Can't be too hard on them, but...

[Malkytfp1 18,579]

22 minutes ago, Brackley Bluenose said:

i agree with you but equally i don't think they were in control of it either, they weren't exactly banging the door down and getting chance after chance. McGregor didn't exactly have much to do other than pick the ball out his net twice. 

Trust me if we want to be getting to where we want to get to which ultimately is winning trophies and getting wins in champions league games then we need to manage the game better. We've don't it twice in very quick succession. To be honest it's not a worry, it's just really disappointing - i'm gutted for them they deserved more. 

Couldn't agree more. Gerrard touched on this in his interview too. It was like a game of chess.

[murzo 7,446]

5 minutes ago, A.T.G said:

At least we are throwing away a lead against one of the top sides in Europe instead of in the Ramsdens Cup final

Exactly. It would be alarming and unforgivable if we’re throwing away a 2 goal lead in the league . Can’t see us doing that  in the spfl. We’ll face no team in scotland of that quality so  tonight’s result taken in context is imo a valuable point. 

[RFC55 108,714]

1 minute ago, British_Empire said:

Spastic etc how dare you say that ... just thank your lucky stars you don't work night shift too

I think its fair to say though mate.

Everyone of us would have took 2 points as the groups were drawn. 

But as the games played out we wouldn't take the 2 points we should have 4 minimum 

[murzo 7,446]

11 minutes ago, Laudrup1690 said:

I will forgive them for shipping 3 goals tonight.

Ffs, what did I miss, I switched off at 2-2.

[British_Empire 9,648]

5 minutes ago, Rfc52 said:

I think its fair to say though mate.

Everyone of us would have took 2 points as the groups were drawn. 

But as the games played out we wouldn't take the 2 points we should have 4 minimum 

It's more than fair.

Again, I don't see why both things can't both be true at the same time and it has to be strictly one or the other?

What is actually wrong with saying you'd have bitten your hand off for 2-draws and being top of the group before the campaign started and finding it unacceptable that we've surrendered another 2-goal lead in the last 15-minutes to drop two points in both games?

There's nothing unfair in that regardless of who wants to take issue with one word like "unforgivable" as a figure of speech or can't get their head around the logic of bringing on Helander at 2-0 up to add another defensive option into the mix to keep things shored up under pressure.

I honestly don't get this place at times. It's like folk channel their frustration at how the game finished in all the wrong places and try to pick on folk for one word or one point they make or whatever. 

Some folk feel better slaughtering the team, others feel better slaughtering each other. 

[BridgeIsBlue 66,595]

4 minutes ago, Rfc52 said:

I think its fair to say though mate.

Everyone of us would have took 2 points as the groups were drawn. 

But as the games played out we wouldn't take the 2 points we should have 4 minimum 

6 imo. 

2 goal leads blown in the last 10-15 minutes is rank rotten. 

[hammer93 15,056]

50 minutes ago, BearInTheToon said:

I’m nowhere near as deflated tonight as I was with the game over in Lisbon. That game, and the loss of those goals was truly shocking and should never have happened against 10 men.

But tonight, I think it was clear that 11v11, when they chose to quicken their play, they could cut right through us. Almost at will.

They’re a class outfit and a draw is a pretty fair result. Also, we should’ve had the most blatant of pens at 2-1, which would have killed the game. Now THAT non-award is unforgivable.

The penalty was at 1-0 m8....going two up was where we found ourselves anyway, in the grand scheme of things it was a poor shout but no guarantees that it would have led to is winning the game

[HG5 11,077]

It’s a measure of where we’re at.

Running around like demons and getting in peoples faces, stopping them playing, etc will get you so far.

We’re good at that.

Benfica held their nerve (twice now) and then made their extra spend tell, once we began to tire.

That’s what the extra transfer fees gets you - lesser players would have chucked it at 2-0 (& 3-1 down last time).

And I thought we made them look garbage for 75 minutes tonight, 11 v 11 (they had an excuse last time). 
Error strewn, every other pass a hospital ball or straight to us.

We nearly broke them.

I couldn’t see them doing anything other than a defensive mistake or a worldie - and they gave us both.

[hammer93 15,056]

I guess this blows any argument about how much we have improved under Gerrard out the water....we have went from being knocked out by the 4th best team in Luxembourg in qualifying round 1 to people losing there shit because we haven't qualified for the last 32 with 2 games to spare

[plumbGER 24,518]

I feel a tiny bit de-moralised after tonights result, I felt we played ourselves into trouble too often and created our own problems. We sat too deep and invited Benfica onto us, any team on the planet will get punished if they do this and we are no different. All in all a draw was a fair result but we have every right to feel disappointed at only getting 2 points from the 2 games, that's fair to say.

We maybe should have freshened things up a little and sacrificed a forward player for Helander if our intention was to sit in and see the game out.

That said I am delighted at the progress we have made and we can rightly be proud of our team as even when we are not at our best we are drawing with a top side like Benfica. 

[British_Empire 9,648]

1 minute ago, hammer93 said:

I guess this blows any argument about how much we have improved under Gerrard out the water....we have went from being knocked out by the 4th best team in Luxembourg in qualifying round 1 to people losing there shit because we haven't qualified for the last 32 with 2 games to spare

That's simply no true mate. I don't get why folk are seeing it like that?

The rest of your point is spot-on. Fast becoming victims of our success. Our standards and expectations are so high now. Wouldn't have it any other way though.

[hammer93 15,056]

1 minute ago, plumbGER said:

I feel a tiny bit de-moralised after tonights result, I felt we played ourselves into trouble too often and created our own problems. We sat too deep and invited Benfica onto us, any team on the planet will get punished if they do this and we are no different. All in all a draw was a fair result but we have every right to feel disappointed at only getting 2 points from the 2 games, that's fair to say.

We maybe should have freshened things up a little and sacrificed a forward player for Helander if our intention was to sit in and see the game out.

That said I am delighted at the progress we have made and we can rightly be proud of our team as even when we are not at our best we are drawing with a top side like Benfica. 

Nail on head bud....in the whole there are far more positives to look at after 22 games

[Brackley Bluenose 4,479]

Just now, plumbGER said:

I feel a tiny bit de-moralised after tonights result, I felt we played ourselves into trouble too often and created our own problems. We sat too deep and invited Benfica onto us, any team on the planet will get punished if they do this and we are no different. All in all a draw was a fair result but we have every right to feel disappointed at only getting 2 points from the 2 games, that's fair to say.

We maybe should have freshened things up a little and sacrificed a forward player for Helander if our intention was to sit in and see the game out.

That said I am delighted at the progress we have made and we can rightly be proud of our team as even when we are not at our best we are drawing with a top side like Benfica. 

Basically this in a nutshell, good post. One of them ones that fucking hurts after the final whistle but in the morning we will no doubt be a bit more balanced and take it for what it is - a decent point against a good side. 

This is football at a very good level and maybe us mere mortals don’t quite realise how tough it is trying to chase them about when they’re bopping it around like that for large periods. It takes it out of you, and we aren’t used to doing that in league football. 

That said - it’s not the morning yet and I’m still gutted we’ve let a two goal lead slip twice in two games with not long left to go! 
 

 

[docspiderman 1,220]

Just wish both teams were allowed to use subs in the match. Their fresh legs changed the momentum while several of our players were clearly struggling in the last quarter of the game and no longer able to get close to them. Imagine Bassey coming on to protect the left side and Itten or Barker running at them.

[RFC55 108,714]

15 minutes ago, BridgeIsBlue said:

6 imo. 

2 goal leads blown in the last 10-15 minutes is rank rotten. 

A get that mate 1 drop i can take, but 2 na not for me 

[hammer93 15,056]

Just now, British_Empire said:

That's simply no true mate. I don't get why folk are seeing it like that?

The rest of your point is spot-on. Fast becoming victims of our success. Our standards and expectations are so high now. Wouldn't have it any other way though.

The losing the shit is more to do with squabbles across the thread more than where we find ourselves at

I'm at work and I said to the lads it was like a re-run of a bad movie....I for one was glad to hear the full time whistle....sometimes good teams have the ability to push you deeper than you would like...after our 2nd goal they definitely changed their approach in how the played, they were more concentrated on playing through us rather than using the wings as the had been up until then...no doubt our legs started to go around the 70 mark....from there on in every flick and trick they attempted became more threatening and so it proved 

[RFC55 108,714]

We need to be honest, with the right draw benfica will be around the latter parts of this tournament but as @plumbGERsaid, we at 2 0 up invited pressure onto ourselves and created our own issues. When pizzi came on we didn't know how to handle them.

 

I'll be honest, not losing to them.twice on the same nights the taigs lost 4 1 twice to Pragues c team, shows me how far we've come but we can still be unhappy at how its played out.

 

We need to learn, to.forget the opposition and play our game the way we play it.

Do I think if be benfica can get to last 8 or 4 then we can? Definitely, i believe that but we need to get much smarter. Benfica are a good side, but there's better sides who will also be round about the last 8 or 4, with a good draw benfica could get there but then so could we, we just need to get smarter 

[BridgeIsBlue 66,595]

4 minutes ago, Rfc52 said:

A get that mate 1 drop i can take, but 2 na not for me 

Even it were Liverpool or Bayern I'd still be saying the same. 

Shot ourselves in the foot. 

[sco22y 280]

Had we had Ryan Jack on the bench (as he couldn't start), he would have been the difference had he been able to come on while 2 nil up. 

[RFC55 108,714]

Just now, BridgeIsBlue said:

Even it were Liverpool or Bayern I'd still be saying the same. 

Shot ourselves in the foot. 

Mate imagine we beat bayern 2 1 to them? That would be heroic

[RFC55 108,714]

Just now, sco22y said:

Had we had Ryan Jack on the bench (as he couldn't start), he would have been the difference had he been able to come on while 2 nil up. 

I said to @Dan DeaconI think he was a huge miss tonight either starting or coming on 

[British_Empire 9,648]

Just now, sco22y said:

Had we had Ryan Jack on the bench (as he couldn't start), he would have been the difference had he been able to come on while 2 nil up. 

That's a good shout. He's no everyone's cup of tea but sometimes you need a player like him for certain periods in certain games. He would have been perfect to bring on at 2-0. 

[BridgeIsBlue 66,595]

1 minute ago, Rfc52 said:

Mate imagine we beat bayern 2 1 to them? That would be heroic

Or put in spirited performances whilst losing 8-2 over 2 games. 

Superb. 

[RFC55 108,714]

1 minute ago, BridgeIsBlue said:

Or put in spirited performances whilst losing 8-2 over 2 games. 

Superb. 

"Neil will have seen tonight that dressing room is behind him" 

 

Copyright john hartson 

[BearInTheToon 1,577]

23 minutes ago, hammer93 said:

The penalty was at 1-0 m8....going two up was where we found ourselves anyway, in the grand scheme of things it was a poor shout but no guarantees that it would have led to is winning the game

Yeah, you’re right mate. That’s what a hazy beer brain does - suddenly start reimagining the order of events!