The Football.....

[AndyRM]

Well, there were general comments on why a club of Liverpool's stature would forfeit a game, which is what they did. It's not right or defensible, they do have the players to have made a game of it, but chose not to, away at Real Madrid in the Bernabeu, wow!

Spot. On.

Football has been gubbed by the ludicrous sums of money involved IMO. There's nothing to be made from a valiant defeat, which is why you get the so called big clubs fielding the rezzies when they know they're on a hiding to nothing.

I could go on a lengthy and meandering rant about how the game is knackered but I'll restrain myself for now.

 

[AndyRM]

They didn't forfeit the game.

They did.

The team that Rodgers selected had about as much chance of winning as I have of Dave Brailsford giving me the nod ahead of Chris Froome.

 

[MarkF]

They didn't forfeit the game. They looked at the fixtures coming up and prioritised them as teams often do and rested key players. Maybe Rogers thinks Liverpool have zero chance of winning the Champion's League and their best hope of getting back into it next year is through the league.

They did, BR chose a team that was way from his strongest and his strongest lost 0-3! You do not "prioritise" over a game v Real Madrid at the Bernabeu! When do you expect that fixture (is there a better one?) might come around again?

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Unbelievable.

As I'm sure some of you know, last night QPR travelled to the Etihad and what followed was a disgrace.Rangers were awarded a free-kick inside their own box and despite Rob Green kicking the ball twice, yes you heard twice...he also managed by way of mistake to gift the ball straight to Sergio Aguero and he put the ball in the back of the net. 1-0. The referee didn't bother with a pernickity rule that we all know about (???), namely the keeper mistakenly kicking the ball twice and just awarded the goal because it was the Etihad and the team that were hosting are a top-four team. Makes sense to me.

Referees don't play fair in the Premier league but if they did, the hand-ball artist that is Sergio Aguero wouldn't have got away with this make-believe story above, only for the fact that it happened the other way around and it was Austin's goal ruled out instead. Too bad for QPR that again, poor officiating cost us points and the top team got the benefit of the doubt again thanks to Mike 'The Manc' Dean.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Unbelievable.

As I'm sure some of you know, last night QPR travelled to the Etihad and what followed was a disgrace.Rangers were awarded a free-kick inside their own box and despite Rob Green kicking the ball twice, yes you heard twice...he also managed by way of mistake to gift the ball straight to Sergio Aguero and he put the ball in the back of the net. 1-0. The referee didn't bother with a pernickity rule that we all know about (???), namely the keeper mistakenly kicking the ball twice and just awarded the goal because it was the Etihad and the team that were hosting are a top-four team. Makes sense to me.

Referees don't play fair in the Premier league but if they did, the hand-ball artist that is Sergio Aguero wouldn't have got away with this make-believe story above, only for the fact that it happened the other way around and it was Austin's goal ruled out instead. Too bad for QPR that again, poor officiating cost us points and the top team got the benefit of the doubt again thanks to Mike 'The Manc' Dean.

I think this part of law 13 applied. Or at least that's how it was explained on MotD
''
If the ball is not kicked directly out of the penalty area from a goal kick:

• the kick is retaken''

Read more at http://www.thefa.com/football-rules...11/law-16---the-goal-kick#UK3z3QiEOzfEbV7u.99

That said, QPR were excellent, particularly Austin. And they're the PL's fair play leaders.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Yep, I understand the law Deptford but I just don't believe that this would have happened the other way around. Clearly Hart had no idea otherwise he'd have been the first to protest the consequence of his own mistake.

I'm not rubbishing the law of the game, just the one-sided nature of premiership officiating in favour of the top four. And yes, we were excellent and it's a mark of how well we played when as a Rangers fan I'm disappointed with just a point (against the one-man team that is Manchester City).

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Yep, I understand the law Deptford but I just don't believe that this would have happened the other way around. Clearly Hart had no idea otherwise he'd have been the first to protest the consequence of his own mistake.

I'm not rubbishing the law of the game, just the one-sided nature of premiership officiating in favour of the top four. And yes, we were excellent and it's a mark of how well we played when as a Rangers fan I'm disappointed with just a point (against the one-man team that is Manchester City).

Aha, sorry, I misunderstood (and I was in the middle of ordering some merino socks from Planet X at the time).

 

[MarkF]

It was a cracking game, QPR were were far better than their display v Villa, and were unlucky IMO.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

How did Liverpool get on yesterday? Hopefully they won after chucking the midweek game.

 

[AndyRM]

How did Liverpool get on yesterday? Hopefully they won after chucking the midweek game.

You've got to admire Rodgers' temerity in assuming he could beat the best side in England after his rezzies did so well against the best club side in the world. The man is a fool.

Still, Liverpool's heritage will keep them going.

 

[swee'pea99]

QPR are going from strength to strength recently. They're a transformed team compared with a month ago. And yes, once again they were unlucky. They could and probably should have taken two more points off Man City. Add that to the three they should have got against Liverpool and their position would be very different - and a fairer reflection of how they now stack up against the other teams 'not of the elite'. (Having said all of which, Hart clearly had a very clear idea...he was waving bunny-ears at the ref for all he was worth.)

 

[Monsieur Remings]

QPR are going from strength to strength recently. They're a transformed team compared with a month ago. And yes, once again they were unlucky. They could and probably should have taken two more points off Man City. Add that to the three they should have got against Liverpool and their position would be very different - and a fairer reflection of how they now stack up against the other teams 'not of the elite'. (Having said all of which, Hart clearly had a very clear idea...he was waving bunny-ears at the ref for all he was worth.)

Yep, you're right, on second glance Hart was gesticulating so I stand corrected on that.

But, still don't think the goal would have been disallowed if it had been Man City at the Etihad and the reactions of both goalies and the reaction of the referee to them - Hart for the Austin disallowed goal where the Ref ran all the way back to consult Hart, contrasted with the way that Green was ignored by the same referee for the Aguero handball, illustrates the same bias.

 

[swee'pea99]

Yep, you're right, on second glance Hart was gesticulating so I stand corrected on that.

But, still don't think the goal would have been disallowed if it had been Man City at the Etihad and the reactions of both goalies and the reaction of the referee to them - Hart for the Austin disallowed goal where the Ref ran all the way back to consult Hart, contrasted with the way that Green was ignored by the same referee for the Aguero handball, illustrates the same bias.

Absolutely. Aguero's first touch was genius, but that doesn't change the fact that his goal also involved an offside and a handball, nor does any of it invalidate the notion that the lower teams often don't get a fair deal from referees when they're up against The Elect.

 

[AndyRM]

Moyes has been appointed manager of Real Sociedad. Good move I feel, gets the media in this country off his back a bit and he'll gain a wealth of experience with a foreign team. A similar move worked pretty well for McLaren and I hope the same is true for Moyes.

 

[MarkF]

Moyes has been appointed manager of Real Sociedad.

Lucky bugger.