Liverpool FC Forum

[Ciggy]

The most famous football club in the world, you get a phone call from your agent or your agent touts you, to LFC what do you do?

Sh.it yer kecks?
Or say yer Im game I dont know feckall about them I know theve won loads but what cash are they offering.

Or I was a Liverpool fan when I was younger, John Barnes was my hero, and Ian Rush.

I personally think to many players have been assigned to the club in false pretences, e.g. they either want to play for us.
Or they are just happy to be at a big club.

But when found out they are not good enough problems start brewing........

I am going to be contriversial now, and Rafa has made mistakes, Pellegrino was not good enough, neither was Josemi, Morientes Hmmm?, Antonio  deck chair seller Nunez defo not.

Craig Bellamy? Cant believe his luck........Everyone hates him..........
Jermain Penant same as the above in trouble with the law only he hasnt scored as much as the above mentioned.
No one likes him even I dont and he is a Liverpool player (and fan) cant get to grips with us as yet?
Maybe he will?

I duno, cant see it meself these players have come from very poor teams and they looked good cause they where the best.
But at Liverpoolthere is quality around you.

Maybe its just a learning curve? I hope so because to spend all that money on these players and we havent seen nothing from their former selves is hitting the nerve a bit.
I cant explain it.

Maybe BM or BB can...................

[Sabre]

LFC is a big club. Despite the fact that Anfield crowd is the crowd that protect their players most, every big club need results from moment one.

Josemi wasn't good enough for Liverpool, neither was Nuñez. Morientes, well, I still can't explain well what happened with him, I don't think he picked the wrong league, but I think the system wasn't for him and he had just bad luck.

I see many criticism around LG in this board, but curiously enough I see Anfield singing "Luis Garcia he drinks sangria" often, I think he's loved.

But more importantly I disagree on what you say about this year's signings though.

Although we made a mistake by insisting on the right wing against Chelsea, Pennant showed how useful he can be. Joaquin himself wouldn't provide much more, and he's 5 times more expensive. Prieto the RS player might have a better tricks and dribbling but he doesn't cross that well. Only Navas perhaps in Sevilla would have been a better player for us, but then he's expensive. I think a player like Pennant was necessary. A player like Pennant tends to be intermitent, not constant, but at some point he can unstuck a game. We needed him.

Bellamy is a tough worker. The goals will come. He's not the best striker of the world but a good signing. He's the kind of striker he likes "falling" to the wings, and swaps position with men like LG, doing real harm. He's a nightmare if you are the defender you have to cover him.

FAbio Aurelio in the first 23 min today showed the classy player he is. Anticipation, tackle, and good crosses, we'll see plenty of that. I know we haven't seen his best version yet, but we will.

Kuyt, has strenght, great jump, I think he likes to strike it hard from outside the area, and I think he'll bring a good amount of goals.

Agger? I couldn't dream of a better replacement for Hyypia.

Gonzalez? he still needs adaptation, but I have seen about 14 games of him, and I just know he'll bring his stuff: not very good crosses, impressive long shots, very good long range free kick efforts, pace, and good movements in counterattack- he'll be there in many counterattacks to tap in the goal.

The season just started Ciggy, I just ask you to give'em a little more time

[Bad Bob]

I'm struggling a bit to understand your point here, Cigs.  Are you worried that the new players--Bellamy and Pennant, in particular--aren't good enough for Liverpool?  Or, are you saying that they are potentially good enough but aren't up for the pressure of playing for a big club?

IMO, both are good enough to play for Liverpool but that it's far too early to tell whether they can handle the pressure of playing for us.

FWIW, I' ve been very encouraged with both of them.  They bring a fair bit to the team and have already made some vital contributions.  Bellamy's goal and Pennant's assist in the CL qualifiers against Haifa are the obvious moments to point to, but I think both have been effective in other games at stretching and pressuring defenses. 

Sure, Bellamy missed a sitter today but not many players would have gotten into the position he did to take that shot.  As long as he keeps running his socks off and getting into dangerous positions he will score a fair few goals and create many more for his teammates.  He's already shown more than Cisse ever showed in the workrate department and his reward will come soon enough.

As for Pennant, I think he's still a player with a lot of learning and growing to do.  He has some tremendous footballing assets that he's only just learning how to use.  He's got pace, a nice cross and very fine ball control.  With a little training and a little confidence, he can learn to use those assets to better advantage: cutting inside, taking on a defender, getting into the box when the ball's on the left flank, picking out the RB on the overlap, etc.  As long as the kid keeps his chin up and stays off the sauce, he could mature into a great player for us.  Of the two, though, he's the bigger gamble for me.

Bottom line--I don't think there's a lot wrong with the team at the moment.  We've had a stuttering start to be sure and it's easy to point the finger at the new lads and question whether they actually have what it takes to move us to the next level.  Honestly, I think they do and I think we'll start seeing the team playing close to its real potential very soon.  Looking at Sunday's performance and the match tonight, the signs are definitely there!

[Fowler_E7]

out of Bellamy and Pennant, i think Pennant is the most likely to be a success as he has far more talent and if with the right coaching and the right attitude from him he could learn to use his talents to devestating effect. I mean he has all the qualitites of a great winger, pace, good cross, control, can pass and dribble. He needs to learn to get himself more involved in games though, he dosnt come central enough to receive the ball, as he hugs the touchline a little to much for my liking. But under Rafa he will improve in my opinion. I would say Pennant has more natural talent than the likes of Aaron Lennon and Shaun wright phillips.

[Ciggy]

Im singing with the songbirds at the moment dont quote me on it please.
But LFC is the biggest club in the world and even though some players say, Ive been a Liverpool fan all my life its my dream............
Now they are here, Can they believe their luck?
Is it actually to bigger a club for them.?
Gerrard said in a paper tonight in the past Liverpools just been to big for certain players.
And I think so, to much expectation from us, to much on TV when they where hardly on it.
To much compo agaionst big clubs.
Its a mix from everything.
Some players will hack it some wont.
Kuyt and Sissoko will come out unscathed from it all the new lads are going to suffer Bellamy and Aurelio I dont expect the later to be here next season.

[Fowler_E7]

overall i think all the new signings have been decent, no one exceptional but decent. But saying no one in the entire squad has been consistently at there best this season. At this time of the season its only natural for players to still be not up to their usual standards, it will take until october until see anyone playing at there best, and thats not just at Liverpool that goes for every player in the league.

Basically its way to early to be making a thread like this

[Fowler_E7]

Kuyt and Sissoko will come out unscathed from it all the new lads are going to suffer Bellamy and Aurelio I dont expect the later to be here next season.

so far this season you have said that Alonso head has been turned by Real Madrid, that your 99% sure that Gerrard will leave and now your saying Aurelio is going as well? we wont have anyone left next year if it goes your way

[66-1120597113]

I feel that Bellamy is a bit of a Blunt knife at the minute!
His intentions are good he knows what he wants to do but really he does'nt have the understanding of our way of play..he will get sharper though!
His runs sometimes seem pointless but soon teamates will learn his ideas and feed off him..he will create more than he scores.But he will score too!

As for Pennant..i think he feels a bit left out.He has been inconsistant in his performances but he too is learning the LFC way.Its ok training and stuff but matches and competition are the only way to make a player what you want him to be.

My biggest concern is that Crouch is being left on the bench after how far he has come for himself and us when Bellamy seems to be dissapointing a bit.

But then Bellamy needs games,so does Crouch...Oh id hate to be Raffa!

93 games without the same starting 11 twice in a row  is a bit wrong....

So it seems

Then again we won the C/L and Fa cup !

The bottom line is ya can even fight yourself about LFC,at the end of the day its up to Raffa!

[Ciggy]

so far this season you have said that Alonso head has been turned by Real Madrid, that your 99% sure that Gerrard will leave and now your saying Aurelio is going as well? we wont have anyone left next year if it goes your way

I didnt say that I said Alonso has had a bad start along with every Liverpool fan cause he did.

I am still 99% sure Gerrard will leave at the end of the season Rafa is playing him out of position, which I dont agree with but since we have won the CL 99% of our fans will go with Rafa on this........

Aurelio and Zenden seem our weakest links Happy now?
Love the way you remember everyword Ive said from years ago are you stalking me or what?..............

[Fowler_E7]

so far this season you have said that Alonso head has been turned by Real Madrid, that your 99% sure that Gerrard will leave and now your saying Aurelio is going as well? we wont have anyone left next year if it goes your way

I didnt say that I said Alosno has had a bad start along with every Liverpool fan cause he did.

I am still 99% sure Gerrard will leave at the end of the season Rafa is putting him about like a hooker, which I dont agree with but since we have won the CL 99% of our fans will go with Rafa on this........

Aurelio can go if he wants to he offers nothing to us only the exceptional free kick.
Happy now?
Love the way you remember everyword Ive said from years ago are you stalking me or what?..............

actually u said all this stuff since the chelsea game, that was three days ago, sorry my memory is exceptional  anyway i cant see why you would think Gerrard is going to leave the club. He has played in three diffrent positions, (left,right and centre mid) all of which he has done before in his career, and he has said many times that he has no problem doing this job for the team, he's a good player and a good captain, so i dont see why this should be a problem. Whether he plays on the left or the right he gets a free role that allows him to roam all over the pich, which suits him just fine in my opinion. After he won player of the year doing that last season.

And as for aurelio he hasnt been brilliant, but he aint been bad either, but i wouldnt want to judge a player after half a dozen games or so, it's too soon maybe you should give the new players to shine as well. I mean the likes of Shevchenco and Ballack have hardly set the premiership alight and there two of the biggest names in world football, this shows how difficult it is for new players to adjust to a new team/surroundings.

[bigmick]

I hear you Lynds and with the notable exception of kuyt, your broadly correct in saying that the new players haven't offered massive amounts sofar. I don't agree though with your pessimistic view of some of them, I think they've shown enough potential to think at least a couple of them will come off.

Kuyt I think we all accept is a given as a success. Unlike most on here Lynds you fancied him all along, even after his disappointing world Cup and along with Luke are obviously going to be proven correct so we'll leave him out of it for now. Gonzales we're not really seeing so we can leave him out too, it's really Aurelio, Bellamy and Pennant who the jury is talking about now.

On the question of Aurelio, I've said from day one that I think he''s a good player who will become a very good one. I can't really give instances of stand-out ability, he just looks like a footballer to me. He also looks like a full-back and not a midfielder. He tucks in when he should tuck in, he tackles well, reads it, has a lovely left peg and can hit a sweet dead ball. This fella can really play, trust me on this I'm pretty sure I'm right this time.

Bellamy is beginning to resemble Crouch at the early part of last season in that his anxiety to score is affecting his overall contribution. He is hitting his areas far too early (a classic Crouch fault) and in so doing is making himself much easier to deal with. He is running the channels too often and when he gets a chance like he got a couple tonight, he is being too exacting with the finish rather than trusting his instinct. He needs a rest and a goal, not necessarily in that order but he is a good player. He definately suffers from the big fish small pool syndrome in that he doesn't really communicate "footballistically" with the rest of the team, but I think it will come. He is a confidence player and needs some.

Pennant is a work in progress and at the money was something of a gamble to be honest. He needs to add lots to his game in my opinion if he is to become a top player and if any of the signings are going to be a failure in terms of a reduction in transfer value, it'll be him. There's a fair bit of technical stuff in his game which doesn't add up in my opinion but he does have lots of ability so hopefully he can grow into a good player. He's already improved a lot so I would be inclined to give him time.

I know I sound like a broken record but more of a problem for the new boys is that the team has lacked rhythm and cohesion, in my opinion due to over-rotation. In my opinion the only thing that the rotation has achieved sofar this season is that it has converted a striker from being the hottest goalscorer in Britain at the moment, a fella in the run of his life which may or may not ever be repeated, into a tall bloke who we bring on as sub at the end of games.

[Ciggy]

And god forbid the day that my club gets took over from a fella who is only interested in a profit.
But then again reading most replies on this forum I dont think It would matter.
With some people wanting world class players brought in that we cannot afford.

[Fowler_E7]

You just dont get it do you?
Like that di.ck who made that other topic.
Incase some of you forgot LFC is in Liverpool its in our hearts we are born reds we dont just become Liverpool supporters when we are 7 or 8.
We are born red.
And god forbid the day that myclub ge took over from a fella who is only interested in a profit.
But then again reading most replies on this forum I dont think It would matter.

what this response gotta do with anything in this thread?

[Ciggy]

what this response gotta do with anything in this thread?

You said my response to the Chelsea game when you could'nt be more wrong, we totally outplayed them, I gave all the credit to our boys what are you talking about?
We deserved 3 points if not a draw I didnt slate the lads off atall.
I maybe said Rafa was wrong playing Gerrard on the Left but thats all, You have mistaken me for someone else, we played the best football for a long time at Stamford Bridge I just dont know what your talking about?

Yes I may have said Rafa was wrong for playing the best midfielder on the left, so what ? Everyone else did, and he is wrong in doing so,  playing our best player out of position in every game. but still I dont know what your talking about.?

[Lando_Griffin]

Got to say I don't see much merit in speculating on the futures of Bellamy, Pennant and Aurelio based on past signings.

If I remember rightly, a lot of people on here were positively howling for some Premiership-based players to be signed (admittedly, more last summer than this). "They'll settle quicker, and they are proven in England", the chants went.

Well what did Rafa do? He went out and signed Crouch. He took ages to score, but wasn't playing badly.

This summer, he nipped out and bought Pennant and Bellamy. Two outstanding performers from last season.

Bellamy too has struggled to score, but his all-round play has been very good. Much better than Crouch's first few games.

Pennant has been excellent, in all honesty. He's another who hasn't scored, but that was never part of his game.

Once he's more in-sync with the strikers, and knows where they want to crosses, he'll be a heck of a player for us.
You can see just how much Rafa rates him if you re-watch the Sh*tski game. EVERYTHING was being passed out to him. Everything.

Aurelio oozes class, and although he's been a little hesitant due to the nature of the Premiership and it's sh*thouse bully-boys, he's learning.

I think people need to sit back and give the players time.

Surely they deserve that?