Liverpool FC Forum

[SouthCoastShankly]

No Adam or Downing in either of your sides mate ?
I think they are both nailed on to be coming in.

Downing is a signing I'd understand. Not that big a fan of him as a player but he would certainly fill a void in our squad. He'd probably be a nailed on starter regardless of the formation i would think.

Charlie Adam on the other hand im not too sure about. Even if we do decide to play 3 in the middle, it would most likely be Lucas, Gerrard and Henderson.. With Meireles providing backup for Gerrard/Henderson and maybe Spearing for Lucas.

Adam will never be a holding midfielder... Same applies to Gerrard and Henderson. To make it even more exciting, Henderson will struggle if played higher up as part of an attacking three so his options for a regular starting role under such a system are probably limited to the CM position.

Factor in the players we'll have as backup and the players we'll have to get rid of : Meireles, Poulsen, Aquilani, Shelvey, Spearing    ..   And it makes no sense whatsoever for us to be going after Adam when we've just signed another player for 20Mill who will most likely be filling the same position..

I have the opposite opinion. Adam represents far better value for money than Downing.

Stewart Downing is the typical squad player and in my opinion an average one. £20m for a young starlet in Henderson you can understand to certain extent as his age allows for progression and development, £20m for a 26 year old winger who has never impressed at club level let alone international level is a waste of money.

Charlie Adam probably could play on the wing, deliver the same crosses as Downing and arguably has similar pace. All this for half the price, not to mention most people actually rate Adam.

[JC_81]

SCS - Charlie Adam cannot play wide mate, Rangers played him there a lot and it's one of the resons imo that he didn't pull up any trees there.  He's got a great left foot but unfortunately that doesn't make him a good left winger.  It was his switch to central midfield for Blackpool on a regular basis that has brought the best out of him.  If we buy him it has to be to play him inside, but I honestly have no idea what our starting lineup will look like next season.

As for Downing, don't rate him, simple as.  Had good potential as a youngster but he's 26 and imo has never kicked on from there.  He was Villa's player of the season because they had a terrible season, not because he was anything special imo.

It's no surprise however that the players we have bought or are trying to buy at the moment (Henderson, Downing, Adam) all put in a tremendous cross/ dead ball.  If we want to get the best out of Carroll these are the types of players I bet he'd like around him.  I hope it doesn't make us too one dimensional though... honestly don't know what we're going to be like next season... we are not done in the transfer market by a long long way I don't think.

[SouthCoastShankly]

SCS - Charlie Adam cannot play wide mate, Rangers played him there a lot and it's one of the resons imo that he didn't pull up any trees there.  He's got a great left foot but unfortunately that doesn't make him a good left winger.  It was his switch to central midfield for Blackpool on a regular basis that has brought the best out of him.  If we buy him it has to be to play him inside, but I honestly have no idea what our starting lineup will look like next season.

As for Downing, don't rate him, simple as.  Had good potential as a youngster but he's 26 and imo has never kicked on from there.  He was Villa's player of the season because they had a terrible season, not because he was anything special imo.

It's no surprise however that the players we have bought or are trying to buy at the moment (Henderson, Downing, Adam) all put in a tremendous cross/ dead ball.  If we want to get the best out of Carroll these are the types of players I bet he'd like around him.  I hope it doesn't make us too one dimensional though... honestly don't know what we're going to be like next season... we are not done in the transfer market by a long long way I don't think.

You misinterpreted the meaning of the post. I know Adam isn't a winger but in my opinion he offer's as much out there as Downing does.

[stmichael]

It's no surprise however that the players we have bought or are trying to buy at the moment (Henderson, Downing, Adam) all put in a tremendous cross/ dead ball.  If we want to get the best out of Carroll these are the types of players I bet he'd like around him. I hope it doesn't make us too one dimensional though

Well if it does that's as much a fault of the other guys in the team as Carroll himself. The constant hoofing from the back does my head in at times and is completely unneccesary yet it seems to be in Carra and Skrtel's blood to knock it long rather than to play into our midfielders and trust them in tight areas. It's fine to knock it long every now and again as long as you have midfield players running into the box for the knockdowns. At Newcastle Carroll had Nolan and Barton doing this. Her he's got Gerrard, Suarez, Kuyt and Mereiles who all like to do this.

Personally I think he's a lot better on the floor than people give him credit for, merely because he's so arially dominant. He's got an excellent first touch and is a good finisher as we saw against Man City last season. With good off the ball movement around him I think he'll flourish.

[stmichael]

We have so much tactical variation and fluidity now withing games and it's great to see. We played 4-2-3-1, 4-4-2 and possibly 4-3-3 at times against Bolton. Henderson, Adam Downing, Suarez and Kuyt are all incredibly versatile.

[Thommo's perm]

Just watching the stoke match again and its clear that they had a game plan and stuck to it
They deserve credit for working out the best way to nullify and eventually beat us. From the shortening and narrowing of the pitch to having nine men at least behind the ball.
The ref was the cherry on the top but we can only blame him up to a point.
I will take some positives from it but it is painful to see us out manoevered by a one dimensional team. We really have to wise up to games like this. Trying to pass the ball through nine pairs of legs doesnt work. Neither does hoofing it into their box. What was needed was shooting from outside the box and/or running at them to draw free kicks and penalties. Giving the ball away cheaply is crucial in games like this and many were guilty of doing this so many times. We had our chances and it is frustrating but we have to learn how to cope with tactics like this. Stoke are a mid table, mid level team who know their limitations. It will be interesting to see what tactics the manks and city use against them at the brittania

[parchpea]

We have improved in terms of moving the ball around but where we fall short against stubborn teams is in speed of movement in crowded areas really. Suarez is the only one that can move in every angle and get by people consistently and truth is both manc sides have several of that type in their teams. You need 3 or 4 that keep twisting and moving, constantly turning and dazzling the opposition. Downing can whip a ball in and go outside but he does not have the balance of Suarez in tight areas. If we had Citys money then Nasri and Silva would crack it for us but there you go, and there in lies the difference. We could use a little playmaker of their ilk but as we know we are in the first year of re building and at this point a few pieces are still missing for us unfortunately.

[aCe']

2 things that worry me.
First is our transfer policy. Paying big for British players is a big gamble and I dont think its the best idea for the club atm. We've missed out on some excellent players. Sold some very good ones to make room for players of a less calibre, and seem to be insistent on maintaining that strategy for the time being. Times have changed and the league is a totally different ball game today. For me, the side despite the signings still lacks balance in key areas, and given the money we spent we should have done better.

Second thing is our setup. We're still not able to get the best out of Kuyt, Downing, Carroll, Adam, and even Henderson. To be perfectly honest, we're largely reliant on Suarez atm and hopefully when Gerrard is back some of the weight will be lifted off the Uruguayan's shoulders. I dont know about everyone else, but for me we should be playing Downing down the left flank rather than the right. Would help us stretch sides in the final third and should theoretically open up more spaces through the middle for Suarez and Kuyt/Carroll. I think its interesting that Kenny seems to insist on Downing playing down the right and cutting inside especially when our options down the left flank in his absence are limited. Downing has been okay so far but for me he still needs to have a bigger impact in our attacking game especially in terms of goals and assists. Another one thats interesting for me is Adam down the middle in a deeper role especially with Gerrard not in the side. Reduces his impact considerably imo and again hes another one who is not performing to his potential. You would think with him in the side we'd be looking for him outside the box to hit it or provide the pass but hes more often than not nowhere to be found. Even Lucas ventures forward more than he does. Hes not even taking all the corners which is another thing that raises questions...etc

I know many will disagree with this, its still the Kenny honeymoon period after all and we're only 4 games into the season but they're all things that could effectively decide on how our season goes.

[Thommo's perm]

2 things that worry me.
First is our transfer policy. Paying big for British players is a big gamble and I dont think its the best idea for the club atm. We've missed out on some excellent players. Sold some very good ones to make room for players of a less calibre, and seem to be insistent on maintaining that strategy for the time being. Times have changed and the league is a totally different ball game today. For me, the side despite the signings still lacks balance in key areas, and given the money we spent we should have done better.

Second thing is our setup. We're still not able to get the best out of Kuyt, Downing, Carroll, Adam, and even Henderson. To be perfectly honest, we're largely reliant on Suarez atm and hopefully when Gerrard is back some of the weight will be lifted off the Uruguayan's shoulders. I dont know about everyone else, but for me we should be playing Downing down the left flank rather than the right. Would help us stretch sides in the final third and should theoretically open up more spaces through the middle for Suarez and Kuyt/Carroll. I think its interesting that Kenny seems to insist on Downing playing down the right and cutting inside especially when our options down the left flank in his absence are limited. Downing has been okay so far but for me he still needs to have a bigger impact in our attacking game especially in terms of goals and assists. Another one thats interesting for me is Adam down the middle in a deeper role especially with Gerrard not in the side. Reduces his impact considerably imo and again hes another one who is not performing to his potential. You would think with him in the side we'd be looking for him outside the box to hit it or provide the pass but hes more often than not nowhere to be found. Even Lucas ventures forward more than he does. Hes not even taking all the corners which is another thing that raises questions...etc

I know many will disagree with this, its still the Kenny honeymoon period after all and we're only 4 games into the season but they're all things that could effectively decide on how our season goes.

Kenny out!

[aCe']

2 things that worry me.
First is our transfer policy. Paying big for British players is a big gamble and I dont think its the best idea for the club atm. We've missed out on some excellent players. Sold some very good ones to make room for players of a less calibre, and seem to be insistent on maintaining that strategy for the time being. Times have changed and the league is a totally different ball game today. For me, the side despite the signings still lacks balance in key areas, and given the money we spent we should have done better.

Second thing is our setup. We're still not able to get the best out of Kuyt, Downing, Carroll, Adam, and even Henderson. To be perfectly honest, we're largely reliant on Suarez atm and hopefully when Gerrard is back some of the weight will be lifted off the Uruguayan's shoulders. I dont know about everyone else, but for me we should be playing Downing down the left flank rather than the right. Would help us stretch sides in the final third and should theoretically open up more spaces through the middle for Suarez and Kuyt/Carroll. I think its interesting that Kenny seems to insist on Downing playing down the right and cutting inside especially when our options down the left flank in his absence are limited. Downing has been okay so far but for me he still needs to have a bigger impact in our attacking game especially in terms of goals and assists. Another one thats interesting for me is Adam down the middle in a deeper role especially with Gerrard not in the side. Reduces his impact considerably imo and again hes another one who is not performing to his potential. You would think with him in the side we'd be looking for him outside the box to hit it or provide the pass but hes more often than not nowhere to be found. Even Lucas ventures forward more than he does. Hes not even taking all the corners which is another thing that raises questions...etc

I know many will disagree with this, its still the Kenny honeymoon period after all and we're only 4 games into the season but they're all things that could effectively decide on how our season goes.

Kenny out!

Not at all... Thing is, I have confidence in the guy more than I did any other manager we had in the last decade. If anyone can get us back to where we need to be its him. Theres things that I dont particularly agree with like the whole transfers thing but one way or the other I think he'll make it work..

[stmichael]

We're still not able to get the best out of Kuyt, Downing, Carroll, Adam, and even Henderson.

Downing has been excellent since signing. As for Kuyt, the guy has scored 10 goals in his last 16 league appearances going back to last season. He's not even been a regular this season ffs. Adam has been inconsistent as have Henderson and Carroll but ffs they've played 4 competitive games for us. What is it with modern day football? Players don't get five minutes with some fans.

[Octsky]

i am halfway through Kenny's biography, n he /old LFC team has always emphasis on a pass and move game play.
pass and move, pass and move.
we saw some of it during the trashing of Bolton.
sadly based on current form i dont see how Carroll fits into this plan

[killerp]

i am halfway through Kenny's biography, n he /old LFC team has always emphasis on a pass and move game play.
pass and move, pass and move.
we saw some of it during the trashing of Bolton.
sadly based on current form i dont see how Carroll fits into this plan

Thats why we got Bellamy in the short term.

[tubby]

Think today happened for a combination of reasons.

1) Kenny got the lineup wrong
2) The players didn't perform
3) Ref was shyte

Carra should have made way for Coates and Skrtel should have started on the bench in place of Flanno or Kelly.

Adam didn't have any room to move, Parker was all over him. Generally we looked slow and 2nd best for every ball. Carroll didn't do much but without any service what was he ever going to do.

[mart]

Kelly is still injured isnt he? And Adam is just too slow on the ball.