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The Page That Thanks The Good Doctor

Why Brendan sounds like one of those Japanese soldiers who thought the war was still going on in 1974...

Last Updated: 22/02/13 at 12:12

Win/Loss
Let's start this edition of Mediawatch by re-capping Brendan Rodgers's post-match comments from the two legs of Liverpool's Europa League tie against Zenit St Petersburg.

After the away leg, he said: "The next goal is vital for us, if we get the next goal it opens up the tie.

"We're very disappointed to have lost the game. After that opening spell, when they had too much space, I thought it was a near-on perfect away performance."

And after the home leg he said: "I thought we were incredible. Obviously we were two down from the first leg and to concede again, at 3-0 you might have thought the tie was over and done with.

"But we showed real character and quality tonight to get three goals, and we totally dominated the game, controlled the game and should have had a penalty...

"Overall we were fantastic.

"I don't think the players could have done any more, the crowd certainly couldn't have done any more. It was one of those nights. It was a fantastic night but unfortunately we probably lost the tie over there.

"At this level, to have to score that many goals and nearly do it gave me great pride."

We would just like to remind everyone - since it sounds like at least Brendan has forgotten - that Liverpool lost.


BRENDAN! WHAT IS HE GOOD FOR? ABSOL...
Brendan also noted: "So we're bitterly disappointed and we lost the battle tonight, but in terms of the war going forward we very much look forward to that."

Liverpool are out of the FA Cup, the Capital One Cup and now the Europa League. They are currently nine points adrift of the Champions League places having played a game more than most.

The best they can realistically hope for is sneaking a Europa League spot through the league, and even that's looking a bit dicey.

So what exactly is this 'war' that Brendan thinks they're fighting?

He's beginning to sound like one of those Japanese soldiers on an island in the Pacific who thought the war was still raging well into the 1970s.


Comeback
Notes Dominic King in The Daily Mail:

'This could have been the greatest European comeback in Liverpool's history, one that outstripped evenings against St Etienne, Auxerre and Chelsea.'

Ah yes, a Europa League comeback against Zenit would've been much better than...well, you know what it wouldn't have been much better than.


Disruption
Reports Phil Cadden of The Daily Express: 'SWANSEA'S plans for Sunday's Capital One Cup final have been disrupted by drug-testers.'

That sounds deeply irritating. So did they miss a train? Were they booted off a training pitch early because of the delay? Was there some sort of problem with their hotel?

Phil Cadden of The Daily Express explains: 'Half-a-dozen of their first team, including Michu and Leon Britton, had to give urine samples, delaying their appearance before the media at the Liberty Stadium.'

Hmmmm. Sounds an awful lot like Phil Cadden of The Daily Express's plans have been disrupted by drug-testers. An urgent luncheon appointment, Phil?


News Values
February 20: Martin Samuel writes at great length in The Daily Mail about how Paolo di Canio's departure from Swindon is not big news. He describes it as 'a footnote, an asterisk at the bottom of the page compared to Arsenal's last-16 match in the Champions League, Manchester United's FA Cup victory over Reading, or further conjecture about the ability of Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini'. He also says Di Canio resigning was 'no big deal', 'no big whoop' and says that Di Canio's 'excesses remained local news for local people'.

February 22: The Daily Mail's EXCLUSIVE story about Di Canio letting himself into the County Ground to nick some paintings appears on their back page, ahead of Liverpool's exit from the Europa League, Spurs fans being attacked in Lyon and anything at all on the Capital One Cup final.


Dark Legions
Friday is of course the day that Rowley Birkin QC/Jeff Powell's column on The Daily Mail website goes out. A happy day for Mediawatch, of course.

Just a couple of bits from this week's offering to share with you. Firstly, his solution to the problems at Arsenal is to bring in George Graham to sort out the defence. George Graham has not worked in football in 12 years.

And secondly, in an item pondering the relative failure of English and Spanish sides in the Champions League, he muses whether 'it will bring about a restoration of power to the dark legions from Italy and Germany'.

The war was ages ago, Jeff. Move on.


Impressive
Another quick one from Friday's other staple - Mark Lawrenson.

He comments on Wigan:

'I'm banking on them this weekend. They're also coming into this match on the back of an impressive 4-1 win away to Huddersfield in the FA Cup. Manager Roberto Martinez had made changes to starting XI, which makes that victory all the more impressive.'

Very impressive to beat a Huddersfield team who had won one in their previous 15 Championship games. And who were shafted 6-1 by a Nottingham Forest team who had won one in their previous eight.

Impressive, though.


Quote Of The Day
"F*cking hell" - Roberto Mancini responds to the first question at his Friday press conference about the rumours of Manuel Pellegrini replacing him in the summer.

Worst Headline Of The Day
'Zend of a dream' - The Sun.

Non-Football Story Of The Day
'Two lovers banned from seeing each other by their parents brought traffic to a standstill when they stripped off and threatened to leap from a bridge. The couple kept police and rescuers at bay for more than two hours as they stayed locked in a passionate clinch on a flyover 30ft above a motorway in China. "Our parents say we can't be together but we want to show people we have nothing to hide," they told a bemused crowd in Guangzhou, Guangdong province. We won't come down until everyone has seen how much we mean to each other and that our parents will never be able to pull us apart," they added.

'Bridge protests have become common in China, but public nudity is still considered scandalously shocking. "We waited for the high wind and the cold air to cool off their passion and eventually they gave themselves up. "Our biggest problem was blocking the traffic so motorists didn't drive into each other trying to get a better look," said a police spokesman' - Orange.


Thanks to today's Mediawatch spotter the good Dr D Tickner. If you spot anything that belongs on this page, mail us at theeditor@football365.com, putting 'Mediawatch' in the subject field.

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