Liverpool FC Forum

[ConnO'var]

Thought I would bump this up a bit.
There have been a lot of discussions about our recent improvement in form with many putting it down to either the presence of Lucas or the absence/moving of Gerrard.

I actually think that the reason for our improved defensive solidity has been the re-introduction of Kolo into the back 4. His first game back was not all roses... I put that down to rustiness.
But what Kolo brings to the defense is more leadership. He is experienced and when he does not go through a nuclear meltdown, he is actually IMO, our best defensive leader. I don't think that he is our best defender on raw ability. That would be Lovren in my book. But Dejan is not a natural leader and I feel that he does not trust his partner and the goalkeeper. As such he tries to do too much himself. With kolo there to organize the back four and keep the keeper from making the wrong decisions, I feel that these 2 may jolly well be our best centre back pairing. Just have to make it clear to the back four that the defensive captain is Kolo.

I think that he may be very much under appreciated by most fans.... as most still remember his high profile errors and mental meltdown.

Properly managed though he is a very good defender with the added bonus that he does add a dimension in attack.

Thought?

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Yeah I'd agree with that. Lovren for me has a lot going for him ability wise but he is too aggressive and headstrong, he tries to win every single ball when sometimes the smart thing to do is to just stay on your feet and shepherd the player. You never saw the likes of Alan Hansen and Bobby Moore flinging themselves about in a kamikaze fashion because they read the game so well and I think Dejan needs to work on that side of his game.
He's only just turned 25 which is still quite young for a top level CB so I wouldn't write him off just yet.
Kolo is prone to the odd error but those errors tend to be ball control issue's rather than positional one's, he may shank a clearance or comically misdirect a header but it's pretty rare that he sells himself (and his team mates) short by rashly diving in or getting caught wildly out of position. It's easy to forget just how good Kolo was, if we'd have had a 26 year old Kolo Toure last season we'd be champions now. He still reads the game very well it's just that like Gerrard his legs can't always get him there any more but in terms of seeing the big picture his vision is still crystal clear. Maybe his body isn't at it's peak but his mind is and that's why I think he's the best person to lead our back line ATM.

[red till i die!!]

deserves to be in the team at the moment anyway and hopefully it will continue as long as his fitness allows. He will be 34 before the season is over and imo doesn't have the legs to last the best part of a season. If he is a permanent fixture from now till after the christmas period I think those mistakes will surface again. Him and martin are the best we have.

On Lovren. I really don't know what it is some see in him    he is all over the shop and largely responsible for some calamitous defending and us conceding goals in nearly every game he has played. He is just alright but nothing special at all and never worth the color of what we paid. On off the ball a while ago cascarino was talking about dejan and he said he was shocked southampton paid what they did for him and nearly died when we doubled that a year later.
He is never a top player and is a liability in the side so thats why he has been removed.

[7_Kewell]

Toure has been nothing short of superb, these last few games, bringing some much needed organisation and communication to the back four. I'd like to see him line up with Lovren, 

[C-R]

Congratulations to Kolo Toure, who has today been named as ‪#‎LFC‬'s Standard Chartered Player of the Month for November.



Kolo Toure has picked up his first Standard Chartered Player of the Month award after fans selected the Ivorian defender as the club's star performer in November.

It was a challenging month for Brendan Rodgers' side, who endured four consecutive defeats across the competitions before bucking the trend against Ludogorets Razgrad and ending with a victory over Stoke City at Anfield.

Following defeat to Newcastle United, Rodgers' side travelled to the Santiago Bernabeu to face Real Madrid, on a night when the manager elected to make wholesale changes to his line-up and, in doing so, handed Toure a third start of the current campaign.

The centre-back kept Cristiano Ronaldo at bay, forcing the prolific Portuguese marksman to draw a blank for the first time in 12 consecutive matches; however, Karim Benzema settled the game with a clinical first-half strike.

Toure watched from the sidelines as the Reds suffered back-to-back losses in the league, first against Chelsea at Anfield and then at Selhurst Park, where Crystal Palace were 3-1 victors on a difficult day in the capital.

Restored to the starting XI for the clash against Ludogorets, Toure played his part as Liverpool halted their disappointing run of four defeats and were denied victory in the final minutes as the home side clinched a 2-2 draw in Sofia.

Glen Johnson's bravery ensured the Reds could celebrate a first victory since October 28 when he lunged low to steer the decisive goal against Stoke City in late November, with Toure turning in a solid display to ensure the team kept a third clean sheet of the season.

His defensive displays clearly buoyed Kopites as they reflected on what was a disappointing month initially for the Reds, voting him the prize ahead of teammates Rickie Lambert and Lucas Leiva in a poll carried out on both the official website and the club's Twitter account, @LFC.

Upon a special presentation of the accolade at Melwood, Toure said: "I'm very pleased. It's the first time I've received this award. I thank God and my teammates, the staff and the manager. All the work we do helped the team improve in this month and we hope we can carry on doing that.

"It's fantastic to be voted for by the Liverpool fans. They are really passionate and know football very, very well.

"For me, it's a big privilege and I am very happy to be recognised by them. It's fantastic."

[RedAnt]

Good for Kolo. Deserves it.

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

Good for Kolo. Deserves it.

Yep, him and Lucas have definitely helped shore us up somewhat at the back. I'm not saying we are now watertight but there's been an obvious improvement.

[C-R]

Kolo Toure has announced his retirement from international football with Ivory Coast

[damjan193]

Also worth mentioning, though I guess most of you know, he won the African cup, so congratulations to him. Since Brendan doesn't trust Lovren maybe he'll trust Kolo now since he's back, so we can finally see Can in midfield.

[C-R]

Quite a nice piece written about Kolo in the Independant

It is one of those mad days at Melwood, littered with appearance obligations for some of the Liverpool squad, fresh off an afternoon training session. Such "chores" are often unwelcome, especially sandwiched in a flooded fixture schedule, so the players trudge through reception to their respective commitments. Bucking the trend, an effervescent Kolo Touré walks in, passing the glass-encased European Cup replica, sporting a black club tracksuit instead of designer threads, and trainers at odds with the Filling Pieces and Gucci footwear the rest are wearing.

"I'm a big star now," he jokes, in response to the newspaper interview requests flying into the club's press office following his Africa Cup of Nations triumph with Ivory Coast.

His earlier memories of newspapers are that they were something he sold in his pre-teen years - when he wasn't shining shoes - to provide for his disadvantaged family. Toure claims not to understand the fuss - a humility not often encountered in modern football fostered by those childhood experiences.

As Liverpool aim to land their eighth FA Cup - with Blackburn the next obstacle in a quarter-final at Anfield tomorrow - Toure's experience could be crucial. He has three FA Cup winner's medals - two with Arsenal (2003, 2005) and the one in 2011 which ended Manchester City's 35-year wait for silverware. He is itching to win it with Liverpool too and become the first player in history to claim the oldest prize with three clubs - even if it is in a supporting role.

"When you're at a big team like Liverpool, you can't expect to start every game, especially since I was away with Ivory Coast for over a month," Toure tells The Independent.

"But I am always ready to contribute whether it's from the bench or in the dressing room. We have a team that's hungry for success, with exciting young players that I help guide with my experience. The winning mentality is really, really strong."

While Toure was helping his national team end  23 years of Africa Cup of Nations disappointment in Equatorial Guinea, Liverpool underwent a makeover and have taken more points in 2015 than any other side in the top five European leagues. After 16 games Liverpool and Everton had the same tally, 12 games later the gap is 23 points in favour of the Anfield outfit. It is a transformation that the defender did not just expect, but counted on.

"I'm not surprised at the turnaround because the manager [Brendan Rodgers] is great, really intelligent in working out problems," Toure says. "He pays attention to every detail, tries different things, pushes players so you don't get lazy. We had lots of new players coming in, especially young ones from abroad who had to settle in.

"I moved here to England when I was 21 so I know it takes time to fit in, to learn. I knew that eventually it would all come together, and that is what the boss kept telling us as well. I watched the games while at AFCON, and I could see that we'd be  back strong."

Toure has spent 13 years in England's top flight; from Abidjan to Arsenal and then City, before taking the M62 to Liverpool. "I joined the ASEC Mimosas academy when I was 14 - a little later than most of the players did," he says. "And if you had told me back then that I would go on and play for three of the biggest clubs in the Premier League, I would've laughed.

"It is two different worlds; where I've come from, and where I am now. To be able to go from ASEC to Arsenal was a huge step, an unbelievable one and you don't find many players who go straight from Africa to the Premier League."

Toure rolls the credits throughout our interview, with "Mr Arsène Wenger, Mr Mark Hughes and Mr Brendan Rodgers" all being repeatedly thanked for believing in his ability. They have pointed to the 33-year-old's passion and persistence as reasons behind his longevity, with a common thread being commending not just the player, but the man.

"He is a great person. You watch him every day and he works like mad with his commitment," noted Wenger. Rodgers: "He is a good man with a winning mentality." Hughes, who signed Touré for City in 2009: "he's an influential figure".

Touré says he spent time ensuring effort would set him apart.

"My friends used to train twice a day, so I would do three sessions from the age of 14," he says. "I'd wake up at 5am to go and run, then do the normal work with everyone and stay behind to do extra. I knew that I had to push myself really hard because I wasn't the most naturally talented."

Toure is now used to over-achieving. He was instrumental for Arsenal during their "Invincible" season in 2003-04 and helped City capture their first Premier League title in 2012 and was also involved as Liverpool dared to dream last season, going so close to winning their first title for 24 years. That pain was diluted last month by winning the Africa Cup of Nations, a fitting way to end his 15-year international career.

"It's amazing how it all happened," he says of a final which mirrored the 1992 showpiece, with Ghana beaten on penalties.

"I could've never imagined a great finish like that. To win it on my last day with the national team, alongside my brother, was beyond what I could have thought when I first wore the shirt in 2000.

"I've played in three AFCON finals, in World Cups, in the biggest club games... but the Nations Cup was the special one for me - this is the most important trophy I've won."

Toure dreaded the recurrence of a shootout given the Ivory Coast's history; they lost to Egypt from the spot in 2006 and six years later to Zambia.

"Before the game I was saying we have to finish it in normal time because we know the history too well. As it went on you could tell there's not going to be a goal in 90 minutes. I was just praying that we would score in extra-time. I didn't want one person to be blamed or feel like they cost the team. After extra-time, I was thinking, 'not this again. Why again?'

"I know what that is like - against Zambia, I missed the penalty in sudden death and it was like the walls closed in. It's a difficult thing to go through and I just didn't want someone else to feel like that."

In Bata, Toure admits "my legs couldn't work during penalties. I was lying flat on the floor. I don't know how I was able to take my kick and score." His younger brother, Yaya, also converted as Ivory Coast finally lived up to their "golden" label.

Against Burnley on Wednesday, Touré was subjected to a "you're just a s*** Yaya Touré" chant from the visiting fans as he warmed up. But he laughs it off and explains how appreciative he is of being able to share success with his brother - even when they're on opposing teams. The duo faced each other competitively for the first time last Sunday as Liverpool beat City 2-1 at Anfield.

"It's amazing for us to be enjoying our careers together," Touré says. "We are so blessed. I always knew Yaya was going to become one of the world's best players. When I started doing interviews in England, I kept telling everyone there is a better player in my family than me; I was always talking about Yaya. But because he was playing in Ukraine at the time, no one was really interested. When he moved to Greece, people started to be aware of him and then when he left Monaco for Barcelona... we all know the great story after that.

"To have African brothers who have played at the very top in Europe for all this time is an amazing thing, winning all these big trophies and showing people back home that it doesn't matter what your past is, you can make your future whatever you work for."

The victory was dedicated to Ibrahim, their younger sibling who lost his battle with cancer hours after the national team's World Cup defeat to Colombia in Brazil.

"It was one of the hardest things for both of us especially because we were so far away from him when he passed," Touré says softly, the pain still raw. "It was tough to handle. I promised myself I'd do everything to win the Nations Cup to honour him because he was passionate about it and me and Yaya managed to do it. So now, I know my brother is happy where he is."

Toure wasn't even expected to make the final squad as he was overlooked for the qualifiers. He was seen as "too old" and "a liability" back home. "Never let people's opinions of you be your reality," he says. "I leave myself on the pitch. Sometimes I make mistakes, but always, I will never give less than everything I can."

With his 34th birthday around the corner, what's next for the cult hero?

"I have started on my coaching badges, it's a big challenge and I'm doing them with the big man Stevie [Steven Gerrard]. We have a guy that comes to the club to work on it with us and we're enjoying it."

Football aside, Toure plans to build a house for homeless kids in Ivory Coast. Typically, he does not want to make a noise about his charity work, but because of his help, those children will not have to sell newspapers and clean shoes to survive.

Source: The Independent

[RedAnt]

I'm a fan. He seems a top fella.

[kazza]

I'm a fan. He seems a top fella.

[C-R]

Liverpool FC are pleased to announce Kolo Toure has signed an extension to his contract with the club.

The centre-back will remain with the Reds after putting pen to paper on the new deal.

Liverpool swooped to sign Toure on a free transfer from Manchester City in July 2013.

The 34-year-old made 21 appearances in all competitions during 2014-15, adding to the 24 he tallied during his first campaign at Anfield.

[Penguins]

oh well, hopefully the last season.

[Reg]

WTF?? The only reason to extend his ontract is its cheaper to do so than buy another lad in. Surely bringing Coates back in would be better?