Second string or not..most of Liverpools starting 11 had played in the first team and there was a few internationals in that second string team !! Very embarrassing result to a side 17th in the league 2 (yes the old 4th divi !!). I would be very suprised if Hodgson was asked to leave.. Liverpool do not have a habit of sacking managers and likewise the fans are very loyal to the club and its employees. However this was not a 2nd string playing a championship team nor could it have been considered a dery game.. Liverpool got beat by Northampton.

FiO, I really wasn't trying to defend the team or make excuses, far from it. I was stating it was a second-string team (and it was) after saying "the players look like their heads have gone", my train of thought being that perhaps the first choice players haven't yet let their heads drop. I don't know. I haven't a clue what's going on at the club. Something's not right. FFS, Liverpool had just 4 shots on target all match - that is disgraceful. The youngsters being brought through, you'd think would be hungry and keen to impress. Instead they either look languid and disinterested or totally out of their depth and terrified. Liverpool have won the FA Youth Cup twice in recent years and have invested heavily in recruiting youth. Yet I can't think of one player who has come through the ranks and established himself in the 1st team since Gerrard & Carragher over a decade ago. Warnock came closest, but he was sold. That is a shocking record.

I agree that Liverpool have a great record of not being knee-jerk when it comes to managers, but I just think if new owners come in wanting to invest in the team, if Hodgson's not turned the form of the team around, they may well see the opportunity to make a clean break.

Meanwhile, like Shaggy once said........It wasn't Me

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11695_6394133,00.html

poor lad

Its a very dire situation at Liverpool at the moment... i didnt realise they just had 4 shots on target !! and i believe they didnt have a yellow card between them !! Now i would have thought the 2nd string would have wanted to impress put in a few good meaty challenges etc and make a real attempt. The players arent fit to wear the famous red shirt... Like Man U playing for Liverpool isnt just about the money its playing for the club, the fans and its history the team last night and many of the so called  XI are simply not good enough or just dont care... Having said all that it would take much to turn it around a few good results and Liverpool could turn the corner very quickly.

Anyone who knows anyhing about football knows Arsenal have a beer chance of success.....................where should Fabregas have gone in he Summer???????????????????? to he bench of Barca............come off it.

As for he top 2 spots being done and dusted................dreammmmmmmmmmmmm dream dream dream......and Wenger going he same way as cloughie?????????????? why would he turn to drink??

Agree with Gooner...Arsenal done well to keep Fabregas and to be fair the lad hasnt sulked or made a huge fuss about not going..at least at Arsenal he is guarranteed a starting place and Barca he probably  definitley would not be.

Top 2 spots arent done and dusted far from it they are likely to made up of either  Arsenal / Chelsea / Man U  with the likes of Spurs and Shiteh having an outsider chance. I do think this season a lot will depend on the results between the top clubs when they play each other....well i hope they do as Chelsea seem to roll over all the weaker sides with ease.

Wenger...does wear his heart on his sleeve at times. He will deny seeing things when an Arsenal player puts the boot in and he will whinge when things go against his team ie a sending off, a bad challenge or a goal scored against Arsenal beyond the extra time allowance. You can say the same about SAF.. its called passion !!

Why should I give a horses bum who finishes in the top two?? I'm a Sunderland fan??

My comment was made in response to your tired and thoghtless baiting of Liverpool fans suggesting that Gerrard and Torres should have left if they wanted silverware. In that respect, as Arsenal have not won anything in 5 years and will not do so again this season then point is valid "you COULD say the same about Fabregas", although I don't think too many Arsenal fans would be happy about you admitting Fabregas was not Barcelona quality ( I happen to agree he is not quite that good, yet?) but to hear you say it is odd.

Agreed F I O, fixtures between he big 3 will decide where the title goes. I dont think the top boys will lose as many games as they did last season

My friend, I think you will find I questioned why they were still at Liverpool, I didnt mention they should go elsewhere to win something. There aren't that many clubs you could choose if your looking for silverware, but there are a few you can find if you actually want to compete and still be in the hunt around April.

It cant be much fun being out of contention by December can it.

At least CF for the last few years has still been close with Arsenal, Gerrad and Torres wont get that at Liverpool.

As for Fabregas ( again talking to many people who know fooball ) he wouldn't be a gimme for a shirt in Barca's starting XI, yes he is quality in the prem, doesnt mean he will get into any other side in the world....................does it. He may be in contention for Barca next year, but this season was a bit too early, many Arsenal fans would agree. Its an opinion that people in the game agree with as well.

IMO...this season will see Fabregas as the finnished article. By that i mean he will be as good a player as hes likely to be, he has vastly improved over the last 2 or 3 seasons and adds a real attacking dimension to the Gunners midfiled.  Fabregas is a great player an auto choice in any premiership team... but if he leaves Arsenal he will do very well to displace any of the starting midfielders at Barca. Thats not a reflection on Arsenals squad or the premiership football in Spain it is different the midfield players are all great intricate passers, comfortable on the ball, can alternate from being wide to playing deep or advanced. In essence Barca has the talents in abundance that Cesc would bring to the club....however when he gets on for Spain i do think they hold more of a goal threat and likewise he could do the same for barca if given the chance or if he wants that chance, he may just settle for life as a Gunner.

Now that would be good if he settles for a career at Arsenal, it will be hard to walk into the Barca side at present, but the one thing Cesc has on that midfield is time.

Woy on SSN at the moment heaping praise on Liverpool's "superb performance" today against Sunderland

Some weird results and once again my coupon was ruined,,,,, well it was as soon as Man City beat Chelsea. But a great result for shiteh and a reality check for many who thought Chelsea would run away with it. I didnt watch the game but apparently it was a very very dire affair.  With Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal losing  Fergie will be happy !!!

Yes mate, very strange, Arsenal showed why you cant just turn up and think 3 pts is a gimme, they haven't a given right to a win. And the keeping problem rises again

Chelsea under performed IMO ,good result for the Hammers

Almunia guilty of some more horrendous keeping bet Wenger wished he now signed Schwarzer. Hammers finding some form and Chelsea really couldnt create much against a well disciplined team...its obvious if you can strangle the midfield of Chelseas they struggle.

Think Steve Bruce and Sunderland were very hard done by the ref who was a total twat. Kuyts goal should have never stood absoulute shocker of a decision by the ref... then Welbeack should have been awarded a penalty after being taken clean out and Gerrard arguably should have been sent off for his forearm smash.

As in previous seasons when the team at the top drop points the rest fail to gain ground.

Wenger and Fergie must be kicking themselves....especially Wenger. I wouldnt say Man U's draw is a bad result it would be frustrating as both Arsenal and Chelsea lost

Its a poor result given what happened on saturday...Again the defending was a bit lame and Rooney was very much out of sorts. Owen looked very lively when he came on which is a big plus but overall Man U were below par and a lil lethargic looking.

I'm presuming everyone watched the highlights and saw Liverpools first goal, what do we make of that? I'm pretty sure had it been one of the top 4 that ref would be banned from the top flight and made to do some Championship games!

I take your point Gooner about the top sides not losing as many games this season as they did last You must be paying to much attention to "those people that really know football"

Given the benefit of replays, it's obvious that Turner was just knocking the ball toward his keeper, so he could take the free kick. However, there was a lead-up to this which the ref could argue is mitigation. First of all, Sunderland tried a quick free kick from the wrong place and the ref made them retake it in the right place. He actually tells Turner where to take it and Turner places the ball down, looking to take the kick. The ref then turns to check on the other players behind him. It's at this moment that Turner swivels and knocks the ball toward his keeper, Torres chases it down and so on. The linesman (or even 4th official) should have been the one to tell the ref what had actually happened.

First of all, Turner was stupid to do what he did - the ref had made a point of pinpointing the place for the FK to be taken and the ball had been placed there. Technically, he kicked the ball, thus resulting in a restart of the game.

Secondly, we've seen occassions before where a player has made a weak back-pass (even from a free kick) which a sharp opposing player has capitalised on. How was the ref to know this wasn't such an instance? What if a player makes a genuinely poor pass from a FK, which is intercepted, but claims to have just been kicking the ball to his teammmate to take the FK? Or, more likely, when there's a mix-up at a free kick near the opponent's box where 2 or 3 players are gathered round the ball; one touches it to set another up but there's a mix up and the opponent intent on charging the free kick down runs forward and nicks the ball before it's struck toward goal. Where is the line drawn?

I'd say that in the spirit of the game, the goal should have been ruled out. But technically, it was a goal.

It also sort of even out the beachball goal last season which, if strictly following the rules, should have been ruled out.

It was clear to all that Turner was just giving the ball to the keeper to lump forward and this happens 100 times in every game up and down the country, you can mitigate I guess but at the end of the day it was an horrendous decision.

Like you say, evens out the beachball affair I guess, so we are even

Totally agree with that, as the ref had his back to the incident the ref's assistants should have assisted. For me the ref is not to blame, it was the ref's assistant.

It's not only in the English Premier League where refs make big mistakes.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_prem/9037802.stm

The ref's make mistakes in all footballing nations as it's just part of human nature, I think the difference is in the reaction. English ref's rarely if ever just come and say "I made a mistake there guys, sorry"..........I think ifthey did the matter would be over a lot quicker than them coming up with a million and one excuses for the mistake

Rooney out for 3 weeks..... Normally a big big loss but the way he has been playing it isnt.  Good timing for an injury as i think Rooney needs time to get his head sorted. If he doesnt sort himself out on and off the pitch i honestly believe that Rooney will move abroad.