Lille (H)

[Blue 250]

From start to finish we were pretty dam good, their goalkeeper made a couple of great saves early on and but for them we could have gone on to thrash them.

 

Lukaku's second goal was surely onside and boy did that lad step it up a bit tonight, linked well and layed some great balls off.

 

Special mention for McCarthy, thought he had a great game, Baines too.

 

Osman still has some magic in those feet, the legs might be a bit slower, but the brains as fast as ever.

 

Well played lads.

[rubecula]

Loved the commentators comment at the end. "They wiped Lilles clock for them." lol

[djsunyc]

lukaku looked like a BEAST tonight. is he finally healthy? the past few games were building towards this type of performance.

[markjazzbassist]

Best performance of the season for me. Complete from beginning to end. All the lads did really well and I am a very cheerful guy right now. Top of the group!

[Hafnia]

Gibson was quality. Has a much better footballing brain than McCarthy and Barry. Was so refreshing to see someone showing for the ball, Passing and moving and putting his head up looking to go forward. He ain't got a chance under Martinez though.

 

Lille were really bad. Made us look good when in all honesty it was a very average performance. Very little quality in the final third.

Depends what you mean by footballing brain. If you mean orchestrating play on the attack then yes he is a more impactful passer and sees pictures better going forward.

 

Defensively McCarthy is in a league his own from a footballing brain perspective, he sees threats immediately and knows exactly where to be. Plays the ball nice a simple and sets a good tempo. Intelligence wise he's up there.

 

Why doesn't Gibson have a chance under Martinez? Before his injury Gibson was RMs main player, had a really good pre season and was given the main role. He's had a really bad injury so not sure what you want Martinez to do?

[Peter H]

I didn't get to see the game but I have looked at the high lights and I think Lukaku looked much better. Was denied twice by the keeper. (two great saves, once from Naismiths little touch in the box to Lukaku who turned and fired. And the free kick) Lukaku also had a great touch and pass to Baines who set up Naismiths goal.

 

Ok, he probably should have done better with his header from McGeadys cross but that was the only squandered chance that I saw.

 

McGeady looked ace last night. Lets hope he keeps this up. He was behind 4 great setups, two resulted in goals.

 

McCarthy - what a player he is! Well worth the money, probably doubled his value over the past two seasons to be honest. At the least!

 

Naismith - The man is a beast at the moment. What a bargain find when played right.

 

Could praise everyone in the team. If they keep this up I cant see why we cant challenge the top 4 this year.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aNAuqr0Ta8

[Romey 1878]

Gibson was quality. Has a much better footballing brain than McCarthy and Barry. Was so refreshing to see someone showing for the ball, Passing and moving and putting his head up looking to go forward. He ain't got a chance under Martinez though.

 

How can you even say that? He's been injured pretty much the entire time Martinez has been here, but when he's been fit he's been used as much as he can be (which is not much seeing as he's still building up his fitness!). If he didn't have a chance under Martinez then when Barry went off last night it'd have been Besic who came on instead (a Martinez buy).

[MC11]

How can you even say that? He's been injured pretty much the entire time Martinez has been here, but when he's been fit he's been used as much as he can be (which is not much seeing as he's still building up his fitness!). If he didn't have a chance under Martinez then when Barry went off last night it'd have been Besic who came on instead (a Martinez buy).

I can say it quite easily. He's been fit for at least a couple of months now and only made a couple of appearances in cup games. He hasn't been used in the league once to my recollection. It's quite obvious that he's way down the pecking order when he shouldn't be.

[Deacs]

I can say it quite easily. He's been fit for at least a couple of months now and only made a couple of appearances in cup games. He hasn't been used in the league once to my recollection. It's quite obvious that he's way down the pecking order when he shouldn't be.

Why shouldn't he be? Barry & McCarthy are excellent more often than not, it's right he should be behind them in the order.

[MC11]

 

Why shouldn't he be? Barry & McCarthy are excellent more often than not, it's right he should be behind them in the order.

He's behind Besic as well. Who's a similar player to McCarthy and Barry. He offers something different than those 3. For example a game like Swansea at the weekend would suit Gibson more than Besic. We do struggle to break teams down at times and someone like Gibson can see passes the others don't he should have a more proactive role than his current one at least. Edited November 7, 2014 by MC11

[Hafnia]

I can say it quite easily. He's been fit for at least a couple of months now and only made a couple of appearances in cup games. He hasn't been used in the league once to my recollection. It's quite obvious that he's way down the pecking order when he shouldn't be.

 

I'm sorry but thats nonsense - he spent 11 months out with a cruciate injury - historically these injuries finish players off. He played for Ireland and picked up a knock on his knee in training for Everton.

 

You would be slating RM if he played him and his knee broke down again.

 

 

Martinez insists the midfielder still has a huge role to play at Goodison Park, and that he has been missed during the 2013-14 campaign.

“Darron has been a big miss for us,” Martinez is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo. “He has not been forgotten internally.

“I know when you don’t play as a player you get a little bit out of the limelight but I’m very excited about Darron’s contribution next season. He’s exactly the type of midfielder we need. Gareth Barry and James McCarthy have been fantastic, but we could have done with Darron being fit and ready.

[MC11]

I'm sorry but thats nonsense - he spent 11 months out with a cruciate injury - historically these injuries finish players off. He played for Ireland and picked up a knock on his knee in training for Everton.

 

You would be slating RM if he played him and his knee broke down again.

 

 

Martinez insists the midfielder still has a huge role to play at Goodison Park, and that he has been missed during the 2013-14 campaign.

“Darron has been a big miss for us,” Martinez is quoted as saying by the Liverpool Echo. “He has not been forgotten internally.

“I know when you don’t play as a player you get a little bit out of the limelight but I’m very excited about Darron’s contribution next season. He’s exactly the type of midfielder we need. Gareth Barry and James McCarthy have been fantastic, but we could have done with Darron being fit and ready.

Naismith had the same injury.... He's now better than ever.... So not set in stone it ends careers.

 

The quote from Martinez sounds great. Maybe he should start going by his word and actually playing him.

[Hafnia]

Naismith had the same injury.... He's now better than ever.... So not set in stone it ends careers.

 

The quote from Martinez sounds great. Maybe he should start going by his word and actually playing him.

 

Are you having one of those days where you feel that not everyone is in love with your fav players as much as what you are?

 

Don't worry - Gibsons qualities aren't lost on anyone - but neither is his propensity to pick up injuries - which means Martinez is likely to be using him with caution.

 

Maybe the fact that many cruciate rebuilds break down within 12 months may be the reason behind this.... let alone the fact that cartilage injuries are common place after ACL injuries. Next thing you know he will be getting mocked like Arouna Kone for being injured. Patience.... I agree, he offers us a different quality in midfield and he will give us creativity and balance.

[Hoof_It_Nev]

Why was Osman sucking off the corner flag for his celebration by the way?

[Madmatt]

i have a feeling he was singing into it after his antics at his dinner the other night

 

i think we all played well last night, from back to front, start to finish. Lukaku had his best game for us since signing perm. aiden looked alot better on the ball, and jimmy mac really does look a bargain at £15million. I loved how gibbo came on and started dictating where to play the ball from the back, and gave MacCarthy more freedom to bomb forward.

 

Strange how we all see the game differently at times, but this is why i enjoy the site, its nice to be able to see other peoples views on the game.

[marcopaulo]

Why was Osman sucking off the corner flag for his celebration by the way?

Using it as a mic after that video of him singing was doing the rounds

[Bailey]

Gibson has been poor or average at best in each appearance this season bar last night (and its not that hard to look decent when your 3 up and in complete control) so he hasnt even deserved to be given more of a chance than he has been given so far.

 

Barry and McCarthy are far better players and Barry has all his qualities and more IMO.

[Matt]

just watched the game again, since I could barely keep my eyes open on Thursday night. Before going on to the players, just want to praise the club for the floodlights again, it makes such a difference to the game. On the overall performance, it was quite good but not excellent. Better teams would've given us much more to think about during our few shaky moments.

 

Howard - Had nothing to do bar stop a shot in the first half which I think he could've caught. Flapped at bit at a corner but 99% of the game, had nothing to do

 

Hibbert - showed again why he deserved an extension. Solid back-up, very impressed with him over 90 mins considering his support was McGeady then Atsu

 

Distin - has he been away? Didn't even have his brain-fart. Professional performance and had Origi in his pocket when called upon

 

Jags - Apparently we found the original and disposed of the clone. Very confident performance, though not really challenged and a goal. Glad to see his run of form continued, we've needed him back.

 

Barry - same old Mr Reliable. Some excellent longer balls to get Lukaku in too, hope he recovers in time for tomorrow

 

McCarthy - Lynch-pin. Why? Because he does all the dirty jobs. He picks up when others make mistakes. He seems to be in 4 places at once. He is a Jack Russell, absolutely relentless, tenacious, brilliant even by his usual high standards. If it wasn't for someone elses performance, he would've walked to MOTM on his hands.

 

Ossie - The boy still has velcro feet. His control, his ability to turn is exceptional. Faded as expected and misread a couple of lay offs with Lukaku but otherwise it was a good 90 mins from him without any real mistakes.

 

Naismith - 3rd place for MOTM. What a player he has become for us. He is the attacking midfielder version of McCarthy; everywhere, fought well, finished brilliantly for his goal.

 

McGeady - meh. I honestly don't know how else to describe him. For every good piece of play he makes, he makes stupid and careless mistakes. Better than previous games but that wasn't hard.

 

Lukaku - MOTM. Didn't quite work as hard as McCarthy and Naismith but thats an incredible ask for most footballers. Effort wise, he did himself proud. What a difference being fully fit and having some support (Barry, Osman) makes. His hold-up play was 9 times out of 10 excellent, his closing down has improved but needs to improve further. His touch for the 1st goal was sublime, his pass for Baines for the 3rd was brilliantly weighted. He was a pain in the arse for their defence and very unlucky (and wrongly judged offside) with his second disallowed effort. Rom, take a bow mate but, and a big but, don't let this performance be a one off. Point to prove at Sunderland please, that this is no exception.

 

Gibson - did well, but nothing special. I thought I had missed something considering some of the praise being half asleep but I think I saw his performance correctly first time. He had no pressure, some good distribution, but a decent run out. I'd like to see him get some more game time, maybe a run out with Besic for the FA Cup CM pairing.

 

Atsu - I've defended the lad in the past because he looked promising but this run out was poor.

[Cornish Steve]

just watched the game again, since I could barely keep my eyes open on Thursday night. Before going on to the players, just want to praise the club for the floodlights again, it makes such a difference to the game. On the overall performance, it was quite good but not excellent. Better teams would've given us much more to think about during our few shaky moments.

 

Howard - Had nothing to do bar stop a shot in the first half which I think he could've caught. Flapped at bit at a corner but 99% of the game, had nothing to do

 

Hibbert - showed again why he deserved an extension. Solid back-up, very impressed with him over 90 mins considering his support was McGeady then Atsu

 

Distin - has he been away? Didn't even have his brain-fart. Professional performance and had Origi in his pocket when called upon

 

Jags - Apparently we found the original and disposed of the clone. Very confident performance, though not really challenged and a goal. Glad to see his run of form continued, we've needed him back.

 

Barry - same old Mr Reliable. Some excellent longer balls to get Lukaku in too, hope he recovers in time for tomorrow

 

McCarthy - Lynch-pin. Why? Because he does all the dirty jobs. He picks up when others make mistakes. He seems to be in 4 places at once. He is a Jack Russell, absolutely relentless, tenacious, brilliant even by his usual high standards. If it wasn't for someone elses performance, he would've walked to MOTM on his hands.

 

Ossie - The boy still has velcro feet. His control, his ability to turn is exceptional. Faded as expected and misread a couple of lay offs with Lukaku but otherwise it was a good 90 mins from him without any real mistakes.

 

Naismith - 3rd place for MOTM. What a player he has become for us. He is the attacking midfielder version of McCarthy; everywhere, fought well, finished brilliantly for his goal.

 

McGeady - meh. I honestly don't know how else to describe him. For every good piece of play he makes, he makes stupid and careless mistakes. Better than previous games but that wasn't hard.

 

Lukaku - MOTM. Didn't quite work as hard as McCarthy and Naismith but thats an incredible ask for most footballers. Effort wise, he did himself proud. What a difference being fully fit and having some support (Barry, Osman) makes. His hold-up play was 9 times out of 10 excellent, his closing down has improved but needs to improve further. His touch for the 1st goal was sublime, his pass for Baines for the 3rd was brilliantly weighted. He was a pain in the arse for their defence and very unlucky (and wrongly judged offside) with his second disallowed effort. Rom, take a bow mate but, and a big but, don't let this performance be a one off. Point to prove at Sunderland please, that this is no exception.

 

Gibson - did well, but nothing special. I thought I had missed something considering some of the praise being half asleep but I think I saw his performance correctly first time. He had no pressure, some good distribution, but a decent run out. I'd like to see him get some more game time, maybe a run out with Besic for the FA Cup CM pairing.

 

Atsu - I've defended the lad in the past because he looked promising but this run out was poor.

 

Mostly agree with you. The defence was solid throughout. McCarthy was incredible, and we're really seeing value from Barry. Lukaku was impressive throughout (even though all the BBC website could say was how he missed a sitter and that Jagielka had to show him how to do it). I do think, though, that you're being unfair to McGeady. He provided two assists and made some other excellent crosses in the game.

[Newty82]

Yeah, also agree with most of what Matt said.

 

Glad someone else was left a bit wondrous about Gibson!!!

 

Also agree with Steve...Bit harsh on McGeady.

[Hegemon92]

I thought that McGeady's performance was a big improvement from anything I had seen in previous games. Moreover, he was creating chances on the right side of the pitch for once!

[Matt]

Don't think I was harsh on McGeady. I acknowledged what he did but there were still a lot of headless runs, not backing up Hibbert.

 

Maybe its because was an improvement on utter shite that people think he did well. He went from poor to ok against Lille.

[MC11]

Don't think I was harsh on McGeady. I acknowledged what he did but there were still a lot of headless runs, not backing up Hibbert.

 

Maybe its because was an improvement on utter shite that people think he did well. He went from poor to ok against Lille.

His delivery for two goals were great. I'm usually one of his biggest critics but he did well against Lille and got + 2 assist. Good enough for me and an improvement.