So contrary to hb1's assertion that he was 'just inside the halfway line' he was in fact in the corner of the penalty area.
Nah you're right. It's not the end of the world. I just hate seeing us get smashed like that and spent a fortune in the process. Plus I've developed an annoying irrational dislike of our manager for some reason.
Let's have a pitch invasion at our next home match. RC you grab a corner flag and attempt to plant it in the centre circle, the rest of you storm the directors box
All of this was discussed at length when the Pozzos took us over. Everyone "knew" that we were going to the PL and that we would become a permanent mid-table club of the PL. The only things "we" got "wrong" at the time were: We would supplement our mid-table permanency with "cup-runs" giving us access to the Europa league. Developing new talent - that we would sell-on "elsewhere" (to the "big" "seven").
You say this, but then we would have to play Zeegelaar again, who achieves the incredible feat of actually being even more useless.
When I saw Albrighton chase back time after time I did think about Holebas too! Ah well,bin it and move on.
Anyone else hear the commentator on BT say "It is like Christmas Day all over again for Salah" just after he scored the fourth and kissed the floor? As for the game, not too surprised at the result, Liverpool are on a roll at the moment. Think we will get a win in the next one and be safe again.
Just to say, that was grim. Watched (until half time when I gave up) in a pub at Liverpool Street station full of drunken Irish Liverpool fans. Terrific.
You may not believe this RC but after 60 plus years of supporting/following Watford, it still hurts me when we lose and elates me when we win - just as it has always done. I've got to the stage now however where the hurt is not (quite) so deep and the elation not (quite) so high. I suspect that I will never again experience the feeling of walking away from Vicarage Road after the Southampton and Forest League Cup, the Kaiserslautern games, from Old Trafford after the best header of a ball in England's goals and from the first play-off at Wembley amongst many others. Equally, I hope never to repeat the abject dejection when walking away from the Feethams, Plainmoor, Spotland, Recreation, Victoria and Racecourse Grounds let alone Northwich. It may be because I can level out the seasons over time, knowing that a great season can just as easily follow a poor one and promotion can swiftly follow a plunge down the leagues. I have seen managers, coaches and players come and go, some flattering to deceive and some slow-burners who eventually blazed across our history. It is too early to judge Gracia whether we like him or not. It may be that this perspective for me eventually outweighs or at least smooths the immediate gut reaction to results and performances. I do take your earlier point about games in the Premier League not providing the kind of excitement that we had in the Championship. But I can look back at some simply mediocre not to say appalling seasons in the lower leagues and although the costs of following the Horns then were perhaps not quite at the level of today's eye-watering amounts, they were still substantial enough for a man, with a family to look after, to wonder why he was inflicting so much punishment on himself... Keep the faith, we are in the best position ever in my view - the first time around in Div. 1 was wonderful but almost entirely, as subsequent events proved, down to one man. This time we have the organisation and resources for the longer term even if it seems that we are not currently making the progress that we think we deserve or need. Lecture over.
First chance after 3 minutes. Holebas is just standing on the edge of the area. Offering no support. Liverpool's first goal. He's just strolling into the penalty area. Again offering no support and is not involved. This one is actually quite funny. He's standing totally rigid here and the ball is played to Salah. Roll forward a couple of seconds and he's still rigid in the exact same spot. Just about see him on the far right of frame. Good shot from Firmino, and save from Karnezis. Where is Holebas? Yes on the half way line, just seen above the score. Liverpool's second goal. Holebas is actually in line with all the other defenders when this move starts, but look at where he is at the end of the move. He deliberately held back. He doesn't do anywhere near enough to close down Gomez and even flinches as the ball passes him. Luckily Firmino just misses his headed connection. His usual pretend to be injured routine as Chamberlain fires in a shot. Just stands and watches Salah's hat trick goal. He actually stood like that for the entire move, when others were diving in trying to stop the shot. Just stands and watches Ings fire in a shot this time. I could have posted another 10 images of Holebas just standing watching, or deliberately checking his run so he doesn't need to get involved.
And an interesting one, too. Of course, part of what you are describing is getting older: The highs are not quite so high and the lows not quite so low. A lot of supporters, it seems to me, are trying to reprise the supporting of their youth and are a bit disappointed when it doesn't quite work. Watching the football for its own sake brings some consolation and I find there is satisfaction, quite often grim satisfaction it is true, in reading the game. I don't claim to be anything special, but increasingly I find I can predict what is going to happen in the next few seconds, quite often ahead of some of the players, it seems. I'm sure I'm not alone in this. I really look down on 'supporters' who spend their time pointing at the oppo supporters and jeering at them - if you are older than teenage and still do this then grow up, for goodness' sake. I think quite a lot of the premiership matches are disappointing because even the poor teams have decent players and coaches and there is so much at stake they are drilled to play safe and stopping the opposition is the easiest way to do this. BFS and Tony Pulis inter alia specialise in this sort of coaching and find themselves very much in demand because of it. It has actually become a bit of a problem in the Premier League - there are too many turgid games. Something may be done when the tv watchers start hitting the off button.
Reminds me of whenever I played fullback at school. No ****s given and looking forward to the holidays.
I may as well include the fifth goal for good measure. He's up with Salah on this occasion, but is bizarrely claiming for offside. Roll forward 3 seconds and he let Salah do what he wanted, as he was just not interested.
hornetboy1 perhaps you might include a spoiler notice in future for such pictures? I was just enjoying a liquid almost but not quite entirely unlike tea when these appeared. I now feel decidedly umpty,similar to a smear test only not half as much fun!
What those images also highlight is how few of the Liverpool team were wearing gloves compared to our Nancy boys
In fairness to Holebas, he was playing wing-back rather than full-back in this game, and other than "the sitting down incident" he generally does put in a little more effort defending when put as full-back.
Kiko was also playing as wing back, but he was in the thick of the action every time. Apart from the second goal, virtually all Liverpool’s attacks were down our left. They targeted this area as that was where the space was. I can accept a gifted player being a bit lazy or a limited player who puts in a lot of effort in. But I cannot tolerate a limited player being lazy.
Holebas's apparent restricted mobility might be down to the fact that he was wearing the 'low crotch short' from his exciting 2018 Spring/Summer fashion collection (see www.jholebas.com) under his team shorts.
Just seen where both Mariappa and Britos have apologised, calling it embarrassing and promising to learn from the experience. Yes, embarrassing. Learn from it? How on earth do you learn to run faster and think more quickly? Surely you just face up to the fact that you're simply not good enough and admit that you need to drop down a division? Didn't they promise to learn from the Arsenal debacle as well?
What about some Where’s Hollie pictures? It could be the new game that the kids at the ground play on the big screen before kick off.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.... John Barnes wore gloves in the cold weather. And that was before he moved to Anfield. Was he a Nancy Boy? Did he take his gloves off when playing in red? Not today Nancy Boy!
