Liverpool 2010/11 Season Thread

[Adrock]

haha. Someone has the ultimate bad luck huju mange at our club this season. I reckon it's Lucas. The poor lad can't seem to get anything right. Nothing goes his way and once a beach ball followed him onto the pitch and scored. I wish he'd learn to stop fouling in our third of the pitch too. I remember when he gave away a free kick and he then scored the goal with his arm whilst in the wall.

Now he's had the penalty decision go against him, he's on a yellow for diving. He'll probably get another for his usual clumsy fouls.

I know the guy has been picked on a lot, but beside all the bad luck, I still don't think he is fit enough to wear any football shirt. Harsh I know.

It always confuses me when people want players to fail for no reason other than they dont like them. He has played well this season. Today most of the good play Liverpool had went through him. He had 2 penalties denied today. One was without question, the other could have been given in another game.

Lucas was obviously poor in his first full season, he is a young player who obviously needed to adjust. Now he has begun to make that adjustment its clear he has quality. Rafa himself has said Lucas should not be playing this much due to him still developing, but needs must.

I suppose you're gonna reply with another joke or two rather than debate the fact he has been the most consistent performer for Liverpool this season. Gerrard, Carragher, Mascherano and a few other players are having a terrible season compared to him.

[hudson]

Unfotunately, he has turned out to be one of Rafa's awful signings. Of course he is going to have the odd good pass (that one against Newcastle) and he's going to have the odd good tackle, but these are very few and far between. He is slow, clumsy and can't help giving away free kicks in dangerous positions nearly every game. It's not his fault we conceded today and I suppose my timing is poor with my statement for you, but I can't tell you in a million years that I think he is worthy of wearing that red shirt and I can't imagine him ever growing into it either. Sorry to you and Lucas.

And yeah, there are others who are now having bad runs or are maybe past it (Carra hoof the ball). Insua is a crab who has an opposing player spawn-point (yes like out of a game) tied to his arse. Kuyt works hard, bless him, but he's a nearly player who will run for ever. A lot of players have been carried and are festering. Rafa plays them endlessly.

Sorry there's no joke for you there, mate.

[teenagewasteland]

The game today was like watching a game between two pub teams on a Sunday morning. I can deal with dropping points and all if the performances are good but I can only remember us turning up for about ... well.... I can hardly remember us being at the races in many games this season. I think it's remarkable we have as many points as we have!

[abigsmurf]

Depending on how the Villa game goes, this may not be such an awful weekend for you. You've got a point over Man City at least

[Adrock]

Why all the doom and gloom over a draw at Stoke? They did the exact same to us last year. This season only Birmingham, Man U and Chelsea have managed to beat them at home. Brum were lucky from all reports too.

Some places are simply hard to play at. In an ideal world Liverpool, by virtue of having a better team on paper, would win but there are other factors.

Wednesday is the biggest game for a while. That needs to be a win, I really really hope Mascherano and Aquilani are paired up with Rodriguez on the right or behind N'gog. Liverpool really need to go all guns blazing at Anfield against Spurs.

[Tetsuo]

I agree Adrock. The team put in a spirited defensive play - Kyrgiakos was decent, Reina was on commanding form again (seems to be playing a much higher level now) and Stoke are an ugly, persistent team, who pressed us heavily across the pitch, so the game was hard work, especially for our depleted team.

But in the end, with the way our season's gone, you just knew we weren't going to hang on for the win as Stoke pressed in the last 15 mins. But at least the team showed some balls out there, unlike our FA cup exit and there were positives: Lucas and Aurelio also had decent games.

It's all about Spurs on Wednesday now...

[mr_sockochris]

^ Correct (edit: Both of you). A draw at Stoke isn't a bad result, it was just the manner of it which has left everyone feeling down.

I must add that today's team was quite odd at first glance but Rafa got it spot on really in terms of picking a team to compete physically with Stoke. No need to do that with Spurs as they're are generally quite open games. Predicting what team Rafa will play is never easy but it wouldn't surprise me if he used Aquilani in a 'Gerrard' role if Maxi and Riera are fit enough to play wide...

[Flabio]

Watched this on the telly, and I got the feeling that if Stoke hadn't lost two players in the first half (especially Delap) then they might've got more out of the game than they did.

[Adrock]

Considering he is their best tactic for causing mayhem from the amount of throws they get, then yes it would have been a different game.

But its a bit like saying if Liverpool had Torres on the field they may have got more chances.

I thought after the initial start Livepool began to grow into the game, before Delap went off. He did go off shortly after that though, granted.

[Jebus]

Pulis in an interview : "Credit to Liverpool, they came and had a go" LOL!

Even Liverpool fans must have found it a bit funny...right?

[hudson]

No. I'm crying. Team is playing crap. Key players injured. I'm not sure if we should be sticking with the manager. If he did go, who do we get, would it make all the difference and would certain Spanish players leave? Since the new owners came, the club's laundry has been done in public. The media are coming out saying Gerrard to leave, Torres to leave, Voronin to make U-turn (okay maybe not that) and Heskey is ready to play every other day.

It's a scary time and Pullis only made another tear drop down my cheek.

What the hell happened here? Sorry about the dramatics, I just saw The Day The Earth Stood Still on the telly. It was guff, but sometimes films can influence my mood.

[TBL2260]

He had 2 penalties denied today. One was without question, the other could have been given in another game.

Eh ? Whit ? Even I could see he was going down before taken out for the first, as for the second that would be 'a Broadfoot' then.

Be thankful the ref/linesman etc gave you the freekick that led to your goal, otherwise you'd be looking at a loss.

[Jebus]

You haven't got a choice, he has to stay, they can't afford to sack him.

Not gonna sell a club out of all competitions (that matter) with no manager after sacking the previous manager and paying him 20+ million squidlies.

[saif]

If Rafa was sacked mid-season, that would really signal the end of Liverpool tradition, and I would be very unhappy.
There is a simple reason I think this will not happen, and it is not money. The board know what a difficult situation he is in (off the pitch) and the power struggles. The reason most fans continue to back the guy is that we are aware of the **** that is going on at the club even outside the stuff being aired in public.
My personal theory is a power struggle and Steven Gerrard is involved trying to push his weight around. I think Keane and Barry were players Stevie wanted more than anyone else and he made that plain to the board. IMO.
He has not been working as he usually does and I also mean mentally so it can not all be excused by injury. Captains should help knit the team together and you can sense the lack of confidence in Carra and Gerrard.

[Adrock]

I think if Gerrard is involved in a power struggle then he needs to go. No player has the right to question the management. I agree there seems to something going on behind the scenes involving the players for sure. I really hope, when they change the manager they also sell whoever caused the problems.

As for TBL2260, you seriously think the first wasn't a nailed on pen? I think just about everybody who has commented on it, apart from you, accepts it was a penalty.