[Archived] Liverpool Match Review 2 - 2

[Shaddy]

Dickov was excellent, I think he fully deserves his starting spot, with Bothroyd and Stead interchanging as his partner.  Neill was poor. 

I agree, and it seems harsh to "drop" him. But I feel his contributions can be more valuable of the bench, so he'd have to accept the drop for the sake of the team.

Liverpool's centre-back pairing are/were big and strong, and the obvious situation, that the stronger Bothroyd would win more against them, eventuated. I feel Stead would have benefited more from some of the won challenges and knock-downs in this game.

There was one situation were Dickov was muscled out of his attempt to take a shot, and ended up being pushed out wide, where he had to just lay-it-off. Queue a similar situation when Stead came on, and he was able to hold of the defender to have a shot.

Stead has a good shot. We all know that from last season. This season hasn't really validated it, but really is a Shearer type striker, able to find space on the defensive line and get shots on target. He needs to have more shots them the shortened playing time allows.

Bothroyds strength means regardless of how many goals he'll score, and of course he'll need to chip in, he needs to start, poor form exempted of course.

That's just my view of course.

Edited October 30, 2004 by Shaddy

[Lathund]

Apart from the first 10 minutes and right at the very end (Where we did defend quite well though) I thought we were excellent. Much better than pretty much any game this season. I thought McEveley looked a little short of confidence but still did well, unfortunately I don't think their equaliser will help his confidence. Bothroyd has excellent technique and looks pretty good in the air too, he should get more playing time. I do think we should try him and Stead, because while Dickovs workrate is magnificient, I think Stead and Jay together can match that, and Steads finishing is better.

I must echo what everyone else said, Emerton was excellent (again)! One goal and one assist, and he played well throughout the game. Almost got a second assist from the corner where a Pool player (Garcia I think?) saved Short's header on the line. May not have the best technique or be the very fastest player (Although he IS fast) he just looks unstoppable while running at full speed with the ball at his feet. Our defence still didn't look as good as I'd like, but a hell of a lot better than the last two games.

Tugays red card vs Boro wasn't his last this season, I'm quite sure of that. For the next game we should keep the same lineup, except for replacing Dickov with Stead. Although vs the better and more creative teams I'd prefer to have Reid in the centre with one of Pedersen, De Pedro, Jansen or Djorkaeff on the left.

[greggyk]

We played pretty well today IMO. I thought the best players were Bothryod,Emerton,Nissa and REID. Yes REID! He showed passion and defended very well.

BUT, Tugay and Neill were shocking!

Still not convinced about us defensively today, but saying that, we aint gunna play a much better attacking line than Liverpools

We will still be in a relegation dog-fight at the end of the season though, because I cant see us putting that much effort in every game. We have a more important game away to Norwich next week to think about now.

Which i expect us to lose

[Shaddy]

BUT, Tugay and Neill were shocking!

I didn't think Tugay was bad today. He was living on the edge today, but it seemed precisely what we needed, a bit of blood and thunder. His efforts, although bordering on insane in some instaces, I agree, stopped Liverpool from playing in the midfield. And we out-played them wide. So he was effective.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

WELL PLAYED THE LADS IN BLUE 'N' WHITE! .....you put some pride back into the club today and we can all hold our heads high again!

Emerton and Bothroyd deserve special praise.

[krislu]

Emerton and Bothroyd deserve special praise.

Did Emerton play on the left the whole match?

[1864roverite]

back home again in sunny Leyland and for once my night is going to be so much better - FOR EVERYONE

What a difference a week makes, solid defending, wholehearted challenges, effort, creativity, togetherness, a good crowd but the one thing missing in recent months was clearly evident PRIDE in a Rovers shirt.

Rover can count themselves unfortunate not to have got all 3 points, although before we thing the corner has been changed I have to point out that Liverpool were very dangerous albeit there chances were limited.

My player ratings:

Friedel - 7 - some terrific stops and clearly caught out of position for the opening goal. Needs to have more confidence and come for the odd cross or 2.

Neill - 7 - a totally different player to one of late. Solid in the challenge as usual and got a lot more forward. Left stranded for JAR shot on goal.

Short - 7 - solid as usual, unlucky not to nick the ball off Baros when he equalised and very unfortunate not to give Rovers a 3rd with a terrific header.

NEJ - 8 - solid performance. Comfortable in the air and on the ground. Clearly benefits from having Short alongside him.

McEverley - 7 - solid performance although niaive with the free kick that cost us the lead.

Emerton - 8 - strong solid performance and what a finish. For those who have not seen it, it was a pure finish and not a keeper in the world would have got near the precision shot.

Ferguson **9** - star player. Solid, creative and kept the whole team going for 90 minutes.

Tugay - 7 - best performance for 2 years. Not too many faults for him today although some of his passing was poor.

Reid - 8 - A few weeks ago I labelled this guy as not being a Premiership player. After todays performance I have changed my mind. A very good effort from the lad, good on the ground and solid in the air. If only he could use his pace going down the flank.

Dickov - 8 - effort he put in was superb, unfortunate with a chance in the 2nd half.

Bothroyd - 7 - caused so many problems for the Liverpool defence and a cool finish. Tired at the end of a great effort.

subs

Stead - 7 - looks like he is getting more confidence back and very unlucky with a superb shot.

Tactics. Spot on. the work effort during the week has clearly paid off and Rovers fully deserved their point although it could have been 3. There is clearly a new found confidence within the team/squad.

Referee Styles - 8. When I saw it was he in the middle I cringed with fear. he clearly had a good game and could easily have sent off Tugay. Let the game flow and didnt blow for too many petty fouls.

Crowd - 9 - so much better when the Rovers fans unite in adversity. Still one or two prats in the Lower BBurn End giving grief but overall it was a great atmosphere.

So what can Rovers take from the game ?

On the negative side there is simply the one or two mistakes that cost us a goal.

There is plenty of positives for Mark Hughes to take into the crunch game at Norwich. If Rovers can take this performance into that game then we should win however we all know that football is a funny old game. Emerton is a man possessed, Fergie is leading the team like a true Captain andthe rest of the team appear to be taking a lot of responsibility.

JHC it feels great to be able to enjoy a saturday night especially watching MOTD in the knowledge that every ###### pot punter got it so wrong after writing Rovers epitaph in the run up tot he weekend

Now then finally.......

what was the dingle score ? I lost count at 3-0

[chris]

"Tugay - 7 - best performance for 2 years. Not too many faults for him today although some of his passing was poor:

and you gave him only 7, what does that say about his performances over the last 2 years

[RoyRover]

A very good result tonight and a battling, spirited performance to go with it. I had problems ordering the game on Premiership Plus and by the time that I got it, we were 1 down and I was fearing the worst. But after that we were excellent and I think that Hughes ideas and work on the training pitch was starting to come through. Emerton was brilliant the whole match, great cross for Bothroyd and a super finish for his goal. Bothroyd played well also, held the ball up well, had good vision and was good in the air.

I thought that Reid had a solid game in midfield and a good run in the side will only make him better. Defensively , we still look shakey, but better than we have in recent games. It was good to see McEveley getting a game in the first team, he played well all night apart from that terrible mistake which lead to their goal. With abit more luck, Short's header would have found the back of the net. Hughes should keep the team the same for the next match and make sure that the players how the same desire and commitment.

We have a run of games now, against teams in a similar position to ourselves and it is vital that we pick up points from them, so as to avoid another season of worry and frustration.

[sumps]

The only thing that spoilt the game for me today was the guy sat next to me. He was only happy when we were losing, kept going, they're going to score. He must have said everyone on the position was crap bar Friedal!

Anyway, if we can play like that every week then we will have no problem staying up. If you can come away from a match against Liverpool and be disappointed that you haven't won then it is a good sign.

I thought Botheroyd looked class and managed to find space when he had the ball at his feet when it looked impossible. Dickov, for all efforts, just isn't good enough. I think Stead and Botheroyd can make a good pairing, with Stead making runs off flick ons from Jay.

I was very impressed with Nissa today. He was very calm and composed on the ball, he just needs a few more games like that to boost his confidence and hopefully him and Short/Todd can solve our central defensive problems.

Emerton and Reid were impressive. Reid his socks off and provided a some bite in midfield without looking like he was going to get sent off, which is what Tugay seems determind to do at the moment.

However, gave two soft goals away today. For the first Neil was caught out and once Risse got the ball there was only going to be one outcome.

For the second, if we didn't rush taking free-kicks so often then this kind of thing wouldn't happen. Tugay is the worst for this, as he always always always tries to take free kicks quickly, when sometimes it's just best to take your time and keep possesion.

All in all very pleased with the performance and definatly something to build on.

[1864roverite]

It says Chris that I think over the last 2 seasons I think he has been pretty god damned average when he clearly had so much more to offer BRFC. Thats my view lump it or like it.

today I thought he was worth 7

[American40]

Ugh...

http://cache.gettyimages.com/comp/51628047...757C85AE85A779B

Edited October 30, 2004 by American40

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

OUCH!!!!!...bet that smarts

Edited October 30, 2004 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[waggy]

took a young liverpoo fan along with me and junior today for his birthday treat,he lives on our street.

outside the ground we spotted steven gerrard in his car,so we bought a programme and waited to bounce on him outside the bburn end/jack walker.we were surrounded by loads of scouscers and not one recognised our stevey till we got his autograph then he would not sign anymore-one happy eight year old

the game was superb,could call one or two players but thats for later in the week,hughes made brave decisions and most worked

[Hanks]

so much better today, i left the ground happier than at anytime this season. emerton ferguson and reid were tremendous and for long periods the defence were not enducing panic in everyone around me. stead is getting closer and dickov/botheroyd ran there socks off.tugs passing was hit and miss but his passion is still there. i think last weeks slating in the media had a positive effect on them

[McClarky]

That was so much better than of late and possibly the best we have played this season. We looked good in midfield and caused them a few problems going forward which is a big change. I was impressed with the spirit as at the start of each half we were getting stuffed and yet came back into it despite conceding.

I've been a critic of his in the past but I think Emo was superb tonight. This must have been his best game since his debut. He really ran at Liverpool and took his man on. I also thought Bothroyd was good and worked well with Dickov.

Shame about McEveley's cock up for the 2nd goal because apart from that he had a decent game but the 1st goal was the 3rd in 2 games caused by our "off-side" trap. Why don't we just mark people?

At least we can have a bit of confidence going into the next few games because we really need a couple of wins quick.

Did anyone else think the referee was great tonight. Its ages since I've seen a ref actually talking to players rather than just booking everyone. It was a hard game but both teams were really going for it and I think he handled it really well.

[waggy]

forgot to add i had a bit off banter with the ref rob styles in the warm up ,shouted to him ' any chance of a penny ref' to my amazement he shouted back 'how many games is it now' i replied 54 and i will buy you a pint if you give us one today!

he shouts back 'i want a pie as well'

shows that ref's do know what goes on,and at least one has a sense off humour

[USABlue]

A quick note on Emerton. Is it me or does Emo seem to have gained an extra bit of pace. He actually looked quick today, is it testimony to Hughes training or Souness' lack of it. The man is definately quicker. Decent performance much to take encouragement form. Bazza showed some real grit too.

Biggest let down, you will all hate this and most likely disagree, Brad Friedal must be dropped. His covering and timeing for both goals was terrible. Flat footed stood on the line, any form of coming toward the ball and spreading himself and he could have stopped the shots, very least put the striker off.

Tough do's today though I thought we actually deserved the 3 points.

[sumps]

A quick note on Emerton. Is it me or does Emo seem to have gained an extra bit of pace. He actually looked quick today, is it testimony to Hughes training or Souness' lack of it. The man is definately quicker. Decent performance much to take encouragement form.

Maybe because he's actually running at full speed instead of stopping and starting like he was last season.

[greggyk]

He also seems to be able to beat the first man on his corners now.

[tashor]

We restored a bit of pride tonight.

The players and the crowd actually seemed to care about our Premiership survival.

Special mention for Brett who was superb.

It will still be a long winter but the darkness has lifted a little.

lets start seeing this season for what it has become - a battle for Premiership survival. Staying up is the be all and end all.

WE ARE STAYING UP.....

THE GREAT ESCAPE..... etc....etc.....

Make Ewood rock as we roll up the division.

[tcj_jones]

A very long match report but the last match I went to lead to a lot of interesting debate. I'd be interested to know what people think about what I have said.

What a performance - a HUGE improvement on the last few weeks.

We started the match with a very high tempo, thanks largely to Ferguson, Tugay and Emerton going in hard and fast without the ball and making some nice plays with it.

Then Neill gets stupidly out of position, with Short next to him playing too deep and failing to play riise offside. Neill failed to recover and Riise fired home. good finish. Just remember that although this was a defensive mistake, Johansson and McEveley were not at fault, McEveley in particular was high up the pitch.

What a spirited comeback though, epitimized by the hard grafting and creativity of Ferguson and Tugay who not only kept Alonso and Haaman quiet, but caused a lot of anxiety for the pool defense. Emerton on the left was excellent and ran at Josemi all half. Who says ythere isn't a tackle between Tugay and Ferguson?! Bothroyd also dropped back on several occasions to link well with midfield, his strength winning many 50/50's. Dickov's workrate was immense and he often won us the ball when it looked safe for pool.

Then came the goal. Supreme ball by Ferguson put Emerton in down the left and his ball in was excellent. Bothroyd got infront of his man to slot home and send the crowd nuts.

Not only did we not switch off like we usually do but we even pushed for a second. Perhaps the only negative at this stage was the useless positioning of Neill and the lack of cover from Reid, which left Traore in acres of space. Bothroyd's strength was invalueable to Rovers and he and Dickov linked well on quite a few occasions and we were unlucky to score twice. What was also very useful was when he dropped back into midfield and often won the ball back.

For a small period Liverpool attacked and it was thanks to some real strength and compsure from McEveley that their runs down the right came to little. He lacked the confidence to go forward but it was nice to not be left exposed as we are when Gray ventures forward. If anything I think McEveley's inclusion was a tactical decision.

We were winning every 50/50, Tugay especially getting stuck in, whilst playing some nice balls, though several were off course. Then we go forward again, Dickov winning the ball brilliantly, and just as Ferguson looked to have squandered the chance, in popped Emerton to cooly curl it round Kirkland. 2-1 and very much in the driving seat.

HALF TIME

We started the second half well getting a few corners - unfortunately Emerton would play them either a mile too long or right at the first man. Reid looked a much better taker. Emerton was giving Josemi a torrid time and looked absolutely brilliant, not to mention extremely physical.

However, Liverpool began to come into the game, but the respoinse from Rovers defense was exemplary - Johansson in particular throwing himself at everything.

We break with Emerton passing three men and forcing a foul, when, in a moment of madness, McEveley passes straight to Garcia whose long ball found Baros on the edge of the box. He was just too fast for Johnasson who did really well to hold him off. Infact, he did everything required, this was ENTIRELY Brads fault! What the hell was he thinking? The commentators failed to pick up on the fact that he just watched Baros run 15meters at him without even closing him down. By the time he got his shot out he was all of 5 feet away. Poor keeping, totally unacceptable. Has he lost his bottle or was this just an isolated incident?

Liverpool started to get back into the game and we looked edgy. Neill was caught out of position several times and just whacked the ball out to touch whenever he got it. The lads tried their best but nothing was really coming off. This was when Hughes introduced Stead in place of Bothroyd. A bad decision in my opinion as he was the only player we had with the physical presense to cause any danger at this time, Emerton aside.

McEveley continued to play well holding off Garcia and Baros on several occasions and Tugay continued to play some good balls. Was nice to see Tugay get stuck in rather than be anonymous like Flitcroft. Likewise Johansson made a vital interception and Reid got stuck in. Emerton, however, was just buzzing. He looked a threat every time he had the ball and Stead pulled off a great run and shot, after an Emerton run past two or three players, which forced a good save.

Rovers were coming back into it and from a clever free kick, Dickov found himself in the box and shot from close range, which was saved by Kirkland. Short was also cleared off the line from a header from Emerton's only good corner.

We saw out a shakey last few minutes for a VERY much deserved draw.

Ratings...

Freidel - 5 - Didn't really do much wrong other than the second goal, which ANY premiership and probably even championship goalkeeper could have saved.

Neill - 4 - Useless. The only player that showed nothing. Poor passing, poor balls up the line, poor tackling and especially poor positioning that cost us a goal.

Johansson - 7 - Looked edgy early on but really got stuck in and generally had a good game

Short - 6 - slightly to blame for first goal but otherwise strong and composed

McEveley - 7 - a very tidy perfromance and his strength held off Baros and Garcia on numerous occasions. Lacked confidence going forward and partly to blame for second goal

Reid - 6 - Disapointing again. He is not a right winger and didn't play wide enough. Gave Traore ridiculous amounts of space to run and left Neill exposed. Did, however, get stuck in.

Ferguson - 8 - very good performance. Great tackling and vision. Created a lot and formed the backbone of the team.

Tugay - 8 - A refreshing performance. Displayed the grit and determination lacking from so many of Flitcroft's performances, yet also managed to play a lot of good balls.

Emerton - 9 - Fantastic game. Gave Josemi a torrid time with his consistent running, power and pace. Played quite a few good balls into the box and looked to be brimming with confidence. Played much wider than usual as well, which meant he was often found in good positions.

Borthroyd - 8 - Exactly what the team needs - strength and presense. He linked very well with Dickov and i think the partnership is definately the way to go until January. Took his goal well and dropped back into midfield to help on several occasions. A real team player. (I have to add here that I have been saying this for about 5 weeks now )

Dickov - 7 - Showed real grit and determination and linked well with Bothroyd. However, spurned a few good chances and went off the boil towards the end.

Stead - 6 - Bad foul and yellow card and looked again as though he were low on confidence. Great shot at goal, however.

Edited October 30, 2004 by tcj_jones

[greggyk]

great report there jones. Bit harsh on Reid though. I thought he was one of our better players today

Edited October 30, 2004 by greggyk

[American]

Good game, shame we didn't get all 3 points. Have to say, though, that Baros was MOTM, Emerton for us. Thought Ferguson and Tugay played great in the second half, but in the first, Ferguson mis-hit more passes in 45 minutes than I've seen him mishit in all of his time here. Tugay's challenges were awful, but his passing was finally good. I didn't feel the confidence in Nissa that most on here seem to have. He played ok, but could have been more confident in his approach. Bothroyd proved me right, McEveley played confident, except the one boneheaded play. Dickov needs to learn how to finish from 6 yards out (that's a few times this season he's hit it straight at the keeper). Neil was terrible, Brad made some great saves, but should have done better with the first. Short was solid, as usual, but his lack of pace was exposed, as usual. Reid had a really good match, but with him being on the opposite side of Emerton, didn't have the ball going through him much. I'd be interested to see him in the middle, next to Emerton (like someone mentioned after last week's match). GREAT shot by Stead, the end of the schneid is near for him.

Outside of the first 10-20 minutes, I was very happy with the performance put in. If not for good keeping on both ends, though, the score could easily have been 4-4. What I liked most was that for the first time in a few weeks, the team DID NOT GIVE UP!!!

[American]

If we can get a shutout, we will win. However, as soon as a goal is conceded, the flood gates will open and the players will give up.

2-0 Rovers, Emerton and Bothroyd with Todd as MOTM.

Got the goal scorers right!!