Messages

Personally I always switch over to RTE for analysis but I found them to be completely OTT and ridiculous in their analysis of the match last night. When the draw was made Liverpool were completely written off by virtually everyone and yet when they still manage to knock out Barcelona they get slated to high heaven.

At half-time they were effusive with their praise. Liverpool could easily have been 3 up as they constantly attacked Barcelona. However when you're playing a team like Barcelona they are always going to get a period of 15 to 20 minutes in a game when they are just going to knock the ball around and make you chase after it and that's what happened in the second half. Despite this they only created their goal and Ronaldinho's effort that hit the post in the entire game. The goal being a c**k up by Arebola who didn't step up and played Gudjonsen onside. All the while Liverpool were still forcing the Barcelona keeper to make saves so it wasn't like Liverpool were sitting back at the edge of their box.

Then we get Brady at the end seemingly nearly in tears that Barcelona were knocked out. Giles in a huff too and Dunphy going ballistic slating Gerrard (who I thought played pretty well), Benitez and the whole team in general. The only thing I could agree with them was that Bellamy shouldn't have been taken off with 10 mins to go. At one point Dunphy goes "that's it, I've made my mind up about Benitez" and sure you know he'll probably be his biggest fan again in a couple of weeks.

He slags off off Benitez but nothing said about Rikjaards clueless performance over both legs? In fact, they analyse one half at a time. At the end, the entire tie (both legs) was condensed into the second half of the second leg in their eyes.

Great entertainment but a couple of wind up merchants.

Great to be through.

Should have been 2 or 3 up at half-time. We really need to start taking our chances and a top striker in the Summer.

We were comfortable in the second half until Arebola played Gudjonsen onside. Was always going to be nervy after that.

Dunphy now going through us for a shortcut. Considering we were written off completely when the draw was made I think he's got some neck.

The Rafatola is being paraded up to Anfield.

Well on the plus side the full-forward line look very sharp. Cloonan is as fit and lean as he's been in donkeys years and there is plenty of pace and trickery with the two in the corner.

The half-forward line mix isn't right yet though. I'd say the only certain starter in that line will be Alan Kerins with the other two spots up for grabs. Mark Kerins will probably eventually grab the centre forward berth with the other wing-forward spot being up in the air between Tannian, Murray, F Healy, N Healy and Farragher etc. The right combination still has to be found at midfield though. Nobody is staking a real claim for the midfield spots yet. Tierney has been out of sorts and it's debatable whether Eoin Lynch is the right man there.

In the half-backs John Lee had a good game at centre-back on Ollie Moran. Collins is assured of his place. Forde doesn't really convince me to be honest. I'd nearly prefer Hardiman there. If he could tighten up his marking a bit he'd be fine as he generally hurls a huge amount of ball.

Joyce is nailed on for one corner in the last line. Kavanagh is doing well so far at full-back so it looks like the number 3 jersey will be between him and D Cloonan. Tony Og is filling in in the other corner but I don't see him as a championship corner-back. He wouldn't have the stickiness and might be turned to easily there for my liking. That position looks to be between F Moore or Kennedy.

Ryan seems to be going alright in goals but hasn't really been tested yet.

We'll have cricket at Croker yet.

Come on youuuuuu boyzzzzzz in Greeeeeeeeeeen!

it may be the case that Old Trafford holds United fans from far flung places but their away fans are mostly from Manchester!

yes, it was wrong that this happened (if it did) but GBB (and whoever firstly made up the story) was simply trying to dampen down the spirits of Uniteds win by coming out with it on here.

i mean, f**k sake- who in their right mind would be at it? for fear of being caught if nothing else!

I doubt the story is fabricated. There things happen when the two sides meet unfortunately. It was on some of the Liverpool forums since yesterday morning and no doubt next time at Old Trafford the Liverpool fans will probably destroy the toilets or something equally stupid.

You could get away with it up at Anfield though. Most of the houses behind and to the side the Anfield Road end (where the away fans sit and the Hillsborough memorial is) are derelict. There isn't many people around there even in the middle of the day let alone in the middle of the night.

Anyway don't want to keep banging on about it.

yes, United fans would have been down the night before- of course. The journey is about 45mins down the road but they'd have felt the need to make a night of it!! dont be ridiculous.

making these accusations (if it wasnt you it was some other browned off Liverpool fan) is merely trying to piss on our parade!

Well maybe it was Everton fans (although highly unlikely as they don't bang on about Hillsborough as some of them had relatives who died there).

I do believe it was already condemned on RedCafe already.

Maybe it was just Liverpool fans who did it themselves?

Who knows?

Unfortunately the nasty element that follow both clubs tend to surface at this fixture every year.

Apparently the Hillsborough memorial was defaced according to some of the Liverpool websites. "Murderers. Hillsborough, it should have been more" was spray painted on in the middle of the Friday night but cleaned early Saturday morning before the crowds arrived.

All clubs have the scum element. Please don't start all this again

I'm not starting anything. I just thought it was a bit sad in this day and age especially so close to the Lille incident. I'm under no illusion that most clubs have a sc**bag element following them. Including ourselves.

What were United fans doing in Liverpool on Friday night?

I presume like any set of fans some will come down the day before to make a night of it.

Apparently the Hillsborough memorial was defaced according to some of the Liverpool websites. "Murderers. Hillsborough, it should have been more" was spray painted on in the middle of the Friday night but cleaned early Saturday morning before the crowds arrived.

I would have thought that after the events in Lille that the penny might have finally dropped.

I remember Liam Fay used to write great stuff in Hot Press years ago.

His book on religion in Ireland was funny as f**k.

His television reviews were very good too. Haven't read his stuff in a while though.

Talk about being mugged. As soon as the free-kick was given I thought they'd pox a winner from it.

Should have won but didn't. Only ourselves to blame. We really need a reliable striker up front to take these chances. Eto'o would be great in the Summer.

I hope he plays our strongest team. He rested a fair few last weekend against Sheff Utd. They should be able to hack playing 2 games at home in 4 days especially as the team has been rotated most of the season.

That said I think he'll leave one or two regulars on the bench.

I want the win though. Haven't beaten these f**kers at home in the league since 2001.

If we play our strongest team I think we might edge it. If not it'll probably be a score draw. maybe 1-1.

I thought we were all moving on ? I thought we were mature and confident of our place in the world ? One journalist uses an ill advised term and we are outraged by it . What happened to our new found maturity ? Plenty of things have gone on over the course of the last 30 yrs on both sides that people could really be outraged about but it seems we have move on .
Don't like the term myself and would never use it , right up there with L/Derry and Northern Ireland .

Don't think anyone's ouraged by it. They just find it a bit cringeworthy in this day and age.

That amazes me! I hadn't realised there was such ready acceptance of it - especially among the GAA community. Do you not see it as patronising, big-brotherly, condescending, etc.?

It must be a generation thing - people who have grown up with it accept it. Those of us who witnessed its introduction are almost outraged by it - it feels like throwing in the towel on the whole history of our relationship with Britain, which has seen us insisting that we're equal entities.

Just to throw my tuppence worth in. Everybody I know (prod/taig/unionist/nationalist/whatever) would use the term mainland in everyday speech (not that it would come up that often), in the same way that everybody would use Derry (even the ones who would use Londonderry in a more 'formal' setting). I don't think it's anything to do with political affiliations or big brother syndrome, it's just shothand for the next lump of rock along from us. Most English people talk about the mainland when they mean continental Europe and I'm fairly sure they don't feel any sort of great inferiority complex.

It may be common in the north but certainly not in the south. It doesn't bother me unduly but it is a tad ignorant.

If he was reporting from Paris he'd hardly refer to Britain as the mainland. That said I presume it was just a slip of the tongue.