Summer 2011

[WhiskeyJar]

Sorry to disagree, but thats very unlikely. i just cant see Liverpool making the top 4. And Rafa never lost the plot

 

Thats rich coming from you. Arsene did say that he will still follow the same suit this summer as well...good for the sahreholders mind you bad for the fans.

 

If you dont buy you are out of the top four, simple as.

 

Oh and this time we dont have Rafa or a couple of cowboys at our club, we are on the up.

[Macedonian_Red]

Oh and this time we dont have Rafa or a couple of cowboys at our club, we are on the up.

 

To be honest, if Rafa hasn't engaged the couple of cowboys, they would have probably still owned the club today ... Therefore, you should never put him in the same sentence with them ...

[WhiskeyJar]

To be honest, if Rafa hasn't engaged the couple of cowboys, they would have probably still owned the club today ... Therefore, you should never put him in the same sentence with them ...

 

Well, there is a line....I loved Rafa for his tactical awareness and European knowledge but thats where it ends.

 

Rafa was a very poor man manager and did not treat players with respect, it felt as if he treated them as cogs in his crushing machine...not everyone agreed with him and that created a chasm with the staff, players and fans.

 

Not so the case with Kenny in charge.

 

Now we move forward together as a single unit.

[WhiskeyJar]

I know what you mean, but I think it's a bit much to declare Hazard world class. He may well become that, but he hasn't proven anything outside of France yet.

 

Plus we have a fantastic record of signing great French players for our club.

 

[NorwegianRed]

Plus we have a fantastic record of signing great French players for our club.

 

 

Good thing he is from Belgium then

[NorwegianRed]

Yeah, right ... You talk about Sanchez' and Hazard's situation like you have the slightest idea about their future, and then you accuse someone else of having the ''I Know It All'' attitude ... Typical ...

 

Hit you good and proper that, didn't it.

[WhiskeyJar]

Whoops, my bad.....i automatically assumed that every football player that plays in France is French.

[Trumo]

Whoops, my bad.....i automatically assumed that every football player that plays in France is French.

 

Some people over there are looking to make that a reality.

[Macedonian_Red]

Well, there is a line....I loved Rafa for his tactical awareness and European knowledge but thats where it ends.

 

Rafa was a very poor man manager and did not treat players with respect, it felt as if he treated them as cogs in his crushing machine...not everyone agreed with him and that created a chasm with the staff, players and fans.

 

Not so the case with Kenny in charge.

 

Now we move forward together as a single unit.

 

At the end of the day, Rafa was the one that has brought Kenny back to the club ... Only because of that, he deserves more respect from LFC supporters ... Not to mention the European Cup and the No.1 ranking in Europe ... I am as optimistic as any reasonable LFC supporter under FSG's ownership and Kenny's management, but there is no need to piss on Rafa's legacy in order to praise Kenny ...

[mht1892]

Sorry to disagree, but thats very unlikely. i just cant see Liverpool making the top 4. And Rafa never lost the plot

 

Really, if we had another half a dozen games left on top of the 4 we got we would finish in the top 4, I ain't bothered though because the future is looking rosey, can that be said of you lot though ? Not a chance, you've got a bigger twitch than 'arry got.... Since Kenny took over we've climbed 12 places in the league and beat Chelsea at the Bridge, Mancs and City at home, got a draw against you lot and recently spanked Birmingham 5-0 the same team that you failed to beat to win your first domestic cup in 6 years... I'd worry about your own team squire or lack of it I should say.

[StevieH]

Liverpool Everton transfer news David Moyes has ruled out selling full-back Leighton Baines to their Merseyside rivals - News - MirrorFootball.co.uk

 

Leighton Baines will never make the Stanley Park switch according to Everton boss David Moyes.

 

The Toffees' fullback has been one of few standout stars in an underperforming season at Goodison Park, and Liverpool have been linked with a shock £10m bid to make him swap blue for red.

 

However, Moyes insists that is not going to happen - and reckons Liverpool know very well that Baines would not make the move.

 

The Everton manager warned Liverpool - and anybody else - that they will have to fork out huge money this summer if they want to try to attract Baines or any other key members of his squad.

 

"I can't see it. It's not for me that one, and I think they know that as well," said Moyes.

 

"Nobody will leave the club unless I say so and give it the go-ahead, and that won't change.

 

"I don't want to sell him, we have signed him on a five-year deal and Everton sell very expensively; that's what we do.

 

"We don't sell cheap. That is why he is on a five-year deal. The chairman looks after the players and gives them what he can. So he is not for sale."

 

 

Read more: Liverpool Everton transfer news David Moyes has ruled out selling full-back Leighton Baines to their Merseyside rivals - News - MirrorFootball.co.uk

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[WaltonRed]

They said the same about Barmby.

 

If Baines forced it, it'd happen

[the walsh]

if he wants to come david "aint" nothing you can do about it would be a good sigining if we could pull it of

[Macedonian_Red]

Hit you good and proper that, didn't it.

 

Don't be such a cry-baby ... This is not the the right place and time ... Once you are allowed back to RAWK, we will continue this argument there ...

[Deepz]

Were you on TIA Macedonian Red?

[MLB]

Sounds a bit nervous there does Davey. I reckon we would be in for Baines if we got the nod but I don't think it's likely as it would be a nightmare dealing with them. In other circumstances Baines would probably be our number 1 target. As it is I reckon he is behind Enrique and Cissokho.

[Macedonian_Red]

Were you on TIA Macedonian Red?

 

Yup, a long time ago ...

[moof]

ok I really dont get how Liverpool fans can attack us, you are worse than us, less likely to win anything and wont be in the CL next season? Honestly I just laugh that some of you think hazard would choose Liverpool ahead of arsenal....seriously:eek:

 

If Arsenal are that good why don't you fuck off to an Arsenal site then you annoying little wanker.

[StevieH]

Under the loop: Sylvain Marveaux « Football first. Then life.

 

[/url]It seems increasingly likely that Liverpool will go ahead and secure the services of Rennes’ enigmatic midfielder Sylvain Marveaux on a free this summer. Some even claim that he’s signed for the club already, having spotted the French youngster at Anfield with Damien Comolli earlier in the season. I’ve never seen Marveaux play in Ligue 1, so I don’t have anything sensible to say about him, but I did ask my dear Twitter-comrade Bastien Leclair (@puchkin_b) to write up a scouting report on this injury-plagued attacking midfielder. Thankfully, he duly delivered, and now we can all have the pleasure of getting to know Liverpool’s new signing a little better from footballing perspective. Enjoy!

 

Words by Bastien Leclair

 

I was asked to put together a blog regarding Rennes’ Sylvain Marveaux, the Reds’ long awaited Bosman signing in view of next season. While some uncertainty remains regarding his arrival at Anfield , it seems fair to say that a move to anywhere else than Merseyside would be a surprise, if not a relative upset from the part of the attacking midfielder.

 

So I’ve first thought of writing a portrait of the player, but this has already been done and you could find much information on his career, his goals, his stats or his recent difficulties in Rennes across the web. Instead, I preferred to try and put together a report on the player, providing you with the sort of information I think Liverpool fans would like to know regarding his skills, his attitude on and off the pitch, his strengths and weaknesses, and his particularities.

PHYSICAL ABILITY

 

He has pace, deadly pace, he is very capable of eliminating a defence on a single acceleration. He will take the ball and go through knocks and shocks to reach his target, a goal or a good pass. He can stay on his legs, no doubt about it, and although he isn’t of the strongest build he shouldn’t be worried with the strength of English defenders. His game made of acceleration can lead him to natural fatigue in the closing stages, but when in good shape he is perfectly able to contribute 90 minutes week-in week-out and bring his fair share of goals and assists.

 

In fact, his weakness lies inside. While he rarely gives up on the pitch himself, his body has been regulating things for him. He is an athlete, a powerfully legged sprinter, and his thighs have often been a strain to his progression. In summer 2008, after a good first season and a disappointing second term, he picked up a benign thigh injury during a France U21 game. Recovery should have been straightforward, but instead he met calcification issues and was forced to undergo surgery… he would miss the following 8 months. Tough luck can strike anyone, true, but the same thing happened to him once again this season, and a minor thigh muscle strain against Brest in November was enough to rule him out for the rest of the current campaign.

TECHNICAL ABILITY

 

Are you looking for a left foot? His can do everything you could dream of. He can pass, control, dribble, deliver or shoot with surgical precision. Sylvain Marveaux has taken Ligue 1 by surprise in 2009-2010 with his ability to regulate Rennes’ game, and despite his positioning on the left, he certainly was Rennes’ real playmaker throughout the season. He can take free-kicks

, deliver assists or make the difference by himself relying on a fantastic left-foot (Video). And his ability and elegance when dribbling through an adverse defence is something one rarely sees and thoroughly enjoys…

 

He relies nearly exclusively on his left foot however, and his right foot and head are of no use in his game. In fact, Marveaux will always look at placing the ball back on his left foot even for a simple pass, and will often lose the opportunity to deliver or build on the momentum he could have gained on his opponent. Also, Marveaux will invariably lose a challenge in the air. He hasn’t got the jumping ability, the timing or the stature for those aerial contests, and he isn’t usually that bothered.

INTELLIGENCE

 

Marveaux was trained as a central midfielder, and this is something one can very easily realise when watching him twirl across a square expanding from the left touch-line to the centre of the field. He mainly plays in a left winger position, but he isn’t anything like a left winger. And although it could not quite be branded a lack of intelligence, he lacks many of the qualities required of a true winger and especially the tactical finesse required to exploit the flank with full efficiency.

 

While he could make the best out of his pace and skills alternating runs down the wing and cuts through to centre as a Nani or a Valencia, Marveaux is compulsively attracted to the centre, no matter what. Cutting out is certainly all right, but cutting out from the left when you only have a left foot can sometimes be a handicap. On top of this, his crossing ability is nearly inexistent, and he will always favour a central or individual solution to a transmission to his left back running up the field. The decision is sometimes justified by a scoring action (10 goals and 5 assists last season) but an ability to open eyes to options other than the obvious would be a definite added value to his game.

 

On the other hand, he sometimes showed an ability to pick up the perfect pass in sometimes spectacular style, and his runs without the ball are often well-inspired and making the assist an easy exercise for his team-mates. With the good guidance and advice, he could certainly correct some of the defaults above and show more of these flashes of superb vision.

ATTITUDE

 

Again, despite his talent and ability, Marveaux could improve loads on this field. In a 4-3-3 system such as Rennes’ and in most modern tactical set-ups (In which full backs are called to play a major attacking role) defensive work is a necessity for the attacking flankers. Not only failing to notice the wing-rushes of his left-back counterpart, Marveaux has often been blamed for failing to accomplish his defensive work, whether it is an initial pressing or returns to cover the flank. As a result, great moments of solitude for the men standing behind him, such a Carlos Bocanegra, often let alone to deal with two or three opponents last season, without a hope to see his team-mate rush to his rescue.

 

Rennes Manager Frederic Antonetti himself admitted that Marveaux’ lack of work was acceptable as long as his attacking input remained as impressive as it was last season. Many coaches could rightfully consider some of Marveaux’ attitudes on the pitch as disrespectful to the team effort.

 

As a graduate of Rennes Academy having gone through the youth teams at the club, Marveaux may well be receiving too much indulgence for his ineffective defensive work. His self-confidence is high, maybe a bit too high, and the wise words of a manager able to make him question himself and his work for the team could be a massive boost to his career. He is able to do the work however, and even started his Ligue 1 career covering for injuries at left back. Little doubt he will give more in that field if a starting eleven position was to be at stake.

OFF THE PITCH

As far as I know, the latest former Rennes player ever to have played for Liverpool was El Hadji Diouf. No worries there. Few players bear a natural talent comparable to the Senegalese’s, and I wouldn’t think Marveaux’ raw talent really is up to that standard, but even less players have an attitude and temper as negative as Diouf’s. Sylvain Marveaux is certainly a modern football player, liking his nights out, his cars, his caps (he loves caps) and all the good things life has to offer to a wealthy young man. He has never made any headlines for wrong reasons however, nor did his brother Joris (who plays in Ligue 1 for Montpellier), and his off the pitch attitude should certainly not be any worry towards his recruitment by the Reds…

[MLB]

To me he sounds a lot like N'Zogbia. Getting N'Zogbia on a free would be seen as a great deal. I think it's only the injury record that concerns people, and that it seems to be a recurrent injury.

[Hakuna-Matata]

Well, there is a line....I loved Rafa for his tactical awareness and European knowledge but thats where it ends.

 

Rafa was a very poor man manager and did not treat players with respect, it felt as if he treated them as cogs in his crushing machine...not everyone agreed with him and that created a chasm with the staff, players and fans.

 

Not so the case with Kenny in charge.

 

Now we move forward together as a single unit.

 

don't take this the wrong way mate but that's bullshit it's the biggest myth since the bible. Just because the likes of Benayoun and Riera didn't like his style doesn't mean he was shit all together at it. Just go back and have a look at the way Gerrard, Torres, Alonso, and Mascherano still talk about him.

[StevieH]

To me he sounds a lot like N'Zogbia. Getting N'Zogbia on a free would be seen as a great deal. I think it's only the injury record that concerns people, and that it seems to be a recurrent injury.

 

I haven't seen Marveaux play so I can't comment on his footballing ability, but his injury record concerns me greatly as too does the prospect of offering him a 4 year contract.

 

He has only started 64 league games in the last 5 seasons. He has made another 38 appearances from the bench, but even if you add that to the number of games that he has started he still misses far too many games for my liking.

[Major Tom]

But you dont look like winning anything and will be in the Europa League next season? You really think hazard want to play in the rubbish cup?

 

No, I don't. But nor do I think he'd want to go to Arsenal. I can't believe the way you guys have fallen apart this season. A shambles. Liverpool are on the up, most players will see this despite the lack of CL football.

 

How will Arsene turn this around? He seems bereft of ideas and cuts a forlorn character on the sidelines.

[Lee909]

Really unsure about Marveaux,4 years with his injury record seems alot but i supposed if we had only signed him for two and the doctors at liverpool managed to get him fully fit and he played well next season the summer after he would hold all the cards and could force a move away.If we get him fully fit and he can play in most games he could be a good signing.I think alot depends on what the wages and signing on fees are for the deal,aslong as he is not on the same types of wage Jovo and Cole got even if it didnt go well we should be able to sell him off and at least break even.

[StevieH]

I thought we were using statistical analysis to recruit players?