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

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.

Not what I wanted to hear but about what I expected from our first game. Gomel are half way through there season too aren't they?

Not going to grumle though, happy we won. Just hope the lads can adapt to Rodgers game or it is going to take a longer time and a bigger re-shuffle than what some think...

I seem to remember WOYS first win was a Europa League qualifier......

Following this thread was hilarious. There were some pretty embarrassing posts in here I'm going to watch the replay and see if we were as bad as people made out.

Following this thread was hilarious. There were some pretty embarrassing posts in here I'm going to watch the replay and see if we were as bad as people made out.

Just had a quick look myself as I missed the game and some of the posts were ridiculous and it's a little tiresome to have to read the moaning and criticism of FSG in the very first match thread.

Plenty of threads to bash the owners, players or manger if that's what people want to do so it would be nice this season if the match thread stays what it is and people discuss the actual game.

Downing scores tonight and who would have thought that. If Brendan has that affect on our most unproductive player from last season he must be doing something right.

To be honest the only plus i can take from that game was the performance of Downing, he was the only player willing to attack.

Finished watching the replay of the game. Overall, it was very sloppy, put I found the players to be particularly impatient. Too many long balls and attempts to play it over the top instead of patiently building up play. I didn't think it was extremely terrible or anything, but maybe I have the benefit of hindsight here.

But I'm not gonna worry too much about it at this moment. Would definitely like to see some noticeable improvement though on the return leg.

It looks like our build up starts and stops around the half way line , id rather see players push up and build in the other teams half.

Nice to get away goal and clean sheet though we did rely on poor finishing from Gomel a few times. You can tell what the players are trying to do with keeping it on the ground and knock the ball around. I notice one thing that game was really lack of player in the center of the field able to link with the attacking three, no one really pulling the strings in the middle in terms of picking passes and playing quick 1,2's. I know it is early days yet for a lot of the players so not really too worried about it but something I seen during the whole match.

Thought it was very sloppy and tell most of the players looked rusty both fitness wise closing players down and touch wise which is too be expected. Nice goal from Downing which maybe get him going when the Premiership rolls around. No one really impressed me too much out there tonight but onwards to next week

im happy with the win and it was awesome to see get our season going. First game of the season under a new manager, so i was never gonna make to much of it.

The only thing that have worried me for a long time is the fact that how the club was raving about how we gonna play the passing game aka tika-taka from now on. I have always felt that it was a unnecessary pressure put on players, the better thing would have been to not to announce it until our players would have been familiar with game-plan and capable of playing it.

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

 

Way too early mate and even then; self praise is no recommendation.

I'd be more than happy if the 'misfits' start clicking and we keep winning. We were, understandably, ring-rusty out there but a win will do nicely... it would have been a lot worse if we'd played brilliantly, missed a penalty or two, hit the woodwork once or twice and only drawn.

We will be damned if we play well and lose or draw ('cause 'the table doesn't lie') and we'll be damned if we play poorly and win (even tho 'a win is a win'). Fact is we'll hear a lot of whining, either way, throughout the season so I'm going to try look for the positives where I can. A Downing goal and a win - two positives right there. 

Don't really know what people expect - first competitive game and a win, with a number of key players absent for whatever reason.

We have to remember that it is not the heady days of the late 70's/early 80's when as the best side in Europe, we often went to places like that in early October, 2 months into the season, and would come away with a scrappy 1-0 win.

 I did not see the match so cannot comment on it,I am however pleased that we won even if it was only 1 nil.Now if we were to win every match 1 nil this season I reckon LFCREDS would be a very happy forum come next April/May.

Same Billy mate, didn't see the match...F***ing Setanta have the rights, gutted  but we came away with a 1 nil win.

I''ll take that over a Loss or a Draw every day of the season.  Still got 15 days till the start of the Premier League season. That's 15 more days for Brendan to get his game plan sorted with all the lads returning from their travels.

2nd leg is on ESPN in the UK on 9/8/2012, programme starts at 19.30 UK time.

Don't really know what people expect

Liverpool players to be able to string more than 3 passes together?

Fair enough - nobody is expecting them to be physically up for 90 minutes of end to end running but the basic semblance of tactical organisation and technical ability should not be beyond players earning more than 100 times their opponents?

The quality of passing was dire - the organisation was shocking.  We have every right to be critical of the football - where they can be cut a small modicum of slack is in terms of fitness.

Liverpool players to be able to string more than 3 passes together?

Fair enough - nobody is expecting them to be physically up for 90 minutes of end to end running but the basic semblance of tactical organisation and technical ability should not be beyond players earning more than 100 times their opponents?

The quality of passing was dire - the organisation was shocking.  We have every right to be critical of the football - where they can be cut a small modicum of slack is in terms of fitness.

Isn't supporting a football club much more fun when there's no actual football. 

After the poor showing last season where the team had KD in charge, I'm inclined to give BR far more time to get the job done right.

If anything BE critical of the players because they are the ones who are on the pitch. Saying that it's a start but should not be the watermark for the season.

We travelled away in europe and won, with an understrength non-match fit side.

i think ill take that maybe start complaining when we lose guys yeah??

Regardless, if it was the first game or the 38th game, or if we were playing a full strength side or the 'b' team, we should be able to pass the ball around at least. On times we looked like we'd never played the game before.

Gerrard was particularly bad, with the majority of his passes going all over the shop. Primarily because he was playing so deep and thus having to rake those 40 yard passes up field to Borini (who must have thought the entire team were ignoring him - very good movement from him as it goes). Why Gerrard's playing so deep is anyone's guess, but he seems to be doing it of his own free will, because he did it when KK was in charge as well, in fact he's done it for quite a long time now. Sure he's not as young as he once was, and perhaps he cannot get up and down the pitch like before, but we cannot afford to have him so deep, especially when we have Lucas/Spearing there. Move up, stay up.

Hendo and Downing were not awful at all - they just didn't do anything. Downing scored, and it was a great strike, but did nothing before it and very little after it. Hendo was literally missing from the game. They've had one whole season, and whilst this is still (basically) pre-season, nothing at all has changed concerning them. Shelvey must be wondering what he's got to do to start a game.

But like I said, never mind individual performances, collectively, as a team, needing to do the very basics, like pass to the nearest red shirt, we were on times shocking. And I don't care what anyone says, that has nothing to do with a lack of games.

People can stop using 'pre-season' as an excuse for us not doing the basics. Fact is, we are apt to do this too often, i.e. suddenly becoming terrible at the passing game for no apparent reason. I don't see this with most other teams I watch, but it's an issue we've had for way too long now, and it needs to stop. Swansea City were beaten a good few times last season, but they alway knew how to pass the ball and not look like they've fallen apart. And before anyone starts crowing with the sarcastic crap like 'Why aren't we playing like Barcelona after 45 minutes - I want a lynching now!', I've seen my home town amateur team pass better than that.

Bren said the philosophy was that in the end, it will be so ingrained in their psyche, that players will start to feel embarrassed if they give possession away. In that case, a good few of the players last night should go into hiding for a few weeks.

No excuses for not doing what you learned to do when you were 12.

Its the start of a fresh season and we played poor and won, this is why i dont come on here often anymore, we all know it wasnt the best we can play but its all doom and gloom once again, screw it lets call for a new manager....

I was personally pleased to see sterling play, carra get his 700th and get a first win under Brendan belt, he has a huge task upon him. our main striker was also feeling his way in too, they need time, it is actually really hard to travel away to any team and dominate, especially when their season has started

So take rooney, vidic, de gea, hernandez out of mank u's team and i think they would have struggled last night too

 It's impossible not to get angry if you watch these games. How can good footballers play so badly? They do though, they did it when we played Ruben Kazan a few years back, and they did every year in between. The only way to stay objective and sensible (speaking for myself here) is not to watch it.

It's impossible not to get angry if you watch these games. How can good footballers play so badly? They do though, they did it when we played Ruben Kazan a few years back, and they did every year in between. The only way to stay objective and sensible (speaking for myself here) is not to watch it.

I want to know when we played Rubin Kazan? As far as I remember we haven't played them in the last couple of years.

Quite easily actually not to get angry, 1-0 away from home in pre-season, job done for me.

Some people just like getting worked up about F**k-all. I'll start getting worried when were playing like that when Suarez, Reina, Agger etc come back into the team.

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

Difference being in the previous 20 we wern't on the verge of administration after being run in to the ground by two Cowboys fella.