The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - RIP Diogo

[JoG2]

Everyone's always looking for a scapegoat.

Genuinely not on a wind up here, but I don't see things improving for Liverpool in the next 10 years.

They just aren't that attractive an option for the highest quality of player.

The longstanding pros for Liverpool - historically a powerhouse, guaranteed European football, famous ground, very good if not record breaking wages, passionate fans - are all wearing thin. Every Premiership club has pots of money and the majority have a more modern ground, and quite a few have better atmospheres. History is great until it becomes a millstone, and that's closing in.

It's why Liverpool find it hard to compete for the best players. Does anyone really think that BR would have plundered Southampton, bought average forwards from Premiership clubs and spent millions on Firminho if better options would have joined?

I don't see it. They were the best he could get.

Klopp has more clout than Rogers, no doubt. But is that enough to move up a grade when attracting players? Personally I don't think so. It's going to take back to back top 4 finishes before that happens again. With 4 moneybags clubs in the PL, nobody is going realistically back that horse for now.

In fairness Man u are in the same boat.

Totally, but don't have to go back 25 years to have a title..... Id say Utd will win one before Liverpool and I can't see Utd winning one any year soon... In all seriousness how much money does Liverpool have to attract and pay wages of a decent set of players??

Klopp will land a premier league title in 3 years imo.  Utd?  Who knows,  with the cash at their disposal,  and the right man in charge (van Gaal is an absolute bluffer),  they could win in 2. So,  soccer crazy Milltown,  you may well be right

[Main Street]

I don't think many Liverpool supporters will be overly concerned with yesterday's result it was just proof that Rodgers left average to poor squad behind. If given time Klopp will win trophies for Liverpool.

I'd imagine real Liverpool fc supporters would be devastated (in a football sense) with losing such a game in such an emphatic fashion, especially coming after a recent loss to lowly Newcastle and coming after Klopp had inherited a squad which was proven good enough to beat rivals Chelsea and Man City away.
If a real fan didn't feel that sense of devastation of revived hopes ruthlessly burst then I'd question their levels of concern. I'd imagine fans in Liverpool being absolutely shattered this morning. Klopp has work to do and it's not just Rodgers's flaws he has to fix, who left a club in not much different state than what he inherited from the clueless Kenny,
ie if one  overlooks the 'minor' detail of the Suarez/Sturridge qualitative deficit. 

[Carmen Stateside]

the days of possession football could be over.  Liverpool are a more dangerous team without the ball than when up against an opposition who sit back and let them have possession.  This seems to be the case with most of the top teams.  Leicester and Watford showing that the good old days of two up top and get the ball to them at every chance is the way to go.

[seafoid]

Football is like business nowadays/ dominance of a small number of players. It is hard to see a team outside of Barca/Real/Bayern and maybe one more winning the CL. Teams from Eastern Europe havent a hope. Neither do teams from smaller cities like Amsterdam , Porto or Liverpool. even the Italian teams are less likely to win.   It is all purely about money.

[deiseach]

Football is like business nowadays/ dominance of a small number of players. It is hard to see a team outside of Barca/Real/Bayern and maybe one more winning the CL. Teams from Eastern Europe havent a hope. Neither do teams from smaller cities like Amsterdam , Porto or Liverpool. even the Italian teams are less likely to win.   It is all purely about money.

Yet Leicester are running away with things. At worst, they are going to finish ahead of a lot of moneybag clubs. Including Liverpool.

Look, we all know the business of football is screwed up. It's an insult to business to call it a 'business. What kind of business asks those involved to make an investment where they only have a vague idea what the return will be? It's a cartel, yet it boots members of the cartel out on a planned basis. Everyone can make the same investment, yet someone is still going to finish last. You previously mentioned how the owners of Liverpool are content to just exist rather than make the necessary investment to win the league. But I'm sure Bolton thought they were making smart investments, and look at them now. Heck, Liverpool sailed very close to the wind with Gillett and Hicks. As John Henry noted when Torres managed to wrangle a move to Chelsea, football is the wild west. And it's only going to get wilder.

It's still fun though. Your outlook seems to be that if only a handful of teams can win things, why should anyone else bother? You might as well apply the same logic to the Waterford and Galway hurlers. Yes, the business of football is screwed up. But there are still matches to be played, and that's what makes the exercise worthwhile.

[magpie seanie]

the days of possession football could be over.  Liverpool are a more dangerous team without the ball than when up against an opposition who sit back and let them have possession.  This seems to be the case with most of the top teams.  Leicester and Watford showing that the good old days of two up top and get the ball to them at every chance is the way to go.

I hadn't considered this but I hope you're right. I detest only playing one striker. Small sample size but yeah - Leicester and Watford maybe showing a new way of doing things.

[magpie seanie]

Anyone calling for Klopp to klear off?

If that had been Rodger's team he would have been very heavily criticised, irrespective of the failings on individual players.

That caption highlights a lot of what is wrong with the English Premier League and Sky's need for 24/7 headlines in particular.

I don't post here often but for what it's worth I think Rodgers may have gone stale but was undermined by your former hero captain and his buddies in the media. Same thing happening with LVG now perhaps. Rodgers was a little unfortunate but if you could get Klopp then fair enough. I think Klopp is the easily most talented club manager in the game today. He will have tough times (Dortmund's start last season) but can get the best out of players and have them playing a nice attractive brand of football. Liverpool supporters should be overjoyed at getting him (as the vast majority probably are to be fair).

I think you're softening a bit....There's always room over here for you as Liverpool fan if you do indeed find it hard getting behind Jose if he takes over at United 
We'll welcome you with open arms won't we lads! We're a nice bunch really.

Don't worry. I'll be suspending my support for United if the enemy of football gets the job, not ending it.

[AZOffaly]

Seafoid is very much a glass half empty man.

[Maroon Manc]

Does Klopp have much money to spend in January?

[seafoid]

Football is like business nowadays/ dominance of a small number of players. It is hard to see a team outside of Barca/Real/Bayern and maybe one more winning the CL. Teams from Eastern Europe havent a hope. Neither do teams from smaller cities like Amsterdam , Porto or Liverpool. even the Italian teams are less likely to win.   It is all purely about money.

Yet Leicester are running away with things. At worst, they are going to finish ahead of a lot of moneybag clubs. Including Liverpool.

Look, we all know the business of football is screwed up. It's an insult to business to call it a 'business. What kind of business asks those involved to make an investment where they only have a vague idea what the return will be? It's a cartel, yet it boots members of the cartel out on a planned basis. Everyone can make the same investment, yet someone is still going to finish last. You previously mentioned how the owners of Liverpool are content to just exist rather than make the necessary investment to win the league. But I'm sure Bolton thought they were making smart investments, and look at them now. Heck, Liverpool sailed very close to the wind with Gillett and Hicks. As John Henry noted when Torres managed to wrangle a move to Chelsea, football is the wild west. And it's only going to get wilder.

It's still fun though. Your outlook seems to be that if only a handful of teams can win things, why should anyone else bother? You might as well apply the same logic to the Waterford and Galway hurlers. Yes, the business of football is screwed up. But there are still matches to be played, and that's what makes the exercise worthwhile.

Feb to april is when the squad depth counts. Injuries and fatigue. I think Leicester will probably fall back.
I think the game is rigged against a lot of teams. Not the same as the psych stuff in hurling really. Waherford could have won an all Ireland ....Galway can do way better 

[stew]

the days of possession football could be over.  Liverpool are a more dangerous team without the ball than when up against an opposition who sit back and let them have possession.  This seems to be the case with most of the top teams.  Leicester and Watford showing that the good old days of two up top and get the ball to them at every chance is the way to go.

I just went through another licensing course, the top man told me I am a dinosaur and failed me on my lesson plans and told me to re-do it, I did it the way he wanted and passed it no problem, I play either 4-4-2, 3-5-1 or 4-5-1, at the end of the week he called me out in front of all the rest of the coaches and told them that I was holding my players back based on the fact I was mired in the past, I asked him how his 2nd ranked team in the Region fared against my team in State Cup (We beat them 2-1) We ceded the first thirty yards and let them feck about with the ball and simply waited on them making mistakes, they made two and lost, the reason I tell you this is simple, no matter the level, if you keep it simple and the players buy into what you are selling, you can defeat stronger teams, Liverpool and United love to hold the ball, pass sideways and backwards and win the possession battle, it means nothing unless you put the ball in the net which neither team do well and the players are not on board.

Liverpool are in a better spot, Klopp has not had the opportunity to shape Liverpool, LVG is a useless ballix and will be gone by January 1 hopefully, enough is enough, it is a simple game but these modern day managers love to feck around with their systems, I have always thought you look at what you have to work with and go from there.

[heganboy]

Benteke replacing Origi has not shown him in the best light. Looks slow and cumbersome waaaaaay off the pace

[J70]

They're working hard, but Leicester have the buses double parked and there's not much cutting edge. Vulnerable to break away goal too.


Still, streets ahead of last week!

Keep 'er going!

[heganboy]

And as if by magic, Benteke scores.

[J70]

And just as I speak...!

Lovely goal!