Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:37 pm  

Roddy B wrote:

Dempsey shouldn't have even been on to score. How on earth can a side progress when a referee is so blatantly out there to give Fulham as much of a chance as possible. Can't remember seeing a performance that bad in the league for a long time.

Saddened! wrote:

Suarez up to his usual tricks tonight. He's the only player I know who dives when making runs rather than when in possession.

He should just concentrate on playing some football. I've had him in my fantasy team for weeks and he's not scored at all.

Just wait until the referee gets the blame for their defeat eventhough they've missed countless chances to score and Reina dropped a Murphy's tame shot into Dempsey's path. It'll still be Kevin Friend's fault.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:07 pm  

Dan_FC wrote:

:lol:

Just wait until the referee gets the blame for their defeat eventhough they've missed countless chances to score and Reina dropped a Murphy's tame shot into Dempsey's path. It'll still be Kevin Friend's fault.

I never said we were awesome or anything. We were better than them, wasteful in front of goal but we definitely didn't deserve the red. Say what you want about how we played, we weren't conceding with 11 men, whilst Fulham should have had Dempsey sent off if we're going by the letter of the law in 2011.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:10 pm  

Roddy B wrote:

I never said we were awesome or anything. We were better than them, wasteful in front of goal but we definitely didn't deserve the red. Say what you want about how we played, we weren't conceding with 11 men, whilst Fulham should have had Dempsey sent off if we're going by the letter of the law in 2011.

You wanted Dempsey sent off for what exactly?

I agree it was a harsh red card and it changed the game, you should've been infront long before Fulham scored, you weren't clinical enough. You had the possession and the chances to convert into a goal but all that's forgotten because of the red card. It'll all be about how the referee cost you the game when, in truth, you cost yourselves 3 point tonight.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:49 pm  

Dan_FC wrote:

You wanted Dempsey sent off for what exactly?

I agree it was a harsh red card and it changed the game, you should've been infront long before Fulham scored, you weren't clinical enough. You had the possession and the chances to convert into a goal but all that's forgotten because of the red card. It'll all be about how the referee cost you the game when, in truth, you cost yourselves 3 point tonight.

Did you not see him in Bellamy's face? In football terms, that is classed as a headbutt. He was in Bellamy's face, skull to skull, forcing his head into him. In Europe, you raise your hands near a player and you're sent off. If Bellamy went down screaming, Demspey would have walked, which is wrong, because the ref should judge it by what actually happened, not the reaction.

We were good enough to win, we created loads and dominated Fulham for the majority of the game. Carroll is truly establishing himself as one of our poorest players. Why would a team sign a big striker if they don't play 'big football'? It's OK for Newcastle, who had players like Ameobi, Nolan and Barton (Barton a long passer, Nolan a player who's played for hoofball teams for years and knows how to play off a target man). Liverpool have always been about passing, that's why Suarez has succeeded whilst Carroll looks like he's wearing lead boots and running in treacle. We desperately need to sort it, as there are games where we do need the lead striker, the '9', if you will, and we definitely aren't getting that from Kuyt or Carroll.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Tue Dec 06, 2011 12:13 am  

Roddy B wrote:

Did you not see him in Bellamy's face? In football terms, that is classed as a headbutt. He was in Bellamy's face, skull to skull, forcing his head into him. In Europe, you raise your hands near a player and you're sent off. If Bellamy went down screaming, Demspey would have walked, which is wrong, because the ref should judge it by what actually happened, not the reaction.

I did but the referee made the right decision, it was a coming together over nothing and both players came together. He calmed them down and booked both. I don't think Bellamy deserved a booking, he didn't exactly do anything but to claim that was a red card is pathetic. It was a yellow and a ticking off. I think he did judge it by what happened and got it virtually spot on. He had a good game up until the red card but to say that's why you lost, which has been said, is ridiculous.

Roddy B wrote:

We were good enough to win, we created loads and dominated Fulham for the majority of the game. Carroll is truly establishing himself as one of our poorest players. Why would a team sign a big striker if they don't play 'big football'? It's OK for Newcastle, who had players like Ameobi, Nolan and Barton (Barton a long passer, Nolan a player who's played for hoofball teams for years and knows how to play off a target man). Liverpool have always been about passing, that's why Suarez has succeeded whilst Carroll looks like he's wearing lead boots and running in treacle. We desperately need to sort it, as there are games where we do need the lead striker, the '9', if you will, and we definitely aren't getting that from Kuyt or Carroll.

So where do you go then? Do you buy another striker in January, someone who can play football and can move and can score goals which in some games you have desperately lacked. Tonight's a game where with a striker or at least a decent scoring forward you would've probably scored two or three. Do you not think given time Carroll could prove to be an asset in the side, it's not his fault if he's been used to hoofball tactics and is struggling to make an impact. I don't know if I'd believe the rumours of David Villa being a realistic target but with someone in that mould could be just what you're lacking. For me all the teams fighting for the top 4 positions have a goalscorer or two, the number '9', in their team but I don't see one in yours, Suarez isn't a goal machine, Carroll and Kuyt aren't either so where do the goals from post Christmas?

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Tue Dec 06, 2011 3:11 am  

Dan_FC wrote:

I did but the referee made the right decision, it was a coming together over nothing and both players came together. He calmed them down and booked both. I don't think Bellamy deserved a booking, he didn't exactly do anything but to claim that was a red card is pathetic. It was a yellow and a ticking off. I think he did judge it by what happened and got it virtually spot on. He had a good game up until the red card but to say that's why you lost, which has been said, is ridiculous.

So where do you go then? Do you buy another striker in January, someone who can play football and can move and can score goals which in some games you have desperately lacked. Tonight's a game where with a striker or at least a decent scoring forward you would've probably scored two or three. Do you not think given time Carroll could prove to be an asset in the side, it's not his fault if he's been used to hoofball tactics and is struggling to make an impact. I don't know if I'd believe the rumours of David Villa being a realistic target but with someone in that mould could be just what you're lacking. For me all the teams fighting for the top 4 positions have a goalscorer or two, the number '9', in their team but I don't see one in yours, Suarez isn't a goal machine, Carroll and Kuyt aren't either so where do the goals from post Christmas?

Nah, he didn't have a good game. Every minor call seemed to be going Fulham's way, i.e. if they had a quick pull or push on our player, it would be play on, if we touched their player it was a foul. The call for Charlie Adam's penalty claim was 50/50. People say "the initial contact was outside of the box", but, IMO, it is when the player goes down that should be the rule. What if a player pulls a player's shirt as he's going into the box, then trips him when he's a yard in, does the ref pull it back because the initial contact was outside of the box? Adam was clearly denied a goal scoring opportunity and from the replay in front, looked like he only began to lose his footing as he was inside/on the line of the box. I'm pretty sure the rules state on the line = penalty.

The problem with the Dempsey call is, in pretty much any other league in Europe, what he done is a red card. If Bellamy went down holding his face, he would probably have walked, purely because it was excessive aggression without reason. The ref booking Bellamy shown he had no clue how to officiate the situation, so he took the easy way out. To us, we'd say "well done ref, he used common sense", but I guarantee you, if you watch the CL, if you watch the Euro's next summer, players will walk for much less than what Dempsey done. Simply put, you cannot make any form of contact with a player when confronting him, so when you aggressively square up to someone and persist with it even when they pull away, the ref should really have took a stricter view, but he was saving that for later.

Suarez had a goal disallowed which I feel was onside, their defender's foot kept him onside, whilst it's alleged strikers have an advantage, yet we didn't get that, of course.

For Spearing's red card, well, IMO it was up there with Rodwell's for baffling. I'm sorry, but you simply can't send somebody off for how it looks. When you see the replays, Spearing's right foot goes in and clears the ball, it's not even a tackle, it's a clearance, so that foot can't be considered high. His left foot seems to raise after Spearing slides, but it is clearly out of the way and no forceful contact is made with either boot. If we're giving straight reds for following through, we may as well make the eventual step and outlaw all sliding tackles/blocks/challenges, as referees are clearly oblivious to the rules and seemingly get the red card out for anything done at a remote speed.

As for what we'll do in January, I really don't know. It's not Carroll's fault he doesn't fit, but he doesn't even look like he's trying to fit that much. I remember watching him for Newcastle, defenders would bounce off him, every ball was chased to the corner flag, every cross was attacked with John Terry-esque bravery. He never had the greatest ability, but the physical threat he posed was immense for them. Since he's been with us, he's shown that in minor glimpses. On set plays, he's often flat footed, he can't get involved in link up play due to lack of mobility, ability and general vision. He's seemingly become soft, he falls over every time a defender is near and his movement in the box is generally depressing. I really wanted Carroll to work out, I felt like his physical tools combined with Suarez's ability would have made one of the league's most feared partnerships, but at the moment, it's Suarez doing all the hold up play, Suarez going shoulder to shoulder with defenders and Suarez making everything happen. Maybe things will suddenly click for Carroll, but I fail to see where the sudden burst of pace will come from, the sudden agility or the sudden ability, he's not 18, he should be nearly there. If we can find a striker for a decent price in January, I'd probably have a punt and bring him in straight away. We've spunked a load of money this summer to get to the top 4, although I did feel it was a big ask, the club will probably strive to improve again in January if we can't put teams away. I'd like to bring in somebody young, but if there's no value in young players, I'd ask CSKA how much Doumbia's going for, as he's probably the best forward outside of a major league, and probably the best forward from Africa at the moment.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Tue Dec 06, 2011 7:09 am  

Fulham, Stoke, Norwich, Sunderland and Swansea. Need a manager like Hodgson to get points against these sides. I love the blind faith in Dalglish.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:08 am  

Apparently the gesture Saurez made to the crowd means 'Happy Christmas' in Uraguay.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Tue Dec 06, 2011 10:11 am  

Suarez really is a horrible little man. Brilliant player but horrible. Constantly diving and cheating.

I do hope he gets the same punishment as Rooney did for swearing....

As for Reina, that's about the 3rd or 4th error he has made this season.

Fulham got lucky but Liverpool were wasteful.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Tue Dec 06, 2011 11:11 am  

flipper wrote:

Apparently the gesture Saurez made to the crowd means 'Happy Christmas' in Uraguay.