Stop the madness! We are 3 games in!

[growler]

so basically, at spurs we missed alonso and then at home to stoke, actually we didn't, and then again against villa we are not going to win the league because we sold alonso.

 

I just wanted to check.

 

You know, that its not a knee jerk.

 

The problem in football is not the rogue owners, or the mercenary players. Its the press with their hyperbole and the slightly less than intelligent fans who believe it all.

 

THere was a time that a table was not even published until 6 or 7 games in. THe facts are still the same; the title is not won OR lost in the first few weeks. Where were the mancs last season in the first few weeks?

 

These are essentially the same players we had last season. Are we really to believe that the whole team was built around 1 player?

 

are we really going by the 'luck of the ball' game tonight rather than the way we played against Stoke? Or even the first 20 minutes tonight?

 

Its bad enough the press drop down on us, its worse that owners are closet mancs (or something) but its the very bottom when so called liverpool supporters both in the ground and out give up on the team 3 games into the season.

 

This is a club than applauded Heskey, HESKEY when he came on.

 

Frankly, I hope we do finish 8th this season so we can rid our club of the crap owners, get out of the limelight of the press and rid ourselves of the plastics, who can then go and support man city or whoever else is flavour of the month.

[Gunga Din]

we are a mile away from where we need to be. the team doesnt look fit. thats the most worrying thing

[Mike]

b] but its the very bottom when so called liverpool supporters both in the ground and out give up on the team 3 games into the season.[/b]

 

show me

[Barnesy_10]

We drop 3 points at home... We were 4 points behind the Mancs at the end of last season. It doesn't matter if you drop points at the start, middle or end..... We cannot afford to drop any to teams outside the top four.

 

I would be slightly more accepting of this if we had just had rotten luck, but the truth is we were f***ing terrible.

[downunder]

If we were playing well and being unlucky I wouldn't be too concerned, but something is not right. Are there internal issues at the club, not just transfer budgets?

 

Are we just starting slow?

 

2 defeats out of 3 is not a disaster, but we need to start playing better, and quickly.

 

Losses in themselves are OK if we win more games than last season, 30 wins, 2 draws and 6 defeats will win the league....but we don't look good enough to get 30 wins.

[Barnesy_10]

Can't see us winning home and away at both Mancs and Chelsea, therefore we have to take maximum points against the lesser teams.

[growler]

I Agree with the sentiment and yes we did not play well. the point is, we have played better and lost too. Villa are unlikely to be that lucky in a single game again. We still have Aurelio, Agger, Aquilani and a fully fir Skrtel, Carra, Riera and Torres to come.

 

I'm just saying, just like we were not favourites after winning at home to stoke by 4, we are also not going to miss out on CL either.

[Nebraska Red]

so basically, at spurs we missed alonso and then at home to stoke, actually we didn't, and then again against villa we are not going to win the league because we sold alonso.

 

I just wanted to check.

 

You know, that its not a knee jerk.

 

The problem in football is not the rogue owners, or the mercenary players. Its the press with their hyperbole and the slightly less than intelligent fans who believe it all. Our problems tonight, and at Spurs had nowt to do with owners or the press, it was down to the available players not being good enough

 

 

THere was a time that a table was not even published until 6 or 7 games in. THe facts are still the same; the title is not won OR lost in the first few weeks. Where were the mancs last season in the first few weeks?

 

These are essentially the same players we had last season. Are we really to believe that the whole team was built around 1 player? maybe not, but it looks like he was the glue that held the whole system together, because without him we look like we are cominmg apart at the seams

 

are we really going by the 'luck of the ball' game tonight rather than the way we played against Stoke? Or even the first 20 minutes tonight? the Stoke game can be thrown out the window as they are a really bad side, Spurs and Villa both exposed our inability to cope with being harried and pressed.

 

Its bad enough the press drop down on us, its worse that owners are closet mancs (or something) but its the very bottom when so called liverpool supporters both in the ground and out give up on the team 3 games into the season. of course some of the jerks will give up on the team, they are the internet fans who follow the gospel according to SKY and have no place following the game. the owners are , or so it would appear, happy to screw things up by withholding money and failing to strengtheen the squad

This is a club than applauded Heskey, HESKEY when he came on.

 

Frankly, I hope we do finish 8th this season so we can rid our club of the crap owners, get out of the limelight of the press and rid ourselves of the plastics, who can then go and support man city or whoever else is flavour of the month. I am pretty sure you don't mean that unless you think we are going to win some other trophies this season. the owners will succeed or fail based on their financial accumen. the club will only succeed if the players we have get things sorted.

[Stevie H]

These are essentially the same players we had last season. Are we really to believe that the whole team was built around 1 player?

 

yes. because he was the brain of the team, he knitted everything together and he was also the tactical leadership on the pitch. he made us tick and we'll miss that more than anything this season. couple of performances aside like the mancs away last term, when alonso was absent from the team during his time here we looked universally clueless. we gave possession away, we looked nervous, we weren't confident in ourselves. . .in terms of taking a game by the scruff of the neck, stamping your authority on it and running it, we simply don't have a player to do that any more. he's an enormous loss.

[Johnny Red]

Yes we are missing Alonso somewhat. But I think there's also an element of overconfidence in the rest of the players. After the tail end of last season, the players believe that they can score at least 4 or 5 goals in every game easily.

 

The loss to Spurs should have been the kick in the butt to the team that goals do not come if you don't work for it. Unfortunately the Stoke game ruined the lesson and it's back to the belief that 4-0 wins are a walk in the park. Maybe a hard won 1-0 win against Stoke would have made the lads realise that it will be a difficult season regardless of the opponent and that their heads would have to be in it for every game.

[Ramón Benítez Hernández]

They scored from a wicked deflection, a corner after injury time and a penalty.

 

I'm gutted with the result, but the performance was not as bad as people are making out. We've definitely won games in the past by playing worse than that!

 

It was an off day, hopefully that was our s*** game where nothing right goes for us out of the way.

[floyd the barber]

but the performance was not as bad as people are making out.

It was an off day, hopefully that was our s*** game where nothing right goes for us out of the way.

 

nah the performance was bad.....we had no clue once we got into the final 3rd..

oneill set his team up to stop our full backs....and it worked

[Ramón Benítez Hernández]

nah the performance was bad.....we had no clue once we got into the final 3rd..

oneill set his team up to stop our full backs....and it worked

 

 

Yes, villa stifled our attack for most of the game, but we still managed to create a few clear cut chances.

 

How many shots on goal did we have?

[surf]

quite a few. all the rebounds fell to villa players to clear as well

[Gomez]

You know, that its not a knee jerk.

 

How is it a knee jerk?

 

We feared a slow start after selling Alonso as the team would need time to settle to a new system. The team has made a slow start to the season as they new additions to the team bed in each year under Rafa bar last year.

 

A slow start could cost us, putting us too far off the pace by the time we click, as it has done in the past.

 

That fear is well on the way to being realised.

 

So, again, how is it s knee jerk?

[Beardsley]

Thing is, it doesn't look like preseason has been taken seriousely and we really look unfit.

Last year, with or without Alonso, we harrased the opposition all over the place. So far this season, we apply soft pressure at best. At the end of first half last night, we didn't press at all, making it far too easy for Villa.

 

If anything, I think it is at it's place to question Rafa how he has planned and excecuted our preseason.

[Chili Palmer]

If anything, I think it is at it's place to question Rafa how he has planned and excecuted our preseason.

 

I'm a big Rafa fan but I think thats a fair enough question to ask. The drive and determination looks light years behind last season.

[richwilks]

It was one of those days where things didn't fall for us. If either Torres, Benayoun or Gerrard had put the ball in the net in that ealry scuffle we'd have put 3 or 4 on them. We didn't, they got a lucky deflection and heads dropped.

 

Our passing was poor throughout the game though and the squad looks incredibly light in a few areas (particularly up top).

[owenthomas]

We drop 3 points at home... We were 4 points behind the Mancs at the end of last season. It doesn't matter if you drop points at the start, middle or end..... We cannot afford to drop any to teams outside the top four.

i know its not our next home game but just to give a chink of light to proceedings and turn your post slightly on its head....

 

if we beat Hull at home then in the corresponding home games of Stoke, Villa and Hull we will be a point better off (6 points instead of 5).. keep that average up over the season and we'll be in with a shout y'know!!! "always look on the bright side of life, do doo do do do do do do do doo!"

[Frosty Jack]

As a friend put it in the aftermath last night, "this is a man u style start to the season".

we looked s**** but yes, perspective required.

[owenthomas]

i always try and look on the bright side and form my own view on proceedings because getting wrapped up in the media reporting and some of the nutters on the internet would only drive me to distraction!

 

there are concerns - we still don't look able to get round teams that park the bus, we're struggling with being pressed and we're dropping a bit too deep and allowing the oppositions midfield to play (and against both Spurs and Villa that proved crucial as it gave them an edge) but it's not something i'm overly concerned about...... just yet..

[Rimbeux]

so basically, at spurs we missed alonso and then at home to stoke, actually we didn't, and then again against villa we are not going to win the league because we sold alonso.

 

I just wanted to check.

 

You know, that its not a knee jerk.

 

The problem in football is not the rogue owners, or the mercenary players. Its the press with their hyperbole and the slightly less than intelligent fans who believe it all.

 

THere was a time that a table was not even published until 6 or 7 games in. THe facts are still the same; the title is not won OR lost in the first few weeks. Where were the mancs last season in the first few weeks?

These are essentially the same players we had last season. Are we really to believe that the whole team was built around 1 player?

 

are we really going by the 'luck of the ball' game tonight rather than the way we played against Stoke? Or even the first 20 minutes tonight?

 

Its bad enough the press drop down on us, its worse that owners are closet mancs (or something) but its the very bottom when so called liverpool supporters both in the ground and out give up on the team 3 games into the season.

 

This is a club than applauded Heskey, HESKEY when he came on.

 

Frankly, I hope we do finish 8th this season so we can rid our club of the crap owners, get out of the limelight of the press and rid ourselves of the plastics, who can then go and support man city or whoever else is flavour of the month.

 

No, but I'm a firm believer that new faces freshen things up and get people to raise their game. The evidence is there throughout history, our history and any side that has been good for a number of years. Johnson has made a difference, he currently looks our most potent player.

 

I remember when Torres showed up with that hunger and talent, the reaction in Gerrard, pushing him on to stay top dog. It looks like they now both need a dose of the same, because especially without Alonso, we look like we lack one or two go-to players, those that can take responsibility and are not just good support men.

 

There seems to be a bit of a sulk going on, which may be partly due to a number of things, players leaving, players not signed, a hangover from going so near last season. One cure is obviously a new face or two of quality but that aint going to happen