Liverpool FC Forum

by **loopyliverpool** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:36 am

I think Roy has done the necessities within the time and money constraints which have obviously limited him! A quality striker of some repute would have fiished off what has been quite an optomistic transfer window. However, Ngog (who I thought awful last season) has started better, Babel is staying and may eventually be given the chance to play as a central striker, Jovanovic can play as a striker as can Kuyt and we also have Pacheco biting at the bit to take his chance. I think to have a regular, proven left back will help balance the side up massively. I didn't rate Insua and Aurelio seems to play one game and get injured for five. Agger is our best central defender and to play him there will help going forward as much as defensively. Finally, we have Joe Cole, who will add much needed craft in attack and given a fair run will be hooking up with Torres and Gerrard in what will be a feared forward line. We still lack genuine quality in depth but with the acquisitions of Poulsen, Meireles and Shelvley we do have some unknown quantities. Roy has done all right and as I said at the top I'm optomistic about the coming season.

by **Ciggy** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:51 am

Scottbot wrote:
Ciggy wrote:When we go to Old Trafford in a few weeks time and let them have all the possession we will be killed, and it could end up being an embarressment lets hope for our sake and Roys its not !!!

You've completely forgotten our wins at OT under Ged then?

No but whats that got to do with anything? Our keeping possession in our games we have played so far have me worried sick Scott WBA had 51% at times on sunday its a major worry if Im being honest.

by **Thommo's perm** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:19 am

Ciggy wrote:
Benny The Noon wrote:Hopefully it will change when they play .

For our sake and Roys sake they better change and sharpish the natives at Anfield wont put up with them tactics, there is already loads of grumbelings about it things could get tasty inside Anfield if they dont.

Dear oh dear
"the natives at Anfield wont put up with them tactics"?
You mean like the way they didnt put up with Rafas tactics last season? You make it sound like theres a mutiny on the horizon when there clearly is not. The people I go the match with and others I speak to are prepared to accept that Roy has got a massive job on his hands and are prepared to have faith and give him time to sort it.
Seriously.
If I took over a team which had been playing a certain way for years, would I expect to change the system in a few weeks? Of course not.
Would I expect the players to suddenly forget or ignore all theyd been taught and which had been done in training day after day after day? Of course not.
Would I expect them to suddenly change the way they played and expect them to all immediately click with each other? Of course not.
I would be naive and a little bit silly to think that I could work miracles.
I understand your frustration and your fears but I suggest you (and the likes of Benny) chillax and try and be positive about the new dawn for LFC.
The Royvelution is here!

by **stmichael** » Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:44 am

bigmick wrote:Well next time we play there will be two major differences. Firstly, we'll have a new left back and I think he is better than Agger in there (although fair play to the Dane he has done OK) and is a mile better than Insua.

Well the distribution from the back will certainly be better when Agger is back in his favoured position. It'll be interesting to see if Konchesky is first choice even when Aurelio is fit because Aurelio is decent on the ball and his delivery from set pieces is probably the best in the whole squad. I love Carragher to bits but he shouldn't be an automatic starter by any means. With him out the side in certain games it would allow us to defend ten yards higher up the pitch.

Whatever the case our players really need to be encouraged to pass the ball from back to front through midfield whenever possible. So far I've seen far too many long balls even though there's nobody upfront who can hold the ball up.

by **aCe'** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:01 am

Roy Hodgson needs to improve over the next couple of games ... Yet again, the initial team selection wasnt the best, and he was slow to respond to the games needs.. Its not even about the summer signings or the team morale or any of that for me.. Its just the tactics and the managers decisions in preparation and during the 90mins ...

The thing that worries me the most is our inability to move the ball forward without resorting to long hopeful balls or relying on one of the attacking players coming very deep to receive it.. As far as im concerned -in Agger, Johnson, Konchesky, Meireles, Gerrard, Cole, and Jovanovic- we have players who are comfortable on the ball and should have little trouble stringing a few passes together to get the ball and more importantly the other players moving forward... If the players fail to do so for whatever reason, then the manager is usually at fault..

As i said earlier though, its still to early to judge, and we're yet to realize our best starting 11 and tactics... For everyones sake though, I hope Roy figures it out soon because as thiings stand, we're not much better off on the field than we were under Benitez despite seemingly having a more balanced side than last year..

by **stmichael** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 10:29 am

aCe' wrote:Roy Hodgson needs to improve over the next couple of games ... Yet again, the initial team selection wasnt the best, and he was slow to respond to the games needs.. Its not even about the summer signings or the team morale or any of that for me.. Its just the tactics and the managers decisions in preparation and during the 90mins ...

The thing that worries me the most is our inability to move the ball forward without resorting to long hopeful balls or relying on one of the attacking players coming very deep to receive it.. As far as im concerned -in Agger, Johnson, Konchesky, Meireles, Gerrard, Cole, and Jovanovic- we have players who are comfortable on the ball and should have little trouble stringing a few passes together to get the ball and more importantly the other players moving forward... If the players fail to do so for whatever reason, then the manager is usually at fault..

As i said earlier though, its still to early to judge, and we're yet to realize our best starting 11 and tactics... For everyones sake though, I hope Roy figures it out soon because as thiings stand, we're not much better off on the field than we were under Benitez despite seemingly having a more balanced side than last year..

as for the long balls, what do you expect with carragher in the side? he's done it for years and won't stop anytime soon. we really miss agger at centre back because skrtel isn't particularly comfortable on the ball either.

against united next week i'd bring mereiles in and play him alongside poulsen/lucas in central midfield. i'd then play cole in the hole off torres and play gerrard on the right, not only because he's brilliant there, but because he can also do a job stopping evra bombing down that flank.

by **aCe'** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 2:55 pm

stmichael wrote:
aCe' wrote:Roy Hodgson needs to improve over the next couple of games ... Yet again, the initial team selection wasnt the best, and he was slow to respond to the games needs.. Its not even about the summer signings or the team morale or any of that for me.. Its just the tactics and the managers decisions in preparation and during the 90mins ...

The thing that worries me the most is our inability to move the ball forward without resorting to long hopeful balls or relying on one of the attacking players coming very deep to receive it.. As far as im concerned -in Agger, Johnson, Konchesky, Meireles, Gerrard, Cole, and Jovanovic- we have players who are comfortable on the ball and should have little trouble stringing a few passes together to get the ball and more importantly the other players moving forward... If the players fail to do so for whatever reason, then the manager is usually at fault..

As i said earlier though, its still to early to judge, and we're yet to realize our best starting 11 and tactics... For everyones sake though, I hope Roy figures it out soon because as thiings stand, we're not much better off on the field than we were under Benitez despite seemingly having a more balanced side than last year..

as for the long balls, what do you expect with carragher in the side? he's done it for years and won't stop anytime soon. we really miss agger at centre back because skrtel isn't particularly comfortable on the ball either.

against united next week i'd bring mereiles in and play him alongside poulsen/lucas in central midfield. i'd then play cole in the hole off torres and play gerrard on the right, not only because he's brilliant there, but because he can also do a job stopping evra bombing down that flank.

Im 100% with the idea of playing Gerrard down the right..
Would keep Skrtel in the side for this one and bring Cole and Meireles into the starting 11...

I felt we should have doe it yesterday to be honest... Maxi, Lucas, and Poulsen all offer nothing in terms of attacking urgency and it has alot to do with the frustrating look about the side... Add the fact that Jova will only ever the obvious pass despite being comfortable on the ball and you have a recipe for disaster right there..

Gerrard down the right with Cole down the middle should give us more options when on the ball higher up.. Especially with Evra pushing forward and Fletcher likely dominating our play through the middle .. At the very worst, Gerrard could connect with Johnson every now and then and look to put in the early curler into the box when we struggle for ideas...

by **Benny The Noon** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 2:57 pm

Who do you play through the middle thou Ace if gerrard goes out right ?

by **stmichael** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:02 pm

Benny The Noon wrote:Who do you play through the middle thou Ace if gerrard goes out right ?

i'd play mereiles and lucas. i thought lucas was slightly better than poulsen yesterday (although that's not saying much). lucas has done the job before against united. infact he was probably MOM last season in the home game and he also played really well when we beat them 4-1 a few years ago.

by **Benny The Noon** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:10 pm

Yeah I would agree and that's the same set up I would go for but would definatly have agger back

by **aCe'** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:11 pm

I wouldnt play Lucas... Id have Poulsen in there ahead of him to be honest... Seems to be the better of the 2 in playing a sitting role and could probably do a better job against Giggs, Park or whoever they play nehind the striker without giving away too many freekicks or putting our defenders under pressure... Ill agree that they have both been poor lately but for me it comes down to defensive awareness especially if Meireles is the one playing alongside one of the two... Id trust Poulsen ahead of Lucas in that department..

by **Benny The Noon** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 3:14 pm

I would have Lucas in there due to playing in these games before and doing well - as well as being more mobile with better energy . Think the game would just pass Poulsen by and he would get swamped by Fletcher due to his lack of mobility in the middle of the park - shame Kuyt is injured as he could play right side and move gerrard into middle to save neither Lucas or Poulsen playing

by **Bad Bob** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:05 pm

All hail the voice of reason... :nod

Birmingham 0 Liverpool FC 0: Dominic King on how an instant fix is not a reality for the Reds

PATIENCE is a quality lacking in the modern world but patience is needed more than ever in the modern world of Liverpool FC.

While goals rained in at grounds all across the country on Saturday, that happy trend did not continue at St Andrew’s yesterday as the Reds laboured against a hard-working, determined Birmingham City side to secure a point.

Judging by some of the post-match chatter among certain anxious fans, this was evidence that the season – four games old, remember – is already moribund; here, after all, were Liverpool playing as if they had forgotten the Anfield mantra of pass and move.

It would be easy, then, to sit and pick holes in a lifeless performance and make proclamations that the end of the world is nigh; a side with a modicum of attacking verve would have put Birmingham to the sword in the final 15 minutes here but Liverpool never threatened to do so.

Of course, it wasn’t good enough on many levels. That Ben Foster never made a save of note was a damning indictment of what they did in the final third and brows were furrowed that Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard did not get the service needed for them to make a significant impact.

But, hard though it might be, the display needs putting into context with the whole situation. Liverpool are in a state of flux right now and huge changes have been made on and off the pitch – it would, therefore, be naïve to expect them to start playing fantasy football straight away.

Waiting for them to get to that point, however, is proving to be torturous. All Liverpudlians want to see is the side they idolise slip effortlessly into a groove that will bring an avalanche of goals and enable them to carry on old traditions. Unfortunately, it is not going to happen any time soon. Roy Hodgson, for starters, is still getting to know his players and working on a system that will marry silk and steel; it’s all very well being organised but Reds expect a sense of adventure, too. That will never change...

...only when new signing Raul Meireles came on did Hodgson see his side have more creation and invention.

His was an interesting little cameo and the way he glided across the pitch, putting fizz into his precise passes, suggests he will make an impact; so, too, will Joe Cole, now that he has served his three-match ban and is ready to launch his career for real. Yet, again, both men will need time to become fully attuned to their new surrounds and that, inevitably, means it is time to show a little patience – even if it is the hardest thing to do.

[url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-fc/liverpool-fc-news/2010/09/13/birmingham-0-liverpool-fc-0-dominic-king-on-how-an-instant-fix-is-not-a-reality-for-the-re
ds-100252-27255326/]Link to full match report[/url]

by **Bad Bob** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:26 pm

More sense from our best player yesterday...

Pepe Reina: Liverpool FC are still finding their feet under Roy Hodgson

PEPE REINA today admitted Liverpool are still finding their feet under Roy Hodgson – but believes a second successive clean sheet offers proof
they can quickly push on.

The Reds goalkeeper was the reason Hodgson’s men secured a point against Birmingham City, with his two superb saves from Cameron Jerome and James McFadden enabling them to get a 0-0 draw.

It was certainly not a vintage Liverpool performance but Reina was anything but dispirited as he reflected on their unspectacular start to the campaign.

Though Reina is realistic about what Liverpool might achieve this season, he is also confident that, once things click into place, they will prove a match for the best around.

That is why he has urged supporters to be patient and stick with the squad until Liverpool have finally established a rhythm.

“I’m happy with my performance but we all helped to get a very good point,” said Reina. “We could have lost the game, so we should be happy with the point.

“We could have lost it in the end. I’ve never beaten Birmingham in the league. It has been a tough place for us and we never get proper results here.

“But let’s look at it in a positive way. We have to go forward from here. We have to make sure that nobody is thinking of winning the league or anything like that right at this moment.

“It is going to take a while. We have got to get used to the new players and the system. Of course, our target is to be up there but we have to be realistic.

“We will find out at the end of the season what we can achieve. Maybe we all have to be patient.

“April and May is the time to talk about targets.

“We did not spend much money and sometimes in football it is important to do it.

“Unfortunately it’s going to be like this for a little while until we sort out the other (ownership) situation.”

Reina’s season got off to the worst possible start when he put through his own net against Arsenal but yesterday’s terrific display showed there have been no lasting effects.

“How long did it take me to get over it? One hour,” he said. “When you are a goalkeeper, you know that you will make brilliant saves and stupid mistakes.

“You have to handle everything that happens to you. Tomorrow, nobody will remember my saves or my mistakes. You just move on and play the next game as if nothing has happened.

“Sometimes keepers cost their teams points like I did in the first game; other times we get a bit lucky and pull one out for the team.”

He will need to carry on that excellent form next week when Liverpool travel to Old Trafford and Reina hopes they will warm up for that test by beating Steaua Bucharest.

“Any away game is tough,” he said. “We’ve had a difficult start – Arsenal, City, Birmingham, United next week. We just have to concentrate on the next game and take it from there.”

LINK

by **Benny The Noon** » Mon Sep 13, 2010 4:28 pm

How many points will we drop while he sorts things out ? How far behind will we of dropped until he has them playing his way ? How long do we have to wait ? When can we criticise him when he does something wrong and if he doesn't improve last seasons showing does that mean he should be shown the door !

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