The Prophet

Indeed it is, the second paragraph from my post match rant:

We need some height at the back, me and cp40 will get raped in the air if we don't. Our either of our full backs lanky? I could switch with one of them.

Worrying when in this day and age N'Gog's dive constitutes a penalty. Oh the days when football was a mans game.

I'll probably need to be paired with someone fairly tall in defence being a short arse and all.

Sturridge completely changed the game when he came on, brilliant.

Is a good run in the FA cup significant this season? Do you think we should go all out for glory or stick a couple of the young guns out to prove their worth? With our league status in the balance injuries and suspensions are the last thing we need. Our lack of depth (among other things) was horribly exposed today as it has been on several occasions this season. Is it too great a risk pouring our resources into a cup which in all honesty we aren't going to win? On the other hand a good cup run is always a confidence booster. It takes players minds of the league and gives them a chance to play with less pressure. It would be nice to give the fans something to cheer about this season. So my question is, is the FA cup important enough for us to go all out to win? Is it worth putting our full eleven out in a cup game, exposing them to injury and suspension while the threat of relegation is still looming large?

Cracking finish, looks a good little player does Danny Sturridge.

And that's the kind of daft response that gives people this idea our fan base delusional. Yes, we may still have some remaining stature off the pitch but you really think we have any on it? Do teams still come to St. James' Park and think a point would be a good result? Maybe when we're in a bit of form yes, but in normal circumstances I doubt it. I don't want to get dragged into the whole "are we a big club debate" because in the current situation it really means nothing to me. Before we even attempt to start being respected as a football club again we need to see out this season. This footballing year has been an absolute train wreck for us (for obvious reasons). Kinnear has managed to get us into a position where we are able to pick up points here and there and in our position every point is vital. When you’re in this state as a football club you expect to get a battering or two along the way. Now I was as pissed off as the next fan when it comes to today’s result, but I like a couple of others I was always expecting it. It wasn't the first dismal showing this season and it won't be the last. We just need to keep them to a minimum and try to scrape as many points as we can. I for one won't be screaming "at least we're a big club" if we're spending next year in the tier below.

Gerrard got so much space because of the way we attempted to match them in midfield. Their five man midfield meant they'd always have a man spare and that man was Gerrard who is capable of ripping the best apart, unfortunately he barely had to break into a sprint today. This went unaddressed for the entire ninety minutes. What annoyed me most though was the utter lack of any kind of communication and the disgusting defending from set pieces. You can practice this all you want on the training pitch put its down to the players to execute it on the pitch. An epic fail if there ever was one.

Bassong or Taylor? Bassong

So anyone changed their mind? Personally I'd be fairly happy with Bruce in charge. He's nothing amazing, but if you want an example that he gets sides punching above their weight take a look at Wigan flying high in seventh. Don't get me wrong he wouldn't be my first choice but if he was to throw his hat in the ring I'd certainly back him. The problem is people set there sights far too high for this club, consolidating with a couple of mid table finishes over the next couple of seasons would be a good outcome for us, Bruce could just be the man to do help with this solidifying process. Thoughts?

QPR to beat Watford Leicester to beat Hereford Aldershot to beat Dag & Red Bradford to beat Morecambe Liverpool to beat Newcastle West Ham to beat Stoke Sheffield United to beat Charlton Millwall to beat Yeovil

Whether he's good, average or indifferent he's a damn right better than any other centre back we have at the club.

We got what we deserved to today: an absolute tonking. Everyone from the manager to the players needs to take a long, hard look at themselves. As soon as Liverpool lined up with a five man midfield Joe should of adjusted accordingly. With their superior players matching up with them man for man would have been difficult enough but the extra man meant Gerrard was constantly free, which as you'd expect proved very costly indeed. In fairness we came out at half time a little better, but no where near good enough. I felt a little sorry for Joe, what do you say to that shower? However my sympathy is strained by the fact he did nothing to address the fact we were getting completely over ran in the middle of the park. His substitutions weren't too bad, but his tactis? Not good enough I'm afraid, he's doing nothing to change my mind that he's anything more than an average manager. Having said there is nothing to excuse the piss poor attitude our players came out with. Was it Joe's fault? Maybe to a degree, but I still expect a bit of professionalism. Basic things such as set piece defending, communication and at least an ounce of desire were completely lacking and it wasn't good enough. Yes, we all felt sorry for the lads with their luckless display at Wigan but it would appear no one felt sorry for the lads more than themselves and it showed, they were a disgrace, they were beaten as soon as they stepped on the park. Liverpool are a very good team. However they should not be able to thrash a side without ever leaving a relatively low gear. Also, we do have injuries, but do these players even care about retaining their place in the team?The newly installed Edgar and Taylor in particular did nothing to convince me they should be getting a game for the reserves let alone the first team. There is no excuse for today’s piss poor effort. I'm still relatively confident we'll be safe come the end of the season, however the management team and the players need to have serious words with themselves. A string of performances similar to this would be nothing more than a complete disaster. Today's result was awful but we need to get up, dust ourselves off and move on for the sake of this clubs future. Rant over.

It isn't, I think it's just so many like myself were expecting a performance of this kind today. We can't excuse it but we have to live with it and hope the player are able to redeem themselves by showing a bit more professionalism in the next few games.

We're better than them all over the park you know...

I don't think I've ever seen a team defend so horribly from set pieces.

Completly agree, I mean they're only challenging for the title. We're better all over the park, Butt and Duff are perfect examples of players Liverpool need to sustain a title challenge. The sooner people realise this the better, we're better than Liverpool and it's only down to luck that they're separated by twelve places in the league. Unbelievable!

Not really, he seems to get as much stick when we win as much as we lose, well in my neck of the woods anyway. There was always going to come a point when we didn't play well and we lost, people need to get used to this, the winning run was always going to come to an end. Kinnear has done a steady job but he isn't a miracle worker.

I love the sound of knee-jerking in the evening.

The sooner technology is brought in the better.

Never understood this hatred of Phil Brown.

Miroslav Klose is probably the closest thing you'll get to Owen in world football. We have more chance of biting our arses than signing him up though.

I'd prefer us to go out and get a link up man between midfield and attack, similar to the role Modric played today. What i call the "Eidur Gudjohnsen". What an underated player he is. Definitely. Think he was the key to Chelsea's success in the early Abramovich years. His ability not only to be able to score goals, but to be able to bring Robben and Duff into play to allow them to get on the score sheet was outstanding.

Aye, Blackburn, Leicester, Wolves and Northampton won my a bit of cash this weekend.