Blackburn (H)

[Tom R]

Fair enough.

 

My tuppence on Aquilani is that he looked good in Italy where they have a bit more time on the ball. When he came here the injury was a bit worse than initially expected. By the time he came back we were already well off the pace having suffered numerous defeats. It was backs to the wall time; a time for expereinced Prem players to role up their sleeves and grind some results out.

 

Aquilani was never going to play in that sort of context, or not much, anyhow. And even if we had been doing better than we are right now, I'm still not so sure Blackburn is his type of game.

 

My suspicion is that he would be a good player in a Liverpool side that is playing well and going for it a bit more (sort of like the team at the end of last season). He would need to play where Stevie plays, but that need not be a problem if Stevie drops back into the middle like today.

 

I think Rafa bought him and Glen Johnson with the idea to really go for it this season a bit more. I think along the way he bottled it because we were just losing too many games, so it has reverted to type i.e. it's all a bit sterile.

 

For me Aquilani's career at Liverpool is thus in the balance. Either play him and set up a more expansive side, or ship him back to Italy for as much of the original fee as you can get.

 

The best attacking midfielder in Italy might well be Marek Hamsik, and I wouldn't be averse to signing him if Aquilani would bring in most of the fee for him.

 

Still, it all depends on Rafa. Will he play an expansive type of football or not? If no, then I'm not sure why we have Aquilani or, for that matter, Glen Johnson.

 

I would suggest we need one or two top draw attacking players to help things out and tilt the squad in an expansive direction

 

Erm, but isn't that exactly what Aquilani is supposed to be!!

 

And I'm not being funny, but just about any player can look decent in a team that's playing really well. That's a rather silly point to make, as the whole premise of signing £20m+ calibre players is that they're supposed to actually make you play well!

 

Aquilani is, for me, potentially the worst signing in the history of liverpool football club.

Seriously.

When you factor in why he's here in the first place, the amount paid for him, the hype given to him by the manager when he signed, then the lack of games, the way it's threw the balance of our team in to a defensive turd, and then ultimately just the basic lack of ability, then I can't see how he can be considered anything but that up to now.

 

Yeah yeah, "he might go on to prove you wrong" I can almost hear people typing - "he's only been here 5 minutes" blah blah.

 

Won't happen. He's just not good enough.

 

Benitez car crash signing number 138.

[llego]

 

Aquilani is, for me, potentially the worst signing in the history of liverpool football club.

 

You're as excitable as an 11 year old girl.

[navbasi]

Erm, but isn't that exactly what Aquilani is supposed to be!!

 

And I'm not being funny, but just about any player can look decent in a team that's playing really well. That's a rather silly point to make, as the whole premise of signing £20m+ calibre players is that they're supposed to actually make you play well!

 

Aquilani is, for me, potentially the worst signing in the history of liverpool football club.

Seriously.

When you factor in why he's here in the first place, the amount paid for him, the hype given to him by the manager when he signed, then the lack of games, the way it's threw the balance of our team in to a defensive turd, and then ultimately just the basic lack of ability, then I can't see how he can be considered anything but that up to now.

 

Yeah yeah, "he might go on to prove you wrong" I can almost hear people typing - "he's only been here 5 minutes" blah blah.

 

Won't happen. He's just not good enough.

 

Benitez car crash signing number 138.

 

Care to name the other 137? :whistle:

[Bogman]

Funny that a thread about the game yesterday spawns a Benitez debate.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

 

If I hadn't seen the game yesterday, I'd have sworn we'd lost reading this today.

 

A typical.

[The 5th Benitel]

Funny that a thread about the game yesterday spawns a Benitez debate.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

 

If I hadn't seen the game yesterday, I'd have sworn we'd lost reading this today.

 

A typical.

 

 

I just think it summed up a lot of what is wrong this season. Clinging on against one of the worst teams in the league, horrible long ball footy and not one meaningful shot in the 2nd half.

[hamstrung]

I think it's more of an example of how only very top drawer attackers seem to flourish at Liverpool.

 

I can live with that.

[Tom R]

Funny that a thread about the game yesterday spawns a Benitez debate.

Damned if he does, damned if he doesn't.

 

If I hadn't seen the game yesterday, I'd have sworn we'd lost reading this today.

 

A typical.

 

Wrong. He's just damned if he's a total shithouse once we take the lead against badly shit opposition.

 

Once again we were taken to the wire by an appalling team, purely because we were happy to sit on our narrow lead. Benitez actually sets up to make these games tight!! There's just no need for it.

 

At one point, with ten minutes to go, I watched benitez scream and rant at babel to get back and not cross the half way line.

 

I also watched him telling Steven Gerrard to sit deep, and he barely crossed the half way line in that second half.

 

Basically, it was fucking embarrassing watching us trying to contain a bunch of dogs like Blackburn. It was especially galling after the first half when we actually played some nice stuff for as long as I can even remember.

In fact, I was even gullible and stupid enough at half time to put a bet on us scoring 3 more in the secdond half!

 

Ha! I'd have been better off putting my money on us not even getting another corner, frankly, for all the intent we showed in that half.

 

We might have won yesterday, but I tell you what, it was more by luck than judgement and it was definitely in spite of those shit house cowardly tactics, not because of them.

 

A win is a win blah blah blah. But if anyone is actually happy with that shit yesterday, then you've got problems. Seriously.

[The 5th Benitel]

I can live with that.

 

 

Yeah but there's only a handful of players in the world who fit the bill and if either of the two we've got are injured, off form or decide to fuck off then there's nothing down for us.

 

It'd be nice if we attacked enough so that decent attacking players who aren't world beaters can consistantly look good. As it is we rely on our forwards to convert the three chances a game we create.

[Bogman]

Wrong. He's just damned if he's a total shithouse once we take the lead against badly shit opposition.

 

Once again we were taken to the wire by an appalling team, purely because we were happy to sit on our narrow lead. Benitez actually sets up to make these games tight!! There's just no need for it.

 

At one point, with ten minutes to go, I watched benitez scream and rant at babel to get back and not cross the half way line.

 

I also watched him telling Steven Gerrard to sit deep, and he barely crossed the half way line in that second half.

 

Basically, it was fucking embarrassing watching us trying to contain a bunch of dogs like Blackburn. It was especially galling after the first half when we actually played some nice stuff for as long as I can even remember.

In fact, I was even gullible and stupid enough at half time to put a bet on us scoring 3 more in the secdond half!

 

Ha! I'd have been better off putting my money on us not even getting another corner, frankly, for all the intent we showed in that half.

 

We might have won yesterday, but I tell you what, it was more by luck than judgement and it was definitely in spite of those shit house cowardly tactics, not because of them.

 

A win is a win blah blah blah. But if anyone is actually happy with that shit yesterday, then you've got problems. Seriously.

 

Well at this point in the season I'd take 3 points rather than playing them off the park and losing.

Maybe it was my poor hearing, and my poor eyesight, but I swear I saw and heard Rafa telling the team to push up.

Maybe it's was my poor hearing, and my poor eyesight, but I swear I saw and heard Jamie telling the team to push up. They did, a foot.

 

And yeah, a win, is a win, is a win is a win, blah, blah, blah, but in fact it is. Be happy we didn't lose. For 65 minutes we played fairly well, and yes I am worried we went into our shell again, but we won. Other things can be sorted out in the summer, not now, try getting behind the team, because the home fans this season have been as poor as the team.

Leave all the manager discussions until the end of the season where it will or won't get sorted. Nothing will change now, so maybe we should all focus on supporting the team, no?

[Tom R]

Well at this point in the season I'd take 3 points rather than playing them off the park and losing.

Maybe it was my poor hearing, and my poor eyesight, but I swear I saw and heard Rafa telling the team to push up.

Maybe it's was my poor hearing, and my poor eyesight, but I swear I saw and heard Jamie telling the team to push up. They did, a foot.

 

And yeah, a win, is a win, is a win is a win, blah, blah, blah, but in fact it is. Be happy we didn't lose. For 65 minutes we played fairly well, and yes I am worried we went into our shell again, but we won. Other things can be sorted out in the summer, not now, try getting behind the team, because the home fans this season have been as poor as the team.

Leave all the manager discussions until the end of the season where it will or won't get sorted. Nothing will change now, so maybe we should all focus on supporting the team, no?

 

Who isn't supporting the team??

 

I was at the game yesterday cheering and supporting our players as best as i can.

 

I'm on here today saying that the manager almost fucked it up. Again.

How are the two in any way related??

 

As for "playing them off the park and losing". Well that's just total bollocks. We were actually playing them off the park and winning until benitez got his yellow belly out for the lads.

 

Thinking the manager is gutless fucking jamook and saying so on here isn't even remotely the same as not supporting the team.

 

negged.

[The 5th Benitel]

My concern is that the nature of the win suggests there are yet more draws and defeats just around the corner. If this was anything even resembling a winning team i could quite happily live with a game like that that ends in a victory. This ain't a winning team though.

[Brownie]

As I've always said, if I believe that we're trying to do things in the right way and making logical decisions, then i'll accept the odd poor performance.

 

I can remember us battering Stoke at home last season but drawing 0-0 and I had absolutely no issues at all with team selection, attacking intent etc. It was just one of those days.

 

This season has been our own making though by picking the wrong teams, setting them up to play in the wrong way and making more errors in the transfer market.

Edited March 1, 2010 by Brownie

[Tom R]

My concern is that the nature of the win suggests there are yet more draws and defeats just around the corner. If this was anything even resembling a winning team i could quite happily live with a game like that that ends in a victory. This ain't a winning team though.

 

Exactly mate.

 

This wasn't the semi-final of the eruropean cup against one of the world's finest teams that we had to hold our lead on, no matter what.

 

That I could applaud.

 

This, however, was a game that we were dominating, actually playing some decent football in, and was there for the lads to enjoy themselves, express themselves, win well and build some confidence.

 

But no. Once again, we instead we retreated, worried about the poor opposition instead, and then held on for dear life and could have easily thrown away points.

 

As i said earlier we won more by luck than judgement.

his entire approach to the game is completely fucked up. We shouldn't be giving Blackburn a second glance at Anfield, never mind actually setting up to contain the bunch of fucking yard dogs.

 

It's embarrassing, it will cost us in the end (see every season we've had with him at the helm)) and I'm sick off it. The sooner he fucks off to Juventus the happier I will be.

[Tom R]

As I've always said, if I believe that we're trying to do things in the right way and making logical decisions, then i'll accept the odd poor performance.

 

I can remember is battering Stoke at home last season but drawing 0-0 and I had absolutely no issues at all with team selection, attacking intent etc. It was just one of those days.

 

This season has been our own making though by picking the wrong teams, setting them up to play in the wrong way and making more errors in the transfer market.

 

Spot on, Brownie.

 

see also Spurs away - when we absolutely murdered them, only to lose in the last 5 minutes 2-1.

 

i was miserable coming away from whitehart lane that piss-wet freezing cold night, but at least I had some faith that we approached teh game well and and I could at least take some small comfort in thinking that we definitely deserved to win!

 

There's been many games this season that we've won that I can actually say that there's no way on earth we deserved to win them!

Everton, Villa, yesterday and many more if I could be arsed...

 

When you're coming away from games we've won thinking we didn't deserve to win, and then losing games and also thinking we didn't deserve to win, then you know you've got SERIOUS fucking problems.

 

What I'm basically saying is that we hardly ever to deserve to win any game we play and that's because we quite simply don't.

 

That's a sorry state for Liverpool football club to be in and I can't realy ever recall a time what it's been like that for so long.

[ZonkoVille77]

Wrong. He's just damned if he's a total shithouse once we take the lead against badly shit opposition.

 

Once again we were taken to the wire by an appalling team, purely because we were happy to sit on our narrow lead. Benitez actually sets up to make these games tight!! There's just no need for it.

 

At one point, with ten minutes to go, I watched benitez scream and rant at babel to get back and not cross the half way line.

 

I also watched him telling Steven Gerrard to sit deep, and he barely crossed the half way line in that second half.

 

Basically, it was fucking embarrassing watching us trying to contain a bunch of dogs like Blackburn. It was especially galling after the first half when we actually played some nice stuff for as long as I can even remember.

In fact, I was even gullible and stupid enough at half time to put a bet on us scoring 3 more in the secdond half!

 

Ha! I'd have been better off putting my money on us not even getting another corner, frankly, for all the intent we showed in that half.

 

We might have won yesterday, but I tell you what, it was more by luck than judgement and it was definitely in spite of those shit house cowardly tactics, not because of them.

 

A win is a win blah blah blah. But if anyone is actually happy with that shit yesterday, then you've got problems. Seriously.

 

I don't always, but I'd agree with you there Tom.

 

I actually turned to a mate at one point when we were knocking it about and said this is more like it, back to playing ball. 2nd half starts and "backs to the wall" style negativity kicks in again. It's frustrating as fuck. We should have put them to the sword yesterday.

 

We have natural attacking players in our team, here's a novel idea - let them attack...

[Brownie]

Spot on, Brownie.

 

see also Spurs away - when we absolutely murdered them, only to lose in the last 5 minutes 2-1.

 

i was miserable coming away from whitehart lane that piss-wet freezing cold night, but at least I had some faith that we approached teh game well and and I could at least take some small comfort in thinking that we definitely deserved to win!

 

There's been many games this season that we've won that I can actually say that there's no way on earth we deserved to win them!

Everton, Villa, yesterday and many more if I could be arsed...

 

When you're coming away from games we've won thinking we didn't deserve to win, and then losing games and also thinking we didn't deserve to win, then you know you've got SERIOUS fucking problems.

 

What I'm basically saying is that we hardly ever to deserve to win any game we play and that's because we quite simply don't.

 

That's a sorry state for Liverpool football club to be in and I can't realy ever recall a time what it's been like that for so long.

 

I've just had a look at the table and we've scored just 12 goals away from home this season. That's equal to, or in some cases, less than the likes of Wigan, Birmingham, Sunderland, Bolton and West Ham.

 

That's just unacceptable.

[Guest TK-421]

What I'm basically saying is that we hardly ever to deserve to win any game we play and that's because we quite simply don't.

 

Hehe, this is cracking stuff. I can't take it seriously but it's funny so keep it coming.

[Tom R]

players aren't allowed to play to their strengths under Benitez. They're only allowed to play to his instructions.

 

 

he often goes even further, and just tries to change a player in to something completely different to the one he signed in the first place. The curious case of Lucas Leiva is a perfect example.

He was signed as a box to box attacking player and won brazillian player of the year doing exactly that.

So what does rafa do within a couple of years? He turns him in to a very average defensive midfielder.

 

Why sign a player based on certain skill set and then not allow them to use that skill set?

There are plenty more examples of this as well.

 

It's beyond a joke. Just let players do what they do best!!!!!

Sir Bob would be completely fucking baffled by it.

[Bogman]

Who isn't supporting the team??

 

I was at the game yesterday cheering and supporting our players as best as i can.

 

I'm on here today saying that the manager almost fucked it up. Again.

How are the two in any way related??

 

As for "playing them off the park and losing". Well that's just total bollocks. We were actually playing them off the park and winning until benitez got his yellow belly out for the lads.

 

Thinking the manager is gutless fucking jamook and saying so on here isn't even remotely the same as not supporting the team.

 

negged.

 

 

 

Fair do's mate.

 

We won, enjoy it, if you can't, and you want to berate the manager, fair enough.

Little old me, I'm happy enough we won, not too happy with the overall performance towards the end, but we won. End of.

 

The managers position is a point that won't be sorted out now, and shouldn't be sorted out now, and therefore it can be debated until the end of time, but will get us absolutely now-where, so in my little world, there's no point going around and around in circles.

 

Thanks for the neg, appreciated. Don't take things too personally, non of my post was directed at you, but the generality

[Tom R]

Hehe, this is cracking stuff. I can't take it seriously but it's funny so keep it coming.

 

nice one.

 

So you think we've deserved to win most of teh games we've won this season do you??

 

Now THAT is fucking funny, but then just about everything you say about football is hilarious anyway, so there's nothing new there.

[The 5th Benitel]

I've just had a look at the table and we've scored just 12 goals away from home this season. That's equal to, or in some cases, less than the likes of Wigan, Birmingham, Sunderland, Bolton and West Ham.

 

That's just unacceptable.

 

 

We only had something like 6 shots on goal in our last 4 away games and 3 of them were against Arsenal and i can only remember Babel's there. Yesterday we went the entire 2nd half without having a shot. Maxi's was a mis-hit cross. We had about 35m worth of attackers sat on the bench yesterday, i bet that's twice Blackburn's entire squad, and we couldn't muster an attempt on goal in 45 mins.

 

The really worrying thing is it's far from being a one-off. Off the top of my head, Aresnal, Pompey, Villa, Stoke, Wolves, City, and Fulham are all games were we went at least 45 mins without troubling the opponents keeper. It's a very clear sign of an inherent problem with this Liverpool team and the tactics it employs.

[Brownie]

I didn't realise we didn't have a shot on target in the whole of the second half yesterday. Madness.

[Bogman]

I'd blame the players then.

[The 5th Benitel]

I missed the first minute of the 2nd half but apart from Maxi's mis-hit cross we didn't have a shot of any description in the whole 45 mins. It's a very common theme this season.

[The 5th Benitel]

I'd blame the players then.

 

 

 

Not actually being in a position to shoot for prolonged periods of the game sugeests it's more to do with tactics.