Liverpool v united (title changed to protect the innocent)

chiller

dissapointing match united didnt show up till the second half. if rio was playing crouch wouldnt have got that free header disgraceful marking. i said it b4 united need a new midfield or else were done.feel sorry 4 alan smith gives every game his all. fair play to liverpool though i hate them put they played well today destroyed us in midfield. its chelsea's cup now!

The Muppet

PHB wrote:

The league cup is irrelevent to United, and any United who thinks it is sorely setting their sights low.

That said, it'll be a fun final against Wigan. I don't think any UNited fans consider this season a success, even before this game.
Thats the difference between how United fans see this season and how people think they do.
United fans are very disappointed with this season, speficially the lack of midfielders, but don't see it as the end of an era as Sky try to point out none stop, as most think we are two central midfielders short of a top quality team.
However, most other fans see United as a team massivly in decline, and all their players are woeful, because the team is as a whole woeful.

I would agree with that.

on the Match it was a poor spectatcle. As I feared united lost it in midfield. We know we need strenthening there and Fergie has said he will address the situation in the summer. Liverpool desereved their win today.

I Hope smithe makes aquick recovery frm his injuryl



Roll on Wigan for the Big one.:p

Necronomicon

The Muppet wrote:

As I feared united lost it in midfield. We know we need strenthening there and Fergie has said he will address the situation in the summer.

I seem to remember him saying that last summer! He said he would definately bringing in 'one experienced midfielder' in before the season started...unfortunately never materialised. But surely, surely he'll bring in one or two top quality players this summer.

Spider_Baby!

Im fearing that one of those players might be Michael Carrick(me being a Spurs fan)

I still think Ballack would be good.

Ruskie4Rent

Apparantly there was a section of liverpool fans booing as smith was strechered off which is not nice to hear. I'm glad it was drowned out by the majority who applauded. Too bad Gary Neville didn't get the same treatment:D. Did you see when he couldn't get the ball back? That was funny.

Hobart

Ruskie4Rent wrote:

Apparantly there was a section of liverpool fans booing as smith was strechered off which is not nice to hear. I'm glad it was drowned out by the majority who applauded. Too bad Gary Neville didn't get the same treatment:D. Did you see when he couldn't get the ball back? That was funny.

You get idiots in every stadium, it's not just in Anfiled. I think the image of the Liverpool phsyio helping his Manu counterpart would show you how much the game is viewed as only a game. The rivalry is great, but I would honesty hate to see a player loosing his career to an injury like this. It's tragic enough as it is.

Lex Luthor

Has anybody got a link to the actual instant that Smith got hit with the ball?

I didn't get to see any replays and only the live piece, as it happened so fast. From what I saw it was his standing leg that got the injury.

Oh yeah, and if there is another link to the burger throwing incident could they post that also.

Hobart

Lex Luthor wrote:

Has anybody got a link to the actual instant that Smith got hit with the ball?

I didn't get to see any replays and only the live piece, as it happened so fast. From what I saw it was his standing leg that got the injury.

Oh yeah, and if there is another link to the burger throwing incident could they post that also.

From memory the ball hit him on the left leg, just above the ankle, this looked as if it buckled and his full weight came down onto it. It looked really nasty to me, even in the replay. He dislocated his ankle and broke his leg, the pain must have been severe.

wheres me jumpa

Ruskie4Rent wrote:

Apparantly there was a section of liverpool fans booing as smith was strechered off which is not nice to hear.

There was a noticeable boo as the stretcher was picked up.

Thanx 4 The Fish

That is an odd one as I believe that the 4th official put up the board with 7 as Alan was being lifted and 7 minutes added time I would have thought was not appreciated.

ullu

That is an odd one as I believe that the 4th official put up the board with 7 as Alan was being lifted and 7 minutes added time I would have thought was not appreciated.

Surely that news is generally greeted with groans and "FFS" etc. rather than boos and jeering.

Hobart

Thanx 4 The Fish wrote:

That is an odd one as I believe that the 4th official put up the board with 7 as Alan was being lifted and 7 minutes added time I would have thought was not appreciated.

I would have thought the same. As Smith was being lifted you could see the Liverpool fans in the background applauding him. It was very noticable. I really don't see the point in arguing this tbh. Like I sais there are idiots everywhere, I'm sure 1 or 2 fans would have had a wry smile on their face when Smith went down injured. F**k them, their idiots.

The Ref only played 5 mins of extra time, which I was greatful for, but I did expect to see Fergie doing hisd usual pointing etc when the ref blew up. He just shook Rafa's hand and headed off.

Hobart

ullu wrote:

Surely that news is generally greeted with groans and "FFS" etc. rather than boos and jeering.

I did'nt know there was a formula.

fade2black

It's not uncommon for the guy holding the added time board to be booed. I hope this is the case becasue my immediate reaction to the crowd's reaction to Smith was positive.

ullu

I did'nt know there was a formula.

There isn't. In my opinion though, most times when the home team are in front and the board indicates long injury time, the fans react in the same way as they would to someone missing an open goal or misplacing a simple pass. When Smith was taken off, this was clearly not the case, it was booing directed at him. At least, it was only a minority that took part in it.

damienom

Lex Luthor wrote:

Has anybody got a link to the actual instant that Smith got hit with the ball?

If you log onto the BEEB site their FA Cup highlights has the Smith incident I think

smemon

have to defend the liverpool fans here, (im a utd fan).

in fairness the vast majority did applaud smith off the pitch which was a nice touch considering the rivalry. (although had utd been 1-0, im sure they wouldnt have been so friendly )

initially when smith went down and the stretchers came on there were cheers from the 'pool fans but what do you expect really? - local derby, few mins left, it eats up the clock. once they realised the seriousness of it, i.e smith down for 7mins with all the medical staff around him, the fans then changed their tune.

theres no malice anywhere in that imo.

mayordenis

fade2black wrote:

Not the kind of post that you'd see from a Liverpool fan.

i made a post completely about the match,
you then went on to predict a forgettable season for the pool,
Of all people you should not be accusing people of being childish,
you make an incredibly stupid comment like that and expect people to agree and not throw what evidence we have(and there's plenty of it) in your face to highlight your ignorance.

adox

Fighting Irish wrote:

I agree crap match to watch, Liverpool got a goal and just sat on it. It could have been a good match if Liverpool didn't score so early.

I am glad to see Gary Neville got some stick today he deserves it in my opinion, i don't think he should be captain, he hasn't got captain qualities. As for Saha he should be either shot or we should give him to Liverpool cos he's crap

Were you watching the same game?United were vastly improved when Saha came on.

adox

HashSlinging wrote:

WOW liverpool were great today, as they were in the premiership a couple of weeks ago, when a lucky goal was scored from a ref's decision, but anyway justice was done today and it feels like the pool have turned the corner on the last couple of bad results.

Man U were destoryed today.

:rolleyes:

fade2black

mayordenis wrote:

i made a post completely about the match,
you then went on to predict a forgettable season for the pool,
Of all people you should not be accusing people of being childish,
you make an incredibly stupid comment like that and expect people to agree and not throw what evidence we have(and there's plenty of it) in your face to highlight your ignorance.

:v: I'd have a read over the last few pages again if I were you.

Fighting Irish

adox wrote:

Were you watching the same game?United were vastly improved when Saha came on.

And it was because of him? :rolleyes:

Ruskie4Rent

Yeah, generally I enjoyed the liverpool fan's input into the game. The grief they gave neville was funny and never really malicious, and the fact the majority gave their support to smith was good.

eyerer

chiller wrote:

its chelsea's cup now!

yeah, if only united were still in it, then someone would be capable of beating them :rolleyes:

what annoys me about these threads is that people start talking **** to each other claiming the other side started it
i applaud those that can accept defeat graciously, unfortunately they're the minority

adox

Fighting Irish wrote:

And it was because of him? :rolleyes:

Em,yes largely.

Dr. Nick

Rumours on the boards are that Smith may be finished/lose his leg. Usual stuff., totally unfounded.
Having said that, Cisse was in a similar position and those fears at the time were genuine.

As for the game....
Liverpool have played 180 minutes of football against Utd. recently and controlled 140 of them. Changing of the guard in the NW of England?
Methinks so; Liverpool seem to be meeting United on the way down.

Guy:Incognito

Davei141 wrote:

Check the site.

This one? http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/kromkamp/

shedseven

Delighted to see Liverpool win today, although the gloss was taken off the victory by the injury to Alan Smith (who I wish a speedy recovery to). I thought they were always in control against as poor a United display as i can remember. I think there was a twenty minute period in the 2nd half when I don't recall Wayne Rooney touching the ball. Liverpool's midfield dominated and it was pleasing to see Crouchy get the winner. Thought Gary Neville got off light with the abuse he could have got, and I bet Ferguson is wishing he had bought a midfielder now, instead of paying over the odds for two defenders.

Chucky the tree

Its been great reading that past 5 pages off ****e i must say, brings back memories of the schoolyard when i was 12.


Anyway, the match. We deserved the win, no one can argue that. Sissoko was excellent, second game in a row he has put in a MOM performance, certainly on the liverpool side anyway. Glad to see he is coming good after getting alot of unfair criticism earlier in the season. Hamann was excellent aswell. Both players never gave united time on the ball and always harried them. Delighted to see crouch get the goal. Still think he can do a job for liverpool. Moro put in a good performance aswell, worked very hard.

United just didnt have it in midfield. Got desperate towards the end and just started hoffing the ball forward. The united players just didnt seem to turn up, i cant think of any united player that had a good game. Fergie really needs a midfielder, suprised he didnt get one in january.

horrible injury for Smith. Hope he makes a full recovery and isnt out too long.

Davei141

Stekelly wrote:

This one? http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/team/squad/kromkamp/

Na this one http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N151504060218-1146.htm

Appears the LFC website doesnt know his name either.

Necronomicon

Dr. Nick wrote:

Changing of the guard in the NW of England?
Methinks so; Liverpool seem to be meeting United on the way down.

I can accept the defeat, however, this kind of talk still annoys me. Every United defeat is scrutinised greatly, with each one people say they are on their way down and are a fallen empire, blah blah blah. The fact is, they have not been great for a few seasons now, they are no worse now than they were this time last season, or the season before. In fact, I think they have more points than they did this time last season.
What I'm trying to say is, the way everyone is talking about United's downfall is making them out to be nothing more than a mid-table, mediocre club. Despite their poor campaigns in recent years, they've still stayed in and around the title scene. And this season, let's not forget, are still ahead of Liverpool in the league, which I think some people are unaware of. United are not a great side at the moment, no, but I think their shortcomings are always blown out of proportion when in reality I think they are only a few players short of having a great team again.

Chucky the tree

Necromomicon wrote:

I can accept the defeat, however, this kind of talk still annoys me. Every United defeat is scrutinised greatly, with each one people say they are on their way down and are a fallen empire, blah blah blah. The fact is, they have not been great for a few seasons now, they are no worse now than they were this time last season, or the season before. In fact, I think they have more points than they did this time last season..

I disagree, and most united would aswell. Last season you were still in the champions league, i even remeber alot of fans being very confident of beating Ac Milan. YOur not in the champions league this season. In the FA cup last season, not in it now. Whats the point in having more points though? Still along way behind chelsea, same as liverpool. Last season you had keane and scholes. Keane is gone and you have to wonder is scholes will ever be the same again. I every united fan would prefer to be the position they were last season then this season.

Necromomicon wrote:

What I'm trying to say is, the way everyone is talking about United's downfall is making them out to be nothing more than a mid-table, mediocre club. Despite their poor campaigns in recent years, they've still stayed in and around the title scene. And this season, let's not forget, are still ahead of Liverpool in the league, which I think some people are unaware of. United are not a great side at the moment, no, but I think their shortcomings are always blown out of proportion when in reality I think they are only a few players short of having a great team again.

They werent in and around the title last season, and they arent this season. Thats simply not good enough for majority of united supporters. They should be winning the title, they should be topping their champions league group every season

The fact that united only bragging point is that they are ahead of Liverpool says it all. Previous seasons that was always a given, barring one. United fans considered they main rivals Arsenal for the past 4 or 5 seasons. They never really worried about Liverpool. THats changed now, Liverpool have made a massive improvement on last season. United havent. If you asked United fans at the start of the season that with only 12(i think anyway) games to go that Liverpool would only be 3 points behind united they would of laughed. I agree about the signings though, YOu need 2 world class midfielders and you will be an excellent team.


This point isnt realy directed at you. I noticed some United fans saying how Liverpool's season will be considered a failure if we dont win a trophy. Thats very strange. Liverpool finished 5th in the Premiership last season. We will probaly make up about 20 points on that and at least 2 places. THats a very succesful season for us no matter what happens in the FA cup and Champions league.

astrofool

I thought Riise was excellent at left back today. When Van Nist was caught offside, the entire Liverpool back line reacted like they should do. Had Warnock or Traore been playing, 90% it would have been a goal for Van Nist cos they were dozing.

astrofool

I'd also think that for a team to be in actual decline they would really want to have gone from a top 3 team to a top 5/6 team, and continue that way to mid table. Most people would consider that Liverpool went into decline in the 90's when they started finishing in those positions.

Don't forget, a team which isn't doing particularly great can go on a cup run. Chelsea did it a few years ago getting to the semi against barca, and leeds as well, both these teams bet their future on continued success, and lost (one team was bailed out).

For utd. to be in decline they would want to be in (dare it be said) Arsenal's league position. Cup runs are not usually indicitive of declines or not, even today, had Van Der Sar reached that bit further, would Utd. suddenly not be in decline? Had 1 goal gone in against Benfica etc. etc. Thats down to luck, the year Utd. won the treble they were incredibly lucky, as must all teams who want to win that much must be. Gigg's wonder goal, solskjaer/teddy's late goals could not be accounted for in any normal circumstance (which is also what makes following football great).

I think in real terms, Utd. have been left behind by Chelsea setting the bar higher, and Liverpool have caught up to the top 3 under a very good manager. Arsenal may or may not come through, but would want a top 3 finish next season to stop the rot, Arsenal have had bad seasons before, like in between their two doubles of late.

Utd. should be worried if they start finishing 4th or below season after season, but in no sane world could second in the league, and top 3 finishes for 12+ years be called a decline of a team, its a blip that may turn into a decline.

Dr. Nick

Chucky the tree wrote:

Its been great reading that past 5 pages off ****e i must say, brings back memories of the schoolyard when i was 12.


Anyway, the match. We deserved the win, no one can argue that. Sissoko was excellent, second game in a row he has put in a MOM performance, certainly on the liverpool side anyway. Glad to see he is coming good after getting alot of unfair criticism earlier in the season. Hamann was excellent aswell. Both players never gave united time on the ball and always harried them. Delighted to see crouch get the goal. Still think he can do a job for liverpool. Moro put in a good performance aswell, worked very hard.

United just didnt have it in midfield. Got desperate towards the end and just started hoffing the ball forward. The united players just didnt seem to turn up, i cant think of any united player that had a good game. Fergie really needs a midfielder, suprised he didnt get one in january.

horrible injury for Smith. Hope he makes a full recovery and isnt out too long.

Agree with a lot of this. Momo, Didi especially.
Who thought Giggs would ever make it as a CM? What a disaster. When you remember that goal he scored against the Arse in the Cup semi all those years ago.....natural wide-man, it must sicken him to see Ronaldo's 'tricks'.....

Read most of the posts here, and Fletcher doesn't figure much. This lad was so anonymous it was embaressing, he's the player who Fergie would have tossed aside like a Clayton Blackmore a few years ago. What Utd. would've given for a Roy Keane today (now there's an original thought).

eyerer

agree, when i saw smith coming on i thought 'get fletcher off', then i hesitated...'is he even on?'

i think united are regarded as being in decline because for so long noone was anywhere near them. compared to their previously very high expectation they have been in decline, however...most teams would still gladly trade places
if anything it could be argued more strongly that arsenal are in decline, an appalling away record and a possiblity of no CL next year. but its just one season, transitional and all that....im sure they aren't going to rot away either

zAbbo

I guess there would be less of a United 'decline' theme going on here, if their own fans didnt start a few knee-jerk threads after EVERY DEFEAT, have a look now there's more than likely one started already?

adox

It says a lot about the standard in the premiership when United are second in the league.

Dr. Nick

Necromomicon wrote:

I think they are only a few players short of having a great team again.

Aren't we all?:rolleyes:

There is a general lack of acceptance of ManU supporters of their decline.

Maybe if you didn't SPEND (can you hear me Roman?) £60+ (Sixty-plus) million pounds on strikers without figuring out how the ball actually gets to them, you might get more sympathy.

Solution: Buy midfielders! Well, knock me over with a Ronaldo!

Dr. Nick

zabbo wrote:

I guess there would be less of a United 'decline' theme going on here, if their own fans didnt start a few knee-jerk threads after EVERY DEFEAT, have a look now there's more than likely one started already?

oooh, think I found one zabbo.

Fighting Irish

What i think is funny is how liverpool fans think they have a good change in the champions league this year just because they won it last year, last year they deserved to win it but got ALOT of luck to get there.

county

liverpool won fair and square today,but i still think we will win more that liverpool this season

Nunu

Regarding the Smith injury. A lot of people are under the illusion that the ball caused the injury. It was nothing to do with the shot. Smith went to block the ball and all his weight collapsed onto his trailing left leg, snapping it at an impossible angle.
Did the people who think the shot caused the injury actually watch the replay or just go by Mark Lawrensons piss poor synopsis of the incident? He actually thought it was the other leg even after seeing 3 or 4 replays!
Honestly himself and John Motson are the worst commentary team going and the whole BBC football presentation is woeful. But that's another topic.........

bazzman

He`s big, he`s red, his feet stick out of his bed,
.............its PETER CROUCH, its PETER CROUCH.
COME ON LIVERPOOL.

Rafa is going to have a hard decision in droping Didi for the away leg next week.
hard luck to Smithy, showed his true love for the game as the only player trying to block the ball and look at what he gets for his troubles

football is just not fair: Smithy broke his leg and liverpool only scored one goal!!!!!

Hobart

Nunu wrote:

Regarding the Smith injury. A lot of people are under the illusion that the ball caused the injury. It was nothing to do with the shot. Smith went to block the ball and all his weight collapsed onto his trailing left leg, snapping it at an impossible angle.
Did the people who think the shot caused the injury actually watch the replay or just go by Mark Lawrensons piss poor synopsis of the incident? He actually thought it was the other leg even after seeing 3 or 4 replays!
Honestly himself and John Motson are the worst commentary team going and the whole BBC football presentation is woeful. But that's another topic.........

I think the ball might have had something got to do with it. It hit just above the ankle from less than 6 yards at full speed.

Dr. Nick

Fighting Irish wrote:

last year they deserved to win it but got ALOT of luck to get there.

Yeah, where was that luck EXACTLY? (Don't do the Murinho thing please, if it didn't go over, it was a penalty and keeper sent off)

Bayern were UNlucky in '99 final (one up, controlled the game, hit the crossbar......). The other team weren't lucky.....

Most-times you make your luck....Google Gary Player's most famous quote.

Dr. Nick

county wrote:

liverpool won fair and square today,but i still think we will win more that liverpool this season

While your recognition of the obvious is appreciated, what the fcuk is that statement meant to prove?
You're better off going out of the CL before xmas and be beaten by your bitter rivals in the cup in mid-Feb, but the season's great coz you win the Coca-Cola Cup against Wigan?

If that what ManU fans have become, we're all fcuked.

Chucky the tree

Hobart wrote:

I think the ball might have had something got to do with it. It hit just above the ankle from less than 6 yards at full speed.

The ball hit his right leg, his left leg is the one that broke.

Dr. Nick

He caught his studs in the turf.

Wonder how many 'soccer' players will do something similar in the half-plastic-grass Croker over the next few years.....expect claims from the big clubs.

KdjaCL

Dr Nick your lucky you edited that post.

kdjac