http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/ Quite an interesting piece. I wonder if some of the fools who come on here going on about us spending £100 million +, will take any notice of the bit about the £23 mil net spend?
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/9260824/Kenny-Dalglish-defends-Liverpools-season.html Sorry, this is the direct link.
I think Kenny has a point. However there really is no getting away from the fact that mistakes have been made in the last year...and big ones. The buys from last year that we did pay over the odds for haven't taken us to the level any of us wanted. Had we spent on a goalscorer (even on loan) in January, we could still have challenged for top four. For those WUMs who wish to mock this remember that as the transfer window closed at the end of Jan we were only 5 points behind a 4th place Chelsea with a game in hand. When we played Arsenal at Anfield we were still in with a shout and having completely dominated them we failed again to score the goals our play deserved (Arsenal on the other hand created **** all and scored twice). Lucas getting injured hurt us badly but equally we have suffered (IMO) by giving too much game time to the likes of Downing and Henderson and not enough to established players like Kuyt and Maxi. Granted this MIGHT benefit us more in the long run but as yet I find little evidence for this. Tactics have been brilliant on occassion and frankly woeful on others. Kenny got a few things horribly wrong this year tactically, Spurs away (Skrtel at right back??), Stoke at home (10 men behind the ball against a team who always play 10 men behind the ball away from home??) and the FA Cup final (wtf??) being a few examples. More consistency needed next season KK and improved home form is an absolute must The Suarez affair. We all have opinions about the rights and wrongs of it but as a PR exercise it was a disaster and undoubtedly contributed to a shakier second half of the season. As for the player himself, as much as we all love him we simply cannot afford to have one of our best players suspended for chunks of the season. Hopefully our management team will spend the summer hammering this home to him. All in all not a great season IMO. As much as Kenny is bound to argue contrary to this, anyone who's spent their Saturdays/Sundays/Mondays/Wednesdays etc sitting inside Anfield watching us lose game after game will find it hard to agree with him. Yes I loved the cup runs and especially the cup final days out (I always do whatever the result) but it simply cant be used to gloss over what has been a downright awful second half of the season. The buzz around Anfield that Kennys first few months created has slowly dissipated over the last few months unfortunately (the nature of modern football crowds perhaps). It is now up to the management team and more so the players to show that they have it within them to work hard, improve their standards over the summer and show a bit more fight for the cause next season Here's hoping.
Not a bad summary to be fair! I think we really needed more game time from Bellamy, Maxi and Kuyt to be honest. I also think we really need to be looking at adding to the coaching team; perhaps Barnes or Fowler, even the likes of Shearer to work with the strikers.
Generally our football is an incredible amount better. In our own half of the pitch we are good enough to be title contenders. We have quality in Gerrard, Suarez and Carroll going forward. We just have to bridge the gaps. The final third and distribution out of midfield is where we are week.
Don't knock yourself out over it. You're allowed to make mistakes in your assessments. I could just as easily say a goalscorer wouldn't have had any better luck than any of the other goalscorers. Kuyt was our top scorer last season. He's hardly scored this season when he has played. Hindsight gets it right every time but when we beat Chelsea in the league Carroll wasn't playing. Kenny wisely went with small guys who can turn big defenders - Bellamy, Suarez and Maxi. That seemed to be the plan for the FA Cup and there was no reason to suspect the performance would be that cagey, unless of course you're Marty McFly, in which case why aren't you down the bookie's? There was also no eeason to believe it would've been the same game had Carroll started instead of coming on when Chelsea were two up and sitting back. You certainly seem to be lapping up the short-term thinking. You should try that yourself. A bit more effort and a bit less "I want it now!" will do wonders. I'm not hopeful, though.
Agreed, the problems were clear to see in Jan. However at that point they hadnt really caught up with us, flashforward a couple of months and all those problems which could have been solved in Jan really had a major impact with that terrible run. Whilst I still dont think we'd have finished 4th, we could have been top 6 and maybe with more quality in the team the FA cup wouldnt have been such a balls up.
Muppet stop being a total twat just because I have posted something that doesn't bow down and worship all that is Red. I never feel it's appropriate to blether on about how many games I attend etc as it by no means makes my opinion any more valid than anyone elses....however on this occassion I would like to point out that I have been a season ticket holder since 16 and try my best to get to as many away games as possible (tougher these days with a young family granted). I am Red through and through and take issue with your pathetic attempts to try and paint me (and often others) as some sort of fly by night, fairweather, new school fan who moans all the time without giving thought to what I type. People who read my posts regularly know that I always try to give a balanced assessment of situations on and off the pitch whether positive or negative (apart from when bladdered obviously). My points are hardly invalid even if you don't agree. Just because I have an opinion that might be seen as negative the simple fact is we have (IMO) under achieved this year in the league. I do not expect instant success, never have never will. I have been one of Kennys biggest supporters on here all season and will continue to be so as I ****ing love the guy. I was also one of the few telling people to be a bit more patient with Carroll when he was playing like a heap of ****e. On point 1...yes I am allowed to make mistakes in my assessment I don't claim to be all knowing. However having read and re-read it I think all my points are still valid and fair. Point 2...Agreed there is never a signing in the world who guarantees anything, however sometimes a gamble in January will pay off (this seasons examples I could use are Cisse and Jelavich). Maybe I should have added that had we bought a goalscorer "or got more goals from the current players" we would certainly have challenged higher. Fixed Point 3...We were set up to be cagey by playing one up front. I don't know about you but with my knowledge of football (limited as it may be) I was pretty certain having seen the starting 11 that Suarez would spend large periods of the game chasing shadows. That's not hindsight it's using my brain. Point 4...Am I wrong about the atmosphere in the ground on match day?? No. The modern football fan and crowd is a different animal than I grew up with and I suspect you too. Perhaps the buzz that Kenny brought with him was always going to dissipate after a while regardless of results this year but such a poor home record post Christmas certainly hasn't helped. Am I wrong about that? Point 5...Think I've already answered that. You want positivity then try countering my arguments with the good things as that'll cheer us all up but please refrain from casting aspersions on what "type" of fan I am.
Billy, you are one of the more positive yet logically critical posters on here and I don't know how MFG interpreted your post the way he did. 'I want it now attitude' to me is wanting kenny out, Maureen in + 5 world class players. Wanting hard work etc doesn't fall into that category. Also your point on Anfield as a regular attender, he seems to be treating this as your opinion not your experience. Ignore him, I'm just surprised that he hasn't found himself considering he is a 'muppet finder'.
I have no problem with people disagreeing with my opinion mate, if I knew everything then I wouldn't bother talking to you lot I do however, like to think I know enough to be able to pass reasonable, considered comment on where we are at. I do wonder if those who criticised H&G early in their tenure (as we could already see what they were like) were also met with this attitude of "never criticise, even constructively". Yet again after todays result Kenny will be met with criticism much of which will be justified but I will still have the debate with them because I still think he can do a job of improving us. Does Kenny (or whoever is at the club) need to make some serious improvements over the summer? I think they do yes, big improvements.
Yet Newcastle had a worse season than us. I do feel bad for Newcastle though, quite a few players will be lost.
Ah, come on. You serious saying your not concerned that Mike Ashley won't cash in on one or two or those 'super finds'...? Personally, I see at least two going but you will also see at least £30m coming in too.
