Lineup(my projection): Kirkland Carra Hyppia Henchoz Riise Murphy Diao Gerrard Heskey Baros Owen We'll need steadiness in the fullbacks to counter their attack. Heskey will give us an outlet and will get back to defend. My one concern is that Diao gives us nothing on offense. Stevie G will need to carry the attack and Spuds will need to sneak away on the counter to help Mikie and Milan. I say 2-1 Liverpool with Michael the first goal scorer. Please Saint Stephen!
I should be able to provide comms. I have the day off, so I can listen as loud as I want, but the outlaws are expected sometime around 5:00. Hopefully, they'll be a bit late. Dave
I pray you're right about the line-up because I can't bear to watch Traore play another minute again.
I'll do a quasi-PBP, if anyone is awake out there and cares, however, I am also trying to cook breakfast for a large holiday tribe simultaneously. It's the 35th, we lead 1-0 on a deflection from a JAR cracker. Lineup: Kirkland Carragher -- Hyppia -- Henchoz -- Traore Smicer (ugh) -- Gerrard -- Murphy -- Riise Heskey -- Owen FYI - while I was typing out that lineup Traore got burned twice and Heskey lost two easy headers. We are enjoying a great deal of possesion and have never had much trouble. A couple of challenges on goal, tackled away in the box once and Duff forced one wide. Good possesion in midfield now, Gerrard through the midfield, out to Riise, good ball in to Owen, can't get it to Heskey in time. I'll come back after half time, unless there is a goal in the last five minutes here.
Dudek apparently hurt his back in pregame warmups, he's not on the bench. Traore got booked in the first half, sorry I missed that. Maybe I just started subconciously blocking out every mention of his name. OK back to my lazy PBP, don't expect frequent updates unless this gets interesting . . .
Umm, nothing has happened for 3 or 4 minutes. Balckburn possesion, they won a throw deep, knocked it around for awhile, played it back, repeat. Murphy whips in a great cross, nobody on the other end of it. Gerrard with a great challenge to win it right back. Nothing of it again. Duff with a dangerous run, tackled away by Gerrard. Liverpool look a bit off balance here. 50'
Smicer with a great ball up to Owen, streaking down the right, one man to beat, lets it rip, JUST across the face of the goal. Blackburn with a sub: Ostenstad for Johannson. THey switch to a 3-4-3.
Ostenstad around Traore, cross into Cole, ALONE at the spot, he pops it over the bar! Another dangerous ball from Blackburn, corner: towards Yorke at the back post, uncovered but he couldn't bring it down. Still in, high cross, Yorke can't keep the header down. C'mon ladies, what is this cr*p? Baros is warming up.
More boring midfield play, here comes Owen, ball forward from Smicer, Owen with his man out right, whips in the cross, to high for Heskey, Gerrard runs it down, good pressure up by the top of the box, nothing comes of it. Again. Baros for Heskey, 56' Baros, first touch, rocket into the side netting, tipped away by Friedel. Corner: Murphy, back post, too long. Liverpool throw. Riise takes it long, half-cleared, Baros with another cannon, but off target.
Free kick after a foul on Baros, 3 yards outside the area, taken by Murphy, too long. 61' Biscan coming on for us? Lovely dummy by Baros, to Murphy, GREAT ball to Owen, he's tackled in the box, nothing given. Cole, soft touch to Ostenstad, he's alone, ***************, GREAT SAVE by Kirkland. Outstanding stuff. Smicer off for Biscan. Huh? Let's see how this plays out. WHAT? He's on the right wing? Odd.
Biscan wins a free kick. Murphy takes it quickly, Baros hits it too long for Owen. A whole lot of nothing happening again. Playing paddycake in the middle. 70'
We seem to be content just absorbing some of this pressure . . . Traore tackles well in the box, out for a throw. Yorke with a cross, headed out by Hyppia. "Scrappy performance by Liverpool." Flitcroft around Murphy, shoots it over the top. Phil Thompson out of the dugout, POed.
Riise with a diving header, wide. Uh-oh. Another round of ruggers awake. I need to go cook again. Be back if there's another goal or anything.
Baros with a brilliant effort, blocked, Biscan puts it just wide! FInally some positive pressure. So close twice there. I came back thinking someone would put it in. 76' Incredible volley from Cole, 30 yards out. It's in. Nothing Kirkland can do. Who wants to hum taps with me? 1-1.
Carragher with the cross, Baros does well to get his head to it, but not enough power. They can wait to eat now. We had that goal coming to us, as willing as we were to sit back and absorb their pressure. Another push forward by us, ends up safely in Friedel's hands. Blackburn now, Yorke, blocked by Henchoz. Back out to midfield. I'm getting to frustrated to type. Blackburn still knocking it around the midfield. I could put up with minutes on end of this junk with a lead, but not now. They've beaten the cr*p out of us in the second half. Traore off for Diouf. Again, nothing happening. If this OWEN CLEAN THROUGH, TO BAROS, GODDAMM*T BRAD FRIEDEL. AAARRRGGGHHH. *breathes* He's my boy and all, but I hate when he's playing against us and pulls rabbits out of his hat like that. Murphy takes a corner. Nothing of it. Looks like this result is going to hold up. This is now our worst run of form in FORTY NINE YEARS. 86'
Liverpool win a succession of corners Gerrard to take this one. 3 mins left, 1-1. Another corner Gerrard again, cleared
DIouf down the wing, in well to Owen, JUST tackled away. Corner. Blackburn player getting treatment. Gerrard takes it from the right, cleared for another corner. Gerrard, nothing. Played back. No passion, no creativity. Great delivery in, Hyypia heads wide. ANother great chance. You know, boys, we shouldn't start playing in the 85th minute. 3 minutes of stoppage now.