Lucky Liverpool - the first 12 games

Winning 4 games out of 12, coupled with 4 draws have seen Liverpool reach the tremendous achievement of 16 points in 12 games.  Heady days.

It really seems the luck is with us this season.  I believe we have been lucky in 4 games, unlucky in 1 and the other 7 have been accurate results.

The quotes are the first line of the BBC Match Report from each game.

Liverpool 1-1 Arsenal

A mistake by Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina allowed Arsenal to salvage a draw against a Reds side who had Joe Cole sent off on his Premier League debut.

Verdict: Unlucky not to win.  -2pts dropped on the luckometer.

Man City 3-0 Liverpool

Manchester City celebrated owner Sheikh Mansour's first visit to Eastlands by delivering an impressive performance to cruise to victory against Liverpool.

Verdict: Roundly beaten. Abject performance. No points change from luck.

Liverpool 1-0 West Brom

Spain striker Fernando Torres volleyed in to give an unconvincing Liverpool victory over West Brom at Anfield.

Verdict: Unconvincing victory.  However, I will be favourable to the reds and not call this a lucky win.

Birmingham 0-0 Liverpool

Liverpool had keeper Pepe Reina's heroics to thank for salvaging them a point against Birmingham.

Verdict: Totally outplayed. Hardly had a chance. A lucky point. +1.

Man Utd 3-2 Liverpool

Dimitar Berbatov's rejuvenation continued as his brilliant hat-trick gave Manchester United a fully deserved win against Liverpool at Old Trafford.

Verdict: Deservedly beaten. Scored with our two chances on goal. Both set-pieces. No luck involved.

Liverpool 2-2 Sunderland

Steven Gerrard's equaliser rescued a draw for Liverpool in a roller coaster game against a determined Sunderland

Verdict: Lucky to get a point from this. +1

Liverpool 1-2 Blackpool

Blackpool produced a stirring display as they piled the pressure on Liverpool by beating the Merseysiders at Anfield.

Verdict: Seasiders washed all over us.

Everton 2-0 Liverpool

Everton ensured John W Henry's reign as Liverpool owner got off to the worst possible start as they emerged as comfortable winners of the Merseyside derby.

Verdict: Didn't turn up. Miserable.

Liverpool 2-1 Blackburn

Fernando Torres scored his first goal since August to earn Liverpool a hugely significant victory at Anfield.

Verdict: Deserved the win. Should have been more. Lack of confidence meant we defended like beasts for the last 20 mins.

Bolton 0-1 Liverpool

Maxi Rodriguez toe-poked an 86th-minute winner as Liverpool won at Bolton to move out of the relegation zone.

Verdict: Game was going nowhere until a Torres back heel.  Lucky to get the win. +2 points.

Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea

Liverpool's rejuvenation continued as two moments of brilliance from Fernando Torres sank Premier League leaders Chelsea at Anfield.

Verdict: Great clinical first half.  No invention second half.

Wigan Athletic 1-1 Liverpool

Liverpool were handed a reality check as they escaped with a draw against a determined Wigan.

Verdict: Played well for 7 minutes. Sh*te for vast majority of the other 83. Lucky to get a point. +1.

---

Overall I believe that lady luck has helped us to 3 extra points than we deserved so far. -2 for the Arsenal game, and +5 across the others.

The worrying thing for me is - what happens when our luck runs out?

If you look at any league table at the end of the season and blank out the points tally it still usually has the top goal diff at the top and those with a - goal diff at the bottom. We are still on - goal diff regardless of everything that has been said some true some not so you cant hide from this stat it is damming. Roy is negative and hasnt grasped the fact that at a top club you have to be bold and try and win every game as apposed to try not to get beat in every game that is why Roy is wrong for this club.

We're back in a relegation battle JD.

If the results carry on as they have been though we should be OK with 50+ points  

If only the Man Utd score had actually been 3-2 to us like it is in the article

Liverpool in a relegation battle... The sound of that makes me cringe with fear. 

Good post especially using the first lines.

It was never lucky Liverpool.
It was always "lucky Leeds" or later years "lucky Utd".


Bouncing along on our arse actually.

Tomorrow is the Contract break clause date .
Methinks the Hodgson Horror Show will stay in town for a bit longer until he has finally convinced the NESV board that he talks a good talk but staggers than walks.

I would love to be wrong and find a news item being released at 11am tomorrow morning but I think Im dreaming there.

The way the side is playing 50 odd points and a mid table position at best will be achieved. Not good enough for the club's standing, will a new manager offer an immediate solution though?

I agree JD watching us play think we have been very lucky. In 25 years following Liverpool results aside this is the worst I have ever seen a Liverpool side play over a prolonged period.

Agree with JD's post but I think he was being a bit kind as I think West Brom as the away side made us look very poor at Anfield and we were lucky to get the three points that day.

If Roy stays our luck will run out in January. Cant see him changing his tactics. Cant see many players being happy with them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1328457/Roy-Hodgson-says-difference-club-West-Ham-Liverpool.html

Apparently Hodgson thinks there is no difference between us and the relegation teams.

Another Woyism classic.

Hope for West Ham!

Roy Hodgson says no difference between basement boys and his Liverpool

By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 4:35 PM on 10th November 2010

   
Roy Hodgson admits there isn’t much difference between his once mighty Liverpool side and Barclays Premier League basement club West Ham United.

Three wins on the bounce have propelled the Reds out of the relegation zone and up to ninth, but Hodgson suggests his team are as likely to go down as win the league.

‘This year I think people are going to be loathe to put too much money on who is going to win it and there will be even less people willing to put money on the three teams who will be relegated because it seems to me from about 20th to sixth or seventh, there is not that much between the teams,’ he said.

Asked if two wins in the next four days at Wigan and Stoke would make the table even better reading, Hodgson admitted: ‘Absolutely, but unfortunately, if I play devil’s advocate, with two defeats it will too.

‘That’s how close it is - it really is an incredible year in the Barclays Premier League.

'Normally when you’re a third of the way through, which is about where were are now, you can see which teams are going to struggle to stay up and which teams are going to be the clear champions.’

That is just what we want to hear coming out of your month WoyBoy.
 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1328457/Roy-Hodgson-says-difference-club-West-Ham-Liverpool.html

Apparently Hodgson thinks there is no difference between us and the relegation teams.

Another Woyism classic.

Hope for West Ham!

Roy Hodgson says no difference between basement boys and his Liverpool

By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 4:35 PM on 10th November 2010

   
Roy Hodgson admits there isn’t much difference between his once mighty Liverpool side and Barclays Premier League basement club West Ham United.

Three wins on the bounce have propelled the Reds out of the relegation zone and up to ninth, but Hodgson suggests his team are as likely to go down as win the league.

‘This year I think people are going to be loathe to put too much money on who is going to win it and there will be even less people willing to put money on the three teams who will be relegated because it seems to me from about 20th to sixth or seventh, there is not that much between the teams,’ he said.

Asked if two wins in the next four days at Wigan and Stoke would make the table even better reading, Hodgson admitted: ‘Absolutely, but unfortunately, if I play devil’s advocate, with two defeats it will too.

‘That’s how close it is - it really is an incredible year in the Barclays Premier League.

'Normally when you’re a third of the way through, which is about where were are now, you can see which teams are going to struggle to stay up and which teams are going to be the clear champions.’

That is just what we want to hear coming out of your month WoyBoy.
 

I read that earlier and it just tells that he's just not Liverpool manager material. After H&G and now this clown.

We need to get a new manager in.

It's not only he hasn't been getting the best out of the team. We've been playing crap practically almost all season and it doesn't look like it will change under Roy. There's a reason he failed at Inter and Blackburn and has only managed average teams. His record with us is only 10 wins in 21 games and that's below 50%.

If we keep on playing with him in charge, we're not going to improve and our results will suffer. To add to that, the players will be unhappy with his approach and I don't buy that 'new manager, new idea, need time' bullshit and they may start reconsidering their future because we will not be able to achieve their ambitions.

Have to disagree about the Arsenal game, a draw was a fair reflection, they have twice the number of passes and shots as us, with us down to 10 men they dominated the ball - we defended well though and they did not create that much.  It was only deemed 'unlucky' because it was right at the end and a goalkeeping cock-up. 

So that is 5 points extra due to luck... which if we didn't get it, would leave us on 11 points, just above the drop zone on goal difference.  If Wolves or West Ham had our luck and we had theirs, we'd be bottom and they'd be mid-table.

I agree JD. But we were unlucky sometimes. 

good post jd, not to mention you must have quite a bit of time on your hands

but i totally agree, we have been lucky somewhat. out of the 12 games we've played, i've only seen 2 where we looked like a liverpool side worthy of getting back into chams league (chavski and blackburn). the rest have been swinging between dull to horror shows. we're just not playing good football, simple as that (and yes i do blame roy largely).

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1328457/Roy-Hodgson-says-difference-club-West-Ham-Liverpool.html

Apparently Hodgson thinks there is no difference between us and the relegation teams.

Another Woyism classic.
etc
That is just what we want to hear coming out of your month WoyBoy.
 

but he's totally right, his assessment of the team is spot on. there is no sodding difference between us and the relegation battlers in terms of the football we're playing. when u get played off the park by mighty wigan and blackpool, you can't argue that we're no better than bottom 3 guys.

who's fault is that roy? why we playing like relegation battlers? why arent you giving your players a confidence by setting their standards higher, telling them they're champs league material and should be playing like one, instead of spouting this negative, defeatist bulls*it and dragging everyone down to your average level.

please, just stop talking.

+3 on the Luck-o-meter.

+1000 on the sh*t-o-meter.

Dont think it gives sense to calculate luck into numbers. The feeling of luck is also rather individual, you could make a case for Bolton not being a lucky win. What if we had scored after 5 min in stead of 85 min, would it have been less "lucky"? Last gap goals seems to give a feeling that you were lucky, but thats not rational, it shouldnt matter when the goal is scored. Also, Gerrard was closest to score the winner (twice), you could make a case for us being unlucky despite playing sh*te. Our biggest chances were bigger than theirs.

Anyways, however you twist and turn it you could get different numbers on the luck-o-meter, so I dont think it gives sense to measure things in luck. I dont feel that we have been particularly lucky this season. We have played like sh*t, but thats another thing.

We have made our own luck this season and could do with some more, how the hell did Utd manage to get that injury time winner for instance? THAT was luck! we are the same this season as we were last, getting progressively better as the game goes on.  I wouldn't say that Wigan outplayed us on Wednesday but they matched us and looked more likely to get a winner, for an away game this early in the season I'd usually say a point would be acceptable due to the way we went out, however we could have used some of the luck that others have had (or maybe just played as well as)

Anyway I feel this season will have a few more twists to it and we should save our aces for away games like Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal and Blackpool away! It's too early to tell whats gonna happen yet, but as long as we play good, honest, dare I say "free flowing" football then we should do well enough to keep ourselves up in contention.

We have made our own luck this season and could do with some more, how the hell did Utd manage to get that injury time winner for instance? THAT was luck! we are the same this season as we were last, getting progressively better as the game goes on.  I wouldn't say that Wigan outplayed us on Wednesday but they matched us and looked more likely to get a winner, for an away game this early in the season I'd usually say a point would be acceptable due to the way we went out, however we could have used some of the luck that others have had (or maybe just played as well as)

Anyway I feel this season will have a few more twists to it and we should save our aces for away games like Newcastle, Chelsea, Arsenal and Blackpool away! It's too early to tell whats gonna happen yet, but as long as we play good, honest, dare I say "free flowing" football then we should do well enough to keep ourselves up in contention.

Your thoughts on the Stoke Massacre? Pliz

The worrying thing for me is - what happens when our luck runs out?

The worrying thing for me is "If this is the lucky part, I fear for what it's like without luck...


(and it f***ing kills me to write this...)

if we were lucky we would,t be in the relegation zone..omg I can,t belive that we were there every time I remember it  makes wanna cry.... ....ps liverpool never depented on luck we always play with the name of the club....but I agree some times we were unlucky like man united game.. .oh god that was bad  

Fortune favors the brave. Satan loves those who are negative. As you sow so shall you reap. Play negative football and expect nothing but negative results. Attack and you may or may not conquer but be defensive and you will never build an empire. Getting results is just like trying to woo a beautiful woman, we never know whether she will say yes or no but the least thing required is to have the guts to go ask her out and to take a chance. If she says yes than good (lucky) and if she says no than bad (unlucky) but at-least we gave it a shot or we may choose to keep on trying until she says yes (Of course by being in our best behavior with our cleanest clothes and acceptable body hygiene) and that my friends is making your own luck. It is no use admiring and loving a woman from afar because in the real world we got to grab our opportunities before others grab it. Is Hodgson married? If he is than I am shocked unless it was his missus who made the move on him and that would seem to be the most plausible explanation judging him from the philosophy that he has adopted in his footballing doctrine.