Source: Liverpool_Echo
Liverpool FC’s travel sickness goes on with 3-1 loss at Newcastle United
CONSIDERING the season of festive cheer and goodwill to all men is upon us, there wasn't much swirling round the St James' Park dugouts on Saturday evening. [LNB]And it had nothing to do with the weather.[LNB]Alan Pardew, a thorn in the Liverpool side as a player and now a manager, was busy discovering that even victory on your home debut can count for nothing at a club like Newcastle, as fans railed against the man who employed him, and pined for the man he replaced.[LNB]The chants of 'Ashley Out' and 'There's Only One Chris Hughton' echoed long after the final whistle, having begun long before the first.[LNB] For Roy Hodgson, meanwhile, the problems these days are less political, more practical. The Liverpool manager, himself struggling to find acceptance amongst his own supporters, has searched long and hard to find a cure for travel sickness but, amidst a backdrop of black-and-white despair, disgust and disillusionment, his side once again came up short on the road. Handed the chance to break into the Premier League's top six for the first time this season, the Reds once more trudged away from an away day with only a silent, reflective journey home to look forward to.[LNB]It might have been different; had Fernando Torres converted a gilt-edged chance moments after Dirk Kuyt had fortuitously levelled the score at 1-1, had Raul Meireles's first-half effort ricocheted anywhere but into the shins of Jose Enrique on the goal-line, had any one of three Reds defenders reacted quicker to Andy Carroll's 80th minute flick. But ifs, buts and maybes simply don't cut it where Liverpool's away form is concerned these days - the problems are too deep-rooted, too regular.[LNB]Hodgson has called upon his side to show some consistency on their travels, to carry their performance levels from one away game to the next. The trouble is, that's what they already have been doing.[LNB]So far this season Liverpool have beaten Bolton, and Bolton only on the road. They have picked up uninspiring draws at Birmingham and Wigan, and lost at Manchester City, Manchester United, Everton, Stoke, Tottenham, and now Newcastle. One win and six defeats from nine fixtures; pretty consistent, no?
