Neil is joined by Nick, Rob and Jim Boardman as they chat to Amy Lawrence about Arsenal’s current form and whether time for Wenger is nigh; they also chat to Stephen Fletcher about ‘Mam! I’m ‘Ere!’, before looking towards Villa at Anfield at the weekend.
Music this week from The Dead Velvets and Johnny Sands
Direct link to CITYTALK: A VILLAINS TALE
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Constructive criticism: I’d prefer the podcasts with more Liverpool talk in them. Not nearly enough in this episode. There was about 45mins of Arsenal/other and 10 minutes of Liverpool. Thanks for your time. Take care.
You are spot on… I thought last nights programme was a waste of time really
I turned it off after five minutes. Shame, I like the TAW podcasts. But I’m not interested in Arsenal.
Oh and some one tell Neil Atkinson to stop says, “Erm” every second !
Thank you and good night.
I thought it was interesting to hear about a side of Arsenal that you don’t get from reading the papers. Although I prefer talk on Liverpool there’s no point recycling the same arguments over and over so I can understand why you’re looking to introduce other features.
My issue is with the crowd today though. Ok, we got beat but I know a lot of people were looking forward to this game today. It felt big. A win and we’d feel like we were genuinely moving forward. For the first half hour we were on top yet there wasn’t one song from the crowd. I think there was a muted line of ‘Fields of Anfield Road’ but that was it. I could hear the players shouting at the other end of the pitch. If the Villa fans hadn’t been there it would have been eerie. I know it was touched on once in the podcast but I now believe the biggest culprit of this is the inability to be able to sit with your mates ever. The other reason is that some people have had their season tickets so long that they don’t enjoy going anymore or have passed them on to their relatives. The bloke behind me slags off every player from the kick off onwards. It deflates me listening to him. I don’t think expanding Anfield will help much either. The rest of the ground will stay the same. I looked around me today to gauge whether there would ever be potential to get behind the team and if the truth be known it looked like half of them had escaped from the mental hospital. It was a horrible experience all round but one I’ve come to expect.
Got to agree. The Anfield support has been embarrassing for 2 seasons now. There are deep lying reasons why it is happening. Tempted to just accuse people of a bad support… but then, they are not robots, and we can’t expect them be uplifted and cheerful even when they feel let down.
At least there aren’t any “Brendan Out” A4 printed banners yet.
Sadly, football is not fun any longer. And some people feel taken for a ride by the club, instead of feeling proud for it.
But if this continues, we will become Arsenal. Or Chelsea. The players will look around and think – is that the famous Anfield crowd? those famous fans I should be proud to play for? And where is that famous support that made this team win the Champion League ater being 3 goals down…
Mike, below, is moaning about BR not being fit to manage this club. Mike forgets that Everton who never won anything, or at least i don’t remember when that happened last time, do not moan like that. They at least, support their club and do it with passion. But Mike, you see, has a sense of entitlement. He needs no less than Guardiola to entertain him. Or maybe he even thinks that Mourinho is the best man around. After Kenny that is.
It’s a vicious circle. But my understanding is that the fans, as long as they pay to go to the game, should at least make an attempt to make it fun for themselves even if they don’t like what they see on the pitch. Our fans have become something like a collective portrait of Mark Lawrenson. Yes, i think it’s a good image. A stadium of 45k Mark Lawrensons. Moaning, indifferent, self righteous…
Karen, please don’t tell me what I do or don’t have…. Even if its just a sense of entitlement… And as for the two foreign coaches you mention???….. ‘He needs no less than Guardiola’… you have a terrific imagination i will give you that..You are looking for things that are not there….
and I don’t ‘forget about Everton’ either…. I admire much about our neighbours… But of course, you will know better….. Why I feel obliged to justify myself to you is baffling m somewhat……
Our manager is not up to the job and as a paying customer I am entitled to voice my concern… Unless of course we should all sit mute and watch us descend further into mediocrity…..
Forgive me Mike, you happened to post just before me, and I used you as a collective example of our current support.
As for sitting mute – that was my point. Don’t sit mute. Sing and chant, and the team might just get spurred up to go and win a match for you.
I have to agree with you Karen. Psychologists say that to show remorse you have to accept your guilt. I think to love Liverpool again you have to accept what we’ve become. The club has reached new lows over the past few years. It’s taken it’s toll. We’re not what we once were despite whether we accept that or not.
There’s nothing we can do to rival Utd and City next season. It’s impossible. City took 3 years to win something after becoming one of the richest club in the world. If we want to get back to the top then it has to be done in stages. Our next goal is a CL place. Once we can get in a few years in a row we’ll be ready for the next step – challenging for the league. It may not happen but I’m enjoying this season as we try. We’re by no means out of the race and so every game is hugely important. In the back of my mind I’m desperate for us to get 4th because i see it as a needed step if Liverpool are gonna, once again, become what they were.
Patience is a virtue.
I have had criticism for some negativity on TAW re Rodgers but the evidence is right in front of us… Losing at home to AV with our strongest team… The ‘philosophy’, whatever that means, is just not working… Passing for no apparent reason, dreadful defensive tactics and a manager without the presence and gravitas to lead our great club. His ‘envelope’ trick Pre season was as cringing a piece of crass mismanagement as I have ever seen… His insincerity in the press, his stupidity about ‘2nd place possibilities’ makes us look a laughing stock.. A mid table club managed by a very poor operator and owned by a group of Yanks who really just don’t care about LFC, just want a world renowned ‘soccer franchise’!!
I need to lower my expectations about my home city club that I have supported for over 40 years and spent considerable amounts of cash watching over the last 4 decades.
Kenny may not have been the answer, may have been a bit detached from Premier League and tactics, press pressures etc but he gave us hope, belief,heart, passion and did it for LFC not to build up his CV.
I have tickets for Sunderland on 2.1.13, think I will sell them, can’t start the new year on a sour note…. Can’t bring myself to watch the poor faire served up under his tutelage…
I also noticed that our away support is much better than the home one. That might be the reason why our away record is better than at Anfield. There got to be some connection. The toxic atmosphere, the grumpy old men that paid their money and want to be entertained, affect the players. I’s been happening last season too. And the season before. It has started from the Rafa’s last season, in fact, and been getting worse.
It’s been a while since I heard a decent You’ll Never Walk Alone or Field of Anfiled Road, and the crowd only sings occasionally for Gerrard or Suarez, and mostly when we play away.
I’m on Team Karen here. Come on, Kop, banish your nerves and transmit some confidence to the lads. Sing even louder when they go a couple of goals down and drive them on. LFC in danger of becoming NUFC – the real atmosphere is on the road.
Last week the Wrap talked at length about Joe Cole; the general conclusion was that he was a nice lad but had nothing to offer LFC. I doubt that ANY ONE OF THEM EVER THOUGHT THEY’D EVER SEE HIM COME ON AGAIN, LET ALONE WHEN WE WERE LOSING.
BR has no tactical skills at all, just the on-the-deck version of keepie-uppie. And Sterling is absolute rubbish.
I have been a fan since Billy Liddell played. I can live with us going down to the Championship, at least we’d have something to look forward to.
Kevin,
Agree 100% re Sterling, I’ve never seen a player with less end product, no football brain. He’s nothing more than Tony Daley#2. Time on his side, true, but a football brain should be evident by 18 yrs of age.
And Allen is a waste of a jersey. He does nothing more than 5 yard passes in non-dangerous areas of the pitch. He doesnt help the defence and adds nothing to attack so what exactly is the point of him?! Never thought I’d see the day when I agreed with Alan Shearer but he got Allen spot on!
Nobosy expected miracles but there isn’t a SINGLE thing that has improved from last season. Defence, Midfield and attack all MUCH worse.
I hope Rodgers gets the full season (and I’m sure he will) but I have very little faith in him. He’s had 30+ games and 5 months with the players yet he cant even get them to defend set pieces.
And to those saying he deserves a few transfer windows, fair enough, but the omens aren’t good. The players he’s signed so far have been rubbish. Borini is yet another striker who doesn’t score (has any club ever had as many non-scoring forwards as us?!) and Allen is shite.
At a crucial juncture in our history we took a massive gamble on a manager with fcuk all experience when a 2 time La Liga winner, Champions League winner, FA Cup winner, Uefa Cup winner was begging for the job.
These owners are no better than the last shower!
There are two problems as I see it: economic and poor atmosphere factors.
By economic I mean the outrageousness of the membership shafting of LFC fans and the outrageous ticket prices. £50 to watch 22 millionaires pretending to be bothered about winning a game of football. Then there’s the atmosphere. I remember a game in the 80s. The away fans singing ‘sign on, sign on” etc. We came back with, “Thank you very much for paying our giros” to the tune of the Cadbury’s Roses advert at the time. That level of whit does not exist now. Having said that, neither does the 80s level of football, but that’s a different topic!!
However, moving on I haven’t just written a moan, I have a couple of controversial, and almost laughable, solutions:
1) You show your ticket and sit any where you want. Eg, kop ticket? Sit anywhere in the Kop. The stewards would have to mange this to make sure all seats are filled but that is what they are there for. I think this would encourage friends to go the match together to share the experience. The experience of winning, losing, banter, laughter, chanting, etc. All of which creates atmosphere. Moreover, an atmosphere that rival teams will fear again. LFC can set the trend in this.
2) Ticket prices have to come down, there are no two ways about it. Corporate facilities will bring extra cash when Anfield is extended but if ticket prices are to decrease then something else on the balance sheet has to give. It has to be players’ wages. (Laugh now) I know. It’s a crazy idea. But the whole wage system has to be restructured. LFC has to set the trend and move away from extremely high basic wages to performance pay. As I working class man the phrase ‘performance pay’ has me seething with anger. However, when I think of players like Jole Cole (no offence to him personally) a little bit of sick enters my throat. How that performance pay is set up would be between the club and player’s agent to agree. It wouldn’t be too different to what most players get already: appearance fees, bonus based on silverware or league position, goals scored/assists/clean sheets, etc. I wouldn’t have a problem with a player like Joe Cole earning over £100k a week, if he actually earned it. I’d be a lot happier if he earned £5-10k a week but pulled in £100k after the performance of his life – we’d all be winner’s then!
I don’t expect many to agree with this, or even read it! But it’s worth a discussion on TAW. Rather than discussing Aresnal.
Oh dear. What’s the world coming too when I agree with you Stephen.
On your first point. I’ve never considered that but there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work. I sit on my own with 3 of my mates in the same row but next block. I find it a little bit embarrassing when i sing as loud as i can and then discover no one has bothered. I melt back into my seat and don’t bother again.
A different take on your same point, but people often ask me to sell their tickets. If they’re together they go within the hour. If they’re not then it’s tough to shift them. I’m convinced it plays a massive part in the atmosphere.
I’m getting a bit controversial here but I’ve also wondered has the economic downturn played a small part. If less come from Ireland and Scandanavia then the atmosphere will suffer. They’re good fans who see going to Anfield as a privilege rather than a chore. They’re always good for a song but then most of them have the same package deal and so they sit together.
Regarding your other point, it’s a fantastic idea but almost impossible to execute. We’re not in a position where we can afford to be the guinea pigs. We need to sign better players not the very few moralistic ones.
Quite simply you are wrong. You need to take a little break away from football & come back when we are sucessfull again. Like myself if your 40 years supporting the club then you joined in the heydays. I rember when Rafa took over that first season i thought we were finnished. If stevie hadnt been at his brilliant peek we would have been below midtable that year, the football was dreadfull and boring and the pundits were getting stuck in
. But then he brought us the miracle success of Istanbul and all was forgiven. I believe BR is an better manager than rafa, maybe we could give him the same slack that rafa got.
Well that was painful. I guess Cole and Downing are in the shop window but each time they play the less chance we’ll probably have of shifting them.
Who’d have thought that we’d miss Enrique as much as we have, a left back providing more attacking threat than our entire midfield.
No Josek, you’re wrong. Gerrard apart, Rafa had total dross to deal with. Rafa got us to five finals in his short reign with, mostly, total dross, that’s not including what was going on behind the scenes. Rodgers has got a quality spine to his team: Reina, Agger, Skrtle, Johnson, Lucas, Gerrard, Suarez – all given to him on a plate. Two completely different situations. I bet Rafa wouldn’t mind a stab at the league with that spine. So, my point is, Rodgers should be doing better, but I’m behind him, for now. As for you trying to score points about being the best LFC fan ever, ‘through the wind and the rain’, this is a discussion forum on a website dedicated to discussion. If you don’t like the opinions of others, even if they are critical, then I respectfully advised you to go and read the LFC website and enjoy yourself digesting their corporate spew.
Thank you and good night.
What are the two tracks featured in the show? I know it says Johnny Sands and the Dead Velvets but I cannot find the tracks online. The tracks I can find do not also sound like the ones in the show.
Sorted now. Found them
dont really want to hear about Arsenal for most of programme to be honest want to hear about our own club