[Archived] Liverpool V Rovers

[Eddie]

Scotty sums things up very well I feel:

It's hard to look at the bigger picture after a display like todays, but we really should. A top half of the table finish for a club with our resources is a fantastic achievement. However, I can't help wondering what might have been given the form we showed in the first third of the season. Europe's gone now I think, and Hughes has got a big job in the summer to pick the team up and continue the overall improvement we've shown under his management.

I just don't buy that way of looking at things. We got off to a flyer this season, the squad showed what it's capable of and don't forget that we're a team that has regularly finished in the top 10 since our promotion. More to the point, who is better than us? How many teams that will finish below us or just above us are a seriously better team? Spurs are better, but they've had a stinker. Apart from that I'd say that we are pretty much on a par with every side around us and better than most of the teams below us. The fact that we've choked several times in these past 5-10 games is why we won't have European football next season.

[92er]

I listened to the match on Radio Lancs. However, it wasn't till I got to the Bentley thread that I remembered that both the summariser and the commentator had picked on an incident towards the end of the match and which no-one on here has mentioned: they said that Bentley kicked out at one of the Liverpool players and is likely to be banned retrospectively. Did anyone else see it?

[LeChuck]

As for Skrtel...he clearly pulled back Roberts when he was the last man so in conclusion he was very lucky to stay on the pitch.

I think Reina's speed and positioning saved Skrtel, he was already at the edge of his area and advancing as Roberts was turning and would have gotten to the ball first had play gone on.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Phil, we were playing a team that have just played a massively important game in mid-week, we've been breezing around the training ground obviously doing naff all. Liverpool looked jaded in several areas of the pitch today and a fully committed, fired up Rovers could have run them close, this could have been our biggest game to date, did it look like it ?

Instead what do we get, an half-arsed , disjointed, careless performance that said " our seasons over, now where did I leave the air-line tickets". Our shape was awful, nobody in midfield seemed to know where they were playing, we were second to too many loose balls and our passing was Rochdale standard.

We were taking the ball stood still all afternoon, giving the ball to players in a worst position , tipp-tapping around the edge of our area until we lose possession. If I see one of the back four turn back inside and pass back for Brad to clear downfield when they could have cleared the ball themselves I'll scream, they're picked , presumably, for their ability to pass the ball, he isn't !

I suppose most things look better when viewed from Malta but todays game shouldn't be one of them.

[Gav]

I just don't buy that way of looking at things. We got off to a flyer this season, the squad showed what it's capable of and don't forget that we're a team that has regularly finished in the top 10 since our promotion. More to the point, who is better than us? How many teams that will finish below us or just above us are a seriously better team? Spurs are better, but they've had a stinker. Apart from that I'd say that we are pretty much on a par with every side around us and better than most of the teams below us. The fact that we've choked several times in these past 5-10 games is why we won't have European football next season.

But the real point is that if we'd choked over the past 3 seasons we'd probably got away with it. Now with serious investment in other clubs around us we can't afford to choke, but we have and ended up in our current position.

The teams around us now will not be beaten by a quality manager alone, the team needs serious investment because the goal posts have moved, simple as that.

[Roar of the Rover]

What a poor performance, no creativity at all.

[Eddie]

I still think Hughes is regularly showing himself not to be a quality manager. If he were in the United States he would be a quality GM, but he doesn't seem to have the tactical and actual coaching skill to get this team to perform to its very best.

The final 10 games of the season are always the ones that decide where you end up finishing. In recent times we've had a better second half than first, this year we've basically fallen apart as we've approached the final hurdle.

[grizfoot]

I think Reina's speed and positioning saved Skrtel, he was already at the edge of his area and advancing as Roberts was turning and would have gotten to the ball first had play gone on.

+ the tackle on Reid in the first half. Two definate yellow cards for thoose two challenges at least in my opinion. Not remember when Henchoz got sent off for us against Newcastle and pulled back Martins, he was only just past the halfway line yet he got sent off.

Not that them having ten men would have made a huge difference, but we may not have gone onto lose 3-1.

[ABBEY]

What a poor performance, no creativity at all.

aye and you being a true rover an all

[Roar of the Rover]

aye and you being a true rover an all

They were crap, lucky that Liverpool had a midweek game so they wern't 100%. Torres did so well to stay onside and got his reward, very clever player.

[Mozzer]

i consider torres probably the best striker in the world..i must say other then the goal i thought samba and nelsen handled him well today

also i thought emerton handled babel well..i would say babel going off in the 55th minute or whatever proved what a quiet game he had..

mistakes cost us..

im disappointed with gerrard-hes a world class midfielder-no need to dive..

[LeChuck]

They were crap, lucky that Liverpool had a midweek game so they wern't 100%. Torres did so well to stay onside and got his reward, very clever player.

Should that not read 'we'...

[yorkblues]

bentley needs to stay on the right .very poor again

[tcj_jones]

Surely an unfit, off the pace Vogel is a better alternative than Mokoena? I think it's a little bit hypocritical of people to be blaming Hughes for not fielding Mokoena one week and then blaming him for his inclusion the next.

[tony gale's mic]

Jesus some of you aren't half being melodramatic. Let's get a bit of perspective.

We were bad today. There's no hiding from that. And yes, we should be quite concerned that our form since November really has been generally poor.

But last weekend we were fairly good against Spurs, a couple of games before that against Wigan we put up a great performance with 10 men. It's not like we've been consistently this awful for a long time.

I've still got high hopes for Vogel, he was poor today but so were most of the team. At least he's got an excuse though...the man's got a good pedigree and has proven himself at the highest level before so it will be a while before we should start thinking about writing him off.

Anyway about our season...relegation next season, don't be so ridiculous. I worry about that sort of thing on a 5-10 year timeframe but the teams coming up are awful and the likes of Middlesbrough, Wigan, Reading and Birmingham next season should ensure we shouldnt be troubled by relegation. This season we did start well, but we just don't have the same resources available to us as the other teams around us. They have more quality running through their team and their squad than we do for the simple reason that they've been able to invest more than we did. You can't expect the same two or three players to keep performing consistently all the time throughout the season.

The likes of Reid, Dunn, Emerton, MGP, Roberts, and this season's versions of McCarthy and Nelsen aren't necessarily bad players, they're Premiership class alright, but no more than most of Middlesbrough's side, or a lot of Wigan's side. The fact we're in the position we're in is mainly down to the form of RSC, Bentley and Friedel, together with having a good manager in Hughes.

So don't go apportioning blame at people too readily, fact is we don't have the financial clout to compete on a level playing field with most of our current rivals. But look at the three teams immediately below us. West Ham, Spurs and Newcastle. Look at the gap in points between us and them, and the amount they've spent on players lately. We're still competing against the odds.

Hughes has £10 million to spend this summer and if we get a good enough offer for Bentley possibly a lot more. I'd hate to see him leave but we could replace quite a few of the journeymen in our current lineup and have more of a balanced side should the worst happen. The teams around us have got richer and spent more in the last season yet we're still on course to better last years' final position by at least one place. And we should have more money to spend than the last few summers.

A bit of perspective please, everyone.

[tcj_jones]

Oh yeah, and relegation? I think people are over-reacting somewhat.

[frosty]

Bentley should have been on the right with Reid in the middle. For the Man Utd game, I would have Nelsen and Ooijer as the CB's.

[Paul Mellelieu]

Usually go to this one, but a £36 tariff had me sitting in a South Manchester pub with a few other Rovers' fans.

I must say I'm closer to Rev's take on this one, rather than the "end of the world is nigh" brigade who seem to be camping out here right now - and Eddie, calm down, you're starting to sound like a young girl who's eaten too many smarties at her own birthday party.

Anyway: we scored a decent goal, and the for most part looked steady at the back. Can't see why Nelsen and Samba are getting all the grief.

Second half they scored, and that was that. Except they should have been down to ten men, or even nine.

Scotty is right to highlight the midfield problem and he maybe right that the Dunn/Reid partnership is the most viable one right now. I thought Bentley did OK, and that McCarthy should have been on earlier.

However, the four horsemen of the apocalypse aren't heading into town just yet. Steady up all and take a teaspoon of calpol Eddie.

[SAS]

The 36 price put me off, so i got a junior and got in easily at 21 posing as a bloody 15 year old

I thought we played well in the first half, however we let this slip a lot in the 2nd half and got punished for silly mistakes, like the ref will do probably for missing roberts legit goal and the penalties for liverpool and the two last man challenges on roberts. but ney mind

[Ozz]

The amazing thing today was the amount of Spaniards at Anfield. In fact, there were more Spaniards, Scandanavians, Irish and others they out numbered the locals at times.

What we did wrong was doing the hard things well, IE winning the ball at the back, but then the easy things very poorly, IE passing it to another team mate . In here lies the problem. The all important first goal came about after much fannying about at the back, this time the otherwise impressive Roque Santa Cruz giving the ball back after winning the ball from a Liverpool offensive move.

Happened time and time again today, and the quality of passing was embarrassing at times. Reid especially couldn't even manage a two yard pass on several occasions. If we want to finish mid table, and that is no mean feat(ask Derby/Fulham /Bolton) then Reid and Pedersen are OK, but on recent performances they ain't gonna get us into the top 6 and Europe I'm afraid.

I only hope Dunn was not match fit, as is arrival sparked our best spell, and Benni looked like he could score at will on the two or three occasions he got in the box-indeed his scorching shot late on looked the most impressive sign of intent and desire in the match from a Rovers player.

As for Samba, why does he feel compelled to foul anyone who escapes his initial attempts at a genuine challenge-does he feel he has to do it all on his own , by fair means or foul?

View From Centenary Stand Of Away End Today.

[JAL]

Surely an unfit, off the pace Vogel is a better alternative than Mokoena? I think it's a little bit hypocritical of people to be blaming Hughes for not fielding Mokoena one week and then blaming him for his inclusion the next.

This to me is a clear sign that what you say is that Rovers and Mark Hughes are struggling.

Why is Hughes signing thirty one year olds on extended contracts when their best years are behind them yet the kids are no way in a million years good enough for premiership football, for me thats a big big worry.

Hughes needs desperately a leader in the centre of midfield like Savage was but better, can the Welshman do it you have to ask.

[tonygreenbank]

What I found odd was the pre-match comment from Hughesy on Sky that" we will go out on the offensive and that is reflected in my line up". His words were not heeded by the team who put on their worst away performance in front of Tv. We were so slow and ponderous but I must say give full credit to Rafa who very cleverly negated our style of play and overran us in midfield allowing Gerrard to pop up in all sorts of areas that we couldnt handle.

We looked poor as they forced us into costly errors - Roque and Samba being the obvious ones but the full backs were not as effective as a result because of the danger of the fast counter attack. I wouldnt be too downcast as some on here seem to be at the moment. However there are real concerns over certain players. Pedersen and Reid look a shadow of their former selves. We need the magic ingredient of pace throughout the side. If Bentley has to go to give us the money to rebuild then so be it. Can I start by getting Pennant from Liverpool if Bentley goes there for the right and any speedy left winger who is available.

[joey_big_nose]

The likes of Reid, Dunn, Emerton, MGP, Roberts, and this season's versions of McCarthy and Nelsen aren't necessarily bad players, they're Premiership class alright, but no more than most of Middlesbrough's side, or a lot of Wigan's side. The fact we're in the position we're in is mainly down to the form of RSC, Bentley and Friedel, together with having a good manager in Hughes.

I don't know about that. Our team is, I think, not much worse than Everton's. We have a lot of players with talent and we need to build on that. If we can reinforce in the key areas (as we should be able to) of Striker, Central midfield and Left Wing then I think we will be more than good.

I am suprised that people think that Nelsen looks bad, he has looked fine to me since coming back. I have no problem with Emerton or Roberts, or any of our players bar MGP and, unfortunately, Reid who looks a shadow of his former self.

Samba made a lot of mistakes to day but he also showed his quality at times. We need to work with that and sharpen him up. Bentley was the subject of wavering support and derision on here till he came through this season.

The worst thing that could happen at Rovers is if the manger loses faith in his players the way the fans do.

The addition of pace and creativity will bring the best out of the rest of the squad.

[Ozz]

Scott-was that you and your boy on the train from Lime St to Oxford, then to Bolton?

[Hannah]

View From Centenary Stand Of Away End Today.

If you took that photo Ozzie you can't have been sat far away from me?

Did you see a Liverpool fan jump up and down after Santa Cruz scored our conselation - he was celebrating the fact that he had torres to score first and RSC to score the last goal at 150-1 - pretty goo day out for him

Just got back from Liverpool. Incredibly disappointed with the lads and result.