IF we do sign Alonso, I reckon it will be Lucas who will be phased out and Henderson who will move into a central role from his current wider position. He has shown great tenacity this season and often operates on both ends of the pitch, most notably against Crystal Palace. He has the energy and stamina to complement Gerrard and Alonso.

In the event we play Lucas instead, we can play with 3 at the back as we have been to make up for the lack of pace by pushing one of our centrebacks up into midfield when needed. In any case, if someone lacks pace, they can make up for it by reading the game well. It's something Hamann did to great effect.

Got to disagree with that part there, I don't think Hendo couldn't bring the ball forward, most probably he's just been restricted to do so by BR. Look back at last season, he did bring the ball forward and support the whole attack process, just this season he's been staying at the middle and holding both side of the pitch.

The whole video showing what he did during his time at Swansea, I am sorry to say that but he did not do all those during his time at Liverpool, he tend to hold the midfield and do side way passing most of the time. And I don't blame him, it could be BR again restricting the player. He did showed some great offensive ability just before he injured, but I just don't see his position if we bring in another midfield during Jan transfer.

People like Hendo is not appreciated much but in long term, it is vital for the club because he can fill in any part and still do a decent job. Role like this is of course very much underappreciated as compared to Allen's role of attacking and spreading passes to create chances. However, imo, if there is one to sacrifice between Allen, Lucas and Hendo, I would pick Allen and if Allen starts performing, I would then sacrifice Lucas. I would save Hendo last because very much like Kolo Toure who can fill RB, CB and DM, these are the players that who can give a lot more than the other. He reminds me a little of young gerrard who plays RB, RW, LW, CM , DM and moves to AM and then SS under rafa. They are important.

Lucas can be sacrificed mainly because if(and ONLY IF) Alonso is coming, he would have spend more time on bench since Gerrard and Alonso would be rotating the the deep lying role. We would also have Toure, Sakho and Agger all being capable of playing at DM.

But like I said, it all starts with IF and ended up with nothing usually. Doubt Alonso will be coming but if he did, it would be a great lift to the way now that we have a midfield general who can dictate play more effectively that anyone in the squad.

I'm glad someone leh sees what I see. Allen was largely used to fill the gap vacated by the injured Lucas and clearly he looked like a fish out of water. The bloke simply isn't a defensive Titan. Whenever he's played in an advanced role however, he's impressed if only briefly because by that time, he was used sparingly as a substitute. During preseason he played further up the park and he looked impressive. I reckon he needs more game time in the opposition half.

This.

Same thing going on at United with Kagawa. That dude is talented. So is it his fault for not knowing how to play in an unfamiliar position or is it Moyes' for not knowing how to utilize his talents?

Alas, here comes the personal attacks & emotional 1119 essays. Wounded ego and butthurt? Give me a freakin break. Single me out if u want, I couldn't be bothered about it. There's always a price to pay for going against the flow. You are not the first one I clashed my opinion with and definitely will not be the last one. I speak out what I see and I keep it real. You said you don't take yourselves seriously and then you wrote this marvelous piece. No need to be so emotional. Would rather talk about football rather than drawn into another moral debate about how to be a fan or so. Seriously, give it a rest.

Ditto. Personally I think he's a good player, neat and tidy and I'm sure he would do well in a team like Southampton or Swansea. However, whether he could step up to another level is a doubt. Based on our current squad, it will be hard for him to break into the first team. He has neither the engine of Henderson, the defensive abilities of Lucas nor the passing range of Gerrard. He has lots of ground to cover.

Agree with you on his qualities. I remember when he first came in, he was shoulders above the rest. That's not saying a lot considering how crap the rest of the squad was doing but you knew he had the qualities - made the right decisions, kept the ball flowing and the moves tidy and always presenting himself as an option. But he needs to regain that form and confidence and also perform consistently in the team. To do that he needs game time. But I have a question, what's his favourite position? He used to play in Gerrard's current role in Swansea but I don't see Rodgers dropping Gerrard at all. If he should be played further upfront where he could cause the most damage, we have Coutinho and Alberto - 2 natural footballers no less - above the pecking order. It's going to be a tough mountain to climb.