The sudden new found confidence

[Guest ritchie_50]

A week ago we couldn't buy a goal and conficence was on the floor after being knocked out the CL, drawing with Charlton and losing at Arsenal but then 3 wins in a week and 15 goals came from nowhere.

 

Has Benitez committing his future on the eve of the Fulham game made the difference?

[Nerik]

Nah it is just the team coming out of a slump. You can see all the moves etc. that we were making in December coming back. Quick football, great running off the ball and into space. We were not doing that for 6-8weeks and were struggling with results.

[Guest JimmyJames]

Nah it is just the team coming out of a slump. You can see all the moves etc. that we were making in December coming back. Quick football, great running off the ball and into space. We were not doing that for 6-8weeks and were struggling with results.

 

 

Or it could just be that we've played 3 really sh*te teams...

[charlie clown]

to be honest, from what I have seen of the games, we haven't played that well in any of them... we have just had the luck in front of goal that has eluded us for the last couple months.

[Stevie H]

to be honest, from what I have seen of the games, we haven't played that well in any of them... we have just had the luck in front of goal that has eluded us for the last couple months.

 

i agree, we barely seem to have got out of second gear against fulham, barcodes and brum.

[Toe]

to be honest, from what I have seen of the games, we haven't played that well in any of them... we have just had the luck in front of goal that has eluded us for the last couple months.

 

Couldn't agree more.

 

Thought we've been gash personally. Certainly compared to when we were controlling games and creating 20 + chances a game.

 

Strange game is football.

[Foo]

i agree, we barely seem to have got out of second gear against fulham, barcodes and brum.

 

 

The ketchup bottle effect. And I chose to not watch neither the Newcastle or Brum game. Bugger.

Fulham won vs Chelsea the following game though.

[Bootle Buck]

If teams can mimimize mistakes against us and their keeper has a decent game we struggle to break them down. However, we have been helped by defensive gaffs and a little luck the last three games. They were by no means perfromances that would normally result in us scoring 15 goals. I thought we have looked a little careless and scrappy at times. However, I will gladly take that luck. Considering games like Sao Paulo and others were we absolutely battered them but couldn't score.

Edited March 23, 2006 by Bootle Buck

[jfogarty]

If teams can mimimize mistakes against us and their keeper has a decent game we struggle to break them down. However, we have been helped by defensive gaffs and a little luck the last three games. They were by no means perfromances that would normally result in us scoring 15 goals. I thought we have looked a little careless and scrappy at times. However, I will gladly take that luck. Considering games like Sao Paulo and others were we absolutely battered them but couldn't score.

 

This is a crucial time of the season for all clubs as players start getting tired and squad rotation becomes very important. Teams will find it very hard to play against us due to our pressing game so expect to see more teams gifting us chances and goals

[Earl Hafler]

Nah it is just the team coming out of a slump. You can see all the moves etc. that we were making in December coming back. Quick football, great running off the ball and into space. We were not doing that for 6-8weeks and were struggling with results.

 

They were there in the first half against Benfica ( and other recent matches ) but the ball just wouldn't go in the net and as a result our play became impatient and we made mistakes in defence.

Against Birmingham almost everything went in.

 

 

 

The ketchup bottle effect. And I chose to not watch neither the Newcastle or Brum game. Bugger.

Fulham won vs Chelsea the following game though.

 

Have you seen the video ?!

[Leo No.8]

Everyone is talking about our strikers finding form, but in all honesty nothing much has changed.

 

Moro has scored 2 tap-ins, Crouch has been great in general as he has for most of the season, but he's had a bit of luck with his finishing; his header for the second against Brum was woeful but Taylor somehow let it in. Then you have Cisse who has scored a pen and profited from another keeping blunder.

 

Keepers seem to have been having blinders all season against us - they've just started letting them in!

 

In all honesty its not a lot to do with the strikers - the same player who has been driving us all season has been doing so as normal in the last two games. Gerrard has been so much better than anyone else on the pitch with him it's untrue; he basically created or had a big part in 4 out of the 5 goals before he went off against Brum.

Edited March 23, 2006 by Leo No.8

[wacko]

Everyone is talking about our strikers finding form, but in all honesty nothing much has changed.

 

Moro has scored 2 tap-ins, Crouch has been great in general as he has for most of the season, but he's had a bit of luck with his finishing; his header for the second against Brum was woeful but Taylor somehow let it in. Then you have Cisse who has scored a pen and profited from another keeping blunder.

 

Keepers seem to have been having blinders all season against us - they've just started letting them in!

 

In all honesty its not a lot to do with the strikers - the same player who has been driving us all season has been doing so as normal in the last two games. Gerrard has been so much better than anyone else on the pitch with him it's untrue; he basically created or had a big part in 4 out of the 5 goals before he went off against Brum.

Indeed. We don't seem to be playing any differently to a few weeks ago, other than the differences made by being a few goals up. Hopefully, our strikers have indeed remembered how to score, but I think it's just one of those things. Still, I'm sure it has a very real effect on team confidence and that of our upcoming opponents.

[meepins]

We have pretty much stopped lumping it forward hopefully and are playing it to feet.

[Kahnee]

i agree, we barely seem to have got out of second gear against fulham, barcodes and brum.

 

Thought we stepped up into third in the second half on Tuesday. Really started to flow

[Guz]

We have pretty much stopped lumping it forward hopefully and are playing it to feet.

 

Agreed. We've gone back to basics and at the same time got a bit of luck.

[Earl Hafler]

Everyone is talking about our strikers finding form, but in all honesty nothing much has changed.

 

Moro has scored 2 tap-ins, Crouch has been great in general as he has for most of the season, but he's had a bit of luck with his finishing; his header for the second against Brum was woeful but Taylor somehow let it in. Then you have Cisse who has scored a pen and profited from another keeping blunder.

 

Keepers seem to have been having blinders all season against us - they've just started letting them in!

 

In all honesty its not a lot to do with the strikers - the same player who has been driving us all season has been doing so as normal in the last two games. Gerrard has been so much better than anyone else on the pitch with him it's untrue; he basically created or had a big part in 4 out of the 5 goals before he went off against Brum.

 

Maik Taylor is one of those keepers. He'll play reasonably well for several games and then, usually against on of the top sides, he'll become superhuman and just impossible to score past.

[Guest Sabre]

Maik Taylor is one of those keepers. He'll play reasonably well for several games and then, usually against on of the top sides, he'll become superhuman and just impossible to score past.

 

Unlike Tuesday night when he went blind for 90 minutes.

[Earl Hafler]

Maybe it was the St Andrews floodlighting ?

[Guest Sabre]

It was the rophynol I put in his Lucozade bottle

[Earl Hafler]

I didn't think he was your type, Sabre ?

[Guest Sabre]

I didn't think he was your type, Sabre ?

 

It was worth 7 goals

[Earl Hafler]

Now that's sacrifice

[Guest Sabre]

Taking one for the team and all that

[Leo No.8]

Taylor has been superb for Brum - he just had one of those rare dodgy nights on Tuesday, and happily it was against us.

 

As you said Stuff, he has games when he seems like he's unbeatable. Crossley is like that sometimes as well - that game he had against Newcastle last year being a prime example...

Edited March 23, 2006 by Leo No.8

[Guest Sabre]

That's cos Crossley is a big fat b*****d.