The Roy Hodgson era gets underway in Macedonia as the new Liverpool boss takes charge of his first competitive game for the Reds.
FK Rabotnicki have billed it as their “game of the century” but with so many of the Liverpool squad having been involved in the World Cup Hodgson has been forced to put out a team including a large number of reserve and academy faces.
The back-four is a strong one, the promising Martin Kelly the least experienced of the quartet which includes Martin Skrtel, Soto Kyrgiakos and Daniel Agger. That trio all went to South Africa, but have been deemed fit enough by the club’s new medical team. Agger looks set to carry on where he left off last season, filling in at full-back. With Emiliano Insua still being pushed towards the exit door for a move to Fiorentina (he’s also had his squad number taken off him) Liverpool don’t actually have a recognised left back. Pepe Reina is still on holiday meaning Cavalieri is the last line of the defence.
Jovanovic will make his competitive debut, probably on the left wing, with 19-year-old David Amoo getting a chance on the right. Jay Spearing will be alongside captain for the night Lucas in central midfield. Alberto Aquilani also starts, possibly in behind striker David Ngog.
Liverpool: Cavalieri, Agger, Kyrgiakos, Skrtel, Kelly, Jovanovic, Lucas, Spearing, Amoo, Aquilani, Ngog.
Subs: Gulacsi, Darby, Shelvey, Dalla Valle, Eccleston, Ayala, Ince.
thought this quote from the Guardian was bizarre. people complain that rafa was cryptic, but i cant make out woy at all yet. it was quite easy to understand what rafa was getting at if you knew a bit, but woy, is it just his odd way of communicating, or is he actually trying to get at something? anyone have any theories?
Liverpool’s manager had earlier said he would discuss with his board the Europa League’s position in the club’s pecking order of priorities but, asked whether that chat had happened, he merely replied: “All we ever seem to do is have discussions so I’m pretty sure they’ll have taken place. But this is a very important game.”
Dreadful performance against such poor opposition – do they do any practice at actually passing the ball . Aqua & Lucas looked very ordinary against a very poor team
Judging by the comments of Todd you’d think we’d lost the game! Flippin ‘eck lad, can’t you just be happy with a 2-0 away win with Kelly and Ngog having a good game. The defence did their job and the return lext week will be a nice gentle easing into the new season for a few of the seniors without any pressure on them.
Well done to the lads for negotiating a tricky tie and well done too to Roy (not Woy!) for a successful competitive start at Liverpool.
Can we please at least give the man the respect he deserves from his own fans and call him Roy? He is doing his best for Liverpool FC and the very least we can do is treat him with respect.
One game. One win. Well done Roy and the team.
Not the best performance, but a good win for a team that looks like it was just thrown together a few days ago. Thought Amoo, Kelly, Lucas and of course N’gog all had a good game.
Well done lads
@ Red Storm somehow i think the manager will survive being called Roy , Woy or just Roy Hodgson
I hope you were as eager to prevent the fickle section of LFC’s fans calling the last manager the fat Spanish waiter.
The funny thing about it is the people who called for Rafa to be sacked will be the very same people to call for Roys head should he not get off to a good start in the league.
As for tonight’s performance I dont think that can be any reflection on Roy as manager. He got the win. Aquilani and Lucas probably should start to worry. Their performances arent of Premier League quality.
Still willing Aquilani to come on and really start playing, but from what I’ve read he was poor again last night. The next 10 days are his only chance – will he take it?
“Todd” – Do you know a guy called “joe kellegher”?
“joe kellegher” – (If you’re still looking in) Do you know someone called Karen?
The above two questions may or may not be connected.
We won 2-0 and you can’t ask for more than that (unless you actually need more than a 2-0 win but you know what I mean).
Not unusually the comments about Lucas (not just on here) vary from “poor” to “outstanding”, although comments about Ngog seem to range from “outstanding” to “awkward silence”.
The opposition might not have been the best but with only half a team available we went into the game with a lot of trepidation, an early goal from them (flukey or well-worked) could have hit our confidence so it was good we avoided letting that happen.
It gave Roy a chance to assess players in a competitive match for the first time – now it’s over I think he’ll feel it was far more valuable than 90 minutes against Swiss or German opposition in a friendly game.
2-0 also allows him more room to experiment in the return fixture, again a vital chance to assess who he feels deserves to not only get more games but to even stay on at the club.
Good start, very pleased for all the staff and players who were involved.
I’m sure Roy doesnt mind being called Woy. I’ve found a clip of our new manager back in the day before he made it as a football manager.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjF7GMP28X8
P.S good performance last night. Thought it was destined for a 0-0, so delighted with the win.
Hi Jim, Yeah Karen’s me mum, I have to use her laptop as I don’t have me own one, don’t know the guy you asked about but dad thinks that he may work with me mum. She’s away on business at the moment, I’ll ask her when she gets back. I like your site, even though it’s a bit negative at times, I read all the pool sites & there’s a lot of negative fans out there. All my mates are Manc’s & the are slagging our fans off at the moment that we don’ show loyality to the club & that our fans are moaners – it’s hard to take cause I like to think we have the best fans in the world.
@ Juan….for sure.
Anyone who called Rafa by such a name is not really a Reds fan. Rafa did so much that was good for the club. I, for one, thought that he deserved at least another season and I have stopped taking any notice of the mainstream media as they they were anti Rafa from the start. He will go on to win trophies elsewhere I am sure.
If it’s an affectionate name for Roy …then I am sure he is man enough to take it.
The last few months have seen far too much infighting amongst fans and the new boss and team deserves our full support. I am looking forward to Anfield on Thursday as it’s been a lousy summer of football and I need something to smile about! A few more Reds wins will do just that.
Great result…. but more importantly… Racists should be punished! What is it with Eastern Europe?
Kopite999, thanks for the video. that was hilarious. woy is clearly an affectionate name, unlike the frankly racist name the mancs had initially come up with for rafa.
Rus, why do the english get so high-and-mighty about racist chanting, especially when it’s in Eastern Europe, Italy or Spain? not that i agree in any way with them, but c’mon, the hypocrisy stinks. fat spanish waiter is just as racist.
anyway, i didnt really want woy as manager, i am a rafaelite though-and-through, but hes our woy now, so lighten up all you who are looking for those reds who still love and respect rafa.