*Official* English Football Season 2015-16

[sledger]

Sturridge obviously has far more positives than negatives as a signing but I don't think he's an unqualified success given how often he's been injured.

I'd say he has been an unqualified success, but there's only a small sample of games/performances, relatively speaking, from which this judgment can be drawn. Kind of like opening a packet of crisps and every individual crisp tasting good. One might say this was an unqualified success, but on the whole it's probably less satisfying /good than a proper meal.

 

[grecian]

Honestly you people aren't real Arsenal supporters, mocking Spurs should be a thing you do.

It's at times like this I miss Brumbers all the more. He'd love the last 2 days.

 

[cpr]

As much as I've enjoyed laughing at Brendan, you have to feel a bit for him. Whoever's running the show there is ****ing it up royally. You either let the manager control everything to do with the team, signings n all, or get rid early and bring in someone who fits the boards philosophy (basically what Southampton did). What you had was someone signing players that the manager can't use and doesn't want, and that a recipe for disaster. We mention how the defence has been poor under him, but if he's not had the input in transfers, can you really blame him? Its not like he's got decent defenders to pick from. Whilst there hasn't exactly been a load of top class defenders available to sign, I'm sure theres been better ones than Lovren and Kolo Toure.

He seems to me to be able to get great results out of players who are motivated (namely young players looking to improve), but lacks the ability to motivate a player who isn't quite with it. There's also something about his manner that suggests he'd quite easily rub up the wrong way a player who isn't overly motivated (could be where the Sterling relationship collapsed last year). His public image really hasn't helped, and he's become a parody of himself by trying to stay positive about some of the right dodgy signings he's been left with.


Thinking about it, he might actually be a decent fit for Sunderland, they are notorious for letting a manager spend how he wants, and his positivity might just rub off on a squad that seemed to have given up in July.

 

[cpr]

I think they were riding their luck a little this season with the selections and today against the best side they encountered, it got messy. 2 midfielders in defense and of course as you say the central midfield, LVG got it very wrong.

It didn't help that Rooney was their as well. LVG should bring in Jones as centre half to partner Smalling and then play a proper full back instead of Young and Valencia who despite their effort are not natural full backs which is why they have been exposed recently.

I actually thought Darmien was the worst player on the pitch in the first half, obviously plenty of competition!

Strange after such a epic start to the season, he has thrown in some absolute horrid performances.

Didn't watch the match, so can't be sure here but still....

On paper the idea of using Young/Valencia isn't a bad idea against Arsenal, we've enjoyed some great form against them by playing them the way teams play us - sit them infront of our goal then hammer them on the break. Young/Valencia would make excellent wing backs in that sort of system. However it relies on the following
A) Arsene sticking to his usual formula
B) Not ****ing up the first 15-20 mins.

Guessing that didnt' happen...

 

[sledger]

Neither Young or Valencia are good enough to cope with really top quality opposition. This game, as well as the FA cup game at Old Trafford last season, have demonstrated that comprehensively.

 

[cpr]

Of course my post above would be more valid if Valencia had actually started....

Told you I didn't watch it....

 

[Cabinet96]

Honestly you people aren't real Arsenal supporters, mocking Spurs should be a thing you do.

It's at times like this I miss Brumbers all the more. He'd love the last 2 days.

Flamini scored a brace against them. I think the least we can do is give them two weeks to recover.

 

[Pothas]

They are actually doing ok though. I mean they are just being Spurs but they are fine.

 

[Cabinet96]

Oh of course. Like I said earlier they definitely get a rough ride from most.

 

[Nate]

The world is mostly an ocean tbf

Bahahahaha

 

[Nate]

Advocaat, McClaren, or Rodgers the first to go?

...aaaand Advocaat pips Rodgers to the post.

 

[GIMH]

Think you have the date wrong there

 

[Furball]

Before we go blaming Liverpool's infamous transfer committee, it's worth pointing out that Rodgers both sat on it and had a veto. So he didn't have anyone forced on him that he didn't want.

 

[GIMH]

Before we go blaming Liverpool's infamous transfer committee, it's worth pointing out that Rodgers both sat on it and had a veto. So he didn't have anyone forced on him that he didn't want.

Nah this is wrong. Any source from the club will tell you he didn't want Balotelli, has been denied players he did want etc.

 

[sledger]

Nah this is wrong. Any source from the club will tell you he didn't want Balotelli, has been denied players he did want etc.

I thought he did want Balotelli. Didn't Gerrard's book that came out a few weeks ago basically say that Rodgers came to him and pitched the idea, and that reluctantly, he tried to get behind the idea?

 

[sledger]

Steven Gerrard reveals how he ran the rule over every new Liverpool signing in their first training session to see if they were a Xabi Alonso or an El Hadji Diouf, a Luis Suarez or a Mario Balotelli | Daily Mail Online

In my last season, Brendan Rodgers came to me at Melwood one day in mid-August. We had a chat on the training pitch. He said, ‘You know we’ve missed out on a couple of signings. I’m basically left with no option but to have a bit of a gamble.’

Brendan paused before he spoke again: ‘The gamble is Mario Balotelli.’ My instant reaction was, ‘Uh-oh.’

Apologies for linking that publication.

 

[Uppercut]

Nah this is wrong. Any source from the club will tell you he didn't want Balotelli, has been denied players he did want etc.

Didn't stop him taking the credit when things were going well though, did it? The same sources indicate that he didn't want Sturridge or Coutinho either.

He always tried to claim responsibility for the club's successes but disown their failures. Have to think that won't go down well with the dressing room.

 

[Ikki]

Yes. That's how the committee works. They have a number of targets and go after them. Those targets didn't materialise into transfers and we Rodgers had to choose between Mario or nobody. So, of course, he was going to pick something over nothing - that's why saying he has final say on the transfer is a bit disingenuous.

There was a Rodgers interview in pre-season where Rodgers said "I can categorically tell you Mario Balotelli will not be at Liverpool," and then 1-2 weeks later we sign him.

That's also the reason why the TC should be ****ed off. It exempts people from responsibility. I'd rather the manager took care of it, or a DoF, and we knew who signed what. As Carra said yesterday; a TC is too political.

 

[GIMH]

Didn't stop him taking the credit when things were going well though, did it? The same sources indicate that he didn't want Sturridge or Coutinho either.

He always tried to claim responsibility for the club's successes but disown their failures. Have to think that won't go down well with the dressing room.

Oh I agree, it works both ways. The guy is clearly a bit of a smug whopper.

I thought he did excellently in 13-14, yes he had great forwards in-form at his disposal but he had the whole team playing excellent football that was legitimately exciting to watch. But he didn't have the capability to maintain that when shorn of Suarez. Yes, any team would suffer from the loss of such a player, but the top managers bounce back from things like that.

Ultimately, he's pretty much left Liverpool where he found them.

 

[Ikki]

Ultimately, he's pretty much left Liverpool where he found them.

Actually, I'd say we're better now. Before we had an old and ageing squad on the way down and now I'd say it's the very opposite; young and likely to improve if we can keep them together.

It's not that he's just lost Suarez. You look at that 13-14 team and the only players to feature consistently now since then are Coutinho, Skrtel and Mignolet. Suarez, Sterling, Gerrard, Johnson gone; Sturridge, Flanagan, Hendo injured.

Take the Everton game; how many of those were involved in 13-14: Sturridge, Coutinho, Lucas, Skrtel, Sakho and Mignolet (only 3 of them consistently). 5 new players. In football, IMO, when you have 3 different players in a line-up, the changes are noticeable; let alone more than that and game-after-game to boot. Liverpool fans didn't want to hear the "rebuilding" argument but the reality is that it has been the last 2 seasons. We've bought a lot of players. Some who may succeed and some who may not but the expectation for them to hit the ground running is inane. Football just doesn't work like that.

As Souness said (hate how I'm even using his words); Liverpool no longer buy the finished article. We're buying talents to develop under FSG. Because of that, we'll be 'rebuilding' all the time.