How can I be optimistic after that?

[Guest ShoePiss]

I'm surprised you wiped the tears from your eyes and took the knife away from your wrist long enough to type that.

 

Does.not.compute.

[WrongIslander]

I agree WrongIslander - I think our team was missing ALL creative thrust from the middle of the park with Gerrard upfront as an Emergency, Meireles benched and Cole Banned (STILL - How long ago was he Red-Carded Now?). When Meireles came on and pushed up to Gerrard's Old Position, Gerrard took up Alonso's old role? We were a different matter entirely and the prospect of Gerrard and Meireles in tandem in the middle with Cole behind Torres? Could see us go up another level AGAIN in attacking ability. We shall see.............

 

As to the rest? I'm GLAD we "Gritted it out" as it were today - Why? Well, it was the FULLY welcome return of a quality almost entirely absent Last Season for Away Games (and at City to). That quality? Was fight/spirit - call it what you will. I agree with Ngog we Trust that last year we were Far worse at Portsmouth but that was just ONE game - It was endemic throughout the WHOLE season last year - a disease that began on Day One at White Hart Lane and persisted Right through to the disgraceful showing at Hull on the Final Day - We gave some absolute Shockers of performances on Away days last season - often with nearly HALF the team "phoning in" their showings as it were - But most of all? We just Didn't FIGHT for it on FAR to many occassions - We didn't want it enough;

 

To often last season, we either surrendered (as at City) or battled for a bit as today and then just collapsed when things went wrong (as at Pompey) but Portsmouth was just one such display - Add to that List? Sunderland, Chelsea, Man U, Arsenal, Spurs, Man City, Lille, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Fiorentina (THE worst of the lot - THAT game began the chaos IMO), Debrecen, Everton, Blackburn, Wolves and Reading to the list of games across All competitions away from home that we played Utterly gutlessly/lacking in guile/with NO fight at all in. And I Know we won/drew a couple of them but THAT was more through luck than judgement as our general standard of play in ALL those games? ranged everywhere from non-existent to diabolically bad but Nowhere was it good.

 

At least today? We TRIED to establish a pattern of play late on with Meireles on and Gerrard back a bit and we FOUGHT for the right to play in the middle. Nothing LIKE the gutless surrender at City or any of the Dismal Collapses listed above and more Reminiscent IMO of 2005-2006's early period where we were seen as awful to by the media, Footy fans and the world at large after drawing 0 - 0 with Spurs and Boro', 2-2 with Brum' Beating Sunderland and Blackburn 1 - 0 each and getting utterly Spanked 1 -4 by Chelsea in our first 8 or so games. We weren't that different at the start of THAT year to this (other than the small matter of being European Champions!!!) and then? The new players began to fit in, the Banned player (Crouch in that case) clicked along with the whole team and? We won our next TEN league games in a row without conceding a goal for the first 8 of those. I'm not saying we'll do the same now but? It just goes to show what happens if you give the manager TIME to work his magic with the team...............................

 

PS If you thought that start to 2005-2006 sounded bad? What of Rafa's FIRST season with defeats to Man U, Bolton, Brum' and Chelsea in the first 10 or so matches, along with a defeat in Greece every BIT as bad as the Fiorentina disaster at the Stade Aretemio Franchi which IMO? Kicked off this utterly Awful and destabilising (year-long now) series of Results ON the pitch for the Club. In the end? Well put it this way, I don't think that man Rafa' from a shockingly bad time back then results-wise did to badly for us in the end though no?

 

Bottom Line? Give Roy Time!!!! He needs more than a little with the shambles he's inherited and even more to shape HIS team and way of playing - Probably a year at Least to get us stable again and fighting for results? Is the way ALL successful teams begin recoveries from disasters like the year We have just had. It's a long, Long road back to where we WERE only 16 short months ago in May 2009 but? At least we have now taken the first step - The FIGHT alone today from our side told me that if nothing else..................

 

PPS VERY glad to see Reina back to form as well - HE saved us a point today, make no mistake - Might go Some way to making up for the 2 he threw away against Arsenal and? Let's hope he got ALL his season's worth of errors out of the way with his National Side mid-week. Something tells me we might need him on-song this year..........

 

Top post. I would say Roy changed it too late but at least he bothered to change it. I HOPE he will learn from that and move on from it. He deserves the time to rectify mistakes. Rafa deserved that time also and it was only when he continued stubbornly to make the same obvious mistakes and made us more about what was going on off the pitch than on it that he HAD to go.

[stringvest]

If we are to rate that towards Rafa at his very very worst, then yes, it was no worse then that. Great stuff. When a team gets a new manager you see a boost and a few good results and then it settles into whatever it is going to be. We don't even seem to be seeing that. I'm worried that behind closed doors and very quietly that the likes of Gerrard, Torres, Reina, etc, think Hodgson was a poor appointment also and may not trust him.

 

Anyway, he deserves time I suppose.

 

That wouldn't have got into the top 50 of Rafa's worst performances. And you couldn't be more wrong about that claptrap 'behind closed doors' theory Johnny. I know that as a fact.

[Horus]

Rafa was sacked for taking a team he took to second, getting full control, wasting money, not building on what he did well to achieve and being extremely unprofessional and helping drag the club through the mud.

 

If anyone looks at a new manager, new players, less money given and what Rafa left behind both quality and mentality wise and thinks that the title should be our aim they need to take a trip to a padded cell.

 

I didn't say I knew he would become invaluable I said I believe he will. His talent speaks for itself for anyone whose seen enough of him and what he offers.

 

This negative attitude from so many people doesn't help anything. I prefer to take the positives when I find them and give the manager the chance to recreate and build on those positives. IF he does not, THEN I'll give him stick. At the moment it's very much the trial period and he's done some things I like and some I don't but there's potential for him to get it right and that's a positive I'll hang on to until I feel otherwise.

 

Can you just give me an example of a manager that doesn't waste money?

 

How was Rafa unprofessional? Rafa is partly to blame for dragging this club through the mud?

 

Less money? Rafa made profit for his last three transfer windows too.

 

Let's be honest the negative attitude on an internet forum means fuck all in the grand scheme of things.

 

To make a point though, I will have absolutely no optimism about out club untill the owners leave. Any success is more money in their pockets and and in increase in asking price as far as they are concerned. The club is in limbo, and I want some fucking entertainment for once.

[stringvest]

Dunno why I like depressing myself, just do:

 

I know Sir Alex is not really a Liverpool man so I’m a bit concerned about my excellent relationship with him,” said Hodgson. “I hope he forgives me for moving north and, hopefully, we can have a glass of wine together, maybe in secret. I hope that’s how he is going to see it but he is one of the people I intend to ring to find out.

 

are you incapable of understanding that people in the same industry working for opposing organisations don't spit bile and hatred at each other and actually can enjoy each other's company despite the screeching bottom feeders? Shankly was civilised enough to do it, and so is Roy.

[dennis tooth]

That wouldn't have got into the top 50 of Rafa's worst performances. And you couldn't be more wrong about that claptrap 'behind closed doors' theory Johnny. I know that as a fact.

 

Thing is, his worst was bad but his best he got us to two CL finals, a few quarters, winning one and an FA cup got us our highest premier points total and 2nd place. Take those away and maybe we'd have got rid of him a lot earlier.

The real question is can Roy match a single one of those acheivements at his best? (In my mind he should better it in all fairness?)

[BRAP]

We were shit again

[Gary Mac Legend]

You can only be positive after watching that shite if you're:

 

a) a deluded fuckwit;

 

b) a weapon who hounded Rafa out;

 

c) a mixture of a) and b).

 

 

 

'N'Gog We Trust' in a nutshell.

[Section_31]

I think it's pretty tragic that there are people out there who have no time for Hodgson purely out of spite for the fans who thought it was time for Rafa to go, only weeks into the new season and it's Rafa this and Rafa-fucking-that. And it's clear a minority will actively delight in seeing him fail for that very reason. It's unbelieveably smalltime, not what Liverpool fans should be about.

 

Our raison d'etre at the moment is to simply survive and stay as close to the top of the table for as long as we can until the ownership situation is sorted. For now that's the most anyone can hope for.

[lebron]

It's not a case of "wanting him sacked already" more "not wanting him here in the first place" I've nothing against Roy Hodgson i just honestly believe he's so far out of his depth he needs armbands. I wouldn't be surprised if he was sacked by Christmas, if a miracle happened and we got taken over he would be gone before that, he was an abysmal appointment. Sorry but that's my honest opinion, there really is no malice or hysteria in it.

 

I agree with this. We sacked an excellent manager who some of the players and fans had grown tired of, and brought in a far inferior manager to please said players, and to provide the owners and board a cheaper and less vocal option.

[gmac]

are you incapable of understanding that people in the same industry working for opposing organisations don't spit bile and hatred at each other and actually can enjoy each other's company despite the screeching bottom feeders? Shankly was civilised enough to do it, and so is Roy.

 

Don'twant a nice media freindly guy, a decent agreeable chap who won't upset anyone, who will accept a nice comfortable mid table performance, want a winner in charge, who by the way are generally disliked by the opposition as is baconface himself.

 

Civilised, get fucked, rather have someone calling the baconfaced twat what he is - a cunt.

[WrongIslander]

I think it's pretty tragic that there are people out there who have no time for Hodgson purely out of spite for the fans who thought it was time for Rafa to go, only weeks into the new season and it's Rafa this and Rafa-fucking-that. And it's clear a minority will actively delight in seeing him fail for that very reason. It's unbelieveably smalltime, not what Liverpool fans should be about.

 

Our raison d'etre at the moment is to simply survive and stay as close to the top of the table for as long as we can until the ownership situation is sorted. For now that's the most anyone can hope for.

 

Spot on.

[WrongIslander]

Don'twant a nice media freindly guy, a decent agreeable chap who won't upset anyone, who will accept a nice comfortable mid table performance, want a winner in charge, who by the way are generally disliked by the opposition as is baconface himself.

 

Civilised, get fucked, rather have someone calling the baconfaced twat what he is - a cunt.

 

So you'd have had no time for Paisley, Shankly or Fagan then I take it....

[Conor]

Things are better? How the fuck can you say that after the performances of the team under woy? He looks an inferior versjon of Rafa - playing negative shit football without the ability to make changes during games....

 

Totaly agree with this.

 

Today was a shocker. Anyone trying to take any positives out of the game is just talking shite or at least trying not to face up to what is ahead of us.

 

We are fighting with Villa & the blueshite for 6th.

Shambles.

[lebron]

I think it's pretty tragic that there are people out there who have no time for Hodgson purely out of spite for the fans who thought it was time for Rafa to go, only weeks into the new season and it's Rafa this and Rafa-fucking-that. And it's clear a minority will actively delight in seeing him fail for that very reason. It's unbelieveably smalltime, not what Liverpool fans should be about.

 

Our raison d'etre at the moment is to simply survive and stay as close to the top of the table for as long as we can until the ownership situation is sorted. For now that's the most anyone can hope for.

 

I guess that's what bothers a few of us, why has the bar been lowered that much after Hodgson's appointment? I thought one of the reasons Rafa had to go was because he couldn't mount a title challenge last year?

[Irishlad]

I guess that's what bothers a few of us, why has the bar been lowered that much after Hodgson's appointment? I thought one of the reasons Rafa had to go was because he couldn't mount a title challenge last year?

 

The bar has been lowered because he left a poor squad that finished 7th. That was mostly on his shoulders.

 

People aren't even giving Roy a chance and the funny thing is most of the things they are using to criticise him with (after 4 games) could be said about Rafa (after 6 years)

[Guest ShoePiss]

I think it's pretty tragic that there are people out there who have no time for Hodgson purely out of spite for the fans who thought it was time for Rafa to go, only weeks into the new season and it's Rafa this and Rafa-fucking-that. And it's clear a minority will actively delight in seeing him fail for that very reason. It's unbelieveably smalltime, not what Liverpool fans should be about.

 

Our raison d'etre at the moment is to simply survive and stay as close to the top of the table for as long as we can until the ownership situation is sorted. For now that's the most anyone can hope for.

 

There may well be some sad twats that fit the description above but it's not a new trait, there were people on here last season that were exactly the same. Some of them openly saying they wanted us to get beat.

 

Please don't confuse a person's belief that Hodgson isn't the right man for the job with wanting him to fail simply to spite other fans who wanted Rafa gone.

 

I've never thought Hodgson is good enough to manage our club, I said the same before and at the time of appointment. I also said that I hope to fuck that I'm proved wrong.

[Irishlad]

Totaly agree with this.

 

Today was a shocker. Anyone trying to take any positives out of the game is just talking shite or at least trying not to face up to what is ahead of us.

 

We are fighting with Villa & the blueshite for 6th.

Shambles.

 

We've the same amount of points as citeh and the yids, after a much harder opening set of fixtures.

[Sandman]

 

I know Sir Alex is not really a Liverpool man so I’m a bit concerned about my excellent relationship with him,” said Hodgson. “I hope he forgives me for moving north and, hopefully, we can have a glass of wine together, maybe in secret. I hope that’s how he is going to see it but he is one of the people I intend to ring to find out.

 

There's so much that's wrong with this statement.

[redfromtubebar]

I would have liked to have seen what Manuel Pellegrini could have done with this group of players.

[stringvest]

There may well be some sad twats that fit the description above but it's not a new trait, there were people on here last season that were exactly the same. Some of them openly saying they wanted us to get beat.

 

Please don't confuse a person's belief that Hodgson isn't the right man for the job with wanting him to fail simply to spite other fans who wanted Rafa gone.

 

I've never thought Hodgson is good enough to manage our club, I said the same before and at the time of appointment. I also said that I hope to fuck that I'm proved wrong.

 

Well given that you are a reasonable chap you will appreciate that the man hasn't had a chance to organise the team, bed the new players in, let alone play his first choice team yet. I don't think you can judge a manager until he's had at least a season under his belt.

[lebron]

That wouldn't have got into the top 50 of Rafa's worst performances. And you couldn't be more wrong about that claptrap 'behind closed doors' theory Johnny. I know that as a fact.

 

Ha-ha, that's just blatantly untrue! Not one shot at goal for 90 minutes, how on earth is it possible to defend that, even for the most vocal anti-Rafa-talibans out there? Perhaps Rafa had 10 performances worse than that, but add this to the City debacle (which would easily slot into Rafa's top 3 worst games), and there's a reason why people are being pessimistic.

 

PS! I fully expect Carra and Gerrard to have wanted Hodgson, as they seem to be a bit swayed towards what the English media and public write/say at any given time. Don't think Torres would have been super-happy, Pepe I reckon was too professional to have any qualms about the last manager, and will support this one too. Mascherano wasn't too happy with the appointment I would guess:whistle:

[King Emlyn]

There's so much that's wrong with this statement.

Said so at the time and it got widely overlooked. I couldn't believe what i was reading.

[Drewas]

Was just like last year except without the zonal marking we looked like they could score wverytime they put the ball in the box. Thanks Reina.

[MOGLET]

Positives from today?

 

Pepe is one hell of a keeper.

 

 

 

Now the rest.

 

Lucas and Poulson, just dont get them at all.

 

Maxi, what does he do?

 

Konchesky looked alright in the second half, but wouldnt say he was shite in the first, christ it was his first game for his new club, give the man a chance you whinging fecks.

 

Jovanovic looked a lot better when Cole last played, so today he looked less useful.

 

SG and Torres seem to have slipped back into the old "we are playing with nothing so why bother" like the end of last season.

That said, SG was having to do the work Lucas and Poulson should have been doing as well as his own.

Torres, still not fully fit? then he needs to hurry the feck up and get fit.

 

Fits and starts, nothing you could say looked like things are changing.

 

Only thing I dont like about Roy? he doesnt change things quick enough when the game is crying out for a change.

 

 

Neg away.