Pepe reina 177 cs in 394 starts = cs every 2.2 games Simon mignolet 10 cs in 38 starts = cs every 3.8 games Brad jones 7 cs in 21 starts = cs every 3.0 games Sell mig ffs
Pepe had Carragher and Hyypia/pre-crcoked Agger in front of him most of his Liverpool career. Mignolet has had Kolo the clown, Martin "O.g." Skrtel and Johnson last season.
I'd have good clean sheets stats if I only played in the FA Cup 3rd round against Mansfield and the sort
The only season Migs has played for us was one in which we adapted a "we'll score more than you" approach and broke goal scoring (both for and against) left, right and centre. Yeah, fair judgement that
Everyone has already said it but doesn't become official until I do: Johnson is Crap. Allen is a squad player nothing more.. he's not a bad player from the bench. Mignolet isn't that bad. Won us games last season early on.
Allen's got time on his side to prove people wrong like Henderson - not that he's suddenly gonna become the next Xavi but certainly capable of surprisingl a few people. Mignolet I'm yet to be convinced by - doesn't appear to be a commanding presence but hopefully having someone like Lovren in front of him will help. Johnson - no arguments.
Mignolet - Great shot stopper but very prone to lapses in concentration. Doesn't really command his area, and his kicking skills leave a lot to be desired. Saved us points last season but you could argue he lost us some too. I think he's a good keeper but definitely needs someone half decent giving him some competition. Johnson - What's the point? Just get rid of him now, for about a season and a half he's been absolutely useless both defensively and going forward, which leaves our right side incredibility unbalanced. High wages, nearing the end of his career and hasn't shown any signs of improvement or recovering his decent form. Could well be a decent yet expensive back up but I'd much rather have Flanagan, Wisdom or even McLaughlin there. Allen - Our very own Modric (who doesn't score or assist many, by the way), more than just a crab/ball presser, I see him as a ball carrier. He can receive possession in tight areas and evade challenges, come out with the ball and feed it in to players in space, will never ever get the plaudits he deserves, whether he bangs in 40 as he's already the team scape goat by a fair few which when wearing a red shirt is the ultimate killer.
He's nothing like Modric! Modric influences a game, controls the ball and constantly makes forward, penetrating passes to bypass the midfield. He's also alright defensively too. Said this maybe a year or 18 months ago, but Modric is everything I wanted Allen to be. He's not even close right now and, given he's been here for two full seasons now, still has barely shown anything to get excited about. He's even been sloppy in possession in pre-season... I disagree with the whole scapegoat thing btw. I think that's an easy label to slap on to players who we rate but others don't. Most people on this site are quite honest and open and will criticise those who play poorly and praise those who play well. I've been against Johnson playing for us for two seasons now and will rather we sold, but I'll still say he had an alright game if he does - same for Allen and whoever else. If they more often than not underperform, it's not them being made out to be a scapegoat, it's them underperforming. Allen isn't a scapegoat, he just either underperforms or does nothing most of the time he plays. Can, for me, has shown more promise already for that midfield role... This isn't me writing off players for fun sake either, I've been a vocal supporter of Skrtel and Henderson for years now and was one of the very tiny number who valued Spearing as a squad player despite the huge volumes of criticism he received. I'd like to think I can see potential and value to the squad in players.
Problem with Allen is he doesn't do anything spectacular. He doesn't hit 4 or 5 cross field passes a game which stand out like Gerrard. He doesn't make 70 yards sprints from one end to the other to support forwards like Henderson. He doesn't make crucial last minute tackles to protect the back 4 like Lucas did and Masch did for us. But he ha a certain set of skills which when paired up with other midfielders are vital to the way Rodgers wants the team to play. Him and Henderson were a nightmare to play against in some games when they played together as neither of them gave the opposition a minutes rest. Pressing, harrying, nibbling away and constantly winning possession or forcing errors. Now because this doesn't get an assist or look spectacular it doesn't necessarily goes unnoticed, but sometimes goes undervalued. I'm not saying he's the best and he wont singlehandedly win you games of football, but that's not his job. He's young enough to keep developing as well. His role will be to win the ball and keep play ticking. I'm sure Rodger's is a bit more technical savvy than us and he obviously sees him as an important player who has big potential to play that kind of role in the team. He has areas he needs to work on. He needs to become more of a threat by learning to make those killers passes like other top CM's do (Silva, Coutinho, Fabregas etc). But he's young enough to develop that area of the game and I think he will do over time. Rodgers has played him further up the field last season and think we'll see more of that again this year with Can seemingly being more of a deeper player. If he plays up there he need to learn quickly but he seems like an intelligent footballer and I'm sure he will learn the right skills. He's comfortable receiving the ball in tight areas (handy when playing attacking midfield) and can obviously make a pass. Maybe needs to try and take a few more risks now and then, rather than play the simple ball. He's shown enough glimpses for me to think he can become a good player in a CL teams. Just need to give the lad a bit more of a chance and not get on his back when he has a poor game.
But he has played well, he broke in to the first team at the back end of last season coinciding with a chain of eleven straight wins. This is while putting in impressive performances away to Man Utd, at home to both City and Spurs. But here we are, in August and still claiming he's only destined to be a squad player. He's not at the level of Modric yet.. But, Modric is a very good example of what Allen could be. Like Biscan says, he isn't going to spray hollywood balls all over the place, or bang them in from 30 yards, and before you mention it - I'm not claiming his only attributes are what "every midfielder should be able to do" (even though most can't anyway). He needs to have more of a cutting edge to his game, that goes without saying. But he does have all the right attributes to be a very good player. Good footballing brain, two footed, relatively quick, hard-working, eye for a pass and very good with the ball at his feet. They all need to be fined tune still, mind. You all know I'm a big fan of Allen, so this is just my opinion. At the end of the day, I'm sure you, like me will get behind him when he's on the pitch so that's all that really matters and it's down to Joe to let his football do the talking, otherwise I fear he'll be replaced.
Joe Allen pressures the man on the ball, forces the error, wins it and has a clean run on goal and scored via the post, a sterling shot which is saved and rebounds back to him
I do keep saying that I think Joe Allen has one world class attribute though and it showed there; pressing!
Well Allen tried to prove me wrong last night, and to be honest he is the least ****e of the three, but is now 4th behind Can, Lucas and Gerrard (in that order) But let me also point out, how poor they were last night. Sky (the TV channel, not the tosspot from here) pointed out how he scored at one end, then came back and saved a goal at the other end. I wouldn't be heartbroken if he stays, but I'll most upset if 'Arry or Fat Sam don't buy Johnson off of us. With Migs, I know I am pissing in the wind, as we don't show any sign of getting anyone else in, this window. But he is still ****. both me a Grobs know this. I mean, we don't even have a half decent goalkeeping coach at Melwood any more.
