the_cote_kid Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Ah ****. Am i right in thinking Lucas is going to be missing at the start of the season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRJ Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Because of the Copa? Brazil went out in the first so he will have had his break by now I guess. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardeepR Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Nearly August and usually I'm trawling through Bert's site to see who we might get in Europe - bummer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted July 30, 2011 Author Share Posted July 30, 2011 Lucas back next week according to Kenny Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Looking through the Fantasy football site picking my team, realised that we have 3 of the top 10 points scoring midfielders, more than any other team. And we have another 3 not far behind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
foofighter23 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 word is, gerrards done in. unlikely to feature much again, hence why we signed so many mids so far with henderson earmarked to take over gerrards long term role. i really hope not, at his best i'd rate him as one of the top 5 mids of his generation and thats something you just cant replace. id rather have him than not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emersonlfc Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Where did you hear that? I don't think they would come out and say he will be available for selection in September if there's a possibly that he won't be. Would we really be interested in letting Raul and Aqua go if there's a strong probability that Gerrard wont feature much? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northeu Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Wasn't there the "word" about 6 months ago he'd pretty much had it then too, and that he's basicly not been fit for a couple of years, i'm not adding any credence to it talk is talk and 99% of the time utter BS, but it makes you wonder. If anything hopefully at worst it means we can stop rushing him back into the first team as soon as hes half fit and give him the time he needs instead of what we've done for the last 10 years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenco Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 He has been amazing for us over his career, but he hasn't been at his best for a couple of seasons now. We played pretty well without him at the end of last season, so he's not as big a loss as he would have been 2 or 3 years ago. Still hope he recovers and gets back to the first team soon, the guy is a living legend. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VamPook Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 The next friendly is on Monday? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martplfc1 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Yep, Valerenga tomorrow @ 6pm. Hopefully he'll pick a team that more resembles the starting XI, as I'm sick of getting beat 3-0! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insipidus Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 word is, gerrards done in. unlikely to feature much again, hence why we signed so many mids so far with henderson earmarked to take over gerrards long term role. i really hope not, at his best i'd rate him as one of the top 5 mids of his generation and thats something you just cant replace. id rather have him than not. hes not been the player he was for a few years. he peaked during our CL success years, and hes been on the wane ever since. by that i mean his contributions have only been in flashes rather than as consistent as previously. besides, i dont think its a bad thing that we're expanding our horizons and getting beyond the one/two man team thing we had going on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Still our best player and first name on the teamsheet when fit imo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insipidus Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 For big games, yeah. Dont see why he should be indispensible if dropping him means a better team shape though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emersonlfc Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Yep, Valerenga tomorrow @ 6pm. Hopefully he'll pick a team that more resembles the starting XI, as I'm sick of getting beat 3-0! Reina, Agger , Johnson , Adam , Henderson and Downing are all expected to feature. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divinity Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Still our best player and first name on the teamsheet when fit imo. God no. Nowhere near it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshyboy1984 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Don't agree with CP, but apart from Suarez it's difficult to think who. If he ever gets fit enough again to put in the kind of performances he did for Kenny (Chelsea away, Mancs at home) then you still have to pick him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VamPook Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Is Enrique not still on the cards? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kenco Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Reina is clearly the first name on the teamsheet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martplfc1 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 We were linked with Enrique and Dann today for £15m - doubtful at that price the way we've been spending, but pretty good business if true. Having the Gerrard conversation with my brother today. I'd like to see how he is if he is back to full fitness. He's clearly been struggling with his groin for a few years now. His ability to strike the ball seems to have diminished drastically so you could argue that his groin is the reason as to why he's played so inconsistently. If that's fixed now and he's not just 'lost it', I'd say he's still the first name on the teamsheet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insipidus Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Has just heard a rumour concerning a part exchange deal involving Ngog and Cahill. Cant confirm it or cite a source unfortunately, just whispers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 On the wane since 2005? Eh? What about two years ago when him and Torres were in perfect unison and we came close to winning the league? His best season for my money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insipidus Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 are you referring to my point about him peaking around CL successes? If so, to clarify, I was considering the 2007 as part of those triumphs. Equally I dont feel that he, on a personal level, has ever performed to the level he acheived in those year. The partnership with Torres was great, yes, but it was also different and it relied on the talents of two players intertwining neatly, and with that in mind im happy to stand by my judgement that on a personal one-player assessment that Gerrard was better in and around 2004-2007 than hes been since. That doesnt mean he cant contribute to an exceedingly high level, nor that he cant make great partnerships once more however. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I was. Talk of 'waning' since 2007 is just mental imo. Two years ago we had the best side we've had in about 20 odd years and he was absolutely key to it. The last two seasons have been appalling from a team point of view, so naturally his form has dipped. There will also clearly be an element of him ending his peak and entering the twilight of his career. No arguments there. But to suggest he's been on the decline for 4 years? Do me a favour love. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshyboy1984 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Agree with Ben. 08-09 was his best season. 07-08 not far behind. 2004-2007 he was still mostly being used as a central midfielder (05-06 aside where he spent most of it wide right) and, whilst obviously great there, he never hit the heights of the two seasons mentioned where he became a world class inside forward. Deserved his football writer's award. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshyboy1984 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Would probably kill someone to get this Steven Gerrard back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpMzrhjo4yE My favourite Liverpool goal ever from a technical point of view. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insipidus Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I was. Talk of 'waning' since 2007 is just mental imo. Two years ago we had the best side we've had in about 20 odd years and he was absolutely key to it. The last two seasons have been appalling from a team point of view, so naturally his form has dipped. There will also clearly be an element of him ending his peak and entering the twilight of his career. No arguments there.But to suggest he's been on the decline for 4 years? Do me a favour love. I dont think i worded it in such a harsh fashion. In my opinion his best season on a purely personal level were around the two CL run seasons. Like I said above, this doesnt discredit his seasons with Torres, but I feel his personal level was lesser because there was a clear synergystic partnership at work that helped both players. Id also like to add that such was his ability back then, anything is going to be on the "wane" because its all relative. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Not that anyone needs reminding, but the second goal still makes me giddy. Probably my favourite Gerrard assist. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshyboy1984 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 That the bobbling ball, on the sprint, left footed one for Torres? Magical. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony7 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Has just heard a rumour concerning a part exchange deal involving Ngog and Cahill. Cant confirm it or cite a source unfortunately, just whispers. Read that on twitter, also read from a more reliable guy (though doesn't mean its true) that we are in advanced talks with Scott Dann and Enrique. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Well you used the word 'wane' and that's what I took issue with. You can argue that he's had better seasons that the two josh mentioned, that's personal choice really. But a 'wane' implies that his actual physical/mental attributes have been declining since then, and I just think that's plain wrong really as he was fantastic by anybody's standards between 07-09. The last two seasons are where we've started to see him wane a bit. But even then we can point to him playing in two really mediocre sides, the terrible situation at the club and what both of these things must have done to his motivation. I still think he has a lot to offer anyway. Looking forward to seeing him in a more withdrawn, calm role. Think he has so much to offer even when he isn't the lung busting machine of yesteryear. More of a cog than before but surrounded by better players. Can't wait to see him back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martplfc1 Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 That the bobbling ball, on the sprint, left footed one for Torres? Magical. Torres' dummy :**) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 More of a cog that before but surrounded by better players. Mascherano, Alonso, Torres - Lucas, Adam, Carroll ??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I either don't get what you mean or think you're misunderstanding what i'm saying. Interesting that you missed Suarez off your list there too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LRJ Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I either don't get what you mean or think you're misunderstanding what i'm saying.Interesting that you missed Suarez off your list there too. Probably because in each case its the 2CM's playing behind him and the Striker infront of him (assuming we play a 4231 in the examples) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divinity Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Nostalgia's great and all, but let's not remotely pretend he's more important to the first team than Suarez or Reina. Or probably even Lucas for that matter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Lucas? I'm his biggest advocate in this thread but let's not get silly. If you want to go down the route of saying Lucas is more important simply because there's noone else in the squad bar Spearing who plays his role whereas Gerrard has other cover, ok. But let's not pretend they're on the same level as footballers in any way. You'd think Gerrard was total dog sh*t last season the way people are going on here? Him and Lucas were by far our best players under Hodgson (with literally every other player out of form admittedly, well done Woy) and his last game for us at home to Man United showed that he's still a vital player for us. Outstanding that day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Probably because in each case its the 2CM's playing behind him and the Striker infront of him (assuming we play a 4231 in the examples) Why impose such a random restriction of having 2 cm's and a striker when talking about playing with better players? And why chose Carroll over Suarez in that case. Bonkers. Almost as if some point is trying to be shoehorned in to the discussion.. Besides, I clearly wasn't directly comparing this side to that. Merely Gerrard having better players around him than he has in recent seasons, and therefore being able to rely on his team mates rather than having to try and win games alone, which clearly will be out of question for a man in his 30s. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Divinity Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 You'd think Gerrard was total dog sh*t last season the way people are going on here? Him and Lucas were by far our best players under Hodgson (with literally every other player out of form admittedly, well done Woy) and his last game for us at home to Man United showed that he's still a vital player for us. Outstanding that day. Gerrard's been picking and choosing the games he's "up" for for two years. A player like that ruins the fluency of the team. I'd prefer consistence to sporadic brilliance. For every one of those Man Utd type games he's played a Blackpool at home one as well. Need him to show up far more if we're to make any type of impact in the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkeat Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Think the "picking and chosing" line says it all. You clearly have a bit of an issue with him so I'll bow out now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cubiscus Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 So what do we reckon, everyone in agreement that the season target is top 4? I do hope we can get in 1/2 defenders before the end of the window, looking very weak at the back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
VamPook Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Would be quite happy if Dann and Enrique came in Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunstablesucks Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Friendly is on ESPN at 6 in the UK Starting XI : Reina, Johnson, Agger, Carragher, Robinson, Henderson, Downing, Adam, Spearing, Kuyt, Carroll. Strong line up. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Be very interesting to see if Henderson is central with Kuyt wide, or Henderson is wide and Kuyt up top. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_cote_kid Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 God no. Nowhere near it. Nostalgia's great and all, but let's not remotely pretend he's more important to the first team than Suarez or Reina. Or probably even Lucas for that matter. I thought you said Gerrard, when fit, was nowhere near the first name on the teamsheet? Now you decide there are only 2 players in front of him? Oh, and maybe Lucas (haha). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunstablesucks Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Think it'll be Jay sitting in front of the back 4, Adam and Henderson in front of him and then Dirk, Downing and Carroll as a front 3 edit - got that wrong, official site saying it's 442 with Dirk up top alongside Carroll Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptainPlanet Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Yay, Carroll's had a shave! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeafParrot Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Lets buy a new defence next please. And a striker. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rafalution Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 well that was some bad defending. downing out right btw Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_cote_kid Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Haha, top defending, got 1 more game to get it sorted. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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