Liverpool FA Cup s/f (N) | Post Match Thread

[East Level 2]

Allison regularly makes mistakes and gave the ball away a few times today. Our keeper made a mistake and got punished. All other things aside they always seem to be lucky that way.

But we still had a lot of work to do after Allison's cock ups today. Steffan screwed up on the goal line.

 

[Big Joe Corrigan]

Didn't they play Blue Moon immediately before the dirge?

Yes, and cut it short.

 

[East Level 2]

Awful support from us yesterday. We may have sold 32k but there must have been thousands of Liverpool fans in our end. The booing of the minutes silence was weird too and it’s not like our fans to do something like that. It may have been the case that some people were genuinely unaware of the minutes silence. Fights all over between City fans, Liverpool fans in our end getting a kicking. Just not a nice day out.

The FA should seriously think about start putting these semis back to neutral grounds. I’ve been to Wembley to watch City we over 10 times now and I’m actually not arsed we’re not going back next month. Costs a fortune, shit getting to London and all you see is fighting as people spend all day pissed up which only leads to one thing.

I doubt there were thousands of Liverpool fans in our end though we seem to have loads of tourists. The noise in our end following their goals seemed to come from Club Wembley which is officially neutral.
One dipper (and his blue mate) were chucked out of block 522 just after their first goal.

 

[john blue]

The worst first half performance by a city side i have seen. utter shite.

 

[J.G.Blue.]

The worst first half performance by a city side i have seen. utter shite.

If thats the worst first half you have ever seen from a city side, could I ask how long you have been watching city? (genuine question)

 

[come-on-barney]

My wife said to me this morning, we have become exactly what we hated… self entitled! When things don’t go or way a lot of fans hate it and piss and moan. Success has been our fanbases failure! We’re expected to win and when we don’t we can’t take it. Bloke next to us left with his 2 kids just before half time and didn’t return!
So poor yesterday. I’m over the result, I’m still struggling with our fan base!

One could argue that some fans have not come to accept our success.

 

[Carlos- the- jackal]

The worst first half performance by a city side i have seen. utter shite.

Good job you weren’t at Grimsby away then in 85!

 

[Grassland Blue]

It could have gone to extra time and we might have still lost but then also be totally fucked for Brighton

maybe time to start playing the kids in the fa cup, unless we don’t get out of the CL group

isnt that the third year on the trot we’ve worked our nuts off to get to the semis only to find ourselves having to prioritise other matches?

A certain Mr. Wenger used to play the youngsters in the F.A.Cup.
Somebody else said you win nowt wi' kids.
Then slurgie did.
Who knows?

 

[StillBluessinceHydeRoad]

It was a tired and leggy performance and a selection missing six or seven starters against a well rested full strength Dipper team , that is a fact and not an excuse. If we were going to lose one of the four big games we chose the right one , we have possibly ten games to go and we have to win at least nine of them or i think we will end up empty handed this season
That's a big ask but this manager and squad of players have done it before , worryingly some players are looking jaded and treading water our squad depth isnt all that it seems , and when players like Steffen, Zinchenko , Jesus come in there is a definite drop in quality , they arent poor players just not elite level.
The whole football world is banking on us to stop the Dippers , because i dont see Real Madrid or Chelsea/Palace being good enough.

I think you hit several nails very firmly on the head here. This morning I read Pep's comments on the games and thought I must be his ventriloquist's dummy because he explained the difficulties of managing the best team in the world with a clarity that I certainly can't match, but then he is actually managing the best team in the world.

City have had to play 5 games in the last 14 days. We played 5 in the 3 weeks before that and 6 in the 3 weeks before that and so on. What marks the 5 matches played so far in April out is that they are in 3 different competitions and leaving aside Burnley were 2 against Liverpool and 2 against Atletico, one of which was a brutal and bruising encounter. Defeat in any would have disastrous consequences and Pep picked the best team he possibly could for the home and away legs against Madrid and the home game against Liverpool. It has to be pointed out that games against Liverpool are always high intensity, draining games and the game in Madrid left Walker and KdB unfit to play on Saturday and those who played in the previous games too drained to meet the physical demands of a sudden death game against Liverpool at Wembley. Pep had to rotate, though his options were limited: only 3 players who had not played at all in Madrid played yesterday and these 3 had all played 90 minutes at home to Liverpool and in the case of Phil Foden he had been singled out for particularly violent attention in Madrid. The three players you name are indeed good players but are not first choice and the team is weaker with them in.

Liverpool had not had the problems we had. Indeed 7 of their high profile players had a week off before the semi. Our experience is that against Liverpool the first 25 minutes see them playing at very high intensity and trying to press the life out of the opposition; weather this storm and you seize the initiative. Yesterday their fresh players pressed a team which understandably was a yard at least off the pace and just as slow in thought - the set up was ideal for Klopp's gegenpress and it worked well. City couldn't play through it and the legs in midfield were too weary to play over it. We improved greatly in the second half but we were never our real selves.

I would say that if we had to lose a game yesterday's would be the one I'd choose. Pep would be horrified at that and tell us all that he picked the best team he could in the circumstances and, of coure it goes without saying, he's right.

 

[OB1]

I remember supporters having a go at Caballero, back in the day, but his penalty saves won us a trophy.
Ok, Steffen made a careless error but don't hang him for it.
Their first goal should have been scrutinised by var. Steffen, from his position, saw the flight of the ball from the corner and imo he believed it had gone out of play, his belief reinforced by one of our players (Bernardo?) raising his arm trying to draw the referees' attention to the fact. This would explain his lack of commitment to try and make a save. Steffen would also have been aware of the foul (heavy push) on Grealish. Either of these incidents could/should have resulted in their first goal being disallowed.
Jesus and Sterling both missed good chances too, so have a go at Zack if you must, but it wasn't all down to him that we lost.
As for the supporters who made the effort to get to Wembley for the match take pride in the fact that you were part of the occasion and the result, whilst disappointing, wasn't the end of the world really.
How many supporters of other clubs would have given their right arms to have seen their team play at Wembley, win or lose?

People near me were specualting that Stones thought the ball went out in their first goal but I didn't notice that. The angles they showed at HT at the ground didn't answer the question and I have so far not brought myself to watch any TV coverage. One of my dauthers was watching at home - the other was ta the game with me - and she said one of the pundits criticised Zack on all the goals but I don't think there was much he could have done about the first.

I've not seen any replays of the third so I'm not sure if Zack should have been closer to his post but I think a lot of keeprs would have been caught out by that strike.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Obviously the way the first half went didn’t help the singing. But I wish that people get to their seats 10 mins before kick off and sing before. It all happened in concourse.

Yeah happens a lot that at Wembley. lad said hundreds spent the whole of the first half in the concourse after we went 2-0 down.

People near me were specualting that Stones thought the ball went out in their first goal but I didn't notice that. The angles they showed at HT at the ground didn't answer the question and I have so far not brought myself to watch any TV coverage. One of my dauthers was watching at home - the other was ta the game with me - and she said one of the pundits criticised Zack on all the goals but I don't think there was much he could have done about the first.

I've not seen any replays of the third so I'm not sure if Zack should have been closer to his post but I think a lot of keeprs would have been caught out by that strike.

Mane shouldn’t have had that much space in the first place. Zinchenko was nowhere to be seen. It was a good strike.

 

[cookster]

It isnt knee jerk. At the business end of the season not having those options has hindered us.

I remain sceptical that there wasn't a more mobile defensive midfielder that could be found.

TBH I just checked your recent posts and likes so I'll stop engaging. Enjoy the misery pit.

 

[John Wayne]

I'm convinced I heard a whistle blow a few times on the corner for their first goal.

 

[TheThirdDeano]

Pep has always had the rolls royce on call. Whether is was inheriting that ridiculous core of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta at Barcelona, to the unprecedented power of the single club league in Germany, to his ability at Man City to activate any release clause he wants. Pep has never never known struggle. That's the biggest criticism of Pep, and its valid.

Granted Pep knows how to get a team playing elite level football. But if you gave Pep and Klopp 100m to build up a squad over three years. After those three years, I think I know which team would be at a higher level

What a shit post.

You clearly don't understand football

 

[john blue]

If thats the worst first half you have ever seen from a city side, could I ask how long you have been watching city? (genuine question)

70 years. true,

 

[Bluearmy]

Eleven years ago the talk amongst our fanbase was that, for a national stadium, Wembley is too small and having the semi against United and the final against Stoke with only having 34,000 and 29,000 tickets for each game respectively was a joke.

The season after we had what must have been a record for number of tickets sold at the new Wembley for one club as we had about 3/5 of the ground against Wigan (if not 3/4).

We have 44,000 season ticket holders and tens of thousands more who used to have one. Someone on here (might have been Prestwich Blue) confirmed we’ve seen over 20,000 season ticket holders give their season ticket up since the takeover, meaning in the last few decades we’ve had upwards of 65,000 season ticket holders. Plus all the other tens of thousands who’ve never had a season ticket.

The City support base is huge and I’m not having it that it’s so little we can’t fill half of Wembley. We have the fanbase in Manchester alone to fill a 65,000 Etihad every week and to fill Wembley every trip but we just don’t do it and for me it’s purely down to apathy (there are other excuses, but it’s mainly that). I know loads of Blues who don’t go to games, loads, well over two dozen. Some haven’t been to a game for years. I’m sure there are loads of match going fans who also know a lot of local blues who never go. These are the lads who should be taking up the slack when the regulars can’t afford or can’t be arsed to go, but for some reason with our support, our non-regulars/non-attenders don’t take up that slack, whereas they do at the other clubs.

It’s alright saying that it’s Cockneys taking up the slack at Liverpool and United, but they do actually have strict sales categories for both clubs.

Pretty much our entire fan base comes from the City were from. The Bin Dippers/Rags base doesnt. They have droves of plastic fans all over the country. Were just not like that (which is a good thing). Said on here before i went to see Liam in Amsterdam in Feb 2020 and met a load of lads from Barnsley. All 8 (40’s) were rags, we just don't have that plastic volume to take up any slack!! You only had to listen to the pre match fan interviews outside the ground, not one liverpool fan was a scouser…. Tells its own story.

The sheer volume of times we’ve been to Wembley diminishes its appeal. Never mind the current financial issues or the travel chaos. Its also easy to pass on tickets, no checks so just because the sale went to a season ticket holder doesnt mean the bin dippers season ticket holder went personally. They collect the points and pass them on easily to the plastic masses. It is what it is!!

 

[WestGorton]

I'm convinced I heard a whistle blow a few times on the corner for their first goal.

So did I

 

[cookster]

The worst first half performance by a city side i have seen. utter shite.

I was at this game, can assure you it was far worse.

 

[J.G.Blue.]

Obviously dissapointed but we get over it and move on, the thing that really puzzles me is why are Liverpool fans so insecure? they have had some great sides to watch over the years, have a really good record of winning things, had some great managers & get good crowds but as soon as they win something they seem to have to start worrying about other clubs?
Bingo has to be "better" than pep, all there players have to be the "best" in the world, all the "this means more" crap etc, why cant they just enjoy there success without having to deride & put other clubs down?
When we win things the last thing on my mind is thinking about other clubs.

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Pretty much our entire fan base comes from the City were from. The Bin Dippers/Rags base doesnt. They have droves of plastic fans all over the country. Were just not like that (which is a good thing). Said on here before i went to see Liam in Amsterdam in Feb 2020 and met a load of lads from Barnsley. All 8 (40’s) were rags, we just don't have that plastic volume to take up any slack!! You only had to listen to the pre match fan interviews outside the ground, not one liverpool fan was a scouser…. Tells its own story.

The sheer volume of times we’ve been to Wembley diminishes its appeal. Never mind the current financial issues or the travel chaos. Its also easy to pass on tickets, no checks so just because the sale went to a season ticket holder doesnt mean the bin dippers season ticket holder went personally. They collect the points and pass them on easily. It is what it is!!

I think only 6000 Liverpool ST holders have L postcodes anyway.