Leicester

[3 Stacks]

We didn't try to blow them out of the water, we were playing well and Chelsea didn't have a sniff until they scored from their one chance at the end of the first half and then defended out of their skins and caught us on the break late on.

 

You live by the sword, you die by the sword. If we had gone into that game playing for the draw we would've lost anyway, that's just the kind of team we were.

 

It was more the setup of the team and the style of play that was the problem. We didn't need to have Gerrard drop deep and split the centre backs against Chelsea. While that helped us score heaps of goals in many previous games, we saw time and again that it left us exposed because Gerrard could not cope when teams countered. A more conservative setup should have been used to allay that threat.

[moof]

Nope. The problem was we made a mistake and then couldn't break down a team that parked 11 men on the edge of their box.

 

That was one isolated moment in a game. Our defence was barely troubled for the rest of it.

 

Chelsea were no closer to executing their game plan than we were when Gerrard slipped.

[3 Stacks]

Look, I think Gerrard was almost completely responsible for blowing the title. It's not exactly a popular opinion but his slip was the turning point.  At the same time, the way Rodgers used him that season and in the Chelsea game really didn't do him or us any favors defensively and in the end, it cost the team. Setting the team up in a way that didn't make Gerrard the deepest midfielder undoubtedly would have stopped that kind of mistake from happening. It's the kind of tactical tweak that better, more experienced managers would have made.

 

But, it is what it is. 

[Iceman]

That holding role/ QB thing was just wrong. A lot of people felt Gerrard should have been played in an attacking role if we wanted to get the most out of him that season. He's an amazing player so he will always excel in any position he plays, mentally and technically but when you physically don't have the pace anymore, and you're playing in the kick and rush league it's rather a hindrance. We were a sieve with razor sharp edges. 

[suzy]

I'm not having that - how many games has Gerrard almost single handedly dragged us to winning? I refuse to blame him for us losing the title - he must have won us many more points than dropping those that day.

[RobbieOR]

Nobody had us as credible challengers until we beat West Ham away at the start of April. We were 8 off top in February after we drew with West Brom then won 12 on the bounce. 

 

City's game in hand skewed how far ahead we were, we had no margin for error at all. 

[moof]

That holding role/ QB thing was just wrong. A lot of people felt Gerrard should have been played in an attacking role if we wanted to get the most out of him that season. He's an amazing player so he will always excel in any position he plays, mentally and technically but when you physically don't have the pace anymore, and you're playing in the kick and rush league it's rather a hindrance. We were a sieve with razor sharp edges.

It wasn't a hindrance when we were smashing teams left and right on our way to (very nearly) winning the title. Or am I supposed to believe that was in spite of Gerrard?

[Bjornebye]

I was far more pissed off about his superman act in the 2nd half than his slip. Slips happen. 

[3 Stacks]

No, you're supposed to believe that Rodgers probably should have taken the hint that conceding 2 at Fulham, 3 at Cardiff, 3 at Stoke, 2 against Villa, 3 against Swansea and 2 at Norwich all with Gerrard as the deepest lying midfielder meant that there was a great risk that something bad could happen in our most important game of the season.

[Denny Crane]

Any team who concedes 50 goals has no business winning the league.

 

It was never sustainable Suarez could only cover the managers mistakes so many times.

[moof]

Yet, chances are, we would've won it if not for one mistake.

[Bjornebye]

Yet, chances are, we would've won it if not for one mistake.

 

 

Kolo's against Stoke? 

[moof]

Kolo's against Stoke?

West brom, wasn't it?

[razor]

It was more the setup of the team and the style of play that was the problem. We didn't need to have Gerrard drop deep and split the centre backs against Chelsea. While that helped us score heaps of goals in many previous games, we saw time and again that it left us exposed because Gerrard could not cope when teams countered. A more conservative setup should have been used to allay that threat.

 

 

Look, I think Gerrard was almost completely responsible for blowing the title. It's not exactly a popular opinion but his slip was the turning point.  At the same time, the way Rodgers used him that season and in the Chelsea game really didn't do him or us any favors defensively and in the end, it cost the team. Setting the team up in a way that didn't make Gerrard the deepest midfielder undoubtedly would have stopped that kind of mistake from happening. It's the kind of tactical tweak that better, more experienced managers would have made.

 

But, it is what it is. 

 

Ah, an Australian or a New Zealander.

 

Which are you, 3 Stacks, my antipodean friend?

[3 Stacks]

Ah, an Australian or a New Zealander.

 

Which are you, 3 Stacks, my antipodean friend?

 

What? I'm Canadian, you weirdo

[Captain Turdseye]

[moof]

Haha

[TheHowieLama]

Oh a comedian.

[jimmycase]

Look, I think Gerrard was almost completely responsible for blowing the title. It's not exactly a popular opinion but his slip was the turning point.  At the same time, the way Rodgers used him that season and in the Chelsea game really didn't do him or us any favors defensively and in the end, it cost the team. Setting the team up in a way that didn't make Gerrard the deepest midfielder undoubtedly would have stopped that kind of mistake from happening. It's the kind of tactical tweak that better, more experienced managers would have made.

 

But, it is what it is. 

 

You talk fucking shit. And you just proved it with that post. Utter fucking garbage.

[jimmycase]

West brom, wasn't it?

 

Was west brom when he rolled the ball across the 18 yard box for lardarse amochebe to score his first goal in months for them.

 

But its wrong to blame any one player for losing out on the title (know you're not doing that). As Ive said before, it was a brilliant 13 game winning run that brought us within a whisker of the title. One or two more games was beyond us but there's no shame in that because i dont think any other team had been able to put 14 or so winning games together ever.

[Denny Crane]

Gerrard Is Gerrard I have no doubts without his contribution on the pitch and in the dressing room we would not have went as close in 13/14.

 

There were hundreds of posts suggesting we would concede less without him and be more creative. Didn't exactly work out did it?

 

One other point Mignolet is well on his way to conceding high 40s- 50 odd goals for 5 odd years running maybe even more.

 

It doesn't seem to matter if he plays for Sunderland or Liverpool or is managed by Rodgers or Klopp or Bruce. It seems to be a similar amount he concedes.

[3 Stacks]

You talk fucking shit. And you just proved it with that post. Utter fucking garbage.

 

Didn't I tell you never to respond to me ever again, you fucking freak?

 

I don't want you to address my posts, you fucking scare me.

[magicrat]

Look, I think Gerrard was almost completely responsible for blowing the title. It's not exactly a popular opinion but his slip was the turning point.  At the same time, the way Rodgers used him that season and in the Chelsea game really didn't do him or us any favors defensively and in the end, it cost the team. Setting the team up in a way that didn't make Gerrard the deepest midfielder undoubtedly would have stopped that kind of mistake from happening. It's the kind of tactical tweak that better, more experienced managers would have made.

 

But, it is what it is. 

 

Bollocks post in full, 

 

Rodgers set that team up to try and blow the best defense in the league away when all he needed was a point. Mourinho knew exactly what to expect and parked the bus just waiting for us to over commit. Chelsea had nothing to hurt us had we set up to draw them out  and show some patience we would have won but the way we went about it for the huffing and puffing we created fuck all in the way of clear cut chances..

That debacle was down to poor tactics and a manager trying to prove a point against his old master, Rodgers had his chance to go down in history and blew it. Mourinho or Taggart in that position would have pissed it. To blame Gerrard is utter rubbish.

Rodger underlined his mistake a few days later when he chased the goal difference down at Selhurst and dithered about getting Agger on to shore up a defense that was falling apart .

[Ne Moe Imya]

Yet, chances are, we would've won it if not for one mistake.

 

Yes, Mignolet's chocolate-wristed effort against a poor shot by Negredo in the Boxing Day game.  If he had saved that (and it wasn't a tough save to make), we would have won the league.

 

It's unfair to lay a league campaign down to a single moment by a single player, but if you were looking to pick one out that one is a lot easier to pinpoint and say "that lost the league right there" than anything Gerrard did.

 

Edit: There was also a blown offside call in that game that you could argue changed the game.  Sterling put clean through on goal by Suarez which was called offside when he was actually about 2 yards onside.  If the linesman made the right call there and Sterling scored, we would have won the league with that as well.  Point remains that there are far, far too many things going on in a league season to lay the blame/glory at any one player's or moment's feet.

[3 Stacks]

Bollocks post in full, 

 

Rodgers set that team up to try and blow the best defense in the league away when all he needed was a point. Mourinho knew exactly what to expect and parked the bus just waiting for us to over commit. Chelsea had nothing to hurt us had we set up to draw them out  and show some patience we would have won but the way we went about it for the huffing and puffing we created fuck all in the way of clear cut chances..

That debacle was down to poor tactics and a manager trying to prove a point against his old master, Rodgers had his chance to go down in history and blew it. Mourinho or Taggart in that position would have pissed it. To blame Gerrard is utter rubbish.

Rodger underlined his mistake a few days later when he chased the goal difference down at Selhurst and dithered about getting Agger on to shore up a defense that was falling apart .

 

Come on, did you even read my post? 3/4's of it is explaining why it's also Rodgers fault and you've literally regurgitated everything I wrote as your argument.

 

It is Gerrard's fault though, isn't it? He doesn't fall and we're probably champions. He, himself has admitted that. Why's it so hard for other Liverpool fan's to recognize this as well? The main mistake was made by Gerrard, but as I stated Rodgers has to share much of the blame as well. There were many other moments earlier on that season you can point too as well, but the Gerrard incident is the turning point, and Gerrard knows this.

 

It doesn't make Gerrard any less of a legend.