Well this is the problem. No matter what, we will continue to play Gerrard - unless we get in a new manager who has some balls.
not being funny or nothing but i would rather utilize what qualities gerrard has whilst they are still useful, than what we have seen out of brendan so far, so only one winner, but you said until gerrard leaves or retires.
Which is why I said on the other thread that I'd take Rafa back if Brod was sacked before the season is out. We know Rafa isn't scared of dropping players and he's previously dropped a much better Gerrard for a derby game too!!!
But this is the problem - his qualities have diminished so much. His set pieces are awful again. Last season was an anomaly. His passing is erratic bar the one Hollywood ball per match. We cannot use him as a deep lying playmaker because he completely exposes the defence, the other midfielders have to do his work, and then he concedes possession. We can play him as an AM but he's done sod all so far bar 15 mins against 10 man Leicester. He's too slow to be in such a position and it's no coincidence that our best attacking performances have come without him there. He offers zero leadership, his head dropped once we went down to United. I expect a lot more from my captain. The man is defeated - it's sad to see but Rodgers should not be playing him. Maybe as an impact sub for the last 10-15 mins but truth is - we have better DM's than Gerrard, and we have better AM's than him.
Maybe as an interim manager but deffo not long term. We should only sack Rodgers once we have a replacement lined up. De Boer is the man for me.
Do you not think Gerrard is suffering from the lack of movement in front of him? Stevie was superb last year but SAS have been taken away and Sterling is now easier to mark out the game (only one to focus on rather than three) meaning there aren't as many runs to pick out. I used to say it to defend Downings crosses (which I still think are decent, shame the rest of his game was so ****); it takes two to make a decent cross. The same applies to passing, the person in possession can't pass to a teammate if there isn't one available.
No mate, I don't think he was superb last season. He was mediocre for majority of it, and was average during our winning streak. All he offered last season were set pieces and penalties. He benefited from having a world class attack who would press from the front and score goals. This meant that we rarely lost when Gerrard exposed the defence and we conceded. Had we had a proper DM, we would have won the league in my book. I said all throughout last season that there were only a handful of people who could hold their heads up - which were mainly the attackers. The rest are frauds in my eyes who lived off the brilliance of others.
I'd prefer Simeone but yes De Boer would be good both no nonsense managers who will put some egos in their place.
Both are quality but I feel Simeone would be difficult. De Boer is now my favourite - big fan of him as both player and manager. Won 4 consecutive titles at Ajax, promoted and developed youth, really good tactician who sets his team solid at the back but flexible in attack. He has the balls to drop underperforming players as well, and his whole philosophy is based on total football.
Can't deny Simeone is a good manager but I'm not keen on his style. What style does De Boer like the team to play...?
Saw that afterwards, our comments were posted at the same time. Is it the Ruud Gullit school of total football though...?
He's basically restored Ajax's famous style of total football. It's not quite total football but it's largely possession and pressing based, and reliant on players being able to do a bit of everything and having game intelligence. I believe he played under Cruyff so he learnt a lot about the philosophy as a player and has carried it on a manager. He took over as manager around 3.5 years ago and has won 4 titles back to back. The last time Ajax had won the league was in 2003 (I think). Given the nature of the club, his best players are poached and leave every season so he has to rely on the youth, which is perfect for us. And he's brilliant tactically IMO - watched a lot of Ajax games and the way he sets his teams is really interesting. He has no set formation, but he has a solid backline with a very fluid and flexible attack ahead.
Watch the game last season between Ajax and City in the CL - I think Ajax won 3-1 but they were brilliant. EDIT - his style is what Brendan wanted to achieve at LFC when he first arrived.
Cheers Jimmy. My only concern now is that we seem to see the game very differently so although that all sounds positive, I'll probably think he's Sam Allardyce mkII
Haha probably. My fear with De Boer (if he were to come) is that he won't be long term - if he performs well at LFC, then he'll most likely end up at Barca given his style and ties with the club. The big plus for him is that he develops youth and he's ideal for our young squad. He's also ruthless and a perfectionist (quite similar to Pep)
Frank De Boer should be our first option. Been mentioning him around for awhile. I'd have him over any other names mentioned here. Simeone is one dimensional. A great motivator but not a tactician. He sticks to same team and formation, hardly rotates and he hardly gives chances to youngsters. He's best where he is. Klopp is certainly not going to leave Dortmund hanging around the relegation zone. De boer is a very good tactician and works very well with youngsters. You only have to see how well they've performed in the CL under him. Defensively organized and play very attractive football. Particulary impressed how well they played against Barca. I would have him in a heart beat. He's the real deal, Brenda is just an impostor and should **** off immediately.
There is one glaringly obviously negative attached to De Boer despite me not having seen his Ajax teams and that is, he's unproven in a top league. Steve McLaren and Roy Hodgson did well in lesser European leagues too. That's not me saying he would go the same way as those two, just that he's not proven.
Steve McLaren is actually a good manager though - unfairly treated by the media after he took the England job, and he probs took it too soon. The man was Fergies number 2 and won multiple titles, got Boro into Europe and won LEague CUp. He did struggle in Germany though but he's worked wonders at Derby. I understand your concern on the Dutch league, but he has won 4 consecutive titles for a team that hadn't won it since 2003. That is a brilliant achievement but not only that, he's done a pretty good job in the CL against the bigger teams which indicates he can cut at the elite level. He's done all of this on a budget, promoting youth and playing quality football.
Hopefully he brings his staff over as well - Bergkamp is number 2, and Overmars is the DoF. It's a great relationship where all 3 are working as equals which has enabled them to sign quality players, and develop them.
