Liverpool FC Forum

by **Bam** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:39 pm

I'm starting to wonder about him now. I like Robbie Keane and was glad we landed him during the summer, although the price we paid for him was a hefty one. Never the less I still maintained it was a good signing by Rafa giving the fact he's tried and tested in the Prem.

I know its still early for Keane of course as it is for Dossena, who has rightly or wrongly been judged on a few suspicious performances. Although the Italian has had a change in culture, football and everything else thats part and parcel of uplifing your life and moving abroad, while the other has got in his car and driven up the M1.

But TBH Robbie Keanes performances havent hit the adequate heights I'd of expected from a player of his quality. There is no doubt he is a good player in my mind anyway, but at the moment he looks like another Kuyt. He is becoming more Workman like, scurrying defences and what not, but the individualness of his game doesnt seem to be there at the moment. Its as if he's also wearing the same shooting boots as Kuyt, you know the ones ... the non-exsistant ones. He's hardly taking up the scoring opportunities as much as I'd like him to, and he's hardly playing as this "creative second striker", the one I thought he'd be, and the perfect foil for Torres.

Class is permanent form is temporary I know, but what really has me wondering about the Irishman is similar to what has happened with Kuyt. Kuyt came here as a good striker in the Dutch league (albeit Dutch league). For the want of a better word I feel the English game found Kuyt out, he isnt as prolific as we thought. Looking at Kuyt he may well know that hes never going to be the striker a club like Liverpool need, and in some ways I think he may of excepted this. Whether it be Rafa's tactics or ideas on how the Dutchman should play his game or Dirk himself. It nows seems to me rather than striving to be this undroppable striker who has goal scoring in abundance, he's opted to change his game somewhat ? I think he's added huge amounts of energy and endevour to his game to compensate for the fact he wasnt this prolific striker we all thought he'd be. Of course he was always a hardworker, but this seems to be his best attribute now, but when he first signed from Feyenord his main attributes were his finnishing and scoring a shed load of goals.

My worry is Keane may take this option (the easier option imo). Bearing in mind that Rafa's partial to a "grafter" on the field, it'll probably becomes easier for a player with this kind of pressure to shy away from his natural game. The skillful jinky runs, taking the onus on and scoring a few goals along the way because its not coming off in during games, and compensate that with more hard work which is what it looks like at the mo.

Thats a slight fear I have for him, and I dont know if Rafa is the kind of manager to bring out the individual-ness in a player like Keane who can express himself really well as an individual. As Rafa's more of a pragmatist he'd rather (imo) his players and teams work as a unit more so than that as individuals. I could and probably am wide of the mark here but I dont know if Rafa is the kind of bloke who'd really try and get players to really express themselves on a field and to get them to show their individual abilities. Surely he wouldnt of brough Keane if that were the case but when Keane was at Spurs he was part of a team that had a different ethic amongst their players, there was more individual players who were allowed to play a more expansive game. Their football down at the lane was always supposed to be nice on the eye to watch and with managers like Martin Jol who IMO did like an expansive game Keane was able to do things and change matches with his individual abilities. But we havent yet seen any of that here and I'm just wondering how his career here will end up.

Will he be another Kuyt all work and graft as his main attributes ?

Or will he finally become the player we've all seen before and presumably the reason Rafa brought him ?

by **GYBS** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:44 pm

I think once he has settled into the team he will start to flourish - he always seems to start the season of slowly then and hopefully this will happen. I didnt want to spend 20 mil on keane - not in a million years as think it was at least 7 mil over what he is worth but like him as a player . the guy is very clever creating space for himself and his teammates and think once he has found his feet within the team and club he will do well for us . I hope so anyway .

by **Sabre** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:47 pm

In a game that admittedly wasn't Keane's best, I saw a movement that I liked a lot. I'm talking about that play in which Keane shot the ball and it went wide. He tried to place the ball in the second post. The finnish wasn't spot on, his game wasn't the best, but it's also true he apparently wasn't 100% fit due to his knee.

The pass was decent-good, but the quality bit of the play was in Keane's movement it was superb (here's where Bigmick is very good describing football, movements, and gestures, and my english is frustratingly limited).

Sometimes you are able to spot the quality of a player even if he isn't playing very well, and Keane's is a perfect case for me.

This lad has quality and I think it's a matter of time he clicks in this team and becomes a success. I too would feel less the urgency to rotate if I had to pick between Keane, Torres, and the rest of upfront options.

It will be an expensive success, but that's the market fault. I'm just looking at the player forgetting a bit about how much he costed.

by **Leonmc0708** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:49 pm

I was suprised we where in for him, flabergasted at the price, underwhelmed that we got him, largely unimpressed by his goalscoring record since he got here but very very impressed with his work rate and work ethic.

Sound a lot like Kuyt.

by **Jimmy the Weasel** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 12:49 pm

I share some of those concerns too.

When we landed Keane, the reason I was excited is because he's another of those attacking players that opposition need to be wary of because he can create something from nothing and win a game for you. Of the players we had before him, Torres and Gerrard are the only two who I think you could say that about.

Add to that anticipation of Babel's progression into a consistent threat and potential matchwinner and I was daring to think we might start having an attack that could deal with the big boys, as well as the relative lesser teams we've struggled to break down after they parked the bus.

I suppose I still hold out that hope that he'll come good - it is early on and I'm fairly patient with players who have demonstrated that they have something, which Keane has done in the past.

The bonus for me has been Riera, who is an attacking threat that seems to be working out better than I'd hoped (and I was optimistic when we signed him).

by **GYBS** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:00 pm

Yeah must agree about reira - thought he would be a left sided pennant - a cheaper version of who we wanted but he has impressed me so far . Think Keane wont flop as think he is a very intelligent player and he has been bringing other players into the game with his movement and little touches - just needs a couple of goals in prem to help himimprove with us

by **stmichael** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:01 pm

the thing with keane is, at spurs he basically had a free role and could go wherever he wanted. that was never going to happen at liverpool. we're too rigid in how we set up.

by **tubby** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:16 pm

He is playing more like the Keane of Inter Milan than Keane of Spurs. Personally I think it's 20Mill wasted that we will never see again.

by **Roger Red Hat** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 1:20 pm

bavlondon wrote:He is playing more like the Keane of Inter Milan than Keane of Spurs. Personally I think it's 20Mill wasted that we will never see again.

did you personally dip in your own pocket for him?

give the man a chance he's still trying way too hard to impress. As soon as he thinks 'fk it' and forgets the trying to prove himself role he'll flow freely and you watch him go!!

by **metalhead** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:16 pm

Needs to relax, I'll give him time to settle in because we all know that he is a really good player.

by **Reg** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 2:16 pm

There is no reason why we cant have a successful partnership Torres like he did Berbatov, he´ll be ok he just needs time.

We dont need 2 Kuyts though for sure.

by **Jimmy the Weasel** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:21 pm

Reg wrote:There is no reason why we cant have a successful partnership Torres like he did Berbatov, he´ll be ok he just needs time.

We dont need 2 Kuyts though for sure.

<shudder>

Some on here would disagree though, given how many seemed be quite in favour of re-signing Emule Heskey!

by **Roger Red Hat** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:35 pm

Reg wrote:We dont need 2 Kuyts though for sure.

no ! heaven forbid us having 2 players on the pitch that can pull us back from defeat every game.

perish the thought

by **zarababe** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:44 pm

I had my doubts when we signed him - likened hiom to Bellamy - and some of you politely set me straight

I'm not one to diss a player who is clearly trying his best ( not enuff do these days) and feel we need to let him settle in.

The Torres experience tells me though a quality striker produces his worth within the first 10 games - if they don't hit the ground running - they rarely do

hope hope hope I'm wrong.

by **GYBS** » Wed Oct 22, 2008 3:56 pm

Reg wrote:There is no reason why we cant have a successful partnership Torres like he did Berbatov, he´ll be ok he just needs time.

We dont need 2 Kuyts though for sure.

one hardworking forward giving space and time to others is good and useful but two

no chance. Keane along with torres and gerrard should be using the space and time created by kuyts work to flourish and think he will once he calms down a bit and relaxes

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