For whatever reason, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is going through a patch of poor form right now. Every player has bad games, and Gerrard has experienced bad patches in the past, but the difference this time is he's making costly mistakes that are costing Liverpool goals. Gerrard is usually exempt from criticism by fans and ex-players, but somewhat surprisingly, Reds legend David Fairclough has delivered a withering assessment of the skipper's performance against Arsenal.
Analysing the Arsenal defeat for LFC TV last night, Fairclough - who won six league titles and three European Cups during his time at Anfield - said:
"I thought Stevie was so ineffective today, and I can't remember him playing so badly. He just didn't impact on the game at all. It pains me to say it because I hate being critical of him, but that was the most ineffective game I can remember Stevie playing".
I disagree with Fairclough that the Arsenal game was Gerrard's 'most ineffective game' - that came two weeks ago against West Brom (!) Some observations about Gerrard's performances recently:
* Passing accuracy (PS): This needs to improve. In every league game so far, Gerrard has had the worst PA of all the midfielders. It was the same against Arsenal: Gerrard's PA was 80%, whilst both Sahin and Joe Allen managed 93%. Shelvey, Downing and Sterling were also well ahead of him.
* Hollywood passes: Tied to PA is Gerrard's tendency to always try the spectacular. Watching the Arsenal game, I counted at least 6 instances where Gerrard tried to play an unrealistic 'Hollywood ball' instead of just keeping it simple and playing to feet.
* Tactical indiscipline: Gerrard seems to be struggling to fit into Rodgers' preferred style. He played on the right of the midfield three yesterday, but constantly kept dropping deep in search of the ball, instinctively trying to get more involved with the play. This meant that he was rarely able to support Suarez and Borini in the box. In the final 15 minutes, Gerrard stayed further up the field, and Liverpool began to create changes.
* Trust: Gerrard has to trust his fellow midfielders; he doesn't have to do it all himself! It's clear that his role this season is as an attacking midfielder, so he should stay further up the field and trust that Allen, Sahin, Lucas, Shelvey - or whoever is playing deeper - will get the job done.
It's hard to admit it but right now, Gerrard is arguably the weakest link in Liverpool's midfield. As Fairclough said, he had no consistent impact against Arsenal, and his sloppy passing allowed Arsenal to counter-attack at pace and score the first goal.
Due to the paucity of experienced options in Liverpool's squad, Gerrard is a guaranteed starter at the moment, but as we've seen with the increasingly error-prone Pepe Reina, this can cause complacency.
Gerrard should not be so untouchable, and the odd rest every now again (to assist with recovery/prolonging his career) would probably do him some good. Blasphemy, you say? Perhaps, but surely all fans agree with the general principle that players should be in the team on merit?
Do Gerrard's performances this season merit continued inclusion in the starting line-up...?
Jaimie Kanwar
Analysing the Arsenal defeat for LFC TV last night, Fairclough - who won six league titles and three European Cups during his time at Anfield - said:
"I thought Stevie was so ineffective today, and I can't remember him playing so badly. He just didn't impact on the game at all. It pains me to say it because I hate being critical of him, but that was the most ineffective game I can remember Stevie playing".
I disagree with Fairclough that the Arsenal game was Gerrard's 'most ineffective game' - that came two weeks ago against West Brom (!) Some observations about Gerrard's performances recently:
* Passing accuracy (PS): This needs to improve. In every league game so far, Gerrard has had the worst PA of all the midfielders. It was the same against Arsenal: Gerrard's PA was 80%, whilst both Sahin and Joe Allen managed 93%. Shelvey, Downing and Sterling were also well ahead of him.
* Hollywood passes: Tied to PA is Gerrard's tendency to always try the spectacular. Watching the Arsenal game, I counted at least 6 instances where Gerrard tried to play an unrealistic 'Hollywood ball' instead of just keeping it simple and playing to feet.
* Tactical indiscipline: Gerrard seems to be struggling to fit into Rodgers' preferred style. He played on the right of the midfield three yesterday, but constantly kept dropping deep in search of the ball, instinctively trying to get more involved with the play. This meant that he was rarely able to support Suarez and Borini in the box. In the final 15 minutes, Gerrard stayed further up the field, and Liverpool began to create changes.
* Trust: Gerrard has to trust his fellow midfielders; he doesn't have to do it all himself! It's clear that his role this season is as an attacking midfielder, so he should stay further up the field and trust that Allen, Sahin, Lucas, Shelvey - or whoever is playing deeper - will get the job done.
It's hard to admit it but right now, Gerrard is arguably the weakest link in Liverpool's midfield. As Fairclough said, he had no consistent impact against Arsenal, and his sloppy passing allowed Arsenal to counter-attack at pace and score the first goal.
Due to the paucity of experienced options in Liverpool's squad, Gerrard is a guaranteed starter at the moment, but as we've seen with the increasingly error-prone Pepe Reina, this can cause complacency.
Gerrard should not be so untouchable, and the odd rest every now again (to assist with recovery/prolonging his career) would probably do him some good. Blasphemy, you say? Perhaps, but surely all fans agree with the general principle that players should be in the team on merit?
Do Gerrard's performances this season merit continued inclusion in the starting line-up...?
Jaimie Kanwar
needs to play in his real position center mid . doesnt brenden rodgers realise.reina will cost him his job .i have asked 3 or 4 times on this site WHERE IS DONI can any one answer the ?
ReplyDeletewell said
ReplyDeleteFinally someone with the guts to say what the rest of us have been thinking!
ReplyDeletehopefully regains his form soon. really lacking a tricky spanish type attacking midfielder in that position. cmon gezza
ReplyDeletesadly agree.. just turning over the ball way too easily. the first goal was his turn over that he lazily tried to win back. I'm a huge LFC fan and love stevie to death but a game or 2 on the bench might do him well and we've got nothing to lose at this point after only achieving 1 point in 3. With only 3 mid-fielders they need to be working the hardest on the pitch during the game and going the "Money" ball every time isn't working.
ReplyDeleteOnce again Stevie G is a legend and hate to be typing this but its sadly true.
Been thinking exactly the same thing, he just doesnt fit Rodgers style of play, many on here used to pan Charlie Adam for the "Hollywood pass" why dont they pan Gerrard? besides i think Shelvey is gettin better with every game and is Gerrard's natural successor anyway, if Gerrard must play then push him upfront with Suarez, after all we dont have anyone else to put there and Gerrard can finish, so why not?
ReplyDeleteGerrard said at the beginning of the season that he didn't feel he had to adapt his style to fit Rodgers' style of play (can't be bothered). Think he's given up. Can hardly blame him. We looked in for a real shout at winning the league a few seasons back, but now there is no chance before he retires (or I do for that matter and I'm only 34!).
ReplyDeletei also believe that reina musr be dropped regardless of how the bak up keeper will do he making too many mistakes we conceding way too much
ReplyDeleteHe shud be dropped so shud borini an reina. Put him doni,shevley,assaidi.
ReplyDeleteThink that we should start Shelvey, how many chances did he have in the short amount of time that he was on? Not sure if dropping Gerrard is the answer. Would prefer to see him further up on the right with Sterling and Suarez pairing with him
ReplyDeleteif you look in the FA cup final gerrard was rightly dropping deep all the time but now with the players we have he doesnt need to
ReplyDeletemaybe he still thinks he has to drop deep for liverpool ?
but i have this weird feeling that gerrard if played as a striker would be better for us
point missing from the whole dempsey debacle is that we have our own Dempsey in Steven Gerrard. play the man up front. tell me I'm crazy
ReplyDeletebefore the us tour doni had permission to miss it and return home for what ever reason. i know ask the same? is he back ? has he been realeased? can someone give me an ANSWER
ReplyDeleteI'm not an expert, but even I have noticed that Gerrard has been a liability since the start of the season. He needs to be benched and that might give him some focus back...
ReplyDeleteiVE been saying for ages that underperforming players should be dropped and form players kept in ...when you have a squad like liverpool you can not carry passengers they should all be up for it ...my team to face sunderland away
ReplyDeleteANYONE BAR PEPE
GJ MS DA JE
JH JA JJS
ASSADI LS RS
THIS TEAM WOULD GIVE US A BIT MORE ENERGY IN MIDFIELD and something different up front
Doni is on compassionate leave in Brazil after a family death on compassionate leave. I'm a gooner and proud but I'm sad to see the current Liverpool demise. Reina has been a liability for nearly two years now. I hope Rodgers sorts it out. Leiva is a huge miss for you.
ReplyDeletei personally think he should be playing the central striker role with suarez and borini/sterling either side of him. Then sahin at the top of the midfield three and allen alongside henderson. Either that or shelvey at the top and allen alongside sahin.
ReplyDeleteGerrard doesn't have the power he used to in the midfield but he is probably still our most ruthless finisher and without doubt has the most composure when picking a spot. His movement is still excellent and he reads the game brilliantly. It would take the onus off him to do everything and would hopefully take some of the strain off suarez.
reina has been costing us games for a long time now. He was the first person two or three years ago going to the press saying we need to do this and that or he was going to join a club with more ambition...well guess what pepe?.....
ReplyDeleteCheers mate .u had a lucky escape u were gooner pay 20 mill 4 reina. and were stuck with the useless lardarse .is bob wilson available ???
ReplyDeleteNo, i don't think we should bench Gerrard, it seems that it is okay for Liverpool players to under perform and still get the nod....Reina Suarez Enrique etc all under performed much in the same way that Gerrard is now but for most of last season and this one, so......i say we should not treat Gerrard any different, just keep playing him....he's a quality player...and whats more IF Brenda Rodgers can't bring out the best in him, then we should get rid of him instead.....
ReplyDeleteto sum it up WE ARE IN DEEP SHIT!!!
ReplyDeleteYou know what, im begining to have a lot more respect for those managers who might have turned us down....
ReplyDeleteI actually think we are seeing the best of Gerrard ...the reality is boys and girls is that age, hunger, enthusiasm and injuries catch up with everyone....Gerrard just cant cut it anymore ....hes lost his edge and will never get it back ....Liverpool need to get rid of carra and Gerrard like fergie did with whiteside and co....and move forward....it wont happen because everyone running Liverpool are morons
ReplyDeleteHave to agree with a lot of the comments here. Gerrard should play upfront on the right of an attacking 3. Sterling/Assaidi on the left and for now suarez thru d middle. Then we can bring in shelvey to play where gerrard is playing right now.
ReplyDeleteSahin looks to be the exact same type of playa as allen hence Im not so sure the two of dem starting makes much sense. When lucas returns 1 of them has to be dropped and id drop sahin. Pepe Reina needs to be moved on and not just dropped and this is not a knee-jerk reaction I feel his heart is no longer there at liverpool he seems to be lacking passion.
your crazy
ReplyDeleteThis "bad patch" has been going on for 2 years or so.
ReplyDeleteRafa Benitez never trusted Gerrard in the middle saying he lacked discipline and wanted to do too much, hence why he put him up front and on the right wing. Rodgers plays a system where every player needs great positional sense, unfortunately Gerrard wants to be the striker, midfielder and defender all rolled into one. Maybe Rodgers should play Gerrard with Suarez and Borini and leave the midfield to more disciplined players like Sahin, Allen and Henderson/Shelvey.
ReplyDeleteGerrard is still one of the best players in the premiership and any first 11 would be poorer without him, so finding him a place up front the way Benitez did is probably the best answer for both player and team.
Gerrard is over the hill...whether we like it or not....performances don't lie
ReplyDeletewhy oh why does everyone move Gerrard about the team at the expense of specialist players.....tika is base on a system and the main facet of that system is being in the correct position when you lose or have the ball ...Gerrard doesn't want to do that ....he likes to wander where he wants ......sometimes he tracks back sometimes he doesn't ...sometimes he covers some he doesn't ...watch the rerun of the arsenal game and focus on him there is no pattern or system to what hes doing ...that's why we kept getting exposed down johnsons right side which Gerard is meant to cover
ReplyDeleteI said last year under daglish that stevie should play on right hand side of midfield now 8 months later everyone agrees.
ReplyDeleteI would rather talk about our owners not fulfilling their promise of all profit from merchandising goes towards the strengthening of the team. clearly that has not been the case this year and no one else has noticed. these owners have made a profit of at least 50 mil in my opinon. if they do that for 6 years they will get their money back 300 mil.
we are being played .
Well, it was argued that Johnson was actually more at fault than Gerrard, see his positioning, like he's playing as an attacking player, naturally Gerrard can't be expected to cover him AND attack at the same time....
ReplyDeleteIf we are going to play a high pressing game then naturally we WILL get caught out from time to time.
Pay off Cristiano Ronaldos contract at Real Madrid, make him a free agent and sign him, He'll want £200,000 a week but it'll be pennies compared to the fans and season ticket holders money you're about to lose if you don't do something about the fu*k up at LFC quick!
ReplyDeleteNonsense, Gerrard might be under performing but he is not over the hill. Seems fit enough....put a lot of effort into some of these games, a bit like Suarez really...
ReplyDeleteGerrard is undoubtably a very talented footballer, probably liverpool's most talented individual but I believe his team mates play better & with more confidence when he is not in the team. As a captain he trys to lead by example but his man management skills are very poor. Players are afraid to try things in case they make mistakes and get a rollicking from him. In most cases players will perform better if they are encouraged rather than put down. While he is still capable of the occasional flash of brilliance he needs to become more of a team player & to adapt his play to fit into the new liverpool style of play? If he is not able to do this then he should be replaced by Shelvey.
ReplyDeleteLol, you got the last bit right, they (everyone running the Club) are indeed morons....
ReplyDeleteIt's a mental thing! I think 5 managers later, one of whom was a Kop legend he idolized who won the first silverware for 6 years and another final was also sacked has affected him mentally.
ReplyDeleteHe needs the return of Michael Owen to make him feel at home again. Lets face it, Stevie has seen his friends and father figures come and go at the club. He needs a familiar face to re-inspire him and enthuse him. Nostalgia can be a great mood changer...
Should Michael Owen come back to Anfield, I don't believe it would be about the money for him!
Ynwa
He Defs needs to be benched a little... Shelvey is amazing!
ReplyDeleteEspecially against a pacey team such as Arsenal who were playing on the counter with devastating effect. Arsene also had experience playing against Barcelona a few times in the ECL, so his strategy was pretty good against us...
ReplyDeletegood comment. I disagree with your Sahin Comment though. You cannot judge him on his first game in the premiership my friend...
ReplyDeletewell said pal fsg will stay for 5 years at tops,after knocking down a couple of streets,after increasing anfield to 60,000seater they will cash in on the club they got on a bargain.LFC will become a feeder club for the next five or so years because they will not make the top 4 for a long time,sorry to say this guys but the ones to point the finger to are rick parry,purslow and hicks and gillette,they truly screwed lfc up and got rid of our best manager in the last two decades RAFA BENITEZ who was outcasted as the villain.Every true lfc fan knows rafa is a exceptional manager who just did not have the backing,and before anyone comes on and blasts out figures I want to ask you a question have you ever sold the furniture in your own homes and then gone shopping in harrods ?
ReplyDeleteLol, bless, other players are afraid of Gerrard... Don't make me laugh, bad man management skills...??? He's just the captain, and he has proved his credentials by helping us to win BIG Cups....along with a great CL run where we SHOULD have won....i don't see such great credentials from the manager...., i've said it before and i'll say it again...IF BR cannot bring out the best in this team WITH Gerard then he's not fit to manage this Club...simple as that.
ReplyDeleteWould be very wrong to drop him and NOT drop Reina, Suarez Enrique etc as well.....
Cue more revisionist tactics from the BR/FSG PR Machine..
Great option! I'd love to see Stevie banging them in... He's clinical in front of goal and would open up space for the likes of Suarez and Sterling
ReplyDeleteIf nothings working... try it!
ReplyDeleteFirst goal against city ball in that led to corner . Corner taken by . Second goal against city shot that was handled that led to free kick goal . Yeah drop him
ReplyDeleteFOOTBALL IS A SIMPLE GAME .COMPLICATED BY ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO HAVE SWALLOWED A COACHING MANUAL .TIC TAT CRAP. AND ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE WALKIN ROUND WITH COACHIN BADGES HAVEN T A FECKIN CLUE. SHANKS AND BOB DIDNT NEED ONE THEY NEW THE GAME INSIDE OUT. THIS NEW AND FAILING SYSTEM IS BORING THE TITS OFF ME .WE MISSED ABOUT 10 PENS LAST YEAR .HOW DO U GET PEN ?BY BEING IN THE OPPOS PENALTY AREA ..HOW DO U HIT THE WOODWORK 30 TIMES BY BEEIN A POSITION TO SHOOT. NOT FECKIN ROUND LIKE THE CHUCKLE BROS FROM ME TO U ETC .A GOOD MANAGER WILL PLAY TO THE TEAMS STRENGHTS .THIS MAN NEEDS TO ADAPT TO A NEW CLUB.NOT THE PLAYERS ADAPT TO A STYLEOF PLAY THAT DOESNT SUIT THEM.MIKE BASSETT SAID 4.4 FECKIN2 . 443 WENT OUT IN THE 70"S.SO I THINK WE HAVE GO BACKWARDS FROM LAST SEASON.FENWAY U HAVE GOT A LOT TO ANSWER FOR .BRING BACK THE KING
ReplyDeleteCHILL OUT PAL AND BACK OFF THE LAAGERS THE KING YOUR ON ABOUT BLEW ALL THE KITTY IN ONE THROW OF THE DICE AND PICKED UP A FEW MIL ON THE WAY OUT
ReplyDeleteAgreed, Arsenal were deadly on the counter yesterday, that much was clear as daylight, they simply carved us open....whether we play Gerrard or not this will continue to happen because other Clubs will figure out our weaknesses....and as you say Arsene just used the right strategy..
ReplyDeleteIm with you on that, esp the bit about Owen, Gerrard must be devastated what with everything thats happened to the Club over the years, there is no doubt that he lives breathes sleeps Liverpool and even when he sleeps he probably dreams of winning that elusive title...
ReplyDeleteWe should support him in his hour of need, not be wishing for him to be unceremoniously dropped.....
I find that sadder than sad tbh, chin up Stevie, YNWA.
Agreed - where is Doni? He complained about no game time last season, but now is his chance - I don't think Brad Jones is strong enough to challenge Reina, he has his moments almost every game.
ReplyDeleteSO APART FROM MY LAST COMMENT ..HAVE U ANY MORE TO SAY AND BY THE WAY AN ON THE JD S ON A MONDAY NITE THATS HOW BAD ITS GOT
ReplyDeleteI think rodgers is useless ow long before es sacked?plz bring rafa bak in rafa we trust under rodgers we will go down cant ne1else see that?plz fsg bring bak rafa r we will b relegated umder this moron.ynwa jfth96
ReplyDeletegerrard now has a good game once a month, like last season (when fit)
ReplyDeletejo allen has been liverpool most consistent player with sterling. allen maybe a captain in the making, he leads by example. reina is the main person who needs to be dropped simple as that, brad jones deserves his chance by far better than doni last season and good in pre season, its a no brainer.
time for players like ngoo to be pushing for a chance, and why drop coates after a great game against city? good on the ball, can only get better, good composier, and a big presence.
been sayingit for a while gerrard needs to have the giggs role now, and keep him fresh as possible, looking on the subs bench on sunday was depressing..........................then on steps downing, you knew it could only get worse.
gerrard this season now has to be our star sub, sahin will need a run of games and hopefully lucas back asap.
That tricky attacking spsnish type is called Pacheco or Suso for us
ReplyDelete50M? What about cash flow, which is more relevant (transfer fees don't affect the profit line, but affect the cash flow statement).
ReplyDeleteJuly 31 2011 accounts show a net loss of 50M, so not sure where your 50M profit came from.
Unfortunately LFC is a business, not a charity; if the club is making a loss because they're not performing on the pitch, then they have to cover costs somehow.
Gerrard's not a central striker and never will be. He works best when he has room and time on the ball, or when he's already moving at pace and can then play a quick 1-2. At best you could place him on the right which would mitigate his "Hollywood" passing but I still don't think you'd be getting much value from him.
ReplyDeleteThe simple fact is that Gerrard is still trying to adjust, not only to a new style but also the declining physicality that has defined his career. He can't go gun-ho like he once did but he's also still trying to play like the guy who must pull it out of the bag for the team.
How many times in the past have we hailed his ability to pick out a pass? Now a lot of people are instantly jumping on his back for the same behaviour. It's going to take time for him to adjust but he's good enough to do it.
Watch the replays and you'll see that when he receives the ball his automatic instinct is to look long. That's what he done for years but now he has a manager who wants to curb it. Give him some time yet.
Really? Does Ryan Giggs play every game? Paul Scholes? We're not an old boys club (ie/ Chelsea).
ReplyDeleteLook what happened to Lampard when he was benched for a while last season - he came back and played brilliantly for chelsea.
BR needs to put out the best 11 and if that doesn't include Gerrard, then so be it. All those credentials you mention were a few years back in his prime - he's past it now. A little bench time won't hurt him, and will help the development of Shelvey and company.
Watching LFC (the football club I dearly love) loose is causing me health problems. Can the club cover some of my medical expenses? Reina has lost his grip, Gerrard has no found his game, Agger and Skrtle are leaking passes and penalities, Suarez has not found his hitting shoe eversince he left Ajax (yes he scored here and ther but give me a break), Borini is plain boring. As for the manager lets wait and see what he has for us in the next game. My health, however, keeps worse and worse as the team keeps losing games so help me chaps!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIf this is how things are. It may spark the end of an era. If we get on Gerard's back about a few displays after he's single handedly carried our club on his shoulders for years. He may have no choice but to play for a Spanish giant while he can be effective in a league with a slower tempo. Is just a thought. But I have faith that Steve will bouce back. We all have bad days at the office. I'm worried for our club at the moment. Howard we gonna get thru this one. Where's super dirk. Should never have let him go.
ReplyDeleteYNWA
Gerrard should play wide right of front 3
ReplyDeleteHe has been directly at fault for 3 goals conceded this season due to sloppy passes.
Has he always been poor in this regard and his Hollywood passes and wonder goals simply masked it?
scot the 50 mil loss excludes sponsorship deal if i am not mistaken. 25 mil a year kit deal for last year and this year wipes out 50 mil mate.
ReplyDeleteliverpool are in the top 5 in the world at merchandising shirts and also other liverpool products.
SORRY MATE UR WRONG BEING A CAT MYSELF FOR SOME 35 YEARS CATIN IS MY PET SUBJECT DONI IS A FAR BETTER CAT THAN BRAD JONES BUT BOTH ARE BETTER THAN LARD ARSE REINA
ReplyDeleteRyan gigs was still playing about 37 or something and Scholes was playing into nearly his mid thirties...
ReplyDeleteWhy are you comparing them to Gerrard? He's only just turned 32...and seems fit enough to play....
It's up to BR to integrate him into the side, a failure to do that will no doubt be costly because whether we like it or not he's still our best player AND as i've said already IF we bench him then we should bench Reina Suarez Enrique etc because they have been under perorming for a long time now yet somehow are undroppable...???
Hmmm....i think we should at least be consistent with who we drop and why...
then theres the deal with standard chartered
ReplyDeleteJUST STARTED ON MY 2 ND BOTTLE OF JD I FIND IT HELPS U SLEEP AND FORGET WHATS THE FECK IS HAPPEN TO THE CLUB I WENT TO IN 1963 AS A8 YEAR OLD. WENT TO WEMBLEY IN 65 BEEN EVERYWERE BUT NOW IM LOST. ANYWAY TRY AND GET UR HEADDOWN
ReplyDeleteWhen Gerrard leaves it WILL be the end of an era, an era of great potential, where we had the best midfielder in the country perhaps one of the best in Europe even...Managers came, managers went, money was spent...yet no title for LFC or Stevie G....
ReplyDeleteShocking how its all come to this, i think you've touched on a very poignant point here, things have changed, this is the end of an era, maybe we will progress as a Club and maybe we won't, but i for one will always feel extremely proud and grateful to have been a part of Liverpool history whilst Steven Gerrard was at the Club and when he leaves a part of me will leave with him....a big part, to see him so isolated at the Club now without much support apart from the aging but still lovable Carra is nothing short of depressing, im fairly sickened by this new upcoming era in LFC history atm and deeply saddened.
I don't long for the past, whats gone is gone, but i do lament what COULD/SHOULD have been....
Damn you LFC, and damn you BR and FSG if you can't bring that title home with Stevie G at the Club!!!
Go and get Michael Owen back and lets turn this fcuking nightmare on its head, and make it our dream to win that goddamn title this season instead of accepting that things have to get worse before they get better....Bullshit to that, NO THEY DON'T, nor should they....We are LFC ffs, NOT Swansea FC...
I feel we will do very well this day, we started so many season on fire and end up with nothing, I believe the list against arsenal will make the boys strong and more anger to do well, we all forgot about the change in the team take a time to improve, losing 2 games and draw 1 is no going to send us to relegation, we 35 games to go, man u, arsenal, Chelsea and man city; they wil all lose more than 2 games, all we need is just a win to start a good season and rebuilt confidence into the team. Courage
ReplyDeleteplease sell stevie now. they're many clubs wants him. West Ham maybe to reunite with Andy Carroll. The Liverpool will play better and lose again!!
ReplyDeleteGerrard doesn't have the pace to beat players anymore but can put in deadly crosses. The problem we have now is there isn't a striker in the box to head them in. Carroll may not have the best conversion rate but at least he got onto the end of some of these crosses.
ReplyDeleteAny manager that can win the La Liga twice not managing Barca or Real Madrid and winning the CL with the likes of Traore and Biscan and reaching another final deserves a Legendary status. What's frustrating is that with a net spend of 16m or so a year he had us challenging in the top 4. Houllier was afforded that under Moores.
ReplyDeleteWe are poorer now than we were back then after selling the Club down the river to some greedy Yanks who didn't care for the sport and saddled us in debt.
Rafa could have won us the League if he was given the money to strengthen after Istanbul. He may have spotted players like Cazorla and Michu before other Clubs did. He would have gotten us David Silva who was on his way before the finances were pulled.
LFC has been repeatedly screwed by unworthy management and that is the reason where we are today!
Seriously, we love Gerrard but his form of late has been very poor and fatal to our current woe. Let, not only Gerrand but Reina warm the bench for probably 4 games in a row so they can understand that we are not a joke.
ReplyDeleteIts not about Gerrard alone.. We need to rest him to improve our squad// or else all the passses will go to gerrard..
ReplyDeletepress caps lock on ur left.. n type bro.. moron
ReplyDeleteGerrard needs time to adapt to the system like everyone else. Just because he is our highest profile player doesn't mean he should instantly be able to change his game.
ReplyDeleteI think there is valid criticism of him but considering his lack of consistent football for a long time, his being presented with a new system and the paucity of options, Gerrard should stay in the team.
He is one of the most natural finishers in a team that desperately needs goals. His brilliant first time ball to Suarez fairly late on in the Arsenal game shows he is also capable to playing cute, clever passes rather than lower percentage 'Hollywood' balls.
Brendan should consider starting without Stevie and maybe use him as a sub to change games. Yes, should also consider playing Reina as a sub too. Making these changes for some games may freshen up things and we can see how things work out. May turn out to be effective.
ReplyDeleteI think Stevie G is struggling to settle into Brendan's style of play. But Liverpool still needs his service.
Reina also should be dropped for game or two along with Stevie G.
ReplyDeleteFollowing the deadline day debacle, much discussion has now opened around FSG’s financial strategy placed upon Liverpool Football Club.
ReplyDeleteIn his open letter to supporters on Monday, principal owner John Henry said “We will never place this club in the precarious position that we found it in when we took over at Anfield. This club should never again run up debts that threaten its existence.”
Therefore, using stats from the ever-reliable LFC History, here is a lowdown of who has arrived and who has departed Anfield since FSG (NESV) purchased the club in October 2011.
IN
Fabio Borini AS Roma £10,400,000 13.07.2012
Joe Allen Swansea City £15,000,000 10.08.2012
Oussama Assaidi Heerenveen £3,000,000 17.08.2012
Nuri Sahin Real Madrid On Loan 25.08.2012
Samed Yesil Bayer Leverkusen £1,000,000 30.08.2012
Jordan Henderson Sunderland £16,000,000 * 09.06.2011
Charlie Adam Blackpool £6,750,000 07.07.2011
Alexander Doni AS Roma Free 15.07.2011
Stewart Downing Aston Villa £18,500,000 15.07.2011
Jose Enrique Newcastle United £6,000,000 12.08.2011
Sebastian Coates Nacional £4,900,000 30.08.2011
Craig Bellamy Manchester City Free 31.08.2011
Luis Suarez Ajax £22,800,000 31.01.2011
Andy Carroll Newcastle United £35,000,000 31.01.2011
TOTAL SPENT: £138.55
OUT
ReplyDeleteFábio Aurélio Free Transfer Free * 01.06.2012
David Amoo Free Transfer Free * 01.06.2012
Stephen Darby Free Transfer Free * 01.06.2012
Dirk Kuyt Fenerbache £1,000,000 03.06.2012
Maxi Rodriguez Newell’s Old Boys Undisclosed 13.07.2012
Alberto Aquilani Fiorentina £7,000,000 03.08.2012
Craig Bellamy Cardiff City Undisclosed 10.08.2012
Charlie Adam Stoke City £5,000,000 * 31.08.2012
Paul Konchesky Leicester City £1,500,000 13.07.2011
Chris Mavinga Rennes £1,000,000 19.07.2011
Thomas Ince Blackpool Undisclosed * 03.08.2011
Milan Jovanovic Anderlecht Free 05.08.2011
Daniel Ayala Norwich City £850,000 16.08.2011
Nabil El Zhar Free Transfer Free * 18.08.2011
Sotirios Kyrgiakos Wolfsburg Free 22.08.2011
Emiliano Insúa Sporting Lisbon £3,700,000 27.08.2011
Christian Poulsen Evian Thonon Gaillard Undisclosed 31.08.2011
Raul Meireles Chelsea £12,000,000 31.08.2011
David N’Gog Bolton Wanderers £4,000,000 31.08.2011
Philipp Degen Free Transfer Free * 31.08.2011
Charles Itandje Atromitos Free 01.01.2011
Ryan Babel Hoffenheim £5,800,000 25.01.2011
Fernando Torres Chelsea £50,000,000 31.01.2011
TOTAL RECOUPED: £91.85
NET SPEND: £46.7
Of course, there has been much discussion surrounding FSG’s reported inclusion of player wages into their financial strategy and calculations. Some reports suggest that this summer’s dealings have reduced the wage bill by £25m per year.
ReplyDeleteIt is previously reported that Liverpool’s wage bill stood at £128.9m per year, prior to this summer.
Liverpool currently have a record £25m per season deal with kit manufacturer Warrior Sports and a reported £20m per year deal with shirt sponsor Standard Chartered.
Last season Liverpool gained £54.4m from TV revenue via the Premier League.
FSG (NESV) purchased Liverpool FC for a value of £300m on October 15th, 2010, and eliminated all of the acquisition debt placed on LFC by its previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, reducing the Club’s debt servicing obligations from £25m-£30m a year to £2m-£3m.
One thing is for sure, Liverpool’s finances are much healthier than two years ago.
Of course, there has been much discussion surrounding FSG’s reported inclusion of player wages into their financial strategy and calculations. Some reports suggest that this summer’s dealings have reduced the wage bill by £25m per year.
ReplyDeleteIt is previously reported that Liverpool’s wage bill stood at £128.9m per year, prior to this summer.
Liverpool currently have a record £25m per season deal with kit manufacturer Warrior Sports and a reported £20m per year deal with shirt sponsor Standard Chartered.
Last season Liverpool gained £54.4m from TV revenue via the Premier League.
FSG (NESV) purchased Liverpool FC for a value of £300m on October 15th, 2010, and eliminated all of the acquisition debt placed on LFC by its previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, reducing the Club’s debt servicing obligations from £25m-£30m a year to £2m-£3m.
One thing is for sure, Liverpool’s finances are much healthier than two years ago.
Of course, there has been much discussion surrounding FSG’s reported inclusion of player wages into their financial strategy and calculations. Some reports suggest that this summer’s dealings have reduced the wage bill by £25m per year.
ReplyDeleteIt is previously reported that Liverpool’s wage bill stood at £128.9m per year, prior to this summer.
Liverpool currently have a record £25m per season deal with kit manufacturer Warrior Sports and a reported £20m per year deal with shirt sponsor Standard Chartered.
ReplyDeleteLast season Liverpool gained £54.4m from TV revenue via the Premier League.
FSG (NESV) purchased Liverpool FC for a value of £300m on October 15th, 2010, and eliminated all of the acquisition debt placed on LFC by its previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, reducing the Club’s debt servicing obligations from £25m-£30m a year to £2m-£3m.
Gerrard is to direct with his play especially when he's in the last attacking 3th i think BR needs to put him on the bench for a game or two and y was he not sub in sundays game.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool currently have a record £25m per season deal with kit manufacturer Warrior Sports and a reported £20m per year deal with shirt sponsor Standard Chartered.
ReplyDeleteLast season Liverpool gained £54.4m from TV revenue via the Premier League.
http://www.thisisanfield.com/2012/09/liverpool-fc-ins-and-outs-under-fsg-nesv/
ReplyDeleteive put through a summary of all ins and out till date at the bottom. help yourself. fact is with the sponsorship deals alone we are now at least 50 mil up.
ReplyDeleteiverpool currently have a record £25m per season deal with kit manufacturer Warrior Sports and a reported £20m per year deal with shirt sponsor Standard Chartered.
Before the Sunday match with Arsenal JK identified his next target for derision. It was to be Steve Gerrard our captain fantastic. Shame on you! Some of the contributors above must be in the age range 17-20 years and been fed on the post match summaries of Hansen and Neville.
ReplyDeleteBrendan Rodgers came from Swansea espousing ticky-tacky football aiming to follow in the footsteps of Barcelona and Hollands yesteryear total football style. At the moment we are getting the 'tacky' part and the Anfield occupants will soon be feeling the -alona if he doesn't shape up.
For the 17-20 year young contributors above 'total football' is the assemblage of a highly skilled team of outfield players who are able to play in any position - a la George Best. The tactic is when your full back (or centre back) goes rampaging down the right wing (or up for corners) like Johnson (or Skrtel) a team mate observes and drops into his 'normal' slot to cover. (That didn't happen on Sunday)
Therefore, you have no justification for slagging off our best and most illustrious player when his prompting causes loss of posession - the 'total football' ethic now in place should adequately cover for that.
Finally, if Brendan Rodgers really believes in 'total football' why has he not yet slotted Steve Gerrard into the empty centre forward berth. As modern idiom would state; "he ticks all the boxes.
1. he is tall 2. agressive 3. can score tremendous goals 4. has a good understanding with Suarez 5. Rodgers has a multitude of players deemed fit by the castigators to fill Gerrard's midfield boots 6. you all expect centre forwards to lose posession anyway so that will not be a problem.
So, why even consider old fast buck Owen to return and sully Anfield you have a ready made, loyal, centre forward ready to step into the breach for the good of the Reds.
Ah, but then you couldn't blame him for losing a game! - Then you will have to appoint a new fall guy! Simple.
this all excludes other merchanandising sales, gate takings,money from the league, tv rights and other club sponsorship. its not hard to add up scott. fact is our owners at least gained 50 mil profit, maybe even more after removing operating costs.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool took around 54 mil from sky
ReplyDeleteThe massive sums on offer for simply being a member of the Premier League are highlighted again below with the release of official figures detailing League TV and merit earnings for each club for the 2011-12 season.
Clubs have three main revenue streams: match day income (from tickets, corporate dining etcetera), media income (of which the payments listed are the largest but not the only part) and commercial income (from kit deals, sponsorship, merchandise, tours and so on).
Rafa should not let him play the next game. put him on the bench and let gracia or yossi in. ryan babel might do better.
ReplyDeleteon compassion leave in brazil
ReplyDeleteI believe that Gerro is not adapting to the system as he was trying to play out the two midfielders, Allen & Sahin who in my opinion were playing very well, I think he should have been taken out sooner for Hendo, who in my opinion had his best game against Hearts. Gerro lost it against West Brom and Hearts too, then why play him. As long as a player pull on the Red jersey he will be subject to criticism as long as he does not play well including the captain. He should have been played on the 'right', letting Borini run thru the centre with Suarez.
ReplyDeleteCentre mid my arse. He was never good there. Get him out of the midfield altogether - put him on the right of a front 3, with Borini (at a push) in the centre and Suarez on the left. And buy a goalkeeper coach.
ReplyDeleteIdeally, we could bring Borini on as an impact sub but as we have no strikers, we'd at best have to alternate between him, Morgan and, experimentally, sterling.
Incidentally, none of Roy Hodgson's signings for LFC are playing first team football for any team in the English PL. Two of the six don't even play in England anymore; 1 is a reserve keeper who was third choice for us last season; one is costing us over 100k a week to sit at home eating crisps after taking a year's paid holiday in france last year; 1 is a perma-loaned teenaged centre-half who used to play for a team that doesn't exist anymore; and finally his left-back signing, whose mother called our supporters 'Scouse scum' while her son was still playing for us, is now playing on the right wing for '10th in the NPower Championship' side Leicester City.
ReplyDeleteHe manages England now, and Liverpool supporters are universally derided as 'paranoid'.
Pacheco is vastly over rated by most Liverpool fans, Suso however is a quality prospect.
ReplyDeleteNo player is bigger than the club, therefore regardless of who it is if his not performing then drop him and put in someone else that can. Simple. Same goes for Reina.
ReplyDeleteI agree.
ReplyDeleteHaha! That's classic! Indeed Sir, indeed.
ReplyDeleteI agree. However he needs to preserve his energy during the game so playing him on the wing might run him down in the long term.
ReplyDeleteHe should play behind Suarez IMO.
He needs to be dropped.
ReplyDeleteI think we the transition should start now in terms of someone else picking up the mantle. Shelvey maybe?
ReplyDeleteThe thing is...we have options to cover Gerrard, we don't for GK, ST and LB.
ReplyDeleteWe should drop Reina and Gerrard. Give someone else a chance. And Suarez has been poor also.
a bad start to a season dont mean your finished.Gerrard was one of the best players at the euros and has been playing football none stop for a few years now.I think a bit of time on the bench only coming on if needed to turn a game late on(a bit like scholes) would do him good.Then when his form starts to pick up put him back in the team.
ReplyDeleteAlso i think he should play just behind the forward or in a front .Your best player should always be up the business end of the pitch. Rant over
front 3-- sorry missed a key there
ReplyDeleteAffect him mentally? What is he a child? He needs his friend to come here to support him mentally? He gets paid over £120K a week to do his job! And his job is not hard compared to ours in the real world.
ReplyDeleteSimple...not performing...drop him, regardless what you have done or who you are. And that applies for everyone in the team. Problem is we don't have enough cover with the players up front.
Owen is past his best and gets injured regularly.
The Chelsea squad has seen a number of managers come and go but that did not really affect them. They won the PL, FA and CL.
I support him. However as I've said, the club comes first. If there's a player that BR feels can do a more capable job than SG then he should play. Don't mean SG won't play again, just means were giving someone else a chance.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, might pay off.
have you heard urself gerrard as centre forward,lmfao,,,,as if we werent a big enough laughing stock at the moment,,,
ReplyDeleteKD set us back by buying overpriced average "british" talent.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I don't get emotionally involved with any sport. Brings to much pain. Liverpool is my club but I have been numbed by all the nonsense happening at the club over the last few years.
ReplyDeleteOn top of that, football in general is losing my interest due to the amount of money involved..especially when there's people who are living very unfortunate lives.
Sad truth.
JD it is.
shgelvey was signed by hodgson
ReplyDeleteFeel your pain.
ReplyDeleteHurts me to say but the way things are going SG will not win the PL anytime soon.
On the positive side of things... We have youngsters who may make the grade. I don't think we have another SG in our ranks but then there's not many SG's in the world.
Let's just wait and see...
I'm afraid not Ruari. He was a Rafa Benitez purchase.
ReplyDeleteIf a player is continually not performing and making too many mistakes, for the sake of results then drop him and play someone else. Too many sentiments these days.
ReplyDeleteReina hasnt been on form for 2 years, Id say forget donni, make a move 'tap up' Ali Al Habsi from wigan for a long term deal because he is outstanding!!!!
ReplyDeleteAll these Pussy Managers who haven’t got the balls to come right out and say to these overpaid under achievers to pull your socks up or do one!!!
ReplyDeleteIf they don’t give 200% every game (I know they played 3 games in 8 days) then drop them from the squad.
If these guys were worth there salt they would ask the manager to exclude them because they are old and tired!!
If you belive the reports and rumour, Gerrard was also let down by the lack of signings liverpool made. Gerrard lost lost the ball 70 yards into the opposition half and what I have seen with the new style is liverpool cannot defend counter attacking football; they struggle to get the ball back when the opposition is attacking with pace. My opinion is; if you want this style of football to work you need top quality players in all positions to pull it off. What we do need to understand is just having this one philosophy is sometimes a disadvantage as you are rigid to how you play. Barcelona are the masters of it and have been overcome in the league and by teams that will put 11 men behind the ball and catch them on the break. I think this is a real failing with this system as it offers no Plan B. Against sides like, stoke, everton, west brom etc. they will soak up our pressure by getting men behind the ball, forcing us to play out to the wings where we have no height to get on the end of any crosses and if players come inside they will win the ball and attack quickly on the break. No matter what people may think or what allegences they have to benitez, KD or BR. The simple fact is your philosophy, playing stlye is only judged on the results it gets. Our old assistant manger is current playing with a group of players who were touted as the top team to be relegated. he has battered his old team and won against an on form everton side, this man was in a more pressurised situation than BR and after 3 games he has enforced his style of play that is getting results. In my opinion if BR does not get above 6th this year then why should we give him an extra year?? he has had the funds, full control of team matters unlike dalglish and hodgson. so why not?? If we are soley blaming KD for signing over priced players then we have to blame Rogers for liverpool having no strikers.
ReplyDeleteThe way I see it, it shouldnt be difficult to fit in to BR tactics with his style of play most players with respectable amount of ability can easily slot in to the system. If you look at Swansea the players Laudrup has bought have fitted in seamlessly so I am starting to question wether rodgers knows how to implement that style of play into LFC although id give him till christmas and pass judgement the I dont see why it is taking him so long to play good football when dalglish took charge the first year in management we played great football almost immediately after hodgson it was only in the second half of his tenure the football went bad so I dont see why it should take BR so long. But a bit off topic here Jaimie I agree with you about Reina needs to pull his finger out and actually start winning us games because of his saves.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, lfc can give some rest to reina or they continue loose games this season.
ReplyDeleteNoel Malta
People say we need time to adapt and players to get used to the new style of football. I whole hartidly agree with this statemnt however top managers are able to slowly work the style in over the course of time without effecting the results on the pitch.
ReplyDeleteHypothetically if he would of kept Carroll, he could of reverted to a different style for the second half that may have had results as Arsenal would hae had to react to the change. Just having one style in my opinion is not enough. We would all like to see the ball played on the floor and a string of 30 pasess resulting in a goal, but i would also like to see us also have the option of a 4 pass lightening counter attack resulting in a glorious header into the back of the net.
This is where the likes of AVB and BR may have problems. I understand that their brand of continental free flowing football is what we all want to see but in the modern era of a lack of patients from both fans and desperate CL wanting owners, will they have time to fully get their system in place? probably not.
FSG have overseen the Boston Red Sox the World Champions 4 years ago into a laughing stock, lost 10 out of the last 13 and languishing next to bottom in a league of 5, with the bottom team Toronto only one game back of them. FSG have stripped the club of its high salary earners and now are only a shadow of their formerselves.
ReplyDeleteDEJAVUZ: they are doing it at Liverpool too, reducing the playing staff by getting rid of big earners and not replacing them like for like. What on earth possessed Rodgers to sign Borini the bloke is useless (11m when Jelavic was only 6m). This club will not be in the top half of the league by January when the opportunity will arise to bring in a few strikers, however I am expecting the excuses to be already prepared. This FSG lot dont give a toss about us they only look at the balance sheet. The likes of Everton can get shut of one player such as Rodwell and bring in 3 useful players, why didnt we raid Rangers for Naismith available for nothing.
The long cold nights of Europa League football will take its toll on such a small squad, (19 players according to Rodgers trained Monday and lot of them kids)
I think this season is going to be a very long one and if nothing has been done by Jan 31st then I for one will be jumping in the Mersey.
I can't really take your comments seriously tbh, anyone who claims to be emotionally unattached to the Club, but at the same time considers him/herself a fan is a talking contradiction.....
ReplyDeleteSimply put if you don't have any emotional attachment to the Club thern by very definition you are NOT a fan...
I was saying the same thing other day and someone asked me for a link?
ReplyDeleteThis coming from someone with no emotional attachment to the Club......
ReplyDeleteCalm down, i thought you said you were not emotionally attached.....
ReplyDeleteproblem with folks is they think of footballers as machines. ok some players just are machines, but Stevie is affected mentally by the club he is so attached to.
ReplyDelete120k a week doesn't mean anything really... thats just a whole lot of money and it's all the same once you're that rich.
Chelsea is a pure money club of hired guns, those are the type of players who'd leave for a bigger pay-cheque so don't even try to compare the scum to Stevie G and Liverpool!
Chelsea?!??! wtf
I'll be honest getting players such as naysmith, hendo etc will only take Liverpool so far you need to get higher caliber players to stay top 4 spot which is what rafa did successfully up until his last season.
ReplyDeleteQuite right, well said!
ReplyDeletegerrard,suarez,and sterling up front,agree. agger to take over as captain. he was captain of the denmark in the euros where he played a blinderand dspite his playing position he controlled every game
ReplyDeleteHow can you claim to feel my pain..? because if you could you would be emotionally attached....which your not apparently...
ReplyDeleteShelvey was one of the last purchases of Rafa, as well Sterling and both are coming on in leaps and bounds, funny how none of Hodgson's signing are in the first 11, and yet a good many of the Rafa signings are
ReplyDeleteIMO Gerrard shouldn't be played in the midfield in this system but as a part of front three along with Suarez and Borini as he can atleast finish those chances but in midfield he just isn't the same player anymore.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note though... I think BR is not doing well playing Sua-ley in the middle... he should be on the left or the right. He's a dribbler and his finishing needs to improve. Morgan or a new striker from free agent should be planted there.
ReplyDeleteOur issue is not creating chances, it's putting them away. Morgan's positional play is phenomenal (not even exaggerating). if he can snatch a couple his career would be up and running!
Let's face it, Gerrard has made more mistakes leading to goals than Reina has. The sending off of Agger came directly from a misplaced pass by Gerrard, the first goal for Man City, the play was set up directly from a misplaced pass by Gerrard and of course Arsenal's first goal was from a misplaced pass by Gerrard. People say that Arsenal's second goal was a mistake from Reina, I disagree. I have played as a goalkeeper before and probably the hardest shot to save is low, hard and close to the body, he did well to get anything to it, unfortunately he didn't manage to keep it out, but in no way is he at fault for that goal. I agree he hasn't been up to his lofty standards the past couple of seasons, but he has looked sharp in the opening couple of games.
ReplyDeleteThird time is as many EPL games that Gerrard has cost us with a misplaced pass.
ReplyDeleteWell it is nice to see that people are now opening their eyes and realise BR failings. Fact is if Andy Carol comes back after 6 months would he play out of his skin for our manager?
ReplyDeleteDowning who was publically told he would only play left back was brought on as a winger. BR plan B will that instill confidence into the lad?
Henderson who the manager wanted to be used as a part exchange to sign 5 mil dempsey, how valued do you think he will feel from 20 m to 6 mil.
I seriously question BR man management skills and even more his tactics.
His 4-3-3 formation is more defensive than KK 4-4-2 so we wonder where the goals will come from.4-3-3 only works with a prolific striker of which we lack.
Shelvy, Henderson, and adams with all their faults will score you goals and more importantly I have noticed that the crosses inside the box to head has at least doubled since Carol has left, That is madness.
BR said after our last game it is not about systems or formations but holding the ball. My answer is it is about scoring by creating chances and defending by winning back the ball as well as reading the game.
Sorry, hard to take your post seriously when you can't even spell properly
ReplyDeleteI am a admirer of Gerard but since last season , I believed thats Gerard is the main cause of the teams downfall. He is playing in almost all positions that he does not let the others to play their game. And making it difficult for the manager. I believe he has to go.
ReplyDeleteListen mate the problem for me was not Gerrard losing the ball the odd time. The law of percentages says that a guy of his status will do damage at least 30 percent of the time. People are calling gerrard becos his damage rate was less than 5 percent and giving the ball away actually doubled. If you watched the game you`ll realise stevie had an absolute night mare and for me was one of the worse players on the field. Its not personal.
ReplyDeleteGerrard was the one that lost the ball in the first place and set Arsenal on their way, therefore, Gerrard is at fault in that goal, just like in the WBA game when Agger got sent off, Gerrard was at fault there and was also at fault for Man City's first goal
ReplyDeleteMaybe with all the flack Reina is getting, put Gerrard in goal.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely spot on. And BR should shift him up and stick with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of that, esp the bit about those crosses into the box that Carroll would have surely benefitted from, its true that Kenny has been labelled many things since his recent brief managerial stint at the Club, already i am noticing with BR how inflexible we are, how easily carved open we are with the counter, Kenny's methods of changing tactics would keep the opposition guessing how we would line up etc, no one knew who would play so how could the opposition plan playing against us.....
ReplyDeleteThis coupled with a certain stubborness/arrogance about the new set up which deemed it okay for us to loan Carroll out and not replace him and allow Reina to go unchecked again with real competition for his place....
Not very impressed with BR or FSG tbh, very dissapointing start to the season, in fact it couldn't have been much worse.
I actually see a lot of parallels with BR now and Rafa when he took over Valencia, both young managers who started off in their early 30s as youth coaches at high profile clubs, went on to cut their managerial teeth in the lower leagues, eventually winning promotion, then not long after, moved on to a high profile, under performing club with new visions. Rafa is a legendary manager, and I truly believe given the time and patience and support he deserves, BR will also gain the same success.
ReplyDeleteThe way Shelvey plays looks so much like a younger Gerrard, has a good passing range, has bags of confidence and commands the pitch, gets into good positions and has a cracking shot on him. Shelvey is most definately the long term replacement for Gerrard
ReplyDeleteNo player is bigger than the club, we've proved that time and again, it's no coincidence that the season where we nearly won the league in 08/09, Gerrard was injured for a good part of the season. By no means am I saying that Gerrard is a bad player or not good enough for Liverpool, but at the same time, if he is not performing, he shouldn't be the first name on the team sheet
ReplyDeleteHe must just stop smacking his head when he makes mistakes...
ReplyDeleteClinical finishers in the box though!!! need that!
Great argument you have there
ReplyDeleteyeah,,,,,brendan need to change him to winger where he can create passes and leave for allen and sahin to do the clinical passing.he is stll an inspiration to the lads,,,change his position...
ReplyDeleteFirst goal for Man City, ball given away on the edge of our own box by... against WBA the counter attack which led to Agger getting sent off, ball given away by... First goal for Arsenal, counter attack started from ball given away by... 3 game changing instances that were directly attributable to Gerrard, so yes, we should drop him at least for a couple of games.
ReplyDeleteThis new and failing system you say is what made us so successful in the first place, Tiki Taka of current times is the Pass and Move play that we incorporated in the 70s and 80s. It's just that Hodgson and then Dalglish got us out of that style of play, which hurt us.
ReplyDeleteHard to take your post seriously when you can't even spell. Ow and es? I know you have the H because the second word is think, how about putting it on the front of ow and es
ReplyDeleteNgoo is gone.
ReplyDeleteYou must also be 17-20 if you do not recognise this style of play as a throwback to our own pass and move system, so why are people getting on BR's case when we should be backing him.
ReplyDeleteYes lets put the club captain on the bench, marvelous decision. Gerrard is an emotional player, getting dropped to the bench will only make things worse. Oh yes, who are we replacing him with, and who are we going to replace reina with? They may be playing a bit poor but remeber thier poor is others peak. We do not have world class replacements and to just say replace him with youth will be class and embarrasing for a club captain who has stuck with liverpool in the hope of winning a league title only to watch the team get progressively worse when for the past 2 years we where supposed to get better. I would also like to say as fans we are mirroring his form as we have become a laughing stock. proclaiming we all know better and time and time again we have got it wrong!!
ReplyDeleteI remember a certain Rafa Benitez who in a Merseyside derby took one underperforming Steven Gerrard off and brought on Lucas. Maybe Rodgers needs the same metal.
ReplyDeleteThe genius of Paisley was to recognise when players had lost their sparkle and therefore when to get rid, hence Willie Stevenson, Yosser Hughes and Thommo .
ReplyDeleteWe were all surprised when it happened but then the great man was always right
KD not having funds? You having a laugh? Dalglish got 18 months. And the position alone wasn't the reason why he was sacked. It was the position tied in with the fact we finished so many points behind. BR is playing with a new style for the new generation, but is actually a recycled form of the style that made us so great, and needs time to implement this, changing managers every season is not helping the players, so provided there is improvement this season and continued improvement, no matter how small, then he needs to be in the hotseat for a long time to build the sustained success we as Liverpool fans deserve.
ReplyDeleteHow about Morgan or Yesil, who is the other striker we bought this window.
ReplyDeleteThe title of this article should be
ReplyDelete'He's had no impact...for three years and is bloody worse away from home'
Then and only then could I even think about respecting what any former LFC player has to say about Liverpool.
I question throwing Yesil straight in... he prob will need some time to settle in... I hope I'm wrong. His record, his comments and from what I've seen he is a real talent.
ReplyDeleteIt'll be interesting to see what BR does over the next few games to try to turn the situation around. To be honest I'm not confident anymore, but I really hope he turns it around.
C'mon the reds!
Overated or not, he is here and cant be any worse than Stewart "No Goals No Assist" Downing who got more than 36 appearances for Liverpool in one season to prove himself. Compare that to Pacheco who has 5 League appearances for LFC since he signed on in 2009. I presume you believe those 5 games proved he is overrated to you.
ReplyDeleteI also seem to remember many fans panning Shelvey for being useless and was on the list of players many fans wanted moved on but right now he is proving them wrong.
Borini while new to Liverpool has already got 3 league games(2 less than Pacheco's entire Liverpool career) to his name and no goals or assists but would you readily call him a flop given his age and be mindful he is only 2 months younger than Pacheco.
To me Borini may succeed because he gets chances and has the manager's faith while Pacheco is burdened by the stigma that he is a difficult persona and overated as you suggest.
Many fans say he deserves a chance but don't say he is a world beater, a manger's faith can make the difference on who succeeds or not especially when LFC has got no other choice in the striking department
His WEST BROM and ARSENAL performances in particular have been rubbish.Any other player would have been taken off in those games. STEVEN GERRARD has never been great in possession. He could mask it before with important goals or assisting the prolific strikers we've had in the past.
ReplyDeleteBut Hollywood balls and powerful shots towards goal are finding their target less frequently than years gone by. When he runs forward with the ball at pace it looks like he's wearing metal boots coz the ball control is very poor.
BRENDAN RODGERS passing system is showing players true ability in terms of keeping the ball and captain fantastic is typically English in that respect. JOE ALLEN and NURI SAHIN have superior passing by far and with LUCAS to come back into the team we'll have a better balance.
STEVEN GERRARD needs to stop giving the ball away!
True Gaz but then some of Rafa's signings are also now playing for top teams in Europe after we stupidly let them go like Alonso, Mascherano and Meireles. Simple question: was the money we received for those three really worth it? Was it well spent on others? No and no :o(
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/may/03/liverpool-loss-50m
ReplyDeleteThe 50M loss is all encompassing - includes all those sponsor deals, gate admissions, etc etc. Unfortunately the July 2012 accounts are not up yet.
Maybe you should check the facts before you get all condescending on me.
My response to those currently on the back of one of our all-time-great players Steve Gerrard is; you must, collectively, be as dim as the proverbial Toch-h Lamp. (Nothing personal I'm sure you'll agree)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll have read somewhere the saying 'class is permanent, form is temporary. Presuming that you accept same what on earth can be your objection to moving our world class midfielder up to the sharp end where he enjoys a good relationship with Luis Suarez and will scare the hell out of centre halves (sorry centre backs).
No, I suppose you would prefer to bench our set-piece expert and king penalty taker as some sort of punishment for a temporary loss of touch?
Steve Gerrard is the type of player who can do a good job wherever he plays and therefore completely suited to Total Football - but you would not know what that is about.
Mum says don't forget your umbrellas and lunches boys.
Oh really? What so you mean that if someone loses the ball in or around the opposition box then its their fault for the goal that was scored at the other end of the pitch...? What about our midfield...? What about our defence..? What about our Goalkeeper...? What about our footballing "system" or strategy to deal with that...?
ReplyDeletehis losing the ball did eventually lead to the goal...but it certainly isn't half as celar cut as you seem to think.
Glen had been playing a high pressing game as was highlighted in my previous post, he was actually at the time in a wingers position without consideration to the counter...high up the field.... and this is why its going to happen again and again this season whereby we are opened up and countered effectively....with or without Gerrard...
Did you actually see how much space Arsenal had to run into at times during that game..??
There is no getting away from it. GERRARD has been a great servant for the Liverpool cause & deserves his place in the halls of fame at ANFIELD, but for the past 2 seasons he has given us all a reason 2 be concerned. (1) VOICE.. a leader on the field needs a voice Steve just does not seem to have 1 (i wish he had JAMIES) (2)DEFEND..a Captains duty is to defend his players at all times, time & time again SUAREZ has looked to him but to no avail, he offers no protection 2 LUIS at all, look at other teams & see how they stick 2gether.(3)CORNER KICKS..why do we have a player of his height, presence & stature take corners, surely with CARROLL gone he should be in the box ATTACKING the opposition, maybe its an IMAGE thing with him,(4) REF, he never argues the point , he just seems to accept it. (5) AGE.. we all love him to bits, but its a long time since 2005, and if he covets that Premiership medal so much, then its time he rally's the players, after all if he doesn't have the stomach for it , its not a great example for the kids that are breaking into the team now, maybe its time he had a break for a few games. And put the PRESSURE back on the rest of the team. As 4 PEPE when a goalkeeper makes a blunder its HUGE, PEPE cant be blamed 4 our bad start to the season, it was losing possession of the ball that has us in the dismal position that we are right now ........ YNWA
ReplyDeleteI agree that no player should be bigger than the Club, personally i don't think Gerrard has EVER thought he was bigger than the Club, he is where he is by virtue of his PROVEN talents....
ReplyDeleteBR on the other hand has it all very much to prove....maybe he's already thinking that he's actually bigger than the Club....wouldn't surprise me with some the decisions he SEEMS to have made so far....
Also, Gerrard does have serious competition for his place, unlike Reina and Suarez....
If anyone thinks they are bigger than the Club then IMO it is Reina and Suarez, both massive under performers last season, don't seem to be too great in this one either....YET no serious competition for their places in the team.....
Just try and think about that before you go slating a legend....
Though im pretty sure you won't even bother...
Likewise....
ReplyDeleteI blame BR for our bad start to the season, the players are his responsibility, its up to him to turn things round, he is afterall the manager....therefore his tactics etc will no doubt either help our cause or worsen it, we can talk all day long about under performers at the Club (we do have quite a few..) but thats BR's problem now, not Kenny's anymore....so we can't really blame him, though im sure some 2fans" will continue to...
ReplyDeleteGerard is the greatest player LFC have ever had and I have seen them all since 1962 but I will concede he is getting older - play him in the Lucas role and he will be superb
ReplyDeletewell said my good sir
ReplyDeleteDONT FORGET TO SMILE BOYS - THE SUN WILL COME OUT AGAIN AND BRENDAN WILL SORT IT -when that day comes the joy will be that much sweeter - YNWA
ReplyDeleteshelvey was sighned by dalglish when he was taking care of the accademy
ReplyDeleteMate...they've no balls....if he plays ok they describe it world class..
ReplyDeleteIf he plays cr@p...he is above criticsm for what he's done for the club...why..
Everytime he's done something like Istanbul ...two others did something special too...not him only
fa cup final...check how many sitters he missed before scoring
calling cup final...own goal when we were winning
Why...?
ReplyDeleteCan anyone see us getting to wembley 3 times this season ?
ReplyDeleteThere's 4 trophies to play for
We are out of one already and we've only played 3 games
Last seasons success , and by the recent 6 seasons performances
Winning a trophy was success .
BR I wish you all the luck in the world
but this seasons team , with so many out and so few in
Gerrad and carra the wrong side of 32
Is SO much weaker than last seasons
Those who doubted Dalglish will at least realize
We have no Devine right to win When we finish in the bottom half
gerrard has been at liverpool for 16 years now i doubt rodgers will drop the captaincy from him if he doesnt have the guts to drop him
ReplyDeletepass and move had an end product goals and trophys . not playin chuckle bothers football like we are playin now .from me to you
ReplyDeleteFair enough gerrard has not been at his best but either has anyone else. I thought personally sterling was the only player that stood out in my opinion.as you say reins keeps making mistakes , I felt he should of saved 1 of the goals. Our back line are proned to making mistakes. Skirtyl is rash at times and our defence in general just isn't quite as strong as it used to be. I don't think gerrards passing inaccuracy is the main reason for our bad form all though I'm sure it doesn't help. We still have to put the ball in the back of the net when chances come our way. I'm not sure if your saying Ferrara passing inaccuracy is the main blame for our loss but if you are then that surprises a little because for starters if you looked at the game stats at the end of the game I think your find we had 53% ball possession in the game so it's not just about ball possession . Arsenal are more dangerous in attack then we are. All of swansea's midfield had high pass accuracy last season yet they still finished 11th level points with norwich and west brom ? In fact swansea had to wait till January to get there first win under there belt so ball possession don't mean much if your not going to score goals I'm afraid. If was all about ball possession then arsenal would won alot more premierships I would of thought. I need to take charge lol
ReplyDeleteI believe Gerrard is playing in the wrong position for him to affect the game the way he has done week in week out in previous seasons. I'd like to see him sitting deeper, playing next to Allen/Sahin/Lucas/Shelvey where he can pick the ball up in space and looking forward to create openings. He is calm on the ball and can put it where he wants, he also knows how to defend and position himself.
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting to see Suarez playing in that attacking midfield role as his close control and turning ability in tight areas (on his day) is amazing. Problem is, who plays up front?
Looking forward to seeing Pacheco and Suso hopefully in the near future!
rafa shudnt ov been sacked hes probly the best manager weve ever had above shanks and bob..... hes so far ahead it makes me cringe to think we got rid cus ov the idiots in control didnt have a clue on how to move the club forward....
ReplyDeletesteerling suso shelvey alonso masch torres reina garcia kuyt maxi agger skrtill... in rafa we trust
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Rodgers is going to change his formation to suit Gerrard. He wants the three in midfield to be interchangeable as it's a key part in retaining possession.
ReplyDeleteA key problem is a lack of patience. We've been playing a lot of quick balls down the flanks and then hoping that Borini can put in a cross. With Suarez as the central striker, often all by himself, this is a fairly illogical way forward.
What should be happening is that our measured passing through midfield should gradually open up a gap in the opposition, and that's when we need a clinical pass to give us a chance. Gerrard is the optimal choice for making that type of pass but right now he's looking to do it every time he receives the ball.
I still think that a role in that midfield 3 is right for Gerrard but he needs to adapt his game. Perhaps even more critically, he needs to trust the players around him and shelve the idea that he needs to do it all. I don't fault him for that mind set because we clearly have relied on him hugely over the years to pull us out of the fire.
If we get to 10 games and these problems still exist, then I think we can admit that he's not going to work. Right now we need to give the whole team more time to get it working.
scott bet you a pint that liverpool up to date will be 50 mil in profit. i have done the maths and when the new reports come out ill find you.
ReplyDeleteThat makes sense actually. Like you said if this carries on then who knows.
ReplyDeleteI'm just going to seat back and see what BR has in store. Early days still. But SG has been nonperforming of recent, hopefully he will pick up form soon.
No. Simply put, I don't let my love for club overshadow my ability to reason clearly on Liverpool FC matters like some deluded fans that put a manager or player ahead of the club.
ReplyDeleteI support Liverpool my way, you supp.............
Never actually thought of that, but it's true. This season I am not expecting much just as long as I see some sort of progress. Especially in the league and play.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know my comment was bothering you so much.
ReplyDeleteYou have a point there SA_RED. Touche
ReplyDeleteWow. Just because I said that it does not mean I don't care.
ReplyDeleteDon't let this bother you, it's not that serious.
Ah yeah I remember that.
ReplyDeleteHopefully his form will pick up soon. Look forward to see Assaidi play.
ReplyDeletetemporary loss of touch?
ReplyDeleteThree years is temporary?
One Toch-h lamp will be shipped to you express delivery.........
Well there is another two-three years on his contract to go.
ReplyDeleteBR isn't dumb, he knows Gerrard is a fish out of water in this system just as AVB knew John 'Rewarded for Being Racist' Terry was incapable of playing a high defensive line.
Something will most likely have to give and with the way the board dismissed Kenny I can't see it being BR.
But Who knows?..........
your bang out of order on brad jones losing a little boy to cancer ???? what a knobhead ur
ReplyDeleteI'd rather have Lucas in the Lucas role
ReplyDeleteur bang out of order. im sure brad jones would rather have been playin football. than the horrible situation he had to endure over the last two years. losin a small boy to cancer is not my idea of being on holiday
ReplyDeletewillie stevenson went to stoke in 67 shanks was manager
ReplyDeleteare u radio rental. above shanks and bob!! he that good he been signing on for the last two years .no one will touch him with a 10foot barge pole
ReplyDeletewe should try reina in goal then
ReplyDelete