Liverpool Banter Archive March 03 2015

03 Mar 2015 22:25:27
Hi eds first time poster just a quick question. Do u see Sinclair coming in to the first team next season If we can shorten our strike force

{Ed002's Note - Much is expected of the kid but I don't see him getting much opportunity in the first team. Perhaps a cameo in the League Cup or Europa League.}

04 Mar 2015 00:41:46
Europa League Ed?

04 Mar 2015 10:35:35
I think Ed meant to say Champion League footy 😉

03 Mar 2015 21:46:42
There's reports online that Ibe is out for the season with knee ligament damage, is this true? First I've heard of it.

03 Mar 2015 22:39:07
A month supposedly.

03 Mar 2015 20:17:44
Question for the Edd's not LFC related but regarding the web sites for the other team's.

I often go on other teams sites to see what there fans are saying about there team and I was on Man CIty's site and I was shocked to see the poor response/questions.

Now I am not looking for you to say Lfc fans generate more questions etc etc because we have are our share of fans who reckon the club should buy every Tom dick or Harry. And it's not about being the top club in this case

But can you give us a guide to who are the teams that generate say the most questions (intelligent one's) / who appear to be the most realistic that type of thing.

{Ed001's Note - this is the busiest site, but I am not sure any of the sites can be considered realistic or that generates intelligent questions!}

03 Mar 2015 23:22:23
I love the Talkconspiracy site. I have to stop checking it daily as it doesn't get as much traffic as I would like. Some good videos and information is shared there. A lot of intelligent questions too!

And yes I know it's not a football site but it's all tied in.

04 Mar 2015 01:13:50
The wrestling site is great though a lot less traffic

03 Mar 2015 19:08:29
Ok, so I have been a huge critic of Rodgers this season but rightly so. If he had decided to continue with the intensive pressing system which almost won us the league last season then we would have been challenging for the title this season again.

Hopefully he has realised that the philosophy which he sold to FSG 'Tiki Taka' is not an option anymore. Even Guardiola has talked of how much he hates the system.

So fingers crossed Rodgers has scrapped that dreadful system of slow build up possession based 'let's pass pass pass pass pass pass pass and eventually also find a way of passing the ball into the back of the oppositions net.

Should Rodgers still be here next season and I see that rubbish again then FSG need to pull the trigger ASAP. We cannot have another season of transition etc.

03 Mar 2015 19:25:47
Remember where we was before Rodgers? And who exactly do we bring in to replace him?

03 Mar 2015 19:32:17
Is it really an option to press with our recent intensity for a whole entire season ? Especially with so many new players on board, injuries etc etc. Would we be entering a burnout stage now/second half of season if we had done !? Just wondering on others opinions is all. After all "its business, its business tiiiimmee :-)

03 Mar 2015 19:46:01
So halflot

Do you want to see a repeat of the start of the season again? One of our most dreadful starts to a season ever?

Injuries and new players is just an excuse. All the players we signed bar Balotelli are suited to a high temp game. Even Lambert who is not even getting a sniff anymore.

Rodgers is the manager. He picks the team and asks them how to play so for you to make excuses of how utterly rubbish we were in the first half of this season shows that you are an apologist.

03 Mar 2015 19:48:36
I have to say, I do wonder why managers etc constantly refer to their players being tired, especially in regard to this ''burnout'' myth. They run say 10-12km in a match, and play no more than twice every 6-7 days.They then get a days rest afterwards, and only do maybe 3-4 hours of training a day during the week. If they are so tired after a match, then they should get another day off training, but I refuse to believe that professional athletes cannot play two matches within a week without getting tired after a few repetions of this. I only play sport for fun and I could comfortably do a 10km every three days without getting tired.

03 Mar 2015 20:28:10
Max - my post was more of a question to put out there than an opinion really. Read it properly before claiming i, m making "excuses"etc etc !

03 Mar 2015 20:51:26
Kyles, I think there is probably a big difference between running 12k and doing 12k high intensity stop start sprinting that top footballers have to do.

{Ed001's Note - they very rarely do 12k, even including the walking and jogging they do most of the game.}

03 Mar 2015 22:38:27
They get paid a stack of money and are trained athletes. They should be running themselves into the ground every match and only ease off when we are 3 or four goals ahead. If they can't maintain form, fitness or effort we have a big enough squad for others to step up. Granted, the first couple of games of the season they might be rusty or not fully match-fit but not the first three months.

03 Mar 2015 23:35:40
Are we talking about eit pro athletes or a bunch of high school kids? The barest minimum for a pro athlete is to be physically fit for the trials of his profession. If he can`t do that or can`t hack it in whatever system then he should be either helped to get there or be shown the door. Many of us would take two bullets in the head to do what they do so what`s their excuse? N BTW, I read somewhere that a pro footie player only runs an average 7-8km per game depending on the position.

03 Mar 2015 23:52:48
It's totally different from going for a 10k jog. The difference is the high intensity sprints and the lateral movements. It does depend on the position though. Lallana or Phil would obviously run further with more high intensity moments than Sakho or Skrtel. But I'm sure the liverpool conditioning people know their stuff

04 Mar 2015 11:13:40
Ok, let me give some perspective on this fitness issue. I think I'm qualitifed to shed some light on it as my brother-in-law is an international footballer who plays in the Championship.

Firstly, there's more to football than fitness. Preparation for games involves a lot more than just training ground drills. We're talking elite level football here, fine margins, not just turn up and play Sunday League style. You have to be physically, mentally and tactically prepared for each match. If you think a player can play 2-3 games a week just because they're fit enough, then you're a touch mistaken. There's more to it than that. How about opposition analysis? How about set piece preparation? How about in-game transition? There are many facets to a game of football, especially at elite level where the smallest details can make a difference. So the term "burn out" doesn't just relate to the physical fitness of a player. As fans we rarely see beyond match day, but there's a lot more to the life of a footballer than just the 90 mins. I know this first hand. Something as simple as travelling can affect a player, confidence, family life, contract negotiations, stress. Anyway, you get the point.

By the way, I'm not arguing the point of how players should be managed. That indeed is the manager and coaches job to ensure players are performing at maximum capacity in whatever games they are involved in. My point really is around throwing numbers like 10km, 12km as a barometer of whether a player can play more matches than they are. That's just way too general an assumption without considering a multitude of other factors.

{Ed001's Note - sorry but they simply don't do enough preparation for that to be an issue. Go and look at the amount of time US athletes put in to learn the playbook, then come back and tell me that Premier League footballers are burning out mentally. It is nonsense, they are mollycoddled children having it all too easy and that is the problem. Poor little mites whine about nothing most of the time.}

04 Mar 2015 12:12:44
Sorry Ed01 - that's such a black and white way to view things. You sound a bit too 'old school' with that comment. Sure, a lot of these modern footballers are mollycoddled, but to suggest players can play at peak performance 2-3 times a week because they're young and fit is too much of a generalisation IMO.

{Ed001's Note - hardly old school, it is modern sports science that is used to show they can perform more often in the US sports. They also travel a lot further on a regular basis. They are in fact where most of the latest data that football is using, with regards to sprint training etc, comes from. So I will take my modern view over yours based on one footballer you know. I could discuss the many I know, but I don't see the relevance in discussing it when they haven't a bloody clue what they are talking about. Footballers think they are hard done by when they have an easy life. Ask those training under Bielsa or Pochettino, large numbers of them whined like babies because they had to train twice a day! Players are perfectly capable of playing 2-3 times a week, there is no proven reason they can't, there is far more evidence that they can do so than they can't.}

04 Mar 2015 14:15:12
Ed01,

I guess it's a little strange that clubs have a squad of approx 25 players, when if trained correctly, using the US sports 'latest' data as you put it, they could limit that number down to around 14-15. After all, the US is hardly the pinnacle of football is it? They may have the leading edge on football related activities, ie. Sprinting, but they are a far cry from being the blueprint on success in the modern game.

Also, players may be perfectly capable of playing 2-3 times a week, but maintaining the required performance level 2-3 times a week is a different kettle of fish. You are ignoring any factor outside of football that could affect the player.

{Ed001's Note - that makes no sense, you are just another of those that wants to twist words to make bull crap assertions that don't have anything to do with what was said. But, while we are on the subject of your clueless assertions, Chelsea work with a squad of just 18 players under Mourinho. He always goes with that number of first teamers.

I don't see why you are trying to claim football related activities are so far removed from other sports to make them some kind of special case. That is why it has taken so long for football to catch up to other sports in the sports science area. To think you called me old school when you are still at primary school level of learning in this area.

How am I ignoring outside factors? You are making up more crap in your head because you don't know what you are talking about so have to lie about my thinking. Football is light years behind most sports, especially in England, because of people like you, with their 'football is a special case' nonsense. Do you not think other athletes are affected by circumstances outside of their sport itself? Amazing how a tennis player, who works harder than any footballer, is able to play multiple times a day at a high level for hours at a time in a tournament. Then off to the next tournament to do it again. What are they doing when they are not playing? Oh yes training.

There is no real reason for the myth built up around footballers about them being unable to play more often, they simply are not being pushed hard enough fitness wise. Most of them are too busy out nightclubbing until all hours to recover effectively. If they were so damn tired they wouldn't be out living it up, they would be sleeping.

As for keeping up the performance level, again it is a myth, plenty of other human endeavours require far more mental and physical stress and humankind manages to overcome them. If they had more stamina, they would be more able to cope with mental fatigue as well.}

03 Mar 2015 17:44:02
We fans are becoming too fickle by nature. The moment something goes wrong we start slating. This year I have seen a lot of fans slating StevieG. For how many years he had been single handedly pulling up Liverpool.He was the main reason that we won FA cup and Champions league.Owen, Torres and Suarez became best forwards because of the service provided by SG. At his peak he had the choice of any club he wanted to join but he never did. Coaches like Jose Mourinho, Sir AF and players like Zizou had openly come out and said that they would have loved to have him in his team yet the guy remained at Liverpool . Till last year I could not have imagined a Liverpool team without SG. Now that age is catching up with him and we have a team that is comfortable without SG so we have started finding reasons to slate the guy.He will always be a Liverpool hero and legend and he will never be seen gracing Anfield again after this summer. So as fans it is our responsibility to give SG the love and respect he deserves because that all a fan can give and a player desires during his time.

03 Mar 2015 19:36:27
It's not a question of not respecting Gerrard or not, it's a question of whether he deserves a place at this moment in time, he doesn't. Gerrard has been poor this season and his age is showing, we need to put sentimentality aside and accept that our best chance of finishing in the top four exists if Gerrard isn't in the side. That's not to denigrate what he has done before, but just that he is now part of history and we all need to move on.

03 Mar 2015 22:41:46
Spot on Mr D, Gerrard deserves utter respect for what he has delivered in the past but it does not make him immune to criticism. He will always be remembered as a legend but he has probably chosen the right time to step away from Liverpool

03 Mar 2015 23:39:58
SG has shown this season that his time is done here and he is nothing more than a passenger atm. We must respect his long service to the club and good luck to him BUT those are the facts and we cannot let his ego and trying to apease him (WTF?)get in the way of where we need to go. Just saying!

04 Mar 2015 09:49:31
Sentiment will win us nothing. It's not how we've operated in the past. Look at king Kenny even when he was player coach he only picked himself for half the games as he knew the team was better for it. Love gerrard but if he was player coach he would pick himself every game for the good of the team or not.

03 Mar 2015 10:57:05
Eds and fellow reds,
do you think rodgers has learnt his lesson and will play attacking, pressing football from the beginning next season. Or go back to the possession in the defence tactic that never works. Because every season we end with an incredible run. Imagine if we could do it all season for once. But will Rodgers even allow that to happen

{Ed001's Note - I worry that his recent comments about players not being fit enough to play the pressing system early in the season suggest he intends to revert again at the beginning of the season. But I hope he has learnt a lesson and will go at it from the beginning and manage the squad when/if tiredness becomes a problem.}

03 Mar 2015 11:37:42
The problem with playing this way all season come Easter the players may run out of steam I suppose depending who we r up against mix it up.

{Ed001's Note - players simply don't run out of steam if they are training properly. This is a myth, just like the struggles after European games, they are all lies built up by managers making excuses after poor performances. Sometimes results tail off, but that is down to a lack of fitness, or because the players are being badly managed. Not one player at the club is being pushed as hard as a triathlete pushes themself, for instance, so there is certainly more in the tank if players are trained correctly. Also, with a squad any tired players can easily be rested.}

03 Mar 2015 12:01:22
Never know whether to click the agree button or the disagree one. I agree with the post but disagree with the Ed's response

{Ed001's Note - perhaps you should learn to articulate your opinion, rather than just clicking a button?}

03 Mar 2015 12:43:13
The players Rodgers has bought where supposed to be suited to that style, and we have a team of kids who should be able to manage it.

Rodgers needs to realise that his style of football doesn't work.

03 Mar 2015 12:51:56
I agree completely with regards to using your squad to keep players fresh. Always wondered though if the physios/sport science/doctor type people have a big say in managers selections?

{Ed001's Note - depends on the manager/head coach. Rafa always used to work very closely with Pako Ayesteran on team selection, a lot of the rotation was down to Pako. Mourinho likes to keep his team settled and so works with the physios etc to keep the players fit to play as often as possible. Though he does sometimes leave a player out for a rest when needed.}

03 Mar 2015 13:33:57
good response ed, ON BOTH occasions that is.

{Ed001's Note - now I am the one confused, as there are 4 responses in this thread from me!}

03 Mar 2015 13:37:20
These points are all based on the premise that when the team isn't performing that it's because it's the way Rodgers wants them to play. His fault.
And when the team is performing it's because Rodgers is forced begrudgingly to employ a different way of playing. So success in spite of Rodgers is the implication.
How about it's a young talented manager making some mistakes but willing to change and adapt while developing a talented you squad and learning how to drive that squad through competing in multiple fronts.

Finish in the top 4 and he's job is safe. For all those taking about winning silverware, maybe they should give some sort of shield to the teams finishing in 2rd, 3rd and 4th. because any team would swap a league cup or FA cup for a champions league spot.

{Ed001's Note - none of those points are based on that at all, don't lie because you want to apologise for Rodgers' errors. All of the points are based on it being Rodgers' way of playing, whether winning or losing. Nobody has implied it is in spite of him in this thread except for you, making up nonsense to suit your blinkered view of things. Take your lies and go away until you can come back and learn to read and post without lying to try and make a crap point. You have no idea about whether his job is safe or not, so give it a rest.}

03 Mar 2015 15:36:25
I know we're your coming from ed in response to my post I often wonder how there is so much yapping about tiredness when they r doing their job of playing football, the best job in the world especially when they r playing for r fantastic club I sound like Jimmy Liddell now.But unless I have played at a level these players r playing I personally wouldn't rule out a player r 2 hitting a brick wall 2 thirds into the season.

{Ed001's Note - I trained with triathletes, they do more in training each day than our players do in a week. The problem is down to the way we train players, as sprinters rather than endurance athletes. I understand why, they want them at the peak constantly, but it is not possible for people to be at their peak constantly while training as sprinters. You need to build up their stamina first, which is why certain players, such as McManaman in the past, never struggle with fatigue. They built up their stamina first, in Macca's case as a cross country runner in school. Players like Suarez get it through playing non-stop while young, and so building up an innate fitness. Our kids are not allowed to play many games in case they get tired, so they never build up the stamina in the first place. They need to play more to build up the stamina, not less!}

03 Mar 2015 17:42:46
Fitzy

Sky have been showing this week how we improve dramatically second half of the season.

And we all now why that is

03 Mar 2015 18:17:28
Ed 1, you are spot on. I have trained for many years and one important fundamental factor of training is tricking the muscles i.e. the 'lungs'. You can sprint all day and run a couple of miles, but that will never provide the full lung expansion what's required for true athletic stamina.

It is a serious fundamental flaw in football.

Even if Macca wasn't at full sprint, his training would allow him to run non-stop for 90 minutes albeit at a slower yet consistent pace, which was more effective than your sporadic sprint movements of closing down a player.

03 Mar 2015 19:49:21
Some interesting points ed001.

Was it sir Alex that said if you stopped Mcmanaman, you stopped Liverpool? I can't remember.
I think the sprinting training etc has become part and parcel of the game due to the fact pace is seen as such a strong virtue to creating space and time, as well as pinning defenses/wingers back.

With regards to playing time, isn't this reduced so as not to interfere with education etc? from an early age?

Have you ever done a YOYO test ED? That was the first time I realised how different test gave out different measures of fitness. I used to go ok in beep test getting about 14-15 when I was young. YOYO's absolutely ruined me. I think football as a whole dropped the beep for the yoyo recently as a fitness gauge
(for the record I got 20 on the level 2 yoyo if any ones ever done it)

{Ed001's Note - I haven't done a YOYO test no. There are lots of different tests for different types of fitness, but basic stamina will still count, that is missing in the modern game. I understand the reasoning behind dropping all the hard running they used to do in preseason, but they are not replacing it adequately.

The reduced playing time is nothing to do with education, it is another thing supposed to reduce 'burnout'. Too many people will quote Owen's shortened career as an example of burnout without understanding that he was burnout because of poor training and poor lifestyle, not because he played too many games.}

03 Mar 2015 23:55:05
If you are a footie player. stamina, strength and endurance training is paramount, IMO. As a young player, my then coach (a former youth international of Nigeria) focused on stamina, endurance and fitness because in his book, if you and the opponent are equally matched, if you can outlast the opposition, you have a better chance of winning the game. With his help, I got so fit that I never got tired and could keep playing for hours. The drills he would give us were criminal especially under the scorching sun. In order for me to be able to withstand this regimen, I had to do extra stamina workouts on my own and it worked. Also, Ed01 is right because as a kid, we played footie for hours and as I grew up, I was not afraid of staying on the practice field for hours and in fact, I began to like it. The high press can be played in every game, IMO. It is u to the manager to manage the players weel and know when to give them a rest and taylor training and rest periods to suit them. We have a good example of that w/ Poch at Spurs who drives his players into the ground in training while employing the high press every game he plays. This clearly explains why Spurs outlast their opponents by taking the most points (15, I think) in the last 10mins of games. So the excuses that BR ditched the system to to save the players from burning out is baseless and simply defies the laws of logic and dare I say, Physics. The reason we were poor is down to HIM and ALL down to HIM and his poor management. A good coach, he is. A good manager, clearly not BUT could be in the futre IF he learns and quickly.

04 Mar 2015 07:55:38
I hated my first manager.
He was ex Army and we never saw a ball.
It was fitness fitness fitness.
I have a lot to thank him for now though because he gave me a base fitness level which has still lasted to this day.
I also ran cross country.
I am a great believer in doing lots of things to keep in shape.
Walk, run, swim, cycle, it all helps.
I am nearly 40 now though so recovery takes place in the pub:)

04 Mar 2015 09:16:01
I'm fairly sure the teams of Shankly and Paisley trained far more than they do now and always used to start the training with a long run (8 - 10 miles). I even seem to recall Shank's teams running up and down the Kop wearing backpacks with sand in, purely to build up stamina and practising shooting in a sweat box in the mud.

03 Mar 2015 07:51:07
Hi, I'm a new poster but a regular on the site. The forum is fantastic and I think I would be speaking for the majority in saying the Eds do a fantastic job.

I wanted to post about much of the negativity throughout the season surrounding rodgers as manage. I know it's easy to support the manager whilst we are in a rich vein of form, but i must say that i hope he has quietened many of the detractors. The number of dillusional fans expecting us to win the league this season is quite incredible. Firstly last season was freak year. I would wager thay less 5% of fans would have expected us to challenge for the title at the start of last season and would have said finishing in the top four would have been a magnificent acheivement. So to suddenly expect us to challenge for the title again inspite of the fact that we lost our best player and based of form probably the best player in the world is quite frankly insane.

The main aim for this season has to be a top 4 finish so we can consolidate our position in europes elite competition and build a squad that can challenge. This is not going to happen overnight. Making the top 4 would be an unqualifies success and i can quite understand the looney fans whi think otherwise.

We cleary have an intelligent coach/man manager/ tactician who deserves support and time. Yes he has made mistakes and makes some off the wall comments. But he is young manager who is still learnig his trade at one of the most prestigious clubs In the world.

The instant success that some fans demand had really grated on me this season, and I have many debates with my friends where I have been exasperated by the lack support for the manager/players.

People forget that only a few seasons ago we had hodgson in the dugout marshalling konchesky and Poulsen!! The turn around has bren quite magnificent and a large part of that is down to the manager.

I have no doubt that given time Rodgers will leads us on for a titles challenge n the next couple of seasons and hope that FSG keep the faith.

Neel

{Ed001's Note - sorry but anyone who thinks finishing so far behind Chelsea is a success is the loony! I don't think anyone expected us to win the league, but we had every right to expect us to challenge for it again after the summer's outlay.}

03 Mar 2015 08:36:59
I think its looney to suggest that we should be much closer to Chelsea when we sold our best player and had our next best goalscorer out for the season. I suggest that Chelsea would not be so far ahead if hazard was sold and costa was injured forbhalf of the season.

Admittedly we had a bad start but this can only be expected from signing a number of bright young players.

Also ed would you say at the start of last season you expected us to challenge for the title? honestly is that what yo were expecting?

We clearly overacheived last season because we had the most lethal strike partnership in the league. That overacheivement has obviosly gone to a number of fans heads

{Ed001's Note - surely it is not loony when clearly the only reason we are so far behind is because the manager made mistakes, which you have agreed with. So you are saying we should accept mediocrity and it is loony to want otherwise purely because our manager is not up to the task of getting the best from the team at his disposal then?

I was fully expecting a title challenge with the players brought in and the players already at the club. There is simply no excuse for anything else. It was a bad start brought on by poor management. Now, for me, Rodgers should have come out and admitted he got it wrong, rather than coming out with pathetic excuses, which he is still making.

We never overachieved at all last season, sorry but I disagree. We achieved exactly what we deserved. If we had won the title, that would have been overachieving. Winning nothing is far from an overachievement. There was absolutely no reason we couldn't be right now in second again, other than we got off to a bad start, which is all in the hands of the manager. So no, it is not loony to expect more.}

03 Mar 2015 09:09:13
I don't think it can really be argued that we didn't overacheive last season. However I respect that you certainly believe we should have challenged for the title after finishing 7th the previous season! Your argument is too simple and is bordering on the cliche that coming second is last which is contrite to say the least!

How many times does Mourinho come out and admit he was wrong. He didn't win anyrhing for a few years surely he made mistakes? or is he also a bad manager? how about ancelotti surely thay should have beaten their rivals to the league last season with their resources- I didn't hear comments from him saying he was wrong?

Also do you think that if chelsea lost hazard, madrid lost ronaldo, barca lost messi it would have no impact on their team the following season? signing players is all good and well but even if we signed ready made so called stars it would take time for them to settle in. and we didn't even sign stars we signed bright young talents! case in point angel di maria, juan mata, andiry shevchenko, fernando torres! new sigings don't always pan out as expected.

{Ed001's Note - are you a wum or just being deliberately obtuse? Did I say we should have challenged for the title after coming 7th? I said we didn't overachieve, not that we should have challenged, but that we deserved to come second. Nobody mentioned anything about it being the first loser other than you, who is providing all the cliches of apologism you can possibly find.

What on earth has Mourinho or Ancelotti got to do with an idiotic decision to change a winning system to one that has failed on previous attempts to implement it with us? Did either Jose or Carlo do that? Not sure I remember either of them making such a basic error. Or are you loony enough to suggest that Brendan now bears comparison with two managers who have won the Champions League on more than one occasion, despite him never winning anything?

That is the manager's job, to choose the right replacements, to bring them into the team when they are ready, and to manage their performances to get the best out of them. Do you think Jose would be outside the top 4 with Chelsea if they had sold Hazard and lost Costa to a long injury at the start of the season? Not a chance. Why? Because he would have managed them better. So why are you defending Rodgers' errors at the start of the season? You say he is a young manager who is learning, but you seem to have forgotten that you only learn by admitting you made mistakes and learning from them. Not making snide comments to the media, while putting pressure on young players to sign new contracts and praising yourself for currently not making the mistakes you were making.}

03 Mar 2015 09:41:46
I don't think you are undrrstanding the point I am making about 'overacheivement'. According to most peoples expectations we were outsiders challenging for the top 4 and due to the players/managers performance we ended up deserving 2nd place in the league. This does not mean that the players didn't overacheive! Anyways that's all semanticss

I agree he has made mistakes but why should he front up to the media and admit them and lose the confidence of his players. Ok I agree he has made definitely some odd and silly comments about winning the champions leaghe and being susceptible to displaying clear nariccissm, but u don't think that means we should close our eyes to the turn around he has made to this team. His admission of his mistake is clear for everyone to see I don't see why he should adminish himself to please the fans!

{Ed001's Note - how would he lose the confidence of the players? What a load of nonsense that is. Do you lose confidence in someone who makes a mistake, fixes it and then admits to it? It tends to lead to respect.}

03 Mar 2015 10:01:27
I agree it can do, but more often that not in football how many times do we see it? Also who knows what is said behind closed doors, Rodgrs may well have intimated to the players he was trying different things that didn't work. I don't see why he should say it in public. Anyway good to debate with you Ed!

{Ed001's Note - I think that is more of a symptom of the problems in the world of football, along with the constant need to spit everywhere and the homophobia that sees players afraid to admit to being gay. People in the game are afraid to admit anything, they need to change that and grow up a bit. I doubt it will happen as so few footballers have the intelligence required to blow their own nose, let alone think for themselves!}

03 Mar 2015 10:16:59
I said at the start of the season we wouldn't challenge for the title, but we would make top 4.

Although Rodgers spent a lot of money in the summer, we also need to remember that we sold our best player to enable us to do it.

I would rather we kept saurez and only spent 40mil, then i'd have expected us to challenge for the title.

Last year we deserved to be where we were and although we have fallen behind this year we are fast approaching all the other teams above us.
6 games ago we where 15 points behind city in 2nd and now we are 7 points behind.

As sky have been showing this week are point ration in the 2nd half of the season is 2.50 and above a game, but before xmas we are 1.50 ish per game when playing Rodgers idle type of football.

If we start next season playing the way we are now i'd expect us to challenge.

03 Mar 2015 10:25:28
Ed1 do you think Liverpool will "cut the worm from the apple" as ed2 would say?! Rodgers I'm talking about
Tha ka

{Ed001's Note - I believe he has done enough to keep his job intact from what I have been told. There is still a belief in the need for someone in a DoF role that can work with him though.}

03 Mar 2015 10:29:00
I hate to say it but if Maureen lost Costa and Hazard yet was given 100m, chances are he would have bought a lot wiser than we did.

03 Mar 2015 11:37:30
I think the fact we are on such a good run of form now only highlights the fact Rodgers is a poor manager even more, the fact of look at what's actually possible with this squad, so why where we playing so poorly at the start? Why did Rodgers take so long to change the system? Why buy so many players to challenge on all fronts then play a second string team against Madrid? Why are we so so poor in Europe? Why are we so behind Chelsea in the league?
This season for me shows Rodgers has it in him to be a brilliant coach but he is so far out of his depth at this level without a DOF. He can coach and manage some players brilliantly and turn them into superstars Sturidge and coutinho for example, but look at all the ones he has alienated as well and as a result cost the club many millions and effectively put us out of the market when it comes to needing a top player to fill a gap that the accedemy can't.
I like Rodgers (I have met him a few times, nice man) but he really needs help for him to be successful at Liverpool.

03 Mar 2015 17:20:57
Ed1 you have sais a few ties over the last couple of months that the owners are sick and tired of Rodgers and his antics, that he keeps opening his mouth again and again and keeps making the same mistakes again and again! Then why are they going to stick with him in the summer?? Surely they would replace him??
Thqnks

{Ed001's Note - they still might, no final decision has been made, it just looks likely he has earnt himself another year, with help above him.}

04 Mar 2015 00:05:14
BR will be FULLY evaluated and IMO, he will b offered a series of recommendations which include a DOF and other things (media help, and so on)to help him focus only on coaching (which he is awesome at) and cut out his mistakes to a minimum. If he agrees, he stays and I`ll b happy with that. If he refuses (which is also likely) then he should be shown the door because all big clubs now don`t have managers, they all have people above them so if BR thinks he`s bigger than Pep, Mou, Simeone, Pello, Ancelotti, De Boer and the rest then for sure, he should go because he ain`t biger than those guys and sure ain`t bigger than LFC.

02 Mar 2015 22:26:02
So I see LFC show a profit, although increase of net debt. Only question I have is regarding the recent FFP investigations. I understand that while that happens, CL funds were withheld? So they've now been released? Are finances even better due to this?