The Week in Comments: "2 Goals in 20 mins AKA 'A Half Arsenal'"

Rumour Mongering: Oh No, Kono! Edition

I am going to play for Liverpool FC.

— Konoplyanka, seems legit

Gavin.Paull: I'm torn

On the one hand...this guy is a great player who would walk right into the starting XI (or at the very least the first option off the bench). Gotta get that kind of talent in when you can, and with Champions League football (hopefully) on the way, Kono is the type of player we should absolutely expect to get.

On the other hand...the yakety-sax business model this owner seems to subscribe to is exhausting. There are plenty of top-class players who are going to want to come to this club in the months/years to come if LFC’s trajectory continues in the same direction. Not gonna miss a lot of sleep over this if he chooses non-champions league football so he can use the Tube to get around.

On the OTHER hand... fuck Spurs.

Khaine: Third hand rec.

Gerrard "Blown Away" by Rodgers' Sessions

This season is crazy to me

Rodgers has stated again and again that our rebuilding and breaking into the CL would be a three year process. This was supposed to be our Two Towers year: entertaining, if slow in parts, with the villainous Suarez leading our heroes towards their goal for his own nefarious purposes. “Sure I’ll lead you to the Champion’s League, tricksy tricksy!” (Also, both characters are fond of biting people.) All of that drama building to the conclusion in part three where our brave leader, Gerrard, once again takes his rightful place as king.

But that is not how it happened at all. If anything, Suarez has been more Han Solo than Gollum, to borrow from another famous trilogy. (And if that makes Arsene Wenger Jabba the Hutt in this scenario, well – I regret nothing.) In fact, depressing cliffhanger aside, this season is a lot like Empire Strikes Back, in that it has surprised everyone by being much better than the original. Hopefully next season will be our victory lap, like Return of the Jedi, where we have enough momentum and good will built up to even throw in a few stupid Ewoks without people getting that mad.

— epicskyline, bringing out all the nerd recs

A few things stand out for me.

one-on-one telling off

and

But you can only get that togetherness, spirit and happiness when you do the dirty work and go the extra mile. That is what these players are doing for each other right now.

The first part tells me Rodgers understands that his role is to guide the players into the very best they can be and that he realises getting combative with someone in a group will invariably lead to that player getting worse not better, so doing it in a closed setting where they are much more likely to understand his frustrations rather than feel as though he has just turned them into a fool amongst his peers is a much better way to achieve results.

The second part is what Rodgers has called for from the very first second he was named manager because he realised that if he can get his players believing in the collective no one from within that group will dare to not put in a shift.

These two examples of his managerial style are crucial to longevity and that’s why we are in an almighty safe pair of hands.

— Nebhamoo

Match Preview: Cardiff City v. Liverpool, 03.22.14

GunSaladin: Seriously, every Liverpool match is always makes me nervous now that we’re so close to the top. Here’s to 2 goals in first 20 minutes.

kingofzachland: AKA "A Half Arsenal"

Rodgers Downplays Title Talk

Nerf: Steady...

steadyang: Someone call me?

From
Steady Ang

Cardiff City 3, Liverpool 6: All About the Goals as Liverpool Overwhelm Cardiff

People keep saying we won't win the title because we need 3 or 4 goals to win a game. What they're not saying is that the opponent would need 5 or 6 to beat us.

— Jimmy Rustles, turning the narrative on its head

Suarez Rescues Himself from Crisis of Confidence with Injury-Time Strike

Ed: I’m sorry you don’t like lighthearted things that are intended to be a mild source of amusement and then forgotten immediately.

GJR8: Sounds like my sex life

Nerf: lol, a rec tion

WHY WAS RAHEEM SELFISHLY STANDING IN A POACHERS POSITION JUST TO MAKE LUIS LOOK BAD?!

— PeterRed

I'm now imagining opposition keepers creating an AA-style support group

God, grant me the serenity to accept Suarez’s goals I cannot stop,
The courage to stop the goals I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.

— epicskyline

Cardiff City 3, Liverpool 6: All About the Goals as Liverpool Overwhelm Cardiff

We conceded 3 goals, the defence had no protection, Allen and Henderson struggled, Lucas should have come on for Gerrard after Suarez put us 4-2 up at the hour mark especially considering Gerrard’s failure to protect the back four effectively combined with his yellow card, Flanagan was defensively callow for large periods, Cissokho looks incapable of being reliable in possession, Sturridge can hold onto the ball a tad too much at times, Liverpool will win most games in the manner that they’re playing but won’t win every remaining game playing this way so the title might just be out of reach, and Mignolet needs to come off his line a whole lot more.

Hope that was a sufficient dose of whatever that thing is called. :-)

— Chuck, reminding us that when things are nice, everything is still the worst

(via winds)

• Total commenters this week: 213
• Total comments this week: 3996
• Total recs (lenient or otherwise): 5347
• Total green comments: 319

That might be a new record for number of greened commments in a week, which suggests that Everything is the Best.

• Welcome to delurkers A Vintage Red, makeusdream, and jharries. Apologies if I missed anyone!
• aj.joven.7's posted about the next chapter of Red or Dead.
• Nerf had some thoughts on the diamond midfield formation.
• If it's still Monday where you live, Monday morning coffee is up. Slightly stale coffee on Tuesdays is okay too!

If it's not on this list, what was your favourite comment (not made by you!) this week?