Use our rumours form to send us liverpool transfer rumours.
20 Feb 2015 22:42:10
Has to be said, preferred the old layout. May grow on me though
21 Feb 2015 11:09:46
*deleted*
{Ed001's Note - ok you are just posting up abuse at everyone, including me, and our players. Go elsewhere, you are no longer welcome on this site. I have had to delete a whole slew of abusive imbecilic posts from someone being an utter arse, don't come back, you are pathetic.}
20 Feb 2015 22:41:25
Some fans and pundits need to get off balotellis back amd give him a chance, since sturridge came back he has been one of our best players and i can see the pair of them alomg with ibe and sterling being a great attacking threat, don't know where origi will fit in just yet or if he is up to their standard
21 Feb 2015 03:55:16
The pundits are beginning to see that Balo is playing better and getting goals or assists hence, they are having eggs on their faces for the ie being . So now, they are criticizing him about the dumbest of things like he didn`t smile, didn`t celebrate, gave a bad pass blah, blah, blah. They just sound desperate ando this in a bit to hide the fact that Balo has made a mockery of all their pre-concieved notions about him. They will NEVER leave him alone and provided he keeps improving, they will only sound even more jealous, deluded and desperate to slate him and long may it continue.
21 Feb 2015 05:25:42
Well the most recent storm started because of the comments of one particular pundit called Steven Gerrard - the media just quoted him.
21 Feb 2015 08:16:11
Don't know why Gerrard made those comments. Balotelli was most likely to score, Henderson. who knows he doesn't take many and Sturridge shouldn't be allowed near penalties. I suspect the players as well as the manager have already turned on Balotelli.
21 Feb 2015 11:02:33
Mourinho did the same to Hazard last year after the Champions League semi against Athletico. Wonder how many chelsea fans were calling him embarrassing and telling him to shut up? Mario clearly responds more to a kick than a hug, or at least a mix of both. Even his agent criticises him in public!
20 Feb 2015 21:34:38
Not really Liverpool related specifically but football in general.
Wasn't the world a much simpler place when If a player was offside, then he was offside and you got a free kick!!?
Now it's was he 'active' 'daylight', 'interfering with play', 'gaining an advantage' MADNESS !!! Bring back the days where If he's off then he's off.
20 Feb 2015 23:12:51
No it made no sense. If anyone was standing offside then it was judged as offside. That ruins the game in my opinion. Football should be about goals and a goal shouldn't be disallowed simply because someone who wasn't anywhere near the ball is offside. It's stupid.
The rule that the player needs to be active is quite easy to get your head around. Why is anyone having trouble understanding it? If you play a part in the goal and you're offside then it's offside. Simple.
21 Feb 2015 00:38:17
I remember after it was brought in, SkySports wanted two refs to come in and help explain it and there were no takers! I still say one rule should come in and that is daylight between attacking player and last defender, not all this, well his left boot was past the line of the defender and as that can score a goal, the player is offside!
20 Feb 2015 21:12:52
Eds, there's been a lot of talk about pjanic. And while many hope it's true, I for one cringe anytime we're linked with a player that excels in the Italian league. It doesn't seem to matter how great a player is supposed to be, the move from Italy to the Prem just never works out. Whether that's due to the pace or physicality or style of play I'm not sure. But my question is, can you think of any players (not just for Liverpool) that have made the switch and been successful? I've been racking my brain and can't seem to think of any. And a follow up to anyone who reads this, who do you think has been the most successful Italian (by nationality) in the premier league?
{Ed002's Note - Pjanic is not Italian and would cost a lot more than Liverpool would be able to pay. Zola has probably been the most successful.}
20 Feb 2015 22:05:43
Zola was the most successful, wonderful footballer and an infinitely likable bloke too boot.
20 Feb 2015 22:27:45
Zola Edd? What about Aqualani?
20 Feb 2015 22:41:11
Marco Materazzi?!
20 Feb 2015 23:36:44
Zola, di Matteo, vialli, ravenelli, di Canio to name but a few. And also didn't wenger buy Henry from Juve?
21 Feb 2015 00:01:52
FFP may not be keen on a Pjanic buy
21 Feb 2015 03:02:10
Lucas seems to have done pretty well for us.
21 Feb 2015 05:58:40
I can't believe no one gave a shout for Benito Carbone. :)
21 Feb 2015 06:43:26
Lucas who we bought from a Brazilian team??
21 Feb 2015 07:40:24
Especially if it's a last minute Pjanic buy.
21 Feb 2015 15:29:50
I now realize coutinho came from inter. Surely he's been a success. I have proven myself wrong. There are some players that can make the transition from series a to the prem. But few.
20 Feb 2015 20:17:18
On the upside of possible future FFP sanctions for Liverpool; it might help a few more of our talented youth players make the step up if we need to sell players to balance the books. You never know, but maybe much of the unintentional incompetence could inadvertently benefit Liverpool long-term. What is clear is that most of the young players given the chance have not let the club down and in most cases have been excellent. Thank you Segura Borrell and Rafa.
20 Feb 2015 19:47:21
Love this new layout:
I am looking forward to the Blackburn game and hope that Mario Balotelli scores as he would have scored in 5 separate competitions in one season for us. This season has been a disappointment but at least now we have Jordon Ibe in the squad and Danny Sturridge fit. Out of the summer signings I must admit that they are a huge improvement on the summer before.
20 Feb 2015 20:23:42
Thought he had scored in the FA Cup?
20 Feb 2015 21:42:39
I think brentan should be in charge of who takes pens and the players accept and respect that. have to say Ibe was just fantastic last night, only played a handful of times but so much potential and fearless to. Running at opponents, often past them, with experience the final ball will improve, him and sterling running at defences is a frightening thought. A great boost for the team and will keep those older ones on their toes even more. Has anyone noticed his impact/energy wains as the game goes on? guess that's as he is young and learning as are the defenders
20 Feb 2015 19:28:07
Is this really happening? The balotelli brigade? All I say is thank god these fans aren't managers and let's see him do it week in week out for 90 minutes, not 10 here 20 there! Where the f**k are the standards?
Based on this week people would go oh we can sell sturridge now because of how good ballo is!!!
Ballotelli does what ballotelli does, nothing except 10 important goals every career (per club) and is put in the same bracket of the proper footballers, that's why he just shoots from 30 yards out because one will go BANG in the top corner and he will lauded as a worldy! Does nothing, will be nothing! Summer transfer window come on!!!
20 Feb 2015 20:22:03
That ain't a bad shout. we must be able to get atleast 35mil for sturridge.
20 Feb 2015 20:33:09
Personally I've never given up on balotelli and I've been one of his biggest supporters since he arrived. I have no doubt he could be a big player for us.
the fact remains, without balotelli in the past 3 games, we are looking at 3 draws. He deserves praise for that.
If this were Suarez, everyone would be defending him. Let's get behind mario.
20 Feb 2015 21:05:36
Naughty naughty lavers
20 Feb 2015 21:32:52
Idiotic post. Hate fans like you. Jerk
21 Feb 2015 00:50:05
Balotelli has done well when he has come on is all people are saying. Probably because when he comes on he is part of a front two.
He still has a long way to go, his pressing and work rate still aren't really all the way there. But he is playing well when he comes on.
21 Feb 2015 03:04:13
Ibe won us the game, not Mario.
21 Feb 2015 03:59:12
Disagree RDL. Ibe did his part and so did Balo and the rest of the team.
20 Feb 2015 18:42:27
Hi ed033. I like the new layout used for the site on all device's. I have one query though for when i'm using the site on my Ipod. The " Create new post" to the right of the screen which follow's you as you scroll down, could this maybe be made a bit smaller as it can intrude onto post's when you're reading. Nothing major but just a suggestion. Thank's for all the hard work.
{Ed033's Note - i have to have the text "Create New Post" on the button otherwise when it used to say POST, people email in saying, "how do i create a new post"?
The button has to be wide enough so when you click on it, it registers a click and slides out, hence why it's that wide.
The reason it follows you down the screen is because then it is easy for people to create a new post at any time.
The problem is, most people don't post and would probably prefer it not to be there on a mobile device.
An answer maybe to make the button transparent with just an outline and a hint of outlined text.
20 Feb 2015 21:10:45
Could it go on the left? I'm thinking right handed people make up the majority of visitors
20 Feb 2015 18:56:41
Seriously just want to say how much I enjoy watching Ibe play he is top quality so strong for a player that age
I mean Sterling is very good but I've never been so in awe of a player coming true the ranks bravo LFC
Sinclair and Ojo next ! ! ! Yes please
20 Feb 2015 20:54:42
Just my opinion but I think Ibe has the potential to be better than Stirling.
20 Feb 2015 18:50:10
Although i haven't been to a game before i must admit i have never heard of any songs for sturridge, he desrves one i think he could walk into nearly any team on the back of his performances for us.
The human league - don't you want me
Daniel Sturridge baby. Daniel Sturridge ooohhhhhh
Its a few simple words but i got to to say its catchy but you kina need to hear the actual song first
20 Feb 2015 20:53:11
Ooooohhhh Danny Boy the net the net is bulging.
I'll get my coat.
21 Feb 2015 00:21:17
Daniel Sturridge definitely deserves a song but I've got a great one for Sakho
(To the tune of push pineapple shake a tree)
MAMA do do do
His name Sakho he's a brut
Mama do do do
He's a ****in unit too
To the left To the Right
He gives attackers such a fright
To the left To the right
There'll be no goals scored TONIGHT
MAMA do do do. . .
21 Feb 2015 03:06:47
I'm still trying to wrap my head around what Mario has done to deserve a song. It's good that he's getting support, but I do think the level of it he is getting compared to others who have been doing much more for much longer is really strange.
21 Feb 2015 06:51:36
Classic tune, I can see sakho laughing even time he hears it!!! Brilliant
20 Feb 2015 18:41:01
Non penalty post: Can we beat Southampton and who do you play?
I thought Lovren did well again and Mario has done enough for me to start.
I would bring Lovren in and move Can to where Allen was playing. I would then drop Coutinho and Lallana and have a front 3 of Sterling Balotelli and Sturrdige.
Any takers on that side?
20 Feb 2015 19:28:17
I think Mario is best as a sub, at least I've seen that from the last few games.
Bring him on around the 65-70 minutes mark, if we are chasing a result, when the other team start getting leggy. I don't think Mario is up for running for 90 mins with our pressing style. I might be wrong though.
20 Feb 2015 20:55:29
I agree, Lovren in, Allen to the Bench and Can in midfield.
20 Feb 2015 21:59:06
Ollieston: Great, so we will pay our subs 150kweek. Two more players like this and we are in bankrupt.
20 Feb 2015 18:36:38
What's this about a penalty?? Did I miss something? Lol
Well done ballo, been the difference in a few games in a row now. Credit where it's due etc. shame the penny took so long to drop though.
20 Feb 2015 17:40:58
Last night
I want my top players wanting to take responsibility.
Squad players injured or suspended should not be pundits on there own games.
It's just a ridiculous situation they put themselves in.
It wasn't Embarassing, there was no argument or snatching of the ball, Hendo was ok with it, not happy but ok.
Sturridge got involved, ( team player, not last night, reminded of the days he was getting dragged off), and Gerard should have said the lads sorted it out on the pitch, he scored, end of. , but no his opinion should have been given in the dressing room not on Telly, which if he goes that route he will make Owen sound interesting.
Is Gerard going to cause trouble before he goes Ed 001 keeps hinting he's no "team" player.
Goal scored what's the problem
20 Feb 2015 19:19:33
I think Gerrard put himself into Jordan Henderson's shoes and felt that Mario had underminded Jordan, the armband (captaincy) on the field of play and didn't pay heed to the managers orders. When I saw it happening it didn't look good. I must admit.
Gerrard also said that Balotelli did well to score it, but it would be interesting in the dressing room, if he had of missed it.
21 Feb 2015 04:09:30
Looks like like BR ade SG look stupid by saying Balo was right to take the penalty for obvious reasons. He might have done that in a bid to diffuse the situation BUT SG should have just kept quiet and siad, "players do that all the time because they have strong characters and relish responsibility. They hugged it out and to me that`s it". Simple as but he had to have an opinion and thanks to BR, he now looks dumb.
20 Feb 2015 17:27:28
Just want to give my take on the balotelli penalty situation. I think the main reason Henderson stuttered to give the ball to balotelli was because sturridge was obviously in his ear telling him he doesn't deserve to take it as they had put a shift in the whole night. But from what I saw (which was the second half) Henderson and sturridge were wasteful the whole half and in attack where stopping our attacks. Balotelli was brilliant and our only real threat. So many of our players were so lack lustre that second half, I was suprised how besiktas never looked like punishing us, but the only player running our attack was balo. He was certainly the rightful penalty taker as Daniel would probably miss and Henderson isn't a great set peice taker himself. The best in this team are Gerrard, lambert and balotelli. If one of them is on the pitch they take it. Nothing to do with etticate, they are the most established to take them and that's final. Suarez was awful at penalties and he understood this.
20 Feb 2015 19:24:29
Two people were out of order last night and Balotelli was not one of them.
Sturridge was the main culprit, stirring things up like a little spoilt kid when it wasn't warranted. He would have preferred Henderson to take that penalty for one reason only - ie he doesn't want Balotelli to upstage him in any way. He is such a selfish player that he would rather Henderson, who has no track record whatsoever of taking high pressure penalties, take it before an expert penalty taker. I like Sturridge but he is in danger of believing his own hype and needs to realise that to reach the very top level you have to have more awareness than selfishness. He was greedy all night, right from that early shot from an impossible angle, to holding on too long and losing possession.
I can guarantee that EVERY Liverpool supporter in the ground or watching on television would be wanting Balotelli to take that penalty before Henderson. Despite it being counter-productive it would have been interesting to see what people would have thought of Sturridge's big mouth had Henderson taken it and missed.
Incidentally, the 2nd person out of order was obviously Gerrard, another one who looks like he wants to stir things up before he leaves. He's probably p*ss*d off that the team now play better without him. the only thing he proved last night was why he will never make a Manager.
21 Feb 2015 04:13:32
BR said Balo was right to take the pen which makes Studge, Hendo and SG (especially) look like mugs. If SG is not on the field, Balo takes the pens then Lambo if necessary. The rest should take a day off.
21 Feb 2015 04:32:34
I don't think Brendan would assign Henderson as penalty taker just because he was captain. Don't you think they would practice them in training? If he does well at them, and was comfortable to take responsibility, I say he was in his right to take it. Just my opinion though
20 Feb 2015 17:06:35
Thought Gerrard was totally out order last night regarding his comments about Balo.For the last 10 years how many free kicks or corners have we had and who has taken most of them yes Gerrard and how many of them have never beat the 1st man, I say an awful lot but he keeps on taking them so where is his respect for his team mates in not allowing other players to take.
Gerrard should be made to apologise to Balo live on TV, an utter disgrace, if your going to say things like that you say it behind close doors, I totally agree with Peter Reid's comments.
20 Feb 2015 15:13:28
After seeing Mignolets form rise, Can looking great as a CB and probably the same in midfield, Ibe proving himself useful for attack and Lovren/Ballotelli no longer looking like the worst signings we've ever made.
We're is the most important area to strengthen in the summer? Do we need 3 players for 3 positions or just one great player to strengthen one problem area?
For me, assuming a tight budget and not going into player sales, increased tv money extra, let's say we have £15-£20m this summer window. A figure I believe is realistic. I would only buy the best goalkeeper we could afford. Although Migs is doing well most clubs at the level we want to be at, have two top quality keepers.
Even selling, releasing or retiring Toure, Gerrard, Enrique, Johnson, Lambert, Borini, Aspas etc we have enough youth products and returning loan players to have a great squad. One top GK and any other income used towards debt reduction is a perfect window for me. We, for me at that point, would have 2 quality players for almost every position. Only LB/LWB where I'd like to see Smith/Flanno in as cover for Moreno is an unsure position. But I'd rather see what we have there and then use the Jan window if required.
{Ed002's Note - What increased TV money?}
20 Feb 2015 16:03:10
Is the TV cash the following season then?
Would £15-20m window budget not be a good estimated figure for a top 6 club expecting to compete for the title?
I see a GK, CM and striker are positions we are looking at this window. It's just my opinion that we have enough in midfield as regardless the formation we only play 2 CMs, even 4-3-3 it's 2 plus an attacker like Coutinho or Lallana. Upfront it tends to be one striker so with youth prospects needing an opportunity, plus players able to cover. I think only a GK is required really. I'd rather buy one GK a top quality one for the £15-20m (if that's the budget) then our usual mediocre cheaper option and buy a further two players which aren't a necessity and again cheaper midrange quality.
I just think our squad is at a point with its quality and age where we could buy one top player, if required, per window on an area we really need and any funds generated go towards debt reduction.
Surely a club of our stature, league and competition placings, match day, tv and sponsorship etc etc could expect £15-20m for a summer window? Even Hull, Everton and a like have that.
Without getting deep into finances you don't wish to discuss am I really massively wide of the mark with that expectation? I'm not championing spending £40m on Pjanic or Benzema etc etc.
{Ed002's Note - The new TV deal will begin in 2016/2017 - not this season and not next season. As for your estimated figure it is simply speculation. Liverpool are one of the clubs under investigation for FFP irregularities - going in to the finances simply confuses everyone here for some reason. Budgets don't get set on stature but on income. Liverpool has massive debts to service - they have to start selling to buy. If they wish to borrow more money to spend on players there is nothing stopping them - but it will bring sanctions from UEFA. I appreciate no one here seems to understand that.}
20 Feb 2015 17:40:17
Omega man, with Sturridges constant injuries do you not think that a proven striker is a real requirement. I understand the money concerns but we were terrible with Sturridge missing and I think that issue needs to be remedied.
20 Feb 2015 17:47:13
Not the end of the world though Ed002.
We have loads of players we could sell on that are not really seen as part of the squad.
I counted 11 players who we could sell and use the academy and buy 1 or 2 good players with the proceeds.
{Ed002's Note - And that is what the club has to look to do. Balance the books.}
20 Feb 2015 17:48:38
Ok thanks Ed002. I do understand we're in debt and FFP are keeping a close eye. I thought I wasn't talking silly figures, but maybe any amount is too much?
I'm speculating, correct. I'm also just going on replies I've seen from EDs suggesting we are looking at three positions. I think my speculative window spending is low, realistic and aimed towards promoting youth and reducing debt.
I'm really not looking to argue or come across as some idiot who can't understand finances. Not at all. I agree I have no idea about the size of our debt, the level of income or streams that generate. When I said stature, it was to mean league placing and our position on the rich list for income from global support. We always seem to be in the top 4 in UK and top 10 in Europe (can only go on Deloitte, don't have insider knowledge). So I'd thought £15-20m for the 9th highest earning club in Europe for a summer window was not a stupid figure to encourage conversation.
No offence ever.
{Ed002's Note - Whilst Liverpool might be the ninth highest earning they have spent year-on-year spending more than they earn. That is why they have winnings currently withheld and are under investigation. Why should Liverpool be exempt from the rules - they are already far over the expenditure limits and likely heading for some sort of sanctions next season?}
20 Feb 2015 22:59:49
Ok thanks ED. I don't believe Liverpool should be exempt from any rules. I really wasn't aware of that being their situation.
Well like JonnyBarnes said, we could sell around 8 and with two big earners leaving, plus maybe a release (as that often happens) I would then use any transfer funds generated and still within any restrictions etc soley on a decent GK.
Mcgoveb, I agree DS is made of glass and is a full season player. But we have Ibe, Sterling and Markovic already able to play upfront if required. I can't see us selling Borini and Balotelli as they either won't leave or we want too much. If anything one will go (my prediction anyway). I expect Lambert to go.
We have Yesil, Dunn and those mentioned above that totals if fit 7 players able to play in one space. Maybe I've even missed one?
My point is if we haven't got a load of cash I'd rather spend on an area were we are really weak and short of options, cause as great as Mignolet has been, he isn't quite top draw. If he were to get injured I don't see Jones as a great GK and Ward is untried although well regarded. Plus it doesn't appear any really push Mignolet to the point that BR had to that by dropping him. Look at the teams who constantly challenge for trophies across the top leagues, they have two quality international keepers. In fact teams who won the league last few decades had Schmiechel, Seamen, Hart, Cech, Barthez, van der Sar as No.1, all top quality and in recent years when squads play a bigger part those four teams have had two top level keepers.
You could argue that Utd no longer have this, just one and look at them now.
I'd just loath to think if we generated £15m, we'd buy 3 players of medium to good, adding to two areas where we already have a sizeable pool to choose from and make do with a cheaper GK instead of just getting one that could really make a difference. Sorry, just feel strongly that we waste money and oppertunity, we have a great young squad and I just see us lacking in one area.
20 Feb 2015 15:12:49
Rodgers has come out and said that Henderson was nominated the penalty takers before the game but when Mario or Steven are on the pitch they take the penalties and that Henderson 'gave' the ball to Mario.
He also said it was the "etiquette that wasn't as we would have liked last night." I hope it puts to bed any sort of complaining about how Mario even though he is the best penalty taker should've have taken the penalty off Henderson. Henderson responded well in the post match interview though!
21 Feb 2015 04:18:43
I guess that leaves Studge, SG and the rest of the pathetic anti-Balo hate brigade with rotten eggs on their faces.
20 Feb 2015 13:39:37
Ed 33 when replying, is it possible to make the little box remember what you put, I wrote 2 paragraphs and accidentally clicked outside the box and it all disappeared, I'm not sure if it will be sent through or, just deleted.
{Ed033's Note - i think the best way is to have it stick there even if you click outside. And to close it, there would need to be a close button.
20 Feb 2015 14:44:49
Whilst obviously the whole penalty situation has been over-debated if anything, I just wanted to acknowledge Emre Can's reaction. I was only watching on TV but it looked like he was telling Sturridge off for not celebrating? Seems a real team player does Can, that's the kinda of bollocking you want to see
20 Feb 2015 15:41:28
Can is a top lad and not afraid to be vocal and quite right too as he is built like a tank and hard as nails to back up his ability.
20 Feb 2015 16:01:35
Where can you see that mate? Just tried a good site for highlights, but didn't show that?
Not disputing it like; just like to see that too.
{Ed001's Note - they showed it on BeIn Sports' coverage of it, maybe try searching on that? Might be something to be found that way.}
20 Feb 2015 18:08:53
Ta ed; I'll have a look now.
21 Feb 2015 04:24:05
Can fears NOBODY and Studge doesn`t wanna mess with him, I can tell you that much. Can is a leader and fierce competitor. Go ask the Bayern squad about the way he almost ripped a senior player (Schweinsteiger I beleve) a new one when a tackle went too far in hs opinion. He is also captain of the German youth squad so he has no qualms ripping a teammate if he is out of line which Studge was. BR had better diffuse this if we wanna progress to top 4 come end of season.
20 Feb 2015 14:03:34
Jesus the media absolutely ripping into mario over this penalty . In my honest opinion when I seen hendo stepping up to take it my heart sank and was over the moon when mario took it off him I'm happy they fighting over who want to take it shows passion and wanting to to put it away for the team just the media as usual blowing things over the top as usual
20 Feb 2015 15:38:14
Where can you see that mate? Just tried a good site for highlights, but didn't show that?
Not disputing it like; just like to see that too.
20 Feb 2015 15:42:06
All I care is that it went in, everything else is irrelevant, nothing to see here.
20 Feb 2015 16:01:12
Sorry; was sure I'd replied to the post above this, but clearly not!
Sorry boys!
20 Feb 2015 14:01:14
At the beginning of season I predicted Mario.B would score less than 10 goals in all comps.
I have now changed my mind as we have the new Ian Rush on our books.
I quite fancy Mario s Mustache and I think its going to make mario play magical like MR Rush.
21 Feb 2015 04:30:29
The pundits and media know with every good perf that Balo has is another blow to their credibility so now, they are criticizing him for the dumbest of things. Didn`t pass the ball w/ the right part of the foot, didn`t smile, didn`t laugh, didn`t shake the ref`s hand on the way to the locker room, bla, bla, bla. When he doesn`t score, they rip on him. He scores and plays well, they rip him for doing that. The boy can`t do anything right. I am not his biggest fan BUT I can no longer stand the shameless way they treat him in the media and for that alone, I will defend him especially if he keeps playing well and improving.
20 Feb 2015 13:41:02
I'm in complete shock that everyone is having a go at Mario. He was the best pen taker on the pitch. And we won 1-0 due to that pen. What has the poor lad done that's so bad??
Stevie's comments were stupid.
Has he do even taken a pen before lol??
Also if BR said for hendo to take pens over Mario that's another debate but then for me he is as stupid as the rest of them.
Well in Mario, great pen!
20 Feb 2015 13:40:02
just as a point of interest.why did br appoint hendo to take penalties.i might be missing something, and he could well turn out to be a great penalty taker but i don't know at this time why he was preferred.
20 Feb 2015 15:32:00
Because Sturridge has missed three for us and Gerrard (and Balotelli) were not on the pitch at the beginning of the game. Just a guess.
20 Feb 2015 12:50:07
Ahoy - I have concerns over the revenue potential of the club in coming years.
With players such as Can, Ibe, & Ojo the club shops will lose out on millions in revenue from only printing short names on the replica shirts.
I would recommend buying Venegoor of Hesselink with a possible swoop for Gary Taylor-Fletcher.
FFP solved.
BOILED ONIONS
20 Feb 2015 13:33:44
Charge £4 per letter
20 Feb 2015 13:41:34
Knowing LFC they'll make it up by handing out 5 digit squad numbers
21 Feb 2015 07:02:30
lets buy Lacazette and Nainggolan to make up for the lose.
20 Feb 2015 12:48:57
One this I haven't seen mentioned much from last night was Mingolet's save from Demba Ba. He must have been having flashbacks as he ran clear but he did the exact right thing and really made slight angle Ba had run along count in his favour. 2 months ago he'd have run too early and ended up meeting Ba outside his box, or too late and Ba would have all the time in the world. Well done to him, I don't care which rumoured reason is true but he's really sorted himself out!
20 Feb 2015 18:03:24
I was certainly having flashbacks.
20 Feb 2015 20:58:53
Mignolet has done really well since coming back in.
21 Feb 2015 04:31:59
The flashbacks were scary at that moment.
20 Feb 2015 12:46:29
Yet another incident where the world and his wife has an opinion on something they clearly have no idea about.
Im sure there have been many incidents in your life where you, or someone you have been empathetic to, has been judged unfairly on something that gives off the wrong impression by people who do not know the full story. Bit of a pain in the backside, isn't it?
We don't know who was penalty taker before the game, last week, at half time, orif personal agreements had been made between players last week or 5 minutes ago regarding penalties. There is literally 100 different scenarios that could have caused the incident last night - balotelli disobeying either the captains or managers orders is simply one of them. Can we as fans stop pretending we know everything in the football world? How many times has football surprised us?
Zidane headbutt incident for example. Everybody thought he was mad or the pressure had got to him. Only comes out years later that materazzi had in fact condemed his family to death or something along those lines. Who had any idea it was that bad?
As for the captain, he should simply have said i have no idea what exactly happened but i will find out when i speak to the boys and deal with it then. Instead he has simply fuelled the fires of yet another balotelli hate campaign.
Maybe balotelli did disobey the captain directly, who knows. what's more important is that there was even an issue in the first place. And please stop making judgements on people you watch on tv 90 minutes a week to kicka ball around, they are human beings and i'm sure its a lot more complex than most people try to make it out to be.
For example, zidane headbutt incident. Everyone thought he was barking mad or te
20 Feb 2015 13:28:15
A lot of fuss over nothing, though I think Gerrard should have kept his mouth shut or just said, that the penalty was converted and the job done.
Was a good penalty and Balotelli has another goal, which is good for his confidence.
20 Feb 2015 14:21:32
That is what these sites are for- opinions . Those are usually founded on assumptions which are based on what we know unless another reader or Ed knows factually better. How boring would this site be if we didn't have such opinions? To be frank I'd rather read what someone thinks based on what they know at the time than what you've written which is basically don't comment until you know the facts. Sounds like a hoot.
20 Feb 2015 16:01:34
If you don't want assumptions and opinions you probably want to stay clear of a 'banter' site.
Everyone state facts from now on.
(Rolling tumbleweed)
20 Feb 2015 16:02:17
Obviously its okay swishcleaner and yes that is what the site is for. i'm just saying opinions are just opinions and
not fact and people should be more open minded.
21 Feb 2015 04:49:38
Agree that it is indeed your opinion which we are free to agree or disagree with. BR clarified the penalty situation and SG and studge now look stupid right now witheir petulant behavior. However if Zidane could not take some trash talking from an opponent then he should have taken a day off. If you think Zizou is a saint then you don`t know him as some of the rest of us do. The reason people gave him the benefit of the doubt was because everyone wanted him to win the WC because it was his last game b4 retirement. Wht many did not realise is that Zidane has always had a VERY short fuse and had head-butted, stamped on and elbowed players in the past which got him sent off and suspended and Materazzi knew that because he had played against him in the Serie A for years. In 1994, he almost broke Desailly`s nose when he elbowed him in his days in the French league and got sent of. He got sent off in the `98 WC for stamping on Fuad Amin of Saudi Arabia. He got sent off and suspended for Juve in 2000 for head butting a Hamburg player in a CL game. I can go on, if you like. He knew that if provoked, he would lash out and Zizou fell for it. So people should stop trying to gloss over his thugish conduct because he was provoked. Was he more provoked than Pele or Maradona who were nearly crippled in games due to a lack of ref protection to the point that Maradona couldn`t take it anymore and kicked Italy`s Claudio Gentile in the fam jewels and got rightfully sent off in the `82 WC? Just my opinion
20 Feb 2015 12:44:28
Peter Reid looked like he was on speed when discussing the penalty fiasco. Hilarious.
20 Feb 2015 13:38:11
But he was right about the penalty though, wasn't he?
20 Feb 2015 18:58:15
Keith, I disagree.the person who should have taken the penalty was the person that the manager said to the squad was to take it. Anyone else who demanded to take it was ignoring the managers orders.And as a professional footballer you don't do that if you want to stay at the club
20 Feb 2015 12:16:02
Been reading the many posts regarding the penalty fiasco. Its a shame in that its detracted from raising positive comments about our performance as a whole against a tricky team who had the potential to be something of a banana skin, especially when you consider their recent record (and ours in the Champ groups for that matter). I actually thought we played some good football at times, ok it wasn't a stunning performance but rather fairly solid and workmanlike.
The real talking point however, should be about Jordan Ibe, his impact on the game and how positive his recent performances have been. It serves to open up the debate of 'why hasn't he been introduced to the squad sooner' or 'should he be allowed a sustained run regardless of the availabity of more senior players'.
I liked the fact that he was always positive with the ball even when boxed in by two defenders, cut inside when the time was right and showed a mix of skill & strength. Good composure on the ball too. Their left back was prob glad to hear that final whistle. He has bags of potential.
I'm also disappointed somewhat that Hendo's ability as a capt has already been called into question over this one decision. He hardly had the ball ripped from his grasp and bottled a fight to get it back. He probably realised the better peno taker was on the field & that common sense prevailed. Is that not the sign of an unselfish leader with the team at heart? Balotelli also made a point of hugging & thanking Hendo. Rodgers should have just made that matter clearer earlier.
To both Jordans, well done lads. Just keep on doing what you're doing. !
20 Feb 2015 12:40:08
Just like to add well done Simon mignolet that save gives us a great chance to progress.
20 Feb 2015 13:30:01
Thought Ibe looked brilliant last night, pace, power, skill and always had the defender on the back foot as well as having a bag of tricks.
20 Feb 2015 16:45:45
My thoughts exactly. Hendo looked a bit frustrated with it, but as you it wasn't snatched, and Mario gave him a great big soppy hug after. I'm disappointed with Gerrard's comments over it, and it's why I'm against having players doing punditry work for their current clubs. Thought Rodgers did the right thing by just avoiding the questions.
As for Ibe, he's looking better each game for me, and the loan to Derby was right move as it gave him some regular time that I don't think he would have got here. The team player ok, but we seemed to lack a final ball and Sturridge was selfish.
All in all a good game, clean sheet, but I would have liked more than a 1 goal lead going to Turkey, I think we'll have to score there, which means another strong team before the city match.
20 Feb 2015 12:00:59
The 1-0 score was a fair one. We were the better side but only marginally. a nil nil would have been unfair to us and a 2-0 would have been unfair to them. They will be a different kettle of fish next leg when they have home advantage and if we play like we did last night we will be lucky not to concede. The penalty confusion is the manager's fault. There is supposed to be a 'penalty pecking order' as to who should take if they are on the pitch, unless they decline the right. The players should know what it is and the Captain implements it. Sturridge obviously thought he was the Number 1, Balotelli obviously thought Sturridge was Number 1 only if he (Mario) wasn't on the pitch. Henderson seemed unsure as to who was number 1.
20 Feb 2015 15:44:26
Sturridge wasn't trying to take the pen; he was telling Mario it was Hendo's to take and then told Jordan to take the ball off him. You can clearly see him say "Jordan, take the ball off him" on at least two occasions.
20 Feb 2015 12:00:19
Very Disappointed in Stevie g's comments on T.V. "Mario Balotelli showed disrespect to Henderson" - Steven Gerrard - He's the club captain, this should be discussed behind closed door's with the manager & player's & if a bollocking has to be issued so be it. But NOT in public.
Let's not lower our standards. We have more class.
YNWA.
20 Feb 2015 12:18:36
Not that I 100% agree, but this is one of many reasons that I don't like players being on TV when its their own team playing. I've seen Tim Howard do it a fair few times as well. I'm always left scratching my head - you couldn't find anyone else to fill in?
20 Feb 2015 13:31:04
Agree 100% with you, Gerrard should have just said that we scored and that's the end of it rather than airing the dirty linen in public.
20 Feb 2015 11:58:25
People are forgetting the champions league final, Alonso took the peno then from Carras instruction and there wasn't a big deal made of it. sometimes on big nights the plan goes out the window and you need the best man for the job. last night that was balo
20 Feb 2015 13:10:28
I tend to agree. Sometimes the players on the pitch are better placed to judge who the PK taker should be especially towards the end of the match with tired legs. If Balo had just fluffed two open goals there's no way he should step up whereas on the night he was pumped.
20 Feb 2015 13:26:17
Maybe gerrard would have scored the pen in the champions league final though!! ;)
20 Feb 2015 13:29:11
Xabi was the designated penalty taker in Istanbul, so silly comment.
20 Feb 2015 19:04:29
Not a silly comment when its well documented that Luis Garica wanted to take it but Carra said Alonso was to take it !!!
20 Feb 2015 11:53:37
It was mentioned multiple times last night that ibe signed a new contract yesterday but there's nothing official on it?
20 Feb 2015 11:36:05
On a side note, how did we become so hopeless from corners as opposed to last year ? We rarely find the head of a Liverpool player this season and it's confusing to me to be honest. On the lovren argument, he's rash as is skrtal but he's the best header of a ball in the squad from what I have seen and I would put him above skrtal overall as a defender.
20 Feb 2015 11:52:26
I am sorry. Lovren has been really bad all season. He has started 9 out of our 10 defeats in all comps. this season. Skrtel has been part of the team who has lost only twice in 23 games. That tells me Skrtel is by far the most superior defender. And i don't even rate Skrtel. That's how bad Lovren is atm. Maybe he will improve on day he is 5 years younger than Skrtel so.
20 Feb 2015 12:18:02
North. I agree with you in that we are poor attacking corners, however there is a huge improvement in how we defend corners and free kicks. We are winning the first header now whereas earlier in the season we weren't. Hopefully the attacking headers will also improve -along with the quality of the corner kick itself.
20 Feb 2015 12:59:35
Gerrard has been woeful at taking set pieces this year and the defenders haven't helped by not attacking the ball in the box.
20 Feb 2015 14:44:29
I asked about this and got some embarrassing reply about webbed toes.
I think it's a valid point to discuss. We must have only scored about two goals from corners direct this season, direct not scrambled rebounds.
{Ed001's Note - embarrassing? You mean someone actually tried to use humour on a banter page? You should be embarrassed for whining about it.}
20 Feb 2015 15:45:47
I would say in context of the defeats that Lovren was playing in, he had probably the weakest central midfield that he has played behind for a long time, had he have played behind Lucas or Can covering, then who knows?
20 Feb 2015 20:47:14
Is Lovren here for the first 6 months or the next few years?
Mario is improving and Lovren has certainly improved from his first few games.
Maybe it's a time thing.
Settling in period?
And the change in formation has helped.
20 Feb 2015 11:05:48
What is up with our pitch? Looked horrible last night and hasn't looked great this season.
Didn't our groundsmen win awards just as recent as a few seasons ago? What's happened since then?
20 Feb 2015 11:35:41
Yep. The weather maybe? i don't know.
20 Feb 2015 14:45:52
But it's clearly poor. We had won awards I'm positive.
Funny that when Rodgers mentions poor pitch, people couldn't wait to jump all over him.
He was correct.
{Ed001's Note - no he was not. The pitch is the same for both teams, so to whine about it after a dreadful performance was just him making excuses. He should have kept any concerns in house and not bitched publicly. Perhaps if he wasn't so insistent on wasting millions on players we didn't actually need there would be the money to replace an old pitch when it wears out?}
20 Feb 2015 10:34:36
Hi ed33 (brilliant avatar btw)
Great new design. Just wanted ask that since the new layout my phone is showing no search button on either page? Earlier I used to use the desktop version so I am not really with the mobile version
thanks
{Ed033's Note - Thanks, i see the problem now. There is a text field and submit button before the first post but it doesn't say "Search" next to it.
20 Feb 2015 11:14:56
Like the new format, its like the future is actually here!
20 Feb 2015 15:55:50
Thanks ed33 for sorting that out quickly
{Ed033's Note - ok
20 Feb 2015 10:17:45
what are peoples thoughts on danny ings.I haven't seen much of him play. Is he better then the likes of borini, lambert and balotelli?
20 Feb 2015 11:08:58
I wish Borini was given more chances than he is. Last season he was playing as a left winger almost all season for Sunderland. I don't understand why on earth he hasn't been given the chance to compete for the LWB position at all!! Moreno has been very good there but he and many others play way to much. We need to rotate and Borini is a very useful player, maybe not prolific but i think he would even make Moreno a better player by the competiton for the position only. I don't know, just my thoughts.
20 Feb 2015 11:13:23
Sorry to go off topic btw.
On Ings, he is a good player. But is he a starter? i somehow doubt that. Then in my opinion we don't need him. We need only players that will be starters. We have a big big squad. We don't need squad fillers, the academy can provide that. Jerome Sinclair can get his chance. Sheyi Ojo can get his chance. we don't need Ings. I would rather keep Borini.
20 Feb 2015 11:28:23
I do not think Ings is what we need. Maybe I would like to see more someone like Andrej Kramaric, but he just signed to Leicester. Another promising Dinamo Zagreb product.
20 Feb 2015 10:08:13
Say what you want about Henderson's leadership, but we have lost 1 match all season when he's been captain - Real Madrid away.
These are the kind of teething problems that come with a change in leadership and you know what, the whole team and the manager will have learned from that and they will sort it out and move on.
Absolute storm in a teacup
20 Feb 2015 11:18:12
BR is lucky that all the talk today is about Balotelli. We were pretty awful yesterday. We were really lethargic and created nothing. Only Mignolet, Sakho and Ibe can say they played well.
Emre Can looked unconcentrated all game yesterday.
Skrtel was beaten for pace by Ba 3 times.
Coutinho was marked by 2-3 players all game.
Joe Allen and Henderson didn't do anything.
Sturridge will need a month or so to get back to the old Sturridge.
Lallana was thinkg about the saints game i believe. He was really queit.
Lovren came on and Besiktas created a couple of dangerous situations from his side and he even got booked.
Basically 4 players did well. Migs, Ibe, Sakho and Balo when he came on. He ran at defenders won 2-3 freekicks in dangerous areas and was lively.
20 Feb 2015 11:30:53
I think it's harsh to say we were awful. If you look at any ball bouncing around in their area it just seemed to drop at the defences feet allowing them to clear. If we had scored early and weren't playing against 11 behind the ball we probably would have won comfortably. Ingames like this I think you need a break to go your way at some stage which we eeventually got with the penalty.
were we great certainly not but if the scoreline had been 3-0 with a couple of extra scrappy goals which we could easily have had I don't think you would be hearing about how flattering the result was?
20 Feb 2015 11:42:29
We were awful end off. doesn't matter how you twist and turn it around. Most teams will park double busses at anfield. And if we won 3-0 the result would be extremly flattering because apart from 1 chance they gifted us over 90 minutes we created f*** all and mignolet pulled off a couple of great saves one in each half. So you were probably watching another game ;)
20 Feb 2015 10:06:48
We did play well last night but we won, balo hardly misses from the penalty spot so he should take them if Gerrard is not playing.
Henderson is a hard working midfielder a real team player but i doubt he has captain qualities.
Henderson also wants to take free kicks, i am surprised he is allowed to take them.
Technically Henderson is not the player to curle the ball in the net.
Malta
20 Feb 2015 08:23:47
Hi eds
I have seen a lot written about the pen and agree something little like that is a sign of a lack is discipline and could upset the club. However, just wondering I manage an academy team and we have designated penalty takers, obviously Gerrard is our first choice, but surely there is a struxture in place as you can't just decide at the start of each fixture as the players on the pitch changes and the captain isn't always the best taker.
Do you think Rogers had any sort of system or plan in place other than Gerrard takes them?
{Ed001's Note - yes, he had a structure in place.}
20 Feb 2015 13:46:07
Ed, did that structure include Balo taking it if he was on the pitch and Gerrard wasn't? Hendo might have been designated taker, but like Carra said, in a big European tie, Balo was your man!
{Ed001's Note - no it obviously didn't. I do agree it should have, but that is not for us to decide.}
20 Feb 2015 09:57:07
players not celebrating the winning goal . it seems to me all the under performers of the match didn't celebrate it. now if we loose games because of this new found team spirit problem ( as if we didn't had other problems already) who do we blame ? balotelli? hendo ? sturridge? rodgers? gerrard ? ourself?
this season my favourite club is like horror drama. every match i sit in front of tv fearing the next unexpected horror to show up
20 Feb 2015 10:09:53
Gerrard should not have made the comments he did. That was mischief making and as club captain he should have been club first.
Secondly I want to see people wasnting to take the penalty with the balls to do it. It was a great penalty and we should ALL be saying well done. the alternative - people scared to take penalties and missing!
20 Feb 2015 09:34:53
I think it's time to move Lovren back into the starting team and get Can into midfield and Allen back onto the bench.
Lovren seems to be getting some form and confidence back and I would really like to see Can get further up the pitch into a midfield role.
Thoughts?
20 Feb 2015 10:39:08
I'm not to sure Can will be as effective in the midfield. Yes he makes driving runs at the moment and carries the ball well but I've noticed he's a bit clumsy when he receives the ball from a defender with his back to the end he's attacking. Plus he's not very mobile.
20 Feb 2015 10:52:46
please god no. we lost 6 of our 12 first league games with lovren in the team. only lost once since (which was a game he started) Please no. Kolo Toure can play and Can pushed up. But not Lovren. If we do what you are suggesting we might as well give up on anything this season.
20 Feb 2015 11:20:07
how can anyone disagree on the FACT Lovren has started in every single defeat in the league this season?? LOL
20 Feb 2015 11:37:04
I would prefer Toure. I still believe he is our best centre back. But that's just my opinion.
20 Feb 2015 12:48:26
because red ramsis,
its a little short sighted to essentially blame the defeats on lovren alone.
yes he started poorly but the whole team was a shambles and they were playing a different system without the protection of lucas.
i think lovren has been hung out to dry somewhat because it appears that skrtl is un-droppable despite his obvious flaws
20 Feb 2015 15:56:34
Ozone, Can is infinitely more mobile than Gerrard and infinitely better than Joe Allen, so until Lucas is back I think Can would be better played in CM.
20 Feb 2015 17:51:46
Some guys are being really harsh on Lovren, the team was a mess when he was in, Migs was shocking, there was no protection from midfield and we were playing a different formation.
How can you blame one player for losing matches?
Also let's remember players should get second chances, Hendo was being farmed out not too long ago to Fulham and now he is vice captain, Migs was dropped and has now come back as a much much better player, even Balo's confidence and game have improved since being dropped.
20 Feb 2015 09:22:34
Also, I seem to remember Sturridge taking a penalty from Gerrard last season? I might be wrong though!
20 Feb 2015 10:09:25
He was on a hat-trick in that game, so that is probably acceptable.
20 Feb 2015 11:45:33
seem to remember SG apologising for that after the fact.
20 Feb 2015 12:00:55
Gerrard gave it to him so he would experience the feeling of scoring a hatrick in a derby!
20 Feb 2015 12:28:40
Yeah, he would have had a hat trick against Everton, but he blasted over. In a closer game Gerrard would have taken it anyway
20 Feb 2015 09:15:31
These situations are going to be either the making or the breaking of Jordan Henderson as a potential Liverpool captain, he needs to stand up and be stronger despite the decision being the right one or the wrong one. I think whilst Gerrard is still within and around the club, players still see him as the leader but come next year we need Hendo to step up to the plate. I think aswell threes a big case for earning the players respect and you don't just do that from training well but gaining your own identity and personality which Hendo is still finding. I have no doubts he will prove to be a great captain in many years to come, this is just one of the many small bumps along the way to that.
20 Feb 2015 09:38:20
The only thing Henderson did wrong as a captain yesterday is not celebrate as a Liverpool player. He swallowed his pride by making the right decision, but he should then stick with it and be happy when it benefits the team.
20 Feb 2015 10:42:10
hendo did celebrate!! He was annoyed but he did celebrate.
20 Feb 2015 08:51:50
A lot of talk about Henderson and Balotelli around the penalty, but did anyone else notice Sturridge throwing a hissy fit? He also wanted to take it and I didn't see him celebrate the goal. It looked to me like he would have taken the ball from Henderson if Balotelli didn't. I know Sturridge walked away, but he is just as petulant and greedy as Balotelli. Can't make my mind up as to whether that's a good or bad attribute within a team.
20 Feb 2015 09:26:29
Watch it again, Sturridge wasn't asking to take the penalty he was telling Henderson to take the ball back off Balotelli and take it himself as that was obviously the instruction.
My take is Henderson was about to take it because he had been nominated as penalty taker but when Balotelli jumped in and insisted he wanted it Henderson didn't fancy it and gave it to someone who was up for it
Fair enough
20 Feb 2015 09:38:38
Digger
Sturridge didn't want to take it he was clearly telling balo to give the ball to Hendo. It's 1 of those situations were if the manager says who is on penalties at beginning of game is resolved. If Hebdo was confident he wouldn't of giving ball up. good pen balo and he changed the game when he come on good work
20 Feb 2015 09:39:14
I think sturridge was saying to hendo that he was the pen taker.
20 Feb 2015 09:44:27
I think his importance to the team has been made so public that Daniel's attitude in the matches recently have changed. I should have squared it at least 2 or 3 times yesterday with a good chance of a goal. I think Sturridge benefits from a strike partner, which can make him less selfish in a way. But for yesterday, I think it was just frustration of not scoring.
20 Feb 2015 10:00:42
No he didn't. He told MB to give the ball to Henderson as HE was the scheduled penalty taker. and told Henderson that he shouldn't let MB take the penalty ahead of him.
20 Feb 2015 10:46:42
My take on its similar to yours Chris. I also believe that this situation demonstrates that Hendo isn't captain material yet. A captain with authority would only need to drop the eyes in a situation like that. He didn't fancy the penalty, his body language was like that of a shrinking violet. Mario stepped up, took responsibility and scored the pen.
20 Feb 2015 11:38:45
I am delighted Sturridge didn't get to take it. In my opinion he is a world class striker and a great great player. But is absolutley shocking in taking penalties. He missed a couple already for us and the one he scored vs Swansea was not a good pen. and we were leading 4-0 already. If Sturridge took the pen. i would've been outraged but Balotelli has made a living off scoring penalites and freekicks.
20 Feb 2015 12:28:31
Definately agree with most of what has just been said. If Hendo really wanted to take that PK he would've taken it. He probably just wasnt Confident he'd bury it and so he obliged when Mario asked to take it.
20 Feb 2015 14:33:58
So BR makes the wrong decision in making hendo take it, hendo makes the decision to back down and let mario take it, sturridge makes a Decision to tell the captain what to do after he backs down and mario makes the decision to win the game.
20 Feb 2015 08:45:39
Balotelli is better at taking pens than Steven Gerrard.
He should be our penalty taker.
20 Feb 2015 09:17:52
Short and sweet! Agreed!
20 Feb 2015 10:17:41
The point you fail to mention, jonny, is that Balotelli is not in the team . The record books seem to indicate that no player has ever scored a penalty whilst sitting on the bench .
20 Feb 2015 10:41:08
When was the last time Gerrard missed? They're both good penalty takers. there's nothing that suggests Balotelli is better
20 Feb 2015 14:01:16
Stats
20 Feb 2015 16:38:12
Was Gerrard playing last night then?
Even when Gerrard is playing then Mario should still take them.
He has a better record.
Simple.
20 Feb 2015 08:33:47
Good day Ed's and fellow supporters.
Reg. The Mario issue. I remember when BR said in an interview that Mario had asked him about who would be taking the penalties and that BR responded saying it's Gerard and later went on to say Mario has a really good record but Gerard is the first in such circumstances. Now considering this after Gerard, it has to be Mario and he had the right to ask to take the penalty. The fault was Mario being impolite for taking the ball of the hands of LFC Stand in captain and hugely with BR for the lack of attention to detail. Mario was great yesterday and let's all hope the issue had been settled last night in the dressing room !
P.S: really sad to see studge become selfish the whole of last night and not celebrate the goal. In fact the team was not there to enjoy the moment except Can and our back three. As Ed01 said- Team spirit was not seen due to Hendo, Mario and Hugely Studge arguing!!! Just what I could see on TV coverage. Those who went to the stadium might have a different view.
20 Feb 2015 08:31:01
My view on the game.
We were crap.
Too slow and ponderous.
And too greedy when it mattered.
This team has to become more assist friendly if we are to achieve anything this year and less shoot at an impossible angle friendly.
Don't care about the penalty as it went in.
There were other things in that match which worried me far more than the handbags over the pen.
Like not passing to your teammates when they are better placed to score and the slow one paced football that we played.
That worried me far more.
Someone slated the crowd on a post I read. wow. The team is supposed to give the fans something to cheer.
Did they really do that last night?
20 Feb 2015 09:58:10
I disagree on one thing there Digger. I don't think Sturridge was being selfish, looking to take the penalty off Hendo. He was tryin to point out that Hendo was supposed to be taking it. You can clearly see Sturridge saying to Hendo at one stage 'Take it off him'. In the end, I would have preferred Mario taking it than anyone else on the pitch.
Rodger's should have a list of priority penalty takers at the club and whoever is next on that list at the time of the peno then takes it. Balotelli should be the number 2 penalty taker at the club so I have no problem with what he did last nite, albeit the whole situation could have been handled better. Just glad it went in!!
20 Feb 2015 10:20:55
I haven't had the opportunity to see replays so glad to hear your interpretation. In some ways I'm happy to see Mario's confidence to take the penalty - and his improved contribution to the team. In the same way I'm delighted with sturridge's performance. He brings a real threat, just needs to improve the decision making.
It's just so frustrating when the headlines are about squabbles and not the result.
20 Feb 2015 08:22:50
We'll done reds. great win and good performance from a young team in a euro game. hope there's not much talk over the penalty situation. n roll on Sunday
. YNWA.
20 Feb 2015 07:53:30
Honestly guys,
It's embarrassing to see anyone using the penalty situation as a reason to blame Rodgers. Who would you have chosen as pen taker based on our STARTING 11? Couts - a player is constantly berated for his shooting on this site? Sturridge who has missed in the past for us when there was no pressure to score it? We haven't seen hendo take one before but doesn't mean he can't take a decent one. Studge should have been nowhere near it after having a game to forget and balo becomes the obvious taker ONCE HE IS ON THE PITCH. Also FYI, he scored, we won (again). Just goes to show that people have made their minds up about Rodgers no matter what. Yes he has got a lot of things wrong but the PK was not one of them
{Ed001's Note - to be fair, Rodgers should have prepared for the situation as it is his job to take into account all these possible factors. So it is his fault to a degree. It is also Hendo's fault for not being stronger as a captain and making sure that it was his decision not Balotelli's, who should be doing as he was told. It is not about scoring, it is about a breakdown in the team's togetherness. We have 3 major issues there, players not respecting the manager's decision, the captain's leadership and each other. That is the problem having a manager who tries to be too friendly with the players, he loses control.}
20 Feb 2015 08:09:46
We have a lot of greedy players. That can be a good thing, it can also be a bad thing.
20 Feb 2015 08:29:57
It is only about scoring ED. This is football - the manager give some directions before the game, and on the pitch players at times do what they are told and at times do what they think is best. If they do what they think is best and miss, they are being told off, substituted or not being started the next game. If they score, no one should care (including the Captain who is punditing in ITV). If Hendo takes this Penalty and miss we were far worse. If Gerrad would have treated it the way Hendo did in his post match interview, no one would have talked about it today. It is Gerrad who did big deal out of it.
Here is another example. I am sure if BR watch the video of the game with Sturridge today he tells him that 'next time from this angel you don't try to score but give a pass to Lallana on the far post'. Still if Sturridge try to score next game from the same angel and score, everyone, including BR is happy. Football is all about scoring.
20 Feb 2015 09:08:19
I think people are getting to precious over the ok put it to bed.
20 Feb 2015 09:36:57
I think Rodgers should have his preference list including anyone in the matchday squad.
For me Balotelli should have been taking it all day long but he shouldn't have needed to take the ball from Henderson. Rodgers was foolish to put Henderson ahead of Balotelli in the penalties pecking order, Henderson was petulant not to realise he could have left Balotelli at it from the start as he is a proven top class penalty taker.
And of course I think Mario was wrong to be taking the ball off his captain against his managers wishes.
All in all I do think if Rodgers had prepared properly then Mario would have picked up the ball and everyone would have been happy and celebrating mad after his goal.
20 Feb 2015 07:51:49
Not sure how to sum the game yesterday. Overall 1:0 is a good result of a first leg in Europe and our defence were solid as usual recently including a great save by Ming which was good to see.
However, going forward, also as usual this season, we are so so wasteful. I thought Sturridge had a bad day in the office yesterday, including two close attempts on goal from impossible angel when there was someone on the far post waiting for a tap in. Lallana had an uncharectaristic shocker miss of a tap-in and it felt for the first time since his injury that we missed Sterling. As usual, our crosses from the wings and coreners and free kicks were poor - why don't we work more on that in training? also we seem to lose 4 out of 5 throw-ins straight away - again we should work on that.
Ibe was very good and credit for getting the penalty. I still want to see a bit more end product to his games in terms of the last pass but other than that very impressive. I thought Coutinho was very responsible with the ball, though again no end product. Allen was poor IMO.
I will be a tough game next Thursady. Bilic teams are tough to break. I will be surprised if we will be able to keep clean sheet there so we will need to score. We have the people to do it, just need to be more focused and work in training on what we do in the last 3rd.
20 Feb 2015 08:22:51
Regarding this whole penatly issue, I think hendo bottled it to be honest the pressure of puttin that penalty away was to much for him, and in a way he was relieved balo took the ball of him, when balo grabbed the ball of him hendo offered no real resistence because he didn't fancy it, if he did he would of stood up the plate and stamped his authority
20 Feb 2015 07:36:45
What was Gerrard thinking playing upto the cameras with those comments, made me think in his head he has already left the club and is laying the foundations for a new career as an opinionated ex-pro pundit. Funny he mentioned the term disrespectful because that's exactly what he was last night, very poor off field performance from our captain.
{Ed001's Note - or it could have been that Roy Hodgson got crucified for defending Rooney so bowed to pressure as he is new to the punditry?}
20 Feb 2015 07:57:00
Could be many things but was definitely the wrong move and Captain Fantastic or not, I think someone in the club might need to sit him down and remind him that he's actually still employed by us and has responsibilities there no matter what he's doing at any given time.
20 Feb 2015 07:56:05
Sorry Ed got to disagree, he has given enough pre and post match interviews to understand what comments are acceptable and what are not. Hendo handled the questions well Gerrard didn't, only my opinion though.
{Ed001's Note - if you say so, I don't see the point in anyone being a pundit if they are just going to say what the club tell him to. Be honest, that is what I want to see. Just because it isn't what the club want, well so what? He is not there to represent the club, he is there to give an opinion. It is not a post match interview while he is sat in a Liverpool kit and your reply is ridiculous to suggest it should be treated as one. If you want platitudes then watch it through the official channels instead.}
20 Feb 2015 08:28:21
A pundit should give their view of a situation and try to be without bias. That's what they are there to do.
20 Feb 2015 09:42:54
Whilst still permanently employed by LFC, his first duty should be the promotion and support of LFC. If it is not possible to do that whilst also providing punditry (and I don't believe it is, I don't think it is), players should not be released to be pundits and commentators whilst playing. Is he not earning enough to live without having a 2nd job? Always makes my heart sink when I see current players in the commentator seat and I know that some fans from other clubs feel the same - lots of Everton fans hated seeing Howard discussing their game.
20 Feb 2015 08:41:38
Disagree on that one Ed, whilst he's still employed by the club ( and captain for that matter) he needs to be measured in what he says. We expect that of every player employed by us whether they are injured on holidays or on twitter for that matter.doesnt matter if he's not at anfield in his full kit.
{Ed001's Note - sorry but that is a different matter. If they are allowing him to be a pundit, then they have to let him have his say. The question you should be asking is if he should have been there giving an opinion in the first place, which I would say no. I don't believe injured players should be working as pundits, if they are fit enough to be at the game, then they should be with the team supporting their team mates. Especially when it is the captain, he should be in the dressing room acting like a captain, backing up the manager and the vice captain's authority, geeing up the players before the game etc.}
20 Feb 2015 10:38:33
I personally don't mind constructive criticism. What Mario did was wrong. It's not his 1st time doing it. He should know better. For me as club captain stevie was right to admonish him.
20 Feb 2015 12:24:56
We see more evidence once again that gerrard is just another player .
20 Feb 2015 14:39:53
I agree on that point ed - he shouldn't have even been a pundit, especially to commentate on his own current team. If it was an England qualifier or the like then by all means but it just opens himself up for this sort of stuff. Imagine if Neville or scholes had said some of the things they had recently about man utd and then had to go and play with the same guys two weeks later.
20 Feb 2015 07:33:49
Hi all, got the win last night which was the important thing along with the clean sheet, not going to get into the whole penalty incident and comments after, it was unneeded all round. What I did want to bring up, and if anyone was at the match last night and I'm wrong, please correct me, but there seemed to be no atmosphere from the home fans last night. I don't know if it was the positioning of the microphones or what but 2500 away supporters seemed to be far louder than 40,000 home fans, at Anfield, on a European night. It was disappointing.
Onwards and upwards, we need to keep the momentum through to this Sunday now, 3 points brings us that much closer to 4th, we have a strong squad who can cope with these fixtures close together, and if we want 4th, we need to put our stamp on it now and get the results off the teams that are above us over the next few weeks.
20 Feb 2015 06:59:26
The penalty incedent proves to me that this young and fantastic team is leaderless with no GERRARD. Reality for me is Henderson is not the next captain, hate the way he screams like a spoilt child, lacks emotional composure and has not earned the respect from fellow team members.
I honestly think this is a huge issue for us going forward. Out of the current squad no one YET fits the bill to captain the side. Problem
20 Feb 2015 08:02:21
Completely disagree, and loving the no-win situation for Henderson. If he's getting in peoples faces, pushing them on, screaming at them to move it etc then he's like a spoilt child with no composure. If he's cooler and taking a back seat role, you'll be saying he's not asserting his authority. He can't win - but he captains in the same way that Carragher did - with passion and commitment to the team rather than Gerrards rare brand of unflappable calm (most of the time anyway) and commitment to leading by example. Last night was an ugly moment of a new captain still finding his feet between personal responsibility and team decision making.
Also would be interested in knowing why our manager hadn't decided on who would be taking any penalties before the game, whole thing could have been avoided by saying 'if Mario comes in he'll take them as the most experienced taker, is Rickie is in without Mario it's him, any other time it's Jordan taking'. 30 seconds, problem solved
20 Feb 2015 04:52:07
I'm sorry, but i blame BR for all this penalty mess.
Mario is by far the second best (if not THE best) penalty taker we have. Why doesn't BR work stuff like this out during the week at training? It would take 2 minuts to go through an order. If not Gerrard, then whoever. If whoever isn't on the pitch, it gets passed down to the next player.
20 Feb 2015 07:18:41
Ridiculous that he's not the automatic choice if on the pitch and gerrard isn't. Regardless of status in any dead ball position the best player at taking them takes them. Why BR would you compromise on that is beyond me.
19 Feb 2015 22:31:23
Hey ed1 do you think Gerard should have kept quiet on the penalty situation and been diplomatic like Henderson
{Ed001's Note - no.}
20 Feb 2015 05:37:12
I know balotellis reasons were selfish, he wants the glory and attention, however, he has a proven record and I'm not sure hendo has ever taken one. 0-0 balotelli made the right call, if we were 1 up I would disagree.
{Ed001's Note - not the right call if it upsets the team for the rest of the season. He is not a team player and that is a problem. Shame as he had an excellent game off the bench.}
20 Feb 2015 06:41:51
Yes he should have.
20 Feb 2015 07:30:10
There was nothing selfish in Balotelli's insistence on taking the pen. I think it was selfless of him. Surely he knew it would focus neg attention towards him. Tight game, your best pen taker surely, which he is surely.
If Henderson had captaincy in him he would have called Balo over and for the sake of the team asked him to take it.
You don't prove your captaincy by taking penalties, surely.
{Ed001's Note - of course it was selfish, he doesn't care about negative attention, he loves the attention, it allows him to whine about people being on his back and blame others for his own failings. Why always him? Because he brings it on himself.}
20 Feb 2015 07:53:58
OMG. He scored for heavens sake. Rules my arse. If Gerrard had been on the bench, like Mario had and then came on, like Mario did, do you think he would have left the pen to Henderson because those the rules?
{Ed001's Note - who cares if he scored if it destroys team spirit? It shouldn't have even come to that. You can not have one player doing as he likes just because he scores a penalty.}
20 Feb 2015 08:00:35
If the team gets upset for the rest of the season, because our best penalty shooter takes responsibility. Then we have serious problems. Peace
{Ed001's Note - we clearly do, because the manager is responsible for decisions, and on the pitch it is the captain's role to make the decision. Once one player shows a lack of respect for that you have a breakdown in discipline and we end up with the shambles at QPR if it is not stopped. I am sorry that so many people understand nothing about leading people, they seem to think the short term result is all that matters, no one has the sense to look at the whole picture and what it represents for the club as a whole. Discipline was the foundation stone the whole club was built on, the success of the Shankly and Paisley era was built on discipline, on player's respecting each other, their captain and the coaching staff. Balotelli is nothing but a loose cannon, he shows no respect for others and that is a major problem.}
20 Feb 2015 08:04:20
It was very selfish. But it was also the right decision as the squads only recognised penalty taker and stupid for Hendo to think he'd have been a better option.
20 Feb 2015 08:25:28
Studge is getting no stick then.
Why was Sturridge even arguing about it???
Because he wanted to take it as well.
Not just one greedy player in Balotelli but Sturridge as well.
Henderson, why is he even on pens?
As for affecting team spirit. Don't think it will because among certain players in that Liverpool team there is none.
Coutinho does not pass.
Sturridge does not pass.
That can't help team spirit either can it?
20 Feb 2015 08:31:53
It is apart from when the Edds reply, can't get me head round wether I am agreeing or disagreeing with the Edds or whoevers posted
20 Feb 2015 09:13:39
The right decision was made, how it was made is the issue. ThNkfully the right result too.
20 Feb 2015 09:16:07
Mario was the best spot taker on the field and in my opinion should of taken it. We scored and won on the night. Now BR needs to get the team together and make sure the player's understand who will take them in the future so nothing like this happens again.
Hendo handled his interview really well and the team needs to put it behind them and move on.
20 Feb 2015 08:21:24
Ed001 it shouldn't have to destroy team spirit should it? Like Carragher said last night the right player took the pen! So why was it an issue in the first place that Mario was going to take the pen or not? Surely a record of 27 pens scored out of 29 taken speaks for it self? Whereas Hendo has scored how many pens? Also what really irked me last night Ed001 was Gerrard's comments, for me if he felt the way he did, then say it in the dressing room not on national tv, we are quick enough to slate BR for his foot and mouth disease (and rightly so) but for me Gerrard caught a big dose of that last night. I know you thought he should have said something so we will agree to disagree, but I doubt that there are many other captains who would have said what Gerrard did last night on live tv.
{Ed001's Note - but the point is that Mario wasn't designated to take it. It doesn't matter what you or I or anyone else thinks, Rodgers had chosen Henderson. If the players aren't going to follow his decisions, then respect for him vanishes and then we are in real trouble. It was an issue in the first place because Mario does not have enough respect for other people to respect their wishes. We have all been in a position where the boss has been wrong, but the way to deal with it is not to just do what we think is right anyway. The way to deal with it is to make our case to them before hand, then abide by their decision if you can't convince them. Anything else leads to a breakdown in team discipline unless the person who broke the rules, even if they were right to do so, is punished.
As for what Gerrard said, he is there as a pundit, the question is whether he should have been allowed to be working as a pundit by the club. For me, players contracted to clubs should not be allowed to be sat there as a pundit. It is not like they need the money!}
20 Feb 2015 00:10:22
new layout is so much better, you can see which comment you disagree/agree with easily, well done.
{Ed033's Note - Thanks.If people didn't know, you must be logged in to see the agree/disagree buttons now
20 Feb 2015 04:38:31
There is something wrong with the mobile version (android) of this site, the agree/disagree buttons are all bunged up together or on top of each other there.
{Ed033's Note - Thanks for telling me. i haven't completed the new layout of mobile.liverpool-rumours.co.uk
Please visit http://liverpool-rumours.co.uk which is now, both mobile compliant, desktop/laptop compliant and you may have a better user experience.
20 Feb 2015 00:28:20
Surely a move for Ciro Immobile, as reported in the Daily Star, would not fit with our fluid and fast style of play?
20 Feb 2015 03:14:08
He should stay exactly where he is.
20 Feb 2015 07:30:25
Good one zed!
20 Feb 2015 00:20:07
To those saying BR was mad to have Henderson over Balo as penalty taker. Balo started as a sub so he couldn't be named as penalty taker.
20 Feb 2015 03:17:17
Hendo nor Studge should get nowhere near a penalty when Balo`s on the field. The fact that BR made him the pen taker after SG is what I find infuriating and dumb. I hope I am wrong BUT Hendo has NEVER been known as a good pen taker. Another WTF moment from BR, I suppose
20 Feb 2015 07:24:28
I agree red ohio, I know mario is kopping the blame but any kid could tell you it's Mario's forte. If hendo steps up and misses we would have looked the dumbest team in the history of the comp. would be like telling sturridge he's only allowed to score with his right foot.
20 Feb 2015 00:02:24
Hi Eds & Reds,
Can anyone confirm whether Ibe had been offered a new contract? Certainly hope so!!
Z
{Ed002's Note - He will be.}
20 Feb 2015 00:53:07
signed a five year deal yesterday
19 Feb 2015 23:56:19
if i was BR i would tell the team as soon as the wingers get the ball (i.e.) Markovic, Sterling, Ibe, on the wing, get the midfielders into the box along with Balo and Sturridge and support the attack, at the moment the box always looks almost empty when we get forward, and if it breaks down get back and defend, except for Balo and Sturridge.
19 Feb 2015 23:49:31
Judging by social media and Jamie Carragher's comments on twitter, Balotelli has won this argument. Hopefully the media don't make a meal of this Mirallas type situation that actually worked out for the good of the team.
20 Feb 2015 03:20:37
I know the rules are the ules (however dumb they are because ONLY a "genius" would make Hendo the designated pen taker / Balo on the field) BUT would Hendo have instilled confidence stepping up to take the kick? I know I would be holding by breathe UNLIKE Balo who everyone knew would score.
19 Feb 2015 23:49:17
no what i didn't like atall was daniel sturridge crying in Hendersons ear about Mario. Watch the footage back. Henderson was embarrassed by it all. We need leaders not a bunch of boys squabbling
20 Feb 2015 03:23:02
Balo showed more promise in 20 mins than Studge (who was a solo act and forgot there were other players on the field) and he would be the LAST player I would want to take a late penalty for the win. He was a cry-baby and one who still needs to grow up on that level.
19 Feb 2015 23:43:25
i hope this blows over quickly balo been are 2best player last 3 games even as sub ibe best. studge as much as I love him had his worst game in a red shirt do not revert back to that selfish player u once were pass the ball! and studge took a pen off gerrard against everton and missed yes granted for his hattrick but still the same and for everyone who thinks gerrard is the better pen taker think again look at there records Mario missed one I think. gerrard let the club down tonight with his coments not Mario and the man the most credit goes to is hendo how he handle it and his interview well done and I hope he signs new deal asap so he can be are captain!
20 Feb 2015 03:24:50
Balo for me, had his best game for LF tonight. He changed the game w/ his pressence, workrate, tracking back, defending set-pieces, physical ability and deft touches. He is on the up.
19 Feb 2015 23:39:59
Gerrard. Why would our club captain publicly slate one of the squad, he never did that to suarez and suarez did much worse. A great deal worse. As club captain he should of brushed it under the carpet, kick him in the teeth behind closed doors, but WHY do it in public?
Balotelli is starting to play well. Playing alongside a striker defenders fear him.
When I saw Henderson with the ball I crapped myself, was actually stunned. He is not a penalty taker. Balotelli any day of the week, I think it's class that a player having the worst spell in his career still has such confidence in himself.
And sturridge really did not help, he was like the playground trouble maker. Considering he's a single minded striker himself, I'm surprised at his reaction.
19 Feb 2015 23:30:20
Balo for captain not afraid to step up to the plate lol. But seriously well done lad seems to be turning things around.lallana is a luxury that we do not need
19 Feb 2015 23:12:00
I don't like or have to very often, but I'd like to admit I was wrong.
A month ago after watching Balotelli's performance as we lost the 2nd leg of the League Cup semi-final I posted on here saying he was "a disgrace to the club and should have his contract terminated. Most selfish and senseless cameo I've ever seen from a Liverpool player".
Yet within his last 3 games we've seen him a) come on to score the winner v Spurs, b) come on to change the game v Palace and c) come on to both change the game and score the winner v Besiktas.
I don't want to get dragged down in the whole penalty debate, he took it clinically and his goal was deserved in reflection of his hold-up play, passing, dribbling and even, I dare say, workrate for a change.
It could be playing with another striker or just getting a little bit of confidence.
Either way, well done Mario, keep it going.
19 Feb 2015 23:02:07
Don't even know why Henderson keeps taking the free kicks when gerrard not playing, has not been close with one stick to what your good at Henderson running around wining the ball back
20 Feb 2015 08:09:16
The fact that we have so many little guys skilled with the ball like Lallana, Coutinho, Sterling and Moreno, and Henderson is a tall strong guy, makes it strange that he'd be groomed to take free kicks without an obvious natural talent for it. He's very useful in the box, when half of our squad would need to be finding boxes to stand on!