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Are Liverpool in a Perpetual State of Transition?

Discussion in 'Liverpool' started by Jimmy Squarefoot, Jul 30, 2015.

  1. Jimmy Squarefoot

    Jimmy Squarefoot Well-Known Member

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    Evolution is inevitable. In football and in everyday life you change to adapt. So what’s the difference between transition as a club and evolving? Why are some teams praised for adapting whilst others use being in transition as an excuse?

    Since Brendan Rodgers took the helm of Liverpool FC it feels like ‘Liverpool are in transition’ is one of the most overused sentences for fans and pundits alike. Many pin this on Brendan Rodgers, others like to associate the blame to FSG when playing the hot potato blame game.

    Is anyone at fault though? Is it just an excuse or is there some substance to the whole transitional argument? I look at the various seasons under Brendan Rodgers.

    The possession phase
    If you look at year one of Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool then obviously he’s had to clear house and remove the deadwood. All managers go through this phase. He took over a side that had finished 8th and scored total of 47 league goals. Changes were necessary. This arrived in a turnover of players and a completely different playing style.

    Incoming players -

    Fabio Borini, Joe Allen, Oussama Assaidi and Nuri Sahin arrived in the summer with both Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge joining the club in January.

    Outgoing players -

    Fabio Aurelio, Dirk Kuyt, Maxi Rodriguez, Alberto Aquilani, Craig Bellamy, Charlie Adam and Joe Cole left permanently with Jay Spearing and Andy Carroll leaing on loan.

    So as you can see Liverpool lost a lot of experience in those outgoing players. The likes of Aurelio, Kuyt, Rodriguez and Bellamy were all big losses for the inexperienced Liverpool manager. The incoming players didn’t balance out that loss so it was a fairly ‘naive’ squad adapting to a completely new style of play. The whole death by football idea was a little foreign to certain key players and the likes of Joe Allen, who could play that style, had to adjust to playing for a big club like Liverpool.

    Balls out phase
    The second season under Brendan Rodgers saw the Reds bring in 8 players. Luis Alberto, Iago Aspas, Simon Mignolet, Kolo Toure, Tiago Ilori, Mamadou Sakho, Aly Cissokho and Victor Moses all arrived. 9 (nine) players left Liverpool permanently; Jamie Carragher, Danny Wilson, Peter Gulacsi, Andy Carroll, Jonjo Shelvey, Jay Spearing, Stewart Downing, Dani Pacheco and Adam Morgan. Liverpool also loaned out 16 players.

    Once again there was a high turnover in playing staff so a bedding in period is necessary. Luis Suarez tried to leave the club and then was suspended for the opening few months of the season. Upon his return it was clear to see you couldn’t play a death by football style with the likes of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge in your time. You needed to get the ball to them as quickly as possible so Liverpool adapted to this and it devastated the league.

    However once again you’ll see from those signed they were fairly inexperienced, so instant success was always going to be a big ask.

    Forgettable phase
    The third season under Rodgers. Liverpool signed 8 players and another 1 on an initial loan. Again a lot of incoming players meant there was going to be some sort of bedding in period. The reasoning behind this amount of signings was primarily for two reasons, apparently. Firstly, the club had Champions League football so an increase in games meant more players were needed for rotation purposes. Secondly, and more importantly, Liverpool lost the mercurial talent that is Luis Suarez. The big talking point last summer was how Liverpool needed to replace his goals (in my opinion we should’ve addresses the defence and his goals wouldn’t have been missed as much).

    So Liverpool began the season with the additions of Rickie Lambert, Adam Lallana, Mario Balotelli, Lazar Markovic, Dejan Lovren, Alberto Moreno, Javi Manquillo, Emre Can and Divock Origi.

    The club didn’t just lose the aforementioned Luis Suarez, they also lost Daniel Agger, Suso, Jack Robinson, Pepe Reina, Martin Kelly and Oussama Assaidi.

    We may not have lost as many players as seasons gone by but you can’t overlook how detrimental it was to the squad losing the personalities of Luis Suarez, Daniel Agger and Pepe Reina permanently in one window.

    With Liverpool losing Suarez and then Sturridge to injury they couldn’t use the style that brought them great success the season prior so yet again another change of style happened, and continued to do so throughout the season. Brendan Rodgers found it difficult to settle on a style that got the best out of his squad.

    The phase ahead
    This brings us to the summer at hand. Liverpool have already bought in Christian Benteke, Roberto Firmino, Adam Bogdan, Joe Gomez, Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner and Danny Ings and we aren’t even in August yet.

    The squad no longer has Steven Gerrard, Raheem Sterling, Glen Johnson and Brad Jones. It also looks likely that Fabio Borini, Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert will leave meaning once again Liverpool have seen a 15 player switch of playing staff. Combine this with Liverpool replacing two of the backroom staff and a potential shift in style once again and you could be excused for labelling this as a transitional season, once again. For the second successive season Liverpool have lost an integral part of their attack for a huge sum of money and it’s important they utilise the players they’ve signed effectively.

    This is maybe why Liverpool start so slow under Brendan Rodgers? A high turnover of players means there is a bedding in period, a style change means the existing players have to adapt to a new system whilst simultaneously getting used to 7/8 new players per season. You can’t pin this all on Brendan Rodgers either, Liverpool just aren’t in that kind if position we yearn to be in, just yet.

    Under Brendan Rodgers Liverpool have signed 30 players and sold 28 already and it’s likely another 3/4 could leave. That’s a huge turnover of players.

    Liverpool will be in transition until these summer transfer windows stop seeing a 15/16 player swing. If you’re releasing 7/8 academy players and bring in 2 or 3 new first team signings you’re then evolving and building on what you already have. This should be the aim for Liverpool if they’re to progress.
     
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  2. Red Hadron Collider

    Red Hadron Collider The Hammerhead

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    Sympathy post <laugh>
     
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  3. Tobes

    Tobes Warden
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    It's a transition from mediocre through to mediocre, whilst pissing away £300m in the process.

    I think it's a genius strategy personally.
     
    #3
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  4. Jimmy Squarefoot

    Jimmy Squarefoot Well-Known Member

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    Bloody hell, it was only up for a few mins! Give it a chance ha!
     
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  5. saintKlopp

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    That was the summary.
     
    #6
  6. luvgonzo

    luvgonzo Pisshead

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    We now have a young squad that'll grow together and conquer the world. #strategy
     
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  7. mighty_stevie_g

    mighty_stevie_g Well-Known Member

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    We'll be just fine <ok>
     
    #8
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  8. johnsonsbaby

    johnsonsbaby Well-Known Member

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    I think there's Transition [first season with a new manager and/or owners] and transition which is what every subsequent season tends to be called. In reality clubs should always be in transition, by that I mean they should be constantly changing, adapting and improving. Evolution is a slow process and could mean making changes every now and again, or making them too slowly. Transition is a constant change or adaption which is what we're doing. It's not a bad thing if done well, we're just not doing it well ....... right now.
     
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  9. Nozzer

    Nozzer Well-Known Member

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    Obviouisly all teams should be looking to improve, and will naturally change as players get older, develop, move on etc. The question is whether the basis of the team and to a certain extent also the playing style is secured and you're only looking at changing 1 or 2 first team positions each season, or if you're looking at making wholesale changes, implementing a new philosophy etc. Chelsea and Arsenal, for example, probably aren't in transition. Sure, each could improve a couple of individual positions, but you know who the first team players are, what style they will playing etc. Man Utd and ourselves, however, are both in transition. And we seem to be making 5 or 6 first team changes every changes every season, and it's not certain what style we are playing.
     
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  10. moreinjuredthanowen

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    deffo needs a sympathy post and some lythium to deal with the bipolar.

    I have said several times now we were a day from administration just under 5 years ago.. theres a new ****ing standing going up.. shed loads of cahs going itno players and academy too.

    In short We could not be doing much more.

    As for 5/6 players EXCUSE ME HAVE YOU SEEN THE TRASH WE HAD???

    we had 3 years ago and 2 years ago loan guys in to fill squad slots.. we are no loaning guys OUT to develop them. we have a full squad now but would like to sell a couple and replace with better at LB and CM.

    NEED to seriously get real.
     
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  11. Nozzer

    Nozzer Well-Known Member

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    I wasn't saying that there were was no progress, nor that FSG should be doing more. Simply that we do not yet have a settled team. And to be honest, given the money spent, the team should probably be more settled than it is. Put it this way, there can be no excuses regarding the transfers (whoever's responsible for them) if we go into next season lookinat making wholesale changes AGAIN. There will have been plenty of time and money for a team and system to have been put into place.
     
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  12. moreinjuredthanowen

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    I'm replaying to jimmy's INANE WHINING

    <ok> jimmy soory but have to call it that.

    ..........................

    as for a settled team... I've waited 3 years to see gerrard go now... 3 years ago we had who?

    Rodgers bought his little mates borini and allen and **** like that... who cares.. he had to learn that small time was not where it was at. fine.. i don't rate rodgers.... i don't care about savaging him.

    but..... sorry.... settled side? players have to actually perform to create said side.


    Brad Jones
    Pepe Reina
    Péter Gulácsi

    Defenders
    Glen Johnson
    José Enrique
    Daniel Agger
    Sebastián Coates
    Jamie Carragher
    Martin Kelly - Ilori
    Martin Škrtel
    Jon Flanagan
    Andre Wisdom

    Add lovern

    Midfielders
    Steven Gerrard
    Philippe Coutinho
    Oussama Assaidi -
    Jordan Henderson
    Stewart Downing
    Lucas Leiva
    Joe Allen

    Suso
    Raheem Sterling
    Jonjo Shelvey
    Conor Coady
    Jordon Ibe

    Forwards
    Luis Suárez
    Daniel Sturridge
    Fabio Borini
    Samed Yeşil
    Jerome Sinclair
    Adam Morgan

    By the end of this window I'd hoe only those in bold are left.... I've even by flanagan in bold to please gerrez.

    Do you not agree that

    a) some guys retire
    b) some just get injuries and are not the same. agger, kelly, enrique.. they just are not up to it.
    c) some are muck like assaidi, shelvey (idiotic) coady etc etc
    d) some move for big money (sterling, suarez)

    Squads CHANGE. if you line up players in v splayers out 80% are better players coming in. Some guys like carragher and suarez are irreplaceable. frankly gerrard's not been the smaple player for 3/4 years despite still getting a good return of set piece.
     
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  13. astro

    astro Well-Known Member

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    Everton are in transition from a PL club to a Championship club, first already passing through the stage of a bottom half club
     
    #14
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  14. Milk not bear jizz

    Milk not bear jizz Grasser-In-Chief

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    All clubs are in perpetual transition. Even clubs that win the title go on to change over the summer.

    "Transition" is often a word used to excuse going through a bad patch.
     
    #15
  15. moreinjuredthanowen

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    good call.
    no change = stagnation = no success shortly.

    chelsea beware of the mourinho final years. mourinho has never dne what ferguson OR paisley did in changing up their sides for more success.
     
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  16. Jimmy Squarefoot

    Jimmy Squarefoot Well-Known Member

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    Just to reiterate, not my article or opinion. <ok>
     
    #17
  17. moreinjuredthanowen

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    but you posted them without disagreeing.... ergo?
     
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  18. Jimmy Squarefoot

    Jimmy Squarefoot Well-Known Member

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    I posted without giving any opinion ergo ... you owe me an apology .. hand written... in your blood.
     
    #19
  19. astro

    astro Well-Known Member

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    That's what @Gerrez said when he moved my thread to the Man Utd board #spineless
     
    #20
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