NEIL ATKINSON is joined by John Gibbons, Jim Boardman, Rob Gutmann and Rory Smith of The Times to chat about the impending clash of footballing cultures between Brendan Rodgers’ Tricky Reds and Sam Allardyce’s ale-house knobheads.
Music this week is from The Verdict and Only Child.
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Great show tonight. What a season, every game feels like an event. I can’t wait for Sunday. I can’t remember ever feeling like this about Liverpool, its so refreshing and unexpected. It’s not like the 70s or 80s cos we expected to win then, it wasn’t quite so exciting. I moved to Finland last year, maybe being so far away makes it more special. Will I have to move again if we win the league?
Interesting how you split on how to play West Ham, and I can understand why, they may pose more problems than Spurs as they’ll defend deep like Sunderland. But, in the end they are shite and we’re boss, so let’s keep the faith and play the way we want to play: in their faces, in their penalty area, peppering their goal with shots: the rest will sort itself out. One.game.at.a.time.
As for Mourinho, yes he plays journalists like a fiddle and they love it because they’re not very bright. Plus he makes their job easier by giving good copy (though is it really good, or do they just hang on his every word?). But the man’s a cheat, a bully and a narcissist and I’m glad he’s not managing my club. If we pull it off this season it will be a victory for nice guys. Mourinho and Ferguson are a pair of egotistical monsters who would do just about anything to win a game of football, Wenger’s always been a little sour, Brendan doesn’t make excuses and doesn’t really bother with mind games, he just focusses on his own team, and the fans, and that’s the way it should be. That, indeed, is the Liverpool way.
N.B.While a number of journalists are congratulating Jose on his smarts, remember not winning anything and constantly briefing the media about how dissatisfied he was with his squad is exactly what cost him his job the first time around. If he doesn’t win anything, don’t be surprised if he’s out on his ear. Firing Carlo, a decent guy who just goes about the business of winning, is looking more and more foolish every season.
Loving life at the moment lads.
Non Liverpool fans going out of their way to actually talk about football, especially the football we’re playing instead of some arsey line or quip derived from an equally pointless article in a shit newspaper.
Can Liverpool win the title they ask? I’m not sure what’s more disconcerting…my incredulous reply of “of course we fucking will” or their fairly unanimous acceptance without so much as a snide remark, and a knowing reply of “yeah, I think you’re right”
To make life even sweeter is the manu fan who overhears this conversation and starts laughing and sneering. Once upon a time this would upset me and make me bristle, and probably consider various forms of illegal torture methods to said manu fan…but look a little closer and you’ll see the cracks appearing. It’s a fake laugh anyway, they know it, and we deffo know it.
Now I just smile a knowing smile that is impervious to their retarded bullshit because I have supported this wonderful club all my life, through the wind and the rain….and I am now proud and honoured to be witnessing poetry in motion and a golden sky.
The sweet silver song of a Lark never sounded and felt so good…
Back to business…..the next cup final is against West Ham. Take nothing for granted and no prisoners.
3 points please lads!!!!!!
Yeah but the mancs are going to win the CL and we’re going to finish 4th and they’ll be laughing then won’t they? Oh….. Moyes In forever!
But Mourinho and Pardew and Allardyce are like Snake Oil Salesmen or Vaudevilee acts now aren’t they?Just look at Sherwood!Remember Ferguson?
We’re lucky to have 2 Managers on our doorstep who display integrity and honesty.I wouldn’t’ mind if we finished first and Martinez finished second every year.
And that’s more than I would ever say about that “”#!&- from Manchester!
Did anyone see Brendan’s interview yesterday? Good to see he’s learning from the greatest. He spent the whole interview giving ‘a bit of toffee’ to Andy Carroll and Stewart Downing.
Agreed. I’ve a lot of time for Martinez too, one of the few managers who stood up to Ferguson over the years.
Was there a difference between Mourinhole getting his excuses in early and what Rory had to say? ok, he was making excuses to cover himself not the team but that’s about it from where I’m sitting.
So, the boys need to force mistakes out of Fat Sam’s team. Get into the box, dribble, Suarez, Coutinho, Sturridge and Sterling with short darting runs. Lets get 3 penalties and leave Sam whining about the ref.
Endless passes outside the box won’t do much for us. Also need to be aware of breaks using Nolan and Downing/Diame and of course the set piece thing – get all the knock downs.
ok, perhaps understanding Rory’s nuances a little more. Already the media are carrying Mourinhole’s message re the strikers which of course is what he wants them to do, so he doesn’t have to raise it at the end of the season when it will be pounced upon more hungrily and lead to criticism of the manager’s work in the transfer windows as the sign off by the media for Chelsea’s fortunes.
Redknapp on Sky already delivering the narrative that “we know the strikers aren’t any good” whereas early in the season it was all rather repulsive fawning over how Maureen had got them playing – even saying how good Torres looked (rather prematurely).
So this message has been swallowed by the media and accepted but little blame attached to the manager despite heavy spending in January and bringing in Eto in the summer (and heavy spending summer 2012 too).
End of the season will be “well they didn’t have the strikers and we’ve been saying that for a while” lazy punditry but easily canned and spewed out to a gullible audience.
Maureen managing the media message – just as the Dark Lord used to do.