Red vs Blue: Tis gonna be a biggie (possible scores)

jesus_thats_gre

Am really looking forward to this match. For once there is actually something riding on the match and with all the talk of groundsharing, both clubs should be well up for it!!

Caesar_Bojangle

Its going to be close. I'll go with a pool win of 1-2

puntosporting

Im hoping for a pool win but its too close to call,everton are due to start slipping in my opinion and liverpool need to start clawing back the points!
I get off the fence and go with a 2-0 win for my beloved pool!

Töpher

Liverpool will be on a nice high after the midweek, but I expect Everton to get one more game before the slip up! Well, I hope they do! Going for 1-1 or 2-1 Everton.

mike65

Its been 7 or 8 years since Everton beat Pool at Goodison so they're bound to break that hoodoo any time now! It'll proberly be a bad, bitty muck and bullets affair ending in narrow victory for er.....

Mike.

Aquos76

One must give credit to the toffees at the moment. The are certainly pulling the results out of the bag. I think that it will be a close game with everton probably snatching it with a late Duncan Ferguson header.

The Muppet

A draw would be the most likely outcome IMO so I.ll go for 1 1.

smuckers

Liverpool will shade this 1-0.

thejollyrodger

Liverpool to win by a goal
but i wouldnt be surprised by a draw

kida

the key will be how Liverpool deal with Evertons set-pieces. Methinks they might struggle to do so. Most teams do not do well after a mid-week big game, especially early Saturday kick off. Going for 2-0 or 3-1 to Everton.

mike65

Team -

Kirkland

Josemi Hyypia Carragher Riise

Kewell Hamann Diao Gerrard

Pongolle Mellor

Subs: Dudek Finnan Alonso Nunez Traore

Everton-

Martyn, Hibbert, Weir, Stubbs, Pistone, Carsley, Osman, Cahill, Kilbane, Gravesen, Bent, Carragher

Mike.

kida

go one you good thing Carsley - a cracker - set up by Kilbane

oh yeah its 1-0 to Everton

_blank_

1-0, Zinedine set up Carsley!

Can they hold on then?

A Dub in Glasgo

FT
Everton 1 - 0 Liverpool

Well done to Everton

mike65

Sheeez!

Mike.

mayordenis

that was liverpool's joke team

jesus_thats_gre

Respect to the blue's on that one.

MrJoeSoap

Not a great game quality-wise, but great to watch. G'wan the Everton, I cant believe Carsley got man-of-the-match. It had to be either Grav or Kilbane.

Liverpool weren't up to much.

super_furry

Poor game from what were two average teams on the day. I think Benitez handed the game to Everton with his team selection. He was too concerned with the physical side of Everton's game on not focused enough on Liverpool. Diao, Josemi and Risse were all picked because of their supposed aggresiveness, but they played at the expense of better players. Gerrard was wasted up front and his absence in midfield gave Gravesen licence to control the play.

I think today should also signal the end of the Kirkland experiment, he was a liability ever time the ball came near hear and Dudek was dropped for making far fewer mistakes earlier in the season.

All in all, a very disappointing show from Liverpool and one I would rank as probably their worst of the season.

mike65

I've heard the combination of the words Kirkland and Flap to often lately. As for Josemi....

Mike.

Lex Luthor

I wasn't surprised at the result as Liverpool have lost nearly every game after a mid-week european game.

Plus the team selection was baffling. :eek:
Diao was nowhere. :rolleyes:
Riise needs to practice his dribbling skills.
SG was wasted up front.
Pongolle was useless on the wing. :rolleyes:
Mellor should be shot for missing from 3 yds.
And Everton wanted it more.

yop

Well done Everton, nicely placed in 2nd, wonder would we be daft enough to think they could stay in top 4 or even win it!!

Third_Echelon

Ah yes.... how sweet a victory in the merseyside derby is....

I really liked the way that everybody wrote off everton before the game here...

Everton played better football and wanted to win the game more than liverpool for some reason..

As for rafa's team selection?? I nearly p1ssed myself with joy when i saw it... all it needed was traore to start!!!! seriously has houllier left?

Anyway... im happy... 2nd in the league, beat liverpool... could it get any better???

And for all of you who think everton are going to fade.... i laugh at you

kida

Amazing how this thread is so muc quieter than the Olympiakos one .

The team with the most desire won it. I would say all Moyes had to do was stiick up L'pool team on the dressing room and say something to the effect of "they think they can beat us with that, thats an insult"

Pool will do well to get 4th place now.

mike65

Moyes getting carried away -

bbc.co.uk

And Moyes said: "If any other club was second they would be saying they were title contenders. They would consider it right to say we were in the mix.

They're doing well playing first division football but it wont last trust me!

Mike.

Lex Luthor

Third_Echelon wrote:

Ah yes.... how sweet a victory in the merseyside derby is....

I really liked the way that everybody wrote off everton before the game here...

Everton played better football and wanted to win the game more than liverpool for some reason..

As for rafa's team selection?? I nearly p1ssed myself with joy when i saw it... all it needed was traore to start!!!! seriously has houllier left?

Anyway... im happy... 2nd in the league, beat liverpool... could it get any better???

And for all of you who think everton are going to fade.... i laugh at you

Don't get carried away 3rd E. Yes Everton were better on the day...they chased more and wanted it more. Benitez's team selection mustn't have helped matters. I'd say the players were even baffled by it when he put it up. Going into the Merseyside Derby, you don't completely shuffle the team around as it's gonna be a fast game and the last thing you want is players finding themselves in new positions at the pace of this game. Benitez himself admitted that he was worried by the phsical game of Everton which made him put out the team he did. He will learn from this and at least we know, the guy does learn from his mistakes. If Everton keep it up, fair play to them but as we have seen in the last few years, these 'pretenders' normally fall off. Surely, even yourself, you must admit you are surprised by their position?

cournioni

As much as I love to see Liverpool being beaten, I'm getting slightly pissed off with Everton being ahead of us in the table! :S

A Dub in Glasgo

us = Man United or Arsenal

knobbles

Lex Luthor wrote:

Surely, even yourself, you must admit you are surprised by their position?

slight understatement there!...just about half way through the season and Everton are looking down on Arsenal and ManU, madness

...regardless of a possible dip in form in the 2nd half of the season, it's been an incredible start to the season, even more so when you consider the turmoil that preceded the season...not just Rooney going but finishing on 39 points last season. Many of you said they'd go down, then a few games into the season you said they'd collapse soon...still waiting!

The last 3 games were a massive test for Everton to prove and justify their league position - against Newcastle, Bolton and Liverpool and they've come out with 7 points. After the this win, I think people are finally accepting they deserve to be up there.

...what makes it even more exciting for toffees is that Moysie will probably have up to £10 to spend in January, i've waited a long time for days like these :cool:

Shred

Congrats to the toffees, Liverpool had their chances but all in all I'd say Everton probably deserved the win. Diao = this years Biscan (ie: when you see him on the team sheet you think "oh no!"), although at least Biscan had the excuse of being played out of possition. Please God he'll be gone in January :mad:

AthAnRi

If Everton buy a ferw players in the transfer window I don't see why they can't aim for a champions league spot. They are a better team than Liverpool at the moment, and are solid defensively. They have a little bit of money to throw around now and they should be aiming to bring in Scott Parker or James Beattie or both. That would add a little strength to there limited squad. I know people are expecting them to fall away but Everton have been in this position 2 years ago and have a little bit more experience in such a situation than people are giving them credit for.

AS for Moyes getting carried away. I don't think so. I heard him speaking on the radio this morning saying that he was just happy that Everton have accumilated enough points to avoid relegation.

Lex Luthor

knobbles wrote:

Moysie will probably have up to £10 to spend in January,

Should get Emile Haskey for less than a tenner and Diao with the change

The Muppet

Lex Luthor wrote:

Should get Emile Haskey for less than a tenner and Diao with the change

LOL

SteM

PORNAPSTER wrote:

As much as I love to see Liverpool being beaten, I'm getting slightly pissed off with Everton being ahead of us in the table! :S

Don't worry, it won't last imho. Look at their goal difference, I don't think that teams that continue to have that sort of GD can stay in the top 4 in the Premiership. They've only scored 7 more than they've conceded so unless that picks up eventually the wins will start turning to draws or losses and that's when teams below them will catch up.

Chelsea - scored 25 more than they've conceded
Arsenal - scored 22 more than they've conceded
United - scored 12 more than they've conceded

Not much difference in GD between Everton and United but you'd feel there is more to come from United (who have been scored badly in the premiership so far) but this is as good as Everton can get.

The Rooster

How Josemi can start ahead of Finnan is beyond me. Every single time they play its obvious that Finnan is the better player. A bit better as a defender, and much better on the ball.

Also I reckon it has to be the last time that Alonso doesnt start.

The biggest mistake of all though was playing Gerrard as a striker rather than as an attacking midfielder.

I've always suspected Kirkland was overrated, but I still think he's better than Dudek.

Given everything though, they still should have at least got a draw. A string of misses, especially at the end. 16 attempts at goal compared to Everton's 5. Gerrard should have scored with at least one of his two last efforts.

I've no doubt that they'll beat Pompey on Tuesday (no doubt that'll get thrown in my face come 10pm!!!) but the game v Newky on Sunday is massive. I'd give the losers no chance of making the CL.

As for Everton they are a good solid side. Not near as good as a full strength Liverpool, but if they dont get injuries they've a decent chance of taking 4th.

Aquos76

The Rooster wrote:

As for Everton they are a good solid side. Not near as good as a full strength Liverpool, but if they dont get injuries they've a decent chance of taking 4th.

Would that be finishing 4th behind Arsenal, Chelsea, and Man u ( In no particular order may I add because there is a long way to go yet)

So where do you think Loserpool will finish?

PiE

Leonard wrote:

So where do you think Loserpool will finish?

Oh did you see what he did there? That was comedy gold! Seriously, do you have a team of scriptwriters? 'Cos that was first class.

To answer your question: Ahead of Everton.

Aquos76

Well if the top three are going to be made up of Man U, Arsenal, and Chelsea, and if assume Everton continue their great run. They should and will deserve to take forth position.

With the Loserpool thing, did I hit a nerve. Just a bit of friendly banter. From what I people here are able to refer to Man U as scum but when it reversed things seem to be different.

jesus_thats_gre

I am very confident that Everton will fade away with the goal difference being a very clear indication of how a team will finish...

I am also satisfied that Liverpool are a better side than Everton and it was tactics and a big of bad luck that lost it for us.

Aquos76

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

I am very confident that Everton will fade away with the goal difference being a very clear indication of how a team will finish...

I am also satisfied that Liverpool are a better side than Everton and it was tactics and a big of bad luck that lost it for us.

I totally agree with what you are saying, remember I wasn't the one who predicted that the toffees would finish in forth place. I was only putting the question to the rooster , of who her thought would finish above them.

With regards to Liverpool, they have the ability within certain areas of the team to make a charge for either the 3rd or 4th positions. And as you pointed out about goal difference, the same can be said about a teams away form, and we all know what Liverpool are like so far this season away from home.

Third_Echelon

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

I am very confident that Everton will fade away with the goal difference being a very clear indication of how a team will finish...

I am also satisfied that Liverpool are a better side than Everton and it was tactics and a big of bad luck that lost it for us.

i dont know where you are getting this confidence in fairness. Everton have done nothing but prove all the critics completely wrong and they still get nothing but 'ah they are bound to fade off'... why? why should we fade off?

If you score more goals than you concede, that is always good... if we win every game 1-0 i dont really care. we still get the same amount of points. fair enough, goal difference may play a part in finishing in a certain position, but if we keep on winning i dont care by how much it is...

In january we will have a bit of money to boost our attack. If we get a player like james beattie or robbie keane, who have both been linked with a move to goodison, they could definitely pitch in with goals.

Our current 4-1-4-1 formation is also a factor in our goal differnce. We just have bent playing up front on his own..

We are not conceding many goals... thats the most important factor in my book. we can worry about scoring them after that....


Liverpool were not a better team than everton on the day.. not a chance. Red tinted glasses by any chance there jesus_thats_gre???

And if you think that you are mad..

Liverpool are not a good team and haven't been for a long time... they've huffed and puffed, but they've done nothing of note...

year after year its the same old rubbish coming out of anfield 'oh we are rebuilding this year'.. how many times have we heard this..

I was reading this article on the liverpool website today and it really summed it all up:

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N147099041213-1002.htm

liverpoolfc.tv wrote:

Following the dramatic events at Anfield in midweek, the 200th Merseyside derby was always going to be an anti-climax for the red half of the city.
That is exactly how it transpired at Goodison Park on Saturday but it doesn't make the pain of defeat to Everton any easier to accept.

It's never nice when local pride takes a bit of a battering and every Liverpudlian will no doubt still be hurting as they read this report.

But let's try and look at the positives.

In the grand scheme of things, victory over Olympiacos four days previous will have a greater impact on Liverpool?s season than this disappointing 1-0 reverse.

For the first time in donkey's years Liverpool went into football's most famous local spat as underdogs.

David Moyes' side have enjoyed a remarkable start to the season and no one can begrudge them the lofty perch they find themselves in as the halfway mark of the Premiership approaches.

Talk of a power shift in Merseyside football though is more than a little premature.

The 2004/05 campaign is one of rebuilding at Anfield and we should not lose sight of that.

Victory over the reigning champions Arsenal and exciting progress in the Champions League is all well and good but it should not be allowed to paper over the fact that Rafael Benitez still has a massive job in his hands.

Everton's first derby win this century may have left us trailing our near neighbours by a massive 12-points but now is not the time to be worrying about points and positions in the table.

There's a lot of football to be played between now and May. That, as Benitez constantly points out, is when the position we occupy in the league matters. And only then should judgement be passed.

With a bit of good fortune our current points tally of 24 could have been 27, or at least 25, following Saturday?s game.

This was an evenly fought contest from start to finish, which both sides could argue they deserved to win.

In typical derby fashion it was not a spectacle for faint hearts. The tackles were flying in from the first minute and the blood and thunder tempo did not let up.

The best footballof the first period was undoubtedly played by those in red shirts.

The appearance of Salif Diao's name on the teamsheet will not have been greeted with widespread approval by the travelling fans but the Senegal 'Warrior' enjoyed one of his better games for the Reds and can be pleased with his contribution.

Harry Kewell's long-awaited return to form continued and lone striker Neil Mellor linked intelligently with the midfield. Only a point-blank save by Nigel Martyn denied him a deadlock-breaking goal on 32 minutes. Little did we know at the time, but it was to be Liverpool's best opportunity of the match.

The impressive Sami Hyypia also went close with a stinging shot that flew inched over the bar.

At the opposite end Everton should have drawn first blood when a glorious opportunity was spurned by Tim Cahill. Unmarked, the Aussie midfielder headed wide when it looked easier to have hit the back of the net.

While that was a major let off for visitors, they were rarely troubled throughout the half. Chris Kirkland was guilty of two heart-stopping moments when twice he failed to collect a cross but central defensive duo Hyypia and Jamie Carragher remained rock-like figures in the heat of the battle.

Prior to the decisive goal being scored in the 68th minute, this 200th meeting of the two age-old Mersey rivals looked destined to finish goalless.

Clear-cut opportunities were very few and far between. When a chance did come along it was imperative that it was taken and unfortunately, Lee Carsley was the only player capable of doing just that.

His goal was a disappointing one to concede from a Red point of view. A dangerous looking centre from the left should have been cleared and even when it fell to Carsley on the edge of the box there was no way he should have been able to find the back of the net from that position.

To be fair, Kirkland's line of vision was blocked but surely he should have closer to what proved to be the match-winning strike.

Between the restart and this point Liverpool had offered little as an attacking threat and with Everton now content to sit back and protect their priceless lead the task of breaking through the blue barrier was an even more formidable one.

Although Steven Gerrard struggled to exert his usual immense influence on proceedings, a slightly below par performance by his standards is still very good compared to others. He remained our best hope of rescuing a point and twice went close as time ticked desperately by.

Another glimmer of hope for the Reds as the final whistle neared was Liverpool's recent knack of snatching late goals.

As we entered injury time, lightening looked like it was going to strike again when substitute Djimi Traore went up and won a header in the six-yard box against Martyn. The impressive Everton keeper somehow managed to recover and the ball was frantically scrambled away.

Relief swept around the Goodison stands and seconds later the home supporters were put out of their misery. Not since 1997 had they experienced the joy of a derby victory on the blue side of Stanley Park and the final shrill of Steve Bennett's whistle was the cue for ecstatic Evertonian celebrations.

Let them enjoy the moment. After all, days like this thankfully don't come around that often.

Defeat in the derby is the darkest hour of our season so far, there's no getting away from that, but as you trudge wearily back into work or school this morning, try holding your head up high and remember - form is temporary, class is permanent.

Greater glory lies on the horizon for Rafa's Reds andwe must keep the faith, even after a desperately disappointing result as this.

sour grapes me thinks....

knobbles

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

I am very confident that Everton will fade away with the goal difference being a very clear indication of how a team will finish...

...i'm afraid football doesn't work lie that
...1-0,1-1,1-0 is better than 4-1,2-0, 0-1,

2003:
3 Newcastle +15, 69points
4 Chelsea... +30, 67
5 Liverpool.. +20, 64

2002:
5 Leeds.. 16 66
6 Chelsea 28 64

2001:
5 Ipswich 15 66
6 Chelsea 23 61

2000:
3 Leeds.... 15 69
4 Liverpool 21 67
5 Chelsea 19 58

Aquos76

Just 2 things of note on your post.

1 Robbie Keane is a very over rated CLUB player. How many clubs has he had now and he has yet to do anything special...

2. And why would an everton supporter checking out the liverpool official website. I hope it was only to check out the reaction of evertons great result over their biggest rivials.

Third_Echelon

Leonard wrote:

Just 2 things of note on your post.

1 Robbie Keane is a very over rated CLUB player. How many clubs has he had now and he has yet to do anything special...

2. And why would an everton supporter checking out the liverpool official website. I hope it was only to check out the reaction of evertons great result over their biggest rivials.

1. I was just saying he was linked. He can score goals.

2. Got it in one. There is no law saying i cant read another teams website. Its always good to see what the other side are saying.


... and if thats all you can find in my post to comment on, it says a lot really

Third_Echelon

Alan Hansen article on his belief in Everton:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4092313.stm

super_furry

Call it arrogance, but I still whole-heartedly believe that Liverpool will finish ahead of Everton with the Bluenoses out of the Champions League places. Everton have played far above themselves so far this season and will not be able to keep it up, especially once they start picking up a few injuries.

The Muppet

super_furry wrote:

Call it arrogance, but I still whole-heartedly believe that Liverpool will finish ahead of Everton with the Bluenoses out of the Champions League places. Everton have played far above themselves so far this season and will not be able to keep it up, especially once they start picking up a few injuries.

I wouldn't be so confident, Everton still have the Rooney money to spend in the transfer window if they feel they need to strengthen or get cover for any particular position. Spent wisely I believe they can sustain their challenge.

The Rooster

Leonard wrote:

I totally agree with what you are saying, remember I wasn't the one who predicted that the toffees would finish in forth place. I was only putting the question to the rooster , of who he thought would finish above them.

I didnt predict Everton would finish 4th. I said they have a decent chance of finishing there IF they get no injuries.

The top 3 will be Chelsea, ManU and Arsenal. Doesnt take a genius to work that out.

4th place is wide open. Its a great opportunity for the likes of Everton or Middlesbrough to get a piece of the big time. Villa arent out of it either, but I'd still make Liverpool favourites. So long as they beat both Portsmouth and Newky this week.

Dont be at yourself

ManU getting 3rd is hardly set in stone, to be fair. They've still a huge amount of work to do to secure that, based on their form this season.

As for Everton, they're at the top of the table because they have the spirit and belief that they deserve to be there. Whether o not they can stay up there depends on when their form turns. If they can keep their current form going for another couple of months they're in with a great chance, but a few losses and draws in the next few games will probably see their season fall apart.

My money's still on Liverpool to take at least 4th, but then I am a Liverpool fan.

Third_Echelon

We are looking good for christmas I reckon:

Sat 18 Dec: Blackburn (away) => should beat blackburn
Sun 26 Dec: Man City (home) => should beat them at home
Tue 28 Dec: Charlton (away) => draw/perhaps a win. Depends on what charlton team turns up
Sat 01 Jan: Spurs (away) => tough enough away fixture. Spurs seem to have found a bit of form recently. Draw perhaps.
Tue 04 Jan: Portsmouth (home) => should win this one.

jesus_thats_gre

The Muppet wrote:

I wouldn't be so confident, Everton still have the Rooney money to spend in the transfer window if they feel they need to strengthen or get cover for any particular position. Spent wisely I believe they can sustain their challenge.

The thing is, they dont have it to spend on transfers...

The club is still in 42 million debt.. They can get up to 28 million for Rooney and are getting a cash injection of 15 million soon also. They have committed 10 million of that to transfer over Christmas it seems...

Now look at it this way.. If I told you Liverpool had 10 million to spend over Christmas and I was saying that this would make a massive difference, would you agree or would you laugh me off...

If Everton get 1 serious injury to Stubbs, Weir, Gravesen, Kilbane or Bent, they are in major trouble as they do not have anyone to replace them. If they get 2 or 3 injuries, like Liverpool have had all season, they would crumble...


To knobbles...

I didn't that what I said was the bible truth. In general, the goal difference an excellent messure of how a team is performing. You are correct, away form is also a major factor and it is the one thing Liverpool really need to address. The thing is though, if they can crack this problem (and they have the ability to do so on occasion) with some consistency, they will rocket up the table in the second half of the season.




I am glad to see another team in the mix for a change but its happened before and it will happen again.. These clubs with limited squads just dont have the manpower to maintain a full head of steam all season.


Finally, I didn't expect Liverpool to finish above 4th this season and would have been extremely grateful for such a high finish considering the changes that happened pre-season and the financial results that were announched recently.

The fact is, we have changed manager, got rid of nearly 10 players and bought in 4. Of the 4:

- Nunez got injured in his first training session and have only made his debut in the last week..

- Garcia has played well but is now injured.

- Josemi has played consistently.. unfortunately

- Cisse is ****ed for the season


Of the existing squad:

- Gerard was out for 2 months

- Baros got injured just after Cisse broke his leg and is still not fully fit.



Considering we officially have the smallest squad in the premier league and how we have managed even with those injuries, I am relatively happy. I am just frustrated because I know we could be far better off if some decisions went our way and we had a little luck.

Once most of injured players return and we buy between now and next season, we will be very well set.