11 Feb 2012

Roy Evans: It was 'disappointing', and LFC's reaction was 'poor'...

Liverpool are stuck in seventh place in the Premier League after defeat at Old Trafford earlier today, and former manager Roy Evans believes that Manchester United's victory was made easy by Liverpool's lack of fight, and failure to consistently pressurise United's players.

Speaking to LFC TV after the game, Evans could barely hide his frustration with the performance:

"Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs must have thought it was their birthdays today; they were never put under any pressure from the Liverpool midfield whatsoever. Scholes must have thought 'this is just a practice match for me' - no one laid a glove on him. I know you can't tackle these days but no one got anywhere near him".

Liverpool seemed to give up after going 2-0 down; there was no sense of urgency, and no real collective effort to fight tooth and nail for every ball, something that disappointed Evans:

"The reaction to going 2-0 down was poor; there seemed to be a loss of belief that they could win the game. They should've gone back and put United under pressure.

"We had a game years ago when we were 3-0 down at Anfield, which felt like a disaster, and we got back to 3-3. It doesn't always happen like that, but you like to see the belief that you can get back in the game, and I didn't see that from the Liverpool team in the second half. It was disappointing".


I totally agree with Evans; at times, the game was a walk in the park for United, and the two oldest players on the pitch dictated the pace of play in a way that should never have been allowed.

Starting without Bellamy was, IMO, a mistake. If there's one thing Bellamy does well it's set an example by hassling and closing down the opposition, something that Liverpool totally lacked today.

Jaimie Kanwar


46 comments:

  1. Also, I couldn't understand why we left Adam, probably our best passer of the ball, on the bench, while having Henderson from the start. Adam must be thinking why is he left on the bench when his qualities are apparent while Henderson constantly underperforms.

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  2. Spearing, Kuyt and the invisible Mr Downing are not good enough!!!

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  3. JK I dont often agree with you but credit where its due I agree over Bellamy he should be whenever possible the first name on the team sheet. Nobody can play Utd at Old Trafford with a passenger which was surely what downing was today

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  4. Agree! On paper we should have looked at that  Utd midfield and ran them over! They didnt even need to sub?!!Henderson was out of his depth...unsure as usual. Spearing is all heart but lacked quality required and the bite of Lucas. Downing is plain dissapointing. If we had played with the spirit of games under dalglish when he took over then we would have been much better. Dalglish losing plot again too- his interviews are getting cringeworthy!

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  5. bring back samee lee,with clarke our defence has improved,but compared to last season our midfield and attack is dire.think about it,supposedley worse players,but playing better passing ,attaking football

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  6. anyone saw henderson today on the pitch?
    i bet he was having a tequila right just before match being started

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  7. It was a good game today, although Liverpool wre disappointing. I am looking forward to arsenal visiting Liverpool, always an excellent game. Both clubs have great respect for each other, lets show the world what great sportsmanship there is between our great clubs!!

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  8. about time an ex liverpool player/manager had the balls to come out and tell it how he see's it. I'm sick of all these Hansens, lawrensons,nicols all sugarcoating things because they have their head up dalglish's arse.  He's bought some right duffers to the club for vast amounts. We have no clear playing philosophy or pattern of play.   Two abysmal wide players who can't beat a full back. Way too many average/limited players in the liverpool team.  The manager needs to take a look at himself.

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  9. Who's accountable for 71M spent on dross - Carroll, Downing and Henderson?  That's gross mis management

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  10. surely a backward step bring sammy lee back. nothing wrong with coaching. Remember we are in League Cup Final still in FA Cup and 4 points off CL spot. Not everything is wrong

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  11. We, all the LFC fans should feel relief that no transfer activity was taken place in January transfer window under Kenny Dalglish and that is due to the fact that this should be Kenny's first and final full season as a Liverpool manager!  Watching how Kenny has been preparing the team from the beginning of the season up to now it is obvious that he has never had a tactical plan for any game we played!  Additionally, for another game the AMs Steward Downing and Jordan Henderson that were cost to us 20,000,000 each could not justify the reason they were brought to LFC!  It is now the right time for John W. Henry, Thomas Werner, Ian Ayre, and Damiel Comolli to sit down together and identify LFC's next manager whould should be chosen from the following list:
    - Jose Mourinho
    - Guus Hiddink
    - Fabio Capello
    - Marcello Lippi  

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  12. If it was anyone else... ALL the forums would be calling for the managers head!
    Poor signings (and i definitely do not mean cheap!!!) followed by a pathetic starting line up!
    No Adam, No Bellamy!!! WTF?!?!?!
    No pressure!!! What happen to pressing a high line like at Stamford Bridge?!?!
    We looked pathetic... And Suarez should have been told to shake Evra's hand regardless! Now he and Liverpool look like JOKES!
    WHAT A DISGRACE to the uniform!!!
    Disgusted!
    NESV must be reeling right now!!!

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  13. Well, Roy is absolutely spot on .... but it's not the first time we have seen such a lacklustre and heartless performance this season, haven't we ??

    Since Sammy Lee has gone we lack passion and aggression and doesn't look interested to pressure the opposition at all .... we just sit back and let them attack us (we do this against every team, whether it's the top half teams or the bottom half ones) .... embarrassing !!!!

    I can't help it but think that we have taken a few steps backwards over the summer .... we played so much better at the end of last season; we have played wonderful "pass & move" football, have always tried to pressure the opposition, we attacked in numbers, central midfield was always supporting the attack .... in general, WE WERE A JOY TO WATCH !!

    But this season, WE DON'T PLAY AS A TEAM ... our off the ball movement is horrendous, our attacking play is unimaginative, our pressing is non existent, most of the time there is only one player in the box and is easily outnumbered by the opposition's defense ....  no wonder we struggle to score goals, which translates to our defensive approach and our unwillingness to apply pressure.

    In my opinion, we should never have bought Downing and Henderson in the first place. We should rather have bought wide forwards, players who have pace, can dribble, have creativity and know how to score (like Suarez). This would have set up quite nicely for our 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 "pass & move" kind of football !!

    I really wonder why Kenny didn't stick to his guns and kept playing the formation and players, which worked so well at the end of last season with just bringing in a few reinforcements (2 or 3 players) .... ????

    This team has had a great understanding and they really played well togehter, so why break it up ?? - It just doesn't make sense !!

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  14. Don't worry lads the Carling Cup will save his hide. 10 years out of the game. I could have got liverpool to 6th and 7th

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  15. Question to Jaimie and all - Do you all think the Carling Cup will save Dalglish's hide?  The owners have put themselves in a dangerous position hiring him.

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  16. this team is built on stats,mostly back passes,blame comolli the stat king,who has totally hoodwinked the yanks.mind you,reading reports from america im not entirely convinced by them.anyway why should luis shake hands with someone hes had a mega argument with~would you?

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  17. Downing is absolutely dreadful. Makes Nunez look world class

    He will be gone in the summer

    Liverpool gave up once it went 2-0, couldn't believe my eyes!

    Carroll just mouthed off.......

    We need more pace and incisiveness. Best hope is that we win Carling Cup, guarantee Europa League and when we accept that 4th is gone, start to blood youngsters

    Might give football a break for a while.......

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  18. Have been a LFC fan all my life and like last year,this season is unfolding into a hugely dissapointing and underwhelming one.John W Henry has huge changes to make at season`s end,starting at the top,down.Kenny Dalglish,great,great player,but he,like all the paid professional players is answerable to `his boss`if performances are constantly below par,and they have been for a long time now.Look,LFC FANS CANNOT KEEP LIVING IN THE PAST,the club MUST be emptied of all underwhelming,overpaid players and it pains me to say that Dalglish must go as well.Any LFC fan who thinks not, is deluding themselves,success breeds success,but at this rate we will not and deserve not,to finish top 4.Lets start with bringing the likes of Adam Morgan(we don`t even look like scoring at the moment)and Raheem Stirling into the starting lineup for the remainder of this EPL season....Suarez,imo, will not stay after this season....boy,the LFC OWNERS have some huge decisions to make......I will still and always love and support LFC,but the harsh reality is, that this current team is NOT even worthy of representing LFC in European Champions football and as Henry said at the beginning of this season,he expected a top 4 finish...draw your own conclusions....but right now Shanks would be turning in his grave at the shambolic state of the club.....2013,new season,new beginnings..can`t come soon enough!!!!!     

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  19. Why the uproar about Suarez not shaking Evra’s black (politically correct) hand? The FA of England on behalf of all English people condoned racism by stopping ALL handshakes in the QPR v Chelsea pre-match build-up.

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  20. Kenny's post match interview - "there wasn't really that much between the teams in the game", "the boys went about their jobs as much as they could .... they acquitted themselves very well"


    KK obviously watched a different match to the one that left many fans with disbelief at how little fight the players showed in game with our fiercest rivals, how incoherent in passing, and general disbelief shown by our players! And yet again, the team selection and tactics are totally incomprehensible. What does Downing have to do to not get selected? What does Bellamy have to do to start? What does eye-for-goal, forward passing Shelvey have to do to get a game?  Sorry, KK you will always be a legend at LFC but your comments just wrongly rationalizing and defending mediocrity.

    I support the team when we lose, but at least turn up, fight the good fight, and lose knowing you have given your all. Today's display fall short on all counts and is not the Liverpool way.

    What a season! Promised so much, delivered so little. And Lucas's injury is no excuse. LFC tend to give managers time - I'm tempted to say give Kenny another season, but I don't see anything changing - player selection, tactics, or choice of summer re-enforcement. I could be wrong. I pray I'm wrong and Kenny injects more pace in the team, brings back players he let go in the mold of Aquaman and Mireles that are actually comfortable with a football and are forward passing. I doubt it, but I live in hope. YNWA

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  21. to stupid a post for serious comment. you seriously want capello ........sighs and reaches for alcohol ....... muppet

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  22. I finally agree with JK's ongoing critique of Suarez. I used to defend his position on the basis that heightening tension is what football is about - the psychology of the game. I think that is what Dalglish has tried to do with regards the Suarez situation, so I read the whole farce as a game of wits - and therefore not to take Liverpool FC's position in defending Suarez as a defence of racism but a calculated attempt to build an us-against-the-world mentality in the dressing room. But Suarez stole the headlines today, and his selfishness is, IMO, what defeated us today. Suarez rattled the players, and the team looked to lack confidence. His selfish and childish attitude is what made us play badly. Playing in a hostile ground, his antics created anxiety and loss of self-belief. Had he shaken Evra's hand, our team would have been more relaxed. As it was, he handed United the psychological edge - they had a reason to unite and stand together. And Dalglish must realise this before he follows Benitez down the "facts" path of obscurity.

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  23. Bringing KK back is a step forward? The team had been playing without any game plan...it worked wonderfully in the 80's when the biggest challenger to our supremacy was, ehem, Everton!

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  24. Beg to differ, Cappello has managed 4 clubs and won a league title with each one. He has also won a CL spanking J. Cruyffs dream team 4-0 in the final. Good enough for AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid but not Liverpool? There are worse CV's out there.

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  25. Look, although he was a lovely bloke, Roy was a rubbish manager and one of the last people I would take tactical advice from. That said, he's still in a different league to this site's team.
    I know his view is probably not a million miles from the truth and the sort of comment this site thrives on, but we have enough problems dealing with the perception of LFC from outside the club without everyone here bleating all the time.
    We know not all the signings Kenny has made are having the kind of impact we expected, but give him and them another season.

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  26. I wonder if Chelsea's message boards are full of the same posters calling their manager and all their players duds?

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  27. Another game where Scholes teaches our midfield a lesson

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  28. we cant win them all, even when we where winning championships we lost games. Time and time again, people see us loose and come on here and give KK loads and the new signings. We are still in contention for 4th, alot of the other teams up their have to play each other and we can make the ground up. lets have a little faith. the season is not over yet!!!!!

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  29. Yes he did Paddy..yes he most definitely did...

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  30. The manner in which Liverpool have defended Suarez will surely become a case study for graduate students all over the UK..

    Kenny has simply lost the plot and his time away from the game is showing big time...

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  31. It can work wonderfully this time round too, but not now that's for sure! A game based on instinct is definitely going to be a challenge when you don't know instinctively who's going to do what. The amount of time each of our midfielders and forwards needs on the ball is currently ridiculous. Somebody needs to orchestrate our play, and it isn't happening.

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  32. Spurgeon Tanner...inevitably a virgin. 

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  33. Absolutely! I can see a convoluted logic to it, from a Dalglish kind of mindset. But had the team all worn anti-racism Tshirts to training instead of Suarez shirts, had KD rather argued that Suarez had made a mistake and regretted it, had he forced Suarez to shake Evra's hand, and had Suarez maybe made a public statement against racism, apologising for a silly and unintended racial slur (he could even still claim a misunderstanding) - had all that happened, then Liverpool would right now have gained themselves a credibility and profile they couldn't have even bought. A missed opportunity, for sure!!  

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  34. the people that slag kenny are out of the woodwork again the minute we lose a game

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  35. You know, it's really interesting to read the common sense approach to the whole Suarez affair, the logical path that LFC, Suarez, and Dalglish could so easily have taken to not only diffuse the situation,  but win Liverpool some respect for handling a thorny issue in the appropriate manner. Instead LFC fanned the flames by making outrageous and libelous statements against the express wishes of the FA,  Dalglish and the players shoved their heads in the sand, adopted a siege mentality, and donned their T-shirts in probably the worst PR exercise seen at Anfield in decades, and Suarez showed himself to not only be an unprincipled and disingenuous individual, but one who had no qualms about causing further embarrassment to the club and particularly his manager by going back on an assurance that he would shake hands with Evra. Yet none of this compares to the evident psychosis and raging paranoia so evident in the posts of so many Liverpool supporters, whose rampant tribalism overrides all common sense to the point where they not only attack everyone who dares questions Suarez's or LFC's behaviour over the affair, but even turn on those 'within the ranks' who have dared to question Suarez's behaviour or that of Dalglish - and the number of Liverpool people seeing Suarez as an out and out liability is increasing. Liverpool were once the yardstick of both English and European football, with a proud and enviable record both on and off the pitch. Recent events are not only destroying the club's once proud record, but turning it into a pariah, the poster child of clubs whose myopic self-interest and unbalanced 'us against them' mentality has taken them down some of the most unsavory paths seen in years and forever tarred it with the brush of being a racist-supporting institution, however unfair that might seem to some. It could all have been avoided had all parties concerned been prepared to take the high ground on the issue, and it could have been dealt with easily, saved Liverpool's blushes, and left it with some dignity. But that obviously was just too much to ask of the place, and much of the blinkered behaviour revolves around the fact that United, a hated rival, was the offended party. So bitter have people at Anfield become at United's success, at the cost of Liverpool's former stranglehold on English football and while the club has gone almost as long as United did without a championship, that common sense went out the window when the Suarez incident raised its ugly head. This is what envy and pride do when memories of former glories are all that people have to go by in Liverpool. What so many people seem to have forgotten in this whole mess is that LFC is the institution that should always come first in the eyes of management, the players, and the fan base. What Suarez has neatly done is put himself front and center throughout this whole sorry mess, while everyone else has gotten confused over the old 'you'll never walk alone' mantra and blindly stood by him as he's turned Liverpool into the EPL's major embarrassment. Nothing highlighted that point more than yesterday, when the player, in his typically churlish and self-involved manner, went back on his word to Dalglish, humiliated both the club and his manager in the process, and handed United the psychological edge by firing them all up. Added to all that is the additional negative publicity handed out to the club by the media. You simply have to ask - is Suarez's grotesque self-involvement worth it to Liverpool, or is it time to part ways and start rebuilding bridges with the football world at large?

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  36. I agree with you Paddy, but for the others defending Suarez? The lot of you should be ashamed of yourselves! More so, with this 

    http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/ian-ayre-luis-was-wrong 
    http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/luis-suarez-i-m-sorry 

    So much for no man is greater than the club, most have exalted him to  stature he does not deserve! Mud in your face I tell you, nothing but mud. We are now a laughing stock to the whole Premier League and our image and respect has taken a beating. Sadly, we refuse to accept this. Sickening the state of this club, absolutely sickening. Will we recover? I believe not. Onwards, to becoming a middle table club!

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  37. A little PS - Exactly how much does Suarez's apology this morning highlight the rampant paranoia of many at Liverpool who got themselves into a lather over their perception that he did in fact try to shake hands and that it was Evra who declined to offer his hand? Only the more loopy members of the Kop came out with that theory - in large numbers. Doubtless, it will now be a case of 'we wuz rite! KD forced him to say it'!

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  38. well said had kk and liverpool came out as soon as they herd what evra had said and said it was all a misunderstanding and said SORRY for any insult it was not meant in racsit way.This would of ended then and there and liverpool could of started to worry about football and not what was in the press and on tv.

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  39. truth is the truth and you need people close to tell it.

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  40. Exactly!! We need to start to rebuild the tarnished image of this team. 

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  41. Take a walk before you disgrace LFC

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  42. Hey...the man sell or laon those who can pass,moved and replaced with long ball merchant like....you know. I'm a big fan of kenny but for LFC sake i would rather have RAFA back as a manager.

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  43. The english or the fa were double face,fake and pretender when their pride are threaten and they are too arrogance to admit it,wata bunch of loser. VIVA SUAREZ

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  44. Suarez denies the allegations, how can can Kenny contradict him and say he made a mistake. And when evra says he called him a negro 10 times and Suarez says he said it once how can Suarez then apologise to a man hes calling a liar??

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  45. great post.

    Not only that, but, until half time, i thought the game had 0-0 written all over it. But, then, just before half time, Suarez decided to kick the ball at the Man Utd dugout and there is a melee in the tunnel. When the teams come out after half time, only one team looks fired up and, within ten minutes, we are 2-0 down. We did not need to fire them up more than they already were, but Suarez managed it with his antics. Dalglish should have left him on the bench at the start and all of this would have been avoided. But, basically, the guy is not trustworthy.

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