Liverpool FC Forum

maguskwt » Dec 8th, '14, 16:55 wrote:I am really hoping the owners will decide to spend on a striker... 4th place is really in jeopardy if we don't strengthen... I think the owners and BR were too complacent when it came to strikers. They didn't think that Sturridge would be out so long. And they appear to have over estimated Balotelli and Lambert. They felt that Sturridge, Balotelli, Lambert and Borini were enough and to be fair if they were fit and Sturridge and Balotelli played together for a number of games, it was probably enough. Balotelli would have gained enough confidence playing together with Sturrdige instead of being asked to lead the line by himself. They even spent money on Origi not for the current needs but for the future...

It's not the Owners fault, they provided vast amounts of millions to spend on players over 2 years (around £200m if not a bit more). The Owners won't get involved with who to buy and who to sell. They leave that to the people that 'should' know.  It is all categorically down to BR and the Transfer Committee.

See BR,s at it again in today's Mirror saying we've got a great squad,and if we beat Basle tonight we will be better come the knockout stages next February. Does he think we are thick or is he really that deluded? If so, the man needs to be sectioned. BR replace with BS and if we carry on like this I can see in the summer Stevie-G retiring and Sterling, Coutinho leaving. BS has had DOUBLE what the new main stand will cost. Quite unbelievable

Dundreamin is back » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:50 am wrote:See BR,s at it again in today's Mirror saying we've got a great squad,and if we beat Basle tonight we will be better come the knockout stages next February. Does he think we are thick or is he really that deluded? If so, the man needs to be sectioned. BR replace with BS and if we carry on like this I can see in the summer Stevie-G retiring and Sterling, Coutinho leaving. BS has had DOUBLE what the new main stand will cost. Quite unbelievable

Our squad isn't that bad mate, I think what's letting us down is that we have no pace up front. Players like Coutinho and Sterling need someone who will run in behind and stretch defences, players who continually come short like Lambert and Balotelli completely neutralise the main weapon in Coutinho's armoury (his through balls), plus having big men up front just encourages our CB's to launch the ball up field which is no use to the likes of Raheem and Phil who are both about five foot five and 9 stone wringing wet.
We are a complete mishmash of styles ATM and it shows, our team sheets are doing the work for opposition coaches.
That's why some of our better performances have been when Borini has played up front, it's not that he's anything special but by just being prepared to run the channels he instantly brings Coutinho's range of passing and Sterling's support play into the game.
We need to get Danny back and pronto, I don't think he'll suddenly start scoring tons of goals but what he will do is get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.

If we don't win these next two games his job could potentially be on the line.

The owners need to look for more experienced managers IMO.  Someone with calibre of winning/managing at the higest level.

(I'm crying out for Benitez)

Not that i wish for Brendan to get the sack, but the way this is going its going to be sooner rather than later. The dross bought and the spineless performances have been nothing short of pathetic.

Imagine if Rafa had money kids..... just imagine, we might have seen Villa and Silva at Anfield in years gone by.

Not Borini, Aspas, Llori, Alberto, Carrol, Downing... all costing about £100,000,000.

I genuinally get a tear in my eye thinking about how Rafa pained for money and we've blown that much money in the past 4 years on sh!te.  You cannot blame the owners, they have coughed up all the money.

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:08 am wrote:

Dundreamin is back » Tue Dec 09, 2014 5:50 am wrote:See BR,s at it again in today's Mirror saying we've got a great squad,and if we beat Basle tonight we will be better come the knockout stages next February. Does he think we are thick or is he really that deluded? If so, the man needs to be sectioned. BR replace with BS and if we carry on like this I can see in the summer Stevie-G retiring and Sterling, Coutinho leaving. BS has had DOUBLE what the new main stand will cost. Quite unbelievable

Our squad isn't that bad mate, I think what's letting us down is that we have no pace up front. Players like Coutinho and Sterling need someone who will run in behind and stretch defences, players who continually come short like Lambert and Balotelli completely neutralise the main weapon in Coutinho's armoury (his through balls), plus having big men up front just encourages our CB's to launch the ball up field which is no use to the likes of Raheem and Phil who are both about five foot five and 9 stone wringing wet.
We are a complete mishmash of styles ATM and it shows, our team sheets are doing the work for opposition coaches.
That's why some of our better performances have been when Borini has played up front, it's not that he's anything special but by just being prepared to run the channels he instantly brings Coutinho's range of passing and Sterling's support play into the game.
We need to get Danny back and pronto, I don't think he'll suddenly start scoring tons of goals but what he will do is get everyone singing from the same hymn sheet.

We have a terrible squad yakka.
Pace up front is a problem but in fairness what did you think we would get from lambert or balotelli ? I bet it wasn't covering a lot of ground at pace. Borini wasn't even in anyones plans as everyone thought he would be gone and he may as well have for all he has done.  Sturridge will make some difference as you say due to his runs and the pace of them but all our eggs have been placed in one basket and that has been whats let us down this season. Look at the pressure he now has danny under to get back and turn this around.

Our manager is running around banging about how he has had to bring us back to basics  thats why we are playing kick and rush. We lost one player and he has had to bring the whole lot of them back, how can that be ? For me that is a glaring admission that last season was down to one man and it was suarez not brendan. Its hardly because of all the new arrivals either as barely any of them make it into a starting line-up together. Our line-ups are mostly made up with players he has worked with for at least 2 years and they have learned nothing.

red till i die!! » Tue Dec 09, 2014 11:31 am

We have a terrible squad yakka.
Pace up front is a problem but in fairness what did you think we would get from lambert or balotelli ? I bet it wasn't covering a lot of ground at pace. Borini wasn't even in anyones plans as everyone thought he would be gone and he may as well have for all he has done.  Sturridge will make some difference as you say due to his runs and the pace of them but all our eggs have been placed in one basket and that has been whats let us down this season. Look at the pressure he now has danny under to get back and turn this around.

Our manager is running around banging about how he has had to bring us back to basics  thats why we are playing kick and rush. We lost one player and he has had to bring the whole lot of them back, how can that be ? For me that is a glaring admission that last season was down to one man and it was suarez not brendan. Its hardly because of all the new arrivals either as barely any of them make it into a starting line-up together. Our line-ups are mostly made up with players he has worked with for at least 2 years and they have learned nothing.

I don't think our squad is that bad mate, IMO the foundations of a very good side are there. In the likes of Sturridge, Sterling, Coutinho, Markovic, Lallana, Ibe, Origi etc we have a lot of exciting attacking players with their best years ahead of them.
Even at the back we have got some good lads on our books - Manquillo, Moreno, Flanagan, Wisdom and especially Ilorri who looks a Rolls Royce of a defender even at 21. Why a lad who gets given MoM at the Nou Camp playing against the likes of Messi, Iniesta, Neymar, Xavi etc can't get a look in here is a bit of a head scratcher I must admit but I think he'll break through eventually.
Even in midfield we've got that Chirivela lad who Real Madrid thinks is the next Alonso coming through.
How many teams could field a side of outfield players aged 22 or under as good as this?

                                          Mingolet

            Manquillo        Wisdom        Ilorri          Moreno

                                  Chivirela      Can

                  Sterling           Coutinho          Markovic

                                           Origi

Our squad isn’t terrible, far from it.

I think we’ve got some talented lads and amazing prospects in the squad, it's the old faces that are letting the side down. Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel and Gerrard (in the DM role) are poor, poor players. Which begs the question, why the feck do they walk into the squad each week, without question? It reminds me of the Souness era.

BR needs to back his prospects and play them or go find a new job. His halfway house of management is getting him nowhere and he needs to grow a pair and back the players he signed by playing them week in, week out.

Id' go with

               Mignolet

Manquillo Touré/Sakho   Lovren    Moreno

              Henderson  Can/Lucas

Sterling/ Markovic      Coutinho/Gerrard    Lallana
   
Balotelli/Sturridge

re:squad - What the fananickingshanite is he expected to say in public? Oh they're a bunch of mid-low tables fakers coupled with a couple of horses who've been flogged twice too many to an inch of their lives and are now on their last legs….oh and don't get me started on that Nancy boy prima donna dickh3ad who's got a lifetime supply of mobile phones so it makes no difference if I confiscate them or not…..I'd sooner cut his ***** hands off than play him…..

It's the same boring charade in every press conference and he's just on auto-pilot….I don't for the life of me begin to believe that he's as blind as half of you lot would have him be. Truth is we have no clue of what happens behind closed doors and I can't believe that it's all sweetness and light. I'm not convinced that he identified the wrong players in the summer…we were linked with some good ones….I am convinced that someone lacked the balls to go all the way and close the deals.

Give the guy another 18 months and publicly make him accountable for all the signings and let him live or die by it….i think we'd see a difference. Better the devil you know than that you don't. I think he's loyal, I think he gets Liverpool and I think he represents the club well…..supported I think there's also a strong chance of him staying and building something and not bugger1ng off after 1-2 years.

Look to the organization and not the manager.

Homebooby » Tue Dec 09, 2014 1:58 pm wrote:re:squad - What the fananickingshanite is he expected to say in public? Oh they're a bunch of mid-low tables fakers coupled with a couple of horses who've been flogged twice too many to an inch of their lives and are now on their last legs….oh and don't get me started on that Nancy boy prima donna dickh3ad who's got a lifetime supply of mobile phones so it makes no difference if I confiscate them or not…..I'd sooner cut his ***** hands off than play him…..

It's the same boring charade in every press conference and he's just on auto-pilot….I don't for the life of me begin to believe that he's as blind as half of you lot would have him be. Truth is we have no clue of what happens behind closed doors and I can't believe that it's all sweetness and light. I'm not convinced that he identified the wrong players in the summer…we were linked with some good ones….I am convinced that someone lacked the balls to go all the way and close the deals.

Give the guy another 18 months and publicly make him accountable for all the signings and let him live or die by it….i think we'd see a difference. Better the devil you know than that you don't. I think he's loyal, I think he gets Liverpool and I think he represents the club well…..supported I think there's also a strong chance of him staying and building something and not bugger1ng off after 1-2 years.

Look to the organization and not the manager.

Good post

I like Rodgers. I think hes an honest, passionate, informed and loyal man who is Liverpool through and through.
But:
I fear that the signings he bought through the summer, the style of football we have been playing, the feeble attitude of the players and his borderline insanity by sticking to the same formation/tactics will finally be the end of him. The knives were already out as soon as Suarez left, then "doing a spurs" and bringing in Balotelli only made things worse. Our league form has been bad but our European form has been dreadful and I think it wont be long before he is hung out to dry by the owners, especially if he doesnt turn it round by Christmas. We should give him time to see where hes going wrong and rectify the glaring mistakes hes making. But that wont happen as the fans are slowly giving up on him. I was at the game on Saturday and I have NEVER seen the crowd so quiet and disinterested.
These are troubled times for LFC and I cant see any quick fix, except to bring in some experienced, solid Prem players in January?
Even then, it may be too late for B-Rod...

I want to disagree with you Thommo but I can't.

The fans are very disillusioned, exacerbated by the insane drive to be a top 3 club again. BR had everything last May but squandered the biggest transfer kitty any manager could dream for. It isn't going to happen. The manger worries about 'losing the dressing room' but the club has to worry about 'losing the fans' and his inability to stop a 6-8 week decline in form whilst perfectly average teams as Soton, WHam and others have breezed past us up the league showing you don't need to be anything special. We spent 100 million and we haven't gained a single point by doing so.

Shanks, Bob, Kenny, Rafa would have stopped the rot by now, BR doesn't seem able. And finally.... if they appoint AVB.... the biggest scam artist out there, that really would be the last straw.

7_Kewell » Tue Dec 09, 2014 12:19 pm wrote:Our squad isn’t terrible, far from it.

I think we’ve got some talented lads and amazing prospects in the squad, it's the old faces that are letting the side down. Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel and Gerrard (in the DM role) are poor, poor players. Which begs the question, why the feck do they walk into the squad each week, without question? It reminds me of the Souness era.

BR needs to back his prospects and play them or go find a new job. His halfway house of management is getting him nowhere and he needs to grow a pair and back the players he signed by playing them week in, week out.

Id' go with

               Mignolet

Manquillo Touré/Sakho   Lovren    Moreno

              Henderson  Can/Lucas

Sterling/ Markovic      Coutinho/Gerrard    Lallana
   
Balotelli/Sturridge

Well said 7_Kewell.

We don't actually have such a bad side, we just need to replace some key players and our fortunes can actually turn around very,very quickly.

Firstly we need to find a quality keeper as quickly as possible because Mignolet is a complete and utter spud.

If we were to bring in a quality keeper the entire dimension of our play from the back would change. This would utilise our quicker defenders such as Moreno and Enrique a whole lot better. Also we need to bring back Illori from Spain, as he needs game time at Liverpool as there are many pundits over there saying he will be an elite defender, when he reaches his peak. Johnson will also need to be replaced at the end of this season.

Next our attention needs to move to acquiring a world class CM that Stevie can pass the mantle to when he retires. I think having players like Henderson, Allen and Lucas all stiffle our creativity and create a massive wedge with our more attacking midfielders in Coutinho and Lallana. I'm sorry but if I was the manager I would sell Lucas as soon as I could and bring in a better DM while I would try and get the best price for Allen and Henderson as they just aren't good enough to take us forward.

Lastly we need to sell Borini as quickly as possible as spend some cash in bringing in a player that can dart into the box and finish off Sterling, Coutinho and our midfielders through-balls, a quality South American player or nimble /agile / quick player would do the trick as Balotelli and Lambert already give us height and strength when required.

This would leave us with the following:

GK:                 [Vacant 1st choice Goalkeeper] and Mignolet
Defenders:       [Vacant 1st choice RB], Manquillo, Lovren, Sakho, Toure, Skrtel, Illori, Moreno, Enrique
Midfielders:     [Vacant 1st choice DM], [Vacant 1st choice CM], Gerrard, Can, Lallana 
Wingers:          Sterling, Markovic, Coutinho
Strikers:          Sturridge, [2nd choice striker], Balotelli, Lambert 

Over the next season or two you would need to replace Toure, Gerrard and Lambert as they end their careers. Illori would be the natural replacement for Toure and Origi for Lambert, but my gut feeling is that we will need to break the bank to bring in a Reus or Vidal that could replace Gerrard.

Bringing in 2 or 3 quality players over January and the summer would turn our fortunes around but I have no confidence that we have the current manager, structures, management and scouts to make this possible. 

i was the one calling for rafa's head few years back,
when he really lost the dressing room plus the leaders of the team in stevie and carra.
now it looks like when (if) br is sacked then rafa seems like a viable choice.

i hope rafa learns from his previous mistake, i think he can shore up our defense and maybe sign another torrres.
another option will be klopp but his current team is fighting relegation although he didnt have 100m to spend.
the final "dream" option will be wenger if he is sacked by gooners.

His team selection last night was shocking, was really looking forward to the game but my reaction when I saw the team sheet was wtf, home, cl, must win, why? I really cannot understand for the life of me what was his thought pattern. Why does he persist in square pegs in round holes, he plays Hendo at rw because he wants Allen brought in and he must find a place for Hendo, then again why play Allen when we are at home and need to win when we have Lucas at DM, baffling. However it's not just this game, look how he plays Johnson at LB when he has left footed options available. Some players are just undropable in BR's eyes and must accommodated whatever the cost.

Eds, I honestly believe if they intended to replace Gerrard with a major impact play maker they'd have done so by now. Instead they're wringing every last drop of juice out of Stevie then expect Hendo to take over. Like with Suarez, lose a superstar and replace with a mediocre player. Sadly it shows as I said some time ago, that the owners want to emulate the Arsenal business plan more than be champions.