2013-2014 Season

[the dude abides]

8 cup finals left.

but disappointed that City didn't drop something tonight.

How bad are friggen United.    How dire are they.  They go from 1st to nowhere, ten minutes after Fergie leaves.  Agent Moyes is one of Liverpool's finest agents.  We bedded him in at Goodison, for a decade, before unleashing him on Old Trafford.

Back to the title race - But as well as us beating them at Anfield, City need to drop points in another game. 

But even if last day nerves feck em up, that will suffice.

[Martinmarx]

How bad are friggen United.    How dire are they.  They go from 1st to nowhere, ten minutes after Fergie leaves.  Agent Moyes is one of Liverpool's finest agents.  We bedded him in at Goodison, for a decade, before unleashing him on Old Trafford.

 

As you say, too bad United couldn't ask at least a question of their neighbours. Nor do I nurse any hopes the specialist in failures can help out at the weekend. The only positive is that 3rd and automatic qualification is all but guaranteed.

Dead nervous our 3 away wins has made us complacent towards Sunderland. At the same time I'd be surprised if Rodger's hasn't reminded the players those wins count for nothing if we throw it away tonite.

I'd like to see 2 changes: Sakho for Agger and Sterling for Coutinho.

Come on your redmen!!!

[Martinmarx]

Very poor half. We don't look up for it, complacent making it increasingly easy for Sunderland to manage the parked bus. So fed up with Sturridge's indifferent and lazy attitude. I don't know about this guy really.

Kevin Friend isn't having his game of his career managing somehow to keep Vergini on the pitch for 2nd half.

We're too one dimensional and need to penetratet better. 1 shot on goal in the first half against Sunderland when you play to stay in the race for the title just isn't good enough by any standards.

Come on you redmen!!!

[the dude abides]

As you say, too bad United couldn't ask at least a question of their neighbours. Nor do I nurse any hopes the specialist in failures can help out at the weekend. The only positive is that 3rd and automatic qualification is all but guaranteed.

Dead nervous our 3 away wins has made us complacent towards Sunderland.

We're too one dimensional and need to penetrate better.

one more down......seven more cup finals to go.

a good team can scrap, and dig out a result when needs be, and we did that last night.

we were fortunate.

I hope Gerrard does not take on a major role in these final games - because if he does, it means we are behind and trying to recover a game.

We have a tough game on Sunday.  But if we win, we put off our day of reckoning a bit longer.

Chelsea will be a massive game.  But if we win our 7 final games, the maths say we finish above them.

It is City that need to slip up one day soon.  They are rolling on a sea of confidence right now. 

But they have some tests to come.

And wouldn't it be delightful, if on May 3rd, at Goodsion Park, Everton (fighting for that 4th Champions League place) BEAT City.......to put their scouse neighbours on top of the table.

But I am getting ahead of myself.....too many big games before we get near that point.

[Martinmarx]

one more down......seven more cup finals to go.

a good team can scrap, and dig out a result when needs be, and we did that last night.

we were fortunate.

I hope Gerrard does not take on a major role in these final games - because if he does, it means we are behind and trying to recover a game.

We have a tough game on Sunday.  But if we win, we put off our day of reckoning a bit longer.

Chelsea will be a massive game.  But if we win our 7 final games, the maths say we finish above them.

It is City that need to slip up one day soon.  They are rolling on a sea of confidence right now. 

But they have some tests to come.

And wouldn't it be delightful, if on May 3rd, at Goodsion Park, Everton (fighting for that 4th Champions League place) BEAT City.......to put their scouse neighbours on top of the table.

But I am getting ahead of myself.....too many big games before we get near that point.

Two very difficult games coming up before it's time to take on City. Spurs will look to get revenge for their disastrous display in December and the Hammers can get a point against any team on their day. So for me I can't look past these two games.

I don't know what to make of our performance last night. Either it will make us stronger as Carra suggests, or it will have woken us up from the dream dragging us back to our cautious best.

Being in this position really brings about double feelings. The level of nervousness before games and until they're decided is definitely not healthy.

Here's hoping we can raise our game considerably this Sunday.

Come on you redmen!

[Tes]

There's certainly some interesting matches ahead.

We have it in our hands to a degree. Beat City, and neutralises 1 of their games in hand. The Chelsea game speaks for itself.

City are at Arsenal tomorrow, so let's hope Arsenal don't capitulate like they did against Chelsea.

City also have to go to Everton, so that could be a tricky one.

The Sunderland game showed that when the pressure was on, at home, against a team we're expected to beat, we coped with the pressure a ground out the 3 points - always a good sign.

We're not expected to win the league - Chelsea have the points, the squad, the experience and the manager. City have the squad, the games in hand and most of their squad have recent experience of winning the league.

So we need to take each game as it comes, forget about titles and do what we need to do to get the three points in the current game. If Skrtel and Agger can bring their 'A' game for a few weeks, then who knows.

[the dude abides]

7 cup finals.

we win them all, we win the title.

today was a wonderful day for Liverpool.

But we have to keep focussed and beat Spurs tomorrow - not an easy task.

There will be several hiccups among the top 3, in these final weeks of the season.

But after today's results, it is now all in our hands.

I said, repeatedly in here, as far back as November and December, that we were playing title-winning football.

If we can just hold our nerve at this crucial juncture...

[Tes]

But after today's results, it is now all in our hands.

Exactly. Win tomorrow and we're 2 points ahead of Chelsea (same games played) and 4 ahead of Man City (played 2 games more).

Firstly, we have the points in the bag, always preferable over games in hand, that puts an extra dimension of pressure on City.

Beat them both at home, that's 5 ahead of Chelsea and 7 ahead of City (games in hand neutralised) if we match them point for point before and after, then we win our first league title since Sky invented football.

Whatever happens though, to finish in the top 3 this season surely has to be beyond even our most optimistic fans hopes last August.

And all this whilst still being crap at defending and sh!t at Summer transfer windows. 

[Tes]

and the Hammers can get a point against any team on their day.

Then we have to make sure it's our day not their's and that the former player curse doesn't rear it's ugly head that day - and they have enough of our former players. 

[Tes]

But we have to keep focussed and beat Spurs tomorrow - not an easy task.

They're the team with the league's best away record, so this is up there with the Chelsea and City games, and Adebeyour has been superb since Sherwood brought him back into the team - let's hope he fails his fitness test.

[the dude abides]

Exactly. Win tomorrow and we're 2 points ahead of Chelsea (same games played) and 4 ahead of Man City (played 2 games more).

Firstly, we have the points in the bag, always preferable over games in hand, that puts an extra dimension of pressure on City.

Beat them both at home, that's 5 ahead of Chelsea and 7 ahead of City (games in hand neutralised) if we match them point for point before and after, then we win our first league title since Sky invented football.

Whatever happens though, to finish in the top 3 this season surely has to be beyond even our most optimistic fans hopes last August.

And all this whilst still being crap at defending and sh!t at Summer transfer windows. 

 

4-0

another cup final overcome.

6 more cup finals.

a great weekend of results for us.

I think winning 4 or 5, and drawing 1 or 2, may even suffice.

Chelsea may have blown it this weekend....what with their future CL involvement disrupting their run-in.

They will probably have to come to Anfield, needing to win.  Though their other games are very winnable, on paper - stoke, swansea, sunderland and cardiff (as well as playing ourselves at anfield).

City are now only 2 or 3 ahead of us re goal difference.  I'd like to wipe that goal difference out - so that they will need to be a point ahead of us, to beat us to the title.

Tough games to come.

But it is all in our hands now.  The Liverpool versus City game may well be the winner-takes-all game.   Though there are many upsets in closing days of the season.

[the dude abides]

6 more cup finals.

6th April....West Ham (away)

13th April....Man City (home)   
 
20th April...Norwich (away)

27th April...Chelsea (home)

3rd May.....Crystal Palace (away) 
   
11th May....Newcastle (home)

[Martinmarx]

It'll be decided over the next 4 games as I genuinely believe we have what it takes to beat Palace away and Newcastle at home should we enter day 37 as leaders.

West Ham up next. Arguably the most inconsistent side in the leage, one month looking destined for relegation while the next cancelling Chelsea out on the Bridge. As it is they're 95 % certain of playing the PL next season so they won't have as much to play for us as. What worries me more is their (Allerdyce's) physical style will cost us in terms of injuries. A too physical game would also threaten Gerrard to pick up his 10th yellow losing him for the City game.

Other than that I mean that yesterday's performance was the best of the season thus far. Questions were being raised whether pressure was getting to us after our nervy finish against Sunderland on Wednesday. This was a team that was fighting for CL qualification (though I personally never thought they were good enough) and wanted revenge after the  mid-December trashing at the Lane. And we just dominate the game in a way I haven't seen us do many times this season. An incredibly impressive performance where no player let us down. I've had this feeling for a while once Coutinho starts to hit the target he will soon develop into one of the PL's greatest players. I hope his goal against Spurs was the beginning of that journey.

Too afraid to make any bold predictions beyond stating the obvious - 3rd is already in the bag which, in itself, is a testament to Rodgers and his often ridiculed philosophy. We got ourselves a new Shankly I say!!!

Also, it shall be interesting to see what So'ton can do at the Etihad. One very competent team able to beat any team on their day. Also, Hughes' Stoke at home isn't the easiest of fixtures.

Come on you redmen!!!

[Tes]

It's a good point about West Ham having little to play for. Unfortunately that won't kick in until after Sunday, as Fat Sham hates us with a passion, and there's Downing and Carroll with something to prove and Nolan always loves scoring against the team he supports.

Although I despise Tony Pulis and Crystal Palace (we've never done well at Selhurst Park and Wimbledon always made our record worse), I hope they're safe for the penultimate game, likewise with Newcastle, who have really gone off the boil for Pardew this season.

I'd settle for an unispiring 2-0 at Upton Park, and a pair of scrappy 1-0s against City and Chelsea.

What's the odds on another Luis hat trick against Norwich?

We need a favour off the bitters against City and I'd love them to draw against Arsenal in their next game as it will give them (in their eyes at least) a fighting chance for fourth and hopefully they'll be really up for the City game, even they know they'll be doing us a huge favour, there'll be as much in it for them too. Unfortunately, it's the penultimate game of the season, so we'll have to hope they fail to get fourrth on the last day of the season. Actually, that would be more fun.

[the dude abides]

I hope we have our shooting boots on today.

West Ham are in a good run of form.  And Caroll would love to make fools of Agger and Skytrail.

Hope we can win, or at least avoid defeat.   An early goal, could see us score a few. 

Overall, Chelsea have a very easy run-in - if there is such a thing.  Apart from playing at Anfield, the other 4 games are very straightforward.    I suspect that we may have to beat them at Anfield.   

City's run-in is slightly more trying.

I reckon we have to win all our final 6 games.

Nothing less will do.