FC Gomel 0-1 Liverpool - In game & post match talk - welcome back!

Here's the goal anyways for anyone, like me, that missed it.

GOMEL 0 - 1 LIVERPOOL GOAL DOWNING (2.08.2012)

and also the complete Downing goals for Liverpool collection...

Good goal though, really saved our skin.

Wouldn't panic to much over how we played,
seemed to me like we were totally in pre-season mode.

Didn't watch the game but just seen Downings goal..nice one , took it well , last season that would've hit the bar so great that he kept his head down and struck it well...
I'm sure that could be a bit of a wake up call from the razzamatazz of the recent tour and no doubt we'll step it up a gear in the return leg with home advantage..
I'll watch the highlights later but made up Lucas is back....
WE WON !!!

Players got fitness. Young players got experience. The manager got to see his players in real action. And we won.

Sounds good to me, for a 1st match. 

We need more work, but that is to be expected.  I'll take the result as is tonight as long as we continue to improve over the coming weeks.

I'm gonna like Borini a lot.  He hustles his ass off and gets into good spot. 

End of the day, beating a team who are halfway through their season while we have a new manager, way of playing and few youth and reserve players in the team, away in Europe and winning isn't that bad.

We didn't play well granted, and defensively I was worried how many chances they created, but a win is a win and that will help with confidence.

We just couldnt keep the ball and some of the passing was dreadful especially down the left side from Enrique but happy with the win. Nice goal from Downing. Very much looking forward to seeing Lucas back, we badly need him.

... and long may it continue. 

A win is a win; they say. The table doesn't lie; they tell me.

Imagine thirty or so displays like that one in the league? Would we still be mewling?   

Think it's too early for us to start with the "told you so's" BBB ?

0-1 win away from home will do me
A win is a win
We were not at full strength

Bonus the guys get that little bit fitter for the start of the season

Players got fitness. Young players got experience. The manager got to see his players in real action. And we won.

Sounds good to me, for a 1st match. 

Yep, I'll take that.

A win is a win and that's what matters most. I have every confidence that we'll finish the job off next week.

We were very poor for almost the entire game, and I honestly think Gomel deserved the win tonight.  They looked sharper, fitter, and more determined than us tonight. 

That being said, we got an away goal and won the game.  Our lads looked tired from all of the traveling and 2-a-day training sessions, and this was our 1st competitive match of the season while it was Gomel's 4th or 5th so we can expect plenty of improvement in our fitness levels. 

The biggest positive that we can take away from the game is that Downing is off the mark early this season.  He struggled all last season, and by about November his confidence was completely shot.  I think he can be a good option on the right side of our front 3, but it is important for him to get off to a good start and get a little confidence in the early stages of the campaign.  I think the goal tonight will give him quite a boost!

As many have said, a win is a win.  And, it was GREAT just to get to see the lads in a competitive game again after a long summer!!!   Looking forward to the return leg, and more importantly, roll on August 18th!!! 

Some posters seem more interested with me than what happens on the pitch.

Me myself more concerned with what is happening off the pitch at the moment

Happy for Downing, not seen the game so can't comment on performance.

Coincidence?

65:04: Substitution - Leiva Lucas joins the action as a substitute, replacing Jordan Henderson.
66:50: Goal - Stewart Downing finds the net with a goal from outside the penalty box to the bottom right corner of the goal.

Ohh boy have we missed him.

Go on to the results for this round and see how many teams you recognise and we are in the same round as them.
This team are probably on a par with Tranmere so I really can't get excited about a 1-0 win but pleased for Downing.
Will all the experts thats have a go at Corb tell me how they know who Brendan wants and how much he has got to spend because that type of post works both ways.If some say Brendan isnt being supported then prove them wrong with facts so far we have slashed wages and brought in a kid Borini.
Gerrard cant go on forever carrying the team and Luis isnt a main striker so once again we are without GOALS and it will cost us this season just as it did the last.

Went to the pub all excited to watch the game this evening but they didn't bloody have it so had to watch more olympic re-runs instead. Just got back to read the match thread to try and get a picture of the game but only managed pages 6 through 9 because had I reached page 10 i think i might have been reaching for a razor blade. I've only seen the goal but fook me, it has to be said, this thread reads like a cocophony of bleating sheep and i'm only glad I wasn't at home to watch the match thread and be in a position to join in. If things are really as bad as this thread paints then we'd just aswell pack up and come back in 12 months time.

My Man of the Match, Joe Cole.


For having the decency to F**k off out of the way early on 

Fully expect us to be in much better shape come the first game of the season. This isn't a quick fix, time we all realised that.

Heard this somewhere before................   Eeerrrrrrr.... Oh yeah, pre season last year..... and the previous 20.

Not a lot of positives to be taken from that game, but we won, Downing scored, we kept a clean sheet and we surely can't play as bad again..... can we ?

I thought Spearing, Gerrard and Henderson struggled more than most and Skrtel had his hands more than full with their number 9 (reminded me a little of Ian Wright without the finish)

Hard to pick a m.o.t.m. after such a poor performance, but Borini worked hard, Carra did well at the back and again refrained from hoofing the ball and Downing scored a great goal.

Brendans first win in his first game, and at least it leaves him with no false illusions of the task he has ahead of him. Better to play bad and win than play well and lose.

Did I mention Downing scored.

I thought Spearing, Gerrard and Henderson struggled more than most and Skrtel had his hands more than full with their number 9 (reminded me a little of Ian Wright without the finish)

None of those players is a true passer of the ball fella which is why Rodgers is so keen on young Allen. It's hard to have any sort of tempo with those three in the middle of the park. Both spearing and Henderson are ULTRA safety first and Gerrard has always been a player more likely to risk (rather than retain) possession of the ball.

I missed the game so I can't comment, but I'm happy for Downing and I'm happy for the win.

I know it's a bit early and I'm not expecting it but did it look like we kept the 4-3-3 formation and passed and moved the way Rodgers wants us to?

None of those players is a true passer of the ball fella which is why Rodgers is so keen on young Allen. It's hard to have any sort of tempo with those three in the middle of the park. Both spearing and Henderson are ULTRA safety first and Gerrard has always been a player more likely to risk (rather than retain) possession of the ball.

To be honest I don't think it was down to the style of football we played Scott. Gerrard just had one of those games were nothing seemed to go right for him and he probably made more errors in the first half than he would normally make in 10 games.

Henderson was just annonymous for most of the game, while Spearing seems to have taken a huge step backwards over the last year or so from where he was when Kenny had him playing great.

Honestly Dobbs first half we looked downright awful, second half and especially when Lucas came on things improved greatly. I'm not saying we were good because we were still very wasteful of possession and Gomel had far too many opportunities, we could easily have conceded 4 or 5 and it wouldn't of been unfair on them.

Borini and Sterling were probably the ones that seemed to press hard all game and keep moving making themselves available as much as they could, Enrique kept running down the dark tunnel again and backing his pace far too much, was a poor performance from him and Gerrard had one of the worst games I've seen from him in a long time. Spearing also lost possession in vital areas too often, Henderson tried a few decent forward passes one in particular that if Gerrard was fitter would of probably been a real chance and was a cracking pass but other than that wasn't much cop, generally our midfield was completely out gunned until the arrival of Lucas who looked surprisingly sharp and I was impressed with how he got a grip of the game for us and shored up the back.

We tried to cycle the ball around the back but midfield simply let this down with a lack of movement and on many occasions Downing was seen simply walking around when off the ball, his goal was a good shot but his all around game was bloody dreadful in my opinion but I hope this does give him confidence and we see a different side of him, but I wont hold my breath. As has been said though it's an away win in Europe against a team who were much fitter and halfway through their season, honestly though much work to be done.

A win is a win is a win. Mustn't grumble.