[Archived] Liverpool Away Preview

[Hughesy]

Blackburn striker El-Hadji Diouf was warned by police following his confrontation with Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, which spilled into the tunnel at half-time, during the home side's 2-1 Premier League win at Anfield on Sunday.

Full story: Daily Mirror

[Zulu]

Well, we've got a long-running thread on The Wanderer which highlights the many ways in which Rafa proves himself to be a prick on a regular basis. It will run for a while yet I think. I've just posted the following comment on there. It's relevant here so I'll share it with you.

Yes, that Skretl (or whatever his bloody name is) really enjoys getting the ball on the deck and playing the beautiful game. does he not?

Javier Mascherano? A paragon of virtue.

Jamie Carragher? Surely Brazilian?

I've got a sneaking feeling that Benitez might just be a prick.

Don't worry - he'll get what he deserves one day. The Bindippers are getting what they deserve now. Big 4 Club? My arse.

[Hughesy]

We seem to be rapidly improving and if we are looking at yesterday to last season to compare - we are clearly miles better off now.

Next season could be the time to finally start messing teams like Liverpool up again.

As for Liverpool - they will be lucky if they manage 4th this season....next season they have NO chance!

[Mattyblue]

Always try and listen to a local as I leave the ground (difficult at Anfield as the majority are non scouse and too busy looking in their megastore bag and checking through their camera)

But the few I heard were on the lines of:

''proper match, Blackburn had us 1st half'

Really looking forward to the run in now.

I've long since ignored Benitez, I do feel he has some mental issues.

[TimmyJimmy]

... A good attacking formation with Grella holding.

Can't see us being hurt too much ... until Torres comes on as a sub late on, then he'll probably score one.

... I'll go 1 - 0 to Liverpool but hope for an entertaining draw.

Yeah, I got it partially right, we lost by one goal from Torres - yeah I know, anyone could have predicted that - but I never thought we were going to get tubbed in this one.

Sam's beginning to work his stuff, we did attack, as requested, and the team looks better balanced with Grella in the side. Sensible subbing from Sam I thought, protected the lads on yellows.

Great display, I think it's slowly coming together for us and I sense a growing momentum for next year. Let's push on to 40 asap, do the Dingles and finish the season on a relaxed high.

I'm deffo renewing my season ticket for next year, something good is happening, I can feel it

[Gav]

Benitez has been having a pop at us for a number of seasons now.

This started under Hughes and has continued under Allardyce. The worst thing to come out of this is we’re again perceived as a bull boy side, when in reality we all know we’ve hardly put in a tackle away from home in ages, Diouf aside at Villa.

Bully boy tactics are the way forward for me, if it winds up Wenger and Benitez I’m all for it, and it also levels the playing field.

[JAL]

Yet another blinkered view imo its pathetic that no matter what mistakes others make you will always call Keith Andrews. An high pressure game when Nzonzi's reaction as well as Chimbonda's challenge could have resulted us on another day being down to 9 men you call the only lad in midfield to keep his composure but dont call any other players performance. He scores a penalty and its then called a poor penalty as Reina dived over the top of it instead of saving it. Nobody criticises Lampard who has done the same many times for England and Chelsea and puts it in the same spot. In my opinion its you who should feck off and stop criticising the 1 and only lad who in his timne being here as given nothing but 100% whether its good enough will always be open to opinion but at least he is willing to do it!!

Andrews gives 100% of nothing, OK, he scored a penalty but apart from that (which any other player could have scored) he did very little.

N'Zonzi was having a far more positive contribution to the game until he was subbed for almost being sent off.

Watch the game please!

[47er]

Blackburn striker El-Hadji Diouf was warned by police following his confrontation with Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard, which spilled into the tunnel at half-time, during the home side's 2-1 Premier League win at Anfield on Sunday.

Full story: Daily Mirror

The good news just keeps on coming!

[Amo]

Was Gerrard calling Diouf a cheat? That's rich coming from England's "golden" boy...

I'm glad we're back in the media spotlight for our foul play. Hopefully it'll create a siege mentality and we'll return to our robust performances against the big sides.

[47er]

Was Gerrard calling Diouf a cheat? That's rich coming from England's "golden" boy...

I'm glad we're back in the media spotlight for our foul play. Hopefully it'll create a siege mentality and we'll return to our robust performances against the big sides.

Just how I feel. We were better when they hated us.

[Rover Down Under]

Oh diddums Rafa, you and your deluded, self-righteous, mawkish following must really wince when you realise the only time you've ever seen and ever will see the Premier League trophy at Anfield was when Blackburn Rovers players raised it above their heads. What a shame that you have singularly failed to live that dream despite spending about 50 times what it cost us and what a shame you have to distract peoples attention from this by acting like a complete tool.

[Gav]

Andrews gives 100% of nothing, OK, he scored a penalty but apart from that (which any other player could have scored) he did very little.

That’s rubbish, he’s not premiership standard, but you can’t fault the lads commitment and effort.

If the manager keeps picking him he'll keep playing.

[Amo]

That’s rubbish, he’s not premiership standard, but you can’t fault the lads commitment and effort.

If the manager keeps picking him he'll keep playing.

He's not. He's saying Andrews runs around a lot but achieves nothing.

[T4E]

Benitez has been having a pop at us for a number of seasons now.

This started under Hughes and has continued under Allardyce. The worst thing to come out of this is we’re again perceived as a bull boy side, when in reality we all know we’ve hardly put in a tackle away from home in ages, Diouf aside at Villa.

Bully boy tactics are the way forward for me, if it winds up Wenger and Benitez I’m all for it, and it also levels the playing field.

100% agree. Lets kick the sh!t out of everyone in sight,

[den]

There's no way Rovers would allow this garbage on their official website.

It's just official provocation. This isn't the Liverpool of the Shankley and Paisley days. Rafa has allowed Liverpool to stoop to depths that those two would never have gone to.

[alexanders]

Liverpool = Hoofball

Who do they think they are?

[yoda]

There's no way Rovers would allow this garbage on their official website.

It's just official provocation. This isn't the Liverpool of the Shankley and Paisley days. Rafa has allowed Liverpool to stoop to depths that those two would never have gone to.

From that article

"I really have been dismayed by the quality of refereeing this season. While Carragher's hand might have touched the ball as he fell to the ground, he was in a very vulnerable position; as it was, the Blackburn player kicked him anyway.

I can understand why it was given; but I cannot understand why countless others - such as Fabregas the other week - have not been given too. It really has been strange in terms of balance.

This season, nearly all the penalty and red card decisions seem to be going against Liverpool. Last season the penalty shouts were more as you'd expect, and the red card decisions, if anything, favoured the Reds; but certainly not by the margin we're seeing this time in the opposite direction.

Liverpool have still only been awarded two penalties all season, and only one since the opening day, when Glen Johnson was absolutely flattened. But three in the league, plus one crucial one in the FA Cup, have been awarded against the Reds.

If you are a team at the top end of the table, and have had a lot of possession, corners and shots, then you are clearly spending a lot more time in the opposition penalty area. I don't know why, but 15 incredibly good shouts have been waved away. Just two penalties with all that territorial advantage doesn't make sense, even without seeing those blatant incidents.

And against Everton and Blackburn, the opposition both deserved two red cards each occasion; yet the sum total of dismissals was one: for Liverpool. Even patently unbiased observers acknowledge this. And compared to what the Reds got six yellow cards for at Man City (the ones for Torres and Benayoun were mystifying), it's getting beyond a joke"

Well thats it then!

officially confirmed on the bin dippers hooficial web site that they are no longer a top 4 club and so do not get preferential treatment from the refs

[Hughesy]

Liverpool have spent mega money - yet in 2 games against us this season, we have made them look average at best...they got very lucky yesterday and all this 'dirty Blackburn' stuff is just to cover it all up.

50/50 on possession

More attempts on goal

More attempts on target

More Corners

Yes they won 2-1 but they got very lucky!

[cesus]

I felt it was a really good effort by the boys, Liverpool couldn't have complained if we got a draw as I think that would have been a fair result. I think it just shows the difference between the sides when it comes to the goals really, 1st goal our 2 midfielders both chose to chase the ball and a simple pass puts Gerrard straight in to finish. The 2nd goal well Robinson I can't quite grasp what he has thought there but looking back at the goal on TV I can't help but be a tad disppointed with Samba, he has got to the ball before Torres why didn't he just spank it behind for a corner rather than effectively laying up a nicely weighted pass for the Liverpool winger to send a cross in.

I personally think it might be time to let N'Zonzi have abit of a rest, he has done well with his lack of experience but to be honest I struggle to grasp his major attribute in our games lately he doesn't offer too much protection to our defenders and he isn't a major attacking threat.

[3rdpillar]

We lost but at least all the supporters that shelled out £40, got staring roles on the official police tv coverage.

[waggy]

thought we played brilliant yesterday,we gave away 2 bad goals,samba to blame for both,but apart from that it's a long time since i've seen rovers play so well,when we kept the ball on the floor we played some fantastic stuff,put we can't help punting it long.we were very lucky to have 11 men on the pitch,nzonzi slam dunk of lucas was soooooooooooo funny.keep the ball on the floor in future

[AggyBlue]

nzonzi slam dunk of lucas was soooooooooooo funny.

Brilliant.

I felt like doing that to most of 'em.

Fat Rafa too after his remarks.

[joey_big_nose]

thought we played brilliant yesterday,we gave away 2 bad goals,samba to blame for both,but apart from that it's a long time since i've seen rovers play so well,when we kept the ball on the floor we played some fantastic stuff,put we can't help punting it long.we were very lucky to have 11 men on the pitch,nzonzi slam dunk of lucas was soooooooooooo funny.keep the ball on the floor in future

Oooh. Sounds dangerously like you might be coming back to Ewood Waggy! I have to say Sam is really doing a great job turning things round. Will be interesting to see what happens when Dunn, Grella and Basturk are all fit too. He obviously wants to show the press we can play with it on the floor too.

[modes98]

Andrews gives 100% of nothing, OK, he scored a penalty but apart from that (which any other player could have scored) he did very little.

I think even worse than that, Andrews has headless chicken syndrome. He is drawn straight to the ball, which if high enough up the pitch can cause us big problems. When he is passed around up the field it then leaves Nzonzi alone to deal with the opposition central midfield. Not to say that Nzonzi doesn't also do this but he does seem to be more restrained.

The gap in between our Centre Backs and Defensive Midfield is scary at times and at other moments Andrews or Nzonzi just drop into the back line and create the gap again.

Andrews isn't an awful player, he just isn't good enough for what we need.

Liverpool have still only been awarded two penalties all season, and only one since the opening day, when Glen Johnson was absolutely flattened. But three in the league, plus one crucial one in the FA Cup, have been awarded against the Reds.

If you are a team at the top end of the table, and have had a lot of possession, corners and shots, then you are clearly spending a lot more time in the opposition penalty area. I don't know why, but 15 incredibly good shouts have been waved away. Just two penalties with all that territorial advantage doesn't make sense, even without seeing those blatant incidents.

And against Everton and Blackburn, the opposition both deserved two red cards each occasion; yet the sum total of dismissals was one: for Liverpool. Even patently unbiased observers acknowledge this. And compared to what the Reds got six yellow cards for at Man City (the ones for Torres and Benayoun were mystifying), it's getting beyond a joke"

Right so Liverpool are moaning at only having 2 penalties and yet 4 have been given against them. Maybe if you gave the ball to your strikers in the box then you would get more, or if Gerrard stopped diving that might help as well.

Top teams do get more penalties as they have more possession in critical areas. So what does that say about the state of Liverpool this season?

Liverpool get yellow cards for petty things, e.g. throwing/kicking the ball away, time wasting, because they haven't been good enough to win games comfortabley before the final few minutes.

We've played them twice this season and to be honest shouldn't have lost to them. It is very rare that we can say that, even more so we should have won one of them. In the game yesterday they had 2 meaningful shots and scored 2 goals. At ewood I think they had 1 chance which should have been taken.

They don't have enough creativity from the wings and after 6 years and £210m Rafa should have got his team right now. In comparison with Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and Man City they have a lot of work to do even to get near them. Good riddence to bad rubbish, enjoy the Europa Cup next season.

[Hughesy]

nzonzi slam dunk of lucas was soooooooooooo funny

Agreed - can anyone cut the video and put it on here as an image?! The way he slammed him down was great! Serves Lucas for falling back into NZonzi like a muppet...he just stepped out the way, threw him to the ground and bang - sit down!