CBGB

Decent game. Good point in the circumstances. Blackpool are notoriously hard to beat on their patch.

Pretty much how i feel.

Are you aware that Blackpool actually have the worst home record in the Premiership?

THat said... we weren't as bad as some are making out.

So where this Villa been hiding all season?!

Excellent result, determined defensive performance, clean sheet - I could get used to that again.

Yeah, but Downing and Albrighton are both better on the left...

If we have to, I'd let Downing go to fund this. He's a good player but not as important to us as an in-form Ashley Young.

Yes, calling Pires "catastrophic" is a bit of an exaggeration. He was free, is only costing his wages, and is on a very short contract.

However, "completely pointless" might be more accurate. Unfit, uncommitted, way past his sell-by date, etc. He was rubbish today.

That one run he did just petered out into nothing, and that was his best contribution!

We were playing with 10 men long before Ashley Young got sent off, thanks to Pires.

Overall, we are a bit of a shambles at the moment, and any half decent side would have beaten us tbh.

Maybe they're just going for breakfast?

We still look pretty ragged, but that was a battling performance that probably deserved all 3 points.

MON's departure had an affect, but you can't keep blaming everything on him.

At some point you have to look at the current situation.

Houllier is making a difficult job look impossible.

Half of the people think it's Martin O'Neill's fault :shock: :?

My gut feeling is you can't sack him yet. But he's skating on very thin ice.

I'm not convinced he realises how much he was taking the piss at Anfield.

Originally I said give him until Xmas 2012 before judging him. But if there's no sign of improvement by February, it's time the club admits it made a mistake and moves on.

A team that finished 6th last season should not be in 16th.

With Torres, Gerrard, and Carragher out, we had every chance of beating them. Even with those players, this is not a strong Liverpool team - see their league placement. If we wanted to come back after the derby defeat and show some passion, this was the time to do it. As far as Houllier goes, it all just seems so half-arsed and condescending.

Losing to a shit team like Blackburn is dismal. We were way too casual, and never looked like troubling the scorers.

Highlights?

Early on and then for the whole of the second half, we played well and were clearly superior to Sunderland.

But we need....

...to think about Cuellar being Collins' central defensive partner,

...someone's to score some goals,

...better than Petrov and NRC in the center of midfield.

Until then, there's going to be more of this slump into mid table mediocrity.

Either way, still 1874!

Nice work, John.

Pretty much every single manager, even the very best, has a number of shoddy signings. MON has his share, but no more than any one else. He just gets a lot of shit on here because most of his signings were so unimaginative.

I would agree with the people above who say Sidwell was the worst MON buy. Heskey maybe second.

Not happy with seeing some weird managerial structure at the club, a surefire way of creating disharmony and disjointed football.

If we want Houllier, bring him in and let him choose the team around him, not force upon him a coach/assistant or whatever the role may be.

I agree with this, i don;t think Houllier is the best man for the job but don't try and complicate things.

Remember the success that was Houllier & Evans? :?

I think he's OK.

Every once in a while he has a great game.

When he's not playing people get very excited about him and decide he's better than he actually is.

I agree with Chindie that I wish he was a great holding midfielder, but that's not what he thinks he is.

The schizophrenia continues!

One week it's all out attack and dodgy at the back. Today it's back to dogged defending and looking to get something from the counterattacks.

Really important win and a clean sheet. Friedel and the centre backs kept us in it, but everyone worked hard and played a part.

Have to say, though, it's a concern that Everton - a decent team, but hardly top 4 - dominated us for stretches and we were only just holding on.

[edit] Where what?

If we're going to go for a dull mid-table-at-best English manager, like so many people are suggesting, and someone who won't spend much money, my vote would be for Curbishley.

Not saying I want that, mind...

Why on earth would we want any manager that has been relegated with the teams they've managed?

Can't see Lerner wanting to work with managers who have the whiff od dodginess about them, e.g. Allardyce and his signings.

Pulis.... ugh.

I'd give Koeman a chance, we're going to finish mid-table so we may aswell take a bit of a risk instead of settling for some steady eddy bluenose cu*t like Curbishley.

Yeh bring in Koeman and support him with a DOF - someone like GTmkIII might be an idea. Do I not like that.

You can just picture it. "Ronald, I've got you a nice young lad called Michael Boulding..."

and not Phil Brown either, he's destined for much bigger things.

Steady on :shock: