Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2015/16 (*EVERYONE READ MOD POST in OP)

JohnDaniels wrote: »

To some degree I think that plays as an excuse but he just isn't ready for football at this level imo. I hate that Sterling keeps getting dragged into a conversations about him as they have very little in common. Sterling also came into the team with huge pressure on him, I remember those first few games when the expectancy in the crowd was incredible. Sterling though has football intelligence way beyond his years, he sees the game, players around him, understands when to make runs, how to use his ability, when to drribble when to play it sensibly.

Ibe has none of that at the moment. He plays like a teenager and that is fine because he is one. It is incredibly rare to see someone like Sterling who understands his own game and ability so well at his age. Ibe has a massive amount of raw tools. He is powerful, quick, rocket of a shot among other things. At the moment though he has very little understanding of how to use those tools. His awareness is awful and almost always he just wants to run at defenders with the ball. Like Shelvey he'll probably turn into a very good player over the course of time I'm not sure though that we can afford to carry someone so clearly below this level while he develops those skills.

My intention is not to compare them as players. Sterling came into a team with a clearly defined structure, every player had their own role. In that environment a young player can develop, they have a role within the structure, others know what their role is and can help them too.

Ibe is a right winger - last season he played out of position as a wing back and did relatively well. This season he has already played as a left winger/inside forward/wing back. It's not possible to make a proper judgement of him when the whole team is in flux - there is still no consistent connection between the midfield and forward players.

For instance when playing on the left of the front three, Ibe received little/no support from the full back who is actually a young right sided central defender being played out of position and also contend with Adam Lallana who seemed to relish crowding the space where Ibe was supposed to be playing.

I sometimes think that Rodgers has a bunch of cliff notes for football books by the greats of the game and in an effort to forge himself into the history of the game tries to apply his own spin on them. The names in the envelopes is a classic example of such an effort on his part. I'm sure it was very dramatic for an American TV audience that weren't already familiar with English soccer, but in this part of the world there are many people who have read the autobiography from which it was lifted.

Jock Stein used to play young players out of position to give them a tactical understanding of the game and the roles of the players around them. Kenny Dalglish wrote about it in his autobiography, a very young Dalglish played in central defence and midfield before graduating to his forward position when Stein felt he had learned what he needed to. Stein's philosophy was that a good footballer would have the intelligence to learn from the roles and in so doing would be able to adapt their own game. It could be something as simple as knowing where to move in order to offer a better passing option. Stein only tried to accommodate one such player-in-training in the team at a time for the most part.

Educating players rather than just training them is very much in keeping with the philosophy of Rodgers. For the past year, Rodgers seems to be trying to take Stein's idea to the Nth degree. There have been square pegs in round holes all over the pitch and it's an absolute mess, rather than helping it's impeding the development of the young players.

If the team had a defined structure with players in their natural roles they would be more comfortable and more likely to deliver higher performance levels. Once the team performances become consistent the player-in-training programme could be re-established. The team should be able to accommodate a single such player in almost any game, but two or more is asking for trouble.

Short wrap-up from last night - a good point away with a second string side.

But it will count for nothing if we don't beat Norwich with the rested first team.

It shows how desperate we and rodgers have become when we rest players for a home game against norwich, its the pits:mad:

Why were BR staff sacked when we are seeing a continuation of the dross of last season. I think it was obvious who was calling the shots last season, why bother changing your staff if your doing the same things?

Ferris_Bueller wrote: »

Before the season started people were saying how Ibe should be in the starting XI and that he looks like he could go on to be better than Sterling, 6 games into the season and people are slating him saying he's nowhere near the standard required and should have been loaned out. Sums up this thread and it's knee jerk reactions.

But people who were saying that were talking pure bullsh!t as evidenced on the season so far. That was all just a reaction to the reality that Sterling was going.

Ibe never has and never will be as good as Sterling.

Even the banners are getting sh1ttier.

x43r0 wrote: »

God be with the days when we relished a home game against Norwich like a Rottweiler eyeing up a juicy steak

Yes Suarez is surely missed at Anfield

Does anyone know the circumstances of Tony Evans leaving the Times and whether it was on good terms or acrimonious?

Tipsy McSwagger wrote: »

Anyone care to guess what Rodgers thought of Lallana's goal?

Outstanding from the boy!

SM01 wrote: »

Does anyone know the circumstances of Tony Evans leaving the Times and whether it was on good terms or acrimonious?

Tony Evans cant do anything without a bit of the oul acrimony

5starpool wrote: »

I still haven't forgiven them for ruining the last game in front of the standing Kop. The cheek of them.

Jeremy goss with the goal I think.

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Thread has a real smell of revolt and rebellion off it. We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore!

FSG have painted themselves into a corner with Rodgers. By retaining him at the end of last season, they can't very well go and sacked him after only 5 games without looking foolish.

At the same time, a defeat to Norwich and you'd really struggle to see a way back for Rodgers.

Two home wins in the next two weeks and let's see what happens to all the rebellion.

Next 4 games at home, not a top side in the lot, a good chance to get Sturridge back in, hopefully Henderson too, and we can see what's possible when all our best players are available.