Liverpool v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Toronto Villa]

We are tenth!!!!

Top half.

Stitch that, you miserablists.




And before you reply, consider where you predicted we would be at the end of today.
For the record, I predicted 2 - 3.

I had 2-2 Benteke and Holt were my scorers

[Lamb_Stockmix]

Maybe this should be in  the little things that make life oh so annoying, but all this talk of a quarterback role really gets my on tits.

It's the wrong f%€#ing sport, and basically means a half decent midfielder who either can't be bothered to, or is incapable of running.  It just doesn't work.  I seem to remember a
D. Beckham esq. trying the same old horlicks and it costing England the game away to Northern Ireland.  Call it NeoHoofball it's just as accurate.

On this basis, Guzan has been auditioning for a move back to the USA and looking for a contract with Buffalo Bills or whoever has got the shittest QB at the moment.

I literally don't know what any of this post means.

[Louzie0]

We are tenth!!!!

Top half.

Stitch that, you miserablists.




And before you reply, consider where you predicted we would be at the end of today.
For the record, I predicted 2 - 3.

I had 2-2 Benteke and Holt were my scorers

Hurray!
High fives, Toronto!

I'm in such a good mood, never mind the penalty.
(Well, shoot Suarez, obv but otherwise...)

[Des Little]

Not long in, sat in their end today. Fair result which I would have taken before kick off. Impressed with Bertrand and Holt on their debuts. A winning draw and something go build on. UTV

[peter w]

It wasn't an Ashley Young dive. Suarez moved the ball wide and waited for contact.When it came, however minimal, he went down. I know some say he wasn't touched at all, but the way he fell suggested contact of some description. I don't think it was a pen but I do think he played the situation perfectly and he got the reward. Other than I'd have liked the 3 points, I've got no problem with it.

[Villa in Denmark]

Maybe this should be in  the little things that make life oh so annoying, but all this talk of a quarterback role really gets my on tits.

It's the wrong f%€#ing sport, and basically means a half decent midfielder who either can't be bothered to, or is incapable of running.  It just doesn't work.  I seem to remember a
D. Beckham esq. trying the same old horlicks and it costing England the game away to Northern Ireland.  Call it NeoHoofball it's just as accurate.

On this basis, Guzan has been auditioning for a move back to the USA and looking for a contract with Buffalo Bills or whoever has got the shittest QB at the moment.

I literally don't know what any of this post means.

The phrase quarterback role has no place in football.

It's a lazy use of a term from another sport, that to my mind "basically means a half decent midfielder who either can't be bothered to, or is incapable of running."

It was tried to as far back as Svens attempt to accommodate Beckhams wish to play central, whilst still leaving space room for Gerrard and Lampard, away to Northern Ireland, with disastrous consequences, losing 1-0 with out registering a shot in goal.  The phrase NeoHoofball, is my own creation. It's a slightly more refined version of Hoofball, but actually usually ends up being ineffective.  Just like Gerrards performance tonight.

If the requirement to be considered for this role is to hoof 50 yard passes down the pitch, then over the last 2-3 months, Guzan must have attempted more QB passes than anyone else in the league.

[Fergal]

Come on lads, Guzan should have been more cautious considering Suarez' reputation. I don't think we were robbed exactly. A draw was a fair result.

UTV.

He dived, he cheated, that's not Guzans fault...

Guzan gave him the opportunity to go down. You're not seeing the same thing I'm seeing, you can whinge all you like about decisions, I'd rather accept the reality that players go down in the box looking for penalties/forcing contact and hope that our defenders and keepers don't lunge in like Guzan did today unless they get the ball. Guzan didn't touch the ball. Asking for trouble.

That is what I would tell my players as a manager, not 'it doesn't matter, he dived, we were robbed' etc. Don't give players like that the opportunities to con the ref.

Sigh. The modern day football fan encapsulated in one post

You've not countered anything. I understand why the penalty was given, watch it again and Guzan pulls his arms in as he's level with Suarez to presumably avoid touching his legs and bringing him down, instead of extending them and palming the ball away. Also as someone else said, the ref makes the call in a split second, it looked a penalty in real time (looks close to one in slow mo from about 5 different angles too).

You're welcome to your victim complex, just pointing out it's completely biased and unrealistic.

Thank you sunshine...as I said, the modern day football fan encapsulated in two posts now

I agree, it is now ok to dive cheat and feign injury. 

[Weedy]

From the FIFA rules of the game *:

34
Fouls and misconduct are penalised as follows:
Direct free kick
A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any
of the following seven offences in a manner considered by the referee to be
careless, reckless or using excessive force:
• kicks or attempts to kick an opponent
• trips or attempts to trip an opponent
• jumps at an opponent
• charges an opponent
• strikes or attempts to strike an opponent
• pushes an opponent
• tackles an opponent
A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any
of the following three offences:
• holds an opponent
• spits at an opponent
• handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own
penalty area)
A direct free kick is taken from the place where the offence occurred
(see Law 13 – Position of free kick).
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is awarded if any of the above ten offences is committed by
a player inside his own penalty area, irrespective of the position of the ball,
provided it is in play.

Presumably the penalty was given for the second offence - the ref must have thought that Guzan either tripped or attempted to trip Sewage.

* http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2011_12_en.pdf

[berneboy]

If one of my kids did what Suarez did today, I'd take him off and tell the designated penalty-taker to miss. Yes, I know there's a massive difference between Primary School football and the Premier League.

Amazingly, this happened in a game I was watching a few weeks ago. My neighbor coaches one of the Sandwell Academy team (U12s), I pop along to watch and help out carrying the magic sponge when I'm free, I get a pint out of it! Anyway, they were playing a team from Tipton when a Sandwell player blatantly dived, the ref gave it and the coach (my mate) strode onto the pitch and  picked his player up, told him to apologise and told the captain to deliberately miss the penalty, he rolled it to the keeper.

Excellent.

[villan from luton]

Lets think about the positives though,  Vlaar was again immense, midfield was good and Benteke was a class act, Gabby was evenbetter before he wentoff. Bertrand was class and helped the team pattern IMHO

[Louzie0]

Well done CJ.
You got us a fantastic performance and a draw.

I am waiting to hear what you can do / miss / forfeit for the win!

I'm open to offers 

Suggestions to the next pre match thread, please. Suggest a 2 hour pre match moratorium - otherwise known as, get your ideas in early.

[Le Lapin]

Would have taken that result before the match. Great to see a good from performance Gabby, big Christian getting another goal, Weimann getting on the score sheet and a good debut from Bertrand. It was noticeable when he went off how vulnerable we have been at left back. Vlaar being back seems to be making the difference.
Hopefully we can build on this and get a win against West Brom and start trying to get away from the relegation zone, six points off bottom is too close for comfort.

[The Man With A Stick]

Missed the whole game and would have taken a point this afternoon, but by the sound of it it's business as usual at Anfield.  Hope their ferries/flights back to Dublin/Belfast/Oslo all sink/crash.

Would still vote for Suarez as player of the year, I know he's a cheating little peasant shit, but just because of the number of gloryhunting manc bastards it would wind up.

[Louzie0]

Missed the whole game and would have taken a point this afternoon, but by the sound of it it's business as usual at Anfield.  Hope their ferries/flights back to Dublin/Belfast/Oslo all sink/crash.

Would still vote for Suarez as player of the year, I know he's a cheating little peasant shit, but just because of the number of gloryhunting manc bastards it would wind up.

I think this is easily the winner of wind up post of the year.

[saunders_heroes]

Come on lads, Guzan should have been more cautious considering Suarez' reputation. I don't think we were robbed exactly. A draw was a fair result.

UTV.

He dived, he cheated, that's not Guzans fault...

Guzan gave him the opportunity to go down. You're not seeing the same thing I'm seeing, you can whinge all you like about decisions, I'd rather accept the reality that players go down in the box looking for penalties/forcing contact and hope that our defenders and keepers don't lunge in like Guzan did today unless they get the ball. Guzan didn't touch the ball. Asking for trouble.

That is what I would tell my players as a manager, not 'it doesn't matter, he dived, we were robbed' etc. Don't give players like that the opportunities to con the ref.

Sigh. The modern day football fan encapsulated in one post

You've not countered anything. I understand why the penalty was given, watch it again and Guzan pulls his arms in as he's level with Suarez to presumably avoid touching his legs and bringing him down, instead of extending them and palming the ball away. Also as someone else said, the ref makes the call in a split second, it looked a penalty in real time (looks close to one in slow mo from about 5 different angles too).

You're welcome to your victim complex, just pointing out it's completely biased and unrealistic.

Thank you sunshine...as I said, the modern day football fan encapsulated in two posts now

I agree, it is now ok to dive cheat and feign injury. 

Players have been cheating in football as long as I can remember, and I started watching Villa in the mid '70s. Let's not pretend it's a modern thing.