Building a Liverpool team that is rotten to the core...yes this is the scale facing King Kenny....we have missed CL for the passed 2 seasons, if you included this season will be the third one....make no mistake, the rebuilding or remodelling of liverpool will be a painstaking affair, that i believe, i'd rather have the King to do it than any other person:

1) The team style of play have been over-reliant on 1 or 2 players - since - Owen - Danny Murphy- Gary Mac - Gerard, you can hardly remember having a few players to rely on, and this includes Torres and Gerard. Whereas KK is trying to instill a system of pass and move, is all inclusive..given time, this system should bear fruit, which is why KK been using Spearo...Flanagan....Jonjo ..young lads to build for the future.

2) An attacking Liverpool model - as far as Houllier and Rafa period, we are playing a lot of close ended football...defensive and counter attacking style - as such, pacey strikers really blossom - Owen & Torres....unlike during Roy Evan's time, we control the match..and i can see a semblance of KK trying to rebuilt a squad which closely model after the school of 1990's...yes we may win nothing during that time, but we are closest challenger to Manyure or Blackburn then..with the likes of Redknapp, Fowler, Macca, Collymore and co...I can see the rational why KK is rather protective of 'underperforming' youngsters....in order built a close knitted football team where everyone play to a system...each young lads need to be protected..given time, these lads should develop the understanding and interplay which can open up any defense..just look at Barca..iniesta, Xavi, messi etc...they been playing together since academy....whereas the likes of henderson, spearo..carrol, were bought to supplement the lack of talent from our academy....

3) Obviously, Liverpool is a team that's demoralize..after the episode with the american clowns, yes that's H&G.....we barely lifted the gloom that surround the club for the past 3 seasons, and rehabilitation just started last year, but now fans are baying for blood!!???C'mon...even a car just after overhaul cannot be push..certainly we can expect players or new ones to gel and work perfectly as per say engine parts...understanding or rather telepathic instinct, as some fans may put it, needs time to develop and nurture..i strongly support KK for being protective of the lads, becos the last thing he wants is for the fans to 'harrass' the players...probably senior players may be able to handle it...but the youngsters could be affected...

4) Granted that some of the buys might be questionable - downing, adam, carrol,,,but hey..barring carrol, downing ,adam and even henderson or enrique having join us for 7-8 months..correct me if i am wrong...how much can we expect from tactical and strategy assimilation....or adaptation from these players...bearing in mind - downing used to have a co-wingers @ Aston Villa - ASs Young...Adam use to call the shot in midfield (attacking wise), but here, he support Gerrard and carrol came from a team that plays direct football, and with ample supply of good crosses...which he is not getting enuf at Liverpool....

All in all, this season is definitely heartache...but at least KK soothe it with a League Cup and hopefull heal it with an FA Cup....lower your expectation,,,we are a team in progress..

Technically, Aquilani is on loan now, not sold though i'm sure he prefer to stay in Italy. Meireles is one that we should have try holding on to but if a player heart is set to leave, there no use forcing him to stay.

Soltice, I just saw this message on liverpoolfc forum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_Premier_League
Statistically speaking, if we scored all 34 goals (that hit the woodwork), we would be 1 place higher in league position.
(24 out of 34 were the crossbar-hits in EPL game)



This post has been edited by ALeUNe: Apr 10 2012, 12:27 AM

Why 1 place higher? Base on GD? Apparently, some games we could have nick 3 instead of one...add on the 2points, 2 points and 2 points... we can see us a lot higher.

---

Added on April 10, 2012, 1:36 amWhat an arse!

This post has been edited by solstice818: Apr 10 2012, 01:37 AM

Barcelona is Barcelona they are from a different planet!! They only compete with a few teams for La Liga and Spanish domestic titles. We've got to compete with Man City, Man United and Chelsea who can spend! Plus Spurs, Arsenal and Newcastle now.

They did go trophyless for 4 years between 5 managers (see, changing of managers). And Rijkaard won his first title in his second season (time given).

Anyways, the current Barcelona squad consists of a manager who played under the system revamped by then manager, Johan Cruyff and players who grew up playing in the la masia academy revamped by Cruyff so basically they've got a manager and the players all playing in the same way practically their whole life.

Same can't be said about us.

Yes, he 'built' the current squad but it is never going to be a walk in a park when you put in four or five new players in the team at once and hope they win titles. He's had to get rid of alot of deadwood players - Konchesky, Cole, Poulsen, El Zhar, Degen and such.

Its normal to see away fans being louder than the so called at home. Usually this aways fans are those young-die-hard liverpool fans that travel with the team almost everytime. And its not just with Liverpool fans. Newcastle, City, Spurs to name a few all have a very strong following when it comes to away games. They can make that small section of the stand be louder than the home fans altogether.

Some ITK on lfc forum said kenny will step down at the end of the season if we fail to win FA cup and finish below everton.

---

Added on April 10, 2012, 8:09 amI rather have those deadwood than the current deadwood.They didn't cost us 100million and high weekly wages.

This post has been edited by Rotuham: Apr 10 2012, 08:09 AM

Yes, I think base on GD, points and % of win.

Same .. i thought we would have beaten Swansea, Norwich, Arsenal and more?


Well, Joe Cole was free but he was 90k per week. I don't think any of the new recruits are close to 90k.

But if you rather have those deadwood than the current deadwood, our squad will never improve. It will be a whole lot better if we bought quality and have the current deadwoods as ... squad players. Expensive, yes, but United has Carrick, Berbatov, Anderson who just three together cost maybe 70 million on the bench at times.

You said they'd yield the same result and now you say same can't be said about us.
You are shooting your own feet.

I can give you tons of examples in football.
Robert Mancini was sacked (poor run of European Cup. Defeated by Liverpool). By your definition, the successor Jose Mourinho would not win European Cup.
Flawed & selective arguments.

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: Apr 10 2012, 08:23 AM

Barcelona has players and a manager who play in the same system all their lives. It is easier for Guardiola to come and do the job because he's basically implementing nothing because what he wanted there, was already there.

Same can't be said about Kenny. Half or 3/4 the squad he inherited are not what he wanted.

I guess the theory can't be applied to everyone. I never said it did and that's why I said 'we MAY yield the same results'. I never said we 'WILL'.

tonite we play Blackburn and Saturday we play Everton for the FA Cup semi finals.

hope the boys are gonna be fit.

yup, sometimes i have a hard time telling other fans about the success of barcelona (today) boils down to the CONTINUITY of the football laid down by johan cruff - frank rijkaard.

roy undone all work by rafa. besides the shitting on our squad morale, it was back to "agger, kick the ball out of park"

maybe there is no resemblance of KD play and move to rafa's but at least the key players (who remained) are playing in first 11 (bar kuyt).

The first year is always the toughest (technically its KD 'first' year, rafa first year, we didnt qualify except staging a biggest CL win & a backdoor to the following year CL as champions, and we proved it was no fluke by returning into CL final again) what would have happened if even in the first year rafa got sacked because we failed to nick 4th?

Again comparing roy to KD is... Roy was plummeting LFc to the ground. we were playing disaster football, players are appalled by his methods, the list goes on..

KD's Lfc despite not getting the points (and losses) aren't playing too shabbily, we just ain't scoring to win games, fine a couple of duds whom we felt aren't meeting our standards. We'll deal with that, i hope KD to deal with that and not just allow FSG and comolli dictate
buying players criteria.

I only see adam as KD's 'choice' chase (which unfortunately didnt met expectations), of course henderson, carrol & downing were in that of KD's list too but i suppose if it was "buy english policy" to met the rule, this is whats on the menu

Lol...Newcastle is actually in a battle with chelsea and tottenham for CL spot!

---

Added on April 10, 2012, 9:20 amLol...Newcastle is actually in a battle with chelsea and tottenham for CL spot!

This post has been edited by gidlcin: Apr 10 2012, 09:20 AM

1/4 squad, the players signed by King Kenny, are pretty much a flop.

If you TRULY understand the same theory can't be applied to Liverpool and to every manager, then you should not say anything about yield the same results.
It is contradicting to begin with.

P/S
Barcelona is just an example.
Mancini/Mourinho @ Inter Milan. Arrigo Sacchi/Fabio Capallo @ AC Milan.
Gerrard Houllier/Rafa Benitez @ Liverpool.

This post has been edited by ALeUNe: Apr 10 2012, 09:29 AM

My point was if we were going to continue the deadwood trend then why spend millions on it?By your admittance that currently there is deadwood,where is the improvement? Can i ask what is your definition of improvement? Let's not bring in united players,they can afford deadwood because they have a winning mentality and a team with fantastic chemistry.

the difference between manu and us is, as much as they have their own deadwood, they have a whole lot of winners. how many we have? another difference is their deadwood dont play. when anyone nor performing, someone else will take their spot in the team...

thats the difference. we keep playing the wrong underserving players

If first year were the toughest, then KD already failed the test. Failing to get 4th place is not a crime, not fighting for it is. What place are we now, 8th? Few more draw/lose and Fulham, Norwich, Sunderland, and Stoke will overtake us. In 2012, how is Liverpool performance any difference than when we were still under Woy? When we fall behind, players have no urgency to make a comeback, until last 10 minutes anyway.

With such terrible form now, I'm interested to know how KD going to stop it. Blackburn coming next and we all know how Liverpool love to give points to relegation fighting team. KD says the team is tired and FA cup semi against Everton is on Saturday. What do you think, should KD sacrifice the team so we can make it to FA cup final?

Yes, I agree on the continuity part.
Not only KD should remain as where he is now, he should spend some $$ on good players to be the core players in the team. Currently, KD's team, despite not getting the points (and losses), they are not playing too shabbily either, hitting the woodwork so many times (not sure any other team also hit the woodwork as many times as LFC). I hope KD will spend wisely and IMO, one or two defender, one midfielder will do it..

So far, I can only see Adam as KD's 'choice' (which unfortunately didnt met expectations), but there are Henderson, Carrol & Downing but apart from Henderson & Downing in midfield position, Carrol is not suitable for the current Liverpool type of game. Individually, these are above average players, but to make them gel as ateam is another issue.

Everton is in fine form now, they still won 4-0 against Sunderland despite resting some of their key players.

I think KD gonna rest Stevie G, either sub him after 60 min or put him on the bench vs Blackburn.
Would love to see Agger-Skertel combo again at some stage tonight.