PODCAST: Fulham 2 Liverpool 2 - Match Reaction

[tlw content 17,341]

It was a surprisingly lacklustre display from the Reds at Craven Cottage as they had to twice come from behind to salvage a point against a lively Fulham side.

 

TLW Editor Dave Usher was joined by Stu Montagu and Paul Natton shortly after the final whistle to go through all the main talking points from the game. How can we play that badly? What was wrong with the midfield? Did Trent have someone else's boots on? Is Bobby done as a regular starter? What the hell was Virg doing for the penalty? All that and much more is covered in a lively post match chat.

 

 

[Captain Howdy 1,958]

Good point about Nat, never thought about that. Also well done highlighting Everton’s cheating.

[dockers_strike 4,192]

Great pod again. I think the subs bench thing is because you now name 9 subs(!). The whole PL squad is what, only 25 players and on any one match day, you're naming 20 of them. So when you get a few injuries you're going to call on U23s to fill the gap?

 

It's hard to argue about our training regime considering what we've won in recent years and, generally, the players have looked fitter that at any time before Jurgen came. But this season's training has me a little baffled.

 

We did the usual 30 minute sessions in pre season games then played another game 24 hours or so after the Community Shield and had another scheduled today before that was cancelled.

 

While most of those who played in the Community Shield didnt play against Strasbourg, I just wonder whether we've overtrained a little bit before yesterday? The fact we were second best to virtually every ball yesterday suggests to me the players were a bit leggy and tired?

 

 

[johnsusername 3,523]

Bad at both ends, and even worse in the middle. Spot on, sadly. 

[Daisy 38]

Nunez wont make a difference against the top four. 

 

We didn't beat any of the top four last year because our midfield got dominated in every single game and that will happen again this season. 

[Chris 1,469]

Great show lads. The Bobby analysis was really good too. Good range of views. 

[aws 8,093]

I've cheered myself up by deciding that this game is the equivalent of West Ham away last season. So we're one point up already. 

 

On Nunez, I wonder if we don't think he's ready to play for 90 minutes in our system. Perhaps we'd be readier to start hm if Jota was on the bench.  

[Red_or_Dead 1,514]

2 hours ago, Daisy said:

Nunez wont make a difference against the top four. 

 

We didn't beat any of the top four last year because our midfield got dominated in every single game and that will happen again this season. 

Great to see you've come into this season with the usual brimming confidence!

 

 

[Daisy 38]

Just now, Red_or_Dead said:

Great to see you've come into this season with the usual brimming confidence!

 

 

I don't know how anyone can watch how last season ended and this one has started and be confident about anything. 

 

We are the only team in the top six who hasn't invested significantly. 

 

Same shit every year with these owners. We will go close but won't have quite enough to win either of the big ones. 

 

 

[Shooter in the Motor 8,623]

 

[Captain Howdy 1,958]

Also Dave you always swear just as the missus walks in the room, every time, It’s otherworldly.

[Code 1,549]

Never listen to podcasts, when is the match report out?

[dave u 7,830]

Imminent.

[Paul 7,588]

5 hours ago, Code said:

Never listen to podcasts, when is the match report out?

Listen to this one Frode, you bad arl arse. 

[JohnnyH 7,394]

Well now. I wasn’t going to listen to this as why would I want to relive a terrible performance and result? But I listened anyway, for no other reason than to do it for Shanks, and it highlighted some surprising things for me:

 

- It turns out it’s really cathartic to pour over a bad result. I actually think I pinpointed the moment @dave u “got over” or more likely, accepted, the result when he went from a depressed voice to laughing. And I was the same. There was no good news in the pod, but it allowed me get the game out of my system by agreeing or disagreeing with comments as I drove down the country. I even found myself verbally agreeing or passing comment by myself in the car? It really, genuinely, is good to talk. 
 

Yeah, so I now think pods about a poor performance will actually be much more important to my headspace then fawning over a win. 
 

Nice one lads. And I mean that. I’m a grumpy twat after a loss and that’s not much fun for my wife and kids or my head, so the pod allowing me to park the game is a real positive. 
 

With regards to the game. I was pleased you all had a wee pop at Virg over the penalty. Twitter was full of fans with that usual “never ever a penalty ever” because of course there’s to grey in the game anymore. But to hear the lads say it was poor from Virg to leave the leg out was good. I agree it was only just a penalty. But it was still one. 
 

Secondly, one of you said Matip was good, but I thought his distribution was terrible too. Easy passes were going wayward. And passing out from the back is a key part of our CBs job now so it is a

key failure of they don’t do it. 
 

Great pod. Really good. I’ve cheered up. 

[dave u 7,830]

Nice one mate, glad to be of service.

 

A few people have corrected me on Matip now so I've probably got that wrong. It's Monty's fault, I was already thinking Joel had a good game and then he came steaming into the chat saying how Matip was head and shoulders above everyone else so it reaffirmed what I thought. 

[DJLJ 567]

57 minutes ago, dave u said:

Nice one mate, glad to be of service.

 

A few people have corrected me on Matip now so I've probably got that wrong. It's Monty's fault, I was already thinking Joel had a good game and then he came steaming into the chat saying how Matip was head and shoulders above everyone else so it reaffirmed what I thought. 

Code put Joel's passing stats up in the match thread I think. They were very good. 85% accuracy, so not sure why everyone is saying his passing was poor.

[Joey8FrogsLegs 1,059]

20 minutes ago, DJLJ said:

Code put Joel's passing stats up in the match thread I think. They were very good. 85% accuracy, so not sure why everyone is saying his passing was poor.

Haven’t read all of the above, but Matip gave away the ball, by passing it to an opponent, on a few occasions. This caused a few chances to them, one of which lead to tha penalty. It probably had to do with the formation and movement of the whole team, and definately something to do with Fulham covering some key spaces down our right side. But clearly also a few poor decisions or poor passes by Matip. Probably this people are talking about, and 85% accuracy leaves plenty of room for a few really bad ones.

[JohnnyH 7,394]

2 hours ago, DJLJ said:

Code put Joel's passing stats up in the match thread I think. They were very good. 85% accuracy, so not sure why everyone is saying his passing was poor.

And that’s why stats are utter nonsense. Wasn’t there something in the late 90s where Roy Keane had the best passing accuracy percentages in the league because they were all 5 yard sideways passes to Scholes or Beckham?

[Stu Monty 3,373]

Nah, sorry, Matip was the one taking responsibility and trying to play the difficult big vertical passes through the lines, or occasionally going for a wander past people to move defensive players around, and his numbers were still good despite that. Also defended well pretty much throughout. Made one mistake when again trying to play through the lines against a team blocking off passing lanes (it happens, react better).

Best player by some way in the first 60 for me. Still arguably MOM over 90.

[dave u 7,830]

Ok I take it back. Again.

 

I'm riding with Monty. Screw all of you Joel haters.

[JohnnyH 7,394]

1 hour ago, Stu Monty said:

Nah, sorry, Matip was the one taking responsibility and trying to play the difficult big vertical passes through the lines, or occasionally going for a wander past people to move defensive players around, and his numbers were still good despite that. Also defended well pretty much throughout. Made one mistake when again trying to play through the lines against a team blocking off passing lanes (it happens, react better).

Best player by some way in the first 60 for me. Still arguably MOM over 90.

Yep. He was indeed, as you say, “trying” to play the big vertical passes. And far far more often then not they come off and he creates killer moments as are planned by the coaches. But they weren’t this time. And more so the low 15 yard looks passes weren’t coming off either. By his and our standards it was not a good, complete performance. 

[m0e 2,976]

6 hours ago, DJLJ said:

Code put Joel's passing stats up in the match thread I think. They were very good. 85% accuracy, so not sure why everyone is saying his passing was poor.

85% from a center back who doesn't ever hit it long, against relegation fodder, for a possession based side like us, is the absolute minimum I would expect.

 

The problem is the 15%. Most of it seemed to put us in trouble.

[dave u 7,830]

He might not hit it long like Virgil, but he doesn't play safe either. He's always trying to thread the needle and fizz passes into the feet of the forwards. Around 85-90% is what I'd expect from him normally.

 

I remember one year Phil Babb led the league in pass completion with something daft like 95% because he used to just roll it to Ruddock or Bjornebye and let them get on on with it!

 

I still hate Phil Babb.

[TheBitch 3,956]

8 hours ago, dave u said:

Nice one mate, glad to be of service.

 

A few people have corrected me on Matip now so I've probably got that wrong. It's Monty's fault, I was already thinking Joel had a good game and then he came steaming into the chat saying how Matip was head and shoulders above everyone else so it reaffirmed what I thought. 

If in doubt blame Monty…

 

1 hour ago, dave u said:

Ok I take it back. Again.

 

I'm riding with Monty. Screw all of you Joel haters.

Fucks sake Dave.