Liverpool FC Forum

Sakho and Moses havent played a game for us yet so unable to judge if they will improve the team and Toure has played 3 games ? What if he plays rubbish the rest of the season - Xmas and then possibly end of season will be the right time to judge maybe ?

And that's equally valid for suggesting they won't be an improvement

SouthCoastShankly » Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:30 pm wrote:

StuYesThatStu » Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:51 pm wrote:All this talk of the owners for me is a kop out.

The manager has had money. He's wasted copius (spelling sorry ) amounts on players who aren't upto taking Liverpool beyond the level they were already at and failed to ship alot of players out who simply aren't upto it. Granted some signings are unseen like Sahko, some need change to settle, Aspas, Alberto and Illori... Coutinho was an excellent purchase... but beyond that, for me he hasn't gone out and signed anyone who's made us a better side.

Thats a worry.

What I will say is I am prepared to give him at least till the end of next season before I get to downhearted. But if we do fail to qualify for the champions league this season, this could be the end of LFC being a top side for a long time.

Coutinho, Sturridge, Toure, Sahko and Moses improve the side. The others Allen, Aspas, Alberto, Cissokho, Mignolet provided squad depth that suited Rodgers style of playing.

Out of all those players I would only really consider Allen and Borini as overpriced or ineffective.

Toure being an improvement on Carragher? Not for me, certainly not after three games of seeing him either. A decent player yeah, not bad, won't do any harm and decent business, but improve the side?

Not really.

Sturridge, not for me. Lacks in other area's and I'd much rather see Suarez play there than Sturridge.

Sahko? Really? I'd never even heard of him and I very much doubt you've seen the lad play on anything other than Youtube... #just because he plays for Liverpool doesn't mean he's a great player

Coutinho... did I not say that he was excellent purchase who improved the side? Think i did....

But I suppose out of 15 players or so he's bound to have one cracker.

f*ck I forgot Moses...

Oh dear

StuYesThatStu » Wed Sep 11, 2013 6:37 pm wrote:f*ck I forgot Moses...

Oh dear

Oh dear indeed

Better than Downing. 

Kenny Kan » Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:48 pm wrote:Better than Downing. 

Downing has a touch and a pass and can see past his own nose. Rodgers was onto something playing the lad at left back but bottled it. Downing would have been perfect as a wing back. Absoloutely perfect. Instead, Rodgers played him as a forward... not a position he thrived in due to him needing more time on the ball.

Downing just lacked bottle and application, and being played in a system that suited him.

He's proven that by playing well at other clubs he's played for.

StuYesThatStu » Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:56 pm wrote:

Kenny Kan » Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:48 pm wrote:Better than Downing. 

Downing has a touch and a pass and can see past his own nose. Rodgers was onto something playing the lad at left back but bottled it. Downing would have been perfect as a wing back. Absoloutely perfect. Instead, Rodgers played him as a forward... not a position he thrived in due to him needing more time on the ball.

Downing just lacked bottle and application, and being played in a system that suited him.

He's proven that by playing well at other clubs he's played for.

Downing's gnash, there's no other way of dressing it up, blaming positions, time on the ball  (yeah I agree, he would looked okay up against a load of old geriatrics), systems and all that BS on a player who's best ability was to hide under pressure doesn't excuse it.

Downing. Dress him up however you like the facts are:

Assists: 0
Goals: 0

StuYesThatStu » Wed Sep 11, 2013 6:36 pm wrote:

SouthCoastShankly » Wed Sep 11, 2013 7:30 pm wrote:

StuYesThatStu » Wed Sep 11, 2013 5:51 pm wrote:All this talk of the owners for me is a kop out.

The manager has had money. He's wasted copius (spelling sorry ) amounts on players who aren't upto taking Liverpool beyond the level they were already at and failed to ship alot of players out who simply aren't upto it. Granted some signings are unseen like Sahko, some need change to settle, Aspas, Alberto and Illori... Coutinho was an excellent purchase... but beyond that, for me he hasn't gone out and signed anyone who's made us a better side.

Thats a worry.

What I will say is I am prepared to give him at least till the end of next season before I get to downhearted. But if we do fail to qualify for the champions league this season, this could be the end of LFC being a top side for a long time.

Coutinho, Sturridge, Toure, Sahko and Moses improve the side. The others Allen, Aspas, Alberto, Cissokho, Mignolet provided squad depth that suited Rodgers style of playing.

Out of all those players I would only really consider Allen and Borini as overpriced or ineffective.

Toure being an improvement on Carragher? Not for me, certainly not after three games of seeing him either. A decent player yeah, not bad, won't do any harm and decent business, but improve the side?

Not really.

Sturridge, not for me. Lacks in other area's and I'd much rather see Suarez play there than Sturridge.

Sahko? Really? I'd never even heard of him and I very much doubt you've seen the lad play on anything other than Youtube... #just because he plays for Liverpool doesn't mean he's a great player

Coutinho... did I not say that he was excellent purchase who improved the side? Think i did....

But I suppose out of 15 players or so he's bound to have one cracker.

Conveniently ignoring the context of the situation. Well done.

Since when was signing Sturridge a replacement to Suarez? Clearly to all the marginally intelligent fans he was an addition to the squad and as such an improvement.

Toure may not be equivalent to carragher at his peak but to suggest Carra was better as a player now is just blindness, and probably the sole reason half of your posts are nonsense.

I can include Coutinho in my assessment - it has no bearing on your view. Easy solution is to wind your neck in and read the post for what it is.

I have predominantly seen Sahko on Youtube, just like you have for any other player you comment on, regardless  he looks good and an improvement on Skrtel.

Toure has had three games so far and is better than Carra last season ?

Carra arriving into the 1st 11 last season was another reason for our improvement.

Toure has at least a half a season to go before its decided if he was an improvement on Carra last year.

Sakho looks like he has all the ability and attributes to succeed and improve us but he could fail to settle and not handle the pace etc - he looks like he could improve the back 4 but as yet hasn't

Kenny Kan » Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:34 am wrote:

StuYesThatStu » Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:56 pm wrote:

Kenny Kan » Wed Sep 11, 2013 11:48 pm wrote:Better than Downing. 

Downing has a touch and a pass and can see past his own nose. Rodgers was onto something playing the lad at left back but bottled it. Downing would have been perfect as a wing back. Absoloutely perfect. Instead, Rodgers played him as a forward... not a position he thrived in due to him needing more time on the ball.

Downing just lacked bottle and application, and being played in a system that suited him.

He's proven that by playing well at other clubs he's played for.

Downing's gnash, there's no other way of dressing it up, blaming positions, time on the ball  (yeah I agree, he would looked okay up against a load of old geriatrics), systems and all that BS on a player who's best ability was to hide under pressure doesn't excuse it.

So you're quoting me to try and make yourself look clever...

Then pretty much just repeat what I said...

Love it

Kharhaz » Thu Sep 12, 2013 3:46 am wrote:Downing. Dress him up however you like the facts are:

Assists: 0
Goals: 0

They aren't the real facts though are they You aren't far wrong... but you might want to check them...

SouthCoastShankly » Thu Sep 12, 2013 8:07 am wrote:
I have predominantly seen Sakho on Youtube, just like you have for any other player you comment on, regardless  he loOks good and an improvement on Skrtel.

Need I comment any further?

So you're quoting me to try and make yourself look clever...

Then pretty much just repeat what I said...

Love it

Of course I'm pretty much quoting you d.ickhead, I'm not discussing this point with anyone else. 

So back to the topic...

Realistically given what we have, 6th place is about the level the squad is at atm when you take into account the additions made by Tottenham and Arsenal and the starting points for all 3 clubs.

That said, theres a case to be made for and against the manager if we do indeed end the season in that position.

On the one hand, one of the main reasons the level of expectations is where its at (6th) is because of the quality (lack of; in certain areas at least) we have in the squad; players brought in by Rodgers like Allen, Borini, Assaidi, Aspas?, Alberto?  havent/are yet to make an impact with regards to our chances of improving on where we stood prior to their arrival. It remains debatable whether they'll eventually turn into valuable assets but given the situation, we need/needed to get our transfers right rather than waste 30+mill net (wages not taken into account) replacing players of a similar (arguably better) caliber (Aquilani, Kuyt, Maxi, Suso, Shelvey).

Obviously, many will argue this assertion by pointing out the age, resale value, potential..etc etc of the players we brought in. We're not running a store though and this isnt an Ajax kind of club or a Everdivisie sort of league where young player are afforded numerous chances at the highest level. Over the past 10 years under Rafa and pretty much every manager that has followed we've brought in young and unproven players and the only one who has made it/hasnt been sold for peanuts has been Lucas so the odds are somewhat stacked against them proving to be world beaters.

Another argument that could be made is that the squad already has enough quality, and that the players brought in by Rodgers to complement what we already had (namely Coutinho, Sturridge and perhaps Sakho) will help take us past the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal this season. I can only hope that turns out to be the case because all 3 transfers have impressed me so far, at least on paper in Sakho's case.
   
On the other hand, theres been a marked improvement in our style of play under Rodgers that cant be denied. It's not the attacking football per se but the ability to keep possession in the final third of the opposition that has impressed me the most. It bodes well for the future if we can somehow attract the right type of players in terms of getting results against the smaller sides that prefer to park the bus rather than play open football (although more sides are becoming more open in their approach nowadays). The way we ended last season and the way we started this one -if nothing else- are cause for optimism.

I've been a critic of Rodgers from day1, and I'm still not convinced he has the experience to take us to where we need to be, but he's done well so far and he deserves the credit where its due. Unlike many, I dont view last season's 7th place finish as an achievement (regardless of the performances, the form at the end, the transfers..etc)  and I certainly wont be celebrating a 6th place finish if thats where we end up. That said, the major difference I see this season from last is the level of ambition the manager has shown. Thats reflected in the transfer targets (Willian, Mkhitaryan, Sakho, Papadopolous..etc) the lineup, the Suarez situation..etc. Not the target and stance you'd expect from a manager who believes his side will finish 6th. You can call it confidence or whatever it is but I dont believe for a second that Rodgers would have one for this calibre of player last season. The purchases of Borini, Allen and Assaidi in the first window were those of a man who didnt quite understand the level he was thrown at. So yes, if he -like many of our players- manages to develop and impress over the season then I believe we have an outsider chance of overachieving ad nicking that 4th spot if we perform well and our competitors drop the ball.