Penalty-gate

No need for some of Gerrard's post match comments either - not the time to have a crack at a player who has effectively won us our last three matches.

Agreed. I'm not a fan of playing players up in the media box commentating. Don't care who it is. Tonight SG ended up saying things there was no need to have out there. On a relatively insignificant matter. Dressing room code? Does it say anything about keeping things in house ...

Thank you hendo for let me take the penalty.. Stop drama now. We won that's what it count. We are a team and expecially we are Liverpool. Come on guys.

Jebus...he is turning into a right proper Liverpool player.

Suppose it's potentially bad to go against the 'rules' but he's definitely the best penalty taker on the field, arguably as good (if not better) than Gerrard, he scored, thats all that matters.

Henderson was smart enough to know Balotelli was clearly a better man to take it. It should be made clear before a match that if Balotelli is on the field he's next after Gerrard to take them.

Sturridge was the problem; he made an issue of it. Not the first time Sturridge's ego has caused issues on the field with team-mates.

I thought Gerrard's comments were unnecessary.

What are you talking about? Henderson wasn't too happy Mario took it like Sturridge. It wasn't Hendo's decision to let Mario take it.

Henderson was smart enough to know Balotelli was clearly a better man to take it. It should be made clear before a match that if Balotelli is on the field he's next after Gerrard to take them.

Sturridge was the problem; he made an issue of it. Not the first time Sturridge's ego has caused issues on the field with team-mates.

I thought Gerrard's comments were unnecessary.

If Balo had been anywhere near as selfish as Sturridge was in front of goal tonight he'd be torn to bits
Admittedly Sturridge has earned his stripes but ffs Daniel get your head up at times son even Ronaldo lays on the odd assist

It wasn't Hendo's decision to let Mario take it.

Yes, it was.

He is captain and rightly let Mario take it.  He would have told him to F**k off if he thought Mario would miss.

SG is better than this. He shouldn't be criticising team mates publicly.

BR is the problem here. Over their careers Mario has the best penalty stats of any player in our team including Stevie.

Mario should be our No 1 penalty taker when he's o the pitch, end of.

Look, fair enough, there is a code for pen takers, that's fine no worries, however,
It's late on in a pivotal game in our season, our main pen taker is sat with greasepaint on his mush making his studio debut, we need to win a match we have dominated and should have netted earlier,
Suddenly, we're awarded a pen,a crucial opportunity to take a lead into the second leg,
The on field skipper wants the responsibility to take it but acknowledges there is a more experienced better talented individual who more often than not will be successful, so he makes the sensible decision and hands the ball over,

A wise decision as it turns out, and one made for the team rather than for any individual, for me it shows maturity, and not lacking stones as some have mentioned, so kudos Jordan Henderson, a great captain in the making.


YNWA

I didn't see this happen at all though. When Mario took the ball from Henderson we saw Henderson turn away, he clearly didn't agree with it. Then came the squabbling in the box where Sturridge came around to actually tell Henderson to go away because it looked extremely unprofessional.

A good Captain needs to understand his limits. Taking Gerrard's armband doesn't mean taking Gerrard's duties, he worked his way here being Henderson. Balotelli worked his way here being a F***ing master of dead balls.

Anyway I sense Sturridge, Balotelli and Sterling are not exactly best friends. Hope we don't lose 2 of them.

Yes, it was.

He is captain and rightly let Mario take it.  He would have told him to f**k off if he thought Mario would miss.

If it was his decision, he wouldn't have looked so unhappy as the vine showed.

Disappointed with Sturridge trying to stir trouble and Gerrard as the club captain can't be trusted to keep his mouth shut when these things don't need to be aired in public.

You can just imagine the press headlines about Balotelli but at least Rodgers had the sense to bat it off.

Bollocks mate, who gives a F**k what the press say, they've had an agenda against our club for f***in decades, what's new, as for trusting Stevie, he's just said how he's seen it, what do you want him to say, some kind of fabrication to appease the the media trolls waiting in the wings with their dictaphones,

The scummy f***in press will print their usual bullshit and not give a F**k what the actual truth is, rightly or wrongly, so F**k what they say, F**k what they print, and that goes for the so called professional commentators who couldn't wait to put the f***in boot in to LFC as soon as the ref blew his whistle,
f***in wankers, the lot of them.


YNWA

Has Hendo ever taken a penalty for us? I was worried when he picked the ball up to be honest. I think Mario has shown that he should be next after Stevie to take the pens, that was a cool headed penalty.

If it was his decision, he wouldn't have looked so unhappy as the vine showed.

It was his decision because he is captain and he let Mario take it.

Are you suggesting he's too weak to tell a team-mate to F**k off if he didn't think the player would score?

Henderson wouldn't have let anyone take that peno except Mario or Sturridge - both of whom are more likely to score than him.

Mario's full of confidence for the past 3 games, was having a great game, and is the best penalty taker on the field. He HAD to take it. Wouldn't have been an issue had Sturridge not tried to stir sh*t up. Then Gerrard coming on TV blasting the lad who's been winning us the past 3 games and who's trying to fit into the team.

It was his decision because he is captain and he let Mario take it.

Are you suggesting he's too weak to tell a team-mate to f**k off if he didn't think the player would score?

Henderson wouldn't have let anyone take that peno except Mario or Sturridge - both of whom are more likely to score than him.

Balotelli took the ball of him and he wanted to argue with him, but Sturridge said something to him and then he walked away. Like I said, he looked unhappy when he was walking away so it didn't go as he wanted.

I'm out of this one, Mario said it right himself. Matured a lot as a player of late. Last thing I'll say though... Imagine if Mario missed 

Seems Mario cannot win, even when he comes up trumps, scoring an important winning penalty. Also starting to make some telling contributions to the team as, Super sub Mario.

I didn't see this happen at all though. When Mario took the ball from Henderson we saw Henderson turn away, he clearly didn't agree with it. Then came the squabbling in the box where Sturridge came around to actually tell Henderson to go away because it looked extremely unprofessional.

A good Captain needs to understand his limits. Taking Gerrard's armband doesn't mean taking Gerrard's duties, he worked his way here being Henderson. Balotelli worked his way here being a f**king master of dead balls.

Anyway I sense Sturridge, Balotelli and Sterling are not exactly best friends. Hope we don't lose 2 of them.

From what I seen mate Hendo turned away after Studge was chucking his gums at him for letting Mario take the pen, it's all a bit of toys chucking from the pram bollocks and won't be a dressing room issue, I would doubt there is a complete harmonious dressing room anywhere from the conference to the prem anyhoo,

In fact it's most probably been forgot about already.


YNWA

Mario Balotelli ‏@FinallyMario  1m1 minute ago
Thank you hendo for let me take the penalty.. Stop drama now. We won that's what it count. We are a team and expecially we are Liverpool. Come on guys.
https://instagram.com/p/zTNOGTrjw7/

Has Hendo ever taken a penalty for us? I was worried when he picked the ball up to be honest. I think Mario has shown that he should be next after Stevie to take the pens, that was a cool headed penalty.

I was worried too!! Was happy when Balo took it from him!

Gerrard > Balo > Lambert for PK's and Free Kicks at goal.

We won, close that chapter and move on.

Another tough game coming up at weekend. 

My interpretation...

1. If Jordan Henderson is the designated penalty taker then he should be taking it (if Brendan Rodgers had indeed assigned him that task)

2. Mario Balotelli should be taking penalties if Steven Gerrard is off the pitch - his record is unquestionable really

3. Daniel Sturridge did not seem to want to take the penalty but told Henderson to take that ball and take the penalty (which I assume means Hendo was the designated penalty taker)

4. Brendan Rodgers kopped out during the post-match interview joking 'Steven Gerrard should have taken it'

5. Steven Gerrard was right with what he said in that Hendo should have held onto the ball and taken it if he was the penalty taker - however, Gerrard was so, so wrong saying it on TV (he should not have said anything of the sort really and could have said something along the lines of "I would have taken it" and left it at that)

I think that the best Penalty taker on the pitch takes the penalties and that is what happened.   The thing is though Sturridge has butted in and the situation has got even more tense.   The Penalty had that little bit more pressure added to it.   If anyone misses then there would have been fans saying the other should have taken and what have you.   It all points to having the best penalty taker take it under pressure and that was Balotelli.   

I think both Balotelli and Sturridge need a good talking too, but at the end the right man took the kick.  And Henderson handled the situation really well.

I wouldn't want to comment on what went on on the pitch because we don't know what was said in the dressing room beforehand. However it was embarrassing to watch and was an unwanted distraction for whoever was going to take the penalty. That could have been costly.

Gerrard's comments in the studio left me very uncomfortable and I think it's demonstrates how unwise it is to have a current player in the studio during a match.