weren't players 'rested' as such, we played a team we felt could get a result - and we nearly got a result.'

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04 Nov 2014 23:49:22
Actually very happy with that, considering the way we are playing, a woefully out of form liverpool side with 7 changes away at the bernabeu with real on an 11 game winning streak and the current ballon dor holder, yet only losing 1-0 against one of the greatest sides ever assembled in terms of individual ability, really isn't that bad.

However, i give no credit to rodgers. While it is a possibility he chose those players based on how woeful everybody was against newcastle, i believe he chose that team knowing full well we would lose because we aren't good enough, throwing in the towel so to speak. I personally think that is a disgrace that he has left those players out to dry as a shield for what he felt was an impending drubbing, which never came. I expect liverpool to try to win every game with the strongest team possible, changes here and there of course, but not the removal of 7 first team regulars. I expect the manager to take full responsibility for said drubbing, but i knew he would never do that if it occured.

On the other hand, i believe that perforamance was the best effort and glimmer of hope i have seen for a while, purely from the effort of the players. Mignolet has responded to the criticism well in the last two games with some decent saves, still needs to work on his game though. Toure was excellent as was skrtel to an extent, but i still saw glimmers of his sunday league defending tonight. Decent display from the full backs, need to work on their final ball. Excellent game from the midfield, i feel allen was played out of positionso i won't criticise him for bekng uninfluential, but what a game from can and lucas, seriously impressed me, play them for the next game!

Markovic was once again almost disgraceful in how little of a manhood he seems to posses, getting outpaced by madrid centre backs, come on! Played like a coward once again, needs a serious talking to.

Borini tried but again, feel he was left out to dry by rodgers. I still feel in terms of a centre forward, he isn't good enough for liverpool, he doesn't have the personality or charismamor arrogance to fulfil his potential. I felt lallana was okay, tried very hard, but i would like to see more positive play from himand to be a bit more daring.

At least it was an improvement, its all i can ask. I hope brendan takes heed of the message sent out by the players tonight, and includes can, lucas and toure in the match day squad, they have earned a place, given the form of the other players in our squad.

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05 Nov 2014 00:28:02
Hi to all the EDS and fellow REDS

A much more cohesive display by the boys. People are still moaning but this could have been the perfect European display. I think we will still qualify (hope). More dynamic without Stevie. Can, Lucas played well. Borini does deserve something, good to see A Liverpool striker actually making an effort. Does Balo know this is his last chance saloon or is he really on a different planet with occasional visits to Earth.
All the lads played well as I'm sure the press for waiting for us to get hammered.
Once again the boys showed backbone.
let this be a lesson to those who don't.
Mourinho is worried or he wouldn't start making remark. Good to see.

YNWA

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