Liverpool FC Forum

[SouthCoastShankly]

team i wanna see vs middelsboro

i have compiled it on footie manager for your viewing pleasure,we need bellamy away from home, his pace is essential to getting us goals away from home

Nice touch but it has to be Crouch-Kuyt for me. Crouch is better than Bellamy, fact.

[tubby]

I miss footy manager LOLL Have no time to play it.

[67-1161385641]

I miss footy manager LOLL Have no time to play it.

Stop jacking off then.

[kunilson]

will be a hard match, if we get the first goal i can see us winning it.....but thats there lies the problem we been having away.

2-1 to the pool.

[heimdall]

I'm very worried about this game, I would like to see:

Dudek
Finnan, Paletta, Agger, Warnock
Garcia, Gerrard, Alonso, Riise
Kuyt, Bellamy/Crouch

And have some of the youngsters as subs and use them. Didn't LFC win the youth cup last year or the year before, why aren't any of these players making it into the first team???

Why play Reina, he wants to leave apparently, plus he's . The reason for dropping Carragher is purely that he is not playing well and I liked Agger and Paletta against Birmingham so why not use them, they are quick and young.

But I imagine Rafa will play his usual predictable tactics with Reina making a few howlers too boot.

I'm sorry for being negative but I cannot see a silver lining at the moment, I haven't been this depressed since just before Houllier left, fingers crossed ;-)

You f*cking idiot.

Reina's sh*t, eh?

Get back to your Dudek wank-mag, you clueless numpty.

Yes Reina is , can you tell me in what way he's any good? I mean if you compare him to Petr Cech, van der Sar etc.
He seems incapable of catching a ball, always wanting to box the bloody thing instead and he almost always is beaten in a one on one situation
Strange concept about the wank-mag where did you get that idea from hmmm???javascript:emoticon(' ')
smilie

I don't see the need for the name calling though, so simple and crude   
All I was doing was voicing an opinion, to then enter into what even moderately intelligent people call a "Debate".

[Bad Bob]

he almost always is beaten in a one on one situation

Except when Adebayor was clean through and was denied last Sunday.  Or how about against David Bentley in the Blackburn game (preserving the point)?  He's also made at least one great save one-on-one in the Champions League as well this season, so don't spout rubbish.  By the way, matching the club's cleansheet record last season might go some way to suggesting that he's a quality keeper who, like a number of the lads, has suffered a dip in form this season.

[Redman in wales]

from lfc.tv:

Liverpool will be without Luis Garcia for the trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday, though Rafael Benitez has no fresh injury worries following the international break. 
Garcia, who hasn't played since the visit of Bordeaux on October 18, was described as "almost fit" by his manager.
 
Both Momo Sissoko and Harry Kewell are expected to be out until the New Year.
----------

garcia ruled out then would either go with:

                     Reina

Finnan     Carra       hyppia     Warnock


Pennant   Gerrard    Alonso       Riise


              Crouch      Kuyt

Or Riise LB and one of Gonzo/Aurelio LW

Bellamy to come on on 60mins

[heimdall]

he almost always is beaten in a one on one situation

Except when Adebayor was clean through and was denied last Sunday.  Or how about against David Bentley in the Blackburn game (preserving the point)?  He's also made at least one great save one-on-one in the Champions League as well this season, so don't spout rubbish.  By the way, matching the club's cleansheet record last season might go some way to suggesting that he's a quality keeper who, like a number of the lads, has suffered a dip in form this season.

OK I'll give you that one, I guess I'm just annoyed that we are leaking so many goals at the moment. I still don't rate Reina so highly though and I think we should give Dudek another go as he was excellent in the Birmingham game. I think the reason for so many clean sheets last season was more down to the rock solid defense than it was Reina, if only they could have carried that form into this season :-(

[parrym1]

Stevie G needs our help.
below is a shortcut for the The World's Most Popular Footballer Amongst Currently Active Players in 2006
, cast your vote and pick steven gerrard, theres only ever gonna be one winner. vote stevie!!!!!!!

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N154118061117-1226.htm

[red37]

Garcia is out...but no other injury concerns for tomorrow after the internationals.

[parrym1]

Stevie G needs our help.
below is a shortcut for the The World's Most Popular Footballer Amongst Currently Active Players in 2006
, cast your vote and pick steven gerrard, theres only ever gonna be one winner. vote stevie!!!!!!!

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N154118061117-1226.htm

[red37]

Stevie G needs our help.
below is a shortcut for the The World's Most Popular Footballer Amongst Currently Active Players in 2006
, cast your vote and pick steven gerrard, theres only ever gonna be one winner. vote stevie!!!!!!!

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/N154118061117-1226.htm

keep going.....nearly there. just a few more.. dont give up!

[Bad Bob]

he almost always is beaten in a one on one situation

Except when Adebayor was clean through and was denied last Sunday.  Or how about against David Bentley in the Blackburn game (preserving the point)?  He's also made at least one great save one-on-one in the Champions League as well this season, so don't spout rubbish.  By the way, matching the club's cleansheet record last season might go some way to suggesting that he's a quality keeper who, like a number of the lads, has suffered a dip in form this season.

OK I'll give you that one, I guess I'm just annoyed that we are leaking so many goals at the moment. I still don't rate Reina so highly though and I think we should give Dudek another go as he was excellent in the Birmingham game. I think the reason for so many clean sheets last season was more down to the rock solid defense than it was Reina, if only they could have carried that form into this season :-(

Okay, but you can't have it both ways: if last season's cleansheets were down to the entire defense being solid, then this season's propensity to leak goals can't just be Reina's fault but the fault of the entire defense, right?  Singleing Reina out as the problem ignores some of the school boy defending that's been happening in front of him.

As for Dudek, I'll acknowledge he can still do a great job against teams like Birmingham and the man will always be a legend in my mind for what he did "that night" but I have not forgotten how completely dodgy he was in big league games.  And, I'm not talking about a game here or there--every time we lined up against prime opposition in the league he looked and played like a deer in the headlights.  No, a few eccentricities aside, Reina's a much more solid bet in goal for me.

[red37]

he almost always is beaten in a one on one situation

Except when Adebayor was clean through and was denied last Sunday.  Or how about against David Bentley in the Blackburn game (preserving the point)?  He's also made at least one great save one-on-one in the Champions League as well this season, so don't spout rubbish.  By the way, matching the club's cleansheet record last season might go some way to suggesting that he's a quality keeper who, like a number of the lads, has suffered a dip in form this season.

OK I'll give you that one, I guess I'm just annoyed that we are leaking so many goals at the moment. I still don't rate Reina so highly though and I think we should give Dudek another go as he was excellent in the Birmingham game. I think the reason for so many clean sheets last season was more down to the rock solid defense than it was Reina, if only they could have carried that form into this season :-(

Okay, but you can't have it both ways: if last season's cleansheets were down to the entire defense being solid, then this season's propensity to leak goals can't just be Reina's fault but the fault of the entire defense, right?  Singleing Reina out as the problem ignores some of the school boy defending that's been happening in front of him.

As for Dudek, I'll acknowledge he can still do a great job against teams like Birmingham and the man will always be a legend in my mind for what he did "that night" but I have not forgotten how completely dodgy he was in big league games.  And, I'm not talking about a game here or there--every time we lined up against prime opposition in the league he looked and played like a deer in the headlights.  No, a few eccentricities aside, Reina's a much more solid bet in goal for me.

well argued mate.

[red37]

fair assessment in this article from todays Guardian:


Frustrated Benítez happy with quality but not the control

(Liverpool's manager looks to his videos but the fault lies in the team's spine)

Dominic Fifield
Saturday November 18, 2006

Guardian

Rafael Benítez does not do public outbursts of emotion as a rule, though with Liverpool's campaign anchored in mediocrity and another awkward away match to come, the customary deadpan briefly cracked yesterday. "Look, I have confidence in my squad and in my players," he said, the pace of his delivery almost reflecting exasperation. "We have enough quality to win home and away. If we could do that last season, we can do it this season. We need to improve - all of us, the staff, the players, everybody - but I am sure we will."
The soundbite was rattled off, as close to bristling as Benítez will allow himself to be seen, but the world awaits evidence that his confidence is not misplaced. Liverpool's season has been one of imbalance. Riotous in dismissing inadequate opponents at Anfield, they have collapsed repeatedly on their travels to the tune of a solitary point and one goal from six away games. Humiliated players squabbled among themselves pitifully at Arsenal last weekend. They must travel to Middlesbrough today, where they have won only once since 1998 and have not scored on their last four visits; such is the desperation gripping these parts that the prolongation of that sorry record is unthinkable.

Benítez has confronted various theories for his side's form this week. While the world apparently grumbled as to whether Steven Gerrard's talent was being misused on the right of midfield when he might offer more in the centre, the Spaniard was scrutinising videos of the six away games. On the face of it the shortcomings are obvious. "We create a lot of chances and are not taking them, and we're also making mistakes in defence," said the manager, that unhappy blend having condemned his side to a 14-point deficit at the top.

What Benítez must have been tempted to point out was the indifferent form of key personnel. Down the spine of his side - José Reina, Jamie Carragher, Xabi Alonso and Gerrard - players with lofty reputations have spluttered. The manager would argue the legacy of the World Cup finals is affecting some, with recent international fixtures disrupting rhythm and preparations for others, both justifying his now notorious policy of rotation, but he admitted yesterday that he would rather avoid using such factors as "excuses".

Yet, while the stalwarts have floundered, the players recruited in the summer have sunk without their guidance. Mark Gonzalez and Fabio Aurelio appear ill at ease in the Premiership. Benítez had Craig Bellamy watching re-runs of his performances this week in an attempt to restore dwindling confidence whereas Jermaine Pennant's inconsistencies on the right have had a direct impact upon Gerrard. At Anfield the captain's markers tend to shrink in his presence and he is permitted to rampage regardless of where he starts. Away from home he can be pinned to the periphery and the sight of Gerrard slumping, deflated in defeat, fans the conspiracy theories.

The board surely hoped for more immediate returns for a summer transfer outlay of around £27m, sentiments which, when expressed, cost the director Noel White his position last month. Yet the reality is that, while Benítez would never admit it publicly, the bulk of the arrivals had not been first choice, with an inability to secure the likes of Sevilla's Daniel Alves owing much to ongoing frustration in the pursuit of major new investment.

That search has lurched into a third year, with the chief executive, Rick Parry, hopeful that matters will come to a head in the next fortnight, though few shareholders or supporters will be holding their breath. The consortiums involved in talks include a group led by the Norwegians Oystein Stray Spetalen and Petter Stordalen; another headed by Samir Ansari of Dubai International Capital; and a Switzerland-based consortium put together by Robin Herd, the former owner of Oxford United. Parry and his chairman, David Moores, have also visited George Gillett Jr, the owner of the Montreal ice hockey team and formerly the Harlem Globetrotters, but they are yet to receive the American's proposals in full.

There have been times when the chairman has been intent upon retaining his majority 51% shareholding, though his outlook fluctuates depending on how the side are performing. The team's traumas on their travels may have proved decisive. The concession of the first goal has tended to knock the stuffing out of Benítez's side, with their inability to respond damning. The former Liverpool striker Ian Rush has questioned their attitude. "To go behind so many times away from home and not even look like bouncing back is unacceptable," he said. "Too many players seem to be feeling sorry for themselves." Another former striker, John Aldridge, bemoaned a "lack of character" in the squad.

Benítez would point to last season as evidence that quality remains, even if confidence is horribly fragile. "The first year I was here we played really well at home and had problems away," he said. "The second year we broke a lot of records, with 11 and 12 wins in a row, 33 clean sheets, 82 points. Think about it. Our problems now are not just down to tactics or players. The quality is there."

At the Riverside this afternoon he must coax that pedigree out or risk Liverpool's slump turning into a nosedive.

'There is still a long way to go' How Benítez shrugged off away day blues

Aug 19 Sheffield United 1 Liverpool 1

"We have to analyse why, in the first half, we couldn't control the game. In the second, it was better"

Sept 9 Everton 3 Liverpool 0

"We haven't looked strong defensively this season but then we haven't had time to work much together because of the internationals"

Sept 17 Chelsea 1 Liverpool 0

"We need to keep going. It's a long race. As a manager, I need to see if the team is improving and it's clear to me it is"

Sept 30 Bolton Wanderers 2 Liverpool 0

"I would like to analyse my team after two more months to see whether we need to improve or not"

Oct 22 Manchester United 2 Liverpool 0

"There is still a long way to go in the season. How do you change things in your life? By working better and harder. That is what we will do"

Nov 12 Arsenal 3 Liverpool 0

"We need to improve away from home. We want to improve. We need to show character"

Points won away from home one out of 18

Points won at home 17 out of 18

**********************************************

now is the time for all that 'needing to', 'hoping for' and so called  'improving soon' to start to be effectively realised. this current squad was, i felt good  enough to have mounted a far more sustained assault on the leading pack than they have done so far. what is vital from here on in, is the way in which they respond to their own consciences and accountability in recognising the fact that all  of them are equally important to the cause and start to make their own stamp on a disappointing start. it is a third of the way into the campaign now, yet there is still time to regain some credibility in the remainder of it. and that starts with 'walking the talk'.  in other words...everyone, including the gaffer beginning to pull their collective weight. this is Liverpool FC, not Sheffield Utd, or Everton.... Great things are meant to happen  at this club....they always have - in all probability they always will, thats why they signed in the first place. Though lets hope tomorrow night, the teams long journey home in the dark will follow a good result and a salutary 'two-fingers' up to the 'hacks' preparing for yet another week long written condemnation of it.