SORRY about the delay. Am in Barmouth. Barmouth has a lot going for it. Fantastic, dramatic coastline. Arcades. Boozers. But it doesn’t have much signal.
On days like today, this is both a good and bad thing. Good because I am excluded from the internet. Bad because I am having to text this — a paragraph or two at a time — to Gareth Roberts. Sorry, Gareth. Everyone say thanks to him.
When I texted Gareth and said I was struggling for signal he said: “There’s literally nothing to say about it. Piss poor from both sides.” If you want, and I would recommend it, you can stop reading there. If you are committed to this post-match thing then, well, let’s see…
Post-match I played pool with Steve Graves. Best of three. Won 2-1. Didn’t deserve to; Steve potted the balls far better than I did, but I got him into a trappy tactical thing. What he should have done rather than playing safe was smash the pack repeatedly, cause chaos and pick up the bits and then be better at the potting. Oh, how clever. A metaphor. A clever metaphor. For The Reds. How post- of me that is. Post what? Fuck knows. How clever, how fucking clever though. How clever. Post- what? Post- loads. Post. Everything suddenly feels post-.
Liverpool consistently look like they have had a heavy night and now need to make a breakfast. Post-Suarez, post-last season, post-novelty. Post. One of the things we are post- is QPR. Post-QPR, The Tricky Reds have become The Cagey Reds, and they aren’t very good at it. They won’t get drawn into that nonsense again. Liverpool have become more solid since they shipped two at QPR and got three points. They were, until they conceded today, never likely to concede — like they were against Hull. They got three points in the chaos of QPR and one point in the sanity that has followed. Better to be solid though. Obviously.
FT #NUFC 1-0 #LFC http://t.co/tMlkCyboSH Only 3 chances created from open play by LFC and caught offside 7 times pic.twitter.com/5PLUMj8Xmj
— Stats Zone (@StatsZone) November 1, 2014
We saw an argument for the way Liverpool started the game today second half. When they tried to be more expansive they got picked off and then gave good chances away. So was cagey right? Caginess had Liverpool running the game, being fair. A terrible game no doubt, but they were clearly in the ascendancy when it was cagey until just after the hour. But by not trying to be more expansive in the first place they gave themselves less time to get the ball in the back of the net. For the second week in succession. And at the core is the fact that they aren’t very good at it. Practically none of them can do it.
Today Liverpool set up in a manner that got the least out of themselves as individuals and as a collective. Practically every player was taken out of the game — Sterling isn’t involved enough, Balotelli doesn’t have the movement around him, Coutinho doesn’t have it ahead of him. Allen and Henderson are increasingly disjointed cogs in an overworked machine. Gerrard is a man without a place. Johnson makes little sense sitting in.
Mario Balotelli registered just one touch in the penalty area vs. Newcastle today. pic.twitter.com/lXyvTYPMiX
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) November 1, 2014
Hull are a good side. Newcastle aren’t.
It was two poor sides on display but the hosts have won three on the bounce in the league and knocked the Champions out of the League Cup. This is the thing. You don’t need to be that good. The level isn’t beyond this Liverpool squad, shorn of Sturridge. There though is no brio. There is no pleasure in the work. There is just work. It looks like the grind. We’ve talked ourselves into crisis, into joylessness. Great work, everyone.
Smiles have been on faces on occasion this campaign but the main, massive thing Liverpool have become post- is fun. I used to say that Rodgers’s Liverpool turned games into raffles where he had more tickets in the draw. This side now has no tickets, there is no draw — instead it’s a Presbyterian Crystal Maze. There are endless workmanlike tasks. They are few crystals. And you leave everyone behind while some bellend is being wry. This bellend is being wry.
Players enjoying and getting behind their football is important. Arguably more now than ever in the game. You are selling young millionaires an idea. Liverpool have become a side about nothing, enjoying less. They’ve sacrificed mojo at the altar of convention. They are just like everybody else. They need to get better at it quickly or go on a retreat and find themselves.
Barmouth’s nice. Wild, woolly and no distractions from the internet.
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Pics: David Rawcliffe/Propaganda
Cagey. Since when was that a game plan? Since when was it a game plan for Liverpool FC? Since when was it a game plan for a Brendan Rodger’s Liverpool team? Since when was it a game plan for an average team like fucking Newcastle?
Let’s get back to trying to score at least one more than the opposition eh Brendan.
Once again, it’s not the fact we were beaten, it was the manner of the defeat. That first half was simply unwatchable shite. Rodgers may claim we “didn’t deserve to lose the game” but that’s hardly the point, is it? We didn’t have a shot on target in the first half. That is just not acceptable.
God help us at the Bernabeu – this is about to get embarrassing.
It’s interesting to note the goal was blamed on a “heavy touch” by Moreno by James Carrol writing for the official LFC website. Really?! Either he is in as much denial as Rodgers, or he has an editorial gun against his head.
Just spent the last few hours arguing with mates on our FB forum. Another day wasted due to a wank game. Winning is so much easer. Everyone has their opinion of why we’re so poor. Gonna break mine down into categories from all the points raised.
Rodgers
Did Suarez make him look better? Without a doubt. Is he a poor manager? Time will tell. Still too early to judge. If we finish top 4 then he definitely deserves our backing. I don’t understand why he persists in a system that doesn’t work. Is there anyone who thinks Mario on his own up front works? Appreciate Borini and Lambert aren’t the answer it’s more the fact that it obviously doesn’t work yet he refuses to try something different. We don’t score as it is. Rather than have Gerrard, Allen and Henderson, I’d have dropped one and played Lallana if he insists on Mario on his own. I think he’s starting to look either stubborn or something worse. My opinion though, Is Rodgers has certainly earned time. I think he’s the right man for us for now.
FSG
My mates favourite scapegoat over the lack of a striker. I get it but I don’t see it. We spent £117m on new players. A bit more was available than the £16m spent on Mario. We all wanted a marquee signing but didn’t get it. Where are the strikers? Where’s the defence? Where’s the holding midfielder? Where’s the back up keeper. Regardless of net spend, we’ve spent £117m. That’s a lot of money. Where have we improved? They’re saying buy a world class player with Suarez money. We all agree. Do Liverpool have the pull we think they have though? Sanchez was brilliant today. Who did we go for? I think we tried big. What I don’t know Is what wage we offered them but one thing we do know is they all turned us down? With FFP in mind though, can Liverpool afford £350k a week wages? Are we more desirable to play for than Utd, Chelsea, City and Arsenal for differing reasons? No! Was more available if the right striker was identified? I’d guess yes. My feeling is, £117m spent and no strikers bought points the finger more at the transfer committee. Have they done well? I think FSG only come under the spotlight for our on pitch issues over how much they were prepared to pay in wages to the strikers we targeted. We clearly needed 1 and didn’t get it right.
The Transfer Committee
I’m putting a lot of the blame at their door for reasons mentioned above. Under FSG, if we don’t get top 4 then somewhere in the chain, heads will roll. As it stands, I think this is the only place I’d be comfortable with. Our problems all revolve around not having forwards. Someone is to blame for that. I’m laying the blame here.
Players
They’ve all come under stick today and rightly so. I think it’s pointless singling out individuals though. Yes, Lovren is often asleep but thought he did ok. Henderson didn’t do much but the midfield have nowhere to go. Newcastle sat behind the ball for 60 mins. We had nothing at all to test them. It was easy for them. This team wasn’t that bad last year. Only difference is no strikers. The tactics and formation didn’t help them today. Rodgers to blame for that.
Conclusion
Above all else, we need to identify why we have Mario playing up front on his own. Who’s idea was it to buy him. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming him at all. It’s not his fault his game doesn’t suit ours but why haven’t we got a top striker from the Suarez money? Where did it go wrong? With Sanchez in the team based on his performance today we’re nowhere near as bad. So, I want answers as to why we haven’t got a striker. That’s where the finger needs pointing, whether it was down to wages, availability or simply missing out on our targets. There’s guilt in there somewhere. Rodgers has to do better with the tools available to him but to repeat myself for the tenth time it all comes down to having no strikers. That doesn’t appear to be the fault of the players or Rodgers. I think the transfer committee is where the anger should be aimed. Suarez was nowhere near replaced. That much is obvious.
How many games does Glen Johnson have to play before the manager realizes he is not good enough anymore?
He did one good thing today with that clearance. Right place, right time. But people forget, this is his job. He is primarily a defender. This is the sort of stuff defenders have to do. No point wanking yourselves over this one good thing in the football match. Especially if it blinds you to the rest of the game he played.
He is fundamentally a ball-hog and waste of possession. He puts us in the shit when he loses it easily high up the pitch. This is a player that goes totally against what the managers ideas are about. He’s not the only one in the team though. So I won’t just single Johnson out as that would be unfair.
There is no excuse to keep picking him now with Manquillo around. At just 20 years of age he is already an all round better footballer than Johnson is right now. He has no right to be really considering the age, inexperience and playing in a new country. But he is. He just is. No point beating around the bush about it. Manquillo hasn’t really put a foot wrong and is infinitely more reliable than Johnson is. Johnson isn’t doing the basics well enough defending or attacking.
This blind persistence with Johnson isn’t a new thing either. It was happening last season, they was even sticking him in at left-back to keep him in the team at all costs. Cissokho believe it or not for however awkward he looked wasn’t doing too badly at one point when Johnson was out and as soon as Johnson was back, he was straight back in the team. Shifting Flanno across, or sticking Johnson in at left-back.
This is a player that will more than likely not be at the football club next season. He is free to talk to other clubs in January. Why is he starting football matches then?
I think its a valid question to ask.
People are blaming Moreno and Lovren on the goal (and they both play their part in the box) but its Johnson that makes a stupid decision high up the pitch, cutting in and attempting a shot on his left 30 yards out from goal. A low percentage chance. Which in turn gave Newcastle United the ball back and we had to get back quickly to defend. They scored from this transition. Johnson couldn’t make up for it, he couldn’t stop the pass before the cross and he couldn’t stop the cross. If thats Manquillo. IMO he is doing at least MORE there to try and stop that ball getting into the box. Shortly after that it was nearly 2-0. If not for a good save from Mignolet to stop Cabella. Once again Johnson making a silly decision (all be it 2v1 on the counter) and then seemingly more concerned about getting his arm up for offside than trying to get back to stop the attack.
I know its fashionable nowadays in modern football to say “the team loses collectively its no individuals fault” but Liverpool is very much a team of individuals at this moment in time and 1 or 2 of them are letting their team mates down, the manager down, the club down and most importantly themselves down. Most of these are better than this.
We lack men at the back and the goalkeeper does not fill the defence with confidence either. Isn’t that something we was saying last season?
These things are nothing new. Thats the problem. More moneys been spent, times past and still it seems no better than last season.
Also, each player wants too many touches on the ball. We’re not moving the ball around quickly enough. It needs to be 1 and 2 touch, 3-4 max. Instead, it seems every player in the team except the two young Spanish fullbacks wants to sit on the ball and have several touches, to either lose it, knock it long to nobody, pass it backwards or sideways.
Sterling is completely wasted outwide aswell.
Rogers is looking increasingly desperate in trying to fix this machine. I think your right he’s adopted to go cagey, perhaps as a way of building confidence bit like what Houllier did, the ‘I dont care about the result just don’t concede’. Trouble is we don’t have the personal for that and he doesn’t play that way.
I’m no tactical expert, I don’t know the answer or reason but by christ I am now beginning to worry because away from home a clean sheet looks like a wistful dream and a goal even more so and we’ve got a lot of away games to go. Let’s face it Newcastle aren’t very good and that was perhaps the easiest of what’s to come!
Perhaps Sturridge will make the difference but it’s a hell of a lot today dump on his shoulders.
I’ve shipped out all my LFC fantasy players. Even Sterlo. Trouble at mill.
Haha, I was angry after the game and was watching the Arsenal match. Took Sterling and Sigurdsson out to get Sanchez in. Had to put Wanyama in though to make it happen. Seriously worried I’ve made a huge mistake. Lot of money riding on our league. P.s not blaming Sterling at all.
I had Sanchez in at one stage this week but didn’t want to take a hit. What to do about Welbeck is keeping me awake at nights, good fixtures but if you can’t do it against Burnley at home, ffs!
I did exactly the same. All three LFC players are gone :(
We don’t want the hassle of a new manager because FSG will probably only go for some rookie again. What we need is for Rodgers to up his game. He’s been a flop in the transfer market. I think we saw last season if he actually got the right players he could win matches. The big problem is he doesn’t seem capable of picking the right players in the market.
Did Tottenham actually happen? I can understand that Dortmund was merely preseason and, thus, doesn’t actually exist in the proper time/space continuum of reality, but I am truly starting to doubt my memories of the Spurs game. As if it all took place in some Philip K. Dick dystopia where my childhood – or at least last season at Anfield – was entirely fabricated.
I look back at the match report – yes, we won 3-0 on the day – but how can I tell that this was not also fabricated with my memories?
Today was tough to take. We were absolutely awful. No zip, no bite, no skill. The first half was among the most toothless halves for a long time. It didn’t help that Newcastle had 12 men behind the ball at all times (includes the ref). Still. This ain’t working. BR strikes me as brave and pragmatic but doesn’t seem to be willing to bite the bullet and make the changes that are needed.
I always think we’re going to win – optimistic to a fault. I’m petrified about what this next week will bring. Madrid’s Galacticos on their own turf and then Chelski. Could lose by a hatful to both, at this rate.
Im not going to do the usual post match thing and go through all the players and the decisions the manager has made. I don’t feel like repeating myself. Again. That’s the fucking problem.
Btw, we are all very much aware that Brendan Rodgers is not only on The Transfer Committee but negotiated a “final say” on all signings when he signed his new contract, yes?
Two things I’ve heard since then:
(a) the “final say” has not been adhered to, meaning signings the manager didn’t want, who he has subsequently treated like shit and not given them a fair crack at the whip. FSG is fucking fuming with this.
(b) the “final say” has been adhered to and FSG, Henry in particular, is fucking fuming for wasting another £100m, just like under Kenny. Thus, FSG/Henry are now intent on implementing the Director of Football post they wanted to introduce when they sacked Kenny, to stop this from happening again. Problem being every manager they targeted (we all remember Rodgers was about 4th choice?) including Brendan, refused to work under a DoF. This has got Rodgers’ back up just months after being so trusted.
I don’t know what to believe, but I know things are very cold behind the scenes.
Im sure the lads of TAW know this as well or have heard this but haven’t said so on here or on the radio/podcast. Possibly out of respect for the club, possibly due to journalistic integrity, possibly due to hoping/thinking it’s not true and things would right themselves quickly.
But we’re in a bad way again. Not Kicks/Gillette/Hodgson bad, but pretty fucking bad. So bad it would take two hours to write all about it. I’ll leave that for the coming days and coming defeats to Madrid and Chelsea I think.
PS: If you fucked me off or accused me of being a Utd fan in the first month of the season when I said we were in serious trouble qualifying for the Champions League, now would be the time to apologise. Cheers.
I think you are giving yourself way to much credit. I mean who the fuck are you ?
Who am I? Someone who has been very right & was given plenty of stick for being right by moronic cunts who had their head in the sand.
Thus Im giving stick back after being proven right as these idiots know who they are. Hardly giving myself too much credit.
The very idea that you must be a utd fan or non lfc supporter to say something negative is repulsive and annoyed me. I expressed that annoyance in the form of a small paragraph. That ok with you?
After 10 games you have been proven nothing except to be an overly aggressive troll with typical i know what is happening between the owners and the manager bullshit.
I can see it now…
‘ So Ian we are in agreement then?’
‘ We are John i will get on it’
‘Good. Oh wait make sure you let that bullshiting whiner know exactly what is going on…’
‘ he will be my first call, don’t worry…’
Your idiocy is so problematic. You and those of your ilk are the reason LFC fans are the butt of jokes up and down the country every year. The “this is our season, we’ll win the league this year” mug. The moron who thinks if someone is critical of LFC, then they must not be a Liverpool supporter, but instead a fan of another club on a wind up. That’s what I was accused of on here by people like you and that bullshit is still being peddled even after the joke 3 months we’ve endured since.
That lack of logic, intellect and critical thinking is terrifying to me.
Im an aggressive troll for saying that we are crap? And for seeing it coming months down the line? That is what you’ve just stated. Despite the fact we have 14 points from 10 games (goal difference ZERO) in the league, are unlikely to finish ahead of Basle and Ludogorets in the Champions League and can’t beat Championship teams at home in the League Cup? Evidence clearly means little to you. Your call.
Another reason your stupidity stands out is that you clearly lack reading comprehension. Go and read my post again. I never said I knew what was happening between the owners and the manager, so the little roll play you described marks you out. I’ll break it down slowly for you so you understand this time.
I said I *heard* two different version of goings on behind the scenes but *didn’t know what to believe* (explicitly stated), although it is clear relations are strained. It hasn’t been denied has it? None of the lads behind TAW have disagreed and I’d guess heard the exact same things as one or two also seem to know people at the club.
Read people who are in the know. Read people who have a history of getting things right. Read people who clearly get information from within the club. They are all saying this. I was just passing on the reasons WHY this may now be the case. Go and read Andy Heaton’s article on this very website. But unlike my post above, try harder to understand.
Thanks.
I’d say you’ve gone quite a bit further than expressing a belief that we might “struggle qualifying for the Champions League”. That’s a bit like Peter Suttcliffe suggesting he may have been “a bit naughty”.
Right now, there are 4 points separating Arsenal from the Mancs, with Spurs, the Blue Shite and us in between. And whilst we’re not the only side why injury concerns, I think it’s fair to say that our main contenders are all currently able to call upon their respective main man. I don’t think we’ll get worse when Sturridge comes back.
I know Paddy Power sometimes pay out early, but if it’s alright with you I’ll wait until we’re more than 26% of the way through the season before I prostrate myself at your feet.
Want to talk odds?
We are 94/1 to win the league after just 26% of the season. We were as low at 7/2. Southampton, who sold us supposedly their 3 best players for £49m, are 84/1. You’ve read that right. Southampton are rated more likely winners of the league than us.
We are 11/5 to finish top 4. Not slightly odds against. Over 2/1. And that’s despite the fact Arsenal won 2, drew 5 and lost 1 from their opening 8 fixtures. They are 2/5 for top 4. Meanwhile Utd have been shambolic at the back and trying to adjust to another new manager but this time next week will be above us. They are 8/11. Both are clearly getting better while we are getting worse, or at the very least, not getting better. Utd drew with the best team in the league then with 10 men away from home only lost 1-0. We were lucky to escape with a 3-1 defeat at City by comparison.
We are 6 points and 16 goals worse off from the same fixtures last season. Out of our next 17 fixtures we had 14 wins 2 draws and 1 defeat so that’s only going to get worse. And the defeat and 1 of the 2 draws came in our next two fixtures; home to Chelsea and away to Palace.
I’ve started to wonder what these eternal (injudicious) optimists would be saying if Arsenal and Utd were doing fine. Id they were sitting 7 or 8 points ahead of us? In early November. What would be the positive spin then? Sadly I might get to hear it in 2 weeks.
Given there is no reply button on your post, Chris, I’ll drop this note here.
On your inside information, given the two stories you’ve heard directly contradict each other on the simplest of facts (see your two versions of “final say” above), I don’t know why you or anyone else should pay the slightest notice. You say yourself that you don’t know which story to believe, which implies that you don’t differentiate so far as credibility of your two sources is concerned. I don’t know where that leaves us except to say that you may as well ask my mum what’s happening behind LFC’s closed doors, because neither you nor your sources can shed two-thirds of fuck all light on what’s been going on.
On your commentary in general, you’re hardly a lone voice when it comes to questioning our top four credentials. There are plenty on here who do that and don’t attract the same opprobrium you receive. I think that’s more to do with both your delivery manner – characterised by a hectoring certitude – and your dismissive attitude in the face of alternative opinion. Point being, even if we finish seventh and your analysis is shown to be right, that doesn’t vindicate an argument in October (in fact September when you first hit your stride with this stuff) that failure after a handful of games is inevitable and that anyone believing differently must be a delusional fanboy. At this stage of the season, anyone claiming anything with certainty is being a bit of a tit.
Your bookie odds will change a thousand times before the end of the season and they’ll have already changed a 100 times since the start. The fact remains that as shite as we’ve been so far, most of our rivals for top four (by which I mean positions 3 and 4) have been equally shite. You can ask what we’d be saying if Arsenal and United were 7 or 8 points ahead if you like, but the reality is they are not. That matters if your main argument is about LFC’s top four chances because that issue is not settled by reaching some subjective gold standard of play that satisfies you, me or anyone else; it’s about doing better than the other bunch. That is a fight we are still very much in.
Oh, and with respect you’ve been saying Utd will get better for the last 3 or 4 weeks, and they’re still behind us. They’re defence makes ours look half decent on occasion and they just lost both starting centre backs after the City match. RVP is currently making Gerrard look like a spring chicken in comparison, Falcao seems to be as injury prone as Sturridge and they are one injury to di Maria away from looking decidedly mid-table. As it happens, I think they will still go close to top 4, but I certainly don’t see any evidence that their resurgence is inevitable or that we should feel remotely inferior.
In short, every fan is entitled to think what they like, but coming onto a LFC blog inviting apologies from your dissenters a few hours after we’ve lost a match on Nov 1st that leaves us a whole four points outside the top four is just a little bit arrogant.
That’s three points outside the top four, obviously.
See? It’s getting better already.
What people seem to forget when quoting this 117 million figure, which really doesn’t get you a whole lot these days when you consider a half decent premiership player costs 10-20 million, is that most of the money spent last window was spent for the future.
– Two young promising Spanish fullbacks, who have made some errors at times (in the case of Moreno) but have shown enough quality to suggest they could be starters for the club for the next 8-10 years.
– A raw but talented, physically imposing midfielder who again has shown glimpses but won’t hit his peak for another 4-5 years.
– Another young and upcoming striker who kept Lukaku out of the Belgium team who isn’t even playing with us yet.
– Yet another young player, who when the boys spoke to a respected European scout who had watched him from youth level reckoned he was only behind Messi and Ronaldo in his potential.
That’s five young players and 70 million primarily banked for the 4-5 years time with the potential to appreciate considerably. All good signings in isolation in my opinion.
In terms of signings for the first team this season, even if they all had worked out reasonably well (which in Balotelli and Lovren’s case definitely can’t be said at this stage) our first team would have gone backwards with Suarez leaving. What we really needed, which has turned into a desperate need with Sturridge getting in injured for so long, was a top line striker. But that is what everyone needs so they are not easy to get. If you are going to have a go at Rodgers and the committee please tell me who we should have got in instead and for what price.
Add all this to the number of young players already in the squad, who in addition to the manager need to get to grips with the CL, and this was the reason I was saying at the start of the season that 4th would be a really good result for us and that we should forget 84 points. As I said then, this season was about taking a step backwards in attempt to take two forwards. Nothing wrong with saying that. The only reason you get called a manc is that you are being a complete dick about it and trying to stir up panic. Whether you are or not is kind of academic because you are acting as if you are.
Saying – realising – that the manager is a narcissistic fraud is not being disloyal to the club. Since he came here he has bought Joe Allen, and keeps buying him. He ships out players he hasn’t signed and chases Joe Allens.
Yesterday Allen farted around like a dog tied to a stake, that is, played his normal game. And Rodgers yanks Coutino for Lambert. He thinks good footballers are blokes who can play keepie-uppie for 5 minutes. He got runner-up
Last season by dint of Suarez/Sturridge accidentally having a great season, while ignoring that our keeper scared the shit out of our defence, shipping goals weekly. So we buy attacking midfielders, and full backs, while failing to see that attacking fullbacks don’t help goals against columns, and that one Joe Allen is more than enough for ANY team to bear.
Go for it Brendanistas – savage me! I’ve seen some shit football in my 50 years of LFC-watching, and my word, every week this season has been up there with the best of the worst.
Kevin, I think I have said this to you before (but not as many times as you have laid into him), but if you can’t see what Allen has brought to the team since Rodgers signed him I think you should give up watching (or at least commentating on) football as you obviously don’t get it despite your 50 years experience. Sure there are probably better players at what he does in your Barcelonas/Real Madrids/Bayerns/Citys/Chelseas but when you are fighting to get in the top 4 of the premier league then he is a very good option to glue the midfield together.
There will be empty seats at Anfield soon. I just watch the games via free streams on dodgy Russian websites. I still feel like I have been robbed by the final whistle.
It reminds me of Cream when they replaced Oakenfold with Yousef and kicked out all of the dealers.
“It reminds me of Cream when they replaced Oakenfold with Yousef and kicked out all of the dealers.”
BRILLIANT ANALOGY!
Ha! Reveal your identity !
The Emperor has no clothes.
Rodgers is being exposed as just another manager playing generic football.
BR has got to get the midfield right. He can’t fix the problem he and the club have created with the failure to get the kind of attacking quality that is so obviously lacking–for that we will have to wait. But the train wreck that is our midfield can be improved. But not by accommodating Stevie in roles that he can no longer fill for the 90 minutes BR feels he must play. The midfield today was pedestrian, at best, in every facet of the game except in keeping the ball where it threatens no one.
Couple of things:
Transfer Committee – this ‘construct’ that is apparently in place like a shadowy Star Council within Anfield is deflecting so much from Rodgers its unbelievable. Basically he gets no questions asked about his transfer dealings as its constantly the fault of “THE COMMITTEE” – isnt this the bloke that said ‘Get a Director of Football over my dead body” and is yet meekly accepting “THE COMMITTEE” bearing half broken gifts like a Balotelli and developmental toys like Markovic as if one word of ungratefulness will make him end up spending the afternoon locked under the stairs to learn some manners!. I don’t think so but it’s another layer of ‘Not Rodgers Fault’.
Tactics – these are the same tactics that Rodgers employed season 1 horribly but it was Season 1 and we accepted it. It’s season 3, they still don’t work Brendan and yet……….and yet here we are, But hey last season we were rubbish too with these tactics but then over Christmas a bright star in the sky guided Brendan to the promised land of tactics and lo, a new Liverpool Way was born on high. It then knocked off after a bit and hasnt been seen since.
Personnel – Is anyone going to ask the questions about players not getting a look in, about players who were thrown away to become back up keepers in Germany or going home to their hometown clubs in their homegrown leagues when they are still decent enough to do a job. About players who have maintained a dignified air about them since they came to our club after getting pelters for years, making those people shut it and then after one injury, get pelters again. Are we going to talk of the ageing maestro who was supposed to be ‘managed’ but ended up being undroppable regardless of form or tic-tac. Do we even talk anymore of the Academy people who were let go with barely a thank you?. Best not, if you ignore it, it may go away.
Players – Was not Lambert bought because ‘he scores in the Prem’ – he won’t if he doesnt play eh!. But of course we are back to “It’ll all be ok once Sturridge is back’. 120 million spent in one summer and apparently it all relies on 1 player again. If that is the case, there is something terribly terribly wrong with this club. Yet its the accepted formula trotted out to placate – Once Sturridge is back, Once Sturridge is back – go on, say it enough times it becomes true – like a real life Candyman!.
Questions Questions Questions. About time they are asked.
Questions, Andrew. All valid questions. We won’t get the answers, I am afraid. My personal observation, however, is that Rodgers is a very vain type, and he can’t stand any reminder of Rafael Benitez or his achievements. He is desperate to get rid of all memories of him, wipe his name off the club history. Be it the Rafa’s signed players, or Academy directors… Reina’s remark of Rafa-the best manager he has worked with was enough to be a point of no return. Agger almost underwent a character assassination, with some dodgy stories leaked to the media about some burst-outs, (thanks to this site, in particular Jim Boardman, he quickly raised the question about his treatment, it was prevented, and the departure of Agger wa smore or less dignified). I think Agger was one of those who never bought into Rodgers’s manipulative methods and given his outspoken manner, could have said something that didn’t bode well with Rodgers.
Directors had to go because they were Rafa’s people, and always mentioned in the press in connection with him. Etc. He is full of insecurities covered by big words that mostly sound cringeworthy and fake, in my opinion.
We can forget about any defence coach, or anyone who may potentially expose Rodgers, or threaten his authority. He will rather get a sack and a pay-off and then move to be an England manager than agrees for a DoF, a new coaching staff, etc. And then the media will blame the American owners, and there will be inevitable divide among the fans part of whom will not shed a tear about him, the other part will be accusing those of fickleness and quickly forgetting the season of 2013/14. Which, it has to be said, Rodgers has quickly betrayed himself, binning the style that we played to a great effect last season, and that suits the majority of our players, even the new ones, given their pace and the style at the clubs where they were successful prior to joining Liverpool.
Good Jesus where do we get them!
Calm down Josek mate. I am not a Rodgers-Out or anything like that… I actually think that no one is flawless, and it’s only normal, but some character flaws may interfere with the business of the whole club, and they need to be kept in check. That’s all. I sincerely hope that Rodgers is able to look at himself, admit the errors he made this season and correct them sooner rather than later. However, if his ego doesn’t allow him to do so, then it will mean even bigger trouble for the club, and consequently for himself.
Rodgers approach to non-performing recruits is to suggest that the player was not his choice. Now some obviously accept that a man with an ego as big as St George’s Hall would now down to the democratic decision of a panel over which he apparently has the final say. I, however, do not. It’s his team. He has shipped out or loaned out players who were certainly no great stars but look to be when you see who he buys to replace them. Reina, Shelvey, Wisdom, Kelly, Coates…all better than came in. And he sold Reina when it was clear that Mignolet was inferior.
Last season was a false dawn, it was a blip. An exciting one where the squad, without any euro or cup distractions, went on an amazing run. We are now back to where we belong, but on a poor run.
Each time we come second, the following season we fall out of the top 4 and stay their for a few years. This will be no different. Managers get big fat contracts after coming second, but are out the door the following season with a massive fuck-off payment. You cannot build a top side buying players from average teams, especially those with no more than a few months of form to show for it.
Gerrard will outlast Rodgers at the club. Rodgers is a salesman that got lucky last season. He only says what people want to hear, even if it means he contradicts himself. I can see FSG looking for his replacement this season, and they certainly won’t buy reinforcements when the window opens again. Rodgers has spent almost £200 million since coming in. I doubt he’ll be at the club this time next season.
Supporters eh? It seems to only apply during the good times. Like clockwork the Rafaists are out, the ones who choose to forget the sterility of his football. Maybe if they get their wish and Rodgers is replaced they can hark back to the good old days of Brendan’s tricky reds when the incumbent manager is going through a rough time.
Well said Darren, they’re as depressing as the football we’re playing. The malicious character assassination in particular. I feel the majority of the blame for this season is squarely on Rodgers shoulders and hopefully this latest result will inspire a tactical change and we’ll see improvement. The squad seems drained of confidence though which is harder to fix. Let him try at least, it is his job after all. Until it’s not
Funny that, I was just going to say that watching Liverpool this season is like watching during Benitez’s reign at its worst. And listening to some of the comments here you would think it is rafa that they were referring to, taking about stubbornness & big egos and briefing local journalists, all a hallmark of his time here.
You mean the good old days, when Liverpool was afraid of nobody and thought they could beat all comers, even when it was unlikely? You prefer a goalless draw at home against no- hopers and consider it a point gained? We are heading into a second leg against RM and hope to get away with less than 6-0 aggregate? You happy with that?
You have a very one sided bias view of that era there kevin. There were a lot of dreadfully poor results back then too, it’s just that there was much less internet at the time.
I agree that Rogers isn’t getting things right at the minute. The key thing though ‘is at the minute.’ So many people stating that we should have signed 2-3 world class players. However, as the guys on the podcast said that was never going to happen. 1. Sanchez clearly didn’t want to come and other players wont until we are established in the Champions League again. 2. The FSG model is generally not built not built on big marquee signings (although Balotelli looks like a shirt selling deal – remember the figures quoted back in August)
For all the talk of how we were last season, there were performances were we scrapped by, even post Christmas, such as Sunderland at home, West Brom away and West Ham away. Other teams have also decided that the best thing to do is sit very deep against us to prevent Sterling bursting beyond and Coutinho etc. threading through balls.
Yesterday was pretty dull but I seemed to me like Rogers wanted us to keep the ball deep in the hope of drawing Newcastle out. In the end though they refused to be sucked in. Trying to move the ball quickly in the final third is becoming more difficult as other teams defences flood the middle part of that final third. It seems like Rogers expected this which is why players like Lallana were brought in to keep the ball in tight spaces and work an opening (like the goal against West Brom). Too many players are hiding at the minute though and not taking that risk in the final third. Last season we were happy to play a pass to someone even with a man on, this season it seems like nobody wants it unless their in space.
Mario Balotelli will cost Brendan Rodgers his career, simple as. Brendan should move on himself to a club with fans who appreciate him. Stevie should move too, hopefully City or Chelsea will give him an offer.
I see “fans” on another site calling for Tony Pulis, well maybe that’s what they deserve.
Er Glasses. I don’t want to encourage you or any thing. But there’s loads of tippy typy word apps you can get which I use ;) and your ‘piece’ can be sent by text or tinternet.
It’s clearly a good thing I’m not liverpool manager, but if I was, I’d try this (needs must):
Mignolet
Johnson Skrtel Lovren Moreno
Agger
Coutinho
Sterling Gerrard Lallana
Balotelli
Agger’s not there any more. He plays for Brøndby,
Not sure QPR’s an example either of what we were doing well and with intent last year, or what we should be doing more of this. The only difference between that game and Newcastle was we somehow contrived to scored first and the game opened up. In fact the games were fairly similar, other than Newcastle were much happier/better sitting in against us than QPR had been (creating less as a result).
“A woman is like a tea bag – you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt Brendan is currently in hot water. In Brendan we trust.
One quick word for the ‘whining-isn’t-helping’ supporters who seem to think they’re somehow morally superior than those expressing concern over the way the team is playing at the moment – ‘apologists’.
Expressing concern is perfectly valid, tearing into a man’s character is out of order. I’ll make no apologies for that
My gran could have managed a budget of £100m+ better than the clowns at this club, and she signed her life savings over to a dodgy care worker. There’s only one reason we are so poor… Personel.
Who would she have bought then? I didn’t hear anyone complaining in the summer only now when the storm clouds are gathering.
As ‘sterile’ as Rafa was, he brought us No 5 against all odds. And he will forever be remembered for that in the history of the club.
People win the Lotto !
So Rafa won the Champions League due to luck then? Similar amount of luck one may have in winning the lotto? Not at all down to immense tactical prowess mixed with some luck?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto finishing 2nd in the league too?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto winning the FA Cup?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto when he became the only manager in the history of Liverpool Football Club to win major trophies in both of his first two seasons at the club?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto getting to a 2nd Champions League final?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto getting to 3rd Champions League semi final?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto winning in the San Siro, Nou Camp and Bernabeu?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto winning la liga twice, in non successive years, after Madrid and Barca both spent about 80 times as much as he did?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto when he won the UEFA Cup?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto when he won the Europa League?
Suppose Rafa won the lotto when he won the Coppa Italia?
You know what I love about Benitez more than anything? No matter what game we had, who we were playing, when or where, you never felt we were sure to lose. He also realised very quickly when he fucked up in the transfer market and got rid very quickly. Not afraid to admit he made a mistake. Little ego. And he never, I repeat NEVER, hung out a player to dry and passed the buck of responsibility.
Now compare all of the above to the accomplishments of one Brendan Rodgers, who has had the services of a genius like Suarez and more money to spend and has hardly hid his delight at Balotelli taking so much stick so that he hasn’t had to.
Our manager had a lot of credit with us after last season. But it’s looking very likely last season was a freak set of circumstances resulting in a fluke season. His credit is just about done with me for one. He has to go back to proving his worth. He has to stop living off last season. He has to pull his fucking finger out and get us going again.
Where does Rafa come into our current problems?
There was plenty to like about Rafa Benitez for sure. However his lasting legacy to the club is this fanatical cult which he has left behind who have & continue drag the club support down. You need to get over it because he will never be back and ironically it’s these fanatics that have insured that the owners won’t ever take a risk on him.
Yep, Rodgers certainly won lotto when he got the Anfield job.
I mean, its not like he came with a proven track record of titles under his belt…
You’ll know when Rodgers is in the shit when he starts doing fan site press conferences again and #TAW buy his bottle of special lotion.
#adgendabitingyourarse
My first ever post on any LFC website; been following them since 1983.
From watching yesterday’s game and all the games this year, the players are frequently playing with less technical ability than last year. The weight of the passes and the passing to the correct foot or height is frequently wrong. This frequently results in having to reset the play like passing it back to the defense or midfield sideways and back. The players are also not playing on the same wavelength and are not trusting each other to make the runs like last year.
The pressing game of last year is also non existent and the halves are not providing thr extra man up the field because everybody is worried about being overrun at he back because the opposition is bypassing our midfield during their attack.
I read from the manager’s interviews that the team has to play multiple games and thus cannot settle the team in a rhythm. Since most of the earlier League and FA cup games are played against lower level opposition, why can’t the team play the regulars for the league and have a second string for the cup games. Even the second strung will have players worth over 10 million pounds and they can get the game time needed and familiarity in the manager’s system. We won at Swansea with nine changes from the team selection that played in the league the previous weekend. This will also allow players to be in the shopping window if they do desire to leave or if the club wants to offload them.
The only positive to date is the table, we are still in the mix and hope the squad depth is to our advantage towards the latter part of the year.
There were two miracles that I was hoping for last year and I got none.
As an aside, I always think that those that bring out the ‘Oh look the Rafalytes’ are out or “You can’t have a go at the manager, he has enough in the bank with us’ were the ones in the final Rafa season who demanded him gone, who sided with Purslow, Broughton & Ayre in his sacking and who wouldnt hear a bad word said about The Hodge’s appointment, barely a year after reaching second place. (when asking for the managers head was deemed ok btw!)
I think what a lot of people are rightfully worried about is that Brendan makes a lot of noise about himself and his philosophy and the classic “I’d die for this club” and yet he seems tactically mired, tethered to certain players regardless of form and unwilling to bear any criticism of himself, forever finding scapegoats.
DO we want BR to succeed?. YES. DO we want Liverpool to succeed?. YES. Are we willing to accept unquestioningly everything?. NO and nor should we ever. Managers are not infallible beings who’s every decision is right. Does it mean we hate the manager or the club?. NO.
So, Newcastle was awful. Finding it hard to move past this one, struggling to find a positive. So many things look broken across the park.
Defensively, we’re not stopping crosses, compounded by then being very ponderous with loose balls in and around the box and then we invite pressure back by frequently giving the ball away when trying to play out of defence.
A visit to any one of the numerous stats websites confirms that. It’s a heady recipe for disaster.
Up front, we lack movement with Sturridge missing and the midfield seems unwilling/unable to get beyond the striker to get opposition defenders turning towards their own goal.
But, the biggest issue I think we have is the mobility in midfield. Technically we’re very good (with a few horrible exceptions on Saturday, where Henderson looked at his feet like they were trying to betray him, every time another pass was mis-cued). All our midfield like the ball to feet, can play the little triangles and we know from last season, they can play the incisive fast breaking style…
But real mobility is covering the hard yards. Being everywhere, not in a Joe Allen, small kid against the big lads kind of way, but in an efficient, Rolls Royce, effortless kind of way. Remember, like Stevie used to do it? Newcastle had Abeid and Cissohko doing that job on Saturday, never appearing to break sweat, but there were times when our midfield looked overwhelmed by their physicality, their ability to eat up 10-20 yards in a couple of strides, their ability to break play and regain possession. It’s not a holding role, although it’s a another line of protection if you happen to be afflicted by a creaky defence, it’s a modern midfielder role.
We may have bossed the possession stats, but we were held at arms length by Pardew’s tactics (not a sentence I ever thought I’d utter), all the time he was waiting for an opportunity to hit us at pace on the counter. Look around the prem and most other squads have this type of physical player (they usually do really well against us) but we seem obsessed with the tricky, rather than the bruiser. I think every manager looks at us and thinks they can get a foothold, usually starting with the midfield.
For every little magician, such as Coutinho and Sterling, we need the workhorses, the prowling physical presence who put out fires, take control and be a catalyst to inject pace to an attack. I’m not suggesting the players Newcastle had are shining examples of this, but when we had £75m burning our pockets in the summer, surely that would have been the time to try and prise one of the top of the range models from a competitor?
These kind of players earn you the right to play, take control first, then let the magicians pick em apart. Rodgers’ Liverpool of last season was breath-taking, but even he must have known that when the new season came around that every manager would have spent pre-season devoting a little bit of time to finding a way to nullify the threat, particular post- you know who.
We have to re-adjust, find another way to be Brendan’s tricky Reds. Relying on a 34 year old to be the heartbeat of the team for 90minutes of every league game and every vital cup game is unrealistic. We need to be using Stevie’s know how and game management, but letting younger players absorb those learnings, rather than continuing to ignore the obvious fact that time is catching up on our most influential player. But we knew all of this, so I go back to my previous point.
I’m not sure Henderson is the one for the job, although I would love to be wrong on that one. Emre Can looks like he could fill that role, but he’s not at that level yet, so we needed to bring in a more experienced player in a similar role to lessen the burden on Gerrard. It would create an effective transition for Can in a couple of years once he’s got to grips with a new club/language/country.
Until we sort that and I guess we look to Rodgers and/or the committee here, based on which of the above posts you believe, then we will struggle. Brendan talked of sterile domination, but all we have currently is sterile. We’re not dominating even at home, because passing the ball between your defenders isn’t domination, no matter what it does to your possession stats.
Alex Song was the man, I’m still perplexed by our failure to bring him in.
LFC should at least have been in the conversation for him but I don’t understand Wenger not bringing him and Cesc back into the fold, even if he had to push the boat out a little bit for wages. He does my head in.
Why is it that when some passionate supporters want to apply critical anlaysis on Brendan Rodgers and his tenure so far, we are all called rafaists !
With the greatest respect it is cringeworthy when supposedly “expert fans” such as Guttman on the Wrap try to discredit Rafa and try elevate Rodgers, when the truth is Rodgers has not proved anything to be even comparable to be mentioned in the same breath.
Rafa was not backed up by close to £250 million in his first 5 transfer windows or a season of having to play just 42 games, a game per week, , or changes to management at Chelsea, Man City and Man United at the same time, we never played anything less than 57-60 games under Rafa per season.
One of the sticks to beat Rafa with is this “imaginative notion” that we played sterile football…well having supported the club close to 26 years, I would love to go back to that kind of football as it was the most successfull and enjoyable period of my life supporting the club, but I also watched Rafa’s Napoli against Roma on Saturday and I saw a performance which was close to what I saw between 2004-2010, high pressing, speed, control of the match, robust defending , smart interplay, and phases of attacking and defending as a team. ( Remind you of anything at all ). It could have been 5 or 6 nil to Napoli, but as his luck will have it, he does not have the luxury of 4 centerforwards, but 1 in Higuain, and had to make a profit close to £15 million in the summer.
Whatever some LFC fans think, or what the Media would like us to believe, the truth is since summer 2010, there has been 4 complete seasons of football, he ahs technically missed 2 seasons in between 6 months at Inter, and chelsea, plus 1 Season at Napoli, and he staill has managed to win, the Uefa Cup, the Coppa Italia, the World Club Club, and the Super Coppa Italiano., so 4 trophies in technically 2 full seasons, he is a winner, we need a winner.
I have a feeling about Napoli this season, he could be lifting 1 or 2 trophies with a team that generates around £80 million per year. similar size revene to Premier League clubs in the bottom tier, like swansea, Hull City.
Whaever happens to Rodgers, and he is lucky that his media buddies are still deflecting attention away from him in terms of results and his bad signings from the very begining, I hope when FSG consider the next Liverpool Coach, a certain Spaniard is given a call, as Fenway have a debt to repay to Rafa, as without his exposure on Hicks and gillett, the SOS group would not have been created, the Forums would not have been mobilised and as a result the consistent pressure from us the fans would not have got rid of them, and the ownership on Fenway may not have happened.
Gutmann is one of the biggest apologists out there. He’s obviously a massive Liverpool fan but his dislike for Rafa is beyond, I’m surprised he hasnt come out with the ‘Houllier’s team won the Istanbul game not Rafa’s” gambit, such is his love for the Ged.
He’s great if you want to know who scored in the game away to Colchester in the Littlewoods Cup circa 1985 otherwise….
Personally, I don’t think that’s a fair comment. More so than any other contributor he gives an in depth, fair analysis of a situation as it is. Never struck me as one for having an agenda. It may simply be the case that it’s you that has the agenda and won’t hear anything against it. Just saying.
Well we’ll agree to disagree on his contribution I think.
Some good points. For LFC and Arsenal, the time to charge at the title was last season. ManU in crisis, Chelsea struggling and City okay but not fearsome under their new boss and ffp starting to bite. I feel that Rafa at Arsenal last season, with a summer to work the signings, would have mounted a serious charge. I’d love to see him at the Emirates, tbh. A serious, “weighty” manager and a born winner, someone the other teams think: we’ll have to work hard here.
Why is it that people like yourself have to keep harping on about Benitez. He is history now just like every other ex manager. And he was backed every bit as much as this manager is, just that player prices have moved on, but he had his successes & his lemons just like all managers. He inherited a fabulous backbone in Hypia & Carragher & one of the top players in the world in Gerrard. But that’s all in the past now.
This manager has made loads of mistakes just like most do, but for 18 months he had the team playing & performing some of the best football in the league & getting results. They were a tight unit though with very little change or rotation & this is a big advantage as Newcastle & Spurs proved in previous seasons & Southampton are this season. The bigger squad needed for the CL & the rotation it brings can be a big disadvantage too.
There was a time as a LFC fan we could look down on other supporters because of the way they treated their managers. Whether is Wenger or Pardew they all had their spells of abuse then praise, even Rafa was treated appallingly by the chauvs. The YNWA on the Liverpool badge is meant to mean something, it’s suppose to raise us up above the level of other fans. Brendan Rodgers needs our support now as does the team, not just when we are winning game 5-0. If ultimately he is not successful & moves on then he will be in our history like the rest of them & someone else will have to face the shit. Undoubtedly that person will be reminded of 2013 when we beat UTD twice & hammered Arsenal & Everton. Until that happens maybe we could concentrate on the present & try and do our bit.
I’d say 6months rather than 18 months – January to June basically. We were dire before that in most games.
Weren’t we top of the league at Christmas, or was that just a dream? The last 6 months of his first season were pretty good as well even without Suarez for a half of it (top-4 level if I remember correctly).
Brownie is a legend.
So it looks like to explain what is happening to us this season is Brendan Rodgers did not prepare for the increase in the number of fixtures, the strengthening of the other teams, the weakening of our own team, and of course Balotelli.
Says a lot about his expertise as a manager. Probably bit more than he could chew eh.
I am still waiting patiently for the tiki taka that was promised. Also to be challenging for top spot, remembering his comments towards spurs vis a vis 100m spent.