A game plan that would get you a KO if possible but was more designed to make sure we didn't get knocked out and to win on points. If you enter a boxing ring with your hands down and your chin out then your more than likely going to get knocked out. Same with the Reds, in first 20 minutes or the first three rounds, keep your guard up, don't do anything stupid that would raise the oppositions moral.
Because we are Liverpool the opposition's manager is going to use that as motivation and there going to come at us, even more so if we're away from home so you have to ride the storm. You also have to throw a few testers out as well though, see if any land.
As the game progresses start to turn the screw, work the ball and the opposition, see what they've got, in heavyweight boxing it's land body punch after body punch and tire him out. If you can land a few on his jaw more the better but don't worry if you can't, just keep working the body, your chance will come later as he gets tired.
In the last couple of rounds, when it comes to the crunch, it's who's got most left in the tank and who wants it most and thats when good teams and good boxers win most of the close games/fights.
In the same sort of way they choice there game plan, I reckon Shankly and Paisley also picked there team along the boxing theme - solid defense, rock hard body and a knock out punch.
Performance doesn't really come into the equation for me, only shit teams let you perform anyway. It's about winning or at least not losing the fight. It's the boxer with his arms in the air at the end that counts.
On Saturday Boro landed a beauty, right on the chin, decked us in the last round but we proved we've got a jaw made out of granite and we were up before the ref had counted up to three, we knew Boro were now ahead on points and we hat to go for a KO. So it was the old one-two.
Points count (or refs), not performances.
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