What needs to change to win No 19?

[Paul]

There isn't a team that ever played the game that couldn't have been improved by a particular signing. However, I think we've got a squad that could win the league. The main thing that needs to change is the level of experience playing for Liverpool's first team held by the new signings. In short, they need to acclimatise to the club and to our football.

[Guest attacking_play]

A great squad is being built up by Rafa – however there are players in the team now that are probably not of the highest standard that we need to win championship. Crouch holds it up but he is never the stylish link man needed to unlock opposition defences week in week out – and take the pressure off our midfielders. I don’t think Riise is a great left back, and Finnan is slowly getting worse (maybe it is his age) – although he is one of my favourite players at the club and was excellent the last 2 games.

 

Our core of Reina, Agger, Sissoko, Gerrard. Alonso and Kuyt are world class and a great back bone but unless we finally address the attacking midfield areas with top quality we won’t be bringing in No 19. (Obviously Gonzalez, Bellamy, Pennant, Riise, Crouch etc might end up being world class but time will tell).

 

Man United can play two fannies in CM because the opposition is so tied up with Scholes, Rooney and Ronaldo, Chelsea have players of class all over the pitch but they are freaks, and Arsenal pack their team with attacking players of real talent led by the brilliant Henry. Our problems have always been in attack, ever since Roy Evans left….

 

Get a top class link player in, and some proper flair on the flanks then I think we can do it. Next season though not this ...

 

 

For me the only player with a question hanging over him, is Bellamy.

 

flashes of brilliance, but a bad ass attitude, who seems to lose the plot later in a game. personally I cant understand why we sent Pongo out on loan, and bought this guy: I know kewell is not gonna be available for some months, but we have risse, gonzalez, and agger out left, and bellamy although a striker, seems to want to run mostly out left, when what we want is a more cutting player.

[Guest TK-421]

The Reds are coming up the hill.

[RedinSweden]

For me the only player with a question hanging over him, is Bellamy.

 

flashes of brilliance, but a bad ass attitude, who seems to lose the plot later in a game. personally I cant understand why we sent Pongo out on loan, and bought this guy: I know kewell is not gonna be available for some months, but we have risse, gonzalez, and agger out left, and bellamy although a striker, seems to want to run mostly out left, when what we want is a more cutting player.

 

When has he done that for us?

[GeoffM]

We do have a squad that is good enough, it could be improved but the talent is there.

 

Crouch i would guess has scored roughly the same aount of goals this season as other top class strikers, but he isnt good enough to play for a team that will win the league? Kuyt is a top class footballer simple as that. It's far too early to be writing of Gonzalez for fucks sake he;s only played three or four games! Dear me.

 

Every so often we get Rash coming up with his catphrases, link man, 20 goal a season striker, flair on the wing etc etc and these days more of the people on here respond to it, which to be fair is depressing. Get it into your head Liverpool on the whole have never been a team of 'superstar' big name players and never will be it is just the way it is so get used to it.

 

Rafa is on course, we have had a bad spell, fuck me every team does and he has probably made mistakes and willso again but there is very little fundamentally wrong.

 

Get behind those that are here, give the new players time to settle in and see what they can do before writing them off ten games or so into a new season.

[RedinSweden]

We do have a squad that is good enough, it could be improved but the talent is there.

 

Crouch i would guess has scored roughly the same aount of goals this season as other top class strikers, but he isnt good enough to play for a team that will win the league? Kuyt is a top class footballer simple as that. It's far too early to be writing of Gonzalez for fucks sake he;s only played three or four games! Dear me.

 

Every so often we get Rash coming up with his catphrases, link man, 20 goal a season striker, flair on the wing etc etc and these days more of the people on here respond to it, which to be fair is depressing. Get it into your head Liverpool on the whole have never been a team of 'superstar' big name players and never will be it is just the way it is so get used to it.

 

Rafa is on course, we have had a bad spell, fuck me every team does and he has probably made mistakes and willso again but there is very little fundamentally wrong.

 

Get behind those that are here, give the new players time to settle in and see what they can do before writing them off ten games or so into a new season.

 

Once again you speak sense. We know Rafa is not afraid of making changes when necessary, but he is also not one for kneejerking. Rashid, on the other hand, is a big mong sometimes.

[Rashid]

Once again you speak sense. We know Rafa is not afraid of making changes when necessary, but he is also not one for kneejerking. Rashid, on the other hand, is a big mong sometimes.

 

Rubbish!

 

It is obvious since Rafa arrived we have lacked a top scorer - hopefully with Kuyt that is sorted. We have always lacked pace at the back and genuine flair on the wing - ala a Ronaldo - the fake one.

 

That much is obvious. If you take a look at Rafa's Valencia who played in a slower Spanish league pace is not so important however he had a world class winger in Vicente, a top striker in Mista (he bought Mista after a disasterous 5th place finish in 2003) and a link player of genius ability in Aimar.

 

If you want to play top football and be able to batter the shite teams home and away and have players who can make a difference in stale games then we are missing a couple of genius players.

 

As I said man United appear to do brilliant in the league without a midfield! - That's because the attacking players are world class and the defence is quick.

[RedinSweden]

Rubbish!

 

It is obvious since Rafa arrived we have lacked a top scorer - hopefully with Kuyt that is sorted. We have always lacked pace at the back and genuine flair on the wing - ala a Ronaldo - the fake one.

 

That much is obvious. If you take a look at Rafa's Valencia who played in a slower Spanish league pace is not so important however he had a world class winger in Vicente, a top striker in Mista (he bought Mista after a disasterous 5th place finish in 2003) and a link player of genius ability in Aimar.

 

If you want to play top football and be able to batter the shite teams home and away and have players who can make a difference in stale games then we are missing a couple of genius players.

 

As I said man United appear to do brilliant in the league without a midfield! - That's because the attacking players are world class and the defence is quick.

 

We have bought new players that need time to settle in. Don't you understand that?

[Rashid]

We have bought new players that need time to settle in. Don't you understand that?

 

Yes I do understand that; and I think Pennant and Bellamy will come good as they are good signings. Whether they reach the levels of our rivals players playing in the same position (and if you use a case of Man United here it is Rooney and Ronaldo) remains to be seen.

 

In football it doesn't matter how good you are you have to be better than your rivals.

[cotter]

Rubbish!

 

It is obvious since Rafa arrived we have lacked a top scorer - hopefully with Kuyt that is sorted. We have always lacked pace at the back and genuine flair on the wing - ala a Ronaldo - the fake one.

 

That much is obvious. If you take a look at Rafa's Valencia who played in a slower Spanish league pace is not so important however he had a world class winger in Vicente, a top striker in Mista (he bought Mista after a disasterous 5th place finish in 2003) and a link player of genius ability in Aimar.

 

If you want to play top football and be able to batter the shite teams home and away and have players who can make a difference in stale games then we are missing a couple of genius players.

 

As I said man United appear to do brilliant in the league without a midfield! - That's because the attacking players are world class and the defence is quick.

 

where were/are these players before and after benitez? certainly not at the same level. the manager made them not the other way around.

 

we did batter shite teams last season, far more than we have in recent history, anyway. we're just struggling against the top three or four sides in general.

[Rashid]

where were/are these players before and after benitez? certainly not at the same level. the manager made them not the other way around.

 

we did batter shite teams last season, far more than we have in recent history, anyway. we're just struggling against the top three or four sides in general.

 

I beg your pardon? Rafa certainly did not "make them".... What he did do is take a team of double EC Final losers into double La Liga winners by conditioning them and organising them better into winners. Aimar and Vicente were already there playing superb before Rafa joined Valencia.

 

As for struggling against top 4 sides - se emy comment on head to head e.g. we have Bellamy and Pennant and United have Rooney and Ronaldo.

[cotter]

I beg your pardon? Rafa certainly did not "make them".... What he did do is take a team of double EC Final losers into double La Liga winners by conditioning them and organising them better into winners. Aimar and Vicente were already there playing superb before Rafa joined Valencia.

 

aimar wasn't in the first of those teams, and if you look at the side that lost 3-0 to madrid it looks as far removed from rafa's valencia as the current liverpool side does from houllier's. aimar was a young player with a big reputation, but not much of a track record. vicente was nowhere near the european cup final teams, and mista was a real madrid reserve, before joining tenerife.

[RedinSweden]

Yes I do understand that; and I think Pennant and Bellamy will come good as they are good signings. Whether they reach the levels of our rivals players playing in the same position (and if you use a case of Man United here it is Rooney and Ronaldo) remains to be seen.

 

In football it doesn't matter how good you are you have to be better than your rivals.

 

Exactly. It remains to be seen. So let it remain. And then we will see.

[Rashid]

aimar wasn't in the first of those teams, and if you look at the side that lost 3-0 to madrid it looks as far removed from rafa's valencia as the current liverpool side does from houllier's. aimar was a young player with a big reputation, but not much of a track record. vicente was nowhere near the european cup final teams, and mista was a real madrid reserve, before joining tenerife.

 

Aimar started the European Cup Final in 2001

 

Valencia (4-4-2): Canizares; Angloma, Ayala, Pellegrino, Carboni; Mendieta, Baraja, Aimar, Killy Gonzales; Sanchez, Carew.

 

Also that team does look a little like Rafa's Valencia doesn't it?

[cotter]

Aimar started the European Cup Final in 2001

 

Valencia (4-4-2): Canizares; Angloma, Ayala, Pellegrino, Carboni; Mendieta, Baraja, Aimar, Killy Gonzales; Sanchez, Carew.

 

Also that team does look a little like Rafa's Valencia doesn't it?

 

that isn't the team that lost 3-0 to madrid though, is it? Canizares ,Angloma ,Pellegrino ,Djukic ,Angulo ,Mendieta ,Gerard Lopez ,Gerardo Garcia,Kily Gonzalez ,Claudio Lopez ,Farinos.

[hamstrung]

A great squad is being built up by Rafa – however there are players in the team now that are probably not of the highest standard that we need to win championship. Crouch holds it up but he is never the stylish link man needed to unlock opposition defences week in week out – and take the pressure off our midfielders. I don’t think Riise is a great left back, and Finnan is slowly getting worse (maybe it is his age) – although he is one of my favourite players at the club and was excellent the last 2 games.

 

Our core of Reina, Agger, Sissoko, Gerrard. Alonso and Kuyt are world class and a great back bone but unless we finally address the attacking midfield areas with top quality we won’t be bringing in No 19. (Obviously Gonzalez, Bellamy, Pennant, Riise, Crouch etc might end up being world class but time will tell).

 

Man United can play two fannies in CM because the opposition is so tied up with Scholes, Rooney and Ronaldo, Chelsea have players of class all over the pitch but they are freaks, and Arsenal pack their team with attacking players of real talent led by the brilliant Henry. Our problems have always been in attack, ever since Roy Evans left….

 

Get a top class link player in, and some proper flair on the flanks then I think we can do it. Next season though not this ...

 

What about Carragher? Agger is world class?

 

You're on drugs.

[Rashid]

What about Carragher? Agger is world class?

 

You're on drugs.

 

Meant to write Carra instead of Aggar there. It;s funny how somany idiots, pick holes as opposed to writing anything of any note.

[hamstrung]

Meant to write Carra instead of Aggar there. It;s funny how somany idiots, pick holes as opposed to writing anything of any note.

 

 

Well stop doing it then.

 

Is it just me or have you spent the last few years of your life repeating yourself on football forums? Surely you must get bored.

 

Link man yada yada yada 20 goals a season blah blah blah Crouch not good enough yada yada yada Roy Evans Blah Blah Blah Aimar Yada Yada Yada.

[Rashid]

Well stop doing it then.

 

Is it just me or have you spent the last few years of your life repeating yourself on football forums? Surely you must get bored.

 

Link man yada yada yada 20 goals a season blah blah blah Crouch not good enough yada yada yada Roy Evans Blah Blah Blah Aimar Yada Yada Yada.

 

I said we would NEVER win one of the major trophies e.g. EC or PL unless we sacked Houllier – I was right.

 

I said we would never be potent in attack unless we replaced Heskey.

 

I said Murphy, Meijer, Traore, Biscan, Heskey, Josemi, Nunez and Pelligrino were not good enough for Liverpool first as starters as soon as I clapped eyes on them – I have been proved right despite numerous long threads and bickering.

 

I said that without a change in style from long ball to possession and pressing football we won’t progress or improve our young players – Rafa is proving this.

 

I said Peter Crouch is not good enough for the Liverpool first team as a starter, I still hold hold that view as I’d like his position given to a holding player and push Kuyt further up the pitch. I still think that formula will win us the league – I will be proved right.

 

I said the key to winning a Championship is a link player and a dominant wide player – I will be proved right.

 

Fuck the rose tints, what we want is to win No 19, the last time we won it we had Beardsley and Barnes in the team, we need their equivalents now to win it again.

[RedinSweden]

I said we would NEVER win one of the major trophies e.g. EC or PL unless we sacked Houllier – I was right.

 

I said we would never be potent in attack unless we replaced Heskey.

 

I said Murphy, Meijer, Traore, Biscan, Heskey, Josemi, Nunez and Pelligrino were not good enough for Liverpool first as starters as soon as I clapped eyes on them – I have been proved right despite numerous long threads and bickering.

 

I said that without a change in style from long ball to possession and pressing football we won’t progress or improve our young players – Rafa is proving this.

 

I said Peter Crouch is not good enough for the Liverpool first team as a starter, I still hold hold that view as I’d like his position given to a holding player and push Kuyt further up the pitch. I still think that formula will win us the league – I will be proved right.

 

I said the key to winning a Championship is a link player and a dominant wide player – I will be proved right.

 

Fuck the rose tints, what we want is to win No 19, the last time we won it we had Beardsley and Barnes in the team, we need their equivalents now to win it again.

 

 

How have you been proved right in this one?

[Rashid]

How have you been proved right in this one?

 

Because Houllier never won the league or CL and Rafa did so in his first season.

[Guest Raddy]

In football it doesn't matter how good you are you have to be better than your rivals.

 

that's almost shankslike

[hamstrung]

 

Rashid tells Rafa he must find a link man.

[GeoffM]

I said we would NEVER win one of the major trophies e.g. EC or PL unless we sacked Houllier – I was right.

 

I said we would never be potent in attack unless we replaced Heskey.

 

I said Murphy, Meijer, Traore, Biscan, Heskey, Josemi, Nunez and Pelligrino were not good enough for Liverpool first as starters as soon as I clapped eyes on them – I have been proved right despite numerous long threads and bickering.

 

I said that without a change in style from long ball to possession and pressing football we won’t progress or improve our young players – Rafa is proving this.

 

I said Peter Crouch is not good enough for the Liverpool first team as a starter, I still hold hold that view as I’d like his position given to a holding player and push Kuyt further up the pitch. I still think that formula will win us the league – I will be proved right.

 

I said the key to winning a Championship is a link player and a dominant wide player – I will be proved right.

 

Fuck the rose tints, what we want is to win No 19, the last time we won it we had Beardsley and Barnes in the team, we need their equivalents now to win it again.

 

What a load of cobblers!

 

Very easy to be neagtive Rash and then point out how you were right! anyone can do that, he isn't good enough for Liverpool they are good enough for Liverpool is the easiest thing in the world to say, chances of you being right are higher than being wrong anyone can do that.

 

For years you have been making the same points without actually backing it up, twisting whatever facts you have to hand to suit any particular argument.

 

You say we need a link player and a dominant winger to win the league, well back it up then, name names, who is available at a price we can afford and how they will fit in the team and why you are so convinced you are right.

 

Who the fuck are today's Beardsley and Barnes then?

 

When we are signed Pennant you were made up, he was going to be this and that, to be honest he looks piss poor, but i am not going to write him off after a few games and you havent picked on him because you thought he was going to be class, had a player you didnt agree with us signing shown the same form a Pennant you would be slaughtering them then saying how you were right, at least be consistent.

[RedinSweden]

Because Houllier never won the league or CL and Rafa did so in his first season.

 

That doesn't prove you right I'm afraid.