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Liverpool v Exeter City - Official Matchday Thread

arthur

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I just can't understand the mind-set of a man who would put out a team like the one that started last night. The atmosphere amongst the fans died as soon as it was announced and I think the players felt it too. All the younger, hungry energetic players who did so well in earning us the trip to Anfield, must have felt it as an absolute kick in the teeth and those who are thinking about leaving will no doubt have been nudged further in that direction. Ou seats were down near the corner flag where the players were warming up, the chap in front of us shouted to Tom Nichols that he should be on the pitch and the look and the roll of the eyes that Tom gave back really said it all.

I don't mind us losing, i don't mind us being outclassed, we are after all a bottom tier side playing 18 times english champions and 5 times european champions away from home, but at least let them know they'd been in a game. The way we set up it was like we'd lost before we'd started. We had absolutely nothing to lose, we should have put as near a dammit the same side out that played in the first game and told them to go for it and enjoy themselves. If we'd lost 6-0, so what! but let them hold their heads high and say they gave it the best shot. Watching those slow old men lumbering around chasing shadows in the first half, knocked the stuffing out of fans and players alike. We seriously missed a Noble or a Harley to control things for us in the middle, but if they'd had Butterfield, Oakley and Morrison plodding around them I doubt it would have made that much difference.

It was instantly better in the second half with Nichols and Hoskins on, but I think the damage to morale had been done by then. I was watching Wheelers face before he came on and I could be wrong but I didn't see any sign of him chomping at the bit with excitement, even though it was still only 1-0 at the time, it looked to me like he knew it was a lost cause. Felt so sorry for Tilson as well, this may be the only chance he ever gets to play in front of a full Anfield, and he has to watch a fat Oakley running around doing nothing!

I was really looking forward to the match and nothing would have stopped me going there. Walking around on the way in, seeing all the crowds, the sign for the Kop and all the other things I've only seen on TV before, I was like the 7 year old boy I once was going to my first match all those years ago. I'm glad I went, I'm glad I experienced being in that famous old stadium packed to the rafters along side 6000+ fellow Grecians, but the side Tisdale put out and the resulting play left me feeling thoroughly cheated at half time. Although I felt a little better at the final whistle, the shine had been taken off what I was hoping would be a truly memorable night.

As fans of a lower league team we don't get many opportunities for a bit of glory, so you have to grab them with both hands when they come along. Tisdale's usual over thinking and lets get to half time 0-0 and see what happens in the last 15 minutes approach, stole that chance of a bit of glory from us and the players last night. I'm just so sick of it, I really don't think Tisdale recognises what exciting is! It is just one match, a match that we were always likely to lose and a match that made us an awful lot of much needed cash, but this tedious approach to football really is symptomatic of everything that's disappointing around our club. Entertainment is in very short supply at our favourite entertainment organisation!!!
Please could this be read out in full at the next board meeting.
 

Herschel

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RIP Stanno, City Legend never to be forgotten
Better pitch to play football on with pace and skill.
Bigger pitch to play football on with pace and skill.
Still playing against a bunch of kids with little experience.

Yet Tisdale sees fit to start with a team that had no chance of exploiting the above, despite having watched his starting lineup in the home game tear Liverpool apart at times.

So bitterly disappointing.........as others have said, I'd rather the game be over at half time but having gone at them, than to have done what Tisdale did.

Money is one thing, but as fans we wanted a performance at one of the most historic and famous grounds in history.

It's not even like we're sitting pretty in the league and he wanted to save their legs to get promoted......

It stinks.
 

StroudGrecian

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As pretty much everyone else has said, when I heard the team read out before kick off my heart sank. Driving up from Gloucestershire was bad enough, those travelling from Devon to be then presented with that team sheet have my sympathies. We were awful first half. Despite packing the midfield our marking down our right was all over the place - no surprise they took the lead from exploiting that. So lucky to be still in it at half time. The starting changes Klopp made were spot on - Ibe to run at our defence, Allen to pull the strings in midfield, and a proper keeper, just in case. Thought Joe Allen was MoM- it was as if David Noble had swapped sides for the replay.

Nichols, later Wheeler, and a more attacking formation made for a better half-hour during the second half, though why throw an unfit Hoskins on when (IMO) a fit and available Joel Grant could have caused them problems was yet more bafflement. OK we lost 2 more goals but at least we were playing football - frustrating to be shown what we might have done if Tisdale had had the cajones to go for it with pace from the start, instead of starting with half a team of veterans.

I've long been a fan of Tisdale but no doubt he got it seriously wrong last night. I can understand playing the old feckers against less mobile and skilful L2 opposition, but by doing so last night he simply conceded the tie, which considering what the fans had to go through to get there IMO requires an apology.

Given the unnecessary and unwanted lane closures slowing everything up to a walking pace on the M6, we could only surmise on the way home that someone at the Highways Agency had put Tisdale in charge of the cones for the evening.
 
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rp42

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Sunderland away was so much better than last night,least we had a right go at them first half,last night nothing.
 

geoffwp

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Given the unnecessary and unwanted lane closures slowing everything up to a walking pace on the M6, we could only surmise on the way home that someone at the Highways Agency had put Tisdale in charge of the cones for the evening.
I totally sympathise with the completely shyte journey back for all the travelling fans but I did laugh at this Stroudy.
 
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What an embarrassing and frustrating evening.

The timid team selection stood no chance. Being gracious, I can understand the principle of not being overrun in the first half but there will be opportunities to counter attack though that was never going to happen with that team.

Good efforts by certain groups to create an atmosphere though surrounded by dumb statues in signing block who only took their hands out of their pockets to record Liverpool attacks. Giving priority groups first choice of singing blocks is more likely to bring the usual suspects together.
 
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PS Agree with Red Bill though would substitute "competition" for "entertainment" in last sentence.
 
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I am glad I didn't go now. I don't blame any of the players for that, the responsibility rests with the manager's 'tactics' . Personally I think that Morrison starting wasn't a bad idea as he is a player with history at the ground and could have really riled up the Liverpool defence. The issue was that he didn't get a chance to do that because of playing Butterfeet and Oakley who are simply too slow and were constantly overran . I don't know if Oyeleke is injured or what he has done wrong but he could have made some serious damage to Liverpool last night like Tom Nichols or David Wheeler, in fact even Joel Grant (who I am not a big admirer of) would have been better than playing the two old men in Midfield, that is where we suffered badly last night and it is such a shame that the manager simply gave up before kicking a ball.

Just an aside note, Craig Woodman is complete and utter ****e and should be released, the amount of times he got taken last night was embarrassing and it happens every single game. It seems like he almost gave away a penalty (AGAIN) when their player took it past him and then stumbled as the extremely slow Woodman seemed to touch him, if he would have fell it would have been a stone waller. I think he is played because of his good deliveries yet we have Holmes on the pitch who is a better free kick and corner taker than him!
 

Stuart Storer's Tache

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I agree with Credy! Crap tactics and starting line up. Dissapointed but we've got £££ from a little cup 'run'.

Just hope they get back to business on Saturday and start climbing back toward the play off spots. If we miss top 7 this year with the squad we have it's a failure IMO.
Agreed, this is one of the best, if not the best squad we've had in the 20 years I've watched City. Top seven should be the minimum.
 

Anonymous

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At 1-0 down we were still in with a shout. Tisdale made the changes to create an impact, we extended and played more attacking football but the space created allowed Liverpool to get the second. Game over at that point.

Tis had a strategy, players in the second half need more cutting edge. Sorry hoskins and tom, I like you both but you needed to make an impact and you didn't.
 
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