[Archived] Liverpool 1 - 1 Rovers

[herbergeehh]

Both Emerton and Lucas played well, but - just like most of their teammates - looked very tired the last twenty minutes. What we did see clearly this match: Tugay is a liability in defence, his slow movement created a lot of space for the opponents. Going forward though, or more specifically - keeping possession - he was brilliant. Benni showed some great technique, Bentley a few awesome crosses. Terrible marking for the goal, unless Ooijer has a zonal task in there - he's to blame.

[cn_barlow]

Radio Lancs said that Emerton played well in the first half and neill played well in the secon half.

Jeffers seems to have taken up his rightful role as 4th striker.

Jeffers has to be the best 4th choice striker we've ever had!!

I know the guy gets some stick on here but he's getting better every game and as soon as he bags a goal or two he's gonna give Hughes a real selection headache!!

[G Somerset Rover]

Terrible marking for the goal, unless Ooijer has a zonal task in there - he's to blame.

Pretty sure that it was Emerton who left Bellers and not Ooijer...I could be wrong?

[AxesFirstTouch]

Both Emerton and Lucas played well, but - just like most of their teammates - looked very tired the last twenty minutes. What we did see clearly this match: Tugay is a liability in defence, his slow movement created a lot of space for the opponents. Going forward though, or more specifically - keeping possession - he was brilliant. Benni showed some great technique, Bentley a few awesome crosses. Terrible marking for the goal, unless Ooijer has a zonal task in there - he's to blame.

Scapegoat Ooijer.

[herbergeehh]

Possibly Somerset, I just noticed Ooijer standing in front of Bellamy, he wasn't marking anyone. But maybe Sparky has a few players with zonal marking?

Wakefield: No. Someone is to blame, in this case I think Ooijer might be the one. It's got nothing to do with him being a scapegoat.

Edited October 15, 2006 by herbergeehh

[RevidgeBlue]

to re-iterate savage was extremly lucky not to get sent off.

Lucas Neill was also very fortunate not to get a second yellow when he was penalised for hand ball that looked pretty deliberate but Mark Clattenburg only gave a free kick

Having the benefit of watching the game live on TV, I thought Clattenburg got most of his decisions wrong yesterday, Savage's first yellow was in fact a superb intervention in which he got the faintest of touches on the ball and the yellow card was an absolute travesty. That said, having got an unjustified yellow in the first place, he should have received a second yellow for a crude challenge, but didn't, so it evened itself out.

The push by Hypia was an absolute nailed on penalty imo - no doubt about it whatsoever.

Neill's booking came about after a foul by Pederson I thought.

And the worst tackle of the day on McCarthy which resulted in him briefly limping off went unpunished.

[Shevchenko]

Possibly Somerset, I just noticed Ooijer standing in front of Bellamy, he wasn't marking anyone. But maybe Sparky has a few players with zonal marking?

Wakefield: No. Someone is to blame, in this case I think Ooijer might be the one. It's got nothing to do with him being a scapegoat.

No that was Emerton.

Ooijer was in there duking it out with the big guys.

[krislu]

Jeffers has to be the best 4th choice striker we've ever had!!

I know the guy gets some stick on here but he's getting better every game and as soon as he bags a goal or two he's gonna give Hughes a real selection headache!!

You are a funny man. But you got one thing right, Jeffers will give you some real headache.

The push by Hypia was an absolute nailed on penalty imo - no doubt about it whatsoever.

IMO it would have been a very soft penalty. If someone had gotten a penalty against us in that kind of challange I would be pretty furious.

[herbergeehh]

Here's the goal

I don't know to be honest, hard to tell from this video. Someone's not doing their job, that's for sure.

[pleasure]

Pretty sure that it was Emerton who left Bellers and not Ooijer...I could be wrong?

you're right. ooijer had crouch and zurab marked hypia.

exstatic with a point, as i feared the worst when bellamy scored.

i wouldve come on here and castagated those rovers fans who booed bellamy, but he probably didnt here them -over the barracking from the liverpool fans!

as it goes, bellamy did very little. he was getting increasingly frustrated in the 1st half, culminating with him elbowing brad in the mouth. i've heard very little media coverage regarding the incident.

liverpool's style of play doesnt seem to suit him.

i thought zurab, neill (2nd half. i bet he couldnt belive his luck when pennant was taken off) and savage were outstanding.

a point at anfield is more than welcomed. rovers impressive run continues.

[OhmiBRFC]

Why shouldnt bellamy have been boo'ed? he gave a seasons service which fans are grateful for, but he lied to us all, saying there was no clause and then left in the summer with the clause that didnt exist

[RevidgeBlue]

Hmmm.......... no word of a lie my pre match prediction, if I'd got round to posting it would have been something like:

"This will be a real test of our credentials to emulate last seasons sixth place finish after recovering from a poor start etc etc, Bellamy's nailed on to score, - 1-1."

Unfortunately I didn't put a bet on it.

Very much a game of two halves as far as we were concerned. In the first half, as in the second against Wigan, we played some of our best stuff under Hughes and had Liverpool chasing shadows. Had a couple of marginal offside situations gone our way Liverpool would have been going in at the interval 3-0 down.

In the second half we just didn't play. We seemed to sit back at the start of the half anticipating a Liverpool onslaught and never quite managed to get our game clicking into gear again. Perhaps we lacked that final bit of self belief to go out and finish the job in the second half after a superb first half.

The first 45 minutes from Bentley were his best in a Rovers shirt. Ooijer put in a much improved display, Savage was immense and the front two caused Liverpool all manner of problems during that opening period.

The two substitutions were no surprise, the game was far too fast for Tugay and completely passed him by whilst MGP had another one of his invisible days. He really doesneed to find another gear whereby he puts in a passable shift on the days when he doesn't manage to conjure up a wonder strike out of nothing.

Overall though it was a very encouraging performance the team just need to have that little bit more belief in their own ability so that we can finish the job off when we get into a dominating position.

Edited October 15, 2006 by RevidgeBlue

[den]

Good match summing up from a south african/ Liverpool supporter.

[thenodrog]

Here's the goal

I don't know to be honest, hard to tell from this video. Someone's not doing their job, that's for sure.

AS I said originally Emerton has to hold his hand up for that. (How could he have misjudged the flight of the ball so much? He and Oijer were still running forward when it went over their heads).

Nevertheless and I dont know why this is but the golden rule was ignored again, somebody stationed on the back post could have easily blocked it!

[Eddie]

I certainly thought that at the time theno, would have taken a very good header to get past a man on the back post and Friedel (who wasn't far away). Instead Bellamy was able to basically scuff a header into the back of the net, very soft goal, but given the amount of pressure they put us under I think that we did well to only let in the one and overall should be pleased with our defensive play, it was the midfield who let us down for that 30 minute period as they simply didn't keep hold of the ball and allowed Liverpool to launch attack after attack, something was always going to give.

[American]

While it was poor defending, I thought Brad should have gotten to it.

Suprised USA Blue isn't on here harping on that!

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

1-1 draw benni and bellamy

If I had gone along with your prediction and put twenty quid on that at Ladbrokes, it would have been a nice win Clare....

I would have settled for a draw before the game - to get a point at Anfield is a good result - but to lose a lead through poor defending was nevertheless a bit disappointing. Mark Hughes needs to do some additional work on the training ground at defending set pieces, because you can't have players totally unmarked at corners like Bellamy was on Saturday.

Without the services of Ryan Nelsen, our defending has looked considerably less secure this season and is in danger of becoming our Achilles heel.

[colin]

Some nice coments here from The Observer from yesterday

The Observer

"A tradition as old and proud as the Premiership itself will have involved managers the length and breadth of the country using international duty as an excuse for their players' loss of form this weekend; just do not expect Blackburn's Mark Hughes to follow that trend.

While Rafael Benitez, pre-match, ranted and railed about the injustice of being denied Mohamed Sissoko and Dirk Kuyt because of injuries sustained playing for their countries in midweek, Blackburn's Australian pair, Brett Emerton and Lucas Neill, were in the air, completing a round trip of more than 20,000 miles following their own international appearances.

Yet there was little sign of any jetlag affecting their form here as they formed an important part of a Blackburn performance that would have produced a famous victory, courtesy of Benni McCarthy's goal in the first half, but for a Liverpool equaliser claimed, inevitably enough, by former Rover Craig Bellamy.

'How the hell they do it, I don't know,' said Hughes of his Australian pair who played against Bahrain on Wednesday. 'They travelled for 26 to 28 hours leading into the game, they didn't train yesterday and turned up at 5pm at the hotel. That was the first we saw of them.

'Yet they continue to produce performances like that. I had to have a word with them before to see if they felt ready for a game of this size and they were very positive and said they were ready to play. It is a big commitment for them but when you are a top player, an international player, you are going to have those sort of commitments. It's more difficult for guys from Australia because of the distances involved but they are proud to play for their country.'

How refreshing to hear a Premiership manager not using the spectre of international football as an easy get-out. It helped, of course, that his players did such a good job against an uninspiring Liverpool whose defending, in the first half in particular, was appalling."

[modes98]

While it was poor defending, I thought Brad should have gotten to it.

No chance, maybe a 100% brad on top form would have got a hand to it, but it's that close and headed well dispite being directed into the ground.

Instead of having Tugs at the near post, i would prefer him at the far if i had to choose. Both seems to be a must at most clubs these days. Emerton was totally fooled by the cross and blame starts and end there.

[OJRovers]

Good performance from the lads on sat.

What's going unnoticed (a little) is how Bentley is improving every match this is a really positive for us as he has big potential and is young too.

[thenodrog]

........ it was the midfield who let us down for that 30 minute period as they simply didn't keep hold of the ball and allowed Liverpool to launch attack after attack, something was always going to give.

Exactly and a point I made here.........

Points........

2. We still cannot defend a lead. Easy to see why when we are trying to do so with MGP, Bentley and Tugay in the same midfield. These guys are creative without doubt but defensively they are hopeless.

[LeChuck]

Surpised you didn't suggest 4-5-1 theno...

[Eddie]

Good to know that we agree theno.

[greggyk]

Exactly and a point I made here.........

What do you two expect, we're playing Liverpool, at Anfield! They're bound to have at least one spell in the game where they take control

[thenodrog]

What do you two expect, we're playing Liverpool, at Anfield! They're bound to have at least one spell in the game where they take control

Possibly but scrapping and contesting every loose ball ball is the way to take all 3 points. We are not living up to our hard earned reputation as dogs of war! We'll bloody well lose it to Bolton at this rate!