Make sure youve got locking wheel nuts on your car boys, Liverpool are in town! Dave, send a nice little note to Bob Crowe and ask him to call off his strike instead. Theres a good chap.
I'd say the game is off - the club statement is preparing fans for it and they set a deadline for 3pm today. The statement itself is three paragraphs, only the first one reads positively. Will be disappointed because I like the Wednesday night games (pretend its the CL) but comes at a good time for us. Don't think the lads would get steamrollered but better to let the reds cool off a bit before playing them.
I think you're right Silks. I interpret the statement as saying the match will only take place if the strike is called off before 3pm today. It will be rather controversial if they call the strike off at 5pm after we've made the announcement! The Liverpool fans are having kittens on their board. I was half tempted to leave a semi-provocative "don't hate the player, hate the game" type comment; but decided against it. It'll be a shame if the match is postponed, especially as we're (sort of) on a roll after the Utd match. But I'm sure the players won't mind a rest. It would be ironic if Suarez picked up an injury and/or our new Greek hotshot gets fully fit for the rearranged fixture and scores a vital goal ;-)
I agree with Foredeckdave...I canât see why the club canât make provisions for this? Arsenal and West Ham, who have bigger grounds so I would assume need more safety staff than we do, have both said there games will be going ahead. Itâs also easier to get to Craven Cottage by over ground and bus than it is to both Arsenal and West Ham. I think itâs pretty piss poor to leave it to 3pm the day before to make an announcement⦠Itâs not such an issue for home fans but for the away fans who would have to book a half day off work to get down to London itâs really poor. Image how most of us would feel if the game was at Anfield and Liverpool were talking about postponing it the day before. I'd be plenty pissed off...
It is a strange one - I'm not sure the District line is that badly affected and staff might as well be on strike all year round given how crap the service is.
West Ham are playing today, before the strike kicks in. Like us as last Tuesday. Don't know if you tried TMHALF, but trying to get on a bus during the rush hour last Wednesday was nigh on impossible and as for the journey time when you did... And that would only be getting to the game, goodness knows what it will be like leaving, cos you can be sure tfl won't be laying on extra buses at that time of night.
good news. I also think it was poor but I can't speak for other clubs. I went ot London last Thursday and it was a bloody nightmare so I can also see it from that angle. Anyway, it's all gravy now and the strike is off. COYW
The excuse offered by your club is so pathetic as to be untrue. There is no reason why, strike or no strike that Fulham could not arrange transport for the security staff concerned. It just illustrates a pathetic unprofessional approach so perhaps the Premiership would actually be better off without your club.
Firstly, I would like to congratulate you on becoming 'Music Thread Manager'. It is, without question, a challenge for any man, but I have no doubt you will rise to it. I would also like to suggest you find a new means of channeling your unhappiness. I'm sure the burden of duties that has fallen upon you as 'Music Thread Manager' is both heavy and testing - perhaps jogging might provide a more suitable outlet.
Brilliant. So you employ (and celebrate) a racist and openly tap up players, and our club states an issue with the capital's central transport system, and we don't deserve to be in the PL. To be honest, Foreskindave, I can live without the Premiership, as it means we wouldn't have the displeasure of spoiled ****wit football 'fans' like yourself.
Because if you have been to London, which I doubt, you will realise that it is a vast place (vast means huge, big, etc.) that commuting within place is done almost 100% by tube... Arranging transport for 200-300 staff who potentially come from all over London is practically impossible. Now jog on back to where you came from....
Okay back to normal and team selection. Rene in his press conference says Kostas is still not ready and Amorebietta is ... well he's got some kind of injury, yet again. Why change the line-up then? Liverpool will obviously have a different attacking stle than Man United and run at our lot much more. As all the pundits keep saying their strength is to counter attack whether playing home or away. Nonetheless I'd stick with the same team. We showed that we can hit on the break as well and it will be important to have a solid 4-4 in our own half. Not least because it will also allow Riether to get forward and provide cover behind him. A small aside and all my previous comments about Sidwell. When I berated him it was when he played in a 2 man midfield - mainly because his oppo hasn't got a clue where he is. However in a 3 man (or 4 or was it 5 at the weekend?) he's always been extremely effective. Another reason then to have 4 across the middle. So, I go for no change in the starting line-up from last Sunday. PS Don't think it will any impact on the main squad selection, but the U21s are also playing tomorrow night - away to Villa in a re-arranged fixture.
Last time out we got a bit of a spanking. If my memory is correct Coutinho played an outrageous pass to split our defence. Sturridge got a hat-trick amid chants 'you just a s~~~ Danny Wellbeck'. I'd stick with the same team again - reward them for their efforts and make subs if anyone starts tiring. I've been weighing up whether we should try match fire with fire and go all out at them from the start- but on reflection that's probably what Arsenal intended to do and it played right into their hands. If we essentially play with 9 men rigid in their defensive positions (although Richardson given a little licence to get forward) and have Holtby and Tankovic with a bit more freedom to stay in attack even when we are pinned back - we might be able to catch them on the counter. I like the idea of Tankovic as, like he showed against Utd with his long run, he's got the pace to break forward if we get the chance. Holtby a great person to have put him in behind. I agree, Sidwell looks much better without advanced wingers. He's going to move out of position at some point in the game and if he is joining 3 players (and at times he was joining 4, Berba, Ruiz and the two wide men) already advanced we're short in midfield. If he's joining 2 others then we've got that extra man to cover. His energy is what we need in a captain, although I still think Kara has a role to play and maybe his composure in the middle might suit better when we're not playing on the counter.
Park the bus and lock the doors and you have a good chance of a draw or even maybe a win - we're a phenomenal counter-attacking outfit but useless when a team sits back and doesn't come at us as we can't unlock teams very well at all when they don't play a high line and stretch themselves. Arsenal and Everton both came at us and both with high lines. 4-0 and 5-1.
The speed you've got up top is ridiculous and I rate Coutinho very highly (I know he's a popular figure at Anfield). He maybe just needs to add goals to his game but then his assists and key passes probably more than make up for that. I think Gerrard the weak link for us to exploit (and that shows your strength more than anything), if only because he's in a new role and we might be able to get at him when he's lining up for Hollywood passes. I remember Murphy catching Scholes out when he came to us in a similar 'Pirlo' role and tried to turn with the ball from a goal kick.
Looking forward to the game and agree with C58. These are the games that the players love, and as he mentioned in his pre match video they raise their game. Liverpool are very quick so I think a more defensively minded game plan would be okay for a home game. It's bottom versus 4th at the end of the day. If you play to have a go then we'll get taken apart and it will be a train wreck of a result. I'm not bothered if we lose, it was never a game where I thought we could get a point or 3 anyway. They have too much quality but after Old Trafford, who knows. Maybe another Fulhamish result?
