Liverpool v. Bolton 26/12/08

[Heinze]

solid performance by all.

 

top of the league!

[Stu Monty]

I think Leeson is onto something there to be fair. We win and some people say, 'yay Kuyt was great'. We lose and it's, 'oh well Kuyt was great'.

 

The people who sit there slagging people off for being passionate and spontaneous just don't care that much, IMO.

 

It's really ironic.

 

So, you're Stockton's version of Alanis Morrisette now are you?

 

Didn't see the game but as ever you can see the knives being sharpened before a ball is kicked for certain people, like Dirk and Benni. It sours the atmosphere from the off. People do it on the other side too, in that they are ready to praise any bit of average skill from a favourite, but surely it's a bit more tolerable to have people being positive and enjoying being happy for the team than looking for the chance to rip on lads giving their best for the shirt.

 

There's enough depressing shit going on without people having to manufacture even more; isn't there?

[stringvest]

Look, most of the team played great - it was almost a completely coherent performance. There's plenty to be positive about. I'm usually positive about the team, and I was today. I've been positive about Kuyt whenever he's played well. No-one (well, apart from the obvious suspects) can say he's played well in the last half dozen games or so. Just bewildered by the lack of objectivity or critical ability in some of our fellow 'supporters'. I am very happy today, a good performance and a good win.

[Section_31]

4-4-2, Keane and Gerrard in their best positions = good performance and goals.

 

Let's hope we never see Kuyt up front on his own at home again.

 

Really good performance from us today, made up.

 

Yep, there's deffo something in this playing (and keeping) players in their position lark.

[bigmacbrownie]

So, you're Stockton's version of Alanis Morrisette now are you?

 

Didn't see the game but as ever you can see the knives being sharpened before a ball is kicked for certain people, like Dirk and Benni. It sours the atmosphere from the off. People do it on the other side too, in that they are ready to praise any bit of average skill from a favourite, but surely it's a bit more tolerable to have people being positive and enjoying being happy for the team than looking for the chance to rip on lads giving their best for the shirt.

There's enough depressing shit going on without people having to manufacture even more; isn't there?

 

I think the problem that alot of people have is that their best just isn't good enough for the shirt so I can see why people can be negative.

 

Being positive all of the time is just papering over the cracks. I'm not going to complain about any players today because i'm actually fed up of sounding like a broken record. anyway complaining after such a good performance would be souring the moment.

[CrouchieBoy]

I seem to remember when we played Kuyt in his correct position a few weeks ago he played a blinder. We did the same today and he didnt play that well. It just seems that when he makes a step wrong its pounced on and if he does the little things to help us win, he STILL doesn't do enough for us.

 

Now, thats not to say that his performance today was below par. I thought he was the weakest member of the team out there but not necessarily a liability on this day simply because the team around him rose to the occasion.

[Stu Monty]

I think the problem that alot of people have is that their best just isn't good enough for the shirt so I can see why people can be negative.

 

Being positive all of the time is just papering over the cracks. I'm not going to complain about any players today because i'm actually fed up of sounding like a broken record. anyway complaining after such a good performance would be souring the moment.

 

I'm not suggesting it should be like some sort of religious cult where we have to be all happy clappy about everything; just don't see the point in actively taking a miserablist attitude before a ball has been kicked sometimes. Maybe I just though being top of the league was meant to be a little more enjoyable than is seems to be on here. Most threads are about how X, Y or Z is shit and are jam-packed with unhappy posts.

[CrouchieBoy]

I'm happy we are top. Its a great place to be

[philyhamann]

Great performance by most, it was like a training game and Bolton just didn't look arsed at all.

[philyhamann]

It was also beautiful to see Keane playing off the last man every so often, rather than constantly being in the midfield, replace Kuyt with Torres and we're laughin.

[god knows]

Great performance by most, it was like a training game and Bolton just didn't look arsed at all.

 

Is rice. It was just a matter of getting the first goal and then seeing how many we could score from there. That coulda/shoulda been 5 or 6 nil. Nice to see Robbie bag a couple. I have been one of the doubters on here, but that was pure class the way he's took his last three.

[Code]

Good team, we will win 3-0.

 

:whistle:

[bigmacbrownie]

I'm not suggesting it should be like some sort of religious cult where we have to be all happy clappy about everything; just don't see the point in actively taking a miserablist attitude before a ball has been kicked sometimes. Maybe I just though being top of the league was meant to be a little more enjoyable than is seems to be on here. Most threads are about how X, Y or Z is shit and are jam-packed with unhappy posts.

 

So do I take it you're happy with the way we've played all season then?

 

Why is it so wrong that people want to see us play well, and why shouldn't players involvement in games be questioned when they are clearly out of form?

 

You play football yourself Stu, if you weren't performing you wouldn't expect to start games so why should it be any different at professional level?

[RobbieOR]

It was also beautiful to see Keane playing off the last man every so often, rather than constantly being in the midfield, replace Kuyt with Torres and we're laughin.

 

NAh. Get Benayoun out of there put Kuyt there and Torres up front we'll take some beating. Also give Turns to Alonso and Mascherano.

[halewood pete]

great performance,still top.things looking good.torres to look forward to soon.happy days.

[grazywalker]

Iron Man,Captain America,Dangermouse,Wolverine ,Spiderman,smurfs .Your boys took a hell of a beating

[CrouchieBoy]

So do I take it you're happy with the way we've played all season then?

 

Why is it so wrong that people want to see us play well, and why shouldn't players involvement in games be questioned when they are clearly out of form?

 

You play football yourself Stu, if you weren't performing you wouldn't expect to start games so why should it be any different at professional level?

 

 

I don't think that's what he is saying though mate. Its the fact that day in and day out this place has been dire. And its been a usual cast of suspects. I for one have not been 100% pleased with the results so far, but I see the last few weeks for what it is, a team struggling for form. Form is most certainly temporary but you wouldn't think that by the way this place has been lately

[Stu Monty]

So do I take it you're happy with the way we've played all season then?

 

Why is it so wrong that people want to see us play well, and why shouldn't players involvement in games be questioned when they are clearly out of form?

 

You play football yourself Stu, if you weren't performing you wouldn't expect to start games so why should it be any different at professional level?

 

Of course I'm not happy with all the performances mate, some have been dreadful. I'm just saying that there seem to be a lot of people who are wanting to see the bad more than they want to see the good.

 

The question of "performing" is a tricky one for us to debate in that example mate. The reason I say that is that we don't know what the priorities that players are being judged on are, so can't really decide if, for Rafa, they aren't performing. I'll give you one hypothetical example. Say a winger is being told to hug the line to give the team width (that's the main point his manager sent him on the pitch with); the play may very, very rarely come anywhere near him but he still sticks to instructions. To some his lack of involvement in the half would have him as a non-performer in that half but the gaffer might think he's doing exactly what he wanted.

 

I'm not arguing here that certain players are performing, mind, just pointing out that the gaffer might think they are doing the job he wants them to.

[Fugitive]

Great performance that and cheered me up despite feeling utterly shite due to a bad chest infection.

 

Insua is looking excellent.

Keane is starting to show exactly what he is capable of.

Gerrard and Xabi looked fantastic in the middle.

Yossi did really well.

Riera was very good.

 

I can't believe some people are focusing on Dirks performance instead of a great team display. You'd think we had lost with the way some are going on.

 

Just what exactly does Momo/FatTed/Twat add to the forum apart from conflict and shit?

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Bolton were very poor and wrote that game off before their big derby with Wigan on Sunday, which they had more chance of winning. That can't and should not be allowed to detract from an excellent days work from us today. We looked dangerous going forward, and apart from 3 minutes or so at the start of the second half, quickly holed by Robbie Keane, were under no pressure whatsoever.

 

Arguably our best performance of the season.

[bigmacbrownie]

I don't think that's what he is saying though mate. Its the fact that day in and day out this place has been dire. And its been a usual cast of suspects. I for one have not been 100% pleased with the results so far, but I see the last few weeks for what it is, a team struggling for form. Form is most certainly temporary but you wouldn't think that by the way this place has been lately

 

We've been struggling for form all season in my eyes. Apart from Utd, Chelsea, WBA and the two Bolton games aside we've been dire, so for me the points on here just reflect the teams performance on the pitch.

 

Hopefully we can go on from this game and start putting a few results together and this place will be a much happier place.

[CrouchieBoy]

We've been struggling for form all season in my eyes. Apart from Utd, Chelsea, WBA and the two Bolton games aside we've been dire, so for me the points on here just reflect the teams performance on the pitch.

 

Hopefully we can go on from this game and start putting a few results together and this place will be a much happier place.

 

Won't hold my breath there mate.

 

We have done enough to get us top. Now of course we can debate whether or not that lead should be bigger, but I think it has been a mix of tactics not coming off, team not giving a fuck, and our best forward being absent for a large part of the first half of the season.

[Dirk]

We've been struggling for form all season in my eyes. Apart from Utd, Chelsea, WBA and the two Bolton games aside we've been dire, so for me the points on here just reflect the teams performance on the pitch.

 

We played well at Everton too. We've not been struggling for form all season. If we had, we wouldn't be top of the league. We played some really shite football at times but that doesn't mean we've been struggling for form all season. I doubt we would be half way through a season and be top of the league if we had been struggling for form all the way through. The same people moaning now are the mongs that said they would give him until the end of the season last year.

[stringvest]

I think it's unrealistic for us to hope that Torres will come back and score shitloads of goals immediately, though it would be fantastic if he does. I'm concerned that we don't bring him back too soon again, and I think it's realistic to give him 4 or 5 matches to feel his way back in. He hasn't really been right all season imo. I think an on-form Torres sparks Gerrard into top form too.

[Guest simon]

Was a great game cant fault anyone it will be interesting to see the man of the match thread.