13 Oct 2019 19:14:20
Ed001 a question for you if a may?

Andy Robertson. Before we signed him, he wasn’t exactly tipped for greatness, was playing Scottish third division in the not too distant past. Now he is one of the best full backs in the world. So my question is, what’s caused the dramatic improvement for him, Was it klopp and Liverpool? Appreciate the way we play suits him (probably most attacking full backs actually) to a T, so that probably a factor either way. But would his attitude and quality be noticed if he didn’t come then, or do you think he would be still flirting around the championship?

{Ed001's Note - part of it was that Celtic dumped him for being too small, so he had to prove people wrong. As it never came easy, he had drive and determination and a desire to improve himself. Then there is the coaches who have been able to help him improve. I think he would always have ended up in the Prem, but he would not have reached the level he did by going elsewhere.}

13 Oct 2019 21:25:17
Certain players will blossom in the right environment and Robertson at Liverpool under klopp is the perfect match. A full back like him can only stand out to a certain level in a team like Hull. Regularly defending out of possession and much less freedom to attack and with sub standard forwards to feed he could only do so much. Credit to our recruitment that we saw what he could offer in a team like us. If mourinho had signed him for his boring United team we would not see the same player.

I also wonder what would have become of Henderson if he had left us for Fulham after his first season. Would his great attitude and desire have seen him get back to a top club and lift a European cup as captain. Or could he easily have struggled to fit in a weaker sides system and potentially have a championship level career. Jonjo shelvey looked the more complete midfielder at that age but was never a fit for Liverpool and his career hasn't really kicked on. If roy hodgson had signed Robertson and klopp signed konchesky I wonder what the outcome would have been😂.

{Ed025's Note - klopp is the reason andy looks so good har, he makes players play to the top of their game mate, lets be honest anyone who can make hendo look like a decent player is a miracle worker.. :)

13 Oct 2019 21:55:32
Many players have been rejected due to being undersized regardless of their talent. Two players come to mind here: Griezmann and Dries Mertens. Griezmann was rejected at every academy in France due to his small size. He never gave up on his dream of being a professional footballer so he tried his luck in Spain where as we all know, size does not matter and the rest is history.

Dries Mertens was the same. He had to go to Holland to make his name and as we know today, he is a beast of a player, capable of playing anywhere upfront and on the verge of breaking Napoli's all time goalscoring total held by, you guessed it, "El Diez" Diego Maradona. For me, size should never matter in football or any sport cos it is a form of prejudice.

13 Oct 2019 23:05:07
Its not prejudice any more than basketball is prejudiced. Its a physical game and there's more chance of being knocked off the ball if you are smaller and less chance of compering for headers. there's plenty of exceptional smaller players who use their low centre of gravity to their advantage but the majority of clubs seem to prefer a bit of height and power as part of a players skill set.

14 Oct 2019 00:44:44
I remember Robertson at Dundee United who were playing in the SPL then . He did stick out especially as he'd only be a teenager at the time so the natural ability was there . Klopp has definitely coached him to the player we see today but Robertson himself has to be given credit for this, drive, attitude and ambition belong to him . He also seems very close to Milner who is the ultimate role model for any professional.

14 Oct 2019 09:49:15
Lol leave Hendo alone Ed025 for at least a month mate. I challenge you not to mention him lol.

{Ed025's Note - i have actually not mentioned hendo for a while virgil, i know how much you all like him so i respect all your views, but when he is donning the england shirt then he is fair game as are any players who under perform, and in particular keane and pickford who should not be anywhere near the national side imo mate..

14 Oct 2019 11:13:04
Who would you start over Keane and Pickford for England Ed0025? Personally I'd go Henderson or Heaton at GK with Stones and Maguire CB. When Stones is out then I'd happily put on my rent tinted specs and say Joe Gomez even though he hasn't been playing much because the rest are just not good enough.

{Ed025's Note - to be honest taurus i dont think maguire and keane works because neither of them are quick enough, stones and gomez are not playing regularly so they are not really in the frame at the moment so tyrone mings deserves a shot i think, he has really surprised me how good he has been for villa this season, so maybe him and maguire could be the best of a bad bunch mate, pickford is an accident waiting to happen and i have seen vampires who are less scared of crosses than him, heaton is not a bad shout but to be fair i dont think there are many good english goalies about..

14 Oct 2019 14:11:34
Just a big shame Butland never reached his potential. for me if no injuries he wouldhave been Englands No1 for a decade.

14 Oct 2019 12:52:31
Mings should get a try I think. Players should be picked on form not by merit in my opinion.

Yeah there are no stand out goalkeepers in English football right now.

Are there any Eds who remind you of a vampire Ed0025?

{Ed025's Note - most of them are very pale and dont eat a lot of garlic taurus, and ED002 can be very biting with his answers at times but thats no reflection on the good work that they do mate.. :)

14 Oct 2019 18:25:59
Like A Virgil, I am not sure that basketball is the best analogy. Since the basket is over 8 ft tall, you need some kind of height to be able to play the game even in the position. For example, I am 6 foot 2/ 3' (played a bit in high school) and I am just about tall enuff to play the smallest position in basketball which is the Point Guard position. Steph Curry (a Point Guard) looks small amongst giants but trust me, he is not a small guy. A Point Guard is about 6ft 3'/ 4', which is a pretty tall for a regular guy.

Either way, I fully agree with you that in football at least, height should not be a barrier esp. in positions like FB, no. 10 or out wide where we know players of smallish stature can get it done.