29 Dec 2014

Get Off His Back: Thommo demands 'full support' from LFC fans for failing €12m star

Despite Brendan Rodgers' protestations to the contrary, Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet put in another shaky performance against Burnley, and on another day, the Reds could've been punished for his lapses in concentration. The game perfectly illustrated why Rodgers dropped Mignolet, but with Brad Jones now injured, he has no option but to play him tomorrow against Swansea City, and Anfield legend Phil Thompson has called on fans to pull together and get behind the Belgian.

On Sunday evening, Thommo tweeted:

"At Anfield tomorrow night we all need to give OUR goalkeeper Simon Mignolet OUR full support"

Obviously, the general sentiment expressed here is creditable, but it doesn't change the fact that €12m-rated Mignolet needs to be replaced ASAP. It's perfectly possible to support a player, but also accept that he is not the long-term solution for Liverpool.

After witnessing Mignolet leak goals at an alarming rate last season, Rodgers should've taken swift action and replaced him in the summer. There's no room for sentiment when it comes to such a vital position in the team, but Rodgers failed to act, and the Reds have paid the price.

With that in mind, if Rodgers doesn't address the goalkeeping issue in January, then in my view, it'll be yet another act of gross transfer negligence. There's simply no point adopting a 'wait and see' policy with Mignolet in the hope that he'll magically become a commanding goalkeeper.

It isn't going to happen.

Mignolet is 26, and if he hasn't picked up the basics by now, he's never going to. As the old saying goes, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, and in footballing terms, Mignolet is (arguably) too old to fundamentally change the way he plays.

Right now, Liverpool have no choice but to rely on him, but as soon as the January transfer window opens, Rodgers needs to take swift action and bring in the best goalkeeper LFC's budget will allow.

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149 comments:

  1. Surprised we haven't been linked with more Ligue 1 'keepers. Some nice talent between the sticks at the moment.

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  2. We conceded 5 in 2 EPL matches with Brad Jones. He just is not good enough. Mignolet by no means perfect but better than Jones.

    It has to be between Neto & Romero if we are looking to bring in another goalkeeper. Cech is not going to sign for us, he probably earns more than any of our current players too and Perin just far to young and inexperienced.



    Butland no and Ochoa no.

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  3. Well he deserves a song to be sung if we are being honest.

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  4. I disagree with the notion that Mignolet is too old to learn. Plenty of players continue to develop late into their 20s and keepers in particular play until they are nearly 40. Mignolet also already has the basics of being a very good shot stopper. The things he needs to learn are about commanding his area and leading his defence. In my view those are precisely the kinds of skills you can learn later in your career so there is hope for him yet. That's not to say I think we should rely on him - a new keeper is essential in either January or the summer window - but there is hope yet for Mignolet. Maybe we find someone experienced to take on the role temporarily and keep Mignolet as backup.

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  5. Mignolet's Liverpool career arguably went downhill about a year ago, he was solid enough for me until the match against Manchester City at the Etihad where he let Negredo's shot creep over the line.

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  6. Yes, nobody was saying anything about any of this Dracula things before that. And it could be the self confidance, Or maybe someone told him in the locker room that it was his fault, he does seem very weak mentally- letting the crowd get to him like that the last match..

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  7. Mignolet is a mess at the moment. Far worse than he has been at any point. Still fancy him to actually make saves which is something Brad Jones barely got near. Mignolet has to be replaced in Jan for sure but with nerves so shattered we need to be supportive. I doubt the home crowd will be though which is totally counter productive.

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  8. Mignolet looked as nervous as a turkey around thanksgiving i honestly dont know if he is any worse with no confidence.
    It seemed to me he would fail consistently and still appear to think he was doing well either way Mignolet out.

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  9. I'm still waiting for a german keeper to be seriously linked with us.

    If you ask me they have the best keepers in the world

    + players from germany won't cost that much.

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  10. droping him was a huge misstake, he lost all his confidence
    Brilliant man-management again by BR

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  11. anything that reminds him of the penalty double safe against stoke last season should cheer him up! seriously he needs some backing by the crowd!

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  12. Being a keeper is toughest position by far, especially at a club with high expectation, 10 good ones don't count and three bad ones and you are out. And by the way you have to be crazy as a kid to even want it or accept it, so their mental state is probably their biggest weapon, and their biggest enemy. No way he isn't giving his all at training, and he did give us the boost we needed in first couple of months- not just that first game, so he does deserve a song more than 'nosrto genio'...

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  13. rumours are gathering momentum that we are bidding 23.5 mill for berahino...... why don't we learn about overpayed overrated british players he's only scored 7 goals has rodgers lost his marbles

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  14. Don't worry about that silly rumour, it was the same BS as Torres back to Anfield again who has just completed a loan switch back to A. Madirid.

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  15. Taking him out of the firing line and getting him doing more training on his weaker attributes? Perhaps we shouldn't jump to you many conclusions.

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  16. Wasnt Horn linked a while back. What I'd love to see us do is get Cech and Horn and loan Horn to a top club for a couple of seasons like Chelsea did with Courtois. It would be even more perfect if we could make Mignolet part of the deal with Cologne. Mignolet is from Sint Truiden which isnt too far from Cologne, the Bundesliga is a top league and it would be a chance for him to be a hero at a smaller club again. I'm sure we could manage with Jones backing up Cech for a couple of seasons more.

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  17. Chances are West Bromwich have identified an alternative and are hoping for a bidding war between us and Spurs. Really can't see it happening at anywhere near that price.

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  18. What annoys me often is that some people fail to see where the notions of support and heavy criticism can actually overlap. There is an irritating misconception that it's one or the other. It's most commonly perpetuated by super fans who berate other fans that dare to voice the opinion that, for example, Rodgers should be sacked, because, 'that is not supporting our manager, nor our club. Fans are supposed to support the club'...followed by a Bill Shankly quote that could quite possibly have been made up.


    No. Just no. It is perfectly possible to support someone while you don't trust their ability. If my 16 year old sister said she was going to reach the peak of Mt Everest, do I think she's going to achieve it? No! Do I support her journey? Yes! Ditto for Mignolet. People like myself may not think he's the answer, but we love to be proven wrong.

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  19. And was sweating like a gypsy with a mortgage.

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  20. look all i can say is that Mignolet came back with far less confidence after he got dropped. Jones didn't change anything, in fact his performances were far inferior.

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  21. i'd be happy with anything like that. a swap deal with cologne is a good idea

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  22. That's fine enough but at the ground the atmosphere can be toxic. Players struggling for confidence are berated at every chance. Even at times when it doesn't even make sense to. Part of the reason for this is perpetuated ideas all over the net. What so many don't realise is they are making the situation worse.

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  23. But those people are taking it over the line. They're not supporting the team.

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  24. The Metro ran that story and I wouldn't believe a lot of what they claim- I agree 23.5m is way too much

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  25. I actually feel for Mignolet especially with the way we defend. If our defence was actually up to scratch then the blame toward Mignolet would be fully justified but fact is our defence is rubbish.

    It is the same with the amount of criticism Sakho is given when Skrtel is making loads of mistakes but does not get taken to task for it.

    Pot, kettle, black.

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  26. Yes but goal keepers heavily contribute to the defensive effort. Grobelaar makes a good point.

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  27. SUpposedly some reliable WBA fan has reported we have agreed the deal but I am not assuming anything. If we get Berahino to save our season, go help us.

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  28. If we get Cech, we instantly send out a statement of intent to the rest of the teams. He is the player we should go for or Lloris. ANything less than that is unacceptable.

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  29. There is still flaws in Mignolets game which have not improved since he came to the club.
    By seasons end he has had 2 years and its evident he is no De gea the best players step up thats what sets them apart.
    If he is too mentally weak to challenge his own game at every opportunity then he is not our long term solution.

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  30. It's funny that Spurs are supposedly offering 10m for him and WBA are replacing ng him with Danny Ings yet he's 23,5m to us

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  31. Why do Spurs even need him? They have Kane, Soldado and Adebayor. Anyways, if this deal goes through, it will show how much of a joke we have become.

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  32. Could not agree more.

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  33. Mignolet has a talent for shot-stopping. There's not doubt about that. It's his other areas that he needs to improve. You said once that he needs to be properly coached, but if he doesn't know the other fundamentals of keeping by now, then he never will.

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  34. By dropping maybe we have learned that Mignolet is not strong enough mentally to push his game to another level or is only suited in his own comfort zone.

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  35. Mignolet is far from his peak. 26 for a GK is still very young and a proper GK coach could sort out some of his deficiencies.


    All I am saying is that a inept defence is not going to help his cause.

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  36. No way should lfc loan Emre Can to real sociedad
    he is way more talented then Allen and should be playing regularly

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  37. We have also learnt that Brad Jones should be third choice.

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  38. This is the Metro and Express after all but if Spurs did get him they would have the Eng U 21 strikers. One paper says 23m to us the other says 10m to Spurs -ridiculous

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  39. If theres one club that would cough up the big bucks for Berahino its Liverpool.
    Funnily enough could have got him for 10 mill last season and probably the same with Lallana the season before i say sack the scouts.

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  40. third choice at Portsmouth ;-)

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  41. Everyone already knew that he cant even make the Aussie squad.

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  42. It is young yet he should still be across all those unfulfilled skills by now. It's not like he's 20 years old. It's a lot for a GK coach to teach him.

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  43. If we loan out Emre Can then it will further amplify the rottenness of the way we do our business in the transfer market.

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  44. I doubt this is true

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  45. His biggest problem is confidence. He never looks it and unless we have somebody who can help him in the right direction then the next keeper we get will suffer the same fate.

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  46. I am pretty sure there are clubs that would like to take on Can's services but my point is that if we allow him to go on loan then heads need to roll.

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  47. Disagree mental strength is one of the main attributes which determines the stars from the also rans.

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  48. He seemed confident last season and still wasn't that special...

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  49. Totally agree. We have signed enough dross. A big signing is also a big confidence boost and game raiser to other players. Suarez made everyone play better.

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  50. agreed, set the guillotine up!

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  51. I just hope BR doesn't red this post, or we can expect a £15 million January bid for your sister.

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  52. Suarez and wouldnt he kill to win.

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  53. f*** off I want that 15 million. I will write 'outstanding' in my referee appraisal.

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  54. Watch him get back to form at A. Madrid.

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  55. Well Torres stopped being a star once his mental strength went to s*** .

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  56. Hes gone finito done and signed for Milan i reckon.

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  57. He only signed for Milan so they could loan him to Atletico.

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  58. Our fans jeering him are idiots.Contrary to popular belief It isn't like he goes out to deliberatley to play sh!t. I think his biggest problem is mentality.He was sh!tt!ng him self on that clearance Vs Burnley probably scared of the consequences if he messed up.
    Being dropped, jeered and constantly and (deservedly criticized) will obviously inly hinder his already weak mentality.

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  59. She does always show "Great character","True team spirit and she is also a "Fantastic technician"

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  60. it is pantomime season though ......its behind you .....usually refers to the ball in his net

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  61. Er well lately the surface in the house has been dirty (forgot to vacuum), which has curtailed her abilities quite a bit...

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  62. jose will mess rodgers about over cech just for fun

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  63. Gone back to his boyhood club and will be playing for Simeone. Not saying I would want him back at Anfield but with him going back there could ignite his hunger for the game again.


    Confidence can make or break a player.

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  64. hes lost 200m that im sure of

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  65. we always pay double bubble its in our heritage

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  66. i can see it being over the way we negotiate

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  67. he cant lose what he never had

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  68. there are not enough days in a week to fix his faults

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  69. well that and his ability

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  70. i dont think you should follow any one blindly .....if someones crap there crap ,if you go the dentist and he pulls the wrong tooth out do you keep going back....whats the differance

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  71. His lack of mental strength hid his ability.

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  72. ...You can't compare going to the dentist to football. Dentists don't have fans.

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  73. Hasnt done much in years Rafa couldnt get him going i really think its going to take more than a confidence pill.

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  74. if they get rid of tooth ache they do

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  75. But I don't lie there as a patient waving a flag with his face on it singing songs about him

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  76. on your rational footballers and managers are beyond criticism why? i support the club not the individuals in it ......if you have faulty parts in an engine you don't persevere you replace them or your car breaks down .....

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  77. That sakho-skrtel thing really gets on my nerves. v Arsenal, skrtel was made out to be some sort of hero warrior because of a barnstorming run and header that got us a draw, whilst people conveniently forgot he lost a header he should have definitely won to Debuchy for the first goal and lost giroud for the second goal. Only positive Is sakho is now getting a run in the side, no idea how BR came to the conclusion to play 3 at the back after the trouble with that formation for teams earlier in the season (Utd, QPR etc), buts all well that ends well I think.
    Not sure how JK came to the conclusion a keeper wont improve after 26 considering the amount of PL keepers who improve in "old-age" (James, Jaskelaainen, Howard, Friedel, Cech etc). Mignolet definitely does need to improve parts of his game, but his shot stopping is fine and maybe, just maybe, that will buy him time. I've always felt with him he has never felt he belongs, which is a problem. He can learn that though. If he is replaced, I wouldn't mind either, so long as it isn't someone who essentially leaves us with an extra employee but at the same stage (i.e. just as good/bad as Migs)

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  78. What's the chances of us winning 15 of our remaining games with Mignolet and our present defence- pretty slim imo

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  79. Yes, but can she 'clean sheets'?

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  80. Yes good point Sheikh I agree with you when you're not talking about football.


    My boy Luis (he has not bitten anyone for weeks now) was so upset by that comment from JK that he refused to read the rest of the article and has gone off to watch the telly.

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  81. is it the dog in your profile picture? if so, I believe in that story - he's looking very serious

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  82. Ibe does not play for LIverpool... he is on loan at Derby, and Suso is injured...

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  83. Did u name him after Suarez?

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  84. A vicious dog indeed but no match for our black miniature poodle {Arthur}.

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  85. Careless hands has been done already. Any other (more modern) suggestions?

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  86. Its not necessary that a team plays the same way throughout..so doing maths and predicting things is not logical..alan pardew was near a sack at start and then he ended chelseas invincible run and thrashed everton yesterday..last season liverpool had a good run of games in second half..so maths doesnt make any sense.

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  87. Are we talking about your dog - I often refer to my dog as my boy

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  88. If we manage that we'd have 67 (if we win today) don't think that'll be enough for top 4 - it's depressing to look at the table and see 7 wins at the end of Dec.

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  89. Yes and he is really called Dylan

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  90. That's ma boy.
    Strong, aggressive, plenty of bite, not that quick though, lacks control and won't do what he's told. I might start calling him Mario

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  91. Yes you need ability as well as confidence. Some of the posters on here don't lack confidence but they are still sh......ort on ability ;

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  92. You cannot just blame Mignolet. There is no confidence back to front in this team . The whole defensive structure and our playing style is not conducive to keeping clean sheets , changing your back four every week, slating your keeper in the media and being linked with every goalkeeper in Europe every week in the media not helpful.


    That said IMO he has been terrible form day one and the penalty save against Stoke masked his shortcomings.


    Shotstopper in a mid table team, oh wait a minute we are at the moment!!

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  93. What are the chances of us getting Suarez back?


    Ok, you have your answer :-)

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  94. They are both not good enough, Lallana offers nothing and has no pace, strength and wants too many touches to play for a top side . He should have stayed at Southampton , Berahino , is he any better than IBE ??

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  95. I don't think those men in white coats following you around are dentists;-)

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  96. You are right neither are good enough but truthfully Lallana at 10 mill is easily sold and maybe a slight loss at very worst.
    What i am saying the more you overpay the longer your stuck with them.
    Berahino is currently better than Ibe but is older and who knows in the future Ibe struggles to get a regular 90 minute run at Derby often coming off the bench.

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  97. Oops I see you covered this hous ago

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  98. Thats because all dentists have an evil plan to keep us all poor and will not allow complaints about the bill.

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  99. His catching and dealing with crosses looked better. His distribution was just as bad probably a touch worse. I think everyone involved hoped he would be out longer to get hos head straight and work more on those deficiencies. I don't think Brad was used as he was considered better just that Mignolet needed more coaching than time between games allowed.

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  100. Yes as Bill Shankly succinctly put it "don't diss your team man"

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  101. Off topic but Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be on the move looking to finish his career elsewhere, worth a bid?

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  102. Can he play in goal?

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  103. guess he could do that pretty well

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  104. Probably he's that type

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  105. If eight days a week are not enough he has to go

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  106. very good observation..... thanks

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  107. getting goosebumps when im thinking about ibra playing for us

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  108. It's not easy to keep them in their own area

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  109. Lallana 25m and we would be lucky to get 10m now, done nothing yet .We need to buy quality and build young players round that and not the other way round as you cant maintain CL football with this team we have now. Ibe on loan so managers loyalty to permanent players. Berahino not in the same class as Bony although you are right he is like most of BR's signings , small like him and lightweight.

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  110. Or as Dylan would call him - Floss

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  111. Dude BR will stand there like A stunned mullet if I brag that. I don't think the words even won a mention in his dossier to FSG...

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  112. as long as they do their job and we don't concede goals they can play wherever they want

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  113. im getting goosebumps thinking about a ball getting crossed into our penalty area

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  114. is that the type with hands unlike our goalies

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  115. more like panic attacks

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  116. okay now go fetch

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  117. Fair enough i suppose we want to conquer Europe

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  118. Watch out, the EU won't like your post

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  119. there's a difference between finishing your career and having your career finished ...which is what would happen under Rodgers

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  120. well we are after onazi

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  121. ''you need hands'' springs to mind or
    i miss you ( blink 187) missing you ( steve perry ) basically anything with miss or hands in the title and your made

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  122. suarez is capable of self imploding over there and then resigning for us .....im nor sure you can use logical reasoning when it comes to suraez he is the chaos theory in person

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  123. he can get a dog to chase a ball its more than rodgers can do with his players

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  124. Liverpool had a good run of games throughout the whole of last season. We are 11 points worse off at the same stage last season when we were on 36 points after 18 games. We lost 6 matches last season, this season we have already lost 7 and we have not even past the halfway mark yet.


    Like I said, if you want to believe we can make top 4 then it is your problem. I do not believe we will and I have shown that it is going to take a miracle to finish top 4 and again, if you do not agree with that then it is your prerogative.

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  125. 'You cannot win a league without Stuart's keys'
    ~Bill Shankly

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  126. that would fit perfectly

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  127. Hi Friends..I thinks Liverpool have to be like that next year...
    Cech(Chelsea)
    Lovren Skrtel Flanagan
    Pogba(Juventus)
    Lavezzi(PSG) Shaqiri(Bayern Munich) Sterling
    Sturridge Firminio(Hoffenheim)
    Martinez(Porto)


    Subs;Mignolet,Gerard,Lallana,Coutihno,Serey Die(Fc Bale),Moreno,Zouma(Chelsea),Volland(Hoffenheim)

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  128. Wat do u think Guys please reply me back

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  129. How's Alex McCarthy looking?


    If memory serves me right, we had an interest a few years back but nothing materialized.

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  130. Agreed.


    We are not Chelsea where we have so many good players that we send out others for game time.


    Bringing in a transfer to essentially loan him out right away would be the sign of failed transfers.


    See Ilori, Tiago.

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  131. I think he wanted first team football and not be back up to Mignolet so chose QPR-so now he's back up to Green

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  132. I'd love Benzema but would you swap Real Madrid for Liverpool right now ? I don't see Martinez or Doumbia as proven in the premier league. I'd prefer either of them to Balotelli and if the decision was to sell Balotelli and buy either of them, I'd be pleased. But if I had to make the choice and being realistic about it happening, I would pick Bony or Benteke.

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  133. We should move heaven and earth to try and get Cech in January

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  134. My thoughts too. His nerves are shattered and that is not conducive with good goalkeeping. A new goalkeeper in January is imperative for me.

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  135. You are right a there is only one guy who deserves credit for that ki seung yeung. Seriously against swansea pace business simply doesn't work unless we play like a team there is no beating swansea. For that reason I would drop coutino as its pretty obvious he isn't a team player. I wouldn't be surprised to see Rodgers give sterling a rest. But I realize what I just said all of the 100%liverpool fans will disagree but I feel in some quarters it makes sense.,though I won't drop both coutino and sterling, either one will do mostly coutino on the bench

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  136. There is a song called "Dracula"

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  137. Wrong...the award isn't given on a players attack-minded game. And before you argue, a goalkeeper won it. The award is simply given to the leagues best player. Lucas was and always has been a DM, no matter how many people say he was once a brazilian league top scorer.

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  138. I said he was awarded based on his HIS (Lucas') attack-minded game. Your misinterpretation.


    It's great that Rogerio Ceni won it, and at such an advanced age too! His goal-scoring prowess is well documented.


    The rest we'll disagree on. You say he's always been a DM, and I go with the Brazilian volante.

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