buffaloboy

Bellamy wasn't his usual standard tonight. That Walker at right back was good though. He matched Bellamy for pace.

He's lost his explosive pace, some players like Owen can still adapt after that and become a different kind of player but it seems to have finished Torres. He's not going on any goalscoring run. I think if he played for us he would be scoring more than at Chelsea but our play suited him more. Even so he's not close to the player he was. He will definately be gone in the summer. Maybe back to Atletico.

It is true that in 1996 when Evans put Redknapp back in the side after injury then our results went to pot.

I don't get why people dislike him because he wasn't a fan of Rafa. So what? Most Man U fans worship Ferguson and Keane and it seems that those 2 aren't buddies. Keane seems to dislike Ferguson very much. I am a few years younger than Redknapp so when he played for us I was very much in awe of our players. I used to really love Redknapp but now I am older I think that I rated him too high. I think he had talent and could certainly whack a ball but he didn't have that "will to win at all costs".

The Ferdinand/Vidic partnership looks over and at Chelsea Terry is getting on too. Agger and Skrtel are a nice age and of course hopefully Coates can prove that he can be an able deputy and we can rest Agger or Skrtel. I don't think 3 years ago Ferguson would have wanted Agger or Skrtel but I bet he would love to have them now. Better than Jonny Evans and Phil Jones.

I just want to spotlight the tremendous partnership of Agger and Skrtel. Where has it come from? This has been the partnership that always threatened to happen but seemed destined not to. Since we signed Agger way back in Jan 2006 (yes 6 years ago!!) I loved the guy. He had qualities that you just don't see often. In 2006-07 he partnered Carragher most of the time at the expense of none other than big Sami. He got picked in the 2007 Champions League Final. Season 2007-08 he got injured in September and missed the rest of the season. Season 2008-09 he suffered with back injuries and could only play in 26 games. By now Skrtel had arrived and he was playing decently but error prone but he seemed to be pushing Agger to the exit door rather than be his partner. Carragher was consistently better than Agger or Skrtel and of course big Sami was still there. 2009-10 was a troubled season in defence for Liverpool and we shipped goals in no matter who played. Agger played in 36 games which was his best yet. Hodgson didn't seem to rate Agger and he wasn't picked for Autumn 2010 and when Kenny took over Agger went back into the team but then horror of horrors he got injured at WBA and missed the final 2 months. In the summer of 2011 even I was thinking that Agger would surely go. Like Hargreaves at Utd there comes a time when you have to ship out dead wood and Agger seemed to be the one to go. As of now it is amazing but Agger's injury problems seem to be gone. He has gone on to partner Skrtel and relegate the once undroppable Carragher to the bench. I think he has made Skrtel into a better player and between them they are better than many defensive partnerships that The Premier League has. Skrtel really deserves much praise for erradicating a lot of the silly mistakes that once plagued him. He looks commanding at the back now and isn't bad with the ball at his feet. Hopefully a few more goals from corners (a la Hyypia) to follow. Both our centre backs are age 27 now and we finally have the Agger/Skrtel partnership that has been promising on paper for many seasons. It is better in real life than on paper too! I hope I haven't jinxed you Daniel Agger!

It's ironic that his huge falling out with Souness at Newcastle was over him saying he would claim he was injured to not play rather than do what Souness wanted and play on the wing. Nowadays he welcomes playing on the wing and is bloody good at it too.

Terrific! The knives have (unbelievably) been out for Kenny recently on here and it's fair to say that some of his signings have not been up to the level Liverpool FC need, not every performance has been great, our home form has been poor with too many draws to small clubs, we haven't clicked with the goals yet and it's now January......but a trip to Wembley and hopefully a trophy in the cabinet is a treat. What people don't realise is that Kenny loves Liverpool as much as any of us and he showed previously when he managed that he isn't just a Souness or a Robson e.g. fabalous player but shit manager. Kenny is a good manager but to take over Liverpool in January 2011 and be title winners or contenders is not enough time. You have Man City who can buy anyone they want, Man Utd who have won the last title and been in 3 of the last 4 or 5 Champions League Finals, Arsenal where Wenger has been there for 15 years though admittedly they aren't the team they were 8-12 years ago and Spurs who have got a good side and Bale is wonderful on the left. Oh how I wish we had him not Downing but I'm sure any team would want him. There is Chelsea who have won 4 out of the last 7 titles, again not quite what they were but Abramovich could just pay 50m for Torres and could do the same again. There is a lot of competition out there and Kenny must be given decent time to have a chance at getting to the level above. Bellamy has been so great for us. Last season he played for Cardiff in the Championship and that to me is such a shame. A season wasted really for a player of his talent.

His best days are gone. Have to cash in. He has no pace, not a good control and seems to have lost any goal threat he used to have. Thanks Dirk but goodbye.

From the minute I saw the teamsheet I couldn't see a goal scored by us. Stoke were...well Stoke! No shocks, very unskillful and utterly came to defend for a point. After 10 mins it seemed destined for another 0-0. Stoke asked us what do we have in our team to break through and the answer was nothing. Bellamy couldn't play a full game today and Carroll was surpisingly dropped (rested) so that left us with our main goalgetter Mr Dirk Kuyt. He hasn't scored all season and doesn't look like he ever will again for us. I don't hate the guy, he has given us decent service for 5 years and scored some vital goals in his time but he looks useless these days. When Carroll came on we looked a little better up front but nothing special. I don't really blame Kenny, he wasn't to know Suarez was going to be banned for 8 games and I'm sure he had in mind Bellamy being an impact substitute or playing the odd game as back up when he signed him. Now he's become our best threat of a goal. Pity that he is 33 and not able to play 2 games a week. I think Kenny wasted money on Downing, never ever rated the guy and a lot of people on here feel the same. Henderson could still get better but right now he's average. What happened to Adam's great set pieces? They seem to have gone with Reina's penalty saves.

Great result, people on here want our 1987-88 side again and it just can't happen. That was the first side we had where we outclassed the opposition amost every game. Some of the great sides we had before that, Bob Paisley's team or Bill Shankly's team would do exactly what we did today. Go away and get a 1-0 or even a 0-0 and then bring them back to Anfield where 9 times out of 10 Liverpool would do the business. Man City were missing some top lads but still had a team on paper that would outclass ours. Spearing? Adam? City wouldn't dream of wanting those 2. We did great tonight, makes no difference how we got a 1-0 win, we got it and now hopefully we got the small advantage. One more point, remember a few games at Anfield from 2002ish to 2007 where we played Man United and battered them but they won with lucky goals. Off the top of my head I recall a last minute O'Shea goal, A Rooney 30 yarderthat Dudek missed, A lucky Tevez goal. All undeserved results but do you think the United management, players or fans cared a stuff? Of course not. Some people on here want Brazil 1970 every game. Unrealistic. We should be happy as can be that we got a great result.

I totally forgot about him. McAteer played wing back for 3 seasons so he was out wide too though not a traditional winger.

Suarez gets villified and banned for 8 games and fined 40,000 pounds for his alleged crime and meanwhile back in 2004 the then Spain manager Luis Aragones while trying to "motivate" Jose Reyes said "negro de mierda" to him about his Arsenal collegue Thierry Henry. I believe it was translated into English as Tell that black shit that you are much better than him. Don't hold back, tell him from me. Punishment? Kept his job and UEFA fined the Spanish Football Assosiation 87,000 US Dollars. He didn't get fined himself or banned or sacked. Luis Suarez has been totally hung out to dry by the press and the FA.

During Houllier's later days Heskey played left wing and Owen and Baros the front 2. I thought Walters was decent, pity for him that he followed Barnes and his performances were never gonna match up to Barnes. Kewell was an amazing player and when he finally got himself fit for most of season 2005-06 he did very very well, unfortunately he didn't join Liverpool at the best of periods and he was injured all to often. Kewell was no dud though. Le Tallec is missing from the list too. Leonharden played wide for us. He was wide right.

I totally agree Dave, was how I saw things. Downing was terrible and just didn't want to try crosses which of course was why we bought him, he was supposed good at those. Also Pepe on penalties, I started a post about this months ago and what happened to him? He was a great penalty saver and he hasn't saved one for a few seasons now. Maybe last year he saved one BUT it went back out and got put in so still was a goal conceded on the pen.

He seems to be another Riise, good player, way above average but performances have gone to hell and looks like he needs a move. Get the 2006-07 dvd out and look at the Kuyt we just signed and compare to the guy now. It's like 2 different players.

Firstly we didn't lose 1-6 like another team I could mention and they are a very good team. Money has been no object for them for 3 years so you would expect them to be top quality. Yaya Toure is a beast of a centre midfielder and deserves special mention. From my point of view as a Liverpool supporter I thought we played reasonably well but no cutting edge. We never made a good chance to score after Downing's early chance. Downing is very poor and it gives me no pleasure but I never rated him. My brother supports Villa and he told me that Downing is very ordinary. Today he seemed shit scared of playing for Liverpool. He wouldn't even put crosses in as though he was terrified of making a bad one. Right now I think Ryan Babel was a better left winger, he was inconsistent but had flashes of quality, Downing does not. I wish we could have got Adam Johnson instead of Downing. When we signed Downing and I said that comment on a previous thread and a few people said I was talkng crap, that Downing was the better left winger. I don't think so. Johnson came on today and hit a great curling drive against the post. Downing couldn't even do that. I love Kenny and I'm made up that he is our manager again but I remember him when he was manager the first time around. He bought some stinkers as well as some fantastic signings and Downing I fear is the 2011 Jimmy Carter.

So sorry to hear the news. To get a terminal disease and be gone at age 46 is frightning and so sad. Condolences to his family.

When we sold him he went to Birmingham City then Wigan, that says how good he is. Owen was very good playing with Heskey but that says more about Owen's talent than Heskey's. He couldn't hit a barn door 10 years ago and he still can't today.

Maybe you should watch Emile Heskey before going that far.

Poor old Nando, lied to were you? Chelsea of course are the model of honesty and truth. Remember that book you wrote? Looking back now there could be a few porkies in there?

He got 15 mins. Didn't do much.

I see Carragher and his situation as very much the new version of Phil Thompson in the 80's. After 10 years or so of great service to LFC Joe Fagan came in as manager and obviously thought Thommo had had his day. He had a season at Liverpool where he didn't make an appearance (1983-84) and then when Kenny took over he let Thommo go to Sheffield Utd on a free which he accepted. Thommo must have thought it would be nice to keep playing but he was so steeped in LFC that he didn't have the heart any longer to play for another club and so aged 31 he quit playing, not due to injury. I see Carra in the same vein, IF he did leave Liverpool I can't see him playing for another club. I don't think his heart would be in it either. At his age where would he go? Probably a Blackburn or a Wigan type club where he would be in a crap defence and with his lack of pace he would just be exposed time and again. He should just stay at Liverpool and be there if needed. As people have said with Agger's bad injury record it's a formality that soon enough he will be out for a run of games and when that happens we won't look quite so flush in defence.

Remember the "Torres song" that used to ring around Anfield, must have made him feel 10 feet tall. He used to play with such confidence back then. If he had a game at Anfield and didn't score it was a rarity. He was loved and adored. Now he isn't loved by the Chelsea fans, he doesn't even get on the pitch hardly. He might well be at a club in The Champions League and on more money than Liverpool paid him but on a personal level he doesn't play Champions League football. He cuts a very sorry figure now on the Chelsea bench. He won't admit it but I would expect he regrets his move very much now. I hope he also regrets his comments after his transfer where he belittled Liverpool and went on about Chelsea being a top level club.

Torres just doesn't have the pace any longer, that much was shown to be true a few weeks ago when Chelsea played Newcastle at St James Park. Torres came on for the last 10 mins or so and was played in by a through ball. The Newcastle defence were playing a high line close to the centre circle. Torres was onto the ball through and when he played for us he would have been away before maybe going round the keeper and tucking the ball away, this time he tried to get going but the accelaration wasn't there, he managed to shield the ball, turn and play it back to Sturridge who scored but his pace is gone. Bear in mind Torres was fresh and the defenders who caught him up had been playing for 80 mins. If he did come back to us he will not be the player we used to idolize. His move to Chelsea has tarnished him forever but purely as a striker he is not the player he was.