Stoke City v. Liverpool 10/01/09

[Heinze]

negative team with kuyt as a lone striker.

 

we desperately need a creative midfielder who can take a man on.

 

way too many backpasses.

[Stephen Adams.]

It was all going too well, wasn't it?

Bolton, Newcastle and Preston had us all dreaming and that was a massive reality check today.

Terrible timing too with Rafa's press conference yesterday, which has created a shitstorm out of nothing.

We were dreadful and didn't deserve to win.

Today proved to me why I hate the phrase "points dropped" because you have to go out there and earn the right to win in 90 minutes. Nothing is handed to you.

We didn't win the league against Newcastle and we didn't lose it today.

All of the top sides will draw and lose games between now and May.

[James Dean]

Fuck it. I'm off to the GF..:whistle:

[GJM]

Perhaps Rafa might reflect the pressure he's heaped on his own players with yesterday's chat to the press. I hope he reflects on his team selection today, especially his criminal persistence in using the Premiership's worst attacking player in Kuyt. Honestly, I'd rather have Kitson or the other one on display. They'd bring more to the team. Lucas was the same today. It's not the end of the world, but Rafa's persistence with playing out-of-form or just shit players may cost us.

 

I'd say that the team selection was a bigger hinderance than the press conference. It was clear it wasn't working after 20 minutes, but it was persisted with for another 40.

 

I'm not against playing 1 up front at all - it's worked well for us on many occasions - but it clearly was doing fuck all for us today.

[Son of L8]

All I can say is, we must be the shittest mid-term league leaders in living memory...

[chrisbonnie]

shite performance, and shite team selection

 

Rafa should have fixed it at half time, how on earth that ejit Lucas stayed on the picth i dont know, he should have been subbed at half time for a striker, then drop Gerrard back, simple

 

the ref, and linesmen decisions where shocking as well at times, i couldnt belive my eyes when the linesman didnt put his flag up for the 3 stoke lads being off when Delap hit the bar, it nearly makes you think do Utd follow the FA`s rules, or do the FA follow Utd`s rules

[Trucker Paddy]

4-6-0 against a team that are certain relegation material is a joke, Dirk Kuyt is not a striker and if anybody thinks otherwise there stupid. Bar carragher and Hyppia not 1 player from the team today can say they gave there all, lucas was poor yes, but If Diego Maradona thinks thats an acceptable perforance by the man he made captain of his country hes got very low standards maschereno was shit and thats been nice,why bring on your main striker and take off the only decent winger at the club, demento is pissing himself laughing now after yesterday, once again the team was set up for a draw hoping we'd get a break.

[Section_31]

I expected nothing better after seeing that front line, baffling shit from the boss on this one I'm afraid.

 

It's times like that, when some of our best players are injured or on the bench, that you realise what a tightrope we're walking between potentially good side and bog-average. The likes of Kuyt, Lucas and Benayoun wouldn't look out of place in the Stoke team, sorry but that's how I see it.

[shaunstrudwick]

 

Honestly, RAFA just makes it so hard for us sometimes, he really does.

 

*edit*

[George Costanza]

I had a bad feeling about this game as soon as I heard Rafa's rant yesterday.

 

Only time willl tell but I thought at the time and still do (regardless of todays result) that it will have a negative effect on us. They choked today.

 

Saying that, every player today was poor and well below the standards that are required to win the league. How many 0-0 draws is that this season? Too many. Newcastle apart, Kuyt upfront just does not work. He is just a terrible striker. Stick him back on the right out of the way.

 

I'd like to know rafa's reasoning for having both Keane & Torres on the bench.

 

We have to beat the blueshit next week.

[billybonzo]

Can anybody tell me if we had a shot on target ? I switched off after 80 minutes....

[torahboy]

Cunt of a performance, cunt of a game, cuntish opposition, cunt of a referee, cunt of a result and a right cunt of a time watching it on Setanta listening to that cunt, Burley, the snaggle toothed cunt, talking like a cunt. If there is a God then he's a cunt too.

[ratcatcher]

OK before we all get suicidal, let's wait until filth and chavs play tomorrow, eh?

 

But, my god, benitez doesnt half like handing out big sticks for everyone to beat him with.

 

If you're going to gob off in a pre match interview, make sure you back it up where it matters, on the pitch ffs. When stoke saw our teamsheet they must have got such a boost.

 

I dont buy into this shyte that we missed agger or insua. They're defenders after all. Alonso probably is a loss but are we saying missing one or two players now means we cant wipe away a bottom 3 team? This obsession with playing one ineffective player up front or waiting until the hour when everyone can see it aint working is piss poor and all.

 

Sort it out benitez or you'll throw away our best chance in years for years to come.

[Paul]

What a hugely frustrating game. Stoke are the new Wimbledon, but we just weren't good enough either, be it individually, collectively or tactically. Mascherano and Lucas were both awful in my view: their passing was woeful, they were both too deep and their movement was poor. Also we were second to almost every ball all over the pitch. The game was screaming at the top of its voice for us to inject some pace and guile into the proceedings. In my view we should have gone for a triple substitution on the hour mark: Torres, Babel and Keane for Lucas, Dirk and Yossi. At the very least we needed to get Gerrard into the centre. What on earth is the point in having the best player on the pitch - a man who can win games on his own - completely unable to get anywhere near the fucking ball?

 

We weren't helped by the most officious twat I've seen in the middle for years, either. Doesn't the ridiculous attention-seeking control freak realise that free kicks are supposed to reward the attacking side? What the fuck was that card to Gerrard about if not for trying to steal the ref's limelight as he agonisingly paced yet another deliberate and pedestrian ten yards? The laws of the game need changing on free kicks, in my view. You should be able to take it when you like from anywhere within five yards of the offence including if the ball is moving. The ref should only pace out the yards and blow his whistle if he's asked to. Why the fuck should you lose all the advantage you probably had and allow the opposition to get eleven men behind the ball? It's a fucking shit law.

 

And while we're at it, they need to look at the time taken for throw ins and stick it onto time added on if Stoke are going to continue to take so long to prepare for each one. I've got no problem whatsoever with them using their flinger, but why does the game need to halt for 30 seconds or more every single time they get a throw? It's just time wasting, pure and simple.

 

Thank fuck we won't have to face tactics like that very often. Although, dare I say it, having a target man on the pitch would have helped (why didn't you keep him Rafa - especially as you're after another one now?). A Chelsea win becomes even more pressing tomorrow in the light of that point. We really need to see The Mancs drop points and then bring on the derby when we know we'll be up for it and can get back in the groove again.

 

Christ that was fucking horrible; thank God it's over.

[shaunstrudwick]

All I can say is, we must be the shittest mid-term league leaders in living memory...

 

we are!

 

that's what the Mancs, the Chavs.... everyone thinks also

[Guest Dog Chaser]

Not one player can come out of that game with any credit today. Regardless of team selection no one was prepared to put in the required effort on a cold january night to win the game. No doubt those with their blinkers on will single out Lucas for most of the blame although everyone else was equally as poor. However, we are still top and if the Chelski and Manure draw tomorrow then we will remain at the top even if Manure win the other games in hand.

[coop]

Alonso was badly missed but Lucas should have been taken off with Gerrard dropped into the centre and Keane upfront with Torres.

 

Other then the Carragher, Hyypia and Skrtel every other Liverpool was bullied off the ball and bottled it.

[GJM]

It's fine to play 2 holding when one of them can create openings from the edge of his own area (Alonso), but when you have two players in that position who both specialise in 10 yard passes sideways, it will, inevitably, stifle your options. #

 

So much wrong with that today, and so much of it you could see coming from a fucking mile off.

[reder]

We have to beat the blueshit next week.

 

Fuck it. I forgot we have that shower next. That's the last thing we need, if the mancs are on top or level.

[bigal]

OK before we all get suicidal, let's wait until filth and chavs play tomorrow, eh?

 

But, my god, benitez doesnt half like handing out big sticks for everyone to beat him with.

 

If you're going to gob off in a pre match interview, make sure you back it up where it matters, on the pitch ffs. When stoke saw our teamsheet they must have got such a boost.

 

I dont buy into this shyte that we missed agger or insua. They're defenders after all. Alonso probably is a loss but are we saying missing one or two players now means we cant wipe away a bottom 3 team? This obsession with playing one ineffective player up front or waiting until the hour when everyone can see it aint working is piss poor and all.

 

Sort it out benitez or you'll throw away our best chance in years for years to come.

 

I agree with much of that. It was in the middle and wide that we were lacking. But it shouldn't matter what happenstomorrow. We should be mopping up these points and fuck the rest

[George Costanza]

When will we learn that Dirk as a lone striker doesn't work.

 

WE all know it doesn't work. Its Rafa thats the blind, stubborn fool.

 

I think Dirk got it right by saying people are going to start to dislike Kuyt becuase even when he's fucking shit he doesn't get brought off. Which is very unfair on him.

[Guest Dog Chaser]

Can anybody tell me if we had a shot on target ? I switched off after 80 minutes....

 

Billybonzo the proper fan.

[Dani Pacheco]

Think i'm going to ignore the media for a while, Rafa got it wrong today sadly after his beautiful rant (not going to be results orientated and say it wasn't a good thing to do), i'm sure other people will save me the typing and point out where he went wrong.

[Lapskaus]

rafa rafael, rafa rafael......................yes I am being ironic. he's a fucking idiot some times

[Anny Road]

Rafa you fucking shithouse.

Torres and Keane on the bench. You couldn't make it up.