Reebok Classics and Canons at Dawn. WBA v LFC. 21/4/18 12.30 The Hawthorns

[Aventus]

Anybody else reckon sky are paying off referees to try and make sure the bottom 3 and top 4 are still fighting for places til the end of the season to keep the viewers up?

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

Anybody else reckon sky are paying off referees to try and make sure the bottom 3 and top 4 are still fighting for places til the end of the season to keep the viewers up?

Nope.

[The Golden Eel]

I normally try to be reasonable about refs these days but there was something off about that performance earlier

[bizzle10]

Anybody else reckon sky are paying off referees to try and make sure the bottom 3 and top 4 are still fighting for places til the end of the season to keep the viewers up?

no if you said they paid moreno/lovren/gomez might be on to something

[KMD7]

I normally try to be reasonable about refs these days but there was something off about that performance earlier

 

Yep.  Very strange

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

Anybody else reckon premier league referees are largely incompetent?

. Yes

[DaveT]

Anybody else reckon sky are paying off referees to try and make sure the bottom 3 and top 4 are still fighting for places til the end of the season to keep the viewers up?

It's really hard to comprehend such an awful refereeing performance. Most of the current bunch are admittedly poor, but the level of ineptitude we saw today is hard to fathom - especially when it was all in one direction. We've all seen games where refs get nearly everything wrong, but in both directions. Was it cowardice? - scared to give a decision against the home team. West Brom's hardly an intimidating place!  Incredible that the only card shown all day was (rightly) to Moreno. I know it's a bit tin-foil hat, but you sometimes wonder what's really going on. Nowhere near enough accountability.  

[TheHowieLama]

 

Onwards to Roma

 

Rome - if you want to

 

 

[TheHowieLama]

It's really hard to comprehend such an awful refereeing performance. Most of the current bunch are admittedly poor, but the level of ineptitude we saw today is hard to fathom - especially when it was all in one direction. We've all seen games where refs get nearly everything wrong, but in both directions. Was it cowardice? - scared to give a decision against the home team. West Brom's hardly an intimidating place!  Incredible that the only card shown all day was (rightly) to Moreno. I know it's a bit tin-foil hat, but you sometimes wonder what's really going on. Nowhere near enough accountability.  

 

 

And they really are not that tough - that shower is full of substandard journeymen -- to be bullied physically by that lot is embarrassing.

 

Said during the thread someone needed to sort Hegazi -- every Liverpool team I can remember would have had three or four players who would have welcomed him into the game -- especially after bitch slapping our 40 goal scorer.

[Trumo]

We were the architects of our own failure to claim 3 points here.

 

First of all though, the referee was VERY lenient with several West Brom players getting away with little more than a free kick for some overly aggressive play. Rondon was lucky not to see a card for twice fouling Ings. Dawson was fortunate that he didn't concede a penalty for a blatant body check on Ings even though the ball wasn't near them. Hegazi was flinging his arms about recklessly, catching Salah in the face after one aerial challenge. He was even more fortunate to avoid being penalised after punching Ings in the stomach while the Reds man was down on the ground. That one should have been a free kick for us in the first place.

 

Secondly, West Brom went full lower-league-bum by leaving the pitch dry and bobbly. So many times, our players lost possession because they underweighted a pass that on a normal pitch would reach its target comfortably. As expected, West Brom's 'attacking ploy' was to try and win set pieces in the last third, and throw all their grocks at the resulting set pieces, negating the need for the pitch to play fast as they weren't intending to keep it on the deck.

 

We started well and got an early goal - Ings firing home for his first goal since Rodgers' final game in charge! There was an element of control to our play in the first half even if we were still in second gear for the most part. We didn't create much but we weathered a brief spell where West Brom wona succession of corners. Their best chance fell to Rodriguez who failed to connect 2 yards out in the centre of the goal from a McClean pass.

 

Salah doubled our lead in the second half, during which the commentary team constantly wondered why we hadn't subbed him. Here's a clue: we have a manager who is gauging how a game is going before making a change, rather than pre-planning a substitution. Salah had flitted in and out, losing the ball on several occasions, but he hadn't drifted right out of the game like Mane had. Apart from his role in our opener, Mane hadn't done anything in the game.

 

In fact it was the Salah substitution that changed the way the game was going. West Brom hadn't managed to get at us to any telling effect, but we switched our system by bringing on Lovren into a back three. We had too few forward passing options in the final 15 minutes.

 

Since arriving, Van Dijk has made a point of ensuring we hold a very high line at set pieces. It needs a calm head and a brave approach to do it, but the upside is that we relieve pressure on the defence very quickly and take the sting out of situations. So quite why Lovren broke ranks and shit himself for Rondon's equaliser is something he needs to be questioned about. Everyone else had held the correct line and we had Rondon and a couple of other West Brom players caught offside. Karius might be questioned for him part but he was reacting to Lovren's movements. If Lovren had held the line as he should have, Karius would not have come out to try and close Rondon down. Lovren panicked, simple as that.

 

Wijnaldum normally goes missing in Premier League away games but today, he was the pick of the midfield. He looked strong on the ball, kept play moving, won the ball back quickly whenever he could, and made a number of well-timed forward runs where he didn't receive the ball but should have.

 

A wasted opportunity to open up a gap, what with both Spurs and Chelsea not playing in the league this weekend.

[Rick Sanchez C-137]

My best bit was before they goaled us

[KMD7]

Rome - if you want to

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNwC0sp-uA4

Love that song

[thompsonsnose]

Gomez obviously has something. He was motm v a full strenght Brazil not long ago, albeit in a 3.

That game although a friendly was quite competitive.

Hes been out injured and RB is not his natural home. He was a bit grim today, but he is a player that needs to be cut some slack, and not discarded too quickly.

 

If Karius comes for the first one, he has to have an influence somehow.

Shoddy keeping and decision making in my view.

It seems to be heresy to criticise him at the moment however.

He also bowled the ball out to Klavan in the same position/circumstances as VVD the other day at City. He needs to tweak his distribution and decision making.

 

In general the old failings were still allowed to show their head today, though its been a while. Always most vulnerable when not taking the game to the oppo and just trying to see it out.

 

We must maintain forward momentum for 90 minutes.

 

And, another utterly appalling referee.

[Baltar]

Yes and that’s if Chelsea win all their games (which includes beating us)

We’ve got Stoke at home next Saturday at 12:30 and Chelsea go to Swansea at 17:30. Results go our way, we could have it wrapped up

The way they're playing and given their upcoming opponents I do see Chelsea winning their remaining matches. We need to just make sure we beat Stoke and Brighton.

So frustrating that we're leaving the top 4 to the last match.

[dockers_strike]

Premier League last 2 home games against Stoke and Brighton with one away at Chelsea. If we cannot finish in the top 4 with those home games alone we do not deserve to.

[VladimirIlyich]

A bit of a waste of two points but another indicator of how weak our squad is when one or two first teamers don't play or only play bit roles. Moreno should be fucked right off now and we should pay interested clubs to take him,absolute shite and an absolute dickhead of a player. A bit disappointing simply because good habits form from winning and bad habits come from throwing points away.

[Boss]

If we draw with Chelsea they won't catch us.

[TheHowieLama]

The way they're playing and given their upcoming opponents I do see Chelsea winning their remaining matches. We need to just make sure we beat Stoke and Brighton.

So frustrating that we're leaving the top 4 to the last match.

 

We are one o their opponents..

 

 

Oh... HAH I see what you did there ratlab

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

If we draw with Chelsea they won't catch us.

Having to only draw with Chelsea has usually gone well for us.

[Section_31]

Following Liverpool is like having a delinquent son, now and again he does well in his exams or helps you with the shopping and you think he's turned a corner, but then then you come home one day to find he's pawned your jewellery.

[dockers_strike]

Following Liverpool is like having a delinquent son, now and again he does well in his exams or helps you with the shopping and you think he's turned a corner, but then then you come home one day to find he's pawned your jewellery.

 

Given the team selection I do not think todays performance is in any way indicative of us this season.

[Harry Squatter]

Moreno could fuck up a pot noodle.

 

He should have been gone years ago.

 

Hope Klopp realises that we need a strong 16/17 players. Hopefully he'll get shut of the shite ones this summer.

[El Rojo]

Days like today happen. We almost pulled it off - three reserve defenders in our back four yet still 2-0 up with ten minutes to go.

 

No injuries from what I could see, which is as important as the result. We’ll still get top four at a relative canter.

[Harry Squatter]

No wonder West Brom have started playing well. I bet that manager could fill any of them in. You wouldn't mess with that fucker. I doubt Gareth Barry would have robbed a taxi if he was there instead of Pardew.

[lifetime fan]

No wonder West Brom have started playing well. I bet that manager could fill any of them in. You wouldn't mess with that fucker. I doubt Gareth Barry would have robbed a taxi if he was there instead of Pardew.

 

We were fucking shite, but fair play to him he’s put Pardew to shame.

 

He’s unbeaten in 3 games, has drawn with us and beat the mancs.