Newcastle 2 - 2 Liverpool - post match frustration

Hendo was useless as CM, play him as AM or winger but never as CM alongside Gerrard, the last game was just a good performance against a poor side, but it's clear a midfield of Gerrard and Henderson is not good. Allen should have played if Lucas was not going to play. Hendo could have played as no.10 and Moses on the wing.

Overall I liked Cissokho and my MOTM was Skrtel he was great, Sakho was not as good as usual.

And as said the commentator, why play with 3 CBs if the strikers are almost no threat to us? The Toons' strikers did nothing yesterday. We should have played 4-3-3, I'm happy about the performance of Suarez, Sturridge, Skrtel and Cissokho. Luckily we have world class strikers otherwise we would have been ridiculous, if only our two strikers had had midfielders as good as them behind...

 Like alex I also think Skrtel was MOTM,his tackling was spot on. I was disappointed that we were unable to capitalise agaainst a 10 man Newcastle,the 3 points should of been there for the taking.Suarez deserved a goal especially that one that hit the crossbar.

Decent point away from home, having had to come back twice.

We know we're not the best side in the league, so I think most of us would have taken 3 points off the top 2 months in. Certainly, after the ramshackle way we lost to Celtic, I didn't think we'd start as well as we have.

We have the return game on the final day of the season, so hopefully we'll have a bit more than a point to celebrate then.

Didn't see or hear the game but I've read many posts, well the sensible ones at least,
Sounds like we've had yet another bad day at the office,
and not getting the most out of a advanced position,

However, we did not lose, we're away from home and still managed to pick up a point, for how many seasons did scum do exactly this , under perform but still pick points up,

it seems we don't play at all well after a international break, maybe mindsets are not totally functional or perhaps the day to day rhythm of club football psyche somehow effects some players more than others,

Of course other clubs players go through the same sort of thing and play better but I'm only concerned with those at LFC,

I think most on here realise we are short in midfield as does BR, so he has to make do for now with what we have and thus far we have got away with it,

We obviously cannot expect to keep getting away with it and at some point possibly May will know whether all those one pointers will show their worth,

CL is still on, finishing in the top 4 is still on, we're still not playing at our best we're still picking points up..'nuff' said, ...next !

YNWA

Toons were down to 10, Johnson was literally playing a winger with Alberto slotting in, BR assumes that there is no threat down the right back hence instead of a defender like flanno or kelly, Sterling was brought in to bring the attacking impetus.

But he didn't do that - he was far too deep for most of the time he was on the pitch.

Two months gone and BR is having to juggle and make do, is this the tale of  our season?
Top four is at the least optimistic if not unrealistic.
If by some quirk of fate we did qualify for the CL and got hammered in the preliminary rounds we would then be allocated a place in a lesser tournament; this of course would be entirely in keeping with the owners ''plans'' for LFC of a gradual, time consuming, spirit-stripping, humiliating and ego-sapping process in search of success, a quest in itself not guaranteed to reap results.
You sow peanuts and peanuts is all you pick up.   

I think for the first time yesterday our 3-5-2 formation hindered any kind of spark in performance the team desperately needed.


It just didn't look right to me. That Cabaye (sp?) goal summed it up for me, he ran at our defense and for a moment there both Sahko and Cissoko weren't sure what to do; Cissoko went with the runner and decided to track him, so Sahko was left to close Cabaye down but that moment of indecision ensured Cabaye got his shot away and Sahko didn't block it.


Again, for their second goal, the culprit was Cissoko who got caught ball watching and forgot about his man behind him (Dummet) who snuck in and scored.


Then, I thought back to that analysis someone posted up re the 3-5-2 and, you could see we lost a man (outlet) ahead of midfield yesterday with 3 cb's. With two at the back you have that extra man elsewhere and we didn't really have the options to do this. It wasn't until Sahko came off for Alberto and we reverted to a back four we had extra numbers against a 10 man Geordie outfit in the final third of our attacking play. Unfortunately, Alberto didn't make an impact when he came on, even though the tactical switch was the right thing to do. Our bench was weak and we didn't have the quality to call upon a game changer.


Hopefully, this will be solved when Coutinho comes back.

I think for the first time yesterday our 3-5-2 formation hindered any kind of spark in performance the team desperately needed.


It just didn't look right to me. That Cabaye (sp?) goal summed it up for me, he ran at our defense and for a moment there both Sahko and Cissoko weren't sure what to do; Cissoko went with the runner and decided to track him, so Sahko was left to close Cabaye down but that moment of indecision ensured Cabaye got his shot away and Sahko didn't block it.


Again, for their second goal, the culprit was Cissoko who got caught ball watching and forgot about his man behind him (Dummet) who snuck in and scored.


Then, I thought back to that analysis someone posted up re the 3-5-2 and, you could see we lost a man (outlet) ahead of midfield yesterday with 3 cb's. With two at the back you have that extra man elsewhere and we didn't really have the options to do this. It wasn't until Sahko came off for Alberto and we reverted to a back four we had extra numbers against a 10 man Geordie outfit in the final third of our attacking play. Unfortunately, Alberto didn't make an impact when he came on, even though the tactical switch was the right thing to do. Our bench was weak and we didn't have the quality to call upon a game changer.


Hopefully, this will be solved when Coutinho comes back.

Four paragraphs of well constructed tactical comment, it has to be said verging on criticism.

Nine letters of desperate optimism as a footnote do not take the edge off a performance we may well have cause to regret

Nine letters of desperate optimism do not take the edge off a performance we may well have cause to regret 

I know but what else does one do

I know but what else does one do

No swipe at yourself whatever mate, I was commenting on the issues to be addressed and how much optimism, or measure of optimism we can afford ourselves.
We have little choice, as does BR with the greatly reduced squad he shuffles.

No swipe at yourself whatever mate, I was commenting on the issues to be addressed and how much optimism, or measure of optimism we can afford ourselves.
We have little choice, as does BR with the greatly reduced squad he shuffles.

That's okay mate, I never took it as a swipe but as you said there were four paragraphs of constructive criticism, and I thought I'd add some bit of optimism at the end so as not to paint a completely negative picture.


On-wards and hopefully upwards.

Let's be optimistic here, Excuses can be given, rainy day, slippery pitch, lousy boots(sturridge), players coming back from injury (full backs) players feeling lethargic from the international break, but at the end, we came with a point and it isn't that bad, yes there was a few mistakes, yes that we lack the creative flair, but overall we didn't lose the game and we still are in top 4.


Let's take it one game at a time.. we got Gonners and the derby to come after next week with baggies, we'll judge again after that 3 games.

The goal was Toure's fault IMO, the 2 defenders expected him to head the ball and were surprised he missed it (IMO).

The 3-5-2 was useless because Cissokho and Johnson are fullbacks and this time we did not need fullbacks we needed wingers, players whose main role was creating or scoring, Cissoko and Johnson never fully went for goal throughout the game.

Our issue is midfield, we missed some steel(Lucas) and could not dominate the middle of the field. We could move the ball properly but we could not make interceptions and keep the ball as we're used to. WE simply missed a DM.

Suarez and Sturridge are simply awesome, probably the best partnership of Europe alongside Cavani and Ibrahimovic.

Frustrating game. The weather suggested it was going to be a slog and that is how it proved.

Thought for the first 40 minutes Newcastle players simply looked like they wanted it more than us. Tiote had his best game in years, he was snapping at the heels of everything and the rest of their team followed suit. Unfortunately Gerrard doesn't have the same bite for that as he once did and Henderson, for all his qualities, shies away against players like that. I have to say I think the formation worked against us. It worked well against the two worst sides in the league but Newcastle, although they have a really average manager undoubtedly have some very good players in the form of Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Remy. These guys knew how to play against our setup- exploit the wide areas and that space just ahead of the defence (Lucas was definitely missed). Their first goal came from the latter when Cabaye let loose on a strike, a lack of closing down allowed it. Of course the majority of strikes from that range aren't going to trouble you but we still shouldn't allow players of his quality the chance. I'm not putting much blame on Mignolet if any, he didn't see it til late and the ball moved more than MJ on the dancefloor.

Yanga-Mbiwa sending off/penalty was a lifeline for us. We didn't really look like bothering them from open play until then. Thankfully Sturridge and Suarez are F***ing brilliant, it was a fabulous pass by Sturridge, great run and first touch by Suarez and made YM need to make a decision- let Suarez score or get sent off and prey that Krul denies Stevie. Congrats to Gerrard for bagging his 100th in the league, surprised he hadn't hit that mark sooner but I guess with his more reserved role these days it's not a huge shock it's taken until now.

Anyway, after that I genuinely thought we would go on to win convincingly. Credit to Newcastle in a way, they were disciplined second-half and did what every time should against us- load the box with every set-piece within range, because we are awful at dealing with it. It cost us against Southampton, Man Utd in the League Cup and yesterday. Needs sorting, because I actually expect the opposition to score from every corner and free-kick nowadays.

Was a real setback their second goal but fair play to Suarez, he did a wonderful bit of play to create the goal on a plate for Danny boy. We had a couple very good chances to win the game after that but ultimately I think a draw was the fair result. So we can complain about parts of the performance but have to accept we probably didn't deserve to win, especially considering they had ten men for 50 minutes.

Man of the match Suarez for me, he was a bit stiff in parts but you judge certain players on how effective they are and he was, set up both goals expertly, unfortunate to clip the bar with a super volley and very nearly won it at the death. Skrtel and Kolo played well, they kept Remy and Ben Arfa in check which is easier said than done. Johnson did well on his return, Cissokho shaky first half but I think improved as the game went on. Henderson average yesterday, Gerrard the same bar a cool penalty and a couple of superb passes which very nearly led to winning goals. Sturridge much better once he changed his boots, he's always good for a goal and it's very comforting knowing that as a fan. Moses however was abject in the hole but that's because he's a winger, he doesn't have the awareness or creativity to play behind the strikers so I'm not going to blame him for it. Once we (hopefully) revert back to 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 he'll be playing on the wing where he does his best work, or as an impact sub. Oh and Mignolet didn't have much to do but he made a good save from Sissoko and like I said, not sure I'm blaming him for their first goal.

It was a disappointing performance in many ways. I think BR should have hauled off a centre back at half time and brought on Allen or Alberto then so as to take the game to their ten men, instead by the time we made such a change we were chasing the game. Nonetheless, despite their poor season in 2012/13 a draw at St James' Park is never a bad result in my opinion. Top five teams last season Chelsea and Tottenham were both beaten there. I can accept a point at grounds like that as long as we back it up with wins at Anfield. Next week will be tough, WBA have beaten us in our last two Anfield meetings as well as that 3-0 at the Hawthorns on last season's opening day. We tend to struggle against teams with energetic midfields, theirs is certainly that. But we unquestionably need to win with two very tough away games on the horizon.

watching Inter taking the lead with 10 men after 5 mins. Makes u think a point against toons is not to be sniffed at at their backyard.
Nonetheless, it's the step back that we are used to as we blew a great chance. Have a feeling WBA are going to be a tougher nut to crack.
FSG better open their wallets come Jan as if they think we will get into the top 4 with this squad they can dream on.

People need to stop thinking that throwing money at our squad is going to magically win us anything. What we need is for the manager, coaches and players to perform at their best and stop moaning about something that isn't going to change which is the lackadaisical ownership. If not for injuries we likely would have had a stronger squad and better bench options. The owners didn't keep us from getting 3 points yesterday, the manager and players did. Poor performances by a lot of key players, you can't have that even against sub par competition and expect to dominate. We have to play better and Brendan needs to make better tactical and substitution decisions.

The goal was Toure's fault IMO, the 2 defenders expected him to head the ball and were surprised he missed it (IMO).

Sorry but I don't think you can put it solely down to Kolo and I don't agree with the second part of your statement, firstly Toure goes for the ball but gets caught slightly under it. While the balls in flight Skrtel should clearly be able to see he's in prime position to come on to the ball and clear it, taking both Kolo and the Newcastle player with it. He doesn't he hesitates and then jumps half heartedly when he finally sees Kolo out of position, this leads to him being the one who's muscled out of the challenge.

On the point you make regarding the two defenders expecting him to head it and being surprised he missed it. A defender can never expect his teammate to clear the ball, what he should be doing is covering his mate and expecting the ball to be coming through to him. Most of the time his team mate will clear the ball, but you must be prepared to cover for your mate if he messes up. It's very much like the difference between a good goal poacher and a one who doesn't see things before they happen. Defending imo is becoming a dying art and the point I'm trying to make is one of the reasons for it.

Me personally I think you can put a little bit of fault at Toure, Skrtel, Sakho and Cissokho's feet.

Not a great result, but at least the side came back from twice behind, even against a 10 man Newcastle side to earn a point, where in the past this could have turned into a defeat, is the only positive to be taken from the game.

Missed the game as I was at a wedding. Dissapointing to only get a draw. We'll see in the fulness of time whether it was a point gained, or 2 lost. As others have said - how many times have the likes of Utd, Chelsea etc played poorly and got away with a point  away from home ?

Only positive is we now have a week to re-group, Lucas will be back after his missus gave birth to a daughter (Congrats to him & family BTW), and Sturridge is still on fire - 20 Liverpool goals quicker than any other striker

Missed the game as I was at a wedding. Dissapointing to only get a draw. We'll see in the fulness of time whether it was a point gained, or 2 lost. As others have said - how many times have the likes of Utd, Chelsea etc played poorly and got away with a point  away from home ?

Only positive is we now have a week to re-group, Lucas will be back after his missus gave birth to a daughter (Congrats to him & family BTW), and Sturridge is still on fire - 20 Liverpool goals quicker than any other striker

Missed the game for the same reasons funnily enough... Didn't stop me having a gander on here pre speeches tho..lololol

Can't really comment on the game after watching MOTD, if anything due to however they edit, we didn't seem as bad as the fans described imo..

Bottom line is, we didn't loose and SAS are still not having it..

Frustration is the word alright. Could see throughout the game that we weren't playing well enough. With 10 men, it was only highlighted.

Don't like Moses in the hole at all. Would prefer Henderson in there instead, if Coutinho continues to be be missing.

Absolute rubbish fella. It's the sort of crap the talk sport phone in lot come out with after a poor England performance. your usual white van man can't think of anything else to say but "where's the passion".

Can you name five examples off the top of your head where you witnessed a lack of passion?

We didn't play well, we're completely unsuited to this formation, there was no fluidity and our movement was hampered by the set up BUT I didn't see a lack of effort or passion. Your talking rubbish again fella.

Yes, I find that "passion" comment odd. It's extraordinarily rare to see a Liverpool player genuinely "not try", never mind the whole team. They were just a bit rubbish.
 
I could probably accept that Torres was guilty of it towards the end, and maybe that tit Itandje on occasion, but that's about it.

1st half display was hard to watch . Two lost points that could prove very costly come the end of the season