Saturday, 3rd March at 5.30pm - Liverpool vs Newcastle United - Rafa's Returned Ruined by Rampant Reds, Right?

[Guest]

I love Rafa.

Not holding back your love for him?

 

Great manager, but hope he gets beat.

[niallers]

Rafa is great. His players, however, are not! As we know with ourselves, game plans only work with the right type of player. Good ones equal better execution of said game plan. Newcastle aren't where they are by accident. We do our usual and it should be a routine afternoon.

[Elite]

If Rafa was any sort of Red he'd throw the game.

[Guest]

If Rafa was any sort of Red he'd throw the game.

He'll want to make us work for it so we look even better. Wouldn't want it any other way.

[moof]

Great news. Shelvey can produce magic.

Very good, but I think Harry Potter kills him in the end.

[Jose Jones]

Very good, but I think Harry Potter kills him in the end.

Spoiler tags moof! For fucks sake.

[therevivalist]

I have this feeling that we're simply unstoppable at the moment, too much momentum. We should pick their CB this summer, good lad.

[aRdja]

I have this feeling that we're simply unstoppable at the moment, too much momentum. We should pick their CB this summer, good lad.

Dwight Gayle hat trick incoming...

[Jairzinho]

I have this feeling that we're simply unstoppable at the moment, too much momentum. We should pick their CB this summer, good lad.

 

Agreed. Although I doubt VVD will move this summer. 

[Bob]

My first game of the season this one, so looking forward to it. Almost always a good game against Newcastle but Rafa is going to make it tough.

 

Anyway, what do people think the chances are of the game being called off due to weather. What’s it like over that way and what are the forecasts?

[Guest]

My first game of the season this one, so looking forward to it. Almost always a good game against Newcastle but Rafa is going to make it tough.

 

Anyway, what do people think the chances are of the game being called off due to weather. What’s it like over that way and what are the forecasts?

Tomorrow and Friday it's forecast in Liverpool light snow and strong winds. Perhaps it will all get blown away so I suspect that match will go ahead.

[Bob]

Nice one lid

[magicrat]

This thread has a slight whiff of complacency,   Justified I hope

[Strontium]

Pfft, what does Rafa know about grinding out results at Anfield against superior opposition.

[TheHowieLama]

Nobody loves you here Bob.

 

For me the odds are as follows

 

 

Champs lad shows up w current badges >  Wijnaldaum scores home goal > Rafa gets all three points > match called for weather

[Guest]

What is the current situation? Do Liverpool think the game will be cancelled?

 

As things stand, the game is “planned to go ahead as normal” - and Liverpool appear confident that will remain the case.

 

While the North East has felt the full impact of the Beast from the East, Merseyside is far less treacherous at the moment.

 

There has been snow in Liverpool, but it is not really lying on the ground yet - and the Reds were able to train as normal on Thursday. But the Met Office is forecasting colder temperatures in the North West over the next 48 hours.

 

However, Liverpool said in a statement on Thursday afternoon they were confident that game would take place. “It seems unlikely that there will be substantial actual snow between now and Saturday evening (5.30pm kick off), but the issue will be how well the roads and paths can be made safe for the visiting 54,000 supporters,” the club wrote on its official website.

 

The Reds are confident at this stage the game will go ahead, but it is understood that Liverpool are taking every “what-if” scenario extremely seriously should weather conditions on Merseyside become as difficult as elsewhere in the country.

 

Could the pitch potentially be frozen over?

 

This is highly unlikely. If this game is postponed, it will not be because of a frozen pitch.

 

Anfield has state-of-the-art under-soil heating and, given that the conditions are nowhere near as bad in the North West, the pitch will be playable.

 

Gateshead’s trip to Tranmere Rovers on Saturday has been postponed due to a frozen pitch, showing it is cold on Merseyside - but National League sides do not have the same under-soil technology at their disposal as Premier League clubs.

 

It is an independent referee’s call - made in consultation with the assigned match officials - which ultimately decides if playing conditions are safe, but Liverpool staff are unconcerned about the pitch being an issue.

 

If the pitch is fine, does that mean the game will definitely go ahead?

 

No. That is merely the first part of the Premier League’s safety procedures for whether a game will take place.

 

Police or “any other authority exercising its statutory powers” can ask for a game to be postponed, according to the Premier League’s own handbook - as can any other member of Liverpool’s ‘safety advisory group’.

 

So, even if the pitch is playable, conditions in and around Anfield could yet lead to a postponement of the game. Roads, pavements and other access routes to the stadium must be deemed safe enough for the 54,000 fans attending the game to reach the ground without harm.

 

Again, however, Liverpool appear confident that given the current forecast, they will be able to ensure the safety of fans in and around Anfield. After all, the last time a Reds home game was called off due to conditions around the ground being dangerous was back in December 2010 against Fulham - and that was due to police safety advice.

 

Yet, with Storm Emma potentially hitting Merseyside from the west over the next 36 hours, there remains the potential for the game to be called off if conditions do radically worsen.

 

And Liverpool are in constant contact with the Premier League, NUFC and all local safety agencies in order to react swiftly if the weather does take a turn for the worse in the North West.

 

Are NUFC concerned the game won’t happen?

 

It is Liverpool’s call as to whether the game goes ahead or not and, as of yet, Newcastle have received no indication from the Reds that the match is in jeopardy.

 

The Magpies are currently scheduled to fly across to Merseyside on Friday evening, though there are contingency plans in place for United to travel by other means if weather conditions ensure they are unable to take off from Newcastle Airport. The game will not therefore be cancelled because the Newcastle squad cannot get to Anfield.

 

Benitez continues to train his players in preparation for Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off - the Magpies have used their indoor ‘barn’ this week, as well as their outdoor pitches, while the manager himself has still been seen in his shorts - and he will do likewise until such a moment as the club are informed by Liverpool that the match will not go ahead.

 

Is there a deadline by which Liverpool can postpone the game?

 

Unfortunately not.

 

Although the Reds will do everything they possibly can to give supporters of both sides plenty of notice about the situation, the game could in theory be called off just before kick off if conditions dramatically worsen on Saturday afternoon.

 

Birmingham City called off a game against Newcastle back in December 2010 due to snow just hours before the match kicked off - with the majority of United fans en route to the stadium at the time.

 

Unfortunately, such a scenario could play out again on this occasion, too - though Liverpool will endeavour to avoid that from happening if they can.

 

The reality is that it is far too early for any decision to be made to call off a game of this magnitude - and any postponement would be unlikely until Saturday morning at the earliest.

 

What about the travel situation? What if Newcastle fans can’t get to the game?

 

This is perhaps the most pertinent question for Magpies supporters. While travel conditions in and around Anfield may be treacherous, it is getting out of the North East in the first place which could prove particularly problematic.

 

Trains and flights have been cancelled over the last couple of days, while many roads - including the A1 both north and south of Newcastle - have been closed or been deemed particularly dangerous.

 

Though the amber weather warning which has been placed across the North East has been downgraded to yellow, temperatures are unlikely to rise high enough so as to cause a thaw of the snow and ice.

 

Given that industrial action on Merseyrail and Network Rail engineering works have already restricted the number of trains heading to and from Liverpool on Saturday - more details of which can be found here - fans will already find their journeys disrupted.

 

Yet bus companies - including Back Page Travel - are currently reassuring supporters that their plans remain unaffected and, until they are given news to the contrary, they will head across to Anfield as planned.

 

The Premier League has been unable to confirm categorically whether a top-flight game can be postponed due to the inability of away fans to get to a match but, given that most safety decisions are taken on safety on a local level, it appears unlikely that would be the case.

 

The governing body has stressed “every fan is taken into consideration” when determining if a game will go ahead, but it appears unlikely a match will be cancelled due to a significant portion of away fans being unable to get to the ground.

 

Given that the game is also live on BT Sport, everything possible will be done to ensure it goes ahead - as long as it is safe for it to do so.

 

Whether supporters who are unable to travel across are reimbursed remains to be seen - but it very much appears that is a discretionary matter for the clubs involved, rather than something the Premier League enforces.

 

So, realistically, is the game likely to happen?

 

Yes. It seems more likely than not at this stage that the match will go ahead.

 

Only if conditions significantly worsen on Merseyside over the next 36 hours is that likely to change.

 

If you are travelling across to the match, ensure you given yourself plenty of time - and, most importantly, be safe!

[Baltar]

Love Rafa but Newcastle are poor. Failing to win at St James was a bad result and anything less than a win this weekend would be a disaster. The weather is a concern, who knows how it will affect our performance. Reckon we'll win a scrappy game by one goal, they will be parking the bus and will be difficult to break down.

[magicrat]

I'm looking forward to those bloated toon loons baring their bellies in the face of a blizzard

[Guest]

I'm looking forward to those bloated toon loons baring their bellies in the face of a blizzard

And that's just the players. Lord knows what the fans are going to be like.

[magicrat]

And that's just the players. Lord knows what the fans are going to be like.

I don't see Shelvey bare- chesting it,  Couple of pairs of furry mittens, bobble hat and a snood more like.

[lifetime fan]

And that's just the owner. Lord knows what the fans are going to be like.

 

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[Guest]

.

Ha! 

[Russ Atmosphere]

[Bob]

Anyone heading in from the east, the M62 is going to be closed over the tops from 8pm to 6am tonight and tomorrow night.

 

= pain in the arse for me!

 

Twat weather

[El Rojo]

JK: ‘How am I doing, boss?’ etc etc