Liverpool's pre-season took a setback yesterday as they suffered a shock 3-0 defeat at Championship side Hull City. How much you should read into pre-season form is an annual talking point for football fans. We're not going to get into that, but here are a handful of results from which disgruntled Reds can take heart today. 1. Kansas City Wizards 2-1 Manchester United (2010) They ended the season as champions, but they started with a defeat against a pretty average MLS season. And the American outfit had a player sent-off, with United's only goal coming from the resulting penalty. 2. Blackburn 3-2 Barcelona (2001) Blackburn were preparing to return to the Premier League after a two-season absence and Barcelona were, well, Barcelona. The winning goal was scored by Mark Hughes against his former club, while some young upstart referred to in the match reports as Xavier Hernandez scored a penalty for the Catalan giants. 3. Crewe Alex 4-0 Hull City (2009) Hull can have some empathy for Liverpool. This result came from their time as Premier League big boys. League One side Crewe heaped humiliation on the Tigers as Bernard Mendy had a bit of a 'mare. 4. Fenerbahce 5-0 Everton (2005) Toffees fans looking for an omen from this European away trip ahead of their venture into Champions League football were handed a resounding vision of what was to follow with a thrashing in Turkey. 5. Shelbourne 2-0 Leeds (2003) A slight note of caution to Liverpool fans to finish on. This was part of a very poor Leeds pre-season ahead of the 2003/04 season. Everybody still expected them to be challenging for a Champions League spot at the end of the season and Leeds fans were no doubt explaining how you couldn't read too much into pre-season friendlies - even if they were defeats to Irish minnows. But, as we now know, the Yorkshire side were relegated that campaign. Of course, there have been plenty of other pre-season shocks over the years. Add some of your favourites to the list.
There's certainly no place for research when things are just the worst they've been ever. Before you know it people will be making wild assumptions based on one game. They'll dare to suggest we'll win the league simply because Utd did after losing a pre-season friendly, when we all know they didn't really lose it because Americans aren't nearly as good at football as Hull. Let's make sure we get our wild assumptions based on the right game, i.e. one we lose.
I wouldn't say yesterdays game was an upset. Those who watched it will see that we played the better football and fully deserved the win.
Was delighted with our performance against the Reds.. yep our pre-season was dire in 2009 & our second season was pretty woeful in the PL, the current npc squad is much better IMO. You've still got Stevie G & Suarez to add into the mix plus you can always add in the fact that some players won't make tackles pre-season, young Flannagan though will!
Wow. Is it really news that a Liverpool team featuring one first team player, three youth players, and at least three players that even Liverpool fans admit aren't up to scratch lost a pre season friendly to one of the better sides in the Championship? And why is this on the Utd board?
Pre-season doesn't count for a whole lot apart from gaining fitness and cohesion. Pre-season is about fitness,the results don't matter in the slightest,in terms of results they are as pointless as the Emirates Cup.
Who was this one first team player? Was it Carrol, Downing, Kuyt, Adam, Aquilani, Carragher or Henderon?
Carragher. I was talking about the starting line up - half time subs in a friendly don't always help that much imo, and most of the damage was done in the 1st half.. Btw I wasn't talking down Hull's achievement - it was a quality victory. But I'm not sure how Liverpool losing counts as news on the Utd board...we've gotten pretty used to it over the last couple of seasons
Lidl do pretty good sausages though, and if you ever go at Christmas time they do quality German and Belgian sweet things. Leberkuchen is awesome during Christmas.