The OFFICIAL Liverpool Supporters thread

[Minder]

To play 2 holding midfielders v Stoke is scandelous, especially as he played no strikers!

Rafa for the chop!

Scousers don't enjoy squeaky bum time!

How do you know?

[corn02]

Its funny how Ferguson can say what he likes about any club, but any other manager says anything about United and its analysed in the media to the nth degree.

Rafa's comments were dead right and had zero bearing on either game.

I could somewhat understand Rafa's team selection bearing in mind a similar team/formation did so well against Newcastle. But when it clearly wasnt working how he didnt change it (particularly the midfield two, with Mascho being mediocre and Lucas being appalling) is beyond my comprehension. I hope it wasnt down to stubborness. Rafa's refusal to say it was 2 points dropped is absolutely the wrong mindset. Its filtering down to the players that drawing with Stoke is acceptable. Rafa's post match comments are cringeworthy in my opinion:

"It's not easy to find the space and to create many opportunities, so we have to be pleased we have one more point, we are still at the top of the table and in a great position."

Were they? Do you think referees favour Manchester United? Do you think Mr Bennett was wrong to send off Mascherano last season as was implied? I don't remember the handball incident against Wigan but Benitez clearly questioned Bennett's partiality yet he said Ferguson is the only one who can talk about fixtures and referees without being punished! As for the "zonal marking" comment well Sky's camera's showed that up yesterday too. The one about Fergie doing up the fixtures himself was real toys out of the pram stuff. His words were contradictory and just what he was trying to achieve I do not know. I agree that they had minimal if any effect on the outcome of either of the games. This "mind games" stuff is invented by the media to try and portray that they actually have a part in proceeding as opposed the the truth that they are mere observers.

So in that case you would agree the Fergies comments that the fixture list was "bollocks" was 100% rong too? You will also admit that Rooney should have had about five or six red cards this year if Mascherano was rightly sent off that time?

[full back]

To play 2 holding midfielders v Stoke is scandelous, especially as he played no strikers!

Rafa for the chop!

Scousers don't enjoy squeaky bum time!

How do you know?

Yeah, how do you know?
They have never been close enough come the business end of the season

[Goats Do Shave]

Well they were sh!t on Saturday again... pressure telling!

[Minder]

Well they were sh!t on Saturday again... pressure telling!

They were s*it because they were s*it, i think you are putting too much into the "pressure" angle, especially in January. The majority of the players are all experienced internationals, its not as if it is a crowd of 19 year olds.

[full back]

Well they were sh!t on Saturday again... pressure telling!

They were s*it because they were s*it, i think you are putting too much into the "pressure" angle, especially in January. The majority of the players are all experienced internationals, its not as if it is a crowd of 19 year olds.

Yes they were sh1te, but you could see from Carragher's appearance on SS yesterday how desperate they are to win the title.
He acknowledges that time is running out to win the PL. Regardless of if you are 19 or an experienced international, this will bring additional pressure

[Goats Do Shave]

I'm only winding! Feck sakes!

By the way I though Carragher was a good guest on the skysports panel yesterday.

[Abble]

I'm only winding! Feck sakes!

defo alex in disguise

[ONeill]

From Eurosport:

FICTION 1: "Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs away on Saturdays when United were playing on Sundays. And we didn't say anything."

FACT 1: Rafael Benitez, September 2007: "We will be talking to the Premier League about this because it is not fair. I don't know if it is possible to change these fixtures in the New Year, but I hope so because, in the last few years, we have played more games on a Saturday than anyone and more away games than anyone. There are too many early kick-offs and I am not pleased about the situation at all."

FICTION 2: "You can see every single week how they put (referees) under pressure, we know this. We have seen it before. We have seen players sent off at Old Trafford and we do not see our opponents sent off."

FACT 2: Opposition players sent off at Old Trafford in the league this season - none. Stoke's Andy Wilkinson is the only player to be sent off against United in the Premier League this season. Opposition players sent off against Liverpool this season - five, including Nemanja Vidic of Manchester United.

FICTION 3: "Now he is complaining about everything, that everybody is against United. But the second half of the season will see them playing at home against all the teams at the top of the table, it is a fantastic advantage."

FACT 3: Last time ED checked everyone had to play everyone else twice - surely the order in which you play your games is irrelevant. And it's not like United covered themselves in glory in their away games against the top four - one point out of nine hardly represents a fantastic advantage.

FICTION 4: "At Christmas, United played on the 29th and the rest of the teams played on the 28th. We were away against Newcastle two days after playing Bolton. They were playing about 40 hours later, they were not complaining then."

FACT 4: United played 31 hours later, but their opponents Middlesbrough also had the benefit of an extra day's rest so it wasn't much help. And Liverpool's game against Newcastle was so one-sided they would have exerted themselves more by staying in and watching Wallace and Gromit. Plus, to be really pedantic, Aston Villa - who are level on points with United - played Hull on Tuesday 30.

FICTION 5: "There are two options if we don't want more problems with fixtures. One is the same as in Spain, the draw for the first part of the league is known, everyone knows which weekend. In the second-half everyone plays the opposite, so you all know."

FACT 5: That wouldn't help at all. You all know your fixtures anyway, and a Spanish system wouldn't stop United playing all of the Big Four at home in the second half of the season.

FICTION 6: "During the Respect campaign - and this is a fact - Mr Ferguson was charged by the FA for improper conduct after comments made about Martin Atkinson and Keith Hackett. He was not punished. He is the only manager in the league that cannot be punished for these things."

FACT 6: Harry Redknapp can also get away with it, having got off scot-free for this pop at Steve Tanner: "He's a poor referee and I've seen him make a mess of so many games. I couldn't even put into words what I thought of his performance. I walked into the referee's room before the game and saw who was refereeing and I knew what was coming. I expected that sort of performance. I've had him before many times and I know what he's like. He's really not good enough."

FICTION 7: "I will be watching United's game with Chelsea. The result does not matter to us, if we win at Stoke that result does not matter."

FACT 7: Sorry, that one was a fact.

[EC Unique]

    Class stuff

[magpie seanie]

Exactly - a "fact" is not a fact just because you say it is.

Corn - did you look at the fixtures United had after Champions League games versus the others? Do you not think it strange that after ALL 6 games United had a tough aways match. Would you not think it strange that United have had to play ALL the other teams that finished in the top half of the Premiership last year in the portion of the season where they also had the European Super Cup and the World Club Championship? I think Ferguson is definitely within his rights to point out how unlucky his side have been at the hands of the fixtures computer. If the fixtures came out the same for Liverpool there's no doubt Benitez would be cribbing.

As for the comment about Rooney - come on Corn! You've lost it if you think that.

[Billys Boots]

The supposed 'facts' in that piece are hardly facts either, are they? 

The genius about Ferguson is that he gets his 'pops' in incidentally - he never calls a press-conference to slag anyone off, he usually uses any opportunity to deflect unwanted attention from United's failings by drawing attention to something irrelevant.  Happily, for him, the combined intelligence of the press-corps are happy to play along.

[corn02]

Exactly - a "fact" is not a fact just because you say it is.

Corn - did you look at the fixtures United had after Champions League games versus the others? Do you not think it strange that after ALL 6 games United had a tough aways match. Would you not think it strange that United have had to play ALL the other teams that finished in the top half of the Premiership last year in the portion of the season where they also had the European Super Cup and the World Club Championship? I think Ferguson is definitely within his rights to point out how unlucky his side have been at the hands of the fixtures computer. If the fixtures came out the same for Liverpool there's no doubt Benitez would be cribbing.

As for the comment about Rooney - come on Corn! You've lost it if you think that.

Liverpool and Uniteds fixture schedule have been similar. Liverpool did not get advantage when they played in it a couple of years back, so why the problem?

Re: Rooney. You said rightly that Mascherano was red carded for abusing the ref. Rooney told the ref to f**k off a couple of times yesterday, as he has done on numerous occassion this season. By your logic he should have walked every time then? I don;t see how that is me losing it?

[BerfArmagh]

Liverpool will not win the premier league for one reason & one reason only, rafa...

The man is a clown, he spent 50 odd million on 2 strikers and they sat on the bench for a crucial away game against a hard to beat stoke. The owners must be wondering why the give him funds to buy players. He seems to be falling into the same trap of trying to keep players fresh for the title run in. Torres needs as much game time as possible to get back to fitness. By the time he does that united will have pulled away. The Stoke game was crucial to apply pressure to united....

+ hes playing silly games with fergie, looks like round 1 to fergie...

[corn02]

Liverpool will not win the premier league for one reason & one reason only, rafa...

The man is a clown, he spent 50 odd million on 2 strikers and they sat on the bench for a crucial away game against a hard to beat stoke. The owners must be wondering why the give him funds to buy players. He seems to be falling into the same trap of trying to keep players fresh for the title run in. Torres needs as much game time as possible to get back to fitness. By the time he does that united will have pulled away. The Stoke game was crucial to apply pressure to united....

+ hes playing silly games with fergie, looks like round 1 to fergie...

Thank f**k your not manager. Amazing the amount of stick a man can get when sitting four points on top of the table.