27 Oct 2009

POLL: Is Ian Rush right about David Ngog?

Ian Rush believes that David Ngog has the potential to be a star for Liverpool. Is he right, or is this just wishful thinking?

In his column for the Liverpool Echo, Rushie was full of praise for the young Frenchman, affectionately nicknamed 'Wash' by Liverpool fans:

"There’s no doubt he has something. The most obvious quality is that he can score goals. The winner at Leeds in the Carling Cup was both important and very well taken, while Sunday’s finish [against Man United] was arguably his coolest and most significant yet".



Rush added: "The Anfield coaching staff are clearly working hard on him and he has undoubted potential. The experience of scoring a winning goal against United will only help his development".


Given the club's hit and miss success rate with Strikers over the last 5-6 years, could Ngog be the real deal, or is he just another flash in the pan?

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18 comments:

  1. For Ngog to really start to come good I think he needs...

    1. First team game time - The quality of reserve team football has done its job in terms of fitness but will now do very little to improve the competitve edge he needs to gain by playing against the best.

    2. Voronin out - Linked to the above is that to get game time Voronin needs to be shipped out to ensure he gets the chances he needs. Its the same with Degan holding up Kelly and Darby.

    3. To build up his self confidence and belief in his own skill - He has all the attributes in terms of strength, reasonable pace, decent touch and finishing. I see him as a cross between Anelka and Drogba at Chelsea. If he starts to back himself and take on defenders he can start to have a real impact.

    The ideal situation could be a full 12 month loan out to another Premiership team for him to gain the week in week out playing time he needs ready to come back into the Liverpool with the experience and belief in his ability he needs.

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  2. love the articles n polls bein posted ova ere...

    Hopefully Liverpool can build on the result at the wekend n youngsters like kelly, ngog, insua, nemeth, pacheo, etc, can develope into very good players n rafa could use em in the first team in near future,,,

    but for the current tem , i guess a silva or  a  lennon or a winger of their sort is a must,,, to do that new investors with an intention of takin the club forward both performancewise n financially,,,  what do u think guys??

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  3. Agree about the likes of nemeth, Pacheco etc - for once it seems like Liverpool have some youngsters coming through who might actually make it.  Kely looked very good against Lyon, and got some great crosses in.  As others have suggested, Johnson could occasionally be used as a right midfielder, with Kelly behind him.  Could be a worth a try.

    I'm not really that keen on Silva; we have Benayoun who is just as good as him and he's used to the premiership.  Lennon on the other hand would be a good signing, but with Kuyt a certain starter every game on the right, he could end up going the Ryan Babel route, i.e. always on the bench.

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  4. Great points.  Completely agree with Voronin and Degen out.  It's deadwood like this that is stopping the progression of certain younger players.  Would the team actually lose anything in squad strength if Degen and Voronin left?  No way - we have ready-made *contributing* replacements in Ngog and Kelly etc to take their places.

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  5. I dont believe Darby is good enough for liverpool, poor technique. But right about kelly.

    I believe NGOG, will be a great striker, he has all the qualities, and I believe will be better than Torres, why, his build up play is much better. He needs games though. The only problem is that will he be happy being second choice in a couple of season, or after going on loan?

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  6. I think the "Maybe" is a bit muddier than simply changing to a 442, as that will never happen so long as Torres and Gerrard are around. I agree that a loan would be beneficial, as would a bit of bulking up. If he can start to impose himself a bit, which we saw some of on Sunday, he could be an able back-up for Torres. Obviously time will tell...I know I was pumped about Babel's prospects after he hit the winner against United last season. Headline from the Echo seemed a bit misleading--the body of the article was definitely flattering for the lad's prospects, but it didn't seem like Rush was saying N'Gog will be walking on water after his next goal :)

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  7. <span>From what I have seen of Ngog on and off the pitch I think he has what it takes to make as a top class striker. When the ball is in front of him he reminds me a bit of a young Anelka. He has to improve his game when his back is against the goal but that will come with more game time. Remember it took Ian Rush over 20 games to score against Man U so to already have this moment on his CV can only give the lad a lift. </span>

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  8. You have to love some of the fans. A week or so ago we had no squad, people like Ngog were not good enough and now after the win against the mancs the fickle fans strike again. Some of these people were asking for Benitez's head to roll. We need a bit of composure when we lose just as much as we need it when we win against the likes of manure. If Benitez is allowed to buy a couple more 25 million plus players and does not get the results then get on his back but not when his hands are tied behind his back. And please lets not debate net spending etc rubbish again.

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  9. I think most of the time in these cases it is just wishful thinking, but in Ngog's case I think he could become an important player. It's clear from his past goals scored that he has the core attributes - mainly instinct and more importantly quick reactions - that could make him a great footballer. His goal against Sunderland last year was quite a significant one, and that was the point where I felt he could really have an impact. The most important thing for his development right now is probably that he is kept quite - players often have a hard time progressing when they are under such strong scrutiny (i.e. Babel) and so it is crucial to let him play and understand that he is still a young player and will make mistakes. The fans need to get behind him, and the other players who are lacking confidence as well, in order for him to really improve.

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  10. Having watched a few reserve games we need to get Darby out on loan ideally into a Premiership or decent championship side to see what he is made of. Unfortunately I think the Champions League squad rules get in the way with him being one of the English registered players. He is certainly not going to progress any further in the reserves. 

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  11. <p><span><span>I think fans had every right to say those things about the team as they were simply not performing. Sundays win was the by far the best performance since the magical march period where we destroyed Madrid, Untied and Villa. Since the beginning of season most of the team has underperformed for a variety of reasons for me the main reason being the lost of Alonso and </span>Hyypiä’s</span><span><span><span> <span>influence on and of the pitch (we lost in total 15 years of lfc experience). When </span></span></span></span><span>Carragher had his bust up with Arbeloa towards the end of last season, it’s was Alonso who had to break it up… It was a telling moment for all 3 players involved. </span><span></span>
    </p><p><span><span>I think the club were a very poor in the transfer market this summer, Johnson looks a very good signing and I think that the </span></span><span><span>Aquilani gamble will pay off </span></span><span><span>but</span><span><span> there should have been more wheeling and dealing to ship out the Degans,</span></span></span><span> </span><span><span>Dossenas</span></span><span><span> and </span></span><span><span>Voronin’s</span></span><span><span><span> <span>(did you see his non celebration when Ngog scored?, just like Stan Collymore …pathetic) To lose two great players and then to see deadwood floating around the club doesn’t exactly inspire a premiership challenge. The only way that<span>  </span>we were going to a decent season is if our players with potential start blossoming in to “Liverpool players” and I think Sunday was an watershed moment for a few of those players….. As Howard Wilkinson once said “We have finally got the monkey (shadow of Alonso) off our back” </span></span></span></span></p>

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  12. As much as I love Kuyt, he is not irreplaceable. If there is a better RW i.e. Lennon, why not sign him, I doubt he will be on the bench. But this is all pipe dreams, Silva, Lennon etc, we ain't got no cash! How about trying to get more outta Babel put him upfront or RW or give Ecclestone a try out when we're like 4-0 up against a team like Burnley. Kelly looks great, I think he can also play CB and I reckon he will make a good DMF. Remember Carra started out as a CF and Gerrard a LB. If someone's in your way fight for the place in the team or adapt.

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  13. Please lets not make Ngog a here now after scoring that easy goal against United. I dont see him as a future star. I see Pacheco, Nemeth and Kelly as future stars. I wish it were Babel or Voronin who scored that 2nd goal.
    We could have been 2-0 in front if the Untouchable, Rafa's favourite, undroppable, irreplaceable, super great, phenomenal..lol Kuyt did score 2 times in front of goal.
    Jamie, why should Kuyt be a certain starter on the RW, he's so limited, no talent whatsoever, he cant run the ball even. How on earth he is playing on the RW? thats a crime against football.
    Benayoun should be the undroppable. Even Gerrard cant run the the ball like him.
    Babel is another tragic story in the book of Benitez. I really want him to leave if he continues to be marginalized by Benitez in this way. He was a striker at Ajax. We all saw he he scored in the rare occasions when played as a striker against Marsellie, Besiktas, Arsenal inthe champions league 2 years ago, and Benitez never played him alongside Torres, I am sure they would make a great partnership.
    Rafa still does miracles with the quality of players he has. He already did the miracles in Istanbul with Liverpool and 2 Ligas+ eufa cup with Valencia. I dont think Mourinho can get even the 10th place for Liverpool in the Premiership with this type of players. Mourinho always chooses clubs full of talents and funds.

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  14. A one on one in one of the biggest games in the world, facing one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the last minute is not an "easy goal"

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  15. As expresed above that was anything but an easy goal, I hope that he goes on to be a great, I realy do!

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  16. <span>HEY JAIMIE!!! Why did you delete my post? i just pointed out that you where being critical of Rafa youth policy and the youths themselves a few months ago and now you are praising them. What’s wrong with what I said?</span>

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  17. I didn't delete your post - you were banned for contravening the comment policy previously so your post was automatically deleted.

    Anyway, your point about the Youth is wrong.  Things change over time; views are not set in stone forever.  if you see signs of change then it's only fair to say so, is it not?

    The comments you pulled out came from March 2009!  That's7 months ago.  I the intervening time, certain youngsters have made some progress, i.e. insua, Pacheco and Nemeth.

    as I said, it is only fair to acknowledge that.

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  18. <p><span><span>Fair enough. Just would like to add that these things take time and it was unfair of you to expect Rafa to come up with the goods with the youngsters so quick. Plus most people watching our youth set have high hopes such players as Insue, Kelly, Nemeth, Darby, Plessis, Spearing, Ayala, Amoo, Gulacsi and Pacheco among others and when you were writing your articles you were being unfair to them. These kids have great potential and I believe that they are being bled in properly rather then being thrown into the mix. Even though we can all agree that Voronin and Degen are useless even at squad players they do take the pressure of these kids as they get most of the heat. <span> </span></span></span></p>

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