Steven Gerrard

[hippo]

1 minute ago, M_Afro said:

When Dean was in charge we barely laid a glove on Southampton. In fact, for 45 minutes we managed to make them look like Brazil! To have transitioned from that to the disciplined, hard working performance today in such a short space of time is an absolute miracle.

Get on the bus mate. It’s warm in here.

And rightly we made the change.

Not totally on board the bus though. I doubt the Liverpool defence will have many easier games in the PL this season. The narrow defeat was all down to Emi.

[hippo]

1 minute ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

And if you think that was our game plan then the debate is pointless.

Might not have been our plan. But it was the only way we got near the opposition final third.

Check the match stats if you don't believe me.

[Wezbid]

21 minutes ago, hippo said:

Sorry but going to Liverpool away with 0 attacking intent is niave. No attacking intent means Liverpool can commit the whole team to attacking duties. It was never going to work.

Click watch on YouTube and listen in from 7 mins. They didn't go there intending to sit back. That wasn't the game plan. We just ended up going that way because they are that good. 

He said it himself that they didn't go there to sit in but it becomes a natural defensive mechanism within the players when one of the best teams in the world's gameplan triumphs over your own. 

[Wezbid]

10 minutes ago, hippo said:

And rightly we made the change.

Not totally on board the bus though. I doubt the Liverpool defence will have many easier games in the PL this season. The narrow defeat was all down to Emi.

They had 5 shots on target, that isn't a lot at home. 

[TRO]

18 minutes ago, hippo said:

Stevie G s drive ??????

come on - I realise you like the bloke and think/want him to do well here.

But there was very little drive today. 2nd half v Man City sure - but today there was close to nothing in terms of drive - the stats and even general viewing will show you that ?

Hippo are you having a laugh..... a month ago that would have been 4-0

The fact we stayed in the Game until the gift from Atwell, showed plenty of drive for me.....That defending didn't grow on trees, it was robust and combatitive....that wasn't there before, not like that.

What do you do fighting Tyson Fury, come out slinging punches and have a go, and last 5 minutes?

SG had little choice how to play that, to ensure a low defeat and preserve confidence in the team......An open game and it could have disrailed us, for the season.

[TRO]

21 minutes ago, hippo said:

I don't care who we are playing. If the only way we get out of our own half is to boot the ball and chase it - that's not going to work.

Hippo....I get your stance, but sometimes you have to just respect the opposition, I guess they wanted to take the game to them, but couldn't, because they was better than us.

[hippo]

6 minutes ago, TRO said:

Hippo are you having a laugh..... a month ago that would have been 4-0

The fact we stayed in the Game until the gift from Atwell, showed plenty of drive for me.....That defending didn't grow on trees, it was robust and combatitive....that wasn't there before, not like that.

What do you do fighting Tyson Fury, come out slinging punches and have a go, and last 5 minutes?

SG had little choice how to play that, to ensure a low defeat and preserve confidence in the team......An open game and it could have disrailed us, for the season.

You stated and restated we had drive. Watch the highlights (on villa TV now) our only threat was a long ball to Ashley young  - and the Ings penalty appeal late on.

It's up to you if that counts as drive.

[hippo]

3 minutes ago, TRO said:

Hippo....I get your stance, but sometimes you have to just respect the opposition, I guess they wanted to take the game to them, but couldn't, because they was better than us.

Finally.

So today we were respecting the opposition. I can agree with that prognosis. 

[TRO]

Just now, hippo said:

You stated and restated we had drive. Watch the highlights (on villa TV now) our only threat was a long ball to Ashley young  - and the Ings penalty appeal late on.

It's up to you if that counts as drive.

I meant drive in the challenge and the tackle and keeping Liverpool out.

If we had of had that drive all season, we would be sitting on more than 19 points, I am sure of that.

[hippo]

4 minutes ago, TRO said:

I meant drive in the challenge and the tackle and keeping Liverpool out.

If we had of had that drive all season, we would be sitting on more than 19 points, I am sure of that.

Ok. I was taking drive to mean we worry the opposition

But hey he's ex Liverpool so must be doing something right.

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by hippo

[icouldtelltheworld]

1 hour ago, Wezbid said:

We didn't set out to just sit back. Like Steve said in this, sometimes the opposition just force it upon you.

Yep, sometimes it feels as though some of those who post on here have limited experience of actually playing the game. The manager sets you up with a game plan, but if the other team are better than you then they are likely to keep you pinned back in your own half. It isn't fifa 

[hippo]

1 minute ago, icouldtelltheworld said:

Yep, sometimes it feels as though some of those who post on here have limited experience of actually playing the game. The manager sets you up with a game plan, but if the other team are better than you then they are likely to keep you pinned back in your own half. It isn't fifa 

Come on. Today we set out to sit back. We won't be the only team to do that away to Liverpool. But it's a clear as day the plan was to sit back.

 

[VillaJay]

Overall not a great performance today against top opposition, however sometimes reality bites and you have to face facts we were playing one of the very best teams in world football.

It was disappointing not to play like prime Brazil today, but 5 games in there is already a semblance of identity and stability in the team.

Win the next 2 and and no other manager in world football could have done better. Let's see how it goes, early cautious optimism along with a good dose of reality.

[gwi1890]

1 hour ago, hippo said:

But we didn't nearly get a point. We couldn't get out of our own half. Emi made the score look respectable.

We didn't get near Liverpool today.

That’s part of the game good keepers keep teams in games, Like De Gea did for Utd on the balance of play Norwich deserved to win today but they didn’t ,we lost by one goal to a dodjy penalty call and had ours turned down, doesn’t matter that we “didn’t get near” 

[hippo]

6 minutes ago, gwi1890 said:

That’s part of the game good keepers keep teams in games, Like De Gea did for Utd on the balance of play Norwich deserved to win today but they didn’t ,we lost by one goal to a dodjy penalty call and had ours turned down, doesn’t matter that we “didn’t get near” 

Quite correct. It doesn't matter that we didn't get near.

But people thinking we did because we have an ex boy wonder in charge does matter.

[Tommo_b]

10 hours ago, hippo said:

My point was today we hardly layed a glove on Liverpool.

Sure mitigating circumstances , young manager, new to managing in the pl ..5 games in.

But my point remians.

 

And yet we could’ve easily had our own penalty and ended the game 1-1.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Tommo_b

[tomav84]

Keep it up Steven. Nice to see a proper game plan. Yes it was a plan to keep Liverpool out, but they're one of the best teams in the world 

[villalad21]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

Hippo are you having a laugh..... a month ago that would have been 4-0

The fact we stayed in the Game until the gift from Atwell, showed plenty of drive for me.....That defending didn't grow on trees, it was robust and combatitive....that wasn't there before, not like that.

What do you do fighting Tyson Fury, come out slinging punches and have a go, and last 5 minutes?

SG had little choice how to play that, to ensure a low defeat and preserve confidence in the team......An open game and it could have disrailed us, for the season.

A loss is a loss. Doesn't matter how you try to dress it up. 

OK so we just went in the total opposite direction. 

Instead of going Gung ho we played super defensive and just invited them onto us. Looking at the game plan we were never gonna get anything from the game. If we did it'd be a daylight robbery. 20 shots against. Below 40 % possession. Only 70 % pass accuracy. We registered zero shots on target. 

That wasn't a good defensive performance. It was panicky, last ditch and chaotic. Not sustainable. 

Listen. The previous games has been good and encouraging. Today was disappointing, and it has to be OK to say that without people losing their shit over it. 

Still fully behind Gerrard so don't twist my words. It's just criticism of a performance, that is it. We move on.

[MikeMcKenna]

3 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

A loss is a loss. Doesn't matter how you try to dress it up. 

OK so we just went in the total opposite direction. 

Instead of going Gung ho we played super defensive and just invited them onto us. Looking at the game plan we were never gonna get anything from the game. If we did it'd be a daylight robbery. 20 shots against. Below 40 % possession. Only 70 % pass accuracy. We registered zero shots on target. 

That wasn't a good defensive performance. It was panicky, last ditch and chaotic. Not sustainable. 

Listen. The previous games has been good and encouraging. Today was disappointing, and it has to be OK to say that without people losing their shit over it. 

Still fully behind Gerrard so don't twist my words. It's just criticism of a performance, that is it. We move on.

So funny. Your words don’t need twisting. 

Edited December 12, 2021 by MikeMcKenna

[WHY]

4 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

A loss is a loss. Doesn't matter how you try to dress it up. 

OK so we just went in the total opposite direction. 

Instead of going Gung ho we played super defensive and just invited them onto us. Looking at the game plan we were never gonna get anything from the game. If we did it'd be a daylight robbery. 20 shots against. Below 40 % possession. Only 70 % pass accuracy. We registered zero shots on target. 

That wasn't a good defensive performance. It was panicky, last ditch and chaotic. Not sustainable. 

Listen. The previous games has been good and encouraging. Today was disappointing, and it has to be OK to say that without people losing their shit over it. 

Still fully behind Gerrard so don't twist my words. It's just criticism of a performance, that is it. We move on.

Pretty much how I saw it. Doesn’t matter if you think we did well or not, we lost. Would rather have a go at teams than wait for the inevitable!