[Archived] Liverpool Preview

[Sysagent]

When Stoke and Fulham went to Anfield and left with a point they didn't face a Liverpool team who played like they did today. Nor did they go with a patched up team. Make no mistake today was bad. But I must be honest and say that I felt more disappointed coming back from Portsmouth, Spurs, Sunderland and Middlesbrough this season as those were games I felt we could and should have done better in.

There is absolutely no way that the players we have fit at the moment can possibly live with a Liverpool team that played as well as they did today. That's not defeatist it's just a fact of life. If you allow three transfer windows to pass without significantly stengthening your squad results like today are going happen. If we continue to ignore the fact that we have a small squad and that there are players in it who are not up to the job then results like this will happen more frequently.

Yes we were very poor today in all departments but Liverpool were excellent. The gap between the two squads is huge. To have any hope of getting something from these games you need to have everyone fit and everyone playing to their maximum.

Nor do I blame today on Sam. He has inherited a very small squad of players and had to allow Derbyshire to leave before he could bring anyone in. Our stagnant transfer policy has resulted in us having to use a player in midfield who is unable to train because of injury and is required to have pain killing injections just to get him as far as the bench. Yet even though he is not anywhere near being fit he is still regarded as a better option than other midfield players in the squad.

The fact that Keith Andrews has continued to play at right-back shows just how stretched we are and underlines the need to get Ooijer signed up for next season as soon as possible.

I left Anfield today thrilled by the quality of football I had seen from the home side. No matter how bad we were it was enjoyable to watch Liverpool knock the ball around with such confidence and skill. Our vital games are still to come and hopefully we will be able to put out a stronger side and those players will hopefully play to the maximum of their ability.

However, in the long run unless we can bring new players in for next season we will simply be postponing the inevitable even if we dodge the relegation bullet this season. The simple fact is that our squad has been in decline for almost two seasons now and this group of players is not going to get any better. We need new blood if next season is going to be something better than fighting to finish fourth from bottom.

Spot on.

[ABBEY]

RE MCM i did ...i rember taking my ex to the 2nd leg as well...oops how could i have missed that one.

[MCMC1875]

THaNk you.

I refer to those on hear who express poisonous rubbish every match day. Those who seem to believe they are far more qualified to pick the side than any given manager we may have in charge. Those who seem to believe they have some insight into how we have approached each and every game. Those who claim to have "inside" information from everything to transfers to contracts. Pure nonsense.

The simple facts are we have RSC, Reid, Diouf, MGP, Emerton and Roberts all injured. An un-fit Dunn and Grella and our best centre half reduced to being a makeshift target man. You have to admit thats six 1st team players out plus 2 at unacceptable levels of fitness and a key players out of position. Almost a full 11!!

Make no mistake, effort was not a problem today. But when you play against a side who make as much movement as Liverpool or any of the top 4, effort is simply wasted chasing shadows. We bang on about our top stars every year. Last year it was RSC or Bentley, then McCarthy before them, then Bellamy. The fact is we only ever have one or two shining lights per season. Players who could command big money. The likes of Liverpool have 6,7 maybe 8. It reflects the huge and ever expanding divide between the top 4 and everyone else.

The powers that be are guilty of negligence for allowing this to happen.

In Rugby League and American Football, league competition is maintained and financial dominance is not allowed.

[thenodrog]

Ahem, yeah right. And how were the other three goals scored? And what player outside the top four could have converted that long ball like Torres did? Imagine Roberts in that situation...

OK imho

1. Aggers magnificent shot came after they won possesion with a foul that Riley did not give.

2. The free kick which led to Torres 2nd goal and booking for Andrews was for a foul made up only in Riley's imagination. Rierra pushed the ball past Andrews and then ran into him. This happens so often nowadays cos so many referees simply have never kicked a ball in their born chuff.

[MCMC1875]

I like your idea BUT Rovers destroyed Stoke early doors with 4-4-2

Thats they way to beat them.

If fit, use RSC and McCarthy. Samba will have to be in the back 4

ooijer Samba Nelsen Givet across the back 4

Andrews Grella Warnock MGP across the middle

then either Diouf behind RSC or play RSC with McCarthy

Why not play Diouf instead of the hapless Andrews?

[MCMC1875]

get a grip people..ok we lost 4-0 and it could have been anything but this game wont define weather we stay up or not..

the team we had out shows we are struggling with injuries so people stop going on as if its the end of the world...

as for the game itself-

keith andrews is not a right back-maybe zurab should of started with ooijer at right back.

paul robinson kept the score down-im growing more confident in him

i think the only good thing to come out today was the three subs-

grella actually looked quite solid in midfield and when he came on there wasnt that big of a gap in midfield..

villaneuva in my opinion should be given a chance-he looked decent coming on , looking to create things and run at people...

doran-altho he lost the ball a few times-he surely does have something about him-i was impressed how when he had the ball he was running at players or trying to...

on to stoke-where its more realistic we will get something and hopefully have most our players back

It's SHOULD HAVE.

[ross-shire rover]

Sam clearly got team selection wrong yesterday.

I think it should have been :-

Carlos ( about the right size)

Pedersen ( can’t tackle ) McCarthy ( ditto) Roberts ( might have more chance scoring OGs ) Vogel ( missing in action )

Dunn Reid Tugay My Grandmother

Nelsen ( goalgetter ) A N Other ( plucked from the crowd )

My team probably wouldn't have done much worse.

I used to think we only needed 3 teams worse than us , now I know we just need 3 teams with fewer points than us.

[MCMC1875]

Have you forgotten 3 points out of 30 already? It was a bloody nightmare under Ince.

Sam has performed a minor miracle since Wigan (a).

[1864roverite]

Because Stoke play a rigid 4-4-2.

Looking at their team yesterday they have no "stars" bt what they do have is players who make the best of what they have got.

Their midfield will consist of Etherington, Delap, Lawrence and Whelan.

They will leave Beattie and Fuller up front to be supplemented by their defenders at set pieces because their really big men are out injured and will not feature.

Now, having watched the extended highlights of Stoke v Newcastle overnight, it is clear that Rovers style of football and players employed can combat the threat and use the way Stoke play to their own advantage, just like we did at Ewood.

Rovers have to go 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1. McCarthy has to feature with either Diouf behind him or if RSC is fit with him alongside, we do need a pair of legs in the middle however it is my view that Rovers can easily look to combat both Lawrence and Delap who provide the ammunition for Stoke.

There is one thing worrying me, Beattie has a habit of scoring versus Rovers and he has to be taken out by either Nelsen or Samba.

I still see a shining light for Rovers but a lot will depend on how we set up for the first 20 minutes, thats crucial as Newcaslte found to their advantage, keep em quietish and the team dont create as much.

its going to be a fulhamesque game me thinks.

[ABBEY]

It's SHOULD HAVE.

[MCMC1875]

I understand Allardyce's thinking yesterday, I know about our injury list, I agree Stoke is the more important game to win but none of this, absolutely none of it is acceptable to me as a football and Blackburn Rovers supporter. It's something of a relief to read people like Tris and Revidge hold the same view. Those of you who are finding yesterday's capitulation acceptable and are accepting of the reasons do not understand what you are doing, nor do you appreciate the longer term implications, which are very, very significant.

In the last 10-15 years the Football League and FA cups have both been devalued by clubs fielding weakened teams. Everyone connected with the sport seems to feel this is acceptable. I don't and have stopped going to some of these games. Any fan who accepts and agrees with yesterday's actions is supporting the complete devaluation of the PL and professional football. You are accepting it's OK for teams to pick and chose the games in which they attempt to win. Look at our two away games at Old Trafford and Anfield. Had we won or drawn at OT, where we tried to play and win, and Liverpool went on to win the title Rovers would effectively have handed the title to Merseyside. This is wrong.

Look at the UEFA cup, a competition many Rovers fans see as the pinnacle of achievement for us. Last time Bolton played they put out a weakened team and lost, Villa recently got dumped out fielding a youth / reserve team, last week Martin Jol wanted to field a weakened Hamburg team but his directors would not allow it. Tell me what is the point in entering a competion to lose? The fans are being taken for a ride - give us the money and then we'll decide if it's worth putting out a team. Villa fielded a weakened team and now the best they can hope for is to qualify for the same competition again - just desserts or what? You have to laugh at that.

I went to Anfield yesterday knowing we would lose, I went with a little hope we might scrape a draw, I went with an even smaller hope and KNOWLEDGE that occassionally shock results happen. I wasted my effort and will not go again if I suspect the same will happen.

Your view is just shortsighted. The most important choice facing the club is between Premier League or Championship.

[MCMC1875]

OK imho

1. Aggers magnificent shot came after they won possesion with a foul that Riley did not give.

2. The free kick which led to Torres 2nd goal and booking for Andrews was for a foul made up only in Riley's imagination. Rierra pushed the ball past Andrews and then ran into him. This happens so often nowadays cos so many referees simply have never kicked a ball in their born chuff.

Mike Riley has received little mention prior to this. It was his name more than Rovers selection that filled me with doom. Let's not forget he is a Burnley fan!

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I know the sun is shining ( in Lancashire anyway ) but it doesn't feel any better does it ? I nearly walked out yesterday after seeing Dunn launch our only decent free kick in an attacking position 10 ft over the players in the goalmouth and straight into the stand.Today I wish I had. I watched most of the Stoke/Newc game last night. Shearer's made a slight difference up to press- at least they stuck at it after going behind to a a really poor corner decision. The ball touched a Stoke player last but was still given as a corner. Stoke made the most of it with a good corner, in fact all their set pieces were pretty good. They are a very physical team that play high tempo football, the ball goes from back to front pretty quickly. Like all rough and tumble teams they aren't so good at taking a kick. Bassong quietened Beattie with a sly elbow to the head which only earned a booking and Taylor stiffened Stokes pacy winger Etherington with a knee high tackle that also only got a yellow. At the end the Geordies were on top and if any team could have won it it was them. Next Saturday won't be a game for the faint hearted and we'll need battlers not rubber dinghy men.

I think both Boro and Newcastle will take heart from yesterdays results, they're both not dead yet.

I've been trying to come up with a team for next week but I gave up, who'd have Sams job ?

We could do worse than play a back four of Ooijer- Nelsen- Givet- Warnock with Samba and Grella in midfield, were going to need all the height we can get in this one. Santa's going to have to play in spite of the little knocks and strains.

Another point- we were awful yesterday but the referee gaves us absolutely nothing.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Ok, here's the plan for next season:

We'll need 12 wins and a handful of draws to stop up. Target the 6 games against the promoted teams; Bolton and Fulham home and away, and then the other 8 games at home versus non top 6 sides. Save our good players for those games. Do what we did yesterday (and at Arsenal and at Coventry) in the other games, and, of course, the cup games. It doesn't matter how many times we get walloped because those games 'don't matter as much as the winnable ones.'

If it works, most on here should be very happy

[ABBEY]

Ok, here's the plan for next season:

We'll need 12 wins and a handful of draws to stop up. Target the 6 games against the promoted teams; Bolton and Fulham home and away, and then the other 8 games at home versus non top 6 sides. Save our good players for those games. Do what we did yesterday (and at Arsenal and at Coventry) in the other games, and, of course, the cup games. It doesn't matter how many times we get walloped because those games 'don't matter as much as the winnable ones.'

If it works, most on here should be very happy

and make it free against the top teams because we wont show up.

[DE.]

Ok, here's the plan for next season:

We'll need 12 wins and a handful of draws to stop up. Target the 6 games against the promoted teams; Bolton and Fulham home and away, and then the other 8 games at home versus non top 6 sides. Save our good players for those games. Do what we did yesterday (and at Arsenal and at Coventry) in the other games, and, of course, the cup games. It doesn't matter how many times we get walloped because those games 'don't matter as much as the winnable ones.'

If it works, most on here should be very happy

Have you not considered it's possible people are lowering their expectations for what is left of this season as we now effectively have to focus solely on survival?

It's been said numerous times by many people that they wouldn't be happy with the same stance next season.

[ABBEY]

if this was the case were was the dogs of passion yesterday?

[Dunnfc]

This has to be the team for Stoke.

Robinson

Ooijer Samba Givet Warnock

Dunn Grella Tugay

Diouf Santa Cruz Gamst

Although we all know he wont drop Nelsen mr untouchable.

[DE.]

I have the feeling the game was written off by both sam and the players before they went onto the pitch.

Which I do consider disgraceful, especially to those who paid money to go and watch such dross... it's a sad comment on the league as it stands that teams have to go by the kind of logic Sam is employing. All we can do now is look forward to the Stoke match. At least we'll try to compete in that one.

[cn174]

Id rather we won next week at Stoke that got a point today (at best) by putting out our strongest line-up. Why risk injuries for a big, big match!!

But why do we have to choose between a win at Stoke or a draw at Liverpool. Surely it is not beyond the realms of possibility to achieve both.

My whole problem with yesterday wasn't that we got beat, but we just rolled over and let them win. We were set up to lose right from the beginning and noone gave the impression they were going to try otherwise.

[47er]

Not only do we need Samba against Beattie, we need him to combat Delap's throw-ins. Vital that Santa Cruz plays in this one.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

This has to be the team for Stoke.

Robinson

Ooijer Samba Givet Warnock

Dunn Grella Tugay

Diouf Santa Cruz Gamst

Although we all know he wont drop Nelsen mr untouchable.

Can't see that matey, you've picked 4 players who probably won't play the whole 90 minutes ( Grella, Dunn, Tugay and Santa) and another 1 who's probably wishing he won't have to (Pedersen) . It's not a game for guys carrying injuries and it's still only 3 subs you know.

[Amo]

I would opt for this line-up:

ROBINSON

OOIJER - NELSEN - SAMBA - GIVET

DIOUF - DUNN - WARNOCK - PEDERSEN

CARLOS

SANTA CRUZ.

-------------------------

It's a big if, but IF Cruz is fit then he's a much better target man to rely on than McCarthy or Samba. His hold-up play will be perfect for bringing Carlos into play, who loves to bomb forward and create space. We can then reinforce the front-line with Dunn behind, and Warnock putting himself about in the middle.

Of course, there's not a cat in hell's chance of Sam deploying this formation.

[Bobby G]

I think Morten will be back for this one, and Id play Samba back in defence for this without doubt.

Not losing is the most important thing in this game and we need to combat their aerial threat.

Id play 4-4-2 in this one for sure.

Grella back could be very important as I rate him when he is fit.

[Tris]

Agreed. It's more important not to lose to your relegation rivals. Talk of Stoke being a must-win is daft.

You've changed your tune ...

You cannot throw away 4 points like Rovers have done in the past 2 games and expect to survive.

We are going down.

I think you're confused