Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Note in OP, 1/09

Kerrigooney · 01-11-2014 11:59PM

tok9 wrote: »

Pull the finger out Rodgers, massive week ahead.

By this time next week we'll have had 3 defeats in a row...been a while since that happened

NukaCola · 02-11-2014 12:02AM

Kerrigooney wrote: »

By this time next week we'll have had 3 defeats in a row...been a while since that happened

Thats the spirit :pac:

Kerrigooney · 02-11-2014 12:04AM

NukaCola wrote: »

Thats the spirit :pac:

I'm a bit down in the dumps this evening. Sorry.

02-11-2014 12:15AM

Watching Sanchez for Arsenal you can see why Rodgers wanted him. Would completely fit into the way Rodgers wants to play and could actually be a half decent replacement for Suarez.

Instead Ballotelli comes in who doesn't fit the style and system at all.

Augmerson · 02-11-2014 12:15AM

Kerrigooney wrote: »

I'm a bit down in the dumps this evening. Sorry.

If it's any consolation, Margaret Thatcher is still dead.

Kerrigooney · 02-11-2014 12:18AM

Augmerson wrote: »

If it's any consolation, Margaret Thatcher is still dead.

Has anyone checked the coffin lately?

Just to be sure like...

Soups123 · 02-11-2014 12:18AM

Highlight just showing now on MOTD

Kerrigooney · 02-11-2014 12:19AM

Soups123 wrote: »

Highlight just showing now on MOTD

Highlight? You mean there was a highlight? I must have missed it.

yipeeeee · 02-11-2014 12:26AM

rarnes1 wrote: »

Watching Sanchez for Arsenal you can see why Rodgers wanted him. Would completely fit into the way Rodgers wants to play and could actually be a half decent replacement for Suarez.

Instead Ballotelli comes in who doesn't fit the style and system at all.

Half decent???

02-11-2014 12:30AM

yipeeeee wrote: »

Half decent???

Figure of speech

S. Goodspeed · 02-11-2014 12:45AM

rarnes1 wrote: »

Watching Sanchez for Arsenal you can see why Rodgers wanted him. Would completely fit into the way Rodgers wants to play and could actually be a half decent replacement for Suarez.

Instead Ballotelli comes in who doesn't fit the style and system at all.

Agree on Sanchez, quality player and I think we'd be looking a lot more like the team of last season if we had him. We found out pretty early on in the transfer window that he wasn't interested in us though so we should have had someone else (who's name doesn't begin with Mario..) lined up. Maybe Markovic was meant to be that guy which is even more worrying

D'Agger · 02-11-2014 12:56AM

NukaCola wrote: »

Forgot a smiley, nothing to get upset about, I'm sure slingerz wouldn't have anyway.

Muh bad!

Utopia Parkway · 02-11-2014 01:23AM

rarnes1 wrote: »

Watching Sanchez for Arsenal you can see why Rodgers wanted him. Would completely fit into the way Rodgers wants to play and could actually be a half decent replacement for Suarez.

Instead Ballotelli comes in who doesn't fit the style and system at all.

Yeah similar player to Suarez in that he keeps running and fighting no matter what. Not as good as Suarez but still about as good as a replacement as you could get.

02-11-2014 01:31AM

Utopia Parkway wrote: »

Yeah similar player to Suarez in that he keeps running and fighting no matter what. Not as good as Suarez but still about as good as a replacement as you could get.

He's already in double figures this season I think.

That's the sort of player we should have been signing after finishing 2nd last season. Not messing around picking up cheap scraps that nobody else really wants and wouldn't get into the other top 4 sides

JohnDaniels · 02-11-2014 02:12AM

Even if you want to stay away from reactionary responses to the current run of form due to a belief in the manager I think it's almost impossible for anyone to defend the transfer activity. When you start to examine the squad which Rodgers has built it looks very ordinary. How many of the players that have been brought in look capable of going on to play for one of the big two in Spain? Sturridge is the only one. I ask that because everyone keeps saying we are buying potential but how many of the players bought are just decent footballers whose potential is what they are now showing at Liverpool. No matter how much the likes of Allen, Lovren, Borini etc improve, they have a ceiling which everyone can see watching them. They are never going to be world beaters. If you fill your squad with average players then the performance we are watching is what will follow.

Shankly once said that you need eight players to carry the piano and three to play it. Last season we had two of the best players in the world hammering out the music supplemented by Sterling and others. Without them this season we have no one playing the music. Worst of all though I don't even think the guys Rodgers has assembled to carry the piano are that good. They got bailed out lots last season because the three were so good. Mignolet is not good enough, Lovren is terrible. Even looking at the starting midfield options, will any of them reach the kind of level that would interest the top two in Spain. At the moment we have lots of goodto decent player mixed with some players who are not good enough and never will be mixed with very few potentially world class players.

It is that lack of top level talent that is most worrying. Benitez at this stage had bought Torres, Alonso, Mascherano, Agger, Aurelio etc. Players that you could see had very high ceilings. In a way it's understandable how we have ended up in this position as we very quickly had to fill a very thin squad with lots of players. The squad is now fairly decent but it completely lacks the really top level talent needed within the first eleven.

Super-Rush · 02-11-2014 03:08AM

Its impossible to replace Suarez's trickery and goals but you don't need to be a world beater to actually press against a team and run yourself into the ground.

Every single time this season we just let teams knock the ball around among themselves knowing that we will just stand there and let them do it. Another thing that really pisses me off, is when an opposition player is running with the ball and the Liverpool player will run away from him to mark a free player rather than tackle him.

Both the players and the manager need to take long hard look at themselves. Rodgers with his crazy player and formation selections and the team with their lack of fight and willingness to put a shift in.

daithijjj · 02-11-2014 04:07AM

Super-Rush wrote: »

Its impossible to replace Suarez's trickery and goals but you don't need to be a world beater to actually press against a team and run yourself into the ground.

Every single time this season we just let teams knock the ball around among themselves knowing that we will just stand there and let them do it. Another thing that really pisses me off, is when an opposition player is running with the ball and the Liverpool player will run away from him to mark a free player rather than tackle him.

Both the players and the manager need to take long hard look at themselves. Rodgers with his crazy player and formation selections and the team with their lack of fight and willingness to put a shift in.

Perhaps some of the players dont believe in some of the decisions being made!.

Perhaps the lethargy creeping in is because we replaced selfless infectious energy up front with selfishness on the ball, miserable demeanour and hardly any goals! (not that its all Balotelli's problem).

Talisman · 02-11-2014 05:32AM

Steven Gerrard set to sign new long-term Liverpool contract

It's a sensational headline but I hope that FSG don't roll over on this, there's no room for sentiment in negotiating a contract extension with him. If the terms of the contract extension offered aren't acceptable then he can leave - it would also get Rodgers off the hook for having to drop him from the starting line-up.

Talisman · 02-11-2014 05:45AM

JohnDaniels wrote: »

Even if you want to stay away from reactionary responses to the current run of form due to a belief in the manager I think it's almost impossible for anyone to defend the transfer activity. When you start to examine the squad which Rodgers has built it looks very ordinary. How many of the players that have been brought in look capable of going on to play for one of the big two in Spain? Sturridge is the only one. I ask that because everyone keeps saying we are buying potential but how many of the players bought are just decent footballers whose potential is what they are now showing at Liverpool.

If the players are now showing their potential what were they doing last season?

wandatowell · 02-11-2014 05:59AM

Talisman wrote: »

there's no room for sentiment in negotiating a contract extension with him. If the terms of the contract extension offered aren't acceptable then he can leave - it would also get Rodgers off the hook for having to drop him from the starting line-up.

Gooner here,

Certain players, ala Gerrard are absolute icons that run through every layer of the club. There are very few players like him or will be in the future.

His level of performance/fitness whatever is on decline, everybody knows that but out of respect for him the club should do everything it can to make sure he stays.

Even more than that though Liverpool signing Gerard up for 2 or so more seasons and making the whole process as easy as possible sends out a message about respect, loyalty and appreciation.

Just the traits Liverpool would want to maintain....................as they slide down the table to midtable mediocrity

(I'm joking of course)

I think those traits are very commendable and are quickly being eradicated from Football and most sports as the games become more and more dominated by money and short sightedness.

Damien360 · 02-11-2014 11:00AM

There should be 2 possibilities for Gerard at the club.

High value rolling one year contract as giggs got at utd.

Or low yearly value but long term contract (3 years max).

Great servant to the club but he has had his day and now it is time to move aside. He should be looking at a supersub role rather than starter due to his low energy levels and age.

kippy · 02-11-2014 11:07AM

rarnes1 wrote: »

He's already in double figures this season I think.

That's the sort of player we should have been signing after finishing 2nd last season. Not messing around picking up cheap scraps that nobody else really wants and wouldn't get into the other top 4 sides

He didn't want to go to Liverpool. Not much the club can do about that to be fair.

Liverpool have had and will have issues attracting the top talent internationally.
Financially they are competing with far more powerful clubs for those signatures.

JohnDaniels · 02-11-2014 11:13AM

Talisman wrote: »

If the players are now showing their potential what were they doing last season?

What do you mean? I'm not saying that none of them are good enough. My post was pointing out that we are missing the jewels in the crown to complement the squad we have now built. Last season we had Suarez, Sturridge and Sterling blazing a trail. This season without Sturridge we completely lack that real top quality within the side. Coutinho hasn't found any consistent form. Sterling hasn't hit anywhere near last seasons heights but at his age these peaks and troughs are to be expected. I think that contrary to what is being said in the media Balotelli has done OK and worked hard but he is well short of offering the kind of xfactor last seasons attackers added. I do think some of the buys have been terrible like Lovren. Sahko may have had his ups and downs at Liverpool but he is the French starting cb for a reason. He has all the tools needed and I can see his potential ceiling as being very high yet the manager after spending a fortune on him, spends another fortune on Lovren who I think is a significant downgrade. Ultimately though even across midfield and the whole defense I can see very few players I would consider to have that world class potential which we badly need.

rob316 · 02-11-2014 11:57AM

We need Sturridge back and get sterling through the middle that's the bottom line for me right now. That is the only way I see out of this current mess. We were always going to be a lesser team without suarez but the impact of Sturridge out too has been too much.

If we are looking for a striker in January I would go all out for bony, he would be a very good signing. If higuain is available and willing to come even better.
The club have to realise a top striker is the only way for us to finish in the top 4 and that should of been priority number one in the summer.

Barring a disastrous run rodgers has my backing.

02-11-2014 12:01PM

kippy wrote: »

He didn't want to go to Liverpool. Not much the club can do about that to be fair.

Liverpool have had and will have issues attracting the top talent internationally.
Financially they are competing with far more powerful clubs for those signatures.

Oh I know Sanchez preferred Arsenal that's not even in question.

However, Liverpool could have signed him from a financial point of view. Money wasn't the issue was it? We spent the guts of 40m on Ballotelli and Markovic!

Talisman · 02-11-2014 12:33PM

JohnDaniels wrote: »

What do you mean?

You suggested that the players are now playing at their level of potential. Were they playing at a better or worse level last year? If they were better then it stands to reason that they are not currently playing at their level of potential.

kingshankly · 02-11-2014 12:47PM

Just looking at the table there just noticed southampton have conceded only 5 goals 1/2 as many as the next best defence
Really are missing loveran

mosstin · 02-11-2014 12:59PM

In all the pissing and moaning yesterday I recall a poster mentioning Koeman as a potential replacement for Rodgers. You couldn't make this **** up. That's the same Koeman who's having a ten game stretch as good as ours is bad, but it's JUST ten games.
Perhaps it was tongue in cheek but given the knee jerkery on here, I wasn't sure.

JohnDaniels · 02-11-2014 01:01PM

Talisman wrote: »

You suggested that the players are now playing at their level of potential. Were they playing at a better or worse level last year? If they were better then it stands to reason that they are not currently playing at their level of potential.

I'm not talking in terms of form. I went on to explain what I meant in the next couple of lines in the post you quoted. For example I know Sterling has a really high ceiling even if his form isn't great at the moment. Some of the players we have brought in you know even at the top of their game are just going to be good solid players. I think every team that isn't the likes of Real Madrid needs those players in the team\squad but around them especially in the first 11 you need real top level talent. We have added numbers to the squad but have added very little established or even potential piano players.

duffman13 · 02-11-2014 01:07PM

mosstin wrote: »

In all the pissing and moaning yesterday I recall a poster mentioning Koeman as a potential replacement for Rodgers. You couldn't make this **** up. That's the same Koeman who's having a ten game stretch as good as ours is bad, but it's JUST ten games.
Perhaps it was tongue in cheek but given the knee jerkery on here, I wasn't sure.

Koeman has won the eredevisie a few times and has signed fairly well in the summer. He will be linked with big jobs at the end of this season IMO however he has only ever really managed Benfica and Valencia outside Holland and both of those went tits up.

There was one particular year were he got off to a stunning start with PSV and they faded horrendously before scrapping the title on the final day. Has a history of starting strong and fading.

Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Note in OP, 1/09

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