Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 4:54 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Have Everton ever played as poorly as this? Utterly shocking from every player on the field bar Tim Howard who must be shouting his way to an aneurysm by now.

The commentators are making it sound like Liverpool 'are back'. But they've not done anything special, their midfield and back four is terrible but Everton are just absolutely flat, clueless and none dimensional. Torres is back to his best they keep telling us. The Torres 2 years ago would be filling his boots against that performance.

A few pages back I commented that Pienaar going would reduce Baines' effectiveness. Runs in that first half sans Pienaar? Zero. Crosses, zero. Shots zero. I don't think he's even got over the half way line yet.

The way this game has gone it could go on till next Christmas and Everton wouldn't come close to scoring. Anichebe is pathetic and Beckford is just a finisher who can do absolutely nothing with no service.

Game of two halves. You were $hite 1st half, we were $hite 2nd half.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:02 pm  

WireFanatic III wrote:

Game of two halves. You were $hite 1st half, we were $hite 2nd half.

What was worrying for Liverpool was how any belief they had built up in the first half, suddenly drained from them, once Distin equalised.

Once Beckford got the second there only looked one result, and to be honest, but for Howard's brain-fart, Everton would have cruised home, as Liverpool never looked like scoring in open play.

By the end though, both sides lacked any craft or drive to go on and get a winner, which while disappointing for Everton, should be more alarming for Liverpool, being the home side and having the supposed Dalglish effect going for them.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:09 pm  

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

What was worrying for Liverpool was how any belief they had built up in the first half, suddenly drained from them, once Distin equalised.

Once Beckford got the second there only looked one result, and to be honest, but for Howard's brain-fart, Everton would have cruised home, as Liverpool never looked like scoring in open play.

By the end though, both sides lacked any craft or drive to go on and get a winner, which while disappointing for Everton, should be more alarming for Liverpool, being the home side and having the supposed Dalglish effect going for them.

I think your last comment summed it up. For Everton, yes this was the derby, but they're away from home, obviously having a bit of an off day. Liverpool are supposed to be more motivated now, pressing on for something greater. They're still on near relegation form. Has to be a moral victory for the blues today. Liverpool were missing their talisman though so all is not lost, but there is still a lot of work to be done for the reds. A few signings in the transfer window is surely a must.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:14 pm  

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

What was worrying for Liverpool was how any belief they had built up in the first half, suddenly drained from them, once Distin equalised.

As soon as I heard that Agger went off and was replaced by Nick the Greek, I had a feeling something would happen 2nd half. Still, not using that as an excuse. You guys upped the tempo 2nd half and it paid off with 2 quick goals. We couldn't match it and only got back into the game after the penalty, but you lot were still in the ascendency.

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

Once Beckford got the second there only looked one result, and to be honest, but for Howard's brain-fart, Everton would have cruised home, as Liverpool never looked like scoring in open play.

After your 2nd goal went in, I thought that was it then, back to being poop and expected you to go on to put another couple of goals on the board.

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

By the end though, both sides lacked any craft or drive to go on and get a winner, which while disappointing for Everton, should be more alarming for Liverpool, being the home side and having the supposed Dalglish effect going for them.

After it was 2-2, the game just seemed to labour on till full time. I would have thought that would have been the kick up the ar$e that we needed to get back into it, but we just couldn't replicate what we did in the 1st half.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:18 pm  

Chris Dalton wrote:

I think your last comment summed it up. For Everton, yes this was the derby, but they're away from home, obviously having a bit of an off day. Liverpool are supposed to be more motivated now, pressing on for something greater. They're still on near relegation form. Has to be a moral victory for the blues today. Liverpool were missing their talisman though so all is not lost, but there is still a lot of work to be done for the reds. A few signings in the transfer window is surely a must.

Agreed....Torres is crying out for assistance up front, and I don't mean just sticking Gerrard up there with him when available.....Torres looked great in the 1st half, but in the second he began to look like the frustrated figure he has for most of the season, his petulant kick at Neville summed this up.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 5:54 pm  

Dita's Slot Meter wrote:

Agreed....Torres is crying out for assistance up front, and I don't mean just sticking Gerrard up there with him when available.....Torres looked great in the 1st half, but in the second he began to look like the frustrated figure he has for most of the season, his petulant kick at Neville summed this up.

Liverpool aren't one or two players away from competing for the title like they think they are. They are more like 12 or 13 players away. I reckon personally it would benefit them more to sell Torres now while he's still marketable and use that to rebuild the squad. Obviously they won't be allowed to do that because of pressure from the fans but I don't see much quality in that squad bar Reina, Gerrard and Torres certainly not a squad that can be fixed with the one or two players their transfer funds will enable them to get.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:21 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

Liverpool aren't one or two players away from competing for the title like they think they are. They are more like 12 or 13 players away. I reckon personally it would benefit them more to sell Torres now while he's still marketable and use that to rebuild the squad. Obviously they won't be allowed to do that because of pressure from the fans but I don't see much quality in that squad bar Reina, Gerrard and Torres certainly not a squad that can be fixed with the one or two players their transfer funds will enable them to get.

12 to 13 players my backside.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:24 pm  

74' wrote:

12 to 13 players my backside.

To compete with United, Chelsea, Arsenal and City.

You go first, name the players in your squad who are good enough to be first team starters in a team capable of winning the Premier League.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:51 pm  

I cannot stress how poor I thought Dirk Kuyt was today. Everton changed because Baines finally cottoned on that Dirk Kuyt provided absolutely no threat for us whatsoever. His touch was an absolute disgrace, the amount of times balls were played down the left, only for Dirk to get outran, defied belief. He works his nuts off, but he offers so little on the field, if we had any player with relative pace, we'd've had Baines pinned right back as the space was there for most of the second half, but we didn't, we left Babel on the bench when he really could have made a difference. Another couple of points: our midfield was non-existent, Lucas and Spearing just hidden in possession, they offered absolutely nothing, whilst I felt Fellaini and Arteta looked too comfortable in possession when they got it.

Ultimately, we attacked better in ways, Rodriguez, Torres and Meireles looked good, Martin Kelly was outstanding (can't believe Newton produced such a player) and Johnson kept Everton's right flank quiet, but, ultimately, we lacked composure, we lacked crisp quality and we lacked pace.

Re: More Football Chat : Sun Jan 16, 2011 6:53 pm  

Saddened! wrote:

To compete with United, Chelsea, Arsenal and City.

You go first, name the players in your squad who are good enough to be first team starters in a team capable of winning the Premier League.

You need to stop being obsessed with Liverpool and start worrying about your own team.

You had the ascendency to go on and win the derby today against a Liverpool team that was poor in the 2nd half......you didn't.