Liverpool 0 West Ham 3 (Aug 29 2015)

[tlw content]

Ah well, it was nice while it lasted. Three clean sheets, seven points, new signings bedding in quickly, it was a new dawn and last season was behind us, right? WRONG! This was every bit as bad as anything we saw last season and it's difficult to escape the conclusion that this might be the shape of things to come. It's not that we lost, it's HOW we lost.
 
It’s all just so deflating. I’m not that shocked we lost to West Ham, we are still bedding in half a new team and there are going to be some bumps along the road. That's only natural. If we’d lost 1-0 or 2-1 and shown some signs of life I could have shrugged this one off a lot easier. It wasn’t like that though was it? I mean, 3-0 may have flattered West Ham a bit, but not much.
 
There was not a single positive thing to take from this game. Not one. It started badly, ended badly and was crap in between. No-one played well, but obviously some were worse than others. Milner was the least shit, but even he didn't play well.
 
The biggest beef I’ve got after this is that it feels like Rodgers has learned nothing from last season. We went into this game with the exact same set up that we had at Arsenal last week, even though the game was always going to be about as different as it’s possible to be. That set up worked great against Arsenal and their tippy tappy, one two’s around the box approach, but when the onus is on us to break down a packed defence is that really how we should be lining up?
 
The Lucas thing is just unfathomable to me. One minute Rodgers doesn’t want any part of him because he doesn’t need a defensive midfielder, the next thing he’s back in the side. Fair enough against Arsenal, but did we need him against West Ham? Perhaps if we didn’t also have Can and Milner in there, but that team played right into West Ham’s hands really. Their keeper will never have an easier game in his career.
 
Brendan has still got absolutely no idea how to break down a well organised, physical side that knows how to defend, and as soon as we fell a goal behind I'll be honest, I was ready to panic there and then even though there was still 87 minutes remaining. If Arsenal couldn’t break West Ham down then we were sure as hell going to find it tough, as the Gunners are a far better attacking side than we are.
 
The opening goal was sloppy. Skrtel’s header was a bit weak and then Gomez got caught a little on his heels as their winger nipped in front of him. Shit happens though, the run of clean sheets was always going to end at some point and far as bad goals go, I’ve seen a lot worse.
 
The worrying thing was that they continued to look more dangerous than us and everything we did was in front of them. We’d pass it around, work the right side, get nowhere, come back out and move it over to the left, get nowhere and eventually lose it. It happened for the entire first half. They packed the defence and we had no answer. 

 

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[King Emlyn]

The point about Lucas is spot on and is clear evidence that Rodgers is making it up as he goes along, also the fact that these leatherings at the hands of mid-table sides are becoming more and more common when they were hitherto unheard of. The man simply has to go, there is no sane argument to the contrary.

[carralad]

Alleluia someone has got the decency & common sense to put rational thinking to Saturdays match.  A great article, it restores my faith in Liverpool supporters.  More than can be said for the yobs who are kicking off on other web sites - LFC supporters - My Arse!  No doubt they are the knobheads that were booing at half time, how they think this helps the players beggars belief.  Shameful.

[ZonkoVille77]

we're fuckin shite.

[DaveT]

I've had conflicting emotions right from the pre-season games, and more than ever after Saturday's performance. I think the squad now has as much depth as it's had for a long time....although a lot of it is still more about potential than actual achievements. And we now lack an inspirational leader of the Gerrard or Suarez mould who can drag us single-handedly back into games that are getting away from us.

 

I've lost all the faith in and respect for Rodgers that he'd deservedly won for the 2013/14 season. A number of, fairly obvious, reasons for that. One - I'm fed up of his condescending use of jargon to try to make something fairly simple seem more mysterious and complicated, typical of 'professional' people trying to justify outrageous salaries or fees. 'Low block', blah blah, blah. I'll have been going to Anfield for 50 years come October and I'll seen too many teams to mention employing the same tactics as West Ham. Bottom line - he isn't a good enough coach to set up his team to a) defend against sporadic counter attacks and b) break down a packed defence. End of.

Two - He keeps repeating the same mistakes. He wasted a third of last season trying to get 4-2-3-1 to work when it was blindingly obvious that he didn't have the personnel for it. I lost it when I saw the team to play away to(Warnock's!) Palace last season. Allen and Gerrard as a midfield two against the big hard-running athletic Palace players?!

Three - he's obstinate and political to the detriment of the team. There are NO footballing reasons to pick Lovren ahead of Sakho, Saturday was an accident waiting to happen. Dave says, correctly, that Lovren was 'fairly solid' in the three previous games.....but no more than that. Against Bournemouth he made two big errors in the first four minutes but got away with them. 

I was impressed with the transfer business in the close season - a good mix of experience (Milner), dependability (Clyne), physicality (Benteke)...and whatever Firmino, Ings and Origi may bring. But I said to mates that the biggest issue is about how Rodgers deploys the personnel at his disposal. I'm fairly underwhelmed at the moment.

 

Rant over, as you were.

 

p.s. Kevin Friend....there are no words....

[Ranxerox]

Spot on Dave. 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

Good write up, completely agree with that. The use of Lucas was what started ringing alarm bells for me. 

[Dr. J]

 

The biggest beef I’ve got after this is that it feels like Rodgers has learned nothing from last season.

 

The Lucas thing is just unfathomable to me. One minute Rodgers doesn’t want any part of him because he doesn’t need a defensive midfielder, the next thing he’s back in the side

 

Brendan has still got absolutely no idea how to break down a well organised, physical side that knows how to defend

 

So then you're ok with extending Rodgers' contract?

[Dr Nowt]

Once the window is closed Lucas will be straight back out of the picture.

 

The amount to which Brendan makes things up as he goes along, and then gives a speech to retrofit this as his plan all allng

[goose]

Really good report, agree with all of that.

 

In a sea of putrescent awfulness, the biggest, smelliest floater was the change to three at the back. It's obvious that it completely failed and that nobody knew what they were doing, but even if it had been a well practised plan, what could it possibly have achieved? Yesterday when Swansea went one down, Garry Monk brought an extra striker on and was rewarded with two goals. It isn't fucking rocket science and if he can do it when playing against Manchester United we should be able to against West Ham.

[stringvest]

I think Rodgers is genuinely panicking and moving from one knee-jerk decision to the next.  I no longer believe he has a clue what he is going to do from one day to the next.  

[Dr Nowt]

Once the transfer window is closed Lucas will be straight back out of the first-team picture for most games, I'd have thought. He's never starting against West Ham if that subplot wasn't playing out, and I don't mean this as mitigation for Rodgers picking him to start on Saturday.

 

The extent to which he's making things up as he goes along, usually then giving a speech to retrofit this new approach as the plan all along, has become The Imperial March even to the likes of myself who've defended him a number of times.

[ZonkoVille77]

LBWC is drunk

[Paco]

He rarely changes a winning team or a team that performs well.

 

I dont think anyone was surprised he went with the same team as arsenal with henderson unavailable.

 

Hes dropped ibe and lallana got injured but the rest who ve started the first 3 games were in the team on merit.

 

Ibe was a waste of a sub again by the way. He shoulda just fucked origi on.

[Dr Nowt]

LBWC is drunk

Once the transfer window is Ai fuckain love you pal, honest to God, youse are the best.

[Dr Nowt]

And I'll tell you another thing, right.

 

About Lucas, right.

[moof]

We need a genuine class midfielder who can put his foot on the ball and control the tempo.

[TheHowieLama]

We got cunted in the bastard.

[piphomer]

We're two incorrect offside decisions from 4 points out of 12.

[moof]

We're two incorrect offside decisions from 4 points out of 12.

Or a finger tip save away from 9 points and an away win against arsenal.

 

The West Ham game was shit enough without people lumping irrelevant shit like this on top.

[The Golden Eel]

Really good report, agree with all of that. In a sea of putrescent awfulness, the biggest, smelliest floater was the change to three at the back. It's obvious that it completely failed and that nobody knew what they were doing, but even if it had been a well practised plan, what could it possibly have achieved? Yesterday when Swansea went one down, Garry Monk brought an extra striker on and was rewarded with two goals. It isn't fucking rocket science and if he can do it when playing against Manchester United we should be able to against West Ham.

 

That was the most alarming thing for me too.  I wonder if we'd even planned for doing that before the match. It seemed a bit like "this worked for a while last season, let's do it".  

[King Kenny 86]

We have drafted in Benteke, Ings, Firmino, Origi, but look less like scoring than ever before.

As we all say effectively 3 defensive hard working midfield players at fucking home to a team that have had their arses handed to them last 2 games it was crying out for high tempo pressure pressure pressure and agression.

When bedding in new players it's important that there is a well thought through plan that will allow for a few errors here and there. not sure what's on those charts, guess Dyche had them upside down!.

Worry for me is that we all take the piss out on Man Ure as Not knowing what their style or plan is

I am as baffled as anyone as to what "style" we are playing and what the plan / formation really is

Rodgers will dodge a lot of the press shit as they dance all over the rent boys struggles but we all know the arrogant twat will get it sorted.

Very down now but nothing that 3 points at Old Twatford won't cure.

 

[Dr. J]

Since the middle of last season has been managing to keep his job. Keep it tight and wait for Coutinho, or anyone, to do something special. Look at the last 12-13 results.

[Russ Atmosphere]

Used to grumble whenever we only made a few goalscoring chances, now it's utopia.

[Denny Crane]

Once the window is closed Lucas will be straight back out of the picture.

The amount to which Brendan makes things up as he goes along, and then gives a speech to retrofit this as his plan all allng

A friend of mine thinks the only reason Ibe and Gomez got a look in is purely politics.

 

Ibe to force out Lazar and Gomez as he wanted another Lb.

 

I don't think he's that stupid but a lot of strange stuff has happened.