3 defeats in 9 matches and 15 points wasted

[Van Halen]

What expensive dead wood should we get rid off? Cant think of any player over 10 mill I would like to part with in the team.

The expensive dead wood I am referring to is as follows:

Kewell (massive wages)
Riisse (2 years past sell by date and big wages)
Kuyt (can run all day but couldn't score regularly if the goal was twice as wide)
Voronin (modest wages, modest contribution, no value add)
Pennant (large wages, modest contribution, no value add)

Replace that lot with better quality and better value then we should be in better shape

[Woobus]

The expensive dead wood I am referring to is as follows:

Kewell (massive wages)
Riisse (2 years past sell by date and big wages)
Kuyt (can run all day but couldn't score regularly if the goal was twice as wide)
Voronin (modest wages, modest contribution, no value add)
Pennant (large wages, modest contribution, no value add)

Replace that lot with better quality and better value then we should be in better shape

Cant say I would agree with that, I still think if Kuyt had a good attacking full back he would bring so much more to the team. Defenders have enough of a hard time combating him on the right, the problem has been no one has been giving him enough support down there.
Riise you could hardly call an expensive deadwood, we will get back probably close to what we paid for him and he has helped us win plenty of cups. A complete bargain if you ask me for how long he done a job out on the left.
Pennant, why do you think he is on big wages? He came from a championship side with a bad rep I cant see why we would pay him big bucks.
Voronin an expensive mistake? (we should get rid of him but dont agree with him being an expensive mistake)
Will agree to get rid of them apart from Kuyt, since he got over his fathers death he has been a different player and from March has been one of our best players. I think he deserves another season at least without so much personnel head frying.

[SK]

Cant say I would agree with that, I still think if Kuyt had a good attacking full back he would bring so much more to the team. Defenders have enough of a hard time combating him on the right, the problem has been no one has been giving him enough support down there.
Riise you could hardly call an expensive deadwood, we will get back probably close to what we paid for him and he has helped us win plenty of cups. A complete bargain if you ask me for how long he done a job out on the left.
Pennant, why do you think he is on big wages? He came from a championship side with a bad rep I cant see why we would pay him big bucks.
Voronin an expensive mistake? (we should get rid of him but dont agree with him being an expensive mistake)
Will agree to get rid of them apart from Kuyt, since he got over his fathers death he has been a different player and from March has been one of our best players. I think he deserves another season at least without so much personnel head frying.

people seem to forget about his father's death, i personally didn't know about it until february, or something like that, when he mentioned it in an interview! and it explained a lot what was wrong in his game, he just seemed not into it, like he had other things on his mind, unmotivated

he's been a different player since he got over it and could be a useful player for us next term!

[Assassin]

The expensive dead wood I am referring to is as follows:


Kuyt (can run all day but couldn't score regularly if the goal was twice as wide)

2nd highest scorer in the CL, only topped by Placcy at the scum

[Woobus]

people seem to forget about his father's death, i personally didn't know about it until february, or something like that, when he mentioned it in an interview! and it explained a lot what was wrong in his game, he just seemed not into it, like he had other things on his mind, unmotivated

he's been a different player since he got over it and could be a useful player for us next term!

I think people who havent lost a close parent dont understand just how much it plays on your mind. I am only a civil servant and for a year I lost the plot on drink and drugs. I cannot grasp how hard it would be for someone under so much pressure as a premiership footballer.

[dom9]

I hope RAFA has learned from this. We seem to hibernate around Christmas time and don't wake up until it's too late!

08 Dec 07 Reading 3 - 1 Liverpool (3 points wasted)
16 Dec 07 Liverpool 0 - 1 Man United (2 points wasted)
22 Dec 07 Liverpool 4 - 1 Portsmouth
26 Dec 07 Derby County 1 - 2 Liverpool
30 Dec 07 Manchester City 0 - 0 Liverpool (2 points wasted)
02 Jan 08 Liverpool 1 - 1 Wigan Athletic (2 points wasted)
12 Jan 08 Middlesbrough 1 - 1 Liverpool (2 points wasted)
21 Jan 08 Liverpool 2 - 2 Aston Villa (2 points wasted)
30 Jan 08 West Ham United 1 - 0 Liverpool (2 points wasted)
TOTAL WASTED: 15 POINTS

It seems a mid winter break is the answer what do you think?

I completely disagree with the point you are making.

This is the first season in ages that we haven't been out of the title race in early October.

If anything, it was a marked improvement on previous seasons.

[Van Halen]

I completely disagree with the point you are making.

This is the first season in ages that we haven't been out of the title race in early October.

If anything, it was a marked improvement on previous seasons.

I agree that in comparison to recent seasons there were a lot of pluses and a decent season all round but if we hadn't have wasted those dozen or so points things could have been so much better. My point is that we fell away in December and January, whilst Manure and Chavs only had one major blip in August. We also have too much dead wood that still needs to be cleared. Our starting 11 is as good as anybody's, after that the likes of Voronin, Pennant etc let us down big time.

[DeeTheDog]

It was also during this time that Rafa's job was extremely insecure and communication with the board was zero, the pressure that must have exerted on Rafa must have been huge, especially without an assistant to share the burden. The loss of key players especially Agger at the back with no cover, also had huge impact.

[MrMichael]

I think, to an extent, we were always going to have a bad spell during the season, as the quality in our overall squad is not quite up to par yet. Looking at most of those games, we could, and probably should, have taken more points, but then Chelsea, Arsenal and ManU will also have had games they could look at like that. I reckon. being realistic, around the mid-70's was about right for where we're at right now. I don't think we so much as "went to sleep around Christmas" as "had our remaining deficiencies revealed in an inevitable poor run".

[IJM]

It seems a mid winter break is the answer what do you think?

I think that's the problem; we already seem to be taking a mid winter break. Pro blem is no-one else is.

But on a slightly more serious tack. I don't think we are that far away from seriously contending. As you point out, we have had some very silly and needless results. You always get the odd strange result in football over the course of a season, but I think we are perfectly capable of turning a lot of those losses and draws into wins relatively easily, even without changing the squad.

I really don't think we are as far away from seriously challenging as a lot of people seem to think we are.

[dom9]

I agree that in comparison to recent seasons there were a lot of pluses and a decent season all round but if we hadn't have wasted those dozen or so points things could have been so much better. My point is that we fell away in December and January, whilst Manure and Chavs only had one major blip in August. We also have too much dead wood that still needs to be cleared. Our starting 11 is as good as anybody's, after that the likes of Voronin, Pennant etc let us down big time.

I think you'll also find that if we beat United, Chelsea and Arsenal in all our head to heads, the Pemiership Trophy would be in the Anfield trophy cabinet now.

[Van Halen]

I think you'll also find that if we beat United, Chelsea and Arsenal in all our head to heads, the Pemiership Trophy would be in the Anfield trophy cabinet now.

Spot on, we should have done the double over the Chavs, Arse with all their beautiful passing couldn't beat us, that leaves Manure. We outplayed them at home for the 3rd year on the trot and at Old Toilet Masch costs us the game and Torres got the bruising to go with the Indian sign they have over us!

[dom9]

Spot on, we should have done the double over the Chavs, Arse with all their beautiful passing couldn't beat us, that leaves Manure. We outplayed them at home for the 3rd year on the trot and at Old Toilet Masch costs us the game and Torres got the bruising to go with the Indian sign they have over us!

So the mid season slump is less to worry about than the inability to beat the top 4.