The Debacle At Oldham Ensures That Liverpool Are Out of the FA Cup

There was no one of authority on the pitch and Luis Suarez was enlisted with the captain's armband for the afternoon. Was this a good thing?  My own personal feeling is no, because he just gets on and does what he does best and that is to try and score goals.  Jamie will scream and shout at the players and Stevie leads by example which of course he did when he arrived on the scene, sixty minutes too late.

Luis of course did his best to rescue the game by levelling the score, but unfortunately those around him, proved to us all yet again, that most of them should not wear the red shirt.  Included in those are all of Brendan' signings barring one and that is Daniel Sturridge.  Although saying that he was not that good today.  Joe Allen and Borini proved yet again that they are not Premiership players and should not be anywhere near the team.

This brings me to a quote from the post-match press conference

"Some of the younger players let us down today"

I am sorry, but the whole team barring Luis and Stevie let him down.  They were not interested in winning the game or indeed taking part in this country's greatest football competition.

Talking of the youngsters, Raheem, Jack and Andre were missing the leadership of Stevie on the pitch and when the senior players fall apart, then they will also - it happens and today proved yet again that Liverpool have a very long journey in front of them before they are once again the Liverpool that we all know and love.

You would have thought that once Luis had levelled the score that the team would have settled down, but they did not and the shambles continued so much so that a second goal was scored just before half time.

Now I have no idea what went on in the dressing room at half time, but why on earth Brendan did not change his formation or indeed send Jamie and Stevie on for the second half, is something I would dearly love to know. 

They were both desperately needed on the pitch but the chosen eleven were told to go out and continue playing in the same manner.  They did of course and Oldham punished us even more after Borini made a very costly mistake.  A mistake that Oldham seized upon and the ball was in the back of the net.

With Oldham now looking certain to be the team that goes through to the 5th round, Brendan finally did what he should have done when writing the team down.  He sent on Stevie along with Stewart Downing, taking off Raheem and Andre Wisdom, who had both seemed out of their depth this afternoon.  So much so that Raheem earned himself a yellow card.

Stevie of course did what Stevie does best and took the game by the scruff of its neck and immediately things began to improve.  The midfield suddenly became more composed and this led the Oldham defence getting the treatment it should have got from the moment Lee Probert blew his whistle to start the game.

It was just a shame that he did not get the goal that he so rightly deserved for doing all he could to turn the game around.  He after all, yet again this afternoon proved that he is the right man to captain Liverpool and I really hope that he makes his feelings felt about the display he had witness today.

The goal if it had come of course would have been a fantastic one if it had not hit the crossbar, but I guess that it felt it also had to have a part in the game.

The pressure that Oldham began to feel from the moment he came onto the pitch ensured that eventually the score would begin to look a little more respectable. Liverpool scored through Joe Allen, who found a way out of the muddle that was developing in front of the Oldham keeper.

That was not enough though and even with six minutes of added time, Liverpool could not find the final goal and went out of the 2013 FA Cup. 

I just hope that, each and every one of the players, barring Stevie, Stewart and Luis, take a long hard look at themselves, because if they do not, then they should be nowhere near the red shirt of Liverpool Football Club.

I would at this point in time like to offer my congratulations to Oldham Football Club, who had the FA Cup etched onto their hearts, so much so that they deserved their win.