1 Nov 2014

'He's not the best': Everton legend blasts €12m LFC misfit, and insists he's worse than Pepe Reina. Agree?

Another day, another disappointing result for Liverpool, and although Simon Mignolet had a solid game overall, his uncertainty on crosses and suspect distribution continues to be an issue. Mignolet is increasingly maligned by both fans and pundits, and Everton legend Neville Southall has joined the growing number of detractors questioning the Belgian's quality.

When asked about €12m-rated Mignolet on Friday, Southall told Paddy Power:

"When they [Liverpool] first bought him, I was surprised.

"When you think of the great Liverpool goalkeepers like Lawrence, Clemence, Grobbelaar, Reina - he never struck me as a player capable of hitting those standards.

"His shot-stopping is good, his distribution is decent, but he isn't the best on crosses."


This latest attacks comes hot on the heels of Gary Neville criticising Mignolet for making regular 'technical errors', an opinion that prompted Man United legend Peter Schmeichel to publicly defend the beleaguered Belgian. He barked:

"I was shocked [by the] character assassination that Gary Neville did to Simon Mignolet. What do you expect? Do you really honestly expect him to save everything?"

Neville mentions Grobbelaar, but even he has questioned Mignolet's quality. When asked last season about LFC's number one, Grobs insisted that he 'not the best all-round keeper', and offered the following four reasons why he's not the long term solution for LFC:

* He doesn't 'play out from the back' effectively
* He's 'not commanding enough' in the penalty box.
* Position at free kicks is 'not right'.
* He concedes too many goals.

Grobbelaar further explained:

“A keeper should never be beaten – as he [Mignolet] has been – by a header from three yards out. You compare that to the number of goals Petr Cech has conceded at Chelsea and that tells you the difference. The keeper coach has to work him harder and he can improve a lot, of course he can."

It's hard to argue with Grobbelaar's points. Mignolet isn't the best at playing out from the back; he's definitely not commanding enough in the box, and as last season shows, he clearly concedes too many goals.

It's even worse now, too: Last year, Mignolet conceded 53 goals in 40 games, which is a rate of 1.3 goals per game. This season, it's 20 goals in 14 games already, which is an increased rate of 1.4 goals per game.

To add insult to injury, Mignolet has only managed to keep two clean sheets in fourteen games, which doesn't inspire any confidence whatsoever.

Granted, the entire defensive unit is struggling, but the most important aspect of that unit is (arguably) the goalkeeper, and when the defenders don't trust the 'keeper, it impacts the entire back-line.

The question is, can Mignolet pull it out of the fire? Can he turn things around and prove he's the long-term solution, or is the best thing simply to replace him?

Author:


80 comments:

  1. If it wasn't for Sturridge and partly Coutinho, BR transfer record would have a failure percentage of 100%.

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  2. And all three aspect of our football 'looks' like it needs major overhaul, let alone defense. This is partly due to inability of our transfer team to get the right players and BR's poor tactical approach this season. I think he has gone mental, the world knows we need to play with two strikers like we did against Spurs. BR got to be daft.

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  3. Brendan Rodgers is in his third year, spent around £200m and still not found a defensive formula. He was lucky last year and he is now being found out. He needs to go, his teams are going to struggle because there is no solidity and too slow, his signings in large have been poor and despite being a good man manager his ability seems limited. I would suggest we bring back Rafa, he signed some awesome players Torres, Mascherano, Alonso, Agger, Crouch, Skertl, Reina and many others either left for a profit or nominal loss. Give him a year and liverpool will be difficult to beat, two years and £100m and he will give us a team that will start to challenge. As he is a poor man manager it would be great to have Gerrard as his asst Player Manager (Paisley mould) and Carragher as a coach (As a Sgt Ronnie Moran). Sorry Brendan, but you have been given enough time and far too much money that has been wasted... Rafa loves Liverpool.... and has the passion, ability and talent to take us back up the table.

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  4. And he knows how to beat Moaning Mourinho

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  5. Yes Mignolet is not good enough like we didn't notice! I've counted 7 keepers we've been linked to recently but you just know BR won't sign any of them cos that would mean he made a mistake in signing Mignolet to begin with and he will never admit to his mistakes

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  6. BR mail excuse is that we are missing Dani sturridge.. my question is that will sturridge bring the solution? if yes what happen if he injure himself again...

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  7. Sorry but as much as Rafa did for Liverpool, he also made a lot of terrible signings.

    Fernando Morientes, Mohamed Sissoko, Mark Gonzalez, Jan Kromkamp, Sebastian Leto, Ryan Babel, Andrea Dossena, Robbie Keane, Albert Renia, Glen Johnson, Alberto Aquilani etc

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  8. Off-topic but Callejon stats for Napoli has been outstanding since his transfer from Real Madrid.

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  9. Maybe he wants to give Ski a 20pt start on us jus to make it more special to come back and win the title

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  10. Again, I do not think that the squad needs an overhaul. Most managers give their right nut to have a squad like ours.


    The problem is that BR is persisting in using formations and tactics which do not suit the players.

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  11. That sounds like a reasonable justification.

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  12. True, I highlighted 'looks' particularly for that reason.

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  13. Pepe hardly saved anything after we finished 2nd. His time was up because he didnt want to be at LIverpool. FIrst he was gutted at no being able to go to Arsenal for £20mill then he was distraught at his home town club not wanting to sign him. He flirted with other teams like a cat on heat walking up a dead end ali way. There was only one outcome.

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  14. Can we do a Rafa V Rodgers spending comparison? :)

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  15. This is getting a bit predictable isn't it .no tempo,no drive , a lack of confidence running through team,impossible to have faith in Rogers ,doesn't know best team and uncertainty it's spreading.didn't realise we would be playing Sturbridge at the back cos we're all assuming that 9 outfield players are going to improve overnight.they are what they are .average,just imagine if we are right and we did peak last season,we had Suarez and still couldn't do it.rogers transfer record is appalling ,so let's say that the recruitment continues to be dire,we're does That leave us. The owners have backed him all way,his players his squad ,his tactics. This isn't a blip or a bad run .as for injuries were not doing bad at all .this is the writing on wall people ,we all know what's coming, fsg won't accept being outside champions league,let's be honest ,how far behind do we need to be before there is a reaction from owners.

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  16. When we finish on 40 pts

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  17. suarez already played more than sturridge with his lengthy ban.. and sturridge played more minutes for england than liverpool and i think he ll be fit in the international break ..* hodgson plans *

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  18. when we and bvb dortmund can sing YNWA

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  19. the more this continues the more i am convinced that sturridge coming back from injury isn't gonna fix jack sh*t

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  20. its a shame to know that the team looks disinterested and the number of attempts recorded is very low .. nobody even shoots when they get the ball inside the box in a promising position .. they want to keep passing till the line i think.. with the lack of successful passing players should actually be shooting mercilessly

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  21. Isn't it shocking when you look at what we signed and the fees,good god markovic can't even make bench,what was seen in him in first place,20 million .will we ever recoup a quarter of that if we get rid , I always thought transfers differently.buy and sell etc,buy low sell high through development and progression ,we buy high and no other team rates them any where near what we pay in firtt place ,so always going to waste money

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  22. he is gonna injure himself by working hard to cover up the others lack of effort... wait before that there is an international break and he is expected to be fit by then

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  23. Exactly- how many world class players do we have? Will any we've alresdy signed go on to be world class? After 40 years of supporting LFC thru thick and thin this is as thin as I can accurately remember

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  24. To be honest mate I'm the same ,fed up on these forums trying to get point across .look at it this way .rogers has signed 23 players .if you include transfer fees of about 195 million.lets have a guess at wages , low of 60k and a high of about 100k.average it to 80k on 4and5 year deals that's between 16 and 20 million per player in wages,so I'm being kind saying under Rogers we have blown more than half a billion pounds plus on a squad that has doubts on every position on pitch,and don't get me started on gerrard,if we sanction another deal of 150k per week rolling or not we really have got problems

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  25. First time poster here. Jk I agree with alot of your articles.But I must say your site was far superior when carr71 was commenting where has he gone? I also like gilstrip. Comedy gold.

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  26. Apart from Sterling I don't think any of this team would make the ski or city bench otherwise they would have bought them- Reus or any other 'star' player will never sign for us apart from wages they want to win things and hate to say it but BR is not a winner. He's been given a fortune and bought nobody that can keep the ball for more than 10 seconds. He seems to be more of a 'mate' than a manager rant rant rant

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  27. Mignolet is not our biggest issue. Our back for sticks out like a sore thumb every time.


    It is quote simple really which Rodgers does not seem to understand and it is this, if we do not score goals then we will lose games.


    Again today he went with the safe option by playing two holding midfielders and Balotelli up on his own, How many more f****** times does Rodgers have to see that one up front is not working??? Is the guy f******* blind or is he just stupid?


    Fed up with this rubbish football. Rodgers either needs to return to reality or get the f*** out.

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  28. I've loved this club since I was a kid I'm 51 now ,I've kept my thoughts to myself over everything that has happened at lfc even at the truly dark times of hysel and hills borough .its as they say only a game but I'm sick and tired of creating false gods,I'd never big myself up but I know that we are being fed bull by Rogers and the majority are lapping it up .a blind man could see that aspas ,Alberto,borini ,Allen ,Moses,cissoko lambert ballotelli etc are not now and never will be good enough for lfc.you try and support the shirt each week but it's not easy is it,if we never had Suarez last season then this years performances would have happened then not interested in 3 points now,I want to see progression ,sell Suarez for record fee and re invest money in as similar as you could get quality ,this is not knee jerk reaction ,it will only get worse,remember 2009.and we had a better squad then

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  29. even neuer behind this back four would be absolute shite

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  30. Our priority should have been try and get 4 quality players not superstars and keep top 4 spot and keep building Not flood the team with a load of average overpriced 'future' players and waffle on about CL and strength and depth and pushing on. The guy is out of his depth and FSG know nothing about football. Did they pick BR cos of the possession style of football he played at Swansea if so then where is it now? We can't keep the ball can't wait to get rid of it. ' i don't see progression from keeper to striker

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  31. Don't exaggerate or anything. Thinner than when Hodgson was in charge?

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  32. Wasn't he in charge today?

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  33. Hahahahahahaha love it

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  34. Rafa would be welcomed back the majority of our knowledgeable fans who strongly believe he has unfinished business at Liverpool. Fact!!

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  35. The tripe served up today was Hodgsonesque

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  36. I do not see FSG holding back if things continue like this. Rodgers has lost the plot completely. Did not see myself going this far but he does not deserve to continue with this job if he does not get rid of his ignorance.


    If it was up to me then my next move I would make should Rodgers not have turned things around by the end of the season then ask Carra and Stevie if they would not be interested in taking up the job together and even get somebody like Roy Evans involved again who was superb with the youngsters too.


    The football being dished up this season is making me miserable. I quite honestly am not even going to bother watching us being ripped to shreds by Madrid during the week.

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  37. It's a sign of the times but money has a big part in today's football,to be honest I've not got a problem with john Henry or Tom Werner,we would complain if they were all self promotion with lfc boots and mugs( remember hicks) .fsg employ Ian Ayer to run the club,that may be the problem.whatever motives fsg have ,if we get a 60k stadium and champions league football,if they want to sell at a profit then good luck to them,problem is I don't think Rogers can deliver champions league again,so fsg,s investment will be worth less if only top 6 at best ,that's why I don't think they will let it go on,I'd actually say not much difference in squad to when Kenny left.more depth but not much change in quality

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  38. Hodgson a squad plus about 300 millions .that's the point with all the money spent we should have a settled team and squad by now,isn't that why hodgson got sacked in first place,I think the yanks say bang for your buck .not much banging going on is there?

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  39. By X-mas I predict we'll have 25 points then we will see what FSG are made of. Iain Ayre seemed to complicate every transfer and we ended up paying stupid money. Sturridge can't help us much cos we can't defend. I hope to be proved wrong

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  40. What concerns me more than anything else is how little the transfers have contributed.


    I said it all along that you don't lose your best player and get better. But considering the number of players that were brought i, I'd like to believe that at least one of them would show some life.


    The only one who has shown life, isn't actually playing for us... he's in France.

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  41. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:43 pm, November 01, 2014

    sorry br
    your time is running out
    sign martinez in January he will get you top 7
    then in summer sign schniderlin, and reid to bolster our defense and with origi back we should be okay
    dont give gerrard a new contract make coutinho a number 8

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  42. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:45 pm, November 01, 2014

    This is the team that should play vs chelski :


    .............................................balotelli.......borini
    ......................................................sterling
    ........................................coutinho..............henderson
    .......................................................gerrard
    ....................................moreno.......lovren......skrtel....manquillo
    ...............................................................mignolet

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  43. Nevergonnacrackthecode9:49 pm, November 01, 2014

    carragher might be able to do it
    look at gary monk

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  44. So let me get this straight. You "kept your mouth shut" as you say through the Heysel and Hillsborough disasters but losing 1-0 away at Newcastle has caused you to break your silence? Gimme a break

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  45. carra stated that he would model his management style on Houllier. one era of Houllier is more than enough.

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  46. Kept quiet on hillsborough as i lost a good mate.just stating that never commented on anything online before. Nothing to do with newcastle mate .bigger picture is wasting millions on players who arent good enough.maybe we should just keep shut up and keep paying our money.suppose you want to give gerrard a new contract eh

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  47. good point, jamie have you or can you do a piece on BR's buys and net spend?

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  48. Somebody like Klopp:) You obviously don't watch German football.Borussia Dortmund are in the relegation zone in the Bundesliga.They've lost 7 out of 10 matches this season.
    GhostRider you need to update your best young managers in the world list.
    If FSG sacked Rodgers, replacing him with a manager doing a bad job like Jurgen Klopp would be stupid.He needs to get that yellow train back on track!

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  49. You're damn right I do. I don't think he should play every week but he's so important to our squad and our fans still and we have nobody ready to take over the mantle from him.
    Steven Gerrard should never be forced out of Liverpool. If he wants to go play in the MLS for a few years then fair enough but if we treated Gerrard the way Chelsea did Lampard then I'll be disgusted

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  50. Pelligrini says he would sign him

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  51. Pathetic performance again against Newcastle,i don't care what anyone says about my comment on Henderson because he's shit and has been since LFC got him.Throw in Allen,Johnson,Mignolet,and nearly all of B.R recruits.B.R has failed LFC and needs to go,it's all down hill from here until FSG wake up and get rid of B.R.

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  52. Just goes to show what failings there have been.gerrard has to play no matter what.look at gerrards stats for the last 30 games .below average at best.not sure when lfc become a final payday club.he has been wonderfull player.the same as any other wonderfull player .no current or previous manager has had forsight to buy any competition for gerrard.if you super imposed the head of lucas on to gerrard and looked at how many mistakes are made .he would be dropped.were always being told that its all about the group and everyone treated the same .dont make me laugh .his face will be on badge if some get there way .doesnt justify the salary at 34 .a two year deal will cost club about 15 million. Really. ....come on

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  53. Here's a nightcap_ responding to Big Sam saying Rodgers stuck in his ways 'I have a philosophy and the game model and training model are all based on that. ( wait for it) The transition and improvement of this team is about Dangerous Possession' Aaaarrrghhhhhhh hurl Rodgers Shut Up

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  54. mignolet and confidence don't go hand in hand but i don't put a huge amount of blame at his door. as much as i love brucie, did he not have some shockers early on in his career at the pool? i saw them first hand. reina developed a dislike of defending his near post in the final couple of seasons. he also didn't much care for the aerial battles. ok mignolet is jittery but when you don't have a regular back line it creates an uncertainty. he is young he will learn. he needs to bulk up a bit and smash through players. give him a break as there are others who deserve much heavier scrutiny,starting with brendans tactics or lack of. why has he abandoned last years approach? why play a lone front man who isn't particularly interested in doing that job and if by chance he is, why is there no service anymore? more questions than answers as the song goes.....

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  55. love rafa.....how many of his signings were top notch? oh yes i forgot josemi, riera, morientes,keane,bellamy.....

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  56. I'd never want to watch Rafa football at Anfield again. He should never have been sacked but now that he's gone..................

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  57. I see Christian Purslow joined Chelsea's board this week. Well done agent Purslow Poulsen, Konchesky and Hodgson for your dedication in setting us back a decade.

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  58. Your joking right? Just look down the list bud. There should be three if the list stretches a week.

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  59. How dare you. Momo was a beast before he went a bit blind like.

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  60. In fairness battering Madrid was under Rafa. We had some great games. So brilliantly flowing football. Last year was different class but Rafa had a better defence.

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  61. How many of Rodgers signings are already gone or we have tried to sell? There is this myth Rodgers won't admit a mistake but either the players that have come and gone he decided that way or the transfer activities are still mysterious and we are nit suew they are his.

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  62. He will bring goals and I'd he is injured he won't.

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  63. Possibly but do we have a contextual relative comparison as new puppies in the market such City, PSG and Monaco (as well as Chelsea Conington once Rafa had gotten on board) as well as accurate Wage the players were on as evidence shows beat paid teams do better in the leagu. Then relative money in the market such as new prem TV money making prem players more expensive. So Yeh Jaimie if you can factor those things in can you do a comparison? Because without those things or at Lest some of them it would be like the comparison was pointless. Cheers

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  64. I would see a gp then. I would see a gp then. I would see a gp then. In case you have forgotten that again I think you should see a gp.

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  65. Mate honestly why bother? Your time is worth more.

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  66. it is very clear Mignolet does not have a domineering presence in the box, which is what Liverpool needs. The back 4 is basically new and needs the solidity and confidence of a strong keeper, who they do not trust at the moment. Very important Mignolet is replaced in the January transfer window and we get back to basics of good defending.

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  67. I am in complete agreement with your comment about the Gerrard situation.


    I'm also waiting for Carra's condemnation of Gerrards story going out to the press, as he did with Sterling. Won't happen, of course.

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  68. Exactly. There is a reason why Mignolet is Belgian's nr.2. It's not even a contest when Courtois is fit. How any manager can expect to build a winning team with nr.2's is beyond me. I'd go as far as to say Sturridge's transfer wasn't so great either. There is no questioning Sturridge himself, the guy scores goals for fun, but I have to wonder whether his injuries aren't something Citeh and Chelski were aware of and the reason why he only played occasionally there. We always assume it was because no one could displace Drogba but going by his goal scoring, I'm sure Chelsea would have picked a fit Sturridge of Drogba any day. Or at least more often than they did. As for Coutinho, had he cost 15 million people would question that transfer as well. Rodgers to me has shown he cannot manage a big team simply because he can't build one. There are a thousand managers in Holland who play the same attacking style he does but that doesn't make them Premiership worthy managers.

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  69. i wonder where are those reina hater hiding now???

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  70. Do you think Rafa would uy Andy Carroll. I think he would bring alex Song this summer. He can attract latin american and spainish players.

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  71. Whats your point ? Im saying for all the money thats being wasted are we any better off regarding genuine proven quality.if you think the signings made are good enough .dont go to your gp he might get you sectioned.if you dont agree .give a reason not a smart arse cryptic response .or then again dont bother.just keep accepting the bull were being told and see where we go eh. ...

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  72. Doesn't matter the team selection, we'll get trounced. There's no spirit to the team anymore. Our winning mentality walked through the door with Suarez, and Gerrard - broken from last season - doesn't have it in him to boost morale anymore. BR was never the great 'man manager' everyone claimed. It was always SG doing the man managing and making BR look the genius. I still think we need to give BR time as this was always going to be a difficult season, but I have to keep reminding myself to be patient even though my patience is draining by the week.
    I hope we get a lift when Sturridge returns because I can't bear to watch the F*** All attitude anymore. The only person who seems to care is Borini and he's twice been told to take a walk.


    I almost hope to see Borini and Lambert played as the two strikers against Chelsea, Sterling or Lallana in the No. 10 role for 70 minutes and then replaced with Coutinho. Coutinho always plays his best when he's subbed on, and could make a big difference if we're not already down 3 goals by then.

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  73. glad someone got it

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  74. I'm sorry, but can everyone please take a look at the first two Newcastle corners yesterday? Mingolet was his usual inept self .. ANY CROSS ..

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  75. I thought it was about WINNING: 1 Champions league (runner up once), 2 UEFA Cups, 2 La Liga titles, 1 FA cup, 1 Cppa Italia, 1 Community Shield, 1 FIFA World Club Cup (runner up twice) , 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Italian Super Cup, runner up in league Cup .. I'd have Rafa back in a flash ...


    What has Buck won again?

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  76. The last three managers inc BR continue to handicap the club with mostly poor signings "..I would suggest that fir the club thus is the most important aspect of stewardship of the club ... Get the signings right so that if your time does not go right at least the next manager has something to work with...I would suggest that if a proper experienced world class manager was attracted to anfield he would struggle with the current squad especially if he hasn't got the luxury of just playing league games like last season

    BR is suffering and handicapping his own potential by persisting in underwhelming and hopeful signings that are a pale shadow of past greats at our club, I think br will learn but it will take years and as my reservations continue with his appointment ...as a coach learning on the job when in truth the clubs aspirations and history DEMAND a coach who already has experienced quality and us bake to attract too quality players especially considering the the clubs compatiotirs are financially better off

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  77. Only a couple of moments against Newcastle that concerned me, otherwise he had a good game. He definitely struggles in those moments where he might come for the ball but traffic gets in the way. I guess he's watching the ball and doesn't have a good grasp of who is in front of him. Not a keeper, I have no idea how those things work.


    I don't think he's really a liability. Fans of every team are always on their own keeper's back, lamenting mistakes. Even when Reina was at his best we knew he wasn't perfect and was blamed for some losses. Mignolet has some issues but I think he's a mid-range keeper. There are worse and we should be careful thinking about replacing him.

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