YOU go to Old Trafford. You don’t play well. They don’t play well. They win.
I think I’ve seen this film before. I’ve seen games decided by set pieces. I’ve seen blunt sides overwhelmed by the occasion. I’ve seen vaguely questionable refereeing decisions. I’ve seen Liverpool be poor so often.
Better Liverpool sides have lost like this to better Manchester United sides. And in essence, that is the problem.
Sean Rogers said to me on the Tuesday Review: “You can get beat at Old Trafford whatever you do…so why not be bold.” And I think this is going to become the thing quite quickly, if it wasn’t the thing already — no-one wants this Liverpool to be cagey, not really, no one wants backward steps.
There was a time when we did want backward steps and when we understood them. There was a time when solidity made sense over and over again. Under different managers. In different eras.
Since Crystal Palace made it 3-3, since before then if we are honest, everyone has wanted Liverpool to be more solid. Be more solid, stop the attacking, stop the risk taking. Concede fewer goals. Keep it tight. Be normal. And Liverpool have looked to do that. Consistently looked to change it and sit deeper; be responsible. That’s been deemed the correct course of action.
It isn’t the correct course of action. It is wrong. It is very wrong indeed.
Today is the apogee of its wrongness. Turning up not to get at them but to let them have it and look to spring makes sense against Arsenal but against this United side Liverpool should be looking to own the ball. To own the game. To create and to dominate.
This is important: they may fail in that. It might go wrong. It’s football, things often do. The question that should very often be asked in football is how do you want to fail? Only one team can win the league. Everyone else fails. Only one team can win the World Cup. How do you want to represent yourself
Therefore it is in the attempt that this side asserts itself and creates for itself an identity. Instead Liverpool do what they aren’t quite capable of and then only get going when they go a goal down.
Liverpool sides should not look better when they go a goal down. That isn’t the point of the enterprise and yet that is exactly what happened. It could be right to state United didn’t have their first shot on goal from open play until they made it 3-1, it could be right to state that that is what Louis Van Gaal wanted, it would be right to say that we should not accede to his reality, that we should consistently try to create our own.
Fine margins are what this game came down to. Fine margins are what Liverpool have been poor at since June 2009. Fine margins needed to be got rid of, because if you can’t win by fine margins then why try to play a game decided by fine margins? Play the game that suits you.
Liverpool were poor straight after half time — not quite at it and allowed United to reclaim the upper hand and then they scored from a set piece, a lovely strike from a classy footballer, unstoppable, unerring. Then they played, of course they did, and they should equalise and of course they don’t.
Because this is Old Trafford and you can lose whatever you do. Milner toiled in every sense. Can yet again showed his strengths and weaknesses, Benteke was poor until he was absolutely brilliant because that’s the way it is with attackers. Liverpool failed to convert two or three of the best opportunities of the game from open play. No sympathy from here — the approach didn’t deserve the points.
The second killed, further evidence of the idea that young defenders make one mistake they get punished and pilloried, while United’s third showed young forwards do one thing well they get applauded to the skies though Skrtel was very poor indeed and his starting place should be under serious threat.
You can lose at Old Trafford whatever you do. My hand to God, you can lose at Old Trafford whatever you do. In our last 20 visits we’ve lost 15 times and in that period we have tried all kinds.
Norwich and Aston Villa both come to Anfield next and those are bigger games for our season than this one. But. But but but. It’s time to be about something because if we aren’t we can’t be having it. It’s time to cut loose. It’s time to try and be the better side. We’ve got to try to be able to sing tra-la-la-la. Because this thing here, we aren’t going to be good enough at it.
There’s a case no one can be any more, that could go either way, but I know we can’t.
You go to Old Trafford. You don’t play well. They don’t play well. They win. We’ve seen this before. And so we know it is about what happens next.
Make it good.
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Pretty much spot on with my way of thinking Neil.
The only thing I want to comment on is … ” let them have it and look to spring makes sense against Arsenal but against this United side Liverpool should be looking to own the ball”
Agree, but I don’t think we even did that. I sat watching thinking it would be ok if we had a plan to lead them on and hit them on the break but I couldn’t see it. I genuinely couldn’t see how we wanted to win the game and I don’t think the players could either.
It needs to change quickly.
These match reports are getting better and better as our performance moves the opposite way. I cant really disagree with a word of the above but perhaps I can be more concise.
Rodgers – If you are going to go out (and much more of this and you will) then go out swinging. No regrets.
I still believe in Brendan Rodgers. If you are criticising him its only because you are a knee jerk reactionist twitter user who hates his tan, his white teeth and his change of lovers. That’s the only reason. Go and support someone else if you won’t get behind him. He is our manager.
It’s only a matter of time before things click. We just need more patience and to spend a lot more money in the transfer market. Once that happens we’ll get top 4 and maybe come 2nd. Look at the state of Chelsea. They are a mess. We are above them in the league, 3 points clear. So everyone calm down.
I see what you did there. Very clever.
But on a serious note I looked at the table at the end. Chelsea on page 2. Depending on results tomorrow they could be in the bottom three. And I thought to myself: who gets to 10 points first. Us or Chelsea?
Do one mick !?! You probably white his teeth and make a mint ! Haha
Neil Atkinson in “Yet another spineless,characterless,clueless Liverpool performance without giving an opinion on Rodger’s ability to manage the team”.
The one thing that annoys me about TAW is the way everything is “Liverpool should be more solid,Liverpool should be looking to own the ball,own the game.To create and dominate,creates for itself an identity”.
Rodgers should be managing the team and ensuring that all these aspects are created and instilled into the team,and I mean team not a group of individuals.Rodgers is of course failing to do any of this and he should of went after the Stoke game.That’s my opinion of course ,I just wish I could hear the opinions of the TAW writers for once or are they using the same approach as the Liverpool Echo.
If Klopp or another manager is available and FSG retain Rodgers for the rest of the season then FSG should go.I’m fucking fed up of this mediocre rubbish.
Steve, Neil thought all last season Rodgers would be sacked if he didn’t get top 4. But Neil only told us he thought that in May. He clearly has his reasons, as the rest of the TAW crew do, for writing and broadcasting in the manner he and they have done where the performance of the manager is concerned. My question to you is, why on earth are you expecting him or TAW to behave any differently?
Why are you commenting so much and with so much negativity and vitriol towards TAW if you disagree and rip these lads apart who have an opinion just like YOU? Their ( Neil’s opinion ) is so wrong to you but yourself so right?
Jesus help us all…..
He’s a troll, Ian. Treat accordingly.
Vitriol Noun
D. Bitter, harsh and abusive criticism.
Can you point me towards my so called vitriol please? I have also not commented that “much” so I’m not sure where you’re getting that from.
As for the negative part…in our last 14 games we have picked up 15 points, scored 12 and conceded 27. Thats relegation form over almost half a season. This season in 5 games we’ve scored 3 – 2 on which were worldies, the other was offside. We constantky ship goals by the bucketload despite the manager trying to set us up to be solid. In the last 43 games we’ve conceded 3 vs City, 3 vs West Ham twice, 3 vs Crystal Palace twice, 3 vs Utd twice, 4 vs Arsenal and 6 vs Stoke. In those same 16 games we have not scored more than 2 in a game and in fact only scored more than once twice, at home to Newcastle and at home to QPR. Both teams were on holiday with nothing to play for. And you are surprised people are being negative?
What the fuck are you on about? Seriously what? are you one of those guys who likes to appear mysterious and massively intellectual? well your not. Your a twat and a boring one at that.
As for the game we where gutless and got what we deserved.
I agreed with your opinion on this article then asked you a simple question and this is your response?
Asking what the fuck Im on about – if you can read and understand English you’d be able to know what I’m on about. No one else has an issue understanding – only you. What does that tell you?
Then you say I’m trying to be mysterious. Hilarious. Two questions: What about my comment would give you that idea and why would anyone want to appear mysterious on a football forum? I’d honestly love to hear your rationale for such a moronic accusation.
You go on to say I’m not intellectual but you use “your” instead of “you’re” – ironic, but you probably lack the intellectual capacity to see that.
And you finish by calling someone you’ve never met before a twat from the comfort of behind your keyboard, because they agreed with you and you weren’t intelligent enough to see it, or because you don’t like being asked a question.
What a delightful and classy human being you seem to be.
Steve,
Is an indictment of the way the team sets up and plays not an indictment of the way the manager sets them up? What exactly do you want Neil to say? There is no reading between the lines needed. To criticize the way the team sets up IS indeed criticizing the manager. But criticism of the manager is not enough for some fans. You want to hear that TAW wants Brendan Rodgers out. After 5 games that doesn’t help anyone. Right now what we need is to get behind the team and the manager while he is still the Liverpool manager. That’s not to say that you can’t criticize the way he sets his team up.
Surely any criticism of the way the side is set up is partially a criticism of the manager anyway? Does he need to come out and say ‘Rodgers is crap, he should go’ every time he criticises an element of a team performance?
“It isn’t the correct course of action. It is wrong. It is very wrong indeed. ”
Not sure how more clear the article can be. A rational critique of the manager/team isn’t good enough? Has to be personal!?
Thought Skrtel was absolute dogshit today. There was a moment in the second where Lovren was under a high bouncing ball with Fellaini closing in fast.
Skrtel, instead of dropping in behind to cover in case Fellaini did what he always fucking does, he moved away from Lovren and pointed to him.
Fellaini came though Lovren, and nearly went through on goal.
Shite performance all round. Lack a leader on the pitch who knows when to put a foot in, when to slow the game down and win a few frees and when to press. All over the shop.
Very worrying.
Then again, a right / centre back playing left back. A forward playing left wing. A no.10 / second forward playing on the right….is it any wonder we are disjointed.
Where to start with that? Spineless, unmitigated shite? Toothless ineptitude? Confused, craven bollocks? Or just plain unacceptable from an increasingly craven manager and a spiritless and uncomfortable team who don’t know what to do with the ball.
There are limits, and I think I may have reached mine. Liverpool can’t set up like that at Old Trafford. We looked like a small team, played like a small team and, I’m afraid, the manager sounded like a manager of a small team in his post match interview.
This should be the match review, the only thing that surprised me is that you still listen to his post match interviews. Anyway, well said.
I don’t usually.
We were bang shite.
Think you summed it up there – completely unrecognisable as a Liverpool FC team – reminding me of Hodgson..
This season is beginning to remind me of when I bought my sixteen year old daughter her first car. After a few trips with her I realised she needed a few more lessons. After watching Brendan’s excruciating post match interview, I think it is time to accept he is not quite up to the task. I refuse to believe the team we put out today was not capable of beating a poor united side. However, the tactics and continual square peg in round hole approach, the haunting resemblance to Hodge tactics, and the timid way Liverpool started the game seemed further proof that as someone pointed out, the manager is playing to protect his position. We have a number of capable and worthy squad members out injured, true. However, I shudder to think what is going to happen once we enter the Europa schedule. Brendan looks flustered enough without more decisions to make. Time to sack Gary Mc and the other feller.
The messages came in thick and fast while I was hen pecking at the keyboard. I agree regarding Wrappers, it is time to discuss the bleeding elephant in the room.
Michael Pearson – sorry fella but I seriously object to your “go and support someone else” shout.
This isn’t knee-jerk, it’s concerning. We look devoid of imagination, disjointed, tactically inept and downright clueless at times. As soon as we go behind we’re not a side capable of bouncing back to win. I don’t own a Twitter account and I couldn’t give a shit about his white teeth, lovely tan or where he dips his wick.
Like I said on John’s player rating piece, I am seriously starting to lose faith in this man after I put so much into him. This isn’t knee-jerk, more like the straw that’s beginning to break the camel’s back.
Making average sides (and this as average a United side you can see, coz they’re shite too) look like a team of world beaters is simply unacceptable, it’s carrying on from the end of last season and its not good enough.
I think that one went over your head a bit, mate.
Haha I realise that now.
Amazing how you can let your guard down after 8 pints.
Haha, you’re in good company mate. I let mine down after far less though. Half time yesterday was spent in the smoking area talking to two grannies with peroxide hair and denim mini skirts. God knows what I thought I was gonna achieve there but I’ve a vague recollection in my mind that I’m not gonna share on here.
The whole thing is doing my head in. Yes, any time you buy a bunch of new lads they’re not all going to slot in perfectly straight away BUT there should ideally be a general sense of improvement. It baffles me that when we nearly won the bloody league it was two up top, yet Brendan is perversely failing to try a tactic that has been proven to work. And repeatedly playing lads out of position while having packed off a bunch of players who could have been in contention… I don’t know. The next few games are winnable and would take the heat off, but I thought the same about West Ham. A few bad results and this could unravel very quickly.
I support Rogers, I really do. But I’m not sure how you excuse giving a free #10ish role behind a lone striker to a kid who played RB for Germany mid week. It’s insane.
Well I’ve had enough now! I did my best to understand everything.False number 9’s? Reverse wingers? Inverted diamonds?
Ings played today and I thought we’re going to have a go.He’ll be up to play alongside Benteke.We’re going at them!
But obviously van Gaal saw right through it. “He shall play Ings like Shankly played Tommy Smith as a Number 10 (inside forward in old money) but position him as a half-back (midfielder)”
This was not in any stretch of imagination a ManU team of days gone by.But they waltzed through the game as though it was a practice game against their reserves.And we couldn’t do anything about it.
I won’t dwell on tactics and personnel because we all have our opinions on that.But how can a Liverpool Team go into a game devoid of passion and committment?How and why is that happening?
And why is Benteke suddenly slagged off after a game for Belgium when he doesn’t seem to know if he’s coming or going? Why does Firmino suddenly look heavy legged when he is really a lot quicker than that.Why has Milner suddenly become a player incapable of making a 3 yard pass?Why is Mignolet a bag of nerves?Why does Lovren now kick every ball into touch?Why does Clyne get on the wrong side of his man now?
Any answers?
Maybe the new backroom staff haven’t delivered!!!!!!
Ha..Reverse wingers!! Brilliant..or are they a thing???
That Benteke’s superb goal was our only one and made without any assistance from any other Liverpool player, virtually out of nothing, says a great deal.
Sorry but I’m not having it any more with Brendan Rodgers. The King is naked, cover him up and show him the door.
That first half alone should be a sackable offence. To send a Liverpool FC side out with absolutely no intention of winning the game is simply unforgivable. The ‘White Flag’ selection against Real Madrid was unworthy of a Liverpool manager and this simply compounds it. Don’t forget the 7 midfielders and no strikers embarrassment.
QUESTION:
How can I subscribe so I get the extra episodes on my iPhone? I can only see the free episodes on my iPhone right now.
Click on the SUBSCRIPTION link in the black and white navigation header underneath the big TAW logo. Fill that out and go from there.
Today the mentality of Stoke and Wembley reared its ugly head. I can take losing if it’s spirited and imaginative. This was dire, and when those goals went in I didn’t feel anger, just apathy. What’s there to be angry about? We were shite and deserved nothing. You shouldn’t need a scouser to show fight at Old Trafford. It feels like the team is getting the soul sucked out of it game by game. I don’t want Rodgers to fail because what joy is there to be taken in a person being publicly sacked, and let’s face it, shamed to a degree. But that was absolutely awful and can’t continue for much longer, for the good of our club.
Same when we lost in March i felt 100 times worse than today, today i just shrugged my shoulders.. As i was fully expecting this and we are going nowhere under this manager! He’s so out of his depth he’s a whale in a desert!!
Bang below average if you ask me .
It was telling that Milner who wasnt having the best of games
So, we started the day 2 points off 2nd place. We ended the day 3 points off 2nd place. Yet another rival played at home. Check.
It was a long, depressing break and this only signals another long week. But, in the end, there are 33 games to be played. Perhaps for Rodgers there may be much less, but until the Man City match has been played out, the long knives should be kept in their sheathes.
There is the return of Coutinho, Henderson, hopefully Sakho, and our forgotten son, Daniel Sturridge. With Sturridge in the side, Rodgers has a win ratio of 61.19% with a record of 41-14-12. That includes the 10 game ban of Suarez, which saw Sturridge score 11 goals.
Lest it need reminding, Sturridge and Coutinho have always enjoyed a special understanding on the pitch with the striker’s pace and guile perfectly in tune with the through balls that the Brazilian has turned into an art form.
I’m sure I wasn’t alone in hoping that the inclusion of Ings signaled a return to the diamond. Not quite, but once we have everyone back on the pitch the attacking line up looks like it could prove a treat:
—-Benteke——Sturridge—
————Firmino————–
–Coutinho——Henderson–
————Milner—————–
Henderson’s energy has been missed, but perhaps not nearly as much as Sturridge’s pace. Firmino seems well-suited to the tip, Coutinho given room to work his magic from deep (starting from a pinged ball to feet from Sakho), while Henderson and Milner take turns bombing forward/sitting back.
We have sorely been in need of an identity, but this diamond formation could get that elusive mojo back. I would love nothing more than to see Rodgers prove all his doubters wrong. Honestly, I’d rather see that than have Klopp come in and we start all over with another big roll of the dice. Let’s go forward with hope in our hearts that it won’t be long before we’re singing Tra-La-La again.
Maybe Sturridge might even get a proper song out of the Kop.
Sorry, first and second paragraph had me reaching for the legal narcotics. Brendan may as well throw himself in front of a lifeboat for all the hope he’s got of finishing the season as our manager.
Load of shit this ‘buy goals’ without sorting anything else. Absolute waste of time pretending that scoring loads is the answer, scored loads in 13/14, didn’t win us the league did it?
Didn’t have us finishing sixth either? Didn’t send Gerrard off with a 2-9 aggregate defeat from his Anfield and Premier League goodbyes? And didn’t have us not scoring two goals in a game for however long it has been by now?
Attack is the answer. Keeping possession, playing on the front foot, sustaining pressure in the opponent’s half.
And Firmino? Calling it now (not that it gives me any pleasure) is £22m (at least) spunked up against a wall. Hope I’m wrong but don’t think I will be,
When I used to coach my sons u11 through to u14 teams, I used to play boys out of position to get them to realise the way their opponents played and what to expect (it was more or less because I was a classic old-style left winger and saw that players like Liddell and Tom Finney were versatile enough to take the defenders on either side.) some dads objected but I thought it was useful. That was schoolboy stuff.
Despite having coaching certificates and taking the boys from bottom of div. 3 to runners up in div1 and cup finalists in three years, I realised that I was not in the same class as the coach of the team that won div. 1 and the cup, despite having a better squad. And never would be..
Brendan Rodgers will
NEVER be a first class coach. He does not have the imagination to out-think real coaches. He mistakes technical skill for football skill and has no idea what to do tactically. Anfield is now no moghtmare for any opponent because Rodgers teams are easy meat. ANY Rodgers team.
This will be my last post to TAW, because rather than an exchange of views it descends into ‘feck off and watch another club’. Ignoring the bleeding obvious is not supporting, it is stupidity. LFC has spent 300 million since FSG were sold a pup, and it is further away than ever. And don’t insult us with the ‘look what he did for Suarez’ shite. Suarez simply found his feet in the EPL.
Ta ra.
All I see in the recent games in the lack of motivation from players to go out on the pitch and win the game. Going for a draw defending haplessly and then chasing for a draw is something we have been doing unsuccessfully for too long. Time to have a sense of belief in the locker room. Rodgers is definitely not able to do that right now.
Lets all be calm and realise something. No matter what, Rodgers is our manager until at least January, no matter the results, no matter the position.
So accept that and move on, it makes life a lot easier
Er, why? Is there a transfer window for managers as well?
I think you’ll find Andrew Jones’ view is also everyone else’s view. So accept that and move on, it makes life a lot easier.
“Everyone else’s view”
Sorry, did everyone come together and appoint Andrew or you to speak for us all? Are we all supposed to hold the same opinion or shut up about because Andrew or you said so? The presumption that someone has stated an oponion and that opinion is everyone elses and if its not your opinion you should move on is a joke.
PS: Was this your attitude under Hodgson?
Prosaic, safety-first football isn’t going to bring Liverpool success or keep Rodgers in his job. He can’t seem to grasp it. It’s almost like Suarez spoiled him, as he did us all, and now the world is a drab, place drained of colour. “What’s the point of attacking football?” he now asks, while mulling over who can do a job on the left in his 4-5-1.
When you set the team up with 3 of your summer signings playing out of position (Gomez, Ings, Firmino), then you aren’t really putting things in your favour.
Ings was played wide left with the added responsibility of tracking back and helping Gomez. This is Ings, a player making his full debut for the club, away at OT – and who I am unaware ever played that role for Burnley. Oh and the lad he’s helping out has only had a handful of senior appearances, and he’s also playing out of position…on his wrong side.
What the **** is going on here? How does that kind of decision get made at this level.
Don’t get me started on the other side and Firmino being played in a supporting role to Clyne.
This is the first team for god’s sake. Do that kind of stuff in the U21s if you are down a player or 2. We clearly don’t have a plan or a system, because if we did, we’d just have a player slotting in when someone is out injured or suspended. Some people will say ‘we don’t have the squad for that’, but we do. You play your second choice, or you play one person slightly out of position, or you play a kid. If that person has a shocker, the other 10 players playing in their own positions help cover the cracks. We just lash people in any old position regardless of whether it’s their debut, whether they’ve played there before or not, who the opposition is etc. It’s ridiculous.
Genuinely what was the plan yesterday? If it was to keep it tight and play for a draw, then you don’t play Ings and Firmino in those roles – you probably go Moreno and Ibe. If it was to counter attack then it was clear after about 15 minutes that it wasn’t working, yet nothing changed. If you want to line up with that 11, then you go 442 diamond and play to your own strengths.
Terrible Terrible performance. I think the personnel we have are about right (would prefer Lazor to be around though). This Man Utd team is poor, they where there for the taking. They got beat be Swansea last time cause Swansea played two up front and scared the shit out of Smalling and Blind, we didn’t put 2 up front until 80 mins. We kept a slow defensive midfielder in Lucas on the pitch too long , Lucas is useful but was shite yesterday, so hook him early for an injection of exuberance and legs.
I fear that BR has lost hs bottle, he is fearing the sack if he loses so is not daring to win. What’s his identity as a coach? I’m not sure.
I’ve always supported him, but felt he should have gone in the summer, and now only 4/5 games in, I want him out NOW. I still support, I’ll still cheer, I stil believe, but I want a change.
Spot on. We’re trying to play like Chelsea of last season except we don’t have any defensive masters. Go for broke. Bring in Keegan!!
The Manager is proving to be out of his depth, and showing he is unable to handle the pressure, he was extremely lucky to get a 2nd chance, so had to hit the ground running.
It is a not a knee jerk reaction, his actions and his words, betray him. The Liverpool job is too big for him and many other Managers. Fortunately there are 2 managers available who are better qualified, and he will be able to find employment at a less demanding club.
If I was setting up against us from now on I’d just be saying get the ball in wide areas and run at the back 4. Two young lads at full back, one playing out of position, pull the CB’s into wide areas and they’ll give you something. We’ve scored 3 goals in 5 games so no corner turned their yet and Rodgers’s teams can’t defend.
Same old, Same old, Seen it all before.
Are we on the way up with Rodgers or on the way down or are we just running through mud.
We’ll always have players out, injured, suspended etc so whilst I think it’d be great to get Sturridge back in the side do we honestly think that’s going to be the answer to everything, 1 player!!
For me now we’re a top 7 club, win a few, draw a few, lose a few, mediocrity at it’s best.
I was angry at West Ham because they’re shite but now I’m just not arsed, and that’s even worse.
It isn’t mud, mate! Similar colour and texture, though.
Are we not just par? Isnt that the argument?. Par!.
I try to take an holistic approach and look at Rodgers Liverpool career as a whole rather than a couple of games. I don’t claim to be a footballing expert so I take on board what I hear from people who’s views I respect but I think I’ve sold myself short. I know we’re all tired of the line I’m gonna pull now but it’s at the forefront of my mind today. When Suarez went to Barca they immediately win the treble for only the second time in their illustrious history and only the eighth time it’s ever been done. That’s how good Suarez is, for me. Next time I hear someone say ‘it’s so naive to not give the manager credit for the 13/14 season’ I’m gonna scream back ‘you’re fuckin naive ya cunt’. But he didn’t do that under Kenny. The season before he didn’t do it. Fuck off. He stumbled on an attacking style that worked. Reading Kevin Barry’s comment above, I think he could have worked that out too. Take that season out and what have we got? Very little.
It’s impossible to talk about yesterdays game without asking ‘what the fuck is this clown doing’. James Pearce’s Echo review was spot on. Square pegs in round holes is all we need to say about yesterday. Well, that’s not completely true, we can also ask why the players seem so defunct of any fight, passion or desire. Let’s go back to the summer when we were about to sign Benteke. Everyone saying he’s not the player we need and dickheads like me saying ‘I’m sure Rodgers has a plan about how to use him’. I think we’re seeing the plan now and it ain’t pretty. Although I’m still at the stage where my confidence levels drop when Ings or Origi come on, similar to when we need a goal and bring Erik Meijer on, I was pleased to see him start but less pleased when I realised he was, in effect, playing as an additional left back. It defies belief.
The thing is, If at work I’m presented with a problem I get a gut instinct of how to resolve it and follow that instinct to its resolution. That’s why I’ve seen over 30 people sacked in my time for being rubbish but I haven’t been. My boss respects my instinct. One time I couldn’t resolve the issue was when I was presented with something outside of my understanding and scope. I sat up all night in my kitchen, drinking coffee and trying to work out the answer but the problem was too big for me. I needed help from someone who was more clued up. If it’s not instinctual I realise I’m entering a realm that’s out of my depth.
Look, this may sound harsh but the reality is simple. We’re in yet another 15 game slide. Name me a performance since Utd at Anfield? If the best you can come up with is Arsenal a few weeks ago then I’d concede that result would have been excellent for West Brom but on the other hand disappointing for City. Something’s not right. We’re being served up a load of shit but worse, no one understands what was intended to be served it. What was the thinking?
I’ve been up since 5am today. Why? Because I got back from the pub at 8pm last night and went straight to bed. I’ve not been in bed that early since junior school. I had Mancs texting me and tagging me in fb posts. Normally, I’ll have a go and clutch at any straw I can but last night I was out of ideas. I just turned off and hid from the world. Waking up this morning and reading Rodgers post match reaction has prompted this post. Same old. “You need to be better technically and you have to be superior with the ball”. No shit! I just feel patronised yet again.
Im at the stage where when we lose it brings us closer to a new manager.I hate feeling like that. Been a fan for 25 years, think about lfc 24 hours a day, will die a Red, just got beat 3-1 by Utd and didnt hurt. Because Rodgers has taken the heart out of club. Lfc deserve more passion, bravery and ability from our team/manager.
I left early yesterday. It’s the first time I’ve ever left an away day early. The board went up and they started passing it among their back four and ole-ing and I thought “I can’t think of a single reason for me to wait behind to clap this lot.”
The 2-1 under Brendan here was different. There were glimmers of hope. I remember him clambering up the seats when we were kept behind and the utd fans had left to clap us and we all thought “what a fella to do that and well done for coming here and attacking them.”
The 3-0 to us was great obviously but even the 3-0 defeat last year – stayed behind to clap them. They played well, and more importantly, Brendan had rediscovered his principles. We were fast and aggressive and we wanted the ball.
Not yesterday though. I had nothing to applaud them for because I have no hope left for this “project”. As soon as we put our eggs in the big striker basket, I worried. He’s a good player, but he’s not what we brought this manager in for.
There are few better managers to play a fast passing high pressing game than Rodgers. There are numerous better managers to play with a target man. Pulis is one, Rafa did it well and worryingly for Brendan, there’s a jobless German fella who also did a decent job.
In a bid to keep his position he’s tried to go “safe” and it’s boring the life out of a support who expect more. Another failed “project” for Liverpool. Another sacking looms.
Apologies, I just wanted to share my pre-match thoughts. I’d probably been influenced by Simon Hughes excellent article on here, and a lot of the talk in the pub yesterday was about the lack of a local lad on the pitch. My line was if we had a full strength team we’d batter them but as it was I wasn’t confident because I couldn’t see anyone in the team who would stand up and lead us. It was pretty much the case. Is it coincidence that all the people with any personality have left the club in one form or another. I hope so.
My favourite program ever is The Office. The psychology of it combined with the comedy is brilliant. Much as I’ve not warmed to him that much, Gervais is a genius. Brent is a pathetic man but he tries so hard to turn every negative against him into a situation where he feels like he’s come out on top that it’s hard not to warm to his desperate attempts. Everyone, except him, can see through his spiel and so, the more he does it the more we pity him but there’s no need to hate him. He’s trying his best to cover up his inadequacies so in general, people think good luck to him and accept that’s who he is. In a small company in Slough that sells paper, it’s ok. That’s how life and work is. No ones perfect. He wouldn’t be accepted at a multi-national though. They too would see through him but the stakes are too high to turn a blind eye.
No one cares.
About what, hun?
Perhaps you should have simply posted ‘Rodgers is as bad as David Brent’ and left it at that. Brevity, wit and all that. Just a suggestion.
I’m disappointed mate. I thought the bellends on here would like a Rodgers / Brent comparison.
When Robin has given up hope then it’s definitely time for him to go. Seriously though you know the minute we concede one that the game is over. There is no fight, no heart, no shape or reason to anything that we are watching. But worst of all is that Brendan has thrown away everything that he was getting support for.He has no one to blame but himself really. I still want a brave manager who’ll attack teams & try and win on the front foot, but will the demands of the modern twitter fan allow any manager to develop that type of game.
Ha, hi mate.
I probably always over react after a defeat to Utd.
I’ll see how the next 10 games go. I think there’s time to turn this around.
What worries me is the level of the slide we’re on and I have no doubts that we’re sliding. The last 15 games have been appalling.
Getting beat is ok but getting beat when the players seem like they can’t be bothered, isnt. We seem to have bought loads of players but can’t put a team out with players in a position they’re familiar with and Rodgers doesn’t seem to play the right formations (in my expert opinion, haha)
My point about David Brent (which probably went over Velimar’s head – he probably thought it was about him such is his paranoia) is that I’m really irritated by Rodgers attempt to turn every situation into a positive. He’s the manager of LFC not AFC Liverpool. He has to stop this patronising bullshit. It’s fine when we’re winning but when we’re losing every game it’s hard to turn a blind eye to his desperate attempt to cover his arse. We’re not as stupid as he thinks. I think we all see through it. It makes him appear like a sad little man, much like Brent. A nice man but a pathetic one.
Oh, MORE David Brent, sorry I thought you’d finished. I see. Yeah, hammer that one home just in case.
Ha, are you the new editor on here?
Do us a favour mate, just help me out and let me know how many comments I can write and let me know the parameters of what I can write about. Thanks xx
Oh no, Robin. I did get your point. I was just suggesting that nobody cares about your pre-match thoughts or the never-ending posts in which you try to emulate TAW.
Get it right mate, they try to emulate me.
Mid table manager. That’s the problem.
Can someone send the piece onto Rodgers . What u wrote is exactly how I felt about the game I wasn’t angry that we got beat that can happen but it’s how we got beat is the problem. Not having a proper go against an ordinary side who basically played for set pieces at home and u add to the fact in there previous games we saw how effective the diamond was against them and we didn’t use it at any stage is simply beyond me, it would of also had the bonus of playing lads in there right position imagine that for a radical taught .
We might have seen it before but this is the poorest Manc team in generations. And we made them look half decent. Because we were abysmal. Abysmal in tactics and their execution.
Thing is we have the players to not be crap. We even played most of them yesterday. What you can’t – or rather shouldn’t – do is play Ings at LWB, isolate Benteke then complain about the players looking to lump it up, as Rodgers did.
The manager takes it squarely on the chin for the state of the club and the abysmal performance.
Chelsea will sort themselves out. They have a world-class squad, a world-class manager and an owner who will not accept mediocrity.
Rodgers now looks incapable of sending out a team that can score goals in this league. We have scored 2 screamers – shots that almost always end up in the stands. They just happened to go in. If neither had, Rodgers may well have already been sacked. Forget passing the ball into the net, we don’t even look capable of scoring with crosses and headers.
Our squad looks good enough and it certainly cost enough to assemble. We need a better manager. Rodgers has been given a fair crack of the whip. 2nd place was down to Suarez (our best ever player). Take him away and Rodgers tenure has been exactly what you would expect from someone with his CV.
After 12 hours of drinking yesterday, all i can say is, apart from one mistake each from Gomez and Clyne, i thought they were our standout players, and Ings worked his fucking socks off.
A great 5 seconds from Benteke, worthy of a game winner that was. Outstanding.
Everything else was absolutely terrible.
Remember the last time we lost Henderson?, it cost us the league, he can’t get back quick enough.
Good write up, but I disagree strongly with the statement “Benteke was poor until he was absolutely brilliant because that’s the way it is with attackers.”
I thought Bene was our best player on the pitch by far yesterday, and as a lone striker did everything he was asked of and expected to do, not including coming back on defense and playing us out of the midfield at times(where we looked dreadful without Hendo and Couts). And of course his goal was completely brilliant.
Hear, hear. I’ve been sceptical about Benteke from the off but you can’t be expected to fire in goals if the ammunition isn’t supplied. Under the circumstances I thought he did as well as he could.
When we go a goal down we’ve lost. This team has shown zero ability to turn a defeat around.
Well folks as an occasional Chelsea fan visitor to this site imagine how I feel!
Seriously, onto the topic; when I saw the LFC squad this year I though they looked much stronger and more balanced with real potential to play fast football. The great first half performance at the Emirates seemed evidence of that even if it dropped in the second half under sustained pressure, but…since then?
From an objective position, and I suspect I won’t get thanked for this, but I really don’t think the manager is up to it. There just isn’t the evidence for it. I can’t see the situation being accommodated much longer by the owners. When the author of this piece notes that Norwich is a serious game I understand the sentiment, but you were playing United! LFC fans take United seriously and Norwich, well it’s just Norwich.
Best of luck to all.
Its always been the same at LFC and should reman the same from the Kemlyn days to the new main stand.
“Better to die on one’s feet than to live on one’s knees”
We were crawling at OT, without passion, gutless and just plain boring against a manc team that we should have taken. My worry is that since Gerrard has gone there is no soul left. I’d rather see Rossiter start every match from now on just to give us some passion..!
Somthing need to happen this week at Melwood to remind the players who they are and what they’re about, because the next 6 matches, ending in the derby away will either turn it around or it will start to get ugly…and then the fixtures in October could finish us off.
Believe.
The team don’t play like they care about losing. I’m sure they do–they’re professionals and all that–but they don’t really show it. I didn’t even notice that we played particularly well after their goal. We were probably better than we had been, but that’s not saying much, is it?
The worst thing is how the team’s predictable lack of inspiration rubs off on you as a supporter. Losing to United and their dickhead, class-traitor support base singing “Sign On” and other dogshit Greatest Hits is supposed to be nausea-inducing. You’re supposed to feel something sharp, not blanketing. You sign up for highs and lows to break up a week’s worth of mediocrity. This weekend was yawn-inducing in the worst, most depressing way possible.
Only Hodgson previously has had me in the sack-the-manager brigade, but I’ve re-enlisted. We lack any of the essential grease that makes systems work: no passion, no energy, no intensity. We had it at Arsenal for a while and looked like a really good side, but other than that, we’re flat. And that’s nothing new–you can go back into the tail-end of our good results last season to see us squeaking wins from wonder-goals and generally looking poor but for the results, and particularly as the initial boost from the system-change wore off, we started looking timid and uncertain.
Timidity is an unforgivable sin, and for me was the most conspicuous character trait Hodgson instilled in the side. Obviously you shouldn’t be sacking a manager without a replacement lined up, but I think it has to be the priority right now.
Dear robin crimes, “comments” That’s not how you spell ‘novellas’. X
You could have done so much better than that. I wanted to be riled by your response, smashing away at my keyboard in retaliation. After such a lame retort I think we’re gonna have to call it a day mate. There’s nothing in this for me. I expected better.