Liverpool Banter Archive January 18 2015

 

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18 Jan 2015 22:28:08
Take a bow Lucas Leiva son, that swallow dive and the Frankie Howard sketch has made my week. I've been chuckling all day.

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It looked like we'd won the League when Ricky scored, bloody Lucas face is great there seems to be a lot of passion there keep watching it again and again.

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{Ed002's Note - I think it was wind, not passion.}

Hey ozone was that your arm around Lucas neck

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18 Jan 2015 22:08:55
Do you know of any interest in strikers to bring in?

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{Ed002's Note - RTP.}

We've got Borini, Sturridge, Yesil, Aspas, Lambert, Balotelli and Origi all on the books already and all bought by BR. I rather think might need to offload some before allowed to spend on an 8th striker.

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All bought by the committee you mean. For me, Aspas, Balotelli, Borini and Lambert are the ones that should be moved on for a top class striker who suits our system.

Red Rum

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{Ed002's Note - That is nonsense.}

How is that nonsense? Players who don't feature in Brendan's plans should be moved on for the sake of their careers. We need 1 or 2 players that can add real long term value to the team than 7 or 8 who will join, move to the bench or get loaned out. On the other side of the coin, Brendan shouldn't be the one deciding on who we sign & I don't like the set up.

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{Ed002's Note - It was nonsense - they were not all purchased by any "committee" - you are simply making it up.}

Does it matter who bought them? they are at the club or loaned out, wasted, while we pay for them! if they are not part of the plans sell them, (if we can find someone daft enough to buy them) and buy some top quality players who know where the goal is!

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Haha, had a daft moment. Borini, Yesil, And Studge joined before the committee was formed. The others were brought in when the committee was in place. The thing that annoys me the most is people claiming that all signings under Rodgers were his choice when it is quite clear that not all were his choice.

Red Rum

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{Ed002's Note - Boro, Yeso and Sturo are good examples RR.}

Red Rum, he is part of that commitee so he should bear the blame for the signings as well. The idea that we are signing players based on a vot or compromise is what should like me, be making your blood boil and not the signings. I`ve been following footie fo 30yrs and NEVER have I heard a commitee voting to buy players or compromising on what players to sign which is why we will b getting a DOF and hopefully, this shambolic commitee (along w/ BR) will be shown the door for good. Players don`t transfer themselves. BR refused to sign Remy YET allows the Balo transfer to go thru THEN tells everyone that he wasnt his choice. That makes no sense at all. If he did not want Balo like he says, then why did he not put his foot down like he did for Remy? BR cannot answer that with a straight face because he has been feeding crap to the media and has now found himself in a bind. For me, they should all be sacked and the whole system needs to be revamped and thankfully, the owners are doing just that.

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This committee excuse is garbage.

BR made it abundantly clear that any player who signs for us would only do so if he (BR) agrees to it.

Ian Ayre said the same thing - noting 'why would we sign a player that the manager does not want? - it would make us all look bad and just simply be bad business'.

I have noticed A correlation that
people who tend to buy into the 'committee' excuse tend to be big supporters of BR - who seem oblivious to his BS.

I have not seen anyone look at the setup objectively and see any problem with a transfer 'committee' (if you want to call it that) it is normal at most clubs in England to discuss targets with various members of staff/scouts/the board.

Anyone using this 'committee excuse' nonsense needs to wake up and stop eating the crap that BR is shovelling them.

Just another shameless attempt by BR to take credit when a signing goes right - and to reassign blame when things are seen to have gone wrong - such as with Sturridge or Coutinho, when he emphasises his role in their signings 'he's a player I've known/followed for a long time. blah, blah'.

But when his transfers are seen as duds, all of a sudden it becomes 'we have a process here there is input from a variety of personnel within the club, blah, blah'.

People really need to wake up to this.

This is shameless stuff from BR - and is blatantly obvious to anyone that isn't so 'in Rodgers we trust' that they are ready and willing to invent scenarios so they can rationally justify the transfers dealings which HE signed off on - some of which are utterly inexplicable.

Stop repeating this 'committee is to blame' BS. Wake up and smell the coffee, people. It's all on the manager.

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The committee was set up to minimize the risk of buying players who are not right for Liverpool in some way shape or form.
Its clear that some purchases have been exactly that.
So you have to say that so far the committee approach has been hit and miss. Mainly Miss.

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18 Jan 2015 20:35:54
Hey guys,
I was just wondering if anyone knows where to do a refereeing course in swansea?

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{Ed002's Note - Try Google.}

Swansea Uni. When you've done it, pop along to Cwrt Herbert we're always desperate for referees.

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You need to do an eye test first! fail that and you can enrol.

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19 Jan 2015 01:50:36
Great! ! We have our own Howard Webb now :-)

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18 Jan 2015 20:25:23
Hi Ed's

With our quiet blue neighbours not doing so well and with my prediction they will scrap a relegation battle.
Would you think the transfer of Ross Barkley in the summer may happen. We know we have had plenty of blue fans playing in the red jersey down the year's.
Would this not make sense to buy the Scouse born lad.
Disagree if i am wrong but he would be wasted talent at Man City :/

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{Ed002's Note - Not to Liverpool.}

He will go to utd or one of the hollow clubs with the massive cash

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He is a great player on his day, but why? He is terribly inconsistent (what is it, 1 goal in 15 games this season or something?) And he'd cost an absolute bomb. Coutinho is in a different league. As is Sterling to be honest.

Rather buy a keeper first and would avoid luxury players like Barkley who only turn it on once a month.

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He is on the same level as them to be fair

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He is overrated and inconsistent and NOT worth even half of the fee people are going on about. We have better players (Couts, Sterling and dare I say, Marko) than he is who have or are proving their worth at a big club where expectations are huge so while he is the one-eyed king in the land of the blind at Everton so no thanks. He can go to the clubs who are dumb enuf to pay the ridiculous fee the bitters will be asking for.

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I do like coutinho, but he isn't miles better! He's inconsistent too. And I think he's got only 2 goals in probably more games. He's more powerful than most of our forwards, and still has vast potential! Never going to buy him though, let's be honest.

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EMS, how many goals does Coutinho score? Not a lot at all. He's the worst shooter in the league.

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Derbyshire, I rather think that distinction belongs to Mario who has played far less minutes than Coutinho, taken more shots, and scored even less.

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Coutinho like Sterling, is proving his worth at a big club where you have nowhere to hide if you don`t play well due to the pressure and big expectations from fans and media alike while Barkley can go 3 games w/o one good perf and the media will never b on his back because Everton does NOT command the pressure and expectations of a big club like LFC. It is on that basis alone that Barkley is NOT in Couts and Raheem`s class. Come back the day he starts doing it at a big cub like they are doing it now.

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A keeper

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Coutinho: 2 goals, 2 assists, 1397 minutes (goal/assist every 349 mins)
Sterling: 4 goals, 5 assists, 1797 minutes (goal/assist every 200 mins)

Barkley: 1 goal, 1 assist, 1055 minutes (goal/assist every 528 mins)

Coutinho is a player who relies on pace and movement ahead of him so he can use his vision to hurt the opposition. Hence why he has only really come alive since Sterling and Borini have started playing up front. The fact that despite his poor shooting, Coutinho has still outscored Barkley who is supposedly good at shooting just epitomises how over rated Barkley is at the moment. I have no doubt he will be a great player, but we already have better players.

I know these are only basic stats but I think all 3 players are so similar in their overall game the only thing worth comparing is how effective they are in the final 3rd. Barkley is last by some margin.

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{Ed001's Note - what about number of shots? How about the number of times they are able to get themselves in a position to take shots? Where are the shots from? Etc etc. These stats are just meaningless. As the players are playing differing positions, also Barkley plays for a different team with a differing style and different players to try and assist. You need a lot more than just goals and assists for it to mean anything at all.}

I know Ed, the stats aren't the basis to my argument, just a response to the people arguing that Coutinho is less effective.

I couldn't be bothered to go into detail at 7am on a Monday morning ;)

Even without stats I think Coutinho and Sterling are both better players purely down to their superior technical ability and tactical nous.

Barkley is just tall, fast, strong and has a hard shot. His touch is so inconsistent. You never know whether he is going to kill the ball dead or whether it's going to bounce off him 5 yards. I still think he'll be a good player capable of winning games single handedly but he'll be a passenger in about 3 quarters of the games he plays in.

Coutinho still has a lot of improving to do but the fact a player of Coutinho's technical brilliance is even disputed as being not as good as Barkley who is merely fast and strong virtually sums up everything wrong with English football in my opinion.

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{Ed001's Note - I haven't watched Barkley for a while, last time I saw him he didn't move right. Not sure how to explain that, as I would need to watch a lot more to see if it is his natural gait or if he was carrying something. He did spend time out with injury shortly afterwards, but I want to know if it is his natural gait, as it needs to be fixed if so, otherwise he will end up injury prone.

I do think that could be the cause of his inconsistency, as his body is not relaxed when moving, not properly, and that tensing will cause a touch to be off at times. If that is not sorted, then he will just be another wasted talent.}

19 Jan 2015 09:07:17
As I said, my argument is not based purely on goal scoring or assists but if anybody is interested these are the shooting stats.

Sterling: 21 on target, 17 off target, 14 blocked. 55% shooting accuracy (excludes blocked shots) and an 8% conversion rate.

Coutinho: 14 on target, 15 off target, 19 blocked. 48% shooting accuracy (excludes blocked shots) and 4% conversion rate.

Barkley 7 on target, 9 off target, 10 blocked. 44% shooting accuracy (excludes blocked shots) and a 4% conversion rate.

Worth noting that Countinho has a marginally better conversion rate than Barkley but both rounded to 4%.

To summarise, Barkley might score the odd screamer but his shooting is actually no better than Coutinho's; and we know how bad that is. Conversion rates include blocked shots btw.

I'm sorry lads but no amount of argument will convince me Barkley is not over rated. Even without stats I think Sterling and Coutinho are better but even if you look into them in more detail, Barkley is still behind them both and shooting is considered one of Barkleys strengths, whereas everyone is well aware Coutinho and Sterling need to work on their shooting. So either they're both under rated, or Barkley is over rated. Your call and that depends on your viewpoint. My point is that Barkley is not in Sterling or Coutinho's league right now based mainly on watching all 3 players regularly and backed up by stats.

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{Ed001's Note - where are they taking the shots from?}

You sound like Fergie Ed001 ;) in all seriousness though you are correct. He runs fast but very awkwardly. He seems to hunch his back and doesn't extend his knees fully.

It may be how he chooses to run subconsciously as it does give him a low centre of gravity despite standing straight at about 188cm!

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{Ed001's Note - it is just something I have noticed that I didn't like. He needs to get that fixed or he will always be finding the ball bouncing off him at unexpected times. Good coaching staff, with England or Everton, should have already picked that up and worked on it. I am shocked they haven't, as Everton's youth staff is among the best in the country.}

Unfortunately Ed001 my best mate is a toffee so I'm forced to watch Barkley, Naismith, Lukaku, MGeady, Stones and Jagielka on a far too regular basis.

Thankfully, Mirallas and Baines make it bearable!

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{Ed001's Note - I am not sure Mirallas is one I would consider making it bearable, vile little player he is, though he does have some real quality about his play.}

I don't consider where they're shooting from as relevant in a debate as to who is better. Barkley and Coutinho both take on shots from much further out that Sterling but in my opinion that is one of their flaws. Shooting from silly positions doesn't justify scoring less goals for me as the best thing to do is just accept you're not as good as you think you are and roll it sideways to somebody else or try and play it in behind. Sterling knows he won't score many from distance so he usually looks for a clever one two to get him in behind. Barkley has the pace to do that too. Coutinho on the other hand does not so he needs people running in behind for him to give himself options. I don't think any of the 3 are particularly good at shooting if I'm being honest. I just think Coutinho and Sterling have more to their game. Coutinho can control a midfield and Sterling is just better in the final third. All 3 are slightly different players but Barkley isn't in the same league as either yet for me. Whilst they are coping with the expectations of finishing in the top 4 and creating or scoring goals regularly, Barkley will be hero worshipped for scoring a few good goals that help to stave off relegation. None of them have been blessed with good strikers ahead of them this season.

I love Mirallas the player but hate Mirallas the person!

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{Ed001's Note - where they are shooting from impacts on the chances of hitting the target. Also, if you have a rocket of a shot like Barkley, it makes more sense to shoot from further out than it does if you are Sterling. Then there is the question about options, if you get the ball within shooting range and have a clear sight of goal with no options in front of you to pass to in a better position, you are more likely to shoot. So where are the other players on the pitch when they are shooting? Only we know Coutinho often takes shots on with players in better positions as we see it each week, but is Barkley? Or is he finding that he doesn't have the movement in front of him so is having to try and do it all himself?

It is easy to say Sterling and Coutinho are better, but how much of that is because of the better players they have to play with?}

If where they're shooting from has an impact on whether they hit the target then the lower conversion rate would suggest they are shooting from the wrong places! I do think Barkley is injury prone already and massively over-rated. Is he any better than Rodwell? Give me sterling and coutinho any day over Barkley.

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Barkley is exctly the same Ed. I thought Lukaku was going to choke slam him once because he decided to shoot rather than slide an easy pass in behind.

He is so frustrating to watch and unlike Coutinho, when he isn't scoring he offers very little. It's gotten to the point where my mate wants them to start Naismith in the No.10 role because "he offers more".

Lukaku for all his flaws is always lookng to run in behind and Barkley just doesn't have the vision to see his runs.

I do agree though that Sterling and Coutinho have better team mates when everyone is fit.

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Ha, my best mate is a blue too, however watching the football with him has proved far more fun this season, from my red perspective anyway.

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18 Jan 2015 19:11:15
If we as a team are serious about 4th place, then the next give league games are going to be very important.
West ham, Everton, spurs, Soton and city, with all 3 cups being played in between.
We have chosen a good time to hit some form, and with Sturridge back soon, we can certainly do it, but it's going to be a tough 6 weeks or so,

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Let's get a result against the plastics. And things will start looking up.

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I like your optimism mate but I fear we won't be getting maximum points in that run.

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One game at a time and don`t worry about the rest. IMO, we shouldn`t waste too much energy on the EL because it will sap us dry as it has done to Spurs for the past few years.

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We just need to keep this run going for a few games more and we will be right back in the hunt for fourth.
It is going to be tight for 4th because Southampton and West Ham are in it as well.
Man City are 5 pts off Chelsea and everyone still thinks they can win the title and we are the same distance from 4th with a bit of momentum.
If Sturridge comes back and hits the ground running then I think we can do it.

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Barnes, the diff is tht an City only have the Chavs in front of them while we have 4 teams in front of us for 4th. That is what akes it an uphill battle HOWEVER, it is not over UNTIL it is ALL over.

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Totally agree redohio.
It won't be easy.

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18 Jan 2015 19:00:08
Can we can the Suso talk now please? I agree the whole situation was handled all wrong but honestly guys? This fawning all over a player who when alls said and done, made but a handful of appearances, scored a goal and wanted to leave.
Your all acting like we lost an integral part of the team, rather than a player who was never getting near the number 10 role in a month of Sundays,
I think some of you need to take a leaf out of Suso's book and move on.
Perspective,

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Just disappointing as he was a youth as such so not nice seen young players leave with our giving a chance it would ease the pain if it was due to texteria was given a chance

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Welsh, I agree that it shouldn`t be overblown. The prob is that we botched the operation big time . First, we don`t give hi a fair crack because BR doesn`t like him nor rates him YET buys players from other clubs to take his place and YET we still don`t know if they are better than he is. Then, we had a chance to sell him for a decent fee to Porto in the TW and we screw that up too by asking for too much money when everybody knew he only had 1 yr left on his deal. Worse, we sell him for next to nothing to AC Mian after investing in him thru the academy for 4 yrs and we got nothing back in terms of funds nor games. That is the type of incompetence that has plagued this club for years and left people baffled and NOT the fact that he was a good player for us or not because that? We will NEVER know because the chance NEVER came

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19 Jan 2015 05:58:14
As long as he doesn't turn out to be like pogba! Now that's the one that got away, BIG time, people talking £80m price tag for pogba! Imagine if suso turns out to be like messi? Stranger things have happened.

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I liked him. good player who did not really get a run in the side.
He said something about money over the weekend which changed my opinion of him if it was true.
He stated it was money and minutes that caused him to leave Liverpool.
That comment sits uncomfortably with me if true.

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18 Jan 2015 17:59:48
Hi Eds, A question about the management of the team, it seems like the club were and possibly still are planning for BR to be moved on in the summer

I was wandering if the club had any targets in mind that would be available and willing to join us in the summer or earlier, De Boer's name has been bounced around a bit but I'm not convinced

Also, are the club willing to give BR a chance since the recent improvement of results, albeit against 'lower level' opposition, or is it fairly set in stone

Thanks

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{Ed002's Note - It is what it has been explained to be. I really don't want to open it up again now.}

19 Jan 2015 05:59:45
And I know he was at utd, before people start chatting, just a comparison.

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18 Jan 2015 17:02:50
{Ed001's Note - We have posted a new confirmed transfer entitled, Gameiro, Ryan and the latest Liverpool Rumour roundup

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Good article Reet.

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Very good Reet! Will his be posted to the blog section Ed?

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Nice easy to read fair play dude

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19 Jan 2015 01:40:22
Thanks all.

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18 Jan 2015 16:32:10
Ed can you tell me where my post on sakho has gone? Is it to do with my reply or something else?

Thanks

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{Ed002's Note - No idea. Sorry.}

18 Jan 2015 15:56:47
Hey eds an everyone else since migs has been back in goal I've noticed that he's kicking the ball up the pitch more often rather than trying to dink it out wide to the wing backs do you think he has been told to do this or is it just the way the games have played out.

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I agree. And have no problem not having a ball playing keeper. If he can be thought to be more commanding on corners and Crosses. We would have a very good keeper. As I believe he up among the best shot stoppers in the prem.

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I agree there's no problem with it dinking it to the wing backs only invites pressure when they don't win it or goes straight out for a throw. Was just wondering if migs Woudve been told to do this as his kicking hasn't been good.

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Deffo to do with his dodgy kicking. He ain't a sweeper keeper

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18 Jan 2015 11:49:09
Gutted suso has gone, he never really got a chance after the loan. When he broke through into our team a couple of seasons back he looked really good at times and terrible at others. Really inconsistent, but promising.
His loan was successful so I can't see why he wasn't given a run in the team before selling him to see if he has lived up to that potential and brought a bit of consistency to his game. I always thought it was 50/50 if he would make it with us, it's the not knowing that annoys me. He was lightweight yes but he could kick a ball fine.

Also I'm made up the team have put a little run together and getting points on the board. I still don't see enough there to suggest we will get top 4 though, Sturridge will have to be on deadly form to even stand a chance, this team is still woefully under performing under a poor stubborn manager.
Shouldn't have taken half a season to realise your rubbish tactics don't work Brendan, glad you have finally learned that lesson though.

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Well said Mikey. Its too late to get into the top4 unless we win nearly every game we play in the league. Europa is still our best shot of playing UCL next season. U really cannot expect Saints, Man Utd, Arsenal to all slip up.
We simply cannot afford to give a manager half a season to sort himself out every time. If u do not sort yourself out in time, then your not good enough for that club. Its just like Koeman said, managers make petty excuses up to earn more time and the fans just lap it up. This God worshipping of a football manager really does need to stop, its embarassing at times.

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5 points last time i looked and we have to play all the teams above us. Indian, fill that glass half empty will you.

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Suso wasnt that good get over it for gods sake

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How do you know he wasn't that good? I don't remember him getting a run in the team this season to find out.

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How could Suso get a run when he injured himself in the game he scored, had an op and was out until December?

He played 21 first team games and aside from 2/3 flashes looked way off the pace.

Hopefully he has a good career in Italy because I like the lad.

We can't give extended trials to kids in the PL. It's unforgiving.

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I think the thought is he could have gotten a run out last year rather then sending him on a random loan and subsequently spending £7M on a similar sort of player in Alberto.

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That is how pathetic our youth policy is under BR and his hapless vision for LFC`s youngsters. He has them on the bench to look like they ay get a chance and YET doesn`t play them. He would rather loan out Suso, Tex, Wisdom, or sell Kelly, or Ibe and buy Alberto and loan in Moses and Manquillo (who isn`t that bad but is he better than Wise and Kels?) and winds up NEVER playing either of them. So, not only are the yougsters made to look like not being good enuff, their replacements rot on the bench. Result? We are screw both ways with BR`s dreadful mismanagement. Incompetence and clueless management comes to mind which BR is the sole responsible. My hope is that this FSG revamp will yield a better vision for our club and BR will not be overseeing that.

As for the top 4, BR has spent HALF a seasonbeing a jerk and trying to force his useless tactics, his faves (Allen, GJ, ) and failed system down our throats to the point of nausea hence, proving himself wrong while wasting all our time trying to prove us wrong. Now we have to play catchup while the other teams are still plugging away. BR has sabotaged our season by being stubborn and IMO, will pay the price come this summer. There is still hope for a top 4 finish because mathetically, it is still VERY possible and we have to keep believing. We just have to play every game till the end and let the chips fall where they may. Here`s to hoping BR will not bring GJ and Allenn back into the team just to prove another useless and stupid point.

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How can you say we have little or no chance of getting in the top 4?
Every team who is in the hunt for the top 4 won this weekend.
I can't remember the last time that happened.
In this league points will be lost by all of the teams chasing 4th and 3rd between now and the end of the season.
In recent weeks we have got closer but there is still work to be done.
The good thing is that the players look up for the fight.
Better late than never!

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18 Jan 2015 11:44:19
Good win against the Villans. Much better performance than the shambolic one against them at Anfield.

Just got a quick question for you guys. Who do you think should be made vice-captain next season? Hendo will most likely be promoted to Captain when Gerrard leaves so who'll be his replacement?

Sakho is looking more and more assured in defence and has remarkable leadership qualities, having been made captain of PSG at the age of 17 if I'm not wrong.

However, I'm going to go for Lucas, who has been immense in midfield. He may have lost a bit of pace since his injuries under Dalglish but his positioning and reading of the game is top class. Apart from Matic and Schneiderlin, I think we have one of the best defensive mids in the league.

To think abt how he has come when he was labelled a flop when he first arrived at Anfield. He took so long to adapt to the league and couldn't get a game due to us having Gerrard-Alonso-Mascherano in midfield (arguably the best centre mid trio in Europe back then). Now he's such an assured presence in midfield and makes so many key tackles and interceptions effortlessly.

I've been very impressed at how hard he's worked to force his way back into Rodgers' plans recently. Since he came back we have only lost once in 14 games. And that was when he was dropped against Man Utd.

I think he would be a great vice captain, judging by how far he has come. Kinda like Hendo, who was labelled an expensive British flop but now he's unstoppable and captain elect.

On a side note, his exuberant celebration of Lambert's goal was fantastic. It shows his passion and love for the club. Nice to see the lads celebrating in such a manner with the away fans. I really hope we don't sell Lucas to Inter and that he gets promoted to vice captain next season.

Thoughts?

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IllyasRed, unfortunately Lucas will not be at the club next season. Brendan has severed him from the club too badly for a way back now. He will stay at the club till the season's end outof respect for LFC and then move to Inter in the summer. Its a shame the club continues to pamper passengers like Allen, Enrique and Johnson while valuable first team players get culled out to make way for some more Brendan boys. Lucas would have made a great VC but our stubborn manager just cannot see sense until its too late.

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18 Jan 2015 12:51:20
Might depend on how Sahko's command of English is developing but could make sense to have a defender as VC. Lallana is the other obvious candidate. Love Lucas but not sure he's the most vocal or natural leader

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Actually Lucas is quite vocal and is always organising the defenders and telling players to get into position, under rated, intelligent player.

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I loved seeing lucas jump into the crowd on his own too, he seemed so pleased!

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Br`s mismanagement of Lucas, Sahko, Suso and even Balo as well as his dithering and complete stupidity and stubborness that cost us half a season, should be sacked for these sins alone and hopefully come this summer, he will be relieved of his post. And to be consistent, I wanted Rafa gone in his final season whether we won games or not so BR is no different, IMO. If Lucas wants to go, he should be applauded for having the patience to deal with such a two-faced manager and having the best interests of LFC at heart.

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19 Jan 2015 08:17:41
Lucas, Sakho and Lallana are all good candidates for me and i wouldn't mind running it on an 'as and when' basis of who fits the bill best per game. However my preferences would probably be:

1. Lucas
2. Lallana
3. Sakho

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IF Lucas stays then for me he is the only option. I just doubt whether or not he wil still be here.

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18 Jan 2015 10:18:15
Been reading about our supposed interest in Mat Ryan, so had a look on YouTube to see what the fuss was about. I know it's not the best way, but probably all I've got available at the moment. Obviously only shows his best bits, but does anyone else think that he has a lot of Pepe Reina about him?

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18 Jan 2015 10:38:43
Looks a descent player but he would have to stand on a box to play in the Premier league , unfortunately , he is not as tall as some of our midfield players .

If we do sign him let's hope he doesn't go to pieces at 28 like Reina did .

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1.84m in height, just over 6ft

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18 Jan 2015 12:52:04
Lloris is about the same height isn't he?

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Why all this obsession about height? Granted some may feel worried (including me) that a potential GK is only 6 feet tall, but Ryan has a very good leap, very quick of his line and a has a stocky powerful build. He will be a fine GK for us if we get him, and his distribution is just awesome. Does not think at all before pinging the ball forwards and his kicks still find their intended target.

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Height is not the most important thing. Like a not-so-tall player who is a good header of the ball, height is not the issue. Timing and anticipation is. Take Carnavaro and Ivan Zamorano for example. Zamorano was deadly in the air NOT because he was tall BUT because he had a DEADLY sense of timing which is why he was called him the Hellicopter. Carnavaro was the same. He had the uncanny ability to beat much taller strikers to the ball. All in all, Height is NOT everything in football. Timing, anticipation, and a desire to get to the ball are more important, IMO.

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19 Jan 2015 08:19:48
Reina was a shorty (for a keeper). Speed and positioning are more important. let's face it - Casillas is hardly a giant at 6ft either!

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Can't comment. never seen him and refuse to you tube players.
I just hope he fits what we need which is basically Reina without the beef with Rodgers.

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18 Jan 2015 09:28:15
Ed

Is Balotelli injured or just not in Rodgers squad plans at the minute?

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{Ed002's Note - The club said he has been ill.}

That old pre-transfer chestnut.

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Daley, he is staying mate?

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According to our manager, he wasn't even joining scouse!

He might not, but if the manager did tell everyone he was leaving, then it might direct more unnecessary crap at the club.

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18 Jan 2015 08:35:27
Eds, are we interested in Matthew Ryan and Kevin Gameiro? Thanks.

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{Ed002's Note - Use the search function or read the posts.}

18 Jan 2015 08:53:18
BR Stating that we are regaining our identity. Who lost it in the first place

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18 Jan 2015 09:55:00
I'd say it was some of the"fans" who lost our identity by turning on the manager so soon.

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Since when?

'89?

'2005?

Finishing second last season?

Finishing second under Rafa?

The resignation of Shanks?

The resignation of the King?

The Moores family selling?

You see, that answer means nothing, does it? If it does, then please elaborate because your chatting it.

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Keep it coming Simsimo.

Nice.

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Davey, I don't understand your point/s.

I have to agree with Simsimo, very sad that so many fans have turned on the manager after seeing the football he had the team playing last season.

There is a limit to how much time that buys him given earlier results, team selections, use of the youth players and so on but I for nothing else other than the dozens of games I enjoyed last year, am willing to give BR time to get that back.

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"We lost our identity". And who`s fault is that? Don`t be fooled by his political, fault-avoiding spin. We did not lose our identity. BR took it away from us by employing a boring possession system which yielded nothing in his first 6 months when he arrived INSTEAD of just sticking to the high-press system that almost won us the league last year. If it ain`t broke, don`t fix it. I know we did not have SAS this year BUT we don`t have them now either YET we`re doing better now. What does that tell you? It shows that BR spent half a season screwing the team up by playing players out of position and against their nature and alienating the very same players (Sakho, Lucas, Can, Borini) who are in top form in favor of his faves (GJ, Allen and to some extent, SG) who were aweful yet played every game. I wanted Rafa gone whether he won games or not in his final season so even if we get Top 4 and /or win a trophy, I still want him sacked because his mismanagement and cockups have gone on long enuff.

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18 Jan 2015 07:23:27
Very pleased with the run, credit where it is due and glad brendan has found a way to get us winning again. that's it!

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Found a way of getting us to win again when Rodgers could have just stuck to the same formula from last season? The arrogance of BR to say that we have found our identity again really makes me livid. Do not get me wrong, I am much more happier with our recent results but if BR never decided to go with his inept system of play from the start of the season then we would be much higher up the table. Could have possibly be challenging for the title again.

There is no reason why Rodgers will not once again return to his rubbish slow build up, pass out from the back til you are blue in the face system and then eventually try to find a gap to pass it into the back of the oppositions net.

Leopards never change their spots.

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18 Jan 2015 10:03:04
The change in tactics was not an intended one but a necessary one ,Rogers had to change his system because he had lost the pace of suarez and sturridge and this changed the whole team dynamic because lambert etc could not stretch defences through running through the channels and our whole attack would falter,,it is only since he has used the pace of sterling who is not an out an out striker have we reverted back to last years style if play. ,,give the team and Brendan a chance he is the most successful British manager % win wise at the moment in th pl!!we have stick with him when sturridge comes back and if we get another good striker and gk we will be a force.

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See, the change in because Rodgers had to is an excuse!

Rodgers persisted with Balotelli and then Lambert up on their own game after game when it was clear it was not working.

If change in system that is working better now by starting with pace and mobility up top then there is no reason why it could not have worked instead of having Balotelli or Lambert up on their own.

Rodgers is to blame for our poor season as much as some one to give him credit for our return to form over the last 6 EPL matches or so.

Now all of a sudden he needs to be praised when clearly he had no clue what he was doing in the first half of this season. If he was not so arrogant then we would be far better off now.

Is he going to change? I doubt it.

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Blazing: they had all summer to address Suarez departure and to replace him. They didn't .

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"They" is the correct term, not Rogers fault he wanted Sanchez, Costa etc. and was let down and given Balo, who he didn`t really want.
If he had got his choice of Sanchez and Studge had stayed fit, where would we be ? At very worst 3rd place may I suggest.

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{Ed002's Note - Sanchez was never going to move to Liverpool. Costa was never going to move to Liverpool.}

Rodgers decided who to buy at the end of the day and clearly wouldn't have ended up with those players if he had just given clear instructions as to the type of player we wanted. If there weren't any available he should have given the academy kids a chance until there was one availabe rather than spending loads of money on completely the wrong players.

Nobody in their right mind would change the winning formula from last season. I don't care if we don't have suarez and sturridge anymore because he should have bought players like them, even if they weren't as proven or as expensive, just to fit the system. The team had belief in that system and we were on fire, we would play much better as a team even if suarez had left, the team still survives, we replace him like for like as close as we can and move forward.

Instead he brought in players all over the shop he had no idea what to do with, changed the team to his broken system that didn't work in the first place from one that nearly wo n us the league last year. That mistake is bad enough in itself but if he had changed it when he realised it wasnt working, no problem.

But he didnt. He stayed with the same broken system and awful, liability stricken players for just over half a bloody season. His arrogance trip has cost us a title challenge, a run in the champions league and most probably a champions league place for next year. All our hard work all for nothing. It is only when everyone was calling for his head and he comes under extreme criticism he changes the system, just to save his own skin in a blaze of desperation, and then takes all the credit for a small, slight upturn in performance which was entirely down to the fact the system prior to this was absolutely woeful and held our talented squad back- any small tweak would have seen an upturn in performance.

He will go back to his old system when it suits him, we will struggle again when he does that, because i see no signs of enlightenment or atonement in rodgers for the events of the first half of the season.

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Awesome post, Woolback! If some want to give him credit for being less of a jerk in the media, being a clueless manager, for making the club less of a joke, for under-achieving less w/ a very talented and expensive squad, for wasting half a season trying to force his failed system down our throats thus virtualy ruining our fortunes this year, and for sabotaging Sahko, Lucas, Can and Suso (by not giving him a fair shot) then by all means, let them. He will get no credit from me for his afore-entioned cockups and come this summer, I hope we will be rid of him.

P/S: I don`t care if he is winning games because I even wanted Rafa and KK gone regardless of their achievements because they had messed up too many times that their achievements or wins could no longer overcome their long list of screw-ups

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Clueless manager. really.
Sorry redohio.
It may seem like I am picking on you fella and that is not my intention but when you use words like "stupid" and "clueless" when describing our manager (Was he stupid and clueless last year?) it just makes me angry to be honest.
He is arrogant, stubborn, naive and perhaps talks a lot of nonsense from time to time but stupid and clueless??
Really.
How do you explain the recent turnaround then?
I agree with a lot of your posts for the record, but sometimes the mask slips and you just slate the manager for the sake of it.
I did not want Borini to start at the weekend but Rodgers did and he scored. I would have probably gone with Ibe off the bench rather than Lambert but Rodgers did and both decisions paid off.
I would not have given Raheem a week off but that worked as well.
Just a bit of balance please fella.
That's all I ask for.
If we get in the top 4 then I honestly don't mind him staying. that may annoy some but that is where I am at in regard to Rodgers.

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Barnes, I like banter so let`s do it. If you wanna give him credit for no longer wasting half a season forcing his boring system down our throats (including the players) when clearly it wasn`t working, making us less of a joke in the PL, underachieving less than we were at the start of the season, no longer sabotaging players like Sahko, Lucas, Suso Can, Borini in favor of his faves like Allen, Skrtel, GJ, for finally playing the tactics we all had been crying about for months when they were there all along then go ahead and have at it. He gets NO credit from me after the shambles that I have enumerated above. We are now playing catchup for NO reason because had he just played the system the players were used to from last year (as you say) and stuck to what had worked so well last year (as you said), we woud have stood a better chance of being higher up the table and still been in the CL because our group was weak enuff to get thru. Granted we lost LS and SD BUT he knew we wouldn`t have them and he oversaw Balo`s signing YET claims he wasn`t his choice BUT he had the power to block the Remy move. That is a manager waffling around with NO clue of what he is doing. The turnaround? What turnaround? The one that came when his job was on the line and due to injuries, he was forced to actually play Marko, Can, Lucas, Sahko, Borini where had he had his way, the last three would have been sold. Is that the turnaround? Look, if you he gets top 4, great. That doesn`t hange the facts i have mentioned above and 4th place will never change his gross mismanagement he has oversaw this season and for me, 4th place can NOT overcome these cockups and based on the Eds knowledge, it will not save him from his job come this summer. `Hope you understand my opinion and where I am coming from. Have a nice day!

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I like the idea of Rodgers just turning up on a match day like Mike Bassett and sending Liverpool out with a team written on the back of a cigarette packet but I don't believe it.
What do you actually think the manager does on a week to week basis?
I agree with a lot of the reasons why you dislike him. They are fair points but "stupid" and "clueless" No I am not having it fella.
On another note, the "let's do this" made me laugh. . Funny

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Barnes, I like banter and I`m glad you found that funny. I don`t know what a manager does everyday. I do know he doesn`t cock up as much as I mentioned and that cannot/should not be enuff to save his job. Contrary to your belief, I like BR because he as you say, was brilliant last year and had he won the PL, we would have all been over the moon. If he`s getting all the credit when we do well, he should be getting the blame. However, his sins are too much for last year`s relative success to overcome and if we don`t get even top4 this year, it will be squarely his fault and no type of word (cos obviously that is your issue here) I use would change that. If the words offend you then fine because ONLY a clueless manager would make decisions and do the things he has done w/ no reasoning whatsoever behind them. BUT they don`t change the reality of what BR has done or not done. Awaiting your response with impatience!

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Can't disagree with any of that redohio.
Apart from the word clueless:)

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18 Jan 2015 01:19:59
Henderson looked like a good leader today. Think there is something promising with him and, as expected, he will be captain next season. The lad did well.

Made up for Lambert today, loved his celebration, he is Liverpool born and bred, top man and he knows his role within the club.

Thought migs did well today, which was good to see but we still need to sure up the defence and get a keeper in.

Big 3 points and look forward to Tuesday!

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The biggest mistake in the summer was Balotelli. It's not like we couldn't have predicted it would not work out. Most of the signings fitted Rodgers profile. The club gambled on Mario and its failed miserably. Lovren at 20m also made little sense. Most of the signings I rate and I believe they'll represent decent value in the long term. Unfortunately we wasted half of the Suarez money on two players who weren't right for us. Lovren is certainly no leader. He's a disaster waiting to happen.

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Lovren made sense at the time, he is a shadow of the player he was last year.

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A bit harsh on Lovren. At SOuthampton, he had Schneiderlein and Wanyama providing cover for the central defence and playing next to Fonte is always a plus, which made them and him, look impregnable atimes. At LFC, he has SG and/or Allen as cover and plays next to Skrtel who is not our best defender at all. Proof? He now looks good w/ Can and Sahko (our best CB) and has Lucas (who BR shamelessly wanted to sell) and Hendo covering the defence instead of SG and Allen. See the diff?

All inall, I will still reserve judgement on Lovren because he needs time like Hendo, Sahko, Lallana and Marko needed time to settle.

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18 Jan 2015 01:06:31
:=D absolutely fantastic even Mignolet played at last some consistency keep it up happy to see Ibe given a chance I think he will do well good weekend to all eds and reds

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