Liverpool Banter Archive December 14 2014

14 Dec 2014 21:04:58
Why are there fans saying he needs the season to put things right? We're in December now with a busy schedule ahead and its as dire as dire can be,
Never mind the system, never mind the players being good enough or not, never mind losing Suarez or Danny, never mind last season which by the way coming 2nd wins you nothing, never mind the bad signings and wasted money all that counts is this,
Football is a results business, we are not getting many results therefore its not working and it needs to change, If the manager had a track record of Champions league trophies, Wembley visits and top four finishes and you honestly thought that he had the experience to get out of a hole then you could argue for time, He hasn't and probably never will so he should be afforded no time, his record this season is worse than Moyes at UTD last season and he refuses to blame himself for any of it!
We need fresh ideas and fresh tactics as these aren't working at all and after the amount of money he's spent how can he possibly expect to get more to spend in the window or be trusted with any more of the clubs cash?,
I don't care who comes in if i'm honest but what I do know is I don't like what I see week in week out and its getting worse by the week,
Arsenal next week any takers for a loss again? this man is as stubborn as they come and not playing a man like Borini who puts it all in good enough or not when we have no strikers is a complete disaster,
Not a happy Sunday (again)

14 Dec 2014 21:46:30
Since we went with no strikers today, expect a starting eleven with no defenders against Arsenal. Lols
Certainly possible.

14 Dec 2014 21:48:20
Look at it this way. We have been rebuilding now for over 20 years - longer than Sterling has been alive in fact.

IMO, it is very rare that playing with no recognized striker works. Today, Sterling was in good positions to score BUT not being a striker by nayure, hindered him and in those situations, he panicked and either rushed things or was being to careful with his touch hence, lacked the composure to make better decisions. A striker has a striker`s instinct meaning, you have to be cool, compossed and make sure your touch is perfect or you will fluff your lines. If Lambo/Studge hade those chances, they would b morelikely to score. I hope this is the last time BR uses it because it cost us today along w/ the other shambles (selection, formations and you know, the usual)

14 Dec 2014 22:58:52
We went into this match without any strikers and without any defenders.What angers me more than anything is the fact that one of the greatest clubs in Europe (6 Cups with the big ears) is now being laughed at by supporters of (yo-yo) clubs like West Ham United and Crystal Palace. Bring on the kids!

Pape, I wouldn`t be too worried about what fans of lesser teams have to say. Why? Simple. I cannot hear them all the way from where I am sitting. Sitting on 40 plus major trophies. Case closed!

15 Dec 2014 01:08:34
Spot on Red Lenin, funnily enough, I don't think we've ever been up and down as much with no serious direction over the long term since before Shankly perhaps (wasn't alive then so I can't say), we really needed to consolidate ourselves in the Premier League era, but seems we never did, and let others pass us by.

Woah, love the thumbnail TheMeeowmers

14 Dec 2014 20:51:52
hi guys i'm a long time reader, not posted for a long while but couldn't take much more and thought i'd join the debate. i was a big fan of brendan and last season we played some of the best football I've seen since the rafa days of beating madrid and fernando scoring for fun, but i am slowly loosing faith as many of you already have. i have been utterly baffled with some of the team selections and tactics this year and really can't work out what's changed so quickly, is it the loss of suarez, sturridge being made of glass, genuine bad luck or maybe its all glen johnsons fault i'm really not sure. the only thing making me wonder about keeping rodgers is who we could genuinly replace him with that could do much better. i think klopp will have his pick of jobs e.g barca and don't think he would abandon dortmund in the situation they are in unless sacked, is de boer really that proven or just another brendan with better support from his other staff at ajax and in a weaker league, pulis?? really?? seen him today linked with replacing big sammi at brighton and that seems about right for him, don't see many prem clubs rushing to give him a job. so my question fellow reds is who can we turn to to rescue our precious club and turn things around, rafa? can't see fsg going there after the last time they looked to the past, i just don't see the answer do any of you.

also on a side note i see suarez is hardly pulling up trees in la liga, knew he wouldn't fit in with messi and co as think he needs to be the main man which there he is clearly not, "cheeky" loan bid maybe??

14 Dec 2014 21:04:00
Klopp would be dream and much needed signing. His name would attract players to us. After the elite list of mangers which includes Jose, Anchelotti etc him and someone are the next best.
Suarez has close to 10 assists already there.

There is more chance he pops out of a cake on the 25th, in your home, just to tell you happy Xmas, than a loan bid back. And he will be great in Barcelona. Players like him in an ordinary team get all the focus of the defence is on him whcih can be annoying. There defenders have to focus on Messi and Neymar so more freedom to him. He will score tons of goals I am sure. Maybe in 10 years he will be willing to come back. (I will happily take him even then).

I was only joking about the loan bid by the way guys, i know luis is world class and will do fine over there. also i would love to get klopp in as manager but just don't see it unfortunately, he will prob end up at arsenal knowing our luck

Why would a world class player, who tried to leave on more than one occasion, go back when things are worse than before? It is looking bad for you guys, Gerrard is past it and can never be replaced, your goalie is a massive liability, and your defence is one of the worst you've probably ever had! Sturridge is never going to play a full season, and without Suarez making the space, he won't look half the player he was, it will just become clearer how greedy he actually is. The only one player who is anywhere close to being a top player is sterling, and I have doubts he will be there long.

14 Dec 2014 21:58:25
Klopp? See they lost again today

Honestly anybody is better than rodgers right now. If his own arrogance hadnt destroyed us any further, now lack of confidence, panikcing and self preservation is coming into it. Expect random senseless changes to the team like the ones today and stupid statements to the press.

I don't like using the phrase 'found out', because i believe had he absorbed advice as he did in his first and second seasons we would be in the top four right now. In fact the opposite has happened, he seems to think that because we did well last season that nothing matters and we don't need to improve. He is a lost cause and he needs to go, bloody person has ruined it all for himself like everybody in british football does nowadays.

14 Dec 2014 23:01:51
thanks for the replies guys. i know right now anyone would seem better than rodgers but i still can't think who. as cancan said klopp is having his own struggles at the moment and perhaps even worse than ours, i also think he will have his pick of jobs when he wants one. i just don't see any top quality managers that would take the job right now. as i said before i can't see fsg going for rafa, avb and de boer seem big gambles right now and may not be an upgrade on brendan, i would love bielsa but he is doing well in france and prob wouldn't move, also is it still in the fsg job description to speak english, that narrows it down even further. we maybe stuck with buck for the forseeable future

Ano, BR has allowed the hype of last year (can`t understand why. We won nothing) to get to his head and for a guy who is naturally stubborn, arrogant and talkative to a fault, he has messed up the relative success and little credit he garnered till date. He is a lost soul who is pointing at any and everthing except himself for the very issues he himself has caused. He also said a lot of smug remarks last and this year about other coaches like AVB, Moyes, and LVG that is coming back to haunt him now. We are a shambles now and there is rumored unrest in the dressing room and who can blame some of the players who think they are better than the favs he picks all the time (GJ, Skrtl, Allen, SG) while Can, Lallana, Borini, Sakho, Manquillo, Suso can never see the field for crap. Just read now that he was telling the media about there being issues in the dressing room but won`t discuss it. He can never shut his mouth and nothing is ever his fault. Bottom line is I just want my team to win and I really don`t care who manages us PROVIDED he knows what he is doing and is accountable for his success and his failures and not make a complete fool of himself everytime

DeBoer is the likely candidate now and Bielsa might still move BUT not to Lfc IMO because he and the owner don`t agree on certain issues like transfers and stuff. Every coach you hire is a gamble. The diff is that proven coaches look less like a gamble BUT gamble nonetheless. The owners want DeBoer and if he`s their guy, they should go after him

14 Dec 2014 20:41:21
Re the goalkeeper situation seems as mignolet has been dropped (thankfully) and jones probably not good enough as a number 1 would ter-stegan be an option in january? hasn't played in la liga yet and was top class for Monchengladbach. Him and bender would be 2 players i would be looking at to improve the spine of the team. Cheers eds have a good christmas period

Why not keep reina, that would have been cheaper .well we're on this, if wisdom agger Kelly would have been there we would be £40 million better off and proberbly 6/9 points better off .but rodgers knows best . Best thing for our club is for us fans to try and get buy and run it as a football club and not a shower of rubbish .

Fans? Jesus no, think about some of the players everyone here was gagging for at our club, Gastón Ramirez, Róndon, Sissoko, De Jong, Lamela etc. to name a few. It is always easy to manage a side from behind a keyboard. I would say that none of us were complaining about the signing of Lovren, except possibly a few about the price.

14 Dec 2014 17:48:13
Why does everyone go on about scoring goals?if we could actually defend it might help us.We need to get back to the simple things in the game before we can go out and score 5 goals every game.br is seriously geting found out.we need to win our tackles and be better positioned in defence.We can't go out and score loads of goals like last season as we don't have the players!we were lucky last season that we scored so many goals and covered the mistakes we made.We need to defend first before we can go forward!

Let's ignore the bizarre team selections and tactics.

The coaching is just poor. Players don't get tight to there man, they don't track runners, they don't press the man on the ball, nobody is organising the midfield, when Toure is out nobody is organising the defence, the wing backs are not timing their runs, the strikers and wide forwards are not moving for the ball, the creative midfielders are panicking and conceding possession.

These are all problems with the coaching. Even if we play the right players, in the right positions, with the right tactics, nothing will change because the coaching is awful.

For Uniteds first, why didn't Allen track Rooneys run? Why didn't Moreno track Mata's run (he may have been offside but nobody even knew he was there) and Van Persie's goal was just embarassing particularly from Lovren.

I cannot see us beating Bournemouth. I cannot see us even putting up a fight against Arsenal, and I cannot see Rodgers being in charge on boxing day.

Ye what does scoring has to do with this game anyway? Scoring? in football? all this pathetic attempts to put the ball behind the keeper and into this strange net is ridiculus. Surely who ever invented this game was only interested in good tackling and only much later they added this weird unecessary side effect called goals. We should probably get rid of that and go back to giving points to teams that can get the ball to one fo their players in the box of the opposition - we would probably be champions in that.

For uniteds first, Allen was occupied with being nutmegged by Valencia. Coutinho was man marking Rooney, but he kinda gave up.

Allen should not be getting sucked to the ball out wide. The left back and left centre back should've been left to deal with Valencia so Allen could cover the massive gap he left on the edge of our area. He got sucked to the ball and he should've known better. More to the point, once Allen made the mistake to get sucked out of position, why didn't Gerrard or Hendo react to the danger and cover him?

It is just too many individual errors.

14 Dec 2014 18:43:34
Adam

I am not sure what you were pointing in your first reply on coaching. As it stands we had the same coaching team whole last season and saw every thing going well except the defense.

The first goal was such a poor defending. Moreno run to help Allen instead of runing further into the box and never gets to help Allen anyway. Gerrad walking (slowly) on the end of the box with no purpose and there was another player that side - not sure who he was - so four players do nothing there and Valencia pass through them like butter. Than Coutinho dpesn't even bother running after Ronney and just stop and turn around - well it is only Rooney what can he do alone in front of an open goal (Carragher called him weak and lazy and rightly so). Some of these guys take the 'walk' in you never walk alone quite literally. Well until they don't start to run and at least make an effort they will be totally alone as far as I concerned. I honestly start to think that until the fans will not start to protest nothing will change.

14 Dec 2014 19:15:24
Fanonip

Is that all down to just coaching or the players not putting a shift? School boy errors from professionals.
And BTW there is nothing you could teach lovern who has conceded a goal every time he has started.

Harry all of thode problems were there last season as many of us kept saying. The problem was Sturridge, Suarez and Sterling were just unplayable and papered over the cracks. Every time I or anybody else criticised anything we were shot down by the 'real fans'.

We played a good pressing style that got the best out of a lot of our players but there were still coaching deficiencies all over the pitch.

Evertine people pointed them out we were told to shut up and support the team because they were winning.

Well now there is nobody to paper over the cracks, you're all saying what some of us have been saying consistently since Rodgers took over.

10 wins in a row after attending a coaching seminar does not detract from the fact that we've been awful for 2 and a half years.

You're saying you wanted your right centre back in a 3 man defense where allen was. Are you for real?!?

I don't know whose fault is it, combination of things probably - BR obviously, the transfer comittee, Sturridge's muscles, Luis Suzrez, Alexis Sanches and I can go on forever. Of course I don't think lack of effort is our main problem but when we are where we are, playing in Old Trafford with all this pressure, you at least expect the players to chase Wayne Rooney and not give up half way out of laziness.

14 Dec 2014 19:57:22
Agreed to core Adam and I wish everyone listened you last time.
But you are still guilty of convincing most here that Suarez goals and his work would be replaced by the attackers and midfielders.
Wrong. Every team need that one ex factor, one man who could just make most others work brilliant
Aguero, costa, Di-Maria.

No matter how much we change and press high, you don't score, you don't win.

Selling a world class player for 75 mill and spend 20 million to replace him?

Last year year we played the best football in 20 years, finished with a huge points total, turned anfield into a fortress, could've won the league tight until the final game of the season. You haven't got a clue what you are talking about East Midlands, absolute nonsense. Do you want Hodgeson back? Houllier and Rafa? You would moan then. You are completely ridiculous.

That I cannot deny Harry. I had faith that Rodgers would continue to play how Biesla had adviced him and expected him to learn from his mistakes and actually start to improve as a manager and coach. My confidence in him was misplaced and as you say, Suarez's loss seems to have affected us more than I imagined. Confidence looks shattered. I can't honestly believe that with all that money, Rodgers still couldn't craft a teamthat suited his style.

Sorry left centre back*

14 Dec 2014 20:16:58
Fanobip

On your post, no matter how much we slate BR and his coaching, it had nothing to do with Sterling missing sitter and from some time.
We should have had the grip on the game if one went inside.

And regarding the coaching. UTD with the greatest manager Incharge are playing awful from past 4 months, but they keep picking up vital points. Thanks to some of their world class players at their disposal.

Arsenal under the guidance of the master Wenger himself need Sanchez to rescue.

To be fair to Allen, EMS, he was covering for Moreno who had gone walkabout. Moreno should have slotted into Allen's role but didn't. Then Coutinho watched Rooney saunter into the play without a care in the world. The whole sequence was comical and, as you point out, probably indicative of poor coaching or at best just a shamble of laziness across the squad.

EMS, I agree totally with you, I was on here all last season complaining about the defence while people were putting the bunting out and lining the streets, it doesn't matter who plays in that defence it will always concede even with FRANZ BECKENBAUR and BOBBY MOORE as centre-halves, and that has to be down to the systems RODGERS plays. the question is how long do we put up with it.

14 Dec 2014 20:56:20
The moment Suarez scores that goal against Norwich. I saw a man standing by the touch line with literally no idea what to do next. Because it was Suarez with or without any instructions single handedly eating the opposition.

When you have players as good as him and sturridge, you just need to keep both of them fit. They would do it on the pitch.

"The coaching is just poor. Players don't get tight to there man, they don't track runners, they don't press the man on the ball, nobody is organising the midfield, when Toure is out nobody is organising the defence, the wing backs are not timing their runs, the strikers and wide forwards are not moving for the ball, the creative midfielders are panicking and conceding possession.

These are all problems with the coaching. Even if we play the right players, in the right positions, with the right tactics, nothing will change because the coaching is awful."

Spot on, EMS! Sometimes success in pro sports is down to personality and a test of wills. You have to b ready for a battle and be ready to get stuck in, claw, for the right to compete. This entality comes from the coach. Why does Arsenal get blitzed all the time and crumble under any kind of pressure YET Chelsea and City do not? It is down to a manager`s imprint and the values he wants to pinject into the dressing room. Our players don`t have that strength of will and determination to go and fight for every ball and andevery opportunity to compete. We have players like GJ and Enrique who don`t wanna tackle, get stuck in and don`t bother to track their men or fight for the ball when they lose it. They do that a lot yet still get to play the next game. This is because the manager tolerates such behavior hence, they continues to do it. Managing people DEMANDS accountability and responsibility and BR unlike Mou and Pello who run a very tight ship where no istakes are tolerated, doesn`t demand accountability because he himself doesn`t have to begin with which is why he takes responsibility for nothing. That is why we are soft, don`t track runners, can`t defend set-pieces and get bullied often in games. The arena of sports is a field of battle where battle lines are drawn and you have to fight for the right to compete. We do not have that mentality which is why Coutinho can jog back and not track Rooney because the coach doesn`t demand that from his players because he is too focused on the "technical side" of the players. Whatever the eff that is!

"The coaching is just poor. Players don't get tight to there man, they don't track runners, they don't press the man on the ball, nobody is organising the midfield, when Toure is out nobody is organising the defence, the wing backs are not timing their runs, the strikers and wide forwards are not moving for the ball, the creative midfielders are panicking and conceding possession.

These are all problems with the coaching. Even if we play the right players, in the right positions, with the right tactics, nothing will change because the coaching is awful."

Spot on, EMS! Sometimes success in pro sports is down to personality and a test of wills. You have to b ready for a battle and be ready to get stuck in, claw, for the right to compete. This entality comes from the coach. Why does Arsenal get blitzed all the time and crumble under any kind of pressure YET Chelsea and City do not? It is down to a manager`s imprint and the values he wants to pinject into the dressing room. Our players don`t have that strength of will and determination to go and fight for every ball and andevery opportunity to compete. We have players like GJ and Enrique who don`t wanna tackle, get stuck in and don`t bother to track their men or fight for the ball when they lose it. They do that a lot yet still get to play the next game. This is because the manager tolerates such behavior hence, they continues to do it. Managing people DEMANDS accountability and responsibility and BR unlike Mou and Pello who run a very tight ship where no istakes are tolerated, doesn`t demand accountability because he himself doesn`t have to begin with which is why he takes responsibility for nothing. That is why we are soft, don`t track runners, can`t defend set-pieces and get bullied often in games. The arena of sports is a field of battle where battle lines are drawn and you have to fight for the right to compete. We do not have that mentality which is why Coutinho can jog back and not track Rooney because the coach doesn`t demand that from his players because he is too focused on the "technical side" of the players. Whatever the eff that is!

14 Dec 2014 16:49:55
Hi eds, been hearing rumours of liverpool putting a bid of 3.2 million for Jaime Baez, he's a 19 year old striker from uraguay who's being dubbed the new Suarez (yeah yeah I know) is there any truth in this or have Valencia won the race to sign him?

Many thanks

Henlow red

{Ed002's Note - Search engine please.}

14 Dec 2014 13:12:50
This could be fun. 11 goals is the record in a premier league game right? Well, when neither team has a defence I'd be surprised if that's not at least pushed. 6-4 loss?

14 Dec 2014 15:41:55
Yeah. fun.

14 Dec 2014 12:44:05
I can't believe we don't have a striker starting today and no Lucas

14 Dec 2014 12:50:36
Could you believe Skretel is starting again with Johnson on the right side.

James wilson will look like a world beater against Jones, skrtel and lovren. Especially because we don´t play a DM.

And Toure on the bench. He's no idea from one game to the next. It's like he puts all names in a hat and pulls out 11 names.

This is not going to go well. JWH, pull the trigger and put us all out out collective misery.

I'm disgusted, a game we must not lose and he drops our best DM, plays Johnson(our worst right back), Allen(who has all the presence and purpose of a crisp packet blowing in the wind), he'll probably play Gerrard as defensive midfielder(he really does learn nothing!) and then plays our weakest keeper, Brendan if you wanted the sack, this was the line up to do it.

The sad thing is, I can believe it.

If we lose today Rodgers will look like a fool.

However, if we win, it might actually save his career for a little bit longer.

You never know, could be a tactical master stroke.

It's shocking not to play Lucas he's been our best player recently, sterling is gunna be so isolated up there.

I've been looking at the formation for about 20 mins and I'm still not sure how were setting up. I guess we will see in about 15 mins. Ps I hope jones does well.

14 Dec 2014 13:21:17
Picked a side that can play a high intensity pressing game with plenty of pace and guile on the counter. I personally don't like there not being an out and out forward playing but the team makes sense tactically. Obviously the keeper issue, how many times has a no.2 played against us and had a worldy? Why not Jones.

In for a good game here!

Good game? We are likely to get are arses served up to us by our most heated rivals and that's good?

Allen at fault for the goal. No match winners in our team, this is going one way.

Moreno totally failed to follow mata for the second. Who on earth is coaching this shower?

14 Dec 2014 14:21:47
Mata was a 2 metres offside though

14 Dec 2014 14:29:43
Embarrassing from you lot (Dennis with your reply to me) if you the fans can't get yourselves up for a huge clash and have some optimism before the game even kicked off, how do you expect the players to? Guys that may not have any affinity to the club other than collecting their pay cheques?
It's as if you all wanted us to lose going into this let alone expected it to happen.
Agendas aside with BR etc you should be able to get behind the club going into any game let alone huge clashes like this.
Best fans in the world? Having a laugh with the majority. Embarrassing.

{Ed001's Note - you expect people to be optimistic? How is it embarrassing to have watched utter dross all season and lose your optimisim? I would say it was realism, instead of blind deluded faith in hoping something would happen by pure miracle.}

14 Dec 2014 15:11:54
Big e have u watched the same liverpool as the rest of us actual fans this season if you think mid table after this amount of games is acceptable then thank god your not in charge of lfc as you would clearly think relegation was an achievement!!

Well said Ed001, you win nothing with blind faith. Shocking performance, we have created nothing all game, I'm being realistic in my appraisal of the way we are playing.

Optimistic about the potential of watching another 90 minutes of clueless football from the team you've supported all your life?
Not a chance, we are absolutely awful! Worst team in the league, don't deserve to be anywhere near mid table, I wasted £££s of hard earned cash to watch Liverpool grind out a 0-0 draw against Sunderland a couple weeks ago.that threw me over the edge, until the manager changes or gets sacked I will continue to show complete lack of optimism and excitement for Liverpool games. because that is the reality of where we are. Void of any direction or confidence.
Utter shambles. embarrassed to wear my LFC shirt atm. Its really THAT bad.

14 Dec 2014 15:36:33
If you can't get up for a huge game like that despite form and prior performances then what is the point? If this was another bog standard game then sure, maybe your agendas and lack of positivity could be excused. But for one of our biggest fans of the season and you just expect us to have rolled over before a ball is kicked? Love it.
Post game, far from shocking as we've seen. Some top keeping and poor finishing is what ultimately cost us. Defence still problematic. Gerrard anonymous and lacks leadership.
Not going to argue further because you all have agendas that apparently vast outweigh any chance of unbiased debate.

{Ed001's Note - clearly you are too biased for unbiased debate anyway!}

Why would anyone get up for a game that in reality you know your more than likely going to be in for a mighty fall after 90 minutes. Proved again today.
Deluded is the word.
There comes a time when you can only take so much, I think we are getting close, if not already there. this is Liverpool ffs. .we are a giant in football. and at the moment we are a giant laughing stock.
Fair enough if anyone wants to continually support this s-storm. but I honestly don't know how or why anyone would.
It hurts to be a fan of Liverpool right now.

14 Dec 2014 10:59:57
massive game today 6 pointer, we win 4 points behind them, in third, lose ten points! we have to get something from the game. also inter and mancini linked to ballo today, 8 mill, is this bs eds cus i can't really see mancini wanting him after his exploits with city!

14 Dec 2014 12:37:11
Redman

That team news ll surprise you mate.

Yes mate if going with that formation why not toure in the three, put johnson as the wing back and moved henderson in the middle for allen . johnson might actually have been beter as the wing back going forward cus defensively shocking he might have to do a lot today.

14 Dec 2014 10:45:28
Actually looking forward to the game today. I might spend half the game watching from behind the sofa though!

Given where we are I just hope that the players are set up to have a go at Utd .

With regard to the players whoever plays I hope they realise the importance of a performance here .

I dream of a win & I do think that they are beatable, but given the recent form, formations and quality available .I just hope that we can get anything from this game .

Come on lads, pride in the shirt today !

{Ed002's Note - There are a number of managers with growing or well respected reputations I can think of. Normally I would avoid naming names but given that for most of the rest of the day the posts will end up on the Other page, as a special treat I will. One real standout right now is Italian Roberto Stellone. In France, both Willy Sagnol and Olivier Echouafni have growing reputations. Although over the limit age wise, Philippe Montanier is gaining a lot of respect. Spain, the stand out attracting attention is Diego Simeone. In Russia there are people expecting Murat Yakin to move on. The Netherlands has the likes of De Boer and Phillip Cocu. Elsewhere Laudrup, Petrescu, Hutter and Martinez are well thought of.

14 Dec 2014 20:03:55
Ed002 what about Unai Emery? Is he really as good as press says he is?

{Ed002's Note - I don't know what the press have said but he is well thought of.}

14 Dec 2014 10:14:27
Looks like I'm one of few who still believes Rodgers is the man to take us forward.

Hoping a goalkeeper and a striker with good movement can come in during the January window.

To all those saying we should have spent big money on 2-3 players rather than 7 players - where would we have got a squad from? It was already thin on numbers last year but this year we couldn't cope with that being in the CL.

Anyhow, we now have the numbers to compete, 2-3 quality players (maybe in the summer) and I think we'll look a completely different team - especially as the current years newbies will have had a season to settle in.

United fan coming in peace and rarely read your page but given the game today thought i would see what you guys are up to.

AZ your views on how to build a team is what has hurt united with that approach. Too many average signing in Fergies last few years paying 15 to 20 mill rather than buying top quality and less. It finally caught up to us last year. Fergie somehow could get them to play but BR is no ferguson and the likes of him will never be seen again.

The premiere league or CL is not won by how many players you sign but by the quality of player you sign and players who can make a difference and turn the game. You had that in Suarez and replaced him with a bunch of average/above average players( aka Spurs).

Even Mourinho, Ancelloti, guardiola will not win with average squads but at least they admit that, BR seems to think he is some tactical genius who can turn average players into worldly teams, I highly doubt that.

Our champions league campaign was only a few games. the new players hardly got a look in anyway as Rodgers doesn't seem to trust them over rock solid performers like Johnson, skrtle and Gerrard.

Which makes BR`s case even more stupid and frustrating.

13 Dec 2014 22:57:46
Hi Ed001, in a post when asked about if Markovic could be world class, you answered along the lines of not under this current coaching setup (apologies if I am wrong), so I was wandering if you think he can develop into a world class player under someone like De Boer. Thanks in advance.

{Ed001's Note - hard to tell as they have only been working the job for a few years, so it is difficult to judge how much progress they make with players over a long period. Hard to tell as Ajax are no longer producing the best players, but is that because of the quality of players they are getting or the quality of the coaching?}

13 Dec 2014 23:37:43
Eds, just curious, I know that some people on here have unrealistic expectations on the next manager. Who are some of the up and coming managers out there that no one is mentioning? There have to be some really good football minds out there who, with an opportunity, would be really good managers. Not necessarily Liverpool related, but just generally speaking, who are some of the young up and comers?

{Ed002's Note - I am not going to go there - too much grief when I have explained before.}

I understand. Thanks