25 May 2016 12:00:44
ed001, would love to hear your thoughts on this, are you as concerned as I am that Liverpool fc as a club is gaining a reputation for chocking at the vital times, since 2006 we have been to 6 finals yet only won 1, add to that our title collapse 2 years ago a horrible pattern is emerging.

I really thought with everything on offer Wednesday, the lads wouldn't let us down, i was and remain gutted by the turn of events in basel, this is not a anti klopp post either as i was always going to be prepared to give him time i just hope we can aquire players who hate losing and are prepared to go the extra mile when things are not going well, i was bought up on a Liverpool side who always seem to find a way to get the job done.

i do hope we can shed this reputation in the months to come, because if we continue this trend, it will always be a case of what might have been, less talk, more action from the players could be a good way to start imo. By the way i don't think we have a god given right to win things just because we are Liverpool, but i do expect a certain standard when chances off winning things present themselves.

{Ed001's Note - not really a reputation, we have just bought badly, players with no steel. Rodgers, in particular, just wanted players that would do as he told them and hang on his every word. Those kind of players that can be moulded and do not stand up and argue with him if they disagree.

That is fine up to a point, but you need strong characters in a dressing room, those kind of people will argue with you and disagree with you. You need those people who will argue, as those are the kind of people who step up when things are turning against you.

We saw again and again under Rodgers how the players just turned and looked to the sidelines whenever things went wrong. What we need is players who look to each other and respond by trying harder and running faster when they are struggling.}

1.) 25 May 2016
25 May 2016 14:29:00
I believe Henderson is that kind of character for us Ed.

2.) 25 May 2016
25 May 2016 15:32:40
As much as I hate United, we need characters like Roy Keane, a proper, full-blooded leader who would never take a loss under any circumstances.

3.) 25 May 2016
25 May 2016 16:02:41
That was exactly what I thought about Europa league collapse, the players who went missing Lallana et al were Rodgers players no steel no balls. I believe Klopp will sign players with character and a will to win (like himself) . That winning mentality is the vital missing ingredient for us to progress.

4.) 25 May 2016
25 May 2016 13:50:29
Correct, Ed. This why the old heads are needed because they are the extension for the manager on the pitch. When Klopp was at BVB, he had the great young players he moulded BUT he also had experienced internationals like Kehl, Dede, Wiedenfeller and the lot, who told the hard truths when needed. Those are the types we need and had we had them vs Sevilla or City, we would have won both finals. "A young man cannot see standing up what an old man can see sitting down" - French proverb.

{Ed001's Note - nice proverb that. Experience can be vital, Leicester had it in spades, Spurs didn't and it told in the end when it mattered.}

5.) 25 May 2016
25 May 2016 14:41:50
Could not agree more with you here Ed. We have too many passengers in the team, no doubt with quality, but that steel you mention is missing.

From the current team Henderson shows it on the pitch, however even though I think he is one of our best players, I doubt he is the strong character/ leader in the dressing room. No one in the current team portrays that level of authority required to really take charge. Flanagan shows steel on the pitch, Sakho again strong character wouldn't strike him as a leader. Can seems vocal on the pitch, hopefully he can at some point take that role.

Suarez had it in abundance, which in a certain sense carried the whole team forward.

{Ed001's Note - much as I don't like Suarez for the stupid things he did, you are damn right that he offered real drive and determination on the pitch. That makes others graft harder to match it.}

6.) 25 May 2016
25 May 2016 16:59:22
Roy keane may have been 'peter pan' to quote ferguson but the fact is he stood up to the manager and paid the price. He believed the standards were slipping and spoke out and got sold. You can debate whether that was right or wrong or whether ferguson was right or wrong but the man was a born winner who stood up to the most fierce man in management because he believed he was right. While he lost his position at the club as a result, you could argue he was proven right in the long run as ferguson left an ageing, declining squad for his successor.