Liverpool FC Forum

[stmichael]

Can I first of all say that this is not a reflection of Pennant's performance yesterday (he did ok), but in general from what I've noticed this season. I've always rated the guy's ability but I was never sure whether he could translate that ability to a really top club. Five months in and I'm still unsure.

For me, a winger has to have a combination of skills. He must have an end product, not only contributing in scoring goals, but also in assists and general team play like the way Luis does for example. Forget people like Ronaldo. He's on a different planet. I'm talking about us in general. I mean when was the last time we actually had an exciting flamboyant winger on either flank, let alone the right?

He broke his goal scoring duck for us with a fantastic goal, but his career totals are less than mediocre. I checked his career stats and he's only managed 12 goals in 180 games, which is a very poor return for a supposedly attacking player.

If you look at Pennant's general play, what else does he contribute towards the team? He doesn't provide that many assists either (don't have his assists record). He may have been the highest crosser in the Premiership relegated side, but this again has no relation to end product. His crosses don't also seem to have any purpose whatsoever.

I always feel that when he's involved in any attacking move of ours, he always slows it down with his indecisiveness or stray passes. He has decent pace, but doesn't have the confidence to take defenders on. He's physically not strong enough and gets brushed off the ball too easy for my liking.

I seriously hope I'm wrong, but what from what I've seen thus far I don't think he'll end up being be a success here or win over the fans at Anfield. The summer can't come quickly enough as far as I'm concerned as it looks like we're gonna end up with Gerrard back out wide once Momo returns. Where are the "Gerrard is best in the centre" clan now then? He was useless yesterday and that's being kind.

Anyway, thoughts on Pennant?

[weringo]

Tbh he doesn't have a lot going for him altogether as a player. For a "winger" hes got to be one of the slowest in the premiership, he doesnt even seem to have enough pace to be able to kick the ball past the defender and just out-run him to it (like gonzales does). He doesnt have many tricks, if any, and cant seem to be able to get himself past even average full backs such as Lescott yesterday..

Because he cant get past the full back and to the byline, he often just opts to float a ball high into the box which is easy to defend and hard for an attacker to get any decent power on the header. As you say his goalscoring isnt up to scratch either. When we are protecting a lead, he lacks composure and often gives the ball away when we just want to keep the ball.

I am praying Sissoko will be fit for the Barcelona game and Gerrard can play on the right. Even though we have had a decent run of wins this season, and we have beaten the champions, I dont think we've taken any steps forward as a team. Last year I never felt we would lose a game whoever we were playing, now Im not so sure

[metalhead]

Fair assesment st.mick

He does have the ability and the potential to be a really good player, but I think he isn't showing it properly on the field, maybe lack of confidence? i doubt it, I'm sure he isn't scared or non-confident after he scored his first goal. We saw what he did against Bolton, he looked unbeatable.

is it consistancy? I guess its consistancy.

I think he will be more than a backup for sure, with summer coming and lots of money going into rafa's budget (hopefully after the takeover finishes), I think the manager would ought to buy another and better right winger.

[112-1077774096]

mick, you always start your posts about pennant by saying its not a reflection on yesterday, its not a reflefction on his performsance but, blah blah blah.

do we really need a weekly thread from you about pennant? last week it was pennants comments, the week before i dont remember the content but there was a thread.


its a bit tiresome, surely this could have gone in your pennants comment thread. I am sure all our opinions of pennant are covered in there

[The_Rock]

i actually thought that pennant was our best player in midfield against eversh1t... 

[66-1112520797]

Where are the "Gerrard is best in the centre" clan now then? He was useless yesterday and that's being kind.

I dont see the point in this ^^^ Put it this way how many games have we lost since Gerrard was moved to the middle in the Prem this season? How many have we lost when he played on the right?

Also wasnt Xabi, Riise, Pennant, Crouch, Kuyt and Bellamy all to put it mildly ineffective against Everton, why single out Gerrard. I bet you've been waiting for ages to say this, well at least until from boxing day, it sounds like your waiting for us to slip up so that you can take a swipe at the "Gerrard clan. Your point proves nothing really.

[112-1077774096]

yeah bamanga, gerrard is so bad in the centre maybe we should sell him   

he had one game where he wasnt effective in the centre and the knives are out, and even then the whole team was pretty inneffective, maybe xabi s best position should be at centre back.

maybe our winning run is just down to pure luck, maybe gerrards performances would have improved anyway even if he was on the right blah blah fucking blah.


whether you like it or not mick, gerrards best position is in the centre where he can control a game, one game where he was less than his ussual self does not warrant a pathetic statement like the one you make.

[66-1112520797]

Unbelievable isnt it.

Here St try this new knee for size, it comes free of jurking 

[112-1077774096]

not really mate, there are two camps on this one, its just that one camp cant accept the obvious that gerrard is more effective in the centre

[Lando_Griffin]

Sissoko isn't going to get a look-in if Mascherano passes the FA "we want to make ourselves important" clan.

Sorry, but Sissoko isn't fit to lace his boots. (And I like Momo a lot.)

[112-1077774096]

i hope we dont start messing around with the spine of the team again just to fit players in or we wil go back to the dark days we had earlier in the season.

i agree that momo will have to spend some more time on the sidelines

[crazyhorse]

Pennant is still a young player and it would be unfair to expect him to perform at hs very best every game. I personally have doubts that he is physically strong enough at the moment - we need to get him down the gym to build up a bit to make him harder to knock off the ball.

[alxy]

Pennant looked alright to me. He wasn't brilliant, but then again neither were the rest of the lads against Everton. As Rafa put it, what can you do when on team wants to win the other just doesn't want to lose.

Is he the answer to our woes in right wing? Probably not, but then again, he isn't the worst solution either.

[Lando_Griffin]

For me, the real concerns with Pennant start with his inability to direct a cross with accuracy, and end with his hesitation when looking for a pass.

Sort these out, and we'll have a hell of a player on our hands.

Question is - how do you teach someone accuracy? Practise? I think he may have had plenty of that already.

How about teaching speed of thought? Is that not impossible? If he can't see a pass until it's too late, how can he overcome that?
The amount of times I have been screaming at him to release the ball, and he just carries it another 5 steps, passes, and it's intercepted - well - I don't care to remember.

He needs to stop delaying the pass every single tiem he has the ball. That would do me.

His crossing works now and again.

His delayed passes are sh*t 100% of the time.

[bigmick]

I never saw the game on Saturday (obviously) so can't sensibly comment on Pennants performance, but one or two things have come up in the debate which I really must come back on.
Firstly from Peewee who is a poster I like and admire, to claim that it is "accepting the obvious" to say Gerrard is better in the centre is silly talk if you ask me. It's obvious that he would contribute less to the team if he played in goal, or based on a couple of performances this season on the left-wing, but lets not forget he scored in excess of twenty goals last season playing on the right hand side of midfield. It's fairly obvious that he won't score more than that this season but that doesn't necessarily mean he is better on the right either. I think nearly everybody would agree that Steven Gerrards best position is the one which allows him to get on the ball most often in the oppositions final third. My own hunch (which unlike some I have held from the very beginning of the debate) is that this purpose is best served when the captain starts the game on the right hand side of midfield. It isn't obvious though, it's just a hunch.

The other thing (and I've been away for a few days so I haven't seen the early salvos in this debate) is the impending arrival of Mascerano and the effect it may or may not have on Sissoko's starting time. Once again it is my hunch that when Sissoko is fully fit, he will like as not start almost every game. Gerrard will revert to his (in my humble opinion) best position and if the most destructive ballwinning midfielder in football today gets on his game quickly after his injury we will give pretty much anyone a game.