Liverpool Rumours And General Discussion 2007/2008

zing

Call_me_al wrote: »

except against blackburn!!

And Marseille and ....

Reckon it should be a safe 3 points but I've been proven wrong on that before. Torres should be back which will be a big boost but we'll have to wait until after the intl break for Agger - and I wouldn't mind Torres staying on the bench unless absolutely needed till then either.

Chardee MacDennis

i reckon

Reina
Finnan Carra Hyypia Riise
Babel Masch Gerrard Kewell
Crouch Kuyt

Maybe if i keep picking the same 11 form now on I will be right one week!

podge018

Reina

Finnan Carragher Hyypia Arbeloa

Benayoun Gerrard Mascherano Aurelio

Crouch Voronin

spockety

did anybody else hear them say last night on Sky Sports that Houllier is firmly in the frame for the Ireland job..??

Chardee MacDennis

he said he is not taking it.

redzerdrog

maybe

---

reina

---

finnan--carra--sami--riise
yossi--gerrard-masch-kewell

---

crouch--kuyt

---

Dont be at yourself

he said he is not taking it.

I heard that he said that he hadn't been approached. Though this is fast approaching chinese whispers.

I've a lot of time for him. He brought on Liverpool leaps and bounds as a football club, and while he wasn't capable of making the final step, I still rate him.

Green Giant

raven136 wrote: »

fulham,wigan,reading and newcastle all coming up.Cant see why we wont win 12 points out of those games.
Im not his biggest fan but crouch deserves a go at the weekend.

Whats the date for the last two champions league games against porto and marseille

We play Porto at home on Wednesday 28 November and Marseille away on Tuesday 11 December

spockety

Article worth a read, from the Indo..

By James Lawton
Thursday November 08 2007

If you weren't there, it was reasonable to believe that Anfield was a place of rapture this week when the Turkish team Besiktas were slaughtered so comprehensively even Bill Shankly might have felt slightly sated. But it wasn't. For joy, read an unshakeable confusion about what would come next.

Once, after the likes of Ian St John and Tommy Smith had combined with great authority in a routine league match, scouts from Romania checking out their European Cup opposition were hounded from the ground by the triumphant Scottish manager. As they disappeared, shell-shocked into the departing throng, Shankly yelled: "You might like to know the reserves won 6-0."

But that was a time when the hierarchy of Liverpool, their purpose, their personnel, their way of playing, seemed to be written boldly in the sky. It was that which created the swagger of a team marching forward. It was that which made the rapture.

It was certainty. It says everything about Rafa Benitez's Liverpool that even the deluge of eight unanswered goals could not remove for one moment that question which has come to dominate all the coach's work. It lies in the inevitably uncertain speculation about the shape and the membership of his team against Fulham on Saturday

Will Peter Crouch get the chance to build on the confidence which came with his two goals and the joy of being returned to the centre of the action? Will he able to develop an understanding with Andrei Voronin that was becoming all but rampant by the end of the dismantling of Besitkas? Will Yossi Benayoun pick up against Fulham the destructive mood that tore apart the Turks? Who knows?

Benitez, maybe, but almost certainly not yet. In the pubs and on the airwaves of Merseyside the only agreement was that no-one could say. Eight goals had thrilled the senses but it had not exactly cleared the air. Yes, of course, the coach is entitled to his prerogative of knowing what's best, but there is a point when perhaps the mystery of what that might be becomes too deep. Certainly, the spirit of the old "wayside pulpit" joke is as consigned to the past as profoundly as ever. "What will you do when the Lord arrives?" asked the church noticeboard. "Move St John to inside left," was the scrawled reply.

Another hard question: at what point does the credit of a Champions League-winning coach become exhausted? Perhaps when he does not provide a pattern, when an old trust in the evidence of your own eyes begins to dissolve.

The key to everything is a sense of progress. Every putative dynasty has to produce a little evidence. Shankly, Jock Stein, Matt Busby - and more recently Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger and Jose Mourinho - were never in doubt about their main players, the thrust and identity of their teams. If an important Liverpool player became injured under Shankly, he was in the wilderness. Shankly needed continuity from match to match almost as much as he needed oxygen. It seems sometimes that Benitez's greatest requirement is a new plan, a new stroke of coaching genius.

This provided some of the irony when the Besiktas president, Yildirim Demiroren, suggested there would be a break-up of his team after Tuesday's humiliation. The same thing happened at Liverpool earlier this season not after defeat but a 6-0 evisceration of Derby County, whose competitive nerve in the top flight was shattered so deeply they have shown hardly a hint that one day they might recover.

A winning season is about momentum, about surges of belief. One of these should be the brimming expectation after this week's performance, even after acknowledging the failure of Besitkas to bring with them any of the resilience that went into their victory over Liverpool in Istanbul. But Benitez has yet to hand down the tablets of stone.

Crouch, of all players at Anfield, is entitled to a whiff of encouragement. Benitez picked him out from a sea of scepticism when signing him from Southampton; saw character and a quirky potency, and when all the mockery was done, it was true. Crouch had something to offer, something unchartable, and he showed it comprehensively enough when he came off the bench and enlivened a leaden performance in Turkey to the point of inspiring a goal.

When he put Liverpool into the lead on Tuesday, he encapsulated all of his own vulnerability and strength: he snatched at his first chance, but was resolute about his second. He reminded you that, if his talent is sometimes elusive, it can also be rewarding.

Perhaps because a caution of the spirit has now become ingrained, it was Crouch who was most eager to stress the potential for illusion harboured in that thunderous scoreline. "We still have so much to work to do," he said. But then who will be doing it, who will get the chance to build on the meaning of a record Champions League victory?

One belief is that Dirk Kuyt, for all his labour, has failed to make a sufficiently biting impact; that the future lies in the aggressive potential of the superstar Fernando Torres, the disruptive powers of Crouch and the solid virtues of Voronin, arguably Tuesday's outstanding performer. But what no one, and this includes even the virtuoso Torres, has is a clear idea of when they will be called. It is Benitez's remit - and one that he is beginning to hog to an extraordinary degree. Maybe that was why the joy was not unlimited when the goals poured in at Anfield this week. It's hard, after all, to celebrate your team's future when, even after an 8-0 win, you are still not sure about what and who it is.

raven136

James Lawton is a good writer,a bit prone to hyperbole and a pining for the past but his(and many other decent journos) obsession with rotation is becoming very frustating.
Arsene wenger is being held up by Lawton as the way forward and a genius of sorts but what have Arsenal won in comparison to pool in the past 3 years?
Yeah i like the way they play football but we win more under Rafa,simple isnt it,you would think.But every day i read another broadsheet journo attack rafa and his policy.The question i have to ask is Why?

Our next 4 games should bring 12 points(fulham,wigan,reading and newcastle)We won in games we lost last year,blackburn,pompey and everton.Chelsea scrapped a draw against us and the so called "total football"(tm any english journalist) arsenal only scored a late equaliser against us.

We have improved by 4 points our previous postion and have played very tough games,Blackburn,everton,villa,pompey away and arsenal and chelsea home.Does anyone think that being unbeaten after this is a crisis.

Rotation isnt perfect and maybe it doesnt always work but its time we as pool fans stood up behind rafa and gave james lawton,andy gray and the others a big f##k you.

spockety

^

Amen.

Mr Alan

Great response Raven136.

They say our days are numbered? We're not famous anymore?

Melion

Its best to stay quiet when people try to bait us into an argument. Our day will come in May. How can we be in a crisis when we're still unbeaten in the league?

yom 1

raven136 wrote: »

Rotation isnt perfect and maybe it doesnt always work but its time we as pool fans stood up behind rafa and gave james lawton,andy gray and the others a big f##k you.

Ha ha. Your dead right

[Battlecry]C'MON THE POOL[/Battlecry]:p

jesus_thats_gre

DesF wrote: »

I do not know how anyone who sees a team playing live, in the stadium, less than ten times a year at least, can call themselves a fan of that team is beyond me. I just don't understand it.

bah

Chardee MacDennis

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I heard that he said that he hadn't been approached. Though this is fast approaching chinese whispers.

I've a lot of time for him. He brought on Liverpool leaps and bounds as a football club, and while he wasn't capable of making the final step, I still rate him.

apparently on Canal+ he was asked was he going to be the ireland boss and he said no, read into it what you will...

Ardent

raven136 wrote: »

James Lawton is a good writer,a bit prone to hyperbole and a pining for the past but his(and many other decent journos) obsession with rotation is becoming very frustating.
Arsene wenger is being held up by Lawton as the way forward and a genius of sorts but what have Arsenal won in comparison to pool in the past 3 years?
Yeah i like the way they play football but we win more under Rafa,simple isnt it,you would think.But every day i read another broadsheet journo attack rafa and his policy.The question i have to ask is Why?

Our next 4 games should bring 12 points(fulham,wigan,reading and newcastle)We won in games we lost last year,blackburn,pompey and everton.Chelsea scrapped a draw against us and the so called "total football"(tm any english journalist) arsenal only scored a late equaliser against us.

We have improved by 4 points our previous postion and have played very tough games,Blackburn,everton,villa,pompey away and arsenal and chelsea home.Does anyone think that being unbeaten after this is a crisis.

Rotation isnt perfect and maybe it doesnt always work but its time we as pool fans stood up behind rafa and gave james lawton,andy gray and the others a big f##k you.

If rotation means dropping 4 points against Birmingham and Portsmouth, then I'm all against it. If anything, I see Benitez blundering many more times in the league before May with his rotation policy.

Melion

Ardent wrote: »

If rotation means dropping 4 points against Birmingham and Portsmouth, then I'm all against it. If anything, I see Benitez blundering many more times in the league before May with his rotation policy.

How can you say we dropped points against portsmouth, we have an awful record against them. They are a great side, especially at Fratton park. I think a draw was a good result.

The only league match that i would consider a poor result so far this year is Birmingham

copacetic

RE*AC*TOR wrote: »

what was that for?

Nice to see some get banned and some don't - consistency?

desf trolled the pair of them into abuse and then reported their posts to get them banned. they shouldn't have fallen for it. You would think they would have been used to his broken record, the only difference here was the great bit of help given to his trolling efforts on the thread by the 'real fans'.

Ardent

Melion wrote: »

How can you say we dropped points against portsmouth, we have an awful record against them. They are a great side, especially at Fratton park. I think a draw was a good result.

The only league match that i would consider a poor result so far this year is Birmingham

I don't know man, when you spend ~£50 mill in the summer and have aspirations for the title, you need to be beating the likes of Portsmouth, home and away.

Melion

Ardent wrote: »

I don't know man, when you spend ~£50 mill in the summer and have aspirations for the title, you need to be beating the likes of Portsmouth, home and away.

They beat United last season while they were on the way to winning the title

spockety

Ardent wrote: »

I don't know man, when you spend ~£50 mill in the summer and have aspirations for the title, you need to be beating the likes of Portsmouth, home and away.

Presumably this rules United out of the title this season then, yeah?

Wednesday, 15 August 2007
Barclays Premier League
Portsmouth 1-1 Man Utd

Pighead

Melion wrote: »

They beat United last season while they were on the way to winning the title

That was a blip. Chelsea almost always beat Portsmouth down there. They've beat Portsmouth away for the past 3 seasons in a row. You make it sound like it's an impossible task. It's not. Christ, even Charlton have won down there for the last 2 seasons in a row.

Zapp Brannigan

Watching LFC Now, Rafa says 'nando is 100% fit so odds are he's starting on saturday. Which means he'll play for Spain (which is where he got the original injury)

mike65

Bah, he missed a trick there. Should have kept him "resting" to avoid the internationals.

Mike

mike65

The most watched video on youtube today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJc_pFjR_5o

Mike.

machiavellianme

mike65 wrote: »

The most watched video on youtube today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJc_pFjR_5o

Mike.

Right. After much careful watching two days on, I've come to the conclusion that we can sell Pennant and Kuyt. Yossi owned that right wing throughout that clip. Crouch is still useful on occasion and Voronin has some good spells but isnt convincing at shooting. At least he shows the creativity Kuyt lacks and made a few nice crosses. Based on the growing number of times I've seen him play, Yossi could be bargain of the year yet.

Really hope Torres doesnt play saturday unless we are desperate for a goal because it would be terrible to see him possibly pick up another knock for spain. Also hope Yossi doesnt incite israel to beat Russia. Part of me wants England in the Euros so I can cheer em on, but Stevie G will need a break and if they get knocked out, it'll suit us better.

Melion

I wouldnt sell Pennant, he has been brilliant for us so far this season(bar the Porto game). Id play Yossi on the left if anything

mike65

Also hope Yossi doesnt incite israel to beat Russia. Part of me wants England in the Euros so I can cheer em on, but Stevie G will need a break and if they get knocked out, it'll suit us better.

Bloody outrageous! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Mike.

machiavellianme

mike65 wrote: »

Bloody outrageous! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Mike.

Why so?

redzerdrog

Melion wrote: »

I wouldnt sell Pennant, he has been brilliant for us so far this season(bar the Porto game). Id play Yossi on the left if anything

.

machiavellianme

redzerdrog wrote: »

.

I see your point
I still think Pennant isnt good enough for us though. Has he ever even looked like scoring? He seems to give away a lot of ball although his crosses (when he does get them off) tend to be good. I think we need better if we are to make progress.

ButcherOfNog

Come on, Nunez would have owned either wing in that game

If Pennant had been fit and played, Crouch would probably have had a few more goals.

whatawaster

If Torres is fit, we can't simply stop him playing for spain by resting him on saturday. If he's fit and wants to play for them he will.

Jesus Wept

Melion wrote: »

I wouldnt sell Pennant, he has been brilliant for us so far this season(bar the Porto game). Id play Yossi on the left if anything

jebus, Pennant has improved on last season, but brilliant?

No chance!

Melion

machiavellianme wrote: »

I see your point
I still think Pennant isnt good enough for us though. Has he ever even looked like scoring? He seems to give away a lot of ball although his crosses (when he does get them off) tend to be good. I think we need better if we are to make progress.

When he smacked it into the top corner from 25 yards against chelsea last season?

machiavellianme

Melion wrote: »

When he smacked it into the top corner from 25 yards against chelsea last season?

Ah come on now, his one and only goal for us? We all know that was a wayward crossed pass!

mike65

machiavellianme wrote: »

Why so?

Engerland Engerland Engerland! I'm not one of those team supporters who wants the national team to crash and burn just to protect a player or two.

Mike.

Mr Alan

Ardent wrote: »

If rotation means dropping 4 points against Birmingham and Portsmouth, then I'm all against it. If anything, I see Benitez blundering many more times in the league before May with his rotation policy.

Rotation didnt result in those dropped points, playing **** did.

Rotation just seems to be the answer to everything when Liverpool don't perform.

How come a heavily rotated side banged 8 goals in the other night against Besiktas?

Rotation, Rotation, Rotation....people have it on the brain.

machiavellianme

mike65 wrote: »

Engerland Engerland Engerland! I'm not one of those team supporters who wants the national team to crash and burn just to protect a player or two.

Mike.

Its hardly crash and burn. Theyre requiring results elsewhere to go their way, I just wont be all that upset if they dont. If they get through, fair play, otherwise hard luck but at least those few players get a rest.

Chardee MacDennis

copacetic wrote: »

the only difference here was the great bit of help given to his trolling efforts on the thread by the 'real fans'.

sure :rolleyes:

Mr Alan

please tell me that is not in reference to me?

witnessmenow

machiavellianme wrote: »

Right. After much careful watching two days on, I've come to the conclusion that we can sell Pennant and Kuyt. Yossi owned that right wing throughout that clip. Crouch is still useful on occasion and Voronin has some good spells but isnt convincing at shooting. At least he shows the creativity Kuyt lacks and made a few nice crosses. Based on the growing number of times I've seen him play, Yossi could be bargain of the year yet.

IMO Kuyt>Voronin (normally, but he was awful last week end!)

I wouldn't sell pennant , i think he's playing well this season.
Yossi is looking the business though, well worth the money!
I would like to see more of kewell, i think hes been looking really good any time he came on.
Theres romm in a team for 3 decent wingers:p

Mr Alan

i wouldnt be fond of the idea of selling Kuyt either, unless it was for a serious upgrade ..... ie Berbatov,Huntelaar etc etc

Think he is an excellent player and doing well enough for us, with the obvious exception of last weekend

Pennant? He has been doing well for us and again i wouldnt sell unless it was to get in a much better player.

whatawaster

witnessmenow wrote: »

IMO Kuyt>Voronin (normally, but he was awful last week end!)

I wouldn't sell pennant , i think he's playing well this season.
Yossi is looking the business though, well worth the money!
I would like to see more of kewell, i think hes been looking really good any time he came on.
Theres romm in a team for 3 decent wingers:p

I actually disagree about Yossi. Sure he scored a hat-trick the other night, but before his first goal I thought he really struggled to get into the game (as has happened pretty much every game he has started this year) and I think he is much more effective from the bench. Nunez or Gonzalez would have looked good on Tuesday. Anyone would have. Except Riise. Great player to have though, and his versatility is a bonus.

zing

£17m it is then for Masch.
http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liverpoolfc/0100news/tm_headline=liverpool-eager-to-secure-javier-mascherano%26method=full%26objectid=20086057%26siteid=50061-name_page.html

Barca want him too but they can go and @^%*!

Mr Alan

Once Masch is signed, I'd let Momo go, shoudl get around the 10 million mark for him, that money could be used well and we'd still have Gerrard,Alonso,Mascherano,Lucas. Sweet

whatawaster

Mr Alan wrote: »

Once Masch is signed, I'd let Momo go, shoudl get around the 10 million mark for him, that money could be used well and we'd still have Gerrard,Alonso,Mascherano,Lucas. Sweet

No way will we get 10 million for him now. I think we'd be lucky to get half that.

PiE

If it really is £17m, we'll have to sacrifice some semi-fringe players to finance Mascherano without affecting other prospective transfers. Any decent offer for Momo £7m+ will be accepted I'd say.

Mr Alan

Didnt we turn down 11 million in the summer? he has signed a new deal since. The money players go for now, i'd be shocked if we settled for less than 10 million. In fact, if we couldnt get 10 million for him, i'd hang on and keep him for games when ya just want him to go out and bang into people and harass them out of possession a la Barca last year