Neil as joined by Andy Gargett, Phil Blundell and Rob Gutmann as they reflect on a fantastic, yet worthless performance at Manchester City.
Download Issue 6 of #TAW Monthly via iTunes
Neil as joined by Andy Gargett, Phil Blundell and Rob Gutmann as they reflect on a fantastic, yet worthless performance at Manchester City.
Download Issue 6 of #TAW Monthly via iTunes
Regarding the free kick from which we scored and the deliberate kick talked about early on in the podcast, I’d rather have had the sending off and not scored. Not that ‘we scored too early or anything’ as we were outplayed in the first 30 minutes by tactics rather than complacency but having a one player advantage for 88 minutes would have been a better basis to win than a one-nil lead at that stage. But both would have been nice too, and that!
I realise football is all about opinions, but I do think there’s an element of TWA group-think at play so far as Skrtel is concerned. I agree there is a more general problem with his chosen method of defending set-pieces, but that was not a factor at Chelsea. Skrtel is utterly blameless for both goals – except insofar as there is always more a defence *could do* to prevent a goal – and I think the pelters he is getting right now are undeserved. His positioning against Eto’o was spot on for the second, but as the centre-half he cannot do what the centre-forward can and gamble on a ball being played somehow through/around the wide defender (in this case Sakho) and into the near post area. The C-H can only react in these scenarios to the movement of the C-F – otherwise he is simply leaving his man – and if the ball is good enough and the run good/lucky enough, the ball can end up in the net without the C-H doing anything wrong. Skrtel must be a fraction of a second away from intercepting the cross (which should never have come over, by the way) and if you listen to the analysis of most commentators there’s pretty much a consensus that this was just very good forward play. Sometimes you’ve got to allow for that even if the defender in question is the bete noire du jour.
Oh yes, and if the keeper does his job the ball still doesn’t go in. I just ifnd it incredible that Skrtel is copping it for this goal.
In three games away at Spurs, City and Chelsea I reckon we’ve held our own our better in 4-and-a-half of the 6 halves. We’ve conceded 4 goal and at least 2 of them were goalkeeping rickets for which the rest of the team are blameless. We went to easily the best two teams in the country (who will finish 1 and 2 this season) with 2 of our more influential players missing and but for goalkeeping mistakes and bad officiating would have picked up at least a couple of points. As it is, we’ve picked up the same number of points we would have if we’d drawn all three of these tricky away ties. Having watched these games I’m actually content we’re a better side than I thought we were prior to the Xmas period. Dicking abject Fulhams by 4 and 5 at home tells us nothing about where we are as a team. It took a Chelsea team playing what was widely agreed to be their best football of the season to beat us by one goal with a large dollop of Howard Webb thrown in to smooth their passage. Chelsea would have led any other team in the league at half-time yesterday. We were just unlucky to catch them on a bad day.
I’m a Gerrard fan and would have him back in when fit even if we’d all three of these away games, but I’m happy to say that the midfield is in far better shape then I’d previously feared and it’s certainly better than they are made to sound in this podcast – Lucas, Henderson and Allen had the better of the game in the second half.
All in all, I’m quite positive. All teams bar ManU in the top 8 have to come to Anfield in the second half of the season and we need to be fearing no-one.
Still a great show even though you’re all wrong about Skrtel, so have a good new year and all that bollocks.
Had Skrtel not been focusing on wrestling his man and bothered to look at the ball, he could have cleared it as it came in. Once again, Skrtel’s game costs the side a goal, and it won’t be much longer before the refs cotton on to his ridiculous WWE antics and start blowing up for each infringement and giving penalties. I’m amazed it hasn’t already happened. Personally, I cannot wait to see him replaced.
that’s “good day”. We were unlucky to catch them on a “good day”. :-)
Has anyone investigated whether Webb has copper friends who will be hard done by with the Hillborough inquest reopening. LFC should never have a South Yorkshire Copper as a referee ever with our Hillsborough connection and all.
Webb is a cheat, simple as. Both him & Mason are part Alex Ferguson Manc Masonic club. This is all about ensuring the Mancs will end up in the top 4.
check out the highlights, motd etc. Hazard breaks from the half way line after making his pass. Sterling and Lucas? don’t consider him a threat. Hopefully, we will catch on.
Howard Webb was a serving police officer in South Yorkshire at the time of Hillsborough. Whether or not he was on duty is not public knowledge but the cover up and fall out of Hillsborough may colour his views of Liverpudlians and Liverpool. Should he be refereeing our games? It is a question that no one is asking. As is often said in the law “justice must be done and must be seen to be done”. I believe the same applies to refereeing.