12 Aug 2012

'I'm not convinced' - LFC legend slams 'surprising' Allen signing. Harsh?

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers finally got his man on Friday when highly regarded Swansea midfielder Joe Allen signed in at Anfield. I'm sure many fans are excited by the signing (I know I am!), but not everyone thinks it's a good idea though, and amongst the dissenters is Anfield legend Steve Nicol, who admitted last night that he's not happy with the signing.

Discussing Allen's transfer to Liverpool on ESPN, Nicol argued:

"I'm a little surprised. Joe Allen is a good player, but he's not a goalscorer, and he doesn't have too many assists either.

"He keeps the ball well, and picks up good spots defensively but that's about it.

"For me, I would've been much happier if Brendan Rodgers tried Henderson before spending 15m on Allen. I'm not convinced".


When it comes to goals and assists, Nicol definitely has a point, but I think it's fair to say that Allen is not really an attacking midfielder; like Xabi Alonso - who also didn't score/create that many goals, he's more of a midfield metronome; dictating the pace of play, starting attacks, and - most importantly - helping Liverpool dominate possession of the ball.

Nicol's former team-mate Jan Molby took a different stance on Allen's signing. He told the official Liverpool website:

"I think he [Allen] is going to be a very good player but I think first and foremost, he's been signed because he's going to be the catalyst to get our play going. He's got the ability to become a top class player in the years to come, and I think that's why we signed him"

I agree with Molby: Allen will be top class for Liverpool. He's one of those players who has the 'X' factor in his position, and it's going to be fantastic to see him in action this season.

REMINDER. Nicol is entitled to his opinion, so any post personally insulting him will be deleted.

Jaimie Kanwar


65 comments:

  1. The lad can start attacks and thats what we need to replace Hendo in the mid, letting Gerro do his thing with Suarez/Borini whilst being protected by two def-mid players, I think he is far beyond Hendo as he is not scared to tackle, move comfortable with the ball and create breaks.  Good signing in my opinion, we have a good backline, now the mid & strikeforce are shaping up, with abit of luck and skill we will be up there one more time.

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  2. Steve Nicol was one of the most versatile players ever - brilliant but I dont believe he has much clue at Management

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  3. ps Please lets stop considering this raving man's opinion, he is always onto negatives, why was he quite when KD was there, and now he starts spurting his venom, it shows that he does not follow our games much, Hendo better?

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  4. I am with you Jamie. I respect Nichol's opinion but he is not a successful manager with great vision and I believe BR is. A great signing at a good price

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  5. He's still yound and therefore not yet the finished article. IMO - he COULD BE a good signing IF you take the longer-term view. If, as is often the case, expectations are unrealistic (Lucas, Henderson etc) he may struggle in the short-term. Give him time - forget the price tag - and let's just see how it pans out.

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  6. Sometimes you can take just one look at a player and know that he's got the goods... for me, Joe Allen is one of those, but I suppose one will always have their doubters and haters in this world... just surprised it's coming from someone in the Liverpool family???!???


    I have no doubt he's put his foot solidly in his mouth... but only time will tell

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  7. shelvey is gonna fight for allens position and hendo will try for gerrards pos respectively ... spearing only for lucas posn.. hopefully dempsey in for adam

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  8. I agree Joe Allen is a great signing which is much needed to go forward, but I think Nicol is trying to say we have more pressing matters up front of which I agree so that is where we need to spend on next. Gaston Ramirez shoulld be our final signing and then were ready for any team in the premier league.

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  9. One of Barcelona's most important players is Sergio Busquets. He doesn't score. or get as much assists for the team, but he's the player who picks the ball up from the defenders/goalkeeper and starts the attacks. He breaks up the play superbly, meaning Barca can also start attacks from him winning possession and he also protects the defense very well. Hopefully Allen can play a similar role to this at Liverpool.

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  10. Nicol keeps critisizing LFC. Apparantly he forgets former players and staff should be acting as ambassadors of our team, especially when they are so highly regarded from their playing time.

    Just think of Ardiles or Jennings commenting on Sigurrdson's signing as surprising, implying that it should have been avoided.

    I'm not saying it's wrong, only that it's not classy and disrespectful, but he is definetly entitled for his opinion.

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  11. Nicol is still pissed off ,cause his golfing buddy got the arse. I can't take the bloke seriously. I don't think he wants Brendon to succeed. Can't believe he was bagging the Aquilani deal done by Benitez while he was injured, but failed to criticise Kenny bringing Carrol in while he was injured and at a ridiculous fee. I see a conflict of interest . Allen will be a star at Liverpool.

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  12. He was never quiet even when KK was boss. He has always had a big mouth even when he was a player. Just ignore him.

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  13. All I see off Nicol is negative comments. Never says anything possitive.

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  14. How many goals assists does Lucas get??? Yet he is IMO worldclass and an integral part of LFC's midfield! Ridiculous statement from Nicol. He was a great player but hes not a scout or a manager for a reason, so why is his opinion even being considered as though he knows what hes talking about.

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  15. Steve Nichol is spot on i have the same view to spend 15M on a player who had 4 goals and 2 assists in his 1st premier league season in nonsensical,LFC fans want the club to get back into the top 4 this signing will do little for that to happen,you could get a foreign player for half as much and easily as good.Clearly most fans havent got the bottle to say anything else,or be deemed negative those fans havent got a clue of what it takes to get into the top 4 and have been proved right for how many seasons??????

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  16. Yes ok, but, BR HAS to hit the ground running; he has alot of expectation to live up to. He saw what happened with KD and realises that the signings he makes right now are going to be judged, right now!
    BR spoke about players loving the ball, wanting the ball and being really comfortable with the ball and with possession.
    Allen has that and knows BR's methodology, tactics and how he prefers the pace of the game to be set.
    Henderson looked shit scared of the football last year, he did not look comfortable on the ball at any point when I saw him play; hot brick comes to mind.
    As far as the goals and forwards, well I'm pretty sure BR has a pair of eyes and will address it, moreover, let the midfield get on and do what it should and in so doing will allow the attacking players get on and do what they should.

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  17. Have to disagree here - Lucas is our Busquets, he's the one who protects the back four & breaks up the attacks. For me, Allen would be more in the Xavi role, he'll take the ball from defense/Lucas & set the tempo, keeping the ball moving, keeping possession. A good signing, & one that will hopefully free up Stevie G to do some damage in the final third !!

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  18. i wish sometimes these x players would give these new players time to settle down and wait to see what they can bring to the team before giving them stick, me thinks a bit of patience is needed by everyone

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  19. 'The end of the world is nigh' said the placard worn around the old guy's  chest while walking up and down Church St in Liverpool as a kid, Why is he wearing that? say's i rather inquisitively to my dad, 'Because he can' was the reply, so even though the guy was deluded in his opinion            ( obviously as we are still here) if you give anybody a platform from which to shout from and someone say's i will listen then Nicol in this case  will just keep spouting whatever crap is stirring around in his head,
    Eventually he will say something profound, Just not today!!!

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  20. I don't think Allen is that good as media or his PR is claiming. Wish him well at LFC and hope he gets better but I would have prefered Ramirez for that sort of money. Lets hope LFC is going to sign a wide player and Sahin/ Tello/ Dempsey plus someone who can play in left back position/ holding midfielder. Lets hope and pray we can see these quality players

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  21. And u do have a clue gordy? Let's sign 8 strikers so an play a 1 1 8 system u tool!

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  22. Don't forget Brendon has to clean Kenny's mess up. Don't care about who negotiated the contracts. Kenny wanted them in. Brendon is gonna have Liverpool back to where they need to be. Just hope the owners dig deep and support him.

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  23. Sometimes, even the best players in the world need someone to free them up. In 2009 when we came 2nd, we had Mash and alonso in the middle, and we got the best out of gerrard and nando. Alonso and Khedira now for madrid, Carrick and Scholes, Song and Arteta, Dejong and Barry, Busquet and alonso in the national team, moutinho and meireles, pirlo and de rossi, etc. Allen and lucas will free up gerrard, suarez, borini and downing, also allowing full backs 2 overlap cos they can cover 'em when there is a counter attack.

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  24. I agree we cud have signed Dzagoev for 15m. And yes the so-called "true" liverpool fans havnt got a clue. However, Allen does make our midfield more solid. We still need afellay to make our team top 4 quality

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  25. Like Steve Nicol, I'm not excited about Allen signing, especially for £15m, but the manager rating him so highly means he must be given the benefit of the doubt before we can say if he's a good signing.

    When he starts talking about giving Henderson a chance is utter bollox. How many chances does Henderson get? I can't think of him having a good game despite how often he played. If he doesn't improve, Liverpool are going to find it very hard to get rid of him for anything near the stupid amount we paid for him. 

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  26. I have gradually warmed to the idea of having Allen in the squad, no doubt he's a decent player. Some consider him an upgrade on our current midfielders, but the worry is that Rodgers has not yet filled the void of recent years - the lack of attacking prowess and goals.

    So many keep quoting stats left right and centre about pass completion and compare Allen to Xavi in the same breath. The reason why Liverpool showed so poorly in the league last season was not in any great way down to poor pass completion or poor possession overall, it was due to an inability to put the ball in the back of the net. BR said he wants to bring goals into the squad, in this respect, Allen is not an obvious signing.

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  27. Steve nicol talking rubbish again? He is a journo's wet dream. Just throw him a line and reel him in. Boring.

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  28. The thing that annoys me most about these ex players isnt their over inflated sense of self worth. Or even their opinion. Its the fact we havn't even kicked a ball in anger in the epl. Yet, the daggers are already out. Its a joke. Is that the 'Liverpool way' they constantly roll out during their latest rhetorical tabloid yawnfest. They should take their own advice, shut it and show support for the 'Liverpool manager'. And if in 1, 2 or 3 years it hasnt worked. Then come out shout how you knew it would all go wrong. Till then, how about giving some of us more patient fans ears a rest. Im tired of it and it makes the club look daft.

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  29. Allen hasn't been signed for goals and assists so what does it matter? His role will be making a strong centre midfield partnership with Lucas to allow 4-6 players (if you count the full backs) to push on and create those chances.  

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  30. BR was given manager's job because he impressed the owners with his approach and results at Swansea. Signing Allen can only help BR achieve his vision more quickly.

    Allen is not, and never has been, a goalscorer. Jaimie's comment about Allen being a midfield metronome is perfect.

    Nicol should think a little more before spouting out complete nonsense.

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  31. I can't say I'm convinced by Allen either, how can anybody be? He has had one season in the Premiership playing for an average team with no expectations or pressure. I agree that Henderson should have been given the opportunity in the middle and the money spent on another striker, after all our problem last season was not creating goals but scoring them.
    My fear is that Rodgers is feeling very insecure and is trying to get as many players around him who worship him in the hope it rubs off, is that also why so many senior players have been shipped out too?

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  32. I'm not sure that is Nicol's current role. He is paid to do a job by ESPN, he is therefore paid to be objective, not to be an ambassador of the club.


    Unfortunately, I think he is a little too critical of Liverpool. His passion for the club
    (whether misdirected or not) prevents this objectivity.

    He comes across as far too negative (and often damning), but I like to believe that he dares to dream that every signing is the start of a bright new chapter, but, like a child making a wish as they blow the candles out on their birthday cake, believes that if he says it out loud, this dream won't come true...Then again he might just be a sour old so and so. 

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  33. Im not convinced by Allen but BR is and that is what matters, Is Allen vastly better than Shelvey or Spearing, Is he 15m worth of better????

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  34. To many ex reds working on tv and most of them talk crap. You don't c ex MU players criticizing their club even when they sign crap players. Why didn't the Nicol boy apply for the mngrs job himself. I guess it's easy just to sit on the sofa and get paid for talking crap. I personally didn't c much of Allen last year but BR has. So he's the mngr of LFC and I trust his judgment more than Nicols. Go on holiday for good few months S Nicol.

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  35. Shelvey maybe not, but Spearing? Definitely. 

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  36. You don't see many ex Man U players criticizing because the manager they worked under is still there, and they continue to be successful. Once Ferguson goes, and if Utd start to fall from the level they are at now, then watch them start to come out the woodwork with they are 'not doing things the Utd way, and 'such and such isn't good enough for Utd'.

    It's the way of the World. :-/ 

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  37. its not the negative comments that gets me its the amount of rubbish he talks

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  38. Many of you guys stating lucas as first class,were a couple of years ago calling him Rafa's baby. week in week out hammering him. I do agree to some extent that although allen is good my opinion is that our basics are already there and we should spend the money on proven players. we all love KK but when it came to transfers he spent on wrong players and at what price. Well BR is our manager and we should support him in whatever he decides

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  39. I know the transfer window is not closed but a team that was lacking last season in flair and width adding a player like this with a large chunk of change questions need to be asked.
    That in no way is saying Allen is bad just could the money be invested in other positions better i think so.

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  40. The stats are pretty impressive for a DM. If DM's are free scoring players they will be upfront playing as a striker. Your comment is equally as bad as Nichol's.

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  41. You constantly quote Nicol, is ESPN the only channel on your TV, ???

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  42. Steve nicol should keep his council until the lad has settled in at Liverpool.
    The kid has great potential and he needs a bit of luck and the support of the fans.
    Fans needs to realise that when we go in for a player we ain't going to get a bargain, them days are gone for us.
    Just look at what Fulham are trying to do with Makepiece ?8-10 mil is ridiculous for a 29 year old in his last year of his contract.
    Liverpool are poor at buying players and even poorer at selling players.
    Case in example arbeloa sold to Madrid for 5mill a Spanish international left back along with many more.
    I guess that's The price we pay for our history.
    Furthermore until we get champions league it is difficult to attract the best players, fickle the players and agents they are.

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  43. lucas does that for us mate

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  44. in there b4 me lol

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  45. nice to see the manager give carol a shot and of course praise him for his TECHNICAL awareness as well as defend him.

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  46. oh and i agree with nicol  absolutely and will be happiest man ever if  proved wrong. 15 mil is alot of money. i rate him in the 6 - 8 mil bracket.

    lower clubs could of had him for ten .

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  47. I agree with Nicols in the main here, in that Allen looks a good player but not what we were in desperate need of (especially while Aquilani was still on the books).

    Hopefully this signing doesn't impact the budget to the point that we can't bring in at least one legitimate top 4 quality wide-man before the window closes.

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  48. Biggest question ALL Liverpool fans need to be asking is when o when will Suso be given a chance? Its a disgraceful that the consistency of Suso in the reserves as been ignored by the Liverpool management for such a longtime.

    Liverpool fans need to chant SUSO's name at 1st team football games to tell BR that he needs to consider this player.  Allen is a very good player, but Suso is ten times better, a complete midfielder that even Nicol would love!!!

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  49. The reason for Mike Marsh being promoted to senior team coach is to integrate the junior players into the first team. This will take time. Suso et all will get their chances. 

    But for now, it is all about putting up a solid team to compete with the rest.

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  50. Allen has already the football mentality of Rodgers and will be the dictating factor of the strategy on the field.His impact is a short term one.In the long run , if he is still good enough and improves, he will be our gerrard i.e indispensable.Bring on Dempsey as well but at a low price only otherwise Ramirez would be the Uruguayan to buy. 

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  51. Yes Jay pretty much what i said i think u put it better

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  52. Nicol has been negative about everything LFC have done in the last five years! From hiring Kenny to sacking him to every transfer! Cant take him too seriously. 

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  53. Nicol has seriously underestimated Joe Allen. Allen , as rodgers states,
    plays more like a barca MF than a premier league player. He is only 22
    and is only going to get better and better. He will be a fans favourite
    in no time. He has so much bottle(bottle than henderson lacks-henderson
    is a big pansy , more worried about his hair than anything else), an
    engine to die for(everyone said the same about headless chicken
    henderson but he runs sideways and backwards), and can both tackle and
    join the attacks.




    Nicol loves a moan, but he is out of touch, hence being a manager in the USA, which lets face it, is akin to pub football.
      

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  54. Our CM was woeful last season. Gerrard should not play there, and adam/henderson and spearing are sub standard. The engine room is the most important part of this set up, and if we rely on sub standard players, we'll come unstuck.
    People who say the money is best spent elsewhere, are perhaps not clear about how rodgers system works.
    wait and see and be prepared to eat your words.

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  55. Suso is more scholes like, his game is less speed based. Hence a slower development. He also need's to be grounded as , apparently , at the moment he's a bit full of it.
    Rushing that type of player into lots of games a season is not the way. i imagine he'll get some littewoods cup and maybe europa league action this season, and be blooded in properly, as any top club would do.

    Your comments about suso being better than allen make you sound very very uninformed. they dont play the same role for starters.

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  56. I think you should look at stats for teammates before judging the value of a deeper playmaker. Before and after Alonso left for us is a really good indicater of the potential value such a player can have. Truth is that if you have players who compliments each others well and players who make everyone around them better, their importance is just really hard to messure. Surely you couldn't messure Alonso's value in goals, and neither should Allen's succes be on that judged on that parameter...


    Back then (yes it seems ages ago) Alonso made everyone around him better with his passing, Marcherano gave everyone a lot of freedom with his performances as anchor and the interchange between Gerrard and Torres was good...

    I'm not gonna say we have as good a balance now as we had back then with Allen in our team to compliment Lucas. However they should at least have chance, especially Allen, to show what they can comtribute to the team.

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  57. Steve Nicol's negativity only hurts himself. He probably would like a return to management, but is such a constant nay sayer that owners probably regard him as a crank.

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  58. He is convinced by the signing from Kenny but BR? I can see how much he is accurate

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  59. I think Charlie should think not twice, but three times before he says something like this. I look forward to Allen proving him and all the doubters wrong next season. If Charlie doesn't think Allen is quality then there is something seriously wrong. He'll be after Gerrards head next. YNWA 

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  60. Gerryliverpoolfc0812:24 am, August 14, 2012

    What mess kk made but for the grace of god and just a little bit of luck not one of you so called football geniuses would be saying a word ! You'd all just be basking in the glory as usual. So let's just say in future you all engage your footballing brains and your lfc hearts before you slag off the legend that is kenny dalglish!!!!!!

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  61. you are kidding Gerrard not much chop mate, yeah we have all seen Swansea and to a greater extent Barca play.
    If you look at Barca the attacking flair is enormous and Liverpool have very little.
    But at the moment Liverpool do have an overabundance of cms and no width we shall see.

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  62. Why the double standard?  If Nicol is entitled to his opinion, then ipso facto is any other post, regardless of the content.  Why treat Nicol as if he were The Almighty!

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