Jermaine Pennant

[bazza76]

102 successfull crosses last season for Birmingham city in 38 games.
Not bad eh.

[Harv]

I read that Pennant completed more crosses than any other player in the Premier League last season, one average game doesnt make him a bad buy or a bad player. He almost completed a successfull assist had Crouch have scored, I was happy with the option that Pennant gave us yesterday, was always available for the ball, and DID actually beat players yesterday. The season is young, way too early to be saying that he is not good enough for LFC, he can do a job for us and i'm sure he has alot to contribute to our season.

thats the thing, i dont understand why people are saying he didnt run at Cashley! He was the only player that ran with the ball....he beat Cashley a number of times, he played numerous one twos with Kuyt....his crossing wasn't world class but he was always available for the ball. A number of times he turned Cashley inside out only to have Carvalho to try beat....instead of losing the ball he would pass back to Finnan....WTF is wrong with that?? HUH? Its better than trying to beat 3 players and losing the ball at the same time.

Ive had enough of this topic. Pennant played well in my opinion. He could of been better in the final third.
If you want a scape goat blame our captain Stevie G! he missed a absolute ****ing sitter by trying to score it in a fancy way! If he had of controlled it and the rolled it past the keeper we would of got something from the game. and you all wouldnt be crying into your empty glasses of beer.

we played well generally....we just didnt finish our chances.

We will smash the Toon at Anny mark my words.

[bazza76]

thats the thing, i dont understand why people are saying he didnt run at Cashley! He was the only player that ran with the ball....he beat Cashley a number of times, he played numerous one twos with Kuyt....his crossing wasn't world class but he was always available for the ball. A number of times he turned Cashley inside out only to have Carvalho to try beat....instead of losing the ball he would pass back to Finnan....WTF is wrong with that?? HUH? Its better than trying to beat 3 players and losing the ball at the same time.

Ive had enough of this topic. Pennant played well in my opinion. He could of been better in the final third.
If you want a scape goat blame our captain Stevie G! he missed a absolute ****ing sitter by trying to score it in a fancy way! If he had of controlled it and the rolled it past the keeper we would of got something from the game. and you all wouldnt be crying into your empty glasses of beer.

we played well generally....we just didnt finish our chances.

We will smash the Toon at Anny mark my words.

totally agree mate.
Not only that, but Rafa expects his players, most notably wide players, to be unpredictable, that means not doing the same thing every time you have the ball, so he will have to go inside or pass to a near player sometimes, not just run and try and cross every time.

[Red_Polo]

thats the thing, i dont understand why people are saying he didnt run at Cashley! He was the only player that ran with the ball....he beat Cashley a number of times, he played numerous one twos with Kuyt....his crossing wasn't world class but he was always available for the ball. A number of times he turned Cashley inside out only to have Carvalho to try beat....instead of losing the ball he would pass back to Finnan....WTF is wrong with that?? HUH? Its better than trying to beat 3 players and losing the ball at the same time.

Ive had enough of this topic. Pennant played well in my opinion. He could of been better in the final third.
If you want a scape goat blame our captain Stevie G! he missed a absolute ****ing sitter by trying to score it in a fancy way! If he had of controlled it and the rolled it past the keeper we would of got something from the game. and you all wouldnt be crying into your empty glasses of beer.

we played well generally....we just didnt finish our chances.

We will smash the Toon at Anny mark my words.

Of course passing back to Finnan is better than losing the ball, but we have every right to expect more than just not losing the ball from an attacking player! And it's not like he was presented with the mammoth task you made out, he had just the fullback to beat with space for a ball in behind a number of times and couldn't capitalise on it.

Gerrard shot instead of passed. It was the wrong option, a choice that taken on it's own cost us a point, yes. But compare that one moment to Pennant repeatedly being presented with the opportunity to do serious damage and doing nothing almost every single time and you can see why people singled him out. We'll never know how many points that cost us. It was seriously infuriating to watch him waste possession in good areas so many times. To say he played quite well, I find that baffling.

Anyway this game aside we shouldn't worry too much. Pennant is a quality player and will do the business for us sooner rather than later IMO.

[Kiwi]

Another thing I noticed yesterday was when Finnan overlapped with Pennant, Pennants ball toward the
byline often too heavy. Subsequently, Finnan was struggling to get to the ball and get in a decent
cross.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

102 successfull crosses last season for Birmingham city in 38 games.
Not bad eh.

What constitutes a "successful cross" anyway?

Though I take the point about Birmingham's strikers last year, which included the Cart Horse himself.

Still his performance yesterday was dire. He had loads of time and space and the ball in good areas and didn't use it well at all. In fact he was shocking. He was bought to get crosses in, yet yesterday he looked scared to do that.

[bazza76]

What constitutes a "successful cross" anyway?

Though I take the point about Birmingham's strikers last year, which included the Cart Horse himself.

Still his performance yesterday was dire. He had loads of time and space and the ball in good areas and didn't use it well at all. In fact he was shocking. He was bought to get crosses in, yet yesterday he looked scared to do that.

Finding a team mate I would have guessed.
Thought at times he could have been more direct yesterday, but im thinking that he has Rafa words of being unpredictable in the back of his head, ie. been told to mix up crossing with playing inside.
Just think some of the reaction to him was a bit ott because of that game. Its only the early stages of his Liverpool carreer. I think we will be better suited to judging him at the end of the season rather than just now.

[red g]

i am very bemused how anyone could think he had a good game!! I have watched the game again today and he had more possesion than anyone on the field.....and wasted it more than anyone. There was very little product and on more than one occasion seemed clueless what to do with the ball. I will back jermaine 100% but he was very poor today coming on the back of a woeful uninterested Tuesday. The lad deserves a fullseason before we judge him..started of with a little promise but he needs to step up a gear.....as does Gerrard, Xabi, Carra, Hyppia, Fowler and Bellamy

[Red_Al_77]

It is rumoured that Pennant will be called into the England team to replace Lennon when the next squad is announced.

[Rich]

Just goes to show it makes a huge difference who you play for....

[alunevans]

102 successfull crosses last season for Birmingham city in 38 games.
Not bad eh.

oh but you can prove ANYTHING with statistics. 74% of people know that!

[alunevans]

Another thing I noticed yesterday was when Finnan overlapped with Pennant, Pennants ball toward the
byline often too heavy. Subsequently, Finnan was struggling to get to the ball and get in a decent
cross.

Yeah he overhit those several times. Good shout.

[blacky]

Maybe it's just me but I thought yesterday Pennat was just crossing the ball for the sake of it. No cross seemed to have a target except for one to Crouch at the end. I like to see wingers drop their shoulders beat the full back and cross from the byline, doing this always turns the centre halfs towards the goal which they do not like. Pennant did not do this. He always crossed from a very deep position. The crosses lacked power and precision and Terry and Carvalho had an eternity to send them back where they came from. I'm sick of hearing all these Opta stats from last year claiming pennat had this or that amount of crosses, it means **** all if their is no end product. The game he plays is that he hugs the touchline and gets loads of possesion and time to cross the ball but from all I have seen from him so far this seems to be all he offers.

[Howard_lfc]

I'm not just having a go at Pennant for the sake of it and I really really hope he proves me wrong, but he is not a player I ever thought was good enough to play for Liverpool FC in the first place. Today's performance just reminded me of why I never really rated him. He was a half decent player in a rubbish Birmingham side and he'll never be much more than that IMO. He seems to slow the game down when he gets the ball and doesn't seem to be able to go outside and beat a man. I'm not just saying this because of today as I thought he was ok, but generally I don't rate the lad.

That just about sums up my feelings Slim. I always said he wasn't good enough for us - but I saw him have a half decent game against us (thinking back - even THEN he kept cutting inside) and gave him the benefit of the doubt. My reasoning being that he'll player better with better players around him. Wrong.
IMO he simply doesn't have what it takes to be the answer to our right hand side. He also doesn't appear to have the intelligence (or ambition) to work the full-back out and take him on; instead - passing the buck for team-mates to deliver. The sooner Rafa get Alves the better.

H

[janmolby99]

Do you want us to turn into RAWK members

Some people on there rate him, some don't. Some think it's far too early too judge.

Who the **** would want to be like that and have the ability to express different views on a player