Liverpool FC Forum

[jkop]

Yes we are to nice im not saying we should be getting on like the rest of the scummers but if we were to mix it up with the referee a bit then maybe we would get a lot more decisions that were ours in the first place going our way.

[Espionage]

I agree, I think that we play with class and that is what initially confirmed my love of Liverpool, it was the attitude that we were a hard team full of players that just get on with it.  If you dive, the kop should let the player know that its not acceptable for a Liverpool player.  If a player aruges with a ref I think that it shows a lack of respect and is not what Liverpool is all about.

[CardinalRed]

Echoing some of St Mick's comments about Stevie G, I understand where you are coming from but no-one is suddenly gonna change Stevie's personality.....? John Terry and Gary Neville are totally different characters and it seems a little clearer now as to why Steve McLaren chose Terry over Stevie when we had all the to-ing and fro-ing a few weeks back over the England Captaincy, were we all just being sentimental when we wanted Stevie to have that job as well?
I still believe Stevie inspires those around him and if that is the price we must pay for how he performs then so be it...
We are not slipping up in games because Stevie doesn't cry like a banshee when things go against us, we have the players, they must play!

                                                                   

[andypool2285]

wat i think also siting in the away at bolton. The Liverpool fans out singing bolton fans buy a mile and i think to myself if that was me in that game i would have do anythink to try and make them traveing fans happy it looks like to me we don't want to win the league when the chaves win a game there bloody sh*aging one another because they one to win and i know you rafa building a team but we need that player whos going to do sumthk out off the blue sumthk brill? and  team need to stop picking on us get  in hard give them back wat they give us show no respect no no one sorry guys just off 

[The Manhattan Project]

We play with a lot of flair and deft touches and flicks.

It works against some teams, but when we play leg crunchers like Bolton, Blackburn and Everton for example, we may struggle because they can just bully us off the ball.

What we need in January is to buy a few "hardmen". Guys who can really get physical with opponents and grind them down. No flair, just all action. Men who intimidate.

We also need to adopt a few dirty tactics similar to what Jose used when manager of Porto. Diving, simulation, going to ground quickly when challenged, arguing decisions, whining, complaining, breaking up the play, closing down opponents fiercely, harranging and closing down opponents, aggressive pressure when not in possession of the ball.


It's not ideal and may not be "honest" but fook it. If we don't do it, our opponents will.

[Lando_Griffin]

I've always thought Carra should be our Captain, as he leads far better than Gerrard.
Yes Stevie inspires through his own performances (although not so far this season), but JC is the voice of the team. He is the one who organises, encourages and gets the players up.

Gerrard was only made captain to calm him down.

[Bad Bob]

I categorically despise whinging captains who are constantly having a go at the ref for something.  It looks pathetic and I think it backfires ultimately (the whole boy who cries wolf thing...).  So, I'm glad Stevie isn't constantly complaining and cajoling.  As far as I'm concerned, he can continue leading by example and that'll do just fine.

As for the team as a whole being too "nice" there might be a point there.  Away to Bolton and the Bluesh!te this season already we've seen too much complaincy in the face of adversity.  It goes back to what Shanks said about earning the right to play football.  More of the lads need to get stuck in early in these tough away matches in order to establish a platform for a good performance.  Playing pretty triangles is pleasing on the eye but doesn't always get the job done at places like the Reebok.

On that front, I was well pleased with Kuyt in the first half on Saturday.  He didn't bat an eye when Faye split his melon open.  He was up like a shot and off down the tunnel for treatment so he could get back into the battle.  Five minutes later he barged into Nicky Hunt in a way that said what goes around comes around.  Five minutes after the goal he made sure Dowd had a good look at Campo's shove in the box.  Some might call it a dive but I call it a savvy attempt to test the ref's resolve: no doubt Dowd had some questions about the free kick leading up to their goal and this might just have been a chance to even things up.

Having said that, I loved how he was quick to assure everyone, including the ref, when he slipped in the box on the Gerrard free kick.  That was not a dive, he was not playing for a penalty...he just slipped and he was quick to let people know that.  That is the mark of a true professional. 

Dirk for me epitomizes the marriage of skill and hard graft that we need in the side to win the league.  Let's hope that more of the lads follow his and Stevie's examples.