****** Man Utd jokes ******

[BoredBloke]

"So is that a veiled excuse to why man u have only won it once in the premiership era despite being premiership champions 8 times?"

No it isn't. United have consistently underperformed in Europe. I'm the first to admit that. For a team which once boasted a midfield of Beckham, Giggs, Scholes and Keane, their performance in the Champions League has not really been good enough.

However, in the 70's and 80's,

English football ruled Europe
Liverpool ruled English football
Only the champions were entered.

Obviously under these conditions, Liverpool would win a number of times simply because they were the only English team playing - in the same way that Forest and Villa did.

Once United got their act together and actually made it into the old European cup, they were found wanting due to the combination of the foreign players quota and the fact that European teams had raised their game during the time when the English teams were banned.

On the Liverpool front, I think the fact that Liverpool have won the CL once and are in the final again speaks volumes for their manager. Tactically Liverpool seem to do better in Europe than they do in the league.

[Bagpuss]

Tactically Liverpool seem to do better in Europe than they do in the league.

Great cup team , sh1t when it counts

[wendigo100]

And while you're at it, tell me how many of the so called 'big' clubs have won the Simod cup? At least Reading can put a claim in for that one....

I think Chelsea have won that twice, but apart from that, a point well made Flub ...

And it also reminds me - how many of the so-called big clubs have won both the FA Cup and FA Amateur Cup? Only Wimbledon and Old Carthusians can lay claim to that!

[benn0]

On the Liverpool front, I think the fact that Liverpool have won the CL once and are in the final again speaks volumes for their manager. Tactically Liverpool seem to do better in Europe than they do in the league.

Liverpool's style of play suits Europe. They've actually lost two of their six knockout ties this season and still find themselves in the final. a 33% loss rate in the Premier league wouldn't get you anywhere near the title.

They're an average team (as proven by donestic results this season) who know how to overcome their limitations to get through European games.

Fair play to them for that if them if the end justifies the means. With their current squad though they have no hope of winning the English League for the next few years, by which time United may well have left them standing in terms of domestic honurs, something which worries many of my scouse friends even though they hate to admit it.

[gingerjedi]

Great cup team , sh1t when it counts

I don’t think 3rd in the Premiership makes them sh1t, I think it boils down to Man u and Chelsea having a better squad and you need that to go the distance over an entire league season but when it comes to picking their best 11 there’s not a lot in it when you look at the top 4... And possibly Liverpool may just shade it in that department.

[Bagpuss]

I don’t think 3rd in the Premiership makes them sh1t, I think it boils down to Man u and Chelsea having a better squad and you need that to go the distance over an entire league season but when it comes to picking their best 11 there’s not a lot in it when you look at the top 4... And possibly Liverpool may just shade it in that department.

18 points off the pace tells me they are! which is nearer to nineth spot than 1st

[benn0]

I don’t think 3rd in the Premiership makes them sh1t, I think it boils down to Man u and Chelsea having a better squad and you need that to go the distance over an entire league season but when it comes to picking their best 11 there’s not a lot in it when you look at the top 4... And possibly Liverpool may just shade it in that department.

You can't use squads size as an excuse for Liverpool's league failings. United's current squad is the weakest it's been for many years. Many Liverpool supporters I know were pissing themselves at the lack of investment in players last close season by United.

Liverpool's first team is neither good or consistent enough to challenge for the league and hasn't been for many years.

[wendigo100]

Liverpool's first team is neither good or consistent enough to challenge for the league and hasn't been for many years.

They are what we used to call "a cup team", rather like Man Utd were when the boot was on the other foot in the seventies / eighties.

[snaw]

I reckon Liverpool are a couple of world class players away from winning the premier league, a striker and a decent, injury free wide man.

Man U I think head to head have a better record against Liverpool, so to say they're on par with Man U is being a bit blind to the fact that right now Man U are better, over the course of a season and head to head.

The whole history bit is funny, they're both great clubs who've had their fare share of luck in finals (Beating Milan 3 years ago was incredibly flukey, great but flukeY for Liverpool, equally Manu vs Bayern isn't really a fair reflection of the game) and slagging Man U off for not being League Champions when they qualified to win the treble is kinda ignoring how Liverpool consistenly get to compete at this level.

Personally I fear for Liverpool, they could get a real spanking in this final as Milan will be absolutely fired up for the game and I don't think that Liverpool, on paper, are as good as them. Tnen again they have Steveie G who is just pheonominal, and exactly the sort of player Man U lacked last night.

[gingerjedi]

We are all obviously defending our respective teams with rose tinted specs, I am not naive enough to say that Liverpool are the best team in Europe but if the best team always won on the night then we might as well scrap cup competitions and go on league stats alone, Liverpool have overachieved more because of belief and great tactics rather than having the best squad which in its own way is just as commendable, what would Chelsea give to have that level of commitment? ...£50m for Gerrard a few seasons ago that’s what! You can’t buy that sort of commitment and Man U have had much the same ethic over the years with Giggs, Keane, Scholes, Cantona etc who all believed in their manager and club.