The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - RIP Diogo

[The Real Laoislad]

Is that not Ian Dowie beside Kuyt?

nope

[ross4life]

Is that not Ian Dowie beside Kuyt?

nope

more like




this one is great

[DennistheMenace]

Rafa walks into church and says "forgive me father for I have sinned"

The priest says "come forth my child"

Rafa says "come forth you cad i'll be lucky if we finish 10th"

[Rafa]

I had to go as far back as page 7 to retrieve this thread!!! Whens the last time thats ever happened?

Anyway, its about time we started coming back down to earth and to some sort of level of normality, been hard to even think about Liverpool these last few days but a crucial game against Man City is less than 24 hours away.

It's always tough after an international break but its possible all the furore surrounding Henry and Ireland may actually work in Liverpools favour. Sky haven't been able to talk about anything else and so as of yet there has been little pressure placed on this game which is undoubtedly as things stand a huge one for Liverpool and Benitez. With very few players involved in any competitive internationals (I can't think of any?) hopefully Benitez will have been quietly planning away over the last 2 weeks and maybe some of the knocks we had might have been shaken off.

I am hopeful we will get a good result tomorrow.

[redhugh]

Good man Rafa!Feeling quite positive about this one.Gerrard hat-trick written all over it

[Rafa]

Just to get to try and get into the mood - this from the Mirror.

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/blogs/laptop-martin-lipton/Why-Mark-Hughes-or-Rafa-Benitez-will-have-replaced-Thierry-Henry-as-public-enemy-no-1-by-Monday-Martin-Lipton-s-Lunchtime-Read-article226517.html


Why Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez will have replaced Thierry Henry as public enemy no 1 by Monday


The world may be all in a spin over Thierry Henry's image-destroying moment in Paris.

But in football, the news cycle doesn't stay still for long and by tomorrow afternoon either Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez is likely to be the target of the apoplectic phone-in callers.

The return of the Premier League from its fortnight hibernation comes with an encounter that would have been expected to be big at the start of the season but has now reached enormous proportions.

For Liverpool, having picked up just four points out of the last 15 and standing on the verge of a Champions League elimination they will be powerless to change if Fiorentina beat already-qualified Lyons, anything other than a win would surely confirm they are now just playing for respectability this season.

But Hughes and his Manchester City side are on the tipping point of a statistical fact that will either enhance his credentials or leave growing question marks.

Win, and City will be "unbeaten in seven" and moving, even if for just a matter of hours, into the top four.

Fail to win, though, and it will be "six without a victory", just five or six points from 18, and seen as a sign of the early season results being no more than a false down.

Hughes returned from his trip to Abu Dhabi bolstered by the promises of continued support from Sheikh Mansour and there is no doubting he appears to be relishing his role as the architect of the re-cast Eastlands blueprint.

Yet for all the claims that City have "over-achieved" already and were never really expecting to be title contenders, anything other than gate-crashing the Big Four's cosy cartel will be viewed as failure after the money he has been empowered to lay out.

City need Emmanuel Adebayor to rediscover his shooting boots - he has not scored since return from his three match ban for stamping on Robin Van Persie - and also for his under-fire back line to start sorting themselves out.

Wayne Bridge and Joleon Lescott, both eviscerated by Alan Hansen after the draw with Burnley, showed signs of the strength of character Hughes expects while on England duty last week but a baying Anfield, imploring Liverpool forward will be a test of their mental resolve as well.

Likewise Shay Given has to demonstrate there were no psychological scares left by Henry's act of larceny, that the keeper can concentrate entirely on the job in hand rather than let his attention drop for the fraction of a second that can make all the difference.

City need a positive result, need to show they are genuine contenders and can go to one of the Big Four and win.

Yet they have only won at Anfield once since Boxing Day 1981, a fag-end of the season victory thanks to Nicolas Anelka's brace in May 2003, and should they conquer the Merseyside peak, then Benitez will again be in the line of fire.

The Liverpool boss is again likely to be hamstrung by the absence of Fernando Torres although Steven Gerrard is likely to start.

Injuries also put question marks over Glen Johnson, Yossi Benayoun, Albert Riera and Fabio Aurelio, so Benitez faces having to send out a patch-up team for a match he really has to ensure brings three points.

With Liverpool already 11 points adrift of Chelsea - who face Wolves in what is surely the banker home win of the weekend - anything less than victory will surely turn those early season title hopes into dust, redefining the final two thirds of the campaign into a scramble to make the Champions League slots for next season.

It is astonishing to think that Liverpool could effectively be out of three competitions before the end of November yet that is the prospect that could confront Benitez by Tuesday night if events out of his control in Tuscany conspire against him.

So far, understandably, the tribal loyalty on Merseyside towards Rafa the Gaffer has remained constant, the victory under extreme duress over Manchester United last month bringing more time for the Spaniard to show he can get it right.

But the draw with Birmingham - overshadowed by the David N'gog cheating row - the Frenchman will be delighted that Henry has emerged to be his nation's new symbol of shame - brought more disgruntlement and the raw nerve-ends will be on display.

Hughes will know that, urging his men to capitalise. But City, too, are under pressure. It will be about which group of players can hold it together best, which manager can keep his head. One of them - and probably both if it ends as a draw - will be in the dog-house.

Move over, Thierry. There's room for one more.

[stiffler]

Normally I would be well up for a game of this status, especially with the early kick off.

However, after the events of the last few days i have lost faith in the 'beautiful game' and all that it currently stands for. I suppose it has taken an injustice like that to actually bring to my attention how screwed the game is globally.

[EC Unique]

Draw me thinks!

[ludermor]

I had to go as far back as page 7 to retrieve this thread!!! Whens the last time thats ever happened?

The 2nd week in October

[muppet]

I had to go as far back as page 7 to retrieve this thread!!! Whens the last time thats ever happened?

Unusual in November alright, normally happens in March/April.

[stew]

Liverpool have to win a game sometime during the rest of the year dont they, it seems like ages since they beat United.

Not this week, a one one draw.

They will win the game after this one 3-1.

[The Real Laoislad]

Normally I would be well up for a game of this status, especially with the early kick off.

However, after the events of the last few days i have lost faith in the 'beautiful game' and all that it currently stands for. I suppose it has taken an injustice like that to actually bring to my attention how screwed the game is globally.

I'm actually the opposite and I am looking forward to this game as I do agree with what Roy Keane said and think its time to put last week behind us and move on and get over it..(the rest of it was just the ramblings of a bitter twisted man though IMHO)

Benny,Aurelio,Stevie G all back in squad so apart from Torres its almost full strength.
Desperately need a win....

[The Real Laoislad]

I had to go as far back as page 7 to retrieve this thread!!! Whens the last time thats ever happened?

Anyway, its about time we started coming back down to earth and to some sort of level of normality, been hard to even think about Liverpool these last few days but a crucial game against Man City is less than 24 hours away.

It's always tough after an international break but its possible all the furore surrounding Henry and Ireland may actually work in Liverpools favour. Sky haven't been able to talk about anything else and so as of yet there has been little pressure placed on this game which is undoubtedly as things stand a huge one for Liverpool and Benitez. With very few players involved in any competitive internationals (I can't think of any?) hopefully Benitez will have been quietly planning away over the last 2 weeks and maybe some of the knocks we had might have been shaken off.

I am hopeful we will get a good result tomorrow.

Was the Vorinator playing for Ukraine the other night against Greece? Also Kyriakos(sp) was playing for Greece wasn't he?

[Carmen Stateside]

I had to go as far back as page 7 to retrieve this thread!!! Whens the last time thats ever happened?

Anyway, its about time we started coming back down to earth and to some sort of level of normality, been hard to even think about Liverpool these last few days but a crucial game against Man City is less than 24 hours away.

It's always tough after an international break but its possible all the furore surrounding Henry and Ireland may actually work in Liverpools favour. Sky haven't been able to talk about anything else and so as of yet there has been little pressure placed on this game which is undoubtedly as things stand a huge one for Liverpool and Benitez. With very few players involved in any competitive internationals (I can't think of any?) hopefully Benitez will have been quietly planning away over the last 2 weeks and maybe some of the knocks we had might have been shaken off.

I am hopeful we will get a good result tomorrow.

Was the Vorinator playing for Ukraine the other night against Greece? Also Kyriakos(sp) was playing for Greece wasn't he?

Who cares, hopefully they have missed the flights back.
Big one in the morning, not as confident as some on here.  A win would bring some much needed confidence for the team, but the lack of scoring power without Torres could cost us.  Defence will be well tested but home advantage should see us take a point at least.

[Carmen Stateside]

Agger just has no luck. What a save from Given!