It's f-ing tough to take

[Hansern]

Its not long ago that some of these players were used to losing football games. This season we've lost 6, with 1 loss in 2014. 1 loss. Thats insane.

Yes we lost it 3 games from the end. But it still doesnt change the fact that the jump up from our normal average standard to 2nd is the biggest in PL history. We also have the youngest team of the title chasing teams by far. Add to that we're way behind in spending, wage bill, transfer value in the squad etc.
The experience in some of the other teams were clearly visible compared to ours over the last hurdle, but hopefully we'll learn from it and take advantage of it next season.

I dont think we bottled it at all. I think thats a poor observation in total of how ridiculously good this season has been.
Yes we live and breed to win thropies. But this a young manager with a young team finding themselves in an unknown situation. City used to always draw the short end of the stick in these situations until Agueros goal two years ago. When you dont have a endless pit of money or limitless access to top quality footballers things may take a bit more time. When we lost against Chelsea I think the mental and physical fatiuge of having a small quality squad took its toll. You could see it against CP and Newcastle.

I'm extremely optimistic about the future and we're building something for the long run. We'll be title challengers next year aswell.

 

[gkmacca]

I dont think we bottled it at all. I think thats a poor observation in total of how ridiculously good this season has been.

I don't really understand. Bottling it or not has to do with the run in. I don't see what earlier games have to do with that. If you want to win something, you have to win strongly. And next season the team will be much, much, more fatigued by that stage. Mental strength and intelligence is vital. Pointing back at lovely games earlier on is something for LFCTV to do to fill up its schedules, but it's just not pertinent for what happens in that intense run-in period.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Anyone remember this game? I've no recollection of it anymore, but apparently until the Palace game, that's the last time we lost a 3-0 lead. We led through goals from Owen (2) and Hyypia, but conceded three in the last 17 minutes (Pahars x 2, Khalej). What's more surprising was that we had Hyypia, Henchoz, Babbel and Carragher in the lineup, and yet 2 of those goals came directly from headers, and the last one was set up through a high ball into the box with Traore's misdirected header setting up Pahars to score. Madness.

Clip:


Report:
http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/1599

 

[gkmacca]

It's not just letting leads slip. It's looking as though three quarters of the team is having a nervous breakdown while it's happening.

 

[Jerry Laser]

We need to realise that this team or components of it will actually get better and stronger from this....

Sterling, Henderson, Flanno, Sturridge, Allen etc are all going progress further in the future.

A lot of teams that win the league finish 2nd before, as did Man City themselves a few years back!

 

[Spaghetti Legs]

Anyone remember this game? I've no recollection of it anymore, but apparently until the Palace game, that's the last time we lost a 3-0 lead. We led through goals from Owen (2) and Hyypia, but conceded three in the last 17 minutes (Pahars x 2, Khalej). What's more surprising was that we had Hyypia, Henchoz, Babbel and Carragher in the lineup, and yet 2 of those goals came directly from headers, and the last one was set up through a high ball into the box with Traore's misdirected header setting up Pahars to score. Madness.





Report:

http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/1599

Yep, even remember where i was that day, that little Latvian shit Marian Pahars.

 

[Hansern]

I don't really understand. Bottling it or not has to do with the run in. I don't see what earlier games have to do with that. If you want to win something, you have to win strongly. And next season the team will be much, much, more fatigued by that stage. Mental strength and intelligence is vital. Pointing back at lovely games earlier on is something for LFCTV to do to fill up its schedules, but it's just not pertinent for what happens in that intense run-in period.

We won 11 games in a row to get into that position though. In february we were 8 points off the top.
If you look at the season as a whole we were in first place for 57 days or something and Arsenal 124.
They bottled it. One loss at home and a draw at Palace isnt bottling it and playing like cowards imho.
But we all have our opinions on this matter I guess.
The league was equally lost away at Brom, Hull and at home to Villa. Not to mention the two losses to Chelsea and City in December.

Did City look tired vs West Ham or Villa? No. Rotation keeps certain players fresh regardless of 8-10 games more.
We will have that next season and I dont think fatiuge will be a problem.
Maybe in certain weeks during Christmas etc but thats the same for everyone.

 

[localny]

It's not just letting leads slip. It's looking as though three quarters of the team is having a nervous breakdown while it's happening.

Macca, it's defining a season by an unusual few moments. It's not factual and it's not logical. You are entitled to your own opinion but not your own set of facts 🙂

 

[Skullflower]

is it just me or does gerrard have an unusually high incidence rate of fucking up in big games? (as well as making winning contributions in others obv)

 

[jason]

Because I have never been so disgusted by a team's attitude as in the last couple of weeks. To be so easily manipulated, to collapse so completely at times, to show such panic, to look so pathetically lacking in new ideas - it's been a text book case of how to wreck months and months of good work. You don't improve that by bringing in the odd player. That's a terrible rooted problem. I never ever expected them to show such cowardice.

With respect, seeing as we won nothing, I'll stick with my emphasis as the more pertinent. I'm not trying to wind you up though, it's just how I feel.

The city game was panic, not naked fear two thirds of the team were attacking the defense could see it was doomed to fail, madness. But couldn't pull the rest back against orders. Stevie goes into ping pong ball to knock a cliff down mode etc . Hence panic strategic panic and we will learn, not cowardice. F.... off with that.

 

[My_Blood_Bleeds_Red]

Wow. I'm actually more petrified and shocked that Jason is talking 'normal'. Well, slightly.

 

[gkmacca]

Wow. I'm actually more petrified and shocked that Jason is talking 'normal'. Well, slightly.

That's because he forgot to put part of my comments in quotes. (He's busy finishing his next book: The Charge of the Light Brigade: A Reappraisal. So you should forgive the distractions.)

 

[jason]

That's because he forgot to put part of my comments in quotes. (He's busy finishing his next book: The Charge of the Light Brigade: A Reappraisal. So you should forgive the distractions.)

You couldn't call them cowards though could you. Unless they were scared of living. Who isn't?

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

Throughout the run in there's only one game we fucked up and that's Palace. And at the end of the day even if we had won it would have been irrelevant.

 

[Whaddapie]

Yeah, I was about to go there too...

Macca, the Palace game was awful. but had we won it 12-0, we'd still be watching City parade the trophy around today. So, the game that really cost us was Chelsea, which was lost on a player slipping. And they're hardly anybody's cannon-fodder...

Cowardice is insanely harsh on a team that showed such resolve against the team that eventually won it all, just a few short weeks ago.

 

[StevieM]

Yep, even remember where i was that day, that little Latvian shit Marian Pahars.

Wait..... You where in Marian Pahars that day?

How was he?

 

[gkmacca]

Yeah, I was about to go there too...

Macca, the Palace game was awful. but had we won it 12-0, we'd still be watching City parade the trophy around today. So, the game that really cost us was Chelsea, which was lost on a player slipping. And they're hardly anybody's cannon-fodder...

Cowardice is insanely harsh on a team that showed such resolve against the team that eventually won it all, just a few short weeks ago.

I don't think so. I saw some of them. They'd utterly lost it. I've never seen that before in a Liverpool team. I hope we win something soon and prove me wrong, I'll be delighted, but my hopes for that lot to go right over the line are now so low they'll soon be available for fracking.

 

[Mersey86]

Anyone remember this game? I've no recollection of it anymore, but apparently until the Palace game, that's the last time we lost a 3-0 lead. We led through goals from Owen (2) and Hyypia, but conceded three in the last 17 minutes (Pahars x 2, Khalej). What's more surprising was that we had Hyypia, Henchoz, Babbel and Carragher in the lineup, and yet 2 of those goals came directly from headers, and the last one was set up through a high ball into the box with Traore's misdirected header setting up Pahars to score. Madness.

Clip:


Report:
http://www.lfchistory.net/Articles/Article/1599

Yes, I was remembering that. When Southampton equalized I grit my teeth so hard I chipped one of them.

 

[StevieM]

I don't think so. I saw some of them. They'd utterly lost it. I've never seen that before in a Liverpool team. I hope we win something soon and prove me wrong, I'll be delighted, but my hopes for that lot to go right over the line are now so low they'll soon be available for fracking.

So what's your solution? How do we rectify the problem?

There are parts I agree with - though my impression was that the look of horror on any players faces towards the end of the Palace game was disbelief at what happened.

With Gerrard in that position - discipline is always going to be a problem from time to time - particularly if go all-out attack.

It was an unnecessary & silly decision to push for more goals.

For it gets better when we make smarter decisions and show more patience & composure.

 

[Dreambeliever]

Tony Pulis by the look of it. Shouty Palace fans. Palace players with a bit of pace. Must-win away games. That sort of thing.

It was our lack of fear that cost us. If we shut up shop at 3-0 we'd have won instead we kept pushing to bring down the goal difference that would have been the deciding factor. So this talk of fear is rubbish. We have feared nobody this season. Quiet the opposite in fact.

 

[gkmacca]

So what's your solution? How do we rectify the problem?

.

Absolutely no idea. Brain transplants?

 

[gkmacca]

It was our lack of fear that cost us. If we shut up shop at 3-0 we'd have won instead we kept pushing to bring down the goal difference that would have been the deciding factor. So this talk of fear is rubbish. We have feared nobody this season. Quiet the opposite in fact.

You really must work in PR.

 

[StevieM]

Absolutely no idea. Brain transplants?

Maybe a bit of Pavlovian training - hopefully the players will remember how completely stupid they felt and endeavour not to feel that way again.

 

[Spaghetti Legs]

Wait..... You where in Marian Pahars that day?

How was he?

Quick and direct, poor finisher though.

 

[StevieM]

Quick and direct, poor finisher though.

Did he make your legs feel like spaghetti?

 

[Spaghetti Legs]

Only Suarez can manage that one.

 

[Ceefax the Cat]

The Palace game was irrelevant really, we battered the fuck out of Chelsea and unfortunately a couple of errors fucked us royally. Them's the breaks. Great start, average middle and fantastic end of the season right up to the point where our luck ran out against Chelsea. City did well away to Palace and Everton and that was that.

Fucking heart breaking, can't remember the last time a season has had such a devastating effect on my life as this one, the fact we got so close and failed is hard to take.

Yet it is a good barometer of how far we have come in so short a time, I'd have snapped your hand off for a CL place at the start of the season but still am utterly deflated at the final outcome.