Poolfrog

Well he's not doing too badly as I reckon he's been easily our best player every time he's played this season

And they are the current Dutch champions. so better than Ajax, Feyenoord etc, so they can't be all that bad. Considering the players we left out, we were very comfortable and I never thought for a second that we'd lose the game. There's a lot of whinging on here which is quite unnecessary. I would have settled for a point away with our strongest XI before a ball was kicked. Aurelio produced a brilliant pass for Kuyt to run on to in the first half when his shot was blocked. The guy's new to the English game but he has an excellent touch and played some nice passes to feet in tight situations. You've got to give him time to settle in. I bet you're one of the people - if you're old enough - who slagged off Ian Rush as a no-hoper because he failed to score in his first 12 matches for Liverpool. There are far too may instant experts on this forum

Something like half the goals he scored for Palace when he got 23 or whatever it was a year or two back were penalties and already 25% of the goals he got this year have been penalties I believe (I don't really keep tabs on Everton but I believe he's got one pen for them), so he's certianly not bad at getting them by anyone's definition

He's an awkward player but well below international class. Against us he didn't remotely look like scoring except when we handed him two chances on a plate, gift-wrapped and unmissable. Apart from these two gifts he never looked like scoring and, given how little of the action was in and around our box, it overstates it a little to say he caused us problems all day.

Derek McGovern - alleged Liverpool fan - backed us too (he gives tips for William Hills). He previously backed West Ham to beat us at home and is usually 100% wrong, so I knew we were doomed. The Sheffield defender didn't have to make contact. That's the whole point of it. If a challenge is just careless or reckless - which it was - the referee is entitled to punish him. The laws are clear on this, but most fans - and commentators seem to be oblivious.

Let's keep a sense of perspective. Granted he got two goals, but I'd have got both of them and I haven't played for over 20 years. And it's not as if he was peppering our goal with shots all afternoon. He got a couple of gifts from appalling blunders by our players, nothing more, nothing less. Then he failed to have any other attempts.

Please don't say "period" - it's just the American term for Full Stop, so why not use that? Saying "period" in this faux American way is even more annoying than someone saying "end of"

There are many, many pubs that will be showing the game, but I don't know any personally in the Borough area. However if you get the tube to Victoria (not all that far), the Hedgehog and Pheasant in nearby Warwick Way is run by a Liverpool fan and a lot of fellow fans congregate there for matches

Houghton very definitely did not come after Johnston retired. It was Houghton's arrival that was the final nail for him. He said precisely that at the time - plus his sister was ill so he decided to up sticks and leave. Houghton's arrival directly triggered his departure as he knew that as we'd splashed out £800K or so - a big fee at the time - Houghton wasn't going to be on the bench a every week.

Gerrard's coming along nicely, but Emlyn Hughes played at a consistently very high level in a greater variety of positions for a longer period of time for both club and country. Bryan???

I think we should open a new stadium just off the M42 to make it easier for us OOTers to get to matches

When we signed Houghton, Craig Johnston simply retired. He didn't fancy being second string to a clearly inferior Houghton - and who could blame him?

Yes they do. It was either $20 or $25 for the cup final, but we had moved on to Key West for the day of the game and watched it in a fake Irish bar there (about 50 Liverpool fans and 2 West Ham fans). They also charged, but at least the gaffer laid on a traditional British meal of curry, rice and chips for part of the admission to make us all feel at home! In fairness, most US bars seem to have a cover charge when there's live footie on. I pay it begrudgingly when I'm over there to watch us (which is quite often), but remember coughing up $12 in one of the Kissimmee pubs to watch a Man U - Arsenal Charity Shield game a few years ago (a 9 am KO as well!) because my girlfriend is an Arsenal fan - anything to keep the peace. Boring 0-0 draw inevitably.

I've stayed there one or two times. One interesting fact is that one of the big ballrooms there is a replica of one of the ballrooms on the Titanic. I thank you

As I said in another post, it was certainly open late April/early May this year; but there are much better venues around

I've been to the Cricketers more than once, but only realised in April this year how bloody expensive it is. The landlord's an ex-pat Chav supporter and he charges London West End prices for his beer, which is way more than other bars in the area. Kissimee is just down the road and there are a number of British pubs there that show all the games, the Rovers Return (really!) and the Fox and Hounds next door being very reliable.

Rossi was no good in the frst place, Saha and Solskjaer are both very injury-prone and Rooney's never been a prolific goalscorer. It took him until his third season to pass the 20 league goal mark and has never scored more than 13 league goals (last season) I believe, so they're well stuffed anyway as far as strikers go. I believe the over-rated Rooney has only scored four or five more goals at international level than the much-derided Peter Crouch. Smith was such a flop up front that they moved him back into midfield. He's never been a prolific scorer

My personal view is that the last one is correct. I would never play him before Kuyt, Bellamy or Crouch - except in the League Cup

Try the Campanile Hotel by the Albert Dock. A shade over £40 probably, but excellent value. The Campanile in Runcorn is also a good option. Not as daft as it sounds as it's only 20 minutes by train from Liverpool to Runcorn (trains more or less every half-hour I recall) and the Campanile there is right by the station (just past the Railway pub, so you can even get a pint within 50 yards of the hotel). It's a great fall-back position when central Liverpool hotels are full, for the sake of a 20 minute train journey. I even managed to book rooms there for Grand National weekend when you couldn't get a hotel in Liverpool for love nor money. Also, Runcorn is the first stop for Virgin trains out of Liverpool, so it couldn't be more convenient if you're travelling down south. In fact it's more convenient than getting to Lime St from most downtown Liverpool hotels

A lot of people seem to have forgotten that when England got battered 4-1 by Denmark, Agger played at CB for them and had over-rated Fatboy Rooney in his pocket, so it's not like we're not sure if the lad can play and we've bought him not knowing if he's going to be good at the highest level

Yes but didn't we win all but 2-3 of those and they were draw? I'll only be bothered if we concede more than we score I believe you posted this after one league game? So if we'd kept a clean sheet at Sheffield I suppose you'd be saying that it looks set fair for us to have a fantastic season defence-wise?

He's our secret weapon in the Carling Cup

Agreed. I'm bored now. I'd rather wind-up a more difficult target Well taking money under false pretences is fraud in my book. Over the hill in Fowler's context is that he was a spent force 5 years ago, so we were glad to get shot of him and he certainly hasn't got better in the intervening years. My age - well a lady doesn't usually tell. Cheeky boy! Suffice it to say that I'm old enough to have seen a 17-year old Robbie lash a stunning half-volley into the roof of the Fulham net on his debut at Craven Cottage at the age of 17 and have watched with sadness his inexorable decline to the current plodder that he is.

Me - wind-up merchant? Perish the thought. "...we were meant to infer that you actually think that:..." I think you mean "...we were meant to imply that..." Also "...a whole what, 3 posts, have been abusive towards you...." I'd just like to point out for the record that, despite this, none of my posts have been abusive in return Also "...and everything to do with the whiny manner in which you express yourself. You'll probably count that as personal abuse as well I suppose..." Yes, since you ask, it does look a tad like personal abuse - so that makes 4. How would you describe it? Maybe I'm a bit fick

It's "purlers" actually - just trying to help! An excellent post if I may say so. More or less what I'm trying to say, but you do it far more eloquently Tut tut, there you go again. Define "bleating" please. Seems to be that it must mean saying something you don't agree with