Football 2013-2014

[TheGayTent]

I thought the media were trying to convince us all neutrals wanted Liverpool to win it.

[thetime]

they threw away what no one thought was within range even in mid-January.

Which means it was always an outside chance to a massive extent.

[luckysalt]

I hate Gerrard, always have.

Just thought i'd share that.

Can't wait til he retires and I never have to see the knobhead again, hope he doesn't try to do a Carragher and get a pundit job.

[Andre91]

I've always been a fan of Frank Lampard over Gerrard, myself.

[eFestivals]

We are not taking about January though, we are talking mid April with 3 games left and being top.

and at that time needing to do what no other team had ever done to win it.

Essentially, it was beyond what is possible.

OK, that's not strictly true because winning every game is possible. But it's never going to happen, just as Liverpool winning 14 games on the trot wasn't going to happen either. It was a stretch too far for that (compared to the normal winners) thin and inexperienced squad.

People like you were ridiculing the idea of them coming as high as 5th just a few months ago, and now you want me to take you seriously when you say they blew winning the league? Pleeeaaase!

BTW, what's the new Tuesday night hobby you've decided to take up?

[The Nal]

But you carry on. You need to grasp a fantasy because you can't handle the reality of 7th.

Edited May 14, 2014 by The Nal

[thetime]

BTW, what's the new Tuesday night hobby you've decided to take up?

[The Nal]

United do there bit for the ozone layer and you're still not happy.

[luckysalt]

[eFestivals]

The margins are so fine

exactly.

Liverpool simply weren't good enough over the season.

If Liverpool bottled it then by definition City didn't, and that means if Liverpool had won they'd have had to have gone beyond not bottling it in surpassing City.

And they'd have had to have done that where margins are so fine.

And when they'd have been coming from 7th, and few people thought they'd even make top 4. And where margins are so fine.

But they blew it. K.

[luckysalt]

Liverpool took in the most money despite finished second then!

Interesting that Villa are behind only Chelsea, Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal and both Manchester clubs in Facility Fees, joint with Everton.

Man U for the 'awful' season they had still only ended up bringing in £8m less than Liverpool from the Prem League.

[zahidf]

I think the man utd fans hiring a plane to mock Liverpool deserve the award for morons of the season...

[TheGayTent]

Ludek Miklosko is the name you were searching for

[TheGayTent]

Who cares whether Liverpool bottled it or not (they did obviously ), the important point is Gerrard will finish his career without a league title medal and it will forever haunt him

[The Nal]

Ludek Miklosko is the name you were searching for

[pink_triangle]

Yep. But some of the things hes done and the goals hes scored are great in any team. But he had one hand on the trophy this season and in my opinion, blew it. Said a few weeks back that the post City celebrations were way overblown. Lots thought the same. Its easy to get carried away. The fans are completely entitled to but not the players.

Don't think I've ever seen a "we're going to win the league" post match huddle in front of the cameras in the middle of the pitch before from a captain?! With 4 tough games still to play. Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course but it was madness. As captain, he needs to take a look at himself.

[kaosmark2]

I wanted Liverpool to win it, not because of Gerrard, or because of the club, but because I like to see variation in the title and don't see them getting a chance to win it again anytime soon. No way will City and Chelsea not improve substantially, and I want to see a rotation of teams win.

Not particularly upset by City winning it though, they deserved it and played good football all season. That's what matters to me.

[luckysalt]

Great game this, shame its gunna be decided on pens.

[TheGayTent]

Bela Guttmann strikes again, poor old Benfica. Quite amazing their record in European finals.

[Wooderson]

I agree with that yeah. People are very good at covering their own arses when the shit hits the fan!

Gerrard is a cracking player and had a great season but fell away badly at the end of the season. Lack of experience at the business end I suppose which is understandable. Few valid points in the article though. He plays up to the camera like no one I've ever seen. Kissing the camera, posing in front of it, celebrating into it, getting huddles together in the middle of the fucking pitch after a win etc.

The irony of him pushing the camera away from Suarez wasn't lost on anyone. He should've concentrated more on getting it right on the pitch. What a showpiece. A huddle in the pitch! Keep it in house. As that journo (who is generally an idiot granted) said. Hes right too when he said you didn't see Keano or Viera doing any of that shit. They concentrated on winning things instead.

You wouldn't catch a top, top player at this rubbish! Captains need to be calm. He lost his head.

"We go again" my hairy ballbag.

[strummer77]

Who cares whether Liverpool bottled it or not (they did obviously ), the important point is Gerrard will finish his career without a league title medal and it will forever haunt him

Edited May 15, 2014 by strummer77

[strummer77]

Some absolute knee-jerk nonsense in this thread. It was one slip after weeks of near World Class performances to drag a team with essentially 13 usable players into a serious title race. In a new role. At 33.

At the end of the day league or not, he's won a lot- loads by most players' standards - and will have captained his country in two World Cups. He's a top tier player who hasn't generally played in top tier sides.

Gary Neville got it spot on during their season review on Monday when he dismissed the criticism of him and the incident.

Edited May 15, 2014 by strummer77

[pink_triangle]

Some absolute knee-jerk nonsense in this thread. It was one slip after weeks of near World Class performances to drag a team with essentially 13 usable players into a serious title race. In a new role. At 33.

At the end of the day league or not, he's won a lot- loads by most players' standards - and will have captained his country in two World Cups. He's a top tier player who hasn't generally played in top tier sides.

Gary Neville got it spot on during their season review on Monday when he dismissed the criticism of him and the incident.

[TheGayTent]

Seems bizarre the levels of hatred towards him.

[eFestivals]

To say the slip cost Liverpool the league title is silly. However it was not a slippy pitch, so to call it pure bad luck is downplaying it slightly. There has been a tendancy throughout his career for the media to downplay his mistakes, in my view he briefly lost concentration and made a mistake, it happens.

yep, exactly - no different to Kompany's slip a couple of weeks before, that if Gerrard hadn't slipped might have had Nal posting that City bottled it.

Or not, cos it's not anything about a slip or "bottling it".

It's cover for Utd being piss poor, just as Arsenal being "weak" was. Cos Utd are weaker.