Newcastle (A) Premier League - 30/12/2020 - 20:00

[an tha]

17 minutes ago, Jack the Sipper said:

Sorry, I misread you there.

 

But what if we can't get the quality we and Klopp in particular wants right now? It doesn't matter that we've known for months that we need someone if no-one of that quality becomes available in January, even if we're willing to pay over the odds for him.

 

I'm just looking at a hypothetical situation whereby Klopp/Edwards etc are faced with, despite their best efforts to find a quality replacement in Jan, the choice between laying out some exorbitant fee for someone they don't particularly want, and who they don't think is good enough for us, and that hinders their prospects of getting a long-term target in the Summer, or sticking with what they've got.

 

I don't think you'll find anyone here arguing that, if real quality is available, we should trust the likes of a half-formed Matip, Williams and Philips to get us through and then go again with Gomez and Matip next season. Just that spunking, possibly big, money on someone who might not even prove to be a meaningful upgrade on what we've got smacks of desperation and short-termism.

Oh i see what you are saying - i just think there should be no short termism about it at all.

 

The long term solution should surely be identified by now given our situation even before VVD and Gomez were crocked and we just have to go and make it happen now as opposed to the summer......whatever it takes.

 

I personally don't believe that we don't know who it is or that we can't get it done now....and the situation that needed sorting anyway in summer just has to be sorted now instead - if that costs us a few million more then so be it.....winning the league and or the european cup pretty much rests on it.

 

I suppose we will see this month!

[Joey8FrogsLegs]

3 hours ago, VladimirIlyich said:

I think its quite ironic that although we are covering VVD's injury very well,we are missing his presence in the opponents penalty area from corners and set pieces too. What did we have,12-13 corners to their 5 or 6? Those situations should be taken advantage of.

True. His precense also gives space for other players, as the opposition need to focus on him. Our biggest, or only, threats from corners at the moment seem to be Sadio and Bobby. The rest are mainly in there to make up the numbers.

[TheHowieLama]

Did not see the game or scroll through the thread but just read we had 30 crosses and 5 found the mark.

WTF? Peeps are always banging on about giveaways or shots from outside the box being wasted opportunities.

That is 25 turnovers there. Was the same shit v WBA.

[dockers_strike]

30 minutes ago, Jack the Sipper said:

Sorry, I misread you there.

 

But what if we can't get the quality we and Klopp in particular wants right now? It doesn't matter that we've known for months that we need someone if no-one of that quality becomes available in January, even if we're willing to pay over the odds for him.

 

I'm just looking at a hypothetical situation whereby Klopp/Edwards etc are faced with, despite their best efforts to find a quality replacement in Jan, the choice between laying out some exorbitant fee for someone they don't particularly want, and who they don't think is good enough for us, and that hinders their prospects of getting a long-term target in the Summer, or sticking with what they've got.

 

I don't think you'll find anyone here arguing that, if real quality is available, we should trust the likes of a half-formed Matip, Williams and Philips to get us through and then go again with Gomez and Matip next season. Just that spunking, possibly big, money on someone who might not even prove to be a meaningful upgrade on what we've got smacks of desperation and short-termism.

Very good post. What we must not do is fall into the 'must buy anyone' trap like we used to. No doubt some will retort they arent saying that and the club should buy quality but, as you've mentioned, the club needs to find that someone of quality, the selling club is willing to sell but not be demanding a van Dijk type fee.

 

 

[Jack the Sipper]

27 minutes ago, an tha said:

Oh i see what you are saying - i just think there should be no short termism about it at all.

 

The long term solution should surely be identified by now given our situation even before VVD and Gomez were crocked and we just have to go and make it happen now as opposed to the summer......whatever it takes.

 

I personally don't believe that we don't know who it is or that we can't get it done now....and the situation that needed sorting anyway in summer just has to be sorted now instead - if that costs us a few million more then so be it.....winning the league and or the european cup pretty much rests on it.

 

I suppose we will see this month!

Like you, I would like to think we've been looking at long-term first team CBs for at least a year now, and I'm sure we have. But, I'm not confident that any of those targets are available now, even at a premium price. 

 

And, to answer someone else upthread, we shouldn't have let Lovren go without a replacement. Even generously accepting that having three CBs out at the same time might be unforeseeable, it's certainly not unlikely that both Gomez and Matip could be out at the same time given their records and that we'd be playing with a makeshift CB pairing. It seems to be a failure of foresight on our part not to have recognised that, or at least dealt with it. 

[Mathewbet1]

We need to sign a marquee cb , no less.

[TheHowieLama]

1 minute ago, Jack the Sipper said:

it's certainly not unlikely that both Gomez and Matip could be out at the same time given their records and that we'd be playing with a makeshift CB pairing.

Once they decided Fabinho was going to move back that is not true.

Fab and VvD is hardly makeshift - it may be first choice.

Virg going down so early and for the entire season changed everything.

[s(k)aturation]

11 hours ago, Fluter in Dakota said:

Salah almost scored in the penalty area, denied by a fingertip save at point blank range. That was an incredible save. 

 

The performance overall was not good. However when the keeper pulls off shit like that it's got to make players wonder. As the defending champions opponents are going to see our match as the prize draw.

 

We need our best players back but we also need to use our squad more. Minamino started against Palace and scored the first goal. Where has he been since then? Is Keita injured again?

 

No arguments from me on Klopp's sub policy.

The world's best manager's only weakness.

 

 

[VladimirIlyich]

4 minutes ago, skaro said:

 

No arguments from me on Klopp's sub policy.

The world's best manager's only weakness.

 

 

I agree,but I will say that when he has better options on the bench his subs tend to be much better also.

[s(k)aturation]

9 hours ago, Numero said:

We had a fuck load of chances to win it. We gave that performance 20 times last season but took our chances. As for injuries being an excuse, well, yeah it is but it’s also fairly valid. I’d be surprised if any other team in the league could lose so many players and still be top. 
 

Alisson

Trent

Van Dijk

Matip

Gomez

Fabinho (from midfield)

Thiago

Keita

Salah

Mane

Jota

 

If missing those players for significant number of games isn’t a valid excuse for dropping points, I’m not sure if there is any valid excuse. That’s a league winning side in its own right. 
 

I’m not saying ‘fuck it, let’s say it’s okay just because we’ve had injuries’, but I’m saying that the reaction to some lacklustre draws should be tempered by the fact that we have had a genuine injury crisis and we are still top of the table

 

Yeah, I'm cool with all that.

I'm just being "hard" from the sidelines.

Thank God people like me aren't Jurgen Klopp.

 

 

 

[s(k)aturation]

1 minute ago, VladimirIlyich said:

I agree,but I will say that when he has better options on the bench his subs tend to be much better also.

 

Sure.

See:  Jan transfer window/Liverpool FC owners/if Klopp wants it he'll get it, type-thing.

 

 

[s(k)aturation]

8 hours ago, AngryofTuebrook said:

And the first time we've failed to score all season.

 

Cool.

 

And a clean sheet.

 

Even cooler.

 

 

 

[s(k)aturation]

 

Oh and Happy New Year, everyone.

Top of the League, in spite of cynical ne'er do wells like me.

 

Long may it last (the top of the League thing, not the cynical me thing).

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Special K]

It appears I'm spending NYE arguing about the Mane non penalty incident with Newcastle supporters.

 

Sums up the shitness of the year really

 

[s(k)aturation]

4 hours ago, Special K said:

It appears I'm spending NYE arguing about the Mane non penalty incident with Newcastle supporters.

 

Sums up the shitness of the year really

 

 

Don't let up.

 

 

[VladimirIlyich]

12 hours ago, Special K said:

It appears I'm spending NYE arguing about the Mane non penalty incident with Newcastle supporters.

 

Sums up the shitness of the year really

 

Its gone,get over it.

[DalyanPete]

On 31/12/2020 at 01:19, Iceman said:

Thanks for the summary you twat. It's a match day forum where we discuss the match. 

Thanks for the feedback