Liverpool FC Forum

We go into this home game in good form winning the last 2 and more importantly Andy Carroll scoring in the last 2. Many of the players worked their asses of last weekend who will be hoping to be in the starting 11.

Last years result ended in a 1-0 to us someone called Torres scored. This season we done them 2-0 with goals from Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll.

Everton play United before us so if that game ends in a loss or draw for Everton then we can reclaim 7th spot (embarassing)

Dangermen - Liverpool Andy Carroll as mentioned he scored the winners in the last 2 games and has also looked more upto it. I think him playing with suarez and another pacey little player he thrives to knock it on for them.

WBA - Odemwinge good goal scorer always seems to be on the end of something for west brom so will need a close eye on him.

Firstly we welcome Reina back

Id like to see skrtle and agger re united as a centre back pair with johnson and enrique at full backs. Midfield 3 for me of Spearing Gerrard and Henderson. Spearing providing the cover for the back for and Hendo and gerrard taking turns to join the attack.

Carroll and Suarez have to play for me as i think they will make a great partnership. to play with them is between Bellamy downing and maxi for me. Id personally go for Bellamy as i think he gives 1000000000% every game and he never goes missing.

Prediction 3-0

                                       Reina
Johnson           Skrtle               Agger        Enrique

                                  Spearing
          Gerrard                             Henderson


  Bellamy                                        Suarez

                      Carroll

looking forward to the owl's facerub 

I'm 95% sure we won't win this, therefore I'm not watching this f.ucking bunch - I only watch em when their winning - Oh and Carroll's shabite.

Kenny Kan » Fri Apr 20, 2012 12:23 pm wrote:I'm 95% sure we won't win this, therefore I'm not watching this f.ucking bunch - I only watch em when their winning - Oh and Carroll's shabite.

i hope we batter them and my moneys on agger to score and stick it to woy .hes 28-1 so well worth a punt.

Good luck to the lads today and personally I think a nice welcome
and perhaps applause should be afforded to Hodgson. And no Im
not kidding.

Some of the stick he took was over the top and not fair if we are honest
and certainly not becoming of the much talked about 'Liverpool Way'.

Dalglish has said as much, and Hodgson is a decent fella and football man
who does command respect despite having a difficult time with us and
being manager during a tough period.

Im not saying he should have remained manager but the way he was
bullied and riduiculed was wrong.

Lets hope its a good game and Hodgson is received in an appropriate
fashion.

Hard to get excited about this.  League games seem to mean very little at the moment, but it's important we build momentum going into the cup final.  Motivation must be low to perform in the league for our players, but perhaps the prospect of finishing below Everton will spur them on.  Performances mean little at this stage of the season too, it's all about results and any win will do.

Former Liverpool FC manager Roy Hodgson not expecting red carpet treatment on return to Anfield with West Brom

IT IS enough to stop even the most seasoned professional in his tracks. Anfield may be one of the Premier League’s more dated football stadiums – a fact Liverpool’s owners are acutely aware of – but in terms of allure, atmosphere and aura, there are few that come close.

On Sunday, there will be one man for whom the roar of the Kop will hold more than a touch of apprehension.

Roy Hodgson once looked upon trips to Anfield as an occasion to savour. Not any more. Tomorrow, the West Bromwich Albion boss will be glad to get his visit out of the way, get back on the M6 and move on.

It is almost 16 months since Hodgson walked out of Anfield, his tail between his legs and his faith in his own abilities severely stretched. He had lasted just six months in the biggest job of his career.

Now, he is back.

Liverpool, as a club, is almost unrecognisable from the one Hodgson left. But as Reds fans look towards what they hope will be a glittering future – starting, of course, with next month’s FA Cup final – Hodgson’s return provides a reminder of darker days.

Accordingly, the 64-year-old is anticipating a less-than warm reception when he emerges from the Anfield tunnel.

“There is no reason to give me a good reception,” says Hodgson. “They didn’t like me when I was there, (so) I can’t see they are going to like me now.”

Kenny Dalglish, the man who was summoned from a cruise liner in the Persian Gulf to sweep up Hodgson’s mess, disagrees.

“It will be good to see Roy,” said the Reds boss. “To see him back at Anfield will be good and I’m sure he’ll get a warm reception from the supporters.

“He’s a man with real integrity and dignity and he tried his best for this football club. I’m sure the supporters will respect that.”

Dalglish’s words present an interesting dilemma for Reds supporters.

As the King of Anfield, he can do most things; rewriting history, however, is not one of them.

Liverpool fans have sharp memories, and they still bear the scars of that ill-fated six months.

If Premier League football is prone to bouts of knee-jerkism, few could realistically argue that Hodgson’s departure wasn’t coming. If a steady hand was needed to guide the club through the turbulent final weeks of George Gillett and Tom Hicks, then the former Fulham boss patently wasn’t it. Burdened by financial constraints and boardroom disharmony, Rafael Benitez struggled to keep Liverpool’s heads above water in his final season at the helm. Hodgson arrived and applied a pair of lead walking boots.

Liverpool’s results were bad enough – they were 12th in the Premier League when Hodgson left, and had been beaten at home by both Blackpool and Northampton Town – but their problems ran much deeper.

Underwhelming transfers and overtly negative tactics were backed up by a series of increasingly baffling public statements – few will forget Hodgson describing Liverpool’s scraped win at Trabzonspor as “a famous night for the club” or describing an insipid 2-0 defeat to Everton in the Goodison derby as “the best we have played all season”, for example.

He departed Anfield with the worst win percentage (41.38%) for any Reds manager since 1959. Liverpool were four points above the relegation zone.

The statistics make for grim reading, but it is to Hodgson’s credit that he has been able to restore his reputation at West Brom since.

Having replaced Roberto Di Matteo at the Hawthorns little more than a month after his low-key Merseyside exit, he helped keep the Baggies in the Premier League with comfort – beating his former club en route – and has them in a safe mid-table position again this season.

Liverpool were routine 2-0 winners when the sides met back in October, but for Dalglish and his players, home comforts have been in surprisingly short supply of late. The Reds have won just five of their 16 home Premier League games this season, scoring just 20 goals. Six of the division’s bottom 10 clubs have left Merseyside with at least a point.

It is Liverpool’s accomplishments away from Anfield which look set to define their season.

Last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final success over Everton means their season is still very much alive and kicking, though their only remaining Premier League objective is to finish above their Merseyside rivals.

A win tomorrow – given Everton are at league leaders Manchester United – should go some way to ensuring that. First, though, they will need to banish the ghost of Anfield past.

And wouldn’t Hodgson just love to do a bit of haunting?
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2012/04/21/former-liverpool-fc-manager-roy-hodgson-not-expecting-red-carpet-treatment-on-return-to-anfield-with-west-brom-100252-30805438/

I hope we murder his team tomorrow ,and he gets no reaction whatsoever from the Kop ....I certainly wont be clapping the arrogant old bastard.
YNWA

I actually hope we give him a decent reception, he took a poisoned chalice, failed miserably but we're Liverpool, lets not give him abuse... but stuff the team

RB, I think it's a bit harsh mate, whether you like him or not he was for 6 months our manager and he did try his best. I think I echo Kenny Dalglish when he says we should give him a warm reception

dawson99 » Sun Apr 22, 2012 6:58 pm wrote:I actually hope we give him a decent reception, he took a poisoned chalice, failed miserably but we're Liverpool, lets not give him abuse... but stuff the team

Amen to that

Too little too late, but I think we're finally enjoying our football and can't see us slipping up today. The pressure is at least off. The only pressure comes from ourselves and our sense of pride.

4-1 to us. I hope Carroll can knock another couple in and keep up his good form. He needs belief from both himself, and the club and supporters in order to become the man we wanted to sign.

I think Gerrard will be up for this and can see him bagging one or two.

Looking forwards to this.

Come on the Reds!!

No Gerrard in the team but Maxi and Kuyt starts!

Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt return for Liverpool as they take on West Brom at Anfield - listen live online from 3.55pm. The Reds team in full is:

                        Reina

Johnson     Skrtel     Agger     Enrique

             Spearing     Henderson

            Kuyt     Suarez     Maxi

                        Carroll

Subs: Bellamy, Shelvey, Downing, Kelly, Coates, Carragher, Doni

Reina; Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Enrique; Kuyt, Henderson, Spearing, Maxi; Suarez, Carroll

Subs: Doni, Coates, Downing, Carragher, Bellamy, Shelvey, Kelly