Where do we go from here?

[Cij]

The deficiencies in our squad can be overcome despite our financial handicap. I think our biggest problem is a lack of balance rather than the perceived lack of quality. We have a number of decent options in certain positions and are threadbare in others. When injuries / suspensions arise in our weaker areas we struggle to cope and are forced to drastically change the team to compensate. A better balanced squad would address this.

 

By way of example, on the right wing we could conceivably play any of Maxi, Benayoun, Kuyt, Babel, Gerrard, El Zhar, Johnson or Degen (at a stretch) whereas Insua was our only available left back for pretty much the whole season. On the left wing we have no option but to play naturally right footed players as Riera has been ostracised. Trying to put square pegs in round holes is far from ideal. Presumably we are picking up Jovanovic on a free to replace Riera but what about also signing somebody like Martin Petrov or Morten Gamst Pedersen on a Bosman to provide some competition and cover? Similarly Capdevilla is available on a free and could offer something at left back with Insua as understudy.

 

We could certainly generate a decent war chest by selling some of the fringe players in the squad. Cavalieri (£4m) could be replaced by Gulacsi. We no longer need Degen (£1m) as cover for right back as Carra / Kelly can fill in if needed. Babel (£9m) has flattered to deceive and has never established himself in the team. Aurelio’s contract is about to expire and he just can’t stay fit enough to warrant an extension. Riera (£6m) and Itandje have signed their own death warrants. Maxi looks like he is going to nail down right wing so we could cash in on either Kuyt (£7m) or Benayoun (£6m) if we needed extra funds to strengthen our problem positions. Even one of Skrtel (£6m) or Agger (£8m) could be sold if we wanted to acquire a pacey centre back who is commanding in the air.

 

Without getting all FM, if we replaced Aurelio, Riera, El Zhar, Degen, Babel, Cavalieri, Itandje and Kuyt / Benayoun with Capdevilla, Jovanovic, Pedersen, Shelvey and used the balance of the funds to purchase a quality striker and centre back I honestly believe we would sail back into the Top 4. I do not accept that we need £100m to get our house in order and I think this is a total cop out. Maxi and Kyrgiakos cost a total of £3m and prove that there are modestly priced players out there that can improve our squad. We may not win the league but there is no excuse for not challenging again next year. This is Rafa’s squad and if he is not prepared to take drastic action we need to find somebody that will…

[Red-Ed]

I think Kenny coming back 'if' he wants too is possibly the perfect scenario. With Sammy, Roy Evans (back from Wrexham), Gary Mac, Sami maybe (?) we would have a team that understand what LFC is all about and really love the club.

 

They would appeal to the current players as they know their history and I would be able to attract new players to the club.

 

It would also mean we might not have to spend millions to recruit someone new with an entirely new backroom team, money which could be spent elsewhere.

 

They would also instill a different philosophy into the players and improve the style of football we currently have.

 

I still believe the actual core players we have, if fit, can contest for the top four and with 3 new additions of real quality maybe give us a title challenge.

[PaulMcC]

Didn't Dalglish's team play really defensive football a lot towards the end of his reign?

 

He didn't play great football with Blackburn or Newcastle either.

[WaltonRed]

He was approached months ago.

 

Spill.

[WaltonRed]

He was approached months ago.

 

Didn't Dalglish's team play really defensive football a lot towards the end of his reign?

 

He didn't play great football with Blackburn or Newcastle either.

 

Behave. Blackburn were a great team to watch.

 

Newcastle shouldnt count on anyone CV the mess of a club they are. He got them to a cup final though which is more than most have done up there.

[Red-Ed]

Didn't Dalglish's team play really defensive football a lot towards the end of his reign?

 

He didn't play great football with Blackburn or Newcastle either.

 

Not overly sure, I just remember the Shearer and Sutton partnership was prolific and one of the best in the country.

 

Newcastle wasn't the best but they did beat barca 3-2 in a cracking game, problem there was he inherited the side from Keegan which needed some steel adding to it.

[Bogman]

Where we go from here, is still our number 1, 2, 3.................. priortiy:-

 

Getting rid of our owners.

 

 

Only after than should other things get evaluated, and then only.

Everything else beyond that at this moment of time is not important.

[coop]

Dalglish if i remember rightly played two full backs as wingers towards the end of his mangerial career at the club.

 

You could probably go back through every manager we have had and pick up on crazy decisions or formations/players we wouldn't agree with.

 

My thoughts regards Dalglish is purely from a temporary basis until hopefully we get rid of the owners and money coming can then come into the club allowing us to appoint different manager.

 

It does not matter who the manager was he would never please every fan as we all have our favourite players and formations.

 

The problem we have at the moment is we have a team very low on confidence and a manager who appears to be heading for Italy.

 

We do not have the money to attract your very top managers so we either appoint your likes of O'Neill or we take a gamble on an up and coming manager.

[lifetime fan]

Spill.

 

I started a thread on here. I still do not know whether it was as No2 to shit coat or in another capacity.

 

He was asked whether he would consider coming and was very clear in his response.

[zigackly]

The deficiencies in our squad can be overcome despite our financial handicap. I think our biggest problem is a lack of balance rather than the perceived lack of quality. We have a number of decent options in certain positions and are threadbare in others. When injuries / suspensions arise in our weaker areas we struggle to cope and are forced to drastically change the team to compensate. A better balanced squad would address this.

 

By way of example, on the right wing we could conceivably play any of Maxi, Benayoun, Kuyt, Babel, Gerrard, El Zhar, Johnson or Degen (at a stretch) whereas Insua was our only available left back for pretty much the whole season. On the left wing we have no option but to play naturally right footed players as Riera has been ostracised. Trying to put square pegs in round holes is far from ideal. Presumably we are picking up Jovanovic on a free to replace Riera but what about also signing somebody like Martin Petrov or Morten Gamst Pedersen on a Bosman to provide some competition and cover? Similarly Capdevilla is available on a free and could offer something at left back with Insua as understudy.

 

We could certainly generate a decent war chest by selling some of the fringe players in the squad. Cavalieri (£4m) could be replaced by Gulacsi. We no longer need Degen (£1m) as cover for right back as Carra / Kelly can fill in if needed. Babel (£9m) has flattered to deceive and has never established himself in the team. Aurelio’s contract is about to expire and he just can’t stay fit enough to warrant an extension. Riera (£6m) and Itandje have signed their own death warrants. Maxi looks like he is going to nail down right wing so we could cash in on either Kuyt (£7m) or Benayoun (£6m) if we needed extra funds to strengthen our problem positions. Even one of Skrtel (£6m) or Agger (£8m) could be sold if we wanted to acquire a pacey centre back who is commanding in the air.

 

Without getting all FM, if we replaced Aurelio, Riera, El Zhar, Degen, Babel, Cavalieri, Itandje and Kuyt / Benayoun with Capdevilla, Jovanovic, Pedersen, Shelvey and used the balance of the funds to purchase a quality striker and centre back I honestly believe we would sail back into the Top 4. I do not accept that we need £100m to get our house in order and I think this is a total cop out. Maxi and Kyrgiakos cost a total of £3m and prove that there are modestly priced players out there that can improve our squad. We may not win the league but there is no excuse for not challenging again next year. This is Rafa’s squad and if he is not prepared to take drastic action we need to find somebody that will…

 

Superb post.

[WaltonRed]

I started a thread on here. I still do not know whether it was as No2 to shit coat or in another capacity.

 

He was asked whether he would consider coming and was very clear in his response.

 

Which was?

 

Sorry mate, i'll try and find the thread.

[PaulMcC]

Blackburn weren't a great team to watch.

 

They were pretty methodical with an amazing centre forward.

 

Nothing wrong with that but some people will be disappointed when they are building Dalglish up to play amazing football. Only with us with Barnes, Beardsley team did he play brillaint football as far as I'm aware.

[RedBrian84]

It's going to be tough next season, and I think people need to ready themselves for that. Spurs and City, against what most people would have thought at the start of the season (I remember confidently predicting both would 'bottle it'), have proven that they can make sustained cracks at the top four berths.

 

Next season will be no easier. Everton have progressed since Christmas and I for one shudder when I think that had they not had the start they did, they may even be nicely placed in 7th looking down on us now.

 

Next time around, it's going to be a long, hard slog. It probably won't be pretty, so we need players to roll up their sleeves. There will be no money until the parasites leave. It may even be a long while after that before whichever manager is at the helm when we see some money brought in for transfers. We as fans are going to have to pull together.

 

Holding onto our top players is priority number one, after removing the yanks. Reina, Gerrard, Mascherano (although that one may be too late) and obviously Torres. Allowing more minutes on the pitch- and by that I mean full 90 minutes- to Maxi and Aquilani. Signing a new left back, and a striker, should be high on the list. And a cull of all the deadwood. More faith shown in the Academy and the young lads at the club- because there are going to be no quick fixes to this; it's going to take time. Building for the future is the most realistic hope for next season in my opinion.

 

Edit: Cij's post was outstanding and demonstrates far better than I do what I tried to say here.

Edited April 30, 2010 by RedBrian84

[lifetime fan]

Which was?

 

Sorry mate, i'll try and find the thread.

 

Sorry mate, it wasn't a thread I started, it was one of the endless Rafa fuck off threads.

 

I'll try and dig it out.

[WaltonRed]

Blackburn did play good football.

[lifetime fan]

Which was?

 

Sorry mate, i'll try and find the thread.

 

Here it is.

 

http://www.liverpoolway.co.uk/forum/ff-football-forum/86821-rafa-now-1-6-sacked-7.html

[Whelan]

Blackburn did play good football.

 

It was methodical mate!

 

Far nearer to George Grahams Arsenal than, Kennys' Liverpool.

 

But that was the way football looked like it was going in those days, this was when the physical aspect was just coming to the fore.

[lifetime fan]

Blackburn did play good football.

 

They played with two out and out wingers and two lumps through the middle, not what I'd call good football but certainly an improvement on us this season.

[WaltonRed]

It was methodical mate!

 

Far nearer to George Grahams Arsenal than, Kennys' Liverpool.

 

But that was the way football looked like it was going in those days, this was when the physical aspect was just coming to the fore.

 

It depends what you call good football isnt really?

 

I think anything that gets you results is good football.

 

I cant stand watching Arsenal for example because they do fuck all as an end result.

 

Its by the by anyway, I just think Kenny would be a better choice than a lot of those mentioned.

[PaulMcC]

They didn't play bad football but they weren't a really good footballing side. And weren't that attacking.

[zigackly]

Only with us with Barnes, Beardsley team did he play brillaint football as far as I'm aware.

 

I think we have the attacking talent here with the likes of Torres, Gerrard, Benayoun, Maxi and Aquilani to easily replicate that style of football.

[zigackly]

It's going to be tough next season, and I think people need to ready themselves for that. Spurs and City, against what most people would have thought at the start of the season (I remember confidently predicting both would 'bottle it'), have proven that they can make sustained cracks at the top four berths.

 

They have bottled it! We've just bottled it a lot worse.

[Antynwa]

 

Edit: Cij's post was outstanding and demonstrates far better than I do what I tried to say here.

 

Likewise, talk about calm and well measured.

[goatboy59]

Blackburn weren't a great team to watch.

 

They were pretty methodical with an amazing centre forward.

 

Nothing wrong with that but some people will be disappointed when they are building Dalglish up to play amazing football. Only with us with Barnes, Beardsley team did he play brillaint football as far as I'm aware.

 

We didn't play great football in the double year? Bit of a re-write that isn't it?

 

I don't want Kenny anyway near the manager's office, but let's not overegg it.

[Barrington Womble]

We didn't play great football in the double year? Bit of a re-write that isn't it?

 

I don't want Kenny anyway near the manager's office, but let's not overegg it.

 

from what i remember we were not very good at all until the last dozen games or so.