ECHO Comment: "Fears of Witch-hunt Against Liverpool FC"

[peteblue]

That might make a good movie ...Carry on Kopites

Stevie could say "We Carry On".....

 

[LinekersLegs]

Two good pieces about the derby in the Guardian

http://www.theguardian.com/football...erpool-steven-gerrard-defensive-midfield-role
Michael Cox. As Steven Gerrard celebrated his opener against Everton on Saturday afternoon, wheeling away cupping his hand to his ear, it was obvious he considered the strike a perfect response to recent critics. Nobody doubts his set-piece ability, however – it’s his contribution in open play that remains a concern.

http://www.theguardian.com/football...by-defender-drama-mamadou-sakho-phil-jagielka
“It is such an incredible moment in our season because we got something and it brings the confidence back into the group which is vitally important,” said Martínez. “After their goal goes in, and having come here for 15 years without a win, the players had a choice to make. Do we accept it or do we use the little energy that we had left to go forward? I feel that over the course of the season the football gods give you something back if you carry on working and I think the players were magnificent in their psychological strength. I saw a winning mentality in our team.

“We were very poor on the ball. We were not expansive in the way we normally are but I don’t think Liverpool were either. They never hurt us, everything was dead balls and corners. We could have done better on the counterattack but overall I didn’t think it was as good a game as we saw in both derbies last season.”

Rodgers, not surprisingly on an afternoon when Liverpool’s suspect defence was rarely tested by their local rivals and who flatly denied his team had invited late pressure with a collective retreat, saw things differently. “It was just that final ball, we couldn’t quite get that second goal,” said the Liverpool manager. “If you take away the last 90 seconds of the game we are talking about an excellent performance of intensity, pressure and passing with counter-attacking football. I’m not going to let one absolute once-in-a-lifetime strike cloud that – but we will be judged on that because it is one all.”

Hunter gives Stones MOTM

 

[dholliday]

Two good pieces about the derby in the Guardian

aye, even tho', much like MOTD, Everton are often skimmed over on Football Weekly (the Guardian's podcast), generally the Guardian's football writing & discussion is a good notch or two above tabloid fare. Michael Cox has a solid appreciation of formation and tactics and writes without partisanship, always an interesting read. It's telling that he writes "remains", as in:

it’s his (Gerrard's) contribution in open play that remains a concern.

It's good for us if Gerrard keeps getting picked, he's genuinely past-it and will develop this season to be a burden to Liverpool's game more than anything else. The more our rivals drop points, the better chance we have to improve on 5th (tho' we've clearly got loooooads of work to do ourselves after the poor start to the season).

 

[toffeejack]

haha i love rodgers, he's such an oaf. when is someone going to tell him that a game is 90 mins + injury times.

"it was the perfect performance ... except the first 10 minutes"

"If you take away the last 90 seconds of the game we are talking about an excellent performance".

hope he never gets sacked, if he thinks that was a great performance after spending £150m, keep him there liverpool, jesus wept.

 

[LinekersLegs]

aye, even tho', much like MOTD, Everton are often skimmed over on Football Weekly (the Guardian's podcast), generally the Guardian's football writing & discussion is a good notch or two above tabloid fare. Michael Cox has a solid appreciation of formation and tactics and writes without partisanship, always an interesting read. It's telling that he writes "remains", as in:



It's good for us if Gerrard keeps getting picked, he's genuinely past-it and will develop this season to be a burden to Liverpool's game more than anything else. The more our rivals drop points, the better chance we have to improve on 5th (tho' we've clearly got loooooads of work to do ourselves after the poor start to the season).

Agree, the Guardian has some really good writers - also have the general impression that Cox admires Martinez's tactics but thinks Rodgers is a bit of a fraud but I could just be projecting my views onto him!

Think Liverpool are suffering a bit because of their injuries - although they would never have chosen Emre Can over Gerrard for a derby, they probably would have preferred to rest Gerrard a bit more this season as at least when he is rested he's not as much of a liability.

Any draw away to a top six rival is generally considered a sucess - eg Arsenal vs us, Chelsea vs City - less because of the point won than the 2 points lost for your rival. To have got that point by a worldie in injury time against your rival is even sweeter.

 

[LinekersLegs]

"it was the perfect performance ... except the first 10 minutes"

Tbh I've used the same line of reasoning with our Chelsea game "if only we hadn't forgotten how to defend for the first 10 minutes". Not that it was a perfect defensive performance afterwards mind, just a 4-3 would have felt a tad better!

 

[ToffeeDan]

Haha, myself and Paul Tomkins are having a right old back and forth on Twitter.

What a formula - write a diary book about a (usually) ordinary football team with loads of idiot followers who lap it all up and repeat annually (sp.?) Should try that myself on them (watch the news, watch games on tv (ok - maybe I don't want to). Get rich..

 

[Chang Elephant]

What a formula - write a diary book about a (usually) ordinary football team with loads of idiot followers who lap it all up and repeat annually (sp.?) Should try that myself on them (watch the news, watch games on tv (ok - maybe I don't want to). Get rich..

Say what you like about Tomkins, he's milking thousands of bedsit full kit potential serial killers out of their money. No journalistic ability required he's just spotted an easy market.

 

[Donald Twain]

Say what you like about Tomkins, he's milking thousands of bedsit full kit potential serial killers out of their money. No journalistic ability required he's just spotted an easy market.

this is true.

 

[davek]

Two good pieces about the derby in the Guardian

Rodgers, not surprisingly on an afternoon when Liverpool’s suspect defence was rarely tested by their local rivals and who flatly denied his team had invited late pressure with a collective retreat, saw things differently. “It was just that final ball, we couldn’t quite get that second goal,” said the Liverpool manager. “If you take away the last 90 seconds of the game we are talking about an excellent performance of intensity, pressure and passing with counter-attacking football. I’m not going to let one absolute once-in-a-lifetime strike cloud that – but we will be judged on that because it is one all.”

Hunter gives Stones MOTM

That's exactly what happened too. They bottled that Derby. They drifted back in and and around their box from about the 75th minute.

The sort of mentality that seen them collapse in the title race last year was on display. Basically, they have no character as a team. When it's a tight game (one goal in it) or the stakes are high they look timid and vulnerable.

That starts with the manager and the players bring it onto the pitch in their mentality to deal with crucial situations. Rodgers having won nothing in his career is impartng his failure stink on his own side...transmitting it to them. He's not a winner, the players know it and dont feel like he can lead them to major wins.

 

[ste d' indica]

GBH was brilliant there yesterday underlining exactly why he's finished: big **** you pantomime act to camera after the free kick went in (by the way, it was a pony effort that Howard should have kept out anyway), then post match giving it the 'yeah, they write you off these days after a misplaced pass or two' straight to camera.

As you say, good news. He's a millstone round their necks that's going to get heavier and heavier.

The difference between his celebration and Jags encapsulates our two clubs, rarely has David France's quip been more fitting.

"Blues versus Reds is humility versus arrogance; loyalty versus entitlement; and art versus pornography."

That's why our captain's so called 'worldie' meant so much to us. Because we know who we are, and we don't need ultra banners, 1000s of strangers singing our mawkish tune on the other side of the world, and 'kin half and half scarves to remind us.

 

[TheFinnFan]

The difference between his celebration and Jags encapsulates our two clubs, rarely has David France's quip been more fitting.

"Blues versus Reds is humility versus arrogance; loyalty versus entitlement; and art versus pornography."

That's why our captain's so called 'worldie' meant so much to us. Because we know who we are, and we don't need ultra banners, 1000s of strangers singing our mawkish tune on the other side of the world, and 'kin half and half scarves to remind us.

Two captains. ..too different kind of celebrations.

Absolutely loved how Jags took it...pure Class.

 

[davek]

The difference between his celebration and Jags encapsulates our two clubs, rarely has David France's quip been more fitting.

"Blues versus Reds is humility versus arrogance; loyalty versus entitlement; and art versus pornography."

That's why our captain's so called 'worldie' meant so much to us. Because we know who we are, and we don't need ultra banners, 1000s of strangers singing our mawkish tune on the other side of the world, and 'kin half and half scarves to remind us.

I'd have preferred a bit more emotion from Jagielka, tbh. It was a last minute Derby goal after all. He should have been sliding on his knees in front of the Kop.

 

[ste d' indica]

I'd have preferred a bit more emotion from Jagielka, tbh. It was a last minute Derby goal after all. He should have been sliding on his knees in front of the Kop.

Haha! Fair enough, think he was a bit overwhelmed given the situation.

 

[mawders]

I'd have preferred a bit more emotion from Jagielka, tbh. It was a last minute Derby goal after all. He should have been sliding on his knees in front of the Kop.

No need for crazy emotion. It wasn't a winning goal. Just a case of, "take that", and head back to Norway feeling like you've been beaten