Book a Land Rover Experience This Christmas
NEIL ATKINSON was joined by Mike Nevin and John Gibbons as they reflect on a morale boosting win against Bournemouth in the League Cup and the visit of Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.
Book a Land Rover Experience This Christmas
Makes you wonder what might have been if he’d played like this earlier. Oh well, it’s done now.
I wonder what Arsenal’s tactics will be, lol. If you get in there half, shoot.
There’s a video doing the rounds of the MOTD highlights from the Arsenal game last season. Christ, it had a bigger effect on me than ‘The Champ’ did. It’s so sad watching it. It’s like awe and amazement but heartbreaking at the same time. Luis. It’s almost like it didn’t happen. Surreal. The shot from outside the box that hit the post or should that be shook the post.
The last couple of games have given me a bit of hope. If we beat Arsenal it could be the start of a good run, haha, that old chestnut again. I might be reading too much into it but it feels like the crisis is coming to an end.
It was great listening to this tonight. It was a good podcast and I liked the in depth analysis on a lot of the players. I liked the fact I’ve got my bosses car for a month and I had it on on the radio after a week of getting the train. Shambolic experience. Driving with TAW on is just so much more civilised at my age. Thanks
Know what you mean Robin. In my more melancholy moments (and you get a lot of time to feel melancholy in the midwinter darkness) I do wonder if last season was a glorious one-off. It almost felt like that at the time, an unrepeatable roller-coaster of madness and elation. I think the slip hit everyone really hard, such a shame. Let’s hope we can build again.
Bournemouth rested over half of their first team for the game. Let’s not get over excited just yet. They could have scored 5 or 6 on another night, and you can be sure a PL would have bagged at least 3. Don’t forget that the league and FA cups are near pointless for true top sides, other than giving fringe players a run out. FSG don’t give a shit about them because they don’t generate much income, even if we fans enjoy the cup runs.
The transfer window opens soon, we’ll know Rodgers’s future if they give him more money. If they don’t, he won’t be our manager next season unless he performs way beyond what he’s managed this season. And with the rumours of losing the support from a number of players, I’d know where my money would be (if the odds weren’t so low).
Isn’t that the whole point of the transfer committee, that you are buying the right players regardless of who is the manager? We need some investment now, waiting until the end of the season is going to put us further behind and I think FSG would realise this.
Still reckon he will pull it around: eat his humble pie with the owners, buy a decent striker & goalkeeper and probably end up in 5th. Would really need to push on next season in that scenario though.
Funny fact about Arsenal last season: It didn’t actually happen. It was all some sci-fi alternate reality-dream share that we collectively conjured up.
When Neil really goes off on one, in full machine-gun staccato mode, I think he could actually beat Daddy Freddy’s world record for the most syllables in 1 minute!
Much better show, best in a while. Shouting people down doesn’t make good radio.
Sunday will be interesting. Arsenal waltzed through the same formation with a Lucas-Gerrard midfield axis last season. I’m all for positivity but wonder whether we shouldn’t cut our cloth on occasion this season: confidence is so fragile. I’d prefer a midfield of Lucas, Allen and Can/Coutinho to match Arsenal’s mobility. Gerrard played reasonably well against Bournmouth but these top games tend to pass him by these days. Still I’d be more than happy where Brendan and the team to prove me wrong.
On a positive note: wasn’t it great to see Markovic and Lallana given proper run outs at last? Both showed their potential. Mike’s right, Lallana is a bit slow, I’ve likened him to a poor man’s Silva, but used correctly he can be a real asset. He’s an intelligent player, flits about the park finding space and uses the ball well. Markovic looks something else: the composure, the posture, the pace….He could be the real deal if he’s managed well and can manage his temperament. Great to see Sakho back too. Did anyone else notice his rabona pass? He’s a much better player than Lovren, good on the ball, strong and fast. He does give you the odd heart-attack but just needs a run of games. Kolo was ace once again: what a pass to Lallana for Sterling’s second goal.
Re stubbornness: this has been an interesting meme among us supporters but I do think there’s something in it. The objection was more about loyalty to players and positions than formations. Kolo and Lucas have demonstrably improved the team since they were brought back into the fold, Gerrard, Lovren an Balotelli have done little to merit blind loyalty (though the skipper’s been a lot better than the other two). Gerrard wasn’t contributing from the deeper position and Balotelli wasn’t cutting it up top alone. There’s still as sense that he’s trying to shoehorn Lovren and Gerrard into the team come what may.
Coutinho needs to learn when to release again. It’s understandable that his game’s dropped off given what’s been in front of him but it mustn’t develop into a habit. There’s been very little end product this season.
This is the team I’ve been told for tomorrow. The guy is normally very accurate.
Jones, Skrtel, Sakho, Kolo, Henderson, Lucas, Gerrard, Markovic, Lallana, Coutinho, Sterling.
I’d be worried of a midfield 2 of Lucas and Gerrard against Arsenals midfield.
I agree. I believe Lucas has been poorly served by selections that include Gerrard and Johnson, particularly. Johnson as a full back needs a VERY defensive cover – think on how many of the goals we conceded last season came down the opposition’s left channel. Lucas lack of pace is often commented upon but very few of the greats were racehorses. I’d like to see Can given a start and Gerrard used as a 35- minute impact. And asking Sterling to carry the attack more or less alone is ‘courageous’. Okay, Messi is only short but he’s not exactly a target man.
i wonder if lucas could play centre back .
Couldn’t do any worse than Lovren.
Forewarning: pissed as a fart and fuming…
1 point out of 6 from Arsenal and United when we were much the better team in both games; Everton got exactly the same from the same fixtures so far this season with similar performances, just for reference. Have said this season feels like the spit of 11/12 a couple of months ago but being ‘unlucky’ with no saves being made and the opposite of whatever clinical finishing is when we’re massively on top wasn’t acceptable when Kenny Motherfucking Dalglish was in the dugout so forgive me for not celebrating an equaliser like we’ve just won the league like everyone else. Reminded me of the game Suarez bit Ivanovic and then scored an equaliser which meant absolutely shite all and everyone went loopy regardless because Benitez was in their dugout.
Well in Skrtel for scoring the free header but it’s the winner if you jump for fucking Debuchy scoring off the thirds. Dominating for 45, getting the break through then conceding a horseshit goal immediately after is the most Liverpool thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life (see also Arsenal at home under Kenny when Van Persie bagged both sniffs at goal he got – not unlike against United last week which is still doing my head in over a week on).
People will be all ‘Sanchez didn’t score or do much so Sky’s build-up was bollocks’ all the while forgetting Suarez didn’t score in the same fixture last season when we took them to the cleaners. When Ramsey isn’t on the pitch they’re 10 shitheads and Sanchez just like United are fucking garbage up until the point they put all their chances away while we don’t and then it somehow magically reads 3-0 at the end. Weird how ‘lucky’ everyone was saying we were over winning penalties and scoring set pieces last season compared to now isn’t it.
And I know we were good on the day by the way, before you reply about how I’m talking shite for highlighting the negatives and being pessimistic.
This little political Brad Jones experiment reeks of political transfer posturing which makes me want to volley someone up in the air as well (quite possibly Brendan god love him as much as I’m a fan). Hanging that kid out to dry who hasn’t been seen since at Stamford Bridge this time last year didn’t mean much at the time either up until the point where you add the tallies up at season’s end and we miss out on the title by the odd point. If Arsenal/United just pip us to 4th in May we can point to these games against them with Jones never looking like making saves and know where the tiniest of margins fell in their favour (Hodgson initially injuring Sturridge feels more and more cataclysmic by the month but that’s something out of Rodgers’s control).
Christ… Stop overusing ‘political’, you weirdo.
Just thought on about how Markovic’s 1st half chances would have been buried if we’d have pushed the boat out for an Alexis Sanchez-type lizard, as well. If we could have just made it over the line in May everyone would still be out on the piss celebrating and none of this season would fucking matter.
I didn’t see the game, listened to the BBC commentary (Green and Lawrenson). One comment that resonated was that we pass the ball back to both Jones and Mignolet ‘…as if they were Reina who can play with his feet.’ I Lnow Pepe had a poor season but at his worst he’s a better keeper than the two of them combined. I can’t pretend to know what the issue was with Reina and Rodgers but I thought we’d be champions last season if we’d kept him, and we off-loaded him out of spite.
Has Jones ever actually made a save, by the way?