Liverpool FC Forum

[GYBS]

what points has reina cost us lately ? of all the players to critize reina should be one of the last with the amount of points he has won for us . lets not forget his performances begining of the season when he saves kept us in games

[macaroon]

I think a new GK is required, if not necessarily to replace Pepe immediately, to put pressure on him and possibly takeover within two seasons. Reina has been shaky of late and I believe that like Cech he needs a keeper breathing down his neck to get the best out of him - Dudek, Itandmoron, and Cavalieiri were never going to really challegne (to being with none were really givn the chance or had the personality to)

take over reina in two season ? why ?? reina has ten years maybe more at the top left in him .

I look at it like this:

No doubt Reina is a good keeper, great even, but I feel his game lacks for the lack of competition he has - all of our backups since we got him expresed zero tangible aspirations to take over from him. This is similar to Cech's dramatic slump since Cudicini left (he was looking back to his best for a while there).

The dilema is that Reina needs someone behind him pushing to perform, but being a keeper of such stature we're not going to find a backup that isn't sufficiently skilled to want to take over the number 1 spot as soon as possible. Hence we may have to go slightly upmarket (not necessarily high profile though) to find someone capable of challenging Reina, which will esure Pepe plays to his best but also that we have someone capable of taking over if he should falter.

[GYBS]

IMO there is nothing wrong with reinas game and doesnt need competition - and we wont get any better than we have got unless a young lad from the ressies or academy steps up.

[Jonas Blane]

I think a new GK is required, if not necessarily to replace Pepe immediately, to put pressure on him and possibly takeover within two seasons. Reina has been shaky of late and I believe that like Cech he needs a keeper breathing down his neck to get the best out of him - Dudek, Itandmoron, and Cavalieiri were never going to really challegne (to being with none were really givn the chance or had the personality to)

take over reina in two season ? why ?? reina has ten years maybe more at the top left in him .

I look at it like this:

No doubt Reina is a good keeper, great even, but I feel his game lacks for the lack of competition he has - all of our backups since we got him expresed zero tangible aspirations to take over from him. This is similar to Cech's dramatic slump since Cudicini left (he was looking back to his best for a while there).

The dilema is that Reina needs someone behind him pushing to perform, but being a keeper of such stature we're not going to find a backup that isn't sufficiently skilled to want to take over the number 1 spot as soon as possible. Hence we may have to go slightly upmarket (not necessarily high profile though) to find someone capable of challenging Reina, which will esure Pepe plays to his best but also that we have someone capable of taking over if he should falter.

My thoughts exactly.

The challenge would definitely benefit the team!

[GYBS]

well we will all have to agree to disagree cause i can remember pepes performances all the way through the season and lost count the amount of times his saves have saved us and his distrubution has created chances and goals .

[stmichael]

We had a dreadful January which cost us dearly and it had nothing to do with Rafa's "rant". In that month we drew against Stoke (where we were dreadful) and tossed away four points with daft late goals conceded against Wigan and Everton.

[StuntmanMike]

I enjoyed watching Liverpool this season. And i think next season u need to be more consistent because if the pool was u would off run away with the league this year. 2009 was your chance lets hope for your and the league sake u get that chance next season

[GYBS]

and you support who ??

[dawson99]

It's not spelled stunt

[GYBS]

[Jonas Blane]

We had a dreadful January which cost us dearly and it had nothing to do with Rafa's "rant". In that month we drew against Stoke (where we were dreadful) and tossed away four points with daft late goals conceded against Wigan and Everton.

When Rafa came up with his rant, I though "Oh no, the players are going to think he's trying to take the media attention away from them and this could backfire", not sure to this day to which extent it played a part, but I don't think it was a very wise move.

GYBS, you're right, Pepe has created chances throughout the season and we don't talk enough about those!

[DrPepe]

if it wasn't for Pepe we wouldn't have been in the CL this season and would probably have won the league  

[GYBS]

If it wasnt for pepe we wouldnt of won some of those early games when he kept us in it .

[bigmick]

So the end of the season draws ever closer, and barring a collapse from the mancs we are about to end our third season on the trot without a trophy, added to the indignity that the mancs (if they don't collapse) will draw level on 18 trophies.

We have seen improvement this season, we have also seen too many draws this season (again), we have seen amazing performances, we have seen some of the most dire performances I have seen the reds involved in, we have seen we have the ability to challenge when we actually play football as it should be played, we have seen competitors falter, we have seen us fail to take advantage by being too careful, we have seen us weaken our team for many games, we have seen some players are not good enough and we have seen some players that many believed were not good enough prove their worth, we have seen the beauty that is torres and the clogger that is dirk, we have seen boardroom battles played out in the press which should never happen. we have shown that having 5 30 million quid players does not give any guarantees so lets put that excuse to bed, we have seen a player used as a political pawn, we have seen one of the younger guys prove he is worth a place (Insua). We have seen our captain in court, we have seen delays on the new stadium, we have seen another excuse put to rest that the owners are to blame for poor football, if they are to blame for that then they now need credit for us being second etc etc etc


anyway, discuss

Anyway now the wind up merchants (non Liverpool supporters) are now being kicked off, back to Peewee's topic starter. I think his point about the three seasons without a trophy would signal rafa needing to be relieved of his duties were it not for our renaissance over the last couple of months. as it is though we are finally begining to grasp the realities of what is needed, so it makes sense to continue along our current path.

The curious thing about our absolute surge in from, is that by its very existence it blows may of the previous excuses out of the water and also allows us to refocus on some long standing debates.

I think it's probably proven beyond all reasonable now that we over-rotated for three and a half seasons. We tried the settled team at the end of last season, this season has confirmed the feeling that it really was the way to go all along. Equally, as Peewee has indicated, we are showing that contrary to many long held beliefs, the money we have spent is not an impediment to us being able to compete with the big clubs. I always kind of suspected it wasn't, particularly as we could beat pretty much anybody in Europe (usually with something close to our best team on the pitch admittedly) but we've proven once and for all that we've got a good team. Given the only one out of our summer transfers who actually makes the team is Riera, it's probably fair also to look back at last season and conclude we might have underachieved a bit. Equally, as we are under the same ownership as we have been for a while, and as it is still as much a soap opera as it always has been, we can probably forget about the effect it is having on the players. it isn't having any.

Clearly the reason we aren't going to win the league if indeed we don't, is that we've drawn too many games at Home. As that's been the case for the best part of two seasons, it would be silly to say we've been "unlucky" or any of that stuff. There is a reason for it, and it is most likely that we didn't go for it enough. We're addressing that now, and even away it's very hard for me to imagine us settlig for a draw at the Emirates when arsenal were there for the taking, or taking off Gerrard and Torres with the score 1-1 at Wigan.

So next season looks good. We won't be dizzy and out of it after ten games, and we won't be walking off after drawing at Home with Hull and thinking that "at least it's one point gained". Unfortunately, we won't either get as favourable circumstances next season as we';ve had this, so we will need to radically improve. Can we do it? yes I think we can.

[DrPepe]

So the end of the season draws ever closer, and barring a collapse from the mancs we are about to end our third season on the trot without a trophy, added to the indignity that the mancs (if they don't collapse) will draw level on 18 trophies.

We have seen improvement this season, we have also seen too many draws this season (again), we have seen amazing performances, we have seen some of the most dire performances I have seen the reds involved in, we have seen we have the ability to challenge when we actually play football as it should be played, we have seen competitors falter, we have seen us fail to take advantage by being too careful, we have seen us weaken our team for many games, we have seen some players are not good enough and we have seen some players that many believed were not good enough prove their worth, we have seen the beauty that is torres and the clogger that is dirk, we have seen boardroom battles played out in the press which should never happen. we have shown that having 5 30 million quid players does not give any guarantees so lets put that excuse to bed, we have seen a player used as a political pawn, we have seen one of the younger guys prove he is worth a place (Insua). We have seen our captain in court, we have seen delays on the new stadium, we have seen another excuse put to rest that the owners are to blame for poor football, if they are to blame for that then they now need credit for us being second etc etc etc


anyway, discuss

Anyway now the wind up merchants (non Liverpool supporters) are now being kicked off, back to Peewee's topic starter. I think his point about the three seasons without a trophy would signal rafa needing to be relieved of his duties were it not for our renaissance over the last couple of months. as it is though we are finally begining to grasp the realities of what is needed, so it makes sense to continue along our current path.

The curious thing about our absolute surge in from, is that by its very existence it blows may of the previous excuses out of the water and also allows us to refocus on some long standing debates.

I think it's probably proven beyond all reasonable now that we over-rotated for three and a half seasons. We tried the settled team at the end of last season, this season has confirmed the feeling that it really was the way to go all along. Equally, as Peewee has indicated, we are showing that contrary to many long held beliefs, the money we have spent is not an impediment to us being able to compete with the big clubs. I always kind of suspected it wasn't, particularly as we could beat pretty much anybody in Europe (usually with something close to our best team on the pitch admittedly) but we've proven once and for all that we've got a good team. Given the only one out of our summer transfers who actually makes the team is Riera, it's probably fair also to look back at last season and conclude we might have underachieved a bit. Equally, as we are under the same ownership as we have been for a while, and as it is still as much a soap opera as it always has been, we can probably forget about the effect it is having on the players. it isn't having any.

Clearly the reason we aren't going to win the league if indeed we don't, is that we've drawn too many games at Home. As that's been the case for the best part of two seasons, it would be silly to say we've been "unlucky" or any of that stuff. There is a reason for it, and it is most likely that we didn't go for it enough. We're addressing that now, and even away it's very hard for me to imagine us settlig for a draw at the Emirates when arsenal were there for the taking, or taking off Gerrard and Torres with the score 1-1 at Wigan.

So next season looks good. We won't be dizzy and out of it after ten games, and we won't be walking off after drawing at Home with Hull and thinking that "at least it's one point gained". Unfortunately, we won't either get as favourable circumstances next season as we';ve had this, so we will need to radically improve. Can we do it? yes I think we can.

"favourable circumstances" ?