Liverpool Rumours And General Discussion 2007/2008

Zapp Brannigan

I'd hardly say kryogen is trolling, he's just asking us whether we think LFc have a real chance.

I think we do, but we'd have to maintain our performance all year. But I wouldn't count out Utd, Chelski or even Arsenal (they're also unbeaten).

~Rebel~

No Liverpool fans on this forum have been saying that this is definately our year to my recollection. Many, including myself, have said its possible to win, though not the most likely, but that we should be expecting a much closer finish (points wise) to the top. We could still finish 3rd, but if we were within touching distance of the top (within 10points ish), then it would be a successful season.

The way the season has panned out so far, i think we have as good a chance as possible under the current circumstances (our squads Vs chelseas and Utds). I would have said next year would be the real league push, but this year United are stumbling early, we're getting early points on the board (doesnt matter that its against bad teams, we've always struggled early regardless of the opposition - e.g Sheffield last year), Chelsea aren't quite up to top notch, and i expect them to drop a few points around african nations time with no Essien, Mikel, Drogba. Having said that id still tip Chelsea to win the league this year.

As for the earlier conversation about Gerrard saying "maybe rafa will learn my best position is centre too", what he actually said was not so disrespectful, much more along the lines of "i've always said this is my best position, and it looks like Rafas decided it is too". Remember that he was center in that game, center in all his preseason appearances, and Rafa prior to this had said that Gerrard would be playing centrally much more this season.

DSB

marco_polo wrote:

And City have a decent chance of europe too despite the recent setbacks. After all they only have to do better than Spurs and the Everton.

There is a certain club from Birmingham who wear claret and blue who might disagree.

mike65

1000 posts already? I thought things were meant to quieten down once the season got up and running?

Mike.

millersangel

millersangel wrote:

Shankley laid the foundation, Paisley built the house, and Rafas doing the garden!

Dude, u need a hobby!! hahaha!! (dont worry I know him outside of boards, not a personal insult)


Have to say about Saturday, while the defending for some of the goals was atrocious, Torres looks like he may in fact be that 20 goal a season striker after all. Babel took his goal well, looks a bit raw still though, Mascherano looked good, granted the opposition were dire but u can only beat what u are put against. The player who really has been impressing me so far has been Voronin, he's looked really good from what Ive seen of him.

Dub13

mike65 wrote:

1000 posts already? I thought things were meant to quieten down once the season got up and running?

Yes its good going.

kryogen

ok thanks to the guys who have replied so far, i am not trolling!! and i didnt say that it had been mentioned on this forum that this could be liverpools year, i havent read this thread to be honest... i clearly said that this is what some of my friends had been saying, like they say every year and i wanted to get the opinions of you guys here!!

you cant win a league in the first half of the season,and i dont really think theres a special signifigance in who is top of the league right now,the league starts to take real shape after 10-15 games and i have never been carried away with the start my team makes, i was just wondering thats all. i apologise if i came across as trolling

RE*AC*TOR

Nobody knows for certain. with so many new players this team is really only 6 games old (including the Cl qualifiers). Chelsea and Villa were our strongest opposition so far, and we outplayed both.

For the last couple of season Liverpool have had one of the best defences in the league, but have failed to put teams to the sword. The early signs suggest that we have improved on that front. No one knows if Pool will win it this year, but few would have predicted UTD last year. Its a long season, but at the moment optimism is high, which is nice for a change.

shatners basoon

I don't think anyone thinks there's any special significance in who's top of the league right now, however surely you can forgive Pool's fans being optimistic considering its been a very very long time since we've had a good start to the season let alone been the best team at the start (along with Arsenal who've also impressed) Noone is getting carried away but its no crime to be optimistic! (other reasons for being so mentioned by reactor)

Don't worry about the trolling comments, i reckon they're just in response to the "this is our year" mention that fans are always quoted to saying here which i've never heard a liverpool fan here actually say.

City do indeed have a half decent chance at making europe though i reckon some of their new signings won't like the physicality of some of their away trips this year or the english weather.

copacetic

kryogen wrote:

ok thanks to the guys who have replied so far, i am not trolling!! and i didnt say that it had been mentioned on this forum that this could be liverpools year, i havent read this thread to be honest... i clearly said that this is what some of my friends had been saying, like they say every year and i wanted to get the opinions of you guys here!!

I agree with polo, you certainly have trolly tendencies, you didn't clearly say anything to be honest you said

kryogen wrote:

do the liverpool fans here really believe that "this is your year"

putting that in quotes about the liverpool fans here clearly implies that we have all been running around celebrating or something.

It's a stupid question tbh, only an idiot gets carried away at this stage or at any stage until you have only a few games left. It's nice to get off to a good start and look to have a cutting edge. As it looks like there will be more competition from the lower sides this year, every win is vital.

Kulgan

kryogen wrote:

you cant win a league in the first half of the season,and i dont really think theres a special signifigance in who is top of the league right now..

Isn't it one of Hansen's go to lines "You can't win a league in the first half of the season but you can certainly lose it..." or maybe i made that up!

But yea as has been stated a few times its the good start to the season compared to previous years that has brought about the optimisim. Better to be top then not is what i say!

Also the wins versus the mighty Derby and Sunderland might not seem much to anyone else but Liverpool fans know all too well that these were the type of games that Liverpool at times struggled in previous years so its been encouraging to see the way they have approached these matches.

But as i posted earlier nobody likes playing pompey away so that should be a more reliable indicator.

kryogen

ok if your going to read anything i say can you read t properly, now this is the last time im going to say this, i dont know how to clarify it any more....

I DID NOT ONCE MENTION THAT IT WAS THE GUYS ON THIS FORUM THAT SAID IT WAS "LIVERPOOLS YEAR" I QUITE CLEARLY STATED THAT IT WAS MY PERSONAL FRIENDS WHO SAID IT, PERSONAL FRIEND! NOT BOARDSIES!! CAN I BE ANY CLEARER??

as to your other point, if you think im trolling dont reply, and if you cant answer a simple question without trying to have an arguement then take it elsewhere please, i gave my opinion without insulting anybody, i think manchester city do in fact have a better chance of european football next season then liverpool winning the league this year, its not an outrageous thing either really, as they dont have to be the best team in the league to qualify for europe!!!

all i wanted was your opinions because i was wondering if my friends opinions were the opinions of all liverpool fans, or the majority of them at least...

right im done with it now

zing

It's not so much about this being our year or us being on top of the table after 4 or 5 games. It's about how well we've started, how the new signings are fitting right in and that it's looking like it'll be a good season for us but it's way to early to speculate about the positions come May.

But we've started well which we've not managed to do for a few years. You can put some of that down to the opposition but after 4 games last year (Shef Utd, West Ham, Everton & Chelsea) we'd only manged 4 points, 3 goals but conceded 6. The season before that we'd 6 points & 1 goal (conceded none) out of the opening 4. This season it's 10 points from 4 games with 11 goals and conceded none from open play (but 2 from the spot). Even those dropped points so far this season are not a poor reflection on the team due the way they were lost.

So the signs so far are looking good for this season but it's early days and the table is typically only beginning to take shape around this stage. No point in really looking at it (esp now that Utd have gotten themselves out of the bottom half ) - just concentrate on each game as they come and keep trying to secure the points.

kryogen

Kulgan wrote:

Isn't it one of Hansen's go to lines "You can't win a league in the first half of the season but you can certainly lose it..." or maybe i made that up!

But yea as has been stated a few times its the good start to the season compared to previous years that has brought about the optimisim. Better to be top then not is what i say!

Also the wins versus the mighty Derby and Sunderland might not seem much to anyone else but Liverpool fans know all too well that these were the type of games that Liverpool at times struggled in previous years so its been encouraging to see the way they have approached these matches.

But as i posted earlier nobody likes playing pompey away so that should be a more reliable indicator.

LOL no i think hansens line was the "you dont win anything with kids"!! ill judged statement after villa beat united in 1994...the team went on to win the double that year!!! pompey away will be a better test yes i agree, its normally an alex ferguson saying actually, one of his favorites over the last few seasons the you cant win a league at the start of the season but you can lose one!

kryogen

kryogen wrote:

do the liverpool fans here really believe that "this is your year" or is it like every year when people say its going to be "liverpools year"?

i am interested in this,my liverpool fan friends seem to be very deluded this season so far with victories over the mighty derby and sunderland and villa under their belt, they see a signifigance in being top of the table right now. i would like to get the honest opinions of you guys here please.

do you remember last week? when city were top of the table? and all their fans sarted to think they werent gonna finish mid table for some reason? that they could maybe push for europe and all that? it was almost as funny as my liverpool fan friends telling me they were gonna win the league!!

city do have a better chance of playing european football next season then that in my opinion...

but i would like to hear your honest views, thanks!

do you think thats clear enough about who im talking about?

zing

kryogen wrote:

its normally an alex ferguson saying actually, one of his favorites over the last few seasons the you cant win a league at the start of the season but you can lose one!

He'll be quite about that one this season so

shatners basoon

In fairness the "my liverpool fan friends" came in a seperate paragraph to the first sentance so technically quite the opposite. Lots of fanboys in this forum (for all the teams) so you must be careful what you type if you're not gonna get any heat from it. Just take it as a warning and let it pass.

kryogen

i he just edited the post again to bold where i ask, do the liverpool fans here.... i believe its pretty clear.....do i need to clarify everything if i will be posting in this thread? i mean, can you not understand my posts, if theres a problem just tell me and ill clarify every sinlge word if neccessary. i think they are easy to read but i could be wrong

in honesty i think it was quite clear if your read my post what i was asking... "do the liverpool fans here" that pretty much means im asking their opinion and that "my liverpool fan friends" opinion is the only one i have to go on at the moment

~Rebel~

kryogen wrote:

i he just edited the post again to bold where i ask, do the liverpool fans here.... i believe its pretty clear.....do i need to clarify everything if i will be posting in this thread? i mean, can you not understand my posts, if theres a problem just tell me and ill clarify every sinlge word if neccessary. i think they are easy to read but i could be wrong

in honesty i think it was quite clear if your read my post what i was asking... "do the liverpool fans here" that pretty much means im asking their opinion and that "my liverpool fan friends" opinion is the only one i have to go on at the moment

...i think copacetic and shatners posts were talking about your original post/question not your later clarification. We were all aware of your clarification after, but it was pointed out that your original was not clear hence why some of the immediate responses (like mine) were a tad defensive.

the post containing the following was prob clarification enough, but obviously it came after the fact.

"i clearly said that this is what some of my friends had been saying, like they say every year and i wanted to get the opinions of you guys here!!"

You just got called on the above not being true, it obviously wasn't so clear or it wouldnt have been taken up wrong by anyone. copacetics point is pretty fair..nothin to get too upset about..

do the liverpool fans here really believe that "this is your year" or is it like every year when people say its going to be "liverpools year"?

as a solitary first line kind of sets the tone for the post so thats whats in everyones head after they read it. No you dont have to clarify every single word, just make it a bit clearer in the first place, ie. "My personal liverpool friends keep going on about how this is pools year, what do you guys think?"

shatners basoon

Please let it pass, i know what you mean, everyone here does as you've made it clear enough. Just saying that the original message could be easily misinterpreted as one of those jabs at "oblivious cocky liverpool fan" types of posts. The reference to City getting into europe before pool winning the league could be considered a "should pigs fly" type of statement. Its easy for things to be misinterpreted through typing and there are a lot of people with an idiotic stubborn sense of idealism when it comes to their team. Ppl here don't know you and when you come out with stuff like this

do you remember last week? when city were top of the table? and all their fans sarted to think they werent gonna finish mid table for some reason? that they could maybe push for europe and all that? it was almost as funny as my liverpool fan friends telling me they were gonna win the league!!"

They could easily take it trolling, replace liverpool with United and see how United fans react (or Chelsea or Arsenal for that matter)

Rather than "clarifying" everything you post try to read it yourself before you post it and make sure its what you intend to say. Maybe as a result you won't be so surprised by the bad reaction.

leninbenjamin

time to lock this thread methinks...

herbieflowers

yeah, damn tempestuous Pool fans!

shatners basoon

Pfft you try to be nice and explain things to people and the man tries to bring you down well i say **** it!

Thanx 4 The Fish

Well just back from holiday and as happy with the break as with the results over the weekend. Atmosphere was, as usual, fantastic on Saturday and great to see Torres and Voronin in the goals again. Don't think that Xabi will be getting a brace much this season but nice for him and should make the competition for the remaining spot in Midfield (I know Gerrard has been bashed a bit recently on this thread but really, what a load of rubbish) as once Stevie G is fit again he will definitely be back in the lineup. I think that Alonso does well in there with SG and Masch for that matter, Not so hot on Sissoko, all three can tackle well but of them, only two are any good at passing it off once they get it.

Anyway, great result, and good to see the pool sitting atop the pile, even if it is still only September.

kryogen

i am a man u fan!! and we regularly have millersangel posting in our thread, on a daily basis actually lol! i am not trolling, if i was i would be much more blunt about my opinions of liverpool.....i was looking for your opinions, its not a big deal, shatner your point is taken, thank you!

see you in the next cartoon guys

Mr Alan

kryogen wrote:

i am a man u fan!! and we regularly have millersangel posting in our thread, on a daily basis actually lol!

lucky you

Hobart

kryogen wrote:

i am a man u fan!! and we regularly have millersangel posting in our thread, <snip>

lol, tbh. Our thread, indeed.

kryogen

you got something to say hobart???

and yes millersangel i do feel lucky to have a liverpool fan on hand if im ever looking for an arguement

Jazzy

kryogen wrote:

and yes millersangel i do feel lucky to have a liverpool fan on hand if im ever looking for an arguement

mind the gap ^^

kryogen

Jazzy wrote:

mind the gap ^^

at the risk of sounding stupid.....what????!! can you explain your post please?

PiE

How about he doesn't and the last 20 billion irrelevant posts are deleted.

kryogen

well the mods would need to delete yours aswell then yeah? as it has no relevance to liverpool either i guess........new topic then

~Rebel~

...

....

.....

Anyway. The squads shaping up nicely with very little to no deadweight left with Le Tallec heading off on yet another loan to Le mans. Hopefully this will be the end of that long running saga.

Good to hear Aurelio is coming back leaving us very strong in the fullback positions. Im still wary of the CB position, but i trust that Rafa couldnt find anything adaquit out there so opted not to panic buy. I suppose we can always reassess come Christmas so its not the end of the world! Carra hoping to be back for Pompy, might be a bit of a stretch though..

Also reports around for a while on a potential tribute to the 96 with 96 empty seats in the new stadium. Might be a nice idea.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/gronudmove/tm_headline=new-liverpool-fc-tribute-to-96%26method=full%26objectid=19667546%26siteid=50061-name_page.html

Dont be at yourself

Yeah, I think the 96 empty seats is a great gesture. Will the various families get any input into any proposed memorial, I wonder?

As for matters on the pitch - it's been a fantastic start. I really hope we can keep this momentum up. We seem to have discovered a cutting edge and we're playing with a lot more confidence this season, I think. I really hope it holds up and we are in the mix after Christmas.

Skittlebrau

Don't think this was on here yet (but I may have missed it between all the petty squabbling over the last couple of pages) but the Irish Times is reporting that Finnan hasn't linked up with the Irish squad yet because of an injury he picked up in the Derby game.

He played the full game though and I can't seem to find any mention of it anywhere else.

Anybody know anything further?

HashSlinging

Was over for the day trip on Saturday, wow what a game, I got kop end tickets, amazing atmosphere.. 6 goals, couldnt have been a better trip... and shock horror met some decent Man utd fans on the way over. Although there were a few idiots on the way back, who were shouting abuse about scouse scum! who shut up very quickly when I returned "busby where'd he come from busby busby where'd he come from" followed by "rooney wheres he from rooney rooney wheres he from, I was a bit worse for wear at the time but seeing 8 man utd fans mumbling together with no come back was priceless..

event

personally i dont think the 96 seats is a good idea

dunno why, but it seems a bit silly and tacky. They should have a memorial or something, but i dont think the other

Regarding aurelio coming back, i dont think yiz need him tbh. that arbeloa chap looks like the real deal, like the look of him a lot myself

dardoz

HashSlinging wrote:

Was over for the day trip on Saturday, wow what a game, I got kop end tickets, amazing atmosphere.. 6 goals, couldnt have been a better trip... and shock horror met some decent Man utd fans on the way over. Although there were a few idiots on the way back, who were shouting abuse about scouse scum! who shut up very quickly when I returned "busby where'd he come from busby busby where'd he come from" followed by "rooney wheres he from rooney rooney wheres he from, I was a bit worse for wear at the time but seeing 8 man utd fans mumbling together with no come back was priceless..

classic

Kimbot

I would be confident enough if Aurelio was also used as cover for CB, he could slot in there and do a job if needed.
Arbeloa looks like a bargain and I would imagine he is going to push Finnan for the Right Back spot alot this season which can only be good.
Torres is really getting into the PL, I wasn't expecting him to settle until after christmas so if he is still a bit unsettled at the minute I would love to see what he can do to teams when he is settled. 3 Goals so far and if he keeps it up he will get to the magical 20+ mark by the end of the season.
Voronin, what can I say..... he has surpised me and I think he will only get better as the season goes on.

I thought Carra has a collapsed lung?? If he did he wouldn't have been at the match at the weekend because he would be in hospital with a chest drain in......

whatawaster

jonny24ie wrote:

I would be confident enough if Aurelio was also used as cover for CB, he could slot in there and do a job if needed.

I wouldn't let him near CB - he's much better going forward than defending.

jesus_thats_gre

whatawaster wrote:

I wouldn't let him near CB - he's much better going forward than defending.

Too right.

Tusky

Absolutely delighted with the start to the season.

pros

- We are playing much more attacking football. Playing with more confidence and pace to our game. I loved Rafa putting on Voronin to join Torres & Kuyt when we were 4-0 up. Would he have done something like that last season ? Dont think so.

- We seem to be scoring goals from counter attacks or quick attacks much more. This is something Man Utd have excelled at for quite a while but something that was missing from our play.

- Torres has added a new demension to our play. He can beat players, looks very dangerous and despite reports pre-season he looks very clinical. 3 goals in 4 league games!

- Voronin & Arbeloa. Absolute bargins. Arbeloa impressed me when he played his first few games but then he had a bit of a dip in form. He seems to have found a bit of form and the dip can be put down to a settling in period. He has a good attitude and is a versatile reliable defender. Along with everyone else, I felt that Voronin would be 4th choice and get very little playing time but he has really impressed me. Great attitude and you cant argue with 3 goals in about 4 apperances.

- Our strikers in general. 9 goals between them from 6 games!

- Our away form. We only won 6 away matchs out of 19 last season. Our home form was second only to utd and it was away from home that we lost any hope of winning the title. This season, we have won 2 of 2.

- Our midfield. Gerrard, Mascherano, Sissoko, Alonso, Pennant, Benayoun, Babel, Kewell. I dont know if its the best midfield in the world but its certainly very very good and has lots of variety. Gerrard & Mascherano or Alonso would be my first choice but Sissoko seems hungry and back to his form of old. I still think Alonso is a bit off form despite scoring two at the weekend. Gerrard seems really up for it this season as does Mascherano. I think it will take at least a season for us to really see what Babel is about but he has shown flashes of his skill. Loved his goal against Derby. Pennant has been out best player for the past 6 months or so in my opinion. He has improved immensely in confidence.

- Winning 4-0 & 6-0 without argueably our two best players, Gerrard & Carragher. No longer can we be called a one man team. Any combination of Alonso, Mascherano & Sissoko in the center is still one of the best midfields around.

- Squad Depth. The fact that our second team could argueably do pretty well against most premiership opposition is fantastic and shows how much talent Rafa has brought to Liverpool.

First team (in my opinion)

---

Reina

Finnan

---

Carragher

---

Agger

---

Riise

Pennant

---

Gerrard

---

Mascherano

---

Kewell

---

Kuyt---Torres

Second Team (although you could easily have Alonso, Arbeloa or Crouch in the first team)

---

GK

Arbeloa

---

Hyypia

---

Aurelio

---

Insua

Benayoun

---

Sissoko

---

Alonso----Babel

---

Crouch----Voronin

Cons

- I still think we are weak at center back. I have confidence in Hyypia but still feel we need one more CB for cover.

- Apart from Chelsea and maybe Aston Villa we have had a pretty easy run of games and its still early in the season.

- Utd & Chelsea have had injuries problems and I have no doubt they will find form sooner rather than later.

- The penalty decision against Chelsea. If it hadnt happened we would be 2 points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand having only conceded one goal.

Before the season started I was hoping we would play more attractive attacking football and make a decent attempt at the title (basically, not be 20 odd points off first place by the end of the season) and it looks as if thats what weve got.

5starpool

The most impressive thing so far this season has been the work rate of the whole team, including all the new signings which has been fantastic. It shows that Rafa's policy of only bringing in players who wat to sign for us is working now that it is almost entirely his squad with a few more than adequate leftovers from the Houllier days (and Riise who I still have a soft spot for, despite his wasteful ways).

dardoz

You gotta love the confidance

Torres wrote:

"I am happy with my work at Liverpool," Torres told the Daily Star. "But really I warn the fans they have only seen 60 per cent of the real Torres.

"To be the top scorer in the Premier League will not be easy, but in the first few weeks I have shown it will not be a parade for Drogba to repeat his success of last season."

"On Saturday I realised how to be a hero at Anfield," Torres added. "The people were happy with my goals and it was a sensational experience.

"I am not obsessed with the number of goals I score this season and at the moment I am still a nobody in the Premier League.

"My challenge is to triumph in Liverpool and become the best striker in the club's history.

"I know that this will be difficult, but I am prepared for the adventure."

~Rebel~

Skittlebrau wrote:

Don't think this was on here yet (but I may have missed it between all the petty squabbling over the last couple of pages) but the Irish Times is reporting that Finnan hasn't linked up with the Irish squad yet because of an injury he picked up in the Derby game.

He played the full game though and I can't seem to find any mention of it anywhere else.

Anybody know anything further?

just heard this on the radio as well, they just said he's suffered a knee injury in the derby game which is being treated in Liverpool.

Kanney

~Rebel~ wrote:

just heard this on the radio as well, they just said he's suffered a knee injury in the derby game which is being treated in Liverpool.

Bad news for Ireland.... Hopefully not too serious.

I'm loving the confidence of Torres and he has proved a lot of people wrong, who would have been clear on a Tevez/Torres argument who was better. I like how well he's settling down, I think he still has a large language barrier missing, if you recall in the Derby game, after he scored he had another chance that he slid at and went wide and he tried to get the refs attention claiming a corner and had to whistle at him. But he can only get better with the likes of Xabi/Pepe and Arbeloa and indeed Benitez helping him overcome the language barrier.

Mr Alan

in regards to the 96 empty seats idea, i do think its important something is done in the new stadium, but i think its an awful idea. When people go to the game they want to get behind their team, 96 empty seats will prevent from doing that as their minds will start to wander.

i think a better idea would be for 96 seats to be reserved for local schools every game, and given to them for free. then distributed to those schools in a cycle, maybe the HJC or the families who lost loved ones can decide wat schools are involved

spockety

millersangel wrote:

in regards to the 96 empty seats idea, i do think its important something is done in the new stadium, but i think its an awful idea. When people go to the game they want to get behind their team, 96 empty seats will prevent from doing that as their minds will start to wander.

i think a better idea would be for 96 seats to be reserved for local schools every game, and given to them for free. then distributed to those schools in a cycle, maybe the HJC or the families who lost loved ones can decide wat schools are involved

Plus there would be killings at every game if people came in and without understanding/realising sat down in any of the empty seats...

Same like what happens on message boards when people quote articles from The S*n without knowing what's about to come down on them

kryogen

millersangel wrote:

in regards to the 96 empty seats idea, i do think its important something is done in the new stadium, but i think its an awful idea. When people go to the game they want to get behind their team, 96 empty seats will prevent from doing that as their minds will start to wander.

i think a better idea would be for 96 seats to be reserved for local schools every game, and given to them for free. then distributed to those schools in a cycle, maybe the HJC or the families who lost loved ones can decide wat schools are involved

i think thats a very good idea. definatly getting the schools involved. very good idea

copacetic

spockety wrote:

Same like what happens on message boards when people quote articles from The S*n without knowing what's about to come down on them

Just on this, what do people think about Bascombes rumoured move to the NOTW?