Originally posted by Joe King
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Dare i mention Lennon.He has been in quite good form of late.
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Dare i mention Lennon.He has been in quite good form of late.-----------------------------------------------
'Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple.'
Bill Shankly. -
Its all a big joke really isn't it? We make Newcastle look stable. I would love us to sign Henry to play along side Torres. If keane goes you just know he will come back to haunt us on the last game of the season!Comment
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Thats where some of our midfield have to chip in. Our wingers don't score enough goals, our set pieces are piss poor and unimaginative. These goals are not only bonus goals but can become priceless come the end of the season.Originally posted by RoadEnd View PostComment
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I'm a bit disappointed about the way things have worked out so far with Keane. I was quite excited when he signed and thought that he would make a huge, positive difference to the side. Like so many have already pointed out though for one reason or another it hasn't worked. But, and this is no defence of Rafa, everyone in football knew how he operated with regards to rotation, substitutions and general playing policy, I mean it's all most pundita have talked about for the past 5 years. For Keane to show such petulance when he is removed from the field, or not started, shows a total lack of understanding about the man he came to play for. Ok I find the Ngog before Keane decisions baffling myself, but that lack of understanding probably explains why I work in the public sector and not professional football management.
It may have been better for Keane if he had come in at an earlier point in the teams transition, as it is he has arrived at a time where the only real way to accomodate him (short of trying him in the Kuyt role, although I think we did attempt that earlier in the season and it was a disaster) was try to switch back to 442, a formation I don't think we have the players for, unless you want to stick Gerrard on the right wing. Get a decent attacking fullback, a proper right winger and it may have worked however without them we just look devoid of creativity on the flanks. Couple that with the fact that in most games he is totally anonymous at a time where we are struggling to create clear chances to break teams down we really need more from him.
So maybe it's best to get shot now while we can still make enough of a return to cut our losses, get a good (proven) creative, nippy, tricky winger with bags of pace and a good final ball, start looking at breaking some of the youngsters through and hope for the best. Still doesn't take away the disappointment that something we all hoped would be so positive has, for one reason or another, gone so wrong.A lot of people run a race to see who is fastest. I run to see who has the most guts, who can punish himself into exhausting pace, and then at the end, punish himself even more.Comment
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Why is Keane really out of Liverpool squad?
Robbie Keane’s omission from the Liverpool squad to face Chelsea at Anfield this afternoon has sparked a flurry of rumours and prompted many of you to get in touch asking me what I know….
RedEric writes: "Guillem, is Keane signing for Spurs now he's out of the squad for Chelsea...why did Rafa sign him then? The rumour is that there could be a swap deal with Spurs today. Heard anything?"
Thanks to everyone who has been in touch - and keep your questions, comments and rumours coming in - but the first thing that must be said is that, with the clock ticking down fast on the January transfer window, things can move very quickly and any situation as it appears at the moment can change in the blink of an eye and deals are being proposed and advanced all over the place as you read this.
However, at the moment I’ve got the impression that Robbie Keane has been left out of the Liverpool squad to face Chelsea this afternoon because he has simply had enough of being left on the bench and started to believe that he may be better off leaving the club. With a game of such importance as this afternoon’s, Benitez plainly cannot risk including a player who has one eye on the exit door.
According to sources at Spurs, Daniel Levy has already approached Liverpool with a view to taking Robbie Keane back to White Hart Lane and the Tottenham chairman has even suggested that he would allow Bale and Bentley to feature in an exchange. Liverpool, however, have said they are not interested in either player.
A lot of you have been commenting on the wisdom of spending £20 million on Robbie Keane and asking ‘why did Rafa spend so much money on him if he wasn’t going to use him.’ The thing that needs to be understood – and is at the core of the current contract negotiations – is that Rafa Benitez did not have control over how funds were allocated: in other words, he did not sanction the spending of £20 million on Robbie Keane.
That doesn’t mean Rafa never wanted the player, but it does mean that he may never have spent that much. And while he may have only been willing to sign him for a smaller fee, it now places Benitez in a very difficult position if he sells him for any less than the £20 million Liverpool paid for him and the club is seen to have made a loss. Benitez will be held responsible for underselling a player who has surprised many at the club – including players and technical staff – who had expected a great deal more from the Republic of Ireland forward.
That means, if Liverpool do decide to sell Robbie Keane, it is going to take a very interesting offer from someone and it will probably only involve a straight cash deal, rather than a player swap.
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if Keane is to go, mad as it seems, I'd be happy to see bentley coming the other way.Monkey TennisComment
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Originally posted by Nic83 View Post
Im going to get flamed for this ... but this is precisely the problem with Keane. People have the view of him as a fantastic, Prem-proven player who has just struggled/been unlucky/been messed about by Rafa at Liverpool.
The problem is its just not true. Keane had found his level at Spurs. He's a decent player who is sporadically brilliant in flashes. He has great touch and skills. But his finishing and his decision-making have always been weak.
Ive watched him play for Ireland for years and he's always been like this. He's incredibly frustrating. His goalscoring record for Ireland is decent but, if you look, they're almost all against very weak teams. He's barely scored an important goal for us against a big team since Germany in the WC 2002. In that time both Kevin Doyle and Clinton Morrisson (seriously - all the important goals under Kerr) have done more business for us in the big games than Keane has.
Not saying much mind.
The problem with most people's view of him is they've seen highlights of him at Spurs or wherever, where all you're shown is the goal he scored or the nice flicks that come off. What you dont see is the missing relatively simply chances, the victimised poor-me waving of his hands at teammates and referees, and the consistent wasting of opportunities where he takes too much out of the ball rather than pass it to a player in a better position. That's much more of a problem with Ireland (where Im assuming he reckons he's better than most of the other players) but it does show off a basic lack of footballing intelligence.
All of these things are more obvious at Liverpool where the pressure and the spotlight on him has been huge. His flaws have become much more apparent - its not that they werent there, or that Rafa has caused them but just that they have been noticed now with the additional scrutiny and attention.
I was very surprised when he was signed because he didnt seem a Rafa player to me - primarily because of his lack of game intelligence (a prime Rafa trait if ever there was one), and his poor enough attitude. Its well known by anyone even vaguely connected with the Irish set-up that he is a bit of a prima donna and that he does sulk when things arent going his way - as we've all seen with the substitution shennanigans. That Rafa doesnt seem to have been keen now makes more sense. And makes it better for everyone if he's moved on asap if we can get someone else in.Comment
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I must admit, I really liked and admired Keane when he was at Spurs. I thought he was full of creativity, albeit mainly for himself and not afraid to try the unexpected. His goal return was always credible though not prolific and he seemed to team up well with Berbatov.
However, my first reaction after picking up my jaw from the floor at the £20M fee, was "Square peg, round hole". I just couldn't see where Keane was going to fit in to our first/preferred system (the 4-2-3-1 that was so successful for us in the latter half of last season). We defo needed the option to play 4-4-2 but again, I didn't imagine Keane as the ideal option for our secondary/alternative system (In fairness to Keane I don't believe this has been given a fair enough crack of the whip).
If Benitez only wanted Keane to compliment other transfer targets (I.e Barry) then there is no way Parry should have proceeded with a transfer of that magnitude.
No fault of Keane, but I think we should shift him to spurs if we can line up any kind of quality attacking option for the right wing or a decent target man.Last edited by lackyboy; 01-02-09, 04:19 PM.---------------------------------------------------Comment
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Robbie Keane could return to former club Tottenham, with winger Aaron Lennon moving in the opposite direction. (BBC 5 Live, 1512 GMT)
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Like ****
Regardless of who bought Keane – Rafa or the club, he has found himself a victim of a disgusting public row between the club and Rafa which is again making our club a laughing stock. I know his performances haven’t been up to scratch but I would ask – Who’s have? Look at Kuyt, Aurelio, Arbeloa, Dossena, Ngog, Benayoun, Agger, Babel, Lucas and even Torres this season. I’m not saying that they should all be treated like Keane, I’m saying Keane should be treated more like them.
Instead he finds himself stuck in the middle a boardroom v’s manager row. And as much as I love Rafa, he is as much to blame as the boardroom. He is losing his head. It is he who continually bringing these rows into the public domain for his benefit – Not the club or for the benefit of the club. It is he who is criticising other managers, not the opposite. It is he who is treating Robbie Keane like ****, not the club. It is he who is making these ridicules substitutes and persisting with absolute **** like Kuyt and Arbeloa.
He is cracking under the pressure...Comment
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I can confirm the player is at Anfield."Let me say for the record, I am not a gangster and never have been. Im not the thief who grabs your purse. Im not the guy who jacks your car. Im not down with the people who steal and hurt others. Im just a brother who fight back."
TupacComment
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Originally posted by Galb View PostIm going to get flamed for this ... but this is precisely the problem with Keane. People have the view of him as a fantastic, Prem-proven player who has just struggled/been unlucky/been messed about by Rafa at Liverpool.
The problem is its just not true. Keane had found his level at Spurs. He's a decent player who is sporadically brilliant in flashes. He has great touch and skills. But his finishing and his decision-making have always been weak.
Ive watched him play for Ireland for years and he's always been like this. He's incredibly frustrating. His goalscoring record for Ireland is decent but, if you look, they're almost all against very weak teams. He's barely scored an important goal for us against a big team since Germany in the WC 2002. In that time both Kevin Doyle and Clinton Morrisson (seriously - all the important goals under Kerr) have done more business for us in the big games than Keane has.
Not saying much mind.
The problem with most people's view of him is they've seen highlights of him at Spurs or wherever, where all you're shown is the goal he scored or the nice flicks that come off. What you dont see is the missing relatively simply chances, the victimised poor-me waving of his hands at teammates and referees, and the consistent wasting of opportunities where he takes too much out of the ball rather than pass it to a player in a better position. That's much more of a problem with Ireland (where Im assuming he reckons he's better than most of the other players) but it does show off a basic lack of footballing intelligence.
All of these things are more obvious at Liverpool where the pressure and the spotlight on him has been huge. His flaws have become much more apparent - its not that they werent there, or that Rafa has caused them but just that they have been noticed now with the additional scrutiny and attention.
I was very surprised when he was signed because he didnt seem a Rafa player to me - primarily because of his lack of game intelligence (a prime Rafa trait if ever there was one), and his poor enough attitude. Its well known by anyone even vaguely connected with the Irish set-up that he is a bit of a prima donna and that he does sulk when things arent going his way - as we've all seen with the substitution shennanigans. That Rafa doesnt seem to have been keen now makes more sense. And makes it better for everyone if he's moved on asap if we can get someone else in.
"Sir, it's me sir. Jennings sir."Comment
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Rafa just said Keane is staying!!!!!!Comment
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