Clint Dempsey

[Fredo]

Goalscoring inefficiency

[Alex]

We have a excellent efficiency rate in scoring goals. In fact its close to 100%.

[Fredo]

Lol. I'll rephrase. Inefficient in front of goals.

[Rowan]

Goalscoring inefficiency

Don't worry, Fredo. Everything'll be alright

That said I do worry about our chance conversion rate and have a horrible feeling that while we'll undoubtably be less vulnerable to smash and grabbery we are going to be playing some rate boring stuff next year.

But hey ho. This time 2 years ago Roy was about to sign Konchesky

[Fredo]

And it's going to be worse with our new patient approach.

[red g]

Don't worry, Fredo. Everything'll be alright

That said I do worry about our chance conversion rate and have a horrible feeling that while we'll undoubtably be less vulnerable to smash and grabbery we are going to be playing some rate boring stuff next year.

But hey ho. This time 2 years ago Roy was about to sign Konchesky

I can handle the boring stuff as long as we can control a ball and chase the ball when we haven't got it.

I would happily take controlling a game however boring it maybe over most of the **** we have been forced to watch over the last few seasons.

[Alex]

Lol. I'll rephrase. Inefficient in front of goals.

And it's going to be worse with our new patient approach.

Yeah I agree its a worry we cant seem to put it in the net. But I dont see it being endemic.

I also cant see it getting worse with this new system. We haven't even really seen a proper Rodgers match yet, so that is massively jumping the gun IMO.

[Reece]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't some of the great Liverpool teams of years gone by famed with keeping the ball and boring the opponents to death? And then winning by the odd goal?

I'd take that

[Rowan]

I mean more the settling in period, Reece. It'll make sense that while the players are getting used to things in the first year the ball may go backwards more often than forwards (even if there is the opportunity to do so) as the fear of losing it outweighs the benefit of penetrating the other team in the players minds. Someone made a point in another thread that the Spain teams have been playing a certain way since there players were nippers where as our lot have had a mix of Rafa's attrition, Roy's, erm, err.. Roy's thing, Dalglish's initial fluid style and later less defined style. I can just see our players playing the ball across the back four for a bloody eternity at points while they get to grips with something else. You dig?

I suppose this is why Joe Allen is going to be such a big signing. Continuity and all that Jazz

[Neil Young]

You're just being a WUM now. Stop it.

Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban! Ban!

[Reece]

And fair enough Rowan - I completely get what you mean.

It's not going to be an overnight success this new style - it will take time for the mindset of the players to change, and it may turn out that some simply turn have the right mindset to play in that system.

[kev776]

3rd place is ours behind Citeh and Chavski, no probs.

[Airman]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't some of the great Liverpool teams of years gone by famed with keeping the ball and boring the opponents to death? And then winning by the odd goal?

I'd take that

They were and I remember sitting through most of them. Oh the memories...

[baitman]

I mean more the settling in period, Reece. It'll make sense that while the players are getting used to things in the first year the ball may go backwards more often than forwards (even if there is the opportunity to do so) as the fear of losing it outweighs the benefit of penetrating the other team in the players minds. Someone made a point in another thread that the Spain teams have been playing a certain way since there players were nippers where as our lot have had a mix of Rafa's attrition, Roy's, erm, err.. Roy's thing, Dalglish's initial fluid style and later less defined style. I can just see our players playing the ball across the back four for a bloody eternity at points while they get to grips with something else. You dig?

I suppose this is why Joe Allen is going to be such a big signing. Continuity and all that Jazz

[BrooklynRed]

The key to this system is the final third... It is no problem to tap the ball around at the back and among Lucas and his partner in CM; our success will be defined by how we advance the ball when teams finally press us to regain possession and Gerrard/CAM (Shelvey?) will be a huge key to linking up Suarez/Borini/LW and getting the ball into dangerous areas. When I watch Spain, they don't think twice about playing it out of attacking areas into empty space backward, probing multiple areas before they finally get a pass on the floor that carves open a defense. That's all well and good when you can carve open defenses with skill and movement, but can we do that? and if we do, can we be clinical in front of goal? It will be interesting to see how this works for us; I am expecting a season of frustration but growth. But I also expect us to do much better against lesser teams-- those **** results against lower table clubs killed us last year.