82 points

[Tyler]

Seems that we could finish on 82 points - represents some improvement on last season

 

 

Should we be trying to catch United - based on last nights selection it looks like we have given up the chase for second.

 

There are parallels with where we were before the last World Cup but the quality of the players coming in (Gonzalez, Palletta) seems to be more established

 

Will be a key close season for us to get players in, get players back from the World Cup without injury and try and get off to a start in the league next season to put pressure on Chelsea

[Lee W]

The Mancs won one of their last three games, losing one to the eventual Champions, drawing the other to Charlton at home 0-0 on the last day of the season and they beat Ipswich to drop five points in their last three games.

 

We won our last two games to snatch second place, even though the Mancs had a better goal difference (despite us knocking 5 past Ipswich at Anfield on the last day of the season.)

 

The Mancs play Chelsea on Saturday and Charlton at home last day of the season.

[psl]

Wouldn't it be great if we snatched 2nd and won the FA Cup?

[Maldini]

It was our poor start to the season that cost us this year, that and our slump around the middle of the season. Strangely as it happens it seems the early start had the opposite effect to what we thought it would and we weren't fresh at all. We're in far better form now than we were then.

[Gomez]

The Mancs won one of their last three games, losing one to the eventual Champions, drawing the other to Charlton at home 0-0 on the last day of the season and they beat Ipswich to drop five points in their last three games.

 

We won our last two games to snatch second place, even though the Mancs had a better goal difference (despite us knocking 5 past Ipswich at Anfield on the last day of the season.)

 

The Mancs play Chelsea on Saturday and Charlton at home last day of the season.

 

Don't remember us snatching second place, thought it was ours to throw away for most of the run in.

[CarraLegend]

Utd only need 1 win from 3 games, they're bound to get that.

[Maldini]

Utd only need 1 win from 3 games, they're bound to get that.

Not if Chelsea hockey them and we score a few against Villa, unlikely, but not impossible.

[Lee W]

Wouldn't it be great if we snatched 2nd and won the FA Cup?

 

Other than the extra 500k and I'm guessing a few million for the FA Cup, it'd give us a huge lift going into battle against Chelsea, Mancs and Arsenal next season.

 

And no qualification games for the European Cup, after a World Cup campaign would be a nice start to the season.

Edited April 27, 2006 by Lee W

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

while it's there, go for it. Mancs lose on Sat (early game) & we win. We're level - they have a game in hand. If both games were 2-0, they'd be +5 on the GD.

 

We finish 2nd, then I REALLY AM shouting for Barca

[fred milne]

Don't remember us snatching second place, thought it was ours to throw away for most of the run in.

That's not how it happened. Utd were Arsenal's closest challengers right up until the game at Old Trafford in the final week when Wiltord scored the only goal.

[CarraLegend]

Not if Chelsea hockey them and we score a few against Villa, unlikely, but not impossible.

 

Yep, if Chelsea go 1 up on the weekend though they'll just put 11 men behind the ball for the rest of the game knowing they can afford to concede 1.

[Serko]

I beleive if Arsenal win the CL then second in the league has to qualify for the CL is this correct?

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

That's not how it happened. Utd were Arsenal's closest challengers right up until the game at Old Trafford in the final week when Wiltord scored the only goal.

No they weren't. We f***ed a game up which put us out of contention, with ManUre in 3rd with a game in hand & a chance to win the League still.

[Gilps]

No they weren't. We f***ed a game up which put us out of contention, with ManUre in 3rd with a game in hand & a chance to win the League still.

 

Bloody Spurs wasn't it? Gus Poyet scored for them I think.

[fred milne]

No they weren't. We f***ed a game up which put us out of contention, with ManUre in 3rd with a game in hand & a chance to win the League still.

I think its the game at Spurs you are talking about where we lost 1-0. IIRC that game made it mathematically impossible for us to win the league but I thought it was only after the Wiltord game that we leapfrogged Utd.

[Lee W]

That's not how it happened. Utd were Arsenal's closest challengers right up until the game at Old Trafford in the final week when Wiltord scored the only goal.

 

Is right Fred.

 

Weird thing was, I wanted the Mancs to equalise because we were still technically in the title race had they drew. Remember watching on Sky as they desperately kept showing goal flashes between their game and ours against Blackburn which turned out to be an absolute classic. People do forget that Houllier actually challenged for the League that season, but we blew it away to Spurs, losing 1-0.

 

If Rafa gets that far next May, it'll be very interesting.

[Gomez]

No they weren't. We f***ed a game up which put us out of contention, with ManUre in 3rd with a game in hand & a chance to win the League still.

 

That's more how I remember, we were the closest challengers, and when we lost to spurs, the mancs could still technically win it because they had a game in hand against arsenal. Second was still ours to lose, but we couldn't finish first because both arsenal and man u couldn't drop 3 points as they played each other.

[PhilM]

Man Utd could quite feasibly get beaten by Chelsea and Boro are one of their bogey teams.

[psl]

No they weren't. We f***ed a game up which put us out of contention, with ManUre in 3rd with a game in hand & a chance to win the League still.

 

Is right. We were as much in contention as United until Poyet f***ed us over at White Hart Lane.

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

Here's how the table looked after 34 games

 

1.Arsenal 34 22 9 3 70 33 75

2.Liverpool 34 21 8 5 59 29 71

3.Manchester United 34 22 4 8 83 44 70

[jimmylibel]

Bloody Spurs wasn't it? Gus Poyet scored for them I think.

 

Yeah it was. Always remember that game. We were on fire in the second half of the season and had won a load of games on the trot. But GH dropped Anelka to the bench for this match when he had made such a big difference to livening up our attack. The result was that we created nothing during the course of the match and Spurs scored. Think Anelka came on with about 10mins left but it was too late by then.

 

Still reckon if GH had played Anelka with Emile and Owen that day we'd have won. Still wouldn't have won the league mind you!

[Sir Tokyo Sexwale]

I think its the game at Spurs you are talking about where we lost 1-0. IIRC that game made it mathematically impossible for us to win the league but I thought it was only after the Wiltord game that we leapfrogged Utd.

 

I've worked the table backwards - above is @ game 34 & here are the results which followed:

 

13 Apr

 

Sunderland 0-1 Liv

 

20 Apr

 

Chels 0-3 ManUre

Liv 2-0 Derby

a*** 2-0 Ipswich

 

27 Apr

 

Ipswich 0-1 ManUre

Spuds 1-0 Liv

 

29 Apr

 

Bolton 0-2 a***

 

 

8 May

 

ManUre 0-1 a***

 

 

11 May

LFC 5-0 Ipswich

a*** 4-3 Everton

ManU 0-0 Charlton

[Lee W]

I've worked the table backwards - above is @ game 34 & here are the results which followed:

 

13 Apr

 

Sunderland 0-1 Liv

 

20 Apr

 

Chels 0-3 ManUre

Liv 2-0 Derby

a*** 2-0 Ipswich

 

27 Apr

 

Ipswich 0-1 ManUre

Spuds 1-0 Liv

 

29 Apr

 

Bolton 0-2 a***

8 May

 

ManUre 0-1 a***

11 May

LFC 5-0 Ipswich

a*** 4-3 Everton

ManU 0-0 Charlton

 

 

Work it backwards till the start of the season and we'd still have been in the title race had we beaten Spurs.

[Guest Jack Bauer]

Even if we finished second that season, I don't think we ever really challeneged for the league. Hopefully we'll do it next season.

[fred milne]

I've worked the table backwards - above is @ game 34 & here are the results which followed:

 

13 Apr

 

Sunderland 0-1 Liv

 

20 Apr

 

Chels 0-3 ManUre

Liv 2-0 Derby

a*** 2-0 Ipswich

 

27 Apr

 

Ipswich 0-1 ManUre

Spuds 1-0 Liv

 

29 Apr

 

Bolton 0-2 a***

8 May

 

ManUre 0-1 a***

11 May

LFC 5-0 Ipswich

a*** 4-3 Everton

ManU 0-0 Charlton

As Lee said, we played Blackburn at Anfield the night of the Wiltord game.