Liverpool FC Forum

[account deleted by request]

This is not just a recent event mate that we have been struggling to fill the wide positions its been going on since Thompson and Partridge.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

I don't know why we let Davie Thompson go when we did, I always thought he was half decent.

We have tried youngsters of late, Welsh, Potter, Raven, Ostembour but the major problem is, these kids are given a handful of games over the course of a season and are expected to be world beaters. What they needed and what the next batch need is a sustained run in the side with the rest of the usual first teamers (gerrard, carra, torres and so on) rather than playing the odd game with the bit part players. I do feel however saint, that Paul Anderson could and probably should make the right wing his own...I was shocked to see he didn't make the league 1 team of the year but I'm not sure if he could because he's on loan.

[LFC2007]

If anyone thinks playing time will transform a fundamentally average, or shit player into something like good enough to play regularly for LFC, they're deluded, or just fucking stupid.

[7_Kewell]

I don't know why we let Davie Thompson go when we did, I always thought he was half decent.

We have tried youngsters of late, Welsh, Potter, Raven, Ostembour but the major problem is, these kids are given a handful of games over the course of a season and are expected to be world beaters. What they needed and what the next batch need is a sustained run in the side with the rest of the usual first teamers (gerrard, carra, torres and so on) rather than playing the odd game with the bit part players. I do feel however saint, that Paul Anderson could and probably should make the right wing his own...I was shocked to see he didn't make the league 1 team of the year but I'm not sure if he could because he's on loan.

sorry, but none of those players were good enough and no amount of games would have changed that.

[JoeTerp]

I was responding to what you said about our mentality to "play crouch on the wing instead of give a reserve a chance"  I was just saying that we haven't had any players stand out in the wide areas in the reserves either. Leto got off to a strong start in the reserves, but when he got his chance he looked terrible, and now he has been on the bench for 2008 due to work permit issues. El zhar hasn't done much at reserve level, couple of decent performances, and was given some cup chances, apart from his nice goal, didn't play well. Putterill has played decent in the reserves but has been hurt for a while now and doesn't look like he has first team quality anyway, same probably goes for Flynn and Crowther. Anderson and Hammill are a little more promising but they are getting experience out on loan. It will be very interesting to see how Rafa treats them this summer when they come back. Do they get legit shots at making the first team? do they go on loan again, do they play in the reserves again? do they get sold? Gary Mackay-Steven and David Amoo have shown talent as well as promise at the U18 level so we will have to wait and see with them

[god_bless_john_houlding]

If anyone thinks playing time will transform a fundamentally average, or shit player into something like good enough to play regularly for LFC, they're deluded, or just fucking stupid.

jamie carragher, is probably one of the worst players techincally Liverpool Football Club has ever had yet is one of our greatest players because he was given the chance and given the games. Daniel Agger when he arrived, made plenty of mistakes in his first few games, last year he was practically flawless because he was given the games. Ian Rush (liverpool's greatest ever forward) proved he wasn't good enough to play in the first team, so Paisley decided to give him time and games in the reserves and he became the player we all love. Terry McDermott was another who had to prove himself in the reserves and because he was allowed games to bed himself into the first side, we got one of the greatest ever goalscoring midfielder that we've seen

So throughout history there's examples where average players, given time and games become world stars. Obviously it doesn't work every time, but average players can easily become Liverpool standard players given the games.

[account deleted by request]

Unfortunately judging by what has happened in the past, we loan a player out for a season to "gain experience",  in the meantime someone steps up and takes his position in the reserves, then we usually buy a new player for the first team squad. By the time the player returns there is no place left for him, he struggles along for a while and then takes the option to move to a lower division club.

Very few Liverpool players have been loaned out and then established themselves in the first team, yet other clubs seem to do it quite successfully.

[LFC2007]

If anyone thinks playing time will transform a fundamentally average, or shit player into something like good enough to play regularly for LFC, they're deluded, or just fucking stupid.

jamie carragher, is probably one of the worst players techincally Liverpool Football Club has ever had yet is one of our greatest players because he was given the chance and given the games. Daniel Agger when he arrived, made plenty of mistakes in his first few games, last year he was practically flawless because he was given the games. Ian Rush (liverpool's greatest ever forward) proved he wasn't good enough to play in the first team, so Paisley decided to give him time and games in the reserves and he became the player we all love. Terry McDermott was another who had to prove himself in the reserves and because he was allowed games to bed himself into the first side, we got one of the greatest ever goalscoring midfielder that we've seen

So throughout history there's examples where average players, given time and games become world stars. Obviously it doesn't work every time, but average players can easily become Liverpool standard players given the games.

Carragher's succeeded because he's not fundamentally a shit player and he works hard, and you don't need immense technique to be a great defender. He's a f*cking good defender, he's improved no question, but he's never been Otsemobor/Raven/Welsh/Potter level.

As for Agger, he's always been gifted, fundamentally he's a very good player.

The same applied with Rush and Mcdermott.


I'll say it again for you so it gets through, If anyone thinks playing time will transform a fundamentally average (below par), or shit player into something like good enough to play regularly for LFC, they're deluded, or just fucking stupid.

Playing time helps improve small details, but it doesn't change fundamental ability.

[god_bless_john_houlding]

I was responding to what you said about our mentality to "play crouch on the wing instead of give a reserve a chance"  I was just saying that we haven't had any players stand out in the wide areas in the reserves either. Leto got off to a strong start in the reserves, but when he got his chance he looked terrible, and now he has been on the bench for 2008 due to work permit issues. El zhar hasn't done much at reserve level, couple of decent performances, and was given some cup chances, apart from his nice goal, didn't play well. Putterill has played decent in the reserves but has been hurt for a while now and doesn't look like he has first team quality anyway, same probably goes for Flynn and Crowther. Anderson and Hammill are a little more promising but they are getting experience out on loan. It will be very interesting to see how Rafa treats them this summer when they come back. Do they get legit shots at making the first team? do they go on loan again, do they play in the reserves again? do they get sold? Gary Mackay-Steven and David Amoo have shown talent as well as promise at the U18 level so we will have to wait and see with them

Amoo is an out and out forward though isn't he? Or he certainly was when we got him off Millwall.

If Anderson/Hammill are loaned out again next year, then there's no chance they'll be first teamers for this club. They'll both turn 21 next season and by that age you should be in and around the first team if you're going to be a star. I have higher hopes for Anderson than Hammill but think both could make it...but like I said, should they be loaned out again next year, I think it'll prove Benitez isn't going to give them a proper go.

[7_Kewell]

so we play championship players in the hope they become Premiership ones....one day?  Sorry, but thats the sort of tactics Souness used and look where it got us.

[JoeTerp]

Amoo plays wide right for the U18 but played striker when Pourie was suspended for his red card early in the season. He has electric pace (former track stand out), good strength, and can chip in a few goals as well (more so at the beginning of the season, but everyone was playing better then).  I can see him being a right sided Babel, but he doesn't seem to be as tricky as you would want from a wide player.

To put things in perspective a bit:
Hammill is a year young than Lucas and Anderson is 6 months younger than Hammill