The OFFICIAL Liverpool Supporters thread

[brokencrossbar1]

Lads, I am a big Rafa fan, but I am seriously doubting some of his judgement calls.  From a position where Liverpool were clear leaders they have dropped silly points to leave it that United can leap frog them over the next few matches if they win their games in hand.  They needed t put the pressure on Stoke and that was not going to happen with a willing, but limited Kuyt.  The simple fact is that against the likes of theses teams you need to attack as they will not pressurise your defence the way other teams will. 2 lost points and a media attack which could have been done slightly better in my view, and the future is not as rosey as it was.

[full back]

Yes fullback, but every team, including United has done it. Stoke nearly took points off United too - the difference is probably that United got the points and that is why there is still a gap wbetween the two.

No corn, the difference is that Fergie went all out to win the game, unlike Rafa

Could you imagine Utd starting say Berbatov up front by himself. He puts Rooney on when the score is still 0-0 with Tevez still on the bench. The game finishes 0-0 against Stoke with a £20 million striker (Tevez) still on the bench as well.
No chance, Fergie would empty the bench to get a result

[corn02]

Yes fullback, but every team, including United has done it. Stoke nearly took points off United too - the difference is probably that United got the points and that is why there is still a gap wbetween the two.

No corn, the difference is that Fergie went all out to win the game, unlike Rafa

Could you imagine Utd starting say Berbatov up front by himself. He puts Rooney on when the score is still 0-0 with Tevez still on the bench. The game finishes 0-0 against Stoke with a £20 million striker (Tevez) still on the bench as well.
No chance, Fergie would empty the bench to get a result

Good point.

[The Real Laoislad]

Yes fullback, but every team, including United has done it. Stoke nearly took points off United too - the difference is probably that United got the points and that is why there is still a gap wbetween the two.

No corn, the difference is that Fergie went all out to win the game, unlike Rafa

Could you imagine Utd starting say Berbatov up front by himself. He puts Rooney on when the score is still 0-0 with Tevez still on the bench. The game finishes 0-0 against Stoke with a £20 million striker (Tevez) still on the bench as well.
No chance, Fergie would empty the bench to get a result

Exactly full back,Saying things like Keane was shite against Preston so don't bother bringing him on like some have said here is ridiculous,the man has scored goals his whole career he hasn't become a bad player overnight ffs,but he's not going to get the goals warming the bench.
Rafa should have went for broke with 20mins to go yesterday
A blind man could see the formation wasn't working,bringing on a half fit Torres to wander around up front on his own was never going to get them the 3 points,Rafa seemed happy with the single point which to be honest concerns me a little

[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.

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?

You're not comparing like with like. Mascherano practically asked begged the referee to send him off.

[Minder]

Seanie do you not think continually telling the ref to "f*ck off" is a sending off ?

[The Real Laoislad]

Seanie do you not think continually telling the ref to "f*ck off" is a sending off ?

Not when the player is a  Man U player,its alright then..
Hypocrisy at its best 

[Goats Do Shave]

Agreed on that, he called it wrong on substitutes, but I had no problem with his first 11.

You would have started with Lucas?

[Minder]

Agreed on that, he called it wrong on substitutes, but I had no problem with his first 11.

You would have started with Lucas?

Lucas had been playing reasonably well and was very good against Newcastle but he was pathetic on Saturday.........You can only pick a team on previous form.

[The Real Laoislad]

Agreed on that, he called it wrong on substitutes, but I had no problem with his first 11.

You would have started with Lucas?

Lucas had been playing reasonably well and was very good against Newcastle but he was pathetic on Saturday.........You can only pick a team on previous form.

That's not how Rafa works though..

[WaterBoy]

I dont know how any one here could agree with the line up that started on Saturday.  One vital thing you must do against any so call 'lesser' team is score early on and that is fact in my opinion.  Its the same with any sport whether be rugby, boxing, tennis, f**king cricket, whatever, if you are favourite you go for the underdogs throat right from the start.  This immediately puts them on the back foot and doubts begin to creep into the opposition.  My fear watching the game on Saturday was that the longer it went on the more likely it seemed that Stoke could nick a goal out of something and then the pressure mounts on Liverpool.  The longer you leave an underdog in with a chance the more dangerous they become as they start to believe 'hey, we can actually beat these boys'.  It is for this reason that he should have started with a out and out striker up front and with a gameplan to attack Stoke heavily from the start.  The Stoke defence was never under any serious pressure and dealt with everything so comfortably.  Yes Stoke played well and worked hard but Liverpool created squat.  Stoke also worked hard and played well against United but they still grinded out a 1-0 victory which is what Liverpool need to start doing against lower league opposition.

Im confused now, is it a fact or is it your opinion?

[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?

You're not comparing like with like. Mascherano practically asked begged the referee to send him off.

Ach Seanie come off it, eh abused the ref and was sent off, Rooney continually does it and gets away with it.

Remember against Stoke, United had only 10 men. But still the emptying the bench point is taken. I am a big Rafa fan but he does have a conservative side, which inevitable will cost us points, but might save us points too. Disappointing to be a wee bit too conservative.

[The Real Laoislad]

Dire performance yesterday. Forget about the platitudes towards plucky Stoke and their hard work ethic etc etc. A team sitting at the top of the league with Liverpool's resources and ambitions should be beating the likes of Stoke, end of. The result was nearly a forgone conclusion before the first whistle was blew given Liverpool's line up for the game. That was the same formation and line up more or less as at the drawn game against Hull a couple of weeks back, with the same sort of huff and puff, toothless performance. Plain as day yesterday what way the game was heading, after the first 20 mins.  Very frustrating that the formation and personnel weren't changed at half time.  Just weren't able to get enough bodies into the box.  I wouldn't fancy Liverpool to win games against anyone with Kuyt up front on his own. Well done to Stoke for closing Gerard down. Ever since the Newcastle game i've been expecting teams to put a man marker on him.  It's really amazing that Liverpool have been able to top the table with players like Benayoun and Lucas about the place. How bad was Lucas? The likes of Babel coming on and running down cul de sacs doesn't inspire much either.

As for Lucas, terrible performance, but was Mascherano much better? Alonso was the big loss yesterday.

Well said I would agree with all of that,though some here think making a subsitution or changing the formation wasn't going to make any difference 

Laoislad, just interested when you asked how Kuyt stayed on the field? What exaxtly did he do that was so bad, he was living off scraps and done ok with what he got and forced the keeper into a good save. Often he was on his own in the box against three big men when the ball was being lumped to him, we saw it from Torres too - if you dont have the support from Gerrard etc, it is a near impossible job.

Sorry corn just seen this now..
Fair enough I was a little harsh with saying Kuyt should have been taken off,in fairness he didn't do anything wrong,I wasn't in the best of moods at the time after watching the Liverpool game,so I was just having a rant 
Really what I meant was he was so ineffective where he was playing would it not have been better to either take him off along with Lucas and bring on Keane and Torres or put him back on the wing and take of Lucas and Benayoun and bring on Keane Torres..
To bring on Torres who is only half fit and keep the same formation was as odd a decision as I have seen from Rafa IMHO,to be honest Stevie G could have been and probably should have been subbed yesterday,remember what happened when he took Gerrard off against Everton last year!

[corn02]

I was like a bull myself. Yeah good points. The Mirror report said everyone was poor - Stevie G aside. He was very poor for once, but I suppose he still hit the woodwork twice.

Derby will be interesting now.

[The Real Laoislad]

Anyone who has Setanta Ireland the Top 10 Liverpool mersyside derby wins is on now