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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/05/22 in all areas

  1. Final match report. We did another win. The end.
    8 points
  2. I wrote this in "The 30 year wait" thread when we won the league in 2020. It's as relevant now as it was then. There are numerous supporters out there that are getting lifts and joy from just watching this team and manager, twice a week, every week. This is about more than the trophies. I'm from Ireland and since I was 4 years old I have been a huge fan. My father used to wake me and my brother when he came in from the pub to come down and watch MOTD and share his chicken supper. We kicked him out on my 5th birthday. He was a die-hard Spurs follower (probably 61 double influence) and my brother was a Gooner (big Irish contingent in the 70s) but it was always the Reds for me. Maybe it was just the glory initally but I've always felt that it was more than that. I've felt a real affinity with the club. The winning of the trophies obviously helped but I've said on here before, Heysel was my 10th birthday and it increased the attachment. I've been over to the city a fair few times in the past 15 years and it's just feels so comfortable now. The current team has given me so much pleasure in the past few years. When I was sick with cancer last year, the joy in watching the football and even just looking forward to the games got me through some rough times. I was on a Caribbean holiday for the Barca home game last year with the whole family. We organised it for our mum for her retirement as a thank you for raising us on her own. I shouldn't have gone. I was sick as a dog but didn't want to let her down. Eating was like chewing glass. I could barely speak but that game was a real pick-me-up. My brothers were genuinely delighted for me. I was happy in a sea of shit. The improvement started that night IMO. I was back in work 2 weeks later - on reduced hours and duties but I was on the road. I would have never believed that I would get to that stage so quickly. All is good with me now, touch wood. I am really chuffed for that squad of players and management team. They made a sick man very happy when it was needed. The thing is they play like they know there are thousands of me out there when they pull on the jersey. They really get what Shankly insisted the club was about 60 years ago
    7 points
  3. Changing my name to Charlie Bucket, because I found out today that I've got a ticket! Block 535 here I come!
    6 points
  4. 5 points
  5. Sadio Mane will never let you down. What a man
    5 points
  6. This doesn’t hurt anywhere near as much as I thought it would. It helps that we’ve got two finals to look forward to of course, but I just can’t get too worked up or disappointed about this particular game or even the implications of it. We gave everything we had but came up short because the opponent defended really well. If we don’t win the title it won’t be because of this game and it won’t be because Newcastle put up the most feeble of resistance at the Etihad a day later (did anyone really expect any different?). I’m more upset about the other game we had with Spurs than this one. Remember, when a couple of manc officials shafted us with two of the worst decisions seen all season? We deserved to win that game, we didn’t deserve to win this one. I think we played pretty well though and there was a lot to like about the performance. Against most teams it would have been enough for a comfortable victory, but the problem is that Spurs are really good when they play the better teams. They beat City twice and that wasn’t a fluke. This was always going to be the toughest game we had left but because it was a night game at Anfield I thought that would be enough to help us come through it unscathed. It wasn’t, although the crowd played its part and the atmosphere was great. The players responded and the intensity was there but the quality was lacking. Sometimes that happens, even to the best teams. Winning every game just isn’t possible and when it comes to retreats when we look back on the season, this game really shouldn’t even be a consideration. It was just really fucking tough. Try as we might, we just couldn’t really play through them and when we did they usually had someone making a great block or clearance. Hugo Lloris hardly had a save to make and we didn’t really do enough to test him. We were almost there on a lot of occasions but just didn’t get it right when we got into promising positions. Klopp went with the team most of us would have picked and I don’t think a lack of energy or freshness was the problem. Trent and Robbo weren’t at their very best and maybe they were a little leggy but I honesty thought the team looked fresh and full of energy. We just came up against a really well organised opponent who know how to pack their box and play on the break. But for most of the game we were so good with our counter press that Spurs weren’t able to launch the counter attacks they are so dangerous from. The first half especially we restricted it almost entirely. I think they had one break which ended with them hitting the post, but apart from that we smothered them whenever they tried to break. The problem was we found it difficult to create anything clear ourselves. There were lots of nearly moments and Van Dijk headed against the bar from a corner, but the only time Lloris was really made to work was when his own player mis-directed a header and he had to scramble across his line to claw the ball off the head of Salah. The second half was slightly different and Spurs were able to get out more and hurt us. They did it really well when they were able to and their goal was well worked. Shite from us like, but well worked from them. I’m not sure what had happened prior to it but I’m assuming we must have had to defend a corner as Trent and Robbo were on opposite flanks and that usually only happens when we’ve defended a set piece. It played a big part in the goal as we were disjointed and never got proper set in our usual shape. Trent didn’t cover himself in glory in not getting tight to Kane and Robbo then compounded the problem by tracking the run of Son instead of letting him go offside. In doing that he played Sessegnon onside and he crossed for Son to score from close range. Bad from us, good from them. They had another chance soon after too as we were wobbling. At one point they went the length of the pitch, starting with a short goal kick, and played right through our press and ended up creating a chance. That never happens to us, but this was hard. Klopp rang the changes and sent on Jota and Tsimikas for Hendo and Robbo. I can see why Kostas was brought on as Robbo has played a lot of footy and he wasn’t at his best. Kostas should start at Villa I reckon. Hendo going off wasn’t a huge surprise either but it wasn’t a reflection on how he’d played. I thought he was fine, but Klopp wanted to go with the 4-2-4 we saw turn the derby game in our favour. The difference here is it was Jota and not Divock. who came on. More on this later. The crowd were really cranking it up trying to get the lads going and when Diaz drew us level the noise was spine tingling. The goal was a fluke as his shot was headed towards one corner and was deflected into the opposite corner off the boot of a defender, but it was no more than he deserved for his desire and enthusiasm. The problem was that none of the other forwards were having any joy as there was hardly any space to operate in. Mo was so tightly marked all day as Spurs were effectively playing with two left backs in Sessegnon and Davies. If he escaped one there was always a second one there. Trent was playing inside and the only time we were able to get around the side was when Hendo made an overlapping run. When you play a team who defends like Spurs, the space is down the sides and you’ve got to get around the back to get your crosses in. Instead we were putting crosses in from deep and that’s a waste of time when there are so many big players in the box. Spurs had three centre backs, two pretty tall wing backs and both of their centre midfielders are big strong lads too. We played right into their hands too often. In his last 16 games Mo has only scored from open play in one of them (the Mancs at Anfield when he bagged a brace). That’s blown my mind. I honestly wouldn’t have thought that was even possible but the maddest thing about it is that I don’t think he’s playing badly. I can’t remember too many games where I’ve thought “Mo’s been shite here”. He hasn’t always been brilliant but it’s not like he’s noticeably struggling. Yet his goal record in the last 16 games is proper shit. It hasn’t really mattered because we’ve been winning every game anyway, but this was one game when we really needed that bit of magic from him. Sadly he couldn’t deliver and Spurs dealt with him quite easily really. Sadio fared no better either, and Jota was poor when he came on. Diaz was the only one that posed any real threat and it’s genuinely staggering that Origi didn’t get on. I was a bit miffed about it afterwards but the more I’ve thought about it, the more irritated I’ve become and as I write this two days later I’m proper pissed off about it. Why would you not bring Divock on? Why? It’s fucking madness. He was put on this earth for exactly this kind of situation and he’s delivered for us so many times. Instead we got an out of form Jota and Naby fucking Keita. Nothing against Naby, but what the fuck was that change going to do? Utterly pointless change. Divock is the ultimate ‘break glass in case of emergency’ player. This is what he does, but he can’t do it sat on the fucking bench. That’s my only gripe about this game but it’s a pretty fucking big gripe the more I think about it. I can even make a case that this is a good point because we could have lost this game. After going a goal down I’d have probably taken a draw at that point because we hadn’t really looked like scoring. Then we get the equaliser and there’s plenty of time left so I’m thinking we’ll pull it out of the fire because that’s what we usually do. But it never really looked like happening and Spurs probably carried a bigger threat. They could have won it late on but Hoijberg headed back across goal instead of going for it himself. So given the way the game went a draw isn’t bad and if City do come a cropper somewhere then the equaliser from Diaz might prove crucial. Probably not, it’s unlikely City will lose a game and even if they do we’ve blown the goal difference advantage we had by not punishing shite like Everton and Newcastle recently. Imagine if we lost the title on goal difference. Fucking hell. I’ve been going on about that Leicester game for months, but I tell you something, if we miss out on goal difference that won’t be the game I look at. I’ll go back to Old Trafford. 5-0 up, United down to ten men and half an hour still to play. And we just declared. It pissed me off at the time and it will piss me off even more if it turns out that it all comes down to goal difference. It probably won’t but it is not beyond the realms of possibility that City lose at Wolves or West Ham. Put it this way, if we had those two away fixtures coming up next, would you be thinking “that’s two definite wins for us” or would you be a bit uneasy about it? I wouldn’t be taking those wins as guaranteed, so why are we not thinking that City might just slip up? They probably won’t, but they absolutely could. This isn’t mission impossible. The problem is for me is that we could fail to beat Villa this week, and if that happens it won’t matter what City do because it will be all but over anyway. At the start of the season the league was the one I most wanted but if we get revenge on Madrid to bring home number seven I doubt I’ll feel even the slightest bit of disappointment if we can’t catch City. I just have this gut feeling that either Wolves or West Ham are going to do something though you know. Part of me hopes they don’t because if they were to lose and we missed out because we didn’t win out or - even worse - because we’ve let our goal difference advantage slip, that would be much harder to take than if City just won every game. We’ll see. Star man is Diaz. Team: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson (Tsimikas); Fabinho (Keita), Henderson (Jota), Thiago; Salah, Mané, Diaz:
    5 points
  7. Judging by this site, most people can easily afford buying speculative crypto currencies for example. But, more importantly, what I don't understand is, how did you come to the conclusion that military aid to Ukraine unnecessarily prolongs the war in which they are the victims of aggression? Do you honestly think there are realistic concessions, Ukrainians could live with, to be offered to Russia and Russia will stop? What are they? After they killed tens of thousands of Ukrainian and their own people and caused hundreds of billions worth of damage? What you are actually saying is, Ukrainian blood is not worth a pound in your pocket. I am trying to explain to you, your lack of basic human empathy for the victim aside, inaction will cost you so much more.
    4 points
  8. I don't care about what weapons manufacturers want and where does the UK government project its empathy. The best or the only way to end this war is to help the victim of aggression defend itself. Send as many weapons as fast as you can. Everything else would cost you ten times more.
    4 points
  9. Fucking art this, it's going in my bog.
    4 points
  10. We have to brush aside the disappointing performance and draw against Spurs and keep pushing. As I write, I don’t know if going into this game we will be 3 points behind (with or without a massive swing in the goal difference), 1 behind or still level. Regardless, we play for all 3 points. Villa are pretty much out of the running for a European place as their season-long inconsistency hasn’t really changed massively. Much like Newcastle, it’s been better since the change of manager but not to the extent where you think they will definitely kick on next season. They have a Liverpool old boy in the dugout and a couple of Liverpool old boys in the squad. It’s almost certain that all the media talk will be about whether Stevie can derail our title bid, whereas the likes of Blue Loon and GOT will be quacking on about Stevie getting his side to roll over for us to do us a favour. For the record, whether or not he ends up back at Liverpool as manager in the future, it would be better for him if he didn’t encourage a mentality to roll over and do other sides a favour, and I bet he thinks the same too. Countless ex-United players got into the habit of getting their bellies tickled when their teams faced United, and all it did was cement Ferguson’s status as the best around as his team eased to wins while ensuring that the old boys would be nowhere near the United job if it ever came up. Anyway: Nerve. Organisation. Tactical nous. Temerity. Order. Drive. Accuracy. Yer ma. Skill. Tenacity. Energy. Verve. Intelligence. Effervescence. I don’t ask for much. The game last season was an inexplicable disaster, and one of those days where everything they hit (even if it was off target) went in. We even had a penalty claim waived away when the game was still in the balance, when an obvious foul on Mo in the box went unpunished. Last season VAR was an absolute shambles, and we were on the wrong end of it all too often, and this game was one of those occasions. Covid can partially explain why we were not at full strength for the game, but what cannot be explained is why we unravelled so comprehensively. Virg was playing in this one. Adrian while not faultless didn’t exactly have a mare despite conceding so many. The less said about that Villa Park disaster the better really. It was much plainer sailing on a frosty Villa Park pitch in January 1984. It was a fairly scrappy match and the pitch was definitely not conducive to good football. Joe Fagan had been a backroom stalwart since the days of Shanks, and he it was that’d been given the daunting task of succeeding the immensely successful Sir Bob after the great man retired the previous summer. Fagan’s boys were looking to retain their league title, had another League Cup final to look forward to (a Merseyside derby no less) and were still going great guns in Europe. They would go on to claim that treble, and one of the biggest reasons why was the wiry Welsh dynamo up front. Rushie was in the form of his life in 1983/84. Blistering pace, and uncanny poacher’s instinct, impeccable timing, being genuinely two-footed, and an absolute nuisance for opponents with his defending from the front. Villa it was who took the lead in the first half when Thommo’s old schoolmate and Villa captain Dennis Mortimer ran through a square backline and onto Paul Rideout’s flick to fire the ball past a stranded Brucie. At half time, Liverpool had a fight on, and they and Rushie came back in some style. His first came when he raced through and confidently hit the ball past Nigel Spink from the edge of the area. As the second half wore on and conditions became even more slippery, Souey’s deep right wing cross was flick beyond the back post to the lurking Rushie. He hammered a sweet first-time left foot volley into the far top corner and Liverpool were now ahead. Rushie claimed his hat-trick with a moment of real class as he again got in behind the Villa defence. The defender stretched to get the ball but could only flick it into Rushie’s path. He still had a bit to do but boy did he do it well! He cushioned the ball on his knee and hit a delicate volleyed lob over the onrushing Spink, who could only get the very faintest of touches to help it into the net. Outstanding stuff from an outstanding player, and the match was a perfect example of how this group of players were capable of overcoming adversity through ability and sheer strength of will. James L Brooks’ Oscar-winner Terms of Endearment was the biggest box office hit in January 1984. Starring Shirley Maclaine (who would win Best Actress) and Debra Winger as a mother and daughter who don’t really get along but still find time to talk to one another, the film is basically about their bond which only deepens when the latter is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Maclaine’s character lives alone but embarks on a relationship with her neighbour who is a retired astronaut, played by Jack Nicholson, and that dynamic is another strand to this tale. I’ve never actually seen this film but it always gets rave reviews and is supposedly very funny and heart-wrenching. Brooks is very much a mixed bag for me, as I’m more familiar with his later work. He’s perhaps best known for being a writer for The Simpsons (so we know he can write funny), but a couple of his other films that I have seen (As Good As It Gets and Spanglish) both seem mired in exploring the lives of neurotic people about whom all I see is that the people around them are enablers. Is Terms of Endearment as good as it’s reputed to be? As I mentioned above, our target for the Villa game is 3 points, regardless of what situation we find ourselves in prior to the match. We also have to consider the FA Cup final next weekend, and I imagine Klopp will have at least a partial eye on that game because it’s a chance to win another trophy. I’m certain that he will ensure that focus and concentration are all present and correct for the Villa game. As ever, attitude, motivation and application, if right, should allow us to claim the win. The ideal scenario, and the one we should try for, is to put the Villa game to bet earlier and bring players off to rest them for the weekend’s big game. Were capable so let’s go for it and get it done.
    3 points
  11. His reaction when he saw his goal on the monitor was boss.
    3 points
  12. This brings back memories. Right and left and under that section was rather dark water, especially under the arches. As a kid I was fascinated with monster films but loved and was scared of both the giant squid in 20000 Leagues Under The Sea, and the giant octopi in Warlords Of Atlantis and other films. My dad used to take me to the Pier Head quite often. We were poor so it was a day out just to see the Mersey. When we’d walk along we’d finish up by walking up that. In the water on the right hand side, something would cause air to bubble up occasionally, and my dad convinced me it was a giant octopus living down there, probably to keep me from leaning over the rail and falling in. I’d be shitting it whenever we walked past it, but I’d always want to look to see if I could catch a glimpse of it lurking at the surface. Anyway, one day we are starting to walk up and there are police and divers on that side pulling a man’s body out of the water. I immediately started pulling at my dad and pointing and saying, to the bewilderment of everyone stood there, “look, the giant octopus got him!” Needless to say I was hauled away from the area sharpish. Now I realise the poor bastard was either a suicide or drowning, but a cautionary tale for parents having their fun.
    3 points
  13. He’s a well respected man, he’s the commentator for L’Equipe de France’s game on TF1 along with Lzzarazu. A very good tv journalist. He’s a Liverpool fan, and happens to hang around the cross of Saint George’s pub we’ve talked about in the Paris thread. It does not mean he’s an Itk guy but he obviously knows everybody in French football. He used to work for canal +.
    3 points
  14. Klopp said something interesting in his interview yesterday, something that I didn't fully catch. But it was something about mindset. Saying the players were disappoint because we're now 3 point behind City. But last weekend if we were 6 points behind adn we beat Spurs and City lost to Newcastle, everyone would be upbeat and raring to go against Villa as we'd closed the gap. Now everyone is down because the gap has widened, even though it's the same 3 point gap in both scenarios! So his job is to get the lads' heads right. Wicked smaht is our Jurgen.
    3 points
  15. Don't the Mail know there's a war going on?...
    3 points
  16. Nah, Salah would never set him up.
    3 points
  17. Nah, it’s quite clear teams want to spike us but just give up against Citu before they kick a ball. Been going on for three seasons. You’re just trying to make excuses for them, We are the most hated club in the league.
    2 points
  18. Worst post of the year fella, if you can't enjoy this ride give it up.
    2 points
  19. The fuck do we make these shit teams look half decent
    2 points
  20. Thiago changed the game immediately
    2 points
  21. Trent is passing the ball as if there's 30 seconds to go. Same as the last game. Madness.
    2 points
  22. in 1872 the welsh invented the condom from a sheep's lower intestine, in 1873 the english refined the idea by taking the intestine out of the sheep first.
    2 points
  23. I’m intrigued by this signing. He feels to me like a post-guardiola signing. He’s just not a Pep player, like Grealish isn’t either. Guardiola wants to control the game completely. He does this by not playing an actual striker. So to play a striker like Haaland he has to give up something in his midfield, which he just doesn’t want to do. He hates uncertainty, which is why his teams collapse when things go wrong like happens in the CL but doesn’t in a league. Haaland is a brilliant player, but probably more so for the next guy.
    2 points
  24. You hope they hammer them with what exactly. Stuff like weapons and sanctions?
    2 points
  25. I think I was 8. I swear the Queen looked right at me as she went past. She was smiling but even back then I thought it must be fucking horrible way to live. All that money but you're spending your afternoons walking around a factory and waving at people through a car window. Miserable.
    2 points
  26. How is this a new scam? Some people had shares in weapons manufacturers or similar companies (which I think you are also free to buy) which went up some at the beginning of the war, because that is when the arms industry is expected to do well. You think that UK should respond to a major European aggression by not helping the victim, watching from the sidelines as Ukrainians are run over and then pay much more than 1.3 billion in all economic and humanitarian costs of a successful Russian war against a country of 40 million people, not to mention the human cost? Vastly increased military spending after Russian victory which would probably dwarf what will be happening now. How idiotic would that be? On top of being devoid of any humanity.
    2 points
  27. Couldn’t give a shit who City sign. We’ve always said we want to be the cleverest in the room, not the richest.
    2 points
  28. Stolen from twitter
    2 points
  29. Your missus comes home "Who are all these in our front room?" "Well it's just my mates, that's Anubis, Stringvest, Verbal Diarrhea, RB14 and Mudface. And the fella in the toilet upstairs is Alan Sex although he's been up there a while now......" "What about the gang of drunks in the front garden?" "Oh that's Code. He pissed in the Croton"
    2 points
  30. Notts Forest so they can sing champions of europe youll never sing that at Etihad while being bummed 4-0
    2 points
  31. No he hasn’t.
    2 points
  32. 2 points
  33. I like how we've basically agreed with each other in the most oppositional way we could. Anyway, despite our alignment here, I just wanted to say I now deeply resent everything you stand for. Turdseye will shortly be in touch to discuss next steps.
    2 points
  34. Just on this point on where the league was “lost”. It was not lost anywhere. It was won by Man City, because they’ve unlimited resources with a fantastic manager. Ali did not lose to Frazier. Frazier beat Ali. That happens sometimes when the best in the business go at it. As I understand it, our points total over the last four years is now separated by only four? We’re the two best teams in the world and next year it will be City saying if, but, when etc.
    2 points



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