Reading Vs Liverpool

[redeagle]

Reading are having that so called second season, drawing and losing their last 4 matches. Boro managed to score last time so their defense is a bit porous but they always manage to find a goal aswell.

Apparently in the liverpool daily post it says rafa is considering putting Hobbs in for carra as if he gets booked he will miss the man utd game.

That could be the only area of worry and I'd like to see agger back asap, but it is a game I fully expect the team to go and win and not settle and wait for things to happen like in pervious seasons.

[megager]

I think Hobbs could cope with Kitson and Doyle, particularly if Sami can keep up the good work. Id be more worried if we had to throw hobbs in against United.

I reckon a sneaky 2-0 here

[sean]

To be honest I haven't seen enough of Hobbs to know if he'd cope with Doyle and Kitson. Would be a disaster if Carra did play and got booked, but would be an even greater disaster if Hobbs inexperience ended up costing up points.

I'm going to say away win in this one, with Carra to score from a corner...

[GaryMc]

Hmmm.... this could be a tricky game. Reading are unpredictable, in Doyle and Kitson they have decent forwards, I can see them scoring against us, hopefully with Torres on fire, we will get a few.

I wonder has Rafa got it in mind to rest Torres ahead of Marseille and United, also Chelsea in Carling Cup 1/4 final after that. Lets hope not, he should start every game when he is fit...

[wickla_mucker]

To be honest, weve always had a good record against Reading (home or away) and with current form - for both teams - i think well win by 3+ goals...
As long as Torres continues to start and with the midfield tearing teams asunder i think the Reading game will be a nice warm up for next Tuesday and then the scum...

[Jafar]

To be fair there is alot of football coming up and we should be able to beat Reading while not risking Carra and maybe even giving Torres a rest ahead of the next two games, which are obviously massive.

[GaryMc]

To be fair there is alot of football coming up and we should be able to beat Reading while not risking Carra and maybe even giving Torres a rest ahead of the next two games, which are obviously massive.


No point in beating United and dropping points at Reading. Strongest team possible should be put in my opinion.

[McGinty]

No point in beating United and dropping points at Reading. Strongest team possible should be put in my opinion.

aye true enough.

Bruised ribs dont go away in a couple of days though, if carra takes a bad knock pretty soon he could be out for a few weeks

[buddy999]

aye true enough.

Bruised ribs dont go away in a couple of days though, if carra takes a bad knock pretty soon he could be out for a few weeks

bruised ribs wont keep carra out (tough as old boots)rafa wont mess with defense unless forced,i think carra will play both games

[Jockser]

0-3

[Daz]

After that Carling Cup game, the sight of Torres name on the teamsheet will scare the sh*t out of the Reading defenders. He gave them a torrid time that night

[LFC Barry]

Carra is fit which is a good thing.

Hobbs has potential but thats all at the moment.

Playing away in the league against 2 tough strikers is a different thing to a half hour at Anfield when the team is 3 or 4 up

[robbie st leger]

Carra could do with a rest but wouldnt be too confident with sami and hobbs partnership - should be far too strong and 3 pts are there for the taking considering what the rest of the big 4 have on this weekend.Torres to start and take them apart again and then take him off after 70 mins - kewell and babel on the flanks and lucas and stevie in mid and 3 pts wrapped up and then on to the big 2 games.
YNWA!

[teedeepee]

Am I alone in seeing the Reading game (and every league game for that matter) as just as important as the United game? I'm talking about 3 points for a win, leaving aside the obvious sentiment that a win over United is perhaps sweeter than a win against anyone else. To that end, Rafa has to pick his strongest squad; maybe keep Gerrard or Torres on the bench as a precaution, but they have to be available if needed as it's all about getting the 3 points!
________
og kush marijuana (http://trichomes.org/marijuana-strains/og-kush)

[Aido82]

1-3

[Westlake]

Am I alone in seeing the Reading game (and every league game for that matter) as just as important as the United game? I'm talking about 3 points for a win, leaving aside the obvious sentiment that a win over United is perhaps sweeter than a win against anyone else. To that end, Rafa has to pick his strongest squad; maybe keep Gerrard or Torres on the bench as a precaution, but they have to be available if needed as it's all about getting the 3 points!

Yeah you're right we need all the points possible, every three points is as important as the other. I think though both Gerrard and Torres should start tomorrow, and then as soon as we have a comfortable lead take them off.

Maybe let them rest for the better part of the Marseille game and bring them on for the last 25 minutes if we need them to change things.

And then for United, full fookin' force attack. :D

[StevieGisMyIdol]

This is on DigitAlb supersport1 if anyone has it by the way!
Is Alonso and Agger fit??
Also,dont think he shud play Torres,maybe for the last 15/20 mins as Marseille and United more important really and we can win with Crouchie or Kuyt upfront not Voronin!lol
3-0 if we're still in good form...

[vodkacolly]

Am I alone in seeing the Reading game (and every league game for that matter) as just as important as the United game? I'm talking about 3 points for a win, leaving aside the obvious sentiment that a win over United is perhaps sweeter than a win against anyone else. To that end, Rafa has to pick his strongest squad; maybe keep Gerrard or Torres on the bench as a precaution, but they have to be available if needed as it's all about getting the 3 points!
I have to disagree. A win over Utd means they drop 3points which is far more important to us than Reading dropping 3. Anyway, dont really want to think about us not winning either of them.

[Fowler's God]

Not the team i expected to play but we will see what happens:

Reina, Arbeloa, Riise, Hobbs, Carragher, Gerrard, Mascherano, Sissoko, Voronin, Torres, Crouch.

Subs: Itandje, Hyypia, Kewell, Kuyt, Babel

[SUPERFAN]

Rafa showing a lot of confidence in the young Lad Hobbs.big test for him,hope he does well....
i honestly don't see the point in Playing Voronin as a LSM but in Rafa i trust.
come on Momo Lad!

[Dub13]

4 3 3 maybe...?


----------Reina
Arbeloa-Hobbs-Hyypia-Riise
Gerrard---Sissoko---Masch
--Crouch--Torres-Voronin

[Aido82]

weird line up

eyes on tuesday and sunday i thinks

[vodkacolly]

weird line up

eyes on tuesday and sunday i thinks

Thats been our downfall before, hope not today, Im off to the local now.
C'MON U REDS!!!

[Fowler's God]

Hope we don't underestimate Reading. Worried with Momo playing, i think this is probably he last chance to prove his worth.

[SUPERFAN]

shut up Fat Dolan ye bleedin muppet!
Hobbs Played against Cardiff and most of the 2nd Half last Week,he's not untried....
at least it's not Raining,did you see the Rain in the Man U Game?
unusual to see weather like that in Mancland;-)

[Fowler's God]

Bollock's 1-0 down, heard the penalty was outside the box.

[south]

yeah it was just outside ..linesman should of seen it too the dirty f**ker

[south]

whats going on reading are all over us in the first 25min ... we need a goal to get back into it

[south]

ha ha i must ask for another ...well done steve happys days..kick on now lads

[SUPERFAN]

Bollock's 1-0 down, heard the penalty was outside the box.
yeah it was mate.
the 1st time they string a few decent Passes and guess what?
1-1.
well in Ste!
i see he's getting booed again by the England/Reading Fans.....
just heared the Pool Fans Singing "there's only one Steve Mc Claren."
quality!

[Fowler's God]

just heared the Pool Fans Singing "there's only one Steve Mc Claren."
quality!

:D:D:D:D:D

[south]

was the torres trip in the box a penalty?

[SUPERFAN]

that Sonko is bleedin muck,Torres should be Torrerising him:D

[Aido82]

was the torres trip in the box a penalty?

Sonko just got a toe on it, good call no penalty

[south]

he'll catch him out before the end of the game alright.. he's woefull

[Fowler's God]

How are we playing well by the way?

[Aido82]

Torrerising him:D

thats desperate :eek:

[Aido82]

How are we playing well by the way?

Playin poor enough mate, voronin not in the game at all

[SUPERFAN]

after a shaky start that Lpool Side should really Win this one.
Hobbs done nothing wrong in that 1st Half.

[Fowler's God]

Hopefully there will be improvement in the 2nd half Aido...badly need to win here today after the results of Utd and Chelsea.

[stevieg]

No structure at all in our game,take Voronin off and bring Babel or Kewell on.
Some players dont seem sure of their role.

Wasnt a peno,but dont know what Carra was doing going flying in - didnt have to at all,lucky he didnt get a yellow or he was gone for d Manc game.

Just need a bit of a structure and we will win the game.

[gav003]

is this ref being paid?? A peno for a foul outside the box and then he ignore Torres and momo being hauled down?:mad:

[SUPERFAN]

lucky he didnt get a yellow or he was gone for d Manc game.

jaysus,thank fxxk for that!
didn't know he was 1 Yellow away from a Ban.

[south]

was that torres challange a peno? didn't look like sonko got a touch at all.. hope torres is okay after that

[south]

bad defending ..hopefully kewell can change things and get us back into it again.. pitty torres had to go

[Aido82]

Disasterous 2-1 down, torres subbed

i think its time to bring off sissoko for babel

[Fowler's God]

According to BBC they say it's an Injury...

[Aido82]

3-1 down

f*ck sake

[south]

what the hell is going on..

[SUPERFAN]

Depressing!

[Aido82]

There goes the unbeaten record and my 25 euro winnings off a accumilator bet :(

and gerrard after being subbed

what the fook

Stevie is the only one that has looked dangerous for us

[Fowler's God]

Game over!!! As i said at the start was worried with the team he picked....ah sure move onto Marseille.

[south]

gerrard off now ..really what the hell is going on ...it some joke

[redeagle]

pretty shocking. You can defend rafas selection most of the time but today was just wrong from the start.

Remember reading drew 1-1 with boro last week AT HOME. Not good enough really.

[JMurray#8]

Rafa seems resigned to losing this one, not the attitude I like to see! Still 20 mins left but Gerrard and Torres off...:(

[redeagle]

I wonder if this will have any other ramifications. Particularly if we fail to beat man utd next week.

He set himself up for it unfortunately.

[Fowler's God]

He has, the Man U game is even bigger now.

[stevieg]

What d fook is Rafa up to ?

I dont give a toss about the CL,all i want this year is the PL,he said it himself this year the main aim was the PL and he goes and puts a team out like that.

Two defensive midfielders who couldnt score in a brothel whats that all about ?
They have given the back 4 f-all protection all day.

Voronin out on the wing offering nothing

Sissoko can go in January for me too - had enough of him to last me a lifetime.

Rant over

[Aido82]

Just when Arsenal dropped 2 points midweek, we drop 3 today.

Still short a few world class players.

I agree with stevieg, come january i can see momo up for offer in the january sales

[south]

he can bring Voronin with him too.. he really has done nothing for the team and i don't think he's good enough to be in the side

[SUPERFAN]

2 Wins in the next 2 Games and this will be all forgotten about.....
just one of those Days.
Reading are a poor enough Side.fair play,their 3rd Goal was a good Goal but it was a classic Sucker Punch.
if SG's Shot had gone in that time i reckon Lpool would've went on and Won that Game.
very disappointing

[redeagle]

he can bring Voronin with him too.. he really has done nothing for the team and i don't think he's good enough to be in the side

to be fair hes stuck out on the right wing.

I think its been rafas selection thats let us down today.. don't understand why lucas or babel didnt play.

its only our first loss of the season, but considering a few home results an away win here, which was completely do able going on form its very disappointing.

I've had a really bad day aswell...this makes it so much worse.

[SUPERFAN]

it's all Cilla Black's fault....:)

[Block102]

Absolutely gutted over this result - talk about ruining another weekend.

Rafa is his own worst enemy with the selection he put out there today. Talk about giving ammo to the critics and the Yanks....

Sissoko and Mascherano should never be on the same pitch. Riise looks to be past his best too - he's done loads for us over the years but he doesn't look upto it anymore.

We can argue all we like about penalties that should or shouldn't have been but the team lacked shape and urgency.

The Premier League should be the priority not the Champions League.

[Jafar]

One of those days when nothing went for us. Looked like we were about to batter them before they got their second which after the dodgy peno really knocked the stuffing outta us. Be prepared for all the rotation talk that nobody's been able to whine about the last few weeks.:(
Walk On!!!!!

[LiverKing]

Totally bewildered by Rafa's team selection... No width at all. Voronin brings nothing to the game. Agree with Block102 Sissoko & Masch should never be on same pitch. Sissoko still can't pass the ball. As for taking Gerrard off begger's belief!!! Rafa sort it out the League is far more important the CL. We could still have got a draw with gerrard on pitch possibily!!!

[stevieg]

As for not having Masch and Sissoko on the pitch at the same time,the same can be said of Crouch and Voronin - both should never be in the same team together, they haven't an ounce of pace between them.

[SUPERFAN]

if Lpool had've already been qualified for the next Stage of the CL i think Lpool would've Won that Game today.
i think Rafa's prority is the League this Season but so is getting in to at least the last 16 of the CL and getting the Money that goes with it.
taking 1 Eye off today's Game was the Elephant in the Room that no one wanted to mention.Rafa gambled today and it didn't pay off.
Rafa said ages ago that Qualifying early for the next stage of the CL was imperative,that's come back to Bite him on the Arse now....

[Trevinem]

bad result lads but lets keep the chin up. First loss of the season so it was bound to happen a some stage. Lets just hope we start another run begining with Marseille

[joe n]

Absolutely gutted over this result - talk about ruining another weekend.

Rafa is his own worst enemy with the selection he put out there today. Talk about giving ammo to the critics and the Yanks....

Sissoko and Mascherano should never be on the same pitch. Riise looks to be past his best too - he's done loads for us over the years but he doesn't look upto it anymore.

We can argue all we like about penalties that should or shouldn't have been but the team lacked shape and urgency.

The Premier League should be the priority not the Champions League.
Totally agree.

[sean]

2 Wins in the next 2 Games and this will be all forgotten about.....

Very true, but sad to say the knives are going to be back out for Rafa after this one. The Rafa doubters are going to be falling over themselves over the next few days trying to put in their snide remarks like "Get Rafa out", and "Lets get Jose!".

Sickening result, but we'll prove over the next few weeks if we are championship material when we see how we bounce back from our first defeat. Remember lads, it took us until culchie shopping day in the big smoke before we lost our first league game - we're still in this title race, keep the faith.

[vodkacolly]

Im obviously disappointed but hey, we got decisions against the bitters and we didnt get them today... such is life. Looking forward to Marseille and the mancs. As I said previously in this thread, its better to take 3 points away from the scum than Reading so if we were to lose one game I'd prefer it to be this.
Voronin doesnt bring enough to the game to merit a place in the team. Hobbs did ok but maybe the scoreline will dent his confidence. In Rafas defence, he has to keep an eye on the CL if he wants to stay in a job. His bosses are buisnessmen and they want to see money coming in.
Cmon lads, we were bound to lose eventually, and its not like we were muck... just one of those days.

[Alex Raisbeck]

Ok, we lost.
But we were goina lose sooner or later and best to get it out of the way now and head into the Marseille and Septics games looking to start another winning streak.

[Yoko]

aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh

that's all

[Elnino_the_kid]

4-3-3 wtf ???

first off as said b4 sissoko should be sold end off , no point having all the energy in the world if u cant string a pass together , defeats the purpose

voronin ??? useless

why wasnt kewel on from start ??? or babel ??

babel , gerrard , lucas , kewell

why didnt kuyt figure ?

in fairness there saying gerrard took a knock and had marks on his thigh

plain and simple rafa got it wrong today thats all

one loss in 15 games is excellent , forget it and move on

[Aido82]

Sissoko, Risse, Voronin need to be got rid of in january

Line up needed speed in it - babel / kewell

At one stage crouch was playing left wing????

ANy way, the league isnt lost over one game, get ready for marseille and scumchester now.

[RedMurph08]

Can t remain unbeaten forever, defeat had to come, can say i agree with his team selection but i do think he had 1 eye on tuesday nite.
roll on the frogs then the mancs on sunday and all will be sweet!

[Alex Raisbeck]

4-3-3 wtf ???

first off as said b4 sissoko should be sold end off , no point having all the energy in the world if u cant string a pass together , defeats the purpose

voronin ??? useless

why wasnt kewel on from start ??? or babel ??

babel , gerrard , lucas , kewell

why didnt kuyt figure ?

in fairness there saying gerrard took a knock and had marks on his thigh

plain and simple rafa got it wrong today thats all

one loss in 15 games is excellent , forget it and move on


We've played that type formation before and won.
Rafa has selected (more or less) those players before and won.
I think everyone is of more or less the same mind frame here, forget it and move on.

[dubit10]

Rafa out:mad:

[dubit10]

Keep Rafa:)

[dubit10]

Ah dam it....Cant make my mind up:rolleyes:

[dubit10]

Nah really, today we where unlucky but ive got to like Rafa this year more than any season so far.He is his own man and doesnt give a fook about what any of the media say.Jesus do they smell blood after this result or what:rolleyes: As always i am focused on supporting our team and manager.Roll on Tuesday:D

[marko]

Gutted,and depressed after that !!!

this result hasnt closed the door on the title but it has come at a bad time,a win on tues will keep the yanks happy but its the league all the way for me and a win against the manc will keep us still in there,

We maybe 10 points off the arse by then but i cant see them going undefeated all season,we cant afford to be losing ground at such important periods though.

[south]

I suppose the way to look at it is we’re still better off then we were on previous seasons at this stage.

[mypost]

Was always going to be an awkward game, which nobody wanted, given the anxiety and pressure of next week. It was one of those days when nothing went our way, but we didn't help ourselves by taking off our danger men, Torres and Gerrard. You don't take them players off, unless they're stretchered off, especially when losing away from home. The Boss made several blunders today, and it's not a good sign when you see him throwing in the towel with 20 minutes to go, and taking JC off as well. :mad: As usual lazy Voronin and toothless Crouch did f-all upfront.

Not a way to go into next week's crunch games. :(

[marathonman]

Rafa gave up the fight long before he should have.
Does this tell us that the Champions League and maybe his job is his first priority?

[vodkacolly]

Rafa gave up the fight long before he should have.
Does this tell us that the Champions League and maybe his job is his first priority?
His job has to be top priority for him. He aint going to be able to win anything if he aint workin. Im sure he wants PL more than anything (like the fans)but Im also sure H+G would prefer the big money from CL so Rafa has to do a balancing act to keep everyone happy. Abramovich wanted the CL and Jose couldnt get it and look what happened there.

[arklowred]

Lads,

Didn't agree with or understand the team Rafa picked(not 1 wide player?) but accept he knows best, so no problem.

However the manager giving the game up after 70 mins is unacceptable. Torres got a knock so fair enough. gerrard 70, Carra 80 mins, someone tell me he hadn't decided on this before the game. gerrard was our only player who was the most dangerous. Usually rafa takes one game at a time but you can clearly see where his mind was. Understandable considering that for makin the last 16 in the champions league guarantees 10-12 million into the anfield coffers. This is a must in football nowadays, sad but true.
Yesterdays game we started with no wingers and playing centre fowards as midfielders. playing with wingers is when we are at our best, crouch and torres feed off crosses from the wing and i know we would have won this game if kewell and babel started. momo is letting himself down, his first touch isnt great and his second touch is usually a tackle to try and atone for his first touch inadequacies. This loss is hard to take as (1) our undefeated record is gone, (2)considering we had begun playing with confidence and a bit of consistency we've lost the momentum due to this loss.

i feel sorry for rafa though, he cant win sometimes. a run of great results and some fanatastic football (mabe not according to bluenose gray). one off day and thats it, he will never win us the league, isnt the man for the job, toys generally coming out of the pram. all craptalk by the media and some fans on here.

Rafa is the right man for the job.we can beat marseille, and we can beat the mancs. do that and we are back in a great position again.

Mick

[tosullivan]

Was also a bit disappointed with the throwing in the towel attitude with 20mins to go.
There were a few moments in the match that turned the game in Readings favour, but as some people already mentioned, we got them at Everton and they see it evens out over the course of the season. Hopefully we get the rub of the green in the next 2 as these are tough games.
When do the African nations players have to leave as it might be in our favour when playing Pompey?

Apparently 2 yrs ago on 8th Dec Liverpool were involved in a 3-1 result...anyone care to guess what the match was? It was definitely the turning point of the season.

[mypost]

i feel sorry for rafa though, he cant win sometimes. a run of great results and some fanatastic football (mabe not according to bluenose gray). one off day and thats it, he will never win us the league, isnt the man for the job, toys generally coming out of the pram. all craptalk by the media and some fans on here.

Rafa is the right man for the job.we can beat marseille, and we can beat the mancs. do that and we are back in a great position again.

Can't you understand the reaction after what happened yesterday? Losing is hard enough to take, especially to a joke side like Reading, but waving the white flag is just not on, I don't care what game is coming up. We could be 10 points behind the leaders today, and 13 points if we lose next week. Yes, it's only one defeat, but in our position, we cannot afford to be losing games, as we still have to go to the top 3 and play them at their places, where our record is horrendous.

Yes, it's a doomsday scenario, and it may not get as bad as that. But if the league is the priority as people say it is, then if the worst happens, it'll be question time at the boss's door again soon. And no amount of protests will make a difference.

[TomHicks]

Has lost the plot!!

Any manager that does that to a team full with cofidence needs to go. People say hes the right man for the job, how? has completely
lost it, and dont give me he has his eye on midweek, we are now 7 points behind our priority this season is the premiership, and what does the manger do? f*** it up, with a team selection that the whole world was at a loss to reason with!


If we lose during the week and next weekend he'll be gone anyway!!

[kindalen]

ok lads,lets keep the feet on the ground here,yes we lost 3 points. we fecked up.
however dont forget that we are still within touching distance of man utd, and arsenal/chelsea will struggle without players in jan/feb.

for me the real test is not only next sunday, it will be our abililty to get through the christmas period. i think this year these games will create huge problems for the top 4 teams, a variety of factors(including luck) will determine the eventual winner of this years league.
at this stage i think after christmas you will see chelsea fall away, arsenal struggle away and us and utd fight it out.
i hope i am right when i say despite yesterdays result, we will go on to win the league this year..... with a bit of that missing luck.

[The Chanter]

Rafa is definitely still the right man for the job. That said, he got it very wrong today! He picked strong players but as soon as the team came up we all saw that it lacked width... he altered the system that has served him so well in recent weeks, and he paid the price. I thought Rafa's policy was to have a system that the whole squad knows how to play? i.e. two players for each position? ....managers live and die by decisions and I just hope he gets it right in the next two games. I certainly won't be calling for his head but I was very disappointed with the whole 'throwing in the towel' business. I would have liked to see Hobbs play his first game alongside Hyypia - I think he's a better organiser than Carra (Carra has other qualities).

Two big penalty decisions changed the game - they got one that wasn't and we didn't get one that was!

[SUPERFAN]

since when did 1 Defeat mean a Team was out of the Title Race?
if that's the case then Man U have been out of it since they lost to Citeh...:confused:
everyone is entitled to their Opinion but this is no time to be Criticising the Team or the Manager.we should be all behind them for the next 2 Games,assess the situation this time next Week.
there's alot of tough Games to come this Month,Pompey are going to be no pushovers and the City of Manc Stadium has become a Fortress this Season.
Fergie said that by the end of December we'll know who's going to be Challenging for the Title so lets just wait and see.
after Tuesday Lpool have a run of 10 League Games without CL distraction,they will decide whether they've any chance in the League this Season,not last Night.....

[Aido82]

arse lost aswell

[SUPERFAN]

Wenger has to go!:p

[Aido82]

Thats arsenal out of the league aswell

[mypost]

Thats arsenal out of the league aswell

1. Arsenal 37 points
4. Liverpool 30 points

:confused:

Makes the failure to take at least a point yesterday a crime, not an error. :(

[trucker]

It was a bad result and selection was strange, momo poor again risse not fit to wear the jersey but Arsenal loosing makes it as it was yesterday, still say scum will be the team 2 beat win next week is essential. just hope the lads react the correct way to a defeat.

[Jockser]

just one of those days the ball wouldnt go in. dont panic lads we will ****ing batter the mancs next week.

[Aido82]

1. Arsenal 37 points
4. Liverpool 30 points

:confused:

Makes the failure to take at least a point yesterday a crime, not an error. :(

Well, we lost yesterday, and it was all doom and gloom and people though that was us out of the league

[robbie st leger]

were still well in their but jesus christ 3 stupid pts dropped when the gooners drop some cud hav been 4 behind with a game in hand and in a gret position - would love a draw between gooners and chelski and us to take the mancs - needs to go at them with pace babel and kewell have to play on the flanks for that one and someone needs to 'take care' of ronaldo and not let him get to the defence.As for marseille given the right team we should wether the early crap and then take them to school.YNWA!

[vodkacolly]

just one of those days the ball wouldnt go in. dont panic lads we will ****ing batter the mancs next week.
Preach on, brother:cool:

[redchariot]

A pretty crap game all round but every team has the odd bad day. Rather get a loss out of the way with Reading rather than Marseille or ManU.

Anyway with Arsenal & Man City losing today, we didn't come out of the weekend too badly. Though puts us under more a bit more pressure to beat ManU next weekend. Can't Wait!!!!

[gp25]

jaysus lads calm down.the heads were obviously not on this one with the two big games coming up.arsenal beaten today so manc game is so important now

[Malzheimer]

It was just one of those days where they got the rub of the green and we didnt. Voronin and Crouch together doesn't work and Masch and Momo is a no-no. Momo looks really short on confidence, he doesn't want the ball enough, I think in Jan we should look to accept any decent offers especially with Lucas coming through so strong.

Watched MOTD last night and it pissed me right off showing a slow-mo replay of Gerrard coming off, and not of the Torres peno incident first half :mad:!!

A slip up but with results going our way (go on the Boro) a win against the scum will be the perfect tonic and Reading will be forgotten about. Dont worry about Ronaldo he hasnt produced the goods against a good full back ever.

Any news on knocks/injuries?

[gav003]

Don't accept this Rafa threw in the towel nonsense- Torres got a knock, Hobbs was coming off until Gerrerd signalled to the bench he wasn't right- sat on the bench with an ice pack and Carra's recoving from bruised ribs.
We got no luck and bad decisions. What is unacceptable is loosing 3 goals to a team like Reading (no disrespect). I was very disappointed with Babal, he made no impact although Kewell did well when he came on.
The next 2 games are unbelievably huge. Tough week ahead!!

[Paul]

Was always going to be an awkward game, which nobody wanted, given the anxiety and pressure of next week. It was one of those days when nothing went our way, but we didn't help ourselves by taking off our danger men, Torres and Gerrard. You don't take them players off, unless they're stretchered off, especially when losing away from home. The Boss made several blunders today, and it's not a good sign when you see him throwing in the towel with 20 minutes to go, and taking JC off as well. :mad: As usual lazy Voronin and toothless Crouch did f-all upfront.

Not a way to go into next week's crunch games. :(

You're taking the piss right??

[TomHicks]

When are people goint to stop making exuses for the manager?

He made us look like a school boy team on saturday against a poor reading team, but we make excuse! after excuse! and then he has the balls! to say we didn't get any decisions!! we would never have been in that position if he played his strongest team, position players where they are good and use to, play players that are on a high from recent results, etc! but no this manager clearly has'nt got what it takes to make a decision no wonder Pako walked out! Rafa has lost the plot!!!!



Maybe he'll do a Ferguson and go on and win Premiership after Premiership, but he has us a laughing stock of the whole league, i'm sure reading were pissing themselves when they saw the team sheet.

[GaryMc]

In my opinion Rafa got it badly wrong, Formation meant Crouch and Vorinin did not know where they were playering, in that system Kewell and Babel should have started off Torres. Crouch was in effective as he was basically playing as Left winger, Vorinin was in effective because he is not good enough for LFC. Fair enough we got him for free, but for him to be near the first team on a regaular basis is beyond belief. Sissoko is actually looking worse than Diao in his prime at the moment.

To me as Liverpool supporter, Rafa is playing with fire, taking off the two potential match winners when the same is still very much there. What would Bill Shankly have made of that, 'Every game lasts 90 mins'......
When going for title neither Fergie or Wenger would throw in the towel, no matter who they were playing next.

[Pimboli]

Don't accept this Rafa threw in the towel nonsense- Torres got a knock, Hobbs was coming off until Gerrerd signalled to the bench he wasn't right- sat on the bench with an ice pack and Carra's recoving from bruised ribs.


That would clearly explain why Stevie blanked Rafa when he was walking off.

This a quote from Rafa in todays press

“We knew it was tough, because some of our players were playing a lot of games in a row,” he explained.

“At 3-1 (down), you have to protect your good players.”

Translated, we were 3-1 down, I decided we couldnt get anything out of the game so took Stevie off. Could you imagine Red Nose in Mancland taking off the ballerina Ronaldo if they went 3-1 down, not a chance, the kitchen sink would be thrown on the field to get something out of the game, thats why they have historically gotten so many goals turning games around in the last 10 minutes.

[GaryMc]

Translated, we were 3-1 down, I decided we couldnt get anything out of the game so took Stevie off. Could you imagine Red Nose in Mancland taking off the ballerina Ronaldo if they went 3-1 down, not a chance, the kitchen sink would be thrown on the field to get something out of the game, thats why they have historically gotten so many goals turning games around in the last 10 minutes.

Bloody right

[mypost]

i'm sure reading were pissing themselves when they saw the team sheet.

Can you imagine what they were doing when they saw FT, SG, and JC coming off. :eek::mad:

Apparantly SG took a "knock". Apparantly he played with a broken toe earlier in the season. He needs a bit more than a "knock" to take him off. :mad:

What would Bill Shankly have made of that, 'Every game lasts 90 mins'......
When going for title neither Fergie or Wenger would throw in the towel, no matter who they were playing next.

Agree 100%. At 3-1 UP, you protect your best players. Wonder will he sub them if we're 1-3 down this week? This is the bloke we're obliged to support remember.

[GaryMc]

Sean Davies from Fulham was on Goals on Sunday yesterday and said the Fulham players got a massive lift before their game at Anfield what they saw Torres and Gerrard on the bench. They used it as a motivation as it meant Rafa was taking them lightly.

[tosullivan]

Could you imagine Red Nose in Mancland taking off the ballerina Ronaldo if they went 3-1 down, not a chance, the kitchen sink would be thrown on the field to get something out of the game, thats why they have historically gotten so many goals turning games around in the last 10 minutes.

He usually throws 9 up front + goalie and keeps that prick Neville at the back...

[hotelformule1]

For a team with aspirations of winning the title, we shouldnt be going to Reading with 2 holding midfielders. Sissoko is actually a liability on the pitch, you can even see that the players are too scared to pass to him so they are choosing poorer options. Mascherano and Lucas are at his level in terms of breaking up play so he really has to go in January.

In saying that, only 1 league defeat at this stage so all in all we are in a great position.

[Pimboli]

For a team with aspirations of winning the title, we shouldnt be going to Reading with 2 holding midfielders. Sissoko is actually a liability on the pitch, you can even see that the players are too scared to pass to him so they are choosing poorer options. Mascherano and Lucas are at his level in terms of breaking up play so he really has to go in January.

In saying that, only 1 league defeat at this stage so all in all we are in a great position.

Momo is the glaring weak link when he plays everytime he gets the ball I get nervous that he isnt going to inadvertently set up a goal for the opposition.

He has a great engine and a good tackler but the second he has the ball he becomes a different player and doesnt look like he can pass the thing 5 yards.

Lucas should be getting his spot if anyone given his age and the fact he is desperate to play in the first 11. What I have seen of Lucas so far this season there is no excuse for Momo getting in ahead of him.

Rafas tactics were a disaster too, he did the same as he did against Newcastle which worked there because Newcastle were absolutely desperate that day. Reading will always give you a game.

[stunnedmullet]

Can only assume Momo was playing to try and increase his worth for a January sale. Problem is, every minute he's on the pitch his selling price is in freefall. He has been unbelievably useless this season.

Crouch on left wing made bugger all sense as well. Esp with Kewell on the bench. Why play someone out of position when you have a player fit, in form, specialising in that position??

I agreed with Voronin on the right wing, though - as it kept him out of the way.

Head up and hopefully the next 2 games can turn this around.

[wickla_mucker]

obviously were all annoyed with the result - however at the end of the day reading got a penalty that shouldnt have stood and torres didnt get one when he should have. we hit the crossbar and the post and created a lot. taking off torres stevie and carra was risky but understandable. voronin was muck again. kewell once again came on and made an impression and riise improved.

its a big week ahead. well win at marseille and well beat the scum 2-0.

[Paul]

What worries me about last weekend is that Mascherano looked every bit as poor as Sissoko. Hope it was just one of those days or else 25 Million Euro looks high.

[Paul]

obviously were all annoyed with the result - however at the end of the day reading got a penalty that shouldnt have stood and torres didnt get one when he should have. we hit the crossbar and the post and created a lot. taking off torres stevie and carra was risky but understandable. voronin was muck again. kewell once again came on and made an impression and riise improved.

its a big week ahead. well win at marseille and well beat the scum 2-0.

Wickla, i was 100% in agreement with you up to your Riise statement!

[Pimboli]

What worries me about last weekend is that Mascherano looked every bit as poor as Sissoko. Hope it was just one of those days or else 25 Million Euro looks high.

I have noticed that about Masch myself, one week he plays a blinder and the next he's all over the shop, I think that happens more when Momo is next to him as he has to play for 2 players and tries to hard rather than having Stevie or Lucas alongside him and Alonso when he can just break up play. When Momo is next to him its like he knows if he gives it to him he will give it away so tries something overcomplicated to pass to anyone else.

Why was Carra playing by the way, the peno was outside the box but that should have been a yellow and the Manc match missed. Sammi should have started alongside Hobbs.

[franklyn]

why do so many people on this forum feel that the manger is above citicism.he made a massive error with team selection on saturday and cost us a probable 3 points.like most other fans when i saw the team sheet i immediately felt we would struggle to win and surely a 'world class manager' could also see that.

Arsenal played reading only a couple of weeks ago and completely dominated them from start to finish and yet rafa puts out a side with voronin(he is not good enough for reading,never mind liverpool) and crouch on the left wing.i think momo gets too much criticism but why play two holding midfielders?

Hobbs played well but starting him away from home is not the place for him to step into the first team and then the substitutions!!!!!!! Altogether rafa made a handful of mistakes on saturday and has potentially ruined our league chances again,is rafa's time up? I hope not but he has to start getting liverpools priorities right.

Rant Over

[sean]

why do so many people on this forum feel that the manger is above citicism.he made a massive error with team selection on saturday and cost us a probable 3 points.like most other fans when i saw the team sheet i immediately felt we would struggle to win and surely a 'world class manager' could also see that.

Arsenal played reading only a couple of weeks ago and completely dominated them from start to finish and yet rafa puts out a side with voronin(he is not good enough for reading,never mind liverpool) and crouch on the left wing.i think momo gets too much criticism but why play two holding midfielders?

Hobbs played well but starting him away from home is not the place for him to step into the first team and then the substitutions!!!!!!! Altogether rafa made a handful of mistakes on saturday and has potentially ruined our league chances again,is rafa's time up? I hope not but he has to start getting liverpools priorities right.

Rant Over

Hey mate,

Firstly what I'd like to say is everyone is entitled to their opinions, ergo, I think thats why you'll find people on this site will think Rafa is above criticism as you put it. And just like everyone else you too are entitled to your opinion.

The one thing that irks me about your post is you seem to sarcastically label Rafa as a "world class manager". Surely someone who has won two Spanish league titles with a club not named Real Madrid or Barcelona is entitled to some sort of praise of being at least a class manager? And surely if he takes that onto an even bigger stage and wins a UEFA Cup with the same said Spanish club, and a European Cup with a club who wouldn't even dare dream of winning the thing for another few years at least. Surely winning these type of trophies would turn a class manager into a world class manager? It would in my book anyway, but that is my own opinion of course.

You also bring up how Arsenal completely dominated Reading a few weeks ago - why couldn't we do the same. To me that is taking a dim view of things. A few weeks ago we went to St. James Park and completely dominated Newcastle from start to finish. I think you'll find Arsenal didn't quiet manage this and were lucky to come away with a point. Not my words, but the words of another "world class manager" in Arsene Wenger.

Football changes from week to week. Just cos we do well against one team in the league one week, doesn't mean Man U, Arsenal or Chelsea will do likewise another week. Thats one of the reasons why I love this game, this league and this club - because you can't predict whats going to happen next.

Anyway, in answer to your question of whether Rafa's time is up - I think not. Well not if his job was dictated by football people anyway. The man has taken us to great places already, and things will only get better with him in charge, imho. But if you were to ask our friends across the Atlantic they might have a different view, especially if things were to go tits up tomorrow night.

[carramagic]

Big week ahead. Obviously annoyed at the result. Our manager gets many things right thankfully but every so often he makes decisions that Liverpool fans with even the most basic knowledge find baffling. Whatever about playing Voronin off Torres, playing him out wide makes no sense at all. Can't for the life of me understand why Sissoko started with Lucas available, Sissoko has been so poor this year, very few managers would have kept faith with him. Having said all that Rafa will probably start Voronin over the next couple of games and he'll probably score!

[franklyn]

Sean

I am a big fan of rafa and would not swap him for any other manager around although i am baffled by some of the decisions he makes especially in league games.This has constantly infuriated a lot of liverpool fans since he took over and despite the league been most liverpool fans priority(in my opinion) he seems to sacrifice/rest/drop players in favour of playing a stronger side in champions league.

I have enjoyed many great champions league nights/trips over the past few years and this is mostly down to rafa but its time we started making the most of our impressive squad and sustain a proper league challenge.I hope and i think we will do that this season but if we drop many more points we can forget about it for another season.

I look forward to our strongest side :D beating marseille tomorrow night!!!!!

[sean]

I look forward to our strongest side :D beating marseille tomorrow night!!!!!

I'd certainly drink to that!

[GaryMc]

You also bring up how Arsenal completely dominated Reading a few weeks ago - why couldn't we do the same. To me that is taking a dim view of things. A few weeks ago we went to St. James Park and completely dominated Newcastle from start to finish. I think you'll find Arsenal didn't quiet manage this and were lucky to come away with a point. Not my words, but the words of another "world class manager" in Arsene Wenger.

Football changes from week to week. Just cos we do well against one team in the league one week, doesn't mean Man U, Arsenal or Chelsea will do likewise another week. Thats one of the reasons why I love this game, this league and this club - because you can't predict whats going to happen next.

.

In fairness, every club challenging for the title would be expected to beat Sunderland, Derby, Wigan, Fulham and Reading Home and Away. For some reason I would consider Birimingham and Bolton away from home to be tougher games even though they have not started well.

Even though Newcastle and Middlesboro have had a bad start, they have had loads of injuries and even a point at either would at the end of the season be considered a good result.

Reading had a full side out and I think Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal will beat them at Reading.

[mypost]

I think Man U, Chelsea and Arsenal will beat them at Reading.

Chelsea and Arsenal already have. The Cranks have only got a draw against them, but whether Reading will be able to take more points off them next month, remains to be seen.

[wickla_mucker]

Wickla, i was 100% in agreement with you up to your Riise statement!

Ah i cant get it right all the time!!!
In fairness though, i think his last two games have been a little better than previously (although he couldnt have been any worse!)

Arbeloa for left back tonight with finnan on the right and kewell on the left of mid and well be sorted!