QPR away

[Whelan]

Start of the season we played well, missed chance after chance and didn't score, but we were one of the top defences.

 

Now, we are playing well, missing chance after chance and don't score, but we are poor defensively, United, Cardiff, Arsenal and QPR all through mistakes. Now, whether the defence can argue that had the forwards done their job, which they haven't all season, then the focus would not be falling upon them is another matter.

 

Kenny needs to get a grip with the defence, and before anyone starts it isn't Carragher!

 

I would like to add that this is symptomatic of our sloppiness this season and lack of a killer instinct, this isn't always about finishing chances it is about not being tight when you need to be like Chelsea 2005and not taking your chances. We seem to be treating everything like a bit of a laugh at the moment.

[silverlining]

Someone has to see for you when you are wearing blinkers.

 

I am backing Kenny,Hodgson had his chance and blew it, but that doesn't alter the stats. Your embarrasing attempts to curry favour by dredging up a brief period in our past helps no-one and is soooooooo small time.

 

I find your regular references to Kenny's salary and contract as a reason he "would never walk away" more nauseating

[ngogswilly]

From what I've seen this season, there isn't another team in the division so weak mentally. You can point to the lapses of concentration, shocking penalty record, inability to maintain attacking momentum, lack of incisive passing and movement, terrible chance to goal ratio - it all comes down to, for me, is that we can't perform when the spotlight is on us.

 

The players need to take a lot of blame but so does the coaching staff. The players we've bought over the last year all, including Suarez, have massive and totally obvious deficiencies. And from what I can see in games, whatever, if anything, is being done in training to correct these faults just isn't working.

 

Needs a big shake up before we become a constant mid table side.

 

Spot on IMO.

[cole7]

The fact of the matter is that we have played 10 league games in 2012 and we've got a grand total of 8 points. That's fucking disgraceful and is relegation form, you can't keep dragging up oh we played great football, created lots of chances etc etc. You can use that as an excuse once or twice but not all the time. Its not as if we've only played top sides in that run either. Lost at Bolton, Sunderland and QPR, drawn at home to Stoke. For fucks sake we've got one point more than Wigan so far this year, unbelievable.

[Anny Road]

If there is anyone man in the universe deserving of time to get this right it is Kenny. I don't care that we aren't going to finish top 4.

A year ago we nearly went out of business.

 

Emphasis this summer is on the owners to invest in the club because as of yet I can't see how they have spent a single bean more than Moores did every year. Yes sales have been spent but that is the minimum requirement.

I love Kenny and it will come good. Fucking frustrating though.

[Bjornebye]

Spot on IMO.

 

agreed

 

aplyers are tiring too soon,

lapses of concentration,

complacency against the smaller clubs (this has been an issue for 21 years)

and too reliant on our better players to win us games

 

we are missing a top class defensive midfielder and a speedy right winger who can cross.

 

i wouldn't have a huge shake up - just spend more on 2 maybe 3 areas where we need real quality. and ship out 2 or 3 players who are dead wood. signing 5/6 players every summer doesn't help.

[Bjornebye]

*players not aplyers....

[Guest TK-421]

All will be fixed when the excellent leiva returns and we find a prolific/clinical centre forward. The summer represents a good opportunity to make some adjustments and continue the development of this side.

[fowler9]

fucking pathetic, not being able to keep a 2 goal lead against a team managed by that bufoon Hughes, they had three chances and got 3 goals it'd take us 54 chances to get the same amount

 

and subbing Suarez what was all that about? do you see Scum subbing Rooney one goal up with ten minutes to go? or Madrid subbing Ronaldo etc, absolute fucking shit

[xerxes]

I find your regular references to Kenny's salary and contract as a reason he "would never walk away" more nauseating.

Two or three references in over 1400 posts is not regular.

 

If you think that £8m is not a factor, (professional pride and self belief being even greater factors), when you have been out of work for a decade - good for you.

 

Kenny is going nowhere.FSG will not sack him. Mark my words.He has won us a trophy, out first in half a decade, that might become two,AND guaranteed us Euro football next year. That is an improvement. I think that we will finish around 7th this year - but will improve on that next season, that will take Kenny into his third year. That is when it will get interesting, will he be offered a new contract? My guess though is that the focus will start to fall on FSG then both regarding the stadium and net investment.

[redsoxs]

Why... what is Kenny's wage?

[OOTer]

Im fed up of watching good football and no end product.

 

I'm totally gutted about the loss. But I am so happy about how we are playing football.

 

Yesterday's loss was down to the season long problem of inability to put the ball in the back of the net and some pretty uncharacteristic mistakes from two defenders who have been solid all season. Don't think we should get too hung on on the defensive mistakes even though they cost us the goals/game, because it's not like our defence is crud every game.

 

I am a bit worried about the ability to score goals though, but at the end of the day we are creating good scoring chances regularly. So it's not like our build up play is bad either.

 

So, we can defend well (most of the time), we control possession for large parts of the game, and we move the ball into good areas where we get sights at goal. All in all I think we are a pretty good unit.

 

I personally think that if we can up our chance conversion rate, defend set pieces better, become more of a threat from our own set pieces and can up our concentration levels at the back an in the closing stages of games then we are not far off the finished article.

 

If you compare the football being played this season with that from the last two then you have to be happy with the progress. If not the league position.

 

I for one will never call for Kenny's head. Anyone that cares that much and works hard for the club gets my backing 100%. I admit he's made some mistakes, but you'll never get everything right in football as it's a fluid dynamic game where the opposition is a largely uncontrollable variable. It would be great to win 6-0 every game and walk the league, but where's the fun in that. Football gives you the highs and the lows that stirs the emotions and thats why we love it. If there were no lows and only highs, you'd have nothing to gauge the highs against and football would be sterile and boring.

 

Sure, there are better managers than Kenny. But better is objective. Would Maureen walk after two years because FSG didn't give him the money for Messi or because Comolli disagreed with a potential player purchase or if Barca/PSG/Next Superclub came along? I'd rather have stability, and with Kenny you know he's not going to walk out for some another job.

 

I love LFC. I only want fans, players, managers and owners here that are fully committed to LFC and have pride and passion for the shirt. I hope that is what we have now, and maybe for the first time since Kenny last spell in charge. I'm so happy to be a LFC supporter now and to have my club back as it should be (other than the league position). I think we're heading in the right direction, especially with the football we are trying to play, and I'd hate for the progress made this last year to all come apart because pressure being put on the club from people who are blind to that progress.

 

One last thing. Mentality. In the aftermath of 2005, LFC had this massive belief that we could win any game. It didn't matter that we were 2 or 3 goals down, our attitude always kept us in the game. Somewhere down the line we've lost that, maybe it was not winning the league in 2007/8. I don't know, but we need to instil that winning mentality back into LFC. And that goes from the board right down to the fans. It's probably one of the hardest aspects to work on as a lot of it is confidence and results driven. I was hoping that the Carling Cup would give us the chance to re-find this mentality, but I don't think we played well enough to convince ourselves we deserved to win that game. Anyway, we as fans have a chance to help the team with this by singing load and SUPPORTING the team non matter. I went to the Chelsea v Man U game at the Bridge and sat in the MHL. I was shocked at how the fans reacted to the team. It was clear Chelsea were struggling to break Man U down at the start but the were trying hard. But the fans were just groaning and moaning even when they did something well (like keep possession and switch the play). The lack of patience was clear from the 1st 5mins, I was shocked at the fans attitude. I'm so glad I'm an LFC fan. Even though I'm an Ooter and have no real connection to the city/club I have enormous pride in LFC. I would hate for our fans to become like theirs and get on the players back from KO, especially against the Mancs.

 

Anyway, we're all entitled to our opinions. And only time will tell who's opinion was correct. I'm not too concerned about the future as I'm just so happy at where we are now compared to where we have been recently. I know the goals will come. I just hope next season is the ying to this ones yang and we score 8 goals in every game and waltz the league.

 

Sorry if this post is too positive too soon after such a devastating loss.

[navbasi]

All will be fixed when the excellent leiva returns and we find a prolific/clinical centre forward. The summer represents a good opportunity to make some adjustments and continue the development of this side.

 

This.

[mrw74]

Sorry to bleat on but last night has put me in a foul mood so I'm a miserable cunt in work right now.

 

This sounds terrible but does anyone have any faith that Pepe is going to make any match winning saves at crucial times in matches this season? I can't remember the last time he pulled off an abSolute worldy. Basically most shots on target against us seem to end up in the back of the net. It hasn't been Pepe's best season by a long shot.

 

Being a goalkeeper myself and having trained with professional keepers at Crewe and Chester, I do tend to analyse the goals we concede a bit too much. But, Reina's positioning at corners tends to worry me more and more. I had it drummed into me never to stand in the middle of a goal for the corner, which is where he stands.

 

He should be stood 2/3's away from his near post as then he in the position to move forward if its dropped in at the near post or middle of goal, but he's also in a good position if it goes towards the back post. Their first goal yesterday was a prime example, as his initial positioning is all wrong.

 

I know people will say that goal mouths are crowded, but corners are easy to defend if you employ this fairly simple drill. Leave at least 3 of your players up the pitch at different angles ready to receive the ball if its cleared away form the penalty area. If we have 3 players in forward positions, then opposing teams will nearly always keep 4 back, thus keeping the penalty area clear for a keeper to catch or punch clear.

[mht1892]

As much as it pains me to say I've got agree with what my mate said to me last night, we would have never conceded those goals in last 12 mins if Rafa was in charge, I have to agree....

Carra should never have gone to RB he was fucking awful, why have Flanno on the bench, another thing as well, how bad has Adam and Henderson got play before Shelvey gets a chance FFS, I can't wait til the season ends I've never known as a season be so frustrating as this one.

[Randy Marsh]

Being a goalkeeper myself and having trained with professional keepers at Crewe and Chester, I do tend to analyse the goals we concede a bit too much. But, Reina's positioning at corners tends to worry me more and more. I had it drummed into me never to stand in the middle of a goal for the corner, which is where he stands.

 

He should be stood 2/3's away from his near post as then he in the position to move forward if its dropped in at the near post or middle of goal, but he's also in a good position if it goes towards the back post. Their first goal yesterday was a prime example, as his initial positioning is all wrong.

 

I know people will say that goal mouths are crowded, but corners are easy to defend if you employ this fairly simple drill. Leave at least 3 of your players up the pitch at different angles ready to receive the ball if its cleared away form the penalty area. If we have 3 players in forward positions, then opposing teams will nearly always keep 4 back, thus keeping the penalty area clear for a keeper to catch or punch clear.

 

I totally agree. Look at the 3 last night, RVP at Anfield. Sunday v Stoke. Even the two against Cardiff. I'm not saying Pepe is 100% culpable for these goals, far from it. But at times in the past he has pulled off stunning match saving saves when It has mattered. I'm not sure that has been the case this season. Even his penalty saving has died a death, when he come to England with a fierce reputation as a penalty specialist. In fact, as simplistic an argument as this may sound, I'm not sure he has been the same since we jibbed off his Spanish gk coach (Herrera?) and let Mike Kelly and John Achterberg get their hands on him.

Edited March 22, 2012 by Randy Marsh

[Jairzinho]

Xavi Valero was the Spanish GK coach. Need him back.

[Randy Marsh]

Actually think it was Xavi Valero

 

Edit , yep beat me to it!

[Russ Atmosphere]

This sounds terrible but does anyone have any faith that Pepe is going to make any match winning saves at crucial times in matches this season? I can't remember the last time he pulled off an abSolute worldy. Basically most shots on target against us seem to end up in the back of the net. It hasn't been Pepe's best season by a long shot.

 

I've thought this for so long I began to question my eyeballs and brain with some of the hype he gets. That's not to say he hasn't had good spells as our keeper but I haven't thought of him as a great keeper for a few years now. When someone breaks through our defence with the ball it's usually only 2 more seconds until that ball is crashing into the net.

[Trumo]

The last truly world class save I can remember was at Chelsea in the league, shortly after they'd equalised. Chelsea played a free kick into the area and someone got a flick on. It was heading into the bottom corner until Pepe did a Gordon Banks and tipped it round the post.

[Kevin D]

Pepe Reina hasn't been playing well this season, but three golden gloves, a penalty shootout winning performance in a cup final and European Semi and a player of the season award earns him some leeway, in my view.

[KMD7]

I'm totally gutted about the loss. But I am so happy about how we are playing football.....

 

Excellent post. Probably a bit too optimistic so soon after last night's capitulation (only joking).

 

Kenny does need to get to the bottom of why we have been so mentally weak at crucial stages of matches though. That along with our profligacy in front of goal has been a huge headache for us. Some players don't appear to have the balls to play for us and will need replacing if they don't step up.

 

We must be every relegation threatened teams dream team to play.

[Pan77]

Granted, Pepe has had a poor run of games of late but he's the least of our problems.

 

Our problems this season have been a combination of injuries to crucial players, suspension of Suarez and signings that have underperformed (even if they weren't the correct buys in the first place they shouldn't be this shit). Lets win the FA Cup and regroup in the summer. Hopefully we can buy another couple of players and move some on.

 

Kenny isn't stupid, he knows our league position is unacceptable and some of the signings havent worked out but he deserves time to sort it out. The football we're playing is decent enough, we just need some tweaking and some fucking patience from the fans.

[Satan]

Pepe Reina hasn't been playing well this season, but three golden gloves, a penalty shootout winning performance in a cup final and European Semi and a player of the season award earns him some leeway, in my view.

 

Say again?

 

He costs us this season and not because of something understandable but because he can't be arsed after he whored himself around last season and I am not ok with that.

[Jairzinho]

Say again?