On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[????]

When I was at primary school, as far as I remember, the whole school supported West Ham...i dread to think of the teams they support now....sorry Matthew, I preferred them olden days

[red devil]

Ah, the good old days...

[matthew123]

When I was in Primary school everyone supported Liverpool - yes the good old days when Liverpool won a double every season..

[Mick Mac]

yes liverpool in my day too and all worshipped king kev on the kop. Was keegan the first king of the kop?

[matthew123]

Under Shankly, Liverpool had a King, a Knight and a Saint.... and Everton talk about their Holy Trinity... LOL

[Atila Reincarnate]

I think the point is being missed here, I hate people who latch onto teams purely for the success, and their number is legion. If you only follow a team because they are winning, then god help us all. If that is all it's about I'll support Barca this year, and change my allegiance when their fortunes begin to fade. Of course that's not going to happen but you get my drift, an awful lot of people have jumped on the Man U bandwagon, esepcially in London purely because of the success and nothing lese, that is despicable. Have I made myself clear?

[matthew123]

You need to qualify it with - they give up supporting United when one future day United hit the hard times, then I will agree.

Few years ago I went to see the Charity Shield in Cardiff between Liverpool and Man United, and at the train station I bumped into an old friend from when I was a kid. I was surprised he was now supporting United and asked his friend did he know he used to be a Liverpool fan... oh yes... ah, I said, but did you know before Liverpool he supported Nottm Forest?... What a w@nker!

[Keef]

Well that's 8 points clear, pressure on us to win tomorrow! Hope we don't have to play too many games the day after United, as that added pressure will always be on.

[????]

You're an optimist Keef.....

[Mick Mac]

I'm going to beg to differ and I know loyalty is a big deal in football but as far as English teams are concerned I'll support who entertains me - when I was young I supported Liverpool, believe it or not I got bored with them despite them winning everything and changed to Arsenal when Charlie Nicolas my then Celtic hero moved down from Celtic, I supported Arsenal until I moved to London, lived in Finsbury park and actually went to see Arsenal the whole way through the 1990/1991 championship winning season, but found that dull after a while. Now I don't have a recognised English team, and I tend to applaud good football, this season that is being produced by Mancheter United and I'll happily give my support to the team that entertains me.

Having said that I'll always be a celtic fan but then again if they deteriorate like thay did in the early 1990s my support will be limited, you help a club that helps itself. I feel most football clubs screw their fans for money, suck them dry, sell their product to Sky for extortionate prices which are handed on to the armchair fan - we all pay for this and I think we have the right to demand to be entertained in return. Football is becoming a voluntary tax, a higely overpriced product and the clubs expect all of us to LOYALLY support their teams whatever dross the team produces week in week out, so I don't think someone is necessarily a wa@ker just because they change allegiences to a team that entertains them.

[????]

Is that a wind up?

[Mick Mac]

No quids - but I have never found a single person to agree with me, so don't expect that to change today.

[Sandperson]

*cough*comeoncity*cough* :))

[Keef]

See where Mick is coming from, he supports a scottish team and enjoys watching teams in the English league. I might watch some Spanish football, and then follow a team because one of my favourite Liverpool players goes there. Nothing wrong with that. As for being optimistic, or otherwise, I'm realistic, and Liverpool need Man U to slip up, whilst not slipping up themselves. If Liverpool lose tomorrow, they'll need united to lose three games. Unlikely!

[matthew123]

Firstly Liverpool will not lose to Man City. Secondly they have no chance of title as long as Referees like Steve Bennett and tonight Howard Webb continue to make blatantly dodgy decisions that gift United victory after victory. There is absolutely no excuse for not awarding a penalty for Blackburn and sending off the right back. Incredible!

[Mick Mac]

agree m123 a definate pen. Webb is just another ref to capitulate under fear of upsetting sir alex. Big sams reaction was funny though no lip reading skills needed there.

[matthew123]

It just throws into question the credibility of the Premiership - if it wasn't a Penalty why wasn't the player booked for diving like Ronaldo earlier in the half? It strikes me that we have Referees not following the letter of the law, and this Howard Webb is supposedly the top Ref in England.

Do Manchester United fans get any pleasure in collecting 3 points when arguably they should have been reduced to 9 men!?

[????]

of course these sort of things never happen to Liverpool.......

[Atila Reincarnate]

The ref in the United game and the ref in the Pompey game were both dreadful, no consistency and got big decisions wrong.

[Sandperson]

matthew123 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> It just throws into question the credibility of

> the Premiership - if it wasn't a Penalty why

> wasn't the player booked for diving like Ronaldo

> earlier in the half? It strikes me that we have

> Referees not following the letter of the law, and

> this Howard Webb is supposedly the top Ref in

> England.

>

> Do Manchester United fans get any pleasure in

> collecting 3 points when arguably they should have

> been reduced to 9 men!?

I get great pleasure in Liverpool going for another season without the league trophy. As Quids says dodgy decisions for Liverpool never happen do they? Ronaldo gets booked for a dive, something you have been calling for all season and that's not good enough. Having just watched the game on MotD I can't see that being a pen but I am biased and I would have given Pedersen a yellow for the shoulder high body check on Rafael in the first half.

I think, instead of looking to blame referees and 'cheating' United, you should question your crazy manager's team selections. Either he's nuts or he's trying to make a point to the board, either way you aren't going to (and don't deserve to) win a league with Lucas and El Zhar etc. Get over yourself and face facts (as I'm sure Benitez would say) your team isn't a patch on United in either strength or depth.

[Narnia]

And I'd like to add that no one mentioned why ManU had a goal disallowed...............

[Sandperson]

I like the cut of your jib Declan. Answers on a postcard? Just like THAT corner being disallowed against Chelsea, I guess our bung to the ref wasn't enough on those occasions...

[Keef]

SP whether or not what you say about the pool is true (and I don't entirely disagree), I can't believe you didn't see that as a penalty!

[Sandperson]

I've seen a lot worse Keef. I really have. I've seen a lot worse from Vidic and Ferdinand if the truth be told.

[red devil]

Keef, I agree it was a penalty, but over a season dubious refereeing decisions even themselves out, take Ronaldo's stonewall penalty against West Ham a few weeks back, as well as Evans' perfectly good goal disallowed yesterday. Like any human being, referees make mistakes, period. It's not just the Premiership, what about the goal that never was at the Watford v Reading game? The referee involved, Stuart Atwell, is supposedly the best up and coming referee.

Matthew, you really do need to look at your own teams inconsistances and inability to basically win games and stop looking for scapegoats. Before Utd went to Japan, both Liverpool and Chelsea were 8 points in front of Utd, and by the time Utd returned both teams should have extended this points gap. Both teams failed miserably to capitalise on Utd's absence, but I guess even though Utd weren't even in the country you'll still try and come up with some conspiracy theory. The buck stops with your team and that Spanish waiter of a manager, the one who disrespects a great club and it's real fans and refuses to sign a contract, no doubt waiting to say adios this summer as he heads off to Madrid.

The end of February must be a record even for scousers to start bleating about how hard done by they are. You stick to wallowing in self-pity, we'll stick to winning games and hopefully another title...