Skrtel

[Mr Tourette]

The way Skrtel and Torres have settled in this season makes a mockery of the old chestnut that foreign players need a full season to adapt to the Premier League.

Yes, people are different and all that, and the likes of Henry took time to settle but maybe it's their mental approach to adaptation that is different. If your manager is telling you you have 40 odd games before he will begin to assess your importance to the team, perhaps that tells the player that they can ease into the style of playing by not giving their all from day one.

Couldnt agree more - players are forgiven FAR too much in their first season. I dont care where youre from or how new you are, if you cant adjust within 20 or 30 games then im not going to defend you for being ****.

Fortunately Skrtel doesnt look ****. I was a bit worried about babbel at first but now hes approaching the end of his first season and has been backed to start at last - hes starting to produce.

[Mr Tourette]

Still think he looks dodgy myself.

....I think people are over doing the praise a little.

[Rich]

Especialy if you're listing them alphabeticaly.


I'll get me coat.

Very good!

[red g]

....I think people are over doing the praise a little.

i dont ...how many foreigners have come in and looked shaky to start, specially in the centre of defence. i remember seeing c arvhalho first few games looked awful, looks a class act now.

[Shaggy]

i dont ...how many foreigners have come in and looked shaky to start, specially in the centre of defence. i remember seeing c arvhalho first few games looked awful, looks a class act now.

Vidic was absolutely **** when he first came - Burton Albion made him look a complete cunt.

[Woobus]

Couldnt agree more - players are forgiven FAR too much in their first season. I dont care where youre from or how new you are, if you cant adjust within 20 or 30 games then im not going to defend you for being ****.

So you would have attacked players like Henry, Drogba and Ronaldo if they had played for us in there first season?

[Craig_H]

So you would have attacked players like Henry, Drogba and Ronaldo if they had played for us in there first season?

Henry scored 17 league goals in 31 league games in his first season, so i'm not sure why anyone would have a go at him for that.

[zimbo]

Vidic was absolutely **** when he first came - Burton Albion made him look a complete cunt.

I think Mother Nature beat them to it.

[Fiddy]

Couldnt agree more - players are forgiven FAR too much in their first season. I dont care where youre from or how new you are, if you cant adjust within 20 or 30 games then im not going to defend you for being ****.

Fortunately Skrtel doesnt look ****. I was a bit worried about babbel at first but now hes approaching the end of his first season and has been backed to start at last - hes starting to produce.

Rubbish, players are human beings and as such inevitably some will adapt faster than others, due to millions of different factors.

[Mr Tourette]

i dont ...how many foreigners have come in and looked shaky to start, specially in the centre of defence. i remember seeing c arvhalho first few games looked awful, looks a class act now.

For me - he has made a fairly sizeable error in each of the games i have watched. if he irradicates these errors then the praise will be absolutely justified as he has all the key attributes a great defender needs.

[Mr Tourette]

Rubbish, players are human beings and as such inevitably some will adapt faster than others, due to millions of different factors.

Thats a bit harsh. Its not really rubbish, its my opinion. I feel too many liverpool players of the recent past have been given too much lee-way based on the fact that they have to 'settle in' to the league when in fact they are just not as good as everyone hopes they actually are. Im grateful that benitez has enough about him to ship the majority of these players out - often after only a season of not fulfilling potential - which backs my argument to a certain extent.

Skrtel has settled well enough and quickly enough. Im not being dramatic, i just think given 30 or 40 starts, if your'e good enough you should be playing to your potential in your new surroundings. I think relating this issue back to ronaldo, drogba and Henry is dramitically over simplyfying things when discussing 3 of the very best players on the planet, not just the league.

Drogba was still part of a championship winning team and henry still scored a bucket full in his first year. I actually did think that ronaldo was a liability in his forst couple of years as did a great deal of man utd fans - but he was worth sticking with because he has such outstanding attributes. Anyway - i think we are off topic.