Liverpool FC Forum

by **Fowler_E7** » Sat May 02, 2009 3:59 pm

its looking bleak now TBH, they only need 7 points from 12. Arsenal may beat them but its hard to see them suffer another deeat anywhere else, but F it ill predict that they lose vs Arsenal and draw the other three games

by **SundanceKid** » Sat May 02, 2009 4:25 pm

Still blame the no-call on Barry's bad tackle on Keane in the box back in the first half of the season and Gerrard's goal from that acute free kick against the Hammers that was ruled offside even though it was a direct free kick. We'd be top of the league

by **Greavesie** » Sat May 02, 2009 6:01 pm

At least the pain from last week isn't here. The despair of going top and them winning in the manner they did has been subsided by the fact they played first this weekend

by **heimdall** » Sat May 02, 2009 6:34 pm

SundanceKid wrote:Still blame the no-call on Barry's bad tackle on Keane in the box back in the first half of the season and Gerrard's goal from that acute free kick against the Hammers that was ruled offside even though it was a direct free kick. We'd be top of the league

I'm fairly certain Manure can point to an equal number of lost points so that they would be leading by even more. Bottom line ist that up to now they have played better than us in the season. It could still go horribly wrong for them but I very much doubt it.

by **Igor Zidane** » Sat May 02, 2009 7:58 pm

Ok if they lose one game , will we all be happy for it to go to the final day with us needing a win and for them to lose . Of course we would and it's not beyond the realms of possibility . Infact we will all be sh!tting bricks that day . GREAT INNIT.

by **tubby** » Sat May 02, 2009 8:00 pm

14 points dropped at home this season. We only have ourselves to blame. But even still it will be a valuable learning curve for the team.

by **SundanceKid** » Sat May 02, 2009 8:38 pm

heimdall wrote:
SundanceKid wrote:Still blame the no-call on Barry's bad tackle on Keane in the box back in the first half of the season and Gerrard's goal from that acute free kick against the Hammers that was ruled offside even though it was a direct free kick. We'd be top of the league

I'm fairly certain Manure can point to an equal number of lost points so that they would be leading by even more. Bottom line ist that up to now they have played better than us in the season. It could still go horribly wrong for them but I very much doubt it.

I refuse to accept that they played better than us. We dropped a lot of points at home that we really should of had, but they did not play better than us this season. We've proven it twice against them this season we were the better team, but unfortunately we have to play 18 other teams in the league and we didn't do the work we were capable of doing. Only lost two, we'll be the first team in league history to lose only two games and still not take the title.

by **Madmax** » Sat May 02, 2009 10:06 pm

Title race is almost over mannure creeping towards the title.. Many lessons to be learnt this season.... oh well its been a great ride shame we didnt capitalize when mannure dropped points but i guess its a lesson we must learn and overcome.

Would be great to win the title this year considering our double over the scums.. just would have made it even more sweet... Anyhow we still have slim chances so its over when its OVER!

by **RobinHood6969** » Sun May 03, 2009 6:48 am

Barring home draws we were clearly the better team this season. If we can change that and be a bit more miserly in defense, i guess nothing can stop us next season

by **kazza** » Sun May 03, 2009 6:49 am

Borough are cr@p I hope they go down. They played yesterday with 50% of the commitment they showed against us. They gave Utd way too much respect when Utd were there for the taking. Too many teams give matches to Utd then play their hearts out against us :angry:

Once again helped out by the ref. Rooney should have been booked and the ball hitting two Utd players arms yet no penalty even though the ref was right there.

by **RobinHood6969** » Sun May 03, 2009 6:57 am

kazza wrote:Borough are cr@p I hope they go down. They played yesterday with 50% of the commitment they showed against us. They gave Utd way too much respect when Utd were there for the taking. Too many teams give matches to Utd then play their hearts out against us

Once again helped out by the ref. Rooney should have been booked and the ball hitting two Utd players arms yet no penalty even though the ref was right there.

That always happens mate..remember bolton game.. some lad won the ball from Divaldos foot and he dived and Rob Styles who had the best view of all pointed to the spot...
Remeber the spurs match, IMO the penalty changed the game

by **Owzat** » Sun May 03, 2009 8:45 am

We've lost the title through poor results against poor teams and not winning home games. If you also consider we're six points behind now and yet we took six points off the mancs, anyone saying we've been the better side should rethink that. We may have beaten them home and away but in the other 32 games they've picked up 80 points to our 68......................... Outplaying them in two games doesn't make us the better side when they've picked up more points in the rest of the games and dropped points in only nine games to our 13 - two of their nine games in which they dropped points were to us.

Premiership 08/09

HOME GAMES

Man Utd : P17 W15 D1 L1 F41 A13 PTS 46
Liverpool : P17 W10 D7 L0 F35 A12 PTS 37

No good blaming penalties for the mancs beating spudz, we lost the title through our own shortcomings not ONE goal among a hatful in ONE game we had to pin hopes on because of our failings.

vs TOP FOUR

Liverpool : P6 W4 D2 L0 PTS 14 (Won 66.67%)
Man Utd : P5 W1 D1 L3 PTS 4 (Won 20.00%)

vs 5-10

Liverpool : P10 W4 D5 L1 PTS 17 (Won 40.00%)
Man Utd : P11 W7 D3 L1 PTS 24 (Won 63.64%)

vs 11-20

Liverpool : P19 W14 D4 L1 PTS 46 (Won 73.68%)
Man Utd : P19 W18 D1 L0 PTS 55 (Won 94.74%)

EDIT : UPDATED

Points dropped to top half teams : Liverpool 17-20 Man Utd
Points dropped to bottom half teams : Liverpool 11-2 Man Utd
Points dropped at home : Liverpool 14-5 Man Utd
Points dropped away : Liverpool 14-17 Man Utd

Man Utd defeats to : Liverpool home (2nd), Liverpool away (2nd), Arsenal away (4th), Fulham away (9th)
Liverpool defeats to : Tottenham away (10th), Middlesboro away (19th)

It is the home form that makes the major difference, but the mancs have been ruthlessly efficient against the sides in the bottom half of the table. They've lost four games, but three of them to 'big four' rivals and the lowest placed side they've lost to is Fulham in 9th (away). Have we made any progress on last season? I'd say some, we certainly are closer but perhaps by virtue of not losing very many games and maybe halving the gap without closing it. The gap could as easily be widened as closed with four games left. We need fortress Anfield, not welcome to Anfield, help yourselves to a point.

As for 'what if's, no point dwelling on one penalty decision that burst the final bubble of hope when spudz defended sh1 t thereafter anyway and conceded enough thereafter to have lost without the penalty. Best to simply regard our own record and the dropped points - TWENTY-TWO points dropped through draws compared to only six through defeats. The mancs do the basics right, beat the teams they should pretty much beat most times knowing those are the easier games and easier points. We beat the tougher teams and then failed to beat the likes of Stoke, Hull, spudz, boro etc. If we're to win 27+ games in a season then we need to win more home games

Then again we have been dwelling on the mancs, THEIR games and decisions affecting them, and where THEY might drop points simply because WE let control out of our hands months ago. But as I said a while ago and maintain, we are the likelier to drop points so it never was as simple as hoping the mancs drop X points. This could well be the second season where they finish top and we lose less games.

MUST FOR NEXT SEASON - look to win every game, even if we lose a few more. I'd settle for three wins, four draws and four defeats over eleven draws - we'd be two points better off for starters, even if our record would look less impressive from a defeats perspective. Obviously I'd prefer four wins or five wins, but I'm going for an even spread that looks at the possibility we lose more than we win by 'going for it' every time

by **maguskwt** » Sun May 03, 2009 9:14 am

Owzat's post is very interesting... It has been my belief that to win the games against lesser teams are more important in the long run than games against your rivals. That is simply because there are more games. Of course beating your rivals is a huge boost because you deny them the 3 points at the same time you gain 3 points.

For quite some time now our consistency problems are more down to the fact that we do not have that many quality match winners besides Torres and Gerrard. The mancs and chelsea have more match winners than us. Benitez is a master tactician who can out-fox any great side and this has been obvious for quite some time when you look at our track record in the CL. Now he has shown he can do it in the PL with our doubles over chelsea and the mancs. In the summer what we need to do now is to add more quality match winners. We can't always be relying on gerrard and torres. When the other team parks the bus we need to know how to break them down and score. Yossi has proven he can do it occasionally but he too is not very consistent. But just imagine if we don't have Gerrard, Torres and Yossi because of injury or whatever, who can we rely on? As much as admire Kuyt, I don't think he can do it alone...When the mancs do not play rooney and ronaldo, they still have giggs, scholes, tevez and berbatov to win games for them...

by **SundanceKid** » Sun May 03, 2009 3:54 pm

I can't remember who said it, think it was Dalglish, but before the season started, he made the comment that we can win league without beating anyone from the Big 4, and he was right. United lost 3 of their 5 ties with the Big 4 so far and they're in a good lead. We should have prepared more for weaker sides, it was not our god given right to take the three points and we didn't work for them.

by **DrPepe** » Mon May 04, 2009 9:15 am

Good analysis from owzat!

I agree Consistency is the key. But I disagree about the relative importance of big4 games, as these are "6 pointers" in my view and should be concentrated on (our big4 form this season supplemented by a very marginal improvement against the rest would see us top now, whereas a worse record vs the big4 would have required a unrealistic improvement against the dross)

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