The Liverpool FC Thread

reply to post by LvSLoLo



I have a section in my bookmarks for football websites, here are a selection, too many to list really.



Caughtoffside.com
skysports.com
liverpoolfc.tv
koptalk.com
thisisanfield.com
redandwhitekop.com
ShanklyGates.co.uk
goal.com


A few of the local Liverpool newspaper websites.



Just google stuff too, news articles, whatever.
Check sources and make sure that it is more than just speculation.... although right now, almost everything is speculation so it's hard...nothing is really "confirmed" until it is.... Kenny has said this is how he's doing business and while it may be frustrating as a fan, you have to respect the way he's going about it.

Looking forward to see Liverpool play against Vålerenga here in Oslo tomorrow

reply to post by DrakeBloodaxXe


Sounds like Kenny will play a fairly strong team for this game...what are the opposition like?

reply to post by uptheirons!


An average Europa League side.

reply to post by uptheirons!


As Liveforever8 said, they're unfortunately quite average. The best and most supporters in Norway, but the performances on the field varies.. That's Norwegian football!

Well then, Liverpool only managed a 3-3 draw against Vålerenga. Quite worrying, considering that the Norwegian team loaned 4 players from a third level club, and using several recruits due to the tights match schedule

reply to post by DrakeBloodaxXe


I never take any notice of pre-season friendlies, no matter who the opponent is.

Originally posted by LiveForever8
reply to post by DrakeBloodaxXe

 

I never take any notice of pre-season friendlies, no matter who the opponent is.

Same as that.

Different players and tactics being used as well as looking at some youth players.

It doesn't mean a thing.

Thought Agger had a great game though - our best defender since Hansen if only he could stay fit.

So we finally got Enrique then, we so needed a left back too.
Maybe now Johnson can be freed up to play back in his natural right back position.... although both Flanagan and Kelly could both those two a run for their money.


Talks of maybe getting Gary Cahill before the deadline too, we'll see


I'm chuffed we got Enrique, have liked him for a few years now.

So.... got rid of a load of deadwood and also lost Meireles.... bit miffed about that but oh well, we'll see what happens I guess.

oops wrong thread *post deleted*

Get in!



2 week international break on the back of that? Awesome.

A couple of great league games against Chelsea and City and then look what happens. We can't score against Fulham and the usually reliable Pepe Reina fluffs a save and we lose 1-0!

Happy birthday Charlie Adam..hoping for 3 points.

Get in!!

Two Manchester clubs dispatched in a week......

Quality stuff.

Wooooo

An extremely harsh but partly accurate account of our situation and how we could rectify it...

www.sabotagetimes.com...

Originally posted by blupblup
An extremely harsh but partly accurate account of our situation and how we could rectify it...

www.sabotagetimes.com...

edit on 6/2/12 by blupblup because: (no reason given)

The guy is right about Downing and Adam, but WAY off the mark regarding Henderson and Carroll.

Henderson will be a cracking player for us - the signs are easy to read.

Carroll has been on a new diet and weights programme which he never had at Newcastle and it has affected his play, as has learning a new system.

The article also states that new players were bought by using stats only - this is absolute nonsense. Stats may be used as an indicator (KPI - key performance indicators) but they are NEVER the sole reason for buying a player.

This bit particularly cracked me up:

I’d prefer to see Spearing in the midfield and players like Raheem Sterling and Suzo given the chance to play, I’d prefer to see Torres (who anyone with half a brain knows didn’t want to leave and was bullied out) and Meireles back but that won’t happen.

Spearing is decent, but he is not of the required quality - he's a squad player.
Sterling and Suzo are nowhere near ready yet, as anyone who has watched the reserves on a regular basis (as well as the nextgen series) can tell you.
It's also pretty odd that the author fails to mention Shelvey, who also has the makings of a cracking player.

The reason Adam looks so rubbish after what appeared to be a decent start, is that he no longer has Lucas cleaning up his messes, and neither he nor Gerrard have the disciplne to play a true CM role. They both go walkabout, and leave huge gaping holes in the centre, which were exploited very effectively by Bolton.

I was against the signings of Downing and Adam, although for 7 million Adam wasn't a bad price but he is really no more than a squad player.
It's telling that Vaughn at Blackpool was their player of the year, rather than Adam.

I'll stick my neck out and say that Henderson and Carroll will be good players for us in the next year or so, as they mature and get to grips with the style of play that Dalglish wants, as well as the gym and dietary work that Carroll does give him greater mobility.

The title of the article is also VERY misleading. Dalglish has the final say in who we buy, NOT Comolli.

To finish, I am going to state categorically that had Benitez been in charge, we would never have signed Adam, Downing and possibly Carroll - in fact it's scary to think of the players we could have had from the 60m+ paid for those 3 alone, when he wouldn't have had to wheeler deal to get them.

Don't forget, Benitez wanted Silva, Mata and a couple of others 3 years ago, but the board refused to part with the money preferring instead to sell players on and bring in cheap signings.

reply to post by budski



I agree with almost everything you say mate... except for Carroll really.
But as you said, Benitez would have bought much better.

I agree with the parts of the article that say we paid Abu Dhabi Money for Costco players.... well not exactly, that's a little harsh, but we paid a lot of money for a lot of average, mid table mediocrity.


Hendo will be a useful player and will certainly benefit the squad, and with the right training has the potential to improve a lot.... and I'm not as bothered by him as a couple of the others, but still, for the money, could have bought better.

Carroll... now here's where I do have an issue.
He's not the worst player and he's good in the air, has a good shot and can (or sorry, should) hold the ball up well.... I just don't think he's the player we're looking for... and I don't think we should change our style to suit him, nor do I believe that he can adapt or is skilful enough to adapt to our way of playing.
It was a gamble and sometimes gambles are what's needed... I just think this was a little like backing a 100/1 shot and thinking that he had a serious chance of winning.

I mean for £35m.... there aren't many targets we couldn't have got for that... I would like to see a proven goalscorer play in front (or alongside) Suarez and really get some fire power, not take a punt on a player who obviously has potential but is always going to be an average to above average player who will struggle to compete and take on the best defenders in the league.


Downing is a decent squad player... again, crosses the ball well, has a good left peg and stats wise is not too shabby... but as you said, we were looking at Mata and other similar players.
To go from that to Downing... who again, is decent and would do well at Villa or Everton or somewhere... I just don't think he's what we need.


Adam... again, cracking left foot, great range of passing and excellent dead ball.... but not a lot else.
Doesn't track back too well, needless free kicks given away.... but as you say, £7m is the kind of punt I'm happy to take and he does add a bit of a creative spark to the midfield, and yes... we Need Lucas or another DM to clear up after him.

I agree with you on Spearing... a decent little player and not a bad addition to any squad, but not first choice, first team material.... I mean he's what now... 23-24? Been around the club for a long time and has made a couple of dozen appearances in that time?


If we want to seriously challenge.... and this is a once in a generation thing right now, with all the money the owners have spent and are willing to spend, with their attitude and desire to win and drive the club forward.. we need to seriously stop picking up average squad players and start buying up the best in the world and the top rated youngsters.... our signings would have been fine for a team like Fulham (no disrespect to them) but are seriously not what a team who are slowly falling further and further behind needs and a team who want to break back into the top four need..... this is what, 3rd season with no CL football?



I just really hope this opportunity will not pass us by and we'll look back in a season or two and think.... "Why the **** did we buy these players?"

I have faith, that come the summer (and this really is our big chance) we need a serious rethink and a pretty decent shake up of the current player and an injection of new (quality) blood.

reply to post by blupblup


Henderson is little more than a kid let's not forget, and has been played either as a minder for Adam, or on the right out of position, neither of which roles he is suited to.
He's better in the centre, but doesn't take risks enabling us to keep the ball and build etc

I have to take issue with you about Adam.
His set pieces have been awful, his passing one dimensional and easy to read, and his short game is non-existent. He doesn't have the speed of thought to play a quick passing game, and every defender in the league knows about his cross field hollywood pass. Of course he gets it right occasionally, but he is far from good enough for us.

Carroll is another matter. When he came here, the coaching staff were amazed that he had never had a proper diet or any kind of strength training implemented by Newcastle. He's spent the last year being stripped down and built back up again, which is one of the reasons he looked so weak at times.
However, I am convinced he will be immense for us within a couple of years.

reply to post by budski



Na that's cool, I agree about Adam too..... he's a one trick pony.
But he does have a decent left peg and I think, (he's only 26) with a bit of training and guidance from Gerry... and just getting used to playing our kinda game, he might be OK.... never gonna set the world alight.


Hendo has all the building blocks and you can see he has the desire too.


We'll see I guess.


I'm not massively impressed by anyone we bought and as I said, for the money, we could have and should have bought world class players.

We bought some potentially good and possibly very useful players.... that's about it.


I still think we've got a decent chance of making CL this season but we'll see how it goes.