Liverpool FC Forum

[115-1073096938]

a good point AB. But where do you think they will be at the end of the season?
You have to have a 25 goals a season man up front to suceed.

Check your facts. Before Man Utd had Yorke and Cole they didn't even have a 15 a season man so don't talk rubbish. You need to be able to score goals. It doesn't matter who scores them.

[115-1073096938]

Kewell, Riise and Gerrard are all capable of scoring goals. As is Hyypia with the right service.

I have to ask though, why the ****** does Gerrard take set pieces? He should be in the box attacking the ball, this is another area we've never replaced Babbel in either. A player who could cause problems from set pieces and score the odd goal.

[A.B.]

I dont see anyone in midfield who is going to score the number of goals we need. None of them have ever been prolific, even for midfield players.

Are you saying that Villa have better midfielders than we do? Do they have Gerrard and Alonso? No they don't. Class players such as Stevie G and Xabi can create goals for others and Stevie can score himself.

Not having two key strikers shouldn't be the reason why we gout outplayed all over the pitch against the likes of Boro.

[crazyhorse]

You are still talking about less than 10 goals a season - what you are saying implies that we dont need strikers. Would we have won so many titles in the 80s without Ian Rush, or Aldo - NO.

We have the best midfield in the league, but you need someone who can be relied upon to score every other game as a minimum. Our midfield can generate goals for themselves - that is bloody obvious. They cant carry the rest of the side though.

And the above post about manure does not stand up - before they had Yorke and Cole the scum have unfortunately had a long history of decent front players who could be relied n for 15 goals plus a season.
Or have you never heard of Mark Hughes.And you also help to prove my point - what had Man Utd actually won beofore Yorke and Cole signed - F+++ All for 30 years.

[A.B.]

You are still talking about less than 10 goals a season - what you are saying implies that we dont need strikers. Would we have won so many titles in the 80s without Ian Rush, or Aldo - NO.

We have the best midfield in the league, but you need someone who can be relied upon to score every other game as a minimum. Our midfield can generate goals for themselves - that is bloody obvious. They cant carry the rest of the side though.

And the above post about manure does not stand up - before they had Yorke and Cole the scum have unfortunately had a long history of decent front players who could be relied n for 15 goals plus a season.
Or have you never heard of Mark Hughes.And you also help to prove my point - what had Man Utd actually won beofore Yorke and Cole signed - F+++ All for 30 years.

Somebody please shoot me......


Please reread my post before you run your mouth again.

You are still talking about less than 10 goals a season - what you are saying implies that we dont need strikers

What I'm saying is that we need to use our midfield as our firepower until January[or until Baros returns] as Mellor and Pongolle are not the answer imo. I am not saying that we should depend on the midfield for the whole ****** season, we need to use our midfield to survive for the time being.

[1234ram]

so then has everyone agreed with me that leroy lita is better then mellor and we shoud sighn him

[mynameisred]

What I'm saying is that we need to use our midfield as our firepower until January[or until Baros returns] as Mellor and Pongolle are not the answer imo. I am not saying that we should depend on the midfield for the whole ****** season, we need to use our midfield to survive for the time being.

Being a striker is more than just putting the ball in the back of the net. For those who manage to see 90 mins every now and again will appreciate that if the mid are going to get into the box it is vitally important that you have someone up front who is either capable of holding the ball up or running off the ball/use skill to bring the midfielders into play and give them time to get there. At the moment we have neither and are thus fooked. You cant just stick kewell up there with Garcia and expect them to hold the ball long enough to allow the time for this all to happen, they are not them sort of players and this is why banana made the earlier point somewhere about Sean Dundee being an improvement to our team.
Before anyone points out Mellor, im sorry but we I think we have seen enough to knowthat he is a championship player at best. I really do hope he can prove me completley wrong but I cant see it happening, hasnt got the natural instinct that seperates the best from the rest.

[crazyhorse]

You are still talking about less than 10 goals a season - what you are saying implies that we dont need strikers. Would we have won so many titles in the 80s without Ian Rush, or Aldo - NO.

We have the best midfield in the league, but you need someone who can be relied upon to score every other game as a minimum. Our midfield can generate goals for themselves - that is bloody obvious. They cant carry the rest of the side though.

And the above post about manure does not stand up - before they had Yorke and Cole the scum have unfortunately had a long history of decent front players who could be relied n for 15 goals plus a season.
Or have you never heard of Mark Hughes.And you also help to prove my point - what had Man Utd actually won beofore Yorke and Cole signed - F+++ All for 30 years.

Somebody please shoot me......


Please reread my post before you run your mouth again.

You are still talking about less than 10 goals a season - what you are saying implies that we dont need strikers

What I'm saying is that we need to use our midfield as our firepower until January[or until Baros returns] as Mellor and Pongolle are not the answer imo. I am not saying that we should depend on the midfield for the whole ****** season, we need to use our midfield to survive for the time being.

As you insist on misunderstanding i will be blunt.

Between now and January our midfied will not score enough goals to keep us in Europe or keep any sort of title challenge.
Its simple. If you play to this kind of strategy you need five in midfield to keep any sort of defensive integrity and leave one up front - we have no one good enough to perform that role - holding the ball up and bringing the "midfield" into play as they run from deep.
If we try this we will end up losing 1-0 or getting a lot of 0 - 0 draws.

[banana]

What I'm saying is that we need to use our midfield as our firepower until January[or until Baros returns] as Mellor and Pongolle are not the answer imo. I am not saying that we should depend on the midfield for the whole ****** season, we need to use our midfield to survive for the time being.

Being a striker is more than just putting the ball in the back of the net. For those who manage to see 90 mins every now and again will appreciate that if the mid are going to get into the box it is vitally important that you have someone up front who is either capable of holding the ball up or running off the ball/use skill to bring the midfielders into play and give them time to get there. At the moment we have neither and are thus fooked. You cant just stick kewell up there with Garcia and expect them to hold the ball long enough to allow the time for this all to happen, they are not them sort of players and this is why banana made the earlier point somewhere about Sean Dundee being an improvement to our team.
Before anyone points out Mellor, im sorry but we I think we have seen enough to knowthat he is a championship player at best. I really do hope he can prove me completley wrong but I cant see it happening, hasnt got the natural instinct that seperates the best from the rest.

Mynamisred you say it so beautifully. That was a magnificent post. And further elaborated by crazyhorse.

THE TRUTH HAS BEEN SPOKEN.

[crazyhorse]

Ditto - great post:D

[ivor_the_injun]

I think everyone's being waaaaaaaay out of order writing off Mellor based on the little they've seen this season. It's a really difficult situation for him to come into, bearing in mind that he's never been in the real pressure cooker that is Premiership football before.

I'd like to see him get a run in the side now, so we can really have a good luck at him. Like it or not, him and Pongolle are the best we have for now - Garcia's out for a month and Kewell's been hopeless in his preferred position, let alone acting as a makeweight striker.

If he plays 5 or 6 games before Baros comes back in and has still shown nothing, by all means have a pop at him. But if you're basing your opinions on the lack of input he had on the Monaco game, then I suggest you point the finger at the midfield before you get on his back.

I hope Benitez has faith in both Mellor and Pongolle, and I'll be cheering them on hoping that they both do us proud. I suggest, given the importance of the games ahead, that all of you do the same instead of doomsaying before they've even been given the chance.

[Dom1]

Mellor is at 22 and really should be starting up his carrier

carrier 

[crazyhorse]

I think everyone's being waaaaaaaay out of order writing off Mellor based on the little they've seen this season. It's a really difficult situation for him to come into, bearing in mind that he's never been in the real pressure cooker that is Premiership football before.

I'd like to see him get a run in the side now, so we can really have a good luck at him. Like it or not, him and Pongolle are the best we have for now - Garcia's out for a month and Kewell's been hopeless in his preferred position, let alone acting as a makeweight striker.

If he plays 5 or 6 games before Baros comes back in and has still shown nothing, by all means have a pop at him. But if you're basing your opinions on the lack of input he had on the Monaco game, then I suggest you point the finger at the midfield before you get on his back.

I hope Benitez has faith in both Mellor and Pongolle, and I'll be cheering them on hoping that they both do us proud. I suggest, given the importance of the games ahead, that all of you do the same instead of doomsaying before they've even been given the chance.

If he was any good he would have broken into the first team years ago, instead he was farmed out to West Ham, where he was found wanting.

I accept that he and Pong are the only option we have, but neither are good enough to wear the shirt on a permanent basis, and they are not good enough to earn the right to try. They are in the team because Ben is forced to play them but realistically neither are prem standard.

[stmichael]

quote from paul tomkins (redandwhitekop)

Mellor's biggest problem is the 'mental' side of the game - like Fowler (circa 2001-04), it's about doubts. By Mellor's age (22), Owen and Fowler had over 100 goals for Liverpool. Mellor has one. He hasn't had much of a chance to prove himself, but both Owen and Fowler took their chances early on: Owen scoring within seconds of his debut in the top flight, and Fowler scoring on his debut followed by five in the return fixture with Fulham. Mellor needs to prove quickly that he can cut it at this level, before the doubts in his own mind (and everyone else's) grow - as they will. Time is running out - if that sounds harsh, it's life at the cutting edge: it's been two seasons now since his debut, and dividends are required. Before his injury Cisse hadn't yet proved he had settled into English football, but he'd proved his calibre with 100 goals for Auxerre, and goals for France. In terms of all-round threat, a fit Cisse would worry defenders in a way Mellor never could.

Mellor's biggest disappointment was his loan spell at West Ham in the First Division, where his only two goals came against Saturday's opponents, Crystal Palace. Luck was against him - with a change of management and the signing of Brian Deane. But it's hard to believe that if it had been, for example, Jermain Defoe (or even the 18-year-old versions of Owen or Fowler) we'd loaned to West Ham that he'd have been omitted for some aging donkey. Mellor didn't do enough to force his way into the manager's plans - had he been an outstanding prospect, he would have got games, and goals. There would have been no doubts. It didn't close the chapter on Mellor at Liverpool, but it did absolutely nothing to prove he has what it takes at that level, let alone the top level. It leaves more questions than answers. This - the upcoming months - is his chance to answer them, and possibly his last chance.

The mental side of striking is all about pressure. Training and reserve matches don't come with any pressure. It's easy to finish with coolness and calmness when there's nothing riding on the outcome, and only a handful of people looking on. Pressure is the enemy of the striker - you need to be able to put it out of your mind, and remain relaxed. It's what marked Owen out as a great. Fowler was always a better finisher, but Owen had the stronger mentality. Both have suffered injuries, and been written off, but only one has nearly 30 goals for England and is the hottest striker in La Liga, for the world's biggest club; one is still creating memories, while the other is living off of them.

I've also felt many reserve games have often had a huge imbalance in terms of the quality of display, where we've fielded a whole host of internationals, against a reserve team like Bradford or Sheffield Wednesday - teams now in the lower divisions, whose entire first team squad may have been in midweek league action, leaving their reserve team as little more than their youth side. Mellor has also scored goals in more evenly-matched games, but the reserves is not a foolproof indicator of talent.

[Bruno Zidane!]

Has anyone actually ever seen Mellor and thought that lad could score goals in the premiership, cos i dont think there is one sane person out there who could, were not talking about a 17 or 18 year old striker, hes 22, the same age as Alonso, 1 year younger than Baros and if we didnt have so many injuries he wouldnt have a sniff, He looks like a tryier but thats never ever gonna be enough. 40 Goals in the reserves means nothing, ask Stuart Barlow!