The Official Liverpool FC Thread [Vol 8]
Discussion
Doesn't he have a good behaviour clause? Might be on his way to giving you an out.
Mario Balotelli 'threatened' woman who photographed his Ferrari http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-... @MailSport
Mario Balotelli 'threatened' woman who photographed his Ferrari http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-... @MailSport
He's deluded, has he even stopped to think why we lost the league last season? This isn't something new.
“Our problem and the issue we have which we need to find the solution for is our lack of coaching time. Take this week, we played Wednesday night, the players physically recover on Thursday, and that leaves us with only a short period of time on the training field before we’ve got the game on Saturday."
“Our problem and the issue we have which we need to find the solution for is our lack of coaching time. Take this week, we played Wednesday night, the players physically recover on Thursday, and that leaves us with only a short period of time on the training field before we’ve got the game on Saturday."
RedTrident said:
He's deluded, has he even stopped to think why we lost the league last season? This isn't something new.
“Our problem and the issue we have which we need to find the solution for is our lack of coaching time. Take this week, we played Wednesday night, the players physically recover on Thursday, and that leaves us with only a short period of time on the training field before we’ve got the game on Saturday."
From what i heard on 5 live last night, BR does little work on defensive training, the focus is on holding the ball, attacking play. Little time is spent on defensive drills. If this is true its shocking. Simply saying we should be more aggressive at corners doesnt cut it, doubt training sessions for our team at set pieces would be a good idea!“Our problem and the issue we have which we need to find the solution for is our lack of coaching time. Take this week, we played Wednesday night, the players physically recover on Thursday, and that leaves us with only a short period of time on the training field before we’ve got the game on Saturday."
where BR made a mistake is on Balo, he should have stuck to his guns and not signed him.
CedGTV said:
I got 8! Sadly the 2 I got wrong were quotes I thought were so stupid they had to be David Brent. And they weren't... 
BlackST said:
Alot of s
t has hit the fan tonight regarding David Wooding, political editor of The Scum newspaper being allowed in to Anfield, in the directors box.
The club's a joke!
Was it not an invite through Sony ? once Sony have there allocation not really much the club can do is there? or have I missed something?t has hit the fan tonight regarding David Wooding, political editor of The Scum newspaper being allowed in to Anfield, in the directors box.The club's a joke!
m3sye said:
Was it not an invite through Sony ? once Sony have there allocation not really much the club can do is there? or have I missed something?
Sony yes. Surely should be up to LFC who ends up in the box though? Already bad enough that he has a season ticket and is a editor for that paper.Before this I had realised we are just £ signs to the club though. LFC don't care who fills them seats aslong as they are paid for. As much money as possible they want.
Q&A James Pearce
Amey: Is there any chance of Sturridge returning before mid November? I know BR said no timescale but something?
A week ago the manager told me it would 2 to 4 weeks with Sturridge and I've heard nothing different since. Considering his last injury was supposed to be 3 weeks but took double that, I'm not surprised Liverpool are reluctant to put a time frame on his return this time
Amey: Is BR being too stubborn to accept that his sides are never good defensively?
I asked him yesterday about whether he would consider appointing a defensive coach and he dismissed the idea. He's convinced Liverpool have the personnel both on and off the field to put it right.
What I would say is that Liverpool's back four aren't being left exposed by the midfield or because they are committing too many players forward. It's absolute basics they are getting wrong. There's uncertainty and panic back there and that's leading to men not being picked up.
The fact that Moreno/Manquillo don't speak English doesn't help that understanding.
Mignolet's failure at times to command his box is also an issue as the defenders don't have a dominant keeper behind them.
Rohan Giri: Is Lovren good enough to play at the top level?
When Liverpool signed him, I thought it was a smart move. He was excellent for Southampton last weekend and he has Champions League experience from his time at Zagreb and Lyon.
He has had a bad start at Anfield. He's been too rash, it's almost like he's trying too hard to impress. At 25, he's not a kid and for £20m Liverpool expected better but it's only October. He just needs to remember the qualities in his game which attracted Rodgers to him in the first place.
Peter: why you writing 'Apologise' about Balotelli when the problems stem from Rodgers and his lack of defensive tactics?
For starters, just let me make it clear I wasn't blaming Balotelli for the defeat or making him a scapegoat.
I wrote two pieces on Wednesday night - one was the match verdict in which I was heavily critical of the defensive shambles which helped Real Madrid. I made it clear in that piece that there was a lot more wrong than simply Balotelli.
Soon after the game I was also asked to write a comment piece on the shirt swap, which I agreed to.
I genuinely thought Balotelli was out of order doing what he did. Regardless of whether Pepe asked him first, you don't swap shirts with the opposition at half-time.
I know people will say 'but you didn't make a fuss when Coutinho/Sakho did it last season' but the circumstances were different then. No-one back then doubted their focus or commitment. And Liverpool hadn't just been outplayed and facing a hiding.
Like every Liverpool player, Balotelli should have been hurting and keen to get to the dressing room asap to try to sort out what was going wrong.
Balotelli's contribution since he arrived has been pitiful. His performance at QPR last weekend was one of the worst I've seen from a Liverpool player.
The fact that in 8 starts he has been brought off 4 times speaks volumes. Patience inside the club with him is already wearing thin. The sight of him swapping shirts at half-time just reinforced the feeling that he lacks focus.
The timing of it was awful.
Has fitting Coutinho, Sterling and Lallana into the same team been a big problem this year - do they all wanna play same role?
Good question that. There's no doubt all three favour the No 10 role. You want those 3 in your starting line up but achieving it while keeping the right balance is an issue.
It will be interesting to see what Rodgers goes with tomorrow.
If Balotelli starts with Sterling playing just behind, does he go with Lallana and Coutinho either side? If he does that then one out of Gerrard, Allen, Henderson doesn't start.
Skrtel Junior: Can you ask James if he believes our season will go back on track once Sturridge is back?
Context is important. Liverpool are fifth in the league and only outside the top four on goal difference, despite their form being so ropey.
If you look at Rodgers' first two seasons, the team improved the longer the season went on and I think the same will happen again. Sturridge's return will be massive and I'm sure we'll see an improvement from the new signings who have struggled to hit the ground running.
Would it not be better for Gerrard to play further to Support Balo? Get the best out of both of them?
Well it worked well in the last 25 minutes against West Brom but it certainly didn't work at QPR last weekend. The problem was that Liverpool didn't keep the ball well enough and Gerrard wasn't able to influence the game.
I wonder with Allen now fully fit whether Rodgers may decide to try the captain further forward again tomorrow. He certainly has options. The problem at the moment is that I'm not sure even he knows what his best XI is.
Livahpool: Enrique? Slow, loses his man. Brad smith? Defensive strong man in January? Is BR bad at identifying defenders?
Enrique is coming back after a long injury so has to be cut some slack but yes currently he looks a long way off what's needed. Smith has returned from his loan spell at Swindon but only because he's dragging his heels over signing a new deal, not because he's about to be stuck in the side.
Rodgers staked a lot on signing Lovren and Moreno this summer. Lovren especially was talked up as the defensive leader Liverpool had been missing. So far it hasn't happened. He hasn't justified the £20m price tag but he can't be written off yet.
James: what are your thoughts on transfer business done by Liverpool? No world class players signed only "potential"
I'd agree with that assessment. No-one Liverpool signed this summer could be regarded as world class. The club policy is to buy young talent with potential and then for Rodgers to develop them.
Can, Markovic, Moreno and Manquillo all fit into that category and must be given time as they adapt to their new surroundings.
Of the older players, Lallana has shown signs of his quality after a tough start but both Lovren and Balotelli have been very disappointing. Lambert was only ever bought as a squad player.
Amey: Is there any chance of Sturridge returning before mid November? I know BR said no timescale but something?
A week ago the manager told me it would 2 to 4 weeks with Sturridge and I've heard nothing different since. Considering his last injury was supposed to be 3 weeks but took double that, I'm not surprised Liverpool are reluctant to put a time frame on his return this time
Amey: Is BR being too stubborn to accept that his sides are never good defensively?
I asked him yesterday about whether he would consider appointing a defensive coach and he dismissed the idea. He's convinced Liverpool have the personnel both on and off the field to put it right.
What I would say is that Liverpool's back four aren't being left exposed by the midfield or because they are committing too many players forward. It's absolute basics they are getting wrong. There's uncertainty and panic back there and that's leading to men not being picked up.
The fact that Moreno/Manquillo don't speak English doesn't help that understanding.
Mignolet's failure at times to command his box is also an issue as the defenders don't have a dominant keeper behind them.
Rohan Giri: Is Lovren good enough to play at the top level?
When Liverpool signed him, I thought it was a smart move. He was excellent for Southampton last weekend and he has Champions League experience from his time at Zagreb and Lyon.
He has had a bad start at Anfield. He's been too rash, it's almost like he's trying too hard to impress. At 25, he's not a kid and for £20m Liverpool expected better but it's only October. He just needs to remember the qualities in his game which attracted Rodgers to him in the first place.
Peter: why you writing 'Apologise' about Balotelli when the problems stem from Rodgers and his lack of defensive tactics?
For starters, just let me make it clear I wasn't blaming Balotelli for the defeat or making him a scapegoat.
I wrote two pieces on Wednesday night - one was the match verdict in which I was heavily critical of the defensive shambles which helped Real Madrid. I made it clear in that piece that there was a lot more wrong than simply Balotelli.
Soon after the game I was also asked to write a comment piece on the shirt swap, which I agreed to.
I genuinely thought Balotelli was out of order doing what he did. Regardless of whether Pepe asked him first, you don't swap shirts with the opposition at half-time.
I know people will say 'but you didn't make a fuss when Coutinho/Sakho did it last season' but the circumstances were different then. No-one back then doubted their focus or commitment. And Liverpool hadn't just been outplayed and facing a hiding.
Like every Liverpool player, Balotelli should have been hurting and keen to get to the dressing room asap to try to sort out what was going wrong.
Balotelli's contribution since he arrived has been pitiful. His performance at QPR last weekend was one of the worst I've seen from a Liverpool player.
The fact that in 8 starts he has been brought off 4 times speaks volumes. Patience inside the club with him is already wearing thin. The sight of him swapping shirts at half-time just reinforced the feeling that he lacks focus.
The timing of it was awful.
Has fitting Coutinho, Sterling and Lallana into the same team been a big problem this year - do they all wanna play same role?
Good question that. There's no doubt all three favour the No 10 role. You want those 3 in your starting line up but achieving it while keeping the right balance is an issue.
It will be interesting to see what Rodgers goes with tomorrow.
If Balotelli starts with Sterling playing just behind, does he go with Lallana and Coutinho either side? If he does that then one out of Gerrard, Allen, Henderson doesn't start.
Skrtel Junior: Can you ask James if he believes our season will go back on track once Sturridge is back?
Context is important. Liverpool are fifth in the league and only outside the top four on goal difference, despite their form being so ropey.
If you look at Rodgers' first two seasons, the team improved the longer the season went on and I think the same will happen again. Sturridge's return will be massive and I'm sure we'll see an improvement from the new signings who have struggled to hit the ground running.
Would it not be better for Gerrard to play further to Support Balo? Get the best out of both of them?
Well it worked well in the last 25 minutes against West Brom but it certainly didn't work at QPR last weekend. The problem was that Liverpool didn't keep the ball well enough and Gerrard wasn't able to influence the game.
I wonder with Allen now fully fit whether Rodgers may decide to try the captain further forward again tomorrow. He certainly has options. The problem at the moment is that I'm not sure even he knows what his best XI is.
Livahpool: Enrique? Slow, loses his man. Brad smith? Defensive strong man in January? Is BR bad at identifying defenders?
Enrique is coming back after a long injury so has to be cut some slack but yes currently he looks a long way off what's needed. Smith has returned from his loan spell at Swindon but only because he's dragging his heels over signing a new deal, not because he's about to be stuck in the side.
Rodgers staked a lot on signing Lovren and Moreno this summer. Lovren especially was talked up as the defensive leader Liverpool had been missing. So far it hasn't happened. He hasn't justified the £20m price tag but he can't be written off yet.
James: what are your thoughts on transfer business done by Liverpool? No world class players signed only "potential"
I'd agree with that assessment. No-one Liverpool signed this summer could be regarded as world class. The club policy is to buy young talent with potential and then for Rodgers to develop them.
Can, Markovic, Moreno and Manquillo all fit into that category and must be given time as they adapt to their new surroundings.
Of the older players, Lallana has shown signs of his quality after a tough start but both Lovren and Balotelli have been very disappointing. Lambert was only ever bought as a squad player.
Bren not admitting to needing defensive help shows what an arrogant person he is, Rome is crumbling but he will not ask for help - he thinks he is Jose light.
On Weds Moreno (very very small) was getting in his car and said Goodbye and thank you to the security guy - surely he can learn - pass, stay, mine and yours as well.
I don't mind this transitional phase if we learn from it but this doesn't seem to be the case.
On Weds Moreno (very very small) was getting in his car and said Goodbye and thank you to the security guy - surely he can learn - pass, stay, mine and yours as well.
I don't mind this transitional phase if we learn from it but this doesn't seem to be the case.
DSLiverpool said:
Bren not admitting to needing defensive help shows what an arrogant person he is, Rome is crumbling but he will not ask for help - he thinks he is Jose light.
Its not him being arrogant - he said he thinks he has the team around him on and off the pitch to sort it out. Not that he's faultless. The fact that he is admitting there are problems doesn't match up with being arrogant.DSLiverpool said:
I don't mind this transitional phase if we learn from it but this doesn't seem to be the case.
We're clearly along way from out of this transitional phase so still far too early to see whether anything has been learned. If there's no improvement before xmas then clearly things are going very very wrong - but its only 8 games in (plus cup matches, obviously). What worries me more is the lack of defence nous last season which has carried on this season - its nothing new, as several on here have said.These are exasperating times...
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