OUR man John Gibbons in the ground at half time. God, look at him. My days, walk around him. Resplendent in a Hat Scarf and Badge bobble hat. You should have seen him. John Gibbons half time: “You’ve got to do 100 words minimum on Joe Allen. What a first half. Like a 16-year-old playing against 12-year-olds. You run over there, lads, I will stride into this space here.”
What a first half from Joe Allen. What a performance from him. Worthy of all the words. For 80 minutes the game was his in a manner that stuns you. Where did that come from? How did it happen? As a performance it had everything but a goal I reflected when I walked away from the ground.
Then I saw the assist.
Behave.
Then I watched it again.
Seriously. Behave.
Joe Allen, ladies and gentlemen. Where did it come from? Where did it all come from? Liverpool abject at times at West Ham throw this in. Liverpool do it again. The swines.
There’s a piece my brain is halfway through. It is this:
- We’ve tons of good players, you know. The issue isn’t how many good players we have. The issue is how many very good players we have and how the lack of them leaves minds unfocused at times.
- We’re desperate to lash the baby out with the bathwater. That we have this strong a squad and a weak first 11 doesn’t mean we need to force an exodus. We need to simply keep working on that first 11 question.
- We’ll get it wrong a bit. Get it right a bit. Get it a bit right. Get it a bit wrong.
- We need two very good windows back to back. Slightly problematic as very few sides get them.
That’s the piece.
Listen: The Pink – immediate post-match reaction after Stoke v Liverpool
These lads versus Stoke, they are all able to contribute for Liverpool. Look: they all have contributed for Liverpool. That is what contributing looks like. Working for each other. Working for us. They can do that.
Week in, week out? Two days in, two days out? That is harder.
When you don’t have a star player to carry you, when you can occupy a half of the pitch but be more likely to concede than score? That is harder again.
But these lads can contribute to the cause. They want to, trust me they do. They are Liverpool players because they want to be. They want to win games for Liverpool. They want this thing. They don’t need to be here.
This is important. This is the other thing I want to say in this thing I will write later today:
The Liverpool manager is Liverpool manager because he wants to be Liverpool manager. He wants this thing. He could have hung on for Chelsea. For Real Madrid. Maybe for Manchester United or Bayern Munich.
He didn’t want that.
He wanted to be Liverpool manager.
He wanted the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. He wanted this nonsense. He wanted our nonsense. This is what he wanted. He isn’t doing us a favour. He wants us. We want him.
Dwell on that. Think about all that. These lads and that manager and his staff. They want to be part of this club.
There’s more to say about this game. About Kolo and Lucas being brilliantly makeshift and defending with gusto.
There’s a ton to say about Emre Can. The goalscorer Ibe and the unexpected graft of James Milner.
But it comes down to that they want to win for Liverpool. They all, lads, manager and his staff, just need a bit more help sometimes. And sometimes not.
Sometimes you eat the Stoke. And sometimes, well, the Stoke eats you.
We ate the Stoke. Two more excellent last third players means we do that almost every week. No-one thinks that will be easy. But we all know. We all know.
In the meantime, Allen. The business. For now, he will do for me. If you’ve any sense he will do for you, too.
Match ratings: Stoke City 0 Liverpool 1
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Pics: Propaganda-Photo–David Rawcliffe
No question in my mind as to whether Allen meant that filthy little pass to Ibe. Just look at the body shape.
Having watched it again, I think Dan is bang on. Definitely meant it.
“Allen didn’t get it”
Gobshite commentator.
my hat is firmly doffed in the direction of joe Allen tonight. Wonderful vision and hard graft.
Ahahaha, he fucking meant it! Watching it back there, JoeAllen definitely meant it. JoeAllen is a lovely lad. JoeAllen is a good Liverpool footballer. God bless you JoeAllen.
Think Mignolet is worth a mention too. Maybe his safest game I’ve seen of his, if that makes any sense. Milner was brilliantly Milner when he came on too. Fills in any and all positions when people go walkies (and with Moreno about, that’s a handy attribute).
Surprised you’re taking this so well tbh, Neil. Thought you’d be despondent at the realisation that we’re a cup team and have been since the end of 2013/14.
Seriously, I can’t stop watching it. Hypnotic stuff from little Jo’allen. Mesut Ozil can do one.
Mignolet put in one of those performances where he was saying:
“that lad at the other end. that Butland lad. You reckon do you? Go on then. Seen his kick hit our lad? not me fella. seen his kick go out on the full a few times? not me fella. That cross? no bother. Go on then, what d’ya reckon then?”
Seriously, Mignolet was proper solid last night – I do wonder if he had a point (in his own head) to prove when in direct comparison, on live tv, with a lad touted for his gig.
Best bit of the match was when they gave us the ball back and Mignolet then refused to pick it up until they closed on him.
Pure nark. And about fucking time.
Here here Brownie,
Taking our time at throw ins also the whole second half, we were almost like a cricket team passing the ball around before chucking it in,
Sparky was going mental which is always a good thing.
Fantastic report – your writing keeps getting better.
What to say about that? This team is doing my head in.
Abject at West Ham. Grandiose at Stoke.
Jurgen has certainly read the riot act on commitment there :)
And Joe Allen. Wow! That pass – coz that’s what it was ! Pirlo-esque.
And Kolo. Immense tonight. The elder statesman even pulling a Carragher – esque sliding block a la Ataturk 2005!
Now what can we expect at Exeter?
“The Liverpool manager is Liverpool manager because he wants to be Liverpool manager…” absolutely my mate
the commentator during westham game “u know, if he had waited 2-3 more months, he could have gotten the chelsea job, or maybe even the man-utd job, instead he went to liverpool …..”
freaking d*ckheads dont even need to have simple facts and knowledge of the game now to commentate
Joe Allen will have about 4 good games for us, in a season. Last night was one of them.
We already know he isn’t good enough. Most of our players will look good in a few games this season. Pirlo looked good in nearly every game he played. That’s the difference.
He’ll probably get dropped now, because the manager knows he isn’t even good enough to get into our crap side – at least not for a game that matters.
When the Summer comes around, we’ll be doing what we always do. Looking down at our Scrabble rack, trying to make something out of QZKGJFX, dropping most of the tiles into the bag and picking out new ones, hoping that something good turns up this time.
That’s our plan.
@The Lady In The Van:
I don’t know what you’re on about…I’m looking down at our Scrabble rack and seeing WTRWWAW. Yeah. When the reds win we all win! Now go to bed. ;)
Joe Allen isn’t good enough? Are you joking? When played regularly (which isnt often) he shows more fight, more passion than most. Last night shows that, at the moment, we need his fight. His vision.
Some of our fans stupidly think it is trendy to slate Joe Allen. For exsmple I saw a twitter poll that showed over 100 lads wanted to swap Allen for Shelvey. Shelvey, a brainless footballer who has been a big part of Swansea’s poor season. Sorry, but what?! Seriously? Give your head a wobble like.
I think most of us know how good Allen can be, except maybe Robin;).
It is doing it consistently, and He needs to be picked regularly to do that, I just wander if he is a fairly quiet character not one to make a fuss, knock on the Managers door and say why aren’t you picking me boss, look how I knit the team together, I ‘m a tough little bastard too.
I dont think Welsh Xavi is so far fetched, a Welsh Xavi, not a Spanish one.
Summer holidays…
Rain has stopped…
Suddenly, a beautiful warm sunny day…
At the beach by the crystal clear blue ocean lagoon…
Everyone in the village, family and kids, enjoying at the beach, in the white sand, in the warm water…
Little Joe (Allen) just came out from the hospital and off his crutches, running about in the sand with his childhood friends, happily, laughing, singing old Beatles songs….
Then, suddenly, The Lady showed up in her creepy old van, stepped out in fully head-to-toe covered black dress, carrying an umbrella to block sun-rays reaching her wrinkle and pale skin under the 1950’s style dress, walked slowly towards Little Joe….
and called out to “IMMEDIATELY get inside the van!!!”, to drive him back to the Orphanage … which is shaded beyond the faraway cold cliffs….
You decide: The Lady or Little Joe?
Ha ha Josh, I’m defo egging the crap outta that van on its way out whilst screaming at Joe to run like the wind.
please refrain from using endangered sea turtle eggs :)…cheers
haha, like it mate. Nice to have some light hearted comments. Talking of light hearted, I wonder what Lady in the Van means. Judging by his comments if I was an Auckland detective I’d be going through the cold case files.
It’s like the guilty who can’t resist turning up at the crime scene. In his case he can’t resist referencing it.
haha. agreed. please pass the lead for all past few year unsolved cases to Sharlockholmes to follow up.
Pretty sure the Can/Toure chat was Can telling Toure to get upfield so that Can could slot into defence and chase any balls back leaving Kolo to just stand in the middle and move the ball without moving himself. But you’re right, teamwork makes the dream work.
Disagree with a lot of these numbers and words Andy. I’m not even gonna say “City aside”, that WAS Firmino’s best game for us. Ok, lacking end product and ultimate link and telepathy but workrate, desire, skill at times and the amount of needle he put into some of their players warmed my cockles. I’m excited to see what he becomes from that performance and Ian Salmon is right.
Allen MOM by a mile. Lucas second and Kolo third.
I really don’t want to see any of these players on the bus to Exeter Friday. Can we not cobble together an under 21 team and give that a go?
Wattsy – 3
Only just realised he’s put his reply to the ratings in the match review column. The dick.
We talk about our players being soft, but we as fans are just as bad. A player who has been a flop and a waste of money puts in a rare decent performance and everybody is purring about him.
That’s how he (and his team-mates) should be performing in every game, if he is of the required standard.
He won’t. He can’t. He isn’t.
As was pointed out in the pod, we used to have players that were amongst the best in the world. Allen isn’t in the top 1000 and I doubt we have any player that would make the top 100.
When we win a game, we act like Dot Cotton on Christmas Eve when her son’s head appears around the kitchen door.
“Hello Ma”
*2 minutes of dialogue, involving his whereabouts for the last 2 years and the offer of a cooked breakfast…
“You’re a good boy Nick”
People are merely pointing out an excellent performance from a football player in a game of football. Nobody is saying Allen is one of the best players in the world.
I was watching game in a pub, the pre progammed jukebox played Hey Joe by Hendrix seconds after goal, the Universe is with Joe, now.
I texted a mate.. his response not on my jukebox, Joe Allen has many detractors in our fan base, yet I can’t remember him ever turning in a below par performance unlike most of the squad, is it coz of the derby miss? Of course hasn’t done enough 8-10’s though.
So Van Lady is far from alone in her thinking and usually throws down some poetic stuff.
Should a player not be praised when he puts in a good performance???
You’ll be comparing Klopps last few months at Dortmund and first few at Liverpool with Brendan’s last season next ,
Oh wait.
Ibe might.., Ibe does! Indeed! Great pass.
Giddy again and long may it continue.
This roller coaster of believe, despair, believe, despair is killing me.
No, it’s what keeps us coming back,
It’s precisely this that the Lady in the white van doesn’t seem to get,
back to work today , kids back to school, coming down off 2 weeks of excess but that last night has warmed the cockles of my everything,
Can’t wait for the kids on Friday night and another 90 min roller coaster ride.
I agree with Neil regarding the throwing the baby out with the bathwater comment. With everyone fit we have got a good squad. Good, but not great. But a solid base to build from nonetheless.
We need to take a leaf out of Arsenal’s book now and instead of buying 6-8 squad filling (average) players start buying just one £40 million plus player per window, build it up over 3 or 4 windows. Doesn’t matter about being in the champions league, offer enough money and sell them ‘the project’ and they will come, just like Toure, Silva and Aguero signed for City when they were in the Europa League.
Totally agree with the lads on the pod; we are overstocked with piano carriers but we have no piano players. If you added just 3 world class players to this squad (fully fit) we have now then with this manager we could achieve great things.
Fact is we do not. We have a squad of mediocre players that would not have made the bench in our hay-day. I mean Kolo Toure? Joe Allen? Firminio? Benteke? Moreno? Please! One average game does not make a season.
Controversial there fella,
They wouldn’t get near starting 11 but……
Allen over Spackman or Kevin McDonald?
Benteke over Michael Robinson?
I’m sure others could throw in a few good bench offs,
No point harping back to the hay day and the lads /Pablo point is a solid one,
No more 5/6 in and outs this Summer,
One or two proven class acts and we go up a notch,
Easier said than done though.
Not saying this game does make a season mate, nor am I getting carried away. The point I was making is that this squad *when everyone is match fit* is a decent squad to build up from.
The squad we have now is probably only good enough to finish between 4th and 7th in the league, I accept that. But I personally believe that it needs about 3 or 4 top quality additions to enable us to start thinking about troubling the top 3 positions in the league. I don’t believe it is a rip it up and start again from scratch job. But hey, that’s just my opinion, and of course you are entitled to disagree with it.
Don’t forget that we’ve got 10 lads out injured. Throw in Bogdan and you could field an ‘injured XI’ that would be capable of beating a lot of teams in this league!
Walk around John? Take a packed lunch.
‘Ooo, Ooo, the funny Gibbons’
Once again we get carried away with a 0-1 win (all be it much welcome). Firminio was keek. I am uncertain if Joe ‘meant it’, Benteke is a plank and proved it yet again (no flair whatsoever), too many players missing during spells of the game, although worked hard when it really mattered. Lallana needs to work on his touch and passing. Remember boys and girls; its only half time. YNWA.
Thanks for that guru monkeybone
Ha ha, ‘Knowing your own darkness is the best method of dealing with the darknesses of other people’
I’d say Joe Allen meant that pass.Just look at how he shaped to play it.
He had a terrific game but he also a pretty good supporting cast.Firmino has been getting a bit of stick lately but his movement throughout the game allowed Allen options.The same could also be said about Lallana,Can and Ibe.
Maybe Klopp’s message is starting to get through.
I think Neil is quite right about everybody wanting to be at Liverpool and wanting to win.It’s just that some of them don’t seem to realise that they’re here by a strange twist of fate and good fortune. And they’re going to have to keep this level up if they want to stay here.
Perhaps that was part of Klopp’s message?
Can I just say Neil, that the most important thing to come out of this match and performance is that you, yes you, have your mojo back. Your optimism is what keeps people like me going. You carry us through the storm.
After the West Ham game it was heartbreaking. Everyone was angry. I am ludicrously calm and patient, but I was raging. I logged on here hoping to read or hear some words of optimism, yet even you seemed broken.
The Stoke performance was exactly what we want to see in an embryonic Klopp side. It wasn’t always pretty, it wasn’t always in control. But it was 14 men, always fighting, always looking. It was four Liverpool players bursting into the box offering options time and again in the second half. It was Lucas joining an attack late on, even when the sensible thing to do was to stay back and defend. And his legs were virtually gone.
I’ve argued for ages that this squad of players are not shit. They are prem league class players lacking that little bit of something extra (the magic in your other piece), and occasionally just shy of that overdose of of commitment we all crave.
I have no idea what the Exeter, Arsenal and Man U games will bring, for now I’m just happy that the Klopp style is back and you, Mr Atkinson, have your mojo back.
Joe Allen… Welcome to Liverpool, lad.
Spot on, bro. I share your up/down sentiments — probably all the Reds fans do too, that’s why lots of ‘constructive’ comments after WestHam game and lots of ‘happy’ comments after Stoke. Cheers
I don’t think the players give a f*** about playing for Liverpool, or for Klopp. Until I see them putting in seven 7/10+ performances in ten games, I’m not going to either.
As for comparing the performance of Rodgers/Klopp over 46 games, I thought that the general consensus was that Rodgers had no real say over player recruitment and they weren’t his men either?
Revisionists are now saying that Klopp’s being let down by Rodgers’ squad of players. Looks more to me like neither manager is/was able to motivate them to give anything like 100%.
Hoping desperately that Klopp succeeds, but the evidence is not looking great. How many managers have a lengthy successful spell at the highest level, then hit a slump of almost 50 games, before re-establishing themselves amongst the managerial elite in terms of results? I can’t think of many.
We are expecting miracles from this man.
Jeeze, Lady in the Van,don’t ever go on a suicide prevention site.
Comments to slit your wrists by.
Bask in the victory and have a nice day :)
Mate you seem to be missing the point. No one is saying we have a brilliant squad. They are in the main saying we have a workmanlike squad that requires 2-3 quality top end players. Stick a fit sturridge and a couple of other players of his class into this squad and the difference will be about 4 to 5 places. Your dig at Klopp is just daft. He pulled that squad last year from the brink back to 7th before probably realising that they had stooped listening. Slating the players is half the problem. I just hope you don’t do it in the ground.
I made the same point after West Ham but last night proves we’re missing 3 players from our spine. Not 15.
Thank you, Neil. Always enjoy your articles and even more so your optimism about Liverpool. And spot on — about Klopp is with us because he wants to. Because he chose us!!! period.
Cheers.
Love the Van doing his best to wind us up.
Allen turns to look at Ibe repeatedly. But his performance was much more than one endlessly vine-friendly moment.
Wasn’t a one-off, either.
Go YouTube: JA vs Southampton (A) 15-16
Bordeaux was close to a MOTM performance, too. And bossed the Netherlands around for Wales, too.
Crucial and yet at the same time irrelevant. Says everything while at the same time saying nothing. I always hear mid 80’s NME hacks when I read Mr Atkinson work