It's Lucas who gave away that silly penalty in the box at the 83rd minute. Can u F@^!#@!* belive it??
That is a crucial moment in our fight for the title. 2 points dropped, slipped down to 3 place in the table. I just don't believe this.....
As far as I am concerned, our title hopes are fast fading away....unless we get our first win in 2009 very soon. With Chelsea next up, I think that is gonna be really tough especially if we have stupid and clumsy players like Lucas running around on the pitch.
I am really devastated.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Complacency costs us the lead
It's complacency. I guess everyone, including the players and the manager, thought we had the 3 points in the bag when we went 1 goal up. Rafa substituted Torres and Reira. We stopped attacking. The 2 "new" clowns made all the silly mistakes. Lucas gave away unnecessary free kicks by making school-boy type of challenges. Benayoun didn't need to make the tackle that resulted in a free kick just outside the box. That free kick gave Everton the equalising goal.
Why didn't we keep attacking till the final whistle? Why did Rafa make those changes when we were only 1 goal up against a team that has not lost a game in the last 7? Why did we stop attacking? Why Lucas and not Mascherano if we were going to defend our slim goal advantage?
And now, we are left to kick ourselves for conceding a silly goal that may cost us the title in May. Man United will not drop many points at home. We are clearly the underdogs now and it is all our own doing.
It is heart breaking. The draw against Stoke may turn out to be the sucker punch that will cost us the title. We can only pray that Man United drop some points from now till May whilst we keep up the pressure in all the remaining games by ensuring we earn ourselves the 3 points.
It's not looking good.....
Why didn't we keep attacking till the final whistle? Why did Rafa make those changes when we were only 1 goal up against a team that has not lost a game in the last 7? Why did we stop attacking? Why Lucas and not Mascherano if we were going to defend our slim goal advantage?
And now, we are left to kick ourselves for conceding a silly goal that may cost us the title in May. Man United will not drop many points at home. We are clearly the underdogs now and it is all our own doing.
It is heart breaking. The draw against Stoke may turn out to be the sucker punch that will cost us the title. We can only pray that Man United drop some points from now till May whilst we keep up the pressure in all the remaining games by ensuring we earn ourselves the 3 points.
It's not looking good.....
Monday, January 12, 2009
It's heartbreaking
I was so upset with the game against Stoke last Saturday that I can bear to blog about it for 2 days. It was absolute rubbish.
Gerard, Lucas, Riera, Benayoun were virtually "missing" from the game. Riera was nowhere to be seen on the left. Lucas was, as usual, giving away possession cheaply. Gerard only turned up in the last 15 minutes of the game. Benayoun was running around aimlessly. Why was Torres AND Keane sitting side by side on the bench?? We know that Torres is not fully match fit but why has Keane been benched for 2 games after seemingly rediscovering his scoring touch?
We can't keep coming home with a point and say that it was a job well done! Not when a certain team is 5 points behind us with 2 games in hand. It would have been a good point if both Chelsea and Man U had drawn as well. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I am not sure if what Benitez said about Fergie had an impact on the United players but it seems so. Remember how Drogba scored 2 goals against us after Rafa openly criticised him before the game against Chelsea last season? In any case, the managers can decide to wage a verbal war against each other but the players need to keep their focus on the pitch. I felt that some players were just not hungry enough in the game against Stoke.
Benitez needs to start with his strongest 11 as far as the league games are concerned. Lucas must be banished onto the bench for a long long time. In the absence of Alonso, I feel that Gerard should be reinstated in the middle of the park instead of playing Lucas. We don't need to see Keane and Torres on the bench together especially when they are both not injured. That is ridiculous. Playing Gerard in midfield will mean either Torres and/or Keane will have to start. Kyut can continue playing on the right flank. I felt that the team selection against Stoke was flawed.
Man U will have a tougher fixture list in the second half of the season. They are bound to drop a point or two in the remaining games. We need to do ourselves a favour by ensuring that we do not drop anymore "unnecessary" points. I feel that the title race will be between Man U and us from now.
This is really becoming too stressful for me......
Gerard, Lucas, Riera, Benayoun were virtually "missing" from the game. Riera was nowhere to be seen on the left. Lucas was, as usual, giving away possession cheaply. Gerard only turned up in the last 15 minutes of the game. Benayoun was running around aimlessly. Why was Torres AND Keane sitting side by side on the bench?? We know that Torres is not fully match fit but why has Keane been benched for 2 games after seemingly rediscovering his scoring touch?
We can't keep coming home with a point and say that it was a job well done! Not when a certain team is 5 points behind us with 2 games in hand. It would have been a good point if both Chelsea and Man U had drawn as well. Unfortunately, that was not the case. I am not sure if what Benitez said about Fergie had an impact on the United players but it seems so. Remember how Drogba scored 2 goals against us after Rafa openly criticised him before the game against Chelsea last season? In any case, the managers can decide to wage a verbal war against each other but the players need to keep their focus on the pitch. I felt that some players were just not hungry enough in the game against Stoke.
Benitez needs to start with his strongest 11 as far as the league games are concerned. Lucas must be banished onto the bench for a long long time. In the absence of Alonso, I feel that Gerard should be reinstated in the middle of the park instead of playing Lucas. We don't need to see Keane and Torres on the bench together especially when they are both not injured. That is ridiculous. Playing Gerard in midfield will mean either Torres and/or Keane will have to start. Kyut can continue playing on the right flank. I felt that the team selection against Stoke was flawed.
Man U will have a tougher fixture list in the second half of the season. They are bound to drop a point or two in the remaining games. We need to do ourselves a favour by ensuring that we do not drop anymore "unnecessary" points. I feel that the title race will be between Man U and us from now.
This is really becoming too stressful for me......
Friday, January 9, 2009
The war of words has started......
I love this interview Rafa gave before the Stoke game. Looks like the war of words between the two clubs has started.......
Have a read....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What do make of Alex Ferguson's comments recently?
I was surprised, but I have to talk about facts because I think it is important. I think that they are nervous because we are at the top of the table. But I want to be clear that I do not want to play mind games too early. I think that they want to start that so I have taken some facts so it will be easier to talk about this. November 1 they played against Hull City and Mr Ferguson, their manager, was given a two-match touchline ban and fined £10,000 after confronting Mike Dean, the referee, for improper conduct. We have started a Respect Campaign. And we started with the sending off of Javier Mascherano at Old Trafford from the referee, Mr Bennett. But that was also the referee when Manchester United played Wigan, and he couldn't see the handball from Rio Ferdinand. He didn't give a penalty and they won the title. I think that will also be the same referee that they have in the game in hand against Wigan. During this Respect Campaign, he was charged by the FA following comments made towards Martin Atkinson, but he was not punished. He is the only manager in the league who cannot be punished.
Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs on a Saturday morning away, while United were playing on a Sunday and no one was saying anything. Now he is complaining that everybody is against United. They will play against all the teams in the top of the table in the second half of the season - I think that is a fantastic advantage. But I don't know why, at Christmas time, United played on the 29th December instead of the 28th, while we played against Newcastle away. He was not complaining this time. He was not thinking about this. About his behaviour with referees, the Southampton manager knows how Mr Ferguson works. He was very clear the other day. It is a fact. I am not playing mind games. This is about facts. If Mr Ferguson wants to talk about the fixtures, and we want to be on a level playing field here, there are two options: one is where is the same as in Spain. The first part of the league, all the teams know at this time they will play against this team on this weekend, or that weekend, and the second half of the league will be the opposite - you will play away. After that, Sky or Setanta who has the rights will choose the game and everybody will know when they are playing. That way it would be the same for everyone so Mr Ferguson will not be complaining about the fixtures. Or maybe the other option would be Mr Ferguson organising the fixtures and everything in his office and sending them to us - then everybody will know and nobody can complain. Talking about football, because I want to finish with this and the mind games. We know what happens when we go to Old Trafford. Mr Scolari maybe needs to know to use zonal marking against the staff of United because they are always using man to man with the referees when they go to the bench and especially at half-time when they are walking close to the referees and talking and talking and talking. All the managers need to know, only Mr Ferguson can talk about the fixtures and the referees - nothing will happen. I think we need to know about this. We are talking about facts, we are not talking about my impression. Everybody can see this every single week.
The fact that he has said these things, is this a sign of the pressure getting to United?
I think that they did not think that we would be at the top of the table in January. But we are at the top of the table, and clearly they are nervous.
Do referees need to take a firmer stance with United?
I will not say that. I want to be very clear - I have been here for five years and I just know how long these things have been going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Have a read....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
What do make of Alex Ferguson's comments recently?
I was surprised, but I have to talk about facts because I think it is important. I think that they are nervous because we are at the top of the table. But I want to be clear that I do not want to play mind games too early. I think that they want to start that so I have taken some facts so it will be easier to talk about this. November 1 they played against Hull City and Mr Ferguson, their manager, was given a two-match touchline ban and fined £10,000 after confronting Mike Dean, the referee, for improper conduct. We have started a Respect Campaign. And we started with the sending off of Javier Mascherano at Old Trafford from the referee, Mr Bennett. But that was also the referee when Manchester United played Wigan, and he couldn't see the handball from Rio Ferdinand. He didn't give a penalty and they won the title. I think that will also be the same referee that they have in the game in hand against Wigan. During this Respect Campaign, he was charged by the FA following comments made towards Martin Atkinson, but he was not punished. He is the only manager in the league who cannot be punished.
Two years ago we were playing a lot of early kick-offs on a Saturday morning away, while United were playing on a Sunday and no one was saying anything. Now he is complaining that everybody is against United. They will play against all the teams in the top of the table in the second half of the season - I think that is a fantastic advantage. But I don't know why, at Christmas time, United played on the 29th December instead of the 28th, while we played against Newcastle away. He was not complaining this time. He was not thinking about this. About his behaviour with referees, the Southampton manager knows how Mr Ferguson works. He was very clear the other day. It is a fact. I am not playing mind games. This is about facts. If Mr Ferguson wants to talk about the fixtures, and we want to be on a level playing field here, there are two options: one is where is the same as in Spain. The first part of the league, all the teams know at this time they will play against this team on this weekend, or that weekend, and the second half of the league will be the opposite - you will play away. After that, Sky or Setanta who has the rights will choose the game and everybody will know when they are playing. That way it would be the same for everyone so Mr Ferguson will not be complaining about the fixtures. Or maybe the other option would be Mr Ferguson organising the fixtures and everything in his office and sending them to us - then everybody will know and nobody can complain. Talking about football, because I want to finish with this and the mind games. We know what happens when we go to Old Trafford. Mr Scolari maybe needs to know to use zonal marking against the staff of United because they are always using man to man with the referees when they go to the bench and especially at half-time when they are walking close to the referees and talking and talking and talking. All the managers need to know, only Mr Ferguson can talk about the fixtures and the referees - nothing will happen. I think we need to know about this. We are talking about facts, we are not talking about my impression. Everybody can see this every single week.
The fact that he has said these things, is this a sign of the pressure getting to United?
I think that they did not think that we would be at the top of the table in January. But we are at the top of the table, and clearly they are nervous.
Do referees need to take a firmer stance with United?
I will not say that. I want to be very clear - I have been here for five years and I just know how long these things have been going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thursday, January 1, 2009
A year of reckoning
I ended the year 2008 quietly. There were no loud music and flashing lights, no champagne, no whiskey.........Just dinner with some friends at home and a few glasses of wine.
As far as Liverpool's title challenge is concerned, 2008 was one of the best so far....at least in the last 18 years. But there is still a long way to go. The second half of the season beckons. The pressure is going to increase with each passing week. The club will need the experience of a league winning manager to guide them through. It promises to be a real exciting second half of the season. With the Santiago Bernabeu to come in Feb, it promises to be one of the most exciting fixtures in this season's last 16 Champions League knock out round. We are 3 points clear at the top of the league. What more can we ask for but to stay in that position till May 09?
2008/09 season has been great so far. I pray that our good form continues into the new year. My only wish for Liverpool this season - 3 points every game from now till May 09.
I don't think I am being greedy right?
Happy New Year.............
As far as Liverpool's title challenge is concerned, 2008 was one of the best so far....at least in the last 18 years. But there is still a long way to go. The second half of the season beckons. The pressure is going to increase with each passing week. The club will need the experience of a league winning manager to guide them through. It promises to be a real exciting second half of the season. With the Santiago Bernabeu to come in Feb, it promises to be one of the most exciting fixtures in this season's last 16 Champions League knock out round. We are 3 points clear at the top of the league. What more can we ask for but to stay in that position till May 09?
2008/09 season has been great so far. I pray that our good form continues into the new year. My only wish for Liverpool this season - 3 points every game from now till May 09.
I don't think I am being greedy right?
Happy New Year.............
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