Liverpool thread

[Jonesy Knows]

Barclays Premier League : Table 23 Aug 17:11 | Home | Away Team P W D L F A W D L F A GD PTS 1 Liverpool 2 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 6 2 Blackburn 2 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 2 1 4 3 Hull 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 4 4 Newcastle 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 4 5 Chelsea 1 1 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 6 Aston Villa 2 1 0 0 4 2 0 0 1 2 3 1 3 7 Bolton 2 1 0 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 3 8 West Ham 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 9 Arsenal 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 Everton 2 0 0 1 2 3 1 0 0 2 1 0 3 11 Middlesbrough 2 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 3 12 Sunderland 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 0 3 13 Stoke 2 1 0 0 3 2 0 0 1 1 3 -1 3 14 Man Utd 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 15 Fulham 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 16 Wigan 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 -1 0 17 Man City 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 4 -2 0 18 Tottenham 2 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 -2 0 19 West Brom 2 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 -2 0 20 Portsmouth 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 -4 0 I think the term win ugly used by Shanks is rather apt! We can't play much worse and we are top? Gerrard had a stinker! and gets the winner well I will forgive him for that I wonder which non Liverpool fan who is going to bite 1st and post there usual boring comments saying how lucky Liverpool are?

[aliando]

i'm a liverpool fan and i'll bite first - how long can rafa go on for playing shite football against small clubs? two wins, yes - deserved, no.

It would be ridiculous to change manager now, but come xmas, if we're not delivering on the league front then Rafa must go and the board must find someone who both can work with the directors/parry AND focus on winning the premiership,

[Jonesy Knows]

The manager isn't an issue the platform between the board and him is!
Parry must go he has no balls and is purely a yes man! he must understand that Rafa needs to be backed but he is now too busy kiss assing Gillet & Hicks. Parry came out today before the kick off and said the Barry deal is dead and buried and no longer an issue? well of course it is still an issue Rafa still wants him!

It's early days in the season Ali and I would rather us play bad now than later on in the season. We don't have our first 11 players playing together yet! so getting lucky now is good.

It is very apparent we need width and when Babel is back in the first 11 and hopefully before the transfer window shuts, we get a left sided winger we will be a very different proposition alltogether.

I'm not going to barrack Rafa just yet - he needs to be given what he requires then after that I will judge on the performances and silverware.

let's celebrate being top! well for a day at least

[aliando]

i understand what you are saying but my frustration was growing badly last season and to see in the first home game of the season, us losing one nil and changing Dossena with Fabio Aurelio just infuriates me further - perhaps i'm missing something but if we are ineffective up front CHANGE THE FRONT MEN!

lets hope you are right about us improving ready for the business end - and that we are in a position to challenge.

[Darren]

Its good to be picking up wins when playing poorly, but I don't think thats meant to apply to every game. Thats 3 competitive games so far and we have come away with more than we deserved.

Is Pennant still with us? We haven't enough wide options and if he is still here, where the fcuk is he? Don't know if he is injured or not, but he aint making the 7 subs.

[Darren]

Originally Posted by aliando

i understand what you are saying but my frustration was growing badly last season and to see in the first home game of the season, us losing one nil and changing Dossena with Fabio Aurelio just infuriates me further - perhaps i'm missing something but if we are ineffective up front CHANGE THE FRONT MEN!

lets hope you are right about us improving ready for the business end - and that we are in a position to challenge.

Front men aint the problem if there is no supply. Right midfield each game so far has been Kuyt, left Benayoun. Thats hardly going to worry many sides. Benayoun spends more time in the centre and Kuyt is too busy chasing lost causes.

TBH Dossena has looked very poor so far. Aurelio can offer something going forward as well.

[Darren]

Originally Posted by Jonesy Knows

The manager isn't an issue the platform between the board and him is!
Parry must go he has no balls and is purely a yes man! he must understand that Rafa needs to be backed but he is now too busy kiss assing Gillet & Hicks. Parry came out today before the kick off and said the Barry deal is dead and buried and no longer an issue? well of course it is still an issue Rafa still wants him!

It's early days in the season Ali and I would rather us play bad now than later on in the season. We don't have our first 11 players playing together yet! so getting lucky now is good.

It is very apparent we need width and when Babel is back in the first 11 and hopefully before the transfer window shuts, we get a left sided winger we will be a very different proposition alltogether.

I'm not going to barrack Rafa just yet - he needs to be given what he requires then after that I will judge on the performances and silverware.

let's celebrate being top! well for a day at least

TBH I don't think Rafa has been blameless in the Barry saga. Rafa may want him, but we are not prepared to pay 18M. If Villa aren't willing to budge on 18M that should have been the end of it, we look elsewhere. Seems like we are always going to mess about on transfers these days...every summer has a long saga involving Liverpool now.

[AJ]

I'll bite, August league tables are meaningless. I do recall plenty of them being posted on here last season as well.

After three league games last season Manchester United had two points, and were in a relegation spot, how did our season turn out in the end ? Can someone remind me.

Having said that, playing ugly and winning is an important skill to have if you want to win the league.

Come May no one will remember that Liverpool were 1-0 down with 4 mins to go, all that'll matter is theý picked up three points.

Frankly it's about time Liverpool put in a good title challange, the game needs a strong Liverpool.

Bring it on.

[mileni4uk]

The Keane & Torres partnership is imoriving. Babel needs bit of time. He just came back. He will give us more width. With Masherano in the center we look different team. Gerrard will soon find his full fitness. We can only get better. Man U weren't very good in the first game and lost points. Aresnal were 10 times worse today. Only Chelsea started on fire. We were losing these games before. That said .. I still can't see us winning the league with those wingers and full backs. In the middle of the park we are very strong, but there is nothing on both flanks.

[Jonesy Knows]

I've just watched the re-run of Liverpool v Boro on MOTD and they share my view about us not having any width. Scarey to think that this is an ongoing problem for us same as last season! imagine with genuine width and still an awesome middle of the park, how many goals Torres will score?

Downing is now being touted for us thank fcuk for that! I believe he will genuinely be our missing link!

Babel on his natural right side, Downing on the left with Gerrard and Mascherano /Alonso in the middle with Keane just sitting behind Torres.
That will be an awesome combination! and one that will push Chelsea & Man Utd right down to the wire!

[Charlie Wong]

i'd rather we went for someone like Ashley Young rather than Barry, he looks to have a very bright future, got pace,beats his man and can cross, a young John Barnes?.

we may have to make do with waht we've got, im not overly convinced by Downing as Boro will want big bucks, Rafa would probably look abroad, David Silva wont come now, Quaresma would be decent, there was another winger called Vicente who played for Valencia, he looked decent he'd be a punt cause he's had a few injuries but is quality and similar to Silva, would be cheap aswell.

I still think we'll be alright with what we've got,

Babel--Gerrard--Mascherano/Alonso--Aurelio

Gerrard--Mascherano--Alonso--Babel/Aurelio

may have to play Gerrard on the right....

[mileni4uk]

Originally Posted by Sir Fernando

i'd rather we went for someone like Ashley Young rather than Barry, he looks to have a very bright future, got pace,beats his man and can cross, a young John Barnes?.

We tried to take him, but failed. Who beat us?? Villa The truth is Rick Parry is a clown and we suck on the transfer market big time. This has been for ages now. Barry being just the latest proof

[mileni4uk]

Wonder who is in charge of the transfers now? I can critisize Rick Parry all day long yea .. but why the hell do you need Gareth Barry for over 18mln. when you can get David Bentley for 15 and he solves you the width problems. He solves you the poor corner delivery problems. He solves you the poor free kick delivery problems as well. Ashley Young definitely plays better than Benayoun on the flanks. Why didn't we get him last year? The only thing that can save Rafa is a miracle happening to Babel, who can raise his game and be our wide solution. He is yet to prove he's good enough though. Masherano is coming back and he is critically important for this team too. And if Steve G finds his form and the two up-front form a goodpartnership, we can challange.

[davidmphill]

Albert Reira is worryingly once again being linked with the club as it appears that Downing won't be leaving Boro.

Glad Barry seems dead and buried. With Sissoko gone it makes sense to play Alonso and or Masch alongside Gerrard.

Not too impressed with what I have seen of Keane so far, fair do's its very early and I have always liked him elsewhere so hopefully he can come good.

Huge game on Wednesday. 3 games in so far and no performances to fill you with confidence. Got out of jail in Liege, hopefully the game can be put to bed by half time. The longer it goes on at 0-0 the more I worry for the dreaded away goal ala Mido on Saturday.

[Darren]

So the options are Reira for 9M or Downing for 13M if all is to believed....

Hmmm, those aren't good options, Reira might be good but he wasn't when at Man City not that long ago so 9M is a lot. And Downing aint worth snything like 13M.

When it comes to wide players we haven't bought well. We missed out on Simao a fair while ago now, and then missed out on him again after he put us out of Champions League, also missed out on Quaresma. Those two have talent, I don't think much of Reira or Downing - other than that they can play on the left.

[aliando]

why are we going for another unknown spaniard? what % of top class spaniards have we had now? alonso and torres are the only 2 i believe are/have been worthy of the shirt.

[Darren]

I have to laugh when I read in the press that "Liverpool have the strongest squad in the premiership". And thats not from the Liverpool Echo either!

Given our wingers in recent weeks have regulary been Kuyt and Benayoun, it makes a mockery of that comment. We have strength in certain areas (we look ok for 2 GK now, and 4 centre backs) but other than than we look to just have numbers. Centre midfield might be strong too, but take Gerrard out and I am not sure it is.

[Darren]

Originally Posted by aliando

why are we going for another unknown spaniard? what % of top class spaniards have we had now? alonso and torres are the only 2 i believe are/have been worthy of the shirt.

Apart from his headcase moments Reina is the best keeper we have had in years.

Nunez, Morientes, Josemi etc...never did it in the Prem. A few youngster from Spain also never made it, but some we made profit on, some we will make a small loss on. With young players you never know.

Reira...not seen him play much since his City days. Totally unconvinced on him for 9M or so though. But what does that buy these days anyway, Anton Ferdinand costs 8M apparently!

[aliando]

didnt think of reina as was only thinking of out-field players, but admittedly i do like him.

struggling to contain my unhapiness regarding the off the field scenario and rafa's anti-premiership tactics.

[Darren]

Originally Posted by aliando

didnt think of reina as was only thinking of out-field players, but admittedly i do like him.

struggling to contain my unhapiness regarding the off the field scenario and rafa's anti-premiership tactics.

Rafa it seems gets away with all his antics though. We haven't had great seasons in the Prem under him, last season could be viewed as closing the gap but really we were out of the title race by start of January - our best effort under him to date.

He seems to me to me stirring up the fans to support him in the Barry thing (BTW Barry and Parry and have now both said its a dead deal - hopefully that