On the Ball (new Football Focus)

[Tony.London Suburbs]

STOP PRESS: SENSATION!

Liverpool awarded "dodgy" Penalty at Anfield...just like they have been given, on countless occassions in 1963,1964,1965--1970--1971,1972-1980,1981,1982-1990,1991,1992--2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009----

[Sandperson]

Good stuff from Liverpool and Chelsea tonight. Dodgy penalty and a poor MAdrid side, but well done none the less. I suspect United will be the only English team to go out this round. Shame. :-S

[????]

Madrid were poor, Liverpool excellent

[Mick Mac]

You don't mean that Sandperson. You will win it (and the league). Congrats already, hey I'm that confident.

[Annasfield]

TLS - do one!! ;-) pen or not (didn't see it was in the kop) we were immense tonight and made them look shite.

Am a VERY happy girl. (tu)

4-0!!! Get in.

[Mick Mac]

I saw Liverpool were going to win comfortably and switched to itv4 for the Chelsea game - which was good.

Liverpool were no doubt great tonight, but they really need the big prize, the holy grail, the Premiership. As Shankly said (paraphrases) "this clubs primary objective each year will always be to win the English League Championship"

If Liverpool win the Champions League they cannot lay claim to be the best in Europe (not like the old days) as they have not been the best team in England for so long (unfortunatley). I think Rafa has to go if you want to achieve that. I suspect Liverpool would swop a Champions League (or even two) to be the best team in England again.

THE LEAGUE IS YOUR BREAD N BUTTER - Bill Shankly

Interviewed shortly after the 1973 League & UEFA cup ?double?, Bill Shankly pointed proudly to the glistening First Division championship trophy and described it as the club?s ?bread and butter?. He said that being successful in Europe had been good for the club and good for the country but that winning the League was what the club wanted to do ?all the time?.

[Keef]

Agree, league is top prize, but come on, that was pretty bloody cool, and would not say no to another champs league. Do believe however that europe should be icing on cake, not everything. SP, I'd be surprised if your lot went out tomorrow, it could happen, but no need to expect it with your current form.

[Annasfield]

Yes the league is the holy grail and what we want the most. HOWEVER! Everyone on here wrote us off earlier - yet we beat Real Madrid 5-0 on aggregate. Credit where credit is due.

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Annasfield Wrote:

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

> TLS - do one!! ;-) pen or not (didn't see it was

> in the kop) we were immense tonight and made them

> look shite.

>

> Am a VERY happy girl. (tu)

>

> 4-0!!! Get in.

You SHOULD be happy! Liverpool were awesome last night.

Champins League Nights/ European Cup Nights at Anfield = Marriage made in HeavenB)

Off to do one, right now:))

[red devil]

Annasfield Wrote:

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

> Yes the league is the holy grail and what we want

> the most. HOWEVER! Everyone on here wrote us off

> earlier - yet we beat Real Madrid 5-0 on

> aggregate. Credit where credit is due.

I said 'pool would go thru' and that I wanted all 4 English clubs to get to the semis.

I can't wait to piss on your fireworks this Saturday though...;-)

[Mick Mac]

yes much credit due to liverpool for last nights performance. Just think rafa missed a great opportunilty to finally do it for you this year and you should not give him a new contract.

[SeanMacGabhann]

Liverpool were OUTSTANDING from what I saw last night - it was obvious within the first few minutes they were going to run riot and fair play to them I say- now just keep out of our way if we win tonight!

Atila - was that you I saw walking along East Dulwich Rd with a cigarette about 6ish last night?

[Sandperson]

Hang on, hang on. Liverpool were good but Madrid were a shadow of what they should have been. Let's not get carried away here. And Anna, we know you were in the Kop, but now you must have seen the replays...penalty or not?

[Tony.London Suburbs]

Sandperson Wrote:

...penalty or not?

Oh1 Purleeseeee...just because the Guy was hit at point blank range and couldn't get out of the way and it hit his shoulder anywayz....stop being soooo pedantic...

Hello! Liverpool! Anfield!...:))

p.s. Remember the skeleton that used to be sold for Motorists to display?

"Died waiting for an Away Penalty at Anfield!"...

[Mick Mac]

Gerrards side foot half volley last night was, for me, exceptional. Goals of the month/season are often given to long shots into the top corner that on another day could have gone wide or over, I think in terms of finishing, this goal showed the greatest possible skill. One of his best goals.

[red devil]

I think what last night's result highlighted is how poor the Spanish League is.

Everyone has been raving about how good Barca are, but in the context of Franco's Facsists performance last night, there's obviously no decent opposition to them in Spain.

I'm not bothered about the penalty decision or the dive that Gerrard did to win a free kick early on, as I've said before these things even themselves out over the course of a season, but maybe some of the 'pool supporters will now stop bleating about conspiracy theories and referees favouring Utd...

[Sandperson]

Did you see the first Juventus goal last night? Wow, that was good.

[Annasfield]

Have seen it now and I agree - it was never a penalty. I really don't think it influenced the match. We nullified Real Madrid and had it not been for Casillas, we could have put a few more past them.

[Jah Lush]

Well done Liverpool and Chelsea. Penalty or not Liverpool were awesome and Gerard's goal was a fantastic finish. Casillas pulled off some great saves for Madrid and if it wasn't for him it could have been a lot worse.

I'm rather suprised that no one has mentioned Eduardo's spectacular finish last Sunday. Although I can't stand the Arsenal I think Eduardo is a bit special. A natural goalscorer, he's reminds me of a young Robbie Fowler and he has the killer finishing of Jimmy Greaves although Greavsie was a lot quicker and far more prolific than either of them.

[????]

...apart from when he came to West Ham Jah.......apart from that

[Jah Lush]

Yeah but he still scored nine goals that season even though he was pissed most of the time. I saw his last game in a Spurs shirt in an FA Cup game at Crystal Palace where we lost one-nil and he never played for us again after that. I was gutted when he went to West Ham. He was my boyhood idol.

[matthew123]

That's the kind of attitude I like to see in my Liverpool team - go for the jugular and knock the opposition over with tempo and attack. I think Rafa pretty much put out his strongest team last night - maybe with the exception of Agger.

Just hope they show a bit of bottle on Saturday and take the game to United - if they try to just contain United then they could be blown away. Fingers crossed they play with courage at OT... and of course the Referee is not as bent as a butcher's hook ;-)

[Keef]

Well so far so good for United, guess they'll want to score more though, would be a nightmare to be 1-0 up and then the away team equalise in the 90th minute...

[Sandperson]

Hmm, I'm sure that's happened before but I can't think when or who was managing the team? My away goal prediction is still on...

[Keef]

Not sure either, but as you say, sure it's happened.

Worrying for te Arsenal... Come on boys, lets have 4 in the qarters! In fact, lets go one better than last year, and have an all English semis!