Perfect Storm

[yuriska]

We lost. It happens. We played well enought o have won the game, just inches here and there that told the difference - never mind the referee's incompetence. We dominated possetion with 60 to 70% of the ball, hit the woodwork twice, had two stonewall penalties denied and had a dodgy penalty given against us. In all rights it should have been 3-1 for us, not against. Still, it happens, what will be more telling in our season will be how we bounce back from this - our results against Marseille and ManU. Beat those and we are still swinging, still in the groove. Tonight was nothing more than a confluence of events - a 'Perfect Storm' of actions that resulted in us losing the game.

[Ginu]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm sick of having to accept a sh*t happens way of thinking. Enough of it already.

[Duncan Disorderly]

There's optimism and then there's taking the piss!

 

We were crap, we should have stuffed Reading and Rafa got it completely wrong, AGAIN!

[psl]

What a load of s****.

 

We picked the wrong team, played badly and lost to a rubbish team. s*** like that shoudnn't happen.

[Coyler]

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm sick of having to accept a sh*t happens way of thinking. Enough of it already.

Sick of it? Yeah, it's been what, one whole game now at this stage.

 

s*** happened to Bolton, Porto, Newcastle, and all the rest of them.

[pjwy]

We lost. It happens. We played well enought o have won the game, just inches here and there that told the difference - never mind the referee's incompetence. We dominated possetion with 60 to 70% of the ball, hit the woodwork twice, had two stonewall penalties denied and had a dodgy penalty given against us. In all rights it should have been 3-1 for us, not against. Still, it happens, what will be more telling in our season will be how we bounce back from this - our results against Marseille and ManU. Beat those and we are still swinging, still in the groove. Tonight was nothing more than a confluence of events - a 'Perfect Storm' of actions that resulted in us losing the game.

 

 

Reading were much more up for this game than our lads who seemed befuddled by the formation they were asked to play.Rafa lost us this imho because he,yet again,complicated his tactics instead of sticking with the formation we had been playing well with.

Overall,I thought we were awful on the night against a team which can be rated as no more than mediocre and who had drawn at home with 'Boro last week!!

[melia]

We lost. It happens. We played well enought o have won the game, just inches here and there that told the difference - never mind the referee's incompetence. We dominated possetion with 60 to 70% of the ball, hit the woodwork twice, had two stonewall penalties denied and had a dodgy penalty given against us. In all rights it should have been 3-1 for us, not against. Still, it happens, what will be more telling in our season will be how we bounce back from this - our results against Marseille and ManU. Beat those and we are still swinging, still in the groove. Tonight was nothing more than a confluence of events - a 'Perfect Storm' of actions that resulted in us losing the game.

 

I mostly agree. We looked very comfortable but just couldn't get the breaks we needed. In other games the score would have been reversed and people would have chalked it up as a 'nice steady, easy 3 points'.

[Guz]

We were awful I thought. It was gonna happen eventually but I'm dissapointed at how muddled and uncohesive we were in midfield and attack

[Ginu]

Sick of it? Yeah, it's been what, one whole game now at this stage.

 

s*** happened to Bolton, Porto, Newcastle, and all the rest of them.

My apologies. This is the first game we've played like sh*t this season

[hideNseek]

Sick of it? Yeah, it's been what, one whole game now at this stage.

 

s*** happened to Bolton, Porto, Newcastle, and all the rest of them.

It's been more than one game, unless your only counting thec premiership.

[AJ The Red]

Im afraid Benitez must take a lot of the blame.We were on a roll

and he picks that team wtf.Although the ref was awful

[karlh]

We lost. It happens. We played well enought o have won the game, just inches here and there that told the difference - never mind the referee's incompetence. We dominated possetion with 60 to 70% of the ball, hit the woodwork twice, had two stonewall penalties denied and had a dodgy penalty given against us. In all rights it should have been 3-1 for us, not against. Still, it happens, what will be more telling in our season will be how we bounce back from this - our results against Marseille and ManU. Beat those and we are still swinging, still in the groove. Tonight was nothing more than a confluence of events - a 'Perfect Storm' of actions that resulted in us losing the game.

 

 

sorry, but that is - from the first word to the last - a load of claptrap

[Coyler]

It's been more than one game, unless your only counting thec premiership.

Was he "sick of having to accept a sh*t happens way of thinking" last week? Ten days ago?

[Hieronymus Bosch]

The fact that we so often go from the sublime to the ridiculous during one season is my main gripe. That said, I think yesterday's performance was primarily as a result of the players/system. The confidence lost as a result is more damaging than a jaded, but buoyant, full-strength team. With Marseille and Man Utd next, let's hope it doesn't precipitate a slump similar to that earlier in the season. Not Rafa's finest hour (and a half)...

[liveabiglife]

First half we looked OK, I thought. Thought we would sneak it. Second half we were awful.

 

Can't understand why Rafa messed with what had become a winning formula. 21 goals in 5 games. We were high on confidence going into a massive few games and he didn't only tinker at the edges, he changed the fundamentals of our line-up and formation. Thought it was bizarre - especially given that he was beginning to send out a very strong message to the Yanks.

 

Momo had another shocker; Lucas and Babel on the bench? Crouch on the left? Weird. We looked out of sorts - but then, given the line-up and formation, what could we expect?

 

I only hope that it doesn't derail the momentum for Tuesday and Sunday. Big plus for me was Jack Hobbs - think he looks a very promising prospect for the first team.

[Rory Fitzgerald]

Perfect storm is a brilliant way of putting, only problem was, mother nature was on the sideline wearing a goatee.

 

Different formation combined with wrong players in wrong positions combined with Momo in midfield who had no options out wide to help his limited pass ability out.

 

Gerrard and Torres were the only people that could possibly do something because they are class and they did - problem was they were playing with no wide men and a limited player in Sissoko through the middle with Gerrard.

 

It was a perfect storm.

[hideNseek]

Was he "sick of having to accept a sh*t happens way of thinking" last week? Ten days ago?

I've no idea, ask him? Doesn't change the fact it's not one game unless you only counting the premiership.

[Spion kop]

i was more upset that he took of gerrard torres and carragher when we were losing, to rest them for the Bloody champions league!

[_00_deathscar]

i was more upset that he took of gerrard torres and carragher when we were losing, to rest them for the Bloody champions league!

 

We were 3-1 down with about 20 minutes to go - it was very unlikely we were going to score 3 goals in 20 minutes to win it. There is not all that much of a difference between a draw and a loss (one point), and it wasn't worth risking those three to injury for one measly point.

 

Of course, if we lose the league by one point I'll be fuming.

[Spion kop]

We were 3-1 down with about 20 minutes to go - it was very unlikely we were going to score 3 goals in 20 minutes to win it. There is not all that much of a difference between a draw and a loss (one point), and it wasn't worth risking those three to injury for one measly point.

 

Of course, if we lose the league by one point I'll be fuming.

i dissagree, 3 goals in 20 mins against reading isn't beyond us, it is unlikely but the lack of an attempt didn't sit well with me.

[John am Rhein]

to rest them for the Bloody champions league!

 

Yeah a (real) 'must win' game in the most financially rewarding competition we play in.

[Spion kop]

Yeah a (real) 'must win' game in the most financially rewarding competition we play in.

which is the crux of my whole point, the Financially most rewarding competiton is less important to me and most fans than the league proper and sacrifcing a very good position for the Money of that knock about competition pisses me off.

[John am Rhein]

which is the crux of my whole point, the Financially most rewarding competiton is less important to me and most fans than the league proper and sacrifcing a very good position for the Money of that knock about competition pisses me off.

 

Well then you're wrong. The European Cup is also the biggest competition of all - the fact that we've won five of them is a huge part of our greatness - AND with the January transfer window coming up, improved finances will potentially enable us to make better signings which will help us in the League as well. If we don't take the European Cup seriously we can forget about getting the top players to play for us.

[Cooldude]

With the attacking options he has in his squad nowadays, Rafa has absolutely no excuses whatsoever to ever start a striker outwide. What he did to Voronin and Crouch was inexcusable.

 

Then, to put Gerrard out of the centre and add in Sissoko and Masch means we have absolutely no creativity and passing ability in the centre. Lucas should've played

 

We can't accept this s*** happens way of thinking, if we wanna win the league then we can't afford to make these silly, inexcusable mistakes. Rafa tinkered with an inform team and paid the price.

[John am Rhein]

Rafa tinkered with an inform team

 

That's clearly the deliberate approach, and I think in the long run it's the best one and the one most likely to win us the League.

 

I think the strange formation and playing a very inexperienced player at CB are far more plausible explanations for the defeat that a simple matter of 'tinkering' which is just a dismissive way of describing 'rotation' which is well known to be the management's preferred way of running the team.