Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

We definitely need a striker, the absence of Owen has left us toothless up front. If Houllier truly believes that we're mid-table because of a massive injury crisis and that all will come good when they return, I think he's very much mistaken. We've missed Owen and the others to a lesser degree but we had 19 goals from Owen last season and still finished only fifth. Does anyone else believe Houllier is cursed? We seem to lose a player injured every game. Even when they come back they seem to get injured again

[JBG]

I think that in football you make your own luck, and luck surely evens out over 5 years.

Sure, we have had an injury "crisis", but lets look at the players missing:

1. Michael Owen: club's best and most important player, but we have known since the Roy Evans' days that Owen gets a run of bad injuries every year and we have had 6 years to put a contingency plan (i.e. a very capable subsitute) in place but we haven't.

2. Steven Gerrard: injured against Man City, we will miss him badly, but again, like Owen, Gerrard always picks up an injury and we have had 6 years to think of a contingency plan for him.

3. Bruno Cheyrou: out injured for a long time but has yet to contribute anything at all to the team.

4. Salif Diao: had a bright start to his Anfield career but is slowly becoming a liability.

5. Jamie Carragher: I laugh when people say that we miss him. Do people not forget how the crowd last season at Anfield got on his back for not pushing forward? A reasonably good defender, but gives us nothing going forward.

6. Stephane Henchoz: Houllier has been harping on all year about Henchoz being injured but when I last looked he has spent the past 4 or 5 games on the bench, so is it not the case that he is not being picked because he is badly out of form? Switzerland have dropped him from their first 11 because of his decline.

7. Steve Finnan: he's only been here 5 minutes, and we have yet to see any of his old Fulham form. Suddenly he's a crucial absentee! How the hell did we ever manage without him!

8. Chris Kirkland: out for a few weeks, but Dudek is still a very good keeper, despite his occasional wobbles.

9. Milan Baros: a player ho looks like he might have a good future in the game, but he's still a rough diamond, and got his chance because Heskey's atrocious form.

As Owzat has said, even with our best 11 out on the field, we are still a 4 or 5th place team at best, and after 5 years in charge, thats not good enough.