Liverpool FC Forum

Overall Decent Year. We at least have a formation and a game plan going forward. BR positive and attacking football ,insisting on possession play is the right way and direction for our team.We just need the right players for this to happen.

The Striker failure in the beginning of year really took a toll and dug us a way too deep hole to climb from. Personal wise only the last window transfer  so us bring some REAL talent ,we should really improve in this department.

BR I think was surprised from the failure of our defensive 4 this year compared to last ,a foursome which was solid and strong turned to be a total nightmare when it comes to defending set pieces and basically defending everything. BR was caught off-guard big time.

If the pattern of improving continues we are in the right direction.

rodgers has done okay, he started off shakey but he has grown into the job.
the deadline day farce last autumn effectively scuppered our season before it even got going and it left rodgers with a hell of a lot on his plate.
because he was trying to protect his one fit striker he had to play a lot of young forwards in the cup games including the likes of yesil and sinclair which was a ridiculous situation for a club of our size to find itself in.
if having a skeleton squad wasnt bad enough he had to put up with documentary film makers shoving camera lenses in his face the moment he walked through the door here as well.
an inexperienced young manager finding himself in charge of a huge club going through it`s worst start since before the first world war wouldnt have been blamed for folding under the pressure but to be fair to brendan he`s fought back well.
when he originally got the job i couldnt believe we were giving it to a man who had a grand total of 4 years in management with just 1 of those in the top flight but i have to say some of the footy i have seen since christmas is the best footy i have seen us play since the days of roy evans if not kennys first spell.
obviously we are a long way away from the top sides points wise and there`s a lot of work still to do but not shooting ourselves in the foot before the season starts will go a long way towards closing that gap.
i like the way rodgers has learned fast, he`s a much better manager than he was 9 months ago and we are a much better team than we were 9 months ago, the team that started the season hardly resembles the one finishing it, that to me is progress.
keep it going brendan, your doing a good job.

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Wed May 15, 2013 4:19 pm wrote:rodgers has done okay, he started off shakey but he has grown into the job.
the deadline day farce last autumn effectively scuppered our season before it even got going and it left rodgers with a hell of a lot on his plate.
because he was trying to protect his one fit striker he had to play a lot of young forwards in the cup games including the likes of yesil and sinclair which was a ridiculous situation for a club of our size to find itself in.
if having a skeleton squad wasnt bad enough he had to put up with documentary film makers shoving camera lenses in his face the moment he walked through the door here as well.
an inexperienced young manager finding himself in charge of a huge club going through it`s worst start since before the first world war wouldnt have been blamed for folding under the pressure but to be fair to brendan he`s fought back well.
when he originally got the job i couldnt believe we were giving it to a man who had a grand total of 4 years in management with just 1 of those in the top flight but i have to say some of the footy i have seen since christmas is the best footy i have seen us play since the days of roy evans if not kennys first spell.
obviously we are a long way away from the top sides points wise and there`s a lot of work still to do but not shooting ourselves in the foot before the season starts will go a long way towards closing that gap.
i like the way rodgers has learned fast, he`s a much better manager than he was 9 months ago and we are a much better team than we were 9 months ago, the team that started the season hardly resembles the one finishing it, that to me is progress.
keep it going brendan, your doing a good job.

Well said ,especially the bit I put in bold . A lot of people seem to forget just how  encroaching it would have been allowing camera's to
follow your every move ,if the pressure of managing Liverpool was deemed a burden ,then imagine what being scrutinised  by the media
for his approach to being in front of a television camera....... Baptism of fire springs to mind ,and I believe he ran through the flames
without so much as charring a sock...... Top man.

For me, it’s been a promising start and we’re heading in the right direction.
The football has improved and, at times, been sublime. There’s also a real sense of a ‘plan’ in regards to the style and approach of our game – something that I felt was lacking last season.
OK, we’ve been inconsistent, but that’s to be expected and will need to be addressed for next season if we're going to challenge for the top 4. Make no mistake, this will be a big summer for BR and he has to make some big signings to improve our defence, which has been our weakest link this season.

RED BEERGOGGLES » Wed May 15, 2013 6:21 pm wrote:

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Wed May 15, 2013 4:19 pm wrote:rodgers has done okay, he started off shakey but he has grown into the job.
the deadline day farce last autumn effectively scuppered our season before it even got going and it left rodgers with a hell of a lot on his plate.
because he was trying to protect his one fit striker he had to play a lot of young forwards in the cup games including the likes of yesil and sinclair which was a ridiculous situation for a club of our size to find itself in.
if having a skeleton squad wasnt bad enough he had to put up with documentary film makers shoving camera lenses in his face the moment he walked through the door here as well.
an inexperienced young manager finding himself in charge of a huge club going through it`s worst start since before the first world war wouldnt have been blamed for folding under the pressure but to be fair to brendan he`s fought back well.
when he originally got the job i couldnt believe we were giving it to a man who had a grand total of 4 years in management with just 1 of those in the top flight but i have to say some of the footy i have seen since christmas is the best footy i have seen us play since the days of roy evans if not kennys first spell.
obviously we are a long way away from the top sides points wise and there`s a lot of work still to do but not shooting ourselves in the foot before the season starts will go a long way towards closing that gap.
i like the way rodgers has learned fast, he`s a much better manager than he was 9 months ago and we are a much better team than we were 9 months ago, the team that started the season hardly resembles the one finishing it, that to me is progress.
keep it going brendan, your doing a good job.

Well said ,especially the bit I put in bold . A lot of people seem to forget just how  encroaching it would have been allowing camera's to
follow your every move ,if the pressure of managing Liverpool was deemed a burden ,then imagine what being scrutinised  by the media
for his approach to being in front of a television camera....... Baptism of fire springs to mind ,and I believe he ran through the flames
without so much as charring a sock...... Top man.

i like the way he adapted his style so quickly, early on in the season our tikki-takka football looked good on the eye but it was relatively easy for other managers to combat by aggressively pressing our back 4 high up the pitch (wenger in particular read us like a book in the game at anfield).
but if you watch us now we are still a passing team (probably the best passing team in the league imo) but we dont just knock it short, if the situation requires a longer ball we`ll hit it.
when you are a tikki-takka side having that ability to knock it over the top for a pace merchant to chase keeps defences honest and it stops teams blitzing you with a high press up the pitch.
since we`ve bought the turbo charged danny sturridge and shown we arent afraid to knock it long (if we have to) those panicky moments at the back where our defenders pass the ball between each other like its a hand grenade with the pin taken out have stopped.
when rodgers arrived i feared he was a naive idealist but he`s shown he is a pragmatist.
we are evolving all the time under rodgers and tbh i`m quite excited to see what we will be like next season.
i wouldnt swap him for any other manager in world football, i`m intrigued and want to see how this pans out.

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Wed May 15, 2013 8:16 pm wrote:
i like the way he adapted his style so quickly, early on in the season our tikki-takka football looked good on the eye but it was relatively easy for other managers to combat by aggressively pressing our back 4 high up the pitch (wenger in particular read us like a book in the game at anfield).
but if you watch us now we are still a passing team (probably the best passing team in the league imo) but we dont just knock it short, if the situation requires a longer ball we`ll hit it.
when you are a tikki-takka side having that ability to knock it over the top for a pace merchant to chase keeps defences honest and it stops teams blitzing you with a high press up the pitch.
since we`ve bought the turbo charged danny sturridge and shown we arent afraid to knock it long (if we have to) those panicky moments at the back where our defenders pass the ball between each other like its a hand grenade with the pin taken out have stopped.
when rodgers arrived i feared he was a naive idealist but he`s shown he is a pragmatist.
we are evolving all the time under rodgers and tbh i`m quite excited to see what we will be like next season.
i wouldnt swap him for any other manager in world football, i`m intrigued and want to see how this pans out.

I'm more than intrigued to see what next season will bring mate ,I think Rodgers has proved he has learnt from earlier in the season by way
of the progressive football we're now starting to play ,I feel like there is something really special evolving and our standard of football
hasn't gone unnoticed. I firmly believe the patience the fans have shown throughout the season and our cup exits ,will pay dividends next
season ,and Rodgers will be a lot more confident about taking the kind of sparkling form we're showing now to an even higher level .

What's more, is our style of play will attract players who can envision our rise ,and will want to be part of a team that is slowly starting
to look unplayable with players of the calibre of Coutinho ,Suarez and Sturridge.

Rodgers first season new style a few new players/ Started bad could have ended better but all in all im not too despondent.

We ve shown we can play against the top teams with neither of City or Chelsea getting a win against us and we took as much points off SPurs as they did us.

Looking at the points gap from us to Spurs doesnt show the true story we certainly arent that far behind them in terms of ability and they wouldnt have done aswell without Bale which is irrelevant because he is still a SPurs player.

WE all know transfers will need to be made and the right ones not just buying anybody but buying the players that fit the system and strengthen us.

Specail mentions to a few players.

Suarez - Obviously an amazing player should have been the top goalscorer but for his own fault he missed out. Hopefully he comes back mentally better.

Henderson - A fantastic player in terms of Commintment and effort and has the ability too. Has come on lepas and bounds this year which i think has booste his confidence something for him to take into next year.

Coutinho - An amzing little gem. This Guy should be playing champions league football and through him Suarez and Gerrard i think we will reach there next year.

Sturridge - Its been years since i was confiodent in t wo strikers at our club. We have always had one fantastic striker. Suarez, Torres Etc now along side Suarez i think we will have many happy times ahead.

bring on the 2013-2014 season

End of season report card

7th in League - still behind the BS

Out of both domestic cups early

Out of Europa Lge in first knockout

No European football next year.

Nowhere near good enough - poor season and next year will need to be a drastic improvement.

Disappointing season once again

LFC1990 » Mon May 20, 2013 7:23 am wrote:Rodgers first season new style a few new players/ Started bad could have ended better but all in all im not too despondent.

We ve shown we can play against the top teams with neither of City or Chelsea getting a win against us and we took as much points off SPurs as they did us.

Looking at the points gap from us to Spurs doesnt show the true story we certainly arent that far behind them in terms of ability and they wouldnt have done aswell without Bale which is irrelevant because he is still a SPurs player.

WE all know transfers will need to be made and the right ones not just buying anybody but buying the players that fit the system and strengthen us.

Specail mentions to a few players.

Suarez - Obviously an amazing player should have been the top goalscorer but for his own fault he missed out. Hopefully he comes back mentally better.

Henderson - A fantastic player in terms of Commintment and effort and has the ability too. Has come on lepas and bounds this year which i think has booste his confidence something for him to take into next year.

Coutinho - An amzing little gem. This Guy should be playing champions league football and through him Suarez and Gerrard i think we will reach there next year.

Sturridge - Its been years since i was confiodent in t wo strikers at our club. We have always had one fantastic striker. Suarez, Torres Etc now along side Suarez i think we will have many happy times ahead.

bring on the 2013-2014 season

The second half of the season things looked a lot better which is why I'm happy/optimistic going into next season with Rodgers at the helm.

some stats from the season as printed in todays mirror.
team with the most shots on target.. (1) SPURS 241. (2) liverpool 232. (3) city 231. (4) manure 213.
player with the most shots on target.. (1) bale 73. (2) suarez 72. (3) rvp 65. (4) ba 54.
team shots off target.. (1) liverpool 296. (2) CITY 254. (3) everton 253. (4) spurs 247.
player shots off target.. (1) suarez 71. (2) bale 60. (3) michu 54  (4) rvp 53.
team passes.. (1)arsenal 21111. (2) city 20060. (3) swansea 19944. (4) 19802.
player passes.. (1)carrick 2774. (2) arteta 2750. (3) y-toure 2526. (4) cazorla 2471.
team passes completed.. (1) arsenal 18075. (2) city 17050. (3) swansea 16952. (4) manure 16872.
player passes completed.. (1) arteta 2517. (2) carrick 2443. (3) y-toure 2246. (4) cazorla 2145.
team touches.. (1) arsenal 29869. (2) liverpool 28960. (3) swansea 28641. (4) manure 28474.
player touches.. (1) cazorla 3258. (2) arteta 3197. (3) carrick 3149. (4) gerrard 3042.
team crosses.. (1) reading 830. (2) west ham 815. (3) manure 773. (4) everton 773.
player crosses.. (1) baines 241. (2) jarvis 213. (3) beusejour 193. (4) snodgrass 186.
team dribbles.. (1) arsenal 874. (2) liverpool 868. (3) newcastle 748. (4) qpr 740.
player dribbles.. (1) suarez 291. (2) taarabt 159. (3) ben arfa 155. (4) bale 154.
team tackles.. (1) southampton 819. (2) qpr 818. (3) liverpool 795. (4) sun 784.
player tackles.. (1) schneiderlin 146. (2) lucas 123. (3) diame 114. (4) zabaleta 113.
team saves.. (1) west ham 164. (2) reading 155. (3) sun 149. (4) swansea 146.
player saves.. (1) jaaskelainen 164. (2) mignolet 149. (3) schwarzer 136. (4) cech 118.
team fouls won.. (1) everton 496. (2) sun 457. (3) chelsea 444. (4) wigan 439.
player fouls won.. (1) sessignon 89. (2) maloney 89. (3) snodgrass 87. (4) pienaar 86.
team fouls conceeded.. (1) stoke 485. (2) west ham 470. (3) city 470. (4) newcastle 466.
player fouls conceeded.. (1) holt 82. (2) feilani 80. (3) arteta 74. (4) b-johnson 67.
team offsides.. (1) liverpool 110. (2) qpr 108. (3) west brom 100. (4) everton 100.
player offsides.. (1) benteke 50. (2) rvp 46. (3) jelavic 46. (4) cisse 45.
team yellow cards.. (1) stoke 78. (2) west ham 74. (3) villa 72. (4) newcastle 71.
player yellow cards.. (1) suarez 10. (2) lowton 10. (3) b-johnson 10. (4) gardner 10.
team corners taken.. (1) liverpool 284. (2) city 269. (3) spurs 262. (4) arsenal 261.
player corners taken.. (1) de guzman 146. (2) gerrard 126. (3) cazorla 126. (4) baines 120.
team hit woodwork.. (1) manure 24. (2) everton 21. (3) liverpool 19. (4) fulham 19.

bit of a mixed bag really for us this season where again it proves that our most influential players are gerrard and suarez.

I think Rodgers has made us better but it took half a season to do it. I'd be very interested to know our league position split into the first and second 19 games of the season because we've felt far more of a cohesive unit latterly than we did at the start. If we'd signed Sturridge and Coutinho at the start of the season rather than in January we'd have made a much better run at the top 4.

I also like how Brendan has not been afraid to play players in form, and get the best out of players by either bollocking them (see Downing) or nurturing them (see Suarez). He has also changed his system to suit players which leads me to believe he's not just a one trick pony set on playing one way.

9 more points in the league.  Plenty more goals in the team.
Some fantastic football at times.
2 fantastic additions to the squad in Sturridge and Coutinho.
Finished the season fairly strong from Jan onwards. 

Lots of work to be done but some progress has been made even if it hasn't been entirely reflected in our results etc.   

Need a couple of players now if we want to improve next year.  Definitely need an excellent CB, a DM and an extra attacking player whilst keeping who we currently have.

The Times End of Season report. Hard to disagree.


Liverpool did the season match expectations?
Only if Liverpool’s expectations have lowered to the point at which finishing seventh in the Premier League and exiting both cups early is considered acceptable.

Positives
Despite the controversy, Luis Suárez established himself as one of the world’s finest forwards. The introduction of Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge in January augurs well for the future.

Disappointment
The feeling that Liverpool are flat-track bullies. Against weak opponents they can be hugely impressive but one win from 14 games against their top-eight rivals is a poor return.

Summer priority
To keep Suárez and add the kind of quality that could convince the Uruguayan that his long-term future lies at Anfield. If Liverpool buy well then they have the potential to make significant strides next season even if no one should expect a title challenge.

Grade for the season

C

maguskwt » Wed May 15, 2013 3:26 pm wrote:We need to face the reality and the reality is that this is a club in transition, and BR did quite well for his first year. First half of the season looked bad, but second half looked promising. Those who are asking rafa to come back and those who are expecting us to finish 4th are living in cuckoo land. Stick with our new manager and our new beginning...

Well said
All this ridiculous, pathetic talk of Rafa returning is a waste of time and is not worthy of discussion
We have a manager, a good, young, passionate man who has a bright future with the support of those who love LFC. It is disrespectful and un-necessary to talk about getting rid of him after one season. Rafa may well come back in 5 or 10 years time but for now Rodgers is our manager and should be backed 100% until he stops being our manager

It's quite amazing how it wasnt disrespectful to talk about replacing the manager last summer after we won a trophy yet when we have a season which is no better and could possibly be worse when all competitions are taken into consideration it's now disrespectful !

This season wasnt good enough - it's all about results at the end of the day - results over the whole season ( not just one half ) in every competition - and this season is nowhere near good enough. We spent over £50mil and moved up one place but blew out in the cups - not good enough.

Next season the results need to dramatically improve - we need to start beating the teams above us.

The only stats that will matter will be trophies won and league position - a significant increase on those will earn BR another season.