Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

rosboy

MementoMori wrote: »

Ah - blame last night - my incisive anal-ysis failing miserable - the good news is that that Arsenal don't have £220m a year more to spend a year than us.

Still I presume we must/will be a good way behind them until the stadium gets built:(

Don't get me wrong....I thought the exact same thing when I read it. And I'm not sure about you, but I was sober so I have no excuse:)

I agree with you....We will only slip further behind with every passing season without a new season to boost revenue. Our hopes rest on Rafa's shrewdness in the transfer market, and some youth talent coming through......or getting rid of the yanks.

zing

About the only credit I'll give the pair of them (no pun intended) is in terms of the stadium design - it's a great looking stadium imo. Shame we'll probably never get to see it.

eirebhoy

Recommend a pub in town to watch the Liverpool match with a Liverpool supporting Argentinian? If it was up to me we'd be going to the local.

zAbbo

I think the IrishKop lads are meeting in Sinnotts?

I've a good feeling about today.

eirebhoy

zAbbo wrote: »

I think the IrishKop lads are meeting in Sinnotts?

Cheers I'll go there so. Beware.

zAbbo

eirebhoy wrote: »

Cheers I'll go there so. Beware.

Details here - http://irishkop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5835

Dub13

zAbbo wrote: »

I think the IrishKop lads are meeting in Sinnotts?

Yes we are.

eirebhoy wrote: »

Cheers I'll go there so. Beware.

You are more than welcome.

~Rebel~

TOP OF THE LEAGUE!!!

missingtime

So ****ing glad for Alonso.

prendy

~Rebel~ wrote: »

TOP OF THE LEAGUE!!!

wohoo!!!

and top AFTER beating last years champions and a Chelsea side who were "unbeatable" at the bridge!

rosboy

It's an aweful pity Dunphy and Giles won't be on the Premiership tonight:(. No doubt they would still say Liverpool aren't title contenders, but would be funny to see them makes fools of themselves....again.

jesus_thats_gre

Arbeloa is a nothing defender...

darkskol

C'mon the Pool!

yom 1

missingtime wrote: »

So ****ing glad for Alonso.

Thought he had a great game today and would have been man of the match only Carragher was awe-inspiring for us and not for the first time

~Rebel~

there were a couple who could have gotten it, Carra, Riera, Gerrard, Alonso...Masch made some massive tackles as well..

So over the moon still, and off to the beerfest in the Franciscan Well (cork) in a bit too. happy days, delirium tremens here i come!

copacetic

Good win, sat back a bit much in second half for my liking. Should have pushed on more for the second and to not get so deep. Alonso impressed as did Keane and Gerrard 'doing a job' for the manager. They had clearly been sent out to defend from the front. Really interesting cameo by Babel as a target man, looked really good and possibly as good as anyone at it.

copacetic

copacetic wrote: »

Good win, sat back a bit much in second half for my liking. Should have pushed on more for the second and to not get so deep. Alonso impressed as did Keane and Gerrard 'doing a job' for the manager. They had clearly been sent out to defend from the front. Really interesting cameo by Babel as a target man, looked really good and possibly as good as anyone at it.

As much as we sat back our defense looked a class act imo. Always getting in blocks etc.


We're gonna win the league !

monkey9

mayordenis wrote: »

That's fine lads I'm not defending them in general - but the simple FACT and neither of you have really gone into facts here is that on the pitch we are a better football team than we were before they took over. I ****ing hate them and I wan them out they make me sick.

But if you can't at least admit that then your eyes are closed.

I can answer this in two words. Rafa. Benitez!

Malice

Out of curiousity, when were Liverpool last on top of the league? Did we go top after spanking Derby 6.0 last season?

LightningBolt

Great result but I'd save any talk of the title till March/April, at least then we'll realistically know if we're in with a shout. Arsenal flew out of the blocks last year and look what happened to them!

Villain

Deleted User wrote: »

As much as we sat back our defense looked a class act imo. Always getting in blocks etc.


We're gonna win the league !

Get on betfair, you'll get good odds.

~Rebel~

LightningBolt wrote: »

Great result but I'd save any talk of the title till March/April, at least then we'll realistically know if we're in with a shout. Arsenal flew out of the blocks last year and look what happened to them!

absolutely, but im still gonna celebrate as though it is April, just in case we dont last the pace!

mayordenis

monkey9 wrote: »

I can answer this in two words. Rafa. Benitez!

You not you prick,
You're right and I was wrong.

The prick thing was joke. you are bang on here.
While I still say I was just putting forward a different view just for the sake of debate it is rafa benitez who has been the maker of liverpool a long way to go but it can be done with this man in charge - no doubt we have many options.

missingtime

Rafa and the end of this video is brilliant.

http://www.skysports.com/video/clips/0,23791,12606_4401211,00.html#

zAbbo

missingtime wrote: »

Rafa and the end of this video is brilliant.

http://www.skysports.com/video/clips/0,23791,12606_4401211,00.html#

Heh

We did play some good football, but we're not hitting top gear yet - which is good in way, but I've still some niggling doubts over our full backs and Robbie Keane's role in the team.

Jazzy

zAbbo wrote: »

We did play some good football, but we're not hitting top gear yet - which is good in way, but I've still some niggling doubts over our full backs and Robbie Keane's role in the team.

same here.
i think between reira, babel, torres & kuyt we have plenty of options up front. its not that i dont want or like keane, i just dunno where he fits unless we play a 4-4-2
i like reira tho. seems like a top player. i had my doubts when he was signed but hes doing well. could be a big player for us this season

zAbbo

I like Riera too, think he's got great skill and a decent bit of strength. Some of his touches are amazing and he seems to vastly improved his work ethic from last season.

missingtime

I wonder how agger would fair as a full back. I'm sure he's played there for the national team.

zAbbo

missingtime wrote: »

I wonder how agger would fair as a full back. I'm sure he's played there for the national team.

I think he played LB and LM for Denmark.

Auerlio was good today though, and as long as him or Dosenna can improve and get some consistency - we'll do alright. They're not as good as any of the other Top 3's full backs, but they don't need to be - they just need to not be useless

Cyrus

Villain wrote: »

Get on betfair, you'll get good odds.

even better odds on the villa im sure

rosboy

So, when do you start believing? Perhaps it's best to use the victory at Stamford Bridge as a metaphor for the season as a whole.

When Xabi Alonso's shot was deflected past Petr Cech, I was obviously pleased – but I didn't feel victory was in the bag. What the goal did do, however, was give the Reds a chance. And in the past 19 years at Stamford Bridge, that's been a rare pleasure.

But after about 65 minutes, with Ryan Babel on to use his pace and skill, after Robbie Keane had run his socks off, and with the Reds clearly on top (with Gerrard having his best game against the Blues), I finally felt victory was possible. And it was then, at the point of truly believing, that I got really nervous. And bizarrely, it was Alonso's superb free-kick that cannoned back off the post a few minutes later that made me rethink, and worry that it might yet be Chelsea's day.

So, as a season, it should be the two-thirds mark when we really know if our belief is not misplaced, and that the Reds can hang in there. But what this start has clearly done, as with Alonso's goal, is give Liverpool a chance.

I often don't seem as disappointed as some fans after a defeat because I've been less optimistic beforehand. I obviously want the Reds to win every game, but sometimes I sense defeat looming.

Anything then is a bonus. An away game at Chelsea, with their 86 home game unbeaten record, and I'm already expecting the worst. Of course, I'd never want the players or manager to have this outlook; they are the ones who can control the moods of us all, the ones who need to have belief, with our collective destiny in their hands. Thankfully they had belief in spades yesterday.

I've spent the past three years on this website trying to boost morale at this point of the season. My worry now is that some fans will get carried away –– and I'm trying my best to not join them. Total elation when you're winning can be as misplaced as total doom when you're not. And from such a high, you can experience a bigger fall when the inevitable bad result or two comes along.

What I will say is that people need to enjoy the present moment, and the football we've seen this season. Right now, things are nigh-on perfect. We need to appreciate that fact. But that doesn't mean one or two bad results won't see the ‘moodometer' swing 180º in the opposite direction.

It does depress me when people focus on the negatives, as I experienced before this game. In a number of instances I experienced comments along the lines of Dirk Kuyt's goals being ‘lucky' because the keeper got some kind of touch on them, and that the recent 3-2 victories ultimately meant that we'll definitely end up losing games.

Clearly you can't keep conceding goals and needing to comeback to win. But what was ever to say that Liverpool would keep going behind, or conceding two goals in games? The key thing for me was that when the Reds did concede goals – and all teams do, one way or another, at sometime or another – there was the ability to play football and win from difficult positions.

The sendings off may have helped in those victories, but no-one asked the opposition to make dangerous tackles on Xabi Alonso. And while the victories against last season's top two have come with the aid of own goals/deflections, it must be acknowledged that the pressure Liverpool put teams under forced these mistakes.

So I don't buy that Liverpool have had a surplus of luck. The Stoke game was drawn because the officials disallowed a perfectly good goal, and none of the sendings off were unjust. Before Antonio Valencia's first booking, the Wigan wall, of which he was part, refused to retreat for almost two minutes. And his second booking was a straight red in my eyes.

Add the niggling injuries to Torres, in particular, as well as those to Gerrard and Babel in the early weeks, followed by the loss of Martin Skrtel to a serious knee problem, and you can't say that it's been handed to Liverpool on a plate. Then there was the issue of three players lost to Olympics, more than any other club.

And when talking of luck, the fixture list hasn't exactly been kind, either: the away derby, Man United and Chelsea in the first nine games, plus Aston Villa and Manchester City away – two of the obvious favourites for 5th spot. Also, five of the nine games so far have been away, so those 23 points have been hard-earned.

By contrast, Arsenal haven't even played anyone of distinction yet: West Brom, Fulham, Newcastle, Blackburn, Bolton, Hull, Sunderland, Everton and West Ham. Hull are flying high, but it's still a game you'd expect Arsenal to win at home.

And many of Benítez's hoodoos are being broken. There was the Steve Bruce league jinx, and the long-awaited home and away victories against Manchester United and Chelsea. These are perennial bogey fixtures – but not this season.

Not only have Liverpool beaten both United and Chelsea, but they've both been fully deserved.

I hate to use the 'V'-word, but there is a look to this Liverpool team that brings to mind Rafa's Valencia. It's nowhere near identical, because it's an entirely different collection of individuals, but the style of play is growing ever closer in most senses.

Valencia used to grind teams down: the 'Crushing Machine' was their nickname. But Valencia also played the best football I've ever seen in the flesh from a visiting team at Anfield. Not the fanciest football, with tricks and flicks, but the most complete display of a team moving from defence to attack, and then back again, as if telepathic.

I think we all expected the same to happen at Liverpool, but it's taken its time. We've seen hints of it before, but it was always a slightly watered down version. Now I see a team that looks capable of matching Benítez's achievements at Valencia.

I do hate this patronising notion that Rafa finally 'understands' English football; as if a man with his football intelligence didn't ‘get it' in four years here. His league win rate with the Reds going into this campaign was already ahead of some of his legendary forebears, but the bar had been raised, particularly by Chelsea's über-squad and Alex Ferguson's best-ever team.

It seems there is a little less rotation from Rafa this time, but it only appears like a sea-change if you work from the incorrect notion that he rotated far more than his rivals to start with; in the previous two league seasons combined, it was 235 total changes to United's league line-ups to 244 to Liverpool's, while Chelsea made 222. So not much in it. By contrast, Arsenal made only 171, and yet they didn't end either season in style.

If anything, Liverpool's remarkable overachievement in Europe under Benítez has worked against him in home-soil perceptions. I have never felt that the manager has prioritised Europe over the Premiership –– unless it's been at the stage of the season when the former has become the only realistic target.

Much was made of a couple of Benítez's league line-ups early last season, but he has always fielded fringe players in the Champions League qualifiers, and his team that lost to Marseilles was far from the strongest available. But as that was doesn't fit the argument, it tends to be overlooked. Also, Torres has missed games with injury this season and the Reds have won, which kind of disproves the ‘Torres or bust' theories.

I've defended rotation, but I've never said it is foolproof, or indeed that it is the only way to succeed –– my point has always been that it's impossible to conclusively prove either way, and as such, is an easy thing to blame when things aren't working out.

Liverpool weren't winning the league, therefore it must have been Benítez's tinkering. However, could it not have been that the teams that did win the league cost far more money? –– in the same way that teams who spend far less than Liverpool tend to finish far lower.

What confuses me is that other clubs who have spent similar amounts to Liverpool in the last three or four years –– such as Spurs and Newcastle –– are not expected to do anywhere near as well as the Reds.

These are teams with lots of £10m+ players, yet look at the sorry state they've got themselves into. I've counted seven £10m+ players representing Spurs this season. By contrast, Liverpool have just five on the books: the only five Benítez has bought (with Dirk Kuyt a fraction under £10m).

Go to the other end of the spectrum, and in the last 12 months Chelsea have fielded 14 stars who cost £10m+, and have eleven on the books at present. United currently have nine players in this price bracket.

So for me, maybe the fact that Chelsea and United have that many more £10m-£30m players helped give them the edge. I'm not pleading poverty for Liverpool, as Rafa has clearly had some money to spend; I'm merely trying to show that, pound for pound, Benítez has done an excellent job when compared with his rivals.

And what we're now seeing is in keeping with a point I've been arguing for some years: that if you give a top-class manager the time to build the squad he wants, he can achieve his ambitions. Those ambitions haven't yet been fulfilled, but it's moving in the right direction.

However, nothing I can say in the hope of a strong summation can top what the manager himself said after a landmark victory: “We have belief, we have quality and we have character. But we need three points in our next game against Portsmouth if we are going to keep this mentality.”

Amen to that.

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/NG161836081027-0835.htm

mike65

Has Alonso turned some sort of psychological corner?

After the uncertainty of the summer and an apparent cooling of relations with Rafa, Xabi could have gone inside his shell and simply waited for the next transfer window. However if anything he appears to be thoroughly reborn - much more like the player who was signed in 2004 - he is getting forward more, getting the tackles in and possibly being more assertive. I wasn't watching yesterday (except highlights) so didn't see the lead up to the free kick that just went wide, did Alonso take control? I'd have expected Gerrard to have a go from that position. I'd like to think Xabi said "Steve I'll take this"

Mike

ibh

mike65 wrote: »

Has Alonso turned some sort of psychological corner?

After the uncertainty of the summer and an apparent cooling of relations with Rafa, Xabi could have gone inside his shell and simply waited for the next transfer window. However if anything he appears to be thoroughly reborn - much more like the player who was signed in 2004 - he is getting forward more, getting the tackles in and possibly being more assertive. I wasn't watching yesterday (except highlights) so didn't see the lead up to the free kick that just went wide, did Alonso take control? I'd have expected Gerrard to have a go from that position. I'd like to think Xabi said "Steve I'll take this"

Mike

From the previous free, XA touched it to Gerrard and it didn't work out so he ended up shifting it to Mascher.
On the next one Xa grabbed the ball straight away. Agger and Gerrard were around it as well but i was pretty sure it would be Xabi who'd hit it.
He really has stepped up his game. He moves the ball on quicker, and the passing from him was excellent. Team passed well overall yesterday and him and Riera and Mascherano had some very good interchanges in tight spaces.

el rabitos

theres definitely something different about xabi, just seems to have a more aggressive edge to him or something, more confident.

whatever it is, i hope he sustains his form.

It's the shexy Shabi stubble.

rosboy

Anyone know if Torres is likely to be back for Portsmouth? Considering him for my fantasy football team, and at home to a managerless Portsmouth he could do well.

citytillidie

rosboy wrote: »

Anyone know if Torres is likely to be back for Portsmouth? Considering him for my fantasy football team, and at home to a managerless Portsmouth he could do well.

He was close to returning yesterday so i assume he will be fit for Wednesday

Boggles

rosboy wrote: »

Anyone know if Torres is likely to be back for Portsmouth? Considering him for my fantasy football team, and at home to a managerless Portsmouth he could do well.

With the romance that is football, maybe a good time to buy Crouch.

Dub13

We have a few tickets left for W.B.A. on 8th Nov,you have to be a member of Irishkop to avail of this offer.Here is the detail's click the link for full info,a few lads from here came on the last trip and I am sure they will vouch for them been great days.



http://irishkop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6275



W.B.A. Irishkop On Tour

8th Nov - sat k.o. 5.30pm

The details are different. as the Swift is not sailing for winter period at the time suiting us.

Its 0805 Irish Ferries Ulysses
arrive 1130 Holyhead
coach transfer arrive Anfield 1.45-2pm


Depart Brittannia Adelphi Hotel at 10.30
for 0240 sailing arrive Dublin at 0555


This is slightly cheeper

Cost 70 Euro - If you have your own ticket (return price) (reduction of 15 euro for under 16's)

I do have a limited number of spare tickets for this trip for Irishkop members travelling with us

Boat Coach & Match Ticket -is 120 (again reducuced price - 15 euro children under 16)
(members must have more than 30posts on site, or contributed to funraisers - and been a member for more than one month)


Payments made via bank transfer, reference given

Dub13

Here is a funny story from one of the Irishkop lads who was at the Chelsea game on Sun...

Ball went out into the lower shed were our fans where some young lad throws it straight back in
Pepe gives daggers to the lad who threw the ball back to him too quickly for his liking.
After he booted the goal kick away he turned round to him and said 'keep hold of it next time.' A couple of minutes later it goes out again, pepe comes walking over muttering 'keep it keep it '. The lad kept it, pepe threw his arms in the air in feigned disgust and called for another ball then turned back to the lad and sys 'throw it on as I'm about to take the kick'.

priceless stuff !

Dont be at yourself

Haha, I love Pepe!

Jazzy

i should really sign up to irish kop

ArmaniJeanss

Pepe the sly little cheater. I love it. :pac:

monkey9

Pepe is some character alright. The fans really being the 12th man there!

woodyg

Dub13 wrote: »

We have a few tickets left for W.B.A. on 8th Nov,you have to be a member of Irishkop to avail of this offer.Here is the detail's click the link for full info,a few lads from here came on the last trip and I am sure they will vouch for them been great days.



http://irishkop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6275



W.B.A. Irishkop On Tour

8th Nov - sat k.o. 5.30pm

The details are different. as the Swift is not sailing for winter period at the time suiting us.

Its 0805 Irish Ferries Ulysses
arrive 1130 Holyhead
coach transfer arrive Anfield 1.45-2pm


Depart Brittannia Adelphi Hotel at 10.30
for 0240 sailing arrive Dublin at 0555


This is slightly cheeper

Cost 70 Euro - If you have your own ticket (return price) (reduction of 15 euro for under 16's)

I do have a limited number of spare tickets for this trip for Irishkop members travelling with us

Boat Coach & Match Ticket -is 120 (again reducuced price - 15 euro children under 16)
(members must have more than 30posts on site, or contributed to funraisers - and been a member for more than one month)


Payments made via bank transfer, reference given

dam i have to low a post count for this dang it.

Malice

Boggles wrote: »

With the romance that is football, maybe a good time to buy Crouch.

I said as soon as Crouch left Liverpool that he was destined to score against Liverpool for Portsmouth. Hopefully I'm wrong or at least that if he does score, Liverpool will score more!

Dub13

Jazzy wrote: »

i should really sign up to irish kop

You should we are a friendly bunch.

woodyg wrote: »

dam i have to low a post count for this dang it.

You should be able to muster up a few posts the limit is only 30 posts.

ibh

Dub13 wrote: »

You should be able to muster up a few posts the limit is only 30 posts.

Just do some trolling.:D

Dub13

ibh wrote: »

Just do some trolling.:D

Now now we cant be having any of that although we do have loads of forums so you should find it easy to rack up the posts.

If anybody here is registering just send me a quick PM on boards and I will ok your membership straight away,we have to approve membership as we had a lot of tools spamming the site.