Sunderland v Liverpool Saturday 10th January 12.45pm

[Will]

Down Memory Lane

 

YNWA looks back at our previous League trips to Wearside as we prepare for our 78th League match at Sunderland on Saturday, and thirteenth at the Stadium Of Light. So far we have won 29 of these meetings, drawn fourteen, and lost on 34 occasions.

 

Most recently

Jordan Henderson played his hundredth reds game as we won 3-1 in September 2013, our 400th Premier League victory. Daniel Sturridge opened the scoring with Luis Suárez adding a brace. We drew 1-1 a year earlier, when Suárez equalised past Simon Mignolet after Steven Fletcher had opened the scoring, with Glen Johnson also hitting the bar. Nicklas Bendtner struck the only goal of the game six months earlier after Fraizer Campbell’s shot from distance had rebounded off a post, Pepe Reina’s head and then the post again. Dirk Kuyt converted from the spot after Jay Spearing was fouled outside the box in March 2011, with John Mensah later being sent off for the home side. Luis Suárez added a stunning second from a very tight angle to secure a 2-0 victory.

 

Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun and Javier Mascherano all reached a century of reds appearances as we lost 1-0 to the freak ‘beach ball’ goal in October 2009. Pepe Reina was wrong-footed by a fifth-minute Darren Bent strike that should have been ruled out, one of his four goals past us to date, with ex-red Bolo Zenden featuring for the home side. Fernando Torres struck the only goal of the game late on as we won our opening League game of the campaign in August 2008.

 

Memorable for Momo

Momo Sissoko struck his only reds goal in August 2007, our 7,000th in League football, with Andriy Voronin also on target as we won 2-0, with Sami Hyypiä forced off after just a quarter of an hour with a broken nose and Jamie Carragher also breaking a rib and having to be replaced.

 

Momo was sent off in November 2005 as we won 2-0 thanks to goals from Luis García and Steven Gerrard. This ensured we had gone the whole of November without conceding a goal – a club first for the month. Milan Baroš netted as we lost 2-1 in December 2002, our fourth consecutive League defeat, with Chris Kirkland saving a penalty from ex-Blue Gavin McCann, who had already scored, with Michael Proctor also on target.

 

Off the mark

In February 2001, Jari Litmanen scored from the penalty spot, his first goal for the club, cancelling out former red Don Hutchinson’s goal, to gain a 1-1 draw. Jari had an eventful day, as he also received the only booking of his Liverpool career.

 

Ian St. John struck his first two reds goals as we won a Second Division meeting 4-1 in August 1961, with Roger Hunt also on target twice and Brian Clough netting for the home side, the last of his ten strikes against the reds, but the only one of those for the Mackems. Four months earlier, Dave Hickson played his 67th and last reds game in a 1-1 draw, with Roger Hunt netting. Inside-left Willie Fagan grabbed the first of his 57 reds goals as we won 3-2 in October 1937 with Berry Nieuwenhuys and Alf Hanson also on target. Raich Carter bagged one of his six goals past us, with Pat Gallacher netting the last of his six.

 

We lost a top-flight fixture at Sunderland’s Newcastle Road ground by the odd goal in seven in October 1896, having gone in 3-0 down at the break. Full-back Archie Goldie struck his only reds goal before we then fell 4-1 behind, with Donald Gow scoring an own goal for the reds and George Allan also on target late on to make the score slightly more respectable. Jimmy Hannah and Andrew Hamilton each struck twice for the home side.

 

Another dismissal

Michael Owen scored the only goal of the game in April 2002 as we bounced back from our Champions League quarter-final defeat at Bayer 04 Leverkusen. Claudio Reyna was sent off for the home side in front of a record Stadium Of Light attendance of 48,355.

 

New grounds

Liverpool’s first game proper at the new Stadium Of Light ended in a 2-0 win in November 1999, with goals from Michael Owen and Patrik Berger. We had played at the ground six months earlier, winning the Football League 100th Championship Challenge 3-2. We had also helped Sunderland to celebrate their first ever game at Roker Park way back in September 1898, as we lost 1-0 thanks to a Jim Leslie strike.

 

Big wins

Jack Balmer, Billy Liddell, Berry Nieuwenhuys and Albert Stubbins all netted as we won 4-1 in December 1946, with Dickie Davis scoring the first of his seven goals against the reds. We also returned home with the same scoreline back in January 1909, with Joe Hewitt scoring a hat-trick against his former club, our most recent treble in this fixture. Arthur Goddard was also on target as Sam Hardy saved a penalty from Billy Hogg, who struck the home side’s goal, one of his five past us.

 

Debuting for the reds

Right-back Don Campbell made his reds bow as we lost 3-2 in November 1953, with Sammy Smyth on the scoresheet twice. Billy Elliott bagged a brace for the Mackems, with George Aitken also netting. Centre-forward Danny Shone and outside-left Fred Hopkin both debuted in a 3-0 defeat in a season opener in August 1921, with the reds missing a last-minute penalty. Charlie Buchan bagged two of his amazing 21 goals against us, with Harry Martin also netting. Left-back Bob Pursell played his first reds game as we won 2-1 in September 1911, thanks to goals from John McDonald and Bobby Robinson, with Jackie Mordue nabbing one of his six strike past the reds. Ten years earlier, left-half George Fleming made his reds bow as we drew 1-1. Jack Cox was on target with George Bowen playing his second and final reds game. Half-back John ‘Geezer’ Hughes and full-back James McLean both debuted as we lost 2-1 in September 1903, with Jimmy Gemmell bagging a brace before Billy Dunlop nabbed our consolation.

 

Hefty defeats

We were trounced 5-1 in November 1947, with Billy Liddell bagging our consolation. Dickie Davis and Albert Quinn each struck twice, with Willie Watson also on the scoresheet. We were humbled 7-0 back in December 1912, our then record defeat, with Charlie Buchan scoring five, the most we have conceded to a player in one match. Three of his goals came in the final ten minutes when left-back Donald Mackinlay had gone off injured and dusk had fallen. Harry Martin and Jackie Mordue also scored Buchan also bagged a treble in the reverse fixture later that season. We suffered another heavy defeat in January 1911, going down 4-0. Tim Coleman netted one of his nine goals against the reds, with Mordue again scoring, as did George Holley and John Cowell.

 

More trebles against

Bobby Gurney scored three of his sixteen strikes against us at Roker Park in December 1930 as we lost a 6-5 thriller. Full-back Tommy Lucas put through his own net, while Jimmy Smith struck twice and Gordon Hodgson also got on the scoresheet for the reds, with Danny McRorie bagging the first of his six reds goals and Fred Hopkin nabbing his twelfth and last for the club. We were without Hopkin for much of the game after he had to be carried off injured, spending half an hour unconscious in the dressing room. We therefore became the only visiting side to have twice scored five goals on Wearside without tasting victory, having also done so in a draw in January 1907. James Connor nabbed the first of his five goals past us in 1930, with Jimmy Leonard also on target.

 

This 5-5 draw came about despite leading 4-1 at half-time, with Jack Parkinson scoring a hat-trick for the reds. Sam Raybould and Jack Cox struck our other goals. Sunderland came back from 4-1 down at half-time as Arthur Hurdman nabbed a brace, with George Bridgett scoring one of his five goals. The reds felt hard done by as the referee, a last minute replacement when the original official was caught up in fog on the way to the match, awarded the home side two penalties, both converted by Ernie Rhodes, one of which was a controversial award.

 

Ex-red on target

Former red Paul Stewart headed Sunderland’s consolation in a 2-1 win in April 1997, towards the end of Sunderland’s one-season return to the top flight. Robbie Fowler headed in his thirtieth goal of the season before Steve McManaman extended our lead on our last ever trip to Roker Park.

 

Other memorable meetings

Ken Brierley and Cyril Done netted as Sunderland won 3-2 in December 1949 as centre-half Laurie Hughes played his hundredth reds game. Len Shackleton bagged one of his five goals against the reds, with Harry Kirtley and Tommy Reynolds also on the scoresheet. Wing-half Tom Bush scored his only reds goal as we won 3-2 in December 1938, with Bill Kinghorn and Phil Taylor also striking. Sunderland won 2-0 in October 1935 in the first leg of their most recent League double over us, thanks to goals from Raich Carter and George Goddard. In March 1926, Fred Baron grabbed his seventh and final reds goal, with Harry Chambers also netting as we lost 3-2. Donald Mackinlay missed a penalty, while Dave Halliday scored two of his thirteen goals past us, with Jack Prior also on target.

 

David Johnson scored his fiftieth League goal for the reds as we won 4-2 in November 1980, with Sammy Lee nabbing a brace and Terry McDermott also on target. We lost 2-1 in March 1910, with inside-forward James Stewart bagging our goal and defender Tom Chorlton putting through his own net and Willie Clark also scoring for the home side. We lost 1-0 in February 1908 with centre-half James Gorman playing his 23rd and last reds game and keeper Sam Hardy reaching a century of appearances for the club. George Bridgett netted the last of his five goals past us in the last minute.

 

Our first win at Sunderland came at the sixth attempt in February 1901, with Jack Cox grabbing the only goal of the game. Our first ever meeting with Sunderland was in November 1894 and ended in a 3-2 defeat at their old Newcastle Road ground, with Malcolm McVean and Davy Hannah on the scoresheet. Jimmy Millar struck the first of his four goals past us, with Jimmy Hannah and John Campbell also on target. Defender Bert Shears played his sixteenth and final reds game as we lost 2-1 in December 1928, with Robert Done bagging our consolation and Gordon Hodgson reaching a century of reds games. Dave Halliday and Bob McKay both struck for the Mackems.

[Will]

Double Agents

 

As we prepare to visit Sunderland on Saturday, YNWA looks at the careers of some of those who have represented both sides.

 

Current double agents

Simon Mignolet joined Sunderland from Koninklijke Sint-Truidense Voetbalverenigin for £2m in June 2010. He moved to Anfield for £9m after three years in the North East, having played 101 times for the Black Cats. He has so far pulled off a string of superb saves in his 66 reds games to dates, although he has also made a series of high profile errors, keeping just fifteen clean sheets. Fabio Borini spent last season on loan at the Stadium of Light, notching ten times in forty outings, including the opening goal in their Capital One Cup Final defeat to Manchester City at Wembley. He signed from Roma for £10.4m in July 2012 to become new boss Brendan Rodgers’ first capture. He has so far struck only twice in 32 reds games.

 

Midfielder Jordan Henderson arrived from Sunderland in June 2011 for £16m, for whom he netted five times in 79 outings after signing professional terms in July 2008. He has so far struck sixteen times in 159 reds games, helping us to claim the Carling Cup in his first season and is now the club’s vice-captain. Assistant Manager Colin Pascoe followed Brendan Rodgers to Anfield from Swansea City in May 2012. He joined Sunderland from Swansea in March 1988 for £70,000, scoring 25 times from midfield in 149 games before returning to the Vetch Field in August 1993 for the same fee, after a loan spell.

 

Uruguayan centre-half Sebastián Coates signed from Nacional for £7m in August 2011, playing 24 games to date, notching twice before joining Sunderland on loan last September. He has so far turned out just six times. Mark Prudhoe signed as a professional for Sunderland in September 1981. He only made seven first-team appearances for the Wearsiders before joining Birmingham City three years later. He was loaned to the reds from Stoke City in November 1994, but never made our first team, although he was an unused substitute eight times. He is now coaching for the Black Cats in their Academy.

 

The lord of Frodsham

French striker Djibril Cissé arrived at Anfield for a club record £14m fee in July 2004. His first season was one of tremendous ups and downs, including a horrific leg break and converting a penalty in the Champions League Final shoot-out. He bagged a total of 24 goals in 79 reds games, but spent a season on loan at Olympique de Marseille, for whom he signed permanently for £6.3m in July 2007. He spent the 2008/09 season on loan at the Stadium Of Light from the French side, notching eleven times in 38 outings.

 

Other recent double agents

Stewart Downing joined the Black Cats on loan from Middlesbrough in October 2003, bagging three goals in seven games. He joined the reds from Aston Villa for £18.5m in July 2011, netting seven goals in 91 games, as well as coolly converting his penalty in our Wembley shoot-out victory against Cardiff City in February 2012. He moved on to West Ham United for £6m in August 2013.

 

El-Hadji Diouf joined the reds for £10m from Racing Club de Lens in June 2002, but only netted six times in eighty games. He was sold to Bolton Wanderers in June 2005 for £4.5m after a season-long loan. He signed for the Mackems in July 2008, failing to score in sixteen games before moving on to Blackburn Rovers for £2.5m in January 2009. Boudewijn Zenden signed on a free transfer in July 2005 after his one-year contract with Middlesbrough had expired. He struck twice in 47 senior reds games as injury hampered his career at Anfield. He helped us to claim the UEFA Super Cup and FA Community Shield, as well as reach the Champions League Final in his brief time with the reds. Bolo left the club in July 2007 to join Olympique de Marseille. He moved to Sunderland in October 2009, scoring four times in fifty outings, although only thirteen of those were starts, and was released at the end of the 2010/11 season.

 

Italian left-back Andrea Dossena signed from Udinese for £7m in July 2008 in a four-year deal. He made 31 appearances, saving his two goals for the same week, first at home to Real Madrid and then at Manchester United. He left Anfield to sign for SSC Napoli for €4.25m in January 2010. He moved from there to Sunderland in September 2013 after Rafael Benítez’s arrival at the Stadio San Paolo, playing eleven games without scoring before being released at the end of the season. Greek centre-half Sotirios Kyrgiakos joined the reds from A.E.K Athens for £2m in August 2009, following Sami Hyypiä’s departure. Soto bagged three goals in 49 largely solid performances at the back, becoming something of a cult figure for his no-nonsense style. He joined VfL Wolfsburg on a free transfer in August 2011, but moved to the North East on loan in January 2012, playing four times.

 

Anthony Le Tallec spent a season on loan with Sunderland in 2005/06, having struggled to break through to the first team at Anfield after signing from Le Havre AC along with forward Florent Sinama-Pongolle for a combined £6m in September 2001. He struck once in 32 reds appearances, and bagged five goals in 31 games as the Black Cats were relegated back to the Championship with just three wins and fifteen points. He returned to France to sign for Le Mans UC 72 in June 2008. Right-back Stephen Wright signed on as a pro in August 1997 and made 21 reds appearances before moving to Sunderland for £3m in August 2002. He netted twice in 105 games for them, with injuries blighting his time there before being released in May 2008. Don Hutchison signed from Hartlepool United for £175,000 in November 1990 and struck ten times in sixty first-team appearances before joining West Ham United for £1.5m in August 1994. He moved to Sunderland from Everton for £2.5m in July 2000, grabbing ten goals in 39 games before returning to the Hammers for £5m in August 2001.

 

Jason McAteer signed from Bolton Wanderers for £4.5m in September 1995, just five months after impressing against the reds in the Coca Cola Cup Final. He bagged six goals in his 139 reds games before joining Blackburn Rovers for £4m in January 1999. He joined Sunderland from Ewood Park for £1m in October 2001, and struck five goals in 61 appearances for the Black Cats. Phil Babb arrived at Anfield from Coventry City for a club record £3.6m, also the British record fee for a defender. He netted once in 170 reds appearances before being released on a free transfer to Sporting Clube de Portugal in July 2000. He then moved onto Sunderland for free in May 2002. However, he was unable to keep them in the Premiership in his first season at the Stadium Of Light, making sixty appearances in total without netting. McAteer and Babb were both released by Sunderland in May 2004. McAteer went on to join Tranmere Rovers, while Babb retired from the game. Steve Staunton joined Sunderland in August 2011, scouting upcoming opponents for Steve Bruce.

 

Top scorers

Sam Raybould signed from New Brighton Tower for £250 in January 1900 and was the first player to score a hundred League goals for the reds, a feat he achieved in 162 matches. He was top scorer with seventeen when we won the title for the first time in 1901 and moved on to Sunderland in May 1907 after a total of 130 goals in 226 reds games, having helped us to two League titles and the Second Division championship. He notched thirteen times in 27 League outings in his one season with the North East club, before moving on to Woolwich Arsenal.

 

Joe Hewitt arrived from Sunderland for £150 in February 1904, and was top scorer as we won the title for the second time in 1906, netting a total of 74 goals in 164 reds games before joining Bolton Wanderers in August 1910. He also served the reds as a coach, handyman and finally press box attendant in over sixty years’ service. Sunderland-born Robbie Robinson moved to the reds for £500 from his hometown club in the same month as Hewitt. He was top scorer as we won the Second Division title the following season, and also helped us claim the First Division championship in 1906. During the latter stages of his time with the reds, he moved into the half-back line but still bagged a total of 65 goals in 271 games.

 

In goal

Ned Doig made 53 reds appearances, helping us to the Second Division title in 1905, and playing on until 1908, finishing as our oldest ever player aged 41 years and 165 days. He had signed from Sunderland for £150 in August 1904, with whom he made 452 senior appearances, helping them to claim four League titles in his fourteen years there. Former reserves custodian Alec Chamberlain joined Sunderland on a free transfer from Luton Town in July 1993. He made 108 appearances for the Wearsiders, moving on to Watford for £40,000 three years later.

 

Bob Bolder signed from Sheffield Wednesday for £125,000 in 1983, after more than 200 games for the Owls. He never made our first team, but sat on the bench at the 1984 European Cup Final in Rome, one of seventeen times he did so in Europe’s premier club competition, also doing so on four other occasions. He moved on to Sunderland for £100,000 the following year after a month-long loan spell, playing 22 League games in 1985/86 before joining Charlton Athletic. Mike Hooper signed from Wrexham for £40,000 in October 1985 but spent most of his Anfield career as understudy to first Bruce Grobbelaar and then David James, although he managed to make 73 first-team appearances. He moved to Newcastle United for £550,000 in September 1993, spending time on loan at Sunderland in 1995, without playing a senior game.

 

Also up front

Albert Stubbins was an amateur with Sunderland prior to joining Newcastle United, and later guested for them during the war. He arrived from St. James’s Park for a British record £12,500 fee in September 1946 and struck 83 times in 178 reds matches, helping to power us to the first League championship played after the Second World War. He became a scout for the club in 1954, a post he held for the rest of the decade, and was the only footballer to appear on the cover of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album. Forward Tom Scott signed from Darlington in February 1925, whom he had joined from Sunderland, making eighteen reds appearances and notching four times before joining Bristol City in October 1928.

 

David Hodgson joined the reds from Middlesbrough for £450,000 in August 1982. He never fully established himself in his two years at Anfield, scoring ten times in 49 appearances, although he did claim a League championship medal and helped us to clinch the FA Charity Shield before he left for Sunderland for £125,000. He went on to bag five goals in forty League games on Wearside, before moving on to Norwich City after two seasons.

 

Dave Wright bagged 35 goals in exactly a century of reds games after signing from Sunderland in March 1930. He remained at Anfield until July 1934, when he joined Hull City for £1,000. Centre-forward George Ainsley played just four times for the Roker Park outfit, and guested for the reds during the Second World War. Dick Johnson joined the reds in January 1920, having guested for Sunderland during the war. He struck thirty times in 82 outings, including two hat-tricks, helping us to the League title in 1923 before leaving for Stoke in February 1925. He was noted for his overhead bicycle kicks.

 

Left at the back

Sunderland-born left-back Alan Kennedy is best remembered for his winning strikes in two European Cup Finals, but also won five League titles, four League Cups and three FA Charity Shields after moving from Newcastle United for £330,000 in August 1978, making 359 appearances and notching twenty times in his seven years at Anfield. He joined Sunderland for £100,000 in September 1985, where he notched twice in 54 League games. Dominic Matteo joined Sunderland on loan in March 1995. He played just one first-team game while on Wearside, returning to establish himself at Anfield. He played 155 games for us before leaving for Leeds United in a £4m deal in August 2000.

 

Barry Venison notched twice in 205 games for the Roker Park outfit, including becoming the youngest skipper at a Wembley final for the 1985 Milk Cup, before moving to Anfield for £200,000 in July 1986. He went on to score three goals in 158 reds appearances, winning two League titles, an FA Cup and two FA Charity Shields in his time at Anfield. Scottish international left-back Billy Dunlop signed from Abercorn for £35 in January 1895, and scored three times in 363 reds games between then and 1909, winning two League titles and two Second Division Championships. He later coached for the Wearside club. Another left-back, Bernie Ramsden, arrived on a free transfer from Sheffield Victoria in March 1935. He played 63 times without notching in a reds career interrupted by the war, moving to Roker Park from Anfield in March 1948.

 

Scots galore

Scottish international right-half Tom Morrison signed from St. Mirren for £4,000 in November 1927. He struck four times in 254 reds games and joined Sunderland in November 1935, helping them to claim the League title in his first season. Inside-right George Livingstone signed from Celtic in May 1902, whom he had joined from Sunderland, and bagged four goals in 32 games the following season. He moved on to Manchester City after just one year at Anfield. Right-back Donald McCallum arrived from Queen’s Park in 1901, but played just twice before moving on to Greenock Morton in 1903, from where he joined Sunderland.

 

On the wing

Howard Gayle was the first post-war black player to represent Liverpool. He made only five first-team appearances for the reds before moving on to Birmingham City in January 1983. He then joined Sunderland, turning out in 48 League games, in which he bagged four goals. Northern Irish inside-left Davy Hannah signed from Sunderland in November 1894. He was the cousin of Andrew Hannah, a Scottish right-back who left Anfield for Rob Roy soon afterwards. Davy struck twelve times in 33 reds games.

 

Cyril Gilhespy signed from Sunderland in August 1921, scoring three times in nineteen outings before moving to Bristol City in 1925. Outside-left Gordon Gunson arrived from the Mackems in March 1930 and made 87 appearances, scoring an impressive 26 times in his injury-affected time at Anfield. He moved on to Swindon Town in June 1934. Another winger, Norman Clarke played four League games for Sunderland in 1962/63 and scouted for the reds a few years ago.

 

Other double agents

Tom Watson managed us for nineteen years until his death in May 1915. He had led Sunderland to the League title three times, and won two more championships during his time at Anfield, in 1901 and 1906, as well as leading us to our first FA Cup Final in 1914. England international Paul Stewart signed for the reds from Tottenham Hotspur for £2.3m in July 1992. However, he scored just three times in 42 appearances in nearly four seasons. He joined Sunderland on loan in August 1995, playing just twice in his two months at Roker Park, although they signed him on a free transfer in March 1996. He netted five times in a further 37 games, before being offloaded to Stoke City at the end of the following season.

 

Left-back Len Ashurst signed for Sunderland in 1957 after being released by the reds, having signed on as an apprentice in 1953. He played 458 games for the Mackems, making him fourth in their all-time appearances list, but scored just four times. He returned to Roker Park in March 1984 as Manager, but was sacked after just fourteen months, despite leading them to the Milk Cup Final. Sunderland-born forward Bill Hunter joined the reds from Airdrieonians in December 1908 but only played once before moving back to Wearside in May 1909.

 

Dave Galley joined Sunderland as Senior Physiotherapist in June 2010, moving on to Nottingham Forest last summer. He had roles with Port Vale, Fulham, Luton Town and Sheffield Wednesday before joining the reds as a physiotherapist in the summer of 1999. He left in 2005 but returned to Melwood for a second spell in 2009. Reserves winger Brian Mooney signed from Home Farm for £20,000 in August 1983 but only ever played one senior reds game, as a substitute for Jim Beglin in a League Cup win at Fulham in October 1986. He was sold to Preston North End for £25,000 after a successful loan spell. He moved on to Sunderland for £225,000 in 1991, but only struck once in 27 games before returning to Ireland to sign for Shelbourne in 1993. Other double agents include 1970’s midfielder Ray Kennedy, who later spent some time coaching with Sunderland.

[Nate.]

Just imagine the storm if Gerrard doesn't start....

[Cam]

Goalkeeper

Three good centrebacks

Manquillo Henderson Lucas Moreno

Gerrard Sterling Coutinho

[Cunny]

Goalkeeper

Three good centrebacks

Manquillo Henderson Lucas Moreno

Gerrard Sterling Coutinho

[Cam]

 

Goalkeeper

Three good centrebacks

Manquillo Henderson Lucas Moreno

Gerrard Sterling Coutinho

 

If we sign them tomorrow clearance will be through in time for them to play!

 

Okay:

Can Someone* Sakho

 

* is Toure away yet?

Edited January 7, 2015 by Cam

[Earl Hafler]

Mignolet

A back three which includes Sakho and Toure

Manquillo, Henderson, Can, Moreno

--------------------Gerrard------------------

-------Markovic-----------Sterling-------

 

rest Coutinho.

[Cunny]

Pretty sure Wimbledon was Toure's last game.

Is Lovren fit?

Edited January 7, 2015 by Cunny

[DJS]

Any chance Studge makes the bench for this?

[Cheesecake]

yeah pretty sure Toure has gone to the ACN

[Conrad]

don't think we can afford to rest Coutinho, with Lallana out - leaves us very short of creativity

 

Lucas needs resting, so I agree with Can alongside Henderson in CM

 

is the rubbish Coates likely to play for them? hope so.

[Sion]

don't think we can afford to rest Coutinho, with Lallana out - leaves us very short of creativity

 

Lucas needs resting, so I agree with Can alongside Henderson in CM

 

is the rubbish Coates likely to play for them? hope so.

 

not allowed

 

John O'Shea will have his bi-annual amazing game

[Barnesy_10]

As will Wes Brown

[Red Yoda]

......................Mignolet

 

.................Can Skrtel Sakho

 

Manquillo Henderson Gerrard Moreno

 

..........Markovic Sterling Coutinho

[Earl Hafler]

Pretty sure Wimbledon was Toure's last game.

Is Lovren fit?

 

I forgot about that - i even posted last week about the Ivory Coast meeting up on the 5th.

 

Looks like we're playing Skrtel and Can there again.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Goalkeeper

Three good centrebacks

Manquillo Henderson Lucas Moreno

Gerrard Sterling Coutinho

So -

 

 

First 4 to show at the ground with their boots

 

Manquillo.....etc

[Stevie H]

 

not allowed

 

John O'Shea will have his bi-annual amazing game

 

 

As will Wes Brown

 

they didn't need to at anfield in december. neither of them needed to get out of second gear. hope we give them more to think about this time.

[Hassony]

 

I forgot about that - i even posted last week about the Ivory Coast meeting up on the 5th.

 

Looks like we're playing Skrtel and Can there again.

You prefer kolo to skrtel? Did you not see how kolo nearly helped Wimbledon get a late equalizer in Monday?

[Cam]

You prefer kolo to skrtel? Did you not see how kolo nearly helped Wimbledon get a late equalizer in Monday?

Pretty sure this is how Brendan and his staff pick the defence - "Play a midfielder in there and a defender i didn't sign & don't rate. Right, who's the least sh*t out of Skrtel and Toure?"

[Earl Hafler]

You prefer kolo to skrtel? Did you not see how kolo nearly helped Wimbledon get a late equalizer in Monday?

 

Nearly helped ? I've seen Skrtel gift umpteen goals. I'd like to progress to a point where we aren't reliant on him so i'd bench him. Lost 1 in 10 over the last season and a half when he hasn't started.

It's no fluke.

[Hassony]

Pretty sure this is how Brendan and his staff pick the defence - "Play a midfielder in there and a defender i didn't sign & don't rate. Right, who's the least sh*t out of Skrtel and Toure?"

 

 

Nearly helped ? I've seen Skrtel gift umpteen goals. I'd like to progress to a point where we aren't reliant on him so i'd bench him. Lost 1 in 10 over the last season and a half when he hasn't started.

It's no fluke.

 

 

Rodgers regards Skrtel as his best defender, and rightly so, it's easier for everyone to assume that he'll start every match for the foreseeable future until Rodgers leaves the club

[Swan Red]

I reckon you're right Hass at the moment but I'd also expect Rodgers be open to him being improved upon

[Conrad]

I assume that's what he thought he was doing when he bought Sahko and Lovren.

 

what was the f***ing point of signing Ilori by the way?

[Falconhoof]

I assume that's what he thought he was doing when he bought Sahko and Lovren.

 

what was the f***ing point of signing Ilori by the way?

Maddening isn't it

Ilori, Alberto, and others like Aspas and Lambert. Drives me up the wall.

[cymrococh]

what was the f***ing point of signing Ilori by the way?

He's a promising young defender, we signed him when we had the chance rather than risk him going somewhere else.

 

Chelsea have hundreds of similar players out on loan. It wouldn't be an issue if we were doing well and it shouldn't be now.