6 out of 8, will it be 8 out of 10 reds?

Another miserable day for the reds as we see them lose 2-0 against the MAgpies with a lot of controversy.


Today's Line up saw the absence of Kelly, Johnson and Agger out one would suspect Kenny to play a defence line which best fit but with the only option of Flanagan on the right, and the usual suspects for the other three.
Midfield sees Gerrard in line with Spearing who will have to play a defensive role to support the young one in the back; Shelvey also comes in with Maxi and Kuyt STILL on the bench.
Up front, Kenny had stuck all three forwards to try and get some goals but seems wishful thinking as we see in the game.


In the first 15 minutes, Liverpool were dominants making some good chances but as of late, not finishing well. With the defence so weakened by the lack of experience of the four working together, it looked like the Magpies exposed the weakness and attacked Flanagan with their own strike force of Cisse. I do not blame Flanagan, I thought he did well but Cisse's ability to open up space was brilliant. Flanagan's lack of experience was his downfall for his errors.
After that first 15-16 minutes Cisse was able to score after breaking away from his man and cross one into the far corner.


After that, it all went downhill for Liverpool.
Carrolls chance for a goal as he went one on one with the keeper (with 2 defenders just on his tail) but instead of taking a shot, he dives and was given a yellow card and it was a poor dive at that.
Simpsons Handball was covered by Carroll for the referee to see and the linesman's line of sight would suggest it was behind the woodwork and out of his view so a penalty was not rewarded. Also a red card would have had to be given for a handball on the goal line.


The defence line held on well but cracks could be seen and the Toons spotted them and really made the backline work.
Second half saw the cracks appear as Cisse slips behind Flanagan, and you could see the young one constantly turning his head checking where he was except for the last few crucial moments where he let Cisse drop further away into space and net a second. Although controversy strikes again as Cisse was technically offside for his goal as no contact was made from the pass while he was still in an offside position.


Towards the end, Dalglish makes sustitutions of Bellamy, Carroll and Shelvey for Henderson, Kuyt and Downing. besides the Bellamy exchange, that should have been the line up for the team from the beginning.

Toons continued to push forward and a late challenge from Perch saw the frustration in Reina's eyes explode as he aims it at Perch. An apparent head-butt which was rather over-dramatised saw Reina see more Red than the shirts around him as he goes off. With all substitutes used up, Enrique was forced to fill his boots and gloves.


Personally, an extremely odd formation to have Shelvey, I can see why Kenny would play him, he is an excellent player but to provide for those players you also need a player who can cover the distance well and still support the front line. This is where Kuyt excels and should have been played from the start.


A harsh game for Flanagan to fill in for and now with Reina out for 3 games, pending an appeal from Liverpool for the Red card, Doni will be faced with the next few games which would see him appear for the Semi-Finals at Wembley where Liverpool's poor form are to face Merseyside Rivals Everton who are currently in form after 3 successive wins in a row in the league since the derby misery.
With that loss, it also sees Everton go above Liverpool and stay above Liverpool. Can they bounce back? with the Semi-Finals and 7 league games left, will the Reds be able to redeem themselves from this flop?


Excellent game to win for the Magpies, as Ben Arfa played some beautiful football, Ba providing a lot more than scoring but doing it all so well. Cisse, well with two goals, it's hard to say anything but good stuff as we see him score goals after goals since his arrival at St. James' Park.


Liverpool really need to push hard and the formation needs tightening up, glad to see Bellamy, Suarez and Carroll al out but the midfield was wrong, defence there wasn't much choice but they did well to keep it at 2-0 but that is still not acceptable as this season is Liverpool's worse season for conceding goals and so far only wolves have done worse in the number of losses since January.
Although the back was not great, then they should really look at the attacking formation. Take out Spearing and focus on the attack and keeping possession. Downing and Kuyt would have been a better pair to have. It wasn't as if the back needed help, it was the front that needed support and with Flanagan focusing on his defensive role as he should, for a junior player to come up against an International, there is a big gap, so trying to attack should not have been an option for him but to focus on his main role and allow Enrique to push.
Despite his performance today, Flanagan is doing well, he had a tough game to play and to defend a team who have been strong at home is a poor game to judge a young player like himself in. He will become a brilliant winger and Kenny giving him these games is good for him but it will put more pressure on him as well to fill in the boots of Johnson and Kelly.


We shall see what Doni is capable as he has yet to make a debut for Liverpool but we shall see first hand what he is made of soon enough.


Corinthians, Santos and Cruzeiro. Then he moved to AS Roma where he played along side Aquilani and former Red, John Arne Riise. He has plenty of experience and I'm sure will be another class Keeper for the Reds. May even see him challenge Reina for first Team Stopper position.

I Hate My Gut Feeling

I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Never underestimate a team fighting against relegation. I had a bad feeling about this game, a gut feeling if you will, with QPR having home advantage. It turns out I was right to worry, after QPR fought back from 2-0 to steal three points in added time 3-2.


The first performance made the worries subside for a little while. Liverpool gaining much of the possession with nifty footwork and quick one-touch passing that cut through the QPR defence. Great style, but no substance at the final third with Liverpool unable to finish in the first half. Despite corner after corner, nobody was able to get their head on the ball. Seven corners in the first fifteen minutes should lead to one goal in any match from the Premiership.


There were certainly plus-points. Downing was a threat with a chance on the left side that went just wide. The teamwork by Downing, Gerrard and Suarez saw numerous chances created for Suarez, who on another day would have added to his goal tally. Once again however, it was poor finishing that let the team down.


In the second half it began much the same, with Liverpool controlling the match. With Coates on for an injured Kelly, it brought an unlikely debut goal that will certainly challenge for goal of the month. A corner led to a shot deflecting off a QPR player saw the sub take a step, prepare and perform a side bicycle kick into the top of the net.


Kuyt would then double the tally with a barrage of attacks on the QPR goal. Suarez rattling the post, shortly followed by Henderson forcing a save from Kenny, before Kuyt poaching on the rebound with a typical two-yard finish from the Dutchman.


QPR's men were able to hold onto their stamina by defending extremely well and with their strike force, doing little as Liverpool held onto most of the possession in the first half. In the second half however, QPR became the hungry pack of wolves that needed goals to keep their hopes alive in staying in the Premier League and as soon as Mackie was brought on, the fans got behind them and all hell broke loose.
Joey Barton, an ill-faired player at QPR, as it seemed at Loftus Road tonight, was soon replaced by Mackie who acted as an impact sub and what an impact he made. As soon as he came on, not only the fans but the players were suddenly rejuvenated and life came back to the Hoops ground and they began attacking harder and faster against a Liverpool side that seemed to be out of steam.
Reorganising from Mark Hughes saw QPR receiving a corner and the most was made from it as Derry squeezed in-between Carragher and Henderson, to knock the ball in to the top left-hand corner.


Another onslaught came as QPR rushed to grab hold of the ball, with a Liverpool side playing too cautiously which became their downfall. QPR's men were able to win a corner, and yet again, Liverpool's defence was all over the play allowing Cisse to score while receiving a cramp at the same time.
A slip up from Enrique while trying to clear a ball, after stunning game from the defender, allowed Mackie to go one on one with the the Liverpool Stopper and put away the game.


Liverpool's efforts were all but stopped by the QPR's solid defence as the Kop Army were unable to continue their vicious attacks and beautiful play. The stamina of the team ran out half way through the game with a last push for the second goal got them back. However with no strength in their legs, the Liverpool side fell apart, mentally and physically.


Mistakes were made in the Liverpool defence which started off in the season as a brilliant line of men. Skrtel's mistake of positioning allowed Cisse to move around him to get the second. The communication between Henderson and Carragher was off allowing Derry to connect on the corner kick.


Corners seem to have been a flaw in Liverpool's games as of late, with the number of chances at Wembley and this one shows the work that needs to be done both defensively and offensively.


A well earned win for QPR and a disappointing game from some beautifully played football by Liverpool but there is proof of better passing throughout the team, better communication however there is still no fine finishes.


People seem to have different views on Carroll coming on for Suarez, very little would have been done had Suarez came on as he was not on defensive duties.
However had Carroll been on sooner in the game, there could have been a different score line. As much as I do criticise Carroll, his role in the box is still important for corners. He acts as not just a target for the kicker but also a distraction for the other players available in the box. He takes the attention off the other players, Skrtel, Kuyt and Coates/Kelly would have had a better chance on those balls had they had other people in the box who were able to get their heads on it.


Coates can happily say, his goal goes down as goal of the month by far, it is a shame it did not accompany a win but there is something even Alan Hansen wouldn't be able to say he could do.
A bright young star in the making and having worked along side Suarez, a beautiful team up is sure to come just around the corner.


All is not lost for Liverpool, as it is being the only team who has picked up any silverware. The title race is still between the Mancunians with City trailing by one, the Manchester derby will be the deciding match so only 1 team will be able to take home a cup as both were taken out of the Europa League. The only team left with a chance are those in the FA Cup and Chelsea who have a chance still in the Champions League.
They are up for some tough competition as the chance of a Merseyside Derby becomes possible, the Toffees will want revenge over the Derby double for the Reds but we shouldn't rule out Sunderland who have already beaten Liverpool at the Stadium of Light and held the Reds to a one-all draw at Anfield, they will be wanting to win against both Merseyside's to prove their ability.




With this defeat, Liverpool's hopes of getting 4th place seems shattered as even Newcastle are now 5 points ahead, Swansea just on their tail with 3 point difference. Liverpool have got to step up their game if they want to stay in the top half of the league in a respectable position.