Liverpool 1 Shrewsbury Town 0 (Feb 4 2020)

[tlw content 9,342]

 

 

 

Report by

Dave Usher

 

Who’s disrespecting the cup now, eh? I really hope we win thing now, not just because it would be part of an historic double or hopefully even treble (or quadruple if we’re counting the World Club Cup), but because it will be a big ‘fuck you’ to all those who threw shade our way for fielding such a young side.

 

Disrespecting the cup? No, you disrespected our kids, because they’re fucking boss. All this overly nostalgic bullshit we hear about the ‘magic of the cup’ does my head in. The FA Cup has changed. Football changes. Shit, everything changes. THIS is the new magic of the cup. Not Ronnie fucking Radford scoring a screamer on a ploughed field in the 70s, and not Shrewsbury fans invading the pitch after drawing with a Liverpool side minus all of its regular starters. 

 

What is more magical than a group of talented teenagers being given the chance to play for the biggest club in the country, in front of a sell out crowd, and playing like THAT??? Nothing, that’s what. This is the new magic of the cup, embrace it.

 

I’m made up I went to this game. I wasn’t going to bother but a mate couldn’t make it and offered me his ticket so I thought why not. So glad I did, because it was so much fun. I walked out of Anfield with a massive grin on my face and it’s still there now as I write this.

 

What a fun season this has been so far and it’s not just because of the senior lads running away with the league. Some of the most enjoyable moments of the season have been in the cups where the kids have just been sensational. I don’t think the club has every been in a healthier state than it is right now. Everything is running exactly how you’d want it to.

 

It’s mad really when you think about what we’ve done in these cups. Up until now, the impressive cup wins were achieved with a sprinkling of experienced players mixed in with the most talented youngsters. The one time the kids had been left to fend for themselves they lost 5-0 at Villa, but even that game was enjoyable in a lot of ways. The boys were the better side that night but Villa just had more experience and physically at both ends of the pitch.

 

Not to mention we were without some of our best youngsters that night, as Jones, Brewster, Williams, Lewis and Larouci were all unavailable. This was different. Larouci and Brewster weren’t there but it as an altogether stronger looking side than the one that lost at Villa. Besides, Shrewsbury didn’t have the quality that Villa had.

 

Even so, they had given us all we could handle at their place so on paper it looked like a tough game. Not that anyone wanted to talk about football in the build up to this. It was all about Klopp staying away, disrespecting the cup, screwing Shrewsbury out of money and all sorts of other nonsense.

 

Lost in all of it was that Neil Critchley genuinely thought his lads could win the game. You could see it in his press conference. The little glint in his eye when he was told that people had been writing his boys off. “Have they?” he said. He never said it but it was obvious he was thinking “ok well we’ll fucking show them”.

 

 

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[Pete 46]

Great stuff. 

[alles ist gut 3,231]

Top, top food bank analysis there, Dave.

 

(Also you missed out Minamino in the rollcall of under-achieving players from the first game.)

[dave u 4,995]

Mitigating circumstances for him really as he's still finding his feet.

[Manny 939]

Totally agree that this has rekindled my interest in the domestic cups. Since the Premier League is stuffed full of squads with internationals and the reserve league is now a U23 league, we don't really get a chance to properly benchmark our young players against somethiing in between. But this season we've seen our young lads beat a League One side full of established players, and acquit themselves well against a Premier League side full of better established players - and it's been really interesting and fun to watch the next generation and how they match up.

 

Way more interesting than watching a collection of tired first teamers and not-particularly-arsed squad players face off against each other. Long may it continue.

[buster69 47]

"I have to say though that in general I’d like something to be done to help ensure the lower league clubs get more cash as football is definitely weighted too heavily in favour of the top flight. It’s basically a reflection of modern society. The rich get richer and fuck everyone else."

 

This is the most pertinent paragraph in the report. Capitalism in football has benefited English football, and in particular, the top 6 and Premier league teams. In society though, the gross capitalism of the country has caused massive societal inequality and led to Brexit, when a vote against what the "elites" wanted was the only weapon the deprived working class had left. And the way things are going it's not going to get any better over the next decade.

[beejay 116]

I went to the game also and it was a real joy. A lot of the regulars near me (on the Kop) weren't there and it was noticeable how many kids were in the crowd, the atmosphere was excellent with none of the usual moaning about a misplaced pass or someone taking the wrong option. Instead, there was nothing but unqualified support for the young uns and a universal recognition of their skills, courage and determination.

 

Adam Lewis in particular was throwing his arms up urging the crowd and we all responded loudly, it was great. He's tiny, as were some of the others - Clarkson & Cain were dwarfed in midfield by their opposing Neanderthals yet they kept being brave in possession and taking the knocks.

 

Brilliant night, loved it

[aws 5,661]

The most enthralling, interesting, magical game of the round played in front of the biggest crowd of the round and the FA tried its best to disown it. No wonder the Cup is dying on its feet.  

[index1000 447]

54 minutes ago, beejay said:

I went to the game also and it was a real joy. A lot of the regulars near me (on the Kop) weren't there and it was noticeable how many kids were in the crowd, the atmosphere was excellent with none of the usual moaning about a misplaced pass or someone taking the wrong option. Instead, there was nothing but unqualified support for the young uns and a universal recognition of their skills, courage and determination.

 

Adam Lewis in particular was throwing his arms up urging the crowd and we all responded loudly, it was great. He's tiny, as were some of the others - Clarkson & Cain were dwarfed in midfield by their opposing Neanderthals yet they kept being brave in possession and taking the knocks.

 

Brilliant night, loved it

The Kop is full of old bastards who need clearing out. In the past the natural order was to migrate to the stands once you reached a certain age. Now the Kop is stuffed with them. Changes need to be made. No season tickets in the Kop? Safe standing? both? 

[dave u 4,995]

I was in the upper Kemlyn near the Anny Road end and every time the away fans chanted "SAAAAALOP" some arl fella in front of me would start chanting "SCAAAALOPS".

 

So childish, not particularly witty, but I chuckled every time he did it.

[aws 5,661]

11 minutes ago, dave u said:

I was in the upper Kemlyn near the Anny Road end and every time the away fans chanted "SAAAAALOP" some arl fella in front of me would start chanting "SCAAAALOPS".

 

So childish, not particularly witty, but I chucked every time he did it.

Wasn't your dad, was it? 

[HolyHank 31]

Didn't Van den Berg play like 20 matches in the Eresdivision before joining us, thus making him the by far more experienced player in our team, Dave? 

[grazywalker 163]

I thought the offside was given for the lad who scored the rebound off the post as he was slightly offside as the shot went in and scored from rebound.

[deiseach 2,637]

My wife went to the game which is unremarkable as she loves the Cup without any sense of irony or condescension. She went with a friend who loves the Reds but thinks going to the game is too expensive and too much faff. Her getting to go to Anfield - it's a good thing, right?

[dave u 4,995]

 

14 minutes ago, HolyHank said:

Didn't Van den Berg play like 20 matches in the Eresdivision before joining us, thus making him the by far more experienced player in our team, Dave? 

 

Different kind of experience though, playing in a different style of football. To me he's one of the least experienced because he hasn't been here, in our system, as long as the other lads.

 

4 minutes ago, grazywalker said:

I thought the offside was given for the lad who scored the rebound off the post as he was slightly offside as the shot went in and scored from rebound.

 

No he was defo onside. It was guy in the initial phase of play out wide. The ball didn't go in the box at that point, they came back and then someone else made a run and crossed.

 

After it was disallowed the free kick was taken out wide.

[rb14 678]

The rich get richer? Shurely shome mishtake. Where's the surprise, really? 

 

Watching those kids walk out alongside Shroozbree was like watching the primary school kids on a day out with their teachers, such was the size difference. 

 

And fuck the snide, repellent, self-serving Football Association. Not only are they unfit to manage, they're unfit for purpose. And have been for a long time. 

[Anubis 14,420]

Very disappointed no mention of how anonymous that Cummings twat was.

[sir roger 3,956]

55 minutes ago, rb14 said:

The rich get richer? Shurely shome mishtake. Where's the surprise, really? 

 

Watching those kids walk out alongside Shroozbree was like watching the primary school kids on a day out with their teachers, such was the size difference. 

 

And fuck the snide, repellent, self-serving Football Association. Not only are they unfit to manage, they're unfit for purpose. And have been for a long time. 

First time I've seen a team whose average height was less than that of their mascots.

[scudger99 1,348]

37 minutes ago, Anubis said:

Very disappointed no mention of how anonymous that Cummings twat was.

"Cumdog" as he likes to be known.  Fucking yard dog more like, Jones's shadow had more presence than that pathetic cunt.

I've wanted to win the FA Cup from the off, always have and always will.  It would be a massive nod to the youngsters who got us through (and shamed the Blooshite into the bargain) if we won it this season.  And have every one of them there for the final, give them a day to remember.  They've fucking earned it, the hard way too.

[mark melia 10]

cracking report, love reading these reports. 

[skaro 4,297]

 

I disagreed with what his "kids" stance, but he was right again.

 

For his part in reinvigorating a tired and wishy-washy but once-famous knock-out competition, perhaps it should be re-named:

 

"The FA Klopp"

 

 

[sir roger 3,956]

I can't remember the last time I heard so many people discussing the FA Cup. They should get Jurgen to do the next round draw off his tits in Ayia Napa.

[aws 5,661]

Going to school? Are we fuck. 

We're bunking off to win the cup. 

 

I expect it'll be a stronger side next round though. 

[elBooth 54]

Great report Dave.  It read like you were beaming with pride as you were writing it, which helped as I was beaming with pride reading it.

[dave u 4,995]

14 hours ago, Anubis said:

Very disappointed no mention of how anonymous that Cummings twat was.

So anonymous he didn't merit a mention.