Liverpool FC Forum

[112-1077774096]

has everyone noticed that we have only lost one more game than man ure this season, I dont really know what to make of this. they have obviously won more than us so its obvious that we lack in the attacking department and have been unable to kill off teams. so many times this season i have been frustrated by our lack of chances, and then frustrated by our missed chances when we eventually get them.

Tactical naivity has been a real problem this season and playing people out of position when that position could have been filled by a player used to playing there, it has been one of the major problems this season, trying out systems that dont work and then a stubborness by GH to change it, he seems to persist with it hoping it will get better (Kewell on right and Diouff on left, Diouff is not even a right sided player so how the f##k was he going to suceed on the left).(Biscan at centre back, he isnt even a footballer so how is he going to suceed at centre back).

So what is going to change if GH stays here?
I cant see any changes, we will bring in new players and play them out of position, it works occasionally(Ray Kennedy and .......................i cant remember any more). GH has a stubborness about him that wont allow him to admit mistakes. he has to go, if he stays next season we will again be mediocre, we are fast becoming a team that wont be able to attract players and thats bad for the club, we will also lose players we already have. we have to remember that we dont have a divine right to win things. Leeds have won the league since we last won it and look at their plight now, same goes for Blackburn. we have to change manager and we have to do it now before its too late, before we go beyond a point where we cant return from.

Does the Chairman really have the best interests of the club at heart anymore? if he does, why did he turn down Morgans cash? Why does he persist in supporting GH when he is obviously not up to the job. I know we want GH put, and maybe we should also start to look at a change of Chairman, someone with balls.

any thoughts on the above will be welcome

[dawson99]

Peewee, top post!
I cmopletely agree, its not being able to kill off games that is letting us down. We need more width, but we are always told that. We also need someone up front with Owen who can get the goals (cisse?) more than that though i think we ned a new manager... but!
Houllier knows it is his last season, maybe he'll go all crazy and attacking on us. He must have noticed how playing riise and finnan was working with wing backs and it aded a new dimension to our game. I dunno whats gonna happen but the people in power must have some kind of clue whats going on

[LFC #1]

think you pretty mcuh sum up the thoughts of most on this forum, but GH will be here next season and we have to accept that for now.

[112-1077774096]

Maybe we all have Moores wrong, maybe GH will go at the end of the season, it would be foolish to make that common knowledge while we still have something to play for. i know if i was so inept at my job as GH is then i would be sacked and replaced, lets hope that happens to GH and lets get someone in who will no doubt make mistakes, but have the ball to admit it and change things

[Redtribe]

I dont understand why Moores would want to undermine the club?

[115-1073096938]

I completely and utterly disagree with everything you are saying.

[dawson99]

with everything who is saying?

[115-1073096938]

PeeWee.

He's heard someone talking about Tactical play and thinks thats the problem. Tactically we have a superb manager. End of story.

[Scottbot]

Stu - I can't beleive thay let you have a computer in your padded cell 

[115-1073096938]

hmm...

So if he can't motivate, can't sign bad anything but bad players and is rubbish tactically and he can't get the best out of players and develope them, how come he was a serious success in his first 3 seasons and we were beating sides that should have been taking us to the cleaners. Also how did we win the compititions we won and finish second in the league with an inferior team to those around us?

I wonder....

[Scottbot]

Stu you are so busy being thankful to Houllier for the euphoria of the treble season. sure, the man does not deserve all the criticism he recieves on this forum, but you are so tied up in defending the guy you seem unable to put an ounce of blame on the manager for the drivel being served up at Anfield these past 2 seasons.

You have blamed injuries, lack of confidence, the FANS in the ground. Never once, have you pointed the finger at the le boss. Love truly is blind Stu.

[stmichael]

my point stu is that yes, houllier was tactically astute during his first couple of seasons. we played to our strengths, which was counter-attacking, and it worked both at home and in europe.

the main problem is, as soon as teams worked us out and began to sit deeper and deeper in defence, houllier lacked the tactical nous to change the way we played to try and compensate this.

that is part of the reason we have been so disappointing at home imo. teams just come and sit back against us and we struggle to break them down because everything we do is channelled through the centre of the pitch. also, playing owen as a lone striker AT HOME is a farce.

houllier has hit his peak two years ago and is now on a downward spiral. it's the truth, just face it.

[112-1077774096]

seems to be a strong agreement with what I say stu. I am sure you must be frustrated like the rest of at our lack of success this season, even against very poor teams. you seem to disagree with me but you didnt give a reason why, maybe you can enlighten us. forget about the first few seasons, what are you suggesting? that we give him a job for life because of what happened two seasons ago?

We are in a downward spiral Stu, it hurts when we cant even put in a performance against teams that we should be destroying.

We have a lot of attacking talent in our team and thats what we should do. we should attack and put the opposition on the back foot. I dont like to criticise the club that i love Stu but the time has come that we cant keep defending the club and its staff because at the moment we are sh##e, the tactics lay at the door of GH.

[115-1073096938]

Scott you're talkin out your backside mate.

I have admitted time and time again last season Houllier got it very wrong in alot of ways. Releasing Litmanen, not signing Anelka (even though i understand his reasons), signing Diouf, Diao and Cheyrou and we are still suffering as a reult of these mistakes. I also question his team selections at times and i personally would try to use different tactics, but sometimes the boss knows best. Lets face it... when we saw the teamsheet against Chelsea away how many people thought we'd get a result?? I certainly didn't. How many people thought after finishing fourth that we could go on to do a cup treble the season after?? I didn't.

But the fact is this season with what happened at the start of the season (up untill early december) we were continuously missing 5 and 6 first teamers every match, we were always going to stuggle. When the players have come back they've been missing form, lack of confidence and have lacked any real fluidity with all the chopping and changing (partially down to Houllier).

Managers and players can have bad patches as teams can. Ferguson is having one at United right now. Houllier had one last season. This season hasn't been as bad as some have made out. After last season and looking at our side on paper i'd say Man Utd are just ahead of us and they are the third best team in the league (imo). From the start i said Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man U, Newcastle. If we hadn't had the stupid injuires we might have been round about third but the fact is this is a freak season and most things haven't happened the way we'd expect.

Anyone who can't see this is either blind, stupid or plain ignorant. Arsenal unbeaten after 36 league games, Man Utd look like they're falling to peices, Millwall in the FA Cup final, Monaco or Porto to win the "Champions League", french football having two europian finalists, Chelsea getting that dickhead with all momey to splash around, the dramatic loss of form of Liverpool and Newcastle with the stupid injuries and bad timing of them.... need i go on? These aren't made up, this doesn't happen often either. Things haven't gone there usual way this season. Its been very wierd.

David O'Leary said himself in an interview this week that this is a great chance for Villa because he doesn't think Newcastle and Liverpool will be anywhere near the pack again next season and i totally agree with him, thats what i've been saying for months.

Arsenal aren't going to run away with it next season, Chelsea will be unsettled still and will finish around second or third again. United are falling to peices and without the right signings this summer could well fall out of the top three, Newcastle need to replace Shearer, sign a midfielder and at least one defender. We are addressing our problems (strike partner for Owen), we know Houllier wants a defender, those two have been our major weaknesses this season.

With these additions the squad will be stonger. The tactics will certainly have more chance of working. We'll be able to cope when Owen gets injured and still have a goal threat, the young players like Pongolle and Le Tallec will have that bit more confidence and experience. Finnan and Kewell will have settled and Kewell won't be carrying an injury for 5 months.

The fact is people are saying we need certain players like a pacey centre half, we don't if we go back to the old system, but people wouldn't want that. We need players to fit into the current system and make it work and thats what we are getting. With these players the tactics will be much more effective. He's changed his tactics without having the personel to do it, much the same way as he did when he first took over, then he started adding the personel and we started winning games and getting better, he's doing the same thing again. Watch and be patient.

The point is Houllier signed the right players this summer and again i think he will sign the right ones this summer. He deserves one last season to see if he can take us back to challenging. If he can't then its time for a change, if he can then i will again be sure we have the right man at the helm.

When we won that cup treble and finished second we didn't really have any world class players. Owen was probably there just. Gerrard was at nowhere near the level he's at now, Hyypia has been doing three jobs most of the season, its only recently he's started to look his old self again. Riise has  improved since he came back into the side.

Lets say Cisse is in the same class of player as Hamann. And he signs Mexes who's touted as being a great prospect aswell and in that class that leaves us with a strong 11. Ok Hamann doesn't off the right mix but he's still a class player. We'll be much better off next season. I'm not saying we can win it although you never know, but i would be suprised and gutted if we had another season like either of the last two.

As long as i support this club i will always defend the managers. I defended Evans till i was blue in the face, i knew it was time for a change though and when he left i wasn't to upset. I'll do the same with Gerard and the manager after. Now is not a good time, he deserves one last season to see if he can get us back on track. Have some faith in your clubs board, manager, captain and players and i garentee it will be repaid. There is no quick fix, the fact is at present no manager would win the league with this squad, Houllier knows this squad well and its his team, one last season will do us all good.

I just hope if we have a decent season next season, some of you turn round and have the balls to admit you are wrong and start showing support and passion again thats been missing this season with the exception of the odd one or two.

YNWA!!

[115-1073096938]

We have a lot of attacking talent in our team and thats what we should do. we should attack and put the opposition on the back foot. I dont like to criticise the club that i love Stu but the time has come that we cant keep defending the club and its staff because at the moment we are sh##e, the tactics lay at the door of GH.

Attacking talent such as??

Kirkland - Good with his hands and commanding height to come for crosses and also good with throw outs, slow of his line thought. So he'd be at his best in games where teams cross the ball from wide and we play a deep defensive line where he can maximise his strong points. If we play to high we need a keeper who's quick of his line. Suited to a counter attacking system.

Finnan - Good defensively with a superb touch and is a good passer. Reads the game well and offers good movement and balence down the right. Also two footed and a good crosser of the ball. Suited to all systems.

Riise - Quick, good tackler, decent defender, can overlap and offers good energy and runs from deep. Technically decent but has a bad hoof tendancy. Suited to a counter attacking system.

Hyypia - The rock. At his best in a deep defensive line playing in a system which doesn't allow fowards to get in behind. Lack of pace means he's not quite as effective playing high up the pitch. Still a hell of a player though. Suited to a counter attacking system.

Henchoz - Good stopper, great defensively with a good touch. Distribution is ok but doesn't use the ball greatly and offers nothing going forward. Also lacks great pace and is better in a deep defensive line. Suited to a counter attacking system.

Carragher - Great defensively one on one with wingers. Can mark, tackle and positionally is superb. Not the best going forward although he has improved this aspect. Suited to all systems better in defensive situations.

Kewell - Good technique, pace, dribbling and decent physical pressence. Would be wood in a number of systems. Could easily play in a couter attacking system. Suited to all systems.

Hamann - Defensive midfielder. Offers little movement and no outlet when you have the ball, but defensively reads the game brilliantly, passing is spot on and is a very intelligent player. Suited to a counter attacking system.

Gerrard - Heart of the team. Defensive attributes are his strong points, Work rate, tackling, aggression, physical pressance and athletisism. He's world class though and has a good attacking side to his game. Suited to all systems.

Murphy - Good technicall allround midfielder. Good vision and can score a goal, good squad player. Suited to all systems.

Owen - At his best when teams defend a high line against him where he can run onto through balls use his pace movement and finishing ability to cause chaos. Not at his best in a team that pins other teams back an puts in cross after cross. Suited to a counter attacking system.

Baros - Pace, Drive some power, direct. Needs to learn alot but still a good player. Suited to all systems.

Mainly counter attacking players in there still. We can't play attacking football without the right personel. Which is what we are doing at the moment. Hence the reason its looking like it is. Simple as that.