Aston Villa (A) - Tue 10th May (8:00pm)

[Trumo]

We have to brush aside the disappointing performance and draw against Spurs and keep pushing. As I write, I don’t know if going into this game we will be 3 points behind (with or without a massive swing in the goal difference), 1 behind or still level. Regardless, we play for all 3 points. Villa are pretty much out of the running for a European place as their season-long inconsistency hasn’t really changed massively. Much like Newcastle, it’s been better since the change of manager but not to the extent where you think they will definitely kick on next season. They have a Liverpool old boy in the dugout and a couple of Liverpool old boys in the squad. It’s almost certain that all the media talk will be about whether Stevie can derail our title bid, whereas the likes of Blue Loon and GOT will be quacking on about Stevie getting his side to roll over for us to do us a favour. For the record, whether or not he ends up back at Liverpool as manager in the future, it would be better for him if he didn’t encourage a mentality to roll over and do other sides a favour, and I bet he thinks the same too. Countless ex-United players got into the habit of getting their bellies tickled when their teams faced United, and all it did was cement Ferguson’s status as the best around as his team eased to wins while ensuring that the old boys would be nowhere near the United job if it ever came up. Anyway:

 

Nerve. Organisation. Tactical nous. Temerity. Order. Drive. Accuracy. Yer ma. Skill. Tenacity. Energy. Verve. Intelligence. Effervescence.

 

I don’t ask for much.

 

The game last season was an inexplicable disaster, and one of those days where everything they hit (even if it was off target) went in. We even had a penalty claim waived away when the game was still in the balance, when an obvious foul on Mo in the box went unpunished. Last season VAR was an absolute shambles, and we were on the wrong end of it all too often, and this game was one of those occasions. Covid can partially explain why we were not at full strength for the game, but what cannot be explained is why we unravelled so comprehensively. Virg was playing in this one. Adrian while not faultless didn’t exactly have a mare despite conceding so many. The less said about that Villa Park disaster the better really.

 

It was much plainer sailing on a frosty Villa Park pitch in January 1984. It was a fairly scrappy match and the pitch was definitely not conducive to good football. Joe Fagan had been a backroom stalwart since the days of Shanks, and he it was that’d been given the daunting task of succeeding the immensely successful Sir Bob after the great man retired the previous summer. Fagan’s boys were looking to retain their league title, had another League Cup final to look forward to (a Merseyside derby no less) and were still going great guns in Europe. They would go on to claim that treble, and one of the biggest reasons why was the wiry Welsh dynamo up front. Rushie was in the form of his life in 1983/84. Blistering pace, and uncanny poacher’s instinct, impeccable timing, being genuinely two-footed, and an absolute nuisance for opponents with his defending from the front.

 

Villa it was who took the lead in the first half when Thommo’s old schoolmate and Villa captain Dennis Mortimer ran through a square backline and onto Paul Rideout’s flick to fire the ball past a stranded Brucie. At half time, Liverpool had a fight on, and they and Rushie came back in some style. His first came when he raced through and confidently hit the ball past Nigel Spink from the edge of the area. As the second half wore on and conditions became even more slippery, Souey’s deep right wing cross was flick beyond the back post to the lurking Rushie. He hammered a sweet first-time left foot volley into the far top corner and Liverpool were now ahead. Rushie claimed his hat-trick with a moment of real class as he again got in behind the Villa defence. The defender stretched to get the ball but could only flick it into Rushie’s path. He still had a bit to do but boy did he do it well! He cushioned the ball on his knee and hit a delicate volleyed lob over the onrushing Spink, who could only get the very faintest of touches to help it into the net. Outstanding stuff from an outstanding player, and the match was a perfect example of how this group of players were capable of overcoming adversity through ability and sheer strength of will.

 

 

James L Brooks’ Oscar-winner Terms of Endearment was the biggest box office hit in January 1984. Starring Shirley Maclaine (who would win Best Actress) and Debra Winger as a mother and daughter who don’t really get along but still find time to talk to one another, the film is basically about their bond which only deepens when the latter is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Maclaine’s character lives alone but embarks on a relationship with her neighbour who is a retired astronaut, played by Jack Nicholson, and that dynamic is another strand to this tale. I’ve never actually seen this film but it always gets rave reviews and is supposedly very funny and heart-wrenching. Brooks is very much a mixed bag for me, as I’m more familiar with his later work. He’s perhaps best known for being a writer for The Simpsons (so we know he can write funny), but a couple of his other films that I have seen (As Good As It Gets and Spanglish) both seem mired in exploring the lives of neurotic people about whom all I see is that the people around them are enablers. Is Terms of Endearment as good as it’s reputed to be?

 

 

As I mentioned above, our target for the Villa game is 3 points, regardless of what situation we find ourselves in prior to the match. We also have to consider the FA Cup final next weekend, and I imagine Klopp will have at least a partial eye on that game because it’s a chance to win another trophy. I’m certain that he will ensure that focus and concentration are all present and correct for the Villa game. As ever, attitude, motivation and application, if right, should allow us to claim the win. The ideal scenario, and the one we should try for, is to put the Villa game to bet earlier and bring players off to rest them for the weekend’s big game. Were capable so let’s go for it and get it done.

[Creator Supreme]

Doesn't matter anymore, play the kids, 7-2 to Villa!

[DalyanPete]

32 minutes ago, Trumo said:

Yer ma

Glad to see her back, sadly missed.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

It matters more than ever. Fixture congestion demands rotation, but our squad is nuts, with players of the quality of Matip and Firmino ready to come in after a weekend off. Villa let everyone down by beating Burnley, so we need to repay them for that and vent some of our own frustrations.

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

[Anubis]

Get in. Get the three points. Get out.

[Pete]

Twat ‘em. Three points. On to the final.

[VladimirIlyich]

Another toughie. No favours from Stevie G and nor should there be. Will Mo be benched?

[an tha]

Need to be strong for this and win the game...no time for too much rotation IMO.

By the time we play away at Southampton after the Cup Final we will know the cheats results at Wolves and West Ham, and can take a view on what's to come at that point...The European Cup Final is 2 weeks after the FA Cup Final so plenty of time to rest and rotate at that point if the cheats have taken maximum points from those two games and pushed the GD well past us 

We should go full throttle against Villa -   because anything could still happen at Wolves and West Ham with the cheats.

That West Ham v Cheats game next Sunday could be a tricky...West Ham will be in the UEFA Cup spot if they win.

We won't be playing a Chelsea team who are dead fresh at Wembley either....they have more problems than we do....

 

They've won 1 of their last 5 games and top 4 is not yet nailed down....They go to Leeds a day afer we go to Villa and less than 72 hours before the Cup final.

 

If they lose at Leeds their top 4 spot will be at stake on the last day......If Leeds lose they'll be staring at relegation.... Wednesday night is going to be intense there.....Leeds will also be very tough for Chelsea anyway because of the rivalry between them.

 

So for me we go strong at Villa and we get it won, we go strong at Wembley v a possibly jaded Chelsea who will also have tricky need to win games to follow and then we see where we are....

[aRdja]

Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Henderson, Milner, Keita; Mane, Jota, Firmino

[Bjornebye]

 

 

 

[coachpotato]

Winning is a good habit to have.

Just get back to having it Reds.

[cloggypop]

Jürgen v Stevie

 

Winner stays on

[JohnnyH]

My head’s in a bit of a negative space after the weekend disappointment. All I can see is a poor performance and draw/loss. Hopefully the relentless reds give me (and each other) a kick in the arse. 

[ZonkoVille77]

We're fuckin shite. 

[Daisy]

Klopp will rotate in this for sure. Similar team to Newcastle I think 

[Red Shift]

Play the kids, get in, get 3 points, get out, get to Wembley.

[Guest]

Set the bastard cunters free...

[Lario]

Klopp said something interesting in his interview yesterday, something that I didn't fully catch.

But it was something about mindset.

Saying the players were disappoint because we're now 3 point behind City.

But last weekend if we were 6 points behind adn we beat Spurs and City lost to Newcastle, everyone would be upbeat and raring to go against Villa as we'd closed the gap. Now everyone is down because the gap has widened, even though it's the same 3 point gap in both scenarios!

 

So his job is to get the lads' heads right.

 

Wicked smaht is our Jurgen.

[Mil-ing Around]

Our players badly need a rest with two huge cup finals coming up. They put alot into that spurs game.

 

Kelleher, Greek, Konate, Matip, Gomez, Milner, Henderson,Jones, Firmino, Minamino, Jota

 

We should still win with that team and then can attack the last 4 games full throttle

 

[JohnnyH]

I wouldn't play anyone.  That'll fuck with their heads.

[stringvest]

11 hours ago, aRdja said:

Alisson; Gomez, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Henderson, Milner, Keita; Mane, Jota, Firmino

good first half team.

[TheDrowningMan]

Whatever the team, we need to go for goals. That’s the only way to put a little bit of pressure back on City - they’ve got a considerable goal difference advantage, but winning by 4+ tonight makes a slip-up potentially consequential.

[gkmacca]

1 hour ago, Mil-ing Around said:

Our players badly need a rest with two huge cup finals coming up. They put alot into that spurs game.

 

Kelleher, Greek, Konate, Matip, Gomez, Milner, Henderson,Jones, Firmino, Minamino, Jota

 

We should still win with that team and then can attack the last 4 games full throttle

 

Goalkeepers don't need a rest. Play Alisson. 

[VladimirIlyich]

1 hour ago, gkmacca said:

Goalkeepers don't need a rest. Play Alisson. 

True. And i think we will play him.We only sneaked past Villa 1-0 at home too. So no walkover,unless we change our name to Man City of course.

[an tha]

2 hours ago, Mil-ing Around said:

Our players badly need a rest with two huge cup finals coming up. They put alot into that spurs game.

 

Kelleher, Greek, Konate, Matip, Gomez, Milner, Henderson,Jones, Firmino, Minamino, Jota

 

We should still win with that team and then can attack the last 4 games full throttle

 

Just no for me.

 

Taking way too much of a chance.

 

We need to make sure we win and we need to keep pressure on the cheats - time to rest players will be after fa cup final if league is out of reach then.