Liverpool 4-2 Newcastle United (01/01/2024)

[et tu brute]

1 minute ago, Lush Vlad said:

The Hall one is fair enough and I do think we should have got another forward type in. But how can you judge Tonali and Barnes and legislate for them

missing all these games? Bit early to call them the ‘wrong’ signings IMO. We tried for Maddison and Szobslai by all accounts. Either would have been perfect. Maddison would have fitted in well in the treatment room. 

 

Not really many options to replace out of form/half fit players and based on the last 3-4 games. There are too many to

replace, anyway  

For Barnes we needed a right winger not a back up left winger. Tonali was the only legitimate first team player signed. I can't comment on what was known about his gambling, but the Italian FA obviously were made aware I've mentioned a few times that you improve your first team line up first, which automatically results in squad improvement. 

[huss9]

looks like VAR having been waiting for a "safe" game where nothings at stake for the other team to give liverpool back the points they stole off them against spurs.

 

stone wall penalty for when longstaff gets taken out.

and then they forgot the rule for contact in the box being allowed unless its enough to impede the attacker.

 

absolutely disgusting.

[Jagten]

Opta's xG model parsed without incorrect chance accumulation, for fellow statos. Still all-time terrible 
 

[Joe1984]

20 minutes ago, Bintang said:

I think Howe has done an amazing job, but that was awful. We looked like a bottom half of the league team playing against a top team. The gulf between us and them was huge. He has a lot of work to do and we need better quality in the squad. Playing above and beyond ourselves has ran it's course. 

We will be a bottom half of the league team by the end of January.

[Myleftboot]

6 minutes ago, Sempiternal said:

There’s this weird disconnect where we have pace up front, and then right through the middle, Bruno,Longstaff, Botman,Schar have no real acceleration, so we get absolutely pounded on counters. The midfield to me is horrible. We’ve lost any semblance of control in there, gaps everywhere and when we get turned no one is quick enough to get back. I’d kill for an athletic DM. Someone who can really run and dominate 

Bruno plays that playmaker position but a lot of the time when the other team attacks he’s the furthest player up the pitch. Would prefer Bruno in Longstaffs position and like you say bring in an athletic CDM.

[et tu brute]

4 minutes ago, Wilson said:

 

Fair enough, 'ask the people at the charge' just sounds like a kop pit to me, as they done what they thought was right and within their means.  They didn't purposefully make mistakes, so if you're saying it was wrong, say what they should have done. 

 

If I've missed your answer previously apologies.. I joined the convo late. 

No cop out I've stated in my reply where I think it's going wrong. I can't change that though, only the people in charge can. Nobody has said they're doing it on purpose either, but mistakes are being made. 

[simonsays]

1 minute ago, Joe1984 said:

We will be a bottom half of the league team by the end of January.

And a top half one by the end of February.  We are not a top 4 team yet, we need a few seasons to build a squad and for me Eddie Howe is the man to oversee that.  We finished fourth last season and he saved us from what looked like a certain relegation the season before.  I understand people being upset about our recent form  but we are still .oving in the right direction in the medium term

[Sempiternal]

Just now, Myleftboot said:

Bruno plays that playmaker position but a lot of the time when the other team attacks he’s the furthest player up the pitch. Would prefer Bruno in Longstaffs position and like you say bring in an athletic CDM.

It was painful watching him and burn try to run back. We lack a lot of athleticism defensively. Burn/Botman/Schar is a very one paced defence. He could try him in a two like Brazil do presumably to compensate for his speed. I don’t know. The midfield is a total mess to me.
 

We had a corner and within like 3 passes they were in our box. We leave way too much space in the midfield. 

[et tu brute]

10 minutes ago, Kid Icarus said:

The point is though, if it's obvious what could be done differently, it doesn't take being in Howe's position to see it.

 

Dunno what to say about the signings really, only 20% of them have been available so I'm not sure how that can be put on the recruitment team.

It's only Howe who can change it though, I can't and nor can anyone else on this forum. Its only opinions we can make, means fuck all in the grand scheme of things though.
 

80% of those players then are squad players, as only Tonali was what I would call a first team regular. You improve your first team first and then automatically the squad will improve. 

[Coffee_Johnny]

23 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

Wrong signings made, wrong tactics away from home and players out of form getting a game. I actually think I answered it, but I'm not the person the questions should be asked to, which was the point I made. 

Et tu Brute?

[Beren]

20 minutes ago, simonsays said:

We've been shirt recently, but realistically we are going to finish between 6th and 8th this season which is about right imo.  The fourth place came at least two seasons too early for us.

 

I disagree with this (and maybe don't fully understand it). We finished where we finished last year, and deserved it I reckon.

 

If you think that was an overachievement by the squad, fair enough. That doesn't really exculpate the team this year from underachieving. There have been injuries, but the performances and management of the squad have IMO been disproportionate to the severity of those injuries. I would like some reassurance Howe is learning before the season has finished. I'm not breaking out pitchforks if not, but I'd personally be a bit uneasy if we start next year without a refresh to the approach to squad management and an alternative style of play to outworking-the-opponent.

 

I don't think we're on course to finish between 6th and 8th either FWIW.

[Joe1984]

4 minutes ago, simonsays said:

And a top half one by the end of February.  We are not a top 4 team yet, we need a few seasons to build a squad and for me Eddie Howe is the man to oversee that.  We finished fourth last season and he saved us from what looked like a certain relegation the season before.  I understand people being upset about our recent form  but we are still .oving in the right direction in the medium term

It's not our form upsets me. I get that performances take a dive when you have so many injuries. It's the shocking VAR crap that upsets me. And I mean across football, not just us. 

[Kid Icarus]

4 minutes ago, et tu brute said:

It's only Howe who can change it though, I can't and nor can anyone else on this forum. Its only opinions we can make, means fuck all in the grand scheme of things though.
 

80% of those players then are squad players, as only Tonali was what I would call a first team regular. You improve your first team first and then automatically the squad will improve. 

I know that mate, we're all just on here talking shite, none of us have power. Just asking what you'd do.

 

Don't think we have first team/squad players, we have maybe 6 guaranteed starters and the rest are supposed to be similar quality and on rotation. I like that, it's how Man City do it, it just so happens that they're not available along with others so the plan is out the window. It's been a nightmare.

[TRon]

28 minutes ago, Cronky said:

Not much to complain about. They simply had better players, all over the pitch. 

 

Yeah. we did alright to be in it with 20 mins to go tbh.

[brummie]

That commentary tonight was horrific, just horrific.

 

Even by Drury's normal standards, it was terrible - I'd be fucking livid if i supported Newcastle watching that tonight.

[Wullie]

Just now, brummie said:

That commentary tonight was horrific, just horrific.

 

Even by Drury's normal standards, it was terrible - I'd be fucking livid if i supported Newcastle watching that tonight.

 

You've embarrassed yourself there because it wasn't Drury, it was Guimaraes.

[Mattoon]

It was as to be expected, just more infuriating by the fact we got done with 2 extremely soft and dodgy penalty calls and one of our own unsurprisingly glossed over. 

 

Yes, we're in a bit of a mess, no, it won't get any better in the short term, hoisten your britches because January is going to be a doozy!

 

I'm sure Howe is as frustrated as all of us right now, but he's still the right man for the job, he just hasn't got the tools right now.

 

We've got some big calls to make this month with regards to playing staff and same big calls before the end of the season with regards to the backroom staff, we can't afford a repeat of this next season.

[leffe186]

42 minutes ago, huss9 said:

looks like VAR having been waiting for a "safe" game where nothings at stake for the other team to give liverpool back the points they stole off them against spurs.

 

stone wall penalty for when longstaff gets taken out.

and then they forgot the rule for contact in the box being allowed unless its enough to impede the attacker.

 

absolutely disgusting.

They didn’t wait at all. Have you been watching Liverpool since their game against us? Been getting the *cough* rub of the green for ages.

 

I will say, there’s absolutely no way that Longstaff one was a penalty and I wish people wouldn’t keep trying to say that

[huss9]

1 minute ago, leffe186 said:

They didn’t wait at all. Have you been watching Liverpool since their game against us? Been getting the *cough* rub of the green for ages.

 

I will say, there’s absolutely no way that Longstaff one was a penalty and I wish people wouldn’t keep trying to say that

why wasnt it a pel?

he chests the ball down then gets jumped into. the defender makes no attempt to play the ball.

[brummie]

3 minutes ago, leffe186 said:

They didn’t wait at all. Have you been watching Liverpool since their game against us? Been getting the *cough* rub of the green for ages.

 

I will say, there’s absolutely no way that Longstaff one was a penalty and I wish people wouldn’t keep trying to say that

 

Liverpool have been getting the rub of the green for about 45 years now.

 

I fucking hate them.

[black_n_white]

29 minutes ago, brummie said:

That commentary tonight was horrific, just horrific.

 

Even by Drury's normal standards, it was terrible - I'd be fucking livid if i supported Newcastle watching that tonight.

Neville’s reaction when Botman scored was awful, he sounded genuinely gutted.

[PauloGeordio]

[Jackie Broon]

34 minutes ago, Wullie said:

 

You've embarrassed yourself there because it wasn't Drury, it was Guimaraes.

 

[Kid Icarus]

16 minutes ago, leffe186 said:

They didn’t wait at all. Have you been watching Liverpool since their game against us? Been getting the *cough* rub of the green for ages.

 

I will say, there’s absolutely no way that Longstaff one was a penalty and I wish people wouldn’t keep trying to say that

It wasn't, it's just that the Jota pen brings it into focus. 

[Mountain]

57 minutes ago, Beren said:

 

I disagree with this (and maybe don't fully understand it). We finished where we finished last year, and deserved it I reckon.

 

If you think that was an overachievement by the squad, fair enough. That doesn't really exculpate the team this year from underachieving. There have been injuries, but the performances and management of the squad have IMO been disproportionate to the severity of those injuries. I would like some reassurance Howe is learning before the season has finished. I'm not breaking out pitchforks if not, but I'd personally be a bit uneasy if we start next year without a refresh to the approach to squad management and an alternative style of play to outworking-the-opponent.

 

I don't think we're on course to finish between 6th and 8th either FWIW.

 

In my opinon, you are correct, but unfortunately this is where we are, the optimal solution in my opinion is to just bite our tongues and be patient. Probably be another couple years (with competence and luck) before we are a consistent force.

 

 

Edited January 1, 2024 by Mountain