Featured: That was the week that was (Apr 5-9 2021)

[tlw content]

 

Monday Apr 5:

 

You can tell West Brom won at the weekend as Allardyce was on Talksport breakfast this morning telling everyone how he masterminded it. You can set your watch by him. Any time the Baggies have a good result he’ll be on, Monday morning, talking about how ‘he’ did it. 

 

I was in the car so I caught most of it and he’s amazing. He’s a total parody of himself these days. He says that they identified the Chelsea keeper as a weak point because he always does mad things. The lack of respect for an opposition player was staggering. I’m sure these kind of things are pointed out in team meetings but how many managers would actually come out and say it just to make themselves look clever, especially when the keeper didn't even do anything wrong? Honestly, I think he’s the only one. Not even Mourinho would single out an opposing player like that.

 

The best thing about Fat Sam though is how he can take credit for wins and pass on the blame for losses. They’ve lost loads of games since he went there but he put that down to “players not putting away their chances”. Because obviously his gameplan was flawless. He’s one of a kind. Thankfully.

 

Meanwhile, we’ve got Real Madrid tomorrow! How cool is that? It’s shit that fans aren’t going to be at either game, but springtime, big European nights against the top sides, this is what we live for. It’s not the same because we can’t go, I know that, but it’s still the most excited I’ve been about footy since…. actually since Atletico a year ago I think. Defo the most excited I've been for a game this season anyway. I’m genuinely looking forward to tomorrow night.

 

Tuesday Apr 6: 

 

Real 3 L 1 Well fucking hell. Wasn’t that a massive damp squib? Remind me never to look forward to any game without fans there ever again. It just isn’t the same. It's awful, especially when we lose.

 

I’m not saying no fans is the sole cause for what’s happening to us but it definitely makes it less enjoyable to watch these games. I’m at the end of my tether with it now and just don’t know how many more of these games I can sit through, especially when we're playing like such fucking losers.

 

This was fucking abysmal. I can’t believe we performed like that in such a massively important game. Every single player was shite. Every one. No exceptions. That’s what has really shaken me here. Even players that we can always hang our hats on, the likes of Fabinho, Gini and Robbo, they were shite too. Everyone was shite. Klopp was shite too.

 

He got the team wrong by picking Keita then he took him off three minutes before half time, creating a story and putting an unfair spotlight on Naby (he was shite, but no worse than anyone else), and our tactical approach to the game just seemed wrong from the start. Why were we playing so slow? Why defend with the high line when we weren’t pressing them? Whose idea was it to let Toni Kroos have as long as he wanted to pick out balls over the top? 

 

I just feel really deflated after this because we’re a shambles right now and we can’t keep blaming injuries. Other than the centre backs and Hendo we basically had everyone available tonight. Klopp said post match that the goals didn’t concern him as they were mistakes and mistakes can happen. It was how we played that was the worry for him. I agree 100% with that.

 

We’re going out there with our 6th and 7th choice central defenders so being vulnerable in that area is almost to be expected. The first goal I can live with completely because Nat Phillips is playing against Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter final. He isn’t supposed to be here. I have nothing but love for Nat Phillips. This isn’t his fault.

 

The second goal is a brain fart from Trent, who was also partly responsible for the first and third goals too. Alisson was shite on the third. But like Klopp said, I can live with all of that as long as we’re playing well and creating chances. Remember when we used to score three or four to compensate for those mad games when we gave away a load of stupid goals? We just don’t have that in our locker anymore.

 

Fuck Real Madrid though, the arrogant, entitled cunts. This was supposed to be the night when we shoved it right up their arses for what happened in Kiev. If we’d played them last season or the season before it would have been carnage and we’d have utterly humiliated them. Instead, we get to play them when we’re in this fucking sorry state, and we humiliated ourselves. The ref can go fuck himself too, falling for so much of their shit but not giving our lads (especially Sadio) anything when they were fouled. The booking for Trent when he didn't even touch that Vinicius bellend was outrageous (although that was more the fault of the linesman than ref).

 

Usually I’d be the first one banging the drum about how it isn’t over and we can turn it around in the second leg. Not. A. Fucking. Chance. Anfield with no fans isn’t Anfield. It's a field. The only thing left to hope for now is that someone can stop City from winning it.

 

 

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[dockers_strike]

Good report, Dave. I cant agree with you about Villa though, I just got to keep the faith in the boys and think we'll win.

[DaveT]

Good read, as ever.

Re the City Dortmund game - the Bellingham decision was ourtrageously bad......... but it barely registers in a time when such terrible decisions are the norm, nothing out of the ordinary. It was also shocking that Rodri didn't get booked for going down clutching his face trying to get a pen when replays showed there was clearly no contact.

Agree with what you say re the u23s vs u18s - the FA Youth Cup is about the only thing I can get excited about football-wise for the rest of this season! H. Davies,btw, is Harvey, goalie who played for the youth team that beat ManU last weekend. Some good talent in that u18 team, such a shame about Layton Stewart's injury. U23's on the other hand is full of dross - Longstaff, Dixon-Bonner, the others you mention. Cain and Clarkson are talented, tidy players but I fear neither of them have the physicality or athleticism to succeed with us.

[Erik T]

The probability for seven straight defeats at home is very low indeed - before any of the seven games are played. But when the first six games have already been lost, the probability of losing the seventh match is just as high as for any «normal game» against this particular opponent. You could even argue that it is in fact higher than normal as the players may have developed some kind of mental block when playing at «Anfield». 

[alles ist gut]

Ben Davies is on the bench today, but only because Koumetio is getting a game for the Under-18s (along with Harvey Davies, who only goes to Euro always because all the foreign keepers we keep buying are ineligible...)

[dave u]

Top, top random Davies jabronis analysis there.

[rb14]

5 hours ago, dave u said:

Top, top random Davies jabronis analysis there.

Negged. 

[sir roger]

VAR couldn't overturn the Man City debacle as the referee went against all guidance and blew the whistle before the ball went in to the net.

[ralph]

Apparently H Davies is the nephew of a bluenose that I work with, amazing really as,I work in Derby. Whole family very proud of him as he's just signed a 3 year contract. I had to Google him at half time to see who he was before this fella told me about him.

[dave u]

On 11/04/2021 at 09:27, sir roger said:

VAR couldn't overturn the Man City debacle as the referee went against all guidance and blew the whistle before the ball went in to the net.

 

Ok, so that explains why Sancho wants him investigating.