Liverpool 1 Brentford 0 (May 6 2023)

[tlw content]

 

This was a good win. In midweek after we beat Fulham I didn’t really take much from it. The points were welcome but other than that there wasn’t much to feel encouraged by. This was different because it was a real test, the kind of test we’ve often failed. We weren’t at our best but how can you be when the ball is never in play for more than 30 seconds? 

 

This was an horrendous spectacle, stop start and full of needless free-kicks. I’ll get to the referee in a bit but even without seeing the stats for how little the ball was actually in play I already knew it was bad. That first half especially was a fucking disgrace. We started brightly enough and then just got completely bogged down through no real fault of our own. The game was just constantly interrupted by the referees whistle and Brentford taking an absolute age on every single set-piece. Goal kicks, throw ins, free kicks, corners. All of them took ages, and then there were the stoppage where they needed the physio.

 

It just completely killed our flow and we never got going. So that wasn’t good, but our defending of all of those set-pieces as well as in general play was largely flawless. Alisson had virtually nothing to save. He dealt with some crosses but in terms of shot stopping he had an easy afternoon. That’s a positive and Klopp was beaming about it afterwards. Calling it the best set-piece defending session he can remember, against the best set-piece team he’s ever faced. He’s right too.

 

Brentford are so well drilled in everything they do and they’ve clever and innovative on their set-pieces. It’s not just that though, they’re a great counter attacking side too. We dealt with all of that brilliantly and the only time it looked like we’d made a mistake was when Mbuemo ran through and finished brilliantly, only to be denied by the linesman’s flag. VAR upheld the decision thankfully, because in real time I thought it was a goal and that Virgil had been badly caught out. It turns out it was good defending because he slowed himself down just in time to catch Mbuemo off. Close call but having watched that a couple of times now it’s really good defending and Virgil knows what he’s doing.

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[StevieMax]

Curtis is the new Lallana - he understands the press and when to apply it.

 

[StevieMax]

Best goalkeeper ever?

Ray Clemence - if only for the 1978/79 season; 16 goals conceded in total in the league (only 4 at Anfield), 28 clean sheets and all in a 42 game season.

[alles ist gut]

Top, top bootlicker analysis there, Dave.

[Razoray]

1 hour ago, StevieMax said:

Best goalkeeper ever?

Ray Clemence - if only for the 1978/79 season; 16 goals conceded in total in the league (only 4 at Anfield), 28 clean sheets and all in a 42 game season.

In 90/91 David Seaman conceded only 18 and had 24 clean sheets in a 38 game season. David De Gea has the most clean sheets in the league this season. Neither (especially DDG) are anywhere near as good as Clemence or Alisson. Teams get clean sheets. They are easy to measure but in my opinion, Alisson is better than Clem in lots of aspects of the position. However, there is no shame in that. He is better than most, if not all men, that have walked the earth

[DalyanPete]

You upset one baldy manc bastard and what happens? The baldy manc bastard in charge sends over another baldy manc bastard 

 

As a baldy scouse bastard I shouldn't laugh at this, but that is so fuckin funny.

[DalyanPete]

I was at a quiz last night, first round was national anthems, flags of the nations as a clue. 

I was asked did I know them because of the footy. Me saying, I can tell you which one I boo didn't go down too well.

Didn't help that I had a face like a smacked arse because of Brighton shitting the bed, cunts 

 

[Mudface]

6 hours ago, Razoray said:

In 90/91 David Seaman conceded only 18 and had 24 clean sheets in a 38 game season. David De Gea has the most clean sheets in the league this season. Neither (especially DDG) are anywhere near as good as Clemence or Alisson. Teams get clean sheets. They are easy to measure but in my opinion, Alisson is better than Clem in lots of aspects of the position. However, there is no shame in that. He is better- and better looking- than most, if not all men, that have walked the earth

 

Fixed that.

[Anubis]

Hope we one nil our way to a top four place to boil more piss.

[sir roger]

46 minutes ago, Anubis said:

Hope we one nil our way to a top four place to boil more piss.

 

Three pelanties

[Peter Cormack]

Excellent Dave; but Inthink the club have to start using their influence to have A change in the selection of refs. Surely this season’s statistics gives them enough leverage. We can’t be the only team singled out, can we? Brighton have had a series of awful decision against them for example.

[StevieMax]

11 hours ago, Razoray said:

In 90/91 David Seaman conceded only 18 and had 24 clean sheets in a 38 game season. David De Gea has the most clean sheets in the league this season. Neither (especially DDG) are anywhere near as good as Clemence or Alisson. Teams get clean sheets. They are easy to measure but in my opinion, Alisson is better than Clem in lots of aspects of the position. However, there is no shame in that. He is better than most, if not all men, that have walked the earth

Good point about the clean sheets.

Ray Clemence was one of the first "sweeper keepers" as Paisley coached the team to play a high line and so Clem had to be quick & good with his feet, so would have fitted in with today's way of keeping.

Plus he scored two really good goals as an outfielder at Tommy Smith's testimonial in 1977.

[stringvest]

Clemence was terrible with his feet - he could barely keep a goal kick in play, but he was a great goalie

[bossy]

58 minutes ago, stringvest said:

Clemence was terrible with his feet - he could barely keep a goal kick in play, but he was a great goalie

Behave. Clemence kicks, Toshack heads on and Keegan scores!

[stringvest]

30 minutes ago, bossy said:

Behave. Clemence kicks, Toshack heads on and Keegan scores!

 

it's true!  he was not a great kicker

[Carra_is_legend]

Nice one Dave, that was a great read. I have no idea how you managed to keep the balance with Taylor's "performance". Also its interesting to note you have not been critical of Brentford players going down constantly. I thought they dived around all over the place.

 

Above all, why this jinx?? FFS.

 

Quote

If we show up at even 75% we’d put five past them easily as their defending is so bad

 

[dave u]

3 hours ago, Peter Cormack said:

Brighton have had a series of awful decision against them for example.

 

Not enough if you ask me. Fuck them.

[Razoray]

Didn’t Shankly say that he didn't like left legged goalkeepers so was a bit hesitant to buy Clem.  When he found out that Ray was right handed, he was ok. Mad stuff. 

[Tj hooker]

Great report Dave you are absolutely bang on the money about Taylor 

[bossy]

6 hours ago, stringvest said:

 

it's true!  he was not a great kicker

He was in my memory as a 10 year old!

[Bobby Hundreds]

Refs should be critiqued by a completely independent body so they can't decide to show their power because it's their job to apply the rules fairly and consistently and fuck all else. They have no power beyond what the clubs allow them and if the PGMOL can't do their jobs then they should be completely replaced by an organisation that can. Refs asserting their power with inconsistent and bias decisions because they are annoyed or want to make a point is corruption and nothing less. These decision can cost millions to a club, fans pay a fortune to watch games and pay for TV packages. This season has been a disgrace right across the league for the standard of officiating. It's been inconsistent to the point questions need asking and answering.

[aws]

There is no reason at all why the refs’ body has to be headed by a referee. It just makes them a law unto themselves and encourages petty corruption, back-covering and lack of accountability.  

[Guest]

 

[Paul]

How do we sort out the situation with referees? Not easy. However, I think the answer has to be through high-level club representations over a long period of time constantly deploying soft skills to build relationships. We are clearly the least cynical team in the league by 1,000,000 miles and this is born out by the data. That needs to be continually referenced in as many ways as possible, but mainly behind the scenes with the refs. We are playing the game in the right way and they should be supporting that rather than penalising it. 

[Daisy]

Call them cunts