The Official Liverpool Thread - Part 2

[Philby]

I barely pay any notice to commentary or punditry anymore. They're trying to make it all about them rather than the game itself. They'll also say anything you pay them too.

Yep. It's all very "self-aware" now. Actively thinking about what would play well as a social media clip in the hours after the match.

Give me the simplicity of

A
G
U
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
R
O

any day.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

I barely pay any notice to commentary or punditry anymore. They're trying to make it all about them rather than the game itself. They'll also say anything you pay them too.

The gang commentating on Singapore or Australia coverage are a lot better than Sky.

God bless the firestick.

 

[The Duke]

M8, are you forgetting your station?

This is the fabled Anfield committee. They made Jurgone take Salah instead of some donkey he wanted, and they've never made a bad decision* except that time they were unlucky with Keita after RoundY ruined him.

They can hardly be blamed for that. So back in your box before you dare question them again.

*I forgot Nunez, but that's it
*Oh and Thiago

*And selling Diaz, but that's it, no wait,
* Konate

Anyway, besides the loads of mistakes they've made, they've hardly made any.

Selling Diaz was a calamity. Losing Kelleher was desperate too. I wouldn’t necessarily criticise them for selling Kelleher given he was going into his last year of contract. Getting into that situation in the first place was a huge ball drop. Brentford got him for a song. Fair play to Brentford they’re having a belter of season and more power to them. I’d love to see Kelleher play in champions league; that is his level.

 

[Nollaig O Muracu]

Give me the simplicity of

A
G
U
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
R
O

any day.

But we're the City fans

Sure anyway, it was a natural progression given that you're both oil clubs now.

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Yep. It's all very "self-aware" now. Actively thinking about what would play well as a social media clip in the hours after the match.

Give me the simplicity of

A
G
U
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
R
O

any day.

Prefer an 'its up for grabs now' myself.

 

[Cloudy O'Ranieri]

Just read a few comments on the VAR decision at the end, I am not sure what people have an issue with.

Pre the days of glorious VAR, it would simply have been pulled back for the initial foul on Haaland as it was clear no advantage would have been gained by letting play run. In the VAR era, passages of play have to run their course before they can be reviewed. Both outcomes should result in the same ending, red card for the denial of a goal scoring opportunity and a free kick. VAR is a shit show but cant complain about this one.

Can't agree with that at all. The ref was letting it run because the ball was still on course for goal, regardless of whether VAR was in play or not.

I think any ref would have done the same ten years ago and then made a decision, and I'd bet if you replayed that type of incident numerous times with various refs, without VAR involvement, a reasonable amount of them would have just let it be a goal.

We all know it's technically 100% correct what happened but sometimes shit happening is just fucking graaand, especially when nobody is getting completely robbed.

We want to see goals, we want to see madness and mistakes. We don't want to see forensic decisions about every little detail.

We need to come to a point where the Henry handballs don't happen but the general chaos, joy and despair are largely untouched.

 

[Gregory_Mike]

 

[Handy Run]

We need to come to a point where the Henry handballs don't happen but the general chaos, joy and despair are largely untouched.

No argument there.

If they'd just stuck with clear and obvious it'd be largely ok.

Or do you have something else in mind? Umpires next to the posts?

 

[Philby]

If they'd just stuck with clear and obvious it'd be largely ok.

Disagree.

That "clear & obvious" construct has proven to be badly suited to the reality.

It involves subjective judgement of the ref's initial decision, which ties things up further in knots.

 

[Philby]

Can't agree with that at all. The ref was letting it run because the ball was still on course for goal, regardless of whether VAR was in play or not.

I'd agree. It was less than 2 seconds between Szoboszlai's foul and Haaland's foul. No harm in the ref leaving it play out to a conclusion & then taking a few seconds to compose himself and make a decision.

I think any ref would have done the same ten years ago and then made a decision, and I'd bet if you replayed that type of incident numerous times with various refs, without VAR involvement, a reasonable amount of them would have just let it be a goal.

Agree. They might not even have really formed a view on WHY precisely they let the goal stand, but just felt it was somehow "fair" because both players fouled eachother.

If they were fouling eachother at the same time, but Haaland's greater strength allowed him to somehow shepherd the ball home I'd be ok with having that goal stand.

Not 100% sure what the rule book would say, but i bet the majority of refs would let it stand too.

We all know it's technically 100% correct what happened but sometimes shit happening is just fucking graaand, especially when nobody is getting completely robbed.

We want to see goals, we want to see madness and mistakes. We don't want to see forensic decisions about every little detail.

We need to come to a point where the Henry handballs don't happen but the general chaos, joy and despair are largely untouched.

I agree in spirit - about the chaos, the memorable moments, the sense that your celebration won't be rendered null & void in 60-300 seconds.

But you're opening up a bit of a pandora's box by saying that clear rule-breaking which results in a goal should stand in one instance (Haaland) but not in another (Henry) purely on the basis of what?

Bants?

A judgement of how much the outcome matters on the day (regardless of any knock-on impacts to other teams in the competition)?

Do you want to codify when a ref can go off-piste for the craic, or leave it wide open?

The Haaland decision wasn't about a mere forensic detail only unveiled with the benefit VAR. It was a blatant foul that was blindingly obvious in real-time.