Well if the geezers at Old Trafford expected Moyes to carry on with Fergie's work, they hired the wrong man. It doesn't take someone with a Phd to note that they are much less ruthless than they were less than a year ago, and with the some personnel no less. Players not performing means they either miss Fergie's hair dryer treatment or they're being given a different set of instructions.

I want them to give Moyes time even if it's the wrong thing to do. Moyes has spent years trying to get Everton to finish about the mancs and now he's finally succeeding.


Speaking of continuity and clubs in decline, clubs have been known to reinvent themselves with the appointment of a new manager even if they aren't in the shithouse. Kenny left Souness a decent squad but instead of picking up where Kenny left off, Souey sold key players before their time and replaced them with crap. Former Chelsea bosses (too many to name) have also reinvented the team constantly though they finish consistently in the top four, picking up a trophy every now and then. What about Real Madrid? Ancelotti and Mourinho have contrasting styles and it isn't as though the latter left the Italian a struggling side (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1876809-comparing-carlo-ancelottis-real-madrid-to-jose-mourinhos). Apparently nuclear physics is overrated.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 7 2014, 02:38 PM

On the bolded bit, I didn't realise it was a long term contract. Fergie has long earmarked Moyes as his successor and has without a doubt had some influence over this. Moyes has done really well with Everton but Martinez is doing a good job at helping the Goodison Park faithful forget him. Before parting with the club Fergie had this to say to the fans...



This suggests to me that a slump of sorts was to be expected. Couple this with the fact Moyes has been offered a 6-year contract might suggest that the owners are prepared to give him some time. Also sacking him this early will be expensive for the club.

Continuity of success I believe was to be expected but my logic tells me that they won't be playing exactly the same type of football. Managers will have similar styles and yet, there are certain traits that make them individuals. Moyes is no different and he has been trying to impose himself upon the club. Never saw him as the copy & paste type. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1794935...ms-anytime-soon

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 7 2014, 04:45 PM

If you are rajin you can browse through several news portals with links like this -http://mobile.newsnow.co.uk/h/Sport/Football/Premier+League/Liverpool

On Mascherano, why would he consider coming back if he left because his wife could not acclimatise?



This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 7 2014, 06:04 PM

Some may say that the boss is sounding a little cocky but winners all have a little arrogance about them. Arsene Wenger for example once claimed that his bunch of "invincibles" would go unbeaten and the very next season, they did.

We've been talking about making Anfield a fortress again for a long time now. It goes without saying that being invincible on home soil is crucial. Roy Hodgson's Fulham managed only 2 away wins but because of their solid home form, they qualified for qualified for Europe and made it all the way to the Europa League final in 2010.

This season we're 3rd behind only City and Chelsea in terms of home form and Brendan Rodgers has made us hard to beat in our own backyard. Sure, the top teams are yet to visit but I'd much rather face them all at home than away. We always opt to attack the Kop end in the second half of games and now that we're in the second half of the season, let's continue to plug away at Anfield.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/...contenders.html

The January transfer market is notorious for it's inflated prices. Selling clubs are either fighting for survival or for trophies at this stage and it will take a lot for them to be willing to part with their best players. Unlike the summer transfer windows, selling clubs don't have the time to make the necessary changes to compensate for missing a key player, or players. Still, we picked up a couple of good buys the last.time round didn't we? Thing is neither were starters and thought to be key players. Salah is and we'll be paying a premium for him. Basel are battling on all fronts including the Euro League after finishing third in their Champions League group.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 7 2014, 09:56 PM

Aspas was impressive during pre-season but a question mark remains over his pedigree when it comes to top level football. He was on blistering form for Celta, helping them to promotion but only made his top flight debut less than 2 years ago before we signed him.

So far he's only played well against sides in lower divisions and at 26 it is conceivable to believe that he already at the peak of his prowess. Still, I hope the lad comes good.

We're playing Stoke next which reminds me of a bit of business we can do in January. Bring Assaidi back and cut short. Moses' loan. I reckon the former is having a better time on loan than the Nigerian.

If I were to hazard a guess, the idea was probably to ship out Borini on loan regardless. As for Aspas, it could have been as a precaution in the event that Suarez was to be sold. It was a risk but he was scoring goals so it was a calculated one. We paid what? $7 million for a bloke that had just scored 12 goals in La Liga and 23 the season prior to that in the Segunda Division. It would have been a bargain had he replicated that form which doesn't seem to be the case at the moment. Still, it was a risk worth taking in my opinion.

If anyone is wondering why we're linked to Ola John, it's because the lad registered an amazing 22 assists during the 2011-2012 with FC Twente, also scoring 9 goals in the process. When is the last time anyone in the Premier League had 22 assists? That's as good as scoring 22 goals which is about where Suarez is right now. Not bad for a wide player. Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to replicate his form with Benfica but to be fair he's not often in the starting eleven, coming off the bench mostly. Could turn out to be a Coutinho eh?

I thought N'Gog had the physical attributes to be a good centreforward. He's certainly has the build and the pace much like Babel but offered very little in terms of ability. Aspas showed during pre-season that he has some really good touches, but he's built like a twig which isn't the end of the world provided you're a wizard on the ball, which unfortunately isn't. He has said that he favours leading the line but it's a little difficult to do so in the Premiership when a gust of wind could knock him over. Even if he was playing we'll it's debatable if he'd make the World Cup squad what with Spain often playing with no recognised striker, preferring instead of play Cesc Fabregas in that false no.9 role.

Fergie doesn't like the way he runs

Henderson has been a revelation this season and this is especially encouraging because his best games have come when he was the main man in midfield. When we signed him, there were whispers that he would be Stevie's replacement but it didn't help that Kenny played him wide on the right, turning such notions into a joke. He isn't the most technically gifted player but what he lacks in skill, he makes up for in passion and desire. Ability wise, he's show that he is a competent passer of the ball, often spraying passes the width of the pitch. What I like about him is his attitude. He received high dosses of criticism early in his Liverpool career but he played through the pain barrier and even refused to leave the club when we were trying to flog him, stating that he would fight for his place. Well, he did and he has succeeded.

It isn't mere coincidence that his best form came about when Gerrard was out. Firstly, he gets to take up his preferred central role and he isn't burdened by defensive duties with the more mobile Joe Allen behind him. He struggled with Lucas and Gerrard in the side as neither are particularly quick. In some instances, Henderson was the deepest midfielder even though Lucas was playing in the DM role. That's how much ground Henderson had to cover in a game. Joe Allen isn't a fan favourite but his inclusion allows Henderson to orchestrate play in the opponents half without having to worry about scurrying back if we lose possession. It also allows him the freedom to get up right behind Suarez and alongside Coutinho and he's already shown he's developing an understanding with them. Long may he continue to improve!

Valbuena would be a useful addition. He's quick, technically sound, tenacious and he has a very high workrate which makes him an ideal candidate as we defend from the front and midfielders and strikers are expected to get back to help out.

On transfers, has any club signed anyone yet?

Good think we've got a fair number of central defenders in the squad.

http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/01/09/...pdate-bad-news/?

Obviously any injury is bad especially when it occurs to influential players but the timing of this one means that clubs may not want to bid for him.

The Valbuena pic is highly deceptive la. Firstly, he's stretching for the ball and is leaning backwards. He's also in the foreground. Lastly, it is Kompany and Fellaini in the pic with him. Both of them are build like titans.

Robin Thicke looks sleepy in that still

Allen isn't world class but it doesn't hurt to give him a pat on the back when he's had a good game. I mean as fans of the club, we do actually want players to come good even if we think they're shite at the moment no? Some fellas let their pride get in the way unfortunately.

Based on our current personnel, I reckon an Allen-Lucas-Henderson midfield trio is more effective than an Lucas-Henderson-Gerrard one and I stated why yesterday. Feel free to dispute this with facts or opinions.

As for the verdict on Allen, well the glass is either half empty or it's half full. In the case of Allen it is half empty and his mistakes are magnified so much so that he can never do anything right. Some players are capable of changing that however. Lucas did and touch wood, Henderson looks like he has. Now fans are beginning to look at his positive contributions. Frankly, constructive criticism is more effective than just criticism, fact. The reason it's half full for me is mainly because he's still young and he has shown glimpses of his ability.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 10 2014, 09:27 AM

Came across this article. A bit dated but it too suggests that based on current personnel, a trio of Allen, Henderson and Lucas brings out the best in one another's game. Not suggesting we phase out Stevie completely but it does mean we can afford to rest and rotate him.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1890504...de-and-analysis

Firstly, I believe only ONE poster labeled him as "World Class". Suddenly it's case of everyone pro Allen saying so?

I on the other hand, insinuated that pride MAY prevent some fans from acknowledging that a player had a good game, or a good sequence of games, especially if said player has already been labeled as being eternally useless. Would make the comment seem foolish in hindsight.

I too rate players after they've achieved some degree of consistency as Henderson has and I'm glad he's silenced his critics (I don't see as many, "Hendo is useless" posts). Doesn't mean however that we could not have been supportive and emphatised with the fact that he was being played out of position when he wasn't doing well. Allen has only been consistent over 3 or 4 games in sequence because of injury being left out of the first team but in his time here, he's shown glimpses of his ability, enough for me anyway to suggest that he is at the very least, a useful squad player.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 10 2014, 10:51 AM

Not sure when we last struck gold with a player on loan. Anelka is the first name that comes to mind.

This post has been edited by Duke Red: Jan 10 2014, 12:48 PM

Alamak. Meant to say struck "gold". Corrected.

Fair point.