Liverpool Thread 2012/13

[cyclonus1010]

Carroll smashed in a freekick today

Not exactly smashed and wouldn't have gone in without a deflection. But the goal was given to him, cant argue with that

[CaptainPlanet]

Lucas looked very slow today.

[Divinity]

Yup, but I can't help but think someone else in that role would still be a lot worse. An injury-free pre-season would do him a world of good.

[Tony7]

yeah, nice one lads! wait til the last 5 minutes to inject a bit of tempo into the game

Exactly. If you play like that for 90 minutes even 60 minutes you eventually score look at united and arsenal but we play slow tempo until near the end and then its too little too late.

[Readingfanman]

eing at the match today was embarrassing

The behavior of some of our 'fans' today was awful. I was ashamed of some of them. They should be ashamed of themselves with the things they did. We won no friends there today and considering the very warm reception we received, the immaculately observed minutes silence, the joining in of some of the Reading crowd to 'Justice, for the 96, Justice, for the 96...', the signs they held up in support and the welcome signs with JFT96 on them at our entrance, it is no surprise that by the end of the game having watched how about a third of the fans behaved that the Reading crowd were hurling abuse, cans, and singing 'Always the victim, it's never your fault.' After all the good will by the end they hated us.

When questioned on it:

It started before the game outside the stadium with extremely loud bangers, not like firework bangers but 'see the flash' bangers. Then as soon as they got into the stadium they started letting off the same bangers in the crowd, then they let of the loud smoke bombs, kids were crying and frightened, frankly they sounded extremely loud, we were about 18 rows or so behind them and it was deafening so it must have been awful for the little kids there. These went off along with smoke bombs for almost the entire first half. Then as the crowd in the lower block next to the pitch got pretty much out of control doing the conga - and dragging people along who clearly didn't want to be a part of it - the stewards and police got involved and had to form a line around the fans to 'calm them down'. The ring leaders were clearly warned and they seemed to calm down until half time when people ran scared from the tunnel as the fans threw bins, beer and food all over the place. Then they were refused entry back into the stadium until they got rid of the extra beer they had and had calmed a little again.

They spent most of the game trying to wind up the opposing fans, chanting about Maggie Thatcher and eff the Tories and Southerners. They were not the usual crowd I see at away matches, they were not interested in football, they were there to cause issues and if it weren't for excellent stewards and policing then there would likely be two stories in the newspapers tonight.

The chanting got angry and nasty and families that had clearly traveled a distance (including the Scouse family in front of us, left before half time for fear it would get much worse. They were so disappointed and the dad was incandescent with rage at the behaviour now affecting his family.

Certainly the feelings from the section I was in. A definite pocket of your fans did nothing to endear themselves to me, or a lot of other Reading fans yesterday.

[Tony7]

I didn't go to the game but one of the guys from the coach put this on his Facebook, dont know if he recorded it or found it on you tube. Mothers of the victims said they dont like or hate Margret Thatcher after the news broke out she died yet people who were not even born during her reign think it's ok to behave in such a manner.

[jep]

Where is that quote from Readingfanman?

I know that this season there has been an element within the away support who have started letting off smoke bombs and generally trying to create an atmosphere within the away section, but I think it seems some of our fans decided to literally "have a party" because of Thatchers death and its got out of hand.

[Readingfanman]

Where is that quote from Readingfanman?

I know that this season there has been an element within the away support who have started letting off smoke bombs and generally trying to create an atmosphere within the away section, but I think it seems some of our fans decided to literally "have a party" because of Thatchers death and its got out of hand.

http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/threads/reading-fc-v-liverpool-fc-epl-apr-13-r.1985546/page-4

I wasn't all that bothered by the chanting etc myself, fully expected it, but to want people to respect their own tragedies, they have to be able to show respect for others. The irony of the reported/alleged (Can only say from what I heard at the game), that the turnstiles were surged before KO due to people not wanting to be searched/the conga crush towards the front of the stand was definetly there, perhaps not realised or appreciated by some of the Liverpool fans though.

Edit - The turnstile "surge" I didn't see with my own eyes fwiw, only heard it second hand, however when I walked past at about 2-50, the police/stewards were holding everyone back and weren't letting any away fans in. Not sure exactly to the reason, but certainly there must have been some who missed the start of the game because of it.

[Gizzy]

Your front three is going to be really special next season.

Will have to wait and see who they replace Suarez with first. A Liverpool proclaimed world class player doesn't want to be drawing 0-0 with relegation fodder.

[Select_screen_name:]

Flares, smokebombs and flashbangs are brilliant.

[wlater]

Flares, smokebombs and flashbangs are brilliant.

If you're 12

[SCIAG]

The flares and smoke bombs did look really good tbf, but the bangers didn't add anything.

The group of fans who started doing the conga, then surged towards the front and overfilled the first couple of rows seemed to be the main culprits.

[Readingfanman]

If you're 12

I agree, the flares and smokebombs were great. No idea what the point behind the flashbangs were whatsoever.

[Select_screen_name:]

Was part of the party for dead Maggie.

[jim82]

Lucas looked very slow today.

He's looked fairly immobile since he's come back, Carragher would probably do a similar job in that position!

As for the party, i'm sure it'll be a one off, and had i gone to that game i would have expected it. Bangers are taking it too far though! I hate those things. Doesn't surprise me that football fans these days don't like this though.

Reading fans singing the "always the victim" song wasn't really the best either.

[SRL88]

Lucas looked very slow today.

He's looked fairly immobile since he's come back, Carragher would probably do a similar job in that position!

I've said that a few times this season. I don't mean just his general pace at moving around the pitch, but I mean his mental speed like how quickly he is responding to passing a ball when being closed down.

[jim82]

I've said that a few times this season. I don't mean just his general pace at moving around the pitch, but I mean his mental speed like how quickly he is responding to passing a ball when being closed down.

Yeah, next season will be a big one for him. If he trains well in pre-season and gets off to a good injury free start he could still be an important player for us.

I'd expect us to sign at least one more player who can play in his position, as it's something we've needed for a while now.

[SRL88]

Diame for £3.5m .

[VamPook]

http://www.facebook.com/WayneRooney/posts/534064909985815

[VamPook]

[video=youtube;5ZrVfMRyoE0]

Goosebumps.

[DeafParrot]

If we weren't so **** in our last two games we'd be 6 points off third

[stevie_G_32201]

If we weren't so **** in our last two games we'd be 6 points off third

If we hadn't been so crap from the start of the season we could of been third already, no use looking at what we have done so far this season as bad but should instead look to what we can do for the rest of the season to improve on our current position.

[Divinity]

Seriously? We've descended into the realms of criticising our start to the season now, with all the factors involved?

[jep]

Seriously? We've descended into the realms of criticising our start to the season now, with all the factors involved?

What factors?

[Razzler]

That documentary, for starters

[jim82]

What factors?

The inability to sign a striker was a big factor.

But as Ian Ayre said in a recent interview "The way we operate and manage the business is fantastic", so it was obviously intentional to loan out Carroll and not get a replacement.

Full interview here. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130416/liverpool-ian-ayre/

[martplfc1]

How does Ian Ayre not just work in Asda?? He seems truly terrible to me!

(Ps all due respect to anybody who works in Asda, as I once did:))

[bell]

He nearly ran Huddersfield into the ground once. Could be worse, he could be Christian Purslow.

I miss Martin Broughton. Now there was a fella who seemed to have some kind of clue about running a business.

[Divinity]

What factors?

A tougher set of fixtures than any other club, a brand new manager to boot, and a team which was largely unchanged, adjusting to a completely different style of play.

Is that a serious question?

[jep]

A tougher set of fixtures than any other club, a brand new manager to boot, and a team which was largely unchanged, adjusting to a completely different style of play.

Is that a serious question?

So the same things that are attributable to Swansea, Spurs, West Brom, Aston Villa and Norwich in pre-season, as well as Chelsea, Sunderland, Southampton and QPR who changed during the season.

We don't have the monopoly on the "oh its all change here so we must give the new manager time" because half the league went through the same thing as us, however most of them didn't have 40mill net spend invested into their squad through the season. How long does it take for these tactical changes to bed into the side? 6 weeks, 6 months or a season maybe? Our start was slow I agree, but after 15 games of the season we were 2 points off Arsenal in mid-table and now they are flying in 3rd place so they managed to recover from a slow start far better than we did.

[bell]

They've only picked 8 extra points than us, so it's not as if they have going rampaging off on a title challenge.

[jep]

They've only picked 8 extra points than us, so it's not as if they have going rampaging off on a title challenge.

They are sat at the top table though ready to gain CL footy whilst we are just about out of the running for a europa league spot.

[Rafalution]

They've only picked 8 extra points than us, so it's not as if they have going rampaging off on a title challenge.

only 8 pts? only? as for title challenge, they've not been able to make up for early losses, but their form in the 2nd half of the season has been title challenge-esque

[CaptainPlanet]

[video=youtube;So6xFti0taQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So6xFti0taQ

[foofighter23]

our problems are solved lads! bring back carroll as a CB next season and we'll be golden

[stevie_G_32201]

Better idea is to make the goals a few inches higher and wider. then we win

[Emersonlfc]

If we weren't so **** in our last two games we'd be 6 points off third

Frustrating when you look at the table.

[Divinity]

So the same things that are attributable to Swansea, Spurs, West Brom, Aston Villa and Norwich in pre-season, as well as Chelsea, Sunderland, Southampton and QPR who changed during the season.

We don't have the monopoly on the "oh its all change here so we must give the new manager time" because half the league went through the same thing as us, however most of them didn't have 40mill net spend invested into their squad through the season. How long does it take for these tactical changes to bed into the side? 6 weeks, 6 months or a season maybe? Our start was slow I agree, but after 15 games of the season we were 2 points off Arsenal in mid-table and now they are flying in 3rd place so they managed to recover from a slow start far better than we did.

Did you seriously just compare us to a club who have had stability in management for over a decade and whose manager hand picked every single player in his squad, and suggest we should have kept pace with them? Every single other club you mentioned have done worse than us with the exception of Spurs and Chelsea, who both finished top four last season, and you're claiming that somehow we've not done reasonably for what is undoubtedly a year in which we're rebuilding the squad? I know you hitched your pole to the "Rodgers is crap, Yanks out" etc bandwagon at the start of the season, but what you've written there is essentially just trash.

[jep]

Did you seriously just compare us to a club who have had stability in management for over a decade and whose manager hand picked every single player in his squad, and suggest we should have kept pace with them? Every single other club you mentioned have done worse than us with the exception of Spurs and Chelsea, who both finished top four last season, and you're claiming that somehow we've not done reasonably for what is undoubtedly a year in which we're rebuilding the squad? I know you hitched your pole to the "Rodgers is crap, Yanks out" etc bandwagon at the start of the season, but what you've written there is essentially just trash.

I don't know where you got the Yanks out bit from but I do have reservations over whether Rodgers is good enough to manage us, and so far I see no reason to change that opinion. Just because I am not trying to look at any possibility of making an excuse for what has essentially been a below average season for us (and thats putting it mildly) doesn't mean my post was "trash". I was pointing out the fact that all of your excuses for us not doing so well this season could also be used by other clubs who have gone through exactly the same situation as us, however they haven't had the same resources as Rodgers has had at his disposal.

I am sure you will find more excuses though so keep digging.

[Falahk]

Did you seriously just compare us to a club who have had stability in management for over a decade and whose manager hand picked every single player in his squad, and suggest we should have kept pace with them? Every single other club you mentioned have done worse than us with the exception of Spurs and Chelsea, who both finished top four last season, and you're claiming that somehow we've not done reasonably for what is undoubtedly a year in which we're rebuilding the squad? I know you hitched your pole to the "Rodgers is crap, Yanks out" etc bandwagon at the start of the season, but what you've written there is essentially just trash.

memory blackout?

have a look at the league table:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_Premier_League

[Divinity]

For all intents and purposes I'd suggest a Champions League win is decent enough to qualify them as being just a little ahead of us.

[Divinity]

I don't know where you got the Yanks out bit from but I do have reservations over whether Rodgers is good enough to manage us, and so far I see no reason to change that opinion. Just because I am not trying to look at any possibility of making an excuse for what has essentially been a below average season for us (and thats putting it mildly) doesn't mean my post was "trash". I was pointing out the fact that all of your excuses for us not doing so well this season could also be used by other clubs who have gone through exactly the same situation as us, however they haven't had the same resources as Rodgers has had at his disposal.

I am sure you will find more excuses though so keep digging.

It hasn't been below average by any stretch. Again, every single club you pointed to, with the exception of two, had had worse seasons. The two who didn't were able to recruit better than us, or had playing squads of already significantly better stature than ours. I'm really baffled as to what you expected from an 8th placed finish last season if this is below average. The problems we've had have been largely inherited, not created, and saying anything differently is utterly ridiculous. The depth in the squad was not good enough, the quality was not good enough, and revisionism of that is utterly absurd. The team has improved. What more did you want?

[Falahk]

I don't know where you got the Yanks out bit from but I do have reservations over whether Rodgers is good enough to manage us, and so far I see no reason to change that opinion. Just because I am not trying to look at any possibility of making an excuse for what has essentially been a below average season for us (and thats putting it mildly) doesn't mean my post was "trash". I was pointing out the fact that all of your excuses for us not doing so well this season could also be used by other clubs who have gone through exactly the same situation as us, however they haven't had the same resources as Rodgers has had at his disposal.

I am sure you will find more excuses though so keep digging.

it was obvious from the very start, before he had even been in charge of any competitive games, that Rodgers did not have the experience and knowledge needed to be an instant success or a miracle worker

if he gets enough time it will turn out just fine (and with enough time I mean 2-3 seasons of threading water before making any notable progress in terms of results), if not it will be just an other wasted year

[Dan_rm]

Did you seriously just compare us to a club who have had stability in management for over a decade and whose manager hand picked every single player in his squad, and suggest we should have kept pace with them? Every single other club you mentioned have done worse than us with the exception of Spurs and Chelsea, who both finished top four last season, and you're claiming that somehow we've not done reasonably for what is undoubtedly a year in which we're rebuilding the squad? I know you hitched your pole to the "Rodgers is crap, Yanks out" etc bandwagon at the start of the season, but what you've written there is essentially just trash.

Swansea and West Brom have had considerably better seasons then Liverpool.

[foofighter23]

thats not without merit^.

you could still argue rodgers has underachieved with the set of players he's had at his disposal and £45m of his own to spend. he doesnt have to have been a miracle worker to get better results than he has done, just been a better manager.

we've got to at least give him another full season though before we can start judging if he's the right man for us.

[jim82]

It's been an average season. Any season where Liverpool don't qualify for European competition or win a trophy should be seen as a bad season.

But in this case you can kind of let them off because it's a rebuilding process under Rodgers and you can see where it's going. The problem is it's taken the club this long to find any sense of direction since Benitez left and Hicks and Gillet did their best to destroy the club.

Another problem is that it's difficult to stomach a rebuilding season when the ticket prices are as high as they ever were during our regular Champions League days, if not higher.

[Divinity]

Swansea and West Brom have had considerably better seasons then Liverpool.

Last time I checked the league table they hadn't. Or is there some sort of arbitrary value we're placing now on expected position?

The reality is there were (and still are) a hell of a lot of players in this squad who aren't remotely good enough or are incapable of playing in this system. Let's actually wait a bit more than 9 months before jumping to idiotic judgements over whether a manager is good enough?

[Divinity]

Worth mentioning. http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/309175-Liverpool-Thread-2012-13/page22

Vast majority in here predicted 5th or 6th placed finish. I'm still baffled how achieving 6th is therefore under-performing. An improvement of two positions, and the same next season gets us precisely where we wanted to be. Anyone who expected Champions League this season is really in fantasy land.

[foofighter23]

yes but currently we're 7th, 6 points off 6th with 5 games to go. if everton win 2 more games then we'll have to win 4 and draw 1 just to maybe get 6th assuming everton lose the other 3.

[Divinity]

We're yet to play Everton and Everton have also to visit Chelsea on the last day of the season, who will no doubt be playing for a top 4 spot on the day. That six points is certainly achievable.