Crystal Palace (H) - Sun 14th Apr 2024 (2:00pm)

[rubble-rouser]

1 hour ago, Barrington Womble said:

 

 

Come on mate, it's a fucking miracle we've got as far as we have this season. And it's been down to pure determination and mentality. We've come from behind so often and had a shit load of injuries and mostly to key players in the team. 

 

 

I don't think there's a doubt there's a change in klopp from what we can see. It started with his pre match press conferences being a bit lighter. But as time has gone on, you can see in his reaction to games, some of his intensity has gone. Which is natural I think. Is it possible then that's the same when he's with the players. Well I'd say so. Does it rub off on players? Well it's almost impossible to know. What we do know is klopp has been a wonderful motivator (amongst other things) during his time here. If that's diminished, well maybe what we're seeing now is just how good these players will be without klopp and a little window into next season.

 

There's more to it than all that for me though - in fact I'd say the injuries have played a bigger part, if these returning players had just been back a couple of weeks earlier, I think it might have made all the difference. We've seen since the international break a bit of a drop off in those players who'd done brilliantly for a couple of months, endo, Gomez, quansah, Bradley, kelleher and we just don't have these returning players back to match sharpness in time, with really only robbo looking that way and he's been back for 2 months. 

 

Now we're behind city and in this type of form, it's a story we've seen before where they just go off and win what's left in front of them. But hopefully we can dig in, get some sharpness back into the legs of Trent and Jota particularly but Dom too, and see if we can win that final 6 and at least force city to the line. 

 

Whether or not there has been a drop off in intensity from the manager (which certainly didn't look to be the case at OT last week when he was going mental) we've lost a lot of on-pitch leadership over the last couple of years and over the course of the season. Only Virgil looks like a leader now. Mo used to be someone who would try to win games single-handedly at times and really step up when the pressure was on. Earlier this year Dom did, and a few weeks ago Macca seemed to be the main man, but for whatever reason, none of them have looked capable of carrying the team.

 

The slow start thing is just weird. In all of our last 4 league matches we've given up at least one massive chance in the first couple of minutes (Brighton goal, Sheff Utd save, United offside goal, Alli save yesterday) - all seem to come down our right. There's a specific issue there that needs sorting. 

[Mook]

8 minutes ago, Reckoner said:

I bet that was good.

 

The guitar playing is very nice.

 

Unfortunately his singing is quite the opposite.

[Carra_is_legend]

1 hour ago, Barrington Womble said:

 

 

Come on mate, it's a fucking miracle we've got as far as we have this season. And it's been down to pure determination and mentality. We've come from behind so often and had a shit load of injuries and mostly to key players in the team. 

 

 

I don't think there's a doubt there's a change in klopp from what we can see. It started with his pre match press conferences being a bit lighter. But as time has gone on, you can see in his reaction to games, some of his intensity has gone. Which is natural I think. Is it possible then that's the same when he's with the players. Well I'd say so. Does it rub off on players? Well it's almost impossible to know. What we do know is klopp has been a wonderful motivator (amongst other things) during his time here. If that's diminished, well maybe what we're seeing now is just how good these players will be without klopp and a little window into next season.

 

There's more to it than all that for me though - in fact I'd say the injuries have played a bigger part, if these returning players had just been back a couple of weeks earlier, I think it might have made all the difference. We've seen since the international break a bit of a drop off in those players who'd done brilliantly for a couple of months, endo, Gomez, quansah, Bradley, kelleher and we just don't have these returning players back to match sharpness in time, with really only robbo looking that way and he's been back for 2 months. 

 

Now we're behind city and in this type of form, it's a story we've seen before where they just go off and win what's left in front of them. But hopefully we can dig in, get some sharpness back into the legs of Trent and Jota particularly but Dom too, and see if we can win that final 6 and at least force city to the line. 

 

Out of rep unfortunately, every word is spot on. I think there needs to be a little bit perspective here, especially considering where we were last season. I did not even dream of a title challenge but here we are, somehow, in a title challenge in mid April. The VAR decisions, injuries have all taken a toll on the team unfortunately. Less than 2 months ago, we were playing a bunch of kids in a major cup final FFS! 

 

Arsenal have been there or thereabouts for a couple of years and despite spending £100m on Rice, they are destined to end the season potless. Again. 

 

If Klopp is not leaving in the summer I think the perspective will be clearer but the emotions around that has sucked everyone in. 

 

Title is gone for me but I hope to fuck the players have some energy left for the next few games. Most of them look shattered, playing through tired, injured bodies and I have no idea how they are going to lift themselves. I hope they do. Somehow,

[Carra_is_legend]

9 minutes ago, rubble-rouser said:

The slow start thing is just weird. In all of our last 4 league matches we've given up at least one massive chance in the first couple of minutes (Brighton goal, Sheff Utd save, United offside goal, Alli save yesterday) - all seem to come down our right. There's a specific issue there that needs sorting. 

 

This is the biggest contributor for me, especially when we are dealing with so many injuries and knackered players. It is scandalous we could not sort this out and still look like conceding in the first few mins. The moment we do that, the midfielders and strikers are like, here we fucking go again! Sheer determination & steel have been getting us through, coming back from going behind time & time again, but when the players are fucking shattered they will misplace passes, miss chances, and make weird decisions - we are witnessing all of these right now. 

[Reckoner]

12 hours ago, Code said:

Ive not found those stats for the full season though, just game to game basis. 

Well get your calculator out lad. Where’s your passion? 

[Code]

26 minutes ago, Reckoner said:

Well get your calculator out lad. Where’s your passion? 

Just wait for it. 

[TheHowieLama]

12 hours ago, Reckoner said:

What a tit this man is.

 

 

11 hours ago, Red Shift said:

Fat lady aint sung yet. 

 

5 hours ago, bizzle10 said:

With the way we concede shite goals and miss loads of chances she is warming up her vocals 

 

 

Harsh on Liam here.

[TheHowieLama]

1 hour ago, Mook said:

 

The guitar playing is very nice.

 

Unfortunately his singing is quite the opposite.

 

No time for Johnny Cash yet you sat through a Liam Gallagher record.

 

Sheesh.

[Tenfolder]

12 hours ago, Dapower said:

Think that scruffy cunt can’t remember how shit and irrelevant his team were for  decades before they won the lottery 

 

Snorting handfuls of coke will do that for you, I do enjoy his shit attempts at 'banter' though, like an attention seeking child.

[Mook]

21 minutes ago, TheHowieLama said:

 

No time for Johnny Cash yet you sat through a Liam Gallagher record.

 

Sheesh.

 

I've only listened to the two singles and the Jonathan Ross/Jimmy Fallon telly performances. Fuck listening to a whole LP of him singing.

[s(k)aturation]

1 hour ago, Reckoner said:

I bet that was good.

 

 

Oh, so you're the one person that didn't buy it.

 

[Bobby Hundreds]

Liam Gallagher has to be one of the biggest tools this country has ever produced. 

[Reckoner]

1 hour ago, Carra_is_legend said:

 

 

 

Title is gone for me but I hope to fuck the players have some energy left for the next few games. Most of them look shattered, playing through tired, injured bodies and I have no idea how they are going to lift themselves. I hope they do. Somehow,

There’s not really any excuse for them all to look so tired. (No champions league for one). Not unless it’s poor squad fitness planning again. To be knackered now should ask a lot of awkward questions, even with the injuries. 
And so why don’t we play mainly players coming back from injury ( needing sharpness maybe but fresh) along with enthusiastic talented kids?

I bought it in the quadruple chasing season but this one? It’s a lot of players first season with Klopp and they are fucked in March and April?

[Carra_is_legend]

18 minutes ago, Reckoner said:

There’s not really any excuse for them all to look so tired. (No champions league for one). Not unless it’s poor squad fitness planning again. To be knackered now should ask a lot of awkward questions, even with the injuries. 
And so why don’t we play mainly players coming back from injury ( needing sharpness maybe but fresh) along with enthusiastic talented kids?

I bought it in the quadruple chasing season but this one? It’s a lot of players first season with Klopp and they are fucked in March and April?

 

Excuse or no excuse, they do look tired. I said it several times in the match thread - why no Danns? No Clarke? If they can play in a cup final, surely they are good enough to play some minutes against a shite Mancs or Atalanta or Palace? 

 

I include Klopp in this - squad management has been poor. We cannot say we have wonderful young players and not play them. Especially when a lot of players look absolutely goosed. 

[Barrington Womble]

5 hours ago, rubble-rouser said:

 

Whether or not there has been a drop off in intensity from the manager (which certainly didn't look to be the case at OT last week when he was going mental) we've lost a lot of on-pitch leadership over the last couple of years and over the course of the season. Only Virgil looks like a leader now. Mo used to be someone who would try to win games single-handedly at times and really step up when the pressure was on. Earlier this year Dom did, and a few weeks ago Macca seemed to be the main man, but for whatever reason, none of them have looked capable of carrying the team.

 

The slow start thing is just weird. In all of our last 4 league matches we've given up at least one massive chance in the first couple of minutes (Brighton goal, Sheff Utd save, United offside goal, Alli save yesterday) - all seem to come down our right. There's a specific issue there that needs sorting. 

 

we have lost a bit of leadership, but we have a load of international captains (robbo, vvd, dom and mo) out there and a world cup winner. so that shouldn't really be an issue. i am not saying you are wrong, it's just i feel we have plenty of leadership and i am not sure a fella pointing would add a lot. 

 

the slow start is a 2 year problem and attacking our right back area is even longer and an awful lot of those issues have come down that side early in the game. Like it or not, robbo and vvd are a better combo than anything we can put down the right, so people will naturally target the other side. i like bradley, but he does get ahead of himself at times (to be expected) and i know it is an unpopular opinion, but i don't think konate is a very good reader of the game. his pace and strength are wonderful assets, but he's a ball watcher and follows the ball too much up field. So couple him with a fullback up the pitch (regardless of if it's Trent or Bradley really) and you're asking for trouble (and I know Quansah played some of those games, but he's inexperienced too and an easy target). To put the icing on the cake, I think Endo is a really slow starter too (he never got out of that mode yesterday), so I think it makes a perfect storm. I would have the fullback on instruction to sit in for a few minutes at the start of each game and konate to not chase the ball into midfield. 

 

5 hours ago, Carra_is_legend said:

 

Out of rep unfortunately, every word is spot on. I think there needs to be a little bit perspective here, especially considering where we were last season. I did not even dream of a title challenge but here we are, somehow, in a title challenge in mid April. The VAR decisions, injuries have all taken a toll on the team unfortunately. Less than 2 months ago, we were playing a bunch of kids in a major cup final FFS! 

 

Arsenal have been there or thereabouts for a couple of years and despite spending £100m on Rice, they are destined to end the season potless. Again. 

 

If Klopp is not leaving in the summer I think the perspective will be clearer but the emotions around that has sucked everyone in. 

 

Title is gone for me but I hope to fuck the players have some energy left for the next few games. Most of them look shattered, playing through tired, injured bodies and I have no idea how they are going to lift themselves. I hope they do. Somehow,

 

i wouldn't be shocked to be honest if arsenal won the CL, especially if city don't get passed madrid. the thing is with both us and them, it clearly isn't over despite how we feel after devastating losses. we all know the cheats are the main threat and we've let them get in front, but it's 2 points. nothing is lost. if you look at the games we have left, they're all winnable if we are in any kind of form, it's just a question of if we (or them) can sort that. i expected arsenal to drop off though, because history tells us they're poor finishers to the season and they don't play as well when it's 2 games per week. we have to keep fighting though, even if it feels futile now. we have to push city to the last game.