Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14 Mod warning post#7005

Devilman40k

Grayditch wrote: »

Norwich haven't conceded at home in the league since the United game in December, keeping out City the other week. Anyone fancy them to hold Spurs to a draw, or will Adebeyor sneak one in in the 86th minute?

Hold on I got this....Spurs 4-0 :cool:

thats how it works right? :pac:

DrumSteve

Grayditch wrote: »

Norwich haven't conceded at home in the league since the United game in December, keeping out City the other week. Anyone fancy them to hold Spurs to a draw, or will Adebeyor sneak one in in the 86th minute?

Spurs have a great away record, I'd fully expect them to beat Norwich.

Keep us on our toes also.

Kess73

Kess73 wrote: »

Think all that matters right now is the 12 remaining games.


Despite it being an awful cliche, those games really have to be treated like 12 cup finals.

Saw an interesting stat last night which surprised me a little. We are closer to first place in terms of points after 26 games this season than we were after 26 games in the 2008/09 season.


We were 7 points off of first after 26 games in 2008/09, and we are 4 points off after the same amount of games this season.


12 massive games. 12 games that give Rodgers an outside chance of pulling off something that would be bigger than our CL run in 04/05.


When a fan starts to dream it can be something that leads to heartbreak, but I sure as hell hope that some of our players are starting to dream and that it puts some extra fire in their bellies. Sone of the senior players certainly seem to have sensed there is a chance, however slim, and their reactions after goals have reflected this.

One thing I do know is that if, at 15:00 on Sunday May 1th, we are in a position where three points can still win the title on, then I am confident that I will be sat in an Anfield that is louder than the one I sat in when we played Chelsea in the CL semi final in 2005. That for me is the dream.

I got goosebumps reading this tbh

AdamD

Kess73 wrote: »

Aim for 1st, and get 4th if you fail, or aim for 4th and get 7th if you fail.


Let those chasing us worry about us, and we will worry about those we are trying to catch.

No offence as I generally like your posts but I think that's bollocks.

Once the transfer windows have passed, what the team is 'aiming for' is going to be llargely irrelevant. If the first line of your post was even close to the truth then it would be the easiest solution for any team in trouble. Whether the target is 1st or 4th Liverpool are going to go into every game from now until the end of the season looking for a victory, so the long term 'goal' really makes no difference.

Grayditch

DrumSteve wrote: »

Keep us on our toes also.

You know what, you might be right. Windows of opportunity don't seem to always go our way, maybe we need a fire under our arse the whole time.

whatawaster

I read that if we win on Sunday we will have more points after 27 games than in any other season since 87/88.

Kess73

AdamD wrote: »

No offence as I generally like your posts but I think that's bollocks.

Once the transfer windows have passed, what the team is 'aiming for' is going to be llargely irrelevant. If the first line of your post was even close to the truth then it would be the easiest solution for any team in trouble. Whether the target is 1st or 4th Liverpool are going to go into every game from now until the end of the season looking for a victory, so the long term 'goal' really makes no difference.

The target set by the manager behind closed doors will matter a hell of a lot. Lots of players are confidence driven, and players who think, who believe, they can finish high will stand a better chance of doing so than a group who are told they are not expected to finish as high and for whom a lower finishing position would be more realistic.

Regardless of where we eventually end up this season, I hope to hell that Rodgers and his team have the players looking at the league table and believing in themselves that they can go after the teams above us.

If you run a business and you need your business to hit X amount, you don't set X as the target for your employees to achieve you aim higher so that if the named target is not met that you still might hit the needed target.

Same thing applies, for me, in sport. Aim as high as is possible for the individual or team and that way if they do not make it then they may reach a level that would have been acceptable before the competition began.

Right now we are in a position where we have an outside chance, so that has to be pursued until we either succeed or it becomes an impossibility.


I'll let the insufferable Jim Carrey take it from here

DrumSteve

Grayditch wrote: »

You know what, you might be right. Windows of opportunity don't seem to always go our way, maybe we need a fire under our arse the whole time.

The "every game is a cup final" menatality.

Paulegend

Kess73 wrote: »

The target set by the manager behind closed doors will matter a hell of a lot. Lots of players are confidence driven, and players who think, who believe, they can finish high will stand a better chance of doing so than a group who are told they are not expected to finish as high and for whom a lower finishing position would be more realistic.

Regardless of where we eventually end up this season, I hope to hell that Rodgers and his team have the players looking at the league table and believing in themselves that they can go after the teams above us.

If you run a business and you need your business to hit X amount, you don't set X as the target for your employees to achieve you aim higher so that if the named target is not met that you still might hit the needed target.

Same thing applies, for me, in sport. Aim as high as is possible for the individual or team and that way if they do not make it then they may reach a level that would have been acceptable before the competition began.

Right now we are in a position where we have an outside chance, so that has to be pursued until we either succeed or it becomes an impossibility.


I'll let the insufferable Jim Carrey take it from here

an old college lecturer used to tell me that students biggest problem is that they know 40% is a pass so they aim for 40%. a lot of the time if the student is competent they will pass and get around 50-60% but sometimes because they are thinking "i just need to get 40%" they end up getting closer to 30-39%.

if a student didnt think that 40% was passing level and that they had to get as much of a percentage as possible then they would be aiming for 100% instead of just 40. so if they do miss out they end up with 80-99% as opposed to 30-39%


dont know if any of that makes sense but in short we should be aiming for 1st. if we miss out we could get 2nd 3rd or 4th. but if we aim for 4th and miss out we would be getting 5th 6th or 7th.

i for one am not counting my chickens just yet. im all about optimism but if we are within 7 points of top after the games against swansea southampton united cardiff and spurs then ill start believing ye can do it. we do need to beat city and chelsea though but i do think we can. the same as arsenal we had bad ref decisions against us in the away games so hopefully we will have them go in our favour at anfield

gimli2112

DrumSteve wrote: »

The "every game is a cup final" menatality.

2001 was like that for the final few months, when we did the cup treble and qualified for the CL via the league. It was very stressful. This would be much much worse. If we're still in it near the end I won't be able to watch.

DrumSteve

gimli2112 wrote: »

2001 was like that for the final few months, when we did the cup treble and qualified for the CL via the league. It was very stressful. This would be much much worse. If we're still in it near the end I won't be able to watch.

Yeah, but I'd rather that than enjoy a comfortable 7th place finish.

K-9

There is no play for a draw mentality with this team or manager as well, it's win or bust.

billy2012

K-9 wrote: »

There is no play for a draw mentality with this team or manager as well, it's win or bust.

Not sure if that is a good thing TBH.

tok9

billy2012 wrote: »

Not sure if that is a good thing TBH.

It is a good thing and one thing that made Ferguson so successful. He was willing to lose to win at times.

Afterall 3 draws is the same as 1 win.

billy2012

http://talksport.com/football/liverpool-transfer-news-rodgers-raid-former-side-full-back-14021880241

googled eyes

Still only reading through posts from around half 11......


Kess, your killing me here. I'm just short of cheering as I'm reading.

Kimbot

Kess73 wrote: »

Thing is we are supporters. We can afford to get our hopes up. So what if those hopes get dashed. We can always let something else raise our hopes in the future.

But supporters with raised hopes make a lot of noise, and they will roar players on, even the less loved players, and if I was a player who was starting to think that there was a chance of a title medal, well I sure as hell would respond to 40,000 plus voices roaring me on and push that little bit harder which in turn would cause the volume to rise and the cycle repeats itself.

We may well crash and burn, but wouldn't it be fun to find out just how far we can go this season? To just take the shackles off and say "let's be fcuking having you" to any team that stands in front of us.

12 matches

12 rounds.

Go into the fight wanting the win, and you just might get it.

The fans really do have a say in the title this year...... roar your team across the finish line and be proud of what they achieved. I would love to hear that roar in Liverpool if we won the title. I remember the semi-final in the CL in 05 and my god you could hear it for miles.

ThunbergsAreGo

billy2012 wrote: »

http://talksport.com/football/liverpool-transfer-news-rodgers-raid-former-side-full-back-14021880241

From what i have seen i would rather Taylor

billy2012

tok9 wrote: »

It is a good thing and one thing that made Ferguson so successful. He was willing to lose to win at times.

Afterall 3 draws is the same as 1 win.

And 3 losses is the same as nothing.

I just meant that sometimes a draw is a decent result, obviously depending on the opposition / circumstances.

Saying that, I'm don't like the idea of going out looking for a draw in the 1st place, all depends how the match plays out.

ciaranmac

Boom_Bap wrote: »

If we were 3 points ahead of City, I'd still have them as favorites.

The brilliant thing is that we are in the mix for winning the league, and we havent been there is a while.
The players seem to have changed thier outlook in that rather aiming for top 4, they are just aiming for top. This change in phsycology has a huge bearing on a team.

I wrote something before the season start about how Utd under Ferguson from day 1 would be talking about winning the league, same goes for City and CFC. Having that instilled in a team rather than a top 4 aspiration changes the outlook and sense of accomplishment in a team.

The strange thing this year is nobody wants to talk up their title chances. BR says it's City's to lose, Mourinho says City should win because they have the most expensive squad, Pellegrini dodges the issue by talking about Chelsea's long term spending, Wenger just isn't saying the L word.

ciaranmac

hefferboi wrote: »

To be honest, I ddn't really care if we signed either Kono or Salah. Would be very good additions to the squad, alright, but we could just as easily get them in the summer. We needed dynamic centre midfielder. Still do really, but to be fair, Gerrard and Coutinho have been excellent since Jan.

Have to agree here. The thing that bothered me was we kept missing out on targets, not any reflection on how important those particular targets would have been. Like most posters on here I thought we needed a fullback or two and a DM, good enough to go straight in and strengthen the first 11. And in fairness SG is beginning to own the DM role after a shaky start. Cissokho also had a rough start and is more solid every game. With Flanagan back from injury it looks like we might get away with it. Fingers and toes crossed we get players back from injury and not the reverse.

8-10

Devilman40k wrote: »

Not entirely true..that is an increase of 4m on the previous season, anything extra can be offset with new commercial revenues, I wonder what we did in January on that side...hmmmm :cool:

One thing the lads at FSG are pretty good at is understanding finance.

Gbear

murpho999 wrote: »

For all the criticism of Webb from that match, he was very lenient with Sterling there. Didn't even book him when he could have been sent off.

Rules very clear that you cannot touch a ref. Don't get why people are slagging Webb here over it.

I don't think anyone is myopic enough to think that Gerrard not getting sent off was "good refereeing".

His not giving Sterling a yellow (I think any more than that would've been incredibly harsh but if the rules of the game explicitly ban any contact and the punishment is a red then so be it.) was another example of him trying to push some bizarre notion of british chivalry that is pushed in british football culture and, perhaps, some more fuel for his ego.

It was not a good example of good refereeing just because it went our way.

Pyjamarama

So if we're the little horse now, does that make utd a bottle of glue?!!

Knex*

That Sterling incident came about because of his complete ineptitude anyway. Blatant free, plus ball went over the line off the Arsenal player after. So if not a free, then a corner.

He gave a goal kick.

The man was poor for both teams throughout. Some baffling decisions.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

Pyjamarama wrote: »

So if we're the little horse now, does that make utd a bottle of glue?!!

Shergar.

Boom_Bap

The abuse that Webb is getting is mad. He has 3 other people officiating with him.
For the challenge on Suarez by Chamberlain, from his view, it looked shoulder to shoulder.
His assistant should have been flagging wildly.

The challenge on Allen only looked bad on replays, but his cry of agony when tackled should have been a signal, i think in this instance the assistant was closest and in best position.

The Gerrard tackle, dont know where Webb was, but his assistant was right up on play and had the best view.

For Sterling, Webb judged the situation, realised Sterling had no malice and was frustratied. He took appropriate action by talking the the captain.

The assistants in my view are at much bigger fault for not getting decisions right.

Pyjamarama

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

Shergar.

Nah we know where they are... Nice and visible right in the middle of the table!!

Gbear

Boom_Bap wrote: »

The abuse that Webb is getting is mad. He has 3 other people officiating with him.
For the challenge on Suarez by Chamberlain, from his view, it looked shoulder to shoulder.
His assistant should have been flagging wildly.

That's only relevant if the assistant had a decent view of it. We don't know whether or not he did.
Either way, Webb almost certainly had a better view given that he was about 10ft away.

Boom_Bap wrote: »

The challenge on Allen only looked bad on replays, but his cry of agony when tackled should have been a signal, i think in this instance the assistant was closest and in best position.

It was incorrect but on it's own it's not a huge black mark. It was early in the game and refs just don't give reds that early, especially if it's against the home team.

Boom_Bap wrote: »

The Gerrard tackle, dont know where Webb was, but his assistant was right up on play and had the best view.

Webb gave the foul. Whether Gerrard needed booking is largely at the ref's discretion.
He got that laughably wrong, I would assume because it was Stevie.
I don't have any explanation why Podolski got away with a similar challenge but, I suppose, at least he was consistent.

Knex*

For all we know his assistants did talk to him. They're all wearing headsets, remember.

Webb definitely strikes me as the type of person who is well capable of disregarding this advice based on his own judgement, however. (Which he's entitled to do, just I feel he got many things wrong)

Agent Coulson

Re; Webb I'd class him as the Big Time Charlie of the referee world.

Boom_Bap

Boom_Bap wrote: »

The abuse that Webb is getting is mad. He has 3 other people officiating with him.
For the challenge on Suarez by Chamberlain, from his view, it looked shoulder to shoulder.
His assistant should have been flagging wildly.

With how close Webb was I assume the linesman was on the far side of the pitch.

The challenge on Allen only looked bad on replays, but his cry of agony when tackled should have been a signal, i think in this instance the assistant was closest and in best position.

If we're going to take those agonising cries as evidence there won't be many matches finished.

Boom_Bap

Gbear wrote: »

That's only relevant if the assistant had a decent view of it. We don't know whether or not he did.
Either way, Webb almost certainly had a better view given that he was about 10ft away.

I think from the gif that has been posted here alot from Webbs view, it looks like a shoulder to shoulder. Any other view on the tackle which I would assume either of the 3 other officials would have had, would tell a different story.
Again, I am ony speculating that an assistant had a better view.

If not, and Webb see's what we see in the gif, then there is doubt about it being a clear foul, and he made the right decision.
Dont get me wrong, I think its a blanant peno, but the blame for not giving it cannot be solely attributed to Webb.

Knex. wrote: »

For all we know his assistants did talk to him. They're all wearing headsets, remember.

Webb definitely strikes me as the type of person who is well capable of disregarding this advice based on his own judgement, however. (Which he's entitled to do, just I feel he got many things wrong)

I'm sure there was dialogue between them and certain that Webb used his own judgement. Unfortunately these were wrong at times. But it's cases like this where his assistants need to be more assertive.

Grayditch

I've stopped even caring if I'm being reasonable about Howard Webb. If it's bad luck, coincidence, or just all in the crazy deluded brain of this Liverpool fan, I don't like him, and I don't like when he's reffing our games.

Utopia Parkway

Webb is a bollocks. End of story. Never want to see him ref a Liverpool game again so he can add to his long list of crap decisions. Think I'd prefer Lee Mason and that's saying something.

Nuri Sahin

People can attempt to take away the heat from Webb all they wish for Sunday's display, but it's not just a once off thing with him and Liverpool in the big games namely. I pray to Batman he isn't our ref for any one of the Spurs, Chelsea or Man City games.

Vicxas

Nuri Sahin wrote: »

People can attempt to take away the heat from Webb all they wish for Sunday's display, but it's not just a once off thing with him and Liverpool in the big games namely. I pray to Batman he isn't our ref for any one of the Spurs, Chelsea or Man City games.

Can the club request a new ref, I.E: Southampton refusing to have Clattenburg ref their matches

Agent Coulson

The best referee in England will be given the big high profile games and with Liverpool against City and Chelsea been seen as premier league title deciders 6 pointers and with Sky and the English media promoting them as such. I can't see the FA noth giving at least one of them to their World Cup referee.

Brendan or someone at the club needs to come out and take a fine and a ban I think to stop this happening.

Paulegend

DrumSteve wrote: »

Yeah, but I'd rather that than enjoy a comfortable 7th place finish.

yea like united those lucky bastards. nothing to play for except the champions league. theyll be knocked out of that soon so theyll be bale to go back to dubai and join their league or something

Paulegend

tok9 wrote: »

It is a good thing and one thing that made Ferguson so successful. He was willing to lose to win at times.

Afterall 3 draws is the same as 1 win.

exactly id rather lose 1 and win 1 rather than draw 2

Paulegend

jonny24ie wrote: »

The fans really do have a say in the title this year...... roar your team across the finish line and be proud of what they achieved. I would love to hear that roar in Liverpool if we won the title. I remember the semi-final in the CL in 05 and my god you could hear it for miles.

and dare i say it.............. if we won the title our last game is at home i think i just got hard

Agent Coulson

The dance has evolved a small bit over the the last 10 years.

ThunbergsAreGo

Agent Coulson wrote: »

The dance has evolved a small bit over the the last 10 years.

The defending for that goal.....

Charlie19

It be fairly funny to see his reaction after showing him that clip.

MonkeyTennis

Michael Laudrup : 'We had our ups and downs this season, but when I signed David N'Gog the directors told me I was no longer fit to manage.

mike65

Hard to argue with that!

---

On another matter - FA Youth Cup quarter-final is tomorrow and we can't watch it cos its on a CL night!

djPSB

Paulegend wrote: »

and dare i say it.............. if we won the title our last game is at home i think i just got hard

Was thinking myself the other day. Going into the final game at home to Newcastle, if we had a chance of getting top 4 or in the unlikely event a chance of winning the title, it would be well worth being around Anfield on the day.

Even if it wasn't possible to get tickets to the match itself, the atmosphere in the pubs around Anfield after the game would be electric should we get the desired result.

Alot of football to be played between now and then obviously.

8-10

mike65 wrote: »

Hard to argue with that!

Can argue over it being a genuine comment though...

Augmerson

MonkeyTennis wrote: »

Michael Laudrup : 'We had our ups and downs this season, but when I signed David N'Gog the directors told me I was no longer fit to manage.

N'Gog is back in the premiership?!

Jeepers. Ah good luck to him.

I am pie

I'd have taken a punt on Ravel Morrison. He has showed some serious ability this year and reputed to have sorta his off field nonsense out. Sounds like Allardyce, the fool, saw him on his way as he wouldn't play ball re: an agent.

Definitely would have proved an interesting option in there alongside henderson, allen and coutinho.