Liverpool v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[mj]

This is becoming a pet hate of mine

When did we seem to accept pundits using contact / or lack of to justify or argue a decision? When, oh when did contact equal a foul?  "Yeah, he's gone down easy, but there was definitely contact". ARGGHH!!  What about a foul? Was there a foul? Or just contact? Just contact? But that equals a foul does it? It does? No? Yes? Can there be contact AND a dive?? So what if he made contact? Is it a contact sport? Yes? No? Maybe? Who fecking knows anymore! JUST FECK OFF!!

Maybe, just maybe it isn't beyond the realms of plausibility that in a contact sport a player could make contact with another, who then falls over and it isn't actually a foul??! And surely you can commit a foul without any contact at all?? Yes?? Maybe? No?

Just me?

[aj2k77]

The mentality today is if you are touched you go down and it's a fair decision because the defender was stupid enough to touch you. This is pure bs though, the amount of penalty calls I see given for contact that would get laughed at in the midfield area just proves that it's a view point that only applies to the penalty area.

It was a dive. It doesn't matter if Guzan ever so slightly brushed him. I'm only grateful the shit ref didn't concoct a red card up for Brad as a way of gifting the redshite a win. That's how bad the refereeing has become i'm happy we were only cheated slightly.

[richard moore]

Nope. Exactly what Stanley Victor Collymore was saying on Saturday night

[rob_bridge]

I'm actually starting to see this argument that Guzan was at fault for giving Suarez the chance to go down.  I similarly feel that all little old ladies should stay at home as the muggers can't be blamed if they see them outdoors, children should wear burkas around 70s BBC presenters and Poland were to blame for WWII for moving in next door to Germany.

It reminds of the ignorant Patridge quip about the Irish being to blame for the potato famine for being such fussy eaters.

Clearly by their rationale the 3000 people who died on 9-11 shouldn't have got on planes or went to work just in case they were killed by terrorists.

[rob_bridge]

The thing that riled me was these so called experts claiming there was contact, when there quite clearly wasn't. If anything, Suarez is being applauded for winning a penalty without actually being fouled.

Sadly reflects the state of the modern game I guess, and many of these expects will get on their high horse over someone like Ashley Young always doing exactly the same thing. But because Saurez is causing sales of Kleenex among footy pundits to soar, he's just "playing the game."
Conning fouls is becoming more and more of an art. Certainly in terms of diving. But even going back 20 years ago before it become as hot a topic as it was now, you had someone like Shearer who'd perfected the art of fouling defenders without giving away freekicks and winning freekicks by going down very easily when he felt the timing was right. It's little surprise he doesn't see much problem with Suarez, being he was a bit of cheating bastard.

If Suarez played for anyone from 9th place down then he would be the scourge of the league. Instead he has apologisits lining up to defend his antics - just as they did his racism.

[Clampy]

Nope. Exactly what Stanley Victor Collymore was saying on Saturday night

We listened to him on the way back on Saturday night and he was fuming. He also got some absolute vile abuse on twitter for his trouble.

[richard moore]

I'm actually starting to see this argument that Guzan was at fault for giving Suarez the chance to go down.  I similarly feel that all little old ladies should stay at home as the muggers can't be blamed if they see them outdoors, children should wear burkas around 70s BBC presenters and Poland were to blame for WWII for moving in next door to Germany.

It reminds of the ignorant Patridge quip about the Irish being to blame for the potato famine for being such fussy eaters.

Clearly by their rationale the 3000 people who died on 9-11 shouldn't have got on planes or went to work just in case they were killed by terrorists.

Excellent posts which sum up exactly where this whole charade seems to have ended up. It now appears to be anyone but Suarez's fault. Amazing, but unsurprising, how the mighty bindipper myth making machine can sway opinions

[IAmTheOneIanOlney]

Collymore often gets sickening abuse on Twitter, really disturbing stuff. To his credit, he takes it on and tries to do something about it.

As for the game, that's the type of performance I always expected from a Lambert team and one we don't see often enough. Why are we a counter-attacking team when we can be so effective pressing the ball? I would like to see us play that way every week, not just try to soak up pressure and hit on the counter.
Bertrand seemed to give us some instant solidity on the left and a midfielder now would give us a decent first 11 - when they play like that, anyway. When Luna and Sylla came on, it exposed the lack in depth of quality.

[ChicagoLion]

Pretty obvious it was a dive and not a penalty, also obvious that Guzan has developed a habit of dealing poorly with these situations.

No idea why Gabby was replaced by Holt, thought Allbrighton would have been a better decision.

We should have taken all 3 points but the ref, Guzan and Lambert made sure we didn't.

[German James]

We should have taken all 3 points but the ref, Guzan and Lambert made sure we didn't.

Actually, Suarez made sure we didn't.

[garyshawsknee]

Collymore says contact doesn't justify going down,whereas morons like Lineker and Owen say the opposite.  Regarding the racist abuse,he always retweets them and read today that the police have got involved.

[Clampy]

Collymore says contact doesn't justify going down,whereas morons like Lineker and Owen say the opposite.  Regarding the racist abuse,he always retweets them and read today that the police have got involved.

He's also had a tweet off someone threatening to kill him.

[TimTheVillain]

It tells you everything about the state of punditry that it's Stan Collymore with the controversial opinion on this.

He's just challenging the decision ..

[damon loves JT]

I know. What I mean is that he is only stating the blindingly obvious, and it is controversial.

[adrenachrome]

Express and Star

Paul Lambert: Aston Villa deserve more respect

Boss Paul Lambert today rounded on Villa’s critics and insisted – 'we deserve more respect'.

The claret and blues chief believes his side are not getting enough credit this season.

They are 10th in the Premier League – but only six points off the bottom – after Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool.

And Lambert said Villa deserve recognition after their gritty point at Anfield.

He said: “I don't think we get the credit at certain times, I really don't. They have been knocked unfairly in certain aspects of it. But they have been excellent for me.

“I don't know where we were in the league this time last year - but we certainly weren't tenth. I think there is a miss-conception of the way we are going at the moment.

"People think we are doing poor and we are sitting tenth - it's really, really incredible, the perception of it. We have kicked on in a lot of aspects like our goals record, the way we play. Everything goes against us.

"This time last year we were right down."

Villa have a nine day break until they face Albion at home on January 29 with a revitalised Christian Benteke back in form.

The striker scored his second goal in two games after ending a four-month drought to earn praise from Lambert.

He said: “Benteke was excellent today and I don't think there's a quicker player than Agbonlahor down the sides. He is fantastic but I thought the two of them were excellent.

“(Ryan) Bertrand was also excellent. He is a big-time player. He has won the best tournament in club football and there was no doubt about throwing him in.

“He has played in big-time games in front of big crowds. He was outstanding.”