NEIL ATKINSON, Sean Rogers, Jim Boardman and Rob Gutmann go through Liverpool’s terrible result at Crystal Palace on this week’s TAW podcast.
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Brilliant! The podcast has arrived. Just what I need after spending my first week day off in about 10 years fending off over 100 Twitter notifications due to a harmless response to an Andy Heaton tweet. I’ll have a listen now and then get involved in some more trolling.
Well done lads; I would have been disappointed with no pod!
Thanks for the show guys as always. Couple of points:
The 60-70 minute proposition is false because we lose goals in transitions. We can have all the possession in the world but it doesn’t matter: we’re not a threat and are always likely to concede from transitions. Our opponents don’t need the ball for long stretches.
Our passing was slow once again and I’m sure we all knew that Palace could catch us out at any moment. The subs were diabolical, but when was the last time any of us felt confident that we’d see a game out without a three goal cushion? We know we’ll concede, so what must the opposition think? In possession we define sterile domination. We looked comfortable for much of the first half without really threatening, but be honest, did anyone fancy us not to find a way to concede a goal?
The Gerrard debate shouldn’t be a debate. Why are people still trying to find ways to shoehorn an under-performing player into the side? Drop him. We need a holding midfielder who can defend and someone to lead the side with some energy. He’s unable to do either at the moment, like some others here I don’t think he’s recovered from the Chelsea game towards the end of last season. Sad, but that’s where we are. As for the talk of his being an impact sub, I think its fanciful, but worth a try. We’re clutching at straws, his legs have gone. I’d love him to prove me wrong, but can’t see it.
On Gerrard, I’ve been a supporter for around 40 years and have never experienced anything like this sentimentality over an individual player, this determination to mask his flaws and play him come what may. It’s not the mentality of a successful club. I’ve seen stalwarts like Cally, Tommy Smith, Ray Kennedy, Emlyn Hughes, Phil Thompson and Phil Neal, serial winners one and all, moved on or dropped once they’d outlived their use. It’s the nature of the game. It’s what winning sides do. David Johnson was our top scorer and a great leader of the line, but was dropped for an unproven Welsh striker. There’s no room for sentiment at the top level, and we as a club and a group of supporters seem to have lost sight of that fact. Have we become a second rate club? Content to rest on our laurels, on memories of the past, like United in the 70s? We pined for more from Kenny, but he knew when to call it a day even if we didn’t. Players fade, it’s ok, let them go.
“but was dropped for an unproven Welsh striker”
Cheeky get! He was proven at the mighty Chester FC. What more do you need to do to prove yourself?
Too true, Robin, too true. Apologies :-)
Ok mate, apology accepted. we’ll put this down to an oversight and leave it there.
Amen Paul. Rodgers’ use of Gerrard is disgraceful, Gerrard shouldn’t be playing as DM, it’s horrible seeing an all time great’s legacy being eroded before our eyes. His status is being undermined as he struggles week in week out. I have had the privilege of watching Gerrard from raw teenager to aging ‘oldtimer’ and it’s not right that he is exposed by lesser players on a regular basis. He needs to be employed as a brilliant impact sub whether he likes it or not.
Apologies if this crosses over into / repeats my post on Gareth’s piece.
On Sunday, on the way back from Wales I couldn’t get a Bob Dylan song out of my head. Just on the subject of Wales, I wonder if there’s any Liverpool fans in Snowdonia. I can’t see how there can be. Between 12 and 1 I was watching the F1 and I wanted to know the team news. There was no WiFi in the cottage so you can’t go on the internet. I couldn’t phone or text a mate because there’s no phone signal. So we got in the van to drive to a pub and guess what, no fuckin AM radio either. So I’m starting to get concerned that I’m not gonna find a pub with the match on when just past Capel Curig I see a pub with a Live Sport banner. We paid the pay and display and bounced in there only to be told they had the womens football on BBC2. I was on the verge of saying ‘what kind of fuckin place is this’ but they’re so friendly up there it’s hard to be rude. Anyway thank god for the Royal Oak in Betws y Coed even if I did miss Liverpool’s best moment of the season – a striker scoring. I’ll bet there’ll be Liverpool fans up there who occasionally have to wait over a month before they get the score. I’d doubt there’s anywhere else in the world like that. Maybe the Galapagos Isles but certainly nowhere inhabited. It’s incredible. On Saturday I saying how great it was to have to have no distractions but by Sunday and match day I was fuckin cursing the place.
So, in every verse Dylan sings of a travesty but then follows with the chorus line ‘take the rag away from your face for now ain’t the time for your tears’. After the final verse and the real travesty in the story he ends with ‘bear the rag deep in your face for now is the time for your tears’. I’m presuming there was a subliminal message in there somewhere and the way a read into was – we’ve had the Rodgers moaners from day 1 and however you look at it it’s been unwarranted. I feel that changed on Sunday. Now is the time to start worrying. Now I appreciate this has been done to death since the game and I’m guessing Neil warned the contributors to avoid going down the path of Rodgers position which, if true, I prefer and respect that decision but this is the after match podcast and I wanna have my say (again). I’m not worried about me as a fan or the team but I’m worried about how this defeat went down in Boston. What’s become clear since the match is that Rodgers is here till the end of the season which is good and sensible. Maybe, knowing that, we can all get behind him and hope he turns this around. Like I said though, I’m worried about what our final league position will set in motion. I really don’t want more transition periods. I just pray we can still go on this elusive run and climb the table.
One thing that struck my mind was, maybe Rodgers has decided he wants his strongest team for Ludogorets and that’s when we’ll see Toure and Lucas. The biggest intrigue will be whether he starts Lucas or Gerrard. I don’t think you can have such an exposed defence and not got punished in the CL. Sorry to be so negative but I just can’t envisage us winning there at the moment. It’s just how I feel. My confidence is shattered. I’d like to see Lucas and Allen holding with some creativity in front. Lucas can win the aerial battles and Allen can get us moving. Allen just seems very industrious and is the kind of player we need right now and in a game we need to keep tight he’s be better than Can I reckon. I do have that fear though that Rodgers knows what the fans wanna see and feels trapped into not being able to do it in case it pays off and we win. This is a time I want to see some fight from Rodgers. Being slumped against the dug out sent a poor message. I much prefer the bullish Rodgers. We just need to take it one game at a time and get back on track.
Can’t believe so many of the panel re-watched the game.
Surely it was bad enough the first time round?
Hardcore panelists of the world I salute you.
Onwards
Nothing will change until Rodgers wakes from his torpor and makes some pretty simple decisions based around dropping poor players, bringing in others, switching formation to 4-4-2 diamond with Borini to produce some movement and AN Other. The manager can’t wait for Sturridge to ride to the rescue and he has to address the Lovren/Gerrard/Johnson issue it must be galling for Can, Manquillo, Allen, Lucas, Kolo and Borini to be constantly overlooked in favour of teachers pets.
I just posted and the stream of the podcast cut off as the whole page re-loaded! FFS!
It’ll be different approach on wed night. They’ll play more reserved and narrow and therefore will not expose the centre backs or the defensive midfielder as much.
There! I sound like I know what I’m talking about!
Um, coutinho was never substituted. Borini came on for Lallana (not coutinho) when it was 1-1, despite the commentary on the pod. Coutinho played the whole game.