Wigan v Liverpool - Match Thread

Another disappointing result and another 2 points lost.Our standard of football leaves a lot to be desired and why the hell can we not take the game by the scruff of the neck when we go in front.I will not point the finger at certain players but what has happened to the fight and the pride of representing the best club in the world.I hope from now on RAFA will field the strongest team possible  for the game to be played and worry about future games when they are due to be played.Lastly if players are not prepared to give this club 100% then we should get rid of them,after all they should think themselves lucky to have the opportunity to play for L.F.C.Rant over  now lets get ready for Chelsea.

Didn't watch the game- so I don't have much to say...but from what I've read we should've won the game by 2 clear goals.

I'm not happy this morning...

Good point you raise crouchinho.

Football fans these days have so much access to information about games. Everyone thinks they're an expert.  I've watched the game again on the official Liverpool channel and I can look at things a lot differently than the knee-jerking from last night, after watching on an internet stream.

Our big players let us down - Lucas had quite a decent game to be fair winning back a lot of possession in midfiield.  You could say Masch set up the goal but he over cooked the pass and Yossi did well to recover with it.  His passing was terrible last night, and he dwelled on the ball too often.  Considering Liverpool are all about quick breaks and moving the ball around quickly he was a major thorn in the side last night. 

Based on the performance last night - Alonso and Lucas would have been the better choice than Alonso and Masch.

Torres also was shocking.  Whatever Keane's got it looks like Torres has caught it off him.  And Gerrard was disappointing as well.

I don't think it's any coincidence that all our problems have begun since

A lot of off field antics went on in January and I can't help feeling they had an impact.

It would just be F***ing typical of Rafa after 4 consecutive draws to mastermind a win over Chelsea.  Things will be ohh so rosy again and the sun will shine out of his arse. 

To be absolutely honest, I think Rafa has messed up.  But the players are more to blame because they're the ones at the end of the day that either perform or don't, and lately they haven't.  We win, lose and draw as a team and no individual player is to blame for another poor performance.  But Rafa has to take some of the blame once again for his negativity and constant bizarre substitutions.  We continually sit back on a 1-0 lead and I don't know if thats because of Rafa or just the mentality of the players.  Probably a mentality invoked by Rafa as a by all means do not lose first and foremost then we might nick a win. This proved by all our draws this season as we either don't score at all or rest on our laurels after scoring one goal and then concede a silly goal at the other end.

The Chelsea game will probably be the make or break of our season.  Lose or draw and we're further behind and probably slipping down to fourth.  A win against the chavs and hopefully confidence will be restored.  It would be just as likely to beat them though and then go and draw the game after it...thats how unpredictable this season has been.

One other thing, why the F**k does Aurelio take free kicks?  He must be a F***ing belter at them on the training ground if he's allowed to take them in a match.  But he can shove them up his backside and let somebody else take them!!

I don't think it's any coincidence that all our problems have begun since

A lot of off field antics went on in January and I can't help feeling they had an impact.

Well said, JD.
So many things have happend. The contracts of Rafa and some players, the ownership of the club, Stevie's bar brawl and Fernando Torres not looking sharp.

I never thought it'd be a good signing and it isnt, I cannot believe that some on here and on other sites are so impatient with our whole side's PL campaign they lose it after a draw to Wigan/Everton or whenever but are willing to risk giving Keane/Torres another go.

Fans these days (I know, I'm one of the new breed too but I know how it worked back in the glory years) are so two-faced they dont know what they're saying.

I left at half time buddy. I saw a Lucas who was involved, passing and moving and creating for Gerrard. He played the Xabi role as good as someone who is asked to do it could do.

He will cop so much sh*t for this but watching back, he wasnt our worst player and far from it. Go on and say Torres was sh*t today, because he was. If that were Keane you would say to sell him and so would most others.

Hope you're not classing me as two faced where the team as a whole are concerned!!.............cos if you CAN find anything i've said derogitory about said i'll gladly wave goodbye to the forum.Infact iIsbsolutely agree with you on that one.

                                                                |RWT         YNWA

Too many draw's, but we are still better off than we were last season. Just getting frustrating to watch. We should have put 3 or 4 past them last night.

I bet we have the most possesion out of all premiership teams, but we do feck all with it.

Yossi played well last night, babel was slightly better.

Torres is still looking for match fitness.

I also agree with rafa's sub's except, I would have got keane on instead of Kuyt.

Torres should have came of earlier he was knackered.

Think positive lad's, we will probably go and stuff chelski, and then that's us right back in it. V. Nice!

Yawn.

Keane's had enough chances.

This I don't agree with JD. I think also the handling of the Keane situation has been poor.

What about using Nemeth? Give him a chance? But i have heard he has ben injuerd.

What about using Nemeth? Give him a chance? But i have heard he has ben injuerd.

Gone on loan for a month. Do keep up.


Just read one of Rafa's quotes from after last night's game.

The game was crazy. We will see if the game on Sunday will be crazy too. I am calm, because I cannot control this craziness. Maybe it has to be crazy for years. I was talking with the players about how to stop the craziness but I do not know if we can.”

Anybody care to decipher.

Anybody care to decipher.

Looking for the usual scapegoats managers look for when their team isn't doing the business - the match officials and conspiracy theories.

The pressure at Anfield for a manager in his 5th season seems to be terrible. Houllier went loony in the end and Rafa is coming out with some very paranoid gibberish.

Anybody care to decipher.

I think Rafa is maybe the crazy one 

Anybody care to decipher.

I had read that and meant to comment on it.

He's said stuff like that before when we've had a disappointing result, and it's a bit weak for my liking. We couldn't break them down because it was a crazy game - for me that's rubbish. We played poorly, pure and simple, whether we're talking players or manager, he should just admit it.

He's also seems to be insinuating that the officials are against him, I think - I don't know what else he might mean about the "craziness being out of his control", and it having gone on for years. I don't see what he could have been referring to though during the match, the penalty was fair and it's not like they were getting all the decisions or anything. He should take some of his own advice and just concentrate on the next game.

He does seem to be cracking up like Houllier did.

Needs to get a grip. 

Saying that he had decided to take off Gerrard before the penalty isn't a good enough excuse.  He should have amended his decision after they scored.

Why did Rafa took off our best players in the match?
He made the same mistake vs Everton...I think its time for him to go.

Boooooooooooooooooolllll llllllllllllllllllllllll llllllllllllllllllllllll llllllloooooooooooooooox xxxxxxxxxxxxx 

Now thats out of the way come on you shower of bas**rds and start playing with some f**king pride in the jersey your wearing, if I have to listen to one more  manure smug b***ard saying I told you so I'll flip.

Just get it together both the manager and the players f**k everthing off the pitch and focus on bringing the title home, 5 pionts is nothing if we get our sh*t together nail the chavs to the wall from first whistle to last kick
and roll on from there.

And someone get Rafa a straight jacket.

19th after 19 years has a nice ring to it.

I'm just pissed as the next Liverpool supporter and I'm not happy that we're slipping down Jan is usually a bad time for us .. I wanna remain positive but it's so hard to .. 4 draws ..we really should've won this Wigan were completely disarmed they dint have anyone ... why dint he play Alonso .. Alonso has been amazing this season ! And Lucas has been crap ...I really never liked him ! But I'm gonna keep my head held high and be positive for the clash with Chelsea ...I hope this time it's different ! 

I said it before Lucas is up and down like a roller coaster one week he looks promising the next he's awful. Alonso on the other hand is Mr consistent not flashy or player of the year but you know his passing is spot on his commitment is sound and at the moment he is playing really well he needs to play every game like Carra and the likes. When I was watching last night and I saw the changes, honestly the only one that had me concerned was Lucas, I was glad to see Yossi make a start and i think he had a good game, Babel was ok still prefer Riera I think he offers more as a left wing. Still baffles me why when we go a goal up we go into lock down we should have smashed them into the ground. Now we really are relying on the mancs to F**k up instead of backing our selves to win

Well I've read this thread from the final whistle and to say theres a touch of knee jerk reaction is an understatement !
Nice touch though someone starting a knee jerk thread !.
Far too many Rafa bashers for my liking, it's a TEAM game F.F.S !
Comments like , OUT OF TITLE RACE  by Semple !,
                       FIGHTING FOR 4TH POS. by Riise'bootboy 
                       IDIOT RAFA by djdan
Are frankly in my opion very kneejerky ! and thanks to the likes of RESLIVO, AYRTON77 & MSGERRARD They've been well and truly put in their place !
This result was well and truly a kick in the preverbials But at the end of the day were in a better position than this time last year, hopefully we've had our annual bad month (last season's  being NOV this season being JAN !).
we now have to step upto the plate and what better place to do it than at Anfield and against the Chavs !
Our league position is Irrelevant its the points gap that matters more, (just like the bottom of the league) its currentlyJUST 2pts (although we've played a game more!).
I've said it before and here I go AGAIN i'ts not over 'till the fat lady sings and this season it's gonna be Rafa and 'Cilla doing a duet ! 
I.R.W.T 

i dont think he has been a let down. If he doesnt get a chance he cant score goals bringing him on in the last 5 minutes was a crap choice should of swapped him with Torres
I think the players have bottled it myself.

I think most on here now we haven't played well all season and we were getting the results.  Now we're getting the results our performances deserve.

Torres doesn't look like the same player.  Keane's been a let down.

Should have bought Heskey.
[/quote]

I dont think we are out of the race just yet. If everton beat the Mancs at the weekend and we stuff chelsea we go back on top so lts all have a positive attitude. I also hope we go wit a 4-4-2 sunday to give torres and keane a chance to get a partnership going

We not out of it by a long shot but we relying on other teams to do us favors where we should be backing our selves and sitting ten points ahead. But now drawing to Wigan last night only did the manc bas**rds a favor

Well I've read this thread from the final whistle and to say theres a touch of knee jerk reaction is an understatement !
Nice touch though someone starting a knee jerk thread !.
Far too many Rafa bashers for my liking, it's a TEAM game F.F.S !
Comments like , OUT OF TITLE RACE  by Semple !,
                       FIGHTING FOR 4TH POS. by Riise'bootboy 
                       IDIOT RAFA by djdan
Are frankly in my opion very kneejerky ! and thanks to the likes of RESLIVO, AYRTON77 & MSGERRARD They've been well and truly put in their place !
This result was well and truly a kick in the preverbials But at the end of the day were in a better position than this time last year, hopefully we've had our annual bad month (last season's  being NOV this season being JAN !).
we now have to step upto the plate and what better place to do it than at Anfield and against the Chavs !
Our league position is Irrelevant its the points gap that matters more, (just like the bottom of the league) its currentlyJUST 2pts (although we've played a game more!).
I've said it before and here I go AGAIN I'ts not over 'till the fat lady sings and this season it's gonna be Rafa and 'Cilla doing a duet ! 
I.R.W.T 

Exactamundo