Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 11/12 - Mod Note 4153

Never heard of him till today but links with Rory Donnelly seem solid as the BBC are quoting the club as saying Kenny has been in touch over the weekend.

Few bits on youtube.

Hat-trick in this game



This one is a cracker!



Opr

Dont be at yourself wrote: »

manual_man wrote: »

Incredible. I have to say ive previously had doubts over Skrtel Agger, but theyre becoming some pairing!

Not sure how happy Carragher will be to sit on the bench and come on for 10 minutes as an extra body in midfield, though... At least he knows that Dalglish is the one man he can't throw his toys out of the pram with.

He wont be happy, but he'll accept it. Carra's a solid pro. If anything he'll use this as a chance to improve. I know he's going on 34, but he'll be the first to admit he hasn't been up to things pace-wise. Hopefully he can come back fitter (and faster)

The Recliner wrote: »

I have been pondering this because the improvement has been remarkable and obviously having Agger beside him gives him more confidence possibly because he knows that Agger is an outlet for him if he gets into trouble as Agger has the skill to work himself out of it

But I think the main factor is a lot more simple, it is the shift from being the Left sided Center back when Carragher is playing to being the Right sided Center back when Agger is play, I think a lot of it is down to him just being more comfortable there and it being more natural for him

A lot of the time when Skrtel played with Carragher he took up the right sided CB slot.

I think a lot of Skrtel's improvement may be somewhat down to Agger showing more confidence in him that Carragher did, plus Agger is a pretty good leader at the back in his own right and seems to go about organising the back line without the need for constant yelling. He also gives a lot of thumbs up and wink gestures when an attack is foiled by our defence and maybe Skrtel responds better to having a defensive partner who shows trust in him than one who often takes up the same positions as him and who barracks him. Basically saying that he may be more the type who responds to the arm around the shoulder approach over the kick in the arse approach.

Plus with Carragher lack of pace now missing from the line up, the back four is one where all four have decent pace, so a higher line can be played as all the defenders have good recovery pace if needed.

Whatever it is, the improvement in Skrtel of late has been massive. I would go as far as to say that the run of games since Carragher has been out has been Skrtel's most consistant run of form since he joined the club. I have been quite critical of Skrtel's performances in the past, but of late he has been really really good and even the niggly little tugs at shirts in the box and rash challenges seem to have faded from his game.

Never thought I would say this but if Skrtel can keep this kind of form going more often than not, then he could be the defender I never thought he would become.

mike65 wrote: »

Have you all forgotten how well Agger/Skrtel worked when they first played together? Everyone was talking about how they were the future but Agger went into a run of injuries and Carra nutted Skrtel so badly his jaw was broken (Aug 2009), he was never the same that season and then of course we had to suffer Carra/Skrtel behind Lucas/Poulson under Hodgson. We are now back to where we were 3 years ago.

Remember being very excited about a possible Skrtel/Agger partnership a few years ago - both young defenders who seemed to compliment each other very well

Aggers a fantastic player but this spell he's had without injury is really showing what an important player he is for us, whilst also bringing out the best in Skrtel recently.

mike65 wrote: »

Have you all forgotten how well Agger/Skrtel worked when they first played together? Everyone was talking about how they were the future but Agger went into a run of injuries and Carra nutted Skrtel so badly his jaw was broken (Aug 2009), he was never the same that season and then of course we had to suffer Carra/Skrtel behind Lucas/Poulson under Hodgson. We are now back to where we were 3 years ago.

Agger is with the team since the 05/06 season, and Skrtel is there since the 07/08 season. Three years ago Skrtel only played in 19 league games and Agger only managed 23 the same season. The season before that Agger only managed 18 league games, and Skrtel 21.

They have rarely had a good run of games together as when one was fit the other was injured a lot in the past, plus a fit Carragher generally meant that one of them did not play or one was at full back.

I think in the past month or so that Skrtel has come on in leaps and bounds and is probably playing better than he ever has in a Liverpool shirt. Long may it continue as well.

Small thing I've been thinking about the past few days. Has anyone else noticed this about Suarez' style of play? To me he never reallys seem to have the ball under control but rather it's almost as if he is constantly reacting to what the ball is doing instead of making the ball do what he wants(almost like the ball has a life of it's own when Luis is in posession). It's strange I know but he is quite unlike any other player I have come across in that regard.

Dont be at yourself wrote: »

I think it's not quite that he doesn't have the ball under control, but that he doesn't take a seperate touch to control the ball. For example, most players will trap a ball, and then dribble or pass. Virtually everything Suarez does is from the first touch - he'll use his first touch to pass, or to take it around a player (or nutmeg them... Has any other player performed so many nutmegs as Suarez in recent years??).

Well I don't believe he actualy doesn't have the ball under control, I just said that to describe what I'm referring to. He really does have in very own style tho imo which is nice to see.

I think defensively we are solid at the moment... I am still worried about the center of the park and on the wings..

Have to say I really rate Shelvey, he is a dymanic attacking player.. He is a total AM player and can only get better, he doesn't track back which alot of people say is a worry, i don't he's an attacking midfielder, maybe need needs to press the opposition defenders a little more but i don't think he should drop back far past the center o mif.. he has an eye for a pass and can shoot... at 19 I think the sky is the limit for him and i think he'll be a great player for the club... Shame we had to take him back from the loan deal as I think it would have benefited him greatly, but as long as he's in the Liverpool first team he will come on as a player..

5starpool wrote: »

Tomorrow could have a huge bearing on our season. I'm pretty nervous about it I have to say.

What do wolves/Norwich and Bolton/Blackburn have to do with anything

5starpool wrote: »

Tomorrow could have a huge bearing on our season. I'm pretty nervous about it I have to say.

slingerz wrote: »

What do wolves/Norwich and Bolton/Blackburn have to do with anything

mike65 wrote: »

and Liverpool play on Wednesday

Tuesday? Suarez?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/8965183/Liverpool-year-in-review-2011-Kenny-Dalglishs-return-sale-of-Fernando-Torres-and-Andy-Carrolls-struggle.html

Hero: Luis Suarez
It has been the years of the number 7 at Anfield, old and new. While the shirt’s greatest inhabitant returned to the dug-out, his successor, Luis Suarez, instantly endeared himself to The Kop, scoring on debut against Stoke and causing mayhem to opposition defences ever since. His off-field misdemeanours have cast a shadow over this season, but having lost Torres, the impact of Suarez has kept Liverpool a relevant force at the top of the English game at a time they were sliding ever nearer towards anonymity as a European force.

Has Suarez done something I'm unaware of or is this just bad journalism?

Guardian has quotes from Cliftonville chairman saying Kenny was on the phone about Rory Donnolly and wants to sign him.

Great Liverpool sides have always had an Irishman, so this is clearly the final piece of the jigsaw!