Liverpool get a wake up call from Spurs

Welcome to this crisis edition of The Green Room, where we discuss all things Liverpool, Premiership and football in general.  Today we have a crisis on our hands. Liverpool FC are trying their best to emulate Arsenal in becoming a laughing stock.

This meeting has been called after witnessing the farce of a performance from Liverpool at White Hart Lane yesterday afternoon. To call the performance lame would be both an understatement and a disservice to Harry Redknapp and his team. To cut an unfortunately long story short, Kenny Dalglish’s men were stuffed four goals to nothing by a well-organized, hard-working and dominant Spurs side.

Liverpool went a goal down in the sixth minute to a clinical finish from Luka Modric that left Reina clasping at thin air. In the moments preceding that, the injury-prone Daniel Agger suffered yet another injury which will probably rule him out for the next game or two. Probably more if his past record is anything to go by.  Step forward the new “Sicknote” of the Premiership – If the legs will take you. The depth in the newly assembled Liverpool squad will now surely be tested over the coming games. With the exception of having a Luis Suarez goal disallowed quite rightly for offside and a penalty claim against Benoit Assou-Ekotto turned down after he held the hapless Andy Carroll in the area, Liverpool offered sweet nothing.

Charlie Adam was dismissed from the field of play for a horror tackle on Scott Parker. After that the reds were on the back foot. At that point, the score was 1-0 to Spurs and it was not inconceivable that Liverpool could maybe snatch an equalizer. The collapse was complete when Martin Skrtel joined him for an early bath when he too was sent off for a second bookable offence. I presume the first was for taking to the field in the first place.

The departure of Skrtel saw the remainder of the Liverpool side fall apart as they shipped three goals in the last 20 minutes to make the humiliation complete. In the post match interview, Dalglish paid tribute to the travelling support but could offer nothing by way of excuses for his team’s inept performance. He stopped short of apologizing to the fans. An act that wouldn’t have been out of place. I could feel him seething inside and I hope we’ll now see some changes in the coming matches.

I’m not sure if you know but Redknapp and Dalglish go back a long way. A young Dalglish was having trials at West Ham in the mid-sixties and formed a firm friendship with one of his teammates, a young lad by the name of Harry Redknapp. Dalglish was unable to settle in the smoke and returned to Glasgow to play for Celtic. The rest is history. The two have remained firm friends ever since.

The reason I mention this, is not to show my age, but to give you a flavor of the added embarrassment there would be for Dalglish in having to endure such a spineless display. We all know what it’s like to lose. It doesn’t feel good, but to lose to a close friend, when the stakes are so high does not sit well with even the most easy-going of people.

Dalglish has staunchly defended Jamie Carragher in recent days after he conceded the penalty that ultimately cost Liverpool in their last game against Stoke. I think he’d be in line for a “rest” had Liverpool not been as short on fit and or capable defenders as we are at the moment. Adam and Skrtel will shortly be serving suspensions so maybe we’ll see the introduction of a couple more of the youngsters? We’ll have to wait and see but things can’t continue as they are. Again Andy Carroll offered precious little, and Jordan Henderson has returned to his early season (lack of) form. The Liverpool team needs to have a good long look at themselves and get back to playing the way we know they can.

Sure, Liverpool are not expected to challenge for the league this season but some pride, at least wouldn’t go amiss. European qualification is the minimum and Dalglish, the Liverpool fans and all connected with the club deserve more than they’re getting at the moment. I’m tired of hearing the payers complimenting one another in the press and saying how “Agger Praises morale” or “Gerrard: Luis is top of the Kops” without their performing on the pitch. All of this needless talk proves nothing and merely serves to make the team swallow their words after results like this. Forget the needless talk and knuckle down to playing some decent football.

Thanks for reading and hopefully we can have something more positive to write about next time.

Ben Green @Mrbengreen

Comments

[red bird]

I have to get it off my chest..liverpool were an abseloute disgrace yesterday..

1)No discipline (neither self discipleine or tactically )
2)No proper tactics allowing parker & modric to get a firm grip in midfield
3)They ran like headless chickens for most of the match

The players..

1)Reina-looked like he was wondering why he had stayed back at liverpool this season-probably wished that he had left for a bigger team when he had the chance

2)carra-he tried his best but i think he has to start becoming honest with himself and admit that he cant play week in week out-needs to be used sparingly like gary neville was as he grew older

3)agger-tried his best-unlucky with the injury

4)skertel-what a mismatch against bale-looked like a training ground cone->static whenever hurricane bale blew past him.

5)enrique-decent effort-cant fault him if the rest of the defence played crap

6)charlie adam-i think he is overwhelmed at liverpool-lucky we only paid 7 mil for him being scottish n all

7)leiva-always puts a decent effort in but he has to start improving in his attacking game and add more things to his repotoire like decent through balls or decent long range shots on goal

8)henderson-hardly noticed he was playing....was picking his nose during the game for all i know at the sidelines

9)downing-no support at all so could not produce any sort of form

10)suarez-looks he is saving himself to swooped by either manchester city / barcelona / real madrid

11)carrol-i think he should cut his bloody daft ponytail,get a shave,build some solid mucle and grow up-he thinks its his right to earn the money but he dosnt understand he has a responsibilty to us as supporters to put in his maximum into each and every match he plays in

substitutes

bellamy-electrifying pace-lookes like he was flying or floating across the field or something-should be starting instead of fat arse carrol

coates-should have been red carded for that crazy tackle,bringing down adeboyar from the back when he was clean on goal-otherwise decent start but appears slow for a 20 year old-i just hope he improves

jay spearing-what a fighter-love him-wears the club on his sleeve n was like a bulldog-should have started instead of adams

The manager-KK i love him but he this is not the 80's-you cant just pick a team and tell them and go and play football.you have to study your opponents and look at videos and look at opponent players stats and build a dossier and pass it to each player to read before the match-not put an arm around them in a pub and share a quiet beer-in the 80s players took pride to represent the club-now they take it for granted how i wish we had ferguson to give the blow dryer treatment if they ever cocked up

2 players who should have played

kuyt-would have supported suarez well

flanagan-yes he made a mistake in a previous match but he is young and he will improve-he just need another chance until kelly comes back then he becomes 2nd choice again-but between him n skertel, flanagan everytime-skertel has no common sense to play at right back

i would have started reina
flanagan-(skertel/wilson/coates)-agger-enrique
kuyt-leiva-spearing-downing
suarez-bellamy

carrol and suarez should never ever start together again-carrol is cramping everyones style.he is so clumsy he looks like he still has a hangover from the night before

i cringe as i await the next game -i hope we buck up otherwise it will just another season of wasted expectations.cheers