smudgerfox

Free kick just landed in a crowd of six golden shirts - not a blue one to be seen ..

I swear Lookman had the ball at his feet in the six yard box and we still didn’t get a shot in

I think it pointless arguing about recruitment really - no-one really knows what’s going on and who’s calling the shots. Some signings are clearly at the behest of the manager ( Puel had a connection to Tielemans, Ghezzal and Diabate) but most are likely to be a compromise between what the club wants and what the manager wants and you hope that mostly they’re on the same page. My main concern on that side is the way he seems to lose all faith in some players, often quite unfairly, and often because they don’t easily fit into his hallowed system. He tries to turn players into something they’re not and arguably never will be (Perez winger, Choudhury box to box midfielder, Schmeichel play out from the back, keeper). At any one time we usually have three to four players actively “frozen out” reducing the squad to an unmanageably small size and putting too much weight on those who remain. The ultimately pointless retention of Benkovic is a case in point.

I see he attributes Mendy’s absence to injury - not to the fact that one of the best players in Afcon was excluded from the Prem squad…

What was down to bad planning was the season before when KDH was given a place in the Europa squad and loaned to Luton within days..there does seem to be something of a disconnect at times…I hope one day we get the full story on Benkovic because it really is a mystery. Loaned to Rodgers at Celtic , seemingly a huge success, then back to Leicester where it’s suddenly discovered he’s not good enough for Cardiff, Bristol City let alone the Prem League…

I think it has everythIng to do with it. If I have understood Project Reset properly, in the summer we are to sell some of our best players to raise funds for new ones. If that is the case we will live with the consequences of that for many seasons. It may provide just what we need - it could be a Peter Taylor money spray job…so his previous transfer record is significant in assessing his ability to carry that out. If Vestergaard and Bertrand were his idea and for instance Daka is a club decision via scouting then we have to be pessimistic. It isn’t just about the true quality of the players brought in - it’s also about whether the manager can identify their value to the squad. Many mid table prem sides would be delighted to have Mendy or Praet in their squads - I’m sure many would kill to have Ihenacho at their disposal - but BR simply doesn’t seem to rate them.

Seems a bit odd to say a team that spent the best part of two seasons in the top 4 isn’t good enough to finish top 4. The fact is we were so close and when you look at how we lost it - there’s a strong whiff of self destruction about some of those crucial results …Losing 1-0 to Norwich is one of those things that can happen - I agree - but the complete capitulations to Bournemouth, Newcastle, West Ham snd Spurs display an underlying lack of belief and ruthlessness and my point is they are still there today… btw despite Chelsea’s poor form I’m willing to bet they make top 4

I think the first two full seasons are as revealing about BR’s shortcomings as this season. 2019/20 we missed CL by four points. Then consider this - we lost 1-0 to Norwich (relegated) , 4-1 to Bournemouth (relegated) after being ahead and after conceding two goals and having a player sent off in the space of two minutes, gave up a 90th minute lead on Watford (relegated) to a 93rd minute equaliser by Craig Dawson from a corner. Any of that sound familiar? Oh and an injury time defeat to Villa in the League Cup semi final. Never mind let’s try again in 2020/21. This time we’re one point short of Champions League. So let’s look at where we went wrong this time. A 2-0 defeat to Fulham (relegated) a 4-2 capitulation to Newcastle (Evans pulled out of team shortly before ko) 2-0 down on 34 mins, 3-2 defeat to West Ham 3-0 down after 48 mins, 2-4 defeat by Spurs despite being 2-1 up with 15 minutes to go. Yes we won the FA Cup but let us also acknowledge that leant heavily on the goals of Ihenacho (4) who Rodgers clearly doesn’t rate. (it’s that system thing again) So what we have is two failures to qualify for CL despite occupying a CL position for most of both seasons. A complete failure to close the deal achieved through a mixture of capitulation at either end of games, tactical ineptitude, defensive naivety and injury mismanagement. Games surrendered by half time or given away late or in periods of full-scale implosion. CL qualification on two successive seasons would have transformed this club. In terms of its finances (at least £50-million I reckon) and in terms of its profile and the calibre of player we could bring in. It was in our grasp but we let it go - twice… All of a piece with how Liverpool failed to win the league despite scoring 100 goals in the season, all of a piece with us being 4-0 down to Man City after 20 minutes, These are the issues BR needs to urgently address…

Not a common occurrence in elite level football I think you’ll find - where tip top conditioning is required and expert medical science is available. The game was won ffs - it was totally unnecessary for Maddison to risk his health further by taking part… but I agree, very Sunday League - a bit like wheeling out a tall guy to defend corners at the end to defend a lead - a world away from elite level management

Just to be clear - I am a severe critic of BR because I think he is vastly overrated and I am very worried about handing over a major redevelopment of my club, to him. There are good reasons to doubt his ability to carry this out successfully (see his transfer record at Celtic and Liverpool) and the way he has handled talented players such as Mendy, Ihenacho and Praet while at the club - placing his faith in his own playing system above utilising the whole of a talented squad to the maximum. I also think it wholly unrealistic to think that something as fundamental as defending corners successfully can only be achieved when your best defenders are available. I don’t want him out until a better, realistic candidate can be found. But it serves no-one - not least BR himself - to turn a blind eye to his shortcomings.

Yet another puzzle on the fitness/sub front last night. if Madders was ill so shortly after coming on - feeling ill, dizzy etc as described by BR - surely he must have been feeling that way beforehand. So why bring him on at 4-1at all?

Who were the Celtic signings who didn’t challenge the first team - I’m very interested to know …Congerton leaving does seem strange though from his reputation at Celtic nit sorry to see him go…

I’d forgotten the WBA incident but it’s in line with what I said about him being a purist …almost that it’s not enough to win it has to be victory by strictly deploying his tactical methods …. That’s fine until the coaching methods stop working altogether … If we come under any kind of relegation pressure this season - I know it’s unlikely - but if we do I’m not sure this squad led by this manager has it in them to secure the necessary wins under that kind of pressure

As I’ve said before, had Man City continued playing they would have racked up double figures in that 6-3 game. Regardless of personnel and injuries the lack of pragmatism on the defending front is scarcely believable. Any side who contrives to be 4-0 down after 25 mins in any match, against any opposition, is inviting relegation, if not this season, then next. Sticking to his system (whatever it is) seems more important to BR than the match result. He’s a coaching theorist and idealist - not a hard-headed win seeker. His failure to fix set piece defending is a case in point. Teams of all shapes and sizes and ability levels and I suppose of varying levels of commitment, manage to defend corners better than we do. It’s a coaching fundamental on which BR has fallen horribly short..

While I think you meant to disagree with me - you end up proving my point. Some of your valuations are in Fantasy land. You seem to assume there’s a bottomless pit of money for tearing up contracts and selling at a huge loss. And the cost of bringing in seven new players of the standard we require is likely to be well over £200m. It may be what we need in an ideal world but the current world is far from ideal.

I don’t think a big clear out is easy. You can end up losing the players other clubs want and by extension the players we want to keep. And stuck with the players no one else wants

Is the best way to organise an end-of-season clear out of players you no longer rate, to announce it just beyond the halfway point in an ongoing season? Players you don’t want , probably know who they are and have no incentive to play well for you any longer. Some of them will have mates in the players you want to keep group, who will also feel fed up on their behalf. The wanted will also sense a period of upheaval and possibly slow transformation which might convince them it might be time to take up that lucrative deal they were offered elsewhere but turned down because LCFC seemed a club intent on progressing. Clubs eyeing up our best players will know we need to raise funds for new players and will drive down fees or hold up deals until the last possible moment leaving little time to bring in replacements. Signings will hold off signing until they have a better idea who their teammates are likely to be.

He’ll be a busy boy

This is more of a let down. relegation to League one was the culmination of almost a decade of decline in which we never threatened to get promoted. Btw we should be eternally grateful to NFP for getting us out of there so quickly and efficiently - look at Portsmouth and Sunderland administration was terrible but again the natural consequence of terrible mismanagement over a sustained period The Deeney play off match was horrendous but if I’m honest another season in the Championship is really what we needed at that time. Relegation would surely have followed had we got up with that squad. Emphatic promotion the following season was a much better trajectory. But yesterday the stage was as well set as it could be. BR emphasising the local rivalry. A strong team available for selection. FA Cup holders, off a winter break. Time to prepare and plan - something which has allegedly been a problem all season. I would never presume to win against lower opposition but really there can be no excuses for such a thumping….

Financial Fair Play a factor here. Allowed spending depends on income and we don’t have the income to support a large transfer budget - hence the plans to expand the stadium. Villa have underspent for a long time so have more headroom financially - Newcastle similar. Plus big stadiums already. And in Villa’s case of course the Grealish money and in Newcastle’s case the Saudi money. West Ham also benefitting from having the Old Olympic stadium in similar fashion. So even if the owners have money to invest in the squad they can’t legally spend it…

yes and his treatment Of Hamza - another who is technically in the squad but not really part of it until we’re so desperate he gets the call to be the next Mascherano All the reserve keepers - and there are a lot of them - not a sniff of a chance despite Schmeichels obvious flaws. Vestergaard and Bertrand are now in the “frozen out” section of the squad And what’s the point of having Nelson in the first team squad at all if he isn’t trusted to play? - see Watford FA Cup R3 Mendy btw is a victim of the set piece fiasco - his outfield play is good enough to be a valuable squad player but he doesn’t meet BR’s physical presence test when it comes to defending set pieces ..if we could defend corners we could afford to play Mendy This for me is what goes unrecognised when people keep going on about injuries to key players. Rodgers simply doesn’t utilise his wider squad very skilfully. When players go out of favour they disappear leaving a very small nucleus to choose from. The remaining players then get overplayed, injured and fatigued, They become resentful because they suffer for carrying the rest of the squad, the rest of the squad resent the fact they’ve been frozen out - often unfairly. Is it Mendy fault we can’t defend a corner? Is it Ihenachos fault the manager wants to play with one up and he is judged by the manager not good enough to play that role? Why couldn’t Praet have shared the Tielemans role? Is it Perez’s fault that the number of times he’s started in his best position can be counted on one hand?

But most importantly badly organised

Why is anybody surprised? His high water mark In management was his “second should’ve been first” Liverpool season in which that team conceded 50 goals! His teams simply cannot defend - they play wide open which leaves them constantly vulnerable to the counter. I said we were in danger of being pulled into a relegation fight after the Man City farce. 4-0 down after 25 minutes we could well have been on the end of the all time record PL defeat but City took their feet off the pedal and allowed us back in. But as soon as we got close they stepped iot up again and scored two from crosses almost to order. Many took heart from the so- called fight back but the fact is we concede six and it could have been 12. No team can help but take a downward direction when they are defending that badly. Now Injuries to key defenders but it has been apparent from the early stages of this season that we would be missing Forfana, Evans and Justin. Frankly the defending has been poor at times with them in it. But without them it wax essential that we created a strong central partnership out of the players we do have or to sign others to do the same. BR has utterly failed to do that. He’s stuck with Soyuncu despite the players obvious and rapid decline. He’s failed to back and build up Amartey and he’s brought in the virtually unplayable Vestergaard. He has no credible player in the youth ranks ready to step in. I very much fear that more heavy defeats will follow…

All local media outlets Merc (what’s left of it), RL and Atlantic doing their Whither LCFC pieces….all concluding to varying degrees that we’re an injury stricken club who can’t compete financially with the top six - conveniently, after much beard-stroking, landing in the same place as BR… I suppose it was our injuries and inferiority complex that led to us conceding two goals in 90 seconds and literally throwing away three points, injuries and an inferiority complex that threw away the tactical initiative v Brighton and surrendering two points, that led to us giving up a 2-0 lead v Napoli, and v Palace, a 3-1 lead v Liverpool, that led to us being 4-0 yes 4-0 down in the first 20 mins (anyone at LCFC notice the Southampton result?) v Man City. Perhaps it explains our knack for conceding from set pieces, going behind in the first ten minutes, conceding late. These shortcomings apparently have nothing to do with the standard of defence coaching at the club, with tactical set up, with squad mentality. They would all (apparently) have never raised their ugly heads if we’d had Jonny Evans and Wesley Fofana fit or if we had the financial muscle of Man City.