Beautiful Game 12/13 Thread (Major EPL slant)

[Macca00]

Jimmy - put the noose away! It's a transition season and it's all about the players getting used to the system. We had most of the ball and things will come together. Allen looks like a proper player - that's what a 15 million pound midfielder looks like (not Jordan Henderson). We had some chances, Suarez could have had a penalty in the second half when it was still 1-0. I'm not particularly worried about the loss - my wife was a bit concerned when she came into the living room, saw the score was 2-0 Arsenal and I wasn't frothing at the mouth in anger.

My only concerns were;

i. We miss Lucas - Arsenal ripped us apart on the counter attack and Diaby thrived in the space that Sahin left for him.
ii. Gerard - what's happened to him? He's been awful this season and today, apart from that one touch pass to Suarez at the end, he was f***in shite. I'm quite disappointed that Rodgers didn't take him off around the 60 minute mark and replace him with Jonjo (who was again very good when he eventually came on).
iii. Reina - midweek, today and all last season - what's happened? I'm starting to worry.
iv. Borini - I think he needs to play in the middle of the front 3 because he looks lost on the right.

It's a tough start but we also play City, Arsenal and United in our first 4 games so I'm not surprised to see us struggle.

L

PS I love after 18 months of hearing how crap Andy Carroll is from commentators, the moment he leaves Liverpool the same commentators say Liverpool miss him (and his 0.14 goals per game). So f***in predictable.

[RobVarak]

Agree with your analysis.

I'd have a hell of a lot easier time being patient if they hadn't shaken my confidence by utterly screwing up the transfer window. You have a squad that's far too thin and bereft of natural strikers that is expected to learn a new style of play while competing across four competitions. This is a recipe for utter disaster. You cannot run Johnson, Gerrard and Suarez out twice a week over a season and expect much return.

The fact that they're looking at FA's at this point is completely farcical.

Rodgers comments today make me really wonder where the breakdown happened. Fingers seem to be pointing at Ian Ayre, and if that's the case he might need to go. I know FSG like what he's done commercially, so maybe they "promote" him out of the job of negotiating transfers. For now it seems like a clear indictment of their caving to Rodgers on the European model of front office operations.

[dougb]

Ah this doesn't sound good.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/se ... hn-w-henry

Nothing like those FSG Idiots putting a stick in the eye of the fans and undermining their manager all in the same letter. Although I'd agree that 3 of the first 4 games are brutal fixtures, I have a bad feeling that a bad start and the idiotic action behind the scenes could end up resulting in a rather disastrous campaign. At this rate they will be lucky not to be fighting relegation for much of the season.

Doug

[Macca00]

After reading the actual text of the letter I don't see what the fuss is, I also don't know how the guardian comes up with that interpretation. Reading the guardian's article first you'd think John Henry told Rodgers to f himself.


EDIT:

Chelsea sold Merielles to Fenerbahce for 8 million. Good pick up for them and he reunites with Dirk Kuyt.

[RobVarak]

For my money the letter is reasonable in both tone and detail. I think they're backing both Rodgers and Ayre (and unless the documentary shows us something we have to believe one or both are to blame for the debacle at the close of the window), which is all well and good.

What depresses the living $hit out of me is that JWH continues to beat the drum about FFP. I can't help but think this is a hugely dumb strategy. I understand the attraction on paper. LFC is still a great brand with a worldwide fan base. I'm sure they generate revenue at an elite level. But I have absolutely no faith whatsoever that FFP will ever be implemented in any meaningful, enforceable fashion. Russian and Arab sugar daddies are going to keep blowing out their bank accounts (and honestly, I have no philosophical or practical problem with that) and the rest of the league (even clubs like Spurs, Arsenal and LFC) are going to be waving papers in the air and crying for Platini to do something to save them.

Any club that's not able to absorb bad signings or ridiculous transfer fees is going to be looking at the backside of Man City for the foreseeable future. It's the MLB model without the crap-shoot of a playoff system to balance out the competitiveness.

[Macca00]

What depresses the living $hit out of me is that JWH continues to beat the drum about FFP. I can't help but think this is a hugely dumb strategy.......But I have absolutely no faith whatsoever that FFP will ever be implemented in any meaningful, enforceable fashion.

Word.


Did you listen to The Anfield Wrap from yesterday? Absolutely hilarious stuff.



EDIT: Speaking of Russian sugar daddies - Zenit just bought Axel Witsel and Hulk for 32 million pounds EACH! Gazprom money, bitches!

[RobVarak]

Did you listen to The Anfield Wrap from yesterday? Absolutely hilarious stuff.

About 1/2 way through. Funny as always, and some intelligent observations as well. Of course your have to wade through piles of outright idiocy from the borderline communists who sneer at any whiff of business corrupting the precious beauty of football, but that's what you get with LFC.

[Macca00]

Of course your have to wade through piles of outright idiocy from the borderline communists who sneer at any whiff of business corrupting the precious beauty of football, but that's what you get with LFC.

Sometimes I think you can remove the 'borderline' from that statement. In a similar vein I used to really enjoy the RAWK forums but I can barely go there anymore on account of the constant whining.



In other news, can someone please get poor C.Ronaldo some Paxil before he goes to Manchester City (then again, maybe City have a better benefits package that covers psychotherapy).

[10spro]

The Di Maria-Messi-Higuain trio is creating havoc to the opposition lately. Key 3-1 win over Paraguay for the WC qualifying playing many moments of inspired footy. The score could have gone higher, and with Lavezzi complementing the above trio perfectly, Aguero was not even missed. With the win they take over the lead for a spot in Brazil who barely beat South Africa in a friendly match while the Jekyll and Hyde Colombian team destroyed Uruguay 4-0.

[10spro]

Spain barely got by Georgia and I mean barely scoring in the 86' minute while a near post saved them earlier from a colossal upset.

Ukraine doing just fine after 45' against England.

[Naples39]

FYI, huge qualifier at home versus Jamaica tonight at 8 I think. Lose this one, and advancing out of the group or missing the WC for the first time since 1986 becomes a 50/50 proposition.

[Naples39]

FYI, huge qualifier at home versus Jamaica tonight at 8 I think. Lose this one, and advancing out of the group or missing the WC for the first time since 1986 becomes a 50/50 proposition.

USA got the win they needed, 1-0. Tons of chances in first half, but no goal. Poor second half, but got the goal. It will be good to have Bradley and Donovan back in the lineup for the last two games of this round.

[Feanor]

Full Kit Wankers.

http://richardp1975.wordpress.com/2012/ ... t-wankers/

[Macca00]

Impeccable timing.

[Jimmydeicide]

Anyone else think of my Fifa player yesterday and have a good laugh? Thank you Titus.

[10spro]

After 45', City's Hart is what keeping them close. He's been brilliant.

[Macca00]

Watch the replay - Evans goes in with two feet together, Shelvey with one. Evans goes in with a two footed tackle but Shelvey gets sent off. The difference is that Evans acts like he's been shot.

Amazing.

[Macca00]

Tough to play a team with 12 players. MoM Halsey. Valencia falls over himself. Penalty. Great stuff.

[pk500]

Halsey was bad, as usual.

That was a 50-50 ball between Shelvey and Evans. And I have no idea what game McBride and Barton were watching in the FOX studio -- Shelvey did not come in with studs up on both boots. His left leg was hooked behind in a slide tackle. That was a yellow-card foul, nothing more.

And Tony V. did a beautiful Louganis on that penalty call when Johnson approached from behind. He was going down the moment he heard footsteps.

I loved Stevie G's goal celebration. When he kisses the crest and points to the sky in love of club and those lost at Hillsborough, you get the sense he's one of the few players in the Premiership who is sincere about the gesture.

P.S.: Sterling is an impressive teen. I also heard on the "Men in Blazers" podcast that he is the Shawn Kemp of the Premiership. At 17, he already has sired three children with different mothers. Solid.

[pk500]

Which player has two sets of studs up? Which player should have seen red?



Halsey should have let the play go or shown yellow to both, at most. Maybe just a yellow for Shelvey because his studs perforated Evans' calf.

But straight red? Hell, no.

[Jimmydeicide]

The most glaring part to me was that Shelvey got his on the actual ball. But, he got away with one early in the game that may have played into it. Should have been 2 yellows anyway, whatever, ruined a good Liverpool performance.

I would have kept Sterling on and took Borini off though , after watching Suzo today its clear Borini is not ready for the pace of the premiership, Suzo looked real solid .

[Macca00]

You tell me who goes in with two feet?


Shelvey didn't do himself any favours by going into the tackle in the first place (and that earlier foul that Jimmy mentioned) but a straight red for that is laughable.

Whatever.

[pk500]

What's even more galling about the call is that Halsey was in perfect position to make the right decision. Nearby, no obstruction of his view.

What a joke.

[RobVarak]

Tough to play a team with 12 players. MoM Halsey. Valencia falls over himself. Penalty. Great stuff.

I was stunned that Halsey drew the assignment. He's consistently poor. Really a shame he ruined a match that was so engaging up to that point.

I was stunned by how good Suso was in a game of that magnitude.

If both Agger and Borini are gone for any length of time, the squad depth which is so poor as a result of the transfer deadline cock-up is really going to create a challenge.

[GB_Simo]

Slow motions and appropriate stills display a multitude of sins, fellas. This doesn't make your points any less valid but I don't think you're being especially fair on Mark Halsey.

At normal speed and with one chance to view it, which is several chances less than we're all getting here, my eyes were taken by the bloke with two feet in the air, legs splayed, making a tackle that looked like Jonjo Shelvey's. For what it's worth, my view is that Shelvey's tackle was excessive and out of control, which is a red card offence whether you believe it should be or not. I don't think the tackle Evans put in was any better, but I can well understand why, as a referee, you'd use your one and only look at the incident to penalise the one that looks worse at normal speed.

I cannot, however, understand this statue.