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View from the Kop

3 Months On…

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Daniel Sturridge scores v Man Utd: 5 timesBACK on the 3rd of October last year I wrote a piece for this site in which I set out 5 things I wanted to see happen come January’.

Now this was written off the back of our first back-to-back wins of the season after our poor start in terms of results, and the disappointment the final 48 hours of the transfer window brought.

The more optimistic of us saw green shoots of encouragement despite league tables, whereas the doom and gloomers saw…well…doom and gloom.

Never mind which side of the fence you stood on; the agreed consensus was that we had been left very light in terms of squad, and January was a distant dream. Now we are halfway through the promised month and I thought it the perfect time to revisit this piece and see if the genie granted my wishes!

The first point I made was in relation to contracts. We had just seen the likes of Sterling, Suso and Wisdom make their breakthrough, and as is the way, sharks were circling. With a change of tact in the transfer market it was always crucial for us to tie down those who make the grade, and I am happy to say this has been done.

We have blooded these young men and given time they will develop into real star talents for us. We have also seen Skrtel, Agger and Suarez commit, leaving us a Gerrard short of a full house in my eyes. Whereas I remain wary of FSG and seemingly baffled by some of their decisions, this paragraph as a whole makes a mockery of suggestions that they are asset stripping.

The second point was directed towards the established names in our squad. One of the big frustrations at the time of writing that last piece was that despite the promise of youth, the guys that we look to were far too quiet.

Has this changed? I certainly think so, but not yet to the consistent level that we require. In recent weeks we have seen the best of Stevie once more, the old Pepe is becoming more visible, and through impressive man-management we are seeing what Downing can actually do. The United game was testament to where we are at; our season’s inconsistency confined to 90 minutes – abject first-half replaced by dominant second. If we can level at the disparity and reproduce that second-half more often we will be a happier bunch no doubt.
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Thirdly I wanted substantial progress on the stadium issue. This has not been achieved in my eyes as yet – at least not publicly. It seems to be the favoured option of remaining at Anfield is being edged towards, but what I want to see is firm plans in place with dates set for commencement and completion.

I fondly recall a conversation I had with John Barnes, which I wholeheartedly agree with, in which he suggested that financial focus should fall firmly on the squad in the short-term to get us to a level where we challenge again at the top in order to generate the funds for the stadium. Investing in ‘ready-made’ players is always a gamble, but can help bring on the young players which will save money in the long run. Such a simple thing on paper eh!

The fourth point related to Sebastian Coates. Now I remain steadfast in my opinion of him, I think he is a beast. I have high hopes for him as he offers up quality options both defensively and offensively. Unfortunately for him he has Skrtel and Agger in front of him. The rumour mill suggests that he may be leaving on loan this month and this will be a good move. He gets game time and can settle. For me, selling him at this stage would be a huge mistake.

Lastly I wanted Suarez to get a pen! He did, we scored…my mind has forgotten what happened next in that game!

So, since that piece I think the club has moved forwards along the lines I had hoped for. It was vital to secure the players we already have – both the established stars as well as the youngsters. I still believe we have a solid core in Reina, Agger, Skrtel, Johnson, Lucas, Gerrard and Suarez with an abundance of potential in the younger players from the Academy as well as those brought in such as Allen, Henderson and Borini, but these guys need time to develop.

The relative security provided by long-term contracts can keep attention on the pitch allowing the squad to settle and familiarise with each other.

Like it or not this side needs time and we need patience. We have seen how well we can play, as well as how poorly we can play. For me, Sturridge is a good addition as he gives something new to the squad, but we are still light.

FSG need to spend in the short-term to give us that solidity and quality that can ease the first team introductions of our young stars. Will they do it? They have 2 weeks to give us an idea of their intentions.
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30 comments

  • Brad says:

    I mostly agree but…no credit at all for buying Sturridge? I knew when they bought him early in the window people would slate FSG for “not spending any money” in the window by the time the thing winds closed.

    • Tim Williams says:

      a lot of credit for getting sturridge in and getting him early and apparently pain free! Always thought Sturridge has all the tools in his box but was worried about his attitude. So far he has impressed me, spoken well and those small things that can sell a player to fans like his celebration against united he is doing.

      2 in 2 is exactly what we want and that goal against United may look simple but we havent been scoring them! Second half i think we got a taste of what is to come, suarez, sturridge and borini up top will cause nightmares for defences in terms of movement, work rate, skill and pace! I even remember downing having the ball out wide, looking up and seeing 4 LFC players in the box! he lost the ball as he couldnt believe what he saw!!!

      • TaintlessRed says:

        Even though many have doubts over Sturridge (and despite 2 goals and 2 fine performances it is right to still have doubts) I believed before we bought him he would be a good buy and still believe so. At the half way point last year he was Chelsea’s top scorer (even though AVB was playing him on the right) and the idea of Chelsea selling him, let alone for £12m, would have been ludicrous. Given we’d never be in the market for a World Class striker getting a talented young player whose scored goals in the Premier at the price we did was a very good bit big business.

        I hope that Sturridge joining doesn’t mean we shift Luis out to the left and play Luis either in behind Sturridge or have Sturridge wide with Luis central. Luis’s our best player and even if gevdud score plenty of goals playing for Ajax on the left of prefer him to be constantly involved in the game and not restricted.
        I agree with you Tim in that I’m excited to see how I Suarez, Sturridge, Borini/Sterling front three works out. If downing wants to play he’ll have to score more goals.

        • Tim Williams says:

          it is right to have doubts over any player tht comes in, any signing is a gamble, you may get a mcallister shaped gem for nothing or you may get a shevchenko shaped dud for £30m. In terms of how successful a player was for a club can only be done once they have left the club, but in Sturridge the promise is definately there.

          To be honest I think we will be playing with a fluid front 3 which will cause havoc for opposition, and to some extent we may benefit from not relying on suarez centrally. For all the wonderful talent he has, if we are struggling in a game it is detrimental to have him dropping deeper and deeper for the ball, there is a reason why Sturridge got the goal he did on sunday as his first thought is more selfish and will he will be on the shoulder of the last man.

  • tommy says:

    i think our club is trying to bring in players , but i think these agents , who represent the players are messing up deals as their fee needs to be first,, maybe our onwers are standing firm on these situations , yes we do need maybe 2players and we still may get them who knows , im optimistic about our team with sturridge in it signs are good

    • Tim Williams says:

      i think more than ever agents are really influencing transfer outcomes. Whether or not this Sneijder talk is true, the apparent quibbles over wages is something all too familiar, the days when a player would crawl over glass to sign for any club ae long gone! the fact that Walcott gets praised for loyalty after holding arsenal over a barrell to get £100k a week a prime example!

  • Terry Mac says:

    3 months on , its 7 months on , i just wish someone would end the nightmare that is Rodgers tenure . abysmal from start to finish

    • Tim Williams says:

      but 3 months since the piece i mention in that first line!

      would love to hear why you think Rodgers is a nightmare…

    • tommy says:

      terry , if rodgers went then a new manager , would want to bring his own players in and unload players , i believe this would really put liverpool in trouble, i think there is a foundation starting cement i think we just need to get through this season , see us against united , we’re not to far behind in quality , the second half we took it to them , they were on the ropes and they knew they were fortunate come the end , borini looked quick sturridge the same and luis was decent , backed up by gerrad , we’ve lack fire power but i really believe we’ll put fear into defence now ,, come on you REDS

      • fotheringham says:

        LOL not far behind utd . that is just ridiculous . way behind unfortunately and getting further the longer the wholly incompetent Rodgers is boss

        • Tim Williams says:

          I think what Tommy is suggesting is that when we took the game to United we looked a top side, our issue is, and has been for a while, consistency. Say what you want about United but they are consistent. They grind out wins when they are not playing well and when they are playing well not many can keep pace. I think when we play as well as we can we are up there with anyone in the league, our problem is being consistent, and as a 90 minutes on sunday this was a perfect example of my point

        • tommy says:

          thank you tim yes thats what im trying to say , consistency , and i dont want to dig out a player as whipping boy, i remember players like rushy coming in , losing confidence for while he looked nothing , then after time he started doing his bit for the liverpool cause , tim theses agents have holds over clubs today , i remember fsg/ayre saying they gonna smash this hold , i for one hope they do , im told kk’s son is a agent and was in part of the deal for andy caroll coming to lfc , im told sam allidyse son is part of this company so is jamie krednapps brothers, i noticed our owner wouldnt shake kenny’s hand going up for losers medal v chelsea , its strange caroll is at west ham now ,

      • shibashis says:

        That United game seems to be the marker, then explain oh explain why Allen was not taken off at half time, why was Lucas sacrificed?
        I have stood by Rodgers, but such decisions are not a sign of progress that we are so eagerly looking for.

        • TaintlessRed says:

          Allen was certainly our weak link in that game, but I think BR subbed Lucas because he had been yellow carded, dye to persistent fouling, and was worried he might get another.

        • Tim Williams says:

          Sometimes people need to take their blinkers off and this is certainly the case with Allen. IN recent years why has it been the case that a scapegoat has been created, first lucas, then henderson and now allen.

          Take a step back and look at that united game, no Liverpool player truly endeared themselves in that first half yet you single out Allen as a weak link? Lucas was subbed at half time and althoug I shudder I agree with TaintlessRed that it was due to the booking, but second half we picked up and started to take the game to United and were unlucky not to get something, and for most of that half Allen was on!

          Does that make Lucas the weak link? no. The first half formation was the weak link, in such a game allen and lucas are not suited playing together, we need the energy of Henderson in there.

      • Tim Williams says:

        without doubt agents are a plague in the modern game. Look how many players in recent years have moved to Chelsea or Man City and watched their career pass by, but at east the agent got a big pay day. Sinclair at city now, bridge, wright-phillips, parker etc etc, im actually surprised the run moses is having at chelsea.

        all players need a settling in period with a minority hitting the ground running like torres and suarez did. Rush didnt score for over a year! Funny how in recent years fans slagged off Lucas but now love him, slagged off Henderson but now call for him to start! Sometimes people need to see the bigger picture and stop being so reactionary.

        • tommy says:

          HA! , yes tim i remember many around liverpool 4 and liverpool 5 areas of our city saying lucus was the new zico , but boo’d him from the kop , players arent clones or machines, must be frightening for a new lad coming onto the pitch at anfield to face the kop and the 14 plus judges , if im having a tough week orlifes not treating me good or even a hang over from the booze on friday night , i could always vent my frustration on the kops whipping boy of the day, thank god i havent touched booze for many years

  • Omensa says:

    Slightly improvement but rodgers is persistance static in his tactic. Tactical in dept is shallow. These are my reasons: 1. Attitude of forcely imparting 3 in midfield hasnt resulted effectively. There’s no point in loaning coates and wilson and buying mirin & diakete. No put in loaning coates and wilson whiles given wisdom and carra more chances than those talented lads. Am convinced wilson & coates ve a better future than carra & wisdom. Coates & wilson are between 21 – 22 & deserve much play time than carra. Even the wisdomless wisdom is 19. Even wilson c’d play both laterals as well as his best centre halve position.

    • Tim Williams says:

      having a persistence in a tactic isnt a bad thing, in my mind it shows a determination. When the tactic works it is very hard to play against, soa persistence with it will provide consistency for the players and allow us to adopt quicker.

      Is it right in every situation? no, for example I dont think we were aided by playing lucas and allen against united. Them together is all good when we are in control of the game but when we are on the backfoot, like most teams are at old trafford, we needed the energy of henderson. look at the improvement second half when it was just allen. Personally i think this would have been the same improvement had it been allen that had eft rather than lucas as it was a formation rather than personnel issue. But what Rodger shas shown is the ability to assess a situation and dynamically change it. I always felt Dalglish waited too long to make a change for example, Rafa too, but we have seen Rodgers affect a game with a first half substitution before!

      There is absolutely point in loaning Coates. He needs to settle into the PL and play regularly to learn his game. He has kinks that need ironing out and that isnt always possible at a club like ours, especially with skrtel and agger ahead of him. Carra is playing his role well and his use in PL this season as been to shore up and calm the defence later on in games, this is the job for a veteran not a young man earning his trade.

      As for Wilson I think we messed up here. When we got him he should have been loaned straight back to Rangers to carry on regular first team football. I htink he has at best stood still in terms of progression. I fuly expect him to leave in the summer which is sad as he is a talent.

      I am puzzled with the Mirin and Diakate links, unless there is a thought to use them in back up fo lucas too, as we have enough quality in depth in the centre back area. Agger, Skrtel, Carra, Coates, Kelly, Wisdom and even as far down as Sama. The more pressing need at the back is left back competition and a foresight into the Goalkeeping area. Personally I think we should be looking at Butland now with a thought to loaning him straight back to Birmingham for at least this season and next, not unlike City did with Hart. Reain is top class and Jones is decent cover but neither are getting younger and we need to be prepared, getting Butland now would save a lot of money on a decent keeper in a couple of years.

  • red says:

    The gap between lfc and man utd: man utd signed robin van persie and lfc signed sturridge.

    Who wants to defend FSG ???

    • Clive says:

      Totally agree . Rodgers should be sacked

    • tommy says:

      red , im not defending fsg or against them either way i see it , they trying to stablise the club , they will move forward , remember end of next season the work begins on ANFIELD , i dont want a quick fix then fall apart like leeds united did few yrs back

    • Tim Williams says:

      in this instance I will! United took a huuuge gamble signing RVP for the fee they paid and the wages they gave him. An injury prone forward with 1 full decent season behind. It was a gamble which paid off spectacularly….using hindsight! Every transfer is a gamble some work RVP, some dont Veron.

      We were in no way at all possible in any kind of situation to buy RVP in the summer, and like them or loathe them this isnt FSG’s fault.

      Personally I always felt Sturridge had what it took t be a top top player just needs guidance, and unless you are completely daft it is easy to see that Rodgers is a decent man to man manager.

  • red says:

    Tim Williams, please tell me how to speed up the sacking of that young brendon rodger ????

    • Tim Williams says:

      I do suspect that you may be trolling here! UNless oyu are actually called Red, then OH MY GOD IM TALKING TO MORGAN FREEMAN

  • Jack The Lad says:

    Excellent article Tim. It’s always nice to read a follow up on someone’s prior expections.[I’ll look forward to the article on what you hope/expect to see come May in the comming week or so:)] I guess 4 out of 5 wasn’t bad. Some of the signings haven’t really come to be what they are, but it’s early days. Allen has been really poor lately, in fact awful! I think it takes a lot of players 16 months or so before they really settle at a new club, especially when they are young. I agree Allen requires time, but should he be dropped or persisted with just like Rafa persisted with the now excellent Lucas. If Rodgers persists with him though is it to the detriment of the team and therefore results?Henderson has shown some good form of late which is great to see and so many were calling for his head last year and now the same people are calling for him to replace Allen!:) Question is, who will they want Allen to replace next season……Tis a vicious circle!!

    • Tim Williams says:

      you may have given me an idea! haha

      Allen hasnt been in the best of form recently, perhaps jaded, perhaps not in a formation that suited. I thought he, as well as others was poor 1st half against United, but the formation change 2nd half and he was much better. He was outstanding when he first arrived and played probably more than he should have due to circumstances out of his control. I fully believe he will come good for us and we have ourselves a player Its a shame that some sections always need a scapegoat! They were probably clamouring for Henderson last sunday and 12 months previous probably slagging him off!

  • tommy says:

    there you go 5star performance 5 goals who wants to whinge n moan , come on you reds !!!!!!

    • Tim Williams says:

      A fine example of what we can do! and before anyone says ‘its only Norwich’ they have beaten United and Arsenal this season! we stuck 10 past them! we now need consistency!

  • tommy says:

    yes consistency , fight for each other , need the players to be as one , unity , and be ruthless just like in the 70’s this brazilian lad countinho looks the business too , i would love the anfield crowd to raw the lads on in every game , not just the big games , then maybe players would come onto the pitch full of fear , advantage to us , makes anfield a frightening place to visit just like in the good old days , yes the fans need to raw more than sing along like the church chior , yes save the chior for the finals ,, COME ON YOU REDS ATTACK ATTACK , ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK,

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