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[Lanky134]

Thoughts about both quotes. Matt, if you feel this is more appropriate in another thread, please move it there.

"Mixed feelings": Again, this goes back to the question "Would we rather see our team play attacking, entertaining soccer or boring, defensive?" We came out and attacked pretty damn well. It sounded like all that was missing was the killer blow. We passed well, moved it around...that's a positive. We didn't score, and wound up losing...that's a negative. Hence, mixed feelings.

"Blessing in disguise": The game I always point to as being the most instrumental in the 2000-01 season wasn't the victory at Goodison or Manchester or the first in Cardiff. It was the loss to Bradford at the end of 1999-00. We had the chance to not only send down Bradford, but to get into the Champions League. Instead, we looked like crap, and wound up in the "We can just cuddle" world of the UEFA Cup. That loss to Bradford was a blessing in disguise. It was a slap in the face to our belief that we can't play complacently (OK, we still haven't realized that, but that goes back to long before Houllier got there). Besides, we really weren't ready for the Champions League, anyway. And we still might not be, with the current squad.

Just an interpretation...

[655321]

Originally posted by Lanky134
Thoughts about both quotes. Matt, if you feel this is more appropriate in another thread, please move it there.

"Mixed feelings": Again, this goes back to the question "Would we rather see our team play attacking, entertaining soccer or boring, defensive?" We came out and attacked pretty damn well. It sounded like all that was missing was the killer blow. We passed well, moved it around...that's a positive. We didn't score, and wound up losing...that's a negative. Hence, mixed feelings.

"Blessing in disguise": The game I always point to as being the most instrumental in the 2000-01 season wasn't the victory at Goodison or Manchester or the first in Cardiff. It was the loss to Bradford at the end of 1999-00. We had the chance to not only send down Bradford, but to get into the Champions League. Instead, we looked like crap, and wound up in the "We can just cuddle" world of the UEFA Cup. That loss to Bradford was a blessing in disguise. It was a slap in the face to our belief that we can't play complacently (OK, we still haven't realized that, but that goes back to long before Houllier got there). Besides, we really weren't ready for the Champions League, anyway. And we still might not be, with the current squad.

Just an interpretation...

That's all fine and dandy Lanky, hopefully we can move on and it will kick our arse a little. But we've been building for four years now. Houllier's belief that his new signings could take over immediately for the departing players (and he obviously thought this or he wouldn't be starting them match after match) is what has really ruined this season. We had two full chances to beat a midtable first division team in a very important tourny and we couldn't do it. That is unacceptable, considering he's now four years on the job.

[mbrossetti]

Originally posted by 655321
Well, of course, I doubt anyone pictured Gerard, late at night in front of the laptop, proofreading his emails!!

(please feel free to move to appropriate thread if this wouldn't be the appropriate place to reply)

Regardless, that alone is an amusing image.

Lanky - re: being ready for the Champions League. I too think this team isn't ready for that yet. I think it's become obvious to most and I guess that most can hope that next season (especially for Djouf, Cheyrou and Didi - through injury) will more closely resemble last season. I'd probably attribute that to Houllier's major signings. Cheyrou has played at high levels before, but domestically, Lille isn't Liverpool. Same with Djouf and Diao at Sedan. Eventually all will come around (hopefully sooner rather then later and Djouf is beginning to show signs of taking to the Premiership). While a Champions League place is still within the realm of possibility, the way we're going and the way those above us are faring, I think we're going to be on the outside looking in. Probably in 5th unless Chelsea or Newcastle let one of the slots slip. I think when all is said and done, we'll be a precious few points behind. My guess is 2 points behind Chelsea for 4th.

[Matt Clark]

Good points all.

Another point of order then, just to clear up the "appropriate" issue, here is fine for comments and further discussion of things that emanate from official newsletters and such. I don't want to be getting too granular about this, that's why I changed a thread for newsletters into a thread for general LFC communique/news stuff.

Anyhoo - just got back from Anfield, bit pissed, bit pissed off, so I shall sign off here. As you were.

[Lanky134]

Dear Liverpool supporter,

I can't believe we've only got a point from the game with Middlesbrough - it's amazing. That's the way our luck is going and it is an absolute travesty how we didn't win the game.

We dominated the match and in the first half Jerzy didn't have a shot to save until the free-kick. We just had to knuckle down then and our commitment and football was tremendous. We passed through them and dominated it. You can't question the players and I felt for them. It is frustrating for everyone.

It is a big blow not to win because we played so well. Against Sunderland we had 26 efforts on goal and couldn't score but that happens. How much more did we have to do to put the ball in the net! It would have been a travesty had we not got at least a point out of this game.

I really feel for the players but if we keep playing as well as that we will be flying towards the end of the season. There is a lot of positives to take from this game. We defended well and the football was great. We cut through them and round them time and time again, okay maybe the final ball at times could have been better. You can't say we didn't deserve to take three points because we did and we played so well.

Gerard wasn't here today because he has gastroenteritis. He gave the team talk yesterday but then in the afternoon he felt sick. He phoned me Saturday morning and told me he felt awful. The doctor went to see him and told him to stay at home. He could have given it to the players as well so he probably watched the match on television. The boss will have been very pleased with the way the boys played.

Regards,


Phil Thompson
Assistant Manager

[Lanky134]

First one in a while, I think...

Dear Liverpool supporter,

We have beaten a good team in Auxerre. I didn't expect it to be as tense as it was in the first half when we seemed nervous. At half time I told the players to relax and play their football and we were much better. Auxerre were clever and hit us on the break but our defending was very good. Jerzy played well and made a couple of good saves including one from Cisse just before half time.

I knew Michael could break the record at some stage this season. It's funny how he has scored more goals in Europe for us away from home. He took his goal very well and I'm pleased for him - he could have broken the record. In the game with Vitesse Arnhem in Holland he could have beaten it in the first game but his goal tonight freed the team. It made it difficult for Auxerre then as they needed two goals against our defence.

I felt Djimi Traore was a bit too tense in the first half and Vladimir came on and brought flair and creativity to the team, and some width. After Michael scored it made it difficult for Auxerre. The attacking play in the first half was not up to standard, I admit that, but the second half was good. I told the players to play the second half as if we were 1-0 down and keep a clean sheet.

We're now looking forward to the games with Celtic. We knew Celtic had a good chance to qualify. It is an exciting tie for both clubs and for the fans, and it will be passionate. It's a quarter-final over two legs and we will do our best. It's the type of game we relish. During this UEFA Cup run we haven't conceded a goal and I've always said it's the first game of a two legged tie that's the most important.


Regards,


Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

[Lanky134]

Dear Liverpool supporter,

There are two things which make this win special. We've beaten a good team and I am aware they are still ahead of us. The other thing is today puts the performance of my players to a higher level. We were going through a difficult period in the season in the league but beating Man United is always special for the fans.

I also dedicate this victory to the five and a half thousand Liverpool fans who travelled to Villa for the quarter final and had to wait outside in the cold for an hour and a half.

Jerzy Dudek was brilliant for us today and I told him last week that I could feel he would be the hero for this game. He was man of the match and he deserved it. He has been working so hard in training and I felt he was unlucky to lose those two goals against United at Anfield. He has bounced back to his best. Straight after the match had finished Jerzy ran to Chris Kirkland to celebrate with him which was great.

I am really pleased for Michael to score another goal in Cardiff. Against Birmingham in the last Worthington Cup final he was on the bench and didn't get on but after the match he was celebrating with all the team. He deserved his goal and a star player is always a team player. He is a team player.

When you play Man United you need to have the whole team at their best, which we had today. I thought we even looked comfortable at times. I said before the away game in Auxerre that we had 10 important days in our season. We are back in Europe in the UEFA Cup for next season, but we want to make the Champions League. We have 10 games to go in the league and I can tell you we will give it our best shot.

Regards,

Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

[RedKnight]

Dear Liverpool supporter,

The first thing to say today is we have beaten a good team. We knew they would be difficult to handle as they have great individual players. They do well against the top teams. We were also aware they are a team that seven times out of 28 games this season have conceded late goals to deny them victory. We knew we had to beat a good team and I expected that sort of performance.

We were well disciplined and mentally strong. The team organisation was good. There have been so many games this season where we have played much better, outplayed the opposition and dominated the match and only got a point or nothing out of it. Today I wanted us to be mentally strong, focused and determined. They had chances but I'm pleased as we have beaten a good team.

It's been a good week for us beating Auxerre, winning the Worthington Cup and now beating Bolton. We have to push on in the Premiership and this was a crucial win for us. We have four days before our next game at Celtic and it's always better when you win because you feel less tired. Celtic had a good win as well and four days is a decent break for us now.

People have asked why the players didn't parade the Worthington Cup before the game today. It is not the right time to do it and I don't like that before a match. It is a distraction for the players and they have to be focused and determined before a match. That was the reason.

Regards,

Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

[RedKnight]

Dear Liverpool supporter,

I thought it was a great European performance last night. I liked our versatility. Our passing and movement was very good and I thought it was a great cup tie. Both sides were very committed and wanted to win. It was a very exciting game and after conceding the early goal I was pleased with the players' response.

We knew it would be an unbelievable atmosphere but we managed to keep our composure, we kept playing football, we didn't lose our shape and we remained positive. I thought our fans were brilliant singing throughout the game. It's always a special atmosphere and an experience playing at Parkhead.

If you look at Celtic's record at home they are tremendous against some of the top European teams. I have always said the first game is very important and I was pleased with our performance. There was more fluency in our game, particularly with the passing. It was a very mature performance.

The downside of the night was the incident at the end with El Hadji Diouf. The player has apologised for his actions and he realises it was inappropriate, whatever the provocation. He should not have responded in the way he did. Liverpool do not condone this in any way and we will deal with the matter internally. It is not conduct acceptable for a Liverpool player and we view the matter very seriously.

Diouf apologised to me. I didn't like what he did and it's not acceptable. It's just a shame this incident takes away what was a very good performance from the team. I thought Diouf had a brilliant game as well. I didn't see the incident but we took him off near the end because Joe Corrigan had seen him involved in an incident with a supporter.

The tie is now nicely set up for the second leg next week. It should be quite a match.

Regards,

Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager



----

[Lanky134]

Dear Liverpool supporter,

It goes without saying I am delighted with our victory at Tottenham. Maybe Jerzy's mistake after the break woke us up! The team wanted to respond to help him out and the second half was full of energy.

I must praise the players for the team solidity, especially after the Celtic game. We rode our luck at times in the first half but did very well in the second half. I felt we could achieve something today. This is actually my first ever win here as Liverpool manager and it was a very good and vital win.

We are on our journey to the top four, there are eight games left to play and all the games are cup finals. I like the character of my players today to come back from one goal down away from home. We got the ball on the ground and played some decent football in the second half and we defended well. Djimi Traore is maturing into a good centre half.

El Hadji had a very good game. During the first half I had to have a word with Spurs' assistant boss John Gorman because it seemed Taricco was trying to get Diouf sent off. Whether it was on purpose I don't know, but it wasn't a nice thing to see a fellow professional doing something like that.

The crowd were on Diouf's back at the start but he silenced them. He is a talented player. Of course he has to expect crowd reaction but he is mentally strong enough to overcome that.

Overall it was a good performance and a good win and now we can look forward to the game with Celtic on Thursday night at Anfield.


Regards,


Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

[liverbird]

GOOD CHRIST I"M TIRED OF THE YOUNG PLAYERS EXCUSE


Dear Liverpool supporter,

I'm hurt and dejected following our UEFA Cup exit, but that's football. We had three good chances in the first half and didn't take them. The goal came at the worst time for us and was the turning point in the match.

Celtic are very clever and very functional and credit to them. I was pleased with the response of the players in the second half. In terms of effort you can't ask for any more than that.

If we had scored it may have been a different story. We are disappointed because at this stage of the competition you are just three games away. Good luck to Celtic and I hope they now go on and win it.

We were not at all over confident. We were very focused and we showed a lot of commitment. We played wuth pride and application. They seemed stronger than us when we trying to push forward but you cannot fault my players for effort. The tempo and pace of this match was outstanding. Celtic always carried a goal threat but I can tell you for sure that here was no complacency from us.

I enjoyed the game to be honest and thought it was a fantastic game of football. The players put in a remarkable effort. Maybe we pushed too much in the second half in terms of build up, but they are young players who will only get better.

We have eight games left to play in the Premiership and we know what we want. The players are down but they are men and have character. Last season when we lost in Leverkusen we went to Sunderland and won the game. Leeds on Sunday is important now for the rest of our season.

Regards,

Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

[liverbird]

NOW THIS IS BETTER>

Dear Liverpool supporter,

On the back of a defeat by Celtic the team responded well against Leeds yesterday. We showed a lot of determination, character and our attitude was spot on. We started very well and created good chances and in all honesty we should have put Leeds out of sight in the first half.

Credit to Leeds in the second half for coming back at us and with Smith and Viduka in front they always carry a threat. I thought we were brilliant and we had some great moves with excellent passing and movement.

We had to win today and it was vital to our season. We have never lost twice in a row and we bounced back in style today. We finished the game strongly and I was pleased with many aspects of our play.

I thought Michael was very good. Right from the start he was involved in everything. The thing I like is he can drop, turn and create chances. He can beat defenders and take them on. He scored and made a goal.

It's good that we can go into the game with Manchester United in a couple of weeks time with a few wins under our belts. It was an important win for us as we chase a Champions League place and we now know we have seven matches to go to achieve our aim. We know what lies ahead of us and we know what we have to do. We will give it our very best shot.

Regards,

Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

[liverbird]

NO COMMENT

Dear Liverpool supporter,

This result hurts. I have to admit that. It hurts the players, the staff and the fans. We have to take it on the chin and live with it. Last month we were on a high after beating them. This time we're down. That's part of footballing life.

The turning point was the fourth minute of the game when we lost our captain. It's hard enough here with eleven v eleven, but ten against eleven is extremely difficult. We had players away on international duty during the week and it was hard work for us with a man less.

To be fair I thought both penalty decisions were correct. From where I was sitting the first one looked a penalty, but then when I saw it on the TV I had to think again. It was more of a tangle than anything. Of course the ref doesn't get a replay and he has to make a split second decision. You have to respect whatever decisions he makes. I thought the second one was a penalty as well. Scholes had turned Igor and it was a late tackle. I know some of my staff don't think it was a penalty, but I did. It was a shame for Igor because he had done well.

But I thought the sending off was harsh and that it could have been avoided. Sami was distraught because he didn't even think it was a penalty. I would have liked to see how my team got on going a goal down but with keeping eleven men on the field. That's the regret I have from today. We won't be appealing against the red card though.

You always look for positives after a defeat and I have to say that my players deserve great credit for their effort and work rate. It was spot on. They kept themselves in the game until the 65th minute when the second penalty was awarded against us. When that went in it killed the morale of our team.

We now have six games to go and we'll look to win them all. This result is in the past now and we are looking forward. We have never lost two games in a row.

Regards,

Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

[LiverpoolFanatic]

Originally posted by liverbird

We have never lost two games in a row.
Regards,
Gerard Houllier
Liverpool Manager

We lost two league matches in a row in December, though we did sandwich a 1-1 draw with Ipswich in the WC between them.

[Matt Clark]

That time of year again ... :(

Although it won't affect most of you, please sign the petition at this link

http://hillsborough.mlm-heaven.com/main/index.php?PHPSESSID=46d7e54374d70a37acb33f1cf7f04b4c

to help persuade ITV to again screen Jimmy McGovern's documentary about Hillsborough. It is the only true and accurate media portrayal of April 15th 1989 and the British public needs to be confronted with it again.

Many thanks.

Matt

[Flying Weasel]

There is a petition at http://hillsborough.mlm-heaven.com/main/index.php which can be signed asking ITV Television to air a documentary about the Hillsborough Disaster--a documentary which shows the truth and the evidence.

Hillsborough
April 15th 1989
You'll Never Walk Alone

[Matt Clark]

Merged with official business.

[Matt Clark]

Right - that time of year again - I have been invited to the next of the Fans Forums for liverpoolfc.tv. May 8th. As last year, please post any suggestions, comments you have with regard to the site here and I will do my best to represent your views to the club.

To be honest, last year was a bit of whitewash, all they were interested in was whether we liked the e-Season ticket or not. But in this instance the exercise is a precursor for a full redesign of the site, apparently, so maybe this time more substantive input will be possible.

Anyway, you don't get if you don't ask, so fire away.

[Bjornebye]

Thank you Matt.

Stig would be interested in free audio match commentary, with a sympathetic bend to supporters with dialup access. That is Stig's wish for the unwashed masses.

For paying customers, the popup adverts are annoying and, even after signing in to the expensive e-Season Ticket, the popups continue. Free Stig from this tyranny!

Otherwise, the Web site appears to be a work in progress, and excels in many respects.

Cheers,
Stig

[Matt Clark]

Noted. Although I would say that this was raised last time also. They defend charging for commentary by pointing to the cost of providing it (not a brilliant line, given that the likes of Norwich can provide free audio comms). The pop-up ads is a good one - I will be sure to raise that. Bugs the crap out of me too.