Joe Allen

[Dicko]

It's not about adding goals and setting up chances to his game. It's about him stopping giving the ball away and stopping slowing our attacks down to a fucking crawl.

Because if Joe Allen's radar is off he has absolutely nothing else to offer at all.

And for £15m that is not good.

[Jairzinho]

Dont agree at all, makele scored 2 goals for chelsea and he was immense.

 

Iniesta has also scored 50 goals in nearly 500 games

 

He does have 3744 assists though.

[MLB]

There should be some kind of rule that you can't make a firm judgement on a player (particularly a young player) until you've given them at least a season.

[ThewaytoRome]

roberto martinez was absolutely creaming himself about how good a player allen will prove himself to be on goals on sunday

[VladimirIlyich]

21' date='22,23,what difference does it make? Allen looks a very good player but has probably simply played too much,too soon.

 

Let's wait until he's played a couple of seasons before writing him off. I believe he's already a lot better than Lucas was for his age and I believe he is a better player than him even now,when in form.[/quote']

 

Well we've seen Allen both in form and out of it too and as he's only been here a few months its pretty difficult to compare him to players with a longer career at the club.

To repeat my comment,when he was in good form,August to October,he was as good as anybody for his age in midfield we've had in recent years. Not a very high standard I admit but it gives us cause for optimism.

[Dicko]

Well we've seen Allen both in form and out of it too and as he's only been here a few months its pretty difficult to compare him to players with a longer career at the club.

To repeat my comment,when he was in good form,August to October,he was as good as anybody for his age in midfield we've had in recent years. Not a very high standard I admit but it gives us cause for optimism.

 

Define recent years.

Five, ten?

Because I remember a 23 year old Alonso who shits all over Allen in every department.

And also a 23 year old Lucas in 2010 who was our best player for a season and a half.

Has he been better than 22 year old Javier Mascherano?

Joe Allen has not come anywhere near the standards set by them.

 

Not even fucking close.

[stringvest]

Dicko mate, I hope you have a good Christmas. You follow a club where you can't stand the manager or a lot of the players. And even though you come on here and vent your spleen on a daily basis, it can't be good for your health or for those around you.

 

If I was in that situation, I think I'd jib it. At least until the club brought in a manager I would want to get behind.

[Jairzinho]

Dicko mate, I hope you have a good Christmas. You follow a club where you can't stand the manager or a lot of the players. And even though you come on here and vent your spleen on a daily basis, it can't be good for your health or for those around you.

 

If I was in that situation, I think I'd jib it. At least until the club brought in a manager I would want to get behind.

 

Have you liked all of our managers?

[stringvest]

Have you liked all of our managers?

 

I didn't like Souness much, but I thought he was a great player. I grew not to like Benitez, but I liked him in his first few years with us. I grew not to like Hodgson, but I didn't dislike him from the off either.

 

The one thing you know about managers is that they have a limited shelf life, especially these days. If one comes in that you really can't stand from the off, jib it and come back when he's fucked off. Your doctor and loved ones will thank you for it.

[Jairzinho]

I didn't like Souness much, but I thought he was a great player. I grew not to like Benitez, but I liked him in his first few years with us. I grew not to like Hodgson, but I didn't dislike him from the off either.

 

The one thing you know about managers is that they have a limited shelf life, especially these days. If one comes in that you really can't stand from the off, jib it and come back when he's fucked off. Your doctor and loved ones will thank you for it.

 

I personally feel there is something quite cathartic about deep hatred. You're right its probably not ultimately that healthy, but it can feel very satisfying.

 

I expressed a level of contempt that I usually reserve for only a handful of politicians and celebrities for a glass earlier today. I can't tell you how good it felt.

 

Think I hated Hodgson from the off, but I hated the club more. I hated the fact we'd got to the point where we were considering employing Hodgson. I think its similar to not being able to hate Manchester City. I hate the game for allowing them to do as they do.

 

Now I hate not caring enough to hate.

[Magic Sponge]

Crying cunts.

 

He's a young lad that's shown that he does have the making of top player, but as always is the case with some of our blinkered supporters, he's not as good as: (compare to a previous top draw midfielder at the same age) so therefore he's shit and a waste of money.

 

He was a stand out performer in the team early doors, for someone his age and not forgetting the stepping up to a new club's level, I think that he's doing well.

[Unrighteous]

Crying cunts.

 

He's a young lad that's shown that he does have the making of top player, but as always is the case with some of our blinkered supporters, he's not as good as: (compare to a previous top draw midfielder at the same age) so therefore he's shit and a waste of money.

 

He was a stand out performer in the team early doors, for someone his age and not forgetting the stepping up to a new club's level, I think that he's doing well.

 

Spot on, this.

[KopOut]

Define recent years.

Five, ten?

Because I remember a 23 year old Alonso who shits all over Allen in every department.

And also a 23 year old Lucas in 2010 who was our best player for a season and a half.

Has he been better than 22 year old Javier Mascherano?

Joe Allen has not come anywhere near the standards set by them.

 

Not even fucking close.

 

this

[clangers]

Crying cunts.

 

He's a young lad that's shown that he does have the making of top player, but as always is the case with some of our blinkered supporters, he's not as good as: (compare to a previous top draw midfielder at the same age) so therefore he's shit and a waste of money.

 

He was a stand out performer in the team early doors, for someone his age and not forgetting the stepping up to a new club's level, I think that he's doing well.

 

Agree with this completely.

 

We really should stop making absolute judgements on young developing players, I'm as guilty of this as anyone. He looks to me like he'll develop into a good quality Premiership midfielder. Comparing him to one of the best midfielders I've ever seen play (Alonso) isn't really relevant.

[VladimirIlyich]

 

Define recent years.

Five' date=' ten?

Because I remember a 23 year old Alonso who shits all over Allen in every department.

And also a 23 year old Lucas in 2010 who was our best player for a season and a half.

Has he been better than 22 year old Javier Mascherano?

Joe Allen has not come anywhere near the standards set by them.

 

Not even fucking close.[/quote']

 

Fuck me,you are a pedant!

 

I'll define recent as five years and Lucas was at nowhere near Allens performance level for the first month of this season when he first came in. I don't rate Lucas even now but that's beside the point.

 

It seems Allen has already become this seasons Henderson after less than half a season despite being peoples MOM for a lot of our first dozen or so games.

 

How the mighty have fallen!

[FrenchEyeGlass]

Fair to say i'm not entirely convinced of his attributes but he played well today. It is quite obvious that he plays a lot better in a game where he is not pressed/harried and has the time to influence play.

 

Aside from his near goal (a few times, actually) what really impressed me was his deft pass to Luis. Obviously Stevie's was absolutely amazing but for me so was this. Very much the kind of ball I could imagine Silva playing.

 

He should never play as one of the holding two again, mind.

[TheHowieLama]

I think it is fair to say that this is exactly the kind of game not to make any judgement of Joe Allen from.

[fowler9]

he looked really good tonight and certainly had a different dimension we haven't seen before and I also think he was top class early on in the season before a dip in last couple of months, very good player but needs a more defined role I think

[Delmar]

Maybe next year...

[FrenchEyeGlass]

I think it is fair to say that this is exactly the kind of game not to make any judgement of Joe Allen from.

 

I don't think any game is. We'll only get a true understanding of him as a player after the season finishes.

 

Coming on at 3-0 up against a terrible Sunderland side isn't going to be any sort of acid-test though, I agree.

[moof]

Thought he looked a little bit ace when he came on. He can offer a lot going forward with his deft passing and harrying opponents high up the pitch. That ball to Luis was stunning and he can consider himself unlucky not have bagged a goal.

[stringvest]

It's not about adding goals and setting up chances to his game. It's about him stopping giving the ball away and stopping slowing our attacks down to a fucking crawl.

Because if Joe Allen's radar is off he has absolutely nothing else to offer at all.

And for £15m that is not good.

 

Hope you saw him play tonight Dicko. He offered plenty.

[stringvest]

Fair to say i'm not entirely convinced of his attributes but he played well today. It is quite obvious that he plays a lot better in a game where he is not pressed/harried and has the time to influence play.

 

Aside from his near goal (a few times' date=' actually) what really impressed me was his deft pass to Luis. Obviously Stevie's was absolutely amazing but for me so was this. Very much the kind of ball I could imagine Silva playing.

 

He should never play as one of the holding two again, mind.[/quote']

 

We shouldn't have a holding two. We should just get a really good holding one, and let the players play. We took risks tonight, even though Sunderland are piss poor, because Gerrard had much more licence to roam. Granted, he showed huge energy, and was often our deepest midfielder, at other times he ran ahead of the play. That's huge demands asked of a 32 year old, but he had a great game. Lucas tends to play in a much more limited area of the pitch, and he is nowhere near as mobile. If we had a mobile, authoritative, dominating defensive midfielder it would reduce the burden on Gerrard and potentially extend his career in a Liverpool shirt.

Allen's obviously not that player, but then neither imo is Lucas. Henderson carrying an extra half stone and an extra pair of bollocks could be turned into that sort of player if he can be weaned off the hair products.

[Coro]

I dunno, you could hardly describe Didi as mobile. Same goes for Alonso.

[Funkasy]

He was our best player and our only midfielder for the first 10 matches and has stunk the place since, he will come good.